Alex Reynolds

Alex Reynolds presents two recent short films at Lumière. In Palais (2020), she leads us through the enormous, phantasmagorical Palace of Justice in Brussels. From the camera’s perspective, we learn about the building: elevators in and out, stairs up and down, through wide marble galleries, narrow corridors, half floors, stately waiting rooms, and abandoned depots. The camera makes us complicit in an action that is interrupted only when there is a danger of being caught.

Segunda persona, tercera persona (Part I) (2023) explores the role of narratives in the bureaucracy around asylum law. Reyolds draws on transcripts of an interview conducted at the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA). An exhaustive series of questions places the viewer in the uncomfortable position of an interviewee seeking asylum, and paints a disturbing picture of the state apparatus. Meanwhile, we see documentary footage of car rides Reynolds took between OFPRA and the National Court for Asylum.

Regular screenings: 8.10 until 14.10 at 14h (access with C0N10UR-pass)