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#Schoolyard

by Nurit Kedar
Nurit Kedar
| 70’ & 54' | Israel | 2021 | 4K |
In June 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon. A company of Israeli paratroopers got an order to guard 1,000 Palestinians detained in a Sidon schoolyard. The company commander, Idan Harpaz, was named officer in charge. Harpaz gave the order to beat, and a good number of soldiers — himself included — carried it out. When buses arrived to transport the detainees elsewhere, Harpaz and the soldiers under his command discovered that at least seven of the detainees were dead.

5 BROKEN CAMERAS

Palestinian farm laborer Emad has five video cameras, and each of them tells a different part of the story of his village's resistance to Israeli oppression. Emad lives in Bil'in, just west of the city of Ramallah in the West Bank. Using the first camera, he recorded how the bulldozers came to rip the olive trees out of the ground in 2005. Here, a wall was built directly through his fellow villagers' land to separate the advancing Jewish settlements from the Palestinians.

A MOTHER BRINGS HER SON TO BE SHOT

by Sinead O'Shea
Blinder Films Limited, Spring Films, SOS Productions
| 82’ | Ireland | 2017 | HD |
Filmed over five years, this unflinching darkly humorous documentary examines violence committed by groups opposed to the peace process in Northern Ireland, long after the Troubles came to an end. The title is no exaggeration.

A Tunnel

by Vano Arsenishvili, Nino Orjonikidze
Artefact Production, Ventana Film
| 92' | Georgia, Germany | 2019 | 2K |
People are hard at work extending the railroad in a remote Georgian mountain village. When they’re done, the new Silk Road Express will run through here. In his office at the station, an old-time stationmaster prepares for his role in the future, when a lot more trains will be coming through the station.
There are promises of prosperity and progress, but in the dreamy atmosphere of the fairy-tale village, the coming of the express train feels more like a nightmare.

Belly of the Beast

by Erika Cohn
Belly of the Beast LLC
| 81' | USA | 2020 | HD |
The pastoral farmlands surrounding the Central California Women’s Facility, the world’s largest women’s prison, help conceal the reproductive and human rights violations transpiring inside its walls. A powerful exposé of human rights abuses of women en the criminal justice system.

Better this World

by Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway
Loteria Films
| 89’ | USA | 2011 | HDCAM |
The story of Bradley Crowder and David McKay, who were accused of intending to firebomb the 2008 Republican National Convention, is a dramatic tale of idealism, loyalty, crime and betrayal. Better This World follows the radicalization of these boyhood friends from Midland, Texas, under the tutelage of revolutionary activist Brandon Darby. The results: eight homemade bombs, multiple domestic terrorism charges and a high-stakes entrapment defense hinging on the actions of a controversial FBI informant. Better This World goes to the heart of the war on terror and its impact on civil liberties and political dissent in post-9/11 America.

Between Revolutions

Boyamba/Belgique

by Dries Engels, Bart Van Peel
Serendipity Films, Iota Production
| 60’ | Belgium | 2010 | HD BDIG 16/9 |
On June 30, 1960, Congo became independent from Belgium. On Wednesday June 29, 1960, around half past four in the afternoon, the German photographer Robert Lebeck shot the picture of his life. A young black unexpectedly steals the sabre of King Baudouin, and seals herewith the independence. Later, the photographer went looking for this man, but he had vanished. An anonymous note in history. In 2009 and 2010, a small Belgium crew went to Congo and met several “suspects” and discovered some amazing theories about the how and why of this deed. And finally, they found the thief!

Buddha in Africa

by Nicole Schafer
Thinking Strings Media , Momento films (Sweden)
| 90’ & 60’ | Malawi/South Africa/Sweden | 2019 | HD |
In a Chinese Buddhist orphanage in Africa, the film follows the story of Enock Alu, a Malawian orphan from a rural village growing up between the contrasting worlds of his traditional African culture and the strict discipline of the Confucian, Buddhist value system of the Chinese. Once the star performer with dreams of becoming a martial arts hero like Jet Li, Enock, in his final year at school, has to make some tough decisions about his future and finds himself torn between returning to his relatives in the village or going abroad to study in China.

Cinema, Mon Amour

by Alexandru Belc
Libra Film Productions, Pink Productions
| 70' - 52' | Romania/Czech Republic | 2015 | |
Having lived through “the golden age” of cinema, Viktor Purice fights to preserve the Dacia Panoramic Cinema in Piatra Neamt - one of the last remaining cinemas in Romania today and bring back the good old glory days, yet struggles to keep up with the new harsh reality. In a theater that lacks heating and is slowly falling apart, with no support from the State who owns the place, it’s almost a Don Quixote fight.

Citizenfour

ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER - DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

by Laura Poitras
Praxis Films, Participant Media
| 114’ | USA/Germany | 2014 | HD |
CITIZENFOUR is a real life thriller of Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald’s encounters with Edward Snowden as he hands over classified documents providing evidence of mass indiscriminate and illegal invasions of privacy by the National Security Agency (NSA).

HOW TO LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY

by Therese Schechter
Trixie Films
66’ | USA | 2013
HOW TO LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY is an eye-opening journey to uncover why virginity still holds such importance in our otherwise hypersexualized American society. Engages a cast of abstinence ideologues, hymen repair specialists, sex educators, porn producers and teenage girls, the film uncovers the unexplored—and damaging—impact idealized, fetishized and commoditized virginity has on young women.

Immortals

by Maja Tschumi
Filmgerberei GmbH, Rola Productions
| 94’ | Switzerland, Iraq | 2024 | 2K |
IMMORTALS is an insight into the hopes and broken dreams of a new generation that has known nothing but war since the US-led occupation.

IN BED WITH THE ARAB SPRING

by Paul Moreira
Premières Lignes
| 54’ | France | 2012 | HD
The Arab revolutions swept away the old regimes and were led by young modern people, invested with a global culture, internet, huge frustration, and a need for freedom and emancipation. Women played a major role in the revolutions. Some even became icons.

Kapitalism - Our Secret Recipe

by Alexandru Solomon
HiFilm Productions, Neon Rouge / Seppia
| 55' - 80' | Romania | France | Belgium | 2009 | HDCAM 16:9 |
Imagine Ceausescu came back 20 years after he was overthrown and executed in Romania. The idea might seem absurd or bizarre - and it is. But so is the post-communist reality the former communist dictator would encounter. The people who built capitalism in Romania are his nearest and dearest and they are actually the ones who are doing business with Western Europe today...

My Country, My Country

by Laura Poitras
Praxis Films, Aliza Kaplan
| 90’ | USA | 2006 | 16:9 |
Academy Award Nominee - Independent Spirit Award Nominee
An extraordinarily intimate portrait of Iraqis living under U.S. occupation. Her principal focus is Dr. Riyadh, an Iraqi medical doctor, father of six and Sunni political candidate. An outspoken critic of the occupation, he is equally passionate about the need to establish democracy in Iraq, arguing that Sunni participation in the January 2005 elections is essential.

My Stolen Planet

by Farahnaz Sharifi
JYOTI Film GmbH, Pak Film, Farzad Pak
| 82’ | Iran, Germany | 2024 | |
Farah, an Iranian woman is forced to migrate to her private planet to be free. She buys other people's memories in form of super 8mm films and records and archives her own, to create an alternative history of Iran.

Nowhere to Call Home: A Tibetan in Beijing

by Jocelyn Ford
Stories that Matter LTD
| 52’&76’ | China / USA | 2014 | HD & HDV |
A Tibetan farmer is torn between her traditional way of life and her desire for her son to have a better future in the city. Shot in the slums of Beijing and a remote village near the epicenter of Tibetan self-immolations, this epic family story puts a human face on the political strife that fractures China and Tibet.

Overseas

by Sung-a Yoon
IOTA Production, Films de l’Oeil Sauvage, Clin d’Oeil Film
| 90’ | Belgium/France | 2019 | HD |

Within the threshold of fiction, Overseas bring to light the question of domestic slavery in our globalized world, while emphasizing those women’s determination, their sisterhood, and the strategies they find to face the obstacles that awaits them in the near future.

Shipwrecked America

by Alexandra Kandy Longuet
Crescendo Media Films, Eklektik Productions
| 52’ | France, Belgium | 2016 | HD |
On the 29th of August, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, the most violent storm in the history of the United States, ravages the city of New Orleans. The city’s entire population is displaced and the Crescent City is to be rebuilt completely. The disaster provides an opportunity for the city’s renaissance on a fairer basis: The film uncovers how New Orleans becomes the US laboratory and reveals the divisions of a whole country.

- ONE WORLD 2016 - AUDIENCE AWARD
- SUNDANCE WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY GRAND JURY PRIZE
- SUNDANCE WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY AUDIENCE AWARD
- IDFA AUDIENCE AWARD
- IDFA 2015 DOC U AWARD FOR THE YOUTH JURY'S FAVOURITE FILM

Sonita

by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami
TAG/TRAUM Filmproduktion, Intermezzo Films Switzerland + Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami Iran
| 91’ - 52’ | Germany, Switzerland, Iran | 2015 | HD |
Sonita's family moved to Iran when she was eight, fleeing the war in Afghanistan. Whithout a legal ID, Sonita couldn't go to school, an NGO taught her how to read and write. Listening to hip hop even though she didn't understand his lyrics, Sonita realized she could tell her own story— and started writing songs of her own. In Iran, it is illegal for a woman to sing without special permission from the government. But with the help of a few rebellious producers, she started recording.

Stranger in Paradise

by Guido Hendrikx
Zeppers Film &TV
| 72’ | The Netherlands | 2016 | HD |
Being unwanted is a reality that the thousands of refugees flowing into Europe have to face. Three different scenarios of welcoming are presented to three groups of refugees: a dismissive, an empathetic and the actual European migration policy. Is it human to categorize someone else’s life?

European Film Awards Shortlist

The Good Postman

by Tonislav Hristov
Making Movies Oy
| 80' | Finland | 2016 | HD |
A small Bulgarian village just by the Turkish border has found itself in the middle of a European crisis, as at nights asylum seekers sneak passing the border. The forgotten village has become the most important secret loophole of Europe. Ivan, the local postman, has a vision. He decides to run for mayor and turn the dying village alive by welcoming refugees. His opponents want to close their eyes, close down the border and reintroduce communism. As the campaign goes on, Ivan soon learns that while good intentions are not enough, even the smallest deeds matter.

The Happy Worker or How Work was sabotaged

by John Webster
Yellow Film and TV, Aldeles Film Production
| 79'&57' | Finland, Norway | 2022 | |
THE HAPPY WORKER takes us behind the shiny corporate facades to reveal the systemic problems that plague the workplace: from a culture of silence, fake change and incompetent managers, to how we educate our children.
The film is laced with humour and irony, but without losing sight of the very real consequences the toxic workplace has for the health and happiness of the people who work there.

The Hungarian Playbook

by Bence Maté / Áron Szentpéteri
Film Five GmbH
| 45/52/60 | Germany | 04/22 | |
"The Hungarian Playbook" examines the Don Quixote like struggle of young journalists against Prime Minister Orbán's propaganda machine, which now controls 80% of the domestic news market. They are insiders who turned against the system. />

THE LAST SEAGULL

by Tonislav Hristov
Making Movies Oy, UpNorth Film (Norway), Soul Food (Bulgaria)
| 79’- 52’ | Finland - Bulgaria | 2022 | |
Ivan, 58, is a seagull, a Bulgarian ladies' men hooking up with female tourists at a Sunny Beach resort. He has done this for 40 years, ever since the communist times. Ivan wants to settle down, but that’s not so easy for an old Seagull.

The New Gospel

by Milo Rau
Fruitmarket Arts & Media GmbH, Langfilm / Bernard Lang AG
| 107' | Germany / Switzerland | 2020 | 4K |

An authentically political, theatrical and cinematic New Gospel for the 21st century. What would Jesus preach in the 21st century? Who would his disciples be?

The Oath

by Laura Poitras
Praxis Films
| 96’44” | USA | 2010 | HD 16:9 |
An extraordinary inside view of militant Islamism. A quietly disturbing, often complex portrait of an Al Qaeda insider and a Guantanamo Bay detainee, The Oath offers a chilling preview of emerging Middle East battleground Yemen and poignantly questions American policies over the past decade in the Middle East. The Oath tells the story of Abu Jandal, Osama bin Laden’s former bodyguard, and Salim Hamdan, a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay Prison and the first man to face the controversial military tribunals.

The Pawn

by Jean-Cosme Delaloye
TIPI'MAGES Productions
| 78’ - 52’ | Switzerland | 2015 | HD |
Karin Gramajo’s life drastically changed when her teenage cousin Kelly was brutally kidnapped and murdered. Despite death threats, the single mother then decided to study to become a lawyer to make sure her cousin’s death wouldn’t remain unpunished, thus also helping other victims fight for justice. Astrid Elias was kidnapped and raped at the age of 14. She fled to the U.S. where she is facing deportation. LA PRENDA is a feature length documentary film about two women fighting to end the climate of impunity in Guatemala, one of the world’s most violent countries.

The Poetess

by Stefanie Brockhaus, Andreas Wolff
Brockhaus/Wolff Films GbR
| 88’ & 52’ | Germany, Saudi Arabia | 2017 | HD |
Hissa Hilal, a 43-year-old housewife from Saudi Arabia, tests her boundaries in the daily struggle for change. Veiled in a burqa, she gains international fame at Abu Dhabi’s prestigious contest “Million’s Poet” with her poems critical of terrorism and the ideologies of fanatic islamists.

IDFA’14: Nominated for Best Mid-Length documentary

The Storm Makers

by Guillaume Suon
Tipasa Production, Bophana Production (Rithy Panh)
| 66’ - 62’ | France / Cambodge | 2014 | HD |
At the age of 16, Aya, a young Cambodian peasant, was sold into slavery by a “Storm Maker” - a human trafficker – who promised her a job as a maid in Malaysia. Now back in village, she is just as poor as when she left. Dishonoured and traumatised, what is left of her humanity? The unveiling of Aya’s fate, intertwined with the testimonies of human traffickers, offers an unsettling view of contemporary Cambodian society. By revealing the cruel exploitation of the rural population, the film raises an unsettling question: what is the price of a young peasant‘s life in Cambodia?

The Unforgiven

by Lars Feldballe-Petersen
Kinocompany Ltd., Film & TV Compagniet
| 75' | Finland, Denmark | 2017 | |

WHEN THE WAR COMES

by Jan Gebert
PINK, HulaHop
| 78’ | Czech Republic | 2018 | |
Hundreds of teenagers join the Slovak Recruits paramilitary group to get ready for the final clash of civilizations and to fight whoever invades their country.

While We Watched

by BRITDOC Films , Luke Moody
| 92’ & 52’ | India, UK, Qatar | 2022 | |
Filmmaker Vinay Shukla examines how independent news reporting in India and beyond is increasingly under threat by budgetary cuts and, especially, extremists leveraging alternative platforms to spread misinformation.

Women of The Venezuelan Chaos

by Margarita Cadenas
MC2, Les Films d’Ici
| 83’ - 57’ | France | 2017 | HD |
Five Venezuelan women, from different backgrounds and generations, draw a portrait of their collapsing country that faces possibly its worst social, economic, power and political crisis in its 200-year-history.