The loose collective of filmmakers known as BEAUTIFUL RIVERS AND MOUNTAINS returns to Spectacle with a selection of daring and devastating shorts. This program, which derives its title from a mistranslated track by the Korean folk musician Yun Yeon Seon, gathers four melancholy portraits from varied walks of life; altogether, the films in the program show sadness in its many forms, demonstrating a preternatural talent among its young filmmakers’ ability to represent life’s most distressing emotional territory.
SUNDAY, JULY 28 – 5 PM
LIVING REALITY
dir. Phillip Thompson
USA. 15 mins.
In English.
A supporting character in an ensemble sitcom experiences an uncanny awakening.
TENDERLESS
dir. Amanda Samini, 2023
USA. 9 mins.
In English.
Two friends go to a boy’s apartment.
RIBBON
dir. Irmak Akgür, 2024
USA. 9 mins.
In English.
A young man and woman discover the latter’s pregnant.
PINK ELEPHANT
dir. Matthew Ericson, 2024
USA. 15 mins.
In English.
An anxiously attached woman navigates isolation and a series of dissociative episodes.
Special thanks to Jinho Myung, Phillip Thompson, Amanda Samini, Irmak Akgür, and Matthew Ericson.