Emilio Hidalgo

In a dystopian future, Étienne, the son of an influential family in City 14 (formerly Montreal), flees to a neighboring commune to escape an alienating world. He finds himself torn between two opposing realities, where freedom clashes with comfort, leading to a tragic struggle for emancipation.

Over a summer, young friends discover their creative paths while dealing with nostalgia and heartbreak. Ben and Seb become friends while taking a course taught by an artist they both admire. Seb falls in love with the artist and tries unsuccessfully to express his feelings to her. Meanwhile, Ben must decide whether to return to his homeland to help his sister Jasmine care for their aging father. Letty and Stanley, two other students, struggle to define their relationships and ambitions. The story is told through a series of whimsical episodes in a minimalist visual style.

A father and son set out on a trip to the Balmoral Art Institute. The father seeks a job for himself, but also hopes to convince the Institute’s director to offer a residency to his son, an aspiring composer. Shortly after they arrive, the father must deal with competition from a strange, hostile man as his son, revolted by the Institute, leaves. That’s when he turns to writing letters to his son to express his deepest thoughts. As the days and months go by and his time at the Institute drags on, he starts to lose his sense of identity. Federico Hidalgo’s latest opus features his usual meticulous, cryptic narrative construction and signature sublime visuals along with striking sound design.

Edgar, an acclaimed travel writer, convinces his old friend and colleague, Bill, to join him on a final trip to a mysterious institute, to write the sequel to the bestseller they co-wrote 20 years ago. Weak, quiet and beaten down by time, Bill suffers a perilous stay under the control of the institute’s executive committee.