Projektionen der Sehnsucht
The Hundred Squares: "No more delays," the cry of citizens echoes from the lives of those barely holding out against discrimination and hatred. Struggling with diverse identities in their daily lives, citizens reflect on the meaning of "discrimination" through their own experiences and testimonies. They question and reflect on what is needed to eliminate it and speak out before the camera. The Blooming Equalities: discrimination law that has been on hold for 20 years. A lawyer, a researcher, a religious figure, a writer, and an activist stand in the square again after a year, and, in this time of rampant right-wing extremism and hate, they speak of an anti-discrimination law as "the right answer to ending the insurrection, the last line of defense for human dignity, a current that can no longer be held back, a square that cannot at all harm families, churches, and the nation, and a place where the voices of the less fortunate can be heard."
Ep1. The Martyr and the Left: Under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, construction workers were branded as “construction gangsters,” forced to endure a period of hardship. Ep2. Purple Ribbon: Wearing purple jackets and holding purple light sticks, the families of the victims of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster stand out on the street. Ep3. Dream, Breath: “I” keep waking up from dreams of being chased, a recurring cycle that haunts me day after day. Ep4. Breaking the Silence: Chai-han, who once said their dream was to become a human-rights activist, gradually grows distant from that dream after entering university. Ep5. Dancing Volunteer: After the December 3 martial law was declared, Park Pyeong-hwa felt compelled to return to the square. Ep6. Beyound the Impeachment: We interviewed a diverse group of people who came to the square after the December 3 uprising.
Yellow Ribbon
Film reconstruction of five real stories about the heroic deeds of the residents of Kyiv region during the Russian occupation. A story about those who heroically and selflessly saved tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives.
Ottimismo democratico
Hot Docs will commemorate Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation with the commissioning of In the Name of All Canadians, a compilation of six short documentaries inspired by Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. From Indigenous rights to multiculturalism to the controversial ‘notwithstanding clause,’ participating filmmakers have each selected a specific aspect of the Charter to explore, looking at how it resonates in the stories of their fellow Canadians.
Tragedy struck when the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated just 73 seconds into flight. Hours earlier, engineers argued to cancel the launch, amid fears of such a tragedy – so why did it go ahead?
Concorde was an icon of the skies, but on 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590 left Paris for New York and caught fire during take-off before crashing to the ground just over a minute later, killing everyone on board. The tragedy brought an end to the dream of supersonic passenger flight. But what caused the disaster? Investigators, survivors’ loved ones and those who examined the wreckage recall the tragedy and describe how the evidence led to a shockingly simple conclusion about what went wrong.
304 people drowned as the car ferry sank. Four fathers recall their memories of their children; high school students who were on their field trip. Professors, lawyers, journalists, an activist, a diver, and a politician explain why the system ultimately allowed the tragedy to occur. What is stopping the next tragedy? The world has turned upside down.
Crossroads explores the ever changing face of South Korea since the Sewol ferry disaster that tragically killed 304 people, mainly schoolchildren, in April 2014. The film takes us on a journey through Korean modern history exploring the changes the country has gone through since April 16th 2014, encompassing emotional re-enactment narrations from survivors, interviews with family members, activists, historians and the general public, as we go in search of how Korea came to yet another crossroad in its history.
The second Gulf War from 1990 to 1991 represents in the collective Arab memory a turning point in regards to the Arab nationalism’s self-perception as well as a moment of deep historical and existential insecurity. Five Arab directors discuss the events from their personal perspective.
Featuring seven stories from seven auteurs from around the world, the film chronicles this unprecedented moment in time, and is a true love letter to the power of cinema and its storytellers.
An animated documentary that speaks to immigrants' personal experiences living in Aotearoa, exploring themes of racism, discrimination, loss, loneliness, and maintaining cultural ties while living in another country.
This anthology film, whose Chinese title begins with a romantic name for human excrement, premiered internationally at Rotterdam and won Best Screenplay from the Hong Kong Film Critics Society. A variety of Hong Kong people wrestle with nostalgia when facing an uncertain future. Their stories give way to a documentary featuring a young barista turned political candidate.
An anthology of one-minute films created by 51 international filmmakers on the theme of the death of cinema. Intended as an ode to 35mm, the film was screened one time only on a purpose-built 20x12 meter public cinema screen in the Port of Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 December 2011. A special projector was constructed for the event which allowed the actual filmstrip to be burnt at the same time as the film was shown.
On the night of December 3, 2024, South Korea was thrown into chaos. What the public first heard as "an insurrection" quickly became one of the most polarising political events in modern Korean history. This documentary revisits that night and asks a deeper question: Was it really a coup attempt or the result of a calculated political trap? Through interviews, legal analysis, and evidence, the film investigates the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol and the rapid collapse of his administration. It explores claims that an overwhelming opposition majority, built through alleged election manipulation, enabled a form of "legislative dictatorship" that mirrored the path that led to President Park Geun-hye's impeachment eight years earlier.
Gottland provides an unconventional look at Czechoslovak 20th century history. Inspired by the bestselling book “Gottland” from the Polish journalist Mariusz Szczygiel, this feature-length film is comprised of short stories portraying peculiar fates. Young documentary film makers from renowned Prague Film School FAMU, inspired by the book, take a closer look at the history of post-war Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic, in order to discover new heroes and remind us of the ones that were forgotten or erased from the history.
Filmmaker Craig Brewer highlights a number of independent Memphis filmmakers, and shows the full short films Broke on a Saturday, You Better Behave, Blown, Two Hundred Dollars on E-Bay, Clean Up in Booth B, The Morning Ritual and Eso-Phagas.
In this cinematic zine, directors scattered all over the world adapt to screen hilarious and poignant Belarusian news stories. Featuring phone thieves, TikTok storks, the tiniest castle in the world, and victims of the depression epidemic.