New Strains
New Strains
United States
Winner of the Special Jury Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2023.
Kallia and Ram have just begun their first vacation as a couple, and they’re already bickering. Though a mysterious new illness is on the brink of exploding into a pandemic, and despite Ram’s protestations, Kallia insists that they are going to have a fun week in New York City. Within hours of their arrival, a nation-wide lockdown is announced, ruining their plans. Over the course of their stay, they descend into a toxic pattern of jealousy and co-dependence. Is their childish behaviour simply the result of cabin fever, or is it something more?
Programmer's note: Consumer warning: this is a COVID-film. Before you run for the hills, stay right here, adjust your eyes to the early 2000s DVCam aesthetic, and strap yourself in for 78 mins of lo-fi fun and weirdness. This is the second feature from the filmmaking duo Prashanth Kalamakanthan and Artemis Shaw, here playing themselves as a couple holed up in an uncle’s apartment in New York City. This continues their unique brand of awkward comedy, against the backdrop of a ‘new strain’ of … something-never-specifically-mentioned … in an eerily empty Manhattan. Conspiracy theories, strange POV shots (eg from the inside of a fridge), Facetime exercise sessions, random encounters with exes, quarantine games, it’s all done with a lot of heart. Winner Special Jury Prize at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
—Michelle Carey
Australian Premiere
Kallia and Ram have just begun their first vacation as a couple, and they’re already bickering. Though a mysterious new illness is on the brink of exploding into a pandemic, and despite Ram’s protestations, Kallia insists that they are going to have a fun week in New York City. Within hours of their arrival, a nation-wide lockdown is announced, ruining their plans. Over the course of their stay, they descend into a toxic pattern of jealousy and co-dependence. Is their childish behaviour simply the result of cabin fever, or is it something more?
Programmer's note: Consumer warning: this is a COVID-film. Before you run for the hills, stay right here, adjust your eyes to the early 2000s DVCam aesthetic, and strap yourself in for 78 mins of lo-fi fun and weirdness. This is the second feature from the filmmaking duo Prashanth Kalamakanthan and Artemis Shaw, here playing themselves as a couple holed up in an uncle’s apartment in New York City. This continues their unique brand of awkward comedy, against the backdrop of a ‘new strain’ of … something-never-specifically-mentioned … in an eerily empty Manhattan. Conspiracy theories, strange POV shots (eg from the inside of a fridge), Facetime exercise sessions, random encounters with exes, quarantine games, it’s all done with a lot of heart. Winner Special Jury Prize at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
—Michelle Carey
Australian Premiere
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Related Sessions
New Strains
MON, OCT 16, 8:30 PM
Screen Festival
Winner of the Special Jury Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2023.
Kallia and Ram have just begun their first vacation as a couple, and they’re already bickering. Though a mysterious new illness is on the brink of exploding into a pandemic, and despite Ram’s protestations, Kallia insists that they are going to have a fun week in New York City. Within hours of their arrival, a nation-wide lockdown is announced, ruining their plans. Over the course of their stay, they descend into a toxic pattern of jealousy and co-dependence. Is their childish behaviour simply the result of cabin fever, or is it something more?
Programmer's note: Consumer warning: this is a COVID-film. Before you run for the hills, stay right here, adjust your eyes to the early 2000s DVCam aesthetic, and strap yourself in for 78 mins of lo-fi fun and weirdness. This is the second feature from the filmmaking duo Prashanth Kalamakanthan and Artemis Shaw, here playing themselves as a couple holed up in an uncle’s apartment in New York City. This continues their unique brand of awkward comedy, against the backdrop of a ‘new strain’ of … something-never-specifically-mentioned … in an eerily empty Manhattan. Conspiracy theories, strange POV shots (eg from the inside of a fridge), Facetime exercise sessions, random encounters with exes, quarantine games, it’s all done with a lot of heart. Winner Special Jury Prize at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
—Michelle Carey
Australian Premiere
New Strains
WED, OCT 18, 4:00 PM
Screen Festival
Winner of the Special Jury Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2023.
Kallia and Ram have just begun their first vacation as a couple, and they’re already bickering. Though a mysterious new illness is on the brink of exploding into a pandemic, and despite Ram’s protestations, Kallia insists that they are going to have a fun week in New York City. Within hours of their arrival, a nation-wide lockdown is announced, ruining their plans. Over the course of their stay, they descend into a toxic pattern of jealousy and co-dependence. Is their childish behaviour simply the result of cabin fever, or is it something more?
Programmer's note: Consumer warning: this is a COVID-film. Before you run for the hills, stay right here, adjust your eyes to the early 2000s DVCam aesthetic, and strap yourself in for 78 mins of lo-fi fun and weirdness. This is the second feature from the filmmaking duo Prashanth Kalamakanthan and Artemis Shaw, here playing themselves as a couple holed up in an uncle’s apartment in New York City. This continues their unique brand of awkward comedy, against the backdrop of a ‘new strain’ of … something-never-specifically-mentioned … in an eerily empty Manhattan. Conspiracy theories, strange POV shots (eg from the inside of a fridge), Facetime exercise sessions, random encounters with exes, quarantine games, it’s all done with a lot of heart. Winner Special Jury Prize at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
—Michelle Carey
Australian Premiere
