Waves Turn
A “torrential hormonal cocktail of emotions,” bliss but also strain—the postpartum period shapes the lives and emotions of Judith, Doris, Nina, Ludisis, and Luise, whom Josephine Ahnelt portrays in her observant documentary. In warm, intimate 16mm images she moves close capturing bonding and love, but also depression, worry, and the sense of losing one’s own identity. A film that offers insight into a normality that usually remains hidden.
"A gentle, curious and informative conversational documentary that finds its sublime beauty as well as its intellectual depth in its dedication to the ordinary and its trust in life itself, whatever the challenges one faces on the way" - Int. Film Fest Rotterdam
Marching in the Dark
Intent on providing a better life for herself and her children after her farmer-husband’s suicide, Sanjivani struggles against her culture’s traditional abandonment of widows, until she joins a discussion group with other farmer-suicide widows. Empowered by community, shared stories of resilience, and unexpected solidarity, Sanjivani forges a path forward.
"A powerful and compelling film about solidarity between sisters" - Special Mention, Human Rights Award, CPH:DOX
The Black Garden
Samvel and Avo, Erik and Karen live in the land of a century-old conflict, rooted in the rubble of the Russian Empire. In Nagorno-Karabakh, people live, dream and prepare for a tragedy that is always on the horizon. Over 3 years, Alexis Pazoumian films the epilogue of the black garden, a land where war waits for no one.
"Pazoumian has ended up making a unique historical document, filled with beautifully composed imagery put into a complex framework" - International Cinephile Society
Okurimono
Noriko returns to Japan, her native land, in the hopes of reviving her mother’s memories, a survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bomb, while preparing for her childhood home’s sale.
"Through Laurence Lévesque’s thoughtful storytelling marked by stunning visuals, Okurimono navigates the delicate realms of unspeakable pain and intergenerational trauma with grace, painting a poignant picture of closure" - hotDOCS
Night of the Coyotes
A small indigenous Mexican village is slowly turning into a ghost town as many of its inhabitants emigrate. To survive this, they start simulating an experience they all know: crossing the border to the US illegally. The residents of the village slip into the roles of border guards, human traffickers and drug smugglers to re-enact the crossing for paying tourists so they can put themselves into the position of a migrant for one night. A story of empowerment or a village stuck in the loop of their traumatic experiences?
"From those who are sent back from the US to children separated from their parents, we hear personal stories dominated by the pain of separation. It is not just the border that stands between them, but also a world of missed experiences and emotional voids that can never be filled" - Guardian
*not available Austria, Germany