Rumba Rules, New Genealogies
Permeating the daily life of one of the great orchestras of the current generation, Rumba Rules proposes an incursion into the mysteries of a monumental African music. Ya Mayi, Lumumba, Xéna La Guerrière, Pitchou Travolta, Alfred Solo, Soleil Patron and many others: nearly thirty artists feed the creative life of the Brigade Sarbati Orchestra. By entering the group and the city of Kinshasa, the film gets into the rumba as if it were penetrating a rootstock.
"offers an enjoyable, rough-edged glimpse into the music scene of Kinshasa...Here, music is a connective force generated by creativity and raw energy." - IDFA
Swing and Sway
The year in which everything radically changed, where real and invisible borders took on another dimension, is the root of a filmic provocation. Two girlfriends, separated by the north and south hemispheres of America, intend to dance in the tumult of images, violence, frustrations and desires. They do it through a game where registering themselves and the women around them enables a dialogue that becomes real and vivid, as an encounter and a hug determined to resist the distance.
"creating a feminist haven amid the rise of rightwing politics...a beguiling pandemic time capsule." - Guardian
Khan's Flesh
The priest's ear recognises the sins of the parishioners. The heartbeat of the foetus is monitored. Workers leaving factory. Khan’s Flesh shows the everyday life of a small town in Belarus as choreographies within stage-like images. The inhabitants move and position their bodies depending on the situation and according to their social and professional status. A skeleton of norms, rules and role models, completed with the bodies of active citizens, becomes a vital structure whose components alternatingly discipline themselves through mutual control, praise and punishment.
Considering the complex sociopolitics of the region, this representation of community and geographical identity is much more fragile than it seems, and should not be taken for granted." - Guardian
Last Days at Sea
12-year-old Reyboy lives in Karihatag, an isolated fishing village in the south of the Philippines. Every morning, the men set out to sea. Their daily catch is shared upon their return and the area close to the shore has been turned into an ecological safe haven for fish. In Karihatag, every boy grows up to become a fisherman. However, when the first rain falls, Reyboy will leave for the city to study.
"a monument to the childhood years of a boy leaving for a better future—to take one step closer to the planets" - IDFA
Tonight's Homework
The initial idea for Tonight’s Homework (Masgh-e Emshab) was based on Abbas Kiarostami’s film Homework (Mashgh-e Shab). The intention was to find out whether after three decades, students and parents are still faced with the challenge of homework, meaning assignments intended to be done at home. In this film we meet children who due to their living context have life experiences that are significantly different from their peers; children who try to develop their talents and capabilities despite great difficulties. Alongside the film’s main topic, the directors also present a parallel comparison to Abbas Kiarostami’s film, in order to present their research within a deeper context.
"Abbas Kiarostami's trailblazing 'Homework' (1989) gets a brilliant update in a documentary that is equal parts hilarious and saddening in its portrayal of Iranian schoolkids." - The Film Verdict