Detail

Biegen und Brechen

Make or Break

Mike Plitt / Falk Schuster // Germany // 2022 // 08:06 min

Animation, Documentary, Experimental

Alex tells of his childhood in the GDR: how he was taken from his mother after she criticised the regime, his attempts to escape from children's homes and subsequent efforts to break him in a reformatory, using violence. [CW: violence, sexual violence]

Black Youth

Isaac Martinez // Germany // 2023 // 04:03 min

Documentary, Experimental, Commercial Work

The poetic, subjective narrative in "Black Youth" treats the discriminating hurdles that Black men must overcome in becoming adults. Surrounded by oppressive whiteness, as far as the eye can see, yet not without power.

Crossing the Blue

Victoria Aleksanyan // Netherlands, Armenia, United States // 2022 // 12:09 min

Animation

Anoush fled Armenia and her violent husband years ago – now, facing deportation, she has to return. A compelling film about the inhumanity of forced repatriation. [CW: physical and psychological violence]

Engar madaram geriste bud aan shab

As If Mother Cried That Night

Hoda Taheri // Germany // 2023 // 19:00 min

Live Action

Desperate in their attempts to gain asylum in Germany, an Iranian couple sets off down a drastic path: maybe they will be able to stay if the wife has a child with a white German man. Is the price they pay for this too high?

Flores del otro patio

Flowers from the Other Patio

Jorge Cadena // Colombia, Switzerland // 2022 // 15:20 min

Live Action

A portrait of queer activists in Northern Colombia: in extravagant performative actions, they call out the disastrous exploitation practiced by the country's largest coalmine. The outfits rate a solid 10/10. [CW: queerphobia, physical violence]

Fünfzehn Minuten

Fifteen Minutes

Sejad Ademaj // Germany // 2022 // 13:05 min

Live Action

Jasmina wants to go on the class trip but her immigration status won't allow it. The doorbell rings: her boyfriend, she thinks, but it's the cops instead, declaring she and her family have to leave Germany in 15 minutes. [CW: police violence, suicide]

Granica

Joshua Neubert // Germany // 2022 // 19:45 min

Live Action

Oliwia tries to help refugees in the highly militarised area between Poland and Belarus by placing food at the edge of the forest. When injured Hamid appears, she finds herself confronted with an inhumane system. [CW: physical violence]

La valise rouge

The Red Suitcase

Cyrus Neshvad // Luxembourg // 2022 // 17:38 min

Live Action

A 16-year-old arrives in Luxemburg – alone – for an arranged marriage. She shows great bravery, refusing to exit the airport's security zone. For, beyond its boundaries, her forced "fiancée" awaits. [CW: psychological violence]

Le Vide

The Void

Mandana Ferdos // France // 2023 // 16:06 min

Documentary

In memories, we stroll through Paris, through Iran, over beaches, through the night. A highly personal journey treating female servitude in one's homeland, isolation during the pandemic, and the disappearance of cinema. [CW: suicide, self harm, femicide and misogyny]

I Was Never Really Here

Gabriel Bihina Arrahnio // Germany // 2022 // 22:51 min

Live Action

Summery and light, a tragic love story begins between two young men from Ghana. Sam has lived a while in Germany with his mom, Kwesi and his mom are waiting for residency permits. Together they can escape for a moment.

Margarethe 89

Lucas Malbrun // France // 2023 // 18:00 min

Animation

Leipzig 1989, shortly before the collapse of the Eastern Bloc: Margarethe rebels against the East German regime and ends up in a psychiatric clinic. Though revolution is in the air, the secret police are more present than ever. [CW: psychological violence]

O Gündür Bu Gündür Uçuyorum

Ever Since, I Have Been Flying

Aylin Gökmen // Switzerland // 2023 // 18:30 min

Documentary

Vakıf, a Kurdish man who grew up in a nomadic tribe in the mountains of southeast Turkey, recalls moments from his youth that have shaped his life – memories that include his mother, first love, and mistreatment by the police. [CW: torture]

Ours

Morgane Frund // Switzerland // 2022 // 19:06 min

Documentary

Editing footage for a project, a female director discovers that bears were not the only protagonists the amateur cameraman has recorded. A discussion about the power of the male gaze ensues. [CW: sexism, sexualized violence, and voyeurism]

Warm

Masego Lynia / Alfie Barker // England // 2022 // 12:28 min

Live Action

A mother and her kids flee and take refuge in a swimming pool, where they find a sense of freedom after hours. But that can only work for so long, and soon the family is forced to trust a stranger. Based on a true story.

Yellow

Elham Ehsas // Afghanistan, England // 2023 // 12:49 min

Live Action

In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Laili enters a Kabul boutique to buy her first chadari. It quickly becomes evident that her "decision" to don the veil is the result of coercion.