Films A-Z 2021

(I’m In Love With An) Astronaut – Long Tall Jefferson

Being locked down on planet earth seeking for extraterrestrial love, Long Tall Jefferson surrounds himself with an imaginary world. Adjusting antennas for long searched signals and preparing himself for a future departure. Awaiting for this day to come, he spends his time in a lovable solitude or as modern-day singles call it: playing Planet-Tinder.

Maximilian Speidel

303: Endless Night

A girl who stays on the bus from one end to the other. She is nauseated by the exhausting, repeated long journey and is haunted by mysterious visions caused by her negligent guardians. White shadows are stalking her. Experimental. A play.

Geena Jung

40 Nickels

An immigrant boy of the Depression Era soars above his families tragedies by fulfilling his dream of flying in an airplane.

Yasmin Gorenberg

A Machine to Live In

A Machine to Live In is a hybrid documentary linking the cosmic power structures of the state to the mystical architecture of cults and utopian cities in the distant hinterlands of Brazil. This “sci-fi” documentary provides a complex portrait of life, poetry, and myth set against the backdrop of the space-age city of Brasília and a flourishing landscape of UFO cults and transcendental spaces.

Yoni Goldstein

A Will To Dream

A former ballet star in the Philippines, Luther Perez surrendered his US Green Card to teach dance to underprivileged children and youth in urban poor districts in Quezon City. He wanted to continue the heroic work started by his close friend, Eddie Elejar, and late domestic partner, Tony Fabella, of empowering the marginalized through ballet. Filmed over five years, A WILL TO DREAM touches on issues of teenage pregnancy, illegal drugs, precarity of labour, and inconsistent governmental support in poverty alleviation. It movingly illustrates how dance when partnered with altruistic teaching has the power to possibly overcome these socio-economic inequities and political challenges.

Patrick Alcedo

A Woman Without Children

A single woman struggles to conceive a child before her biological clock rings out.

Cecilie Kronborg Thomsen

Agapito

Agapito is a vampire mosquito who lives with his family. Everyone likes to go to the cemetery tavern every night to drink shots of fresh blood, but all he cares about is music. He plays the trumpet and has always dreamed of playing in a real orchestra. One day, Agapito leaves the niche and travels far from home, where he meets the members of the musical group “La ChicaCharcos & The Katiuskas Band”. From that moment on, he will embark on an adventure that will lead him to stardom as a trumpeter.

Rafael Vidal Altabert, Julián Gómez Caballero

Annah la Javanaise

In 1893, a 13-year-old girl came to work for French painter Paul Gauguin as his maid and model. They called her Annah la Javanaise. This is a reimagining of her story.

Fatimah Tobing Rony

Aquarium

Two human beings, far one from the other, meet: the first and carefree day at the swimming pool, the last and dramatic step of a massacre’s plan.

Lorenzo Puntoni

Aska

Aska oversees the pilgrimage of two young sisters through the landscapes of Iceland in their quest to appease an ill-tempered volcano. Having trapped their mother’s spirit inside a box, they race against Nature’s decay and prepare to feed her to the Snake of Fire before he brings death upon their land.

Clara Milo

Bless me, Father

A man goes to the church in order to confess his last sin to an exasperated young priest.

Boubkar Benzabat

Bristling

Our bodies are hairy. But our relationship to body hair is ambivalent: we remove, trim, blow-dry, style and care for it lovingly. ‘bristling’ addresses the taboo and playfully portrays five people and the ways in which they deal with their bodily hair.

Marlen Schmid

Charon

Freshly retired, a man doesn't know how to occupy his days. For fear of being killed by boredom, he gets involved in the crazy project of building a boat in the cellar of his suburban house.

Yannick Karcher

Cheyenne

At a birthday party with friends, Thomas, a volunteer at the Sea Rescue Society, receives a call from the CROSS MED (Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue at Sea). Despite the insistence of his wife to stay at the party, Thomas goes on a rescue mission.

Gerard Corporon

Corral

Corral is a political drama that takes place in rural Brazil, in the city of Gravatá, where during the mayoral elections, the population is divided between the Blue and Red parties, which represent political oligarchies fighting for power. Due to a severe drought, water is the main bargaining chip to get votes from the population. Chico Caixa is a former city employee. He lost his job trying to take water supplies to a poor neighborhood, abandoned for political reasons. Caixa is invited by a childhood partner, Joel, to work on his councilor campaign. Joel presents himself as an alternative to the old candidates, who have been in power for decades. But as the campaign progresses, Chico Caixa soon realizes that breaking apart from the established political game is not always an easy alternative.

Marcelo Brennand

Dad’s Divorce

When Oscar and his sister receive the news of their parents' divorce, they have to do everything in their power to stop it from happening.

Jesper Sichlau

Dajla: cinema and oblivion

Life is going on in Dakhla, one of the Sahrawi refugee camps in southern Algeria, forgotten for 45 years. The celebration of a film festival, the Fisahara, breaks the monotony. The event ends, life (and oblivion) continues.

Arturo Dueñas Herrero

Do.Solo.Pin

A young single mother, Shahla, is the caregiver to an elderly who is suffering from chronic depression. The man's daughter lives overseas and Shahla video calls with her everyday to give her an update on her father's health. Shahla makes a difficult decision and will have to face the consequences.

Javad Atefeh

Dreams of Escape

In the near future, the influx of refugees is so massive that the government will have to set up centers in alternative locations to motivate refugees to voluntarily return home. Babak has had his asylum case rejected and has been sent to one of these new motivation centers with his 8-year-old son Ahmed. They have two choices, either to live there or travel voluntarily back to their home country. Since Babak does not see it as an option to return and the case can no longer be appealed, they end up in a limbo stage that has serious consequences for Ahmed's health.

Alexander Rahnami Mannstaedt

Fish Takes Off

The golden fish is dead. Gripped by her bad conscience, a young woman drives to Venice. Upon her arrival, she realizes that she mixed up two feelings. She begins a search through an empty city on a quest to find her lost emotion.

Deniz Cooper

Food for Change

Our plate is our most powerful weapon in fighting global warming and in protecting our planet. Today, our diets play a major role in the threats weighing on our planet. But alas, there is hope. Investigative journalist Benoît Bringer sets off on a global search for women and men who are inventing a new dietary model — one which respects both humankind and nature. This documentary sheds hope, showing us how we can each be a force for change and develop recipes for an economically viable dietary transition.

Benoît Bringer

From the Ground Up

In the semi-arid village of Malolo in Singida, Tanzania, Adija and her surrounding community rely on one water source, a single hole in the ground no larger than the size of an average puddle. From the Ground Up takes a look into Adija’s daily routine and provides a powerful understanding of the localized impact of the increasingly dire global water crisis.

Trent Zulkiewicz, Will Brenninkmeyer

Ghiaccio – Sweeping Lives

Val Pellice, Italy. A valley that is slowly depopulating and where hundreds of asylum seekers arrived to live. Amongst them are Kebba, James, Edward, Seedia, Lamin, and Joseph. Six African boys that share many things. They are running from conflicts and threats, and now find themselves waiting for a commission, that knows very little about them, to tell them if they are going to be embarked on a plane back to their countries of origin, or if, instead, they may have the chance to build a new life in Italy. They share the limbo in which they are forced to live, but also a common dream: the first ever curling team composed by asylum seekers.

Tomaso Clavarino

Guilty Love

Guilty Love is a song written by Ladyhawke and BROODS. Lula Cucchiara directed this music video and it was all shot in New Zealand.

Lula Cucchiara

Harusari

Pixelation and multi media MV compiled with 7340 long exposure photographs. Based on the concept of creating a manic roller coaster through a memory lane experience.

Hyun Hahn, Benji Jung

Haute Cuisine

Since Marie joined Bruno Mercier's restaurant, a multi-star chef, she only thinks to perfect her skills. But Thomas, the sous-chef, is wary of this possible rival. During a service, Mary cuts herself, letting a few drops of blood mix with her sauce. When Bruno tastes Marie's dish, he considers it perfect.

Merryl Roche

Havens

A boy and a girl live together in a stilt house, surrounded by a boundless expanse of water. Suspended in that place, they share words, a playful relationship, thoughts, and their different way of loving each other, as well as their research of solitude.

Elena Griggio

In Medias Rush

IN MEDIAS RUSH is a journey into the depths of a manic mind. A young man celebrates his birthday while thoughts are multiplying. With an unwilling foot on the accelerator he is heading over the edge.

Esben Persson

In the Soil

Karoline wakes up to find her father, Kjeld, sitting in their backyard. He is acting strangely. Kjeld has become obsessed by something and feels compelled to dig a deep pit in their backyard. Karoline feels frightened by her father’s behavior and doesn’t know what to do. Confused and paralyzed she becomes a spectator to her father’s new project. Kjeld manically starts by measuring how large the pit must be. He then goes to his garage to collect his tools and to prepare himself. Karoline tries her best to stay away but is suddenly drawn into her father’s obsession when he asks her to help him dig. Unwilling she agrees to help him. As the pit gets deeper Kjeld becomes more and more manic. At night Karoline begins to dream about the pit and her worry turns to fear when she realizes that the pit is a grave. Scared for what her father might do she tries the cover the grave but Kjeld stops her attempt. Karoline realizes that she can no longer help her father and decides to leave the next morning. As she is walking away Kjeld prepares the grave with sharp sticks. He climbs up a ladder and throws himself into the grave

Casper Rudolf Emil Kjeldsen

It’s So Charming

Silvia, who is pregnant, is at her parents in-law wedding anniversary, and she has been looking forward to it because its the first time she is meeting her boyfriend’s, Christian, side of the family. Though she quickly realises, that Christian has a horrible relationship with his father, Thorsten. Silvia and Christian had planned to announce the pregnancy, but can’t seem to find an appropriate time for it, due to the dysfunctional father-son relationship. Therefore Silvia decides to reconcile the 2 men, though this Is proving easier said than done. “It is so Lovely” is a comedy-drama, which the main theme is being able to set boundaries, even though there may not be an appropriate time for doing this.

Svend Colding

Kajanaqtuq

Inuk elder Naulaq LeDrew speaks about her home in Nunavut, Canada and how Inuit lifestyles have changed since her youth. Altered Super 8mm film footage of the region illustrates her account of historical events and Inuit mythology.

Ella Morton

Kitchen by Measure

After seeing his wife struggle with mundane tasks, the inventive Ingólfur gets hooked on the idea of building the perfect kitchen for her.

Sólrún Ylfa Ingimarsdóttir, Atli Arnarsson

Letting Go

Lah gah lets us dive into sunny childhood memories, when a girl is singing and cooking with her father. An intimate moment, so simple. But they’re swept along by the wafting mass of dough into the emotional depths of loss and disappearance; Helpless, the child is trying to grasp what is not tangible.

Cécile Brun

Lieve

Starting out as a home nurse, Lieve braves the windy weather on her moped to assist her elderly patients. She has a big heart and tries her hardest to fulfill the wishes of all her patients to the best of her abilities. The biggest challenge she now faces is learning to respect her own boundaries.

Vincent Groos

Lunar Maria

A household in the Tokyo area. Shizuko Yuzuki lives with Harue, the mother of her husband (Yutaka) who abandoned them five years ago. Harue has been suffering from dementia for three years and doesn't even remember Shizuko's name. Day after day, Harue wanders in search of the missing son, Yutaka. Shizuko spends her days caring for her ailing mother-in-law. One day, a burglary shakes the neighborhood.　The injured thief takes to hiding in the Yuzuki family’s house but is discovered by Shizuko. The thief presses his hand on Shizuko's mouth as she tries to scream. Shizuko desperately fights back. Harue approaches the two, unaware of the danger she’s facing… But the surprising words that leave her lips sets in motion a chain of events that will bring a ray of light into the Yuzuki household …

Koji Hagiuda

Milk of the Night

In Milk of the Night we follow the friends Selma and Josefine, who live together in Copenhagen. Selma plays the classical harp and struggles to return to everyday life after being admitted to the psychiatric ward, and Josefine dreams of breaking through as an actress, but is often struck by resistance or despair. The film explores their quest for meaning in life, and delves into the existential questions it entails. Through it all, they are young women with a great will and drive in life, who sometimes find it difficult to rest in the infinite presence of the present. Does perfection exist or are we as human beings on an eternal journey?

Lulu Roos

Now is Now

Szilvi makes a quick decision: she flees her wedding and jumps into a car of a taxi driver who took the day off. The driver by the way is planning to go to his own bachelor party in the evening. Petya, the driver tries to explain that he is not working, but Szilvi stifles his words. Petya is an easy-going, humorous guy, and at the same time a soulful person. He got bored of being a lawyer and started to drive as a living. The movie is their story. They travel around Budapest and it’s neighbourhood within a day.

Peter Szajki

Octopus

“Octopus” is a short film that follows 8 and 9 year-old best friends Ece and Efe on a hot, lazy summer day in Aegean seaside. Ece and Efe encounter different adults until they get tired of being pushed around and make a plan to prove themselves. But they are not aware of the price that they will have to pay for it.

Engin Erden

Paradigm

A dinner party turns deadly when long-held secrets surface, entwining two couples in a web of deceit, greed, and betrayal where no one is who they seem to be.

Rain

‘The Rain’ is a simple animated film on collective consciousness. It talks about how no accountability for our actions pushes us to thoughtlessly follow the crowd, which may lead to a tragedy. The film also depicts a struggle of an individual with collective hypnosis and its consequences for both the individual and the crowd.

Piotr Milczarek

Roqaia

After surviving a suicide bomb attack, 12-year-old Roqaia finds herself in the middle of a media frenzy, as she deals with her trauma all by herself.

Diana Saqeb Jamal

Safe Space

It’s 1979. Police corruption is rife. Whistleblower – Witness 451 – has some potentially devastating information to drop. In the interrogation room lead detectives Landy and Michaels unleash a finely engineered routine to ensure that doesn’t happen…

Jake Robb

Sekuritas

The Studer&Sons office complex has never been special, or even produced anything of any interest or significance. But now, shortly before it is set to be demolished, the building expresses one last wish… a LOVE STORY, one that centers around notions of desire and security, and a little melody that runs through the entire fabric of the building. So when darkness descends and everything falls silent, the routine lives of those within its walls sparkle like fairytales, paving the way for intimate chance encounters to unfold.

Carmen Stadler

Skilleveien

Skilleveien is a Danish-Norweigian youth drama about a friendship challenged by individual change and a mysterious cult-like spiritual retreat. It follows Matias, who must fight to save his friendship with his best friend Janus, and keep him from falling into the hands of the peculiar spiritual guide, Joakim, as well as their odd rituals and ceremonies. Skilleveien is a story about love, the fear of change and acceptance.

Peter Bjerre Salling

Song Sparrow

“Song Sparrow is about immigration. People of different color and race and culture, old and young, embark on journeys, eager to find some place they can call home, or just some place they can live in. Many brave perils more formidable than the ones they ran for in the first place. It is not always weathering storms till and onto shores of calm and prosperity; many a time storms keep them company on and off shores. They dream of better lives while in reality having little choice. It is about a real event which happened in Austria in August 2015, where flesh and bone of human and animal become intermingled. This short movie may inspire the viewer to ask: is it better to go or stay, or more accurately: is it worse to stay than to go? Is a large chunk of humanity entrapped by events befallen their lands many centuries before they were even born? Song Sparrow uses dolls to pose these questions. It is no less disturbing even though dolls have no life in them. But an attempt is made to show the situation faced by those that have no choice but to put their lives in peril to escape perils of staying, and to trade staying within chaos for a chaotic escape.

Farzaneh Omidvarnia

Songs of Rage and Longing

Scammed out of all of his money, a bohemian middle-aged Italian songwriter, emigrated to NYC to realize his American Dream, faces eviction. Ashamed of his many failures, he pulls a dangerous swindle to spend one last vacation with his little daughter in the Big Apple.

Susurrus

Susurrus is a metaphysical journey through the Eastern European border seen through the eyes of three women. Kasia seeks healing after a car accident. Weronika, observator and director tries to find her lost spirituality. Immersed in the unknown world of Podlasie’s rituals, they get to Hanna, an 80 year old folk healer, called by locals the Whisperer. Working with human fears and hopes, Hanna oscillates on the border of two spiritualities, combining the forgotten elements of faith. The ancient forests, pagan sculptures and resonating sounds of forgotten villages reflect a vanishing world of deeply rooted beliefs. Will the meeting of the three women be what they had expected?

Weronika Frycz

The Battle of Shangri-lá

João searches for his biological mother who abandoned him almost over 40 years ago. In a physical and emotional journey, through a deep Brazil, little by little, this woman’s past comes to light and João’s convictions and prejudices break taboos. The proximity between mother and son is intense, painful, and fierce, bringing up anguishes and revelations which will affect both their lives forever.

Severino Neto and Rafael de Carvalho

The Honey Makers

1984, North London. Arjun and Lalita, Indian immigrants from Uganda, hardworking and prosperous, create a home in the face of mounting resentment. Will they forever be outsiders forcibly removed like the industrious hive of bees looking for their own piece of England in Arjun and Lalita’s garden?

Jeneffa Soldatic

The Night It Rained

After losing his scholarship, a queer college student makes a life-altering decision in his hopes to stay enrolled. Set in San Francisco, The Night It Rained depicts the experiences of a queer, college student named Malachi. He is determined to stay enrolled in his college’s program and turns to sex work as a way to make money while having greater control over his daily schedule. Unfortunately, the demands of college prove more difficult than he expects and Malachi loses his scholarship due to sustained poor academic performance. The stress of losing his scholarship pushes him further into sex work, and in riskier entanglements. After reaching his breaking point, Malachi finally makes a vulnerable call home.

Lamont Lamar

The Remandee

William has been remanded for 2 years in Lusaka Central Prison, awaiting conviction in a case in which he is charged with car theft and murder. After losing touch with his wife and daughter six months ago, he is now deeply concerned about his daughter’s safety. Prison counselor Hastings arranges a meeting between William and his wife Mutinta. She has secretly remarried, but William is convinced that true love never fades away and tries to win her back. Given his undecided fate in prison and the uncertainty of his future William is eventually forced to make a tough decision: choosing between a tempting secret affair with his ex-wife that sets her new marriage and the daughter's wellbeing at risk or the safety of their child.

Alexander Lind, Jakob Jakobsen

The Saverini Widow

Bonifacio 1883, extreme south of Corsica. The widow of the late Saverini lives in an isolated house near the cliffs, with her only son Antoine, and her dog. During the day, she assists women giving birth in town. One night her son is killed in a clash. The murderer flees to Sardinia. Her world falls to pieces…

Loïc Gaillard

The Seeker

Isabela is the daughter of a powerful politician and grew up in a context of perks and luxury. In her process of maturity, Isabela falls in love with Giovani, founder of a community that preaches sustainability and free love, and, fascinated by a different world logic, abandon everything she had in an attempt to build a different life. It is Father's Day and Isabela does not visit her family for four years. In an attempt to reconnect, she decides to introduce Giovani to her parents and brother, but what she did not expect is that back home she would find out that her father is involved in one of the biggest corruption scandals ever recorded in Brazil. There will be no other possibility but to face and recognize the ghosts of her past.

Bernardo Barreto

To See El Aaiun

The film takes us to the refugee camps set in the depths of the Algerian desert, where the Saharawi people have been dwelling in miserable conditions for over 40 years. In 1975, the Spanish colonisers left their homeland Western Sahara, however their territory was invaded by Morocco and Mauritania soon after. Until today Western Sahara remains a disputed territory. Camps turned into settlements, named after towns in Western Sahara. One of them is called El Aaiun. Inside the camps, there are rows of dusty houses, tents and streets, the scene mostly devoid of people. The sun is at its highest point and it feels blistering hot with the sound of the desert in the back. Two Slovenian photographers enter the scene and set up their portable studio in one of the camps. The refugees have their portraits taken. They are chosen from different generations and social backgrounds. They speak of struggles against the colonial rule, fighting against the invading forces, war crimes, setting up the camps, their eternal exile in Algeria and of situation they face today. Testimonies are entwined with footage showing the daily lives of Saharawi people, and their endeavours to maintain their cultural identity. The film ends in one of Ljubljana’s galleries with the exhibition of the Saharawi’s portraits. As the camera focuses on one of the portraits we are still able to hear their voices: “We wish you could understand the tragedy that is our life”.

Erik Valenčič

Tom Has a Plant

Tom has a plant, he just wants to give away to the one he loves.

Thinh Nguyen

Uprooted

Robin is a recluse who prefers nature and solitude to the comforts and companionship of civilization. Her lifestyle reflects her resourcefulness: stolen food, a shelter crafted from salvaged materials, decorated with found treasures. One winter day, a logging operation launches nearby, and the forest that was her salvation is threatened by the encroachment of civilization. To avoid discovery, Robin must flee home with only the bare essentials, trading her painstakingly earned contentment for the uncertainty of displacement. Uprooted centers on one individual who has chosen to opt out of society. Through focus upon the small details of her life, we find a character whose challenges reflect larger societal issues. Robin’s journey speaks to the near impossibility of escaping societal expectation, and the unseen casualties of careless modern civilization.

Hillia Aho

Vindication for Albino Zebras

2046, male fertility is extinct. A young couple wants to buy a « revolutionnary » low-cost baby.

Guillaume Talvas

We Are All on the Same Bus

We are all on the same bus, but some of us are more awake than others. If we consider Einstein's space-time concept, we end up with an object where everything that happened and everything that will happen, is understood inside. Through it, we are driven by a vehicle, let's call a bus, completely autonomous, that goes in a single direction, to the front, and has a single window, the rear. This vehicle, astronomer Arthur Eddington called The Arrow of Time. This idea, although depressingly deterministic, is difficult to ignore in view of the already proven plasticity of time, even when we consider Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, where the act of observing something, alters its result. A concept that does not invalidate a deterministic Universe, rather, allows the Interpretation of Many Worlds by Hugh Everett, also known as Multiverse.

Nuno Serrão

We Are Zama Zama

In the ruins of the world’s deepest gold mines, and against the backdrop of South Africa’s transition to democracy, illegal migrants scavenge for the remainders of fortune. Following the lives of three miners, as they make their perilous journeys in the airless tunnels below ground and in the labyrinth of illegality above ground, 'We are Zama Zama' is the culmination of four years of collaborative filmmaking: an immersive, emotionally gripping story of risk and survival. This feature documentary is also linked to 'The Zama Zama Project,' a multi-format installation comprised of short films that has been selected for the Berlinale Forum Expanded 2021.

Rosalind Morris

Welcome To My Parents’ House

You're on a date, you're hitting it off, it's time to bring them back home with you, but you're still living with your parents… Time to really, really play it cool.

Simon Macko

Where To?

One night, Oum Georges, leaves her daughter's house. In her head, soon is winter, in the streets of Lebanon it's still summer. The sun rises, Oum Georges is lost.

Robine Nachar

Wings of the Spirit

The failed Viennese musicologist Szabo works as an animal carer and house sitter for wealthy people. But when visited by his successful, younger ex-colleague Fitzthum, a rare parrot, which he should guard, escapes him. Szabo sees his already precarious life in shambles, but Fitzthum has a brilliant idea and together they go out in search of a doppelganger of the precious animal.

Albert Meisl

Yusef y Ramiro

Among the colourful and crumbling Baroque facades of Havana’s old town, a group of young boys bet cigar cards on which of them can race to the street corner the quickest. One of them is Yusef Fernandez Perez. And for him, running would become the defining narrative of his life. Despite family tragedy, a life-changing accident, and the need to support his passion with a string of side jobs, Yusef would continue to race. In a chance meeting in 2019, photographer & director Bas van Est found Yusef and his long-time trainer, Ramiro, preparing for the biggest moment of their lives as they looked to qualify for Tokyo 2020.

Bas van Est