A poetic essay about feminism. Naire (68) and Adelaide (36), two Brazilians women from two different generations meet in Lisbon at the Women’s March, in 2018. They walk together for changes.
Spirit in the concrete
Ntuthuko goes home, from Johannesburg to the Vaal, in the exploration of spiritual healing and the relevance of practising in today’s society through his mother, Makhambule, and sister, Fundisile. This leads them to conversations of the family’s past that were never had and some forgotten.
Ntuthuko tells the tale of African spirituality from a sangoma’s son perspective and a young person who is living in this turbulent modern age trying to preserve a heritage that most have lost.
The Saint’s Food (A Mezinha do Santo)
The traditional community dish of Saint Sebastian, in Couto de Dornelas (Portugal), narrated by Mrs. Lucília Ponteira, an old woman from the land.
I’m Burning
Renaissance, a challenge. The artistic project of the Valencian creators Miguel Arraiz and David Moreno, will cross the Atlantic to establish synergies with the most important ephemeral art event in the world, the Burning Man in the Nevada desert.
Smiles of Peace
The yoga of laughter is a therapy that combines four actions: play, sing, dance and laugh, which makes us children again and allows us to approach a state of full happiness. This therapy unifies laughter (body), humor (mind) and love (spirit), basic principles of meditation. It works as a game dynamic, which progressively traps the participants. The benefits are innumerable, among them, the improvement in breathing, reactivation of metabolism and stimulation of a better emotional state. The documentary “Sonrisas de Paz” shows the journey made by the therapist Claudio Ortega Pérez, performing yoga sessions of laughter and fire homa in places in Chile that have been the scene of tragic or violent episodes throughout history, with the object of transforming their energy and clearing them of the negative charge that has persisted through time.
The Saakhelu Kiwe Kame (Honourable Mention)
The Saakhelu Kiwe Kame is a ritual of the Nasa indigenous peoples of Colombia, which deals with the revitalization of mother earth in the context of global warming and post-conflict Colombia.
Aabua Paika Kabu Bageya (Best Medium-Lenght Documentary)
Paika is a film about a martial art dance form. More than a medium of entertainment, it has a social significance as it commemorate and has preserved historical incidences, struggle and triumph of the Munda community in the art form. It is my honest effort to portray the lives with the culture and tradition of my community. This film is made through an understanding of the lives of the Munda community as an outsider and an insider. The film shows a narrative strung together with stories, songs and interviews of Pandeya Munda who have been dancing this folk dance form for more than 25 years.
This film is a culmination of the dance Paika along with the story of a typical village in Jharkhand. I have tried to weave a film which portrays and talk about Munda community. I feel this film is a blend of both the perspectives as I think myself as half insider and half outsider of the community being brought up in an urban setup.
Sculpting the Spirit (Best Long Documentary 2018/19)
“Sculpting the Spirits” is a journey off the West coast of Africa exploring how the magical world of the Bijagós people is threatened by the generational changes happening in their society.
The strange and close relationship that the Bijagós have with spirits and nature defines the matrilineal structure of their society and informs every decision taken by the community. However modernity and Christianity are now spreading across the islands, developing new needs based on money, luring young people away from their traditions.
Banca, a famous sculptor of spirits, feeling tired, old and worried for the future of a culture in profound transformation, does his last sculpture instructing his son in the hope he will take over.
Guided by a storyteller and our characters’ voice “Sculpting the Spirits” is not only a journey exploring how Bijagós women have special powers to embody spirits while men can only sculpt them but is also the link between spiritual beliefs and the survival of a community.
Trailer: https://www.scottishdocinstitute.com/films/sculpting-the-spirits/
URL: https://www.bijagosfilms.com/sculpting_the_spirits
Ecoute
When I decided to go live with Annie Garby to film a documentary about free dance, I already Knew the type of trip that was in store for me. 92 years and a lifetime of dedication. How not to imagine that past and present were going to interconnected by dance, nature and music.Isadora Duncan, Francois Malkovsky, Alexandre Bodak. Annie Garby, the same spirit has been passed on, so that today, we can go from being witnesses to protagonists.
https://www.facebook.com/documentaldanselibre/
(A) Social (Honourable Mention)
When was the last time you turned off the phone for ten days?” From this question arises the project: the director Lucio Laugelli tells in an experiment the daily life of four boys (normally hyper-connected) isolated in the mountains without a smartphone and connection.
https://www.facebook.com/asocialdoc/
