There are jobs without which society would not function. Who are those caretakers, the people who keep everyday life going, who keep the homes clean, provide food, and make it possible for the rest of us to live and work comfortably even during a pandemic? A tender yet radical tale of those who make sure society's basics keep working even in time of crises; proudly and pragmatically told by themselves. …

Chea Samy was a renowned soloist in Cambodia’s royal dance ensemble in the 1930s—and Pol Pot’s foster mother. After marrying his older brother, she raised him as her own until he vanished into the underground. In 1975, like millions of Cambodians, she was forced into labor, only realizing years later that the boy she raised was the Khmer Rouge leader. One of the few dancers to survive, she returned …

The “Bossales” were the African slaves who won the Haitian war of independence. This term now qualifies as a rebellious person, like the protagonists of the film. Charlotte, a human rights defender, Foukifoura, a satirical columnist, Edris, a filmmaker of the insurrection, Michou, a worker struggling to survive, Ramoncite, an enigmatic voodoo priest. In the nowadays explosive social situation, they …

In a mysterious and surreal interzone somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg, the lives of multiple characters interweave with each other in surprising and mysterious ways. Gradeschoolers Negin and Nazgol find a sum of money frozen in the winter ice and try to claim it. Meanwhile, Massoud leads a group of increasingly-befuddled tourists through the monuments and historic sites of Winnipeg. Matthew …

In Chile’s Tierra del Fuego, “Toto” has spent 40 years hand-mining for gold in brutal conditions; after a stroke and with no social security, he still can’t stop. His son Jorge sets out to design and build a homemade gold-harvesting machine to spare his father’s labor, turning their struggle into an intimate father-son portrait about work, dignity, and hope.

The extraordinary mind of Florian Yuriev, a visionary Ukrainian architect and artist, visualizes an astonishingly holistic view of the world. His abstract paintings brim with geometric colorful shapes and patterns that also carry a sonic component, as each shade has their own tonality. On his piano, whose keys are marked with their designated colors, Yuriev played out his painterly compositions, breaking …

A Documentary Opera featuring the contradictory life of progressive composer and prominent communist Jan Kapr (1914-88), Stalin award laureate, later banned in socialist Czechoslovakia. While Kapr’s life escalates towards pivotal moments, we follow opera songs reflecting these crucial life junctures, those establishing an artist’s fate. The film explores the nature of memory, and narration, using …

Set in Serbia during the 1996 protests against Slobodan Milošević’s regime, 'Lost Country' is a deeply personal coming-of-age drama by Vladimir Perišić, inspired by his own experiences. Fifteen-year-old Stefan (Jovan Ginić, winner of the Rising Star Award at Cannes Critics’ Week) faces a profound internal conflict as his peers rise against Milošević’s Socialist Party and his mother (Jasna Đuričić), …

Transhumance was added to the UNESCO world heritage list in 2019. It has been practised on the Cilento mountain Cervati for millennia, and yet institutions seem to obstruct the work of shepherds who have been taking their livestock for the pastures since time immemorial. According to a new local bylaw, herders now have to pay a tax to take their livestock to the mountain, as they’ve done for ages. …

Not long ago the art business was completely dominated by men: patrons, curators, collectors showed sculptors, draughtsmen and painters. When the nudes descended from the canvases and took matters into their own hands, women also went into the business of art. CONQUERING THE ART BUSINESS is a film that informs and entertains seeing women and power in a new, glamorous light. More than the changes of …

Filmed on the Ocean Viking, a ship chartered by the humanitarian organization SOS Méditerranée, SAVE OUR SOULS places viewers alongside sailors and medics as they face the perilous mission of rescuing migrants from overcrowded boats.  Off the coast of Libya, the crew are on the lookout for boats in distress. After a high-risk rescue, shipwrecked travelers and rescuers live together while waiting to … More

When filmmaker Chris Wilcha revisits the record store he worked at as a teenager in New Jersey, he finds the once-thriving bastion of music and weirdness from his youth slowly falling apart and out of touch with the times. FLIPSIDE documents his tragicomic attempt to revive the store while revisiting other documentary projects he has abandoned over the years. In the process, Wilcha captures This American … More

The debut feature from writer-director Saim Sadiq, JOYLAND explores the many sides of love and desire in a patriarchal society. Gentle and timid, Haider (Ali Junejo) lives with his wife Mumtaz (Rasti Farooq), his father, and his elder brother’s family in Lahore, Pakistan. Following a long spell of unemployment, Haider finally lands a job at a Bollywood-style burlesque, telling his family he is a theater … More

At age 20, Guillaume Diop risked his career to sign a manifesto against racism at the Paris Opera. But just three years later, he was named a Danseur Étoile — a star dancer — in the Paris Opera Ballet, one of the world’s most prestigious companies. As the first Black Danseur Étoile, Guillaume is thrust into becoming a role model and a national symbol for diversity. But, as YOUNG, BLACK AND GIFTED … More

Hundreds of thousands of cats roam the metropolis of Istanbul freely. For thousands of years they’ve wandered in and out of people’s lives, becoming an essential part of the communities that make the city so rich. Claiming no owners, these animals live between two worlds, neither wild nor tame – and they bring joy and purpose to those people they choose to adopt. In Istanbul, cats are the mirrors … More

At MyCompanion, the cultured and confident Matthias is available - for a reasonable fee - to fill any social role you desire, from 'the perfect son' to the 'enlightened boyfriend', or even 'pilot dad' to impress your classmates at Bring Your Parent to School Day. But while Matthias is at the top of his professional game, his personal life begins to crumble as he detaches from his own identity and … More