Short Films Competition

PHOENIX: A Radical Manifesto of Subjectivity

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Born from the absolute zero of human experience, PHOENIX is a visceral shamanic act within the digital sphere. Made by a Ukrainian refugee and philosopher with no musical background, the video recodes the experience of trauma and physical decay into a noise-rock manifesto. Using the lo-fi gaze and the opposition between sonic chaos and stoic calm, the artist prefers the "ugliness" of truth to the smoothed-out lie of the modern media. This is an act of birth, an ode to the "cringe", and the occupation of space within the collapsing world.

/ 51 in public ranking

Oleksandra Khmel

biography

Oleksandra Khmel is a Ukrainian philosopher exploring shamanism, trauma, and radical subjectivity. Drawing from displacement and war, she uses lo-fi media and non-musical soundscapes to challenge conventional standards of beauty and correctness.

Credits
  • Directing : Oleksandra Khmel
  • Script : Oleksandra Khmel
  • Sound : Oleksandra Khmel
  • Music : Oleksandra Khmel
  • Production : Oleksandra Khmel
  • Sound mixing : Oleksandra Khmel

As a philosopher and refugee, I found ordinary language insufficient for a collapsing world. PHOENIX is my "absolute zero", recorded during recovery from re-feeding syndrome and war-induced PTSD. This shamanic noise-rock intentionally rejects "professionalism" to reclaim authenticity over perfection. Shot on a phone, the video is an affront to the "polished lie". Stillness amid splashes of color represents the soul reclaiming its territory. It is a philosophy of survival — the sound of an old world dying so that a new one can be reborn.

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