Familiar Phantoms

Palestine, UK | 2023 | 42 min | Experimental “Familiar Phantoms” is an experimental documentary short film about memory, history and trauma. Blending live action, special effects, private family photos and archival footage, the film explores the impact of fiction on the creation and reinterpretation of memory. “Familiar Phantoms” is inspired by anecdotes from my family history and my old childhood in Bethlehem, making it my most personal film to date. Shot in a derelict mansion and a black studio, the film oscillates between slow, fluid exploratory sequences and fast-paced collages of objects, mementos, family photos and Super 8 footage, its visuals and editing mimicking the actual workings of memory, constantly revisiting the same imagery alongside new fragments in search of meaning – while alternating between storytelling and ruminations on memory. (Larissa Sansour) A film by Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind Born in East Jerusalem, Larissa Sansour (PS/DK) studied Fine Art in Copenhagen, London and New York. In 2019, she represented Denmark at the 58th Venice Biennale. Recent solo exhibitions include Amos Rex in Helsinki and Göteborgs Konsthall in Gothenburg. In the autumn of 2025, Charlottenborg Kunsthal in Copenhagen will be hosting a retrospective featuring a new installation. Sansour is currently working on two new film projects, a short film commission for the Wereldmuseum in Amsterdam and her first feature film, "In Memory of Times to Come". She lives and works in London. Søren Lind is a Danish author, director and visual artist. With a background in philosophy, Lind wrote books on mind, language and understanding before turning to art, film and fiction. He has published novels, shorts story collections. His children’s books are translated into several languages. Lind screens and exhibits his films at museums, galleries and film festivals worldwide. His work was shown at the Danish Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennial. Other recent venues and festivals include the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, KINDL in Berlin, Copenhagen Contemporary (DK), International Film Festival Rotterdam (NL) and BFI London Film Festival (UK). He lives and works in London.