Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival and Carbon Arc Cinema present: El Mar La Mar

The Harvard Sensory Ethnography lab is a household name in the world of modern experimental documentary filmmaking. Works produced by the lab are distinguished by their immersive aesthetics and keen attention to cultural detail. This influence is profoundly felt in El Mar La Mar, the latest film from lab alumnus J.P. Sniadecki and co-director Joshua Bonnetta. El Mar La Mar captures the harrowing, mythic experience of life at the U.S.-Mexico border through pure cinema. Vast soundscapes and hand-processed 16mm images envelop and challenge viewers to not just see and hear the desert, but to reckon with it. Formally brilliant, effortlessly political, and never clinical: El Mar La Mar is a towering achievement that outstrips current conceptions of the documentary as an art form.

"One of the top 10 films of 2017...cinema and landscape come together as sites of inscription marked by an encounter between the human and nonhuman." - Erika Balsam, ArtForum

About HIFF

Now in its 13th year, HIFF provides a unique venue for filmmakers and media artists to share their work in a forum dedicated to the celebration of independent cinema. Since its inception, HIFF has showcased the Atlantic region's most innovative works alongside the films of acclaimed visiting artists. As a filmmaker's festival, HIFF brings the directors of the works we show to Halifax in order to create opportunities for them to connect directly with audiences and local artists through hosted Q+A's, artist talks and workshops. HIFF also presents a number of professional development initiatives, designed to assist local filmmakers with improving their skills and getting their films programmed at festivals around the world.   

www.hiff.ca