Checkpoint Zoo(2024)

Nordeste Água e Óleo(pt)

King for a Day(en)

King for a Day is a poetic archive-led documentary immersing us in the personal story of the people of Padstow in Cornwall, their ancient rituals and the challenges they face in a rapidly changing world. The tension between tradition and progress highlights the importance of cultural identity and the role of folk customs in our globalised society. King for a Day is an intimate portrait of a place and community pushed to the margins. A cinematic journey interweaving audio-visual archive spanning 150 years. Will this be the last generation to tease the ‘Old Oss’ from his stable to welcome the Summer?

AWAKE!(en)

AWAKE is a short experimental documentary about a liminal moment in the calendar - midwinter - observed by the inhabitants of a small rural village in England. A time outside time, magic is everywhere and anything is possible. Bearing witness to this turning point, the inhabitants gather for a wassail - a centuries old thanksgiving ritual in which folk gather to honour the slow return of the sun and bless the apple trees whose fruit are essential to the village ecosystem, not least the crumbles, juice and cider that sustains them throughout the year.

Shards of Light(uk)

The residents of Bucha, Ukraine, are rebuilding their city from the rubble after surviving the horrors of Russian occupation. A newly married couple, a schoolgirl, a city official, and an elderly housewife have all endured the painful experiences of war, yet they manage to hold onto hope and solidarity. But how do you rebuild in the wake of growing trauma, especially with war still raging in your country? As time hopes for a peaceful life fade, they must grapple with mounting tensions within their communities. Shot over a three-year period, the film is a follow-up to When Spring Came To Bucha, as five protagonists navigate the complex terrain of inner conflicts, trauma, and a longing for justice, posing questions about the future of a society at war.

Rescue Me: A Home 4 Spot(en)

This sweet and inspiring documentary explores the highs, lows and daily realities of running a dog rescue. It tells the story of Diana England, a retired nail-stylist, who started her own animal rescue in Las Vegas, A Home 4 Spot.

Luttes intimes(fr)

Flares(en)

After a near-death experience, a person floats in a mysterious space, gradually being reborn by reconnecting with the sensations of their body.

The Wind in the Wires(en)

This documentary recounts the history of modern aviation (primarily in Britain) from roughly 1900 until the inter-war period, using old monochrome footage of original aircraft, contemporary color footage of replica planes in flight as well as a number of photographs of famous aviators.

James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate(en)

Retrospective of the life and movie work of British actor James Mason. The documentary presents interview footage interspersed with some movie excerpts, mainly from his pre-hollywood period.

In the Grip of Gazprom(de)

The war in the Ukraine has changed the way many European countries view Russian politics. Suddenly it became clear how dependent countries had become on Russian gas imports for decades and what Vladimir Putin was up to. However, no country needs more gas than Germany. It was only after Russia's invasion of the Ukraine that the German government realized that Russia had long used gas as a weapon to impose its will on states. The instrument created for this purpose is the natural gas production company GAZPROM. So how did Germany become so dependent on Russian gas? The documentary shows how, over several decades and several changes of government, a broad alliance of politicians and business representatives did everything possible to secure Germany's energy supply with cheap Russian gas, while the Kremlin's foreign policy became increasingly aggressive and the warnings of experts went unheeded.

The Search for Alexander the Great(en)

Friends, contemporaries and even enemies of Alexander the Great gather in a tent to tell his tale through their eyes.

Chodorkowskis neue Freiheit(de)

Released from prison, former oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky expounds on his newfound freedom and complex relationship with Vladimir Putin.

Rescue Me: International(en)

In this moving and informative documentary, the rescue me team goes to the United Kingdom to exam a local home-grown cat rescue and a larger national organization.

The Strangers(xx)

On weekends or holidays, the Zhongli train station in Taiwan is always filled with migrant workers who moved to seek out better economic or living conditions. In 1949, millions of Chinese soldiers and civilians migrated to Taiwan; they are regarded as ‘displaced persons’. Yuan’s father was one of these immigrants, a refugee of the civil war, a stranger away from home. For The Strangers, Yuan uses a high-speed camera and a high-lumen spotlight to shoot from the moving passenger car through the window. As the camera captures the face of each person standing on the platform, these strangers transform into sculptures, frozen in time.

Prête-moi ton docteur(fr)

Rivers and Tides(en)

Portrait of Andy Goldsworthy, an artist whose specialty is ephemeral sculptures made from elements of nature.

Africa Unbottled(en)

Hosted by Val Kilmer, the documentary follows playwright Nicholas Ellenbogen as he travels to remote communities in six different African countries. In each community, the residents have taken an holistic and somewhat controversial approach to managed wildlife care.

The Story of "Scénario"(fr)

A final meeting with Jean-Luc Godard. This documentary shows the filmmaker preparing Scénario, his unfinished testamentary film, before closing with a moving scene: the final appearance of a genius driven to the very end by a love of cinema. Consists of Exposé du film annonce du film “Scénario” and Scenarios combined together for TV.

Satan Wants You(en)

The story of how the Satanic Panic of the 1980s was ignited by "Michelle Remembers", a memoir by psychiatrist and his patient. The book relied on recovered-memory therapy to uncover Michelle's abduction by baby-stealing Satanists.

My Father, Nour and I(nl)

After twenty years, Wiam Al Zabari starts a conversation with his father. Why did they flee from Iraq? Why was that never discussed? Will he be able to let go of the past and embrace a Dutch future?