A Banishment, A Refuge

A photoshoot on the roofs and in the streets of Paris, under the astonished eyes of the inhabitants.

People from different ethnic backgrounds with "difficult" names by Western standards share their experience with moving through the world with an identity that challenges others to simply just say their name. A short social docu-film by Mariam Meliksetyan, “Say My Name” is a meditation on identity, otherness, assimilation, community, and ancestral roots.

RD Manda Lembranças

THE ARYANS is Mo Asumang's personal journey into the madness of racism during which she meets German neo-Nazis, the US leading racist, the notorious Tom Metzger and Ku Klux Klan members in the alarming twilight of the Midwest. In The ARYANS Mo questions the completely wrong interpretation of "Aryanism" - a phenomenon of the tall, blond and blue-eyed master race.

'Ink and Gold: An Artist's Journey to Olympic Glory' is a short form documentary that follows the journey of New Zealand artist and athlete, Zakea Page, winning the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games medal design competition and fulfilling a lifelong dream to perform at the opening ceremonies. The film was shot over the course of one week in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games and weaved together with self-taped footage of Zakea's younger years as an athlete and artist. Accompanied with interviews of his family, 'Ink and Gold' highlights the connection between art and sport in bringing together peoples of diverse cultures and backgrounds to bridge barriers of language and foster connections, mutual understanding, and respect for one another.

Monique and Michel Pinçon-Charlot are a couple of French sociologists, famous for their work on the uber-rich. They have been in love for more than fifty years, and they enjoy a comfortable retirement in their lovely home in the Paris suburbs. They could live a quiet life, but how do you get some rest when there is capitalism to fight against?

An encounter with the last shamans of Bolivia's Beni River Valley brings the audience on an intimate spiritual journey through the Amazon Rainforest. Navigating the viewer through lush landscapes on a ritual of transcendence and forgiveness, this experimental documentary recreates for audiences the experience of the potent and sacred Ayahuasca Vine.

A documentary film by Peter I. Chang which traces the life of the Japanese musician Hisao Shinagawa through his early years as a folk singer in Tokyo to his current occupation as a street performer in Los Angeles.

This documentary recounts the turbulent history surrounding the troubled desegregation of New Hanover County Public School System in North Carolina during the late 1960s through 1971, and the violence that led up to the false prosecution and convictions of eight black male students, a white female community organizer, and fiery civil rights activist, Rev. Benjamin Chavis, for protesting racial injustice.

An insight to Don Aronow - King of Powerboats. Don Aronow born in 1927 in Brooklyn New York, left New Jersey in 1961 to relocate in Miami. From being a huge success in the construction industry, he went on the being a legend as a powerboat designer and racer. Of the World's most recognized racing boat companies, Don Aronow established five; Donzi, Formula, Magnum, Cigarette and US Racing Team. As the US and World Powerboat Champion several times over, his friends, clients, business partners, enemies and competitors were many. Designing and manufacturing powerboats for Presidents, Princes and the privileged, Aronow gained popularity with women and indeed their husbands. As businessman, Aronow applied a no questions asked policy. If the money was there, a boat would be supplied, "I don't care who you are but I will give you the boat if you have enough cash to pay", was a term used by Aronow. Allegedly Aronow, did business on both sides of the law.

A filmmaker’s meditation on loss and grief. A digital eulogy and swan song to his creative partner and best friend. Mixed media woven into the fading daydream of their time together.

'Do you feel cheaper?' We are filming young Lithuanian men working in Sweden. They do not want to be caught on camera, they do not want to participate in creating yet another media image of guilt and pity. They film us. We empty a bottle of moonshine, we dance on their porch. They might let us film them tomorrow. Second Class is a time document about class, respect, the value of work and human being.

"My 60-year-long love affair with books and authors, their stories, and the life lessons they have gifted me. Filmed during the 2024 Oscars for Joel Havers Annual I Shot A Movie During The Oscars Worldwide Film Festival."

This documentary digs into the stories of Indigenous women and families to reclaim their Indian Status through their fight for the elimination of sex-discrimination in the Indian Act. It highlights the impacts of the law on individuals, families and communities. Since the passing of Bill S-3 and its amendments, thousands of Indigenous people are now eligible for Indian Status.

A playful yet critical exploration of a singularly Panamanian phenomenon, Reinas ushers us into the spectacular, strange and stressful world of queen ceremonies. An integral part of Panamanian folklore, our queens symbolize the festive aspect of our national spirit. But they also promote a very particular, potentially troubling idea of womanhood.

This Norwegian documentary asks the question if you really can go around without a smartphone and social medias in todays society. The movie follows 16 year old Elida as through a week without her smartphone and no access to her social medias. During the documentary we also get to hear the perspectives of some of her fellow classmates, a teacher, a professor in information- and media science at the University in Bergen, and leader of the local support group for victims of bullying.

Leah and Purity are rangers in the Kenyan bushland. They roam around Amboseli National Park every day to track down wildlife. The Maasai shepherds also have their villages here. Conflicts can hardly be avoided. The young women are often called to missions to mediate or comfort. The two Maasai women themselves have to fight against discrimination

American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai’i shows the survival of the hula as a renaissance continues to grow beyond the islands. With the cost of living in Hawai'i estimated at 27 percent higher than the continental United States, large numbers of Hawaiians have left the islands to pursue professional and educational opportunities. Today, with more Native Hawaiians living on the mainland than in the state of Hawai'i, the hula has traveled with them. From the suburbs of Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area, the largest Hawaiian communities have settled in California, and the hula continues to connect communities to their heritage on distant shores.

A girl mixes fiction with reality while writing a letter to her grandmother.

"Turntables" explores the vibrant world of vinyl records through Vishwas, a dedicated store manager in Hauz Khas, New Delhi. Amidst the bustling streets, Vishwas shares his passion for analog music, fostering a community united by the timeless allure of vinyl.