Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within(2025)

Mataperra(es)

Yelda del Carmen leaves her Cuban homeland for Montreal, where she must rebuild her dance career from scratch. Before fully dedicating herself to dance, however, she returns to Cuba to embark on a unique climbing adventure. Her goal is to leave an indelible mark on history by becoming the first Cuban woman to complete three legendary ascents.

Liyana(en)

A talented group of orphaned children in Swaziland create a fictional heroine and send her on a dangerous quest.

Radical Self Acceptance(en)

We are living in the time of a heteronormative society that antagonizes Queer people for their Being-ness. In Africa, it is believed that we are un-African to Proudly be Our LGBTQIA+ selves. In this short documentary, we share with you researched origins of modern homophobia and queerphobia, while exposing hidden truths about the English bible. The short is a testament to the harmful effects of colonialism and the dangers of religious indoctrination. This film offers audiences the opportunity to question what we have been told to believe is true about queer people.

John Holmes: The Man, the Myth, the Legend(en)

A fine documentary that details the sordid life of 1970s pornographic actor John Holmes, from the stories of his fellow actors, his ex-wives, and directors. Clips of his work are shown and insight on what made the man tick are given. Despite all his flaws, you can't help but admire him for what he was.

Aimé Césaire, un Nègre fondamental(fr)

Memory Books(en)

In Uganda, AIDS-infected mothers have begun writing what they call Memory Books for their children. Aware of the illness, it is a way for the family to come to terms with the inevitable death that it faces. Hopelessness and desperation are confronted through the collaborative effort of remembering and recording, a process that inspires unexpected strength and even solace in the face of death.

The Salt Mines(en)

Explores the lives of Sara, Gigi and Giovanna, three Latino transvestites who for years have lived on the streets of Manhattan supporting their drug addictions through prostitution. They made their temporary home inside broken garbage trucks that the Sanitation Department keeps next to the salt deposits used in the winter to melt the snow. The three friends share the place known as "The Salt Mines".

The Transformation(en)

Ricardo was once Sara, a homeless HIV positive transvestite, living in the underbelly of Manhattan. Today he is a churchgoing, married man, "saved" by a Dallas ministry. He has renounced his homosexuality, but is his conversion complete? Susana Aiken and Carlos Aparicio offer an intimate look at Ricardo's transformation.

Madonna: Truth or Dare(en)

From the rains of Japan, through threats of arrest for 'public indecency' in Canada, and a birthday tribute to her father in Detroit, this documentary follows Madonna on her 1990 'Blond Ambition' concert tour. Filmed in black and white, with the concert pieces in glittering MTV color, it is an intimate look at the work of the icon, from a prayer circle before each performance to bed games with the dance troupe afterwards.

L'Afrique rêvée Senegal(fr)

Pfui, Rosa!(de)

German iconoclast filmmaker and gay-rights activist Rosa vonPraunheim examines his own life and career in the documentary Phooey Rosa! With a quickly paced editing style, the film is a mix of personal banter, candid interviews, and clips from his filmography. It also includes footage from his early film Bed Sausage to his later work Neurosia. At the age of 60, vonPraunheim reveals intimate details about his past relationships and his childhood growing up after WWII. He also implicates some of his friends and inspirations, including Luzi Kryn and Rainer Kranach.

The Hunters(en)

An ethnographic documentary following four Ju/’hoansi (!Kung) men during a multi-day giraffe hunt in the Kalahari Desert, filmed during the Smithsonian–Harvard Peabody expedition of 1952–53.

How Can You Stay In The House All Day And Not Go Anywhere?(en)

A multimedia performance including film, live narration and dance, How Can You Stay in the House All Day and Not Go Anywhere? explores loss and transcendence experienced in human partnerships. Reflecting on his relationship with 102-year-old former sharecropper, carpenter and gardener Walter Carter as well as Andrei Tarkovsky’s science fiction classic, Solaris, Lemon and 6 dancers create a performance which arcs from turbulent physicality to restorative grace.

Der lange Weg ans Licht(de)

Edeltraut Hertel - a midwife caught between two worlds. She has been working as a midwife in a small village near Chemnitz for almost 20 years, supporting expectant mothers before, during and after the birth of their offspring. However, working as a midwife brings with it social problems such as a decline in birth rates and migration from the provinces. Competition for babies between birthing centers has become fierce, particularly in financial terms. Obstetrics in Tanzania, Africa, Edeltraud's second place of work, is completely different. Here, the midwife not only delivers babies, she also trains successors, carries out educational and development work and struggles with the country's cultural and social problems.

I Will Dance(en)

Follows the young people of Selma, Alabama's RATCo (Random Acts of Theatre Company) as they journey to New York City to share their story of hope, resilience, and overcoming.

Something to Call Our Own(en)

"Something to Call Our Own" is a compelling documentary that delves into the origins, obstacles, and evolution of modern CHamoru dance. From the small island of Guam to the international stage of FestPAC, the documentary showcases the inspiring story of cultural revival, resilience, and the ongoing journey to reclaim and preserve a tradition that belongs to the CHamoru people. Once silenced by colonization, the CHamoru people rise—through song, chant, and dance. At the heart of this revival stands Master Frank Rabon, who dared to reimagine a lost tradition, giving it back to the generations who longed for it. From the shores of Guam to the world stage of FestPAC the CHamoru people reclaim their identity, their language, their pride. Through every movement, there’s a dance and with every dance they declare: We are still here and this is Something to Call Our Own.

Return of a President(en)

In a fascinating geopolitical drama, Danish filmmaker Mik-Meyer closely follows Ravalomanana as he attempts to return from exile in South Africa to Madagascar, under the threat of arrest and bodily harm.

Rize(en)

A documentary film that highlights two street derived dance styles, Clowning and Krumping, that came out of the low income neighborhoods of L.A.. Director David LaChapelle interviews each dance crew about how their unique dances evolved. A new and positive activity away from the drugs, guns, and gangs that ruled their neighborhood. A raw film about a growing sub-culture movements in America.

Thus Spake Vanga(bg)

А film about the world-famous prophetess Vanga with unique, hitherto unseen shots, in which she is the main character and in which she speaks only, sharing how the gift of seeing into the future overshadowed her, what miracles she witnessed in her long life. Vanga meets the tragic fates of different people, to whom she inspires faith and comfort. At the same time, with her own funds, she built the church "St. Petka" in Rupite, painted by the artist Svetlin Russev. The film was shot for years until the last days of the prophetess, leaving it to mature in the minds of the authors and is dramatically meaningful with the attitude towards it and with today's view of the presented events.

Algeria in Flames(ar)

These are the first images shot in the ALN maquis, camera in hand, at the end of 1956 and in 1957. These war images taken in the Aurès-Nementchas are intended to be the basis of a dialogue between French and Algerians for peace in Algeria, by demonstrating the existence of an armed organization close to the people. Three versions of Algeria in Flames are produced: French, German and Arabic. From the end of the editing, the film circulates without any cuts throughout the world, except in France where the first screening takes place in the occupied Sorbonne in 1968. Certain images of the film have circulated and are found in films, in particular Algerian films. Because of the excitement caused by this film, he was forced to go into hiding for 25 months. After the declaration of independence, he founded the first Algerian Audiovisual Center.