Artists’s Film International was established in 2008 by Whitechapel Gallery in London and since its inception has seen 32 international venues collaborate. It is an alternative, lateral programme that exemplifies non-hierarchical, borderless and collaborative curatorial models. Responding to urgent global topics, the programme cultivates collective practice and cross-cultural dialogue, fosters the exchange of ideas and perspectives, and provides wide reaching visibility for artists.
Dream States – the 18th edition of Artists’ Film International – commences on 3 March, with programming taking place around the world throughout 2025. At the intersection of personal consciousness and external realities, Dream States explores the emancipatory potential of dreams, altered states, and cinematic illusion.
Curated by Forma with 16 cultural institutions across four continents, AFI’25 features a Forma and Lahore Biennale co-commission by Turner Prize nominee Sin Wai Kin, new films by Babu Eshwar Prasad and Anette Gellein, and sees new and returning partnerships with Southwark Park Galleries, Istanbul Modern, Türkiye and MCAD Manila, Philippines.
Dream States foregrounds artists who disrupt linear time, blur fact and fiction, and navigate the boundaries between memory, myth, and fantasy to reimagine the world anew. Presented across exhibitions, festivals, and screenings, AFI’25 guides global audiences through mythic worlds, dystopian landscapes, fractured memories, and speculative possibilities.
Sapieha Palace, continuing as an AFI partner for the second consecutive year, has selected Lullaby’s Fault (2025), a video work by Mykolas Valantinas, as its entry for AFI’25. Sapieha Palace will host the Lithuanian premiere of the film on November 27 at 7:00 PM. The evening will also feature a live performance by Antanas Lučiūnas and Virgile Guillaud.
The AFI’25 exhibition at Sapieha Palace will be open from November 28 to 30 in the Event Hall (4th floor). The selected films will be screened continuously during the palace’s opening hours, and admission to the exhibition is free.
Line-up includes: Anca Benera and Arnold Estefan, Dalia Al Kury, Babu Eshwar Prasad, Anette Gellein, Isabelle Nouzha, Sin Wai Kin.
The program was already showcased globally at the following AFI’25 partner venues: argos centre for audiovisual arts, Brussels, Belgium; Ballroom Marfa, Texas, USA; Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan in exile e.V., (CCAA in exile), Frankfurt, Germany; Cultural Center of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; Forma, London, UK; Fundación Proa, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo (GAMeC), Bergamo, Italy; Istanbul Modern, Türkiye; Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), Los Angeles, USA; MCAD Manila, Philippines; MMAG Foundation, Amman, Jordan; Project 88, Mumbai, India; Southwark Park Galleries, London, UK; Tramway, Glasgow, Scotland; Tromsø Kunstforening,Tromsø, Norway; Video-Forum of Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k), Berlin, Germany;.
For programming updates, stay tuned via artistsfilminternational.com
