The Dispossessed

Taylor Swift, la première puissance américaine

The trembling starts in his neck when Markus gets closer to the images that have chased him for 49 years. Now he steers his motor home south, as far away from his past as possible.

October 1st, 1957. Dusk descends on Tiananmen Square, Peking. Fireworks crackle light across the night sky, above a city alive with National Day festivities and celebrations. Two intrepid New Zealand film-makers - Rudall and Ramai Te Miha Hayward - are there, documenting the life and times of communist China. The distinction of being the first English speaking foreigners to film unfettered in communist China was significant. The invitation to visit China was facilitated through the New Zealand China Friendship Society. They filmed in Canton, Shanghai, Peking (Beijing) and Wuhan. It was a small window of opportunity for Westerners to gaze on a country that was largely a mystery to the outside world since 1949. The unfortunate irony was that two of the documentaries; “Wonders of China”, and “Inside Red China”, were considered to be communist propaganda, and were not distributed outside of New Zealand.

A filmmaker captures her wife’s journey of high-risk pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood in this short documentary. Consequently, she discovers her own fear and insecurity surrounding the adventures of parenthood — all while completing the adoption process for her non-biological son, as required by heteronormative North Carolina state law.

An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time.

Looby is the story of what happens when an artist chooses to speak out. For Australian painter Keith Looby, it cost him almost everything. Winner of prestigious art prizes and collected by major galleries at home and abroad, Keith's addiction to speaking his mind has left a string of failed business relationships, marriages and friendships. Bludgeoned into coherence by the film-makers, assessed by dealers, curators, critics and fellow artists, Looby is a chance to look at a brilliant artist who had his moment in the sun, and to ask whether he should have another.

Sake is a traditional alcoholic beverage from Japan and is otherwise known as rice wine. Women were prohibited from entering the many large and small sake breweries dotting Japan for centuries. However, times have changed and women are present on the sake scene today. In several cases, they are integral to the Japanese brewery business. The documentary depicts women who are not only enthusiasts, but also leaving their marks on the evolution of this Japanese mainstay.

This film takes us on an emotional journey from sacred ground above Byron Bay to Antarctica, Indonesia to Pakistan, and is sure to light a fire under the strongest climate change denier. THE POWER OF ACTIVISM focuses on six highly spirited female activists as they are put under the microscope to ascertain the financial impact of their environmental solutions… and the results are astonishing. From shark conservation to indigenous practices, intensive farming to plastic pollution; all their ‘causes' fall under the umbrella of "climate change", but they should also fall under the umbrella of "saving tax payers hundreds of millions of dollars!”

A documentary that brings together interviews with 20 activists who address the issue of intersectional feminism and patriarchy in Portugal.

In 2007 Livi, a photography student, moves into an empty building in downtown Haifa. Just before her loneliness urges her to leave, Shahar, Zvi, Iddo and Talia move into that very building - young artists themselves. The friendship ignites in an instant and when Zvi can't pay his rent, they decide to rent a space together, half of which will be Zvi's dwelling and half - an art gallery and bar. The joint work thrives and their voice is heard across the distance, but cracks begin to show, the gallery closes and they disperse. For 12 years, Livi follows their journey to fulfill their dreams as they face the reality of livelihood difficulties, manic depression and alcoholism, unfolding both intimately and lovingly, revealing the story of five friends and their maturing process.

Exploration of the ordinary lives led by women of different classes—a college professor, an unmarried woman, and a seasoned drama artist. They unveil the societal intricacies woven into their social backgrounds, with typical evening talks besides them. Gripping tales of yore immersed in the metaphorical embrace of their surroundings, their familial shelters are emblematic of resilience and protection, where profound truths lie hidden within the depths of the commonplace.

Haida Gwaii, an archipelago off the west coast of Canada, is home to Skil Jaadee and her family. They live in harmony with nature and have made it their mission to save their language and preserve their history.

Shot in various villages throughout Yugoslavia, this is a disturbing document of a time when people were stabbing each other with knives without any real reason. Murderers, people who witness these murders and the families of victims all talk about the senseless violence and the human condition.

This film is the result of a two-year oral history project which collected the stories of people living and working in Douglas, gathering reflections on the story of the past and witnessing the changes in a small village that became a suburb of Cork, Ireland.

Hermanovce, Slovak Republic. A Romani village located deep down in the valley, with old shacks and newer concrete ones. Four Romani women tell us about their day-to-day life through ancient habits, along with words that travel near borders with different worlds...

At Milan’s Niguarda public hospital, the unconventional Dr. Bini leads a bold mission overseeing aspiring parents undergoing in vitro fertilization and the journeys of individuals reconciling their bodies with their gender identities. He navigates the constraints set by a conservative government and an aggressive market eager to commodify bodies.

A lonely man falls in love with his ChatGPT companion, challenging the boundaries of love and what it means to be human.

Filmmaker Ben Zand investigates the dark world of incels. After a year-long investigation, Zand gains unprecedented access to the men behind the keyboards. Research finds the community is rapidly growing, and one of the most extreme incel forums has 18,000 members with around 2,500 from the UK. The documentary also meets a British incel who has never had a proper conversation with a woman in real life. The investigation uncovers shocking extremism, which includes sharing extremely violent and bloody content.

Áurea

Children parade through the streets of Hinton St George in Somerset on the last Thursday of October. Children have hollowed out pumpkins or mangelwurzels, a type of animal fodder turnip to make lanterns following a tradition in this part of West Somerset that coincides with Halloween. Punky or Punkie Night is thought to date from the turn of the 20th century or perhaps medieval times chanting rhymes and following a Punkie King and Queen.