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"a welcome home for curated non-fiction from around the world" - Sight and Sound

True Story is a streaming platform dedicated to the the art of documentary storytelling.

Helena Třeštíková: A Moment in Time Lapse

We're excited to present this collection 'A Momement in Time-Lapse', dedicated to the work of Czech filmmaker Helena Třeštíková, who has spent over 40 years making what she calls 'time-lapse documentaries', a long-form, longitudinal form of filmmaking, which often sees Třeštíková spending many years with those she films.

Třeštíková describes that "the purpose of a time-lapse film is to offer the audience an expanded experience of the world and to offer the protagonists such an interpretation of their lives, which they could accept as their true life stories."

All of Helena's films are made in the Czech Republic, chronicling ordinary lives, capturing their extraordinary moments.

Sami's Odysseys

In Ethiopia’s labyrinthine capital Addis Ababa, Sami spent long 19 years to translate Greek and Roman myths on an ancient laptop to Amharic, the Ethiopian official language. Director follows a man pursuing his inexplicable dreams in the service of literature. After years of solitary labor, will he succeed in getting his manuscript published in modern-day Ethiopia? A true bibliophile’s gem of a film.

“a reflection on the very human desire to contribute something to one’s society, to live a life that leaves something behind.” - African is a Country

Stuntwomen

Being thrown down a flight of stairs, hit by a car or beaten up is the everyday life for stuntwomen. We follow Virginie, Petra and Estelle during training sessions and on film sets in France and the US. What does all this pretend-violence do to their bodies and minds? There is always a trade-off between the desire to perform as realistically as possible and their own boundaries. Scenes with cars are spectacular, but the roles in which they are beaten up are much harder to watch. Few action movies have female heroes so they usually play the role of victims. Stuntwomen are hired to endure violence, while the task of their male colleagues is to inflict it.

"Elena Avdija’s revelatory and nuanced documentary shines a light on the incredibly brave performers who face physical and emotional battles on and off screen" - Guardian

Dor (Longing)

A young man returns to his native Romania to make a fresh start as a shepherd. Jannes Callens' film moves at the same pace as a pasture crossing, between expedition, pause and contemplation. Striking images of this profession merge with existential considerations. How can you guide a flock when you're a little lost yourself?

"A cinematic and existential encounter" - Ann Arbor Film Festival

Boylesque

A bittersweet story about living life to the fullest, dis- regarding one’s age and refusing to conform to social norms. Queer performer Lulla La Polaca hasn’t given up on finding love, though his eighty-year-old body and a world that would like to label him as a senior citizen, sometimes can’t keep up with his desires.

"Still sorely underexplored on screen, the autumnal years of queer life are vibrantly explored in Bogna Kowalczyk’s lively and moving portrait of 82-year-old drag artist Andrzej Szwan, who goes by the name Lulla La Polaca on stage." - Guardian

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