MAIDAN. Six letters of our freedom

Ukraine on Fire(en)

Ukraine in Flames is a documentary produced by Oliver Stone that reveals American and NATO participation in the 2014 coup d'état in Ukraine and its aftermath. The renowned American director, who in recent years has made several productions within the genre of political cinema, investigates the origins of the current conflict that currently keeps the entire European continent and the entire planet in suspense. In the film, Stone interviews, among others, the former president of Ukraine, Víktor Yanukovych; Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Ukrainian Interior Minister Vitali Zajarchenko.

Crossfire(en)

Crossfire is the investigative documentary by an international team of journalists about two reporters, Andrea Rocchelli and Andrej Mironov, killed in eastern Ukraine, and the Ukrainian soldier Vitaly Markiv accused of their murder

The Long Breakup(en)

Ukrainian journalist Katya Soldak, currently living in New York City and working for Forbes magazine, chronicles Ukraine's history: its strong ties to Russia for centuries; how it broke away from the USSR and began to walk alone; the Orange Revolution, the Maidan Revolution, the Crimea annexation, the Donbass War; all through the eyes of her family and friends settled in Kharkiv, a large Ukrainian city located just eighteen miles from the Russian border.

Ukraine: Masks of the Revolution(fr)

In February 2014, paramilitary groups fought against the police in the streets of Kyev and ousted President Yanukovych. They settled a new government. According to western media, they were the revolution heroes. But they are actually heavily armed extreme-right militias. The Right Sector, Azov or Svoboda created parallel irregular forces that easily go out of control. In Odessa, in May 2014, they were responsible for burning 45 people to death without facing any charges. How come western democracies haven’t raised their voice in protest? Most likely because these Ukrainian nationalist militias actually played a significant role in a much larger scale war. The Ukrainian revolution was strongly supported by the US diplomacy. In the new cold war that opposes Russia to the USA, Ukraine is a decisive pawn. A tactical pawn to contain Putin’s ambitions. “Ukraine, masks of the revolution” by Paul Moreira sheds light on this blind corner.

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.

Five portraits of the Maidan(uk)

Stories united by the Revolution of Dignity. Charismatic and honest characters tell about their own Maidan: Lesia Khomenko, Alevtyna Kakhidze, Maks Vehera, Oleksii Furman and Bohdan Kutiepov.

Stuttgart Shanghai(en)

A young pair from Stuttgart fly to Shanghai to hop aboard the textile business of his father while she prepares for the birth of their son. A story about the ever more common movement of Germans into the East for professional gain.

Padre Pio Sanctus(en)

This is the definitive biography of the saint from Pietrelcina, Italy. With one hour of filmed material, much of which has never been seen before, this film introduces the faithful to every aspect of the life, spirituality, and work of this 20th century saint.

Totem Talk(en)

Traditional Northwestern Indigenous spiritual images combined with cutting-edge computer animation in this surreal short film about the power of tradition. Three urban Indigenous teens are whisked away to an imaginary land by a magical raven, and there they encounter a totem pole. The totem pole's characters—a raven, a frog and a bear—come to life, becoming their teachers, guides and friends. Features a special interview with J. Bradley Hunt, the celebrated Heiltsuk artist on whose work the characters in Totem Talk are based.

Lélo, liberté et peinture(fr)

This documentary explores the life of fiery 20th-century Swiss painter Lélo Fiaux, who pursued art and love with passion.

The Plains(en)

At 17:00 every day, Andrew, a middle-aged man, drives home from work through Melbourne’s outer suburbs in peak-hour traffic. Occasionally, he offers a lift home to a younger colleague, David. Over a year, their tentative small talk gives way to a warm friendship and open conversation within the confines of the vehicle, incrementally revealing their lives.

Germany: A Summer's Fairytale(de)

A documentary of the German national soccer team’s 2006 World Cup experience that changed the face of modern Germany.

Riding Giants(en)

Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.

Dave Chappelle's Block Party(en)

The American comedian/actor delivers a story about the alternative Hip Hop scene. A small town Ohio mans moves to Brooklyn, New York, to throw an unprecedented block party.

Cumhuriyet'e Doğru: Son 99 Saat(tr)

The Magic Box(en)

A special live broadcast on both BBC and UTV, hosted by Eamonn Holmes, celebrating the best of Northern Ireland television over the past 60 years and marking the occasion of digital switchover.

Dunas do Barato(pt)

A rescue of the history of Ipanema beach in the 1970s, when the construction of a pier changed the landscape and created fertile soil for a generation of artists and sportsmen.

Hans Nielsen Hauge(no)

At the age of 25, Hauge had an experience of God that changed both him and the whole of Norway. Through preaching, writing and publishing their own books, business start-ups, by hiring both the mentally and physically ill, and exalting the women as both preachers and business leaders. Hauge stood in the breeze for a Norway that did not fall into good soil with the State, which in turn brought life to the Convict Poster to prevent Hauge from spreading the message of equality for all. The price was high, but Hauge and his successors left indelible traces in modern Norway.

Merry F*cking Christmas: The Making of Tangerine(en)

A feature-length documentary going behind-the-scenes on the making of the 2015 film Tangerine.

La empresa(es)

La empresa is a strange creature of a most ambiguous nature: a fiction film about documentary filmmaking as fiction filmmaking, and what it all does to a region’s economy as well as a collective psychology. Or is it? Isn’t it more to the point to say that... But before we get lost here, let’s state what La empresa talks about: how the caminata nocturna, the illegal crossing of the border between Mexico and the United States, was turned into a business that ranges from four-hour night-time tours for tourists out for a sick thrill to reenactments for film and television crews. The latter, of course, is at the core of André Siegers’ casually ironic look at this economy of disaster. When the Germans arrive in town, they meet a workforce already in place and willing to play to any national stereotype – as the French seem to get other kicks out of presenting the caminata nocturna than the Netflix internationals.