Petit Rempart

I Was Only 14(nl)

Filmmaker Froukje van Wengerden’s 86-year-old grandmother shares a powerful memory from 1944, when she was just 14. As her story unfolds, we see a group of contemporary 14-year-old girls. Their procession of portraits permits the spectator to see simultaneously forward and back, into the future and towards the past. A miraculous testimonial that uses eye contact to focus the viewer inward and evoke unexpected emotions.

Motel(en)

As Niagara Falls transformed from honeymoon capital of the world to Las Vegas North, corporate hotel chains and casinos cast a long shadow over the independent motels that once populated the town. The Continental survived the transition by converting its rooms into affordable housing units, becoming a home for those with few places to go. The night manager, Brian, once a freelance photographer who survived the horrors of war in Vietnam, shares his duties with his colleague Linda. Together they manage both the Continental and the individual struggles of its tenants, providing more than a roof over the heads of those who live under their supervision. Bringing a fresh focus to one of the most photographed places on Earth, director and cinematographer Jesse McCracken develops an intimate and caring portrait of the residents of this modest micro-community set against the backdrop of neon-lit tourist attractions.

Black Traces of Childhood(id)

This documentary film reveals how domestic violence occurs in real families. This film takes the audience into the stories hidden behind the doors of houses that appear peaceful from the outside, revealing the mental and physical suffering experienced by the victims. This film also tells the story of their struggle to find a way out of the cycle of violence, as well as the process of recovering from this trauma, by presenting narratives from victims, experts and psychologists.

Il mio nome è Battaglia(it)

Personal Drawing of a French Mercenary(fr)

Portrait of a French mercenary working in Libya, hired by the Phalange to train the militias. War leaves its traces; and for some, who see death as part of the job, it’s a vocation.

Unkaputtbar(de)

Metzer 58 play Punk. They were founded in a meet-up at Lebenshilfe Münster, an NGO that provides housing and other services to people with disabilities. The band consists of disabled people and able-bodied people. That doesn't really affect the topic of their songs or the amount of chaos and excess at their gigs, though. In this documentary, director Tobias Stiegler follows the band on tour and paints an intriguing portrait of Metzer 58

Stop for Bud(da)

Stop for Bud is Jørgen Leth's first film and the first in his long collaboration with Ole John. […] they wanted to "blow up cinematic conventions and invent cinematic language from scratch". The jazz pianist Bud Powell moves around Copenhagen -- through King's Garden, along the quay at Kalkbrænderihavnen, across a waste dump. […] Bud is alone, accompanied only by his music. […] Image and sound are two different things -- that's Leth's and John's principle. Dexter Gordon, the narrator, tells stories about Powell's famous left hand. In an obituary for Powell, dated 3 August 1966, Leth wrote: "He quite willingly, or better still, unresistingly, mechanically, let himself be directed. The film attempts to depict his strange duality about his surroundings. His touch on the keys was like he was burning his fingers -- that's what it looked like, and that's how it sounded. But outside his playing, and often right in the middle of it, too, he was simply gone, not there."

untitled minneapolis project(en)

A homeless man living in a encampment in Minneapolis tells his perspective on the ongoing crisis of homelessness.

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.

Sean Penn, l'enfant terrible de l'Amérique(fr)

Sean Penn is almost a living legend. His filmography paints a picture of an 'other America': the lower class, the oppressed and the outsiders. Whether as an actor or director, he turns all the great myths upside down.

How It Breathes(en)

Elijah Jamal Balbed grew up in Washington DC in the midst of one of its most difficult eras, as its identity was being tested. As the city changed around him, his budding career as a musician exposed him to the people and music providing a voice and an outlet to the people of DC. Now tasked with preserving and sharing that tradition, Balbed reflects on balancing that responsibility with creating a musical identity of his own.

Dark Days(en)

A cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.

Painting Pain(en)

The film approaches the work of the Greek artist Nikos Koniaris. The particular way in which the painter depicts human suffering is presented through a film - a hybrid of real recording and directed material. The grief, the sick body, is reflected in self portraits, portraits of dying strangers and paintings of dead models. The paintings, apart from his work, also express a different version of himself. All together contribute to the depiction of man as a "garment of pain".

Sur les pas de Robespierre(fr)

Home Again(es)

Rolland, a 70 year-old man, exiled by his family due to his sexual orientation, makes peace with the past by finding himself in a small ghost town in the western part of Jalisco, San Sebastián del Oeste. Almost 40 years later, he wants to go back to his hometown, try to regain his daughter's love and be a part o his granddaughter's life.

Tell Them We Were Here(en)

Tell Them We Were Here is an inspirational feature-length documentary about eight artists who show us why art is vital to a healthy society and reminds us that we are stronger together.

The Homestretch(en)

Three homeless teenagers brave Chicago winters, the pressures of high school, and life alone on the streets to build a brighter future.

Untold: Deal with the Devil(en)

Christy Martin broke boundaries and noses as she rose in the boxing world, but her public persona belied personal demons, abuse and a threat on her life.

Jan Fedder - mit Ecken, Kanten und ganz viel Herz(de)

His signature roles were the edgy North German characters: Jan Fedder was one of the most popular actors in the North. He was one of the most popular actors, a real guy with rough edges and a lot of heart: Jan Fedder. He was already on stage as a child and had his first acting lessons at the age of 13. He knew early on what he wanted: to become an actor. Antje Althoff's film traces his life and career, showing his incorrigible nature, an endearing symbiosis of a big mouth and a similarly big heart.

Our Dear Sisters(en)

Alanis Obomsawin, a North American Indian who earns her living by singing and making films, is the mother of an adopted child. She talks about her life, her people, and her responsibilities as a single parent. Her observations shake some of our cultural assumptions.