Samsara

What connects a Buddhist woman in Laos with a Muslim girl in Zanzibar? Awarded the Special Jury Prize in the Encounters section at the Berlinale, Samsara transforms the cycle of life from Eastern faith into an enriching cinematic experience beyond the confines of reality. It's a beautiful and extraordinary journey guided by the Tibetan book of the dead and the warm orange of the monks' robes captured on 16mm film. Visual artist Lois Patiño interweaves the power of fiction and documentary to help us look with our eyes closed, resulting in a film that is spiritually connected with the work of directors Michelangelo Frammartino (Le quattro volte) and Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Memoria). "Dreams tell us such beautiful stories", the character of the old woman attests. When you wake up from this dream, you will leave the theatre reborn.

“A mystical experience that begins in Laos and transports viewers to Zanzibar in Tanzania. [...] Patiño masterfully interweaves impressionistic moments with a loose narrative structure, blending fiction and documentary filmmaking, as well as the mundane and the transcendental.” - Screen Anarchy