2026 New Orleans Film Festival

Experimental Shorts: Wakeful Nature

Available in 24d 21h 43m 55s
Available October 23, 2026 12:30 AM UTC
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7 films in package
First Breath on Mars
An experimental 16mm film that investigates colonial ideologies through aerodynamic, mechanical, and ballistic flight - including space tourism and ornithology.
Memory Replica (Ký Ức Ký Ức)
After hearing about a pagoda's mysterious disappearance, a trio of filmmakers embark on a journey to find an explanation.
Ode (An Acknowledgement of Sea Country)
An experimental, cameraless animation created from handmade macroalgae celluloid and bio-sonified seaweed. Developed in collaboration with CSIRO marine scientists, "Ode" embodies post-petrochemical cinema in a time of ecological crisis.
Good Neighbors Care
In a desperate attempt to rebrand, a chemical company in North Carolina promises clean water while their neighbors suffer due to the ecological disaster they’ve caused. Using chemically altered 16mm film of greenwashing campaigns, this film renders visible a crisis underpinned by corporate lies.
ęmí: freedomsong
An audio-visual ritual transforming collective grief into love through song - drawing on voices of global resistance from MLK to bell hooks in defiance of silencing and dispossessions worldwide.
SomatiQ Black: Neci
Black woman: reach backward through memory for the girl you once were. Meet the selves you buried, borrowed, and became. Tend to the home that was never lost, only waiting.
Not Dead
The birth of a young black couple's first child brings happiness, but also agony. The father experiences and expresses his dilemmas regarding the arrival, coexistence and departure of his beloved firstborn.
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The birth of a young black couple's first child brings happiness, but also agony. The father experiences and expresses his dilemmas regarding the arrival, coexistence and departure of his beloved firstborn.


Director bio:

Alex Reis is a Brazilian filmmaker and animation director whose work moves between animation and live action. Drawing from literature, memory, and Afro-Brazilian narratives, his films explore grief, identity, and human connection through handcrafted visual storytelling. His work has screened internationally at Oscar-qualifying festivals.

  • Year
    2025
  • Runtime
    15 minutes
  • Language
    Portuguese
  • Country
    Brazil
  • Premiere
    Louisiana
  • Director
    Alex Reis
  • Screenwriter
    Alex Reis
  • Producer
    Alex Reis
  • Cinematographer
    Wilson Velasco
  • Editor
    Alex Reis
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