Image+Nation
Out of Frame

Out of Frame

EVAN BODE | USA | 2023 | 10 MIN | NO DIALOGUE

EVAN BODE | USA | 2023 | 10 MIN | NO DIALOGUE

VIRTUALShortCOMPETITION

Synopsis

Trapped within their frames and watched by a menacing curator, two paintings form a silent bond that sparks a revolution. Blending live-action and animation, this surreal short explores power, resistance, queer identity, and the longing to break free from the confines of constructed worlds.

Trailer

Filmmaker Bio

Evan Bode is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, composer, and animator who challenges borders and binaries with a playful mix of mediums. Their films, including Thine Own Self and A Spot for Frog, have screened internationally and earned honors such as the Gotham Institute Student Showcase Award and the Director's Choice Award at the Thomas Edison Film Festival.

Producer

Sam Azghandi

Writer

Evan Bode

Cast

  • Jules Paparella
  • Zaria Grace Felix
  • Sam Azghandi
Image
Image

Also playing with

PosterShort
The Eating of an Orange[COMPETITION]7 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

In a rigid manor where everyone conforms, a woman receives an orange, a fruit she has never seen before. This discovery transports her into a forested world of sensual fluidity where she must choose between returning to her old life or embracing a new, transformative way of being.

PosterShort
I Want to Violently Crash Into the Windshield of Love15 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

La Guera, a young rapper from Mexico City, struggles with her ability to rap after a heartbreak. Despite attending freestyle sessions with friends, she struggles to regain her lyrical prowess. Seeking solace, she turns to a forest-dwelling shamanic friend for unconventional healing. Through a transformative encounter with forest crickets, she confronts her pain and emerges with newfound liberation.

PosterShort
Collage10 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

A museum worker tries to convince a co-worker that two visitors are flirting, using six scientifically recognized signs of attraction to make her case.

PosterShort
No Love lost8 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

Two queer Black women experience love for the first time, exploring a soft, sensual romance that unfolds with intimacy, tenderness, and the excitement of newfound connection.

PosterShort
A Birthday to Remember20 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

Toni, a successful architect, sees her world collapse when her wife Olivia falls gravely ill. Torn between her career ambitions and caring for the woman she loves, she faces an impossible choice that forces her to confront the true meaning of love and sacrifice.

PosterShort
Hollow13 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

A lesbian couple visits a futuristic counseling service, but only one of them knows the true, devastating reason for being there.

PosterShort
Last Call10 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

A lesbian couple must rely on a jaded bartender to work through their recent-breakup bubble to survive a sudden zombie attack inside a dying Queer bar.

PosterShort
The Eating of an Orange[COMPETITION]7 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

In a rigid manor where everyone conforms, a woman receives an orange, a fruit she has never seen before. This discovery transports her into a forested world of sensual fluidity where she must choose between returning to her old life or embracing a new, transformative way of being.

PosterShort
I Want to Violently Crash Into the Windshield of Love15 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

La Guera, a young rapper from Mexico City, struggles with her ability to rap after a heartbreak. Despite attending freestyle sessions with friends, she struggles to regain her lyrical prowess. Seeking solace, she turns to a forest-dwelling shamanic friend for unconventional healing. Through a transformative encounter with forest crickets, she confronts her pain and emerges with newfound liberation.

PosterShort
Collage10 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

A museum worker tries to convince a co-worker that two visitors are flirting, using six scientifically recognized signs of attraction to make her case.

PosterShort
No Love lost8 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

Two queer Black women experience love for the first time, exploring a soft, sensual romance that unfolds with intimacy, tenderness, and the excitement of newfound connection.

PosterShort
A Birthday to Remember20 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

Toni, a successful architect, sees her world collapse when her wife Olivia falls gravely ill. Torn between her career ambitions and caring for the woman she loves, she faces an impossible choice that forces her to confront the true meaning of love and sacrifice.

PosterShort
Hollow13 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

A lesbian couple visits a futuristic counseling service, but only one of them knows the true, devastating reason for being there.

PosterShort
Last Call10 minutesThis programme includes 8 filmsLESBO-QUEER: SAPPHIC SCENES93 minutes

A lesbian couple must rely on a jaded bartender to work through their recent-breakup bubble to survive a sudden zombie attack inside a dying Queer bar.

You might also like

PosterDocumentary
QUEER AS PUNK[COMPETITION]99 minutes

In Muslim-majority Malaysia, a queer punk band led by a transman are outliers of the system —carving out spaces to exist through their music while challenging conservative traditions and religious extremism. Brash, defiant and wickedly funny, punk rockers Shh…Diam! are an underground sensation in Kuala Lumpur. An all-queer band led by charismatic trans man Farris Saad, they’ve won devoted fans with playful anthems like “I Woke Up Gay” and “Lonely Lesbian.” Even their name (“Shut up!” in Malay) is a joke, poking fun at those who’d rather queer folks just kept quiet. Malaysia’s harsh laws are no laughing matter, however, and they put Farris and his bandmates at real risk of state persecution. Filming over six years, director Yihwen Chen follows them to practices, gigs and protests, capturing their irreverent advocacy amid a spate of anti-LGBTQ+ raids and arrests. She also documents major developments in their personal lives and relationships, including Farris’s preparations for his surgical transition. Both an iconic portrait of fearless activism and an intimate chronicle of chosen family, Queer as Punk is an instant entry in the queer cult canon.

PosterShort
Dare to be Fabulous[COMPETITION]6 minutes

Determined to prove to his father that he is the city's most feared gangster, Alessandro sets out to rob a bar with his friend Joe. However, when they discover that it is a drag queen bar and that the star performer is Alessandro's father in drag, the night takes an unexpected turn.

PosterShort
Muses[COMPETITION]8 minutes

A dancer struggles to break free from the hold of his choreographer, now drawn to another. This silent film explores power, inspiration, and replacement within the LGBTQ+ dance community through body language and music.

PosterShort
Dragfox[COMPETITION]8 minutes

Sam's search for identity is interrupted by a mysterious neighborhood fox. Together, they embark on a magical journey to the attic, discovering unexpected commonalities and how to celebrate their differences.

PosterDocumentaryVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE
A CULINARY UPRISING: THE STORY OF BLOODROOT[Test]82 minutes

In the '70s and '80s, there were over 230 feminist restaurants, cafes, and coffeehouses throughout the United States and Canada. Bloodroot, located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, is now the oldest and longest-lasting of those spaces, in continuous operation for over 46 years. A Culinary Uprising: The Story of Bloodroot is a documentary that explores this feminist, queer, vegan restaurant and bookstore, and illuminates the legacy of its pioneering proprietors, Selma Miriam and Noel Furie. The film shares the history of Bloodroot, its place in the landscape of American feminist thought, and the impact it has had on the local community. It follows the restaurant’s founders, Selma and Noel, as well as the staff and customers, who reveal why Bloodroot is much more than just a restaurant. Audiences get an intimate look inside these women’s 46-year working partnership, along with how they navigate sexism, homophobia, and the reality of getting older. Despite challenges, Bloodroot has endured as a beloved space for generations of feminists, vegans, and queer people who keep coming back.

PosterShort
The Space You Need[I+N CONNEXE]21 minutes

Frustrated sci-fi writer Julian is facing a slump in his relationship. So will his fiancé Leo's trip into orbit with the world's first ever low-cost alternative spaceline provide them with just the space they need to get back on track?

PosterFeature
AT THE PLACE OF GHOSTS (SK+TE'KMUJUE'KATIK)[I+N x CMF SERIES]87 minutes

The dangers of the past come in many forms. Two estranged Mi’kmaw siblings confront old animosities in an ancient forest, both in desperate need of healing. In their quest to rid themselves of the lingering evil that haunts them, they encounter the trail of their ancestors—and of their former selves. Mise’l (Blake Alec Miranda) is working a grueling shift when the jukebox warbles to life and an ominous presence from their childhood reveals itself, still capable of inflicting its wounds. Desperate, they seek out their younger brother, Antle (Forrest Goodluck). A task that requires them to part from their supportive partner and return home after many years away. Begrudgingly, their brother agrees to the journey, worried for his daughter’s safety if he does nothing, and they set out on a time-spanning mission. Elders are consulted. Strange creatures stalk them. Kinship is tested. The two heading deeper and deeper into nature at its most nurturing, and most menacing. From Bretten Hannam, the Two-Spirit L'nu filmmaker behind 2021’s acclaimed Wildhood (Opening Film I+N34, 2021), this is a ghost story of the highest order—equal parts eerie and edifying, and utterly unforgettable.

PosterFeatureVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE
WE ARE FAHEEM + KARUM[COMPETITION]81 minutes

Karun, a kindly border guard, finds himself in “paradise” among Bandipora’s soaring peaks, though religious and cultural resentments simmer and scald. Jolted by Faheem’s gorgeous face revealed from behind a helmet visor, Karun is drawn into a romance with indelible repercussions in this first queer film in the Kashmiri language. Wooed by an apple and a warm ripple of attraction each time Faheem (a subtle yet potent Mir Tawseef) passes his checkpoint, Karun (Akash Unnimenon) ventures into Gurez to seek out further encounters. Gurez, a remote Kashmiri village near the border between India and Pakistan, speaks with the voice of soft lullabies and bleating sheep, of a flowing river indifferent to divisions, though that tranquility is soon replaced by distant gunfire. Determined to drop the veil of shame that partitions their lives, Faheem and Karun’s restless hearts pine for one another from a distance, the two praying to separate deities but sharing an equal desire. Wanting, so passionately, to be one. When terrorist infiltrators and a homegrown street gang make a volatile situation worse, can love bind as society breaks?

PosterFeature
BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY (LIJEPA VEČER, LIJEP DAN)[COMPETITION]137 minutes

A tight-knit group of revolutionary gay filmmakers in late-1950s former Yugoslavia are shackled by the state to Emir, a communist bureaucrat conditioned to see sabotage everywhere. When the group endeavours to use the Tito regime’s ideological weapons against them, an upended system or the horrors of Barren Island await. Desire—for all of us—can be a heady cocktail. In a society that turns desire inside out, with trust shaken and lover pitted against lover, it becomes a minefield. Dancing cheek to cheek and screwing with abandon turned into revolutionary acts, art a tool for undermining authority. All tactics taken up by professional and romantic partners Lovro (Dado Cosic) and Nenad (Djordje Galic) and their fellow filmmakers (Slaven Doslo, Elmir Krivalic). The four friends determined to savour glimpses of the beautiful lives possible if defense mechanisms could safely fall—a boogie-woogie record; a secluded, seaside house in Istria—as they risk their lives for the cause of freedom. In Croatia’s official submission for the 2025 Academy Awards, the sex is explicit, the stakes and brutality intense, the cinematography stunning. A gutting and rarefied concoction immortalized by writer-director Ivona Juka’s daring cinematic achievement.

PosterFeature
BETWEEN DREAMS AND HOPE (MIAN ROYA VA OMID)[COMPETITION]106 minutes

Azad is a transman and aspiring film student who lives discreetly, but happily, with his girlfriend Nora in Iran’s bustling capital, Tehran. After the long and grueling process of acquiring gender affirming care, one last step stands in Azad’s way of medically transitioning–a signature of consent from his estranged father. Farnoosh Samadi presents the heart-wrenching tale of young love strained under the confines of social oppression, where sumptuary legislation enforces dress codes and women can be subjected to ‘virginity tests.’ Even darker shadows lurk beneath the stunning scenery of the remote Iranian village where Azad hails from–a place he is no longer welcome for bringing shame to his conservative and superstitious family simply by being himself. Plagued by strange premonitions, in intermittent and surreal dream sequences, Nora soon finds herself suspicious of her partner’s true whereabouts when Azad suddenly goes missing and his family insists that he has returned to Tehran without her. A slow burn that eventually heats up with riveting intensity, Between Dreams and Hope tells a remarkable story of strength, courage, and resilience that leaves a profound and lasting impression long after the credits have rolled.

PosterDocumentary
QUEER AS PUNK[COMPETITION]99 minutes

In Muslim-majority Malaysia, a queer punk band led by a transman are outliers of the system —carving out spaces to exist through their music while challenging conservative traditions and religious extremism. Brash, defiant and wickedly funny, punk rockers Shh…Diam! are an underground sensation in Kuala Lumpur. An all-queer band led by charismatic trans man Farris Saad, they’ve won devoted fans with playful anthems like “I Woke Up Gay” and “Lonely Lesbian.” Even their name (“Shut up!” in Malay) is a joke, poking fun at those who’d rather queer folks just kept quiet. Malaysia’s harsh laws are no laughing matter, however, and they put Farris and his bandmates at real risk of state persecution. Filming over six years, director Yihwen Chen follows them to practices, gigs and protests, capturing their irreverent advocacy amid a spate of anti-LGBTQ+ raids and arrests. She also documents major developments in their personal lives and relationships, including Farris’s preparations for his surgical transition. Both an iconic portrait of fearless activism and an intimate chronicle of chosen family, Queer as Punk is an instant entry in the queer cult canon.

PosterShort
Dare to be Fabulous[COMPETITION]6 minutes

Determined to prove to his father that he is the city's most feared gangster, Alessandro sets out to rob a bar with his friend Joe. However, when they discover that it is a drag queen bar and that the star performer is Alessandro's father in drag, the night takes an unexpected turn.

PosterShort
Muses[COMPETITION]8 minutes

A dancer struggles to break free from the hold of his choreographer, now drawn to another. This silent film explores power, inspiration, and replacement within the LGBTQ+ dance community through body language and music.

PosterShort
Dragfox[COMPETITION]8 minutes

Sam's search for identity is interrupted by a mysterious neighborhood fox. Together, they embark on a magical journey to the attic, discovering unexpected commonalities and how to celebrate their differences.

PosterDocumentaryVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE
A CULINARY UPRISING: THE STORY OF BLOODROOT[Test]82 minutes

In the '70s and '80s, there were over 230 feminist restaurants, cafes, and coffeehouses throughout the United States and Canada. Bloodroot, located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, is now the oldest and longest-lasting of those spaces, in continuous operation for over 46 years. A Culinary Uprising: The Story of Bloodroot is a documentary that explores this feminist, queer, vegan restaurant and bookstore, and illuminates the legacy of its pioneering proprietors, Selma Miriam and Noel Furie. The film shares the history of Bloodroot, its place in the landscape of American feminist thought, and the impact it has had on the local community. It follows the restaurant’s founders, Selma and Noel, as well as the staff and customers, who reveal why Bloodroot is much more than just a restaurant. Audiences get an intimate look inside these women’s 46-year working partnership, along with how they navigate sexism, homophobia, and the reality of getting older. Despite challenges, Bloodroot has endured as a beloved space for generations of feminists, vegans, and queer people who keep coming back.

PosterShort
The Space You Need[I+N CONNEXE]21 minutes

Frustrated sci-fi writer Julian is facing a slump in his relationship. So will his fiancé Leo's trip into orbit with the world's first ever low-cost alternative spaceline provide them with just the space they need to get back on track?

PosterFeature
AT THE PLACE OF GHOSTS (SK+TE'KMUJUE'KATIK)[I+N x CMF SERIES]87 minutes

The dangers of the past come in many forms. Two estranged Mi’kmaw siblings confront old animosities in an ancient forest, both in desperate need of healing. In their quest to rid themselves of the lingering evil that haunts them, they encounter the trail of their ancestors—and of their former selves. Mise’l (Blake Alec Miranda) is working a grueling shift when the jukebox warbles to life and an ominous presence from their childhood reveals itself, still capable of inflicting its wounds. Desperate, they seek out their younger brother, Antle (Forrest Goodluck). A task that requires them to part from their supportive partner and return home after many years away. Begrudgingly, their brother agrees to the journey, worried for his daughter’s safety if he does nothing, and they set out on a time-spanning mission. Elders are consulted. Strange creatures stalk them. Kinship is tested. The two heading deeper and deeper into nature at its most nurturing, and most menacing. From Bretten Hannam, the Two-Spirit L'nu filmmaker behind 2021’s acclaimed Wildhood (Opening Film I+N34, 2021), this is a ghost story of the highest order—equal parts eerie and edifying, and utterly unforgettable.

PosterFeatureVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE
WE ARE FAHEEM + KARUM[COMPETITION]81 minutes

Karun, a kindly border guard, finds himself in “paradise” among Bandipora’s soaring peaks, though religious and cultural resentments simmer and scald. Jolted by Faheem’s gorgeous face revealed from behind a helmet visor, Karun is drawn into a romance with indelible repercussions in this first queer film in the Kashmiri language. Wooed by an apple and a warm ripple of attraction each time Faheem (a subtle yet potent Mir Tawseef) passes his checkpoint, Karun (Akash Unnimenon) ventures into Gurez to seek out further encounters. Gurez, a remote Kashmiri village near the border between India and Pakistan, speaks with the voice of soft lullabies and bleating sheep, of a flowing river indifferent to divisions, though that tranquility is soon replaced by distant gunfire. Determined to drop the veil of shame that partitions their lives, Faheem and Karun’s restless hearts pine for one another from a distance, the two praying to separate deities but sharing an equal desire. Wanting, so passionately, to be one. When terrorist infiltrators and a homegrown street gang make a volatile situation worse, can love bind as society breaks?

PosterFeature
BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY (LIJEPA VEČER, LIJEP DAN)[COMPETITION]137 minutes

A tight-knit group of revolutionary gay filmmakers in late-1950s former Yugoslavia are shackled by the state to Emir, a communist bureaucrat conditioned to see sabotage everywhere. When the group endeavours to use the Tito regime’s ideological weapons against them, an upended system or the horrors of Barren Island await. Desire—for all of us—can be a heady cocktail. In a society that turns desire inside out, with trust shaken and lover pitted against lover, it becomes a minefield. Dancing cheek to cheek and screwing with abandon turned into revolutionary acts, art a tool for undermining authority. All tactics taken up by professional and romantic partners Lovro (Dado Cosic) and Nenad (Djordje Galic) and their fellow filmmakers (Slaven Doslo, Elmir Krivalic). The four friends determined to savour glimpses of the beautiful lives possible if defense mechanisms could safely fall—a boogie-woogie record; a secluded, seaside house in Istria—as they risk their lives for the cause of freedom. In Croatia’s official submission for the 2025 Academy Awards, the sex is explicit, the stakes and brutality intense, the cinematography stunning. A gutting and rarefied concoction immortalized by writer-director Ivona Juka’s daring cinematic achievement.

PosterFeature
BETWEEN DREAMS AND HOPE (MIAN ROYA VA OMID)[COMPETITION]106 minutes

Azad is a transman and aspiring film student who lives discreetly, but happily, with his girlfriend Nora in Iran’s bustling capital, Tehran. After the long and grueling process of acquiring gender affirming care, one last step stands in Azad’s way of medically transitioning–a signature of consent from his estranged father. Farnoosh Samadi presents the heart-wrenching tale of young love strained under the confines of social oppression, where sumptuary legislation enforces dress codes and women can be subjected to ‘virginity tests.’ Even darker shadows lurk beneath the stunning scenery of the remote Iranian village where Azad hails from–a place he is no longer welcome for bringing shame to his conservative and superstitious family simply by being himself. Plagued by strange premonitions, in intermittent and surreal dream sequences, Nora soon finds herself suspicious of her partner’s true whereabouts when Azad suddenly goes missing and his family insists that he has returned to Tehran without her. A slow burn that eventually heats up with riveting intensity, Between Dreams and Hope tells a remarkable story of strength, courage, and resilience that leaves a profound and lasting impression long after the credits have rolled.