Light Spectrum Odyssey —— Filmmaker Screening Q&A

August 9th in Beijing, I attended Light Spectrum Odyssey—Emerging Voices in International Short Films, a screening and conversation hosted by DOGME23 and LATERNA MAGICA FILM STUDIO.

Among the works I encountered, three left the deepest mark.

Singaporean director Nelson Yeo’s Mary, Mary, So Contrary bathed its imagery in neon-lit shadows, creating a spectral, pop-wave aura. Within a mechanical, almost AI-like monologue, the film unfolded like a dream sprinting forward at full speed. The inscriptions on stone recalled lines of computer code. From these poetic images, I sensed reflections on the world, the existence of cinema itself, civilization, and progress.

His Plastic Sonata, with its metaphorical and satirical storytelling, rendered the single day of a family of three absurd to the point of surreal. Beneath the humor and strangeness lay a quiet reflection on the emotional distance between people in the aftermath of the pandemic.

From Xinjiang, director Keran Abukasmu’s Baozida was equally striking. Grounded in a solid script, it portrayed the inevitable moment of growth for a young boy—learning to end the life of an animal fatally injured in an accident, to ease its suffering. The cruelty of growing up was stark, yet inescapable. With nuanced, natural dialogue and heartfelt performances, the film’s mature craftsmanship, steady pacing, and restrained audiovisual language drew us deeply into the boy’s inner world, making us feel the weight of that harsh passage into adulthood.

Our post-screening conversation wandered far beyond the screen: we spoke about how stories travel, the delicate art of releasing short films, and the quiet resilience required to live and create as an arthouse filmmaker.

I left with pages of notes, a head full of images, and the feeling that these exchanges—between strangers, between films—are as vital to cinema as the act of making itself.

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Official Selection | When I See You At The End Of The World – Independent Shorts Awards