The first feature film by multidisciplinary artists Yoni Goldstein and Meredith Zielke melds documentary, architecture and science fiction to take us on a transcendental journey into the heart of Brasília. Built in 1000 days in the late 1950s, for the most part under the guidance of architect Oscar Niemeyer, Brazil’s national capital embodies the cosmic-futurist utopias of the time – and the authoritarian rule that ordered the vast megaproject built. The filmmakers invite us to examine the project’s roots through the eyes of four key witnesses: writer Clarice Lispector, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Esperanto inventor L.L. Zamenhof, and medium and religious leader Tia Neiva. The result is an ambitious and breathtaking audiovisual work that asks us to ponder the origins and futures of our utopias. (Charlotte Selb)

competition : International Feature Competition

A Machine to Live In