Dreams of Sunlight through Trees

Theo Jean Cuthand, Canada 2024, 16', English with English subtitles

A trans man documents the first year and nine months of his medical transition, discussing the joys and challenges of his changing body. Meanwhile headlines from increased anti-trans legislation in the USA, Canada, and the UK give a sense of unease when paired with the clear trans joy of transition.

The Hidden Face of the Earth (La Face cachée de la Terre)

Arnaud Alain, France 2026, 68', French and English with English subtitles

The Hidden Face of the Earth offers an intimate and delicate portrait of Dimitri and his passion for capturing the beauty of life and desire through photography. As he gathers images of friends, strangers, and lovers—amid the shifting lights and shadows of cities like Paris and New York—he confronts the certainty that one day he will no longer see.

Through a close dialogue between filmmaker and subject, the documentary unfolds as an act of accompaniment, creating a space of care and trust. A play of mirrors emerges between Dimitri’s gaze and that of the director, between his photographs and the film they create together, where questions around the representation of this moment of vulnerability come into focus.

Black-and-white photographs of bodies and faces contrast with blurred, almost tactile Super 8 seascapes, interwoven with nocturnal walks imbued with a quiet sense of refuge. As his vision fades, Dimitri’s practice transforms—his skin and ears begin to guide the moment of the shutter.

Within this intimate space, the film inhabits a territory of fragility, becoming a documentary that moves beyond words and images, exploring cinema as a sensitive way of processing and experiencing the inner depths of the world. 

(text by Pol Merchan)