Part of First Look 20/21
Saturday, July 24, 2021, 1:00 p.m.
Museum of the Moving Image - Redstone Theater

Available to view online, July 26–August 1.

Dir. Michele Pennetta. Italy/Switzerland. 2020, 81 mins. In Italian with English subtitles. On the outskirts of Sicily, young Oscar collects scrap metal along the sides of the road, which his father resells to eke out a living for their family. Meanwhile Stanley, a Nigerian refugee, works a farm and other odd jobs, unclear whether or not he’ll be paid, or if he’ll be allowed to remain in the country. Pennetta’s bracing work of experiential nonfiction melds the craft and immersivity of neorealist fiction with an embedded, in-the-moment candor achievable only through sustained collaboration. It builds to a finale that’s both purely cinematic and urgently alchemical. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Big Sky Film Festival. New York premiere. View trailer.

Preceded by Three Songs for Benazir. Dirs. Elizabeth Mirzaei, Gulistan Mirzaei. Afghanistan, United States. 2021, 22 mins. Pashto and Zari with English subtitles. In a camp on the outskirts of Kabul, Shaista struggles to support his family amidst ongoing unlivable conditions. His plans to join the Army are met with resistance from his family and male elders, who are fearful of being used as pawns between the Taliban and the government. A concise character study that evokes structural, societal, psychological, and political realities, Three Songs for Benazir is a superb work of observational storytelling, featuring a time-jump edit that you won’t soon forget. Winner of the Grand Jury Award for Best Short at the Full Frame Film Festival. New York premiere.