World premiere
The Memory Boom
Uncovered 16mm footage merges with a mesmerising narrative to bring us the most lyrical film of this year’s PÖFF.
What is inside the brain of a man whose memory is fading? This is what Pop’s grandson tries to find out, as a melting archive plays out as a magnetic visual exploration of Pop’s reflections and the enchanting framework of an emotional and profound journey of mutual understanding. Featuring anonymously donated, never-before-seen, decaying 16mm archive footage,“The Memory Boom“ blends documentary and scripted elements. The film was produced using grassroots and guerrilla filmmaking methods, and envelops you in a sweet, self-conscious lullaby. Memory becomes film, and as the celluloid deteriorates so does your brain. But the journey is still joyful and pleasurable, like one where you only remember the good things.
You will be lucky to witness one of the most poetic representations of the problems of dementia, while at the same time paraphrasing the preservation of cinema, which is a significant dream. What more could you ask from a Rebel?
Javier Garcia Puerto
Xenia Glen is a Filipino-British filmmaker based in Dorset. She has stated that as a disabled filmmaker with non-visible health conditions, she aims to visually and audibly express internal symptoms of non-visible conditions through her films. She has written and directed multiple short films, most notably “Backbone” (2021) and “Alo” (2023). Xenia was selected for the John Brabourne Award and the programmes: BAFTA Mentorship, Shorts2Features (BFI) and NETWORK@LFF. In 2017, Xenia co-founded Sleepwalker, a Dorset-based production company and collective advocating for filmmakers with unconventional backgrounds, creating impactful, subversive films.
Alo (2023, short), The Memory Boom (2024, doc)