how can i be present when photographs exist
All Films • Short Films, 03-Jan-2023
While pondering the need to endlessly capture her life in photos and videos, a filmmaker attempts to be present in the moment. Shereen Lani Younes directs “how can i be present when photographs exist,” a self-reflective video essay narrated with stream-of-consciousness musings over a smorgasborg of phone-captured moments. Younes films endlessly: pets, plants, balloons, car washes, meals, selfies. And yet she’s not sure why she does it — what’s the impulse to capture her daily life in such detail? What could these photos and videos be used for? What happens to the documentation after she’s gone? Unanswered questions for our age and yet the film makes a strong case for its significance as a multimedia poem with artful construction and self-deprecating humor. In 2018, we featured Younes’ narrative short, “Fall,” a psychological drama where reality appears to be crumbling for a young woman in L.A. The new one has an entirely different format and style but continues to mine similar emotional territory for poetic questions on identity and perception. -KA. Director, Writer, Editor: Shereen Lani Younes.
Fall: https://www.nobudge.com/videos/fall
Up Next in All Films
-
Earth Over Earth
A young couple retreats to a glass house for two weeks of digital detox where they are disturbed by a lost hiker. “Earth Over Earth,” directed by Owen Campbell, is an enigmatic sci-fi drama that establishes itself as a convincing relationship study before wandering into an unclassifiable realm. L...
-
Five Song Tour
A dispirited young musician living out of her car comes to a crossroads when she reconnects with an ex-girlfriend for one night. Chloe Jury-Fogel directs “Five Song Tour,” a portrait of solitude and longing set around Christmas that highlights the flip side of holiday frivolity. Making her way t...
-
Critics
Two film critics discuss their profession in the park. Tynan DeLong directs “Critics,” a lighthearted satire lampooning celebrity worship, hobnobbing with movie stars, and Marvel fanboying. It stars Jeremy Levick and Rajat Suresh, playing movie geeks with podcasts — “The Dork Side” and “Are You T...
