Ωmega One: of direct(((ive)))s, once removed

DCP Available

Ωmega Ωne: of direct(((ive)))s, once removed emerges from intersection of gay tourist “thirst traps” shot in Chapada Diamintina (Igatu, Bahia, Brazil), Grindr longings, and Star Trek Voyager to examine histories of colonialism and desire. Recasting the politically and historically charged landscape of Chapada Diamintina as a “set” for occidental self-exploration, the project leans into the double-bind, and problematic power dynamics of locating and engaging narratives of queerness in spaces in which one may not belong.

  • Benjamin Rosenthal
    Director
  • Benjamin Rosenthal
    Writer
  • Benjamin Rosenthal
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short, Other
  • Genres:
    LGBTQIA+, experimental, video art
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 53 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 30, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Brazil
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    digital, analog synthesis
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.90:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Available
  • Queer City Cinema Film Festival
    Saskatchewan
    Canada
    September 16, 2026
    World Premiere
Director Biography - Benjamin Rosenthal

Benjamin Rosenthal (b.1984, New York, NY, Lives and Works in Kansas City, Missouri) holds an MFA in Art Studio from the University of California, Davis and a BFA in Art (Electronic Time-Based Media) from Carnegie Mellon University. His work has been exhibited internationally in such venues/festivals as the Stuttgarter Filmwinter (Stuttgart, Germany), Cairo Video Festival (Cairo, Egypt), SIMULTAN Festival (Timișoara, Romania), High Concept Labs at Mana Contemporary (Chicago, IL), ESPACIO ENTER: Festival International Creatividad, Innovacíon y Cultural Digital (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain), FILE Electronic Language International Festival (São Paulo, Brazil), Locomoción Festival de Animacion (Mexico City, Mexico), the LINOLEUM Festival of Contemporary Animation and Media Art (Kyiv, Ukraine), the Melbourne Queer Film Festival (Melbourne, Australia) and Wicked Queer: The Boston LGBT Festival (Boston, Massachussetts), among others. He has been in residence at the Fjúk Arts Centre (Husavík, Iceland), Signal Culture (Owego, New York and Loveland, Colorado), the Ox-Bow School of Art (Saugatuck, Michigan), the Charlotte Street Foundation (Kansas City, Missouri), Mirante Xique-Xique (Igatu, Bahia, Brazil), The Studios Inc (Kansas City, Missouri), FoNTÉ (São Paulo, Brazil) and Canteiro (São Paulo, Brazil). His work across media explores what he theorizes as queer “technosexuality” and challenges the supremacy of physical contact in a technocultural age. Rosenthal is Professor of Expanded Media in the Department of Visual Art at the University of Kansas, where he has been since 2012, and teaches video art, performance art, experimental animation, graduate seminar and interdisciplinary practices.

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