GENERATION CHANGE – WHO SAVES THE WORLD?/ GENERATION CHANGE – WER RETTET DIE WELT?
Friday, 10.05. - 17:00
AUT, DEU, POL, PRT, ESP, ITA, CZE, FRA 2022 / 82 min
Director: Vanessa Bötcher
Generation Changefollows Austrian activist Sarah on a captivating train journey through Europe. Confronted with political inertia towards the climate crisis, Sarah travels from Portugal to Poland in search of individuals offering real solutions to the challenges of our time. This rail journey between crisis and hope offers encounters and insights that inspire and provoke thought.
BOTTLEMEN/ FLAŠAROŠI
Friday, 10.05. 19:00
SRB, SLO 2023 / 84 min
Director: Nemanja Vojinović
In the outskirts of Belgrade, Serbia, lies one of Europe’s largest landfills atop the remains of the ancient Vinča civilization.Bottlemen, who collect plastic bottles from this toxic landscape, now face new threats with the landfill’s imminent privatization. Trapped between technological modernization and a lacking social care system, their uncertain future unfolds against an unknown environmental impact.
Awards: Sarajevo Film Festival 2023 – Best Documentary; Belgrade Documentary and Short Film – Best Camera, Best Documentary Film; Free Zone Film Festival – Best Film; Festival Dei Popoli – Best Film
Nominations: Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival 2024 – Grand Prix/Documentary Feature Film; Zurich Film Festival 2023 – Best International Documentary Film; FDF – Festival dokumentarnoga filma –Human Rights Award/Best Documentary Film; ZagrebDox – Regional Competition, Best Documentary; Festival of European films in Paris – Best Film
20:45 - Panel with film directors and local activists
ABOVE WATER/ MARCHER SUR L’EAU
Saturday, 11.05. - 17:00
FRA, BEL 2021 / 90 min
Director: Aïssa Maïga
Above Watersheds light on the challenges of water scarcity in communities worldwide, with billions lacking access to safe drinking water. In Tatis, Niger, 12-year-old Houlaye treks kilometers daily for water, a struggle exacerbated during dry seasons. Yet, beneath the surface lies a hidden water source, beyond their imagination. Houlaye’s aunt Suri’s efforts lead to an NGO building a well, offering hope for a new life to those who’ve long faced this challenge.
Nominations: Cannes Film Festival – Golden Eye; Prix Alice Guy – Best Female-Directed French od Francophone Film
LANDSCAPE ZERO/ NULTI KRAJOLIK
Saturday, 11.05. - 19:00
CRO 2020 / 71 min
Director: Bruno Pavić
In a small coastal community marred by industrial presence, lives intersect in a struggle for survival or a fragile harmony with their surroundings.Landscape Zero, merging reality with staged scenes, delves into the complex interplay of nature, humanity, and industry along the Adriatic shores. Through evocative visuals alone, it portrays the challenges faced by locals and issues a compelling call to address environmental degradation.
Awards: Split International Festival of New Film – Ivan Martinac Award; Liburnia Film Festival – Best Cinematographer, Best Sound Designer; Festival International Signes de Nuit – Special Mention (Documentary Competition)
Nominations: Trieste Film Festival – Best Documentary; Cinema Vérité Iran International Documentary Film Festival – Best Documentary; Astra Film Festival Sibiu – Best Central and Eastern European Documentary
20:30 - Panel with film directors and local activists
Domingo Domingo
Sunday, 12.05. - 14:00
ESP, ITA 2023 / 71 min
Director: Laura García Andreu
The comedy Domingo Domingosheds light on the relentless pursuit of profit by agricultural corporate giants. As farmer Domingo (trans. Sunday) challenges their dominance over oranges, he devises a secret plan to cultivate a new variety. Can his wit and determination outwit the multinationals? In this David versus Goliath battle, Domingo’s ingenuity and humor might just be the winning combination, allowing him to savor each day as if it were a Sunday.
Nominations: Berlanga Awards – Best Documentary; Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival – Newcomers Competition
TRANSFORMING TOMORROW
Sunday, 12.05. - 17:00
BIH 2020 / 48 min
Director: Dino Mustafić
Transforming Tomorrow, ironically named after the operational motto of the multinational company Mittal Steel in BiH, unveils the ruthless pursuit of profit at any cost. The film tells the chilling story of a corporation that conceals evidence of mass atrocities at the Omarska camp and is implicated in the widespread poisoning of Zenica’s citizens. These individuals unknowingly inhale the carcinogenic “smoke of profit,” threatening not only their health but also the environment.
Awards: AJB DOC Film Festival – Jury Award; Green Montenegro International Film Fest – Grand Prix
LONELY OAKS/ VERGISS MEYN NICHT
Sunday, 12.05. - 18:30
DEU 2023 / 100 min
Directors: Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl, Jens Mühlhoff
30 meters above ground, a new community has emerged in Hambach Forest. Amidst Germany’s environmental debates in 2018, people built treehouses to prevent deforestation. Film student Steffen Meyn documented their struggle for two years with a 360° helmet camera. Tragically, during a police eviction, he fell from a tree and died. Using Meyn’s footage, the directors ofLonely Oaksexplore his doubts and determination. Interviews with deeply affected activists raise questions about the limits of activism.
Awards: Emden International Film Festival – Focus Future Award; Filmkunstfest MV – Best Documentary, Best Cinematography in Documentary
Nominations: Berlin International Film Festival – Compass-Perspektive Award (Best Film), Berlinale Documentary Award; German Film Awards – Best Documentary
20:30 - Panel with film directors and local activists
