Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life

Amazing Journeys(en)

By land, by air, and by sea, viewers can now experience the struggle that millions of creatures endure in the name of migration as wildlife photographers show just how deeply survival instincts have become ingrained into to the animals of planet Earth. From the monarch butterflies that swarm the highlands of Mexico to the birds who navigate by the stars and the millions of red crabs who make the perilous land journey across Christmas Island, this release offers a look at animal instinct in it's purest form.

Winged Migration(fr)

This documentary follows various migratory bird species on their long journeys from their summer homes to the equator and back, covering thousands of miles and navigating by the stars. These arduous treks are crucial for survival, seeking hospitable climates and food sources. Birds face numerous challenges, including crossing oceans and evading predators, illness, and injury. Although migrations are undertaken as a community, birds disperse into family units once they reach their destinations, and every continent is affected by these migrations, hosting migratory bird species at least part of the year.

Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down(cn)

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.

Aquí estamos(es)

The Wildebeest Migration: Nature's Greatest Journey(en)

Every year, on the steppes of the Serengeti, the most spectacular migration of animals on our planet: Around two million wildebeest, Burchell's zebra and Thomson's gazelles begin their tour of nearly 2,000 miles across the almost treeless savannah. For the first time, a documentary captures stunning footage in the midst of this demanding journey. The documentary starts at the beginning of the year, when more than two million animals gather in the shadow of the volcanoes on the southern edge of the Serengeti in order to birth their offspring. In just two weeks, the animal herd's population has increased by one third, and after only two days, the calves can already run as fast as the adults The young wildebeest in this phase of their life are the most vulnerable to attacks by lions, cheetahs, leopards or hyenas. The film then follows the survivors of these attacks through the next three months on their incredible journey, a trip so long that 200,000 wildebeest will not reach the end.

Guañape sur(es)

Guanape Sur. A barren rock island off the coast of Peru. No soil, no water. Nothing is growing here. Around its shores a restricted area has been established. The island serves hundreds of thousands of sea birds as a breeding ground.

The Wire(en)

The inhabitants of the canyon of river Kupa, located on the border between Croatia and Slovenia, have historically been united due to their harsh living conditions, but this peaceful cohabitation between members of different cultures is threatened by the construction of iron fences to prevent the transit of refugees from Bosnia.

La photo déchirée, chronique d'une émigration clandestine(pt)

At the beginning of the 60's, thousands of Portuguese turned up in France through the underground. They were fleeing misery, war and repression. Left to unscrupulous smugglers, they had to cross the Iberian Peninsula tracked by the Portuguese and Spanish police. For many, the voyage towards France turned into a disaster. As a child in a shantytown, the author remembers having heard about these terrible odysseys. Thirty years later, he goes in search of the stories of his childhood and seeks to understand what sparked this unprecedented emigration known as the "plebiscite by foot" against Salazar. Between childhood memories and historical investigation, he looks for the images of this exodus, the largest in post-war Europe.

Becoming family(es)

Over the course of thirteen years, the filmmaker and protagonist shares the experience of his binational family, taking us to his wife's country. "Becoming family" requires a significant cultural sacrifice, as they navigate the challenges of uprooting and integrating into a new society. The film offers a transformative glimpse into the realities of migration.

8 Poems of Emigration(tr)

"8 Poems of Emigration" is a found footage film that focuses on the migration crisis. The film, while focusing on the immigration and immigration issue caused by the wild global capitalism, consists of the images and the found footage from the recording of the work named "8 Poetry of Immigration" that John Berger read to the audience in 2007 at the Fine Arts Center in Madrid. The narrative of the movie is revealed by the conflict between image and sound order. With the out-of-context (misuse) use of commercial images and music, the film creates a critical structure that opposes capitalism.

The Cracker Effect(it)

News explodes like a bomb! Due to the genetic mutation, immigrants living in Italy undergo a noticeable change. Is this wonderful country in danger of sinking? A television reporter decides to go over this strange theory, and the news is on the agenda of the whole country. This fake documentary brings fake news, media, politics and harsh criticism about Italy.

On the Wings of Hope(tr)

On the Wings of Hope depicts the 4 years of struggle for survival of 5 immigrants, one of them is a child, after the boat they were on sank while they were trying to cross to Greece from Turkey. In 2015, 5 Iraqi refugees who were escaping from ISIS attacks, were trying to reach Kos Island of Greece from Turkey’s coastal town Bodrum, even though their boat sank they managed to survive. Turkish journalist Zehra Yılmaz witnessed the disappointments, pain and hopes of these refugees for four years. Refugees who risk death for a new beginning, refugee boats sinking in the Aegean, lost lives and dreams.

Obāchan(es)

Obāchan is Japanese. She left her native archipelago in 1941 to marry one of her compatriots, 17 years older, settled in Mexico. Through fragments of family films, manga and sequences that she has shot, Nicolasa Ruiz sculpts a complex and delicate memory landscape between the two shores of the Pacific.

Open Letters(fr)

Between 1931 to 2002, Switzerland issued some six million seasonal residence permits, known as "A" permits, to immigrant workers. This status carried drastic rules, such as a ban on family reunification and a stay in Switzerland limited to nine months a year. In open letters, former seasonal workers and their children recount the impact this system had on their lives.

Route 4(de)

Chaja & Mimi(de)

Chaja Florentin and Mimi Frons have been best friends for 83 years. Born and raised in Berlin, they had to escape from the Nazis to Palestine with their families in 1934. They talk about their complicated relationship with Berlin in a Tel Aviv café where they meet everyday. A film about friendship, homeland and identity.

Southern Border(es)

On the border, the line as principle of property and belonging reaches an extreme dimension where it physically defines the sphere of its relations. Those who transgress it reconstruct these imaginary lines on a daily basis, redefining the traditional geography and occupying the non-spaces where others live in a temporary form of existence. These others, the non-citizens, are phantasmtic, exchangeable parts of a flexible market. Made invisible, they are permanently controlled persons. Under the pretext of a greater civilian security, they are kept clear from the public spaces reserved for the citizens with rights and pushed into non-public spaces, which are run by state and military surveillance, multinational operations servicing a European market and non-governmental organisations.

(be)longing(en)

A group of inspiring African teenagers brought illegally or trafficked into the UK overcome desperate situations and build new lives for themselves in London. The girls face deportation on their 18th birthdays under current Home Office rules. This film asks them what they long for and where they feel they belong.

Europe at Sea(en)

Exclusive access to chief diplomat of the EU Federica Mogherini as Europe faces a crumbling world order.

Köy(de)

KÖY (Turkish for village) is about the longing for home, for belonging and the freedom of the self. Three women from three generations are united by their Kurdish roots.

(NULL)(xx)

An unknown girl breaks out of her daily grind by undergoing an intense audio-visual trip.

NULL(en)

A hitman is tasked to take out ex-mobsters when he suddenly hears a voice that questions his morality.

Cincinnati's Rock 'N Roll Legends(en)

An excellent comprehensive look at all the music that came out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati "Rock Legends" "James Brown" "King Records" "Pure Prairie League" "Lemon Pipers" "Syd Nathan" WEBN "Bootsy Collins" "Lonnie Mack" "The Who concert 1979" "Rick Derringer"

Projota - AMADMOL (A Milenar Arte de Meter o Louco)(pt)

Nullarbor(en)

An animated road-movie set across the vast and barren landscape of Australia's Nullarbor Plain.

Long Before When We Were the Birds(ru)

Story based on an ancient Gypsy Proverbs, which talked about how the thirst for gold, wealth deprived "Gypsy birds" their true form and turned into a wandering people.

Captain Nulle(lv)

Valdis Nulle is a young and ambitious captain of fishing ship 'Dzintars'. He has his views on fishing methods but the sea makes its own rules. Kolkhoz authorities are forced to include dubious characters in his crew, for example, former captain Bauze and silent alcoholic Juhans. The young captain lacks experience in working with so many fishermen on board. Unexpectedly, pretty engineer Sabīne is ordered to test a new construction fishing net on Nulle's ship and 'production conflict' between her and the captain arises...

An Impudent Girl(fr)

Charlotte Castang is a working-class 13-year-old girl, who lives in a drab, run-down neighbourhood, and is ready to become an adult. Her mother died giving birth to her, and she lives with her crass brother and a father whose attention is elsewhere. Her only friend is Lulu, a sick 10-year-old she regards as a pest. Charlotte is antisocial, bored and dreams of a better life. Her life improves when she meets Clara Bauman, a pianist prodigy.

The Falls: Testament of Love(en)

Picking up five years after the doomed romance between Mormon missionaries RJ and Chris, though their lives have taken radically different paths, the death of a mutual friend unexpectedly reunites the two men at a time when both are attempting to establish their adult lives. As old feelings of love and regret are rekindled, RJ and Chris must once again confront their seemingly impossible love.

Love(en)

In Imperial Russia, Anna Karenina falls in love with the dashing military officer Count Vronsky and abandons her husband and child to become his mistress.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2(en)

Security guard Paul Blart is headed to Las Vegas to attend a Security Guard Expo with his teenage daughter Maya before she departs for college. While at the convention, he inadvertently discovers a heist - and it's up to Blart to apprehend the criminals.

Guru Chela(en)

Guru Chela is a heartfelt short film celebrating the timeless bond between a teacher Guru and student Chela. The story revolves around a young Chela who invites his Guru to attend his Bratabandha ceremony, a significant event in Nepalese culture marking a boy's transition into adulthood and spiritual maturity. The ceremony takes place at the Southall Temple in the United Kingdom, bringing together tradition and diaspora life. The Bratabandha combines choodakarma tonsure and Upanayana samskara, symbolizing a promise vrata and a sacred bond bandhana. It is a moment of reflection on cultural identity and spiritual growth. As the Guru blesses the Chela during the rituals, the film delves into their profound relationship. The Guru, representing the source of wisdom and guidance, imparts teachings on life and spirituality, while the Chela demonstrates respect and gratitude for his mentor's influence.

Need for Speed(en)

Three girls drive around Hollywood without paying much attention to the road.

Jean Painlevé Through His Films(fr)

This documentary about the life and work of filmmaker Jean Painlevé was originally presented in eight parts on French television. It was edited to remove duplicated material from its original length of 240 minutes.

102 Dalmatians(en)

Get ready for a howling good time as an all new assortment of irresistible animal heroes are unleashed in this great family tail! In an unlikely alliance, the outrageous Waddlesworth - a parrot who thinks he's a Rottweiler - teams up with Oddball - an un-marked Dalmatian puppy eager to earn her spots! Together they embark on a laugh-packed quest to outwit the ever-scheming Cruella De Vil.

Terror Nullius(en)

Hitch a ride into the dark heart of Australia with Soda_Jerk's TERROR NULLIUS, a blistering, badly behaved sample-based film that confronts the horror of our contemporary moment. Equal parts political satire, eco-horror and road movie, TERROR NULLIUS is a rogue remapping of national mythology, where a misogynistic remark is met with the sharp beak of a bird, feminist bike gangs rampage and bicentenary celebrations are ravaged by flesh-eating sheep. By intricately remixing fragments of Australia's pop culture and film legacy, TERROR NULLIUS interrogates the unstable entanglement of fiction that underpins this country's vexed sense of self.

To Kill the Beast(es)

Emilia arrives at her Aunt Inés' hostel located on the Argentina-Brazil border, looking for her missing brother. In this lush jungle a dangerous beast which takes the form of different animals seems to be roaming around.

The Outsider(fr)

A drama about the less known aspects of the trading activity inside one of the biggest banks in the world - Société Générale. The movie tracks the rise and fall of anonymous trader turned superstar turned escape goat - Jérôme Kerviel - just as the 2008 financial crisis was unfolding

A Village Almost Perfect!(fr)

"Saint-Loin-la-Mauderne", a tiny village hurt by the financial crisis and the desertification. Its last hope : Start back the Smoked Salmon factory. The only issue : Insurances require a permanent doctor on site. But it s has been 5 years the previous doctor retired without setting a replacement. The whole village,supporting their surly major Germain, will try everything to convince the very Parisian Doctor Maxime Meyer that happiness is only at Saint-Loin-la-Mauderne! This movie is the french remake of the Canadian movie 'la Grande Seduction'