SYNOPSIS

Trying to meet the standards of masculinity imposed on them by society while dealing with all the other insecurities inherent to coming of age can be a tough challenge for teenage boys. Not having yet set a goal for themselves, some underage boys living in Zemun, a municipality of the city of Belgrade, spend their time hanging out in parks and abandoned places, smoking, playing basketball and telling jokes. Taurunum Boy surprises the buddies as they clumsily make their way into adulthood, pressured by their families to start figuring out their future and seemingly unaware of the threat that the end of elementary school represents to their friendship.

CREDITS 

Director:Jelena Maksimović

Producer:Jelena Angelovski

Production Company:Edukativno-Naučna Filmska Mreža

Editor:Jelena Maksimovic

Cinematographer:Dusan Grubin

Sound:Jakov Munižaba

SYNOPSIS

The Arhuacos are the guardians of the forest and the ice of Colombia's highest mountain - the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. They draw from this unique environment a sustained and singular spirituality. For the first time in their history the Arhuacos invited a filmmaker, Alexander Hick, to visit the most remote communities and sacred sites in the heartland of their territory. Thinking Like a Mountain tells the story of resistance and preservation of nature, which is a voyage through space and time: from the shores of the Caribbean to the stars that light up the night on the glacier; from the Arhuacos encounter with the first colonising whites, to the homecoming of an Arhuaco guerrillero following the laying-down of arms by the FARC, the country's largest guerrilla force.

CREDITS 

Director:Alexander Hick

Producer:Anna Lozano

Production Company:Flipping the Coin

Editor:Julian Sarmiento

Cinematographer:Immanuel Hick

Sound:

SYNOPSIS

Over the course of his life, documentarist and photographer Ioan Matei Agapi has collected 21,000 metres of film stock shot over 30 years and countless objects, making his home a veritable museum of everyday life. Any picture is a document, he says, and as such any object a time capsule. But are these objects valuable or are they a mere nuisance? When an eviction notice arrives, his daughter urges him to get rid of most of his belongings. What is threatened is not just the integrity of his collection, but also the integrity of self. When the beauty in the eye of the beholder is discarded, one’s identity is also shaken. Blending archive and present-day footage, Timebox is an intimate look into a man’s struggle for relevance and remembrance.

CREDITS 

Director:Nora Agapi

Producer:

Production Company:

Editor:

Cinematographer:

Sound:

SYNOPSIS

Kafia’s face is happy. She is very young – not even twenty – and is learning Hungarian. The film has hardly begun, when an off-screen voice asks her whether she wants to sing the Somali national anthem. Kafia smiles and agrees. It only takes us a few seconds to realize that this film is about migration. But soon we also realize that Easy Lessons is not only about one of the many young African women that came to Europe, but also, in great depth and with an idiosyncratic rhythm, about growing up, self-discovery and independence of a young woman on the threshold of adulthood. Kafia’s history slowly unfolds: her new life in Budapest, her many jobs, her new relations, her relationship to her mother who has remained behind, her religion and the reasons that took her to Hungary. The camera gently focuses onher, following her to various locations. Even close-up shots or when she airs her opinion leave her some room. Kafia’s voice also accompanies us in our process of getting to know her. Her train of thought flows freely and honestly on the soundtrack. Kafia’s efforts to pass the examination at a Hungarian school provide the guiding line of her narrative. The lessons alluded to in the film title give us new insights about the protagonist, but above all allow us to think about the role of history, the state and the institutions and how they affect the lives of individuals, especially when they are involved in an integration process. The lessons in this sometimes-ironic documentary make us smile from time to time, but more often, they lay open questionable political and social inconsistencies.

CREDITS 

Director:Dorottya Zurbó

Producer:Julianna Ugrin

Production Company:Eclipse Film

Editor:Peter Sass

Cinematographer:Natasha Pavlovskaya

Sound:Rudolf Várhegyi

SYNOPSIS

The events of the film begin on December 31, 1999 when Russia was acquainted with its new president, Vladimir Putin. The film is based on unique and strictly documentary testimonies of the true causes and consequences of the operation "Successor", as a result of which Russia ended up with a president who still rules the country. The protagonists of the film are Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin, and the Russian nation, as always being a silent witness of its own destiny. The editing highlights discreetly moments which, in retrospect, look prophetic for the Putin era.

CREDITS 

Director:Vitaly Mansky

Producer:Natalia Manskaya, Gabriela Bussmann, Filip Remunda, Vít Klusák

Production Company:Studio Vertov, Golden Egg Production, Hypermarket Film

Editor:Gunta Ikere

Cinematographer:archival material

Sound:Anrijs Krenbergs

SYNOPSIS

"People living in a Dacian village, a group of Dacian mystics, the administrator of Sarmizegetusa Regia, the UNESCO site, and participants in Dacology congresses. They are all united by their passion for the Dacians. They are also divided by their perspective on this part of history that is increasingly popular in Romania... Scheduled for a national release on December 1st, when Romania celebrates its 100th anniversary as a modern state, the documentary presents itself as an alternative to the nationalist and populist events organized throughout the country for this occasion."

CREDITS 

Director:Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan, Andrei Gorgan

Producer:Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan

Production Company:Manifest Film, Fundaţia România One

Editor:Andrei Gorgan

Cinematographer:Laurenţiu Răducanu, Andrei Gorgan

Sound:

SYNOPSIS

Josefa, Pepe, Carmen, Carmela, Manuel, Ángeles, Juan, Loli, Susana and Pepita. A collective portrait of an involuntary community, created because of business needs. A group of people who where joined by salt, forged by time and held by nostalgia. Director Cardozo Basteiro observes with warmth and humor the daily lives of these elderly residents, whose existence seems to mirror that of the salt mine which is their permanent host. The landscape, captured in square frames with its barren geography, is at once a background and a character which is witness to the interactions between the retirees.

CREDITS 

Director:Nicolas Cardozo Basteiro

Producer:Ian Garrido, Cardozo Basteiro

Production Company:Boria

Editor:Mireia Sánchez

Cinematographer:Michal Babinec

Sound:Clara Alonso, Raúl Lloriz

SYNOPSIS

Lipsit de experiență și dornic de aventură, Anders își alege un post de profesor într-un sătuc cu 80 de locuitori din Groenlanda. Nu se simte însă deloc binevenit, sătenii inuiți se simt desconsiderați de el. Elevii și așa puțini la număr lipsesc zile întregi de la școală, iar atunci când sunt prezenți, îl iau în râs sau îl ignoră. Cu timpul, el începe să înțeleagă cât este de grea viața într-o lume a zăpezii și a frigului, precum și faptul că aici cunoștințele acumulate în școlile moderne nu înseamnă prea mult, primordiale fiind aptitudinile de vânător și capacitatea de a supraviețui în mijlocul ghețurilor. Iar din momentul în care el acceptă faptul că trebuie să își adapteze metoda de predare la necesitățile și ritmul vieții lor, este și el acceptat. Neîndemânarea și neajutorarea de care dă dovadă îi atrag, treptat, simpatia sătenilor și în special a unuia dintre copii, pentru care ajunge să fie un surogat al părintelui absent.

CREDITS 

Director:Samuel Collardey

Producer:

Production Company:

Editor:

Cinematographer:

Sound:

SYNOPSIS

"Whatever has happened to Greece?" wonders filmmaker Håvard Bustnes out loud at the start of this disturbing documentary. In recent years, its image as a country of sunny beaches and friendly people has been overshadowed by political ideologies that are terrifyingly close to Nazism. With many prominent members of the far-right Golden Dawn party now behind bars, a daughter, a wife and a mother continue to propagate its message - and all three of them are seasoned enough to avoid any slips of the tongue during interviews. But while they regularly stop the interview to make sure it went as they want, Bustnes just leaves the camera running. The resulting material, supplemented with archive footage that leaves no room for doubt about the depraved side of this political party, reveals an ever-widening gulf between clear facts and political image-making. While it’s frustrating that the women are so unbending in their views, it does illustrate how wearing blinders can derail an entire society.

CREDITS 

Director:Håvard Bustnes

Producer:Christian Falch, Håvard Bustnes

Production Company:Faction Film, House of Real

Editor:Anders Teigen

Cinematographer:Lars Skree, Viggo Knudsen

Sound:Håkon Lammetun

SYNOPSIS

Social networks allow refugees to follow the actions and crimes happening in their countries in real time. Sand and Blood is a montage of amateur videos from various online platforms, narrated by refugees now living in Austria. This formal approach offers a new and intimate perspective on Syria and Iraq’s recent history: a montage of haunting images of devastation, fear, and hatred. It gives the viewer the opportunity to ask questions which go beyond newspaper headlines. Every character is given the chance to explain his own personal viewpoint, without judgement. Sand and Blood weaves these stories together in a dark and moving tapestry that ultimately forces the viewer to question the very nature of good and evil, victim and perpetrator.

CREDITS 

Director:Matthias Krepp, Angelika Spangel

Producer:Magdalena Gruber

Production Company:FilmAkademie Wien

Editor:Matthias Krepp, Angelika Spangel

Cinematographer:private video footage

Sound:Florian Rabl, Joseph Mittermeier, Benedikt Palier, Ken Rischard

SYNOPSIS

Encouraged by a grandmother who gave up her dream of becoming a folk singer, Daiana, a teenager from a small Romanian village, dreams of making a career on the stage herself. Following her daily chores as well as her artistic activities, the film gives an insight into the ambivalent relationship between Daiana and her grandmother, who is both her most avid supporter and her toughest critic. Daiana is a subtle observation of a girl who has not yet found out whether she has what it takes in order to fulfill her dream.

CREDITS 

Director:Ozana Nicolau

Producer:Marios Chatziprokopiou

Production Company:Aristoteles Workshop Association

Editor:Alice Gheorghiu

Cinematographer:Sergei Trofimov

Sound:Iolanda Garleanu

SYNOPSIS

Exit is a film about two women who left the ultra-orthodox community. Sarah became ultra-orthodox at the age of 17 when she moved to Israel from the US and met her future husband. She lived a strong religious and dedicated life before she couldn´t handle the rigidness of her faith any more. Leaving the ultra-othodox world she lost all her children, who she can now only meet two hours a week in a day care center watched by Rabbinical social workers. A mother who is close to losing her hope, Sarah encounters Heidi, a former ultra-orthodox woman now fighting for women within the religious community. Will Sarah be reunited with her children?

CREDITS 

Director:Katharina Woll

Producer:Markus Kaatsch, Dana Gal

Production Company:German Film and Television Academy

Editor:Katharina Woll

Cinematographer:Daniel Binsted

Sound:Kfir Shay

SYNOPSIS

Valea Jiului, a poor mining area in Romania. The locals leave to work abroad and, as a consequence to their search for a better life, their children are left behind. The young ones will grow without parents, continuously waiting for the family to be reunited.

CREDITS 

Director:Alexandra Gulea

Producer:

Production Company:Europolis Film

Editor:Alexandra Gulea

Cinematographer:Nicu Ilfoveanu

Sound:Radu Stancu, Thomas Ciulei

SYNOPSIS

Ramallah: a filmmaker and her collaborator review footage and discuss how to put together a documentary about Palestinian culture. However, when the parcel with the footage never arrives, the only images left are those recovered from a hard drive. The remnants of a conversation between two friends are weaved together to explore the nature of editing a narrative, and of making films. The Remnants of a Conversation is an excellent short piece of visual anthropology, with an original approach which enables the filmmaker to convey a remarcable amount of information using just a few shots. It also offers a taste of the creative process of filmmaking, by providing a glimpse into the editing room.

CREDITS 

Director:Jules Leaño

Producer:Jules Leaño

Production Company:University of Manchester

Editor:Jules Leaño

Cinematographer:Jules Leaño

Sound:

SYNOPSIS

An enthralling journey through almost eight decades reveals a woman's stubborn determination to reveal to the world the life story and the spectacular artistic legacy of her father, Imre Kinszki, a forgotten master of Hungarian photography, killed in a Nazi concentration camp. My Father, Imre offers first-hand information about the great artist's creative life, as well as about the city of Budapest during the bleak times of the war. A powerful character, Judit Kinszki opens up to the camera in all honesty, talks about horrible things that happened to her family and still has the power to forgive. There are highly emotional moments, skillfully negociated by the filmmaker. And finally, there is an abundance of images of Imre Kinszki's pictures, which are absolutely exquisite.

CREDITS 

Director:Andreea Știliuc

Producer:Andreea Știliuc

Production Company:Studio CineMedia (Babeş-Balyai University)

Editor:Andreea Știliuc

Cinematographer:Relu Tabara, Andreea Stiliuc

Sound:Andreea Știliuc

SYNOPSIS

A Moldovan, a Transnistrian and a Russian soldier are standing guard at the riverbank. But where is the enemy? The documentary explores the "frozen conflict" between the Republic of Moldova and Transnistria, both from a political and a personal perspective. Contradictory and self-serving views of politicians have kept the conflict alive and condemned the region to a quasi-permanent stalemate. Intertwining big and small narratives, the film searches for basic patterns that keep the conflict alive and determine our thinking.

CREDITS 

Director:Steffi Wurster

Producer:Steffi Wurster

Production Company:

Editor:Steffi Wurster, Janina Herhoffer (advisor)

Cinematographer:Oliver Indra, Steffi Wurster, Alexander Tyzh, Eugen Schlegel

Sound:Jochen Jezussek

SYNOPSIS

Three generations of women live in an isolated village in the Danube Delta. In a few sequences, the film explores a tough reality of Romania's society: grown-ups who are not ready to be parents and children with a sabotaged childhood.

CREDITS 

Director:Letiția Popa

Producer:Letiția Popa

Production Company:UNATC

Editor:Carina Pușcașu

Cinematographer:Letiția Popa

Sound:Andreea Nedelcu

SYNOPSIS

An unsentimental look at the cold and formal process of disposing of the remnants of life, Dust is a visual exploration of what happens after the death of a person with no relatives. The film captures the bureaucratic processes of cleaning, cataloging, auctioning people’s worldly possessions, while at the same time preparing their lifeless bodies for burial. We see the tragedy of human existence, as it highlights the frailty of life and the solitary existence of these people whose death is managed by administrative bodies rather than by loving relatives. The camera, which acts as both witness and distant observer, captures the procedures of passage until all that is left is dust.

CREDITS 

Director:Jakub Radej

Producer:

Production Company:University of Silesia, Krzysztof Kieslowski Radio and Television Department

Editor:Jakub Radej

Cinematographer:Józefina Gocman

Sound:Tomasz Dukszta, Jan Chojnacki, Maciej Krakówka

SYNOPSIS

Facing the political oppression of today’s Russia, even the most fervent and aggressive activists see their energy to fight back fading. Encountering Oleg Vorotnikov, the leader of the radical Russian art group Vojna, during his European "exile", filmmaker Zora Čápová delivers a portrait of a man whose outspoken anti-Putin attitude has almost completely shattered, perhaps in the face of increasingly difficult living circumstances. Constantly asking people for money and shelter for himself and his family, Vorotnikov ultimately reaches the point where he longs to return to Russia without risking to be imprisoned and starts stating his support to the same state entities that put out an international arrest warrant on him. With impressive persistence, My Vojna captures the factors that might have caused this unexpected change of mind.

CREDITS 

Director:Zora Čápová

Producer:Zora Čápová

Production Company:Film and TV School (FAMU) of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

Editor:Matěj Podskalský

Cinematographer:Tomáš Kotas

Sound:Miroslav Chaloupka

SYNOPSIS

Long Live Bulgaria focuses on the revival of nationalism in Bulgaria. Over three years, the director followed the actions of several young people from Sofia, Stara Zagora and Plovdiv. Some of these youngsters define themselves as patriots, others as outright nationalists. Driven by patriotic feelings and a need to affirm their own identity, these young people cross a thin line in a dangerous territory, nationalism. The authorities' indifference and the encouragement of the senior population ruins any chance of correction. The result? A younger generation of Bulgarians extremely open to aggressive nationalism. They all think the future belongs to them. However, the question is: what future can they expect? What future can we expect?

CREDITS 

Director:Adela Peeva

Producer:Slobodan Milovanovic

Production Company:Adela Media Film and TV Production, Bulgarian National Television

Editor:Alexandra Apostolova, Antoniy Donchev

Cinematographer:Dimitar Skobelev, Svetla Neikova, Plamen Ghelinov

Sound:Dobri Hristozov, Yuriy Tsolov

SYNOPSIS

A clever depiction of neo-colonialism, Fitzcarraldo Syndrome is an impressive documentary in how subtly and clearly it tackles the issue of cultural appropriation as facilitated by tourism, globalization and the West’s nostalgia for the past. The lush Amazonian jungle and its traditions are transformed into performance pieces for the visitors who long for a reconnection with what they think of as a purer world. If in the beginning it feels like the camera is casually sharing the same space as the natives, meandering through forests and moving along the river, while long camera takes dilate time, the tourists’ presence subtly shifts the mood. Now, the camera becomes a recording tool for their Western experiences. A film that suggests, but never overtly states, Fitzcarraldo Syndrome is a powerful and clever observation of how our way of experiencing the world made culture turn into something not to be lived, but appropriated.

CREDITS 

Director:Laura Morales

Producer:Florian Burion, Jean Perret

Production Company:Geneva School of Art and Design

Editor:Arthur Uberti

Cinematographer:Laura Morales

Sound:Yoanne Rey

SYNOPSIS

Observing the travelers of a train on a three-day journey across Tanzania, Tanzania Transit allows us to have a subtle and artful glimpse on the whole Tanzanian society itself. A life-long victim of abuse, Rukia is a self-made woman out to once more rebuild her life. On his first ever train ride, Isaya comes in contact with the modernity his grandson feels so at ease with, but also encounters prejudice against them being Maasai. Former gang leader Peter is now a preacher out to make a profit. Without making its protagonists exotic totems of Africa, the documentary manages to be very direct and personal through skilled observation alone, and to tackle issues like human rights, abuse of power, and commercialization of faith.

CREDITS 

Director:Jeroen van Velzen

Producer:Digna Sinke

Production Company:SNG Film

Editor:Patrick Minks

Cinematographer:Niels van Koevorden

Sound:Tim van Peppen

SYNOPSIS

In Quebec City, the capital of the Canadian French-speaking province, random, everyday objects that are found in antique shops or specialized stores stand apart from mass products, celebrating local culture and identity. An ethnographic short film about the items found in the shops of one of the most famous streets in the city, If Objects Could Speak draws at times surprising connections between objects and their uses. In this case, cast iron objects, leather clothing, license plates, or snow shoes converge in a melting pot of local culture.

CREDITS 

Director:Luiza Pârvu, Toma Peiu

Producer:Luiza Pârvu, Toma Peiu, Yannick Nolin

Production Company:Root Films, Kinomada

Editor:Luiza Pârvu

Cinematographer:Luiza Pârvu

Sound:Luiza Pârvu, Toma Peiu

SYNOPSIS

David Sieveking’s autobiographical documentary Family Shots tells the story of a loving couple and the challenges they face when their first baby is born. Confronted with the extensive vaccination schedule for newborns they realize they do not agree on this issue. To solve their conflict and insecurity David sets out on a research trip to unearth the facts and dispel the myths surrounding vaccinations. Constantly torn between his family duties at home and his investigations David travels through Europe and as far as West Africa to get to the bottom of it. The result is both a family comedy and a profound research into the global impact of vaccination today.

CREDITS 

Director:David Sieveking

Producer:Martin Heisler, Carl-Ludwig Rettinger

Production Company:Flare Film, Lichtblick Film

Editor:Catrin Vogt, Mirja Gerle

Cinematographer:Adrian Stähli, Kaspar Köpke

Sound:Sebastian Kleinloh, Felix Heibges, Björn Wiese

SYNOPSIS

Enter the industry of digital cleaning, where the Internet rids itself of what it doesn‘t like. Here we meet five “digital cleaners” among thousands of people whose job is to delete “inappropriate” content of the net. In a parallel struggle, we meet people around the globe whose lives are dramatically affected by online censorship. A typical “cleaner” must observe and rate thousands of often deeply disturbing images and videos every day. Yet underneath their work lie profound questions around what makes an image art or propaganda and what defines journalism.

CREDITS 

Director:Hans Block, Moritz Riesewieck

Producer:Georg Tschurtschenthaler

Production Company:Gebruederbeetz Filmproduktion

Editor:Philipp Gromov, Hansjörg Weißbrich, Markus CM Schmidt

Cinematographer:Axel Schneppat, Max Preiss

Sound:Karsten Höfer

SYNOPSIS

In the winter of 1991, a 12-year-old Serbian girl was murdered in Zagreb. 25 years later director Oliver Frljić is working on a theatre play about the case. Rehearsals become a collective psychotherapy, and the 12-year-old actress Nina feels as if the war had never ended. Srbenka is a film about peer violence towards children of different nationality in Croatia. It examines how the generation born after the war copes with the dark shadows of history.

CREDITS 

Director:Nebojsa Slijepcevic

Producer:Vanja Jambrovic

Production Company:Restart

Editor:Tomislav Stojanovic

Cinematographer:Nebojsa Slijepcevic, Bojan Mrdjenovic

Sound:Tihomir Vrbanec

SYNOPSIS

Unrequited love, passion, a desire to be one. Taken to the extreme. The claustrophobic framing of the extreme close-ups that show every indentation in the skin brings us flesh to flesh with Issei Sagawa, a Japanese man who as a student of Sorbonne in the 1980s killed and ate the woman he was in love with. Now a frail 60-year-old, taken care of by his brother, he makes his living off of self-demonization, exploiting the public’s macabre curiosity for his deeds through talk shows and videos. Taking a non-moralistic stance, Caniba viscerally explores humanity’s bizarre fascination with cannibalism and its representation, treading on the borders between instinct, passion, fetish and their extreme altered expressions.

CREDITS 

Director:Verena Paravel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor

Producer:Valentina Novati, Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Verena Paravel

Production Company:Norte Productions

Editor:Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Verena Paravel

Cinematographer:Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Verena Paravel

Sound:Bruno Ehlinger

SYNOPSIS

A daredevil photographer, an aspiring swimsuit model, and a Midwestern girl next door are all looking for the same things from their Instagram accounts - a little love, acceptance and, of course, fame - and they’ll do just about anything to get it. With an observational eye, Social Animals peeks into the digital and real worlds of today’s image-focused teenager, where followers, likes, and comments mark success and self-worth.

CREDITS 

Director:Jonathan Green

Producer:Blake Heal

Production Company:

Editor:Brady Hammes, Peter Garriott

Cinematographer:Julian King, Martim Vian, Josh Kraszewski, Jonathan Green

Sound:Andres Velasquez

SYNOPSIS

This is a story about Julita, a matriarch whose three childhood wishes have been granted: lots of kids, a monkey, and a Spanish castle. When she is 81-years-old, one of her children needs to find the vertebra of his murdered great-grandmother, lost among the exorbitant amount of weird objects she has hoarded throughout her life. While we explore a very picturesque family history, this unique old lady is about to find the meaning of life. A film chronicle with elements of absurd humor that serves as a madcap allegory for the contemporary situation in Spain.

CREDITS 

Director:Gustavo Salmerón

Producer:Gustavo Salmerón

Production Company:Gustavo Salmerón PC

Editor:Raúl de Torres, Dani Urdiales

Cinematographer:Gustavo Salmerón

Sound:Pelayo Gutiérrez, Alberto Ovejero

SYNOPSIS

A coming-of-age saga of three skateboarding friends in their hometown hit hard by decades of recession. In his quest to understand why he and his friends all ran away from home when they were younger, Bing follows 23-year-old Zack as he becomes a father and 17-year-old Keire as he gets his first job. As the film unfolds, Bing is thrust into the middle of Zack’s tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend and Keire’s inner struggles with racial identity and his deceased father. While navigating a complex relationship between his camera and his friends, Bing explores the gap between fathers and sons, between discipline and domestic abuse, and ultimately that precarious chasm between childhood and becoming an adult.

CREDITS 

Director:Bing Liu

Producer:Bing Liu, Diane Quon

Production Company:Kartemquin Films

Editor:Bing Liu, Joshua Altman

Cinematographer:Bing Liu

Sound:James Lebrecht

SYNOPSIS

Set in Canada, where many churches have been repurposed into clubs, apartment buildings or multimedia spaces, a vicar is relieved of his duties due to accusations of poor management. In this context of diminished relevance of church life, The Ship of Gold paints the portrait of a man as reflected by his influence on the community. Through observation and interviews with the vicar, his colleagues and parish, the documentary skilfully grants the audience the autonomy of asking their own questions. Partisan to no one, it’s careful not to grant easy verdicts, an ambiguity which dismantles rigid ideas of good and evil and stresses the many nuances of morality.

CREDITS 

Director:Siham Hinawi

Producer:Siham Hinawi

Production Company:National Institute for the Arts (INSAS)

Editor:Oscar Dupagne

Cinematographer:Siham Hinawi

Sound:Thomas Noël

SYNOPSIS

A life spent making a living is no living at all for Monyo and Baba, a gifted couple of musicians incessantly on the move. Charming and skilled, resilient and uncompromising, at odds with the reality of the present moment and sometimes with themselves as well, they tenaciously build at their dream. With her observational approach, the director cleverly captures scenes that transcend their immediate meaning and reveal a world of fears, difficulties, pleasure and above all passion and love for the art and each other.

CREDITS 

Director:Ibolya Simó

Producer:Arthur Bálint

Production Company:

Editor:Ibolya Simó

Cinematographer:Csaba Bántó

Sound:Attila Péter, Tamás Jeszenszky

SYNOPSIS

Confused about his Jew-Arab origin, Tim can no longer take refuge in the imaginary cartoon world he has built for himself as a child. His decision to meet his Arab dad in the flesh leads to an emotional nosedive. The filmmakers balances beautifully the humorous, self-ironic tone with the seriousness of the matter at hand. Thus, the film is lighthearted only in appearance, while it explores essential questions of origin and identity. 2D and 3D animation in the style of the cartoons and computer games that were popular during the character's childhood are cleverly used to create Tim's inner world.

CREDITS 

Director:Samuel Albaric, Ulysse Lefort, Martin Wiklund

Producer:Sandrine Pillon, Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Lucie Portehaut, Pierre Baussaron

Production Company:Les Fées Productions, Miyu Productions

Editor:Julien Ngo Trong

Cinematographer:Sarah Cunningham

Sound:Christophe Penchenat, Nicolas Sacco

SYNOPSIS

An Irish filmmaker grapples with the legacy of his estranged father, the late documentarian Arthur MacCaig, through MacCaig's decades-spanning archive of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Drawing on over 30 years of unique and never-seen-before imagery, The Image You Missed is a documentary essay film that weaves together a history of the Northern Irish ‘Troubles’ with the story of a son's search for his father. In the process, the film creates a candid encounter between two filmmakers born into different political moments, revealing their contrasting experiences of Irish nationalism, the role of images in social struggle, and the competing claims of personal and political responsibility.

CREDITS 

Director:Donal Foreman

Producer:Donal Foreman

Production Company:

Editor:Donal Foreman

Cinematographer:Arthur MacCaig, Donal Foreman, Philippe Gandner

Sound:Andrew Kirwan

SYNOPSIS

A deeply personal journey amongst precepts of the catholic Church, voodoo beliefs and the national lottery in quest of the mysterious causes of the "illness of the soul" touching the inhabitants of Haiti, the paradisiacal "Pearl of the Antilles". The Sun Will Rise is an example of those situations when cinema is used as an exorcism and a healing process. The author shows much courage in revealing very personal things from her family life. It is like confronting the demons in her own family. The structure is well balanced between the historical, social and anthropological investigation of the impact of colonialism on Haitian people, and the analysis of these effects on a small scale, in the director's own family.

CREDITS 

Director:Gessica Généus

Producer:Jean-Marie Gigon, Rachèle Magloire, Gessica Généus

Production Company:SaNoSi Productions, Productions Fanal, Ayizan Production

Editor:Adrien Faucheux

Cinematographer:Marco Saint-Juste, Katerine Giguère

Sound:François Waledisch, Rachèle Magloire

SYNOPSIS

Licu, a Romanian Story is a metaphor on our own condition and ephemerality, a lesson of life but also a century of survival. For 92 years already, Licu has suffered, loved, laughed and cried. Here is Romania’s last century seen by Licu. He who has lived through the extremes of the 20th century has many stories to tell: the World War, the expulsions, Ceauşescu’s obsession with industry and surveillance, the revolution of 1989 and the post-communism years riddled with hardships and corruption. And Licu remembers like no other...

CREDITS 

Director:Ana Dumitrescu

Producer:Ana Dumitrescu, Jonathan Boissay

Production Company:Jules et Films

Editor:Ana Dumitrescu

Cinematographer:Ana Dumitrescu

Sound:Jonathan Boissay

SYNOPSIS

Ali, Mahmoud and Mohamed are three Egyptian men who lived in Italy without documents for almost ten years. Suddenly thanks to an amnesty they finally manage to legalise their status and their future is re-inhabited by possibilities. As part of their need to rediscover their dreams and hopes they decide to take the journey back to the first places of arrival, where they disembarked from the boats that had brought them as teenagers to Italy after crossing the Mediterranean. The film follows them back to the emblematic places of the past, where memories are intertwined with fantasies about what could be, or could have been, their possible new life.

CREDITS 

Director:Alexandra D'Onofrio

Producer:Alexandra D'Onofrio

Production Company:The University of Manchester

Editor:Antonio Augugliaro

Cinematographer:Alexandra D'Onofrio

Sound:Dissòi Lógoi

SYNOPSIS

On an swampy land along the Danube, somewhere between Croatia or Serbia, Czech libertarian Vít Jedlička is trying to start a new country. His project of creating a fiscal paradise in The Free Republic of Liberland might attract some, yet local authorities are reluctant about letting anyone reach the territory claimed by Jedlička in 2015. And why would anyone want to live in Liberland? What can someone creating a new country promise to its potential inhabitants? Jedlička has some surprising ideas involving, among others, the eradication of all laws regarding taxes, education, marriage and healthcare.

CREDITS 

Director:Marie-Emma Paoli

Producer:Emma Paoli

Production Company:

Editor:Emma Paoli

Cinematographer:Emma Paoli

Sound:Emma Paoli

SYNOPSIS

Ten-year-old Oleg lives in the eastern part of Ukraine, a warzone that often echoes with anti-aircraft fire and missile strikes. While many have already left this dangerous area, Oleg remains with his grandmother, who has taken care of him since the death of his mother. They have nowhere else to go. While waiting for the war to end, Oleg enjoys hanging out with his younger cousin Yarik and his friend Kostia. Together they go on adventures, talk about what makes a real man, test each other’s boundaries - but sometimes they go too far. By sticking close to Oleg, The Distant Barking of Dogs shows the effect of conflict on children.

CREDITS 

Director:Simon Lereng Wilmont

Producer:Monica Hellström

Production Company:Final Cut for Real

Editor:Michael Aaglund

Cinematographer:Simon Lereng Wilmont

Sound:Pietu Korhonen, Heikki Kossi, Peter Albrechtsen

SYNOPSIS

When Chinese filmmaker Nanfu Wang first came to America, Florida seemed like an exotic frontier full of theme parks and sunburned denizens. As she travels wide-eyed from one city to another, she encounters Dylan, a charismatic young drifter who left a comfortable home and loving family for a life on the streets. Fascinated by his choice and rejection of society's rules, Nanfu follows Dylan with her camera on a journey that spans across years, takes her across America, and explores the meaning of freedom. But as Nanfu delves into Dylan’s world, she discovers something that calls her entire worldview into question.

CREDITS 

Director:Nanfu Wang

Producer:Nanfu Wang, Lori Cheatle

Production Company:A Little Horse Crossing the River

Editor:Nanfu Wang, Michael Shade

Cinematographer:Nanfu Wang, Michael Shade

Sound:Ron Bochar

SYNOPSIS

Megaphone is an astute case study of a young democracy struggling internally and facing the uncertain future of Europe. It is a portrait of the people set on putting into practice and upholding what the fall of communism was supposed to provide: the right to have one’s voice heard. The documentary explores how with the growth of an alternative cultural scene came the revival of Romanian political awareness. Although there are different attitudes and opinions within the community itself, the reawakening of a culture of protest in brewing for the past decade becomes obvious.

CREDITS 

Director:Ruxandra Gubernat, Henry Rammelt

Producer:Ruxandra Gubernat, Henry Rammelt, Marcel Schreiter

Production Company:Kirschbaum Pictures

Editor:Marcel Schreiter

Cinematographer:Marcel Schreiter

Sound:Low Freq

SYNOPSIS

Although many decades have since passed, Love is Potatoes touches on a subject still very painful in the region, life under Stalin’s regime. As the filmmaker goes back to her mother’s native Russia, of which she has only a few memories, she unearths a trauma spanning generations. Her mother’s diary entries, observations of the neighbourhood, interviews with family and neighbours unearth a persistent sense of fear. Masterful black and white animations with splashes of blood-red try put into images what the mind has not lived itself. Love is Potatoes proves an attentive and nuanced look into the paradoxical and conflicting ways history is remembered and ingrained in the individual. Stored within and passed on as heritage. A wound to be healed collectively.

CREDITS 

Director:Aliona van der Horst

Producer:Frank van den Engel

Production Company:Zeppers Film

Editor:Aliona van der Horst, Maasja Ooms, Oliver Huddleston

Cinematographer:Aliona van der Horst, Maasja Ooms

Sound:Marc Lizier

SYNOPSIS

The deeply poetic hybrid documentary Our Song to War observes the Afro-Colombian city of Bojaya, as it reconciles with its war riddled past. Among the ruins villagers go about their daily lives. Sons of guerrilla, paramilitary and civilian parents forge unlikely friendships as they bond over their shared loss. Instead of remaining trapped in the trauma of the past, they free themselves through cathartic rituals. With candid observational footage and a mysterious whispered voice over about supernatural happenings, the documentary moulds itself to become a reflection of the mystical aura rooted in this place. In both Bojaya and this film the earthly and unearthly truly coexist.

CREDITS 

Director:Juanita Onzaga

Producer:Juanita Onzaga

Production Company:Rana Films

Editor:Juanita Onzaga, Romain Vennekens

Cinematographer:Juanita Onzaga

Sound:Jeremy Bocquet

SYNOPSIS

Abstract phantoms of trucks cross the screen - we see them moving as bands of light across the top edge the frame. Infrared images of a refugee camp near the French city of Calais. This is where thousands of refugees from Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea and other countries are waiting in the hope of reaching Great Britain through the Eurotunnel one day. Their name for the camp is "The Jungle". "Fajara" is the Arab word for explosion. But in the Jungle it was a word for: getting through, making it to the other side, arriving. The images become abstract, semantics dissolve. A haunting film about the phantoms of meaning (of words).

CREDITS 

Director:Sévérine Sajous, Patricia Sánchez Mora

Producer:Patricia Sánchez Mora

Production Company:Sanmor Desarrollo Empresarial

Editor:Patricia Sánchez Mora

Cinematographer:Sévérine Sajous

Sound:Chris Blakey

SYNOPSIS

Religious fanaticism may take on different forms. While some people blow themselves up, others wear masks of Jesus Christ. The film portrays everyday life in Nebojsa, a village in South Slovakia on the border with Hungary. A young priest and his mother make masks with the face of Jesus Christ, believing that these will be the best "protection" against an "immigrant invasion". In solemn procession, members of their parish walk through the village wearing the masks, hoping that by doing so they will banish the "evil spirits" of Islam. Be they a balaclava-clad Jihadist or a Jesus Mask-Wearer guarding the Christian faith, religious fanatics reveal their faces everywhere...

CREDITS 

Director:Jakub Gajdoš

Producer:Jakub Gajdoš

Production Company:Academy of Arts in Banska Bystrica

Editor:Jakub Gajdoš

Cinematographer:Nikolo Bahúl

Sound:Miroslav Karas

SYNOPSIS

At first glance Peter lives the life of a typical European teenager - he lives with his parents, has a pretty girlfriend, he got into college. However, his real life is elsewhere - as the head of a paramilitary group called Slovenskí Branci that recruits hundreds of Slovak teenagers with the silent approval of the authorities. The group’s goal is simple - to prepare for war time and create a model community based on military drill, obedience and fear. Peter dreams that one day he will be able to convince the entire society - as a great politician.

CREDITS 

Director:Jan Gebert

Producer:Radovan Síbrt, Alžběta Karásková, Tereza Polachová, Hanka Kastelicová

Production Company:Pink, HBO Europe

Editor:Jana Vlčková

Cinematographer:Lukáš Milota

Sound:Johny Poupě

SYNOPSIS

Life as seen through the eyes of a large family, gathered to celebrate its patriarch’s anniversary. Ioan Colţea, who now turns 91, lives in a quiet village in the mountains. Surrounded by everyone, but always serene and detached, he is now looking at his kids, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, with kindness, warmth and resignation in his eyes. They get together for an entire week not only to celebrate grandpa, but also to agree on building him a new grave and cross, all under Ioan Colţea’s strict observation. Grandpa is telling stories about marriage, or the women he loved, about communists, solitude and the passing of time. Sometimes, they listen. Other times, their own stories cover the sound of his voice.

CREDITS 

Director:Claudiu Mitcu

Producer:Claudiu Mitcu

Production Company:Wearebasca

Editor:Ioachim Stroe

Cinematographer:Andrei Butica

Sound:Stefan Teodorescu

SYNOPSIS

Dalibor is an amateur horror maker, a composer of angry songs, a painter and a radical neo-Nazi. He is approaching 40, but he is still living with his mother. He hates his job, gypsies, Jews, refugees, homosexuals, Merkel, spiders and dentists. He hates his life, but he doesn’t know how to change it. The White World According to Daliborek centers on a man who devoted his life to hate, lies, PlayStation and Facebook. Here is a tragicomic view into the lives of "decent ordinary Czechs" who are missing Adolf Hitler.

CREDITS 

Director:Vít Klusák

Producer:Filip Remunda, Vít Klusák

Production Company:Hypermarket Film

Editor:Jana Vlčková

Cinematographer:Adam Kruliš

Sound:Michal Gábor, Richard Muller

SYNOPSIS

In a run-down training hall on the outskirts of Bucharest, a veteran boxing coach works to mold the next junior boxing champions out of underprivileged children. Disillusioned but persistent, coach Dobre puts his hopes in a talented 13-year-old nicknamed Caisă. Observant and patient hand-held camera-work deftly unearths the emotional and personal costs of pursuing boxing when performance is achieved despite the harsh realities of life outside of the gym, through tough Spartan discipline. A story emblematic for the region, Caisă - Cinderella Kid is a film about resilience, survival of the fittest in an environment that continuously fails to support you.

CREDITS 

Director:Alexandru Mavrodineanu

Producer:Alexandru Mavrodineanu, Tudor Giurgiu

Production Company:Almafilm Production, Hai Hui Entertainment

Editor:Eugen Kelemen, Gabriel Basalici, Alexandru Mavrodineanu

Cinematographer:Alexandru Mavrodineanu

Sound:

SYNOPSIS

When Steffan's mother died, he felt nothing. No sadness, no sense of relief. How did it come to this? The Night is director Steffan Strandberg's story of growing up with an alcoholic mother, and the night that changed everything for him and his little brother. Delving into a Pandora’s box of buried memories, he uncovers both innocent adventures and painful ordeals. Through archive and animation, the film combines Steffan's adult reflections with his childhood experience as he attempts to reconcile himself with his mother and his past.

CREDITS 

Director:Steffan Strandberg

Producer:Carsten Aanonsen, Erik Gandini, Eric Goossens, Anton Roebben

Production Company:Indie Film, Fasad Production, Walking the Dog

Editor:Dan Korneli, Vårin Andersen, Erik Andersson

Cinematographer:John Magnus Borge, Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo, Olav Strandberg

Sound:Gustaf Berger, Lars Wignell

SYNOPSIS

In the fall of 1940, the family of László Nussbaum, a young man from the Romanian town of Turda, moved to the city of Cluj, which had just become part of Hungary along with Northern Transylvania. As they were Hungarian speakers, here they were hoping for a better life in a country where they thought they would feel at home. Shortly after, they found themselves in a freight train on its way to Auschwitz. The only survivor of his family, László brings back to life the atmosphere of war-torn Transylvania and explores the meanings of such experiences as survival, hope, and forgiveness.

CREDITS 

Director:Csibi László

Producer:

Production Company:The Silent Group

Editor:Daniel Tyukodi, Csibi László

Cinematographer:Tyukodi Daniel

Sound:

SYNOPSIS

Tekoa is a Jewish settlement on the West Bank. None of the residents want to speak to the media. From the moment director Iris Zaki arrives from Tel Aviv, tension fills the air. She sets up a pop-up film studio in the middle of Tekoa and stays put for a month in order to meet locals. A social experiment that highlights the contrasts and contradictions of the settlers’ self-perception, but does so through conducting a rare and active conversation with them. And the conversations that come from this quirky set up are fascinating, disturbing, layered. All this is wrapped with most common Jewish tool to confront dire times: a good sense of humor.

CREDITS 

Director:Iris Zaki

Producer:Iris Zaki, Osnat Saraga

Production Company:Nutz Productions

Editor:Oren Yaniv

Cinematographer:Or Azulay, Iris Zaki

Sound:Nin Hazan

SYNOPSIS

The sea is the largest museum of human history. In its depths it collects remnants of past eras, trinkets and jewelry, ships and lives. In the impressionistic documentary Maregrave the ocean regains its mythical aura. The camera floats above and dives under water capturing the rich darkness of the water, the hypnotic patterns in the sea’s motions, beckoning but also startling. Mixing staged and authentic situations, an observational and poetic approach, the documentary paints a haunting portrait of the North Sea that peeks into the future of a Europe faced with unpredictable and fast-paced climate changes.

CREDITS 

Director:Justine Cappelle

Producer:Tom van Herzele

Production Company:Royal Institute for Theater, Cinema & Sound (RITCS)

Editor:Jasper Flikschuh

Cinematographer:Jordan Vanschel

Sound:Neal Willaert

SYNOPSIS

Under the guise of a hilarious behind the scenes shot on the set of an amateurishly made melodrama about the Kurdish-Turkish conflict, we are prompted to look in all seriousness at instances when people are persecuted for no other reason than their origin. An exercise in diegetic meta-textuality, the directors choose significant scenes from the amateurish production and uses them in their own film, adding meaningful bits to the context. As a result, they achieve a multi-layered structure which enables them to go into some of the hottest issues of the present day. We live times when one's origin can put one on the run, either within one's own country (the case of Kurdish partisans) or to a foreign one (Syrian refugees).

CREDITS 

Director:Carmine Grimaldi, Deniz Tortum

Producer:Laura Dean

Production Company:

Editor:Deniz Tortum, Carmine Grimaldi

Cinematographer:Carmine Grimaldi

Sound:Carmine Grimaldi

SYNOPSIS

--------This movie is part of the official selection for LUX Awards 2018, presented by The European Parliament – Bucharest Headquarters, as part of LUXFILM Days.-------- A locked door inside a Belgrade apartment has kept one family separated from their past for over 70 years. As the filmmaker begins an intimate conversation with her mother, the political fault line running through their home reveals a house and a country haunted by history. The chronicle of a family in Serbia turns into a searing portrait of an activist in times of great turmoil, questioning the responsibility of each generation to fight for their future.

CREDITS 

Director:Mila Turajlić

Producer:Carine Chichkowsky, Mila Turajlić

Production Company:Dribbling Pictures, Survivance, HBO Europe

Editor:Sylvie Gadmer, Aleksandra Milovanovic

Cinematographer:Mila Turajlic

Sound:Aleksandar Protic

SYNOPSIS

Find Fix Finish delves into the accounts of three United States military drone pilots as they tell the intimate story of the lives they observe on a day-to-day basis. The voyeuristic ocular perspective from a military drone can reduce people to pixels on a screen and a certain decontextualisation is almost necessary to deal with the fact that people can be killed on a push of a button. The film raises a haunting question: "Have you ever stepped on an anthill and not given it a second thought?".

CREDITS 

Director:Sylvain Cruiziat, Mila Zhluktenko

Producer:Veronika Faistbauer, Mariella Santibáñez, Sylvain Cruiziat, Mila Zhluktenko

Production Company:University of Television and Film Munich

Editor:Sophie Oldenbourg

Cinematographer:Nikolai Huber

Sound:Philip Hutter

SYNOPSIS

Lane is a 25-year-old in the Canadian Navy who yearns to reunite with his estranged family after being excommunicated from their church when he was 18. Lane was born into the Exclusive Brethren, a secluded and secretive protestant group. The Devil's Trap takes audiences on an intimate road trip across North America with Lane as our guide as he tries to make sense of his tumultuous childhood, and towards reconciliation with his family. Is there a chance for a warm reunion with his loved ones?

CREDITS 

Director:Mitchell Stafiej

Producer:Mitchell Stafiej

Production Company:Parabola Films

Editor:Daniel Dietzel

Cinematographer:Julien Fontaine

Sound:Mitchell Stafiej

SYNOPSIS

Every year in a small community in the Banat region, people prepare for the start of Easter lent. They will be all attending a mockup wedding for which the men dress up and play all the roles of the wedding party, including the bride. Adopting the style of wedding home videos, the film lovingly satirizes the style and tradition of such wedding films, simultaneously celebrating the ethnographic traditions of the community it observes.

CREDITS 

Director:Mihai Andrei Leaha

Producer:Mihai Andrei Leaha

Production Company:Triba Film

Editor:Adrian Popa, Ioan Iova

Cinematographer:Mihai Andrei Leaha, Andrei Crisan

Sound:Mara Maracinescu

SYNOPSIS

Vincenzo has always led a marginal existence. He is now 42 and has not seen his daughter, Yvonne, for a long time. One day, he takes the train to go and see her, not even knowing if he will be welcome. But his journey to Naples is also an interior journey, a journey among memories and choices. And what will Vincenzo find at its end?

CREDITS 

Director:Tommaso Perfetti

Producer:Tommaso Perfetti, Adriana Ferrarese

Production Company:Enece Film, Ceresa Films

Editor:Chiara Tognoli, Guglielmo Trupia

Cinematographer:Tommaso Perfetti

Sound:Giulia La Marca

SYNOPSIS

Zdzislaw Misiak, known as Dzidek, is the retired king of amusement parks. After his daughter's death, his 7-year-old grandson Hugo comes to live with him in one of the park's barracks. In the enchanting surroundings of the amusement park a bond grows between the boy and his grandfather, which helps them both heal the wounds caused by their tragic loss. But this cannot last. Soon, they are brought to the attention of the system and the peace of Dzidek-land is disturbed. Hugo is a film about love and the courage to live one's life by one's own rules, and to undermine traditional upbringing models in which most of us are still entrapped.

CREDITS 

Director:Wojciech Klimala

Producer:Mateusz Wajda

Production Company:Film Bunch

Editor:Bartek Pietras, Marcin Sucharski

Cinematographer:Mateusz Wajda

Sound:Marcin Kasiński, Kacper Habisiak

SYNOPSIS

The director’s grandmother, still mourning the loss of her late husband, a professional eulogist, who has been attending funerals since she was a child, and a man working at a crematorium contemplate the complexities of death, in this engaging film about life and remembering but also bereavement and passing. The film weaves a story that moves from the pragmatic of funeral organization to the wisdom of experience and remembrance of times past, in a study that becomes a personal outlook on life and death. The filmmaker uses three different styles associated with each of the three characters under focus, in a mix of participative and observational documentary.

CREDITS 

Director:Vid Hajnšek

Producer:Nina Robnik

Production Company:University of Ljubljana

Editor:Andrej Nagode

Cinematographer:Vid Hajnšek

Sound:Samo Jurca

SYNOPSIS

A singular tattoo parlour in Jerusalem, two charismatic free spirited tattoo artists and a bunch of stories of Jerusalemites from all walks of life converge beautifully into an intricate cinematic design bound to remain tattooed on our brain. The director carefully avoids a succession of talking heads format by cutting in moments with the artists delivering their own life stories between scenes of customers' confessions. The excellent selection of characters and the great cinematography invites into "an endless flow of stories and a very important part of the real face of my city Jerusalem and the true face of my country Israel", as tattoo artist Poko Haim puts it.

CREDITS 

Director:Tom Fröhlich

Producer:Tom Fröhlich

Production Company:University of Darmstadt

Editor:Emil Rosenberger

Cinematographer:Christoph Bockisch

Sound:René Kramer

SYNOPSIS

Most of the year, the Oaş county is deserted of its people. The county becomes full of life only in August, when the locals who live and work abroad come back home for a few weeks. They set in the big villas they have been showy mansions for their families, they meet neighbours and celebrate. During these weeks, in every village several weddings are organized daily. The entire region becomes a gigantic wedding celebration. As we follow what happens, the locals remember their experiences from the 1990s, when they decided to leave Romania for a better life abroad.

CREDITS 

Director:József Bán

Producer:József Bán

Production Company:Universitatea Sapientia

Editor:József Bán

Cinematographer:Róbert Székely, József Bán

Sound:Iszlai József

SYNOPSIS

Meuthen's Party is a portrait of a provincial politician who doesn‘t shy away from spreading racist sentiments with a smile on his face. The precise look behind the scenes during the rise of Jörg Meuthen reveals an unsettling example of the modern demagogue's methods in Europe today. Jörg Meuthen, a professor in economics, runs for parliament of Baden-Württemberg, Germany's third largest province. We follow the prime candidate of the populist right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) during his election campaign. The film accompanies him on his journey from speeches in local pubs and street campaigning to an audacious address to thousands of party members until he holds his first speech in the Parliament of Baden-Württemberg. The portrait of Jörg Meuthen illustrates the mechanisms of simple rhetoric to capture the masses.

CREDITS 

Director:Marc Eberhardt

Producer:Theresa Bacza

Production Company:Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

Editor:Pablo Ben Yakov

Cinematographer:Marc Eberhardt, Rafael Starman

Sound:Marc Eberhardt, Simon Peter

SYNOPSIS

Early morning on a beach in Split. Young people continue to have fun on their way home after a night of partying. At the same time, the older population starts to converge on the beach, leading to a surreal mismatch between the two groups of people. An observational documentary, They Just Come and Go captures in poignant static frames the bustle of people of all ages, in clear divergence between the nocturnal activities of passion, desire and enthusiasm of the younger generation, and the senior population that aimlessly wander through the shallow water.

CREDITS 

Director:Boris Poljak

Producer:Vera Robić-Škarica

Production Company:Croatian Film Association

Editor:Damir Čučić

Cinematographer:Boris Poljak

Sound:Martin Semenčić

SYNOPSIS

After five months of the suffocating siege and daily bombings of the city of Aleppo, a group of children take it upon themselves to start painting colors in their city as a game in order to forget their daily struggles and to show some optimism among the hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the city. The film brings the devastating effects of the war and siege to eye-level. The public has probably ceased to be moved by the sight of collapsing buildings and shots of rescue teams pulling out anonymous victims from ruins; there has been an inflation of such reports in the past year. But when the focus shifts to ordinary people and their activities, the view becomes personal. We can see ourselves in these people and a nagging question comes to mind: how would I cope if it were me?

CREDITS 

Director:Ali Al Ibrahim

Producer:Ferras Fayyad

Production Company:Aleppo Media Center

Editor: Ali Alibrahim, Feras Fayyad, Amir Mostafa

Cinematographer:Mojahed Abo al Joud, Abo Taim Alhalabi, Khalil Hajar, Mustafa Sarout

Sound:Morten Groth Brandt, Jamie Louis Thurman

SYNOPSIS

With its breathtaking beauty, Transalpina is more than a spectacular roadway serpentining across the mountain. The age of the road connecting Transylvania with Walachia is counted in thousands of years. Throughout history, people have forgotten it more than once, but for the shepherds who have never stopped walking it with their flocks despite the borders set by transient authorities. The film invites the viewer to a multilayered journey: along a unique road associated with the names of three kings, on mysterious underground paths once walked by the Dacian's god Zamolxis, and up to the sky, where things that happened in the times of the mythical giants gave mountain peaks and valleys the names they still carry today. The author morphs his life-time fascination with the hidden stories of the streams, glacial lakes, alpine crests, vales and mysterious caves into an exquisite piece of filmmaking, stepping beyond dates and facts to reveal the very spirit of the place.

CREDITS 

Director:Dumitru Budrala

Producer:

Production Company:Fundatia Astra Film, Astra Film Sibiu, CNM ASTRA și Consiliul Județean Sibiu cu sprijinul Centrului Național al Cinematografiei, Ministerul Culturii

Editor:Emilian Floares

Cinematographer:Dumitru Budrala

Music:Adrian Naidin, Theodor Rogalski, Béla Bartók, Mihail Andricu, Vasile D

SYNOPSIS

Every year, once the mushrooms and wild berries ripen, hundreds of roma gypsi children flock to the mountains surrounding Cluj in search for these much-prized resources. Once picked, the mushrooms end up in sizzling-hot plates of luxury Italian restaurants or supermarkets. All of this is happening while the Romanian authorities turn a blind eye to children forced labour conditions and the economical fraud surrounding this phenomenon.

CREDITS 

Director:Mircea Barbu

Producer:Mirona Olteanu

Production Company:

Editor:Daniela Groze

Cinematographer:Filip Stamatin

Sound:

SYNOPSIS

My son Carlos has been just born. He is the sweetest baby, but his grandmother does not like that he was born with a darker skin. Grandfather Sergey Mikhailovich wants to drink to the health of his grandson and celebrate the happy event, but grandmother doesn't allow him any alcohol. Grandfather wants Carlos to know that he was born in the Great Russian Empire. This is Carlos's first year of life, and I made a movie so that he would remember it, and to talk about hilarious and painful things happening in my new family. (Renato Borrayo Serrano)

CREDITS 

Director:Renato Borrayo Serrano

Producer:Renato Borrayo Serrano

Production Company:

Editor:Renato Borrayo Serrano

Cinematographer:Renato Borrayo Serrano

Sound:Renato Borrayo Serrano

SYNOPSIS

Zdzislaw Misiak, known as Dzidek, is the retired king of amusement parks. After his daughter's death, his 7-year-old grandson Hugo comes to live with him in one of the park's barracks. In the enchanting surroundings of the amusement park a bond grows between the boy and his grandfather, which helps them both heal the wounds caused by their tragic loss. But this cannot last. Soon, they are brought to the attention of the system and the peace of Dzidek-land is disturbed. Hugo is a film about love and the courage to live one's life by one's own rules, and to undermine traditional upbringing models in which most of us are still entrapped.

CREDITS 

Director:Wojciech Klimala

Producer:Mateusz Wajda

Production Company:Film Bunch

Editor:Bartek Pietras, Marcin Sucharski

Cinematographer:Mateusz Wajda

Sound:Marcin Kasiński, Kacper Habisiak

SYNOPSIS

"This movie is part of the official selection for LUX Awards 2018, presented by The European Parliament – Bucharest Headquarters, as part of LUXFILM Days. Fifty-year-old Halla is a passionate environmental activist. Known to others only by her alias ""The Woman of the Mountain,"" Halla secretly wages a one-woman-war on the local aluminium industry. As Halla's actions grow bolder, from petty vandalism to outright industrial sabotage, she succeeds in pausing the negotiations between the Icelandic government and the corporation building a new aluminium smelter in the mountains. But right as she begins planning her biggest and boldest operation yet, she receives an unexpected letter that changes everything..."

CREDITS 

Director:Benedikt Erlingsson

Producer:Marianne Slot, Benedikt Erlingsson, Carine Leblanc
Production Company:Slot Machine, Gulldrengurinn, Solar Media Entertainment, Köggull Filmworks

Editor:Davíð Alexsander Corno

Cinematographer:Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson

Sound:

SYNOPSIS

"This movie is part of the official selection for LUX Awards 2018, presented by The European Parliament – Bucharest Headquarters, as part of LUXFILM Days. Rike - 40, a doctor from Europe - embodies a typical Western model of happiness and success. She is educated, confident and determined. Leaving behind her everyday life as an emergency doctor, she fulfils a long-held dream and sails out to sea alone in her sailing boat. But her dream holiday is quickly broken off on the high seas, when, after a storm, she finds herself near a stricken fishing boat. Around a hundred people are about to drown. Rike follows maritime law and radios for help. As her request is going nowhere, she is forced to make a momentous decision."

CREDITS 

Director:Wolfgang Fischer

Producer:Marcos Kantis, Martin Lehwald, Michal Pokorny

Production Company:Schiwago Film GmbH, Amour Fou Vienna

Editor:Monika Willi

Cinematographer:Benedict Neuenfels

Sound:

SYNOPSIS

Burning curiosity, a drive to always broaden his horizons, a way with people and an ever present smile. These few words perfectly describe documentary filmmaker Nicholas Dimancescu. Born in a family with a love of knowledge and traveling and the privilege to do so, from a very young age Nick proves talented and spirited, possessing a sharp mind. Personal family archive footage and present-day interviews with those who impacted his life are mixed together to trace his development from a wonder kid to a promising artist. A Young Mind manages to summarize a lifetime in little less than an hour and does it beautifully so. Witnessing the moments that shaped his world view and hearing the people who shaped him speak about him, we get not just a sense of who Nick was, but a wonderfully intimate connection to his ever curious spirit.

CREDITS 

Director:Dan Dimancescu

Producer:Dan Dimancescu

Production Company:Kogainon Films, Studio 901 Productions

Editor:Dan Dimancescu

Cinematographer:Nora Agapi

Sound:Jagger Perusse, Andy Boanţa

SYNOPSIS

The mother is feeding great tits from the window of the high-rise building in Mariupol, Ukraine, and grows queen apples in her summerhouse near the battle line. To tell about her sophisticated life, the woman shoots videos on a small camera for her busy daughter in Kyiv. To make the conversation last, she feeds fairy tales to her grown up kid. The videos turn into naive letters: behind the footprints of animals and the sound of explosions there is a need for love. The filmmaker makes creative use of amateur footage and the montage of images plus added narration make a powerful statement. They convey the desolate feeling of a conflict zone where nothing is in place anymore.

CREDITS 

Director:Maria Stoianova

Producer:Nadia Parfan

Production Company:86Prokat

Editor:Dmytro Nesterov, Maria Stoianova

Cinematographer:

Sound:Bohdan Barakovskyh

SYNOPSIS

Officially, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) does not exist. Nevertheless, it has a constitution, a flag, and a national anthem. It has its own government and parliament and holds presidential elections. The world may see PMR as a curiosity of history, a frozen relic of Soviet times, but its inhabitants take their country and their wish for sovereignity and recognition very seriously. Meelis Muhu and Kristina Norman document the then latest presidential campaign and everything that goes with it, looking at the Transnistrean society with an objective yet understanding eye, and reminding us that beyond the sometimes hilarious abnormalities of history there are real people who try to lead real lives in a theme-park-like environment.

CREDITS 

Director:Meelis Muhu, Kristina Norman

Producer:Meelis Muhu

Production Company:In-Ruum Ou

Editor:Julia Tomberg

Cinematographer:Meelis Muhu

Sound:Markku Tiidemann

SYNOPSIS

"From the very first shot it becomes obvious we are witnessing a unique document on the mood of a nation shortly after the bloody days of the 1989 Romanian Revolution. The film records (on VHS tapes) the state of affairs in Bucharest, where random protests happen on a daily basis, as many people are worried about the way the self-proclaimed new leaders have taken control. With infinite patience, slightly amused at times but never intrusive, Laurenţiu Calciu's camera observes the streets filled with ordinary people engaged in passionate political debates. Context and structure are provided by the political leaders and journalists, and the hurried (and heavily disputed) election. The 1990 election itself is captured in a crowded polling station and concludes with a press conference held by the international election monitors who appear shocked by the amount of ""irregularities"" they have witnessed. It was probably the most exciting shoot I was ever involved in and the best training an observational filmmaker could get. It was the very first time I was holding a camera in my hand and some of the material in the film is actually from my very first day of shooting. What was happening in the streets was so fascinating, so tense, that I didn’t have much time to think about what I was doing. [...] There was no tradition in documentary filmmaking under Communism – even less in observational documentary, so that even today the public doesn’t seem to appreciate this kind of film, with the exception of the younger generation. There was so much fuss about the revolution over the last 20 years [...] that Romanians seem to be fed up with this topic. [...] Also, since the political and economical situation in Romania today is merely a consequence of what can be seen in my film, I’m afraid some of the Romanians wouldn’t be very happy to recognize themselves in the characters on the streets from those days. (Laurenţiu Calciu interviewed by Nicolas Feodoroff at FID Marseille in 2010)"

CREDITS 

Director:Laurențiu Calciu

Producer:Rupert Wolfe Murray

Production Company:Productive International Invest

Editor:Laurentiu Calciu

Cinematographer:Laurentiu Calciu

Sound:Laurenţiu Calciu

SYNOPSIS

"The film was shot in the small town Efremov, where Pasternak’s camera identified a variety of characters whose stories are brought together to construct a portrait of Russia of those years: the ruined farmer writing letters to President Putin in his quest for justice, the priest who can finally give the first sermon in the new church after so many years of struggle, the striptease dancers who dream to become school teachers, the old pessimist who declares that Efremov is the worst place on earth, the young soldiers on their way to Chechnya. The filmmaker explores the life of the town in a non-intrusive way, to give a nostalgic and at times humorous insight into the stories of common people. Putting all their stories together, the viewer eventually understands what has changed, what is in the process of changing and what will never change in Effemov and in Russia. Fourteen years have past since My Lost Country first screened at Astra Film Festival, offering the audience an insightful journey into the ""Russian soul"". Can anything really change in a Russian small town? It's high time we found out."

CREDITS 

Director:Pasternak Iossif

Producer:Céline Nusse

Production Company:ARTE France, Roche Productions

Editor:Iossif Pasternak

Cinematographer:Yuri Orlov

Sound:Yuri Diomkin

SYNOPSIS

"A thoroughly documented account of the early days of gay parades in ex-Soviet countries, homo@lv takes us back in 2005 to the Latvian capital Riga at the first Pride Parade in Latvia, when lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons marched through the city under the incredulous eyes of the residents. The organizers were following the example of similar LGBT parades in Western cities. Little did they know that their good intentions would spiral into a chain of inconceivable events lasting for several years: families would be torn apart, jobs would be lost, persons involved would be showered alternately with human excrements and holy water. And that the great wave of emotion they had stirred up would dramatically divide Latvian society. The filmmaker collected material for this film for five years, to offer a comprehensive view on the event, and to feature the stories and opinions of both the supporters and the opponents of the parade. Homo@lv was shown at Astra Film Festival in 2011. Kaspars Goba's feature documentary marks an important moment in the history of the festival, as it opened the ongoing debate on LGBT rights in Eastern Europe. Given this autumn's Romanian referendum on the definition of family, homo@lv and its layered commentary on LGBT issues is more than ready to be revisited."

CREDITS 

Director:Kaspars Goba

Producer:Ieva Ubele

Production Company:Elm Media

Editor:Gatis Belogrudovs, Visvaldis Zarakovskis

Cinematographer:Inese Apse, Elga Dudareva, Margeris Eglitis, Kaspars Goba, Lelde Goba

Sound:

SYNOPSIS

"The 1990s were troubled years in Romania’s recent history, a period of confusion and anxiety. The status quo of the communist regime had ceased to function. Before, Ceauşescu had been everybody’s enemy, and this situation had created a certain solidarity among Romanians. Telling friends from enemies was quite easy. With the dictator’s physical disappearance, people felt free to express all their frustrations. And most often they did it in a violent way. The background was favourable for conflicts of all sorts, including ethnic ones. The film reveals this period through first-hand experience, as the main character's (and the director's father) involvement in the events following the Revolution caused major changes in the life of his family. As a distinguished member of the Hungarian ethnic minority, he firmly expressed his position against the communist Secret Service (Securitate). In the early 1990s, such a statement meant political suicide, and was even considered life-threatening. After sixteen years and five failed attempts to become a member of Parliament, this champion of correctitude and intransigence still does not find his place in the new system. ""This film appears at the first sight to concern a local matter, a journalistic investigation into a small piece of Balkan turmoil. But it grows into an intense and complex drama in which intimate and public matters are inextricably intertwined and lain bare before our eyes. (...) This film is courageous and also very funny. In a series of honest and intense confrontations the filmmaker turns a personal family drama into the drama of a larger community. The end result is a highly credible picture of a political context and its roots in ethnic tensions."" (Astra jury statement from 2006, when Balkan Champion won the festival's Grand Prix)."

CREDITS 

Director:Réka Kincses

Producer:Anja Firmenich

Production Company:Deutsche Film - und Fernsehakademie Berlin

Editor:Katja Mader, Réka Lemhényi

Cinematographer:András Petrik

Sound:Jakob Wehrmann

SYNOPSIS

"Made at a time when the Yugoslav War was barely over, the film offers a rare first-hand insight into the early days of post-conflict social climate in the ex-Yugoslavian countries. It follows some of the football players of Yugoslavia's dream team of the 1980s, exploring how political and ethnic conflicts can turn the sports arena into a battlefield for political and ethnic disputes. Once idolized as national heroes, they were cheered by fans from all the countries of the Federation in equal measure. Since the 1990s, the separation of the Yugoslavian republics has divided them into several national teams. Now, former team-mates and friends are pitted against each other, and the same crowd that used to revere them only a few years ago, now boo the Croatians playing in Belgrade and jeer the Serbs playing in Zagreb. The camaraderie that once united them during their heydays has not survived. Their promises of continued friendship collapse under the pressure coming their way. The spirit of the game is gone. ""The filmmaker convincingly sums up the whole story of the falling apart of Yugoslavia by telling the story of particular group of people with different ethnic backgrounds. The falling apart of the football team could make the viewers understand the destructive effects of war without filming gunfire, bloodshed and ruins. The film also expresses the possibility of moral resistance and personal stamina against political pressure and manipulations."" (Astra jury statement from the 2002 edition, when Vuk Janic's film won the Best European Film Award)"

CREDITS 

Director:Vuk Janic

Producer:Pieter van Huystee

Production Company:Pieter Van Huystee Film and Television

Editor:Jelle Redeker, Menno Boerema

Cinematographer:Sahin Sisic, Jaap Veldhoen

Sound:Wouter Velhuis

SYNOPSIS

Our Street follows the story of an average working-class family in the Polish city Lodz. For generations they had lived on the same street and worked in the factory across the road. Once, the city was dubbed "the promised land" and "the textile capital of Europe". After the downfall of communism, the factory was closed, the members of the family lost their jobs, and the whole world as they knew it collapsed. When a French investment group started a restoration project of the derelict factory with the aim to convert it into the largest commercial mall in Central Europe, the Furmanczyks could rightly say that they were literally witnessing the change of Europe right from the windows of their home. Marcin Latallo followed their story for three years. Within this time span, Poland joined the European Union and ordinary people like the Furmanczyks had to struggle for their place in a changing world. "For a lovingly made, long term project full of memorable characters and suggestive situations. Marcin Latallo brilliantly weaves a history of a family together with the history of their city. Our Street focuses on the ups and downs of everyday life portraying a working class dynasty sucked under the historical tide." (Astra jury motivation for giving Our Street the Best European Film Award at the 2007 edition)

CREDITS 

Director:Marcin Latallo

Producer:Marcin Latallo, Blanche Guichou

Production Company:Camera Obscura, Agat Films & Cie

Editor:Ursula Lesiak, Jaromir Dziewic, Marcin Latallo

Cinematographer:Marcin Latallo

Sound:Alexandre Dayet

SYNOPSIS

Shielded by the surrounding mountains, there is a village where houses are centuries-old and people treasure the land and their heritage. But the mountains also shield something else: tons and tons of gold and silver-bearing ores, which make the area very appealing to international mining companies. One of them is the Canadian-Romanian Roşia Montană Gold Corporation who aspires to open in Roşia Montană Europe's largest gold mining site. Their plans translate into dynamiting the area for fifteen years, building a 800-hectare reservoir for cyanide-contaminated waste water, and displacing all the villagers. Obviously, Roşia Montană's historical and archaeological heritage assets would be wiped off the map along with the houses, the church and the village graveyard. As a compensation, the corporation promisses money, new houses, jobs. Civil society and environmental NGOs react. New Eldorado captures the early days of a classical environmental conflict between the promoters and the opponents of the mining project. Caught in the middle of the dispute, the locals are bound to become its first (and perhaps only) victims. "I have always had faith in the power of art and cooperation to move mountains. Today, I also know that such power and cooperation is also capable of stopping mountains from being moved." (Tibor Kocsis commenting the extraordinary international reaction generated by the film)

CREDITS 

Director:Tibor Kocsis

Producer:Tibor Kocsis

Production Company:Flora Film

Editor:

Cinematographer:Tibor Kocsis

Sound:Fanfara Ciocârlia, Adiemus

SYNOPSIS

The filmmaker's father dies in a hospital in Serbia, where he got himself admitted without the knowledge of anyone in his family. Shocked both by the sudden death and by his father's strange decision to die alone, the son starts searching through the family's memorabilia to put together the bits and pieces of his father's life. It is like opening Pandora's box. At first, forgotten photos, letters and home videos take the story back to an idyllic Yugoslavia of the 1970's, when his parents met, fell in love and got married. As the journey through the family history progresses, it reveals the horrors of the recent wars and hints to the personal tragedies and misfortunes they have inflicted. With his profoundly intimate essay, Keca examines how acknowledging individual responsibility for their actions during the war is bound to affect those who have taken part in it for the rest of their lives. "What distinguished Keca from the post-World War II generation of the 1960s, the post-Vietnam generation of the 1980s, and perhaps from his own post-Soviet Union generation, is a lack of accusation. Here is a director looking for a truth he does not seem to have found before making his film. Indeed, Keca is reluctant to tear conclusions from the sometimes shocking accounts of the people he interviews. In that, his film differs from the inculpating discourse of other films exploring the past.." (East European Film Bulletin)

CREDITS 

Director:Srdjan Keca

Producer:Srdjan Keca

Production Company:National Film and Television School

Editor:Katherine Lee

Cinematographer:Srdjan Keca

Sound:Tudor Petre

SYNOPSIS

On the eve of turning 30, Marek and Piotrek, two Polish friends, both unemployed, contemplate their pitiful condition. All their attempts at finding jobs in their hometown have failed miserably. Feeling there's nothing for them in native Poland, they turn their hopes towards England. Other Poles, some of their friends included, have made it there, so why not give it a try? Their dream is to open a bar at Victoria station. It is an ambitious goal, considering that neither of them speaks any English. When they eventually make it to London, things are far from what they had expected. They soon become easy prey for the local racketeers and for their fellow-Poles with years of London experience behind them. The film observes the two friends as they fumble their way across London hunting for small jobs and making big plans. Theirs is the story of millions who migrated from the ex-Soviet block tempted by the Western Europe mirage. Multi-award winning Polish director Leszek Dawid is regarded as one of Poland's most mature filmmakers. He studied film directing at the famous Lodz Film School where he became fascinated with the documentary genre. "School is for trying everything and not believing anyone who tells you what is good and what is bad. Thankfully the teachers I had were different, they talked about searching for something new and always giving more of oneself," as he confessed in an interview. About making A Bar at the Victoria Station, he said: "There was only me, the camera and them. The three of us went to London. I shared their fates, I had as much money as them, only my perspective was different. I wanted to make a movie, they wanted to find a job."

CREDITS 

Director:Leszek Dawid

Producer:Leszek Dawid

Production Company:Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna

Editor: Anna Adamowicz, Leszek Dawid

Cinematographer:Leszek Dawid

Sound:Bartosz Straburzyński

The Official opening of the 25th Edition of Astra Film Festival.

Invitation-Only Event.

The event is followed up by the screening of Transalpina - The Road of Kings and the concert of the british band The Tiger Lillies.

Invitation-only screening as part of the  Opening Ceremony. For the other screenings of this film please check the Festival's Programme.

With its breathtaking beauty, Transalpina is more than a spectacular roadway serpentining across the mountain. The age of the road connecting Transylvania with Walachia is counted in thousands of years. Throughout history, people have forgotten it more than once, but for the shepherds who have never stopped walking it with their flocks despite the borders set by transient authorities.

The film invites the viewer to a multilayered journey: along a unique road associated with the names of three kings, on mysterious underground paths once walked by the Dacian's god Zamolxis, and up to the sky, where things that happened in the times of the mythical giants gave mountain peaks and valleys the names they still carry today. The author morphs his life-time fascination with the hidden stories of the streams, glacial lakes, alpine crests, vales and mysterious caves into an exquisite piece of filmmaking, stepping beyond dates and facts to reveal the very spirit of the place.

The extravagant trio Tiger Lillies will be opening the 25th edition of Astra Film Festival with an established and avant-garde style combining punk, gypsy music and Berlin cabaret.

The musical prowess of Martyn Jaques (voice, accordion, piano), Adrian Stout (bass, theremin, saw) and Jonas Golland (drums, percussion) will unveil a bizarre and strange world where beauty flows from crude dark humor, unfiltered sadness and happiness.

Usually motherhood is thought of only in the best of terms. A mother’s love, dedication and sacrifice are rarely questioned, but what role does a mother actually play? What is the meaning of motherhood.

The films from this thematic sidebar come with a different approach. What happens when mothers are absent from their children’s lives, or when, for one reason or another, they can’t fulfil their role as a mother? Is the time we spend with our mother enough for us to truly know her? Should the children accuse their mothers for the failures they encounter in their adult lives? Most of the films in this sidebar present the portraits of mothers that find this role specifically difficult.

Events and discussions:

16 Oct, 19:00 – Film screening: Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle / Guest: Psychologist Oana Vasiu

17 Oct, 18:00 - Film screening:  Solving My Mother / Guest: Psychologist Oana Vasiu

19 Oct, 17:00 - Film screening:  The Night / Guest: Psychologist Oana Vasiu

20 oct 15:30 - Film screening: Exit / Guest: Psychologist Oana Vasiu

      - Cosmin Bumbuț and Elena Stancu present their new project: “The Residents”

Psychologist Oana Vasiu specializes in counselling and analytical psychology. She has done volunteer work with children with various disorders and disabilities, with adults belonging to disadvantaged groups, and with parents who lost one or more children. She is a founding member of the Association ''Mâini unite'' (Linked Hands) in Sibiu. She has conducted the parental counselling  series of trainings  ''Let's Talk About Kids'' and is an active participant in the other projects of the Association. 

Operating on the festival circuit

With the proliferation of film festivals around the world and the growth of the documentary festival market, it has become quite an intricate process for filmmakers to know what avenues to pursue. With over 30 years of working on film festivals, Ally Derks, former director of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) will share some stories and know-how about the festival circuit.

In the context of the waves of migrants from Syria and other Islamic states entering Europe, many European countries, regardless of their level of development, are confronted with clear forms of racism and discrimination. The line between nationalism and patriotism, on the one hand, and on the other hand between the radical neo-Nazism, and fascist and anti-refugees movements is getting harder to distinguish in the present socio-political context. How justified is a radical stand against refugees, from shutting the borders to hiding behind a mask or a call to arms for a defense army? How far do tolerance and faith go and where does discrimination start?

The authors of the films from the Far Right Near Us thematic sidebar try to help us discover the role that the lack of information and guidance can play among the young. Or how easy it is to manipulate the masses. These films also help us find a balance between patriotism and aggressive nationalism.

It seems our lives no longer belong to us in the virtual space, where we may continually be the target of a Big Brother watching us from above. As soon as we release something into the infinite Internet, through a simple mouse click, we can no longer control the consequences. Regardless if this content draws unexpected reactions from the readers or, on the contrary, an invisible moderator blocks the apparition of that respective message in the online space. An extreme case finds this Big Brother freed from the online space and closely overseeing the daily lives of specific individuals.

Events and discussions:

Film screening: The Cleaners and Find Fix Finish followed by Discussion Panel moderated by Cristiana Andrei

Guests: Ciprian Ciocan  (Fundația Comunitară)

        Alex Dona (Times New Roman)

The Culture is in danger of becoming irrelevant for the community.

The danger of vanity lurks around us and drives us towards isolation.

We no longer listen to anything but the opinions which confirm ours.

”Romanian Journal. Constanța” desires to be an invitation to dialogue.

Carmen Lidia Vidu succeeds one of the most impressive performances that the Romanian Theater has given in recent years. "Romanian Diary. Constanța" is simply not to be missed!

Documentary production and distribution in the US

Simon Kilmurry, executive director of the International Documentary Association (IDA) will discuss the possibilities for European documentary filmmakers to access the US market. Drawing from his 16 years of experience as executive producer for POV, the PBS long-running showcase of documentary cinema, and his work at IDA, Simon will share from his knowledge in both production and promotion of documentary filmmaking in the United States.

The Manor in the Țibănești village was the home of Petre P. Carp, culture critic and statesman, Romania’s  Prime Minister during the First World War. In the night from March 2nd to March 3rd 1949 the Manor was confiscated by the state, while the rightful owner was evicted and received forced domicile in Roman, in the county of Bacău. Following the change of the political regime in 1990 the architect Șerban Sturdza, Petre P. Carp’s descendant, started the legal action for recovering the estate which rightfully belongs to his family. At that time the Manor was still well preserved, functioning as a school and later as a children’s center for vocational training (“Palatul Copiilor”). Once the legal proceedings started the local administration closed down the institution, and the building started to get vandalized and materials inside were stolen. During the same period the walls were completely clad in steel-reinforced concrete following a consolidation project initiated by the local administration.

In 2007 Șerban Sturdza set up a summer school in Țibănești with the aim of rehabilitating the manor and giving back to the estate its economic and a social life. This is how the iron workshop was born. Every year a different master blacksmith from the French organization of craftsmen “Les Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France” comes and produces the art materials necessary to the restoration work. The workshop also hosts an elective ironwork course for the students at the local high-school.

The documentation materials recorded between 2013 and 2017 include an archive containing videos, photos, sound, architectural plans and a virtual tour capturing the evolution of the built area, all of them arranged in the shape of an interactive application, a media library. The video archive records aspects of day-to-day life in Țibănești, activities from the summer school and the way the rehabilitation project of the manor was conceived and organized.

To collect means to create a world, a universe through a personal filter. In The Film Collector program we're talking about who and how watches and collects films today. What sort of movie collections does Alexandru Solomon have personally, as a director, a film producer and director of the One World Romania Festival and last but not least as a father?

The event will be held in Romanian and moderated by journalist Mihaela Dedeoglu, RFI.

Românul nu se mai simte azi acasă în țara lui... Sau cine știe ce alte resorturi stau la baza deciziei a tot mai mulți de a-și lua lumea în cap. Statisticile arată că, din 2007 până în 2017 au plecat din ţară 3,4 milioane de români, aproximativ 17% din populaţie. România ocupă astfel locul doi mondial la emigraţie, după Siria. Secondăm în clasament o țară decimată de război și de atacurile Statului Islamic...

Dincolo de răspunsul la întrebarea “ce-i pune pe fugă pe români din propria lor țară”, e important să înțelegem care este viitorul diasporei românești – o adevărată țară de afară. Cât de mare a fost șocul cultural pe care l-au simțit românii când s-au văzut înstrăinați într-o altă cultură, ce se va întămpla dacă ei sau copiii lor se vor întoarce cândva în România. Se simt ei undeva “acasă”? Aici sau acolo?

Jurnalistul Cristian Tudor Popescu și diplomatul Emil Hurezeanu analizează în 60 de minute motivele care îi fac pe români să plece afară, după proiecția documentarului lui József Bán, “Nunta anului”. În majoritatea anului Ţara Oaşului e depopulată și se umple de viaţă numai în august, când oamenii se întorc din străinătate pentru câteva săptămâni. În această perioadă în fiecare sat din zonă care te uimește cu vilele lui de lux, în fiecare zi se ţin chiar şi mai multe nunți și toată regiunea se transformă într-o nuntă imensă. Nunta românilor întorși acasă pentru câteva zile ca să petreacă alături de cei dragi.

Evenimentul este precedat de proiecția filmului Nunta anului

“Acolo strâng orice ban şi tot ce fac trimit acasă, ca să-şi facă casă acasă. Şi după aia nu-şi mai găsesc locul, nu-s acasă nici acolo, nu-s acasă nici aici.” “Nunta anului” este primul documentar de lungmetraj al regizorului József Bán. Un documentar despre românii plecați la muncă dar care nu s-au mai întors sau vin doar la evenimentele importante de familie. În majoritatea anului Ţara Oaşului este aproape depopulate dar se umple de viaţă în august, când oamenii se întorc din străinătate pentru câteva săptămâni. În această perioadă în fiecare sat, în fiecare zi se ţin chiar şi mai multe nunți, toată regiunea se transformă într-o nuntă imensă. Vorbim despre ce îi pune pe români pe fugă și despre ce îi ține afară cu jurnliștii Cristian Tudor Popescu și Emil Hurezeanu, la evenimentul “Și-or luat lumea în cap! – Diaspora românească:”, vinery, 19 octombrie, începând cu ora 19:30, la sala Thalia, după proiecția filmului “Nunta anului”.

Every year since 2007, the European Parliament Lux Film Prize has shone a spotlight on films that go to the heart of European public debate. The Parliament believes that cinema, as a mass cultural medium, is an ideal platform for debate and reflection on Europe and its future.

 The films selected for the Lux Film Prize competition raise awareness about some of today’s main social and political issues and, as a result, help to build a stronger European identity. By illustrating the diversity of European traditions and shedding light on the process of European integration, they help celebrate the universal reach of European values.

Events and discussions:

The screening of the film The Other Side of Everything will be followed up by a discussion on current European issues reflected in LUX Films.

Moderator: Bogdan Iancu (Antropologist)

Guests: Ada Solomon (Producer), Adina Popescu (filmmaker), Andrei Crăciun (Jurnalist) and Elena Stănescu (European Parliament Liaison Office).

The Award Ceremony of the 25th Edition of Astra Film Festival.

Invitation-Only Event.