Things of a Lifetime, Intimate Archeological Exercises

Dear Thirteen(en)

A nuanced portrait of a new generation, Dear Thirteen is a cinematic time capsule of coming of age in today’s world. Through the eyes of nine thirteen-year-olds, we see how pressing social, geographical and political challenges are shaping, and being shaped by, young people: rising anti-Semitism in Europe, guns in America, gender identity and racial divisions across Australia and Asia. With no adult commentary outside the filmmaker, Dear Thirteen offers an intimate view into the universal uncertainty inherent in growing up.

Not Just a Statistic: Stories of Survivors(en)

The story of the South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center, five survivors of domestic violence, and their experience in the Massachusetts justice system.

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.

Dearest Viet(vi)

Born a conjoined twin due to the effects of Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War, Duc Nguyen, now a father and husband, seeks the truth about his past and contemplates the future.

Three cats(it)

A man tells the story of his three cats.

Mémé(fr)

Stories Are in Our Bones(en)

In this layered short film, filmmaker Janine Windolph takes her young sons fishing with their kokum (grandmother), a residential school survivor who retains a deep knowledge and memory of the land. The act of reconnecting with their homeland is a cultural and familial healing journey for the boys, who are growing up in the city. It’s also a powerful form of resistance for the women.

Zelensky(fr)

Ten years ago, Volodymyr Zelensky was just one of the many faces on Ukrainian television screens. He became a star thanks to the 2015 satirical series Servant of the People, in which he played a history teacher who becomes president. Four years later, what began as fiction became a reality. This French documentary follows the transformation of a popular TV comedian into a statesman on the front lines of the Russian invasion. Archival footage, family photos, television appearances, and interviews with Zelensky and those closest to him create a multi-layered portrait of a man who always longed for a large audience. At the same time, the film places his personal development in the broader context of post-Soviet Ukraine, which is also searching for its own identity.

Shelley in Wonderland(en)

Shelley is a timid elderly lady who is competing in the Miss Senior USA pageant. Immersion in an extravagant world that also touches on the universal need for visibility, beauty and being included.

Black Mother(en)

Part film, part baptism, in BLACK MOTHER director Khalik Allah brings us on a spiritual journey through Jamaica. Soaking up its bustling metropolises and tranquil countryside, Allah introduces us to a succession of vividly rendered souls who call this island home. Their candid testimonies create a polyphonic symphony, set against a visual prayer of indelible portraiture. Thoroughly immersed between the sacred and profane, BLACK MOTHER channels rebellion and reverence into a deeply personal ode informed by Jamaica’s turbulent history but existing in the urgent present.

Auf demselben Planeten(de)

The filmmaker delves into her family's past and the seemingly intact world of childhood begins to fall apart. Here, the private sphere reflects the helplessness and excessive demands of German society in the 1970s - between the shadows of the National Socialist past and new utopias.

In the Eye of the Beholder(it)

Maurizio is a young university student living in Zürich, with a passion for diseases. Unlike many others, he can see an inherent beauty in them. Afterall, what difference can exist between a flower and an infection, if they are both a gift of nature?

The Visit and a Secret Garden(es)

Little is known about the figure of Isabel Santaló, an old artist, today fallen into oblivion. But occasionally some visitors come to her flat. Through them and the voice of Antonio López (Dream of Light, Víctor Erice), the only painter who remembers her, we shape a multifaceted film. This is a cinematic portrait, which well into the film takes a surprising turn. A film that reflects on memory and oblivion, art and the creative process; posing the question of what it means to be an artist and a woman.

Mamita Lidia(es)

The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)(en)

Co-directed by acclaimed cinematographer Ellen Kuras and subject Thavisouk Phrasavath, this haunting documentary chronicles a refugee family’s epic journey from Laos in the aftermath of the secret war waged by the United States there to New York, where they find themselves fighting a different kind of war on the streets of Brooklyn. Filmed over the course of 23 years, THE BETRAYAL is a visually and emotionally stunning look at the complex ways in which the political shapes the personal.

Dites-leur que je suis vivant(fr)

The Hand That Feeds(en)

Behind the scenes of a popular deli on New York's Upper East Side, undocumented immigrant workers face sublegal wages, dangerous machinery, and abusive managers. Mild-mannered sandwich maker Mahoma López has never been interested in politics, but in Jan. 2012, he convinces a small group of his co-workers to fight back. Risking deportation and the loss of livelihood, the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming an independent union, launching themselves on a journey that will test the limits of their resolve. In one rollercoaster year, they must overcome a shocking betrayal and a two month lockout. Lawyers will battle in backroom negotiations, Occupy Wall Street protesters will take over the restaurant, and a picket line will divide the neighborhood. If they can win a contract, it will set a historic precedent for low-wage workers across the country. But whatever happens, Mahoma and his compañeros won't be exploited again.

Conversations in Isolation(fr)

Arabic Secret(pl)

One who doesn't have roots won't be able to grow wings-a documentary project about a man tracking his origins to the Middle East and establishing a connection with his father, whom he have never met before.

La réparation(fr)

In France, victims and perpetrators of offenses, misdemeanors, or crimes can meet and talk in secure, supervised settings. Included in the Penal Code since 2014, this "restorative justice" is intended to complement criminal justice and provide a safe space for dialogue. The aim is to enable victims to rebuild their lives and perpetrators to take full responsibility for their actions, thereby reducing the risk of reoffending. This film follows one such program over the course of a year. Amélie, a prison rehabilitation and probation counselor, and Séverine, a lawyer for a victims' association, prepare Marthe, Aurélien, Sylvain, and JF, who are incarcerated for murder or attempted murder of their spouses. They also follow Emeline, Evelyne, and Marie, victims of similar crimes.