The Film That Didn't Get Made

As an unwavering natural force, Maj Wechselmann produces at least one film a year, which is guaranteed to show troublesome connections between established power structures and maladjustments for people further down the hierarchy of society; this time through the Swedish Television photographer Claes-Göran Bjernér's fascinating fate of life. Bjernér, who reported from 23 wars in 83 countries, had his lungs injured for life in the poison gas disaster in Bhopal, India in 1984. The film begins with him almost dying several times, but miraculously returning to life. In interviews and archival photos, he shares his unique first-hand experiences of war, violence and corruption. A glowing agitation to never stop demanding responsibility for the world's tragedies.

18 seniors living in retirement homes get the chance to go on a holiday to Greece. In addition to old age, many suffer from diseases such as dementia, cancer and permanent lung disease, but with the help of their companions and Dimitrios "Tackis" Sahpekidis, they get to realize their dreams. In Greece, they are allowed to eat melon on the beach, dance the zorba, drink retzina on the balcony until late at night and swim in the Mediterranean. The motto is that there are no obstacles and that life should be lived all out, until the end.

Nearing the end of his university studies, a soon-to-be graduate reflects on his life up to this point, all through the lens of a Handycam his father used to use.

Pauline Horovitz has been filming her father since 2009. In this new chapter with hints of a bittersweet documentary comedy, the hero, a former doctor “programmed” to work, takes advantage of his retirement to become an actor. Following the first steps of this liberating new life, the daughter-filmmaker watches her “creature” escape her…

An essay film about Jean-Paul Sartre and the French Existentialists, featuring Roland Barthes' last interview.

A feature length documentary shot in Iceland on mediums and the relationship between humans and invisible beings such as elves ghosts, angels, water monsters and extra-terrestrials. The film is a journey to the frontiers of life questioning the scope of our existence. Are we alone in the universe? If life exists in other dimensions, it's worth knowing more.

He is called the 'Socrates of the North'. He is also called the forefather of existentialism: Sören Kierkegaard, born in Copenhagen in 1813. At the request of his father, he studied theology. He sees himself as a poet and philosopher, but always on a mission to fight for an unadulterated Christianity. His fanatical fight against an overly saturated and bourgeois church sapped his strength to such an extent that he died at the age of 42. Kierkegaard did not only set great impulses in his time. He has not lost his topicality until today. His complicated personality, his radical demands become clear for the first time in his writings.

A story of life and death, featuring Lozinski's six-year-old son Tomaszek and elderly people spending time on the benches of a Warsaw park. Riding his scooter, Tomaszek asks the elderly very adult, though basic, questions, which they are happy to answer. The boy's ideas of future and life are confronted with those of men at the end of their lives.

Playing with FIRE captures the truths and dispels the myths of the growing culture known as FIRE: Financial Independence Retire Early.

Jørgen Leth can squeeze poetry from a stone and wit from dust, and he can find love where the milk of human kindness runs dry. In a series of tableaux of Life in Denmark, he carries absurdism to a happy extreme. To act out his minuscule non-dramas, he uses a motley crew of professional actors like Ghita Nørby and Claus Nissen, writer Dan Turéll plus a snake charmer, a bicycle racer and a circus queen.

This documentary chronicles David Beckham and his friends' unforgettable journey deep into the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Travelling by motorbike and boat, and guided by locals, he visits far-flung communities and tribes that live in this remote landscape.

What is the purpose of our existence ? What is the soul ? Which are the power of mind, of conscience ? What is our link to nature ? Pondering these existential questions, this movie invites us to find out an universal wisdom, meeting shamans, healers, yogis, but also philosophers and doctors. From Mongolia plains to the Amazonian forest, it leads us far than we expected at first.

A documentary film detailing Glen Campbell's final tour and his struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

Makulatura [which means both scrap paper and pulp fiction in Russian] is a duo of poets Evgeniy Alyokhin and Konstantin Speransky, who have been performing together since 2003. Blending classic literature references, mind-bending introspection, musings on modern love and an ironic attitude to their act, they create what faithful fans and listeners call “existential rap.” The film follows Makulatura on tour through several Russian cities.

The film covers the last stretch of the career of Javier Herrán, a firefighter stationed in Urioste (Bizkaia). As he approaches retirement, you will get an insight into the workings of a well-oiled group and, particularly, the life of one of the brigade’s most eccentric firefighters with rank of corporal, who does not want to face up to retirement. The film focusing on his journey along with Javier Galbarriartu opens a window onto the work of a profession whose members risk their lives for other citizens. This documentary that discusses life and ageing reveals the feelings of the main character who still seems young, both physically and at heart, and who loves a job that he does not want to give up.

As the months pass through her, Mai gives us a glimpse into old age that explores between being abandoned and being belonged, passing the time and living the time.

A documentary about retirement. Ton's work is his life. When he retires, he looses everything. His wife does not recognize him anymore. Tjeerd starts his retirement with a to-do-list. But his new life is too much for him. He and his wife quarrel a lot and the renovation of the new farm takes more time than expected....

During the summer of 2023, my father decided to hang up the boots and walk away from the family business of 25 years. This is my love letter to the cafe in which my family and I have worked, encapsulating the good vibes and cheery nature the business held for a quarter of a century.

A look at legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki following his retirement in 2013.

Tudo é Irrelevante. Hélio Jaguaribe