Excuse Me America

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MORENA tells the uplifting story of the Philippine National Surf Athlete Ikit Agudo, who overcame the pressure to blend into a society obsessed with skin whitening. Within the ocean, she found happiness, strength, and pride in her roots. Inspiring young girls around the world to embrace who they truly are. In the Philippines, skin-whitening remains a billion-peso industry, a legacy of colonial beauty ideals that for generations have led many to neglect their true identity and natural beauty.

Found footage: California in the 1950's and 60's. A young Indian couple enjoys their personal American dream come true in their home somewhere in the suburbs of San Francisco. In great detail they pose with their newly achieved wealth in front of their Super-8 camera. Just like postcards, they would send these film rolls to their joint families back in India. Around the same time, an American missionary couple visits the city of Calcutta to shoot a Christian propaganda film. The drastic reality with poverty and famine in the streets of the Indian metropolis fits perfectly into their wicked plan: To promote the faith in Jesus by showing the misery that pagan believers are doomed to suffer from.

Life on the breadline in the 1930s was hard enough, but times were desperate when you fell beneath it. Hunger marches organised by the National Unemployed Workers' Movement drew attention to the cause, but this left-wing collective picked up a cine-camera. The fictional story at the heart of the film is somewhat melodramatic, but the authentic surroundings give its message realism and weight.

A short film that follows Tiana, a young woman navigating the fragile space between self-discovery and belonging in contemporary Brazil. After distancing herself from a turbulent past, she tries to rebuild her identity while confronting expectations imposed by family, society, and her own desire for freedom. As new relationships open doors to intimacy and vulnerability, Tiana must decide whether to embrace the version of herself she has long hidden or continue living in the shadows. The film explores gender, transformation, and queer resilience through a tender, character-driven lens.

A Brazilian performance artist Vanesa Cardoso living in Newfoundland, Canada explores the figures of her Pochinko clown, discovering a desire to expose the comedy of our deepest vulnerabilities - the very ones that make us human. A creative journey through Richard Pochinko's seven masks and six directions, Vanessa reveals her clown while musing on the personal drive and struggles that inspire her art.

Father Michael McGivney is a documentary that brings to life the story of one of America's most extraordinary Catholic priests. Born in Connecticut of Irish immigrant parents just a few years before the Civil War, Michael McGivney grew up at a time when millions of Catholic immigrants were struggling to overcome poverty and prejudice. As a parish priest in the gritty New England manufacturing town of New Haven, he made a deep impact on his community, earning the respect of the Protestant establishment and the love of his parishioners at St. Mary's Church. Emboldened to care for families threatened by the death of the breadwinner, Fr. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus, a mutual benefit society that today remains the world's largest Catholic lay organization with 1.8 million members in 13 nations. This film offers a rare glimpse into the life of an extraordinary priest and visionary leader. (Released 2014)

Por Trás do Congá

Servant of God Fr. Emil Kapaun may not be well-known. But he should be. The son of Czech immigrants, Fr. Kapaun grew up on a small Kansas farm. But this seemingly ordinary farm boy became one of the most inspiring heroes of the Korean War-and unlike many war heroes, this military chaplain is also on the road to sainthood. His cause for canonization has been opened by the Diocese of Wichita, and two medical miracles attributed to him are being investigated by the Vatican. He has also been nominated for the highest military medal, the Medal of Honor. In this powerful documentary, learn his inspiring life story, his heroic work as a chaplain during battle, and his leadership and comfort of fellow American prisoners after capture and torture by the Communists. (Released 2010)

Having survived 24 arduous years imprisoned in a camp in Russia -- without hope of freedom, either physical or religious -- Father Walter Ciszek receives his just due as a hero and inspiration in this documentary. Soon after his tale of courage and conviction was finally brought to light, this legendary priest helped reignite the Catholic movement in Russia, as evidenced by the faithful followers profiled in this moving film.

Documentary about terreiro women in Fortaleza who occupy the highest positions in the hierarchy, subverting the patriarchal tradition of religious communities.

The start of a long-term observation of the Bronnmann family from Cologne, who have seven children - what are their concerns, plans, and dreams?

Documentary short film covering two survivors of the argentinian military dictatorship.

A street performer in Recife (Brazil), decides to host a live broadcast with his followers to raise money for a new bluetooth speaker.

As Niagara Falls transformed from honeymoon capital of the world to Las Vegas North, corporate hotel chains and casinos cast a long shadow over the independent motels that once populated the town. The Continental survived the transition by converting its rooms into affordable housing units, becoming a home for those with few places to go. The night manager, Brian, once a freelance photographer who survived the horrors of war in Vietnam, shares his duties with his colleague Linda. Together they manage both the Continental and the individual struggles of its tenants, providing more than a roof over the heads of those who live under their supervision. Bringing a fresh focus to one of the most photographed places on Earth, director and cinematographer Jesse McCracken develops an intimate and caring portrait of the residents of this modest micro-community set against the backdrop of neon-lit tourist attractions.

DEBT is the story of a frantic pursuit: the search for the responsible for the televised cry of hunger of Barbara Flores, an eight-year-old Argentinean girl. Buenos Aires, Washington, the IMF, the World Bank and Davos; corruption and the international bureaucratic lack of interest.

Explores the lives of Sara, Gigi and Giovanna, three Latino transvestites who for years have lived on the streets of Manhattan supporting their drug addictions through prostitution. They made their temporary home inside broken garbage trucks that the Sanitation Department keeps next to the salt deposits used in the winter to melt the snow. The three friends share the place known as "The Salt Mines".

Successful model Samira Hashi makes an emotional return to Somalia, one of the most dangerous places in the world and the place she was born. Civil war broke out in 1991, 10 days after Samira's birth, but two years later her family managed to flee the country and she grew up in the UK.Now, as Samira and the war both turn 21, she's going back for the first time to visit the people and places she left behind. The contrast with her safe and glamorous life in London could not be starker as she experiences firsthand the war's effect on a generation of young people growing up in conflict.

The documentary tells the story of Júlio César, a young Afro-Brazilian who was executed by the Police in the 1980s in Porto Alegre. The crime became notorious when the press published photos of Julius being put alive in the police car and arriving 37 minutes later shot and dead at the hospital.

One billion people on our planet—one in six—live in shantytowns, slums or squats. Slums: Cities of Tomorrow challenges conventional thinking to propose that slums are in fact the solution, not the problem, to urban overcrowding caused by the massive migration of people to cities. (Lynne Fernie, HotDocs)