Students from the instrumental, chamber music and vocal classes at KASK & Conservatorium present the resounding results of their work over the past few months. We group this young, talented force under the name Springsounds.

Delve into the mind of Federico Fellini. With seven feature films to his name, including La Strada (1954) and La Dolce Vita (1960), and a handful of short films, the Italian filmmaker embarked on what would aptly be called 8½. Otto e mezzo follows the seemingly chaotic stream of consciousness of film director Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), whose creative reservoir has run dry. His wife and mistress each pull at one of his arms, while an impatient producer, cunning critics and desperate actresses cheerfully nibble away at his already scarce time. But remember: when reality becomes too stifling, even a crack in a car window can suddenly feel like salvation.

Anselmi (read: Fellini himself) decides to simply make his lack of inspiration his subject matter and thus conjures up an irresistible “film about film” out of thin air. In this wild, typically Fellinian introspection, dream and reality are constantly intertwined, a gamble that was rewarded with two Oscars in 1964 and is considered one of the maestro's best works. Bravo, Federico!

The Weird Wednesday family continues to expand. This time, we welcome the strange friends from Cinema Obscura: a cult film collective that sees high art in bad taste. With a range of screenings that honour the craftsmanship of low-budget filmmaking, they help us search for gold nuggets in the rubbish heap. The manic Miami Connection is our first collaboration and serves as living proof of the B-movie quip “so bad it's good”.

In the neon-drenched Miami of the 1980s, we follow the band Dragon Sound. These five musicians and taekwondo fighters firmly believe that friendship conquers all, even rival bands, drug dealers and ninjas on motorbikes. When a cocaine deal goes wrong, everything derails into a battle full of clumsily choreographed fight moves, awkward silences and intimate synth-rock anthems about brotherhood. Miami Connection may be a terrible film, but the sincerity behind its making is disarming. Nothing about the film is meant to be ironic, as director and lead actor Y.K. Kim clearly thought he had an unrivalled action epic on his hands.

Unfortunately, those dreams were shattered and the film (understandably) slipped by unnoticed upon its release. Now the world is finally ready for this fiery ode to action cinema and friendship.

Design label Volmaakt proudly presents ‘Tsunagu つなぐ’: a new lighting collection. The series is the result of an intensive collaboration between Volmaakt and Dirk van Gogh's team (Futures through Design, HOGENT / KASK & Conservatorium). Tsunagu is inspired by Japanese craftsmanship, which focuses on the emotional connection between people and objects. This is in line with Volmaakt's mission. The Ghent design label only produces within the social economy.

The design collection ‘Tsunagu つなぐ (connect, verbinden)’ closely matches the atmosphere inherent in the Japanese world of meaning associated with lamps made from paper and wood. The meaning refers not only to the physical, ingenious wood connections, but also to the forging of relationships and emotions. The choice of materials (wood and paper), the refined design, and the social manufacturing process create an emotional bond that encourages the user to cherish the object for a long time.

Everyone's favourite animation festival (Anima!) is back again, this time with a programme bursting with new talent. This selection of short films provides a platform for the next generation of European filmmakers whose imagination knows no bounds. In this programme, they effortlessly combine stories about snowed-in houses, unbreakable eggs, shoes that move to music on their own, and cups of tea that get lost in a magical universe. Using various innovative techniques within the medium of animation, they explore unknown worlds that will inspire dreams for a long time to come. Discover the films of these young pioneers, whom you will undoubtedly hear more about in the future.