Offering an unmediated view of reality under Israeli occupation, the film is a series of vignettes about Palestinian daily life governed by state violence and the whims of Israeli settlers. It is a story of a vulnerable life, where your only defence is the camera.
"a bold act of defiance – and a strident call for solidarity." - Take One Action
(not available in USA/Canada, sorry).
Barzakh is the story of the survival of a group of kids trapped between two worlds; Morocco, the hell they think they are running away from, and Europe, the Paradise they expect to find. They walk alone, unaccompanied, that is why they seek shelter in the caves by the sea and night is their playground. While they wait to be men, they are brothers, most loyal partners, as they wander through life waiting for things to change.
★★★ "Shot entirely at night on the coastline of Melilla, which turns otherworldly once darkness falls, the film observes, often from a distance, young and undocumented Moroccan boys who are waiting and hoping to cross to Europe.....a poignant watch, highlighting the psychological and physical toll of border crossing." - The Guardian
Don Orione is a neighbourhood in Buenos Aires where crime is part of everyday life. Toia Bonino’s documentary is about Ale, who after a short life of petty thievery, was shot by police at the age of 24, having been turned in by a friend. His story is told in voiceover by his mother whilst she makes a cake in her apartment, we never see her face, only her busy hands. Combined with testimonies from his friends, and home video footage, Bonino’s film places the viewer in a land of contradictions, challenging us to face what we would rather not see.
"A unique and memorable approach to documentary." - Little White Lies
Cielo is a cinematic reverie on the crazy beauty of the night sky, as experienced in the Atacama Desert, Chile, one of the best places on our planet to explore and contemplate its splendour. Director Alison McAlpine’s sublime nonfiction film drifts between science and spirituality, the arid land, desert shores and lush galaxies, expanding the limits of our earthling imaginations.
“A rapturous act of cinematic contemplation....This majestic movie… looks up in order to look within.” Variety
In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Indira dreams of elsewhere. In France, Mehdina strives to find her place. Whilst the adults seem to be fighting windmills, the kids grow up in a world of their own with ten-year-old Hasan blissfully wandering on the path of Armstrong and travelling into space.
"filled with cinematic magic - instilling a sense of hope as well as the importance to share and understand each other within such times of mass migration, population growth, expansion and unsteady politics" - Aesthetica
