In Search of Memory

The Human Experiment(en)

A documentary that explores the potential dangers of toxic chemicals in consumer products and the recent spike in unexplained health phenomena.

Spies of Mississippi(en)

Spies of Mississippi tells the story of a secret spy agency formed by the state of Mississippi to preserve segregation and maintain white supremacy. The anti-civil rights organization was hidden in plain sight in an unassuming office in the Mississippi State Capitol. Funded with taxpayer dollars and granted extraordinary latitude to carry out its mission, the Commission evolved from a propaganda machine into a full blown spy operation. How do we know this is true? The Commission itself tells us in more than 146,000 pages of files preserved by the State. This wealth of first person primary historical material guides us through one of the most fascinating and yet little known stories of America's quest for Civil Rights.

Prater(de)

Vienna’s Prater is an amusement park and a desire machine. No mechanical invention, no novel idea or sensational innovation could escape incorporation into the Prater. The diverse story-telling in Ulrike Ottinger’s film “Prater” transforms this place of sensations into a modern cinema of attractions. The Prater’s history from the beginning to the present is told by its protagonists and those who have documented it, including contemporary cinematic images of the Prater, interviews with carnies, commentary by Austrians and visitors from abroad, film quotes, and photographic and written documentary materials. The meaning of the Prater, its status as a place of technological innovation, and its role as a cultural medium are reflected in texts by Elfriede Jelinek, Josef von Sternberg, Erich Kästner and Elias Canetti, as well as in music devoted to this amusement venue throughout the course of its history.

City of Borders(en)

Interviews with the owners and diverse patrons of a Jerusalem gay bar called "Shushan."

My Own Breathing(ko)

"My Own Breathing" is the final documentary of the trilogy, The Murmuring about comfort women during the World War II directed by BYUN Young-joo. This is the completion of her seven years work. BYUN's first and second documentaries spoke of grandmothers' everyday life through the origin of their torment, while My Own Breathing goes back to their past from their everyday life. Deleting any device of narration or music, the camera lets grandmothers talk about themselves. Finally, the film revives their deep voices trampled by harsh history.

Ulysse(fr)

At the sea shore, a goat, a child, and a naked man. This is a photograph taken in 1954 by Agnès Varda. The goat was dead, the child was named Ulysses, and the man was naked. Starting from this frozen image, the film explores the real and the imaginary.

Dream Land(xx)

There are places that we don’t want to know anything about, places that we would rather pretend don’t exist at all. One such place is a dumpsite. From the humans’ point of view, it is a ghastly place, a stinking desert of trash. But it’s a desert that is teaming with life.

Itinerary of Jean Bricard(fr)

The film is a commemoration of the lost livelihood of the earth, the lost lives of the War and to the work of two of the cinema’s greatest artists.

The Road to Fame(en)

China's top drama academy stages the American musical "Fame," China's first official collaboration with Broadway, as the graduation showcase for its senior class. During the eight-month rehearsal, five students compete for roles, struggle with pressure from family and authority, and prepare to graduate into China's corrupt entertainment industry.

The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga(ru)

A descent into Eastern Europe's haunted woodlands uncovers the secrets, fairy tales, and bloody histories that shape our understanding of man's place in nature.

Voices from the Grave(en)

The story of the Northern Ireland Troubles through the unflinching testimony of two men who played key roles on opposite sides of that bloody conflict. Nearly ten years ago the two paramilitary leaders told their stories on condition that they could never be revealed while they were still alive. The stories told by the Irish Republican Army's Brendan Hughes and Ulster Volunteer Force's David Ervine tell us of the motivations of the participants, the planning of campaigns of violence, the misery of a hunger strike, the tracking and killing of informers and the duplicity that ended a conflict that had lasted too long. It is also a narrative of the fate of combatants when their wars are over.

Inês(fr)

Inês Etienne Romeu was an opponent to the Brazilian's dictatorship. She was kidnapped, tortured and raped in jail, where she stayed for almost 100 days. She was later sentenced to life imprisonment. She stayed ten years in prison, from 1971 to 1979. Delphine Seyrig directed this film in 1974, when Inês was still in prison, protesting against this imprisonment and in support to Inês.

After the Fall(de)

A documentary exploring the aftermath of the Berlin Wall's fall, the film features interviews in English and German with long-time residents and foreign visitors/residents from both sides of the former divide.

Cartoonists: Footsoldiers of Democracy(en)

This movie takes us in the daily battle of 12 cartoonists around the world : France, Mexico, Israël, China, Russia, Ivory Coast...

Before Summer Ends(fr)

After five years studying in Paris, Arash has not adjusted to life there and has decided to return to Iran to live. Hoping to change his mind, his two friends Hossein and Ashkan convince him to take a last trip through France.

Dealing Dogs(en)

An undercover investigation of Martin Creek Kennel is carried out by the animal rights group Last Chance for Animals. The film documents the efforts of a young animal rights activist named "Pete" to both get hired by the Martin Creek Kennel and secure enough evidence to shut down owner C.C. Baird's violation-filled kennel.

Zaineb Hates the Snow(fr)

When her mother remarries and her newly blended family moves to Canada, a 9-year-old Tunisia girl's life takes a profound turn as she struggles to find her place and maintain her Muslim identity in a new land.

Naked Spaces: Living Is Round(en)

Shot with stunning elegance and clarity, NAKED SPACES explores the rhythm and ritual of life in the rural environments of six West African countries (Mauritania, Mali, Burkino Faso, Togo, Benin and Senegal). The nonlinear structure of NAKED SPACES challenges the traditions of ethnographic filmmaking, while sensuous sights and sounds lead the viewer on a poetic journey to the most inaccessible parts of the African continent: the private interaction of people in their living spaces.

Promised Lands(fr)

Susan Sontag scrutinizes the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict and the growing divisions within Jewish thought over the question of Palestinian sovereignty. Shot in Israel during the final days of the Yom Kippur War. Promised Lands is less straight documentary than visual collage. There are images of combat zones and soldiers, but also everyday street life, desert landscapes, funerals, supermarkets, the Wailing Wall. The soundtrack is snatches of radio, bursts of church bells and gunfire, and an extended voiceover from two politically opposed Israeli thinkers.

Headdress(en)

For First Nations communities, the headdress bears significant meaning. It's a powerful symbol of hard-earned leadership and responsibility. As filmmaker JJ Neepin prepares to wear her grandfather's headdress for a photo shoot she reflects on lessons learned and the thoughtless ways in which the tradition has been misappropriated.

Le syndrome du Titanic(en)

Dieser Dokumentarfilm zeigt die ökologischen Probleme, mit denen die Erde zu kämpfen hat. Mit Bezug auf die lange Entwicklungsgeschichte der auf der Erde lebenden Lebewesen wird insbesondere auch ein Augenmerk auf das Artensterben, das durch den Menschen verursacht wird, gelegt.

Crack Shot(en)

Justin Huang is a junior squash ex-champion who now uses his skills to train children. But when a wealthy stranger offers a large sum to train with his enigmatic teenage son, he must decide whether to release his repressed demons.

Diamonds in the Rough(en)

Bouldering in the Cederberg, South Africa

A Fold in My Blanket(ka)

Dmitrij has recently returned to his small Georgian hometown after graduating from a university abroad. His monotonous days drag on, between working and the solitary rock-climbing excursions.

Erotic Duell(de)

Los problemas de mamá(es)

Mama's four girls are all newlyweds or engaged to be married. Four hubby/fiances plus inlaws = wacky complications.You betcha.

The Oracle of Delphi(fr)

A box of valued jewels is placed inside the tomb of Delphi. A thief breaks into the tomb and steals it, but soon the ghost of Delphi appears and puts a curse on him.

Vuelve a la vida(es)

How did a poor Mexican scuba diver get to marry an American top model? What was she looking for when she drove a convertible from New York to Acapulco with her 3 year old son? What happened to that white freckly boy who grew up in a world that reminded him everyday that he was a foreigner? Using a legendary shark hunt in the late seventies as our story’s core, we will meet the Martinez Sidney family and discover the secrets of their peculiar past. They will also show us a different view of the Mexican-American experience.

A Culprit Among Friends(ko)

Four female friends reunite after 15 years and old resentments resurface. Soon afterwards, one of them is found dead. The police tries to determine whether it was suicide or murder.

2 Minutes(en)

The best way to find out who you are is to test your own limits - to do the utmost of your ability. That is the theme of this short psychological thriller. A boy lies in a bathtub, holding his breath. He is trying to break his personal record - 2 minutes.

Une Vie au dessus du vide(fr)

Tabu(sv)

Solidarity with the border people. Equal rights for the sexual deviants. Kristoffer Lohman is a young solicitor who collects stories and knowledge of different perversions. This has affected and changed his own sexual life. Sara, a young well-behaved and adorned woman, becomes interested in Kristoffer's activity.

Small Boat(ja)

The photographs of two elderly people used in this work were taken during a train journey in the first half of Ishii's previous work, "Wind crossing" He uses it as a photograph. There is no doubt that these two are particularly memorable for Ishii, but how should we as an audience perceive these acts? Then something occurred to me. In my work "Guiding Star", there is a part where I walk through an underground passage at night during a trip in Hokuriku. That place was Kanazawa. Lately I've been visiting Kanazawa every year for the Maki Asakawa live video screening, but most of the time I travel from Kansai to Kanazawa, or vice versa, by express bus. Then, the bus always passes through that underground passage. Ah, it was here. With that thought in mind, I play with the memories of that trip for a while, no longer happy or sad, but dry and dry. It might be something similar. However, in my case, unlike Ishii's narration in the story, I feel like "it somehow continued to live." M.Yamazaki

Artistes de la vie(fr)

The Pirate and the Slave Girl(it)

When a ship carrying the daughter of Rhodes' governor and secret documents is captured by Mediterranean pirate Dragut, the governor tasks captain Diego with their recovery before they can be sold to Sultan Selim.

Homesteaders of Paradise Valley(en)

Red Ryder convinces homesteaders to settle in Paradise Valley. Business men in nearby Central City want control of the valley and water supply and propose to build a dam for half interest in the land. They use Red to generate interest in the dam but when the dam is completed, they rig the stockholder's meeting so Central City will get the water.

Gray Matter(en)

In the spring of 2002, filmmaker Joe Berlinger traveled to Vienna to witness the burial of the preserved brains of over 700 children killed at a Nazi "euthanasia" clinic. GRAY MATTER chronicles the filmmaker's personal journey as he searches for Dr. Heinrich Gross -- known as the "Austrian Dr. Mengele" -- who allegedly participated in these killings. Along the way Berlinger meets survivors of the clinic, as well as other remarkable individuals, who are confronting a nation that has only begun to grapple with its denial of this horrific legacy.

Lost Boy(en)

Daniel is forced to let go of his childhood friend.

Hair Show(en)

Running from the IRS due to back taxes, Baltimore hairdresser and salon owner Peaches reunites with her more successful sister, Angela, a fellow stylist, in Los Angeles. Angela is burdened by her sister's financial woes, and Peaches' rival, Marcella, threatens to take over the salon back in Baltimore. While Angela helps her sister get back on her feet, Peaches enters a hairstyling competition in hopes of winning a big cash prize and saving her salon.

The Return(mg)

"The Return" deals with rural exodus, the return to the land, the antagonism between two worlds: that of urban dwellers and of the rural areas deeply rooted in tradition. Ranaivo lives in Antananarivo. To make ends meet, he sells ice lollies. his father, Ratovo, comes to the capital to ask for his son’s help. he needs money to organize the turning of the dead ceremony. After the village celebration, Ranaivo decides to leave the capital and emigrates to the highlands where everything is open to those who want to get back to the land.