If I Ever Lose My Eyes

Lea Petříková / Czech Republic / 2023 / World Premiere / 62 min.

synopsis

When we close our eyes, the world around us disappears, but a new world appears within us. Visual artist Lea Petříková follows in the footsteps of people searching for this invisible world. As a gateway to augmented reality, she uses mysterious places instead of psychadelics. A mountain where the devil resides, a stone with the footprint of Christ, a UFO landing ramp or a crypt with ancient inscriptions are shortcuts to abstract, imaginary or spiritual worlds. The medium of film is such a gateway, like the Shroud of Turin painted with light and shadow, representing a magical imprint of something greater.

“The film could be something like the Shroud of Turin, by imprinting something bigger. It's not just about capturing, but capturing something that transcends us, and making it so that we can experience that transference as well.” — Ladislav Valeš

The second projection will have English subtitles.

biography

Lea Petříková (1992), filmmaker and visual artist, graduated from the Studio of Supermedia at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague and the Department of Audiovisual Studies at FAMU, where she is currently working on her PhD. She works in experimental and documentary film and the moving image. Her films Velvet FAMU (IDFF Ji.hlava 2019), After the Magician (IDFF Ji.hlava 2020) and History of Shrouded Screen (IDFF Ji.hlava 2021) were screened in Jihlava.