This New York film festival is here to pop the algorithmic bubble

“Social media has been instrumental in bringing us all closer together,” says writer and photographer Daphne Chouliaraki Milner. “But, at the same time, we know that those same algorithms dictate how information is shared, and how people come together on these platforms is deeply divisive.” It’s this duality that forms the foundation of Points of View film festival, led by Milner and Dazed’s art and photography editor-at-large Ashleigh Kane, which aims to foster genuine connection in the face of digital divisiveness.

Taking place this Thursday (September 5) at Brooklyn’s Littlefield cinema and live venue, Points of View aims to break down boundaries with a global array of short films, each produced in a different location and walking viewers through a perspective that they may not otherwise be exposed to in this age of insular algorithmic bubbles. “We wanted to emphasise just how valuable and enriching it is to share our experiences and perspectives with one another; to really listen to one another,” says Milner.

Featured on the bill is UK music luminary Skepta’s Tribal Mark, which tells the fictional origin story of a Nigerian immigrant to the UK who joins the shadowy Black Secret Service, as well as British-Filipino filmmaker Patrick Taylor’s Blood Tastes Like Ube, a three-minute love letter to the Philippines beloved purple yam. Also airing at the festival is the reality-blending Candyman, a haunting tour through Southside Chicago’s Canbrini Green Projects directed by producer-turned-filmmaker TRAKGIRL, who has set the nine-minute short to her her dynamic debut single “CANDYMAN featuring Vic Mensa”.

“Connection is everything, but in such a volatile world, it’s also about the pursuit as much as having it,” adds Regys Badi, co-founder of short-film streaming platform Minute Shorts which has produced the film festival in conjunction with production company Thursday’s Child. Redefining these routes to connection through the perspective of a filmmaker’s lens, Points of View stands as a testament to the enduring power of cinematography in the social media age.