Sanctuary Station

The camera drifts through sun-dappled woods, crafting diaphanous textures in black and white. The materiality of the terrain comes to the fore from the outset, while a spiritual tone is progressively established with each movement of the light. This is the story of the endangered redwood forests of northwestern California, which are full of mythological resonance, but also the story of a handful of fascinating women who built an existence there where introspection and community could coexist. One of them is Mary Norbert Körte, a former nun whose poetry punctuates the soundtrack, her words at once attuned to the roar of nature and the lives of others. Moving in mysterious ways, SANCTUARY STATION fuses the traditions of landscape imagery and portraiture while creating a choral structure in which every encounter counts. Wise women with gray hair talk of their ancestry by the sea. A poem dreams of flying. A younger woman skillfully rides a horse without a saddle or dances in the air suspended from a fragile harness. In the same way in which these women devoted their lives to their passions, the film pieces together a rough, yet delicate bouquet of intricate images and graceful rhythms to honour them. (Victor Guimarães)

Brigid McCaffrey: LAY DOWN TRACKS (2006, KO-REGIE), TJÚBA TÉN (THE WET SEASON) (2008, KO-REGIE), AM/PM (2010, K), CASTAIC LAKE (2010, K), PARADISE SPRINGS (2013, K), BAD MAMA, WHO CARES (2016, K), SUN METAL SHADOW SIGNS (2017, K)