Note: For each individual ticket purchased to the September 30 screening of this film, CIFF will donate $2 to USAY (Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth)

Esther and Junior, a Haitian couple, undertake a journey to the northern part of the American continent with Esther’s two daughters, Flor and Aisha, in pursuit of a better future. Surrounded by Monarch butterflies migrating across the same landscapes, the family discovers in the forest a fleeting yet powerful space of love, and resilience.

Lyrical, urgent, and visually arresting, THE GARDEN WE DREAMED is the third feature from Mexican writer-director Joaquín del Paso (THE HOLE IN THE FENCE, Venice 2021; PANAMERICAN MACHINERY, Berlin 2016). The film world premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival 2026.