Tilhørighet - Bak filmvalgene / Belongingness - Behind the film choices

Belongingness - Behind the film choices

One of TIFF’s special program this year is called BELONGINGNESS. These films are all about seeking, finding or struggling with a sense of belonging. It questions what makes us humans feel connected to others, or to a place, an idea, a country. Among the 7 films that make up the BELONGINGNESS program, 4 of them were chosen by guest curators. They tell us why they chose these 4 films.

Kaleem Aftab film critic and producer (London, UK) Nasra Omar musician and project manager (Tromsø, Norway)

Iram Haq actress, film director and singer (Oslo, Norway)

MOTHER I AM SUFFOCATING,

THIS IS MY LAST FILM ABOUT YOU.

MOGUL MOWGLI

Elisa Pirir producer (Tromsø, Norway)

BLACK GIRL

«I chose Mogul Mowgli because it manages to tell a story about our dreams being killed because we can’t cope with who we are or who we came from. It captures what it’s like coming from a second generation family, without being about the migrant experience and it poses questions about inherited trauma that are fascinating. Add to this that it’s told in a cinematic style with ghosts and great music and it seemed a simple choice.»

Black Girl is one of the strongest cinematic experiences I’ve had. The first time I saw it I was impressed by the beauty and humanity of the protagonist. I could relate to Diouana in so many ways, being a stranger in a strange place. Throughout the film, we are guided by her thoughts, her fears and a dream of Europe bound to becoming a nightmare. This is the first time I’ve watched an emigrant on screen, a woman of colour, coming to terms with her own spiritual ancestry through questioning a western society.” “My motivation for choosing this film is actually the director, who I find really interesting and who represents a generation that tells African stories in a different way. I find this interesting, and I would also like to show that contemporary art and cultural practices exist outside Europe as well. That’s something I feel is not told enough.

And personally, I recognize myself in the story of how other people’s perspectives can become a cross that we who are different must bear and find ourselves in. This is shown literally in the film. I recognize myself in the stigmas that may have affected or still affect relationships between children who grow up in cultures other than their own parents. It contributes to shaping the sense of belonging and the feeling of achieving a form of harmonious coexistence and belonging with mother and father in a foreign culture. “

EAST IS EAST

«It’s a movie I’ve seen many times. I cried and laughed with the characters, and have recognized myself in it. Growing up with such a strict father, who lives by behaviors and values from his home country. The children who feel pressured by the family while living a double life. It is about living between two worlds, and is told with warmth and charm. It is probably the first film I saw where I could identify myself, and I see it as crucial to tell stories where young people can identify themselves and find comfort and hope.»