CodeSwitching(2019)

Believing is Seeing(en)

A mysterious outbreak of tic disorders among young people leads Dr Robert Bartholomew to question whether social media is making us sick. Doctors have recently identified a concerning trend among young people: tic disorders potentially spread via TikTok videos. For sociologist Dr Robert Bartholomew, an expert in mass psychogenic illness, the trend isn’t surprising, but the potential consequences are alarming. Could the global scope of social media mean we are on the precipice of the world’s largest outbreak of psychogenic illness?

The Face of a City(fa)

The stories of four Iranian families who emigrate to Canada and the city they leave behind. As departure time approaches, social spaces become places of memory, fading into the distance.

Comitiva Esperança(pt)

Cartas(es)

Kim Kardashian Theory(fr)

The Codes of Gender(en)

Arguing that advertising not only sells things, but also ideas about the world, media scholar Sut Jhally offers a blistering analysis of commercial culture's inability to let go of reactionary gender representations. Jhally's starting point is the breakthrough work of the late sociologist Erving Goffman, whose 1959 book The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life prefigured the growing field of performance studies. Jhally applies Goffman's analysis of the body in print advertising to hundreds of print ads today, uncovering an astonishing pattern of regressive and destructive gender codes. By looking beyond advertising as a medium that simply sells products, and beyond analyses of gender that tend to focus on either biology or objectification, The Codes of Gender offers important insights into the social construction of masculinity and femininity, the relationship between gender and power, and the everyday performance of cultural norms.

La Vie sans Brahim(fr)

The Journey of the African-American Athlete(en)

Documentary feature exploring the rise of African-Americans to positions of greatness in American sports. Stories are told of boxers, tennis players, runners, and basketball players, athletes who either suffered the indignities of racism, helped break down its walls, or enjoyed the opportunities afforded by past struggles.

Who's Afraid of Kathy Acker?(en)

Documentary tracing the extreme life of outlaw writer, performance artist and punk icon, Kathy Acker. Through animation, archival footage, interviews and dramatic reenactments, director Barbara Caspar explores Acker's colorful history, from her well-heeled upbringing to her role as the scribe of society's fringe.

Aka Dan(en)

YouTube musician and Korean American adoptee Dan Matthews travels to South Korea to perform and reunite with his biological family, including a long lost twin he never knew he had.

Don't You Worry, It Will Probably Pass(sv)

Du Ska Nog Se Att Det Går Över (Don't You Worry, It Will Probably Pass) is a documentary by Cecilia Neant-Falk. When she was 14 years old, in 1986, she posted an add in a youth magazine, explaining that she was bisexual and wished to get in contact with other people in the same situation. In 1999, she posted the same add in the magazine and decided to make a movie about the three people who responded.

The New York Hardcore Chronicles Film 1.5(en)

Director Drew Stone’s New York Hardcore series returns with The New York Chronicles Film 1.5. Featuring never before seen footage and brand new interviews with Sammy Siegler (Youth Of Today / Judge), Jay Peta (Mindforce), Bob Riley Stigmata / Murderers Row) and more. The journey continues throught the community and culture of the iconic New York Hardcore scene that is still vibrant, relevant and going strong to this day. “NYHC Forever And Always!”

Son(nl)

Actually, Tomas knows his parents. Born in Brazil in 1993 and adopted from there, he now lives with them in the Netherlands. Now he is faced with the question of whether he should look for his biological mother, or if there are reasons not to do so.

#followme(nl)

Reporter Nicolaas Veul decides to set up his first Instagram account and accumulate as many followers as possible. Over time, he becomes more interested in the social network's inner workings and uncovers a well-oiled machine based on fraud. While users enthusiastically give likes to selfies, a brisk business with user accounts is underway behind the scenes. There are huge numbers of fake profiles, and internet bots are producing new followers for those who want to feel more successful. Can anything on Instagram be believed?

Thrash, Altenessen(de)

Documentary focusing on the thrash metal band Kreator but also exploring the economic and social situation of Essen at the time.

Hotel Coolgardie(en)

Hotel Coolgardie is a portrait of outback Australia, as experienced by two backpackers who find themselves the latest batch of “fresh meat” to work as barmaids in a remote mining town.

Khaïma(ar)

The Laundry Room(fr)

The key to the communal laundry room in the block of flats on the Rue de Genève 85 in Lausanne serves a much greater function than merely unlocking the door. This encounter between a symbol of typical Swiss mentality with a penchant for order and the tenants who have been housed here by the city’s social services department is not something to be taken for granted. Although the laundry room is normally located in the cellar, the tenants in this building share a tiny laundry room off the entrance hall because the cellar is reserved for prostitution. To maintain order and cleanliness, the landlord hires Claudina, a new “laundry woman”.

Le compagnon déloyal(fr)

Openland(en)

Openland is an art film guided by issues surrounding micro states and its derivative definitions. Through intertwining interviews, meta-narratives, and digital landscapes, Openland unfurls a dialogue between consciousness, individuality and collectivity.