{"id":1695,"date":"2025-06-05T15:17:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T20:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/?page_id=1695"},"modified":"2025-06-09T10:05:02","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T15:05:02","slug":"connections-short-films","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/connections-short-films\/","title":{"rendered":"Connections Short Films"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_section et_pb_section_0  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_section_regular et_block_section\" >\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_row et_pb_row_0  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_4_4 et_pb_column et_pb_column_0  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et-last-child et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_heading et_pb_heading_0 et_pb_bg_layout_\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_heading_container\"><h1 class=\"et_pb_module_heading\">Connections Short Films<\/h1><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_heading et_pb_heading_1 et_pb_bg_layout_\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_heading_container\"><h1 class=\"et_pb_module_heading\">Screening 1: 9.30am-10.21am I Screening 2: 12.15pm-12.06pm I Screening 3: 3.00pm-3.51pm<\/h1><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_heading et_pb_heading_2 et_pb_bg_layout_\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_heading_container\"><h1 class=\"et_pb_module_heading\">Sun & Gold Ballrooms<\/h1><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_0  et_pb_text_align_center et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second shorts program, Connections, examines the nuanced process of integration, adaptation, and identity formation after migration. The films in this program explore how migrants and refugees navigate daily life in new environments. Themes of belonging, alienation, cultural exchange, and identity negotiation recur throughout, often with a mix of humor, tension, and introspection. These films highlight not only the challenges of integration but also the small, meaningful acts through which connection is sought, negotiated, and sometimes denied. In doing so, Connections foregrounds the ongoing emotional labor of establishing oneself in an unfamiliar world.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_row et_pb_row_1 et_animated  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_1  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_image et_pb_image_0\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_pb_image_wrap \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/Learning-English.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"Learning English\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/Learning-English.jpg 640w, https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/Learning-English-480x720.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 640px, 100vw\" class=\"wp-image-1672\" \/><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_2  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et-last-child et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_heading et_pb_heading_3 et_pb_bg_layout_\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_heading_container\"><h1 class=\"et_pb_module_heading\">Learning English<\/h1><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_heading et_pb_heading_4 et_pb_bg_layout_\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_heading_container\"><h1 class=\"et_pb_module_heading\">Directed by Jean Liu<\/h1><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_1  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2024, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11 minutes<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first short,<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Learning English<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, introduces us to Hannah, a recent Chinese immigrant in the U.S. who is eager to improve her English. When she accidentally receives a misdialed call, she capitalizes on the moment to forge a makeshift, one-sided exchange. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learning English<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> deftly uses humor to depict the often-absurd realities of navigating a new language, especially the internal contradictions of wanting to integrate while being repeatedly dismissed or ignored. As the program opener, this film by Jean Liu embodies the tentative and often awkward first steps toward connection in a foreign culture.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_row et_pb_row_2 et_animated  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_3  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_image et_pb_image_1\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_pb_image_wrap \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"414\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/customs.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"customs\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/customs.jpg 414w, https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/customs-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/customs-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 414px) 100vw, 414px\" class=\"wp-image-1675\" \/><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_4  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et-last-child et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_heading et_pb_heading_5 et_pb_bg_layout_\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_heading_container\"><h1 class=\"et_pb_module_heading\">Customs<\/h1><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_heading et_pb_heading_6 et_pb_bg_layout_\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_heading_container\"><h1 class=\"et_pb_module_heading\">Directed by Armita Keyani<\/h1><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_2  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Norway, 2021, 14 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customs<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the second short of our Crossing series, follows a Chinese backpacker arriving in a quiet Norwegian village using a Homestay app, only to encounter a breakdown in hospitality and communication. As silent expectations clash with unspoken discomforts, director Armita Keyani reveals how even seemingly welcoming environments can harbor tension. With its meditative pacing and restrained emotion, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customs<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> serves as a fitting conclusion to Connections, bringing into focus the fragility of cross-cultural relationships and the emotional uncertainty that lingers beneath everyday exchanges.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_row et_pb_row_3 et_animated  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_5  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_image et_pb_image_2\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_pb_image_wrap \"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/Sla\u030a-rundt-busken.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"Sla\u030a rundt busken\" \/><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_6  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et-last-child et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_heading et_pb_heading_7 et_pb_bg_layout_\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_heading_container\"><h1 class=\"et_pb_module_heading\">Beat Around the Bush \/ Sl\u00e5 Rundt Busken<\/h1><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_heading et_pb_heading_8 et_pb_bg_layout_\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_heading_container\"><h1 class=\"et_pb_module_heading\">Directed by Joern Utkilen<\/h1><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_3  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2020, 14 min<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The third short, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sl\u00e5 Rundt Busken (Beat Around the Bush) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">follows Melina, an 18-year-old refugee attempting to enter the job market in Norway. Through dry, almost surreal humor, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beat Around the Bush <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">portrays how migrants are often forced to conform to arbitrary standards and face subtle forms of exclusion. This film by Joern Utkilen critiques institutionalized gatekeeping within host countries, raising questions about who gets to \u201cbelong\u201d and under what conditions. As part of Connections, the film examines the bureaucratic and social dimensions of integration with nuance and irony.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_row et_pb_row_4 et_animated  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_7  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_image et_pb_image_3\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_pb_image_wrap \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/African-Family-Dinner.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"African Family Dinner\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/African-Family-Dinner.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/African-Family-Dinner-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/African-Family-Dinner-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1715\/2025\/06\/African-Family-Dinner-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) and (max-width: 1280px) 1280px, (min-width: 1281px) 1920px, 100vw\" class=\"wp-image-1674\" \/><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_8  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et-last-child et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_heading et_pb_heading_9 et_pb_bg_layout_\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_heading_container\"><h1 class=\"et_pb_module_heading\">African Family Dinner<\/h1><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_heading et_pb_heading_10 et_pb_bg_layout_\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_heading_container\"><h1 class=\"et_pb_module_heading\">Directed by Ibrahim Mursal<\/h1><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_4  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Norway, 2024, 13 min.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">African Family Dinner, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the last short,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is a biting social comedy that follows Mona, a young Norwegian, attempts to impress her Ghanaian boyfriend\u2019s family over dinner, only to fumble through assumptions and cultural missteps. Through its sharp dialogue and layered humor, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">African Family Dinner<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> interrogates diasporic identity and performative multiculturalism. It asks what it means to \u201cknow\u201d a culture and how misunderstandings reveal deeper tensions about race, ethnicity, and belonging. Within the Connections program, this film by Ibrahim Mursal broadens the discourse to include the ways cultural exchange unfolds within immigrant communities themselves, not just between migrants and host societies.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5455,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1695","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5455"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1695"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2001,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1695\/revisions\/2001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/cc2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}