Expanded is a section devoted to expanded cinema, conceived in response to contemporary documentary’s exploration of its own boundaries. Here “expansion” is understood not as a legacy of experimental avant-garde film culture but as an effort to reposition the diversity of documentary practice within the context of contemporary cinema. Aiming to ignite inquiry into the relationship between digital technology and documentary language, Expanded encourages experiments that move between the screen and adjacent media, continually widening the horizons of documentary discourse.
This year’s Expanded comprises one feature and nine shorts, united by their refusal to confine themselves to any single category. Moving among music, poetry, painting, games, and AI, these artists dismantle received ideas and broaden how we understand media and genre. The lineup includes filmmakers already connected with DMZ Docs—Viktoria Schmid (NYC RGB) and Ekiem Barbier, Guilhem Causse, and Quentin L’Helgoualc’h (Knit’s Island)—alongside widely known auteurs Joshua Oppenheimer, Ben Russell, and Dane Komljen, and the latest work of internationally acclaimed visual artists Karla Condado and Tulapop Saenjaroen. It promises much for audiences seeking an expanded experience of the medium.