29.01.25, 20:30, Animalia Paradoxa (2024)

Dressed in rags and a gas mask, the strange creature Animalia wanders through an abandoned building. Moving like an alien dancer, its grim form crawls over concrete, plastic and rubbish. With great difficulty, it gathers and fills a series of empty bottles to enjoy a modest bath. Thus begins Animalia Paradoxa, an audiovisual journey that challenges the familiar.

Filmmaker Elodie Varga sketches with sensual myths, industrial waste and ecology merging. Here, nature counts as a mirror for our own desire for control and understanding, while the unknown unfolds in the form of wondrous, non-existent creatures. The melancholy of disappearance and the thrill of discovery are echoed in an enchanting score that interweaves archaic melodies with futuristic sounds. Animalia Paradoxa thus creates a place where reality meets imagination, reminding us that what we lose - biodiversity, traditions, balance - cannot always be regained.

This screening kicks off with Danae Zegers' short film Saudade (2024).