International films : curated by Amudhan R.P.
1) Cuban Canvas
Dir: Kavery Kaul; 14 min; Spanish with English subtitles; Cuba, United States; Documentary
An intriguing intergenerational story of artists in Havana whose works hang in museums and galleries worldwide. They experiment with form, content, and bold vision. The documentary traces the enduring lines between art and life.
2) Deep Roots
Dir: Luc Godonou Dossou; 15 min; Swtizerland, Thailand, Phillipines, Guadeloupe; Documentary
Inside the cockfighting pits in Thailand, in Philippines and the ones in Guadeloupe, Aod, Edgar and Dolores are preparing their roosters for an upcoming fight in front of a public of bettors and aficionados.
3) Actually She is My Little Brother
Dir: Lena Lobers & Carina Nickel; 39 min; German with Eng subtitles; Germany; Documentary
"Actually she is my little brother" tells the journey of the young film student Lena. Because of her transsexual sister she meets three young people who are already on their way into the right body. The question of how Lena is able to support her eleven-year-old sister is omnipresent.
4) February 27th
Dir: Marie-Therese Jakoubek; 43 min; Hassaniya with Eng subtitles; Algeria, Democratic Arab Republic of Sahara; Documentary
For 42 years, around 2,10,000 Saharawi have been living in camps in the Algerian desert due to the occupation of the Western Sahara by Morocco. The film tells about their life in a temporary existence that evolved into a home against their will and to this day symbolizes their resistance and resilience.
5) Invisible
Dir: Shirin Barghnavard; 27 min; English, Farsi; Iran, Germany; Documentary
The Berlin Wall is a metaphor for the concept of separation in this film. While seeing the remnants of the Berlin Wall today, surrounded by excited tourists, taking photographs, we hear the voices of several artists from different backgrounds who talk about their bitter personal experiences imposed on them due to their nationalities.
6) The Little Death
Dir: Annie Gisler; 61 min; French, German, English; Switzerland; Documentary
«The little death» is a documentary about female orgasm. Women from various ages, experiences and sexual preferences talk about their orgasms in all sincerity. Poetical, abstract and metaphorical images take us into the heart of their sensations.
7) Never Give Up
Dir: Jonathan Schornig; 16 min; German, English; Malta; Documentary
Mekon had been making music as long as he could think. But in 2014, he has to flee Nigeria after his parents were murdered. He starts to work in Libya. But instead of making music, Mekon has to fight for his survival. In summer 2018, he decides to flee to Europe. He is saved from a rubber boat by a German NGO. Living in Malta now, he is singing again.
8) Olowe and I
Dir: Christina Ruloff; 14 min; Swiss German, Yoruba / English, German; Switzerland; Documentary
His first “Olowe" was a fake, but by then art dealer Jean David had already fallen in love with Yoruba artist Olowe of Ise (1875 - 1938). But how can one distinguish between „real“ and „fake“ art in African art? David takes us onto a journey into an unknown universe full of beautiful contradictions.
9) People of the Wasteland
Dir: Heba Khaled; 21 min; Arabic with English subtitles; Turkey; Documentary
People of the Wasteland is an experimental short-film in a first-person point of view depicting the clashes of Syrian fighters in the front line.
10) Starting with Fragments
Dir: Omar Shalash, Robert Dobe; 80 min; Arabic, German with English subtitles; Germany, Syria; Documentary
When Tamer Alawam was killed by a grenade in 2012, he left over 300 hours of film footage of the Syrian Revolution – images, which were meant to show Syria from inside. Overwhelmed by the flood of these images and driven by feelings of grief, responsibility and powerlessness, two young filmmakers and friends of Tamer in far away Germany start their own search for answers.
11) Stekenjokk and the Guardians of the Eggs
Dir: Per Bifrost, Alexander Rynéus; 29 min; Swedish with English subtitles; Sweden; Documentary
Every year during June, police officer Mimmi and nature guard Håkan patrol Sweden's windiest place, the valley of Stekenjokk. Eggs thieves’ ravages the area where rare bird eggs are laid during the breeding season. Thousands of eggs have been stolen over the years and sold between collectors and threatened several species to be extinct, a crime that has now been unfolded.
12) The Man who Looked Beyond the Horizon
Dir: Martijn Blekendaal; 28 min; Dutch with English subtitles; The Netherlands; Documentary
More than 40 years ago, Bas Jan Ader decided to go on an adventure. In a tiny sailing boat, the Dutchman set sail across the ocean. Nine months later the boat was found adrift at sea. There was no sign of Ader.
13) The Olden Heralds
Dir: Luis Alejandro Yero; 23 min; Spanish with English subtitles; Cuba; Documentary
Tatá and Esperanza witness the elections of the first Cuban president in more than half a century without the Castro surname. At almost 90 years old, they silently observe the end of one of their many lived cycles.
14) The Last of His Kind
Dir: Jánik von Wilmsdorff; 11 min; German with English subtitles; Germany; Documentary
This is the story of Paul, a broken man. A man who has lost everything. A man whose home is now like a ghost town, attracting rubberneckers every day, from all over the world.
15) The Quiet Rebel
Dir: Carole Cassier; 48 min; English, French and Spanish with with English subtitles; France; Documentary
The Quiet Rebel tells the controversial story of radical feminist artist Casey Jenkins: her rise to internet fame, and shame after a performance where she knitted with wool that she inserted in her vagina.
16) World Taxi
Dir: Philipp Majer; 82 min; English, German, Spanish, French, Wolof, Albanian, Thai with English subtitles; Germany; Documentary
This film features five charismatic taxi drivers and their passengers from five different cities: Bangkok, Pristina, Dakar, El Paso and Berlin. For 24 hours, we follow them through their city, their daily routine, their private life and are listening to their thoughts.
17) BREAKING BARRIERS : The Casteless Collective
Dir: Maja Meiners; 69 min;English/Tamil with English subtitles; Germany / India; Documentary
`The Casteless Collective´ is a protest music band from Chennai, South India. Founded in December 2018, the 15-piece band is now playing an exciting mix of the Folk Music form of `Gaana´, an art coming from North Chennai‘s slum areas, and the modern musical styles of Rap and Rock.
The film shows the young band’s powerful attempts of breaking cultural stigmas, and joins part of their journey towards an Indian future in which a free casteless mentality grows into a possibility.
18) Big Social Nomad
Dir:Anna Bohlmark; 25 min; English; 2019; Sweden / India ; Documentary
The film shows the young band’s powerful attempts of breaking cultural stigmas, and joins part of their journey towards an Indian future in which a free casteless mentality grows into a possibility.
18) Big Social Nomad
Dir:Anna Bohlmark; 25 min; English; 2019; Sweden / India ; Documentary
Big Social Nomad tells us the story of the Asian Elephant. In the sub-continent where human population has grown exponentially and development is exploding, India is home to half of the world's Asian Elephant population. Co-existing is not an easy task.
Due to the British colonisation vast tracks of land were converted into tea plantations. Today in these regions human-elephant conflict is severe. Due to encroachment on forest lands, elephants are being forced to survive in shrinking habitats.
Due to their size and their life patterns as Big Social Nomads, they eat and then move to let the forest regenerate. When passing from one forest to another they follow certain paths which they have used for many millenia. These narrows strips, called corridors, are vital for elephants to pass from one forest to another. Same corridors are now occupied by people living on them.
19) Diary of an Outsider
Dir: Sandeep Ravindranath; 14 min; Hindi, English; USA and India; Short fiction
Contemplating issues of alienation and crisis of identity faced by immigrants in a milieu that is foreign to them, Diary of an Outsider is the story of an Indian immigrant student in the U.S., set against the backdrop of contemporary political narratives in those two countries.
19) Diary of an Outsider
Dir: Sandeep Ravindranath; 14 min; Hindi, English; USA and India; Short fiction
Contemplating issues of alienation and crisis of identity faced by immigrants in a milieu that is foreign to them, Diary of an Outsider is the story of an Indian immigrant student in the U.S., set against the backdrop of contemporary political narratives in those two countries.
