Heart of Light – Eleven Songs for Fiji

Heart of Light – Eleven Songs for Fiji
dir. Cynthia Beatt/Germany, France/2026/167 min

After years spent in Scotland, Iona returns to her family home in Fiji, seeking answers to questions about her personal sense of alienation in Europe. The film is a speculative autobiography, a hybrid of ethnographic study and cinematic essay. The director spent her youth in Fiji, and now her alter ego – Tilda Swinton – weaves together all the threads and layers of the film’s narrative, exploring returning home, loss, and life lessons, often filmed in locations she remembers, many of which have changed significantly. The film suggests that the remedy for the world’s troubles may sometimes be found at its farthest edges.

The film is being presented as part of the project "Cinema as a Laboratory V," co-financed by the Polish-German Cooperation Foundation.

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projection time:
167 min
country/year:
Germany, France /2026
director:
Cynthia Beatt
original language of the film:
English, Fijian
pictures:
Jenny Lou Ziegel
editor:
Cynthia Beatt, Till Beckmann
production:
Cynthia Beatt, Philippe Avril / Heartbeatt Pictures, La Cinéfiliale
festivals and awards:
2026 – Rotterdam IFF
sections:
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