For our first film screening of the year, we are delighted to present Samsara, a remarkable new work by Spanish filmmaker Lois Patiño. Described as ‘a transcendental experience’, the film unfolds in two parts, across two continents, two communities, two cultures and two sets of inner lives. Shot on 16mm film, it offers a deeply sensory experience that explores spiritual and cinematic boundaries.

The film’s first half is set in Laos among the monks of a Buddhist temple, as they undertake prayer rituals and study alongside daily communal life. Interwoven here is the story of Amid, a young man who regularly visits an elderly woman who is dying. He travels across the Mekong River to read to her from the Bardo Thödol (The Tibetan Book of the Dead), as part of her preparations for death and for the journey towards rebirth that follows.

The second half unfolds in Zanzibar, where a young girl named Juwairiya wakes up to the news that a baby goat has been born. She names it Neema — the Arabic word for blessing. Local women farm seaweed and make soap whilst the men catch fish. Through small moments of conversation and care, the film reflects on change, continuity, and the exchange of generational knowledge in everyday life.

In between, there is a sensory intermission that marks a transition between the two halves of the film. For the director, it provides a moment of pause within the film itself and space for reflection. Lasting about 12 minutes, and composed of light, colour and sound, we are invited to close our eyes and immerse ourselves in a sense of spiritual passage, of journey between one dimension and another.