A young woman paints an intimate picture of her destructive thought patterns by chronologically reciting the poetry she wrote during her darkest years. She passes through three stages of her psyche, admitting that darkness was her home and her greatest inspiration, and she fears losing her creativity in happiness. How can she be the artist who does not suffer?

One of Michael Brody's favorite films of the year.

TRIGGER WARNING: Self-Harm

India Zahra Lyell

India Zahra Lyell is an individual of the Homo Sapiens. While she’s searching for what it means to be human, words flow from her fingertips. Darkness wrapped in a box of chocolates, or slapped on the table like raw meat. She weaves this with an addiction to freedom and thus serves a collection of honest films, poems, and DJ sets.

The British/German director was born and raised in Amsterdam, where she found herself entwined in and inspired by the counterculture. From a young age she wrote stories and poetry, as well as discovering photography at the age of ten. As a teenager, she started to see images in her head whilst she was listening to music, shooting her first video for a school assignment. She was instantly hooked, carrying cameras with her everywhere she went. At eighteen, India was absorbed into the core of internationally performing interdisciplinary show Lady Joker, where she currently writes, DJs, and dances. She is also working on a series of music videos for the group’s surreal musical performances. In 2020-2021, she spent a year at the European Film College in Denmark. India’s most recent work, RED LINES WHITE LINES FINE LINES (2022), is a perfect illustration of her current style: dark and deep, but make it elegant. This poetic piece premiered at CPH:DOX 2022 and will screen at Durban Film Festival 2022.