Aura of a Wonderland

2021 |USA |13:47 |English

An experimental short film loosely inspired by the photographic work of Justine Kurland and excerpts from Rebecca Bengal's short story, "The Jeremys". Part trance-state, part dance odyssey, Aura of a Wonderland follows a group of girls who after abandoning their vehicle in an act of rebellion set out on an uncharted hallucinogenic journey of discovery into the freedoms of what bonds each other, and the mysteries of nature to the wilderness of self.

Director

John David Levy Sierra Serban

MEET THE DIRECTOR

John David Levy, Sierra Serban

John David Levy is an independent filmmaker with a penchant for working with limited budgets and stolen locations. Leaning toward a bend in genres that intersects somewhere between contemplative, experimental, documentary, and dance cinema.

SEE MORE FROM 2021

A Flower

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2021 |France |9:34 |French

A Mushroom Poem

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2021 |Canada |1:33 |English

Between the Trees

Between the Trees immerses you in the forest as the hidden complexity of trees and the incredible community they create is revealed. We follow Arne’s journey in the summer of 2020 as he emerges from a lockdown that deprived him from nature. He ventures deep into the Snowdonian rainforest as he explains the fascinating, slow-grown life of the forest, and tries to recapture a lost connection with nature.

2021 |UK |22:25 |English

Darwin’s Balls

Re-discovery of an ancient fungus and its strange place in history. Returning from Antarctica Erik discovers a mysterious Beech tree fungus in the mountains of Ushuaia on Tierra del Fuego. Curiosity takes over and he follows the fungus through the history of the indigenous people, Darwin's voyage on the Beagle and into his mouth.

2021 |USA |5:32 |English

Fluxus Fungi

Fluxus Fungus is an experimental personal story involving my relationship with fungi, through images that I made, mainly in 35mm, during the last years. The film is an unfolding of my master's research in Visual Arts, entitled The Poetics of Fungi. From these photographs, I created a narrative based on reflections inspired by readings by authors such as Anna Tsing, Donna Haraway, Paul Stamets and Peter McCoy.

2021 |Brazil |9:00 |Portuguese

Foraged!

You think you know foraging? Think again! Consumption is subjective.

2021 |USA |0:43

Fungi

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2021 |Sweden |3:32 |English

Fungos Sanitatem

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2021 |USA |6:51 |English

Grateful Dean

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2021 |Canada |8:20 |French

Harmonia

Harmonia is a short dream-like video that centres on a conjoined costume for two siblings. Hand-dyed with foraged fungi, this garment is made for a picnic experience based in togetherness. Functioning as a jacket-cum-picnic-blanket, Harmonia considers loss, materiality and potential of objects that motivates us into action.

2021 |Canada |4:54

Kingdom Fungi

A long time ago, a bifurcation occurred in human consciousness, when the understanding of power as a responsibility to nurture and regenerate life was replaced with a new idea of power: power is for domination and destruction. The former engendered a partnership based model for human civilization, promoting balance and harmony. The latter is the paradigm that humanity still exists in today, manifesting primarily as patriarchy. To return to partnership, we must bring our awareness to the light side of chaos and to the dark side of order.

2021 |USA |2:14 |English

Let Things Rot

This short film is a journey into the forest with Chilean mycologist Giuliana Furci who reflects on how the so called end of a life in fact leads to new beginnings. Filmed in Chile's striking Araucanía Region landscape, the short presents the wonderful Fungi Kingdom through a poetic perspective that reflects on the importance of allowing for natural cycles of degeneration to unfold. The film encourages viewers to perceive death as the start of something new and as a beautiful part of life's cycle. It features an original soundtrack composed by Enrique Barrenengoa and Elisabetta Monacelli and is narrated by Andy Thorstenson.

2021 |Chile |7:25 |Spanish

A Message from our Founder

Aura of a Wonderland