An explorer from the past (or present) arrives in the Galapagos Islands for the first time to have a tactile encounter with rocks and tortoises. In the darkness of the volcanic tunnels the beasts transfigure freely. Giant tortoises hold the mystery of the universe in the scars on their backs, and to their misfortune they are also a craved food for hungry sailors who prowl the Pacific Ocean aimlessly.

Oscar X. Illingworth is an Ecuadorian non-fiction filmmaker and editor. His work explores memory, identity and nature in the form of film-collage. His films have been shown at festivals such as: EDOC, IFFR, Festival de Cartagena, DOXA, Transcinema, and Cámara Lúcida. He edited the film Ozogoche which premiered in IDFA 2023. His first feature film Amago de un Incendio (Fire Drill) currently in development stage, addresses the historical relationship between his hometown and fire.

On 20 July 1976, the first image of Mars arrived on Earth. That same night, in Jujuy, the lights of the Ledesma sugar mill went out completely: 400 people were kidnapped by the military with the support of the sugar company. In June 2023, almost 47 years after the blackout, the first live stream from Mars takes place, while the people of Jujuy confront the Government on the streets.

Manuel Embalse (Buenos Aires, 1991). Member of the Antes Muerto Cine and Cineclub Rata collectives. Bachelor of Audiovisual Arts from the UNA. Amateur archaeologist and multifaceted film worker: he directs, writes, assists, produces, edits, does live sound, is a musician and sound designer. In 2020, he released his debut feature film ¿Qué hago en este mundo tan visual? (What am I Doing in this Visual World?), produced and distributed by Antes Muerto Cine, as part of the 2020 edition of Novos Cinemas in the Latexos section. In October 2023, he premiered his latest short film, La primera imagen de Marte (First Image of Mars), in the Festifreak Expandido section (special mention in Nuevos Lenguajes at Antofacine 2024, special mention at Festihur 2024, special mention at Luján en Foco 2024 and at two other festivals). He is currently distributing his second feature film, Las ruinas nuevas (The New Ruins), which had its world premiere at MoMA’s Doc Fortnight 2024.

No More Room In Hell began with initial research conducted at the archive of horror director George A. Romero (Dir. Night of the Living Dead) housed at the University of Pittsburgh. Extending research beyond the archive, the film examines the implications of zombiehood in relation to industry, late techno-capitalism, and apocalyptic realities. The experimental cinematic work models itself after Romero’s cult classics which birthed the American cinematic zombie against the industrial backdrop of Western Pennsylvania.

Rebecca Shapass is an artist working across moving-image, photography, installation, and text. Her research-driven projects investigate and complicate archival practice and documentary form. Drawing on hauntological frameworks, she crafts nonlinear, sensory narratives privileging affect over explanation. Her work has been presented internationally at institutions and film festivals including Mattress Factory (Pittsburgh, PA), Microscope Gallery (NYC), SKF/Konstnärshuset (Sweden), Antimatter [media art] (Canada), Mimesis Documentary Festival (Boulder, CO), and Motel/X Lisbon International Horror Festival.

An account of a scientist trying to teach machines how to infer depth from two-dimensional pictures. A parable of a prince trying to resurrect his lover by fashioning a chair out of his lover’s things. A question about the need for human beings, and the things they are in need of.

Magdalena Bermudez is a filmmaker and educator whose practice examines the entangled relations between humans, nonhuman animals, and technologies through essayistic film and video works. Her practice is research-based, often recontextualizing scientific or operational images to interrogate their formal and political implications. Magda received a BA from Hampshire College and an MFA in Cinematic Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her work has screened internationally at film festivals such as Ann Arbor FF, Antimatter [Media Art], Mimesis Documentary Festival, Kasseler DokFest, İstanbul International Experimental FF, Winnipeg Underground FF. She is an Assistant Professor of Cinema at Binghamton University.