A Poem For Little People
A cinéma vérité examination of the most vulnerable people on the front lines of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the brave volunteers risking everything to evacuate them to safety. The film weaves together two parallel narratives: one follows a volunteer evacuation team in Eastern Ukraine, led by the young and remarkably stoic volunteer, while the other depicts the wartime daily lives and surprising friendship of two elderly women who chose to remain in their homes in the now de-occupied Chernihiv region.
"a cinematic poem about courage and resistance during wartime....A vivid reminder that small acts can often accomplish great things" - CPH:DOX
Light Needs
LIGHT NEEDS is an experimental documentary about houseplants who cohabitate with people and the surprisingly intimate and complex relationships that can develop between them. Containing footage collected from many different domestic and professional spaces over several years, each home/site evidences the different ways people cohabitate with and relate to plants. Yet, this film is ardently not a document of houseplants but rather a consideration of the benefits and losses accrued through the social contracts between plant and animal. By directly attending to the relationships humans have with nonhumans, Light Needs looks to shine a light on the responsibility for care towards other living beings.
"a generous, thought-provoking and artistically inventive film that literally expands one’s consciousness and creates a space for empathy with other life forms – namely the houseplants that most of us live with" - CPH:DOX
A French Youth
In the south of France, in the heart of the Camargue, an ancient and little-known tradition takes place. In the region’s arenas, young men dressed in white confront bulls in a dangerous and impressive face-off. Much more than a traditional sport, this fight without killing the bull offers many young people from North African immigrant backgrounds the chance to take their place in the arena and in French society. Among them are Jawad and Belka, two bullfighters at a crossroads. Following a major injury, Jawad questions his future in the sport. Belka, on the other hand, follows in his father’s footsteps. He sees his passion as an opportunity to escape an uncertain future and realize his dream of becoming a French champion.
"Beautifully shot and featuring intimate access with a small cadre of characters, A French Youth offers an effective microcosm for battles playing out in arenas of all kinds worldwide" - POV Magazine
Dreams Travel With the Wind
José Agustín (96) is a Wayúu Indian who was taken away from his mother, his culture and his land when he was a child to be educated by Catholic priests. From a near-death experience, the fear of dying leads him on a physical and spiritual journey to reconcile with his past hand in hand with his grandson. “Los Sueños viajan con el Viento” transits between two worlds, between the dream and the real, establishing a dialogue to experience the Wayuu culture's visions of death. Grandfather and grandson embark on a sensory journey to break the limbo between life and death, to create a sense of memory and identity.
"a record of collective remembrance and a powerful testament to resilience in the face of cultural erasure" - Sheffield Doc Fest
*not available South America
Guián
After grandma Guián passes away, Nicole decides to go to China for the first time to look for the house Guián left when she emigrated to Costa Rica. This is a journey to answer the questions she
was never able to ask Guián because she never learned Chinese, and her grandma never learned Spanish.
"a sublime cinematic diary" - Visions du Reel