Abenteuer in Togoland

Becoming Black(de)

In the 1960s, a white couple living in East Germany tells their dark-skinned child that her skin color is merely a coincidence. As a teenager, she accidentally discovers the truth. Years before, a group of African men came to study in a village nearby. Sigrid, an East German woman, fell in love with Lucien from Togo and became pregnant. But she was already married to Armin. The child is Togolese-East German filmmaker Ines Johnson-Spain. In interviews with Armin and others from her childhood years, she tracks the astonishing strategies of denial her parents, striving for normality, developed following her birth. What sounds like fieldwork about social dislocation becomes an autobiographical essay film and a reflection on themes such as identity, social norms and family ties, viewed from a very personal perspective.

Togo, le foot et la politique ne font qu'un(fr)

October 8, 2005. Togo, one of Africa's poorest countries, qualifies for the World Cup for the first time in its history. The achievement is not only historic; it also hastens the end of the bloody civil war that has been ravaging the country for several months. On the eve of the World Cup opening in Germany, hopes are high in Lomé, the capital of Togo, that the national team will restore pride and prosperity to an entire people. However, disillusionment quickly sets in. The team had not even entered the competition when it was already beset by endless internal problems. What if soccer, in the end, was nothing more than a reflection of the deep-seated problems that have been plaguing Africa for years?

Fixed(en)

A friendly football match between Bahrein and Togo in 2010, turns out to be rigged, as the team representing Togo is a fake team set up by international gamblers. The bad guys turn out to be victims, the good guy is revealed as the international gambling criminal while the top crooks stay out of sight since they have the power to determine who’ll be convicted. A revealing peek into a hidden world.

Vodu Between two worlds(fr)

Voodoo tradition is too often victim of misperceptions and stereotypes in the Western imagination. In Togo, Voodoo is revealed in all its splendour and complexity. Through spectacular ceremonies, consultations and rites, an intimate connection is revealed that unites the visible world with that of invisible forces. By giving a voice to those who live and practise Voodoo, an authentic and nuanced perspective emerges, revealing the richness of this mysterious spirituality. It's a genuine burst of curiosity about a living heritage and the sumptuousness of its traditions.

The Compaquitos in Togo(fr)

Six Scouts and Guides from France are heading to Togo, where they are joining forces with Togolese scouts to build a classroom. This documentary captures their human adventure and the cultural exchange that emerges at the heart of this solidarity project. Through the challenges of construction, a story of friendship, cooperation, and discovery unfolds between young people from two continents.

Break Free - Two People. Two Years. One Dream(de)

When Lena and Ulli start the engine of their old Land Rover, Lady Terés, they have a plan: to drive from Hamburg to South Africa in six months. What they don't know yet is that they won't ever get there. Two totally different characters, jammed together in two square meters of space for almost two years, they experience what it really means to travel: leaving your comfort zone for good.

Nana Benz(en)

Nana Benz is the story of the legendary queens of the West African mercer, self-made women, coming out of nowhere, building empires. These women were heroes to the people, Mercedes driver at the West African coast. They influenced the history of Togo and were witnesses of the fights for independence, the dictatorship till the globalization nowadays. Thomas Böltken manages to establish closure to the protagonists by letting their heirs - grandchildren, widows, lovers - speak.

The Great Alaskan Race(en)

In 1925, a group of brave mushers travel 700 miles to save the small children of Nome, Alaska from a deadly epidemic.

Woolly(no)

The director follows her sister Rakel as she takes over the family farm; she will be the fourth generation to run the farm. With her wife Ida, she is packing up her life as a musician and heading north. Rakel is enthusiastic, but she is also aware that there is a lot she doesn’t know how to handle. Her wife Ida has never lived on a farm before and will also have to find her place in this new everyday life and this unfamiliar work. Rakel’s father has been a farmer for 40 years and knows the challenges ahead of her: years when spring never arrives, summers with significant losses to predators, poor harvests, and sheep on the run.

Arthur L'Aventurier : Les trésors du Maroc(fr)

Bart Starr America's Quarterback(en)

A legendary name in the history of American sports, Starr got his start at the University of Alabama en route to five NFL Championship titles in seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

The Curse of Debbie Does Dallas(en)

This look at the notorious history of the 1978 adult film delves into the dark side of the pornography business and investigates the fate of star Bambi Woods. Also known as "The Curse of Debbie Does Dallas." Included: interviews with the film's costars, including Robin Byrd, Herschel Savage and Eric Edwards.

Napoléon III, le dernier empereur des Français(fr)

Coming Together To Talk(en)

Examines racism and discrimination in Thunder Bay from a youth perspective.

Tout sauf l’ennui(fr)

Rikkie Kollé, the most beautiful woman in the Netherlands(nl)

Rikkie Kollé will be the first trans woman to be crowned Miss Netherlands in July 2023. In addition to praise, 22-year-old Rikkie receives a remarkable amount of misunderstanding and hate reactions about herself. Fortunately, they have only strengthened her mission even more: being an example for young trans people and normalizing gender diversity. In a unique documentary, Miss Netherlands is followed on her way to the world stage in El Salvador where she is making a bid for the title of Miss Universe, with all the work, obligations and preparations that entails.

Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Contraptions: Behind the Scenes(en)

A documentary about the making of Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Contraptions.

12.Août.2002(en)

12 August 2002 is the date which was printed on every shot in this film by the memory of the camera. On that day a huge tower which disrupted the north wing of an abandoned castle was torn down, floor by floor. The film is a record of the methodical disruption of this building by inhuman and all-powerful machines. The voice-over consists of a phone call by the author John Berger (1926), who has written numerous and radical opinion pieces in favour of the people of Palestine.

Diana to Meghan: Royal Wedding Secrets(en)

A behind-the-scenes look at royal weddings revealing how these grand events are organised. Featuring interviews with the performers, florists, dressmakers, tailors, security guards, vicars and jewellers who helped make the day so special.

Shellmound(en)

“Shellmound” is the story of how one location was transformed from a sacred center of pre-historic cultures to a commercial mecca for modern people. What began as a Native American burial ground three thousand years ago, was transformed first into an amusement park, and later an industrial age paint factory. Now, the tainted ancient soil sits beneath the glittering lights of Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, and the AMC movie theaters. “Shellmound” examines the decisions made during the recent toxic cleanup, excavation, and construction of the Bay Street mall through the eyes of the city of Emeryville, the developer, the archaeologists, and the native Californians who worked on the site.