Filmmaker Scheduled to Appear
Additional Films and Guests, Screen Share
Two friends transcend time, space, and death to find hope and resilience through their struggles with mental health. Q&A with the filmmaker to follow!
Smile4Kime is a timely, character-driven short documentary that unfolds as a conversation between Elena and Kime, best friends who commune with each other through Elena’s spiritual practice after Kime’s untimely death. Foregoing traditional linear modes of storytelling, we hear Kime reflect on her experience with trauma, depression, and sexual assault in flashbacks, while in the present we see Elena invoking the memory of Kime through an altar, transporting the viewer into the past, to spiritual and dream worlds, and future moments that were never realized. Animation becomes the creative tool by which the altar—and Kime—come alive. Memory and interactions with Kime’s spirit allow the audience to bear witness to Elena’s grieving process as she comes to terms with her own trauma and mental health challenges. [26 min; experimental, documentary; English]
A Q&A with filmmaker Elena Guzman and Essence London of the Black Film Center & Archive will follow the screening.
Any film screened at IU Cinema may contain content that viewers find sensitive or upsetting. Visit our Audience Advisories page to learn more.
