Persona Non Grata

Introduction to the End of an Argument(ar)

This highly kinetic tableaux of uprooted sights and sounds works most earnestly to expose the racial biases concealed in familiar images. Relying on valuable snippets from feature films such as "Exodus", "Lawrence of Arabia", "Black Sunday", "Little Drummer Girl", and network news shows, the filmmakers have constructed an oddly wry narrative, mimicking the history of Mid East politics.

Bauxita(en)

Brazil is one of the most dangerous countries for environmentalists. The rural community of Belisário holds the country's second largest bauxite reserve, right below one of the most bio-diverse areas in the world: the Atlantic Forest. The small community was shaken when the beloved Gilberto, a Franciscan Friar, received a death threat followed by the lines: "you've been talking against mining way too much". PT: O Brasil é um dos países mais perigosos do mundo para defensores do meio ambiente. Em Minas Gerais, a comunidade rural de Belisário abriga a segunda maior reserva de bauxita do país, em uma das áreas de maior biodiversidade do mundo: a Mata Atlântica. A tranquilidade do pequeno vilarejo foi abalada quando Frei Gilberto, um franciscano que dedica sua vida à preservação da natureza, recebeu uma ameaça de morte com o seguinte aviso: "você tem falado demais contra a mineração".

Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989(sv)

In the years 1958 – 1989, public service monopolies prevailed in Sweden and SVT's reporting from Israel and Palestine was unique. Their reporters were constantly on site in the war-torn area, documenting everything from everyday stories to major international crises. This extensive material is the basis for archivist Göran Hugo Olsson's (Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, about violence/Concerning Violence) latest film in which images of the rise of the Israeli state are interspersed with Palestine's freedom struggle.

Hunted Like Animals(en)

A documentary about the atrocities committed against the Hmong people by the Laos government. Shot by Hmong people with cameras provided to them in 2006, this film provides a unique look into one of the worst, and silent, human rights tragedies of the 21st century.

Bil'in Habibti(en)

The Israeli filmmaker Shai Corneli Polak records the building of the 'security wall' through Palestinian territory at the village of Bil'in. The villagers protest mostly peacefully, while the Israeli army doesn't react peacefully. By now the Israeli High Court has ruled that the building of the wall was illegal.

Before Father Gets Back(ka)

In a darkened classroom, the white cracked walls serve as a movie screen. We are in a remote mountain village in Georgia. The light from the projector breaks the darkness: the children's first cinematic experience is about to begin. Among the kids are Iman and Eva, two Muslim girls, for whom the experience becomes a turning point and inspires them to pick up a camera and start filming their daily lives. The girls are growing up in a valley infested by radicalism, where most people live in constant fear that their relatives will sacrifice their lives in the name of God.

Belarus: An Ordinary Dictatorship(fr)

It’s the last dictatorship of Europe, caught in a Soviet time-warp, where the secret police is still called the KGB and the president rules by fear. Disappearances, political assassinations, waves of repression and mass arrests are all regular occurances. But while half of Belarus moves closer to Russia, the other half is trying to resist…

La Plata Rugby Club(it)

An historical documentary that rereads the recent death of Jorge Videla, bloodthirsty dictator of Argentina in the 70’s, telling the disappearance, one by one, of the members of La Plata Rugby club. A tragic and compelling story where the passion for politics and sport is opposed to a fascist - military regime.

The New Greatness Case(ru)

Anya was an ordinary Moscow teenager who found a chat group of her choice online. They talked about animals, the stars and social issues. A man called Ruslan D joined the group, who set up an office space for the online group to meet. Step by step, he began to lead young people who were critical of the Putin's regime towards political activism. Ruslan D placed a camera in the meeting room, and when he had enough footage, he handed it over to the prosecutor. The police raided the teenagers' homes and they were arrested on charges of planning to overthrow the government and terrorism. Three years of legal proceedings transformed Anya's mother from a loyal follower of Putin to a hunger-striking activist. Moscow-based director Anna Shishova followed Anya and her mother's life throughout the event and eventually revealed the true identity of Ruslan D.

X-Mission(en)

X-Mission explores the logic of the refugee camp as one of the oldest extra-territorial zones. Taking the Palestinian refugee camp as a case in point, the video engages with the different discourses — legal, symbolic, urban, historical — that give meaning to this exceptional space.

My Next Step(zh)

MY NEXT STEP follows a young Kunqu Opera artist YANG Yang(28 year-old) over the course of several years. It offers its audience a glimpse into the world of Kunqu, and a magnifying look into the ambivalence of a young man struggling to find a way out for a fading art.

Wrestling Jerusalem(en)

Writer-actor Aaron Davidman embodies seventeen different characters in and around the sacred city of Jerusalem as he takes us on an eye-opening journey into the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian story. Exploring universal questions of identity and human connection, the film is about one man's effort to embrace a multiplicity of conflicting viewpoints, chronicling a brave exploration of the complex humanity at the heart of one of the world's most troubling conflicts.

Net of Rights(en)

Explores the relation between Internet protocols and the promotion and protection of Human Rights.

Resistance(it)

In the panorama of Kurdish music, Koma Berxwedan (Group Resistance) is one of the most interesting, innovative, experimental groups. To a deep love for music research the group has always associated a strong political commitment. Some of its members have joined the PKK guerrillas in the mountains of Kurdistan. Three of them died in combat. Some have been forced to live in exile and others continued to challenge the Turkish authorities by carrying out their work in Kurdistan.

Mea Culpa(en)

Lies and guilt are at the core of Patrick’s relationship with his mother Randa. Over the years, he has collected their audio messages and video calls, transforming them into a portrait of her life in Lebanon and his own in Belgium. This very intimate yet social piece reveals a complex relationship marked by the distance between the two characters and shows what one may experience as a homosexual migrant. By turns moving, provocative, and hilarious, Mea Culpa questions the links between national and sexual identities for a young Palestinian migrant.

Death by Pollution(en)

Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah was a nine-year-old girl who lived in south-east London and died in 2013. The cause of death was listed as air pollution, now her mother is fighting to make clean air a human right.

Israel's Reel Extremism(en)

An examination of Israel and its society after many months of war, seen initially through the prism of viral social media posts - and exclusive interviews with the soldiers behind them. These posts, some shared millions of times, show soldiers humiliating bound Palestinians, ransacking their homes, joking as they detonate schools and whole districts, and laughing as they launch high explosive ordnance into densely-packed areas. The award-winning team behind this Basement Films production traveled to Israel to interview some of these soldiers, who proudly defended themselves and their videos, some expressing callous disregard for Palestinians in Gaza. Through additional interviews with Israeli radical groups, politicians, and media figures, the film reveals Israeli Jewish society in the aftermath of October 7th, gripped by a vengeance and hate that puts into question any possibility for peace.

Waltz with Bashir(he)

An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.

301(it)

The Salt of the Earth(fr)

During the last forty years, the photographer Sebastião Salgado has been travelling through the continents, in the footsteps of an ever-changing humanity. He has witnessed the major events of our recent history: international conflicts, starvations and exodus… He is now embarking on the discovery of pristine territories, of the wild fauna and flora, of grandiose landscapes: a huge photographic project which is a tribute to the planet's beauty. Salgado's life and work are revealed to us by his son, Juliano, who went with him during his last journeys, and by Wim Wenders, a photographer himself.

The Other Mexico(es)

"The Other Mexico" focuses on that nation's poor and indigenous citizens who have no voice in the political system. Many of them have gravitated to the growing Zapatista movement led by its leader, Subcomandante Marcos. Some feel Marcos is a true folk hero while others view him as an opportunist seeking personal fame. Leading journalists and scholars debate the pros and cons of the movement as it tries to organize the country's disaffected before the 2006 presidential election.

Sonic Youth: Koncertas Stan Brakhage Prisiminimui (April 12, 2003)(en)

Filmed April 12, 2003 at a benefit concert held at and for The Anthology Film Archives, the international center for the preservation, study, and exhibition of avant-garde and independent cinema. In addition to screening films for the public, AFA houses a film museum, research library and art gallery. The event, which raised money for the Archives and celebrated the life and work of avant-garde film maker Stan Brakhage, featured Sonic Youth providing an improvised instrumental collaboration with silent Brakhage’s films. The band performed with drummer/percussionist Tim Barnes (Essex Green, Jukeboxer, Silver Jews).

San Judas de la Frontera(en)

Mexican feature film

Padres(es)

9 Variations on a Dance Theme(en)

Bettie de Jong performs the same dance nine times, starting and ending in a reclined position. As the film proceeds the camera becomes more and more adventurous.

A Bit of Tom Jones?(en)

In a late night bar, Henry is approached by a mysterious woman who offers to sell him the severed "manhood" of Wales' greatest vocal entertainer. Believing he can make a fortune selling the infamous appendage on to obsessive fans, Henry stumps up the cash. To help find the right buyer, Henry teams up with his slightly dodgy best friend Teddy and together the two head off on an insane journey that leads them deep into the secret world of celebrity body part trading.

The Haunting at Death Valley Junction(en)

Do you believe in ghosts? At one time I didn't, but they believed in me.

Blood Seekers(de)

2032 – After a large part of the female population was wiped out by a deadly virus five years ago, the government tries to stabilize the population with the help of surviving women. In order to achieve that, Jim and Cole have to track down and extradite surviving women. During a routine checkup, the two Blood Agents meet Mel Arcan, a disguised psychopath who tests their friendship.

Adaptation(bg)

Where does the dividing line lie between insanity and supersensitive mentality? How should we treat people who act in a different way then we do? A young and gifted shrink sets up a group, using up-to-date and unknown methods. His idea is to socialize such people, to integrate them into a society they keep aloof from, and help them to survive.

Little Pieces(en)

Michael and Eric, two young men on a collision course with the world around them. As they race violently towards each other their world comes crashing down, changing their lives forever.

The Murcian Pyramids(es)

Murcia, Spain, 2016. An eccentric and humorous journey, on the shoulders of ironic giants, in the search of the most enigmatic places of this Spanish region: considering different hypotheses, the possibility of the existence of pyramidal structures is investigated, crossing sometimes the border of the chimerical and exploring beyond the limits that were previously considered impassable.

Toute ma vie(fr)

Alessandra is walking in the city when she is hailed by a man she doesn't recognize. even though he keeps telling her about important moments of her life, his face remains totally unknown to her.

Vol'ga and Sultanov's wife(ru)

Sultan Beketovich learned from his wife that in the distant Russian lands of Prince Vladimir and his wife Apraxia born hero Vol'ga. This news excited the great Sultan - by prophecy, his wife, is from the hand of Vol'ga Beketovich was destined to die. Is Vol'ga able to overcome the power of evil spells Sultanov's wife and his loyal soldiers?

National Theatre Live: Angels In America — Part Two: Perestroika(en)

America in the mid-1980s. In the midst of the AIDS crisis and a conservative Reagan administration, New Yorkers grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell. This new staging of Tony Kushner's multi-award winning two-part play, Angels In America: A Gay Fantasia On National Themes, is directed by Olivier and Tony award winning director Marianne Elliott.

Connect(en)

CONNECT introduces a number of new locations, exotic species, and compelling characters that epitomize and exemplify the sport of fly fishing. Shot on location in Japan, Yellowstone National Park, the Yukon Drainage of Alaska, the flats of Cuba, the coast of Maine, and in the wilds of Tanzania, Africa, this feature-length movie will once again transport viewers around the world in search of new waters and exhilarating travel experiences. CONNECT features well-known anglers Greg Vincent, Jeff Currier, Jimmy Bartschi, Craig Mathews, Masa Katsumata, Brian Porter, and Captain Eric Wallace, and more than a dozen different fish species, both freshwater and saltwater. As with DRIFT and RISE before, the cinematography, sound, and feel of CONNECT come together in a visual masterpiece that promises to re-set the bar for fly fishing films.

Alívio(pt)

A teenager finds out his mother is having an affair, but doesn't tell anyone. His mind wanders, but his feet are chained to the soil.

Captain Applejack(en)

An ordinary man is confronted by gangsters who have reason to believe a treasure is buried somewhere on his property.

Family Rescue(en)

The court has given custody of Emma Hayes' child to the baby's father, a man who raped Emma when she was only fifteen years old. It's up to the baby's grandfather, Clayton Hayes to prevent the child from being handed over until Emma can convince the court to reverse the order.