By José Sarmiento Hinojosa

A subjacent theme seems to have permeated the program of the latest edition of Cinéma du Réel: somehow the preoccupations on the effects of colonialism and capitalism and its aftermath seems to be manifesting deeply in the different sections of the festival. Arguably, not all the films in the programs address this issue head-on, but the latent marks of these particular elements in former colonized lands, and the situation in the different territories that are now within the geography post-pandemic/neoliberalist/late-stage capitalism countries, “late-developed” and “first world” ones, appear to be more tangible than ever. There is a necessity to address these stories, because behind this whole conglomerate of history-made-scar lies real human beings, attempting to somehow navigate the waters of the world they’ve received.