11 Freundinnen

Memories of a Penitent Heart(en)

Twenty five years after Miguel died from AIDS, his niece, filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo, embarks on an excavation into a quagmire of unresolved family drama. Like many gay men in the 1980s, Miguel moved from Puerto Rico to New York City; he found a career in theater and a rewarding relationship. Yet, on his deathbed he grappled to reconcile his homosexuality with his Catholic upbringing. Now, decades after his death, Cecilia locates Miguel’s lover Robert, who has been shunned and demonized by the family, in order to understand the whole story.

Folie à Deux - Madness Made of Two(en)

Folie a Deux is a quintessentially English tale with a universal message. Prophetic and surprisingly humorous, the narrative is driven by a tenacious single mother of seven, who risks bankruptcy and homelessness to fulfill a dream. Shot over five years and set in the oldest house in England. This film is an intimate portrayal of a large bohemian family with all the ups and downs of daily life, an intriguing insight into England's history, and future. This is a nail-biting journey through the economic crash and life's biggest gamble. This is not a story of the conspicuous consumerism of billionaires; rather this is the human cost of the banking crisis.

The Return(en)

In 2012, California voters approved Proposition 36, effectively repealing the state's notoriously harsh three-strikes law that had sentenced thousands of nonviolent offenders to a lifetime behind bars. But what does it mean to be released from prison after being sentenced to life? How does one begin to reintegrate into society? The Return depicts the struggles of two newly released former lifers as they deal with restoring relationships, avoiding personal triggers, finding meaningful employment, and managing the mental health problems which had previously contributed to their imprisonment.

Tickling Giants(en)

The Arab Spring in Egypt: From a dictator to free elections, back to a dictatorship. One comedy show united the country and tested the limits of free press. This is the story of Bassem Youssef, a cardiologist turned comedian, the Jon Stewart of Egypt, and his show "The Show".

Bad Rap(en)

The lives and careers of four Asian-American rappers trying to break into a world that often treats them as outsiders. Sharing dynamic live performance footage and revealing interviews, these artists will make the most skeptical critics into believers.

A Portrait of Us(ko)

A short documentary that follows Korean grandparents as they share their modern-day reckoning of their immigration story and grandparenthood.

Neither God Nor Santa María(es)

“Since airplanes did not exist, people moved around using prayers; they went from one land to another and returned early, before dawn. In old audio recordings, the voices of pastors speak of the mythical existence of witches and their travels. In the daily life of a woman, the magic of her tales begins to materialize as night falls. Night is the time when travel is possible.”—Samuel Delgado & Helena Girón

Moonchild(en)

Real life deprogrammers and ex-Moonies reenact one person’s journey into and out of the Unification Church in this compelling docudrama. Moonchild is an eye-opening glimpse of a religious cult from an insider’s point of view.

Thao's Library(en)

Forty years after the Fall of Saigon, a young Vietnamese woman is among the Vietnam War's uncounted casualties. Born near fields where American planes sprayed Agent Orange, Thao lives with severe physical deformities. Halfway around the world, a woman in New York is struggling to cope after the sudden death of her famed younger sister. In the midst of her crippling depression, a friend shows Elizabeth a black-and-white photograph from a recent trip abroad. The image haunts Elizabeth.

Optical sound(xx)

Found- footage work composing hundreds of fragments of opening credits for 35 mm films converted into sound.

The Man Who Saw Too Much(es)

A film about fragility; about a man obsessed with photographing the accident who discovered that the fate of others was his way of connecting to life. When does the image of the accident become the object of desire? Following the footsteps of Metinides and the work of contemporary tabloid photographers, we discover Mexico City through a narrative of crime scenes and accidents; rubbernecking though Metinides’ Gaze.

Lenin Park(es)

Antoin, Yesuán and Karla share a common memory of their last moment together in the amusement park Parque Lenin. When they lost their mother, four years ago, their paths changed radically. Antoin moved to France to pursuit his dream of becoming a professional opera singer, meanwhile Yesuán and Karla stayed in Cuba, trying to consolidate their new family roles.

Nicola Costantino: La artefacta(en)

Nicola Costantino is one of the most controversial and admired artist of Latin America. The documentary follows the visual artist, from the first origins of her work until her participation at the last Venice Biennale 2013.

The Illusionists(en)

Sex sells. What sells even more? Insecurity. Multi-billion dollar industries saturate our lives with images of unattainable beauty, exporting body hatred from New York to Beirut to Tokyo. Their target? Women, and increasingly men and children. "The Illusionists" turns the mirror on media, exposing the absurd, sometimes humorous, and shocking images that seek to enslave us.

Life After Manson(en)

Life After Manson is an intimate portrait of one of the world's most infamous crimes and notorious killers. An exclusive interview with Manson Family member Patricia Krenwinkel reveals an unlikely relationship with charismatic Charles Manson that led her to cross every line of moral consciousness, culminating in the brutal murders she committed to win approval of the man she loved. Life After Manson offers a provocative character study that exposes a broken woman struggling with her past, her arduous effort to evaluate the cost of her choices, and the possibility of self-forgiveness. Can society offer her the same, and even identify with a woman who took life only to lose her own in a desperate effort to find love?

Driving with Selvi(en)

Former child bride Selvi escapes her child marriage to become South India's first female taxi driver.

Vleesverlangen(nl)

Kacey Mottet Klein, Birth of an Actor(fr)

A body is growing and developing in front of the camera, absorbing sensations and emotions, confronting its limits and its darker hidden parts. A body that through the years abandons itself to the character, transforming what could be seen as simple (children's) play-acting into the true work of an actor.

A Beautiful Planet(en)

A breathtaking portrait of Earth from space, providing a unique perspective and increased understanding of our planet and galaxy as never seen before. Made in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the film features stunning footage of our magnificent blue planet — and the effects humanity has had on it over time — captured by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Rabbit in the Moon(en)

Like many Japanese Americans released from WWII internment camps, the young Omori sisters did their best to erase the memories and scars of life under confinement. Fifty years later acclaimed filmmaker Emiko Omori asks her older sister and other detainees to reflect on the personal and political consequences of internment. From the exuberant recollections of a typical teenager, to the simmering rage of citizens forced to sign loyalty oaths, Omori renders a poetic and illuminating picture of a deeply troubling chapter in American history.