Film list

[ayouni--Film-image]
Ayouni 2020 75'
  Directed by Yasmin Fedda .
Bassel was a successful open source developer and hacker in Damascus. Paolo was a well-known priest based in Mar Musa monastery. Both men were active in the 2011 Syrian revolution, and witnesses to
Middle and Near East War / Conflict / Reconciliation Memory Political Activists
[bang-the-drum--Film-image]
Bang the Drum 2020 28'
  Directed by William Nitzky .
For the Yao minority in rural southwest China, the bronze drum is a sacred heritage. Its sound aids the souls of deceased elders in reaching the ancestral land. When the Chinese government steps in
Central Asia and Far East Music/ Ethnomusicology Tourism/ Travel/ Pilgrimage Rural Shamans and Shamanism
[the-body-wont-close--Film-image]
The Body Won't Close 2020 74'
    Main Competition Directed by Mattijs van de Port .
Our bodies are semi-permeable. All over the world, stories are being told about heroes who magically “close” their bodies, so as to become invincible. This film follows one such story, as it is
South America Essay film Gender Role and Identity Folklore Reflexivity
[a-colombian-family--Film-image]
A Colombian Family 2020 80'
    Main Competition Directed by Tanja Wol Sørensen .
A powerful mother-daughter drama is at the centre of this film. Rooted in disagreement—both personal and political—the film follows the consequences of a war that leaves them with an impossible
South America War / Conflict / Reconciliation Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity Intergenerational relations Memory Migration Personal Narrative Political Activists Refugees / Displaced populations Social Conflict
[the-daring-young-girl-on-the-flying-trapeze--Film-image]
The Daring Young Girl on the Flying Trapeze 2020 27'
  Directed by Nina Ross .
As a child, Nancy Willis dreamt of joining the circus, longing for freedom and adventure. Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and told she would not live beyond her twenties, the now 65-year-old artist
British-Irish Isles Art/ Artists/ Artisans Personal Narrative Health/ Health care/ Healing Life Story/ Life History
[death-of-the-one-who-knows--Film-image]
Death of the One who Knows 2020 82'
    Werbner Award Directed by Dana Rappoport .
In the Toraja highlands of Sulawesi (Indonesia), Lumbaa is one of the last masters of ritual speech. After his forced conversion to Pentecostalism, he is compelled to stop all his ritual activity and
[elders-corner--Film-image]
Elder's Corner 2020 96'
    Music Docs Directed by Siji Awoyinka .
From the colourful, celebratory sounds of Juju to the politicized urgency of Afrobeat, Nigerian musicians have spearheaded some of Africa's most prominent musical movements. For over a decade,
[forget-alberto-for-now--Film-image]
Forget Alberto For Now 2020 19'
  Directed by Beina Xu .
A refugee known only as Alberto flies from Athens to Brussels on a fake passport. Three years later, a small crew from Berlin tries to make a film by shooting the landscape of his transit. Things
Western Europe Western Mediterranean Reflexivity Migration Resettlement Refugees/ Displaced populations
[half-elf--Film-image]
Half Elf 2020 64'
    Main Competition Directed by Jón Bjarki Magnússon .
A lighthouse keeper prepares his earthly funeral while trying to reconnect the elf within. Hulda and Trausti have shared a roof on Icelandic shores for over seventy years. Her love of books is
[i-am-belmaya--Film-image]
I Am Belmaya 2020 80'
    Main Competition Directed by Sue Carpenter .
Belmaya is desperate for independence. Born a dalit in Nepal, orphaned aged 9, barely educated, and trapped in an abusive marriage with a baby daughter, Belmaya, 21, has given up hope of finding
[land-lot-s7--Film-image]
Land Lot S7 2020 28'
  Directed by Abtin Sarabi .
Following sugar cane field workers in Senegal as they chop and burn their way through seemingly endless fields, this poetic film takes an unconventional approach to understanding the gruelling work
West Africa Labour Agriculture / Farming
[making-worlds-otherwise--Film-image]
Making Worlds Otherwise 2020 28'
  Directed by Paul Gurrumuruwuy Jennifer Deger Enid Guruŋulmiwuy Warren Balpatji Meredith Balanydjarrk James Ganambarr Kayleen Djingadjingawuy Victoria Baskin Coffey Sebastian Lowe .
An exuberant experiment in the ethnographic art of remix that gives new form to Miyarrka Media’s project of yuṯa, or new, anthropology. Sound, images, colour, light, and deeply felt patterns of
Australia Collective / Community identity Colonialism / Postcolonialism Internet Digital media Participatory / Collaborative methods
[motels--Film-image]
Motels 2020 27'
  Directed by Claudia F. Quigua .
Have you ever been in a motel room with rounded beds, love chairs, coloured lights and dancing poles? This film explores a prominent yet often overlooked aspect of Colombian culture through the
South America Sex / Sexuality Love Tourism/ Travel/ Pilgrimage
[ocak--Film-image]
Ocak 2020 28'
  Directed by Zeynep Kaserci .
The story of a family who earns their livelihood as hazelnut cultivators in rural north-eastern Turkey. Filmed in an observational style, it offers glimpses into the local social life of the village
Middle and Near East Collective / Community identity Agriculture / Farming Rural
[oink--Film-image]
Oink! 2020 22'
  Directed by Rob Eagle .
An experimental research documentary offering a portrait of gay men who‚ in different ways‚ relate to the “pig” sexual imaginary. It provides insight into their experiences of identity,
Western Europe North America Sex / Sexuality LGBTQI* Collective / Community identity
[ojo-igbi-with-gl--Film-image]
Ojò Igbì (with Gũlā) 2020 60'
    Music Docs Directed by Daniele Ferreira João Carlos Couto .
The ritual cycle of the Waters of Oxalá is one of the most important ceremonies of candomblé in Brazil. After days of preparation, the sons and daughters of the saint gather to cultivate and relive
[the-olive-pickers--Film-image]
The Olive Pickers 2020 51'
    Werbner Award Directed by Toni de Bromhead .
[ophir--Film-image]
Ophir 2020 97'
    Main Competition Directed by Alexandre Berman Olivier Pollet .
This is a collaborative story of the civil war and ongoing struggle for sovereignty in Bougainville Island in the face of an all-too-familiar pattern of colonial rule and corporate mining interests.
[the-ospreys-and-the-old-man--Film-image]
The Ospreys and the Old Man 2020 9'
  Directed by Ang Gao .
A 76-year-old man living in a village in the middle of China continues the traditional practice of using ospreys (鱼鹰. 鱼鹰 usually referred to as great cormorant in English) to fish while most
Central Asia and Far East Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Animals Elderly People
[stories-from-cabo-corrientes--Film-image]
Stories from Cabo Corrientes 2020 77'
    Main Competition Directed by Jordi Esteva .
The documentary immerses us in the fantastic and magical stories of the inhabitants of Cabo Corrientes, Chocò District (Colombia) where a community of Afro-Colombians, descended from slaves of
[this-is-a-majlis-a-sound-essay--Film-image]
This Is A Majlis - A Sound Essay 2020 17'
  Directed by Timothy Cooper Abeera Arif-Bashir .
This short film is a multi-platform sound essay. It is primarily illustrated with still images, that conjure an atmosphere of intimacy and intensity of the majlis-e-aza, a mourning gathering central
South Asia Music/Ethnomusicology Urban Art/ Aritists/ Artisans Social Change
[unwritten-letters--Film-image]
Unwritten Letters 2020 59'
  Directed by Max Bloching Abd Alrahman Dukmak .
Abd is a 24-year-old Syrian who took part in the early days of the 2011 revolution and now lives in Padova, Italy. Together with his German friend Max he is working on a film called Unwritten
South-East Europe Middle and Near East Migration Refugees / Displaced populations Participatory / Collaborative methods Life Story / Life History
[vhs-diaries--Film-image]
VHS Diaries 2020 72'
    Decolonising the Archive Directed by Niyaz Saghari .
The filmmaker revisits the diaries she kept during the years when video was banned in Iran. Using her personal VHS archive of films as a point of reference, the film explores a very personal film