Two Seasons, Two Strangers
The mission of the Centre d'art et essai de la Cinémathèque québécoise (CAECQ) is to primary program Quebec-made documentaries and independent fiction, as well as international documentaries, animated and foreign films, while encouraging opportunities for meetings between the public and the artists. Its programming is presented in conjunction with the Cinémathèque québécoise’s under the label New releases.
Winner of the Golden Leopard, 2025 Locarno Film Festival
In summer, Nagisa, a woman from the city, and Natsuo, a young man visiting his relatives, meet by the sea. Their vacant gazes reflect each other as they exchange awkward words and wade into the rain-drenched ocean. In winter, Li, a screenwriter in a creative slump, travels to a snow-covered village with an old camera left behind by a late acquaintance. There, she finds a peculiar, desolate guesthouse run by the enigmatic Benzo. Their conversations rarely connect, yet they set off on an unexpected adventure.
Sho Miyake
Sho Miyake was born in 1984 in Sapporo, Japan. He completed the elementary fiction course at the Film School of Tokyo and began making feature films soon after graduating from university. Considered one of contemporary Japan's most distinctive filmmakers, Miyake is known for his humanist films that focus on people grappling with health issues and life's hardships. His film Playback (2012) was selected for the Locarno International Competition. And Your Bird Can Sing (2018), Small, Slow But Steady (2022), and All the Long Nights (2024) were all invited to the Berlin International Film Festival.
Bio & photo: Ritual Films
