#397 - Eskil Vogt on The Innocents and The 29th New York African Film Festival Programmers Preview

This week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast, we’re featuring a Q&A from the 51st New Directors/New Films with Eskil Vogt, director of The Innocents, moderated by FLC’s Director of Programming Dennis Lim and a programmers preview of the 29th New York African Film Festival. Perhaps best known as the co-screenwriter of acclaimed Norwegian director Joachim Trier (The Worst Person in the World), Eskil Vogt proves himself to be a filmmaker of astonishing skill and elemental force in his own right with this daring supernatural thriller. Set during the summer at an apartment complex surrounded by an ominous, fairy-tale-like forest, The Innocents follows the sinister, increasingly alarming interactions of a group of prepubescent children: Ida, feeling ignored next to her autistic older sister Anna; the bullied Ben; and the angelic Aisha, who appears to communicate telepathically—and feel through—the nonverbal Anna. With unforgettable, dark images and fleet visual storytelling, Vogt’s film pushes the “evil children” subgenre into more philosophical territory, creating a morally askew universe controlled by a child’s primitive understanding of the world. The Innocents is now playing in our theaters. Go to filmlinc.org/innocents for showtimes and tickets. Before the Q&A, listen to a programmers preview of the 29th New York African Film Festival, now playing in our theaters and virtually nationwide through May 17. Explore the lineup, Q&As, info on a free digital art exhibition, a free masterclass, and more at filmlinc.org/african.