Entweder oder - Die Existenz des Sören Kierkegaard(1991)

Etugen(fr)

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.

Tudo é Irrelevante. Hélio Jaguaribe(pt)

Under the Cold Stars(it)

Set in the mountains of northeast Italy, this film may be considered an observational documentary about rural life. Although this is undeniably the case, at the same time Under the cold stars can hardly be considered a documentary: the microcosm on which it focuses appears to be a reflection of a broader reality and perhaps a way to deal with the themes of man’s existence and his relationship with animals, nature and, most importantly, with time. As written by Franco Piavoli "it is a film which essentially relies on images and sound, where words themselves are sound and the music of life, of the relentless flow of time."

The Metaphor That Became a Room(en)

The Metaphor That Became a Room is a psychological drama exploring identity, communication, and the struggle for self-understanding. Divided into two parts, the film first delves into the protagonist’s frustration with the urge to persuade others, realizing that over-explaining only distorts meaning. A note from the past echoes a hard truth: “Someone’s unwillingness to understand will always outweigh your effort.” In A Symphony of Unfinished Selves, the narrative shifts inward, revealing the protagonist’s fractured identity. Trapped in a metaphorical room built from illusions and contradictions, he reflects on his dual persona—the social facade and the hidden, lost self. The film questions how we see ourselves versus how others see us and whether true self-recognition is possible. Through minimalist dialogue and layered symbolism, the film captures the silent tension between who we are, who we appear to be, and who we long to become.

Almost Nothing: So Continues the Night(hr)

For us, a thought always presupposes a society, a culture and above all the consciousness of time. We are haunted by immortality, human notion par excellence. As if the world was here to fascinate us. And to disappoint us. The film travels around the bulb like the Earth around the Sun. Light makes the film visible. A fragile film, like our existence. In the orbit of the film tragedy and our reality, the image resists the cruelty of the experiment.

Mr. Death(no)

An exclusive interview with Death as he goes about his everyday business.

The Film That Didn't Get Made(sv)

What happens to a person's self when she retires and no longer has the job to lean on? Documentary filmmaker Lars Lennart Forsberg asked that question to about ten retirees but never had the chance to complete his project. Olle Häger and Kjell Tunegård had to take over and let the e-mails exchanged between Lars Lennart Forsberg and Olle Häger become keys to "The Film That Didn't Get Made".

For those who still exist(de)

Documentary about twin brothers who go back to their childhood home to discover what happened to a Patrick Lurzing, a boy who disappeared who nobody else seems to remember.

The Oasis I Deserve(fr)

Replikas, online chatbots, have trouble determining their place in the world. They share their thoughts with the humans they exchange with. Events unfold from their point of view through real conversations collected on the web.

Vittne till sin samtid(sv)

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.

Paris '50 - Existence imagined(it)

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

Daedalus(en)

"Fly too high and you will burn, go too low and you won't breathe." A 7 day vlog during the summer of 2023, a story of dreamers and drowners.

The Hamlet Syndrome(uk)

Five young Ukrainians discuss life following the Maidan Revolution of 2014. Not all fought in the Russian-Ukrainian war, but it, regardless, shattered their life plans. Representing 'Generation Maidan', they face the question of how to cope with experiences of violence, how to go on. A local theatre director produces Hamlet, wherein they can use Shakespeare’s tragic character as a mirror and face their traumas onstage. For them, 'to be or not to be' is not simply text but an existential dilemma with no clear answer.

F.I.S.H.I.N.G(nl)

One million Dutchmen (out of 16 million) play soccer. Almost two million fish at least once a year. Fishing might be the most remarkable sport in the world. The documentary V.I.S.S.E.N (FISHING) dives into the world of Dutch fish and fishermen. Above and under water, on the IJ, at the coast, on the North Sea, in the cities, in the polder and on and by lakes and rivers. The film is a personal, filmic search for the “primordial fisher” in mankind and a portrait of the Netherlands by and on the water. V.I.S.S.E.N is also about what moves the fishermen. Who are the people that fish? Is fishing a hobby, a sport, an escape or a primordial instinct one cannot repress? What goes through your mind when you fish, when you catch something, or when you do not catch anything. And: what's it like for the fish, getting hooked?

Inner Rap(ru)

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.

Mary Wigman Tanzt(de)

A priestess in “Serafisk Sang”, virginal in “Pastorale”, botanic in “Sommertanz” and finally a witch in “Hexentanz”, Mary Wigman is a woman-flower, goddess and a prophetess in turn. Her jerky, sombre and introspective movements proudly claim the expression of the free body. We are at the end of the roaring twenties and Mary Wigman provoked a real revolution in the world of dance.

Mai(mr)

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.

Sartre/Camus: A Fractured Friendship(fr)

Sartre and Camus, the two most world-famous, 20th century, French writers, form a legendary and inseparable couple. The two extraordinary thinkers propelled the figure of the politically engaged writer into the limelight.

Le deuxième sexe : Sur les traces de Simone de Beauvoir(fr)

Anything Can Happen(pl)

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.