Baku Diaries

Another Alone

September 2023 •English

A dance dramatic satire about a boy exploring his home only to discover who he want to become. Each scene contains a stereotype or stigma that a male dancer deals with. There are 35 different stereotypes and stigmas that a male dancer faces, from being labeled gay (even if they are not) to the clothes they have to wear. Can you identify all 35 in the film?

Replica

December 2015 •French

The Daytime Doorman

November 2016 •Portuguese

After exchanging glances between "good mornings" and "good afternoons", Marcelo realizes it's time to try to go further with Márcio, the doorman in his building. Two worlds will collide through these men's bodies.

Alcoholism and Its Consequences

January 1913 •Russian

Alcoholism and its Ill-Effects was considered to be one of the most popular science propaganda (or educational) films produced in Russia before the revolution of 1917. Alexander Khanzhonkov, the most prominent Russian film producer of that era, financed a special department dedicated to non-fictional cinema, despite the fact that such films were not commercially successful. Unfortunately, not a single copy of the film has survived to the present day. All that remains are 12 frames, which were used by Izvolov to create this reconstruction. He also used extracts from critical reviews, published at the time of the film’s release, to produce a soundtrack.

Pvblo

November 2018 •French

Pablo is seen less and less in the neighborhood. So much so that his friends no longer even know what's become of him. His secret: he has a passion for horse-riding and hides, for fear of having to cope with other people's attitudes. One day, his pals discover the truth. Pablo must then must make a major decision: to come to terms with himself and become the first cowboy in the projects.

The Rink

December 1916 •English

After amusements working in a restaurant, a waiter uses his lunch break to go roller skating.

The Pawnshop

October 1916 •English

A pawnbroker's assistant deals with his grumpy boss, his annoying co-worker and some eccentric customers as he flirts with the pawnbroker's daughter, until a perfidious crook with bad intentions arrives at the pawnshop.

The Count

September 1916 •English

A tailor's apprentice burns Count Broko's clothes while ironing them and the tailor fires him. Later, the tailor discovers a note explaining that the count cannot attend a dance party, so he dresses as such to take his place; but the apprentice has also gone to the mansion where the party is celebrated and bumps into the tailor in disguise…

Phantoms, Inc.

June 1945 •English

This Crime Does Not Pay entry focuses on fake spiritualists. A mother is worried about her son, who is missing in action. Over time, she gives a con man all of the family savings to find reassurance that her son is all right. When she can no longer pay, events take a tragic turn.

Best Wishes from Millwood

October 2015 •English

An unhappy housewife is visited by a bicycle-riding stranger with wish-making cookies.

The Impossible Voyage

November 1904 •French

Using every known means of transportation, several savants from the Geographic Society undertake a journey through the Alps to the Sun which finishes under the sea.

Are You Hungry?

September 2019 •Finnish

A single mother struggles to connect with her adopted son, who she believes is gay. Her assumptions about her son's needs and desires lead to a cascading series of calamities.

Textiles

February 2001 •French

Michel is a funny boy, a kind of intellectual. With Pauline, a very beautiful girl he met on the beach, they are going to get naked and discuss surrealism, sincerely and without trickery. But who are they really?

Dawn

March 2016 •English

As dawn creeps across London, two lost outcasts meet in the darkness, more afraid of themselves than each other. As the sun begins to rise, and the veil of the night is lifted, the pair look into the cold light of day for hope and it takes more than just the eyes to see inside a soul.

Ghosted

February 2024 •English

When memories of your ex aren't the only thing that's haunting you.

Iris

September 2016 •German

Garden of Remembrance

October 2022 •Japanese

An untidy room. Empty beer tins, empty wine bottles, a half-empty glass of whisky... A girl is getting up absent-mindedly and starts preparing herself. YOUR morning starts. Lazy and hard-to-wake-up YOU. The emoticon is ME watching over YOU. I play tricks on YOU, while YOU are playing the guitar and drinking. One day, in town, YOU walk past THE CHILDHOOD FRIEND who is buying an Anemone I liked, and remembering that I liked them, YOU rush out to buy them. THE CHILDHOOD FRIEND displays the Anemone with care. One day, years after I died, YOU hear noise from the closet. Opened, YOU see MY garden right in front of YOU. Overflowing emotions of ME and YOU. When exiting from the room with memories, a picture of the Anemone that YOU painted is displayed in YOUR new room.

Mi Madre, My Father

May 2018 •English

Reared by an abusive, pill-popping mother and an absentee playboy father, six-year-old Valentina must fend for herself. She does what she can to craft the illusion of normalcy: makes herself lunches that look just like the ones her classmates tote, dresses and grooms herself expertly, and lies to cover up for her mother Anita's erratic behavior.

Pulsar

October 2005 •English

Clouds

October 2017 •English

On the verge of a nervous breakdown, a school teacher finds the wisdom she needs in the most unlikeliest of places.