Russian Federation / 2024 / Documentary / 24 min
OT Russian / UT English
The protagonist, Rinaldo Mallyamov, is not particularly popular in the small Russian village of Artjuschkino, located near the Volga River. He keeps his animals outdoors all year round to accustom them to life in the cold. His vision is to contribute to the revitalization of the Arctic in this way. This film cannot answer the question of whether he will succeed. Rather, the director attempts to bring together the different views on this type of agriculture. The result is an interesting study of the milieu of the Russian province (and beyond).
Regie: Ilona Vashkelite, Produktion: Ilona Vashkelite, Drehbuch: Ilona Vashkelite, Kamera: Alexandr Berdeev, Schnitt: Ilona Vashkelite, Ton: Pavel Medvedev, Musik: Ruslan Shafikov
Ilona Vashkelite was born in Lithuania and lived in Russia, St. Petersburg since her childhood. She worked as director on various TV channels for decades and for the last ten years she is producing popular science and documentary films.
Belgium / 2023 / Documentary / 25 min
OT French / UT English
In long shots, the film exemplifies the tensions surrounding the development of urban spaces. In the middle of Brussels, where another huge office complex is to be built, homeless people live. We observe their everyday lives, the changes on the future construction site, and become silent witnesses to a process of transformation.
Regie: Sylvain Dufayard, Produktion: Victor Claude, Drehbuch: Sylvain Dufayard, Kamera: Sylvain Dufayard, Schnitt: Lucrezia Lippi, Ton: Iannis Heaulme, Musik: n/a
Sylvain works in Brussels as a documentary filmmaker. He owes his passion to his love for the living and a tenacious will to make the injustices that hinder him speak. He often works in pairs or collectives, a way to move forward with accuracy and to constantly question his positions.
Argentina / 2024 / Documentary / 14 min
OT Spanish / UT English
‘Actually, I would have liked to become an actress’... However, life and love had other plans for Norma. Now she is a fisherwoman and lives with her husband Miguel in modest conditions in the river delta in the Argentine province of Entre Ríos. She shares her thoughts about the past, her dreams and her uncertainties with us. When flooding threatens their habitat, the couple are forced to leave their home and start afresh.
Regie: Gastón Calivari, Produktion: Valentina Flynn, Drehbuch: Gastón Calivari, Kamera: Denise Chautemps, Schnitt: Gastón Calivari,Valentina Flynn, Ton: Facundo Graziola, Musik: -
Gastón Calivari is 32 years old. He has a degree in Production and Audiovisual Realization and Filmmaker graduated from the ENERC. He made short films both fiction and documentary, mainly focusing on themes and characters from his native province.
Iran, Iran / 2025 / Documentary / 27 min
OT Persian / UT English
In aesthetic, tranquil images, we accompany a very old woman who lives alone in an abandoned former fishing village and collects dead, dried-up fish. The region used to be an important wetland in Iran. Due to the construction of dams in neighbouring Afghanistan, Lake Hamun has been dry for years, and dust storms and drought characterise the landscape of the former lake region. Through vivid, colourful animations, the viewer gets a glimpse of how the place once radiated with life.
Regie: Maria Mavati, Ehsan Farokhi Fard, Produktion: Maria Mavati, Ehsan Farokhi Fard, Drehbuch: Maria Mavati, Ehsan Farokhi Fard, Kamera: Mehdi Azadi, Schnitt: Hamid Najafi rad, Maria Mavati, Ton: Mohammad Khodam, Musik: Masoud Sekhavat Doust
Maria Mavati is an acclaimed filmmaker and producer from Kurdistan, Iran.
France / 2024 / Documentary / 44 min
OT Italian / UT English
In magnificent black-and-white images, we see the Italian island of Stromboli with its constantly active volcano, Iddu. Three elderly residents of the island talk about their relationship with nature and the volcano. The filmmaker's decision to present his film in black and white lends the narratives and images an existentialist urgency that is difficult to resist.
Regie: Julien Sallé, Produktion: Cédric Walter - The Dark, Drehbuch: Julien Sallé, Kamera: Julien Sallé, Schnitt: Leslie Lagier, Ton: Frédéric Dabo, Musik: Frédéric Dabo
Julien Sallé graduated from Famu Prague with a degree in directing and from the University of Paris 3 with a degree in film studies.
Germany / 2025 / Documentary / 30 min
OT German / UT English
The Macenta region of Guinea lacks roads, electricity and water. Above all, however, it lacks hope and confidence in the future. With his vision of the first coffee washing plant in West Africa and with great personal commitment, Mamy Dioubaté wants to ensure that coffee farmers retain more of the proceeds and, at the same time, gain confidence in their own abilities. Then even more can be achieved for the country.
Regie: Sorina Gajewski, Produktion: Sorina Gajewski & Milena Kmekt, Drehbuch: Sorina Gajewski, Kamera: Hannes Schulze, Schnitt: Marisol B. Lima, Ton: Nils Plambeck, Musik: Lucas Castillo
Sorina Gajewski, born in Hamburg in 1994, studied screenwriting in Buenos Aires from 2015 to 2018 and has been studying directing at the DFFB since 2018. In 2023 she received funding from the BKM for the film ‘First Taste’, which won the FAO UN Prize in 2023, and in January 2025 her first feature film ‘Nulpen’ premiered at the Max Ophüls Prize. She was invited to the Torino NF Lab for her second feature film.
Spain, Deutschland / 2024 / Documentary / 14 min
OT Portuguese / UT German
At the end of her life, Lucila Mouta de Souza reflects on what will become of the way of life of the indigenous people in her region. Her knowledge as a healer in harmony with nature, her strong awareness of social justice and her role as guardian of the rainforest must be passed on. She places her hopes in her grandson. Will he be able to carry on the traditions in the face of the approaching forest fire, which is already one of many thousands in the state of Roraima, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon?
Regie: Benjamin Hindrichs, Produktion: Benjamin Hindrichs, Drehbuch: Benjamin Hindrichs, Kamera: Edoardo A. González, Schnitt: Rafa Rodríguez, Ton: Aroa Fuentes, Musik: N/A
Benjamin Hindrichs, born in 1995, is a freelance journalist and filmmaker and works in particular on the topics of extremism, migration and environmental conflicts. ‘DARU/N’ is his first short film.
