FILMMAKERS TALKS

In the Same Breath

When the virus started taking lives by the hundred-thousands, the Chinese and later American authorities insisted: “there is no reason for concern.” Using rare on-the-ground footage from China, the filmmaker, who had witnessed the horror firsthand, asks: where, if at all, can citizens believe their leaders?

By the Throat

From biblical times to the 21st century, the way we pronounce words has been used to tell friend from foe and decide who gets welcomed and sheltered—and who gets left out. How clear are the vocal borders between us, and how much of this reality is determined by politics?

The Filmmaker's House

The investors would rather see him direct a show about serial killers, but Marc Isaacs prefers to film a small-scale film about simple people. The plot thickens when a group of odd strangers gathers in his home. Then, in a second plot twist, the camera pulls back to reveal an unexpected truth.

Gunda

Gunda and her little ones have a complex and heartwarming emotional life. Director Victor Kossakovsky (Aquarela) follows Gunda the sow and her newborn piglets as they explore the world. Filmed without commentary in stunning black and white, the piglets display the qualities of real stars.

Life of Ivanna

Ivanna was born in the Arctic tundra. She dreamed of becoming a dancer but got pregnant at 15 and now raises five children in a trailer on an ice flat. The film follows her through four years of impressive personal growth as she finds independence.

Dayton Diaries

The glorious history of Dayton, Ohio, did not protect it from the great epidemic—the opioid plague. Shimon Dotan explores the city, gets to know its people, hears their stories, and patiently weaves them into a deep, compassionate portrayal of a crumbling city.

Inside the Red Brick Wall

The underground Collective of Hong Kong Documentary Filmmakers covered the 2019 student protests from an unusual angle: they joined the protesters, marched shoulder to shoulder with them and spent tense weeks trapped beside them under a police siege, oscillating between hope and despair.

Searchers

How does one find love in a catalog? Pacho Velez (The American Sector, Manakamana) joins a diverse set of New Yorkers searching for their special someone on dating apps and websites. It's a bumpy ride, but they refuse to give up their dream.

Notturno

Gianfranco Rosi (Fire at Sea) spent three years filming in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Kurdistan. His beautiful film exposes the human core shared by people and places that have been shaped by war.

President

The 2018 elections in Zimbabwe were supposed to be fair and transparent. Camilla Nielsson (Democrats) joins Nelson Chamisa, the candidate who dares to run against the acting president, on a long and perilous road as he tries to expose election fraud.

Sabaya

Thousands of Yezidi women and girls taken by ISIS are still held captive in a Syrian refugee camp. Brave men and women risk their lives trying to save them. Even after a successful secret rescue operation, the freed "Sabaya" have a long road ahead of them: the road to recovery.

Silent Voice

Khavaj cannot speak. He fled Chechnya when his brother, having found out that Khavaj was gay, threatened to murder him. His mother keeps leaving him tormented voicemail messages, but there is nothing he can do—to start anew, he must break away from his past completely.

Skies Above Hebron

Amer, Anas, and Marwaan, three Palestinian boys, are fenced in—surrounded by military checkpoints, armed soldiers, and hostile Israeli settlers. Only their pigeons have freedom there, freedom to fly away. The film follows the boys for five formative years. What lives do they dream of living?