Nicaragua Part 2: The Making of a Nation(1985)

Dreaming Nicaragua(en)

DREAMING NICARAGUA is a film about HOPE. It's about love for the dignity and courage of the human spirit that, even immersed in uttermost tragic conditions, fights for a better life, and in this case, with a friendly SMILE. DREAMING is a sensitive and lyrical portrayal of four children living in extreme poverty in Nicaragua. The film takes us beyond their hardships and gives voice to the youngsters, who are surprisingly funny, hopeful, and optimistic. A traveling art teacher provides a safe arena for our four unlikely protagonists to express their innermost thoughts. When painting, the kids momentarily escape the stresses of their reality into a world of dreams and ideas, a stark contrast to their lives outside: a vicious cycle of hunger, child labor, and violence. Despite the extreme circumstances, the children and their families face their lives with an inspiring unity, strength and humor.

Balaton retró(hu)

Scenes from holiday life at Lake Balaton in Hungary during the communism.

Karama Has No Walls(en)

'Karama has no walls' is set amidst Yemen's 2011 uprising. The film illustrates the nature of the Yemeni revolution in stark contrast to the gross violations of human rights that took place on Friday, March 18th 2011. Juma'at El-Karama (Friday of Dignity) marks a turning point in the Yemeni revolution as the tragic events that took place on this day -when pro-government snipers shot dead 53 protestors - shook the nation and propelled hundreds of thousands more to flock to the square in solidarity with their fellow citizens. Through the lenses of two cameramen and the accounts of two fathers, the film retells the story of the people behind the statistics and news reports, encapsulating the tragic events of the day as they unfolded.

Fahrenheit 9/11(en)

Michael Moore's view on how the Bush administration allegedly used the tragic events on 9/11 to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Euromaidan. Rough Cut(uk)

Three months of revolution. From indignant protest to national unity. From pots on their heads to batons and body armor. From the euphoria of victory to the mourning of the fallen Heavenly Hundred. Revolution as an explosion of revived dignity, as the euphoria of freedom, as the pain of awareness at the cost, as the birth of the modern history of Ukraine. This year we have decided not to have an opening film, because all our attention is focused on the changes taking place in our country today. We have asked the directors who filmed the Ukrainian protests to share their best shots with us. The episodes of these upcoming films about the Euromaidan were formed in a kaleidoscope of revolution, which needs no comment. We offer you a chronicle of the Ukrainian protest. Experience the three months of fighting with us, feel and see the revolution through our eyes.

Revolutions on Granite(uk)

Revolutions on Granite is a documentary about Maidan Nezahlezhonsti, a public square in the heart of Kyiv, Ukraine — famously home to a number of political revolutions, but also the birthplace of a cultural revolution after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The film takes a look at the burgeoning skateboard scene at Maidan in the early 1990’s, and investigates the idea of a counterculture being created in a place of strict uniformity.

Havana, From On High(es)

The chronic shortage of housing in Central Havana has pushed the city upwards, where life spills out onto the rooftops. Resilient and remarkable, these rooftop dwellers have a privileged point of view on a society in the process of major transformation.

Reverberations(ar)

Thirty years after the end of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1991), a filmmaker seeks to explore the trauma inflicted by the war on her family. Reverberations traces the history and politics of a nation in disarray in an intimate mother-daughter portrait that unravels the trauma that defined an era lost to history and a generation’s silence about its long-standing effects.

Conversations with Turiansky(es)

Biographical portrait of the labor movement and left wing movement in Uruguay, "Conversations with Turiansky" combines two stories. The first portrays the son of immigrants, the engineer passionate about the mystery of electricity, the man in love, the movie buff. The other places the protagonist in his time: union struggles, the advance of authoritarianism, prison and the challenges of the present. In both are present the lucidity, commitment, discreet tenderness and humor of Wladimir Turiansky.

A Heart Is Always Red(sv)

Born from the ashes of the iconic punk band Ebba Grön, this documentary tells the story of Imperiet and their journey to become the leading star of the post-punk generation and one of Sweden's biggest rock bands. It's also the story of Sweden, at a time in which they took their firm position on the world stage and when political commitment from the artists was a necessity.

Nobody(es)

Half blind and half deaf, ostraziced Cuban writer Rafael Alcides tries to finish his unpublished novels to discover that after several decades, the home made ink from the typewriter he used to write them has faded. The Cuban revolution as a love story and eventual deception is seen through the eyes of a man who is living an inner exile.

Unity SPD – KPD(de)

Documentary about the merging of the Communist Party of Germany and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany in the Soviet occupation zone, a merger that would lead to the creation of the Socialist Unity Party that would rule the soon-to-be-created East Germany until 1989.

Steal This Film II(en)

These are strange times indeed. While they continue to command so much attention in the mainstream media, the 'battles' between old and new modes of distribution, between the pirate and the institution of copyright, seem to many of us already lost and won. We know who the victors are. Why then say any more?

First Case, Second Case(fa)

First Case, Second Case is a documentary about a teacher who sends a group of pupils out of the classroom when one of them does not own up to talking behind the master's back.

In the Intense Now(pt)

A personal essay which analyses and compares images of the political upheavals of the 1960s. From the military coup in Brazil to China's Cultural Revolution, from the student uprisings in Paris to the end of the Prague Spring.

Einmal mehr als nur reden(de)

The Spectre of Marxism(en)

The impact of Marx on the 20th century has been all-pervasive and world-wide. This program looks at the man, at the roots of his philosophy, at the causes and explanations of his philosophical development, and at its most direct outcome: the failed Soviet Union.

Here and Elsewhere(fr)

Here and Elsewhere takes its name from the contrasting footage it shows of the fedayeen and of a French family watching television at home. Originally shot by the Dziga Vertov Group as a film on Palestinian freedom fighters, Godard later reworked the material alongside Anne-Marie Miéville.

The Open Secret(en)

A documentary that explores questions of secrecy and power in relation to the East German Secret Police (the 'Stasi') within East German society. The film is based upon key findings from an extensive research project, 'Knowing the Secret Police', and reflects upon how different kinds of knowledge were circulated through social, religious, political and literary networks within the former GDR. The filmmakers present this research with footage filmed at key locations throughout East Berlin and the wider surrounding landscape, including the Stasi archives and former HQ, Karl-Marx-Allee, Volkspark Friedrichshain, rural 'dacha' cabins, the urban neighbourhood of Prenzlauerberg and the social housing estates of Marzahn.

A Tale of Two Revolutions(en)

Reflecting on his Father's experiences during the 1977 Egyptian Bread Riots - Documentarian, Nadim Fetaih discovers his own story in the Egyptian 2011 Revolution and the endless unrest that grips the cradle of civilization.