Short films by Ana Vaz: an introduction

Entering the cinema of Ana Vaz requires a complete openness of the senses, as her work invites us to perceive the world differently. By simultaneously engaging with past and present, and by directing her camera towards both the visible and the invisible, Ana Vaz opens up glimpses of possible futures. The programme of this first evening with the filmmaker is conceived as an introduction to her artistic and filmic practice, which is closely intertwined with the reflections that shape her view of the world.

Ana Vaz, Apiyemiyekî? (2019)
16mm film, colour, sound, 27 min 23 sec
An archive of drawings made by the Waimiri-Atroari during their first experience of literacy forms a collective visual memory of their learning process, their perspective and their territory, while also documenting their encounter with the so-called “civilised man”.

Ana Vaz, Há Terra (2016)
16mm film, colour, sound, 12 min 37 sec
“HÁ TERRA! is an encounter, a hunt, a diachronic tale of seeing and becoming. Like a game, like a chase, the film oscillates between character and land, land and character, predator and prey.” This is how Ana Vaz describes her cinematic poem shot on 16mm.

Ana Vaz, A Idade da Pedra (2013)
16mm film, colour, sound, 29 min
A journey to the far west of Brazil leads us to a monumental, petrified structure at the heart of the savannah. Inspired by the epic construction of the city of Brasília, the film reimagines this history through another lens. Following geological traces that guide us towards this monument, the film unearths a story of exploration, prophecy and myth.

Ana Vaz, Pseudosphynx (2020)
16mm film, colour, sound, 8 min
Pseudosphynx is the scientific name of the fire caterpillars that will soon become butterflies, or, as they are commonly and auspiciously known, witches. These “butter-witches” are associated with multiple myths.