Previously untold stories or new perspectives on the familiar - that's what our documentary films offer you this year. Tickets are available in advance up to and including 6 November and then at the venues!
Here is an overview (details and ticket purchase possible by clicking on the film title):
Russia vs. Lawyers (Masha Novikova DE/NL, 2023, 89 Min)
The Constitution of Russia guarantees the judicial protection of an individual’s rights and freedoms. But in reality, people who speak out against the state most often face a guilty verdict. The repressive machine is opposed by a team of human rights lawyers, who continue to work even in the conditions of darkness gathering over the country. A detailed documentary by Masha Novikova describes their everyday life and tells the stories of their clients.
Between Revolutions (Vlad Petri RO/HR/IR, 2023, 76 Min)
Masterfully edited found footage from Romania and Iran. Two countries, two very different revolutions, two very different kind of hopes and disappointments. In the center of this is the captivating correspondence between two students who share a friendship that transcends borders.
Voice of the Glacier (Yadykar Ibraimov Kasachstan, 2022, 80 Min)
It is well known that glaciers are melting due to the climate crisis, but how exactly does this happen? Impressively photographed, harrowing eco-thriller about the melting Tujuksu glacier in Kazakhstan - and the work of the scientists who document this process.
Bottlemen (Nemanja Vojinović UK/RS, 2023, 83 Min)
The huge Vinča landfill outside Belgrade, presumably a cradle of civilisation in ancient times, is now the workplace of plastic bottle collectors. Nemanja Vojinović's intense documentary, peppered with dystopian images, observes the daily work of the group of men, uncovers their hierarchy and social contradictions, and finds poetry where you least expect it.
Famine (Alexander Arkhangelsky, Maxim Kurnikov, Tatyana Sorokina RU, 2022, 76 Min)
In 1921/22, almost ten years before the Holodomor in Ukraine and the famine in Kazakhstan, an estimated five million people in the Soviet Union fell victim to food shortages. Several local employees of the international aid organizations were later targeted by the Soviet authorities as “foreign agents”. Crowdfunded documentary which was banned in Russia.
Johnny & Me - Eine Zeitreise mit John Heartfield (Katrin Rothe DE/AT/CH, 2023, 104 Min)
Plagued by a crisis of meaning in her life, graphic designer Stefanie stumbles through a magical time tunnel directly into the studio of photo collage pioneer John Heartfield and discovers the political power of art. A visually powerful journey through ideologies and contemporary history.