Kitâb Al-Isfâr: Book of the Journey

U.S. premiere. Post-film conversation with filmmaker Baba Hillman and Salome Kokoladze, Curator at Aurora Picture Show.

Baba Hillman’s experimental essay film poetically explores near-death and mystical experiences, inspired by the writings of Sufi mystic/poet/philosopher Ibn Arabī. The director explains: “When I was 19 I bought a car and drove from Holland to Romania to Spain. Driving down to Málaga, at the crest of the mountains, the brakes went out. As the car sped down the mountain and crashed, I lost consciousness, followed by three days and nights of visions.” French film critic Raphaël Bassan calls the film “a kaleidoscopic travelogue overlapping multiple languages, geographies, and landscapes.”

Baba Hillman grew up in Japan, Venezuela, and Panama. Her films have been screened at international festivals and museums. She has also worked as a performer and choreographer, and taught film and performance in the U.S., France, Canada, and Italy.