IN PRAISE OF DARKNESS (2024)

Ecuador - 17 min - color - 16mm - 5.1

In the depths of Ecuador’s Mullumica valley, men tirelessly mine obsidian, an opaque volcanic rock. This rock then undergoes a transformation, being moved from the quarry to the pristine environment of a laboratory, where it is fashioned into its final form: replacing the director’s artificial eye. This forms a mineral narrative that outlines a journey of healing.

Crew

Director: Adrián Balseca
Producer: José María Avilés
Cinematography: Pablo Paloma
Sound Design: Martín Scaglia

Festivals

Planetario Municipal de Cuenca, Cuenca, 2023 / Transmutación Festival de Cine Contemporáneo, Mexico City, 2024 / Science New Wave Festival, New York, 2024 / International Film Festival Message to Man, Saint Petersburg, 2024 / Miradas, Medellín, 2024 / St. Moritz Art Film Festival (SMAFF), St. Moritz, 2024 / Internacional de Cortometrajes de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires SYNCRO, 2024 / Entranced Earth: on film, extraction and land, Derry, UK 2024 / Visions du Réel – International Film Festival, Nyon, 2024 / Scars Extending onto Our Land – Delfina Foundation, London, 2025