Spotlight Film
River
Directed by: Jennifer Peedom and Joseph Nizeti
Australia, 2021, 75m
Southeast Premiere
Throughout history, rivers have shaped our landscapes and flowed through our cultures and dreams. This dynamic and monumental film takes the audience on a journey through space and time—spanning six continents and an astonishing 39 countries—and drawing on extraordinary cinematography, including satellite filming, to show rivers on a scale and perspective never-before seen. Its union of image, music, and a sparse, poetic script creates a film that is both dreamlike and powerful, honoring the wildness of rivers while also recognizing their vulnerability. River is the second installment, after 2017’s Mountain, in a planned trilogy that Jennifer Peedom (here with co-director Joseph Nizeti) has created in concert with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and perfectly cast narrator Willem Dafoe. It is a stunning cinematic experience, not unlike 1992’s legendary documentary Baraka (FFF 1993), that will leave you breathless and mesmerized by the natural wonders of our incredible world.
Tales of Sunshine: The Biologist
Central Florida filmmaker Vincent Marcucci profiles PhD candidate Ian Biazzo, of the conservation biology department at the University of Central Florida, as he studies wild tree frogs and how they are impacted by fire.
USA, 2022, 18m, Directed by Vincent Marcucci