Bulbule Paristan

Picturing a People: George Johnston, Tlingit Photographer(en)

The life and times of George Johnston, photographer and keeper of memories for the Tlingit nation.

The Banknote(fr)

A rich man rewards a tramp for defending him from muggers with a large sum of money in the form of a single bank note. Nobody can cash the big bill the tramp is carrying and hilarity ensues.

Glove(en)

The haunting true story of a glove that’s been floating in space since 1968.

Her(sq)

To escape a marriage arranged by her extremely religious father, a young girl seizes the chance to run away and save more than herself.

Emily(en)

The imagined life of one of the world’s most famous authors, Emily Brontë, as she finds her voice and writes the literary classic Wuthering Heights. Explore the relationships that inspired her – her raw, passionate sisterhood with Charlotte and Anne; her first aching, forbidden love for Weightman and her care for her maverick brother whom she idolises.

I-San Special(th)

The soundtrack to a radio soap opera set in a luxury hotel is acted out by characters who are riding a ramshackle bus from Bangkok to a small town in Thailand’s Northeast.

My Prairie Home(en)

A true Canadian iconoclast, acclaimed transgender country/electro-pop artist Rae Spoon revisits the stretches of rural Alberta that once constituted “home” and confronts memories of growing up queer in an abusive, evangelical household.

Papa, the Lil' Boats(fr)

In this whimsical French comedy, Cookie (aka Venus de Palma) is a tough, sweet little rich girl, and is rather smart, too. She's smart enough and charming enough to outwit her kidnappers by setting one against the other until they have all killed each other or died trying to prove thier worth to her.

Lemonade(en)

The second "visual album" (a collection of short films) by Beyoncé, this time around she takes a piercing look at racial issues and feminist concepts through a sexualized, satirical, and solemn tone.

Dirt(en)

This feature documentary is an exploration of the concept of dirt and impurity. From the slums of Kolkata to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to a barbeque joint in Central Texas, Dirt digs deep into the webs of meaning and feeling attached to that deceptively simple 4-letter word. An odyssey into all things unclean, the film features animation to make Hieronymus Bosch blush and music from Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Lumayo Ka Man sa Akin(en)

Two lovers are separated but in a twist of fate, find themselves in a care of a syndicate leader. He is the bodyguard and she is the wife.

The Evening Party(ro)

At a party with diverse guests are dealing with the events os August 23rd, 1944. Guests are serving as metaphors for different parts of society.

Memories And Dreams(en)

An unusual work, MEMORIES AND DREAMS combines documentary and animation styles in a powerful evocation of time and place. The film is the story of one woman's experience from childhood to the early years of adulthood, set against the tide of European history, which eventually carries her from her homeland to Australia. It weaves a poetic narrative from emotions, memories and inner imaginings and was developed from an original idea by producer, Julie Stone and director, Lynn-Maree Milburn. Director of photography, Andrew De Groot, assisted in all areas of post production.

The Last Impresario(en)

Michael White might just be the most famous person you’ve never heard of. A notorious London theatre and film impresario, he produced over 300 shows and movies over the last 50 years. Bringing to the stage the risqué productions of Oh! Calcutta!, The Rocky Horror Show and to the screen Monty Python’s The Holy Grail, as well as introducing Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch and Yoko Ono to London audiences, he irrevocably shaped the cultural scene of the 1970s London. Playboy, gambler, bon vivant, friend of the rich and famous, he is now in his eighties and still enjoys partying like there’s no tomorrow. In this intimate documentary, filmmaker Gracie Otto introduces us to this larger-than-life phenomenon. Featuring interviews with 50 of his closest friends including Anna Wintour, Kate Moss, John Waters and Barry Humphries and, of course, the man himself, Otto pays a vibrant tribute to a fascinating entertainer.

Late at Night: Voices of Ordinary Madness(en)

‘You have no choice about being here, you’ll have no choice about when you leave’ proclaims a woman in Xiaolu Guo’s latest film, a documentary about the personal and physical journeys of the people of London’s East End. Herself an immigrant to the area, Guo’s sensitive character studies hint at an affinity with the push and pull of feelings of alienation, a theme she has previously explored as a filmmaker (She a Chinese, LFF 2009) and novelist (A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers). This empathy is also apparent in her playful stylistic approach that layers Warhol-esque news reports, archival material and a soundtrack including Linton Kwesi Johnson and Fela Kuti, to comment on the human cost of capitalism. The resulting film is both a penetrating portrait of a frenetic place that feels deeply authentic, and a powerful piece of protest film.

Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love(en)

When Marvin Hamlisch passed away in August 2012 the worlds of music, theatre and cinema lost a talent the likes of which we may never see again. Seemingly destined for greatness, Hamlisch was accepted into New York’s Juilliard School as a 6-year-old musical prodigy and rapidly developed into a phenomenon. With instantly classic hits ‘The Way We Were’ and ‘Nobody Does It Better’ and scores for Hollywood films such as The Swimmer, The Sting and Sophie’s Choice and the Broadway juggernaut A Chorus Line; Hamlisch became the go-to composer for film and Broadway producers and a prominent presence on the international Concert Hall circuit. His streak was staggering, vast, unprecedented and glorious, by the age of 31 Hamlisch had won 4 Grammys, an Emmy, 3 Oscars, a Tony and a Pulitzer prize: success that burned so bright, it proved impossible to match.

Taşkafa, Stories of the Street(en)

Taşkafa is a real dog and also a legend on the streets of Istanbul. John Berger begins Taşkafa’s story, reading from his novel, King, the story of the disappearance of a community told from a dog’s perspective. The area’s ordinary people – taxi drivers, shopkeepers, street traders – care deeply about the welfare of the city’s street dogs and they tell us stories about Taşkafa and their other canine neighbours. The animals are a symbol of community living, where people (and dogs) look out for each other, but this is a community in transition; one from which dogs are starting to be expelled. Eccentric, amusing and very warm, the film is a powerful indictment of the impact of global politics and the economic appropriation of public space but, even more, it is a tribute to both the spirit of resistance and to city life that can accommodate people and dogs together.

Berlin Telegram(fr)

Leila is a singer-songwriter who lives in Brussels. When Antoine, the man she is in love with, suddenly walks out on her for another woman, she leaves for Berlin to start a new life.

One Night Husband(th)

On her wedding night, Sipang's husband leaves his bride hurriedly after receiving a call. That, unfortunately, would be the last time Sipang sees her husband. As the young bride teams up with her husband's brother and his wife, she slowly uncovers facets of her husband's life she never knew existed. With her husband still missing, Sipang launches a desperate search for him.

Koliba(sk)