Finnên(2013)

My Love Awaits Me By the Sea(ar)

Hasan Hourani, a Palestinian poet and illustrator, died aged 29 in Jaffa while trying to rescue his nephew from the sea. Shortly after, the filmmaker Mais Darwazah discovers his drawings and poems and feels drawn to Hourani's world— a universe outside space and time; a place of wonder, discovery, and freedom. Motivated by this kinship, Darwazah embarks on a journey to her homeland, Palestine: a place she has never known.

Wild is the Spring(en)

Through a series of vignettes from the ancient and war-torn Levant, WILD IS THE SPRING captures moments in the lives of diverse ethnic communities who struggle to survive when life descends into chaos.

Tharawat Khaleda(ar)

A feature-length documentary that explores the history of endowments (Awqaf) in Saudi Arabia and their development over the years. It highlights the deep spiritual and social value of Awqaf and their lasting impact.

Ovacik(tr)

Unknown to the rest of the world, Ovacik is a place where production meets solidarity and hope with almost no budget. Its mayor is the first mayor ever elected from the Turkish Communist Party. The film follows the mayor and the residents who work to develop a sustainable economy by promoting community-based agriculture. The story of Ovacik sets an example for agricultural towns around Turkey.

The Voice(ar)

SOWT is the voice of an oblivion culture that about to go lost.The documentary introduces us to a poet until recently has been listent to, in a forgotten culture in the south; with Sleymen Rihani... With his improvisation had developed against the instant case, with the humor he had sprinkled to the improvisation, with his instrument that became the partner of his voice, and most importantly Antioch Arab poet Sleymen Rihani who had sung classic Arabic songs with his strong throat, is the monument of the verbal culture. SOWT(Voice), that is prepared by the director Gökhan Evecen who blends the oral history studies with the documentary, is his second study after "Finnen" documentary which tells about Antioch Arabic poets.

A Thousand and One Nights(cs)

Five different exploits of Sinbad the sailor where he gets mixed up with the pretty daughters of exotic potentates, with powerful monsters that threaten his existence, and with all sorts of teeming jungle life.

Harim Karim(ar)

Kareem, a divorced young man, seeks the help of his girl friends from college to get back to his wife, Gigi. However, most of them like him, which makes the situation even more complicated as he tries to win Gigi back.

Perhaps Today...(ar)

Oum Karim, a 60-year-old Beiruti lady, is used to preparing Lahm Bi Ajin (Lebanese ham pie) once per week.

Passerby(en)

An immigrant love story set on a street corner.

The Sailor(ar)

An Egyptian living and working in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, reflects on his new surroundings through a series of images and observations. The resulting montage is a poignant cinematic postcard that explores the contradictory nature of the immigrant experience: at once lonely, frightening, and exhilarating.

Künt-ü Kenz(tr)

Blink(en)

The Pelletier family sets out on an epic journey to see the beauty of the world when three of their four children are diagnosed with an incurable eye condition.

Pink Ribbon(ja)

Documentary filmmaker Kenjiro Fujii takes a look at the history of a distinctly Japanese brand of softcore pornography in this extensive examination of the "pinku eiga" genre (ピンク映画 Pinku eiga or Pinkeiga). For more than 40 years, so-called "pink" films have served as both a key source of revenue for the Japanese film industry as well as a launching pad for the careers of such mainstream filmmakers as Kiyoshi Kurosawa. After providing a detailed history of the still-profitable and popular genre through interviews with a variety of behind-the-scenes players and clips from such classic pink films as Fish Bait Boobies, director Fujii shifts his focus to the production of an upcoming pink film to offer a glimpse into the creative and stylistic evolution of the genre.

Alvar Aalto: Technology and Nature(fi)

The Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) is one of the great figures of modern architecture, ranked alongside Gropius, Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe. This film analyses Aalto’s uniquely successful resolution of the demands and possibilities created by new technology and construction materials with the need to make his buildings sympathetic both to their users and to their natural surroundings. His inventive use of timber in particular represents both a reference to the forest landscape of Finland and a building material that is ‘warm’ and extremely adaptable. Filmed in Finland, Italy, Germany and the USA, this documentary shows how the Finnish natural environment and art traditions were essential elements in Aalto’s pioneering harmonization of technology and nature.

I'm Too Sad to Tell You(en)

This short film is part of a mixed media artwork of the same name, which also included postcards of Ader crying, sent to friends of his, with the title of the work as a caption. The film was initially ten minutes long, and included Ader rubbing his eyes to produce the tears, but was cut down to three and a half minutes. This shorter version captures Ader at his most anguished. His face is framed closely. There is no introduction or conclusion, no reason given and no relief from the anguish that is presented.

Skiing Everest(en)

A small, elite fraternity of high-altitude skiers climb the highest peaks in the world in pure Alpine style, carrying their skis and declining to use supplemental oxygen. At the top of the world, high in the Death Zone, they lock into their skis and challenge the most dangerous slopes in the world—under weather conditions that are as perilous as the thin air, hidden crevasses and 10,000 ft. sheer faces that drop into Nepal and Tibet far below.

Hollywood Ghost Stories(en)

An investigation into the reports of houses in Hollywood that are supposedly haunted by the ghosts of dead movie stars.

Iluminados(pt)

Documentary about the great Brazilian photographers who helped develop Brazilian cinema and their opinions on their work, making movies in Brazil and in general, and other subjects. As a bonus, they all agreed to shoot the same scene following their individual concepts, and the result is shown for comparison.

Requiem for the Big East(en)

The meteoric ascension of the Big East conference, and how in less than a decade, it became the most successful college basketball league in America.

Char·ac·ter(en)

A raw and candid dialogue about the life and craft of acting between longtime colleagues and friends Dabney Coleman, Peter Falk, Charles Grodin, Mark Rydell, Harry Dean Stanton and Sydney Pollack. Drago Sumonja's document takes us into the hearts, minds, and living rooms of some of America's greatest storytellers.