Documentary Movies

The Ring of Fire

New performers have recently moved into the 130-year-old building of the Riga Circus. Having built a stage in the stables, actors Ance, Āris, Klāvs, Reinis and the other members of the theatre company Kvadrifrons are reinvigorating and preserving the tradition of live art in the circus. The name of the group is an acronym in Latvian that conveys their ethos: they are an organisation that can chill with their friends, have bursts of amazing creativity, and whose members are far from unintelligent. And all the while, the strong smell of elephants wafts through the building. Here and there, the life of the previous inhabitants makes itself known. Soon shamanistic rituals alternate with clowning around, fortune-telling with illusion juggling, stagecraft with personal choices. Then suddenly, out of Nothing… emerges Theatre.

Armand Pelletier

Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest

A Chinese misfit ricochets between Berlin’s alternative frenzy and Beijing’s family order, transforming cultural whiplash into an offbeat search for identity and a playful quest for belonging.

NWR

A documentary about Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, winner of the Best Director award at the Cannes Festival in 2011 for Drive. From his childhood to the shooting of his next movie, Only God Forgives, in Thailand, discover the whole career of a truly visionary filmmaker. With Ryan Gosling, Mads Mikkelsen, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Gaspar Noé, Peter Peter and Zlatko Buric.

Can Elon Musk Rule the World?

What does the world's richest man, dedicated chaos agent, and Donald Trump's new best buddy want out of politics? To shape the world? Or is it bigger than that?

Nieuwe helden

The unique behind-the-scenes story of a cycling team determined to prove that you can still win without doping. In the 100th edition of the Tour de France, the young Dutch Argos-Shimano team is out for revenge against the old guard that has corrupted cycling through years of doping. Knowing that EPO was primarily used by riders aiming to claim the yellow jersey in the mountains, this team has specialized in sprinting. Haunted by the shadow of its doping past, but driven by inner conviction and strong team spirit, Argos-Shimano has set its sights on winning a stage in the Tour for the first time in its history and on reaching Paris together as a team.

Tupac: Resurrection

Home movies, photographs, and recited poetry illustrate the life of Tupac Shakur, one of the most beloved, revolutionary, and volatile hip-hop MCs of all time.

Nilgün

The film explores the deep traces of the life of poetess Nilgün Marmara, her connection with the literary circle and those aspects of her life that have remained in the shadows until now.

Inés Cederma

Documentary about the negative cutter Ines Cederma, one of the main preservers of Peruvian cinema.

La giunta

Berg Fidel

If children don't learn from an early age that people are different, when will they? The documentary focuses on four children at the inclusive Berg Fidel primary school in Münster. Director Hella Wenders spent three years following David, Jakob, Lucas, and Anita with her camera at school, at home, and in their free time. While the idea of an open school is currently the subject of lively debate, this sensitive portrait film gives the children a voice. They talk about themselves and share their dreams and concerns with us. The viewer is impressed by how naturally they interact with each other and becomes part of a small world that functions in a miraculous way.

Empty Womb

The manifesto of a body that bleeds by nature, the reconnection with the ancestors and the self-portrayed voice of a woman who seeks to break with the oppression that has forced us to experience menstruation with fear, shame and rejection.

Justin Bieber's Believe

A backstage and on-stage look at Justin Bieber during his rise to super stardom.

Amsterdam

Impressionistic collage of Amsterdam.

Two Hours to Happiness

A poetical documentary about longing and searching for happiness between Estonia and Finland.

Bogalusa Charm

A contemporary portrait of a small Louisiana town created at the site of the world’s largest lumber mill. Captured here in its last days after thirty years, Miss Dixie Gallaspy conducts a charm school for girls in order to teach the young women of Bogalusa the social graces and skills that would guide them into “Ladyhood”. Dixie’s week long school, in a town confronted with many challenges (including a legacy of racial conflict and financial dissipation) preserves fragments of a world that may already be lost.

Left Behind

Leading biblical scholars and religious experts discuss the implications of the Rapture, when prophecies predict that Jesus Christ will return to Earth and his true believers will be transported to meet him.

Stigma

Experimental film that, through two narrative lines—dance and photography—reimagines The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca.

918 Nights

On October 4th, 2007 Arantza, the director of the film, was detained and taken to prison. She remembers a few things about those days: endlessly walking around the prison exercise yard, swimming competitions, Rasha's prison journey... After 918 nights locked up, Arantza is set free. From then onwards, she recorded her memories and doubts, which are heard throughout the documentary as a kind of fragmented memoir.

Sea's Daughter

Before she turned two, Haize's father, Mikel Goikoetxea, a member of ETA nicknamed 'Txapela', was killed by the GAL. With no recollection of the man whatsoever, 25 years down the line she starts asking questions. Piecing together the testimonies of those who knew him, Haize gradually discovers her father and his time.