Dive into the potential of the small file within the context of documentary art and digital culture during this collaborative evening between The Hmm and Het Documentaire Paviljoen. What does the small file offer us in terms of the circulation, exchange, or even smuggling of information? How does working with small formats open up the possibilities within constraint—creating and celebrating a new kind of small file aesthetics? 

In the last years there has been a huge increase in streaming, data hoarding, and the training and use of generative AI. The ecological costs of these shifts in how we are using the internet and digital technologies are becoming ever more visible. But our demands for data—which require high bandwidth, access to cheap electricity, and digital storage—move beyond the ecological and into the political—creating a divide between what are often called "data rich" and "data poor" countries. This creates a digital divide of who has access to what, where, and when; creating an asymmetrical sharing of data in the form of video, texts, and images. 

This evening brings together 5 short films that were selected by The Hmm during the 2024 Small File Media Festival (SFMF). They each illustrate different creative and political aspects of the use of the small file.


Short film line-up
Restore by Minoo Iranpour Mobarakeh 
Is Every Republic Constructed on Flat Earth? By Clint Sleeper 
Walking through a Nile Codex Mena El Shazly & Omnia Sabry
THE RIVER by Anabela Costa
I do not have enough money to buy new underwear by Jayson Sloan


Founded in 2020, the SFMF aims to raise awareness of the high carbon footprint of streaming media, and proposes alternative solutions for media practice, as well as creating new modes of thinking. These films, ranging from humorous animations to politically censored content that was damaged and then restored, encompass the power and possibilities of the small image.