Through landscapes and canvases, Armand Yervant Tufenkian’s debut feature In the Manner of Smoke traces how perception shifts over time. Moving between California’s Sequoia National Forest and painter Dan Hays' London-based studio, the film observes two solitary practices: the vigilance of a fire lookout and the meticulous rendering of digital landscapes. The camera dwells on subtle transformations, such as trees dissolving into haze, paintings oscillating between pixels and depth, and silence unfolding into sound, allowing each moment to stretch and change before our eyes. Rather than telling a linear story, the film creates a patient, immersive experience where every image feels transitory, suspended, and fleeting, like smoke carried by the wind. (ME)

Co-presented with the Critical Media Lab McGill and the Leadership for the Ecozoic

Canadian Premiere

competition : New Visions Competition

In the Manner of Smoke