Baltic Cinema: Fantaisie

Dir. Isabel Pagliai France 2025 79’ (cert 18)

French with English subtitles | Digital video

Isabel Pagliai’s first feature extracts something thrillingly inscrutable, even transcendental, out of what should be the mundanity of the everyday, of solitude.

Reminiscent of the lone protagonist in Claire-Louise Bennett’s book Pond, Louise folds together the unremarkable and the existential, moving from a detached assessment of her fears and desires to an emotional intimacy which lays bare her most vulnerable thoughts.

"I'm afraid. I'm afraid for them or for myself. I'm afraid of them or of myself. I'm afraid of them inside me. I don't know because I'm a plant, and plants don't reflect on themselves."

Fantaisie has yet to receive a distribution deal in this country, received its UK premiere at the ICA in November. This is the only chance to see it that we know of outside of London.

‘Reminiscent of a dark fairytale, Isabel Pagliai’s feature debut conjures a multitude of thresholds, lingering somewhere between documentary and fiction, dream and reality … Pagliai’s visual style is thrillingly eclectic.’

— Phuong Le, The Guardian

Doors open 18:30; Film starts 18:45. Pop-up cinema bar open from 18.00 for drinks.

Please note we cannot offer refunds on this event.

Baltic Cinema is a new year-round cinema programme at Baltic, lighting up our Level 1 Cinema with the best new and archive films. Bringing otherwise rarely-screened work to the North East, Baltic Cinema also expands our exhibitions, offering a chance to explore further some of the themes they raise.

Baltic Cinema has five strands:

Currents presents new work from across the world

Sources expands on our exhibitions

Selected shows films selected by our artists and partners

Quayside Kino is a monthly screening for families and children

News From Home offers films on and from the North East, for the people who live here

All regular screenings take place in our Level 1 Cinema. In addition, you can catch free drop-in films in Front Room every week. See full programme of screenings here.

Baltic Cinema is supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network.

We want our events to be inclusive and accessible. If you have any accessibility requests or questions, please email [email protected]. Ahead of your visit, you can find out about Baltic's facilities and accessibility here.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, South Shore Road, Gateshead, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Get App