NUTAG-HOMELAND / CANADA / LOUISIANA PREMIERE

A visual poem and surrealist requiem for the Kalmyk people that were mass-deported by USSR from 1943-1957 and half of them died before they were allowed to return home. The film manifests itself as an archetype with frame by frame hand painted imagery, bringing back an example of human history on the eternal theme of diaspora and the loss of homeland, but more importantly, by referencing to the past and the lost, it poses a critical resistance to the current social political situations in the world.

This film is part of the Vidéographe 50th Anniversary Program: The Vidéographes--Behind The Frames.


DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY

Alisi Telengut is a Canadian artist of Mongolian origin. Alisi creates animation frame by frame under the camera, with painting as the medium, to generate movement and explore hand-made and painterly visuals for her films. Her works received multiple international awards and nominations, including the Best Short Film Award at Stockholm Film Festival (Sweden), Best Animated Film at Mammoth Lakes Film Festival (USA), and at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (Canada). They have been exhibited internationally at galleries and festivals, such as at Sundance (USA), Slamdance (USA), the Canadian Embassy in Paris (France), Telefilm Canada’s Talent tout court program at Cannes Film Festival (France). They have not only been presented as animation and moving image artworks with the unique visual style, but have also contributed to ethnographic and ethnocultural research. Her recent work has been added to the permanent collection of Art Science Exhibits Berlin (Germany) that represents the leading-edge of art making with dedication to positive action for Earth's recovery.