Samsara

Synopsis

Samsara is the Buddhist cycle of death and rebirth. In the temples of Laos, living alongside teenage monks, we accompany a soul in its transition from one body to another, through the bardo. The words of the Tibetan Book of the Dead serve as our guide here to navigate the afterlife. A luminous and sonorous journey will lead us to be reborn on the beaches of Zanzibar, where groups of women work on seaweed farms.

Almost best experienced with eyes closed, this remarkable film by Lois Patiño aims to go beyond the representation of the invisible in cinema and transform a screening into a collective meditative experience.

Biography and Films

Lois Patiño (Vigo, Galicia, 1983) studied psychology and film in Madrid, New York (New York Film Academy) and Barcelona (Master's in Creative Documentary from Pompeu Fabra University). His films and video installations have been showcased in art centers such as MoMA, Centre Pompidou, MACBA, CCCB, Casa Encendida, as well as at art fairs like ARCO, Estampa, SWAB, Paris Photo (France), Photo London (UK), Unseen (Amsterdam), and the Aichi Triennale (Japan).

His short films, Montaña en sombra (2012) and Noite sem distância (2015) were screened at different editions of l'Alternativa. His more recent works, Sycorax (2021) and El sembrador de estrellas (2022), premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes and Berlinale Shorts, respectively. His debut feature, Costa da Morte (2013), won Best Director at Locarno. Lúa vermella (2020) was selected for Berlinale Forum. His latest feature, Samsara, premiered in the Encounters section at the 2023 Berlinale, where it won the Special Jury Prize. He is currently working on his next two feature films: Ariel and La nube del no saber.