WESTERN FRONT – Nowhere Near

Description:

Western Front presented a screening of Miko Revereza’s feature-length film Nowhere Near (2023). Partially developed while in residence at Western Front, Nowhere Near is a poetic memoir exploring stateless identity through the lens of an exile returning to an estranged homeland. Culminating several years of shooting, editing, relocation, and contemplation, Revereza traces his disillusionment and likely permanent departure from the United States, eventually making his way to Oaxaca by way of Manila. In each locale, he experiences and deliberates on a complicated and at times contradictory sense of home, navigates relationships with loved ones, and tests the limits of art to represent such monumental transitions. Both diaristic and delicately abstract, this wandering psychological journey reflects Revereza’s attempt to understand his and his family’s experiences as undocumented Filipino immigrants, his youth in post-9/11 America, the excavation of a family curse, and consideration of the US occupation of the Philippines. Presenting a rhythmic, kinetic, and near free-form assemblage, abetted by a rich score, Nowhere Near speaks to the fragmentary nature of living between worlds.

Following the screening, Revereza was joined in conversation by Western Front executive director Susan Gibb. The evening closed with a question and answer session.

An auditorium full of people sit facing a screen that shows an image of an arm wrapped in blue sheets overlaid with an opaque image of bubbles floating on the surface of the water. The words nowhere near are written in small white text at the centre of the screen.

An auditorium full of people sit facing a screen that shows a Filipino woman standing in front of a house, gazing up towards the sky. The image is overlaid with a hand with glowing fingertips.

Two people in conversation sit facing each other in red chairs under a spotlight. A woman with a blonde bob speaks into a microphone while gesturing to the man across from her. He sits with his back to the camera, listening, and wears a black t-shirt, blue cuffed jeans, and black combat boots.

A man sits in a red chair and speaks into a microphone. He has black mid-length hair, and wears glasses, a black t-shirt with white writing, cuffed blue jeans, and black combat boots. A glass of water is positioned on the floor next to his chair.

Two people sit facing each other in red chairs under a spotlight. They are in conversation, and each holds a microphone. A man with black hair and glasses speaks enthusiastically to a woman with a blonde bob, who is facing away from the camera.

Captions:

Screening of Nowhere Near, Jun 13, 2024. Photo by NK Photo.
Screening of Nowhere Near, Jun 13, 2024. Photo by NK Photo.
Susan Gibb and Miko Revereza in conversation, Jun 13, 2024. Photo by NK Photo.
Miko Revereza at Western Front, Jun 13, 2024. Photo by NK Photo.
Susan Gibb and Miko Revereza in conversation, Jun 13, 2024. Photo by NK Photo.

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Concert by Randy Raine-Reusch

Western Front is a non-profit
artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.