"When we talk of this as a place of destruction, we turn these people into the other." This was how Jay Weissberg, the artistic director of the Pordenone Silent Film Festival, held annually in Northern Italy, introduced one of the more emotional film experiences I've had this year. The occasion was a screening of Palestine: A Revised Narrative, built entirely around silent films from Palestine shot by the British army during World War I.
The only performers on stage for the 60 minutes or so of Katie Mitchell, Nina Segal and Melanie Wilson's new work Cow | Deer are four Foley artists. They work expertly with an array of objects positioned on or around a row of bales of straw to evoke the experiences of a heavily pregnant cow and a year old roe deer over the course of one day in early August 2025.
HoloSculpture integrates AI, display technology, and sound HoloSculpture is an interactive artwork developed by Turbulence Lab and Hamza Kırbaş that integrates artificial intelligence, anamorphic display technology, and within a single physical object. Conceived as both a sculptural form and a digital interface, the project explores how AI can be embodied in a tangible medium. The piece incorporates a 4D anamorphic display, which generates a sense of depth and spatial presence, and a studio-grade sound system that enhances audiovisual interaction.
Shot from a respectful distance in near-total darkness, and with the ambient sounds of the forest serving as soundtrack, the doc forces us to adjust our eyes in order to see the shapes emerging from the blackness onscreen; and to witness a nocturnal existence in which time is suspended, the hushed tedium punctuated only by distant gunshots. In other words, to look and listen differently.
I've played dozens of horror games, and consider myself acclimated to the scary elements that startle a lot of other people. I love a spooky atmosphere and an unsettling tone that creeps under your skin, and I'm not afraid to admit that Resident Evil Requiem got me good. I knew something was coming - I was in a room with other previewers who occasionally jumped or gasped - but I still practically leaped out of my skin.
"Cristobal Tapia de Veer's score in Smile contrasts disorienting soundscapes with moments of intense musicality, effectively enhancing the film's horror elements through innovative compositions."