Telepathic Encounters

In-person & Virtual

Date/Time: 9/5 (Fri) 9:30 PM (Doors open at 9 PM)
Location: Brooklyn Art Haus (24 Marcy Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211)

Streaming period: 9/8 (Mon) 12:00 AM ET - 9/14 (Sun) 11:59 PM ET.

Streaming is only available in the U.S.

North American Premiere

Director   Henfil
Country   Brazil
Year   2024
Language   Portuguese
Genre   Fiction
Running Time   5 min

Inside the hushed corridors of a library, two teenage girls lock eyes and suddenly perceive each other’s thoughts—their hopes, fears, and unspoken longings—without speaking a word. This short becomes a poetic exploration of intimacy, secrecy, and the power of unvoiced connection, affirming the mystery and magic that can emerge in unexpected spaces.

This film is part of the Shorts: Queering the Dreamscape program.

Director’s Statement

Telepathic Encounters tells the story of a love at first sight between two young girls, who communicate telepathically amid a silent library. It is an LGBTQIA+ narrative about an interracial relationship centered on two young female protagonists. To honor this vision, it was essential for me to build a crew primarily composed of women—especially in key roles such as Sound Director, Screenwriter, and Producer—as well as LGBTQIA+ individuals and people of color. The story takes place and was filmed in Brazil, a country that still fights for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, of POC, and of women. The film had almost no budget, it was shot in a single day - but it was made with a lot of heart and hard labour. As an LGBTQIA+ person, I was always looking to see myself represented in Brazilian audiovisual productions, often having to settle for secondary or stereotyped characters. Telepathic Encounters seeks to bring representation to where it belongs: the spotlight.

Director’s Bio

Henfil (he/him)

Henfil is a Brazilian artist, currently based in Brasilia. His work spans across Theater and Filmmaking, taking on roles such as director, screenwriter, playwright, producer. In film, he was co-producer and second assistant director of the feature "Casebre" (2024); director of the short films "Tecendo Caminhos" (2022) and "Telepathic Encounters" (2024) — the latter selected for the 32nd MixBrasil Festival, among other festivals across Brazil and Germany; and has also worked as assistant director and art director on various short films.