Doc Market - Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
Transcription
Doc Market - Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
11th THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL IMAGES OF THE 21st CENTURY 13-22 MARCH 2009 11th Thessaloniki International Doc Market 16-21 March 2009 Organized by OFFICIAL SPONSOR COMMUNICATION SPONSOR WITH THE SUPPORT OF AUDIENCE AWARDS SPONSOR Sponsors TRANSPORTATION SPONSOR Communication Sponsors Communication Support: The Thessaloniki International Film Festival is supported by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture General information Venue: Electra Palace Hotel, Byzantium Hall Opening hours: 10:00 - 20:00 Happy hour: 17:30 - 18:30, at Excelsior Lounge, Electra Palace Hotel Reservations: Video booths can be booked for a maximum of four consecutive hours. Please show up on time otherwise your reservation will be cancelled. Reservations should be made one day in advance. Please note • When asking for a DVD, please refer to the documentary by its ref. number and not by its title. • A maximum of four (4) DVDs can be borrowed each time. • Please make sure that the correct DVD is in the correct box. • Please return the DVDs when finished. • You are kindly requested to register your evaluation for each film you have watched. • You are kindly requested to leave the video booth the way you found it. • Smoking is not allowed at the DocMarket’s facilities. Documentaries Participating Indexes Index of Directors 506 Index of Sales Companies 515 0-9 20 A 27 B 61 C 103 D 141 E 159 F 175 G 197 H 215 I 227 J 245 K 255 L 267 M 289 N 317 O 327 P 335 Q 365 R 369 S 397 T 441 U 467 V 471 W 477 Y 495 Z 501 Thessaloniki International Doc Market [email protected] Head of Doc Market:Yianna Sarri Coordinator: Denise Andreaola Assistants: Chryssa Koussela, Laurien ten Houten DocVideotheque: Spyros Savvas Sales Manager, ERT:Yannis Kollias Sales Assistant Manager, ERT: ZefiTsoukala, Nikoleta Karra Doc Market Catalogue Editor-in-Chief: Mary Kitroeff Coordination: Iliana Loukopoulou, Manthi Botsiou Design-Art Direction: Andreas Remountis Images of the 21st centur y 11th THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL Artistic Director: Dimitri Eipides Thessaloniki: 10 Aristotelous Sq.,Thessaloniki 546 23, Greece Τ. +30 2310 378 400 F. +30 2310 285 759 Athens: 9 Alexandras Ave., Athens 114 73, Greece Τ. +30 210 870 6000 F. +30 210 644 8143 [email protected] www.filmfestival.gr We are happy to welcome you to the 11th edition of the Thessaloniki International Doc Market. TheThessaloniki International Doc Market is evolving into an important international market and a major meeting place for film professionals. In the last ten years it has managed to quadruple its size and put itself on the map of the international documentary film industry. Last year the Doc Market took place at the Electra Palace Hotel and following its success, we decided to organize it in the same place. We would also like to note that we are very pleased that the collaboration with the Media Program of the European Union is continuing. Furthermore, this year we made a great effort to have the Doc Market in digital form. Due to technical reasons we could not complete this task, but we will do our best to digitalized the 12thThessaloniki Doc Market. The 2009 Doc Market welcomes a large number of TV buyers, distributors, commissioning editors and international festival representatives.While attending theThessaloniki International Documentary Festival they will have the opportunity to watch documentaries in our theaters and Doc Market facilities and meet with producers, directors and sales agents. The Doc Market catalogue includes 470 titles, 160 of which have been selected for the 11thTDF program. In our selection we have included productions from various countries, representing different topics, views and approaches to the world. We believe we have achieved a fine balance between independent as well as larger scale productions in order to highlight all aspects of contemporary documentary filmmaking. We are confident that the 11thThessaloniki International Doc Market will give many of its films the opportunity to find their place on television and movie screens all over the world. Happy viewing! Dimitri Eipides Artistic Director 0-9 330 FRANCE - BELGIUM Category: History & Politics 14-18 NOISE AND FURY Jean-François Delassus Not everything has been told aboutWorldWar I.This documentary tries to explain the inexplicable: how tens of millions of men could have suffered the unbelievable toughness of life in trenches during 4 years, season after season, day after day, night after night? How could they have accepted the idea of a sure death or injury while they could not even say exactly why they were fighting? What you are about to see may seem crazy:WWI was maintained by a general consent. 14-18 Noise and Fury, is a documentary based on rare archives that have been colorized, restored and given sound for the first time. It was broadcast on prime time and received top ratings. Running time: 100’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Wide Management Contact Person: Anais Clanet 40 rue Sainte Anne Paris 75002, France T. +33 1 5395 0464 F. +33 1 5395 0465 [email protected] www.widemanagement.com 20 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 256 0-9 GERMANY Category: Sports 20 SECONDS OF JOY Jens Hoffman Three things are certain about base-jumping. You will break your bones. You will watch your friends die. And – if you do it long enough – it will eventually kill you. In this heady, testosterone-packed environment, adrenaline junkie Karina Hollekim is regarded as one of the best of the best. We follow Karina for several years as she hurls herself off increasingly treacherous cliffs in search of the ultimate high.What compels someone to risk their life on a regular basis in this way? Is base jumping a way of “living life to the full” or simply running away from your demons? And – when tragedy strikes – will the rush have proved worth the price? Running time: 60’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Java Films Contact Person: Kathryn Bonnici 4-6VillaThoreton Paris 75015, France T. +33 1 4060 2624 F. +33 1 4060 2649 [email protected] www.javafilms.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 21 0-9 521 PALESTINE Category: Current Affairs 5 MINUTES FROM HOME Nahed Awwad Jerusalem Airport lies along the road that links Jerusalem to Ramallah. It has been occupied by the Israeli army since 1967, at a 5 kilometer distance from Ramallah and 10 kilometer distance from Jerusalem. Today, to the east of the runway, a huge military checkpoint blocks the Jerusalem-Ramallah road, a dead end street. Nahed Awwad discovers that life has not always been like this, and that this sad spot used to be a place where international aircraft landed in the 1950s and 1960s, when Palestinians traveled freely. The happy images and testimonies of the past contrast bitterly with those of the present where access is denied to the aviation zone that is now besieged behind barbed wire and soon will be trapped behind the Israeli SeparationWall. Nahed Awwad goes to discover this place, exploring the past in order to have a better comprehension of the present: today’s Palestinian reality that is marked by forgetfulness. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Point du Jour International Contact Person: DorisWeitzel 23 rue de Cronstadt Paris 75015, France T. +33 1 7544 8088 F. +33 1 4531 1305 [email protected] www.pointdujour-international.fr 22 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 401 0-9 ISRAEL Category: Current Affairs 6 FLOORS TO HELL Jonatan Ben Efrat Illegal Palestinians live in an unfinished mall nearTel Aviv, six floors underground, with no electricity or water. Among them is Jalal who dreams of his fiancée. A life between darkness and light. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: JMT Films Distribution Contact Person: MichaelTreves 20 Bialik Street Tel Aviv 63324, Israel T. +972 52 363 3398 [email protected] www.jmtfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 23 0-9 584 IRAN Category: Creative Documentaries 7 BLIND WOMEN FILMMAKERS Mohammad Shirvani In Spring 2004, Mohammad Shirvani decided to answer an old question in his mind. “What should I do if I, as a film director, would become sightless?”He was wondering if he could keep making films.This film has been made by a number of blind women filmmakers to answer that question. He taught them how to narrate their own stories through the language of cinema and by small digital cameras and they also taught him how to see the world with the“third eye” on his forehead.The result of such an experience is the feature documentary: 7 Blind Women Filmmakers. Running time: 105’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Iranian Independents Contact Person: Mohammad Atebbai PO Box 15875-4769 Tehran, Iran T. +98 912 319 8693 F. +98 21 222 71157 [email protected] 24 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 168 0-9 AUSTRIA Category: History & Politics 7915 KM Nikolaus Geyrhalter The title refers to the length of the renowned Paris to Dakar Rally as it was raced in 2007, this time from Lisbon, Portugal to Dakar, Senegal. For the time being, it would be the last race through the North African desert due to fears of terrorist attacks.This road documentary begins where the race cars leave their dust clouds behind: with the people who live along the route, in Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal.The contrast between the motorised might and the simple population is striking. One local is surprised that the racers trust their navigation systems more than his knowledge of the land, a goatherd nervously keeps the city and TV at a safe distance, the owner of a movie theater explains why he shows“white porn,” and politicians make promises to the impoverished people, who in turn decry the Western big business that is plundering their mineral resources. Many of them want to immigrate to Europe, assuming that they would have a chance at a better life there. Most of them talk as if they’re giving a museum tour, at a leisurely pace and in a measured tone, which also stands in sharp contrast to the hectic world of the race. Running time: 102’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 25 150 A USA-ITALY Category: Creative Documentaries ABOUT NAPOLI Robert A. Russo Some have described Naples as a city in a constant state of decay. Others have called it the Keith Richards of cities. But to the Neapolitans, it is just another day in“Bella Napoli”. How does one describe a city-especially one like Naples? In this documentary, six questions are asked of the Neapolitans themselves.The responses provide an intimate look at what makes this chaotic, beautiful, and sometimes dangerous city. With perspectives from every walk of life, young and old, rich and poor, sophisticated and simple, the story is told with an insider’s view of the daily machinations that are required to live in one of Europe’s oldest cities and cultures. It provides an anthropological/sociological look at a city that has all but been abandoned by the government infrastructure and yet still maintains itself, creating its own city state in a contemporary world. Running time: 51’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ro*co Films Contact Person: Annie Roney 80 Liberty ShipWay, Suite 5 Saucalito CA 94965, USA T. +1 415 332 6471 F. +1 415 332 6798 [email protected] www.rocofilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 27 A 420 NORWAY Category: Art/Music & Culture ABRAHAM’S CHILDREN – LOVERS AND NEIGHBORS IN THE MIDDLE EAST Dag Hoel In four 30-minute episodes we set out in the footsteps of biblical Abraham as he journeys from his birthplace in ancient Mesopotamia, through Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, to his final resting place in the West Bank city of Hebron. Along this trail we meet Muslims, Christians, and Jews, all united in the belief that they are descended from him. We meet with a Syrian philosopher in Damascus, a gay rights activist in Beirut, and a Palestinian feminist in Hebron. But this is also an amusing and entertaining road movie introducing us to rock ’n’ roll bands in the desert, skateboarders on the beach, and assassins high on weed.Through the intimate relationships created by the director, we break down barriers, traverse frontiers, and eliminate stereotypes. Running time: 4 x 30’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 28 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 364 A SWEDEN Category: History & Politics ACHING HEART Oscar Hedin Why do young Muslims, who have grown up in the safe bosom of Europe, want to sacrifice their lives for Allah? While filming the radical milieu for over three years, the director entered a world behind the news headlines and found several young men who were seeking martyrdom. He also found new explanations for radicalism. An exceptionally up-close glimpse into an isolated but growing community. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 29 A 315 USA Category: Art/Music & Culture AFTER THE PARTY: DOMINICK DUNNE Kirsty de Garis & Timothy Jolley Dominick Dunne has led an incomparable life. From 1950s Hollywood producer toVanity Fair’s “Special Correspondent”, he is a best selling author and journalist with a stellar reputation. After the Party is his story.Told with amazing candor and set against the backdrop of music producer, Phil Spector’s murder trial, this atmospheric portrait is a study of a complex man who has mastered the art of reinvention. Running time: 84’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Mercury Media International Contact Person: Patricia Hickey 6 Baseline Studios,Whitchurch Road LondonW11 4AT, UK T. +44 20 7221 7221 F. +44 20 7221 7228 [email protected] www.mercurymedia.org 30 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 183 A UK Category: Creative Documentaries THE AGE OF STUPID Franny Armstrong Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite (In The Name of the Father, Brassed Off, The Usual Suspects) stars as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking back at “archive”footage from today and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance? Running time: 89’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Celluloid Dreams Contact Person: Violaine Pichon 2 RueTurgot Paris 75009, France T. +33 1 49 700 370 F. +33 1 49 700 371 [email protected] www.celluloid-dreams.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 31 A 165 UK-USA Category: Art/Music & Culture THE AGONY AND ECSTASY OF PHIL SPECTOR Vikram Jayanti In October of this year, the second trial against the legendary music producer Phil Spector began in Los Angeles. Spector stands accused of murdering the B-movie actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. Last year, the first trial against him ended in a mistrial after the deadlocked jury couldn’t come to a decision. The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector is based on an interview that Spector gave to BBC producerVikram Jayanti, and consists of interview footage intercut with clips from music videos of songs Spector produced. Jayanti refrains from asking about the murder, possibly a demand that Spector made himself. The man who worked with both Elvis and The Beatles and says that he once had the power to destroy Martin Scorsese’s career is a closed book.That’s not surprising, considering Spector lives like a hermit in his 30-room mansion just outside of Los Angeles and is not one to share his thoughts. Interviews with Spector are rare. Jayanti refers to them as the holy grail for documentary filmmakers so, despite his reticence, this film is a chance to catch a glimpse of this unusual individual. Running time: 103’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: VIXPIX Films Ltd. Contact Person: Vikram Jayanti 3-4 Portman Mews LondonW1F 8TF, UK T. +44 20 7497 6200 [email protected] 32 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 357 A UK Category: Creative Documentaries ALL SHADES OF GREY Minou Norouzi Part 1 - Two Eritrean girls enchant with fragmentary tales of escaping their country and what it really feels like living as an unaccompanied child refugee, alone in London. An intimate portrait, highlighting the emotional fallout of political conflict. Part 2 – Sixteen-year-old Omar, a Somali refugee, has high ambitions. He is the captain of the Islington Somali Football Club but that’s not enough. He wants to be a politician – mainly because he likes “being the leader”. But there are more serious implications to the football club’s regular training sessions. It keeps the boys off the streets and off drugs. Part 3 - Hafiza, a beautiful young Muslim girl born in London is trying to “find” herself. She is undecided as to whether the Hijab is for her. Her father does not approve of her socializing at the mosque. He feels it’s a place where she“could get up to no good”with other local Muslim youths. So Hafiza takes part in all sorts of other social activities that connect her with her Muslim peers.We see her at a go-carting race giving her all despite her lack of success with the sport and her near single presence as a girl among a sea of boys. Running time: 3 x 5’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ad Lumina Productions Contact Person: Minou Norouzi 17A Bethune Road London N16 5DA, UK T. +44 793 031 7057 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 33 A 257 USA Category: History & Politics AMERICAN OUTRAGE George Gage & Margaret Gage Why would the US government spend millions of dollars persecuting two elderly ladies for trespass? Carrie and Mary Dann have always grazed their livestock in the desolate Nevada desert outside their ranch. That land is recognized as Native American property but was seized by the government after lucrative gold deposits were discovered. When the Dann sisters refused to stop grazing their animals, the government tried to sue them.Their dispute spread to the Supreme Court and eventually to the United Nations. Running time: 56’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Java Films Contact Person: Kathryn Bonnici 4-6VillaThoreton Paris 75015, France T. +33 1 4060 2624 F. +33 1 4060 2649 [email protected] www.javafilms.fr 34 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 499 A GREECE Category: History & Politics AMONG THE ROCKS Alinda Dimitriou In Among the Rocks, thirty-three women testify about the persecution they and their families suffered following the ratification of the Varkiza Peace Agreement on 12 February 1945.To save themselves, many joined the Democratic Army, while others were arrested and imprisoned or sent into exile. The film attempts to reveal the role of a social group which, voiceless until now, has been ignored by official written history. As a relatively new discipline, oral history investigates first-hand accounts and the experiences of ordinary people in order to shed light on the past and on historical potential that was never fulfilled. In this film, the“voiceless”group areWomen. Running time: 98’ Year of production: 2009 Contact Person: Alida Dimitriou 51Taxiarhon Str., Alimos Athens 17455, Greece T. + 30 210 981 0549 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 35 A 524 GERMANY Category: Creative Documentaries THE AMOUNT OF SMALL THINGS Sophie Narr First year in school and life ain’t easy: Laethicia, Sanita, Fuat and Bright are 7 years old and confronted with the adult world of discipline and merit. “Why don’t you like school?”“Because I cannot play with the teacher”, says Laethicia. She is one of four first-graders struggling with the reality of her new primary school. Potentially a safe haven for children with delicate family backgrounds, the school’s demands are, however, tough on the youngsters who already feel caught in a rat race. Will they fit in or will they be left behind? Fuat, Sanita, Bright and Laethicia are trying hard to find the balance between school and play, between fulfilling demands and rebelling in order to shape a personality of their own. And this is only the beginning of a life-long quest. A moving trip back to childhood.Whoever liked ETRE ET AVOIR will love this film! Running time: 58’& 92’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Rise and ShineWorld Sales Contact Person: Stefan Kloos 29/30 Schlesische Str. Berlin 10997, Germany T. +49 30 4737 2980 F. +49 30 4737 29820 [email protected] www.riseandshine-berlin.com 36 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 356 A UK Category: Creative Documentaries ANATOMY OF FAILURE Minou Norouzi An unorthodox biopic about Carlos Castaneda, 60s cultural icon and author of The Teachings of Don Juan, takes the form of fragmented portraiture, touching on failures of love, power relationships and myth making. In a series of Californian road trips, projected realities become as contradictory as the wildly differing characters encountered in this film. The filmmaker meets a concoction of Castaneda associates who are all invested in telling her about the man. But what remains in shadow is the story of five disappeared women believed to have been part of Castaneda’s ‘harem’, and the discovery of bones at the edge of Death Valley belonging to one of the missing women. Trying to find out what hooked these women onto the cultish guru figure, the filmmaker unveils some uncomfortable truths she was unaware of, about herself. Running time: 53’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ad Lumina Productions Contact Person: Minou Norouzi 17A Bethune Road London N16 5DA, UK T. +44 793 031 7057 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 37 A 298 GREECE Category: History & Politics ANCIENT GREEK RAYED STAR SYMBOL Gregory Zorzos This movie presents the Ancient Greek Macedonian symbol of the rayed star. There are many other symbols with the rayed star as an ancient Greek symbol throughout the centuries. Ancient Greek stars can have from three up to 24 rays. And these rays can have many shapes according to the meaning of the star in archeological monuments. The best known rayed star is the Ancient Greek Macedonian symbol ofVergina.TheVergina Sun, Star ofVergina or Argead Star is the name given to a symbol of a stylised star or sun with sixteen rays. It was unearthed in 1977 during archaeological excavations inVergina, in the northern Greek province of Macedonia.The famous larnax on which it appears belonged to Greek King Philip II of Macedon, the father of the Greek Alexander the Great III. The larnax is on display at the archaeological museum in Vergina, where it was found. Another version of theVergina Sun, with 12 rays, was found on the larnax of Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great. Only the Greeks can understand the inner meaning of the rayed symbol and this is the topic of this film. Running time: 17’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Gregory Zorzos PO Box 75070 Kallithea GR 17610, Greece T. +30 210 958 9940 [email protected] 38 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 302 A GREECE Category: History & Politics ANCIENT SEX POSITIONS Gregory Zorzos Human beings have always tried to express their love when having sex by assuming many different positions. In this film, ancient sex positions are presented as they were devised by ancient Greeks. Many ancient archeological findings exist today, such as ancient Greek coins, texts, icons, emblems, tituli, ostraca, fragments, epigrammata, papyrorum, tablettes, recessions, sculptures, vases, monuments, etc. which bear representations of ancient Greek sex positions. Running time: 18’ Year of production: 2007 Contact Person: Gregory Zorzos PO Box 75070 Kallithea GR 17610, Greece T. +30 210 958 9940 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 39 A 303 GREECE Category: History & Politics ANCIENT HELLENIC GRIFFIN Gregory Zorzos This study by author Gregory Zorzos analyzes the form and symbolism of the Grypas (Griffin) according to Ancient Greek thought. The film presents representations of the Griffin from findings and ancient coins that are not known to the modern world. The Grypas was one of the so-called monsters or legendary creatures of Ancient Greece. For the Ancient Greeks, the Griffin symbolized forbidden military knowledge or bravery, the ability to fight, the art of fighting and its secrets.The Griffin’s role is to save the weak. Running time: 14’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Gregory Zorzos PO Box 75070 Kallithea GR 17610, Greece T. +30 210 958 9940 [email protected] 40 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 299 A GREECE Category: History & Politics ANCIENT HELLENIC SPHINX Gregory Zorzos The film analyzes the form and symbolism of the Sphinx according to Ancient Greek thought. It includes many forms of Ancient Greek sphinxes from archaeological discoveries and ancient statues and coins that are unknown to the modern world. The Sphinx was one of the so-called monsters or legendary creatures of ancient Greece, with the body of a lion, the head and breasts of woman, and the wings of an eagle. “Sphinx” is also what we call an enigmatic person. For the Ancient Greeks, the Sphinx symbolized forbidden knowledge or the secrets that are kept from the many.The Sphinx’s role is to save secrets. Running time: 9’ Year of production: 2007 Contact Person: Gregory Zorzos P.O. Box 75070 Kallithea GR 17610, Greece T. +30 210 958 9940 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 41 A 500 GREECE Category: History & Politics ANDRIKOS VETTAS – THE SATIRICAL POET OF KAVALA Panayiotis Nestoridis The fabulous biography of the well-known satirical poet Adrikos Vettas born in Eleftheroupoli, Kavala and lived in the city of Kavala in the late 19th century. Discover along with the historic researcher Nikolaos Roudometof both the life of this popular poet and the history of the prime tobacco workers’movement of Kavala. Learn about the first strike that took place in the Balkans and how this incident became known throughVettas’s poetic collection. Acquaint yourself with the three Greek publications issued in the city of Kavala during the period of the Turkish occupation. Enjoy a unique documentary that narrates the unknown aspects of Kavala. Running time: 44’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Historical & Literary Archives of Kavala Contact Person: Nikolaos Roudometof 183 Omonias Street Kavala 651 10, Greece T. +30 2510 222 830 F. +30 2510 837 880 [email protected] www.ilak.org 42 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 591 A THE NETHERLANDS Category: History & Politics ANNA’S SILENT STRUGGLE Willy Lindwer & Tom Linszen The survival of Anna van Dam, a deaf girl in Auschwitz, is a unique story. For the hearing, Auschwitz is characterized as a place of terrible sounds; for the deaf, the terror was silent. Young deaf filmmakerTom is in search of what happened to deaf Jews during the war, and how some survived Nazi persecution. He finds the moving story of Anna, now an 82 year old woman and asks how she managed to survive. Her ability to read lips, a tremendous amount of luck and a highly developed intuition were vital tools in her struggle. She tellsTom her story from her Jewish upbringing to her experiences in the concentration camps and returns to Auschwitz for the first time.The film will also tellTom’s story as a young deaf boy in Amsterdam, his strong ambition to become a filmmaker, and his desire to bring stories of deaf people to the world.This documentary is made with award winning filmmaker Willy Lindwer who has produced more than twenty films about the Holocaust. Running time: 56’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: EspressoTV Contact Person: David Hooper 25YorkVillas Brighton BN1 3TS, UK T. +44 1273 730 929 F. +44 1273 299 403 [email protected] www.espressotv.co.uk 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 43 A 147 HUNGARY Category: Creative Documentaries ANOTHER PLANET Ferenc Moldoványi Shot over a two-year period in four countries on four continents – Ecuador (South America), Mexico (North America), Democratic Republic of Congo (Africa), and Cambodia (Asia) – Another Planet unfolds as a cinematic poem in the tradition of Koyaanisqatsi, exposing the unequal distribution of wealth around the world as a major humanitarian crisis. Framed by pastoral sequences in which a Tarahumara shaman imparts a dream of paradise on earth, the film moves quickly and seamlessly between the lives of seven children inextricably linked by their shocking and tragic experiences of daily exploitation and abuse. We meet lonely, aimless urchins, barely eking out a living on the streets.We see child laborers toiling in brick factories, garbage dumps, and brothels, only to be beaten when business is down. And perhaps most harrowing of all, we get to know the child soldiers of Congo as they are turned into killing machines.Throughout this journey, Moldoványi’s unwavering vision reminds us of the eternal coexistence of beauty and horror all over the world. Running time: 54 & 96’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Engram Film Productions Ltd. Contact Person: Ferenc Moldoványi 58 Cseresznye utca Budapest 1112, Hungary T. +36 30 986 8903 F. +36 1 788 1417 [email protected] www.another-planet.eu 44 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 214 A GREECE Category: Current Affairs THE ANTENNAS OF OUR TIME – GUNNAR STAALESEN Etienne Nikolaos Theotokis Gunnar Staalesen is Norway’s best-known contemporary writer. He writes mostly crime novels that also address social and political issues. He receives us in his home, on a hill by a lake on the edge of Bergen.We listen to him talk about a variety of interesting subjects: Norwegian literature, the way in which he chooses his own topics; what it means to live in a picturesque but small town; the weight we all carry in terms of the history of our country; and whether each one of us could, potentially, become a murderer... Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12 F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 45 A 178 CANADA Category: Creative Documentaries ANTOINE Laura Bari The real and imaginary life of Antoine, a boy detective who runs, drives, makes decisions, hosts radio shows and adores simultaneous telephone conversations. Over the course of two years he uses a mini-boom microphone to discover and capture the sounds surrounding him. In this manner he co-created the soundtrack of this film.This child, who is of Vietnamese origin, was born one hundred days prematurely. He is integrated into the regular school system in Montreal with unprecedented success. Antoine is five years old and he is blind. Running time: 82’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Eyesteelfilm Contact Person: Halima Ouardiri 4475 Boul St Laurent #202 Montreal H2W 1Z8, Canada T. +1 514 937 4893 F. +1 514 313 7383 [email protected] www.eyesteelfilm.com 46 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 528 A ESTONIA Category: Art/Music & Culture ANTS ESKOLA. TO BE OR NOT TO BE Kristian Paul Virve The story of prince Hamlet touched a deep and most painful part of the soul of my grandfather, actor Ants Eskola. To him, Hamlet’s “To be or not to be”monologue did not simply express the will to die or the concept of suicide, but rather the fact that other people are those who force you to ask yourself whether you are you capable of fulfilling your dreams in life. As a young actor raised in freedom, he was arrested when the Soviets occupied Estonia and was taken to a gulag in Siberia. His best years were spent in gulags. When he returned to Estonia, freedom had been replaced with a foreign dictatorship. A country of ones own with an“oblast”. Life as a public enemy began, a fight for survival in a totalitarian system. Ants Eskola: To Be or not to Be is a film about the life of a well-known Estonian actor and his work with the stories of Estonian theatre against a background of the history of Estonian statehood. Birth and ruination of different ages. Running time: 96’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: KaosWorld Studios Contact Person: Kristjan PaulVirve 6-10 Narva Mnt. Tallinn 10117, Estonia T. +372 5 017 315 F. +372 6 601 148 [email protected] www.kaos.ee 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 47 A 220 GREECE Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife THE APE WHO FELL FROM THE SKY Zahos Samoladas The study of human evolution generally focuses on the hominids, beginning with the australopithecines, but to truly understand where humans came from it is necessary to look even earlier, when the human/great ape clade diverged from the other primates. Ouranopithecus macedoniensis is one European Middle Miocene hominoid that has been the source of much controversy. Ouranopithecus macedoniensis gets its name from the region where its fossils were found, Macedonia in Northern Greece. Fossils were first discovered near the village ofVathylakkos in Northern Greece duringWorldWar I.They were unearthed by French soldiers under the supervision of paleontologist Camille Arambourg. In the 1970s, Louis de Bonis resumed the search for fossils in northern Greece along with George Koufos from the Aristotle University and located hominoid remains at the sites of Ravine de la Pluie and Xirochori nearVathylakkos and another site near the village of Nikiti, which lies east of the city of Thessaloniki. These localities have been biostratigraphically dated to the Late Miocene, between 9 and 10 mya. Running time: 65’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Magic Lantern Contact Person: Zahos Samoladas 22 Analipseos Street Thessaloniki 546 44, Greece T. +30 2310 222 247 [email protected] 48 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 193 A ROMANIA Category: Docudrama APOCALYPSE ON WHEELS Alexandru Solomon This is not a film about roads or cars, but about what traffic turns us into. I chose five people whom I accompanied all over town, in their everyday lives. For five months I sat in the passenger seat of their car, listening to them.They are all ordinary people: a delivery boy who spends about 14 hours a day driving around Bucharest; a half paralyzed man who not only drives a car, but also helps other people to avail themselves of cars; a Peruvian-born woman who was raised in a city with equally crazed traffic; a father who recently lost his daughter in a traffic accident; and a policeman who, before December ’89, was beaten up by the militia. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Hi Film Productions Contact Person: Alexandru Solomon 179Traian Street Bucharest 024043, Romania T. +40 21 252 4867 F. +40 21 252 4866 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 49 A 448 GREECE Category: History & Politics APOLOGY OF AN ECONOMIC HITMAN Stelios Kouloglou In front of an angry audience somewhere in Latin America, a North American tells of his personal journey: he is a man who has decided to tell the truth, regardless of the risks for his family and his life. He worked for a secret network that used loans from the World Bank, payoffs, extortion and sex, military coups and political assassinations to create the American empire. But an unexpected crowd storms the theatre demanding answers about the country’s suffering. Among the people gathered is the daughter of an assassinated president. Perkins doesn’t know if he will be well accepted or lynched… Based on rare propagandistic material, film-noir-style reconstructed sequences and exclusive filmed confessions of best selling writer John Perkins, the documentary sheds new light on recent American history, from theWorldWar II to the invasion and looting of Iraq. The definitive answer to President Bush’s question:“Why do they hate us?” Running time: 58’& 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Deckert Distribution Contact Person: Heino Deckert 1 Marienplatz Leipzig 04103, Germany T. +49 341 215 6638 F. +49 341 215 6639 [email protected] www.deckert-distribution.com 50 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 258 A USA Category: Current Affairs ARC OF FIRE Alexandre Bouchet They call it “Arc of Fire”. It’s the biggest operation against illegal logging in Brazil’s history. And its mission is to save the Amazon. Since April 2008, Federal Police, National Security Force agents and the Environmental Protection Agency have been conducting joint operations against the timber mafia. Hundreds of armed policemen scour the Amazon by helicopter, looking for signs of illegal deforestation. Already, they’ve imposed millions of euros in fines, dismantled illegal sawmills and razed thousands of charcoal ovens to the ground. But locals, who rely on the lumber industry, claim they’re being forced out of work. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Java Films Contact Person: Kathryn Bonnici 4-6VillaThoreton Paris 75015, France T. +33 1 4060 2624 F. +33 1 4060 2649 [email protected] www.javafilms.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 51 A 570 ITALY Category: Current Affairs ARGENTINA A COUNTRY ON THE BRINK OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN Pietro Suber It looked like Argentina was about to sink.The causes of the rage of the Argentineans are still there, but the will to survive is stronger than frustrations. According to the government, unemployment is below 10%, a very positive result compared to 21% in June 2002.This data is misleading because it includes thousands of cartoneros, an army of people that live off the materials they find in the trash.Today, in the poorest areas of Buenos Aires, three out of four inhabitantsare poor and 40% live in absolute poverty.The new boom of psychoanalysis, connected to the economic crisis, is especially visible in Buenos Aires, the city with the highest number of psychotherapists in the world. One of the most charming areas of the city, in the Palermo neighborhood, has been calledVilla Freud.The reason is the impressive number of psychoanalysts, more than one thousand, who work there.They have a totally different approach compared to Europe: to go to the“shrink”here is the most common thing in the world, like going to the dentist. After the 2001 crisis, what was already a common custom became even more popular. Psychoanalysis is not for well-to-do people. In the capital there are 1800 psychologists who work for the state and offer their counselling for free to the poorest sectors of the population. Cartoneros also go to shrinks for a whole set of different problems. Running time: 42’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Oyibo Productions Contact Person: Fulvia D’Ottavi Via Cassia 878, Rome 00189, Italy T. +39 068 7903 958, +39 064 3419 651 F. +39 068 7903 958 [email protected] [email protected] www.oyiboproductions.com 52 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 288 A USA Category: Current Affairs THE ART OF FAILURE. CHUCK CONNELLY: NOT FOR SALE Jeff Stimmel Chuck Connelly was once on his way to being a true art star. In the 80s, he sold more than a million dollars worth of art. But Chuck Connelly also alienated every collector and gallery owner he worked with. Filmed over six years, the documentary explores a prolific painter’s passion for his work, and his struggle to regain his place in an often-capricious art scene, despite being his own worst enemy. Running time: 60’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 53 A 294 NEW ZEALAND Category: Art/Music & Culture THE ART STAR AND THE SUDANESE TWINS Pietra Brettkelly Thirty African women lie face down on a canvas. Eyes shut, bodies motionless. Controversial artistVanessa Beecroft makes wild red paint strokes over bodies. Genocide. Darfur. Jackson Pollock.VB61,Venice Biennale. The film follows Beecroft’s intentions to adopt orphaned twins. But as New York gallerist Jeffrey Deitch states, with Vanessa there is no boundary between life and art. Alongside the adoption process she photographs herself breast-feeding the twins, provocative work at $35,000 a print. The film exposesVanessa’s creative process, her struggle with depression, her volatile relationship with her husband and her love of the twins. Like Angelina and Madonna,Vanessa is a white westerner intent on‘rescuing’third world babies. But at what cost to her personal life? The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins won Best Editing at the World Documentary Competition, Sundance 2008; Best Documentary Award at theWhistler Film Festival; Best Director at the International Documentary Festival, Seoul; and Special Jury Mention at the Zurich Film Festival. Running time: 18’ Year of production: 2007 Contact Person: Pietra Brettkelly P.O. Box 91189 Auckland 1142, New Zealand T. +64 21 222 4122 [email protected] 54 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 531 A GREECE Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife ARTA. SAKIS’REEDS. ELIAS’LORRY. THE ROAD TO FLORINA. GIANT BEANS. Yorgos Matsikas How is Arta related to Florina? What’s the connection between a bunch of reeds and giant beans? The only thing we can be sure about is that the road belongs to the lorries. Running time: 29’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: George Matsikas 5 Sarantaporou Str., Ilioupoli Athens 16346, Greece T. + 30 213 037 1962 / 697 230 3676 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 55 A 421 USA Category: History & Politics ASK NOT Johnny Symons As we mark the 15th anniversary of the US military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell”policy, filmmaker Johnny Symons ventures to explore its affect. The policy was created to allow gay men and women to join the US military without being asked about their sexual orientation, but with the restriction that they don’t disclose it themselves. The documentary exposes the tangled political battle that led to the discriminatory law, and profiles charismatic young activists determined to abolish it.The film reveals personal stories of gay Americans who serve in combat under a veil of secrecy. Running time: 53’& 73’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 56 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 219 A GREECE Category: Docudrama ASTAKOS, A WINDOW IN TIME Teo Babouris Astakos is a seaside town on the Ionian Sea inWestern Greece. Filmmakers capture the images of the daily life of its people and the natural beauty of the place. This is also a trip down memory lane, showing the link between the past and present through old photos of Astakos and the people who used to live there. The film is a nostalgic look at a way of life that is slowly fading, against the backdrop of a magical, beautiful place. Running time: 56’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Teo Babouris 19-21 Karvela Street Athens 153 42, Grece T. +30 210 639 4493 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 57 A 148 USA Category: Adventure & Travel AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD Dan Stone The film chronicles the controversial Sea Shepherd’s Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign against a Japanese whaling fleet. The international volunteer crew, working with limited resources and mixed levels of experience develop a combination of bizarre and brilliant tactics with which to stop the whalers. But first they must find the Japanese ships, a far more difficult challenge than ever imagined. Long-time activist Paul Watson and firsttime captain Alex Cornelissen employ an array of strategies in the hopes of finding an elusive adversary in the vast expanse of the Ross Sea. With one ship (the “Farley Mowat”) too slow to chase down the whaling fleet, with their second ship (the “Robert Hunter”) unsuited for Antarctic ice conditions, and with no country supporting their efforts to enforce international law, the situation becomes increasingly desperate. Against all odds, however, a real-life pirate tale unfolds – a modern-day David vs. Goliath adventure which becomes the most dramatic environmental campaign ever filmed. Running time: 97’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Spotlight Pictures Contact Person: Jack Cambell 6671West Sunset Blvd. Suite 1591 Hollywood CA 90028, USA T. +1 323 871 2551 F. +1 323 871 2554 [email protected] www.spotlight-pictures.com 58 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 524 A POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries ATIJAT, THE FIRST WIFE Anna Błaszczyk A starting point for the film is a story of Atijat and her husband Adil – a story that shows the world of dilemmas, painful experiences and indifferent marriage relationships in an Arabian family. After a few years of living together, our heroine finds out that her husband is looking for a second wife. Reconciled with his plans and the reality she lives in, Atijat tells her painful story to Ania – the director of the film. This film forces us to reflect on the intricate relations between men and women in this distant African land and the fact that people treat this disproportion of needs as the natural order of life. A man-guru spends his time on entertainment and very little work, often searches for a new wife, while a woman stands in his shadow and satisfies her master, injured for the sake of her good name, deprived of sexual satisfaction, often in danger of miscarriage. A touching film, full of beautiful shots, focused on the most important things that help a woman to feel fulfilled. A film that shows a distance between Arabic and European culture, and – at the same time – the similarity of emotions, needs and goals. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Telewizja Polska S.A Contact Person: Agata Chlopek 17Woronicza Str Warsaw 00-999, Poland T. +48 22 547 5680 F. +48 22 547 4248 [email protected] [email protected] www.tvp.pl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 59 170 B AUSTRIA-GERMANY Category: Art/Music & Culture BACK TO AFRICA Othmar Schmiderer Tata, Huit Huit, Sonko, Waterman and Georges are successful artists both in Africa and in Europe, where their performances in Afrika! Afrika! have greatly contributed to the success of this André Heller circus show. Back to Africa follows the five protagonists over a period of one year: during rehearsals, during the show, but mostly during their visits to their home countries in Africa.The film explores the extraordinary energy and adventurous life stories of these artists, conveying very personal insights into the African way of life and, using spectacular images, showing their immediate environments and the vast landscapes in which they live. In fascinating images shot in Senegal, Ghana, Gambia, Congo, Guinea and Europe, Othmar Schmiderer’s documentary tells a story of a love for life and of everyday culture, of dance and music, of hope, diversity and inspiration. Running time: 97’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: The Match Factory Contact Person: Thania Dimitrakopoulou 79-81 Balthasarstrasse Cologne 50670, Germany T. +49 221 539 7090 F. +49 221 539 70910 [email protected] www.matchfactory.de 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 61 B 433 THE NETHERLANDS Category: Science & Knowledge BACKLIGHT: CARS 2.0 – THE RACE FOR THE CAR OF THE FUTURE Martijn Kieft With rising temperatures and rising gas prices, cars need to become greener fast. On the surface, the large car manufacturers seem to be working hard to improve the fuel efficiency of their products. But are they really?The technology to make cars much more fuelefficient has already existed for decades, but it never makes it to the showroom. Why do we have to wait so long for fuel-efficient vehicles? Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: NPO/RNW Sales Contact Person: Kaisa Kriek 45 Sumatralaan Hilversum 1217 GP,The Netherlands T. +31 35 677 3561 F. +31 35 677 5318 [email protected] www.nposales.com 62 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 434 B THE NETHERLANDS Category: Science & Knowledge BACKLIGHT: HERE COMES THE SUN! Rob van Hattum Here Comes the Sun! is a 50-minute story that will change your ideas about the future of energy. Even without major breakthroughs, we know how to harness the sun’s energy. A piece of desert the size of France is enough to fulfil all our current energy needs. So with all the problems of global warming, political oil dependency, and energy security, why don’t we convert our oil-dependent society into a helio-dependent society? In fact, we are doing so; the only thing is you do not know it… yet. The documentary Here Comes the Sun! will show that solar stocks are soaring, that the desert is our new land of glory, that algae in the garden will fuel your car and that your roof is a new marketplace for solar real estate managers. Oil companies say that it’s inefficient, too expensive and that it’s not going to happen soon. But after having seen Here Comes the sun! you will know better. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: NPO/RNW Sales Contact Person: Kaisa Kriek 45 Sumatralaan Hilversum 1217 GP,The Netherlands T. +31 35 677 3561 F. +31 35 677 5318 [email protected] www.nposales.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 63 B 432 THE NETHERLANDS Category: Lifestyles BACKLIGHT: I WANNA BE BOSS Marije Meerman I Wanna Be Boss portrays five smart, hardworking, competitive, creative 17-year-old students during their graduation year at Bashu Middle School #2, one of the best secondary schools in Chongqing, Central China.The students from this school are hastily being prepared for important functions in the global economy, and the very best will determine the face of the new China. We are witness to their dreams, their fears and their expectations during one of the most tension-filled periods of their lives. There is an inconceivable gap between the current generation of Chinese school children – named the “I want generation” by the Chinese press – and that of their parents, who often had a hard life; they are very thrifty and have to work hard to scrape together enough money for school fees, often have little or no education themselves and are under a frequent threat of unemployment.Yet they find themselves surrounded by technological development. Their children will grow up with western products; they will close mortgages, buy shares, travel and live in relative freedom.They have faith in the future.This will be the first generation that, since the loss of communist ideals, is ready to embrace western values such as economic growth, individualism and consumerism. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: NPO/RNW Sales Contact Person: Kaisa Kriek 45 Sumatralaan Hilversum 1217 GP,The Netherlands T. +31 35 677 3561, F. +31 35 677 5318 [email protected] www.nposales.com 64 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 209 B GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture BACKSTAGE: ANDREAS EMBIRICOS – THE POET THROUGH HIS PICTURES Εlias Yannakakis A different portrait of the outstanding surrealist poet; one that doesn’t refer to the opinions of analysts and experts on his work. Rather, by using the footage that Andreas Embirikos filmed in Super 8 and in 16mm and the countless extraordinary photographs he took over a period of over forty years, we attempt a unique journey into the world of the poet, through the images that he himself captured. Running time: 51’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12 F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 65 B 210 GREECE Category: Science & Knowledge BACKSTAGE: GEORGE PAPANIKOLAOU – PAP TEST Lefteris Xanthopoulos The doctor and researcher Georgios Papanikolaou, a major figure of medical science on international level, was the father of cytopathology and is considered the benefactor of millions of women all over the world. The diagnostics gynaecological method for the prevention of cervical cancer, known as the Pap test, was developed by Papanikolaou in 1928 and became internationally recognized in the mid-1940s. Despite the development of related vaccines in recent years, the Pap test is still considered the most valid diagnostic method. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12 F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr 66 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 215 B GREECE Category: Art/Music&Culture BACKSTAGE: JULES DASSEN AN AMERICAN DIRECTOR Yorgos Skevas For many years, in Greece, the name Jules Dassen has been inextricably tied to that of his wife, Melina Mercouri. Honoring the American filmmaker who passed away recently, this documentary sheds light on another, less well-known period of Jules Dassen’s life.Through the use of rare audiovisual material and narrated by Dassen himself, the film chronicle’s the director’s life and career. A journey from Harlem during the Great Depression, on to Broadway and then Hollywood of the big studios and McCarthyism, and finally to Europe of the 1950s. Running time: 51’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12 F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 67 B 536 GREECE Category: Art/Music&Culture BACKSTAGE: KAROLOS KOUN – 42 MOVING IMAGES Lakis Papastathis An retrospective of the Backstage documentary series in honor of the master of Greek theater, 100 years after his birth and 21 years after his death. Today, theater aficionados are compelled, more than ever, to remember the values of the Theatro Technis (Art Theater) that Karolos Koun founded. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12 F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr 68 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 515 B GREECE Category: Lifestyles BARBER’S BLUES Dimitris Andjus An entire day with George in his barber shop in downtown Athens as he works, gossips, sings and plays his favorite guitar with friends. Running time: 26’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FP Films Contact Person: Dimitris Andjus 3 Efstathiou Lampsa Street Athens 115 24, Greece T. +30 6932011677 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 69 B 200 FRANCE Category: Lifestyles BARCELONA OR DIE Idrissa Guiro From a Dakar suburb, flimsy boats set sail for Europe, their passengers in danger of disappearing into the Atlantic. Local fishing has died out and the country is struggling hard to offer its youth a future. In each family there is someone who dreams of leaving, at any price. Running time: 51’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Andana Films Contact Person: Stephan Riguet LeVillage Lussas 07170, France T. +33 475 943 467 F. +33 475 942 509 [email protected] www.andanafilms.com 70 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 344 B HUNGARY-AUSTRIA-GERMANY Category: Docudrama BARTHALO! (GOOD LUCK!) Robert Lakatos How to hit the Jackpot?This question is not a simple one to answer for anybody. But it is even harder to solve for the two friends in this film, the “big hat”Gypsy and his Hungarian buddy – both of them Transylvanians. Often they don’t succeed, but even if they do, their success doesn’t last long. But they know something not all of us know: how to enjoy life. In this neorealist comedy, even though the situations are set up by the director, the two main characters are playing themselves and solving their problems in their own way. In fact, the camera follows the adventures of a real friendship in different countries, through different cultures. Running time: 60’& 80’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Taskovski Films Contact Person: IrenaTaskovski 4BWentworth Street London E1 7TF, UK T. +420 2 3331 3839 [email protected] www.taskovskifilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 71 B 532 BULGARIA Category: History & Politics THE BASE: AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN Sevda Shishmanova This is a territory that you feel is tense with the shock after every attack and finding out that the suicide bombers have either attended a Madrasa in Pakistan or have been trained in camps in Afghanistan; with the insanity of every western politician who waves around the Qur’an, not knowing what it says; with the resources of all international NATO, Islam League, United Nations summits, that are never going to be enough if they look onto this land through the embrasure; with the confusion of borders and fates, of generations traversing open spaces that we are setting borders to, out of our own fear and suspicion; with the intensity that we live in a connected world, and to stay together, we need to look at each other unveiled. Running time: 55’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Bulgarian NationalTelevision Contact Person: Daniela Kuzmanova 29 San Stefano Str. Sofia 1504, Bulgaria T. +359 2 814 2390 F. +359 2 943 6045 [email protected] www.bnt.bg 72 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 314 B GREECE Category: Creative Documentary BATHERS Eva Stefani The film follows a summer season in the lives of a group of retired Greek men and women who are regular visitors to various Greek spa towns. Life around spa towns moves slowly, at a pace that is reminiscent of past times.Within this listless atmosphere, people feel free to do and say things they would never be allowed to in their regular social circles. A sense of freedom and lightness is in the air. Instead of being among elderly people, one often feels as if one were around a group of teenagers at a summer camp.This joyful atmosphere often alternates with reflections on the past or on death. Running time: 46’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Graal S.A Contact Person: Nikos Moustakas 10 Panepistimiou Str. Athens 10671,Greece T. + 30 210 339 0481-4 F. + 30 210 3636216 [email protected] Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12 F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 73 B 262 ZAMBIA Category: History & Politics BATTLE FOR KAVALAMANJA… IN DEFENSE OF THE NATION Abdon Yezi The film chronicles the story of Kavalamanja, one of the many untold stories of the atrocities people suffered – especially innocent civilians at the height of the liberation struggles for Southern Africa. Shot on location, the story of Kavalamanja and Kakaro speaks of experiences of the survivors of a 3-day war launched by Ian Smith’s Southern Rhodesian Army between March 6-9, 1978. Barely a year after attaining its political independence from Britain in 1964, Zambia was the base for many liberation movements, especially for countries around its borders including South Africa. The carnage that took place at Kavalamanja reveals and relives some of the horrors that innocent people faced during the years from 1965 to 1993 – when the last of Zambia’s neighbors, South Africa, attained majority black rule. In Zambia, these stories remain undocumented and untold. Running time: 43’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Yezi - Arts Promotions and Productions Contact Person: AbdonYezi Plot 1262 Avondale ext., CoYezi Arts Lusaka, E891, Box 35, Zambia T. +260 211 840 228 F. +260 977 982 833 [email protected] 74 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 346 B CAMBODIA-UK-GERMANY Category: Creative Documentaries THE BEETLE KFZ – 1348 Gabriel Mascaro & Marcelo Pedroso In 1965 a young civil engineer in São Paulo buys a VW Beetle. Forty years later the car ends up in a Recife scrap yard, with the license plate KFZ-1348. Over these four decades, the car has had seven more owners: from a São Paulo businessman to a hairdresser in the interior of Pernambuco State. This Beetle meant something to each of them at different points in the history of Brazil.The documentary goes in search of their stories, with the car as the link between the various owners and their lives as unique windows on Brazilian society. Running time: 48’& 81’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Taskovski Films Contact Person: IrenaTaskovski 4BWentworth Street London E1 7TF, UK T. +420 2 3331 3839 [email protected] www.taskovskifilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 75 B 479 GERMANY Category: Current Affairs BEHIND GREEN DOORS Klaus Betzl Hetzeldorf is a village inTransylvania. After the Romanian revolution, almost all residents of German descent emigrated. Some old people stayed, as well as two young farmers and their families who live in a seemingly archaic culture and speak an archaic language. Emigration changed a lot. One thing is the colors of the village.The estates of the Saxons always had green gates. The first ones to leave for Germany sold their estates for a song. The new owners repainted the gates in their own colours: greyish-blue and brown. For a year, we follow the protagonists and their families. Documentary sketches of work and everyday-life tell something about the life of pragmatic individuals. Peter’s musings about the quality of life sound like this: “It’s not that I could eat or drink any more over there than I do here.” Running time: 45’ Year of production: 2007 Contact Person: Klaus Betzl 53 Emilienstr. Essen 45128, Germany T. +49 179 102 6992 [email protected] 76 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 429 B SOUTH AFRICA-FRANCE-EGYPT Category: Current Affairs BEHIND THE RAINBOW Jihan El-Tahri Behind the Rainbow explores the transition of the ANC from a liberation organization to South Africa’s ruling party, through the evolution of the relationship between two of its most prominent cadres,Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Exiled under Apartheid, they were brothers in arms, under Mandela they loyally labored to build a non-racial state, now they are bitter rivals.Their duel threatens to tear apart the ANC and the country, as the poor desperately seek hope in change and the elite fight for the spoils of victory. Behind the Rainbow features key interviews with ANC current and former leaders, including Jacob Zuma andThabo Mbeki. Running time: 124’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: BigWorld Cinema Contact Person: Steven Markovitz 27 Caledon Street CapeTown 8001, South Africa T. +27 21 465 4686 F. +27 21 461 6964 [email protected] www.bigworld.co.za 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 77 B 583 IRAN-UK Category: Lifestyles BEHIND THE WHEEL OF LIFE Sahar Salahshour Day in and day out, behind the wheel of her car, Nasrin, a female driver, single parent and bread winner drives in the chaotic metropolis ofTehran. She tries hard to stay independent. The film depicts the happy, lively Nasrin as a female driver who, although her job is considered unconventional from the point of view of traditional Iranian society, she still manages on her own. Running time: 26’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Sheherazad Media International Contact Person: Katayoon Shahabi 2, 3rd Sarvestan, Pasdaran St., Shariati Ave. Tehran 16619, Iran T. +98 21 2286 3260 / +98 21 2286 3261 F. +98 21 2285 8962 [email protected] [email protected] www.smediaint.com 78 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 188 B RWANDA Category: Creative Documentaries BEHIND THIS CONVENT Gilbert Ndahayo Behind this Convent features revealing interviews with survivors of both the modern Rwanda and those who are still trapped in its past. Intercut throughout this film is footage taken from 600 faces and voices, survivor testimonies, murderer testimonies, and the silent witnesses. In this film, Rwandan filmmaker Gilbert Ndahayo faces his own demons and those of his country in an impassioned moment when he faces his father’s killer in the “gacaca”court. A non-chronological time line of Rwanda’s 1994Tutsi genocide is dissected and includes a review of both survivor and murderer ideologies, and a look into one of the locations where the tragedy hit hardest, behind a convent in Kigali. Behind this Convent is a profoundly intense and emotional journey into Africa’s most intense killing campaign in recorded history, and the filmmaker’s testimony to the power of film and forgiveness. Running time: 120’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ndahayo Films Contact Person: Gilbert Ndahayo 60West End Avenue Newark NJ 07106, USA T. +1 417 849 6039 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 79 B 513 GREECE Category: Creative Documentaries BELLS, THREADS & MIRACLES Marianna Economou Every year, on April 23rd, at least 100,000 Muslims visit the Christian Monastery of Saint George on Prince’s island, off the coast of Istanbul, to pray for a miracle. They ask for a house, a car, a baby, a computer, or to be cured of an illness. Irrespective of religion, culture or ethnic origin, at some point in our lives we all feel the need to believe in miracles. The film explores this universal human need, the ways in which it is expressed and the consequences it brings, by following Suha and Deniz, a Muslim couple, and Diamantis, a Christian, during their visit to the monastery. These are people that belong to a different culture and religion, yet share the same Saint. But will the Saint grant their wishes as he did last year? Are miracles possible in this day and age? Running time: 65’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Inkas Film Productions Contact Person: Lilette Botassi 21 Heiden Str., Athens 10434, Greece T. + 30 210 884 3661, F. + 30 210 823 4181 [email protected] Sales Contact: Greek Film Center Contact Person: Evi Lazari 7 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str. Athens 117 42,Greece T. + 30 210 368 7503, F. + 30 210 361 4336 [email protected] www.gfc.gr 80 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 411 B FRANCE Category: Current Affairs BERLUSCONI: THE MONDADORI AFFAIR Mosco Boucault How the head of the Italian government took over the country’s largest publishing house. A brisk, fierce and biting enquiry into the heart of high finance, the legal system and politics. In 1987, the sudden death of Mario Formenton, the head of Mondadori, Italy’s largest publishing house, triggered a battle of succession between two of the country’s most skilled businessmen, Silvio Berlusconi and Carlo de Benedetti, both minor shareholders. It was the beginning of a very long legal tussle, during which Berlusconi, the Forza Italia leader, came to power for the first time in April 1994, and then again in June 2001. He has been acquitted on the basis that there were no grounds for prosecution as the statute of limitations had expired. He then pulled out every stop to avoid his allies being convicted. This included having ad-hoc laws passed by“his”deputies. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: ARTE France Contact Person: Audrey Kamga 8 rue Marceau Issy-les-Moulineaux 92130, France T. +33 1 5500 7081 F. +33 1 5500 8065 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 81 B 128 USA Category: History & Politics THE BETRAYAL Ellen Kuras Filmed over the course of 23 years, The Betrayal tells the epic story of a family odyssey from war-torn Laos to the mean streets of New York. Thavi narrates his own story as a child surviving the Vietnam war and then as a young man struggling to overcome the hardships of immigrant life, an experience shared with his mother who tells her own astonishing tale of perseverance as a wife and mother in war.Thavisouk’s unforgettable journey reminds us of the strength necessary to survive and of the human spirit’s inspiring capacity to adapt, rebuild, and forgive. Running time: 96’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Celluloid Dreams Contact Person: Violaine Pichon 2 RueTurgot Paris 75009, France T. +33 1 49 700 370 F. +33 1 49 700 371 [email protected] www.celluloid-dreams.com 82 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 289 B THE NETHERLANDS Category: Science & Knowledge BEYOND THE GAME Jos de Putter Fingers type on a keyboard quick as lightning; eyes stare at a screen totally concentrated. Headphones smother war sounds.The movements are minimal; silence reigns.The world championship of theWarcraft computer game progresses in seeming stillness, while in the virtual environment players fight out hyperactive battles. Beyond the Game is set in the World of incredibly popular cybergames.The film focuses on the world’s best professional Warcraft III-players (the most popular game worldwide) on their way to the world championships. Structured as a hypermodern western in cyberspace, the film tells the life stories of cyberidols SKY, from China, and GRUBBY, fromThe Netherlands.We become aware of their different style, ways of living, and sacrifices to reach their goals.Their final duel is the climax of the film. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 83 B 259 FRANCE Category: Current Affairs BIG BUSINESS Miryam Akil Over the past 20 years, obesity rates in America have tripled. But while doctors despair, some people are making a killing. This eye-opening new film profiles the profiteers of morbid obesity. Visit the restaurant that invented the 8,000 calorie burger, where diners are pushed to their cars in wheelchairs; study at the first weight loss school for overweight children, which doesn’t see the need to provide medical care; and try out the products developed to cater for the morbidly obese – everything from extra large coffins to reinforced toilets. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Java Films Contact Person: Kathryn Bonnici 4-6VillaThoreton Paris 75015, France T. +33 1 4060 2624 F. +33 1 4060 2649 [email protected] www.javafilms.fr 84 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 382 B USA Category: Current Affairs BIG EASY LIFE Naftali Beane Rutter Big Easy Life is the anti- Hurricane Katrina documentary, the only film of its kind, a cinema verité chronicle of one day in the life of three fascinating families in New Orleans. Shot with gripping intimacy, throwing us right into the middle of the lives of a large cast of wild and diverse characters, we share in the rebirth of the daily rituals of three American families. As they wake up, catch a fish, run, sing, eat, and pray, we come to know the McPeeks, the Staniches and the Blaises as something more than just victims of disaster. Big Easy Life dares us to see this tapestry of ordinary American lives as something exciting, tragic, medicinal, hilarious, sublime and universally human. Running time: 69’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Waterbound Pictures Contact Person: Naftali Beane Rutter 405 9th Street Brooklyn NY 11215, USA T. +1 310 562 0342 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 85 B 472 FRANCE Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS Yvon Legars In the Air, on the earth or on the sea, the birds living on the Atlantic Coast of Europe are almost unknown. From the Fulmar to the Penguins, the European Shag and the Atlantic Puffin, they live on our coasts. Here is a short series directed by the wildlife director Y. Legars Running time: 26 x 3’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 86 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 355 B SWEDEN Category: Current Affairs BLACK NATION Mats Hjelm Black Nation is a feature documentary film that takes an uncompromising look at the state of Black manhood in America as seen through the prism of the streets of Detroit, past and present, and that city’s controversial Church of the Black Madonna. Filmmaker Mats Hjelm draws on his deep personal connection with the Church and the City to explore the racial, cultural and political ramifications of a“black male Genocide”. In a year where Race and Religion are at the forefront, Black Nation offers the audience a penetrating look at what it means to be a Black Man in America today. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Herrlander Pictures Contact Person: Claes Herrlander Apelsinlunden, Allhelgonagatan 5 Stockholm 118 58, Sweden T. +46 704 337 270 F. +46 86 404 541 [email protected] www.herrlanderpictures.se 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 87 B 272 CANADA Category: History & Politics BLACK WAVE: THE LEGACY OF THE EXXON VALDEZ Robert Cornellier In the early hours of March 24th 1989 the Exxon Valdez super-tanker runs aground in Alaska. Millions of gallons of crude oil wash ashore and the incident becomes the biggest environmental catastrophe in North American history. For weeks, dramatic images of dead seabirds and sea otters covered in oil shoot across the planet. For twenty years now Riki Ott and the fishermen of the little town of Cordova, Alaska have waged the longest legal battle in US history against the world’s most powerful oil company, Exxon Mobil, a battle which came to an end in June 2008 before the US Supreme Court, practically exonerating the company. . Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 88 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 146 B USA Category: Science & Knowledge BLAST! Paul Devlin Welcome to Astrophysics Indiana Jones style! Five times Emmy winner Paul Devlin follows the story of his brother, Mark Devlin PhD, as he leads a tenacious team of scientists hoping to figure out how all the galaxies formed by launching a revolutionary new telescope under a NASA high-altitude balloon. Their adventure takes them from Arctic Sweden to Inuit polar bear country in Canada, where catastrophic failure forces the team to try all over again on the desolate ice in Antarctica. No less than the understanding of the evolution and origins of our Universe is at stake on this exciting escapade that seeks to answer humankind’s most basic question, How did we get here? Blast! is about the crazy life of scientists.Their professional obsessions, personal and family sacrifices, and philosophical and religious questioning: all give emotional resonance to a spectacular and suspenseful story of space exploration. Running time: 56 & 74’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Louise Rosen Ltd. Contact Person: Louise Rosen 16 High Street Brusnwick, Maine 04011, USA T. +1 207 725 8215 F. +1 207 725 8057 [email protected] www.louiserosenltd.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 89 B 175 SLOVAKIA Category: Creative Documentaries BLIND LOVES Juraj Lehotský Blind Loves is a film about love between blind people. Love can be soft, love can be silly, and love can be blind sometimes...To find one’s place in this world is not an easy thing to do for sighted people, let alone for someone who is blind!The“view” of a blind person is often pure, picking up on the essence of things, and very often it is witty. It reveals new dimensions of the meaning of happiness. Running time: 77’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 90 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 492 B SOUTH AFRICA Category: Science & Knowledge BLISSFULLY LOST Darell Lourens & Nele Jensen The film that we produced is a contemporary form of documentary that discusses the different facets of the HIV/AIDS situation in Western Europe and the UK with a focus on the generation of 18- to 35-year-olds. It constitutes an interface between a mediator of (scientific) information and the attempt to simultaneously draw a “zeitgeisty” picture of the addressed audience itself. Stylistically, it borders on the genres of music video and reality show. Fast cuts and artistic camera angles are used to fill the canvas of the work generated and make the documentary not only a product but even more so a mirror of pop culture in itself.While it asks the kinds of questions that can lead to the development of better programs for prevention and care, it can also be used as a mouthpiece and a reference point for future anti-AIDS campaigns. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: een2dee Productions Contact Person: Darell Lourens 55 Belmont Avenue CapeTown 8000, South Africa T. +27 72 599 7882 F. +27 12 480 2055 [email protected] www.een2dee.co.za 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 91 B 226 GREECE Category: Current Affairs THE BLOOD OF KOUAN KOUAN Yorgos Avgeropoulos In the virgin tropical forests of the Amazon, the region with the richest biodiversity in the world,anunspeakablecrimehasbeencommittedandcontinuestobecommittedagainsthumankind.Texaco is accused of dumping 18,5 billion gallons of toxic oil waste into the Ecuadorian Amazonia. Petroecuador, the state oil company, is accused of causing hundreds of leaks of tons of crude oil into the jungle. Ancient native populations are considered invisible and expendable, victims of the oil companies’easy profiteering.They are disappearing on a massive scale, as pollution kills the animals they hunt and causes illnesses until recently unknown to them, such as cancer.This documentary – the second byYorgos Avgeropoulos on the same subject, following the award-winning Delta – Oil’s Dirty Business – is dedicated to theTetete and Sansahuari tribes.Their voices were silenced forever at the dawn of the 21st century on account of the region’s “development”. Running time: 64’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 153 42, Greece T. +30 210 607 5711-12, F. +30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr Sales Contact: Small Planet Contact Person: Anastasia Skoubri 55 Pitheou Str., Neos Kosmos Athens 117 43, Greece T. +30 210 951 5295, F. +30 210 951 5294 [email protected] 92 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 180 B THE NETHERLANDS Category: Creative Documentaries BLOODY MONDAYS & STRAWBERRY PIES Coco Schrijber Beauty, love, work... sometimes it just isn’t worth getting out of bed for. Bloody Mondays & Strawberry Pies examines the role of boredom in the human condition by showing the lives of a 32-year-oldWall street stockbroker who makes millions a year, a desert nomad who does nothing all day, the last living female spy fromWorldWar II, a painter who has been painting Time for the last 42 years, and the first school shooter in history: Brenda Spencer who, at the age of 16 shot eleven people because: “I don’t like Mondays”. The actor John Malkovich gives voice to the inner bored human being. His fascinating timbre crawls under your skin and wonders: “How many people in the world are like me?” The answers are right there in the silent Sahara of your mind. Running time: 87’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Bonanza Films Contact Person: JB Macrander 689-691 Sumatrakade Amsterdam 1019 PV, The Netherlands T. +31 20 626 3801 [email protected] www.bonanza.nl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 93 B 158 THE NETHERLANDS Category: Creative Documentaries a BLOOMING BUSINESS Ton van Zantvoort Flowers love people. Anyway, that is what the flower growing industry is trying to propagate. But whether flowers actually do love people, well, that remains the question. a Blooming Business is a poetic documentary about people in Kenya who are imprisoned by the power of the global flower growing industry. The dilemmas of the industry grow painfully clear and a dark world of oppression, sexual abuse and terrible working conditions unfolds.There is only one conclusion possible: the smell of the imported rose is not sweet, but bitter.The film combines pure observation with direct comments by the main characters. The camera is present and absent at the same time and reshapes the documentary.With great humanism van Zantvoort shows us a different world where all human life is valuable. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Newton Film Contact Person: Ton van Zantvoort 27 Vogelschoot Breda 4813 NG,The Netherlands T. +31 6 4103 9081 F. +31 8 4744 6200 [email protected] www.newtonfilm.nl 94 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 142 B USA Category: Current Affairs BLUE GOLD: WORLD WATER WARS Sam Bozzo Wars of the future will be fought over water, as they are today over oil, as the source of all life enters the global marketplace and political arena. Corporate giants, private investors, and corrupt governments vie for control of our dwindling fresh water supply, prompting protests, lawsuits, and revolutions from citizens fighting for the right to survive. Past civilizations have collapsed from poor water management. Can the human race survive? Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Filmoption International Inc. Contact Person: Muriel Rosilio 1686WedmoreWay Mississauga L5J 2J8, Canada T. +1 905 916 4000 F. +1 905 916 4001 [email protected] www.filmoption.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 95 B 333 THE NETHERLANDS Category: Art/Music & Culture BOLLYWOOD BLUES Rishi Chamman In a few months’time, 23-year-old Monique will graduate from university. After all the hardship she longs to be free at last, to go out and date and become a Bollywood-star. Her father has something else in mind: he wants her to give up dancing, find a good Hindu man and get married like her two older sisters. Parental opposition to what she wants is fuelled by a secret that has been haunting the family for years. Her inner conflict is expressed in her diary and in the Bollywood musical where she plays a leading role. But time is running out: will she give in to the pressure of her environment or will she follow her heart, with the risk of losing a part of it. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Pieter van Huystee Film Contact Person: Curien Kroon 37-39 Noordermarkt Amsterdam 1015 NA,The Netherlands T. +31 20 421 0606 F. +31 20 638 6255 [email protected] www.pvhfilm.nl 96 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 410 B GREECE Category: Arts, Music, & Culture BOMBING Angelos Athanasopoulos & Dimitris Nikolopoulos “We like bombing; we like that it’s illegal”. Four kids walking along the street, singing a tune, painting walls at night.That’s their story.They pass by swiftly, faster than their words. They disappear into the city; their city. A street documentary capturing moments from the daily life of Thodoris, Vangelis, Thomas and Yannis – aka Jef82, Mr Phaz, Eversor and JK-1 – hip hop and graffiti artists,“correspondents of events”. The camera follows them through Athens, on their daily quest for right colours and true rhymes and the night adventure of bombing.Their words are strong.They“wake you up”, tuned into a youth urban rhythm. A movie about a gang of four and the adventures of their generation. Running time: 27’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Non Stop Media PC Contact Person: Myrto Boutsi 7 Ippokratous Str. Athens 10679, Greece T. + 30 210 362 5201 / 694 46 22949 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 97 B 553 POLAND Category: Creative Documentary THE BOOTH OF FORTUNE Leslaw Dobrucki In the modern city, there is no place for a small booth with a lottery. We witness the last few days of an old lottery ticket booth located on the track of the future subway line. It has to be demolished together with the close relations between its regular customers. Running time: 15’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Krakow Film Foundation Contact Person: KatarzynaWilk 5 Morawskiego p.434 Krakow 30-102, Poland T. +48 12 294 6945 [email protected] www.kff.com.pl 98 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 194 B MEXICO Category: Lifestyles BORN WITHOUT Eva Norvind A tender and controversial love story between actor and musician José Flores, a man born with no arms, and the woman that bore him six children and is expecting another. José is often labeled a“beggar”as he travels throughout Mexico playing the harmonica to support his family. He also appears in feature films.The film includes clips from José ’s acting career and interviews with the filmmakers and actors who worked with him, but still more powerful are the stories told by José ’s sisters and older relatives who were with him as he grew up. Running time: 82’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Latinofusion Contact Person: Alfredo Calvino 2755 Parque de las Estrellas, Jardines del Bosque Guadalajara Jalisco 44510, Mexico T. +52 33 3123 2738 F. +52 33 3647 3714 [email protected] www.latinofusion.com.mx 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 99 B 260 ISRAEL Category: Current Affairs BRUNA Nili Tal Twenty years ago, an Israeli family, adopted Bruna, a four-month-old Brazilian infant. After two years, the biological mother, Rosilda, arrived in Israel claiming that Bruna had been kidnapped. With the help of a British television crew, Rosilda petitioned the high court. A psychiatrist’s assessment asserted that the child would have no irreversible damage if she were to be returned to her biological mother.What has happened to Bruna since then? How did the court case affect the course of her life?Was the intervention of the television crew justified? Nili Tal returns to Brazil and follows the events in the life of Bruna and her biological parents. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Java Films Contact Person: Kathryn Bonnici 4-6VillaThoreton Paris 75015, France T. +33 1 4060 2624 F. +33 1 4060 2649 [email protected] www.javafilms.fr 100 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 156 B DENMARK Category: Current Affairs BURMA VJ – REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY Anders Hosbro Østergaard The DemocraticVoice of Burma (DVB) consists of a group of about 30 Burmese reporters who secretly film the abuses in their country.The footage is then smuggled across the border and broadcast via satellite from the headquarters in Oslo.These are the images that could be seen across the globe when a revolution was about to erupt in the late summer of 2007. Led by Buddhist monks, more than 100,000 people took to the streets to march peacefully against the military dictatorship that has held the country in an iron grip for 40 years. Burma VJ is almost exclusively compiled from footage shot by DVB reporters. One of them supplies the voice-over. From his hiding place in Thailand, he uses the telephone or Internet to stay in touchwithcolleagueswhoreportontheuprising:shakyhand-heldimagesofemergencydeliberations by protesters, of the dispersion of the crowd. Their cameras hidden in bags or clenched under their armpits, the DVB reporters risk their lives and take the viewer right into the heat of the turmoil. Running time: 85’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: First Hand Films Contact Person: Esther van Messel 5 Fritz HeebWeg Zurich 8050, Switzerland T. +41 44 312 2060 F. +41 44 312 2080 [email protected] www.firsthandfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 101 416 C FRANCE Category: Current Affairs THE CABAL Mathieu Verboud How was a group of neoconservatives referred to as the “Cabal”, established? And how did it end up at the controls of the second attack on Iraq?This enlightening enquiry reveals the details of a lie told to the American people, to Congress, to the allies, to the United Nations and to the world at large. In Spring 2008, two small towns inVermont made headline news by voting in a referendum for the impeachment and arrest of the American president and vice-president. It was a symbolic vote – and a first – which unleashed passions in a divided country. The vote came after five years of an Iraqi blood bath, with no solution in sight. After five years of State lies, strategic errors and political impunity. This documentary sets out to meet a handful of these disappointed patriots. Not without bitterness, they speak of the political disaster of this“second Vietnam”, and the taking of power by the military-industrial complex, as forecast by General Eisenhower. No longer do they hide their doubts on the capacity of American democracy to stop this perpetual war, with neither end nor winner possible. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: ARTE France Contact Person: Audrey Kamga 8 rue Marceau Issy-les-Moulineaux 92130, France T. +33 1 5500 7081 F. +33 1 5500 8065 [email protected] www.artefrance.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 103 C 290 THE NETHERLANDS Category: Science & Knowledge CALLING E.T. Prosper de Roos Just imagine if we were to get in touch with extraterrestrial intelligence, now, in our lifetime!There is a small group of people who are taking this unlikely scenario very seriously. Their daily life is spent looking for signals from extraterrestrial civilisations and wondering how we, earthlings, should present ourselves if we were to make real contact. Is there a protocol for the big moment?Will we manage to speak as one world? Old tensions dating from the Cold War between the West and Russia are surfacing again in this area. Can contact with extraterrestrial beings help to solve the problems of our planet? Running time: 54’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 104 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 337 C GREECE Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife CANYONING IN THE MYSTERY ISLAND OF SAMOTHRAKI Christos Barous Samothrace is a beautiful and mysterious island at the edge of the Aegean Sea. Abundant waters flow from its high peaks, cutting paths through the granite stone, opening 10 fascinating canyons leading to the sea. Several groups of explorers (canyoners) came to follow these water routes, descending with ropes. They try to explore the whole path, from the start of the springs to the end of the water route. Along the way they come across many impressive waterfalls, beautiful lakes, and the green countryside against a backdrop of the blue sea.The energy created by water is also something unique here, and the visitor can feel this energy. That is why the Ancient Greeks performed here the famous “Kavirian”mysteries… The film following the canyoners in their descent of the 3 most beautiful canyons of Greece. Gria Bathra (old lady), Kremastos (hangman) and the famous Fonias (killer). Running time: 40’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: ExploreNatureGR Contact Person: Christos Barous 9 Elpidos Street Markopoulo 190 03, Greece T. +30 69 74 570 161 [email protected] www.explorenature.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 105 C 538 GREECE-TURKEY Category: History & Politics CAPTAIN KEMAL, A COMRADE Fotos Lamprinos The portrait of Mihri Belli, a Turk born in 1915, who, after the Greco-Turkish War (19191922) was a devout nationalist and fanatic enemy of the Greeks, but decided, in 1947, to travel illegally to the mountains inThrace to fight in the Greek CivilWar on the side of the Greek communist guerrillas. Today, at the age of 92, he makes a journey back to Greece where he fought to visit the battle fields and hopefully meet again with his comrades. Running time: 72’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: CL Productions Contact Person: Zoe Lisgara 65Vrilissou Str., Polygono Athens 11476, Greece T. + 30 210 641 2700, F. +30 210 641 2709 [email protected] Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12, F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr Sales Contact: Greek Film Center Contact Person: Evi Lazari 7 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str. Athens 117 42,Greece T. + 30 210 368 7503, F. + 30 210 361 4336 [email protected] www.gfc.gr 106 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 335 C THE NETHERLANDS Category: Lifestyles CARMEN MEETS BORAT Mercedes Stalenhoef Carmen meets Borat is a film about a small village in a big universe. A gypsy village is suddenly confronted with huge dilemmas after they are portrayed as backward people from Kazakhstan in the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Carmen sees the people around her change and knows her future will change dramatically as well. A hilarious film with serious undertones. Running time: 85’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Pieter van Huystee Film Contact Person: Curien Kroon 37-39 Noordermarkt Amsterdam 1015 NA,The Netherlands T. +31 20 421 0606 F. +31 20 638 6255 [email protected] www.pvhfilm.nl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 107 C 466 FRANCE Category: Current Affairs CASABLANCA: ONE-WAY TICKET TO PARADISE Hind Meddeb Casablanca, May 16th, 2003. Fourteen young Moroccans are engaged in a collective suicide bomb attack. Hind Meddeb and Gallagher Fenwick follow in the foorsteps of the kamikazes. The terrorists were all in their twenties and came from the same district: the shantytownThomas, situated in the suburbs of Casablanca. Thanks to the testimonies of their neighbors, their old football mates, their friends and one of their sisters, the viewer discovers the life of this shanty town, the sufferings and the hopes of a part of Moroccan youth. Running time: 44’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 108 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 403 C AUSTRIA-CROATIA-FYROM Category: Creative Documentary CASH & MARRY Atanas Georgiev Two young immigrants from the Balkans try to find a solution for their legal residence permit in Austria.They are prepared to do almost anything to get a European passport, including paying for a marriage of convenience.With nothing but 7,000 Euros, they set out to find the woman to realize their dreams – one who will walk them down aisle and then hang around long enough for the divorce. An odyssey through the hidden dilemmas of immigration and a touching insight into what it takes to overcome the barriers of European immigration restrictions. Running time: 58’& 75’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 109 C 291 SERBIA THE CAVIAR CONNECTION Dragan Nikolic The Caviar Connection is a fishing roulette about the Rat brothers, hunting unsuccessfully for the big fish, which will bring them easy money to leave their small village in Serbia. And not for just any fish. They dream of finding a fat sturgeon in their nets, whose eggs are literally worth their weight in gold.The film follows the two brothers during the painful awakening after yet another late and inebriated night, the practiced preparation of the boat and nets, the quarrels with other fishermen about fishing territories, the disappointing catch – if there is one.The drudgery is occasionally interrupted by a bingo drive in the dirty village centre, where people fill in the numbers while a porn movie plays in the background; or by death, which is never far away; or by an absurdist local court session about territories, which leaves unclear who is the witness, accused or plaintiff. A fishing ban enforced by the European Union eventually causes a trail-blazing change... Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 110 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 163 C USA Category: Art/Music & Culture CELIA THE QUEEN Mario de Varona & Joe Cardona This touching documentary pays tribute to the work of a stellar performer who brought the sound of salsa to the whole world. As a teenager in 1940s Havana, Celia Cruz found her audience in the local canteens. But her real start came when, pressed by her family, she entered and won a local radio contest. A few years later she was signed by one of Cuba’s most popular orchestras, and her sultry, gravelly voice became Cuba’s most adored. Her trademark cry “¡Azúcar!” became known across Latin America. And when she fled Castro’s Cuba in 1960 and eventually arrived in the United States, she started a second even more successful career fueled by her partnerships with salsa greatsTito Puente,Willie Colon, and Johnny Pacheco. Directors Joe Cardona and Mario de Varona use archival footage of both Celia and her loving husband, Pedro Knight, to tell the inspiring story of a little girl from Havana who became an international diva. Running time: 84’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Altadena Films Contact Person: IldiToth Davy 2817 St James Pl. Altadena CA 91001, USA T. +1 626 296 9977 F. +1 626 296 9977 [email protected] www.altadenafilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 111 C 518 GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE Yorgos Paterakis & Iordanis Karaisaridis Jannis Farm is a time machine that transports you back to the 60s and the era of flower power. Surrounded by olive trees and vineyards, one can listen to the psychedelic and folk music of the sixties, as well as to stories about that time narrated by the owner of the place. Jannis Farm is also a place of isolation and self-exile for its one and only inhabitant. He lives far away from the city, the noise, money, and other people, becoming a dropout and, at the same time, a unique individual. But perhaps the most important aspect of this story is the unexplained charm of Jannis Farm that fascinates people.This could be the desire for a way of life that we once dreamed of and then denied, but which, in some parts of the world, is actually lived. Running time: 15’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: World Alone Contact Person: Yorgos Paterakis 24 Heyden Str. Athens 10434,Greece T. + 30 693 880 9524 [email protected] 112 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 216 C DENMARK CHAMELEON BEACH Adam Schmedes The film follows two chameleons out of a population of only 300, living by a lagoon in Greece. From the moment they appear in the sand as tiny vulnerable animals to their death, we remain close to our main characters. The aim is to experience what a chameleon’s life is like and to explore never before filmed behaviors such as a swimming chameleon or the male’s humiliation caused by another male. But living on this beautiful Greek beach, which is also a growing tourist destination, is not without risks. Natural enemies include snakes, birds, scorpions and the climate – low winter temperatures and devastating sandstorms. But the real danger is people: the rubbish they leave behind that attracts rats, the 4x4 wheelers riding the sand dunes and even thieves that steal the chameleons. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: National GeographicTelevision International Contact Person: Adam Schmedes Shepherds Building East, RichmondWay, Shepherds Bush LondonW 14 ODQ, UK T. +44 20 7751 7560, F. +44 20 7751 7556 [email protected] [email protected] www.natgeotv-int.com Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 153 42, Greece T. +30 210 607 5711-12, F. +30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 113 C 395 NEW ZEALAND Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife CHANCE OF A LIFETIME Sandy Crichton This award-winning tale tells the extraordinary story of how a population of wild New Zealand falcons managed to survive in the face of fierce commercial forestry logging practices that stripped the birds of their natural habitat. It also tells the story of two friends – conservationist and film director Sandy Crichton and 88-year-old wildlife photographer George Chance. Bound by their mutual love and admiration for the falcons, Chance’s failing health and eyesight inspires the young Crichton to capture footage of the falcons as a tribute to the latter’s body of work from the 70s that featured photographs of the wild birds.What began as an empathetic response to fulfill a friend’s final wish to see the magnificent birds on film ended up becoming a chance of a lifetime. When Crichton begins filming the falcons, he inadvertently becomes witness to new falcon behavior, capturing a turning point in the ecological evolution of the wild birds. In the heartfelt tradition of post-war Disney nature stories, the film is a quietly moving treatment to the resilience of the animal kingdom in surviving against the odds; a documentary that will keep all generations of viewers spell-bound. Running time: 49’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Smiley Film Sales Contact Person: Ewa Bigio PO Box 90943 AMSC Auckland 1142, New Zealand T. +64 9 360 0325 F. +64 9 360 0163 [email protected] www.smileyfilmsales.com 114 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 308 C GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture CHARISMA X – IANNIS XENAKIS Efi Xirou This is a documentary on the life and work of the composer Iannis Xenakis, the“architect of sound”, whose visionary work reconciles art with science. The film develops in such a way as to show how Xenakis’s philosophy, architectural experience, mathematics and political background morph into music and how physical phenomena are transformed into musical expression. Iannis Xenakis’s multidimensional work is presented through excerpts of his musical compositions, his architectural work, his interviews, and archival material from Oresteia and Polytopes, the grand spectacles of sound and light.The camera follows musicians who perform, specifically for this film works by Xenakis, such as Nomos, Alpha, Charisma, Naama and Keren at Delphi, LaTourette Convent and his house in Paris.The film includes interviews with Françoise Xenakis, Mâkhi Xenakis, Yorgos Aperghis, Curtis Roads, François-Bernard Mâche, Sharon Kanach, Makis Solomos, Gérard Pape, Elisabeth Chojnacka,Yorgos Koumendakis and Robert Manthoulis. Running time: 62’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Greek Film Center Contact Person: Evi Lazari 7 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str. Athens 117 42,Greece T. + 30 210 368 7503, F. + 30 210 361 4336 [email protected] www.gfc.gr Sales Contact: Vox Documentaries 5 Stadiou Str., Nea Smyrni, Athens 17122,Greece T. + 30 210 931 7748, F. + 30 210 331 2429 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 115 C 307 GREECE Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife THE CHARMER OF GRAMMOS Vangelis Efthymiou For 80 years now, Mister Sotiris has been living in the region of Mount Grammos. Every fall, he starts a difficult journey into the woods, in search of wild bees. But lately, during his outings, wild bees seem to have become much rarer than in the past... Running time: 26’ Year of production: 2009 Contact Person: Myrsini Lionaraki 140 Xanthippou Str. Athens 15669, Greece T. + 30 694 549 1064 [email protected] 116 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 460 C ITALY Category: History & Politics CHE GUEVARA, THE BODY AND THE LEGEND The post-mortem life of Che Guevara: his elusive remains, at large for thirty years, and the creation of a myth. A story told through the critical and personal perspective of those who“touched”some of history’s most famous remains. Running time: 53’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: B&B Film Contact Person: Carmen Gonzales 9Via Ottaviano Rome 00192, Italy T. +39 06 3972 9989 F. +39 06 3972 6129 [email protected] www.bbfilm.tv 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 117 C 106 UK-BOLIVIA Category: Current Affairs CHILD MINERS Rodrigo Vázquez Llallagua, Bolivia. For 100 years, the Llallagua mine has been used to extract tin. The director filmed child miners Alex Choque and Jorge Mollinedo in December 2005, when Bolivia’s first indigenous president, Evo Morales, won the elections with the promise of transforming poor people’s lives. Morales promised to give miners a better life by re-nationalizing the industry. Jorge’s father has contracted silicosis, also known as“miners’disease” and is now out of work. Jorge has had to increase his work load to keep bringing food to the house, thus increasing the chances of becoming ill like his father. Newly-arrived Cuban doctors sent by Morales’government established that Jorge has begun developing silicosis and advised him to stop working immediately. But now more than ever, Jorge needs to keep working. Running time: 45’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Java Films Contact Person: Kathryn Bonnici 4-6VillaThoreton Paris 75015, France T. +33 1 4060 2624 F. +33 1 4060 2649 [email protected] www.javafilms.fr 118 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 227 C GREECE Category: Current Affairs CHILDREN OF A RAPE Yorgos Avgeropoulos Children of a Rape tells the story of El Salvador’s two biggest gangs, mainly made up of teenagers. The 18 and the MS13 have turned the country into a war zone, as they relentlessly clash over control of the weapons and drugs markets. With their words, actions and bodies tattooed with their gang’s symbols they are writing the contemporary history of a country which was raped by a 12-year-long civil war, a war which might not yet be over… Running time: 64’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 153 42, Greece T. +30 210 607 5711-12 F. +30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr Sales Contact: Small Planet Contact Person: Anastasia Skoubri 55 Pitheou Str., Neos Kosmos Athens 117 43, Greece T. +30 210 951 5295 F. +30 210 951 5294 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 119 C 111 INDIA Category: Creative Documentaries CHILDREN OF THE PYRE Rajesh S. Jala Varanasi, for many a synonym of India, perhaps owes a large part of its fame to Manikarnika, the busiest cremation ground in India. Over 150 bodies are consigned to flames here everyday with the guarantee of instant “moksha” or liberation from the cycle of births and rebirths. Amidst grieving relatives, profit hungry shopkeepers and somber cremators can be spotted groups of frolicking children who have turned this graveyard into their playground and a source of their livelihood. Children of the Pyre is a compelling real-life, self-narrative of seven such extraordinary children who make their living off the dead.They collect, snatch or steal used coffin shrouds and sell them for petty amounts in order to ensure their own and their family’s survival. Tempered by the heat of the pyre, strengthened in the face of adversities and crafted by a volley of abuses, these imps weave through the pyres and struggle through disdain in this land of the dead.The film is a terrible saga of exploitation that celebrates the victory of innocence over the most harrowing realities of life. Running time: 74’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Rajesh S. Jala 412 / 459 Bholi Nagar, Masjid Moth, South Extn. Part 2 New Delhi 110049, India T. +91 98 1101 1685 [email protected] 120 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 134 C USA Category: Art/Music & Culture CHRIS & DON: A LOVE STORY Guido Santi & Tina Mascara Chris & Don: A Love Story is the true-life story of the passionate three-decade relationship between British writer Christopher Isherwood and American portrait painter Don Bachardy, thirty years his junior. The film includes some never-before-seen footage shot by Chris and Don in the 1950s and features interviews with Leslie Caron (star of Gigi), John Boorman (director of The Emerald Forest), Liza Minnelli, and others. From Isherwood’s Kit-Kat-Club years inWeimar-era Germany to the couple’s first meeting on the sun-kissed beaches of 1950s Malibu, their against-all-odds saga is brought to dazzling life in this joyful celebration of a most extraordinary couple. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: The Film Sales Company Contact Person: Andrew Herwitz 165 Madison Avenue, Suite 601 NewYork NY 10016, USA T. +1 212 481 5020 F. +1 212 481 5021 [email protected] www.filmsalescorp.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 121 C 120 USA Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife CIRCUS ROSAIRE Robyn Bliley For nine generations, the Rosaire family has entertained audiences all over the world with their legendary animal acts. From lions and tigers, to bears, horses and chimpanzees, the Rosaires are renowned for their unique and respectful way of training and performing with animals. At the height of their fame, they headlined shows for royalty, presidents and legions of fans with their spectacular feats.Today, they are struggling to survive in the modern age of entertainment. Major declines in audience attendance and increasing concern for animal welfare have significantly impacted the Rosaires’way of life. Jobs are scarce in the circus, and living the life of gypsy performers is taking its toll on the family.The Rosaires are acutely aware that their traditional way of making a living is slowly dying. However, they continue struggling to keep it alive because it’s in their blood and it’s all they know. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Progressive Productions Contact Person: ChadWilson 8306Wilshire Blvd, #1710 Beverly Hills CA 90211, USA T. +1 323 212 3007 F. +1 323 938 6166 [email protected] www.progressiveproductions.com 122 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 118 C CHINA Category: Creative Documentaries CIRCUS SCHOOL Guo Jing & Ke Dingding The history of Chinese acrobatics dates back centuries. An art form that focuses on challenging physical limitations, acrobatics is the quintessence of China’s strength and power as a nation. At the Shanghai Circus school, students ranging in age from six to fifteen must complete a seven-year program before working as professionals. The film gives us a rare and unfettered look at the intense daily regime of several students and teachers at this lauded institution as they prepare for a national competition. Xu Lu is a tiny 10-year-old girl who is part of the trapeze team. She is tossed through the air countless times a day even while injured. Cai-Ling, a 13-year-old boy, performs feats of flexibility and strength. He struggles to keep his weight down despite the extreme exertion of his training. Images of their punishing exercises are contrasted with the seamless beauty and precision of their performances, casting a new light on one of China’s most treasured commodities. Running time: 103’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: DR International Sales Contact Person: Kim Christiansen 20 Emil Holms Kanal Copenhagen C DK 0999, Denmark T. +45 3520 2299 F. +45 3520 3969 [email protected] www.drsales.dk 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 123 C 445 CZECH REPUBLIC Category: History & Politics CITIZEN HAVEL Pavel Koutecký & Miroslav Janek After the split of Czechoslovakia in 1992, former political dissident, leader of the Velvet Revolution, playwright and essayistVáclav Havel became the first president of a new country, the Czech Republic. Thus it came to pass that a former enemy of the state was actually given the popular mandate to transform that state and its institutions. Such events are not commonplace so, from day one, he permitted his friend, filmmaker Pavel Koutecký, to be with him, to capture as much of it as possible, whether in the Prague Castle or around the world.The result is Citizen Havel, a feature-length documentary of never-before-seen footage that provides an intimate look at a man thrust into the spotlight of international politics and celebrity, trying to maintain a balance between public and personal life while bringing his nation out of its communist past and into a free, democratic future. Running time: 120’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Deckert Distribution Contact Person: Heino Deckert 1 Marienplatz Leipzig 04103, Germany T. +49 341 215 6638 F. +49 341 215 6639 [email protected] www.deckert-distribution.com 124 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 339 C GERMANY Category: Current Affairs CITYBOY – THE LIFE OF INVESTMENT BANKER GERAINT ANDERSON Stephan Lamby At a glance, the story of Geraint Anderson seems like that of an average banker. But his story is different.Within a very short time, Geraint works his way up and becomes an expert on the energy industry. But after twelve exciting years in the City, Geraint burns out and faces a serious personal crisis. He begins to write down his experiences and gets published in a London newspaper – anonymously.Very soon the confessions of the“Cityboy” gain cult status. Anderson realistically describes the tricks in the business and the often overworked young bankers. He wants to describe the moral standards of a business that is consequently sliding into the abyss. He sees the catastrophe coming. Eventually, in early 2008, he gets a last huge bonus payment and then quits. In the summer of 2008, Geraint reveals his identity and causes a commotion. Many former colleagues do not want to have anything to do with him anymore. But with the outbreak of the financial crisis, Geraint Anderson suddenly appears as a courageous, visionary man. Running time: 45’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: United Docs Contact Person: Anne Hufnagel 48-50 Breite Strasse Cologne 50667, Germany T. +49 221 920 690 F. +49 221 920 6969 [email protected] www.united-docs.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 125 C 413 FRANCE Category: History & Politics CLAUDE LEVI-STRAUSS BY HIMSELF Pierre-Andre Boutang A superb self-portrait of the philosopher. In what way can reflecting on worlds very far from our own, either in space or time, bear relevance for us today? Is there a scientific legacy – a before and after Levi-Strauss – in anthropology? This documentary retraces the intellectual path of the author of Tristes tropiques (A World on the Wane) and La Pensée sauvage (The Savage Mind), Claude Levi-Strauss. The anthropologist and founder of structural anthropology in France is portrayed via numerous selected extracts of interviews he has given since the 1960s. The film is a fascinating introduction to the mind of a man who is interested in all men. Levi-Strauss has great confidence (in spite of a pessimistic view of our contemporary world) in the creative capacities of the human mind. Running time: 93’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: ARTE France Contact Person: Audrey Kamga 8 rue Marceau Issy-les-Moulineaux 92130, France T. +33 1 5500 7081 F. +33 1 5500 8065 [email protected] www.artefrance.fr 126 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 255 C GERMANY Category: Creative Documentaries CLUB NO BORDER Sigrid Dethloff & Matis Menneking On the stage they show fireworks of vitality, creativity and optimism – in their private lives they struggle to exist. The youthful artists of the Hamburg theatre group Hajusom arrived as children or teenagers in Germany. They stem originally from crisis regions and war zones of Africa or Asia. They fled starvation, war and violence, having escaped without their parents or relatives. Hindatou from Togo(18) and Ibrahima from Guinea (21) are two of them. In the theater they have found a kind of home. Here, the young refugees may raise their voice; here they make take pride in their origin and cultural roots. In their everyday life they are only“tolerated”. That means they are labeled second-class citizens by German legislation concerning asylum and non EU subjects.They are on a deportation list and will probably leave the country. But Hindatou and Ibrahima don’t want to resign themselves. A return to their mother country could mean their death. Surrounded by pictures of their stage play, Club No Border, Hindatoy and Ibrahima recount the stories of their lives. A documentary full of dance and power:Young refugees in Europe – dynamic and powerful, but almost without any rights. Running time: 28’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Dethloff /Mennekinf Film Contact Person: Sigrid Dethloff 278 Duerener Str. Cologne 50935, Germany T. +49 221 430 3647 F. +49 221 423 2618 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 127 C 484 SOUTH AFRICA Category: Creative Documentaries CONGO MY FOOT Okepne Jang & Kyle O’Donoghue & Miki Redelinghuuys Congo My Foot tells the story ofTino La Musica, a Congolese band based in CapeTown.The band falls apart as they are evicted from their home at the same time as xenophobic attacks against African immigrants in CapeTown cast their world into chaos.The film is told from the perspective of filmmaker Okepne Ojang, an immigrant from Congo, who was hoping to tell a positive tale about a Congolese band, but then gets caught up in the ensuing political and social drama that unfolds. The film follows Mohammed, the band’s producer, as he tries to find his dispersed band members, picking up the pieces of his own life along the way. Congo My Foot is the story of a tenacious man, who refuses to be a victim of a damaged society. He bravely starts and restarts his life from nothing and retains his pride and dignity when he’s lost everything else. His search for the band members represents something greater than just the band itself, for in their ability to get it together and play again, lies the hope of a people being able to rise against a great social injustice. Running time: 27’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Plexus Films Contact Person: Miki Redelinghuys P.O. Box 12530 Mill Street CapeTown 8010, South Africa T. +27 21 426 2070 F. +27 21 426 2069 [email protected] www.plexusfilms.co.za 128 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 388 C USA Category: Current Affairs CONSTANTINE’S SWORD Oren Jacoby The theme of US President-Elect Barack Obama’s election night speech was tolerance. His message to the world was that America is more than a vicious rivalry between blue and red states. However, his non-partisan aspirations may encounter challenges from the radical religious right that still dominates a Republican Party base, championed by outgoing President GeorgeW. Bush and, now, by Governors Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, leading contenders to be the next GOP Presidential candidate. Palin, who has said that American soldiers in Iraq are “on a task from God”and that “there is a plan… God’s plan”, is riding on a wave of Christian conservatism that led to an increasing breakdown between Church and State during the Bush years. In Constantine’s Sword, James Carroll, a former Catholic priest, examines the roots of how this radical fundamentalism evolved to become a defining influence on US military and foreign policy. The Democrats won a convincing victory in the 2008 elections, but Constantine’s Sword is a timely reminder of the deadly costs of an unholy union between religion and military power and of the politicized evangelicals who will continue to be a divisive factor in America for years to come. Running time: 95’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Smiley Film Sales Contact Person: Ewa Bigio PO Box 90943 AMSC Auckland 1142, New Zealand T. +64 9 360 0325 F. +64 9 360 0163 [email protected] www.smileyfilmsales.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 129 C 310 GREECE Category: History & Politics CONSTRUCTION OF CITIZENS Michalis Moatsos An animation film based on the manifest entitled “The Construction of Citizens” written by E.A. Rauter in the spirit of the events of May ’68. Construction of Citizens is an effort to depict in an animated short the fundamental ideas behind E.A. Rauter’s manifest by the same name.Written shortly after the events of 1968 in Europe, “The Construction of Citizens” assembles activist theoretical notions written without strict theoretical forms. As the language used by Rauter is plain and straightforward, so is the artistic approach in this project, in an effort to support the ideas behind it. Running time: 9’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: MachineOff -TV & Cinema Productions Company Contact Person: Michalis Moatsos 10 Solomou Street Athens 153 41, Greece T. +30 69 74 381 389 F. +30 210 651 2545 [email protected] www.machineoff.gr 130 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 559 C IRAN-UK Category: Lifestyles CONSULTING GOD Mohammad Sadegh Jafari Estekhareh literally means asking for God’s consultation. High-ranking clerics perform it by consulting the Quran, for those who cannot decide or find an answer after consulting with their family and friends. Due to people’s widespread belief in Estekhreh it has become quite a modern procedure nowadays. Some clerics are busy responding to people’s demand for Estekhareh by meeting them in person, over the Internet or even over the phone. Because of the unstable social situation, people welcome Estekhare even for the most vital issues of their lives. The film covers these concerns and reasons for this social phenomenon. Running time: 26’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Sheherazad Media International Contact Person: Katayoon Shahabi 2, 3rd Sarvestan, Pasdaran St., Shariati Ave. Tehran 16619, Iran T. +98 21 2286 3260 / +98 21 2286 3261 F. +98 21 2285 8962 [email protected] [email protected] www.smediaint.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 131 C 345 AUSTRIA-SLOVAKIA-CZECH REPUBLIC Category: History & Politics COOKING HISTORY Peter Kerekes A portrait of different military cooks from all over Europe who served in various armies and have witnessed the European wars of the 20th century.Their recollections tap into a subjective view of historical events and one that diverges in some respects from conventional history. They take us behind the scenes of dates, facts, declarations of war, battles, and peace agreements. Cooking History shows the little secrets of these people, opens up a dimension of history one won’t find in textbooks or archives. The directness of the anecdotes and destinies of the people in this film conveys a sense of life and death in the“war apparatus,” a sense of hope, longing, and survival strategies in the midst of destruction and despair. Running time: 88’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Taskovski Films Contact Person: IrenaTaskovski 4BWentworth Street London E1 7TF, UK T. +420 2 3331 3839 [email protected] www.taskovskifilms.com 132 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 571 C ITALY Category: Sports CORE DE ROMA – THE HEART OF ROME Gwyn Sannia In 1968 a group of close friends and AS Roma fans – one of Rome’s two Seria A teams decided to open what today is Rome’s most famous sporting club: the Testaccio Roma Club. Forty years on, this very special place has become the Core de Roma, the heart of Rome, and even though the neighborhood had aged, just as Club members have, they seem to keep it alive somehow.This is a story about people, their friendships, their traditions and their love of football. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Oyibo Productions Contact Person: Fulvia D’Ottavi Via Cassia 878, Rome 00189, Italy T. +39 068 7903 958, +39 064 3419 651 F. +39 068 7903 958 [email protected] [email protected] www.oyiboproductions.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 133 C 110 ICELAND Category: Docudrama THE CORNER SHOP Helga Rakel Rafnsdóttir & Hulda Rós Gudnadóttir The Corner Shop is a documentary about one of the last remaining grocery stores in Iceland. Run by two eccentric brothers, it is the glue that keeps the community together. Armed with humor and good intentions, the brothers fight a battle against more efficient models of consumption. How far does one go to help one’s neighbor and how much can one talk on the topic of potatoes and chewing gum?This is an unusual love story, a funny and intimate film that shows the art of shop keeping in a new light. Running time: 44’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: The Icelandic Film Center Contact Person: VigdisThormodsdottir 14Tungata Reykjavik 101, Iceland T. +354 562 3580 F. +354 562 7171 [email protected] www.icelandicfilmcentre.is 134 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 560 C IRAN-UK Category: Lifestyles COUNTDOWN Khatereh Hanachi All day long, 18-year-old Parisa Pouladi, from early morning till late at night, is busy with one thing: the university entrance exam. Along with more than a million other school-leavers in Iran, Parisa hopes she will be admitted to a first-rate college. Of all the candidates in the exam, less than half will pass. Most entrants are girls, who consider a college education their only chance for a good job. Female director Khatereh Hanachi has recorded the struggle of Parisa and her family as a symbol of the one milion young Iranians who wish to succeed at the national university entrance exam. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Sheherazad Media International Contact Person: Katayoon Shahabi 2, 3rd Sarvestan, Pasdaran St., Shariati Ave. Tehran 16619, Iran T. +98 21 2286 3260 / +98 21 2286 3261 F. +98 21 2285 8962 [email protected] [email protected] www.smediaint.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 135 C 176 USA Category: Creative Documentaries COURTING CONDI Sebastian Doggart A musical docu-tragi-comedy. Courting Condi follows a love-struck soul’s hilarious, emotionally engaging quest to woo Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. A spin on the Rapunzel fairy-tale, this unique romantic/political/biographic feature follows musician Devin Ratray as he travels across America to win her heart. On Devin’s journey to meet and court her, he discovers stories that he, and most viewers, never knew about Condi – including some shockingly dark revelations about how she has changed all our lives.Throughout his odyssey, the biggest question remains: Can one man with a dream win the heart of the world’s most powerful woman? Running time: 107’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: American Princess LLC Contact Person: Sebastian Doggart 51 Greenwich Avenue, #8 NewYork NY 10014, USA T. +1 310 403 4244 F. +1 646 638 3740 [email protected] 136 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 151 C USA-ECUADOR-UK Category: Current Affairs CRUDE Joe Berlinger Three years in the making, this cinéma-vérité feature is the epic story of one of the largest and most controversial legal cases on the planet. An inside look at the infamous $27 billion “Amazon Chernobyl”case, Crude is a real-life high stakes legal drama set against a backdrop of the environmental movement, global politics, celebrity activism, human rights advocacy, the media, multinational corporate power, and rapidly-disappearing indigenous cultures. Presenting a complex situation from multiple viewpoints, the film subverts the conventions of advocacy filmmaking as it examines a complicated situation from all angles while bringing an important story of environmental peril and human suffering into focus. Running time: 104’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Radical Media Contact Person: Joe Berlinger 435 Hudson Street, 6th Floor NewYork NY 10014, USA T. +1 212 462 1500 F. +1 212 462 1600 [email protected] www.radicalmedia.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 137 C 592 AUSTRALIA Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife CROCODILE ISLAND Ben Cropp Off the northern tip of Australia is a crescent-shaped stretch of sand called Crab Island, an important breeding ground for the distinctive Flatback turtle. Australian marine expert Ben Cropp captures unique footage of crocodiles feeding on turtle babies in the pitch black of night on Crab Island. He and his son Dean get perilously close to the crocs, who are waiting in silence for their dinner to scramble past. Using the latest in infra-red technology they capture this aggressive behavior in never before seen detail.The scenic tranquility belies the danger these turtles face, for the croc is king here. Ben also investigates a mixture of other species on and around Crab Island. He uses pole cameras to go underwater with dangerous predators such asTiger sharks and Bull rays and swims among the coral to film scenes of beautiful serenity. The documentary includes footage of a tiger shark attempting to get back to water after chasing a tern chick onto the shore and Dean Cropp stroking a huge Grouper. Ben also follows hunters as they capture and cook the indigenous mud crab, observing how the creatures behave in their natural habitat Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: EspressoTV Contact Person: David Hooper 25YorkVillas Brighton BN1 3TS, UK T. +44 1273 730 929 F. +44 1273 299 403 [email protected] www.espressotv.co.uk 138 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 467 C THE NETHERLANDS Category: Art/Music & Culture CULTIVATING THE DESERT – INSTANT CULTURE IN AN ARABIAN WONDERLAND Michael Krass The film looks at the remarkable emergence of an art scene in Dubai. How can such a phenomenon exist in a state driven by profit, in a region besieged by war and repression? Nestled snugly between Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Dubai has become a capitalist dream world where full-option Hummers cruise down streets lined with some of the most outrageous architecture in the world. This year, Dubai’s leader introduced a plan for promoting cultural life in the emirate. Christie’s has set up camp here; Sotheby’s is on its way. The question remains though: While you may be able to put culture on the agenda, and even create an infrastructure for it, will it take root? Running time: 53’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 139 C 313 GREECE Category: Arts, Music, & Culture CYCLOWN CIRCUS Dimitris Sfyris They travel only by bicycle.They are talented musicians and acrobats.Though they could have had a brilliant career in show business, they chose to travel from continent to continent, from country to country and from town to town giving open-air performances. On their way, they draw others interested in living out the same experience. Over the last six years they have crossed 27 countries in four continents. Over 125 people have traveled with them. Their bicycles are made by themselves from parts of discarded bicycles that they find along the way. They are the Cyclown Circus. The film documents their passage through the city of Hania in Crete, following their performances in parks, squares and schools, and talking with them about their experiences, thoughts and philosophy. Running time: 67’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Dimitris Sfyris 26-32Vassileos Konstantinou Str. Xanthi 67100, Greece T. + 30 25410 29370 F. + 30 25410 20790 [email protected] 140 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 375 D BELGIUM Category: Creative Documentaries DAMIEN’S ROOM Jasna Krajinovic In Slovenia, Damien was sent to jail six years ago. Soon to be released, he is already starting his journey from his prison cell to the room waiting for him at his grand parents’home. The film focuses on the crime Damien committed, the hard times of prison life, but also rebirth and the hope in a new beginning. Running time: 73’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 141 D 371 BELGIUM Category: Current Affairs THE DAMNED OF THE SEA Jawad Rhalib Thousands of struggling Moroccan fishermen have to move further and further south in hope of catching some fish, any fish, if there are any fish left to catch. In the background, but quite close to the shores where they end up staying idle, huge foreign trawlers drag the waters with their death nets, killing an entire ecosystem, and sometimes literally“vacuuming” it. The government sold them fishing licenses allowing them to do so. Desperate, the Moroccan fishermen witness their own inevitable disappearance, while a protest carried out a few month earlier was violently repressed by the authorities. Running time: 56’& 71’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 142 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 186 D UK Category: Current Affairs THE DANCING FOREST Brice Lainé The Dancing Forest is a powerfully optimistic vision of Africa in the 21st century and a touching story that shatters many destructive myths about the Dark Continent. Long abandoned as a land without hope, Africa has battled to overcome the negative stereotypes that have condemned it to the periphery of civilization. The Dancing Forest is Africa’s strident retaliation. In the shining example of a small village inTogo, we discover a community that refuses to wait for outside aid to make its way out of poverty and ruin.With tools in hand, its proud men and women stoop to build their own destiny and a model of selfreliance. Mixing traditional agricultural knowledge with modern techniques, they provide a timely lesson to the West on how we ought to harmonize with nature and build a sustainable relationship with the land based on preservation and respect. The Dancing Forest takes us on a trip to a world where time, nature and everyday gestures still have meaning; a world where forests can dance. Running time: 76’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Elmadno Productions Contact Person: Brice Lainé 1 Queens Court, 6 Grove Park London SE5 8LS, UK T. +44 798 413 7456 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 143 D 384 USA Category: Science & Knowledge DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM Bari Pearlman An inside view of a rare and exceptional Buddhist Monastery in remote northeasternTibet created exclusively for women. Daughters of Wisdom is an experiential and transporting view of contemporaryTibet seen through the eyes of some if its most extraordinary women – the nuns of Kala Rongo Monastery of Nangchen, Kham. Founded in 1990, the Kala Rongo Monastery is granting women choices they’ve never had before, and changing outmoded attitudes that no longer serve the greater good of the community. Through the pragmatic vision of their benefactor, Lama Norlha Rinpoche, nearly 300 nuns are now receiving religious and educational training previously unavailable to them. They are being given a real opportunity to change the course of their lives, and to preserve the rich spiritual heritage of their people, even as they slowly reshape it. Some shy, some outspoken, all committed to the difficult life they have chosen, the film presents their vibrant spiritual community and their exemplary lives. Running time: 56’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Illumina Films Contact Person: Robin Brinster 106-IV Leidsestraat Amsterdam 1017PG,The Netherlands T. +31 20 624 8395 F. +31 20 330 8155 [email protected] www.illuminafilms.nl 144 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 153 D UK Category: Current Affairs THE DAY AFTER PEACE Jeremy Gilley Against all the odds, an individual manages to create an annual global ceasefire non-violence day; but can he silence the cynics and prove that the day can actually save lives? Running time: 81’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 3DD Contact Person: Dominic Saville 5th Floor 8-12 Camden High Street London NW1 OJH, UK T. +44 207 380 8100 F. +44 207 380 8118 [email protected] www.3ddgroup.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 145 D 263 MEXICO Category: Science & Knowledge DE MOTU CORDIS Mariana Ochoa A journey which explores one of science’s most momentous discoveries, made by the English physician William Harvey: the circulation of the blood and its relation to the heart. More than 400 years later, we embark on a search to reveal and expose the truth hidden within our bodies and the life that exists in every living being. Running time: 33’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica Contact Person: JessyVega Calzada deTlalpan 1670 Col. Country Club Mexico 04220, Mexico T. +52 55 415 50090 F. +52 55 415 50092 [email protected] ccc.cnart.mx 146 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 266 D SOUTH AFRICA Category: Lifestyles DEAR MORRIS Joanne Levitan For 9 years Levitan had an intense relationship with a pen pal named Morris.When, finally, she flew to America to meet him for the first time – he never appeared. She never heard from him again. Dear Morris is an intensely intimate and personal film through which Levitan tries to solve the mystery of Morris and finally let go of him. Running time: 12’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Encounters FF & Distribution Contact Person: Nazeer Ahmed 27 Caledon Street, 1st Floor CapeTown 8000, South Africa T. +27 21 465 4686 F. +27 21 461 6964 [email protected] www.encounters.co.za 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 147 D 125 USA Category: Current Affairs DEAR ZACHARY: A LETTER TO A SON ABOUT HIS FATHER Kurt Kuenne On the evening of November 5, 2001, Dr. Andrew Bagby, 28, was murdered in a parking lot in western Pennsylvania. The prime suspect, his ex-girlfriend Dr. Shirley Turner, promptly fled the United States for St. John’s, Newfoundland – where she announced that she was pregnant with Andrew’s child. She named the little boy Zachary. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, Andrew’s childhood friend, originally began this film as a way for little Zachary to learn about his father. But when Shirley Turner was allowed to walk free on bail in Canada and given custody of Zachary while awaiting extradition to the United States, the film’s focus shifted to Zachary’s grandparents, David and Kathleen Bagby, and their desperate efforts to win custody of the boy. Running time: 93’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: PBS International Contact Person: Charles Schuerhoff 10 Guest St. Boston, MA 02135, USA T. +1 617 300 2659 [email protected] 148 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 174 D AUSTRIA-DENMARK-ISRAEL-USA Category: History & Politics DEFAMATION Yoav Shamir What is anti-Semitism today, two generations after the Holocaust? In his continuing exploration of modern Israeli life, director Yoav Shamir travels the world in search of the most modern manifestations of the “oldest hatred”, and comes up with some startling answers. In this irreverent quest, he follows American Jewish leaders to the capitals of Europe, as they warn government officials of the growing threat of anti-Semitism and he tacks on to a class of Israeli high school students on a pilgrimage to Auschwitz. Opinions often differ and tempers sometimes flare but in Defamation we find that one thing is certain: only by understanding their response to anti-Semitism can we really appreciate how Jews today, and especially modern Israelis, respond to the world around them, in New York and in Moscow, in Gaza andTel Aviv. Running time: 93’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 149 D 485 ISRAEL Category: Lifestyles DESERT BRIDES Ada Ushpiz This is the story of three, relatively educated and independent women, trying to survive, each in their own way in their world – a life of polygamy. One is a “first wife”, living in constant fear that her husband will bring home a second wife.The other two are pushed into marrying already married men, and become “second wives”, forced to cooperate within a structure they despise or are afraid of.The family tragedies presented in this film highlight the strength and survival of the social structures and their injustices, due in part to the victims’ cooperation. Running time: 64’& 86’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Go2Films Contact Person: Hedva Goldschmidt 37/8 Issar Natanzon St. Jerusalem 97787, Israel T. +972 2 583 1371 F. +972 2 583 5450 [email protected] 150 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 292 D CANADA Category: Current Affairs DEVIL’S BARGAIN Shelley Saywell Small arms are the real weapons of mass destruction: killing more than half a million people a year, spreading like a disease and destabilizing entire regions. Beginning in the gun markets of Somalia, we travel within the region where guns are making life a misery of violence and fear. But no guns are made in Somalia. From France to South Africa, from Bosnia to Moldova, from the USA and Canada, we travel around the world to examine ways in which the guns slip from legal into illegal markets, via the so-called Grey Zone. From dealers to pilots to end-users, to the victims, we witness an unregulated trade in what has become the globalization of death. When 200,000 AK47s go missing from Bosnia stockpiles and are flown on illegal flights to who knows where, activists try to push initiatives to curb the trade at the UN. But the call for a treaty similar to the Land Mines Treaty is blocked and loopholes “large enough for Antonov-12s to fly through” continue to destabilize our world. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 151 D 495 ICELAND Category: Art/Music & Culture DIETER ROTH PUZZLE Hilmar Oddsson In 1957 a young and unknown artist by the name of Dieter Roth boarded a ship to Iceland in the pursuit of love. After seven years in a small society unable to contain his talent, he left, leaving behind his life partner and four children to become one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.The film is a colorful portrait of Dieter Roth, one of the most singular and important artists of our time, as described by his family, many friends and colleagues. Running time: 104’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: The Icelandic Film Center Contact Person: VigdisThormodsdottir 14Tungata Reykjavik 101, Iceland T. +354 562 3580 F. +354 562 7171 [email protected] www.icelandicfilmcentre.is 152 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 569 D GERMANY Category: Adventure & Travel DIMITRI’S TIME TRAVEL Maria Ingrid Bandmann Just like forty-nine-year-old Casian Balabasciuc, a Hutsul writer and forester, many people are fascinated by old traditions, values and dress and, in this highly-engineered age, they dream of a simple life in the country. Fifty-year-old Dimitri Tomiuc, a simple Hutsul mountain farmer and well-builder, doesn’t long for the good old days; he lives in them. It might look like a museum in his spick and span little house but the charcoal iron, left to him by his parents is actually used, the oil lamps hanging from the ceiling aren’t just for decoration and the cozy fire in the brick stove is essential for cooking and heating. He lives the way the Hutsuls, an ethnic minority of Romania, lived over a hundred years ago.Whilst Casian enthusiastically puts himself to the task of preserving the Hutsuls’ ancient customs, Dimitri fights a desperate fight to let the modern world find a way into his life. Running time: 45’& 52’& 85’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Lioba Film Contact Person: Maria Ingrid Bandmann 23 Lindenstr. Berlin 12589, Germany T. +49 178 514 4505 F. +49 30 8040 2877 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 153 D 489 ISRAEL Category: History & Politics DISPLACED: THE BAD BOYS OF THE EXODUS Yael Kipper This is a film about the reunification of two heroes: two men from vastly different worlds who met one fateful moment in the history of the state of Israel. The first – the twentyfour-year-old captain of the ship“Exodus”, a native of the land soon to become Israel, already a hardened sailor, a rebel, bursting with the drive to fight the British – is Ike Aharonovich. Alongside him, a thirty-year-old refugee – a gifted speaker and adamant Zionist whose entire family was murdered in the Holocaust; he boards the ship and with the force of his words alone keeps 4,500 refugees going in the middle of the sea – Mordechai Rozman. Running time: 88’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Go2Films Contact Person: Hedva Goldschmidt 37/8 Issar Natanzon St. Jerusalem 97787, Israel T. +972 2 583 1371 F. +972 2 583 5450 [email protected] 154 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 572 D ITALY Category: History & Politics DOMINIQUE’S STORY Giulia Sirignani Dominique Green was just 19 years old when he was sentenced to die by the state ofTexas for the shooting death of a 41-year-old-man. Dominique always maintained his innocence and the victim’s family pleaded for clemency. But after spending 11 years on death row, three lethal injections ended Dominique’s life on October 26, 2004.The documentary is the story of Dominique’s life and inspiring transformation and growth in those years. It is a story about how a young, angry and desperate boy who grew up in a culture of abuse and poverty became a loving, wise and compassionate man. It is a journey from violence and ignorance to strength and knowledge. A quietly spoken and thoughtful Dominique shares his hopes and fears in 3 exclusive interviews filmed on death row. We meet his troubled family, the friends who joined his struggle for life inTexas and around the world, the dedicated legal minds who foughtTexas prosecutors and the global activists who rallied for his cause, including Archbishop DesmondTutu. Oscar winning composer of Life is Beautiful, Nicola Piovani provided the music. Emmyaward winning actor JohnTurturro narrates Dominique’s Story. Running time: 60’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Suttvuess Contact Person: Federico Schiavi 61Via Sannio Rome 00183, Italy T. +39 06 4341 9651 F. +39 06 4341 9652 [email protected] [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 155 D 470 FRANCE Category: Current Affairs DYING FOR CHANGE Gilles Nivet Largely overlooked by the international media, the Guinean revolution started on January 10th 2007. Shot within the capital city Conakry, Dying for Change takes us at the heart of this uprising and presents a breathtaking chronicle of the rebellion. To the beat of the rap music band Sembédékhé, composer of the revolutionary song “Listen to the thunder roaring”, we follow a few ordinary young heroes, filmed before, during and after this popular movement that gave the people freedom of expression. Dying for Change bears witness to a crucial turning point for a troubled African country: as well as demanding justice and the renegotiation of recent mining contracts, this despairingYouth is calling for a break-away from exclusive ethnic alliances... Director, Gilles Nivet has been producing reports and documentaries forTV since 1985. He has been living and working in Guinea since the year 2000 and has become an expert on the political and economical situation of the region. Running time: 53’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 156 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 228 D GREECE Category: Current Affairs DYING IN ABUNDANCE Yorgos Avgeropoulos A handful of multinational companies have managed to control the“heart”of the food we put on our table everyday: the seed itself and, therefore, global agricultural production. Brokers in the developed world gamble with food, raising and lowering prices, playing with the fundamental right of millions of people to access food. Meanwhile, almost a billion people on this planet are undernourished and 25,000 die of hunger each day. Could it be that the Earth can no longer feed its population?The evidence proves otherwise!The food crisis, as it will go down in history, occurs at a time when the planet is producing more food than ever. Dying in Abundance unfolds the absurd before our eyes, the interconnections of a system in which, while there is enough food, it is so expensive the poor cannot afford it. Running time: 51’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 153 42, Greece T. +30 210 607 5711-12 F. +30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr Sales Contact: Small Planet Contact Person: Anastasia Skoubri 55 Pitheou Str., Neos Kosmos Athens 117 43, Greece T. +30 210 951 5295, F. +30 210 951 5294 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 157 469 E FRANCE Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife EARTH FOR EACH Pierre Meynadier The great diversity of environments conditioned the number and variety of human societies’ cultures. Situations or events which affect Man and his History often find their origins in the nature of his environment. Earth for Each highlights this connection. Each episode presents an individual or a group in their everyday life, in direct link to their environment.The stress is put on the way they interact with their environment, live with it, adapt to it, exploit, develop or transform it. Sometimes, the environment has preserved a culture or a community. Most of the time, people have managed to control it and exploit its natural resources. But sometimes they only cause troubles and catastrophes. Earth for Each is a discovery program, which offers a pleasant and exotic panorama of Earth. Running time: 100 x 4’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 159 E 573 ITALY Category: Art/Music & Culture EARTHQUAKE 68 – PEOPLE FROM GIBELLINA Emanuele Svezia In 1968 Gibellina was destroyed by a violent earthquake. The complicated history of this small Sicilian community is told along with another story, of a challenge that was made to the people of Gibellina. To pose for a photograph on the site which had become the taboo space of the whole community: the Grande Cretto by Alberto Burri. Created in 1989, the work is an enormous expanse of white cement that covers the twelve hectares of rubble that used to be the historical center of the town. “The story of this film began when by chance I found myself in Gibellina in front of the sign of a pub called‘Earthquake ’68.’ It was odd how the tragedy had become part of the imagery of the young people who had opened that bar.The earthquake was one of the underlying traits of their identity, but at the same time they had decided to write the sign in English, as though subconsciously they wanted to hide its meaning from the older members of the community.That sign sparked the curiosity that generated this film and I was soon to discover that the reality of that town went well beyond my imagination.” Running time: 98’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Oyibo Productions Contact Person: Fulvia D’Ottavi Via Cassia 878, Rome 00189, Italy T. +39 068 7903 958, +39 064 3419 651 F. +39 068 7903 958 [email protected] [email protected] www.oyiboproductions.com 160 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 199 E SWITZERLAND-GERMANY Category: Art/Music & Culture ECHOES OF HOME Stefan Schwietert What does a baby’s cry have in common with the echo of a mountain yodler, and what connects the head tone of a Tuvin nomad with the stage show of a vocal artist? The answer is: the voice. Against a background of powerful alpine vistas and modern city landscapes, Echoes of Home enters the wondrous sonic world of three exceptional Swiss vocal artists.Their universe of sound extends far beyond what we would describe as singing. In their engagement with local and foreign traditions, the powerful mountain landscape becomes a stage, as do the landscapes and sonic backdrops of modern life. Running time: 81’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 161 E 342 GERMANY Category: Current Affairs ECO-CRIMES – CRIMES AGAINST NATURE Heinz Greuling & Thomas Weidenbach Organized crime has a new field of activity: ecological crime. Similar to arms and drug trafficking, it has become highly lucrative to deal illicitly in Nature’s most precious possessions. Black markets have evolved in the most expensive trading commodities banned by environmental legislation. This three-part series documents for the first time the methods used by internationally operating networks of poachers, pirates, smugglers and criminal cartels to strip Nature of her treasures and thereby threaten the basis of life on our planet. Eco-Crimes graphically reveals to a wide audience just why urgent action is necessary to stop all this.The films also show how committed people have taken up the battle against the eco-mafia: tenacious customs officers, courageous fisheries inspectors, determined public prosecutors and above all members of non-governmental environmental protection organizations, who risk their lives conducting undercover investigations. With their help and with the evidence of courtproceedings,interrogation records andeyewitnessstatements,each documentary traces an authentic example of ecological crime: the trade in banned chemicals which destroy the ozone layer; illegal fishing in the oceans of the world; and dealing in rare animal products. Meticulously researched, painstakingly filmed and narrated with the pace of a thriller. Episodes: Ozone Killers –TheTibet Connection – Fishing Pirates Running time: 3 x 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: United Docs Contact Person: Anne Hufnagel 48-50 Breite Strasse Cologne 50667, Germany T. +49 221 920 690, F. +49 221 920 6969 [email protected] www.united-docs.com 162 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 207 E GREECE Category: Creative Documentaries THE ENGLOUVI PLATEAU – CODE: ILL 293 Eleonora Fiorou The eighty inhabitants of Englouvi, Lefkada’s most mountainous village, cultivate in their fields – on theVouni plateau, at an altitude of 1,000 meters – an organic product, the famous Englouvi lentil, considered to be the best quality lentil in the world.This is the home of the ancient and uniqueVolti settlement, made of stone buildings and threshing floors. The Englouvian women, wearing their traditional costumes, sow the lentil seeds when the weather gets cold and leave them to“sleep”under the snow. In spring, they weed them with great knowledge and skill. In the summer, when the lentils have matured, they uproot them by hand and take them to the threshing floor.They keep the seeds to be sown the following year. Only a few women still live there. The Volti settlement is in decline. The plateau must be protected as an example of a unique natural environment, architecture and human activity. Running time: 78’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Eleonora Fiorou 43 Syrou Str., Kypseli Athens 11361, Greece T. + 30 210 823 9423 F. + 30 210 884 7782 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 163 E 498 ICELAND Category: Art/Music & Culture ELECTRONICA REYKJAVIK Arnar Jonsson Electronica Reykjavik is the story of a revolution in music.The electronic and house music of the late 80s and early 90s has made and affected a whole generation of musicians. A scene of mostly underground and avant-garde Icelandic electronic artists emerged, many of which are portrayed in the film. Be prepared for the deepest rhythms of nature and above all a very sexy party. Featuring rare foοtage from the early days of music as well as artists such as Anonymous, Biogen, GusGus, Ghostdigital and many more. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: The Icelandic Film Center Contact Person: VigdisThormodsdottir 14Tungata Reykjavik 101, Iceland T. +354 562 3580 F. +354 562 7171 [email protected] www.icelandicfilmcentre.is 164 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 254 E CANADA Category: History & Politics ENCIRCLEMENT – NEO-LIBERALISM ENSNARES DEMOCRACY Richard Brouillette Using the reflections and analysis of many renowned intellectuals, this documentary draws a portrait of neo-liberal ideology and examines the various mechanisms used to impose its dictates throughout the world. Running time: 160’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Andoliado Producciones Contact Person: Esteban Bernatas 17 c/ Sant Guillem, 1-1 Barcelona 08006, Spain T. +34 93 209 0897 F. +34 93 209 0897 [email protected] www.andoliado.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 165 155 E THE NETHERLANDS Category: History & Politics ENJOY POVERTY Renzo Martens An investigation of the emotional and economic value of Africa’s most lucrative export: filmed poverty. Deep in the interiors of the Congo, Dutch artist Renzo Martens singlehandedly undertakes an epic journey and launches an emancipatory program that helps the poor become aware of what is their primary capital resource: poverty. Running time: 52’& 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 166 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 544 E GERMANY Category: Art/Music & Culture ENRIQUE Y JUDITA Andrea Roggon They love, they fight, they dance. Enrique and Judita are the most acclaimed and extraordinary tango-couple in Buenos Aires. And they are from Germany. In fact, they are the first Europeans to have won the 2nd place in the world tango championships. Every year, they spend five months with the great masters in Argentina’s capital to bring their technique to perfection. Impulsive and passionate, both on stage and in real life, Enrique and Judita embrace and confront each other, they split up but always reunite.The film is a celebration of their unique love story, narrated like a tango in its own right. An intimate and thrilling look at two outstanding characters. A film full of great music and dazzling tango performances, scheduled for theatrical release. Running time: 52’& 75’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Rise and ShineWorld Sales Contact Person: Stefan Kloos 29/30 Schlesische Str. Berlin 10997, Germany T. +49 30 4737 2980 F. +49 30 4737 29820 [email protected] www.riseandshine-berlin.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 167 E 167 USA Category: Art/Music & Culture EVERY LITTLE STEP James D. Stern & Adam Del Deo The Broadway musical A Chorus Line is an international phenomenon that has reached audiences in over 22 countries. Through 15 years of continuous performances from the 70s to the 90s and a revival beginning in 2006, the show has touched generations around the world. Every Little Step explores the journey of A Chorus Line from ambitious idea to worldwide sensation. It compares and contrasts the original musical with the current revival. It investigates the societies in which they’ve debuted, and why the themes are so timeless and universal. Finally, it goes behind the scenes with exclusive interviews and footage of the audition process, revealing the dramatic struggles of the performers. Thus the story of life imitating art unfolds... Running time: 95’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Fortissimo Films Contact Person: Nicole Mackey 100 Van Diemenstraat Amsterdam 1013 CN,The Netherlands T. +44 20 7498 6978 F. +44 20 7497 1133 [email protected] www.fortissimofilms.com 168 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 497 E ICELAND Category: Lifestyles EVERYBODY PRESENT Maria Gudmundsdottir Everybody Present is a documentary that tells the story of Astbjorg Gunnarsdottir, a seventy-year-old fitness teacher who has run the same fitness group for 50 years. Over this time she has formed a close and personal connection with all the women in the group. Some of them have joined her special performance group that has performed all over the world, from Götebοrg to the Canaries.The documentary shows her life, her work and the women in this unique fitness group. Running time: 32’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: The Icelandic Film Center Contact Person: VigdisThormodsdottir 14Tungata Reykjavik 101, Iceland T. +354 562 3580 F. +354 562 7171 [email protected] www.icelandicfilmcentre.is 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 169 E 113 DENMARK Category: Creative Documentaries EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE Mikala Krogh Do we all harbor the same feelings of sorrow, happiness, anger and love? Is the road to happiness always equally winding or straight? Do we love and hate with the same zeal? Does a young woman with breast cancer feel the same pain as a family from Mozambique losing their home in a flood? Does a modern slave from Bangladesh working in Dubai feel the same fear as a US soldier going to Iraq? Are our values, dreams and hopes basically the same, merely mirroring our different lifestyles? Everything Is Relative is a kaleidoscopic fusion of documentary sequences, archival material and tableaux of human beings. It seeks to portray how our reactions to challenges in life are relative to the conditions that guide our individual lives. A film about the diversity and relativity of human emotions, shot in major cities around the world including Maputo,Tokyo, Dubai, Dallas and Copenhagen. Running time: 75’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: SF Film Production Contact Person: Karoline Leth 10 Halfdansgade Copenhagen S 2300, Denmark T. +45 3527 0080 F. +45 7026 7627 [email protected] www.sf-film.dk 170 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 332 E GREECE Category: Currents Affairs EXPRESS SCOPELITIS – MOTHER OF THE ISLANDS Manolis I. Kazamias A chronicle of the unique and long-standing relationship between the Scopelitis family and the inhabitants of the Small Eastern Cyclades islands, which dates back to 1958, when young Captain Mitsos Scopelitis began delivering the islanders their mail with his caique, the“Panormitis”.Today, fifty years later, the survival and development of these remote islands owe a lot to the daily trip of a little ship, the“Express Scopelitis”, skippered by Captain Mitsos’ son, Υannis Scopelitis and his first mate Υannis Fostieris. They serve the islanders with a rare combination of professionalism, modesty and kindness. It is not surprising that the inhabitants of the eastern Cyclades refer to the“Express Scopelitis”as the “mother of the islands”. Captain Mitsos Scopelitis is also known for his exceptional talent at playing the violin. Running time: 53’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Kazco Ltd Contact Person: Manolis Kazamias 71 Agias Sofias Str., Nea Smyrni Athens 17124,Greece T. + 30 210 935 0103 F. + 30 210 935 9536 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 171 E 196 MEXICO Category: Creative Documentaries EX-VOTO FOR THREE SOULS Diego Rivera Kohn An ex-voto is a votive offering to thank God for a miracle, or to ask for one.This is the portrait of three Mexicans, all of whom need such a miracle for different reasons. Christian is a young boxer who is literally trying to fight his way out of poverty; a victory in the ring can be the necessary step to a professional career. Eight-year-old María-Teresa has to have a major heart operation and asks for God to stand by her surgeons. And then there’s Luis the fisherman, who wants God to put a stop to the fish shortage and the low profits that come with it. Ex-voto for Three Souls translates its subjects’deep faith into a film with atmospheric camerawork, minimal dialogue and solid sound design; a film that sweeps the viewer along in the mental states of the three believers. Running time: 43’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Diego Rivera Kohn 4651 Saint Dominique Montreal H2T 1T7, Canada T. +1 514 845 9377 [email protected] 172 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 514 E GREECE Category: Creative Documentaries EVRIDIKI’S CASE Freddy Vianellis The film is based on the theatrical play Evridiki’s Case and is about a young girl’s struggle with drugs. After ten years of drug abuse, she manages to overcome her addiction through a drug rehabilitation program. The film moves along four thematic axes: her personal statement; a theatrical play based on her experiences; the everyday reality of the drug scene in downtown Athens; and, finally, the upbringing of four girls, aged three to sixteen years, who are very close to their parents. It emerges that Evridiki’s childhood and her relationship – or lack thereof – with her parents were what made her turn to drugs. Running time: 70’ Year of production: 2008-2009 Sales Contact: Modiano S.A. Contact Person: FreddyVianellis 73 K. Palaiologou Street Athens 15232, Greece T. +30 210 684 6398 F. +30 210 684 4078 [email protected] www.modianotv.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 173 535 F BRASIL Category: Art/Music & Culture FANDANGO Rene Goya Filho Fandango is a musical documentary that portrays one of the biggest instrumental musicians of Brazil. Renato Borghetti has garnered national and international recognition as an exceptional musician interpreting touching songs. The documentary follows Renato during the production of his last project, the Fandango CD, recorded in his own farm, in amidst beautiful views, taking modern technology into the countryside. In the film, we see the entire creative process and get to know a little bit more of the artist, his influences, his origins and how all that reflects in Renato Borghetti and his band’s music. Running time: 74’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Okna Produções Contact Person: Aletéia Selonk 48 Saldanha Marinho St. Porto Alegre 90160-240, Brasil T. +55 51 3737 7533 F. +55 51 3737 7544 [email protected] [email protected] www.okna.com.br 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 175 F 435 THE NETHERLANDS Category: Docudrama THE FARMER WHO WANTED TO EMIGRATE Geertjan Lassche On NewYear’s Eve 2006, Heijmen Brouwer (61), an old-school dairy farmer living in Holland, finally reaches a decision.Taking with him all his livestock, his blind farm-hand Hendrik (77) and his new girlfriend Janine (42), he will emigrate to France. Farmer Brouwer is fed up with the rigid Dutch agricultural regulations and continuous inspections.To start all over again in France had always been his dream because down there in France“at least they still like farmers”. It isn’t long before he runs into all kinds of problems, however... all caught mercilessly on film. His planned emigration seems doomed to fail and tension mounts right up until the end.Will he or won’t he go? A film about a man who, in his old age, insists on following his heart and finally fulfills a life-long dream. It’s also about the difference between a farmer’s common sense and a farmer’s obstinacy, about the room to maneuver on both sides of the law, and about the farming legacy that is rapidly disappearing from modern Holland. Running time: 85’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: NPO/RNW Sales Contact Person: Kaisa Kriek 45 Sumatralaan Hilversum 1217 GP,The Netherlands T. +31 35 677 3561 F. +31 35 677 5318 [email protected] www.nposales.com 176 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 143 F CANADA Category: Creative Documentaries FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION Velcrow Ripper Fueled by the belief that another world is possible, acclaimed filmmaker Velcrow Ripper takes us on a global journey tracing spiritual activism’s historical roots and capturing the powerful personalities that are igniting a new wave of spiritual action around the globe. Martin Luther King called it“love in action”. Gandhi called it“soul force”. Running time: 97’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: National Film Board of Canada Contact Person: Johanne St. Arnauld 3155 Cote de Liesse Road St. Laurent Quebec H4N 2N4, Canada T. +1 514 283 2703 F. +1 514 496 1895 [email protected] www.nfb.ca 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 177 F 173 AUSTRIA Category: Creative Documentaries FIGURING OUT FATHER Sandra Löhr SophieTempler-Kuh, a Jewish woman born in 1916, learns late in life that her father is the Austrian anarchist and psychoanalyst Otto Gross. She then undertakes a search for her family’s history and her own past inVienna, Graz, Berlin and the USA. Figuring Out Father is not about finding, but about searching – searching for one’s identity and personal truth. The result is a film portrait of an unorthodox woman full of contradictions and wit, whose life story reflects the cultural and political upheaval in the 20th century. Running time: 40’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion GmbH Contact Person: AnneWendelin 26 Hildebrandgasse Vienna 1120, Austria T. +43 1 403 0162 F. +43 1 403 0162 15 [email protected] www.geyrhalterfilm.com 178 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 585 F GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture FILMING DREAMS Isidor John Leontis Director Isidor Leontis and the Art InVision production company offer a new angle toTheo Angelopoulos – in production. The crew travels with the master director across Europe and Russia to shoot a film of passion and family tragedy. Willem Dafoe leads the brilliant cast of the Dust of Time. The renowned actor plays character A, a filmmaker relating the odyssey of his parents’ lives. Once again, Angelopoulos borrows from history to tell his story. A story that takes him back to ColdWar Russia. Authenticity is a hallmark of the director’s cinematic art, and he goes to great lengths and great distances to achieve it. A dedicated director, the actors and crew face difficult conditions in sub freezing temperatures in Russia and Kazakhstan. Bruno Ganz, a great actor, is collaborating with Angelopoulos for a second time. Irene Jacob, a European muse of film, and classical actor Michel Picolli completes the cast. The Dust of Time covers the period from 1953 to the present. Locations in Berlin and Cologne set the stage for today’s social problems – and its victims. FollowingTheo Angelopoulos through the Dust of Time turns the reality of a documentary into the magic of filming dreams. Running time: 64’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Art inVision Contact Person: Maria Birbili 28 Danaidon Street Athens 152 32, Greece T. +30 210 684 5100 F. +30 210 684 0974 [email protected] www.artinvision.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 179 F 217 GREECE Category: Lifestyles FILO AND MARINA Calliope Legaki Philo is a great Greek sculptor, devoted to his art and married to Marina. He has been living and working in the suburbs of Paris for the last fifty years. An unexpected incident will change everything and the only thing than can now offer a solution and give a new meaning to their life is love. Running time: 75’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Portolanos Films Contact Person: Maria Gentekou 23 CharilaouTrikoupi Str. Athens 18536, Greece T. + 30 210 483 3515 [email protected] 180 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 545 F USA Category: History & Politics FIRE UNDER THE SNOW Makoto Sasa In 1959, Palden Gyatso, a Tibetan Buddhist monk since childhood, was incarcerated by the Chinese Communist Army for peacefully demonstrating against the Chinese occupation in Tibet. For 33 years, he endured jail, torture, starvation, humiliation and forced labour. After his release, Palden escaped to Dharamsala, India, home of the Tibetan exile community. He became an activist, speaking out against the Chinese occupation, giving voice to thousands of dead, displaced or imprisonedTibetans.Today, his spirit remains unbroken and his fight against injustice and ignorance continues. Fire Under the Snow illuminates the dramatic and inspirational story of a man whose will and belief remained unbroken even under unthinkable duress. Director Makoto Sasa’s elegant interweaving of interviews with Palden, political prisoners, family members and the Dalai Lama, as well as with impressive archival footage, makes this film a captivating, revealing and heartbreaking historical document. Running time: 52’& 75’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Rise and ShineWorld Sales Contact Person: Stefan Kloos 29/30 Schlesische Str. Berlin 10997, Germany T. +49 30 4737 2980 F. +49 30 4737 29820 [email protected] www.riseandshine-berlin.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 181 F 554 POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries THE FLOW Jan Komasa “I am here because I can no longer run away from myself”.That’s what young participants of the canoeing camp for drug addicts say about themselves.The camp is organized by the Łódź branch of Monar. Participation in the canoeing rally through the Rospuda valley is an part of group therapy that teaches the addicts how to be responsible, well organized and how to live in a community. However, only a few will manage to permanently overcome their addiction and return to normal life. Running time: 80’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Krakow Film Foundation Contact Person: KatarzynaWilk 5 Morawskiego p.434 Krakow 30-102, Poland T. +48 12 294 6945 [email protected] www.kff.com.pl 182 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 157 F SPAIN Category: History & Politics FLOWERS OF RWANDA David Muñoz Rwanda. Fourteen years after the genocide that took away the lives of more than 800.000 people.What’s the current situation of the country?What feelings prevail in the hearts of the victims? Can victims and killers live together? What’s the importance of education in a society that has lived through a genocide? Can a film festival make a difference? May a genocide happen again in Rwanda? Who should act when a genocide is happening? Do we, as individuals, have any responsibility? Running time: 24’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Hibrida Contact Person: David Muñoz 21 Burgos, Pozuelo de Alarcon Madrid 28223, Spain T. +34 677 416 560 [email protected] www.floresderuanda.com/flowers-of-rwanda.html 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 183 F 273 CANADA Category: History & Politics FLY ME TO THE MOON John Curtin A light-hearted, whimsical look at our relationship with our closest and most romantic neighbor in the sky: the Moon.This year (in July) it will be 40 years since man set foot on the moon and now in 2009 the relationship is hot again. Private companies are building moon-bound rockets, NASA plans a human settlement there and scientists say lunar solar power could solve our energy crisis. From Shakespearean romance to popular love songs, the moon has profoundly influenced our culture. The absence of moonlight doomed the Titanic while entire cities were destroyed inWWII under the “bombers’moon”.Today, the ancient art of moon gardening is making a comeback while experts still debate whether a full moon induces all the loony effects ascribed to it. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 184 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 580 F ITALY Category: Art/Music & Culture FLYOVERDELHI Paolo Faver & Angelo Fontana Based on an anthropological research on modernity and globalization in New Delhi, Flyoverdelhi offers a series of snapshots on the life of young middle class men and women in this Indian metropolis.Young managers, sports professionals, journalists, tourist guides, airline hostesses, and DJs relate their experiences of growing up in a country that since 1991 has definitely opened up to the global market. The changes in lifestyles, the relationship to tradition, the growth of feelings of pride towards an India projected, in their visions, to become one of the leading powers in the world, the ideas of the‘West’, issues of love, sex and marriage, are the themes addressed by the characters presented in the film. With a music-video visual language alternating with more, stylistically speaking, classical moments, the film introduces the viewer to a modern India seldom depicted in the Western mass media, raising also questions regarding the meaning of globalization in today’s world. Running time: 51’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Oyibo Productions Contact Person: Fulvia D’Ottavi Via Cassia 878, Rome 00189, Italy T. +39 068 7903 958, +39 064 3419 651 F. +39 068 7903 958 [email protected] [email protected] www.oyiboproductions.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 185 F 366 AUSTRIA Category: Science & Knowledge FOOD DESIGN Martin Habelsreiter The TV documentary Food Design shows how form, color, smell, consistency, the sounds made during eating, manufacturing technique, history and stories influence food design. Should foodstuffs be considered designer products in the same way as Armani suits, Alessi coffee cups and Ferraris? Of course! Food Design makes a case for a design discipline that has received little attention, inviting its audience to take part in a sensual journey through the wonderful world of food. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 186 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 251 F USA Category: Lifestyles FOOD FIGHT Chris Taylor When we walk into a supermarket, we assume that we have the widest possible choice of healthy foods. But in fact, over the course of the 20th century, our food system was coopted by corporate forces whose interests do not lie in providing the public with fresh, healthy, sustainably-produced food. Fortunately for America, an alternative emerged from the counter-culture of California in the late 1960s and early 1970s, where a group of political anti-corporate protesters – led by AliceWaters – voiced their dissent by creating a food chain outside of the conventional system. The unintended result was the birth of a vital local-sustainable-organic food movement which has brought back taste and variety to our tables. Food Fight is a fascinating look at how American agricultural policy and food culture developed in the 20th century, and how the California food movement has created a counterrevolution against big agribusiness. Running time: 54’& 83’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Positively 25th St Prods Contact Person: ChrisTaylor 334 25th St Santa Monica CA 90402, USA T. +1 310 451 6754 F. +1 310 451 6744 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 187 F 555 POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries FOOTBALL FATHER Michał Jóźwiak Marcin works as a masseur in a soccer club. Instead of going to the match with the team, he prefers the riskier way of getting there with the hooligans. Although he is blind himself, he starts taking his partially sighted son with him. Running time: 29’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 188 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 385 F GERMANY Category: Lifestyles FOOTBALL UNDER COVER David Assmann & Ayat Najafi Narmila is on the Iranian Women’s national football team. They women are dedicated, they train, they love football, but they have one problem: they are not allowed to compete. Under Iranian law only men can participate in or watch a sporting match. When Marlene, the left back on the Berlin-Kreuzberg women’s team, hears of this, she decides to do something about it. She spends the next year in a difficult struggle with the Iranian government to get a match arranged between her team and the Iranian women’s team. Finally, she and her colleagues manage to get through the red tape, approval is granted and the game takes place. Men are banned from attending, and the morals police stand outside to prevent anyone from peaking inside. Inside, even though it was forbidden to advertise the match, 1,000 women chant and cheer.The excitement ignites the stadium until over the loudspeaker a woman’s voice reminds them to behave decently and tend their hijab. Football Under Cover is more than a film about a football match. It’s a film about real life in a restrictive culture where women are severely controlled by men, but still, through it all, self-expression burrows its way out. Running time: 52’& 86’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Illumina Films Contact Person: Robin Brinster 106-IV Leidsestraat Amsterdam 1017PG,The Netherlands T. +31 20 624 8395 F. +31 20 330 8155 [email protected] www.illuminafilms.nl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 189 F 191 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO Category: Current Affairs FORCED TO FLEE Peter Murimi & Polly Renton Tens of millions of people around the world have been forced to flee their homes, but unlike refugees who are protected by international law, they remain within the borders of their own countries.They are the displaced. Running time: 19’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Irin News Contact Person: David Gough Ocha House, Un Crescent Nairobi, Kenya T. +254 20 762 2147 [email protected] www.irinnews.org 190 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 442 F INDIA Category: Art/Music & Culture FOREVER YOUNG Ranjan Palit For the past decade, every year in the Northeast Indian city of Shillong, 62-year-old hippy Lou Majaw and his band, Ace of Spades, has been performing a tribute concert with their rendering of Dylan songs. The film is about this man and how his annual celebration of Dylan’s music has made him into a small-town hero in the rock capital of the country. Running time: 59’& 78’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Deckert Distribution Contact Person: Heino Deckert 1 Marienplatz Leipzig 04103, Germany T. +49 341 215 6638 F. +49 341 215 6639 [email protected] www.deckert-distribution.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 191 F 274 GERMANY Category: Current Affairs FORGETTING DAD Rick Minnich & Matt Sweetwood One week after a seemingly harmless car accident, Richard Minnich – a California data processing executive and father of five – wakes up with total amnesia. He no longer recognizes his wife and children and has a great deal of difficulty with the simplest daily tasks. The doctors are baffled, as there is no evidence of brain damage or other physical causes. For the family, the event marks the beginning of a never-ending nightmare. Sixteen years later, filmmaker Rick Minnich – the oldest son from Richard’s first marriage – returns to California in search of answers to why his father’s memory still hasn’t returned. Along the way, Rick not only discovers many deep-rooted emotions that had never been dealt with, but also uncovers startling facts.Was Richard really struck by a horrible affliction, or was he perhaps trying to escape from a life he could no longer lead? Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 192 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 539 F USA-ITALY Category: History & Politics FREEING SILVIA BARALDINI Margo Pelletier & Lisa Thomas On November 9th, 1982, on a New York City street, Silvia Baraldini was jumped by eight members of the FBI terrorist task force and brought into custody during a sweep of the radical left. Silvia was the leader of the May 19th Communist Organization, a key element in an alliance of revolutionaries, black, bhite and Puerto Rican, who worked relentlessly to expose repressive policies of the US government. In 1983, using an array of tactics, the government put an end to the alliance. Silvia was convicted of helping to free Black Panther Assata Shakur from prison and received a 43-year sentence. Baraldini speaks with an almost religious integrity, focused on essential beliefs and principles. Her insistence on justice for the oppressed transcends politics, so does her personal suffering. After seventeen years in U.S. prisons, in 1999, following a ten-year campaign culminating in one million Italian signatures, Silvia won the right to serve out the remainder of her sentence in her homeland, Italy, and was transferred to Rebbibia prison in Rome. Silvia’s story exemplifies the enduring human spirit within the resistance movements as well as the repressive measures waged against them by the US government. Running time: 99’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Thin Edge Films Contact Person: LisaThomas 405 Route 385 Catskill NY 12414, USA T. +1 518 943 4871 F. +1 518 943 4871 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 193 F 206 GREECE Category: Lifestyles FRIXOS Emmanouil Tselentakis FrixosTheodosakis was a great painter sculptor and teacher at the Pedagogical Department of the University of Crete. He was much loved for many reasons, mainly for his refreshing and particularly vivid presence in often dry areas and times; for his breezy and light presence, which ran through the university. And for his wit... Frixos left us all of a sudden at Christmas 2006. This documentary was made by the University of Crete to honor his memory. Despite the extremely low budget, it was successfully completed thanks to the generosity and love of its contributors; a small gift in return of the love he offered. It chronicles his life, work and unconventional spirit; from a Cretan village as a child-prodigy, all the way to University, where he was the students’favorite. Running time: 63’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: ManolisTselendakis 13 Aiolou Str. Athens 71304,Greece T. + 30 2810 31 0200 [email protected] 194 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 522 F GREECE Category: Adventures & Travel FROM OLYMPUS TO EVEREST Pavlos Tsiandos Climbing the summit of Mount Everest had been a long-time dream for Greek mountaineers. It was a long way to go from Greek everyday life to the 8,850-meter high mountain top, and it was filled with many obstacles. Yet neither the lack of experience, nor the high altitude and the extreme weather conditions, nor the lack of financial or any other kind of support, nor the disputes among the climbers, not even death itself could stop the dream from coming true. In the spring of 2004, two teams were ready to try for the fifth time to scale the mountain. One chose the South route from Nepal and the other the North route from Tibet. Under the guidance of Greek-American climber and seventime Everest summiter Pete Athans, the two teams aimed to meet on the summit. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Iris Productions Contact Person: Tsiandos Pavlos 43 Aristotelous Str. Athens 15562,Greece T. + 30 210 645 0590 / 694 652 6542 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 195 F 520 USA Category: History & Politics FRONTRUNNERS Caroline Suh Frontrunners is a smart and funny political documentary that follows the student council presidential campaign at one of the country’s most prestigious public high schools: Stuyvesant High School in NewYork City. An entertaining and symbolic campaign film, put forth in classic verité style, we follow four charming and idiosyncratic candidates as they navigate an electoral process that is said to be one of the most competitive at the high school level. These teenaged candidates face the same issues as candidates of any age, such as picking the“right”running mate, shaking as many hands as possible, preparing for televised debates, impressing the pundits and journalistic community, addressing sensitive race-related issues, and mobilizing an apathetic voter base. A microcosm of the US Presidential elections, Caroline Suh’s film shows politicking and pluralities through the lens of the adolescent experience. Running time: 83’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Oscilloscope Laboratories Contact Person: Dan Berger 511 Canal St., 5E NewYork NY 10013, USA T. +1 212 219 4029 F. +1 212 219 9538 [email protected] www.oscilloscope.net 196 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 557 G POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries GADJO Kryspin Pluta Music becomes a reason for the meeting of a Gypsy boy and an old Silesian man. Rebellious hip hop texts contrast with idyllic songs played on the old man’s guitar. The confrontation of those two distinct worlds leads to the surprising and close relation between them. Running time: 23’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Krakow Film Foundation Contact Person: KatarzynaWilk 5 Morawskiego p.434 Krakow 30-102, Poland T. +48 12 294 6945 [email protected] www.kff.com.pl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 197 G 386 ITALY Category: Lifestyles GAETANO Renato Giugliano When Gaetano left Italy he was disappointed by its people and system. He then reached lush Ireland where love came into his life and gave him a new purpose: to travel the world, to discover places and maybe, have some kids… A life on the road that doesn’t forget its roots and motherland. Running time: 11’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: RLP - Renato Giugliano Contact Person: Renato Giugliano 17 via S. Campagnoli Bologna 40128, Italy T. +39 335 667 8740 [email protected] 198 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 574 G ITALY Category: History & Politics GAZA HOSPITAL Marco Pasquini Beirut. Gaza Hospital sits at the crossroads between the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Chatila.The ten-storey high building carries the mark of its past. Bullet holes cover the façade.Yasser Arafat spoke of the desire to build a proper state including free health care; Gaza Hospital was a key part of this revolutionary project. Nowadays, Gaza Hospital is no longer a hospital; it is a home for refugees. They live with the pain of being exiled Palestinians. Yet, they share in the suffering, the joy, the wedding celebrations and religious feasts. The building has virtually been transformed into a vertical refugee camp. It still overlooks the camps, it is a symbol that bears witness to a people’s struggle that will continue to resist and not give up. These days, the interior of the building is a like a maze. Beams of light come from the open doors of nearby dwellings which sometimes light up the gloomy staircases and rooms. Many Palestinian refugee families that witnessed the destruction of their houses over the course of many years of hostilities have found in this hospital a place to settle down. Running time: 82’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Suttvuess Contact Person: Federico Schiavi 61Via Sannio Rome 00183, Italy T. +39 06 4341 9651 F. +39 06 4341 9652 [email protected] [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 199 G 221 GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture GENDER POP Constantine Giannaris April 2008, at the BIOS café theater in downtown Athens, a three day event showcasing contemporary artistic directions in gender role and identity issues. Running time: 40’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Goethe Institute Athen Contact Person: Constantinos Giannaris 14-16 Omirou Str. Athens 10672, Greece T. + 30 210 366 1000 F. + 30 210 364 3518 [email protected] / [email protected] 200 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 525 G POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries GET ME OUT OF HERE Igor Mołodecki A sociological portrait of a seemingly ordinary family, in which one of the sons becomes in time more and more troublesome.This is a long, and therefore unique observation over many years of a man that is slowly getting into serious problems with the law, and an up-close look at his loving mother and father’s reactions. Running time: 46’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Telewizja Polska S.A Contact Person: Agata Chłopek 17Woronicza Str Warsaw 00-999, Poland T. +48 22 547 5680 F. +48 22 547 4248 [email protected] [email protected] www.tvp.pl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 201 G 471 FRANCE Category: Art/Music & Culture GIUSEPPE CASTIGLIONE – THE PAINTER OF THE QUIET HORSES, 1688-1766 Joël Farges The Painter of the Quiet Horses tells the unique destiny of Giuseppe Castiglione, a Jesuit missionary who left for China in 1716. Tremendously inspired by Chinese culture, Castiglione progressively got to master the technique of Chinese painting. By doing so he became a favorite of the Emperor whose prestige he honored in his paintings which mostly stage horses in battles or in hunting scenes. Later on, he was in charge of designing the Palaces in the imperial gardens of the Old Summer Palace. He then became an official painter of the Emperor’s court, a rare and privileged position especially for a foreigner; he took this opportunity to bring together Europe and China. Through the fascinating story of Giuseppe Castiglione, this film will question topics such as faith, history, and artistic creation, interlaced in a world where both European and Chinese culture constantly meet and examine each other. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 202 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 547 G POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries GLASS TRAP Pawel Ferdek Cash, a car and a mobile phone... as well as fish. A group of tough men from near Warsaw organize a new form of entertainment. Their customary meetings over alcohol and drugs start to include fights between aggressive aquarium fish, which fights are, of course, accompanied by bets for large sums of money. Such is the extent of this hobby that one of the characters hopes that his champion will contribute significantly to the purchase of a new Subaru. Running time: 15’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Krakow Film Foundation Contact Person: KatarzynaWilk 5 Morawskiego p.434 Krakow 30-102, Poland T. +48 12 294 6945 [email protected] www.kff.com.pl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 203 G 452 ITALY Category: Art/Music & Culture GLOSSOLALIA Renato Giugliano It is an ancient belief from south Italy that frightened entire generations of people. It was said that women bitten by a tarantula whilst working in the fields would go crazy and live a cursed life until someone would find the right chords to wake them up. It is the beginning of theTaranta dance, the“Pizzica”, so called for the bite itself. By dancing, women would release their pain, lose the poison that held onto their spirits and go back to their families. Running time: 10’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: RLP - Renato Giugliano Contact Person: Renato Giugliano 17 via S. Campagnoli Bologna 40128, Italy T. +39 335 667 8740 [email protected] 204 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 316 G AUSTRALIA Category: Lifestyles GOD MADE THEM BLIND Richard Todd John Fawcett dies on an operating table, comes back to life with amnesia and has no idea why he is about to change the lives of 25,000 blind Balinese. God Made Them Blind is a documentary focusing on the life and work of an ordinary Australian who has devoted years to reducing the enormous number of cataract blind people in Indonesia. Confronted with skeptical Hindu belief systems and black magic, John’s challenge is to convince a nation that blindness is not God’s punishment. Running time: 55’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Mercury Media International Contact Person: Patricia Hickey 6 Baseline Studios,Whitchurch Road LondonW11 4AT, UK T. +44 20 7221 7221 F. +44 20 7221 7228 [email protected] www.mercurymedia.org 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 205 G 454 GERMANY Category: Art/Music & Culture GOING AGAINST FATE Viviane Blumenschein The documentary follows the American conductor David Zinman and theTonhalle-Ochestra Zurich during rehearsals, concerts and the recording of Gustav Mahler’s 6th Symphony. The central character of the film is the charismatic David Zinman, who takes us through the film, providing both content information and an emotional connecting thread. His narration of Mahler’s private life gives us insight into the emotional and musical world of the eminent composer. At the same time, we look behind the scenes and witness how conductor and orchestra interact on their journey towards the finished recording, as they unravel the secret of a musical masterpiece:The Symphony. In many ways, Gustav Mahler’s music expresses his searching, tinged with self-doubt, and his longing to explore the most remote areas of the human soul. The problematic existence of mankind was on his mind for his entire life and an ever inspiring, powerful source of his creativity. Every new piece of work was a further attempt to find an answer.The 6th Symphony, called“Tragic”, is his most autobiographical and personal work.The film conveys Zinman’s intense closeness to Mahler’s emotional universe and takes the audience on a powerful visual and aural journey into the world of sounds. Running time: 80’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion Contact Person: Susanne Radelhof 15 Heinrich-Roller Strasse Berlin 10405, Germany T. +49 30 6956 6910 F. +49 30 6956 6915 [email protected] www.gebrueder-beetz.de 206 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 367 G AUSTRIA Category: Art/Music & Culture GOISERN GOES EAST Markus Wogrolly Enjoy a concert tour by ship.The Austrian musician Hubert von Goisern is crossing the East of Europe on the Danube from Austria to the Black Sea. He invites excellent musicians from the local pop and jazz scene. These musical and personal encounters along the river banks reflect the changing cultures and their powerful expressions. Music that makes you dance and smile… Running time: 5 x 30’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 207 G 225 GREECE Category: History & Politics GOLDEN MACEDONIA Apostolos Tsitsoulis Is it by chance that mythology puts Midas in Macedonia?What does science prove thousands of years later? Did gold play the same role in Ancient Macedonia as it does today? Did the Ancient Macedonians, under the reign of Philip, interpret the myth of Midas and his love of gold the same way we do? Did they see in the tale merely the avarice of the king or did the story of Midas also have other dimensions? Running time: 60’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: ERT 3 Contact Person: Lazaros Lazaridis Kaftatzoglou & Stratou Ave., Thessaloniki 54640, Greece T. + 30 2310 299500-1 F. + 30 2310 299550 www.ert3.gr 208 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 548 G POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries GOLDFISH Tomasz Wolski Goldfish is a documentary about the colorful everyday lives of a group of mentally handicapped people.The film follows the group as they prepare to put on a production of “The Tale of the Goldfish”, an adaptation of a story by Alexander Pushkin. It’s a unique and optimistic story about simple dreams that come true. Running time: 70’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Krakow Film Foundation Contact Person: KatarzynaWilk 5 Morawskiego p.434 Krakow 30-102, Poland T. +48 12 294 6945 [email protected] www.kff.com.pl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 209 G 575 ITALY Category: History & Politics GOODFELLAS – THE LANDS FREED FROM COSA NOSTRA Luigi Abramo & Emanuele Piano The Mafia can be fought in Sicily without weapons or police operations. Cosa Nostra can be defeated through hard work and hope.Young Sicilians are waging their personal battle against the criminal organization by cultivating lands confiscated from the Mafia. Antonio, Francesca, Gianluca, Leonardo and Marco are the members of the Placido Rizzotto cooperative. Rizzotto was a union leader. He fought in favor of local peasants and against the landlords protected by the Mafiosi. He was killed 50 years ago and the cooperative has decided to pick up his fight.The Placido Rizzotto cooperative cultivates lands formerly owned by Mafia bosses producing oil, pasta and tomato sauce. Their produce is sold throughout Italy thanks to Libera, an anti-Mafia organization lead by priest Don Luigi Ciotti. Our“Goodfellas” are there to show how Cosa Nostra can be beaten by ordinary, responsible people. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Oyibo Productions Contact Person: Fulvia D’Ottavi Via Cassia 878, Rome 00189, Italy T. +39 068 7903 958, +39 064 3419 651 F. +39 068 7903 958 [email protected] [email protected] www.oyiboproductions.com 210 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 422 G ISRAEL Category: Creative Documentaries THE GREEN DUMPSTER MYSTERY Tal Haim Yoffe A detective-like search is launched when the director encounters some very old photographs and documents in a dumpster near his home in southernTel Aviv.The photos spark his imagination and set him off on a humorous, personal and touching journey to search for the owner’s identity, discover their story and bring them back from oblivion. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 211 G 501 GREECE Category: Currents Affairs GRIEF: LITTLE TALES OF UNEMPLOYMENT Yorgos Ch. Zervas A contemplative “portrait”of the grief felt by the unemployed in Greece today. How do they feel now? What do they think about the future? About the past? About others who have jobs? What is their relationship to their family? To their friends? To people around them? Does the cloud have a silver lining that gives them hope?Textile mills and garment factories, tobacco factories and tobacco warehouses, shipyards... Desolate spaces, falling to ruin, empty husks that now stand lifeless. And the jobless: at a loss, confessing, showing anger, reminiscing, becoming emotional, struggling, despairing. And then there are those who hope and who, above all, defend their right to human dignity. A journey into a painful landscape of today’s reality. Running time: 53’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Greek Film Center Contact Person: Evi Lazari 7 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str. Athens 117 42,Greece T. + 30 210 368 7503 F. + 30 210 361 4336 [email protected] www.gfc.gr 212 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 229 G CYPRUS-GREECE Category: History & Politics THE GYMNASIUM OF RIZOKARPASO Natasa Louka Α documentary about the history of the gymnasium which is located in the remote area of Rizokarpaso on Cyprus. Greek-Cypriots have been living in this enclave for the last 40 years, following the Turkish invasion. The Gymnasium was closed down in 1974. Thanks to the struggle of the community and the efforts of the Cypriot government, it was reopened in 2004.The gymnasium is the reason why the families still live in the enclave of Rizokarpaso. It constitutes the sole Greek voice in the occupied territories of Cyprus. The documentary includes recent filming in the area of Rizokarpaso and interviews with former and current students and teachers, Greek as well as Cypriot, about the history of the gymnasium. Never before seen documents dating back to 1917 attest to the establishment of the first nucleus of the Rizokarpaso Gymnasium. Running time: 60’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cyprus Broadcasting Corporations Contact Person: Natasa Louca Rik Ave. Nicosia 2120, Cyprus T. + 357 2 286 2409 F. + 357 2 233 0241 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 213 458 H ITALY Category: Creative Documentaries HAIR INDIA Raffaele Brunetti & Marco Leopardi The journey of a young Indian woman’s hair, donated to theTemple to be then converted into exquisite hair extensions in Italy.This same hair will then return to India to satisfy the whim of a successful career woman in Bombay. A story of the cult of beauty in the era of globalization. An original view of today’s India with its contradictions. A kaleidoscope of modernity, economic expansion and ancient traditions. Running time: 75’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: B&B Film Contact Person: Carmen Gonzales 9Via Ottaviano Rome 00192, Italy T. +39 06 3972 9989 F. +39 06 3972 6129 [email protected] www.bbfilm.tv 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 215 H 423 AUSTRIA Category: Creative Documentaries (HALF) THE TIME OF MY LIFE Marko Doringer Filmmaker Marko Doringer has decided to go on a very personal mission: he is 30 years old, hasn’t achieved anything in life, and has just lost his first molar. In a light and comic tone, Marko ventures out to visit old friends, his parents, and their friends to find out whether they are better off than him.Why does being 30 have to be this hard? Running time: 93’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 216 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 476 H FRANCE Category: Lifestyles HALIMA’S CELLPHONE Olga Prud’homme This story takes place in Bangladesh. It is May 2000. I have come to follow the arrival of a cell phone in the life of Halima, a village woman. Halima got this cell phone thanks to a loan from the Grameen Bank, the “bank of the poor”. It is the first phone ever to arrive in this village. It will benefit Halima as well as all the village people. January 2007: back to Halima. Has Professor Yunus, who meanwhile has been awarded the Peace Nobel Prize, won his wager? Can a cell phone change a destiny? Can micro credit help the poor to jump above the poverty line? What happened to Halima and to her cell phone? Running time: 51’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 217 H 152 THE NETHERLANDS Category: Current Affairs THE HANGING GARDENS OF SANTA EMILIA Floor Kooij & Sibel Bilgin A documentary about the construction of a new, completely sustainable settlement on the Coffee Farm Santa Emilia in the Matagalpa region of Nicaragua.The project includes housing for the workers, a huge kitchen, water purification and the use of biogas. Everything is made by local, natural materials. Designed by an international team of architects and engineers, the project is more than just a case of sustainable building. Experts from Europe and the United States tried to dissuade the people of Nicaragua from making the same mistakes that were made in theWest, but it was not easy to do. Besides the project itself, the film also focuses on the cultural conflict between the Western world and a developing country like Nicaragua. The documentary shows that if all the different parties are open to each other, then we can all learn and benefit. Running time: 60’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Parallel Film Contact Person: Sibel Bilgin 14 Hemonystraat Amsterdam 1074 BP,The Netherlands T. +31 20 675 7180 [email protected] 218 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 103 H ARGENTINA Category: Current Affairs HEART OF THE FACTORY Virna Molina & Ernesto Ardito The film looks at the life of a group of workers, men and women, inhabitants of Argentinian Patagonia. In a poor country looted by its own governments and businessmen, the workers of the Zanon ceramic tile factory take over the factory when its owner closes it. They start to produce ceramics again, but this time without bosses. In order to do so, the workers had to study and to outdo themselves in order to solve all the problems linked to the areas of production. Together with 5,000 inhabitants of Neuquén province who support them, workers have resisted four attempted evictions. They do not consider themselves the new owners of the factory: on the contrary, they consider the Neuquén community as the only owner.They give back in donations to the most needy sectors the surplus that the factory produces. This is the only factory in the world where the workers’ management has been operating for more than seven years. This is a permanent challenge where every day the workers have to fight against a political and economic system that tries to boycott them. Running time: 129’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Virna Molina / Ernesto Ardito 4554 Paraguay, 1º“C” Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina T. +54 11 4775 5026 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 219 H 502 GREECE Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife HELEIA Kovotsos Angelos Fire has changed the life of people on Mount Lapithos in the prefecture of Heleia. The film shows forests and villages after the devastation. Our camera captures people’s first reactions and emotions. (Research by Hara Fragou. Documentary series Fotosfera.) Running time: 25’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Aktis AVteam Contact Person: Athanasios Palos - Papantonopoulos 1 Ellis Street Athens 152 32, Greece T. +30 210 683 8888 F. +30 210 684 8008 [email protected] www.aktis.biz 220 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 325 H SWITZERLAND-GERMANY-SOUTH AFRICA Category: Lifestyles HIDDEN HEART Cristina Karrer & Werner Schweizer Christian Barnard of Capetown didn’t write the great success story of the first heart transplant in 1967 alone. Hamilton Naki, a black man, was equally part of the sensational operation. Hidden Heart tells the story of two men, glamour, injustice and uprising. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Wide Management Contact Person: Anais Clanet 40 rue Sainte Anne Paris 75002, France T. +33 1 5395 0464 F. +33 1 5395 0465 [email protected] www.widemanagement.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 221 H 424 ISRAEL Category: History & Politics HOLY FIRE Yoram Sabo The Old City of Jerusalem is in the heart of the Middle East conflict. Measuring just a single square kilometer, people from three of the world’s great religions rub shoulders in four distinct quarters, and houses built on top of each other nestle against some of the holiest sites in the world. There, of all places, tense co-existence is maintained. In the churches, leaders of the feuding sects stake their religious and territorial claims as they prepare for Easter Sabt an-Nur, the most sacred ceremony of the year. On top of theTemple Mount (alHaram to Muslims), a group of Palestinian children practice throwing stones, while beneath them an orthodox Jew plans to replace the landmark mosques with a rebuilt Jewish Temple. Presiding over this is the Chief of the Old City Police, who serves more as an arbitrator than as a law officer. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 222 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 529 H CYPRUS Category: Docudrama HOPE AGAINST HOPELESSNESS Constantinos Patsalidis Hope against Hopeless deals with the causes that provoke the waves of refugee and the violation of human rights. It aims to shed light on the illegal movement of economic immigrants and refugees from Syria into Turkey and then into Cyprus. Shocking images of immigrants at the borders of Syria and Iraq oscillate between hope and hopelessness.The political position ofTurkey and the position of the Amnesty International. A refugee’s story. Three years in prison without trial and the never-ending struggle of people striving for a better quality of life. Running time: 43’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Walking Around theWorld Contact Person: George Avraam 1st April N.60, Kato Lakatamia Nicosia 2310, Cyprus T. +357 96 546 046 F. +357 22 720 026 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 223 H 444 GERMANY Category: Current Affairs HOTEL SAHARA Bettina Haasen A dead-straight, endless road leading to nowhere. And at the end of the road: Nouadhibou, a town in theWest African country of Mauritania, bordered by the ocean on one side and the Sahara Desert on the other. A bleak and inhospitable departure point for the tens of thousands of people that pour in from neighboring countries, all with only one dream in mind: Europe. Hotel Sahara is a film journey to the last invisible border from theWest-African coast to Europe.This place is a metaphor, a point of arrival, of departure, of broken dreams – of waiting for that better life on the far side of the Atlantic. It is, above all, a no-man’s land, a place of endless waiting, and endless hoping. The film reveals how difficult it is to differentiate between “true” and “false” refugees. Is one a “real”refugee only when one’s life is being threatened?What if one simply desires to escape a deadening lack of perspective? With an observant and cautious eye, Hotel Sahara documents how closely the dream of a better life is linked to sudden stagnancy, and how much patience is required to wait for years until finally, perhaps, arriving somewhere. Running time: 52’& 85’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Deckert Distribution Contact Person: Heino Deckert 1 Marienplatz Leipzig 04103, Germany T. +49 341 215 6638 F. +49 341 215 6639 [email protected] www.deckert-distribution.com 224 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 540 H SOUTH AFRICA Category: Creative Documentaries HOW FUNKY IS MY CHICKEN Tim Wege Three dynamic youngsters from Cape Town’s townships are fighting HIV with the most unusual weapon – soccer.They’re driven, inspiring, and the kind of people that might just rescue South Africa from its crippling health crisis. This film will follow the “All-Stars”of Soccer for Hope, as they harness pre-2010 Soccer World Cup frenzy to subversively feed messages about contraception and HIV awareness to pre-teenage children in the townships, where HIV is killing 900 people a day. The voices of the film are the three characters,Wewe, Bev and Rogerio.Their daily outreach programs at Soccer for Hope form the backbone of the film, as we use these journeys into CapeTown’s townships to explore the characters’motivation, and their approach to life in South Africa“after the rainbow”. Running time: 22’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Plexus Films Contact Person: Miki Redelinghuys P.O. Box 12530 Mill Street CapeTown 8010, South Africa T. +27 21 426 2070 F. +27 21 426 2069 [email protected] www.plexusfilms.co.za 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 225 H 275 USA Category: Science & Knowledge HUXLEY ON HUXLEY Mary Ann Braubach Laura Huxley, a teenage violin virtuoso who turned renowned psychotherapist, married Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, in 1956. Their Hollywood Hills home became a hotspot for California’s artistic and intellectual avant-garde like OrsonWelles, Igor Stravinsky, George Cukor and Christopher Isherwood. At the vanguard of psychedelic experimentation, they stood in conflict with the libertineTimothy Leary. As seekers of expanded states of human consciousness, their lives and work greatly influenced contemporary American cultural history. Laura’s candid recollections offer a compelling glimpse of her life and work with Huxley, a literary giant and visionary of the 20th century. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 226 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 351 I ITALY Category: Creative Documentaries I DREAMT OF COLORFUL CLOUDS Mario Balsamo Edison, a young boy from Albania, arrived in Italy in 1999, alone, without his parents, in an inflatable boat. Today he is in a reformatory in Lecce. Full of hope, he doesn’t consider himself a victim, but rather the hero of an adventure that is chasing his dreams. Dealing not only with issues of immigration and integration, Mario Balsamo’s documentary is also the story of a friendship so strong that it has changed two lives: the child and the filmmaker return to Albania together, where Edison meets his mother again for the first time since he left for Italy. Running time: 65’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Vitagraph Contact Person: Filippo D’Angelo 1Via Schiavonia Bologna 40121, Italy T. +39 05 126 7150 F. +39 05 126 7150 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 227 I 496 ICELAND Category: Lifestyles I THINK SHE’S A MUSUNGU Anna Thora Steinthorsdottir I Think She’s a Musungu is a documentary about 8-year-old Erna Kanema. She lives in Reykjavik with her Icelandic mother, Zambian father and little sister. She takes her Icelandic grandmother and uncle’s family on an adventurous trip to Zambia to meet her relatives there. Erna Kanema reflects on her identity as a white, black or brown girl. Running time: 27’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: The Icelandic Film Center Contact Person: VigdisThormodsdottir 14Tungata Reykjavik 101, Iceland T. +354 562 3580 F. +354 562 7171 [email protected] www.icelandicfilmcentre.is 228 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 558 I POLAND Category: Art/Music & Culture I WILL PLAY IT TO YOU Katarzyna Jezior & Maciej Białobrzeski A documentary presenting the most extraordinary Polish violinist, her career as well as her personal history. The film comprises three parts, based on the Brahms concerto: allegro, adagio and vivace. In the first part, the artistic career of the character is presented. In the second the author talks about her childhood, war, Jewish family and marriage with the Prime Minister of communist Poland. The last part shows the artistic passion of Wilkomirska. Running time: 92’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Telewizja Polska S.A Contact Person: Agata Chłopek 17Woronicza Str Warsaw 00-999, Poland T. +48 22 547 5680 F. +48 22 547 4248 [email protected] [email protected] www.tvp.pl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 229 I 419 USA-FRANCE Category: History & Politics ICE PEOPLE Anne Aghion Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ann Aghion spent four months in Antarctica, living “on the ice” with modern-day explorers, to find out what drives these dedicated researchers to leave the world behind them in pursuit of science.While there, she captured a genuine sense of what it means to live and work in one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Running time: 54’& 77’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 230 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 566 I ITALY Category: Creative Documentaries IDENTITY – THE TRUE STORY OF JUAN PIRAS PERON Chiara Bellini In 1909, emigrant from Sardinia Giovanni Piras leaves for Argentina. A few years later he vanishes, but then his traces allegedly overlap with those of Juan Domingo Peron. Among concealed documents and coincidences bordering on the absurd, an incredible journey between mystery and international politics, from Sardinia to Argentina, throughout the entire 20th century. Running time: 83’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Morgana Production s.r.l. Contact Person: Giona A. Nazzaro 51Via Goffredo Mameli Rome 00153, Italy T. +39 06 5833 2148 F. +39 06 58345669 [email protected] www.morganlab.eu 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 231 I 326 FRANCE Category: Art/Music & Culture IMMATERIAL TREASURE Markus Hansen & Jean-Marie Boulet A musical documentary about an African-American violinist in Vietnam, when musical encounters and creation overcome nationalism, traditions, borders and sorrows. A violin road movie. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Wide Management Contact Person: Anais Clanet 40 rue Sainte Anne Paris 75002, France T. +33 1 5395 0464 F. +33 1 5395 0465 [email protected] www.widemanagement.com 232 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 512 I GREECE Category: Creative Documentaries IN AWE OF THE GREAT SHADOW Manolis Dimellas & Philippos Alaveras Let’s take a journey into space and time. On 29 March 29, 2006 we had the good fortune in Greece to watch a solar eclipse. For the first time in many decades, a total eclipse was visible from Greek soil.The eclipse was partial to the whole of Greece except to the island of Kastelorizo where it was total.The two previous total solar eclipses, which were visible from Greece, occurred in 1870 and 1936. After the eclipse of March 2006, the next total eclipse, visible from our country will take place in 2088! But what is it about a solar eclipse that evokes primal emotions in people?Who can explain the phenomenon? Is vision necessary in order to see a solar eclipse? Running time: 22’ Year of production: 2009 Contact Person: Manolis Dimellas 38 Athanassiou Diakou Str., Pireaus Athens 18533, Greece T. + 30 210 411 7149 / 697 701 0457 F. + 30 210 692 4770 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 233 I 443 INDIA Category: History & Politics .IN FOR MOTION Anirban Datta .in for Motion is a visual essay about the dramatic change what the world’s largest democracy, India, has been going through for the past two decades. Economic liberalization and the IT revolution took place simultaneously in a country where the real industrial revolution hasn’t yet happened. The cities expanded vertically and horizontally, the consumables changed in variety and choice. The citizen realized his power as a consumer and democracy’s fundamental unit assumed a new identity. Underneath, the country witnessed an ever-increasing drain of inhabitants to the cities, fields of traditional crops gave way to industries, hillocks to IT towers.The population, once considered a burden, coupled today with education and professional exposure, appears to have become the world’s largest contributor to the evergrowing IT industry. One development erases memory of the previous one.The fact that India was among the earliest in Asia to develop digital computers indigenously is a forgotten story today. This film is my journey through the alleys of development, cutting across multi ethno-cultural routes, tracing the disconnect, what lies behind the information hole. Running time: 59’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Deckert Distribution Contact Person: Heino Deckert 1 Marienplatz Leipzig 04103, Germany T. +49 341 215 6638 F. +49 341 215 6639 [email protected] www.deckert-distribution.com 234 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 338 I GERMANY Category: Science & Knowledge IN SEARCH OF MEMORY: THE NEUROSCIENTIST ERIC KANDEL Petra Seeger Eric Kandel, winner of the Nobel Prize and one of the most important neuroscientists of the 20th century, published his autobiography In Search of Memory in 2006 to great critical acclaim.This film interweaves Kandel’s eventful life-story with the latest advances in his neuroscience. Kandel is a Viennese Jew by birth. At the age of nine he was forced to emigrate to the USA. In NewYork he studied Austrian history and literature, but later qualified in medicine and became a psychoanalyst. For 50 years he has been a “rockstar of neuroscience” to his students. Kandel’s research field, which is closely linked to his traumatic childhood experience during the Nazi era, is the search for memory. He has proven that everything we experience changes the brain and even our genetic expression. A very personal journey into Eric Kandel’s own memory will take us to the exterior and interior locations of his childhood, to the exciting everyday laboratory life at newYork’s Columbia University, and right into the center of the brain, to where our memories are stored. This is a film about the art of research and a captivating personality’s lust for life. Running time: 95’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: United Docs Contact Person: Anne Hufnagel 48-50 Breite Strasse Cologne 50667, Germany T. +49 221 920 690 F. +49 221 920 6969 [email protected] www.united-docs.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 235 I 392 AUSTRALIA Category: Current Affairs IN SEARCH OF SHILAN Mem River Ten years ago, Cetin, a Kurdish poet, went into exile from Turkey, and after many months via Bulgaria and South Africa, arrived in Australia as a refugee. Leaving the Turkish army after bearing witness to atrocities in Kurdish villages, he put himself in danger by publicizing the army’s actions, and in doing so was forced to leave the woman he loved. Now, he wants to find Shilan, his lost love. He’s never forgotten her, and never married during his life in Australia. But now she’s made her choice; she’s a female guerrilla in the PKK, living in the remote Zagros Mountains of northern Iraq and Iran, and devoted to the struggle to re-establish a Kurdish homeland.Ten years on, and the situations are reversed; this time it’s Shilan who has to choose between love for a man or love for her homeland. Running time: 60’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Smiley Film Sales Contact Person: Ewa Bigio PO Box 90943 AMSC Auckland 1142, New Zealand T. +64 9 360 0325 F. +64 9 360 0163 [email protected] www.smileyfilmsales.com 236 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 297 I ITALY-GERMANY Category: Creative Documentary IN THE FOG OF THE PAST Anna Montanyà The Psychiatric Hospital ofVolterra was once the biggest in Italy. The film tells its story by showing the lives of two ex-patients,Tullio and Pilade. Ex-staff members complete the historical background and discuss the ethical implications of psychiatry. Running time: 73’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: La Boia Contact Person: Sebastian Schaal c/o Schaal Stettiner Strasse 39 Berlin 13357, Germany T. +49 160 754 7480 F. +49 30 493 8912 [email protected] www.laboia.de 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 237 I 431 THE NETHERLANDS Category: History & Politics IN THE HOLY FIRE OF REVOLUTION Masha Novikova This film gives a unique insight into the Russian opposition against the Putin regime during the last two years. Since the victory of the recent elections in March 2008 this regime does not tolerate any opposition at all. Young people are demonstrating in the streets of Moscow. Their flags and banners tell us they want a better future for Russia. Some with Putin, others absolutely without Putin.They call themselves communists, anti-communists, or patriots.They all talk about their immense love for Russia, and they all want to save this Russia; conflicting parties, all armed with the same portrait of Che Guevara. The daily routine is heavy for the opposition leaders. They have no access to the media, they are beaten up during the demonstrations and often they are put in prison. The proPutin Youth follows them everywhere and uses every means to accuse them of betrayal. Or, on occasion, the Kremlin tries to bribe the opposition leaders. But still, even the most dangerous demonstrations, or having to go to court and facing imprisonment: it all eventually becomes part of daily life. What the life of an opposition leader looks like in Russia, when people do not trust you! Running time: 120’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: NPO/RNW Sales Contact Person: Kaisa Kriek 45 Sumatralaan Hilversum 1217 GP,The Netherlands T. +31 35 677 3561 F. +31 35 677 5318 [email protected] www.nposales.com 238 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 276 I USA Category: Science & Knowledge INFINITE SPACE: THE ARCHITECTURE OF JOHN LAUTNER Murray Grigor Infinite Space traces the lifelong quest of visionary genius John Lautner to create “architecture that has no beginning and no end”. It is the story of brilliance and of a complicated life – and the most sensual architecture of the 20th century. As a young man, Lautner broke from his mentor, Frank Lloyd Wright, and went west to California to forge his own unique style. His life was marked by innovation and inspiration, endless battles with building codes, an accidental leap into the epicenter of pop culture, bitterness at lost opportunities, and finally – monumental achievement. Lautner was idolized by young modernists, criticized by academics, and beloved by the clients who worked side by side with him to build their houses. It was a life in pursuit of beauty. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 239 I 197 MEXICO Category: Creative Documentaries THE INHERITORS Eugenio Polgovsky At early age children begin to work in the Mexican countryside. The Inheritors is a portrait of their lives and their daily struggle for survival. These children work at farming, sculpting and painting traditional alebrijes, shepherding, making bricks, weaving cloth, looking after their younger siblings, carrying water, harvesting tomato, chili, maize, and laboring at a myriad other activities.They have inherited tools and techniques from their ancestors, but they have also inherited their day-to-day hardships. Generations pass and child workers remain captive in a cycle of inherited poverty. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Tecolote Films Contact Person: Eugenio Polgovsky, CamilleTauss 17 Malintzin,, int 314, Col.del Carmen Coyoacan 04100, Mexico T. +52 55 5554 3224 [email protected] 240 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 393 I MEXICO-USA Category: Current Affairs INTIMIDAD David Redmon & Ashley Sabin Cecy and Camilo are a young couple struggling to make ends meet.They leave their modest hometown of Santa Maria, Puebla, east of Mexico City and their baby daughter Loida with Cecy’s parents and resettle in Reynosa; a city in a nearby state. Reynosa is now a global production centre having undergone a major industrial boom with foreign corporations building assembly plants or maquiladoras, attracted by the cheap peso and incentives under NAFTA (The North American Free Trade Agreement). Everyday thousands of migrants like Cecy and Camilo pile into factories like the Victoria’s Secret assembly plant that Cecy works at, lured by the promise of a minimum wage and a better life. Filmed in Super 8 and 16mm, Intimidad captures acutely the contrasting images of consumer culture and dire poverty that exist alongside each other in Reynosa. Intimidad explores the difficult choices and sacrifices that we are confronted with in trying to build better lives for our families. The travails faced by the couple are intimately captured against a background of extreme poverty, rapid industrialization and consumerism. Running time: 53’& 73’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Smiley Film Sales Contact Person: Ewa Bigio PO Box 90943 AMSC Auckland 1142, New Zealand T. +64 9 360 0325 F. +64 9 360 0163 [email protected] www.smileyfilmsales.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 241 I 358 AUSTRIA Category: Creative Documentaries INTO THE WORLD Constantin Wulff A moving portrait of a maternity clinic inVienna provides a fascinating look at the drama, pain and beauty of entering this world. In all its intensity and variety, the everyday miracle of birth is depicted in direct cinema and linked to the cycle of the procedures that accompany it. A chronicle of life’s beginning and the organization surrounding it. In the finest tradition of direct cinema the film dispenses entirely with commentary, interviews and music, and any kind of exposition at all. The viewer is merely placed in the middle of the action.Thanks to the art of careful editing, fascinating observations and microdramas of everyday life are assembled into larger themes that go far beyond a simple portrait of a medical clinic, becoming, in a sense, a portrait of society as it relates to birth. Running time: 88’ Year of production: 2008 BLIND LOVES Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 242 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 414 I FRANCE Category: History & Politics IRAN – THE HUNDRED-YEAR WAR Jean Michel Vecchiet A country at a crossroads, a nation divided; Iran is on the rise after a century of political upheaval.The nuclear crisis has revealed to the world its goal: to become a world power. The roots of this bold challenge issued to the West sink deep into a past rife with revolutions, coups de force and intrigues elaborated in foreign capitals. The telling of this story, with light shed on it from the point of view of Iranians who were its key players, provides the keys to present-day Iran’s goal of international influence. For the first time ever, this film will look back over 100 years of Iranian history to the veritable wellsprings of the confrontation between Iran and the western powers. From 1908 to 2008, from the discovery of oil reserves to the nuclear crisis, we present a spectacular voyage to the heart of a country and a people, a colorful fresco focusing on real-life stories, unveiling archive images and authentic documents, and giving eyewitnesses – Iranian men and women – a chance to speak. A crisscrossing gaze, free of both prejudice and compromise: how they see us, how we see them. Running time: 60’& 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: ARTE France Contact Person: Audrey Kamga 8 rue Marceau Issy-les-Moulineaux 92130, France T. +33 1 5500 7081 F. +33 1 5500 8065 [email protected] www.artefrance.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 243 253 J THE NETHERLANDS Category: Creative Documentaries JACK, THE BALKANS & I Sergej Kreso In 1972, Congolese-Belgian pop star Jack Roskam moves to Yugoslavia, where he meets and marries his Croatian wife. He becomes the guitarist of one of the most popular local rock bands, Galija. Tall, black and adorned with dreadlocks, Jack stands out on stage, among his mostly Serbian colleagues. A confirmed pacifist, Jack had escaped service in the Belgium army, but at the time of the outbreak of the Yugoslavian war his convictions are sorely tested. As Galija’s songs become more Serb orientated, Jack decides to leave the band.WhileYugoslavian people are forced to choose sides, Jack faces the dilemma to either return to Belgium or to stay and share the fate of his new country and family and friends.The war will force him to change his Fender Stratocaster for a Kalashnikov and to fight in the Croatian army. In this road movie, Jack and the Bosnian filmmaker travel through formerYugoslavia, reflecting on the choices they both made in the war. Running time: 59’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Andana Films Contact Person: Stephan Riguet LeVillage Lussas 07170, France T. +33 475 943 467 F. +33 475 942 509 [email protected] www.andanafilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 245 J 480 SERBIA-GERMANY Category: Sports JELENA’S WORLD Tanja Brzakovic A young, beautiful girl wakes up in a hotel room in some exotic corner of our planet. After she gets up, dresses herself, brushes her teeth, as any other twenty-two-year-old- girl would do, any similarity between this girl and regular twenty-two-year-old- girl disappears.This girl is the world’s third best tennis player and today is the first day of a new tennis tournament. She has a very strict schedule to follow: breakfast, training, signing autographs, massage, consultations, relaxing and then the first match. Her mother is always at her side, as are a couple of important associates. Sponsors, tournament organizations, fans: they all want something from her.What Jelena wants is to become Number 1. She shares this dream with a bunch of other girls, but she is the one of the one or two chosen ones that could see it come true. As she fights her way towards that goal, she is not alone. Behind her is an army of fans from Serbia and all over the world, young and old, that need and believe in Jelena’s success.They identify themselves with this smiling, eccentric, fighting girl and experience her every success as their own. But Jelena is not a super heroine. She has ups and downs, knows success, but also defeat, she cries when she is sad and smiles when she is happy; she’s not afraid of showing her true feelings.Through this film, all sport, tennis and Jelena fans are given an insider’s look into the world of professional tennis, guided by Jelena Jankovic herself. Running time: 80’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Talas Film Contact Person: Anais Clanet 14/8 Senjacka Belgrade 11000, Serbia T. +381 6363 3809, F. +381 1126 51551 [email protected] www.talas.info 246 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 331 J THE NETHERLANDS Category: Art/Music & Culture JOAQUIN SABINA – 19 DAYS AND 500 NIGHTS Ramon Gieling For about two decades now the poet/singer Joaquín Sabina has been an icon and a benchmark for over twenty million people in Spain and South America. The presidents of all South American countries want to be photographed with him, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Fidel Castro, Shakira, Pedro Almodovar, the writer Almudena Grandes and the former football player Diego Maradona are among his fans. Sabina is controversial; he is left wing, he is a aficionado of bullfighting, and yet he unites left and right with the impact of his lyrics and songs. Until a few years ago, Sabina’s house in Madrid was the centre of the world; he used to give the key to friends, acquaintances and people he knew less well. In 2001, after he suffered a brain haemorrhage as a result of his lifestyle, the lock was changed and he retired into voluntary isolation for a period of three years. In a studio in Madrid, Ramon Gieling had Sabina’s house reconstructed and in it he received a number of friends who used to own a key.The house becomes a point of departure for a journey among people in Spain who were moved by Sabina’s songs and lyrics. Running time: 86’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Pieter van Huystee Film Contact Person: Curien Kroon 37-39 Noordermarkt Amsterdam 1015 NA,The Netherlands T. +31 20 421 0606 F. +31 20 638 6255 [email protected] www.pvhfilm.nl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 247 J 277 USA Category: History & Politics JOHN F. KENNEDY. A PRESIDENT TO REMEMBER Robert Drew When John F. Kennedy launched his bid for the presidency, Robert Drew was there, always a step behind him, catching history on camera as it happened. In the years that followed, Kennedy continued to allow Drew and his team unprecedented access – to his office, to the members of his administration, and to his high level briefings on such signal matters as nuclear disarmament and civil rights.Though much of that footage has been seen before, this new, tightly edited documentary composed from the Drew archives provides a timely “view of a President widely respected by his fellow countrymen and celebrated across the world.” Running time: 85’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 248 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 482 J FRANCE Category: Current Affairs JOURNEY THROUGH HELL Daniel Grandclément Every year, thousands of people die trying to make it to Europe.This is their story.We travel inside a boat trafficking Africans toYemen, the first stage of their journey to theWest. Over 100 people are crammed into the tiny 30-foot vessel. Denied food or water and without even room to move, they became ill and dehydrated. Anyone who complains is beaten or thrown overboard.When the boat approaches the shore, the refugees are forced to jump into the sea and swim to shore. Many can’t swim or are so exhausted they drown. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Java Films Contact Person: Kathryn Bonnici 4-6VillaThoreton Paris 75015, France T. +33 1 4060 2624 F. +33 1 4060 2649 [email protected] www.javafilms.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 249 J 208 GREECE Category: Lifestyles JOURNEY TO RAKHIV Takis Touliatos A cinematic journey through the traumatic turmoil of the past century and the expectations for the present one, as experienced today by the people of Rakhiv – a small town in Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains – and discussed by them in an atmosphere of simplicity, life wisdom and whimsy. Running time: 65’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Protasis Production Contact Person: Nikos Nikolettos Heiden 1 Str. Athens 10434, Greece T. + 30 210 825 9541 F. + 30 210 825 9532 [email protected] Sales Contact: Greek Film Center Contact Person: Evi Lazari 7 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str. Athens 117 42,Greece T. + 30 210 368 7503 F. + 30 210 361 4336 [email protected] www.gfc.gr 250 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 287 J CANADA Category: Sports JUMP. THE WORLD’S GREATEST STREAKERS Dan Emery Jump! follows Spain’s number one streaker, Jaume Marquet (alias Jimmy Jump), from Barcelona to Madrid as he prepares to streak at the largest soccer match in Spain, live in front of 80,000 spectators and 100 millionTV viewers. On the way, the doors open to the eccentric world of streaking.We meet world famous Mark Roberts, who has streaked more international events than anyone in history and Ron Bensimhon, who dove into the pool at the 2004 Olympics. All talk about what drives them and what it takes to be a true professional streaker. We meet the lawyers representing them, security teams trying to stop them, marketing companies sponsoring them, and the PR specialists dealing with streaks turning into publicity disasters. At the end of the film Jimmy arrives in Madrid, will he succeed? Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 251 J 462 THE NETHERLANDS Category: Creative Documentaries JUST LEAVE DADDY BE Debbie Kleijn Just Leave Daddy Be is a documentary about twelve-year-old Melvin, whose stepfather Hans has a personality disorder. During almost two years, director Debbie Kleijn filmed the family in their daily struggle to cope with the Hans’s problems.The documentary unravels the vulnerability of children in problematic family situations. While the adults are entangled in their own problems, young Melvin keeps his worries to himself. Running time: 48’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Roaring Films Contact Person: Jan Katsma 13c Lloydstraat Rotterdam 3024 EA,The Netherlands T. +31 62 833 8969 F. +31 10 476 9701 [email protected] www.roaringfilms.com 252 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 549 J POLAND Category: Lifestyles JUST LIKE HEAVEN Filip Marczewski Just like Heaven is a poetic tale about a young couple who are looking for their natural place on Earth. It’s also a story about Europe and Poland, with its eternal exodus from East toWest while manyWestern people, like the Dutch in this film, for the very same reason, are heading the other way round. Filip Marczewski, an Oscar nominated director for his former short student film and cinematographer Szymon Lenkowski, have spent several months with their heroes. Running time: 25’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Krakow Film Foundation Contact Person: KatarzynaWilk 5 Morawskiego p.434 Krakow 30-102, Poland T. +48 12 294 6945 [email protected] www.kff.com.pl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 253 438 K ISRAEL Category: Current Affairs KALANDIA – A CHECKPOINT’S STORY Neta Efroni Over a period of six years, filmmaker Neta Efrony documented an Israeli military Checkpoint – on the road between East Jerusalem and Ramallah – that grew and expanded into a terminal. Kalandia’s Checkpoint does not distinguish between Arabs and Jews; it distinguishes between Palestinians and Palestinians. The film is an authentic and disturbing testimony to the daily struggle of Palestinians who wish to continue their routine lives, going through the check point on their way to work, to school, to receive medical care or for religious reasons. Running time: 59’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: JMT Films Distribution Contact Person: MichaelTreves 20 Bialik Street Tel Aviv 63324, Israel T. +972 52 363 3398 [email protected] www.jmtfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 255 K 305 GREECE Category: Current Affairs KANUN – THE LAW OF HONOR AND BLOOD Dimitris Gerardis & Sotiris Danezis For more than six centuries in the Albanian north, blood is repaid with blood. The law of the vendetta is holding thousands of people hostage. Families are at war for killings that took place more than half a century ago.The passion for revenge will even kill small children. Those who want to live have had to turn their homes into prisons. Some have remained imprisoned for their entire lives… It is estimated that 800-1,500 children in Albania are living in fear because of the threat of vendetta.They grow up “in a cage”, with no access to school. They are not even allowed out to play. In the so-called “valley of death”, people have been taught by their ancestors to settle their differences with their weapons, following the rules of a justice system carried down through generations from the Middle Ages.The documentary producers meet with the victims and perpetrators and the children that are being held hostage by hate and revenge.They enter the prisons that are their homes and record the despair and the hope of forgiveness. This shocking documentary, which was filmed in Albania in March 2008, was part of the official selection of the FIPA 2009“Reportage and Current Affairs”category. Running time: 45’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Teletypos SA - Mega Channel Contact Person: Litsa Deli & Ioanna Louloudi Roussou 4 & Messoghion Ave. Athens 115 21, Greece T. + 30 210 690 3656 F. + 30 210 699 6811 [email protected] www.megatv.com 256 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 407 K TURKEY Category: Docudrama KARATEPE – ON THE TRACES OF BOSSERT Mujgan Taner The story begins with a few old photo albums bought at a flea market.The faded photographs of a journey and an excavation. The man wearing a colonial hat stood at the center of all the photographs. He seemed like the Head of the Excavation. But who was that man? And which part of Anatolia did he excavate? We follow the traces of the albums… An archeological dig that took place between 1945-51 comes to light. A great discovery was made. The archaeologist was the founder of the Turkish Archeological Institute, Hittitologist Professor Helmuth Theodor Bossert. He discovered the late Hittite Castle Karatepe-Aslantaş, dating back to the 7th or 8th century BC. As a result of his work, a new language was deciphered at Karatepe-Aslantaş, behind Kadirli, modern-day Adana Province, which was written in an unknown alphabet belonging to an unknown nation. It was the Hitite Hieroglyph. The journey of the discovery, which started in the flea market and took us through Hittite History in Anatolia, is depicted with dramatic re-enactments in the documentary. Running time: 72’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: TRT Contact Person: Asim S. Uvez Trt Or-An Sitesi, Dis Kaynaklar mudurlugu a blok Kat: 6 Ankara 616 06190,Turkey T. +90 312 463 2774 F. +90 312 490 8928 [email protected] www.trt.net.tr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 257 K 138 USA Category: Creative Documentaries KASSIM THE DREAM Kief Davidson This is the story ofWorld Champion boxer, Kassim Ouma – born in Uganda, kidnapped by the rebel army and trained to be a child soldier at age 6. After a decade of warfare, Kassim defected and began a new life in America, quickly rising through the boxing ranks. As he trains for his next world title fight, keeping his demons out of the ring becomes increasingly difficult. A chance to reunite with his family in Uganda hinges on a military pardon from the same leaders responsible for his abduction. Running time: 86’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ro*co Films Contact Person: Annie Roney 80 Liberty ShipWay, Suite 5 Saucalito CA 94965, USA T. +1 415 332 6471 F. +1 415 332 6798 [email protected] www.rocofilms.com 258 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 587 K UK Category: History & Politics KAROSTA: LIFE AFTER THE USSR Peter King This film explores the abandoned military port of Karosta, in Western Latvia, which has seen some of the most influential and disturbing eras of modern times from RussianTsarist origins, to Nazi and then Soviet occupation. When the Russian army left in 1994 after Latvian independence, Karosta became largely uninhabited and most structures fell to ruin. In the late 1990s, the area was troubled by high unemployment, street crime and drug problems. This documentary explores how the residents of Karosta have coped throughout the years without infrastructure and order, and examines how community organization K@2 aims to stimulate positive change by means of art, culture, education, and cooperation to give residents hope of a better future. Karosta is somewhere that has been long forgotten, and at such a pivotal moment in the modern world’s development, now is the most vital time to unearth such an important part of history, as our power-driven world is soon heading back to the state it was in when Karosta was conceived. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: EspressoTV Contact Person: David Hooper 25YorkVillas Brighton BN1 3TS, UK T. +44 1273 730 929 F. +44 1273 299 403 [email protected] www.espressotv.co.uk 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 259 K 222 GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture KATRINA MUSIC James Brooke & Chronis Pehlivanidis What is it about New Orleans and the spirit of the people who live there that could produce a mythology, a soul, a humanity that has touched people around the world? Real New Orleans music is best heard in a real New Orleans music club – where the music rises every night – and never stops. Jazz, reggae, gospel, hip hop, R&B, zydeco, rock, blues. The city has repeatedly catalyzed American music, as sounds that started in the streets of New Orleans reached the world as jazz, rock ’n’ roll, and rhythm and blues. Within the songs is the tension and fascination between classes and cultures: African, European, Caribbean, Native American, rich and poor – and some of the best music in the world. Running time: 60’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Onos Productions Contact Person: Chronis Pechlivanidis 18 Iraklidon Str. Athens 118 51,Greece T. + 30 210 341 7228 F. + 30 210 341 7228 [email protected] 260 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 185 K SOUTH AFRICA Category: Creative Documentaries KEISKAMMA – A STORY OF LOVE Miki Redelinghuys On the east coast of South Africa, where the Keiskamma River flows into the sea, lies a tiny village with a huge legacy. One hundred and forty villagers worked together to create a massive tapestry – a multi-media altarpiece that is traveling the world to tell their story. Keiskamma – A Story of Love tells the remarkable story of a village that won’t give up in the face of adversity. In vérité tradition, the film interweaves the story of a formidable Aids activist, Eunice Mangwane, and that of her comrade in arms, Carol Baker. As the artistdoctor, Carol, speeds along bumpy Eastern Cape roads, between the Hospice, making home visits and creating the altarpiece, Eunice is confronted with news of her daughter and grandson’s HIV positive status.While Eunice tries to save her family, Carol meets Nkululeko – a lonely, bright eyed 13-year-old boy who has lost his family to HIV/AIDS.What follows is a story about how love can change the course of someone’s life. Running time: 52’& 97’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Plexus Films Contact Person: Miki Redelinghuys, Lauren Groenenwald P.O. Box 12530 Mill Street CapeTown 8010, South Africa T. +27 21 426 2070 F. +27 21 426 2069 [email protected] [email protected] www.plexusfilms.co.za 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 261 K 425 ISRAEL Category: Creative Documentaries KING LATI THE FIRST Uri Bar On Lati is only eight years old, but he already has a heavy load on his shoulders. Born in Tel Aviv to a Senegalese father and a Belarusian mother, he is heir to the throne of a Senegalese tribe. He is now about to travel to his kingdom for the first time where over one million of his subjects await his return. Told with a light, comic tone, this film highlights the personal cost of globalization and the dilemma we face as we straddle the crossroads of tradition and modernity. Running time: 50’& 70’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 262 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 108 K POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries KITES Beata Dzianowicz In 2006, in the Art School in Kabul a film course entitled“Kabul – My City”was held. Students were given cameras and professional help from a young polish director, Jacek Szarański. But that was all. They themselves had to come up with the ideas their films would be about and in what way they would show Kabul.They trained their lenses on their closest surroundings – neighborhood children, ubiquitous kites and themselves. Kites has become a record of present-day Kabul from the perspective of an Afghan teenager. It also became a story about how a passion for film is awakened, about the difficulty of asking questions and the courage to listen to answers. Running time: 79’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Journeyman Pictures Contact Person: Katie Adams 4-6 High Street,Thames Ditton Surrey KT7 0RY, UK T. +44 208 398 4616 F. +44 208 972 9100 [email protected] www.journeyman.tv 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 263 K 550 POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries KITTY, KITTY Pawel Lozinski There are elegant ladies as well as poor pensioners among them. Burdened with shopping bags, day and night, regardless of the weather and time of year, they visit parks, cemeteries and secluded places.These are the“cat ladies”, considered as weirdos by some and angels of kindness by others. Maybe these women feeding homeless cats are trying to fill an empty space in their lives or satisfy their maternal instincts. On camera, they philosophize, sing old songs and tell stories of love, fear and lost opportunities. One character argues with her husband with whom she shares nothing but a love of cats.They all speak of their pets with fondness and affection and have a name for each of them. Łoziński has managed to paint a portrait of women who have found a purpose at the end of their lives. Running time: 28’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Krakow Film Foundation Contact Person: KatarzynaWilk 5 Morawskiego p.434 Krakow 30-102, Poland T. +48 12 294 6945 [email protected] www.kff.com.pl 264 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 177 K LATVIA-FRANCE-GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture KLUCIS. THE DECONSTRUCTION OF AN ARTIST Peteris Krilovs This film is a deeply personal view on the life of artist Gustav Klucis, one of the foremost representatives of early 20th century Russian avant-garde art. When his career was at its peak, he fell victim to Stalin’s terror. His fate after his arrest in January 1938 was kept secret for many years. The only thing his widow Valentina Kulagina managed to squeeze out of the KGB was the date of his death. Years later, even that bit of information was found to be wrong. Τhis film tells a story in which the controversial life and career of an artist reflects the tragedy of a whole nation during the first decades of the 20th century. Running time: 56’& 88’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Vides Filmu Studija Contact Person: Uldis Cekulis 17 Lapus Street Riga LV1002, Latvia T. +371 6750 3588, F. +371 6750 3589 [email protected] www.vfs.lv Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12 F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 265 K 223 GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture KREUZBERG 36 Angeliki Aristomenopoulou Hip hop has often been credited with helping to reduce inner city street violence by replacing physical violence with breakdance, graffiti and rap. In this film, filmed in Kreuzberg, Berlin, we see how hip hop culture integrates into the lives of immigrants, giving them the opportunity to express their voice while at the same time keeping them away from gang life. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Onos Productions Contact Person: Chronis Pechlivanidis 18 Iraklidon Str. Athens 11851, Greece T. + 30 210 341 7228 F. + 30 210 341 7228 [email protected] 266 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 132 L USA Category: Art/Music & Culture THE LADIES Christina Alexandra Voros WhenVali and Mimi closed their couture shop on Lexington Avenue, they kept a dozen of their best clients, moved the business into the spare bedroom, and moved Mimi to the pull-out couch. Still sewing forty hours a week, the 87- and 93-year-old sisters reflect on the dying of a craft, the importance of family and the persistence of the creative spirit. Running time: 13’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: MigrantTurtle Films Contact Person: ChristinaVoros 16 Hancock Street #2 Brooklyn NY 11216, USA T. +1 617 501 6595 F. +1 212 372 9669 [email protected] www.migrantturtle.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 267 L 126 SWITZERLAND Category: Docudrama LADY MERCEDES – GETTING OLD AS A CAR PROSTITUTE David Fonjallaz & Simon Jäggi & Louis Mataré In Bern, the capital of Switzerland, Sylvia Leiser has been working for 35 years in her car as a prostitute. She is known as “Lady Mercedes”, her car and working place being a Mercedes. She has directly experienced the changes that have taken place in her profession: brothels have been legalized with the paradoxical consequence that no new legislature has been enacted concerning their operation. Prostitution is now socially acknowledged but at the same time has lost its glamour, and the profits are no longer what they used to be. The number of customers is always the same, yet in Bern the number of women working in prostitution has increased tenfold.Today, Lady Mercedes earns in one month what she used to earn in one day. An intimate and subtle portrait about ageing as a prostitute, a documentary about a vanishing chapter of Swiss social history. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Lomotion AG Contact Person: Louis Mataré 28Weyermannsstrasse Bern 3008, Switzerland T. +41 31 388 0089 F. +41 31 388 0099 [email protected] www.lomotion.ch 268 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 449 L IRAN Category: Lifestyles LADY OF THE ROSES Mojtaba Mirtahmasb Lady of the Roses is the name given to the late Shahindokht Sanati, a lady who went to the Lalehzaar region of Kerman before the Islamic revolution and replaced poppies with roses and opium with rosewater, and took this so far as to transform the agricultural destiny of a whole region. The story is told by Homayoun Sanati, Shahindokht’s spouse, three years after her death. He’s the founder of Franklin Publishing, Offset Printing house, Pars Paper Co., etc., and who, on the whole, is considered a one-of-a-kind figure in Iran’s culture, industry and management. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Iranian Independents Contact Person: Mohammad Atebbai PO Box 15875-4769 Tehran, Iran T. +98 912 319 8693 F. +98 21 222 71157 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 269 L 464 FRANCE Category: Adventure & Travel LAKE LUGU’S LOVERS Pierre Meynadier Imagine a civilization where there is free love, no marriage, where men do little work, don’t inherit property, and where women head families and hold the economy! Enter the Women’s Kingdom of the Mosuos in China and follow an unusual love story in the world’s last matriarchal society. Running time: 53’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 270 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 564 L IRAN-UK Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife THE LAKE THAT WAS Pezhman Mazaheripoor Oroomieh lake with the circumference of more than 400 kilometers is located in the northwest of Iran, which used to attract many Iranian and foreign tourists. Due to a lack of rainfall, several wells and underground water sources have been used and the construction of dams on the rivers have caused concerns that Oroomieh Lake will soon dry up. This film narrates the lake’s history, when people enjoyed it at their leisure and did not suspect the consequences of its demise. Running time: 26’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Sheherazad Media International Contact Person: Katayoon Shahabi 2, 3rd Sarvestan, Pasdaran St., Shariati Ave. Tehran 16619, Iran T. +98 21 2286 3260 / +98 21 2286 3261 F. +98 21 2285 8962 [email protected] [email protected] www.smediaint.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 271 L 576 FRANCE-ITALY-PARAGUAY Category: History & Politics THE LAND OF NO EVIL Anna Recalde Miranda After 35 years under the Stroessner dictatorship and 17 of power and corruption lead by the Colorado Party (the only one allowed after the democratic transition), Fernando Lugo, a former bishop who ran for President, represents the hope to build a better future. Internationally recognized as a human rights activist and discoverer of the archives of terror, Martin Almada leads a lonely and exasperated battle to expose the links between the old dictatorial system and the current corrupt democracy. Guillermina Kanonnikoff, a courageous activist and general secretary of theTekojoja Movement, accompanies Fernando Lugo on his journey until the elections on April 20th. Through the lives of these characters, we discover a tragic and unknown side of Paraguay’s history, a nation which now seems to have all it takes to change its course. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Suttvuess Contact Person: Federico Schiavi 61Via Sannio Rome 00183, Italy T. +39 06 4341 9651 F. +39 06 4341 9652 [email protected] [email protected] 272 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 463 L BRAZIL Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife THE LAST WHITE KUARUP Bhig Villas Bôas Shot in HD, The Last White Kuarup is a dreamlike contact experience, immerged in a visual ambience that evokes the mind-altering stages of the mysterious rituals of the indigenous people of Xingu. In this film, through animations and testimonials, the Indians appear for the first time as protagonists of their own story, and what we see is very painful. We realize that the levels of production and consumption of our world are unsustainable to the planet, as well as for the human condition. Substituting collaboration with competition, that by itself brings on disaster. We also realize how little time we have to turn the problem around. We perceive in horror, that besides destroying ourselves in collective insanity, our civilization destroys these ancient people that live under a sophisticated system of respect to natural and human cycles. And we receive a message from the old Indian woman called Airé: “Don’t kill us!“ It is the same as a reminder coming from the human heart itself that says:“Do not forget the humanity that lives within you”. Running time: 52’& 72’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 273 L 171 AUSTRIA Category: Creative Documentaries LET’S MAKE MONEY Erwin Wagenhofer Let’s Make Money follows the tracks of our money through the worldwide finance system. Wagenhofer looks behind the scenes of the colourful backdrop of banks and insurance companies. What does our pension provision have to do with the property market boom in Spain?We don’t have to buy a home there in order to be involved. As soon as we open an account, we’re part of the world-wide finance market – whether we want to be or not.The bank enters our account into the global money circuit. Banks or pension funds might lend our money to speculators. We customers have no idea where our debtor lives and what he does to pay our interest fees. Most of us aren’t even interested, because we like to follow the call of the banks:‘‘Let your money work for you’’. But this is absurd! Money can’t “work”; only people, animals or machines can work. Running time: 107’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Celluloid Dreams Contact Person: Violaine Pichon 2 RueTurgot Paris 75009, France T. +33 1 49 700 370 F. +33 1 49 700 371 [email protected] www.celluloid-dreams.com 274 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 159 L SWITZERLAND Category: History & Politics LETTER TO ANNA Eric Bergkraut On October 7, 2006, Putin’s 54th birthday, the journalist Anna Politkovskaya is shot in the lift of her Moscow home. Anna’s death is a personal tragedy: she has just learnt that she is to become a grandmother. But the murder is also a political act, for Politkovskaya was the President’s fiercest critic.Why was she shot in cold blood, this elegant woman who was always on the side of the weak and those who had no rights? Letter to Anna is a personal quest, but also a political film. Running time: 84’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Accent Films International Ltd. Contact Person: Carol Spycher 46 Rue de la Gare Montreux 1820, Switzerland T. +41 21 963 9300 F. +41 21 963 9305 [email protected] www.accent-films.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 275 L 278 USA-GREECE Category: Current Affairs LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT Petr Lom Petr Lom was allowed to follow Irani President Ahmadinejad on his trips around rural Iran, where he preaches his domestic populism and anti-US foreign policy. The mass support he receives in the countryside is astounding. As part of his strategy, Ahmadinejad has set up a presidential letter-writing center that purports to solve the personal problems of ordinary Iranians.The center has received more than 10 million letters, usually requests for financial help. The administrators of the center tell us they are largely successful in answering the letters and solving the problems. Soon, however, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. Bureaucratic incompetence and empty promises are the real results of most letters to the President. We begin to feel the economic desperation faced by many Iranians today. Equally surprising is the open contempt for Ahmadinejad in the cities. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 276 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 474 L AUSTRALIA Category: Art/Music & Culture LIBERTY IN RESTRAINT Michael Ney As an aspiring photographer, the clandestine world of bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, fetish fashion and alternative sex was a powerful attraction for Noel Graydon. Liberty in Restraint follows Noel in his quest for authenticity. In this riveting series of testimonials we meet the mentors, muses and masochists who have inspired artistic endeavors. Noel’s journey also embraced years of drug addiction, then total recovery, fatherhood and an ongoing struggle to reconcile fetish life with family life. Peeking behind the scenes on numerous fetish portraits, we enter a curious world of rope artists, lapsed Catholics, pain sluts, adult babies, electro-torture and blood play enthusiasts who approach ‘absolution’and sexuality“like an advanced driving course in sex”, and where the initiated take carnal license to extreme limits. Liberty in Restraint delves deeply into Noel’s life and portfolio to reveal his work in progress, the passion for his art and its themes, the community he loves to photograph and their controversial transgressive activities. Running time: 52’& 90’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 277 L 306 GREECE Category: Current Affairs LIKE THE AIR I BREATHE, WORLD MUSIC IN CRETE George Zervas This documentary adopts an exploratory, meditative, poetic approach to the meeting of outstanding traditional musicians from around the world at Lavyrinthos, a series of workshops, discussions and events organized in the village of Houdetsi on Crete by Ross Daly, himself a musician of international renown. The musicians’teaching, their contact with students in the workshops, and the dialogue between traditional musical idioms and instruments from various Mediterranean cultures (Europe, Asia, Africa) all reveal the amazing pluralism of world music, as well as the triumph of difference accepted, of meaningful communication and creative coexistence. The documentary is not an all-inclusive showcase of world musical traditions, nor a flashy juxtaposition of exotic instruments and musical traditions. It is a journey which, free of ostentation and quaintness, lauds music’s global dimension, its resistance to homogenization and the entertainment industry, and its respect for difference, for the world’s great musical traditions all owe their riches to interaction between historic civilizations; of course, it is also a journey which simultaneously bolsters up all the things we have in common. Running time: 88’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: VOX Documentaries Contact Person: Gina Petropoulou 5 Stadiou Street Athina 171 22, Greece T. +30 210 931 7746 F. +30 210 931 7746 [email protected] 278 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 123 L SWEDEN Category: Creative Documentaries LONG DISTANCE LOVE Magnus Gertten & Elin Jönsson Α love story, but also a film about the gigantic migration wave into Russia. Alisher, from the city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan, is a young man looking for love in his life, but who also longs to survive in a country where people are living under severe pressure ever since the breakdown of the Soviet Union. Alisher marries Dildora on a sweltering summer day, but soon – as almost every other young man in this region – he has to go to Russia and try to find a job.The distance between Osh and Moscow is 3,500 kilometers. A film about love, hope, migration and global injustice. Running time: 88’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Auto Images Contact Person: Lennart Ström & Magnus Gerttern 17E Monbijougatan Malmö SE 211 53, Sweden T. +46 40 661 0160 [email protected] www.autoimages.se 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 279 L 556 POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries THE LORD OF THE RIMS Kuba Maciejko An old man has been fixing rims for all his life. He’s the last person doing this job in constantly changingWarsaw. Running time: 10’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Krakow Film Foundation Contact Person: KatarzynaWilk 5 Morawskiego p.434 Krakow 30-102, Poland T. +48 12 294 6945 [email protected] www.kff.com.pl 280 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 296 L TURKEY Category: Art/Music & Culture LOST SONGS OF ANATOLIA Nezih Unen A musical voyage among exotic places and people of Anatolia, unique host of ancient civilizations, empires as well as mythologies and glory of 10 millennia. As the fruit of 350 hours of footage and five years of hard work and creative studies, Lost Songs of Anatolia may be the first example of its kind as a music documentary. The cultural riches of Anatolia are sung in authentic performances, recorded live on location. With the modern arrangements made, incomparable music is produced. While this journey shows how music and culture derives from life, geography and work, an exploration of Anatolia’s versatile cultures takes place on the basis of music, dance and rituals. The staggering environment surrounding these people and influencing their lifestyles contributes to the lyrical flow of the film. Running time: 97’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Nezih Unen Productions Contact Person: Nezih Unen Boyalikosk sokak No 5, Sozer Apt. Daire 8, Arnavutkoy Istanbul 34345,Turkey T. +90 532 245 4346 F. +90 212 263 4930 [email protected] www.nezihunen.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 281 L 588 UK Category: Art/Music & Culture THE LOST WORLD OF MR HARDY Andy Heathcote & Heiki Bachelier “Only the best is good enough for fishermen”, said J.J. Hardy at the end of the 19th century; how right he was. The name Hardy has been synonymous with the best in angling for 135 years, a name to stir the heart of many a fisherman. Experience a beautiful, evocative film about the people who have spent their working lives in the pursuit of perfect angling. Meet the company’s directors past and present, including James L. Hardy and many of the surviving craftsmen, engineers, and employees from the heyday of this legendary British firm. See forgotten films capturing an incredible world of 80 years ago with rivers teeming with salmon. Discover a new world of rod and reel makers still working by hand today and the magic and elegance of the world’s very best fishing tackle. Be inspired by a poignant reflection of the world we live in, and the myriad ways it has changed over 130 years. Celebrate the longevity of the craftsman’s hand and the essence of angling. Running time: 90’& 2 x 45’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: EspressoTV Contact Person: David Hooper 25YorkVillas Brighton BN1 3TS, UK T. +44 1273 730 929 F. +44 1273 299 403 [email protected] www.espressotv.co.uk 282 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 135 L USA Category: Art/Music & Culture LOUISE BOURGEOIS: THE SPIDER, THE MISTRESS AND THE TANGERINE Marion Cajori & Amei Wallach A journey into the psyche and imagination of an icon of modern art. Bourgeois is magnetic, mercurial and emotionally raw. There is no separation between her life and art. “Some people are so obsessed with the past that they die of it. If your need is to refuse to abandon the past, you have to do sculpture”, she says. Scene by scene she exposes past traumas as they become sculptures, whose beauty and aggressive magic the camera explores. Running time: 99’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Arthouse Films Contact Person: David Koh 80 Greene Street c/o HASTENS NewYork NY 10012, USA T. +1 212 966 1760 F. +1 212 202 3538 [email protected] www.arthousefilmsonline.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 283 L 579 ITALY Category: Creative Documentaries THE LOVE HOUR Andrea Appetito & Christian Carmosino The Love Hour is a film about confines, the complex barriers that make love relationships impossible. To explore this we’ve chosen a place where barriers are visible and insurmountable, a place where love becomes impossible: in jail. The separation, loneliness and institutionalization of prison life intensifies the waiting, the fears, the hopes, insecurity and neediness, emotional blackmail and dependency. A long tunnel of barriers progressively narrows and eventually blocks out the horizon for a love relationship. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Oyibo Productions Contact Person: Fulvia D’Ottavi Via Cassia 878, Rome 00189, Italy T. +39 068 7903 958, +39 064 3419 651 F. +39 068 7903 958 [email protected] [email protected] www.oyiboproductions.com 284 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 121 L DENMARK Category: Current Affairs LOVE ON DELIVERY Janus Metz In a remote fishing community in the north of Denmark live 575Thai women married to Danish men. Fifteen years ago, there were almost none. But Sommai – a former sex worker from Pattaya – was there. Now, she and a group of other industrious and strong Thai women are trying to find a man for Sommai’s young niece Kae, who is in Denmark on a three-month tourist visa. A different kind of love story, the film provides an intimate look into the special relationships between Danish men and their Thai wives who all try to live out the idea of Western happiness and thereby achieve respect and social status back home in Thailand. A story of globalization, poverty, prostitution and our common need for security, love and“somebody to care about”. Running time: 59’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: DR International Sales Contact Person: Sanna Arlø 20 Emil Holms Kanal Copenhagen C DK 0999, Denmark T. +45 3520 3040 F. +45 3520 3969 [email protected] www.drsales.dk 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 285 L 189 UGANDA Category: Current Affairs LOVE, POSITIVELY Peter Murimi Worldwide, more than two million children and adolescents are living with HIV. Close to 90% of paediatric infections occur in sub-Saharan africa. Love, Positively follows the lives of four young adults living in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, who were infected at birth, and explores the challenges they face growing up with HIV and the courage they need to overcome it. Running time: 13’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Irin News Contact Person: David Gough Ocha House, Un Crescent Nairobi, Kenya T. +254 20 762 2147 [email protected] www.irinnews.org 286 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 372 L BELGIUM Category: Creative Documentaries LUCE’S BESA. AGAINST BLOOD JUSTICE Nathalie Rossetti & Turi Finnochiaro In Albania, Luce’s son was murdered. At the end of a personal and spiritual journey, the mother forgives the assassin, further to the “Besa” of the traditional Kanun law.The“Forgiven” considers Luce from then on as his own mother, and he’s rehabilitated. Luce has now become an ombudsman and helps other families to refuse blood justice. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 287 483 M ITALY-GREECE Category: Creative Documentary MAESMAK Georges Salameh Maesmak is“What’s your name?”in Arabic. Maesmak, is an exploration of an interrupted journey taken years ago (December 2002) to Baghdad. The movie metaphorically circumnavigates this experience and is a meditation on my own process of reflection and interpretation of one day spent in Rutba a few weeks before the invasion of Iraq. Running time: 20’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Le Artigiane Della Comunicazione Contact Person: Laura Sestito, Georges Salameh 15 via Michele Amari Palermo 90139, Italy T. +39 091 581 648 F. +39 091 581 648 [email protected] [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 289 M 145 TAIWAN Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife THE MAN WHO PLANTS TREES Lin Yu-hsien Lu Ming-shih is a man who has vowed to plant trees along the Tropic of Cancer. As a result of a book and a trip to Provence, he embarks on an ambitious project: to plant trees in Chianan plain. He has been working on this project for nine years. Along the way he has enjoyed the support of many people but has also been treated by some with contempt. Nevertheless, Lu doesn’t care what people think of him. He says,“As I’m hopelessly in love with Nature, I plant trees”. He believes that all dreams can come true. Lu understands that to plant trees along theTropic of Cancer is a mission which may be not completed by one generation, but he believes that it can be handed down to the next generation.The most important thing is for someone to make a start. He is convinced that as long as there are people who will carry on working, this dream will one day come true. Running time: 55’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Joint Entertainment International Inc. Contact Person: James Liu 421-6F Guang Fu South Road Taipei 11074,Taiwan T. +886 2 2720 6007 F. +886 2 2758 8516 [email protected] www.j-ent.com.tw 290 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 117 M JAPAN Category: Current Affairs MANHOLE CHILDREN Taro Takahashi In early 1990, with the fall of the Soviet Union, Mongolia was forced to make the transition from a communist to a capitalist economy. The rapid introduction of a free market economy, however, produced economic confusion that caused massive unemployment and plunged nearly half of the population into poverty. In the winter of 1998, while economic disorder was still at its height, thousands of children were living in manholes in the streets of Ulan Bator. The manholes provide access to a vast network of steam pipes that provide homes with heat and that also helped the children escape winter temperatures as low as 40 degrees below zero. This film documents ten years in the lives of three “manhole children”who reach adulthood while living under the streets. Running time: 117’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Efubun-no-ichi Inc. Contact Person: HideyaYamaguchi Itoh Bldg. 4F, 7-10-9 Akasaka Minato-ku Tokyo 107-0052, Japan T. +81 3 5570 1081 F. +81 3 5570 1677 [email protected] www.ef-1.co.jp 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 291 M 101 USA Category: Creative Documentaries MARINA OF THE ZABBALEEN Engi Wassef Enter the extraordinary world of seven-year-old Marina. Through her magical eyes, you’ll be led into the never-before-seen Muqqattam garbage recycling village in Cairo, Egypt. Marina spends her days riding flying elephants, befriending mystical pigeons, and dodging out of control butcher knives – she even confronts an evil witch. Despite common misconceptions, all this can happen in a documentary. Marina of the Zabbaleen transforms a squalid landfill village into a beautiful, dream-like portrait of family, childhood, and spirituality. Running time: 70’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Rosalind Lichter Law Firm Contact Person: Rosalind Lichter Tribeca Film Center, 375 Greenwich Street NewYork NY 10013, USA T. +1 212 941 4075 F. +1 212 941 4076 [email protected] www.rlichterlaw.com 292 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 268 M ITALY Category: Art/Music & Culture MARIONETTES OF THE ACCETTELLE FAMILY Vito Rubino The Marionettes of the Accettelle Family represent a wonderful journey in the extraordinary world belonging to three generations of artists who work in a place known as theater, but called: soul. Not every one knows that, first of all, a puppeteer is an actor. Although their activity began as a game, at present the Accettelle are the only puppeteers in Rome with their own fixed theatre, Mongiovino.The testimonies of cultural celebrities, including the actor Leo Gullotta, the sculptor Ferdinando Codognotto and Professor Guido Di Palma, emphasize how these artists create empathy with the world of adults and children. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: RaiTrade Contact Person: Margherita Zocaro 18Via Umberto Novaro Rome 00195, Italy T. +39 06 3749 8341 F. +39 06 3701 1343 [email protected] www.raitrade.it 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 293 M 503 GREECE Category: Creative Documentaries MARKETPLACE 11 A.M Maria Giannouli Bittersweet details in the central Marketplace of Athens. Love that originates in a city that changes. Past and present. Our borderline. Smells of victims and entrails. Clumsy flirting “away” from the car horns and the noise that is somewhat authentic. Smiles and mischievous glances… In the heart of noisy Athens, the silence of multinational love. Running time: 3’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Maria Giannouli 13 Korai Street Athens 166 74, Greece T. +30 210 894 3692 [email protected] 294 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 352 M ITALY Category: Creative Documentaries MARTHA, MEMOIRS OF A WITCH Giovanni Calamari As tough and imposing as the Dolomites. As gentle and fragile as the paths that wind their way across the Sciliar plateau. Martha is the mirror image of an ancient mountain made up of traditions, fairytales, fragrant herbs, drudgery and loneliness. She was born in Bolzano and grew up in Castelrotto, a delightful, tidy little village in SouthTyrol. Martha soon realizes that she is out of place, and that she cannot follow the path mapped out for her by the others. This leads to her embarking on a long and difficult quest for her identity. She tackles herself, her village and her family at a steady pace, the same steady pace of the endless hikes in the mountains. On her shoulders, along with the weight of the rucksack, she carries the suffering of every woman before her who has ever tried to break down the cage made up of stones, meadows and window boxes. Martha draws. She draws on the grass, under the sun, to stop up the feeling of anxiety. She sketches colorful shields with which to protect herself. She dances around the fire and tells stories of fairies and dwarves. In the village they call it“Martha’s sickness”. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Vitagraph Contact Person: Filippo D’Angelo 1 Via Schiavonia Bologna 40121, Italy T. +39 05 126 7150 F. +39 05 126 7150 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 295 M 141 CANADA Category: Art/Music & Culture MASTERCLASS Algis Kemezys Walter Lassally, master cinematographer of 100 famous movies, including Zorba the Greek, for which he won an Oscar, meetsW. Lambert Scot Gardiner, a university professor of communications and psychology. They have a conversation that becomes a master class in their respective fields while lunching in a seaside taverna in Greece.They let us into their trade secrets, but also reveal aspects of their personalities and their passion for cinema and for life. The cinematic experience they provide is like a private and privileged visit with two highly accomplished professionals in their golden years. Running time: 57’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: BAK Contact Person: Byron Ayanoglu 7-1360 Av. Bernard Outremont Quebec H2V 1W2 T. +1 514 278 5397 [email protected] 296 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 447 M GERMANY Category: History & Politics MATERIAL Thomas Heise It starts with the laughter of children. Those residual images have besieged my head, constantly reassembling themselves into new shapes that are further and further removed from their original meaning and function.They remain in motion.They become history. The material remains incomplete. It consists of what I held on to, what remained important to me. It is my picture. Running time: 164’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Deckert Distribution Contact Person: Heino Deckert 1 Marienplatz Leipzig 04103, Germany T. +49 341 215 6638 F. +49 341 215 6639 [email protected] www.deckert-distribution.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 297 M 271 ITALY Category: Art/Music & Culture MAYBE GOD IS ILL Franco Brogi Taviani The film follows the main stories ofWalterVetlroni’s book by the same name. In Maybe God is Ill, the writer tells about a trip he made through tormented Africa where wars, hunger and AIDS generate everyday disasters.The tour goes through different countries: Mozambique, Angola, Senegal, Cameroon, Uganda and South Africa. Everybody knows Africa is going through a very difficult time, but is anyone able to understand the world’s responsibilities for this situation? “Everything is becoming global except consciences, especially the western ones”. All stories in the film will be introduced by songs, the majority of them written expressly. The songs will be sung by singers of the countries where we will be shooting. This kind of approach – basic structure of the film – will flow in parallel to the documentary and fiction stories. Its purpose is to recount both the tragedy and the hopefulness of a big continent such as Africa. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: RaiTrade Contact Person: Margherita Zocaro 18Via Umberto Novaro Rome 00195, Italy T. +39 06 3749 8341 F. +39 06 3701 1343 [email protected] www.raitrade.it 298 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 408 M ZIMBABWE-SOUTH AFRICA Category: Art/Music & Culture MBIRA’MY MUSIC MY LOVE Dorothy Meck-Chimbuya Traditional values clash with modernity, and it seems as though the younger generation has lost touch with its cultural identity. This space is being reclaimed by American-born Zimbabwean musician Chiwoniso‘Chii’Maraire, who has embraced Zimbabwean music traditions and is determined to make them appealing to the youth. Running time: 12’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Encounters FF & Distribution Contact Person: Nazeer Ahmed 27 Caledon Street, 1st Floor CapeTown 8000, South Africa T. +27 21 465 4686 F. +27 21 461 6964 [email protected] www.encounters.co.za 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 299 M 301 GREECE Category: History & Politics MEGAS DIAKOSMOS (UNIVERSE) Gregory Zorzos The research of the Universe carried out by the Ancient Greek philosopher Democritus is entitled Megas Diakosmos (The Great Cosmic Universe) and this experimental film presents his ideas about the creation of our Universe and the case of our existence with pictures from NASA and other sources. Every being during its lifetime tries to find the continuation and the reason for its existence on planet Earth. The Universe is huge and unknown to human beings because humans are so involved in their day-to-day lives that they forget the real life of being alive. Ancient Greek philosophy gives answers to these questions and the keys to explore the real meaning of life and the mystery of birth. Running time: 17’ Year of production: 2007 Contact Person: Gregory Zorzos PO Box 75070 Kallithea GR 176 10, Greece T. +30 210 958 9940 [email protected] 300 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 127 M BELGIUM Category: Creative Documentaries MEN / DES HOMMES Khristine Gillard A woman talks about a man.Then another. And another.This woman is also a prostitute. That man is sometimes a client or a brother, a neighbor, a boss, a childhood friend, a husband, a shopkeeper round the corner, a lover, a son, a passer-by. A wish to delicately touch this daily life behind the neon lights. Routine, tenderness, desire, waiting, everyday life, intimacy. Running time: 70’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ambiances…asbl Contact Person: Thierry Zamparutti 20 rue de Gembloux Rhisnes 5080, Belgium T. +32 81 739 720 F. +32 81 739 720 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 301 M 192 MEXICO-SPAIN Category: Creative Documentaries THE MERMAID AND THE DIVER Mercedes Moncada Rodríguez The body of Simbad the Diver turned up floating off the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. The mermaid had turned his soul into a turtle, and the turtle was the one who returned him to the world of men. Simbad was born once more as a Miskito and was raised on the banks of the wonderful Coco River. When he grew up, nature took care of carrying him back to the sea, where the mermaid is waiting for him. The Mermaid and the Diver is a journey to Central America, to Nicaragua, to the Atlantic Coast, and to the Miskito people. Running time: 86’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Latido Films Contact Person: Oscar Alonso 9Veneras, 6th Floor Madrid 28013, Spain T. +34 91 548 8877 F. +34 91 548 8878 [email protected] www.latidofilms.com 302 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 504 M GREECE Category: Docudrama MIKIS THEODORAKIS: THE COLOR OF FREEDOM – AN OUTLINE OF THE COMPOSER’S EARLY YEARS (1925-1950) Yannis Katomeris A great Greek composer: this is the journey of his life. Built around a narration that took eight months to complete, his daily heartfelt confessions paint strong images, reflect his emotions and illuminate his intellect. Alone in front of the camera, Mikis takes viewers on a journey through time filled with passion, rebellion, vision, music and culture. His passionate and spirited account is brought to the screen through a combination of footage from the places where he lived and worked at a young age (where his future character was shaped) and dramatized scenes based on his descriptions. Starting with his birth in 1925, the film revisits interwar Greece when Mikis was fighting against the German invaders of his country, enduring torture and exile until 1950, when at last, after so many years, he was free to translate his memories into music. Running time: 117’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: SKAITV Contact Person: Elpida Kallinteri 2 Falireos & Ethnarchou Makariou Str., Piraeus Athens 18547, Greece T. + 30 210 485 4542 F. + 30 210 485 4538 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 303 M 312 GREECE Category: Arts, Music, & Culture MILOS REVISITED Nikos Alpandakis A documentary based on color 8mm films shot on the island of Milos between 1956-62 by Agathocles Kypriotis (Athens, 1910-1978) who, due to his political beliefs, ended up on the island in 1946 and took over as director of the barite factory. During his 17 years there, he became deeply involved in local life, helping in the modernization of the islanders’ living conditions and the building of the settlement of Pollonia. At the same time, he filmed the islanders and their way of life. For many years his films remained undiscovered. Fifty years later, we visited Milos and met 49 of his ‘protagonists’. We showed them the films and they told us the strange story of Kypriotis. His name remains legendary on Milos, mostly because of events surrounding his sudden removal from the factory in 1962 – a taboo subject to this day. Running time: 80’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ironick Ltd Contact Person: Iro Diamandourou 5 Mimnermou Str. Athens 10674, Greece T. + 30 210 721 1187 F. + 30 210 721 1187 [email protected] 304 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 119 M SWITZERLAND-FRANCE-RUSSIA Category: Creative Documentaries THE MOTHER Antoine Cattin & Pavel Kostomarov The main character in this film is Lyuba, who flees with her nine children to the countryside to escape from a violent husband. She tries to earn a living at a dairy farm and, despite the family’s hand-to-mouth existence, she still intends adopting 3-year-old Sasha, who is being totally neglected by a work colleague. Over the three-year period in which the filmmakers record the life of Lyuba and her children, we witness the imprisonment of her eldest son, the marriage of her daughter Alesia to tractor-driver Zhenya, and the brief romance between Lyuba and Sergei. Αn unusually strong, raw yet also poetic portrait of a woman who, despite her ill fortune, manages to express her love for her children and live a dignified existence. Running time: 80’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Les Films Hors-Champ Contact Person: Helena Hill 1 L’Epignau Chavornay 1373, Switzerland T. +41 21 550 3640 [email protected] www.hors-champ.ch 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 305 M 321 USA Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife MOTHERLAND Jennifer Steinman On December 1, 2006, six diverse American women came together to take an unusual trip, an intensive pilgrimage to work as volunteers with children in rural South Africa. Strangers to each other before the journey, these women have one life changing experience in common: each has suffered the death of a child. Emmy Nominee Jennifer Steinman and Oscar Nominee Mira Chang (Cinematographer) craft an inspiring journey, charting over 17 days how the lives of these remarkable women were forever transformed. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Mercury Media International Contact Person: Patricia Hickey 6 Baseline Studios,Whitchurch Road LondonW11 4AT, UK T. +44 20 7221 7221 F. +44 20 7221 7228 [email protected] www.mercurymedia.org 306 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 365 M AUSTRIA Category: Art/Music & Culture A MOUNTAIN MUSICAL Eva Eckert The Austrian mountains hide much more then The Sound of Music! A fascinating diversity of people; miners, charcoal burners, farmers, illegal hunters and steel-factory workers, all have one thing in common; a passion for their traditional music. An intriguing and often hilarious musical glance at the myths and troubles of an Austrian industrial landscape. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 307 M 373 BELGIUM Category: Current Affairs THE MOUSTACHE BROTHERS Thandiwe Cattier Moustache Brothers Top Bananian Comedian’s electrical board is the only one shining in the night of Rangoon, above the one place where they may perform, since Aung Sang Suu Kuy’s 1996 invitation to one of her meetings. Jailed for 7 years, comedians for 30, they welcomed the entire world to the show and fought for freedom of speech. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 308 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 279 M USA Category: Science & Knowledge MUSIC FROM THE INSIDE OUT Daniel Anker Music from the Inside Out is a cinematic exploration of music through the stories and artistry of the musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra. The film follows these musicians as they explore what music means to their lives, both inside and outside the concert hall. The resulting stories – of passion, struggle, perseverance and transcendence – serve to illuminate the role of music in all of our lives. Filmed over a period of five years on three continents, Music from the Inside Out is the result of the collaboration between the filmmaker and the musicians themselves. Unique in style and approach, the main character of this film is music itself. An eclectic soundtrack incorporates a blend of well-loved musical works – including classical, jazz, bluegrass, salsa and world music. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 309 M 453 POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries MUSIC PARTISANS Miroslaw Dembinski Music Partisans aims to show Belarus through its rock music scene.The main character is Svieta, a 20-year-old rock singer. Svieta is very passionate, believing that Belarus will one day be free. Lavor Volski, 10 years older than Svieta is more sceptical. He is the leader of the most popular rock band in Belarus called NRM (Independent Republic of Dreams). This documentary presents young rock music bands that are opposed to President Lukashenka’s regime. They express their attitude to the surrounding reality trough their music, clothes and behavior. Running time: 53’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: DR International Sales Contact Person: Anders Bruus 20 Emil Holms Kanal Copenhagen C DK 0999, Denmark T. +45 3520 3040 F. + 45 3520 3969 [email protected] www.drsales.dk 310 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 561 M IRAN-UK Category: Lifestyles MY CITY, PIZZA Ala Mohseni While a wide range of delicious and well-known traditional foods are available, pizza is very popular in Tehran. This light-hearted, amusing, fast-paced documentary about eating habits in modernTehran offers a kaleidoscopic view of Iranian society. We see young people, old people, progressive and conservative Iranians who all divulge their identity via their standpoints with respect to the popularity of Italian fast-food; pizza, in the capital. Running time: 26’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Sheherazad Media International Contact Person: Katayoon Shahabi 2, 3rd Sarvestan, Pasdaran St., Shariati Ave. Tehran 16619, Iran T. +98 21 2286 3260 / +98 21 2286 3261 F. +98 21 2285 8962 [email protected] [email protected] www.smediaint.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 311 M 195 MEXICO Category: Current Affairs MY LIFE INSIDE Lucía Gajá Seventeen-year-old Rosa Jiménez went to the United States for the same reason as thousands of other Mexican immigrants: to provide a better life for her family back home. At first, America delivered on its promises. Rosa found work in Texas. She found a husband. She had a baby. She sent money home to her mother and brothers in Mexico. But several years later the dream turned to a nightmare when a tragedy befell the two-year-old boy Rosa was babysitting. My Life Inside catches up with Rosa in Austin in August 2005. She has spent the last two years in a cell.Tomorrow she goes to trial.The charge: murder. Rosa came to America for freedom, and now she stands to lose it forever. Like other incarcerated Mexican immigrants in the United States, some of whom also share their stories with director Lucía Gajá, Rosa is generally viewed as guilty unless proven innocent. Running time: 120’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Andana Films Contact Person: Stephan Riguet LeVillage Lussas 07170, France T. +33 475 943 467 F. +33 475 942 509 [email protected] www.andanafilms.com 312 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 562 M IRAN-UK Category: Science & Knowledge MY LITTLE COUNTRY Abbass Mohammadi About one million Afghan refugees live in Iran, where most of their children cannot attend normal schools because of the lack of an ID card. My Little Country tells the story of Afghan independent schools and the way they try to educate these children without the support of the government in order to prevent the kids from remaining illiterate and how these Iranian children originally from Afghanistan try to find a “country”of their own so that they can feel at home. Running time: 26’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Sheherazad Media International Contact Person: Katayoon Shahabi 2, 3rd Sarvestan, Pasdaran St., Shariati Ave. Tehran 16619, Iran T. +98 21 2286 3260 / +98 21 2286 3261 F. +98 21 2285 8962 [email protected] [email protected] www.smediaint.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 313 M 107 NORWAY-LATVIA Category: Creative Documentaries MY MOTHER’S FARM Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen Tale Kalna is a magnificent woman: hardworking, clever, strong and with a great sense for human relationships. In another life, Tale Kalna might have made it to the presidency of Latvia, but reality has made her a farmer with a small parcel of land, a couple of cows and an unflagging work ethic.This documentary doesn’t only focus onTale Kalna’s personal life, but connects that life to the recent history of Latvia. In an eclectic collage of audio and visual fragments, we see all the important moments pass by.The voice-over tells us how the once wealthy country of Latvia experienced great poverty in the post-war years as part of the Soviet Union.We witness howTale was a cog in the toilsome communist bureaucratic machine back then. She found a kindred spirit in Mikhail Gorbachev and, with him in power, independent farms returned to the Latvian landscape. Tale and her second husband left the city in 1991 to start a modest farm. From that moment on, her daughter Ilze began filming her mother and became the chronicler of a harsh farming existence. Running time: 55’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: NordicWorld Contact Person: Camilla Paludan Johansen 14 Karl Johansgate Oslo 0101, Norway T. +47 2281 4288 [email protected] 314 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 486 M ISRAEL Category: Art/Music & Culture THE MYSTERY OF ARIS SAN Dalia Mevorach & Dani Dothan A journey into the mysterious life of Aris San, the Greek singer who became a megastar in Israel, close friend of generals and politicians including Moshe Dayan, until rumors spread that the genius guitarist and playboy was a spy. Aris left for NewYork. He opened a nightclub where Hollywood stars, politicians, and mobsters mingled. His friends included Anthony Quinn,Telly Savalas, and Harry Belafonte, as well as the Gallo crime family. His meteoric rise ended with an addiction to drugs, jail time and a mysterious disappearance in Budapest. Running time: 75’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Go2Films Contact Person: Hedva Goldschmidt 37/8 Issar Natanzon St. Jerusalem 97787, Israel T. +972 2 583 1371 F. +972 2 583 5450 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 315 M 477 FRANCE Category: Adventure & Travel MYTHICAL ROADS: THE AMAZON FROM BELéM TO TABATINGA Patrick Profit Amazon is the name given to the river flowing in South America, named after the explorer Francisco de Orellana who, according to legend, would have met Amazons in the region. “For more than anything else, I wished to discover these infinite forests, these islands rustling with the songs of birds and these Amerindians discovering a new future as the transamazonian returns to the jungle. I felt dizzy because at these figures: 7 million square kilometers of water and jungle, 60% of which are in Brazil. The widest tropical humid forest on the planet bristling with 2,5 million species of insects, 60,000 varieties of plants, 2,000 kinds of birds; an 80,000 kilometer navigable canal system... In order to drive the Caymans, the pink dolphins, the monkeys, the macaws, and the toucans, out from their cover, you have to leave the river and follow with your pirogue the iguarapées, small South American rivers...” Between El Dorado and a green Hell... Running time: 53’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 316 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 537 N GREECE Category: Lifestyles NATIONAL GARDEN Apostolos Karakasis In the heart of modern Athens, next to the gridlocked traffic and roar of the city centre there is also another world.Τhe“national garden”, with its lush vegetation, tall trees and winding paths, resembles a hidden paradise beyond time and place. That is where the film’s protagonists seek refuge. People of every age and origin, regulars, workers, occasional visitors, they all seek relief from the major and minor dramas of their everyday lives in this oasis. It is there that they allow their deepest desires to express themselves, reveal their dreams and illusions, and are confounded by the passage of time and the surprises that life holds in store for them. Running time: 73’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12, F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr Sales Contact: Greek Film Center Contact Person: Evi Lazari 7 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str. Athens 117 42,Greece T. + 30 210 368 7503, F. + 30 210 361 4336 [email protected] www.gfc.gr Sales Contact: Portolanos Films Contact Person: Maria Gentekou 23 CharilaouTrikoupi Str. Athens 18536, Greece T. + 30 210 483 3515 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 317 N 359 ESTONIA Category: History & Politics NAZIS & BLONDES Arbo Tammiksaar What was the role of the Baltic film actors in creating the figure of the enemy in the cinema of the Soviet era? Many generations of Soviet citizens were raised in the spirit of Soviet war films. Most Nazi villains in Soviet war movies were played by Baltic actors. This film follows the development of the enemy figure in Soviet films and the role of Baltic actors in creating it. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 318 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 334 N THE NETHERLANDS Category: Art/Music & Culture THE NEW RIJKMUSEUM Oeke Hoogendijk A documentary about the fascinating and complicated process of the rebuilding of Holland’s most famous museum, the Rijksmuseum. The film shows the people behind the scenes during the years of demolition, restoration, and political and financial debate.We witness their efforts, joys and struggles with one goal in common: the love of art. Running time: 120’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Pieter van Huystee Film Contact Person: Curien Kroon 37-39 Noordermarkt Amsterdam 1015 NA,The Netherlands T. +31 20 421 0606 F. +31 20 638 6255 [email protected] www.pvhfilm.nl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 319 N 218 GREECE Category: Docudrama NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS – AN ACROBAT ABOVE THE CHAOS Lefteris Haronitis A personal portrait of the great Cretan writer thinker, Nikos Kazantzakis. The film follows the footprints of the adventurous life and the inner spiritual and ideological undulations of Kazantzakis in order to recreate a true, personal portrait of this important writer. Running time: 98’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Heraclion Prefecture Self-Government Contact Person: Lefteris Haronitis 30-32 Kanari Str. Athens 18344, Greece T. + 30 210 940 7144 F. + 30 210 482 4037 www.nah.gr 320 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 387 N ITALY Category: Sports LES NINJAS DU JAPON Giovanni Giommi Five young semi-professional Japanese cyclists, supported by their team manager, face the most famous stage competition in Africa: theTour du Faso. Under the burning sun of Sahel, in the thick dust of African tracks, their adventure begins; it will bring them to ride their bicycles across Burkina Faso just by using the power of their legs. A vector traveling at full speed on the roads of the fifth poorest country in the world, in which the passing of the race is longed for as the most spectacular event of the year. A vector that allows us to meet the people who work and live outside of this sports event: the extravagant official Tour speakers, who have named the Japanese team“Ninja du Japon”; N5, the race steward and his stories about Fausto Coppi and also tiny stories about a number of different people, that the camera finds among the crowd that surrounds this area. During the narration, African images are intercut with short descriptions of the lives of our five athletes in Japan.We are told about the efforts of these five young, ordinary guys who have made cycling the most important part of their lives: a hard and not very profitable sport, in which passion counts much more than economic gain. Running time: 80’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Mercurio Cinematografica Contact Person: Priscila Benatti 24 Piazzale Aquileia Milan 20144, Italy T. +39 02 480 901 F. +39 02 4800 8319 [email protected] www.mercuriofilm.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 321 N 140 USA Category: Art/Music & Culture NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: LASZLO AND VILMOS James Chressanthis The film follows the lives of renowned cinematographers Laszlo Kovács andVilmos Zsigmond from escaping the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary to the present day. As film students in Hungary, they shot footage of the Russian invasion of Budapest and subsequently volunteered to smuggle it out of the country. Barely escaping with their lives, they fled to America and settled in Hollywood, eventually saving enough money to buy their own 16mm camera to begin shooting movies. Running time: 97’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinetic Media Contact Person: Sarah Lash 555West 25th Street NewYork NY 10001-5542, USA T. +1 212 204 7979 [email protected] www.cineticmedia.com 322 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 361 N GERMANY Category: Lifestyles NOBODY’S PERFECT Niko von Glasow Eleven people are preparing to pose naked for a book of photos.They were born disabled, like the director himself, due to the disastrous side-effects of Thalidomide. These fascinating characters are working in areas such as politics, the media, sports, astrophysics and acting, and have learned to live with their disability to an impressive level of“normality”. Filmed with a darkly humorous touch and no deference to political correctness. Running time: 58’& 84’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 323 N 380 BELGIUM Category: Creative Documentaries NORTH-SOUTH.COM François Ducat In Cameroon, cyber-bars are mainly visited by women seeking a white European or American husband. Several stories of couples and destinies depict the dreams and disappointments underlying these encounters. Inspired by hope or illusions, some dreams turn to nightmares: prostitution is also on the lookout online. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 324 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 360 N BELGIUM Category: History & Politics NOT QUITE A TALIBAN Fadi Hindash Not Quite a Taliban is the story of one man’s frustration with his generation of ‘modern’ Arabs who appear Western but are more conservative than traditional Arabs. While there are many films about hypocrisy in the Middle East made by Western filmmakers, Not Quite a Taliban is the first to be made by an Arab who’s put himself on the line by speaking up about taboos, such as his homosexuality. Running time: 56’& 80’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 325 N 112 FRANCE Category: Creative Documentaries NOTHING TO LOSE Jean Henri Meunier This movie is the result of a chance meeting in aToulouse street with a wanderer,“a man with soles of wind”, a cocky and radiant vagabond, Phil the Fakir. A professional homeless clown, he had gone on a hunger strike against the harassment of the municipal police and for the daily struggle of the local “Children of Don Quixote”. We met on his birthday. He was quite happy and cried out that he was born on the day Edith Piaf died, and in the same hospital... The film had to be a portrait of flamboyant obscure types, majestic wanderers, generous losers, “déclassé” individuals with unequaled human class, characters from the shadows brought into the light... Running time: 78’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: K Production Contact Person: Jean Henri Meunier, Lilie Lê Liêu 24 rue Saint Sylve Toulouse 31500, France T. +33 5 3431 5550 [email protected] [email protected] 326 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 293 O THE NETHERLANDS-PERU Category: Current Affairs OBLIVION Heddy Honigmann The film takes us to the forgotten city of Lima, to a forgotten people, the Peruvians and – like most countries in Latin America – the forgotten land of Peru. Occasionally – during presidential elections, after a serious earthquake, or when a new mass grave is discovered, and then only if it’s big enough – the world remembers Peru’s existence, but just for a few days. But in El Olvido, we do not witness elections or experience earthquakes and neither are we present at the discovery of a mass grave. As we wander through the streets of Lima, we visit old restaurants and some small shops, we enter a few smart bars and we sit down in various plazas to watch and observe.We meet some moving characters who use poetry, real or mental juggling, dreams and creativity to resist being consigned to oblivion and against those who have sworn for centuries that they love their people, but in reality they despise them. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 327 0 563 IRAN-UK Category: Current Affairs OF MEN AND MOTORCYCLES Shahriar Siami Shal Unemployment is one of the major social problems of contemporary Iranian society. Tehran with around twenty million inhabitants and millions of vehicles has one of the heaviest traffic congestions in the world. Consequently, being punctual is one of people’s main concerns. Amid such chaos, motorcycles driving at a high speed in the traffic-restricted zones have become a popular means of transportation. Of Men and Motorcycles depicts Abbas and a large group of youngTehranis who have lost their jobs and are obliged to make a living by transporting people or messages by motorcycle. Running time: 26’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Sheherazad Media International Contact Person: Katayoon Shahabi 2, 3rd Sarvestan, Pasdaran St., Shariati Ave. Tehran 16619, Iran T. +98 21 2286 3260 / +98 21 2286 3261 F. +98 21 2285 8962 [email protected] [email protected] www.smediaint.com 328 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 406 O ZIMBABWE-SOUTH AFRICA Category: Lifestyles OLD-TIME, LONG-TIME LOVE Mali Kambandu Kambandu is scared of marriage, believing that it no longer has relevance, that it may even change the nature of her loving relationship. Her boyfriend disagrees. In this film she explores why she should consider it, by consulting with old couples whose marriages have lasted or failed, and why there are still so many weddings – every weekend. Running time: 12’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Encounters FF & Distribution Contact Person: Nazeer Ahmed 27 Caledon Street, 1st floor CapeTown 8000, South Africa T. +27 21 465 4686 F. +27 21 461 6964 [email protected] www.encounters.co.za 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 329 0 105 TURKEY Category: Art/Music & Culture ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL Orhan Eskiköy & Özgür Doğan The youngTurkish teacher Emre Aydin has been appointed by the government to teach at a school in a remote and impoverished Kurdish village. He arrives in the village at the beginning of the school year to a few unpleasant surprises. There’s no running water in the village and the students don’t show up for class. On the Way to School follows Aydin during the entire academic year. Many families only speak Kurdish at home, so learningTurkish isn’t only hard for the kids, but it’s also a sensitive matter as far as the strained relations between Kurds and theTurkish state are concerned. Aydin feels like a foreigner in his own country, but he’s determined to accomplish the task at hand. For the most part, he’s a friendly and patient instructor, but when students write Kurdish words in their notebooks he loses his cool and kicks them all out of class. He then grabs his cell phone and calls home, where his mother lovingly lends him her ear. Running time: 81’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Fortissimo Films Contact Person: Nicole Mackey 100 Van Diemenstraat Amsterdam 1013 CN,The Netherlands T. +44 20 7498 6978 F. +44 20 7497 1133 [email protected] www.fortissimofilms.com 330 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 519 O PUERTO RICO Category: Current Affairs OSO BLANCO Christian Suau & Ramiro Millan The Oso Blanco is the most feared prison in Puerto Rico. It is the birthplace of two famous gangs, Neta and Los 27, and the scene of hundreds of murders. The film includes testimonies from El Jibaro, serving 48 years in the institution, and Flores, his guard for the last 27 years. Running time: 52’& 82’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ondamax Films Contact Person: Eric Mathis 800West Ave. Miami Beach FL 33139, USA T. +1 305 535 3577 [email protected] www.ondamaxfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 331 0 412 FRANCE Category: Lifestyles THE OTHER AMERICA Bernard Faroux Is the America of George Bush the only one? ArielWizman answers no and brings us to discover in this road movie a different America from NewYork to San Francisco. There is an alternative to the well-known America; it’s the America of thinkers, philanthropists, eccentrics, underground artists, migrants. ArielWizman launches his search for this America from NewYork to San Francisco, Miami, Arizona, LasVegas and Los Angeles. In this film, committed thinkers, journalists and artists show an astonishing aptitude for self-criticism.They relentlessly denounce the present woes of their country: misinformation, immaturity, etc. Moved by a tremendous will for redemption, this other America is very imaginative in suggesting alternatives to society. Anti-establishment media are very active. For example, the“CollectiveVoice”took a group of individuals with Down’s syndrome to democratic and republican conventions to confront the politicians with the real questions. Let’s go on an anti-Disneyland tour.We visit America following byways: a skating park, a volcano crater, a ghetto… This unusual journey reveals the instinctive, activist and creative face of the American giant. Running time: 63’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: ARTE France Contact Person: Audrey Kamga 8 rue Marceau Issy-les-Moulineaux 92130, France T. +33 1 5500 7081 F. +33 1 5500 8065 [email protected] www.artefrance.fr 332 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 383 O THE NETHERLANDS Category: Lifestyles OVER THE HILL Sunny Bergman Sunny Bergman goes to American to find out why it is that at 34 she already feels over the hill. Over the Hill is a powerful look at the forces of the marketplace that worm their way into our minds and bodies making 35-year-old women feel over the hill. Sunny Bergman draws from her personal experience to discover why, at 34, she is worried – and angry – that her days as an attractive woman are numbered.What she discovers is the persuasive power of the cosmetics industry and fashion magazines. Rather than making women feel better about themselves, they actually make them feel worse.Women are no longer able to see themselves in a proper perspective but fall victim to a seductive and corrupting industry as they struggle in vain to achieve a beauty ideal that doesn’t exist. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Illumina Films Contact Person: Robin Brinster Leidsestraat 106-IV Amsterdam 101PG,The Netherlands T. +31 20 624 8395 F. +31 20 330 8155 [email protected] www.illuminafilms.nl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 333 300 P GREECE Category: History & Politics PAGRATION (PAN+KRATOS) Gregory Zorzos The ancient Hellenic martial art of pankration is described in this unique study by Gregory Zorzos from the ancient times until today. It is known by many names today, including: pangkration, pancraio, paradosimos, pankration, pancratium, pangratius, pankration, pancrace, pankratos, pancrazio, pagration, pangration, sanda, etc. Research includes many ancient scripts from ancient texts from many countries and many archaeological items from many places. Analysis proves that all modern martial arts of the world have their roots in Ancient Hellas. Some parts of Pankration make up today’s martial arts such as Grabble Submission, tug-of-war, sumo, kickboxing, etc. The director has written several books on pankration. Gregory Zorzos is the founder of the Pangration Federation and also president of the Historical Committee.This work has been approved by the Ministry of Culture and the Hellenic Army and won theWriter of theYear Award. Running time: 30’ Year of production: 2007 Contact Person: Gregory Zorzos PO Box 75070 Kallithea GR 176 10, Greece T. +30 210 958 9940 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 335 P 455 GERMANY Category: Art/Music & Culture PATRICIA KAAS – MY LIFE Horst Mühlenbeck Patricia Kaas is one of the most successful French-speaking singers in the world.With 25 million records sold, numerous world tours, and appearances together with Michael Jackson and Plácido Domingo, Patricia Kaas represents on of the most successful French careers internationally. Her key to success: in her very own distinctive way she has developed the concept of the classic“chanson”further; it is a mixture of pop, rock, blues, and jazz – with which the singer has won international acclaim. Oscillating between alto and mezzo soprano, her“smoky”voice is characterized by a subtle brittleness and contributes greatly to her convincing enactment on stage of the manifold moods of her songs.The artist is most fascinating when performing live. Her convincing stage presence is an essential part of her success. For the audience she’s the strong woman with the mighty voice; in private, however, she requires close friendships in order to feel protected. For My Life Patricia Kaas has once again visited the places most important in the course of her life: her birthplace of Stiring-Wendel, her hometown of Saarbrücken, where her stage career began, and Paris, her present address and the city of her greatest success.With a surprising frankness in front of the camera, the star talks about her life and its disruptions, about her beloved mother, and about the most important thing of all: about the passion for music. Running time: 44’& 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion Hamburg Contact Person: Eva Fouquet 93A EppendorferWeg Hamburg 20259, Germany T. +49 40 7697 3070, F. +49 40 7697 3065 [email protected] www.gebrueder-beetz.de 336 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 415 P FRANCE Category: History & Politics PAUL VIRILIO: REFLECTIONS ON SPEED Stephane Paoli Reflections on Speed, with one of its foremost theorists – PaulVirilio. Ubiquity was once a dream, now Internet has made it possible.The speed at which our planet has gone online has thrown all aspects of our daily lives into question, whether economic, cultural or political.Through his reflections and writings, PaulVirilio has shown that contemporary history is the daughter of speed. Can we not consider the Y2K bug as a preamble to his prophecy of the “Integral Accident”? The desynchronisation between human time and technological time is underway for the first time in the history of humanity. Does being here and there at the same time make us mutants? In 90 minutes, this film examines our era in the light of PaulVirilio’s thoughts. It shows, with supporting examples, that politics, economics and information are now subjected to the dictatorship of speed. Major contemporary experts and informed observers like Jeremy Rifkin,Walter Bender, Mahammad Yunus, Hubert Vedrine, Jacques Attali, Jean Nouvel and Enki Bilal support or counteract Paul Virilio’s line of reasoning. With its accessible content and surprising form, this film takes the time – a necessary and vital luxury – to think about our environment and about the meaning of things. A beneficial exercise when losing your bearings. Running time: 52’& 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: ARTE France Contact Person: Audrey Kamga 8 rue Marceau Issy-les-Moulineaux 92130, France T. +33 1 5500 7081 F. +33 1 5500 8065 [email protected] www.artefrance.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 337 P 377 BELGIUM Category: Creative Documentaries PAUWELS CIRCUS Agnes Bensimon The life of a Jewish family where everyone is either a clown, a musician or a juggler and has been so for six generations. These days, Marquis, Pepete’s son, is passing on the heritage of the art of the circus as well as Jewish traditions to his sixteen-year-old son Samuel, a juggler himself, who has been chosen to become the next manager of the Pauwels Circus. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 338 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 459 P IRAN Category: Creative Documentaries A PEOPLE IN THE SHADOWS Bani Khoshnoudi Almost thirty years after the revolution, and twenty since the end of the long Iran-Iraq war, A People in the Shadows takes us on a voyage into the heart of Tehran, a metropolis of 14 million people.The city is still recovering from its past, as talk of sanctions and a possible American attack resonate. Using direct cinema methods, the film takes an intimate look at the way people live in this immense city today, caught up in the paradoxes and contradictions of their society, surrounded by images of past and future death, and finding ways to juggle state propaganda and foreign threat on a daily basis. Running time: 92’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Pensée Sauvage Films Contact Person: Bani Khoshnoudi 486 Eastern Parkway, #3C Brooklyn NY 11225, USA T. +1 212 729 1016 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 339 P 505 GREECE Category: Lifestyles PERAMA NO SPONSORS Alexandros Papaeliou Perama, of the fighters of Salamis, of the Asia Minor immigrants, of the locals from all over Greece who form a unique city.The shipyard and it’s low wage workers, the oil companies, the pollution, the poverty, from a culture and life style with qualities that derive from ancient times. The environmental degradation of the area cannot affect the beauty of the sunset and the hopes of its inhabitants for the future. Running time: 25’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Aktis AVteam Contact Person: Athanasios Palos-Papantonopoulos 1 Ellis Street Athens 15232, Greece T. +30 210 683 8888 F. +30 210 684 8008 [email protected] www.aktis.biz 340 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 129 P BELGIUM Category: History & Politics PERSONA NON GRATA Fabio Wuytack Persecuted as a revolutionary, banned as a priest, arrested as a rebel, celebrated as an artist.This is FransWuytack’s truly inspiring and overwhelming story. He unchained a social and cultural revolution in the 60s changing the lives of so many people, from the Venezuelan slums to the Belgian ports. An epic journey made by his son FabioWuytack. Running time: 52’& 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 341 P 280 CANADA Category: Current Affairs PETALS: A JOURNEY INTO SELF DISCOVERY Richard Beck Peacock & Nick Karras Photographer Nick Karras turns the image of a woman’s vulva into high art as the filmmaker confronts deep-seated personal issues and distorted cultural myths brought to light by his work. The documentary both questions and examines the many unspoken myths of the essence of a woman’s core sexuality – her vulva. These deep-seated beliefs directly affect female sexual self-esteem. Photographer Nick Karras has composed intimate images with an unusual sensitivity. Following his personal journey in producing a book of artful photographs, the film records the reactions of sex educators, women’s health professionals, art critics, female activists, and men/women-in-the-street as they confront the physical mystery of womanhood. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 342 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 362 P GERMANY Category: History & Politics THE PIER OF APOLONOVKA Andrei Schwartz The people on the pier of Sevastopol Bay are a symbol of the inextricable dilemma in which the city finds itself: too impoverished for splendor and glory, and much too alive for the scrap heap. People such as handsome 14-year-old Push, who finds mopeds much cooler than girls, or shy 13-year-old Nastja, still mourning her first love, spend their summer together on the pier. Even 80-year-old Galina still has a few tears to spare for the bass voice of her erstwhile lover, but not before she completes her morning swim at Apolonovka’s rundown beach. And then again there’s wiry, long-distance swimmer Sergej who, despite his 85 years, would certainly never consider neglecting the‘third point’of health – sex. Finally, we meetVova and Andrej on the pier: one a tattooed former prisoner the other a discharged police officer – now working together illegally as divers next to the ships of the Black Sea Fleet. A summer on Sevastopol pier, a place made fascinating by the encounter between parallel worlds. Running time: 58’& 86’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 343 P 322 UK Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife PIG BUSINESS Tracy Worcester Eco-Warrior Tracy Worcester’s determination to find out what was in the pork products her children ate takes us from farms across Europe and America to confrontations with EU officials and corporate executives. Pig Business uncovers what dangerous new farming practices are doing to our health, our environment and traditional farmers. Running time: 74’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Mercury Media International Contact Person: Patricia Hickey 6 Baseline Studios,Whitchurch Road LondonW11 4AT, UK T. +44 20 7221 7221 F. +44 20 7221 7228 [email protected] www.mercurymedia.org 344 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 198 P CANADA Category: Art/Music & Culture PILGRIMAGE Peter Wintonick & Mira Burt-Wintonick In this road-movie about movies, PeterWintonick takes a film-trip across the world with Mira, his 20-year-old media-making daughter.They journey through film history and media’s future, questioning how different generations view, use or make their own film, images, sound and media. From Fellini’s hometown in Italy to Nuremburg, where Leni Riefenstahl shot Triumph of the Will; from Chaplin’s grave to blogging theorists inVienna; from the Wizard of Oz to Romeo and Juliet viaThe Sound of Music; from Jean-Luc Godard’s Swiss village to the next media artists at theVenice Biennale; from Lumière’s first film factory to media-activist Franny Armstrong, pilgrIMAGE playfully mixes contemporary and historical cinematic sites with personal encounters and film-life lessons. Running time: 82’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 345 P 270 ITALY Category: Lifestyles PINUCCHIO LOVER. A MIDSUMMER DEATH’S DREAM Pippo Mezzapesa Pinucchio Lovero has always dreamed of being an undertaker. Five months ago, at the age of forty, he was finally hired to be the custodian of the cemetery in Mariotto, a town near Botonto in Italy’s scorching deep South.This particularly torrid summer he awaits his first funeral but it will not come. In fact, since he was taken on the job no one in Mariotto has passed on to a better place. His days are spent tending to the cemetery gardens, cleaning and chiseling headstones, watering flowers and generally fulfilling his official duties. This precarious and frustrated undertaker named Pinucchio Lovero and all those who take part regularly in his daily life thus accompany us on a trip through the remote South, a place that is but a step away from inexorable extinction. It is a place of a choral nature, made of devotion, town festivities, tiny streets and dialects. As Pinucchio’s tale unfolds, we discover that he is also a philosopher of the everyday. His hilarious theories on the meaning of death, love and work strike us as bizarre and understandable at the same time. Running time: 52’& 60’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: RaiTrade Contact Person: Margherita Zocaro 18Via Umberto Novaro Rome 00195, Italy T. +39 06 3749 8341 F. +39 06 3701 1343 [email protected] www.raitrade.it 346 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 354 P ITALY Category: History & Politics PIRRERA. MEMORIES OF OLD SICILIAN MINES Piero Messina Pirrera in Sicilian means mine.This documentary tells the story of sulphur mines in Sicily through the memories of ex-workers. A brutal reality which contributed to develop dozens of towns in central Sicily. Those same towns are nowadays disappearing, condemned by the closure of the mines and by a policy of exploitation. A deep contrast between the violence of the memories and the nostalgia that fills the ones who share them. Running time: 48’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Vitagraph Contact Person: Filippo D’Angelo 1 Via Schiavonia Bologna 40121, Italy T. +39 05 126 7150 F. +39 05 126 7150 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 347 P 379 BELGIUM Category: Lifestyles A PLACE IN THE VILLAGE Tatiana de Perlinghi The four-season chronicle of a tiny village where farmers and newcomers experience tradition and ecology together, on a daily quest of work, mobility and happiness, while farming declines, and city suburbs spread like futuristic projects. The “new rurals” espouse values inspired by ecology: windmills and houses are made of wood, earth and straw are used for building, and traditional celebrations are revived. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 348 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 211 P GREECE Category: History & Politics A PLACE OF LIFE – A PLACE OF MEMORY, THE GREEK FOUNDATION IN PARIS Pandora Mouriki The Greek Foundation at the Cité in Paris is a student residence hall that was founded in 1932 and, through the lives of its residents, followed Greek and French historical events. The documentary presents some of these events with eyewitness accounts by film directors Manos Zakharias, Theo Angelopoulos, and Robert Manthoulis; writer Alki Zei; artists Panagiotis Tetsis, Kyriakos Rokos, Daniel Gounarides, and Anton; architect Yannis Tsiomis; composer Yorgos Kouroupos; and university professors Venios Angelopoulos, Costas Vergopoulos,Vilma Hastaoglou and SofoklisTheodorides. Running time: 56’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12 F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 349 P 397 ISRAEL Category: History & Politics PLAY ME ALLEGRO – AN OPTIMISTIC BORDERLINE STORY Alon Alsheich & Eran Yehezkel Four kilometers from Gaza, the Nir-Am kibbutz is located on the border between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. In spite of Israeli missiles and helicopters soaring above their heads and the Palestinian rockets falling in their yard, Julia, a Russian immigrant, and her five-year-old daughter choose not to give up. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: JMT Films Distribution Contact Person: MichaelTreves 20 Bialik Street Tel Aviv 63324, Israel T. +972 52 363 3398 [email protected] www.jmtfilms.com 350 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 368 P USA Category: Current Affairs PLAYGROUND Libby Spears Appalled by modern day sex slavery, filmmaker Libby Spears began a covert investigation to document the worldwide child sex trafficking problem and to see how and if it led back to the United States. What she was astonished to find, however, was the involvement of the United States and the degree to which they were influencing the global demand and growth of the sex trafficking industry. At the heart of story is Michelle, whose first encounter with sexual abuse began at five. Having run away from a foster care system that left her vulnerable and at risk, the film opens with the filmmaker’s search for her. Over a five-year period, Spears unravels the gut-wrenching atrocities suffered by Michelle and other children like her, who are victims of the American sex trafficking industry. Spears constructs an insightful and nuanced narrative that details just how complex and massive this crisis is. Playground examines our legal and social systems, and their inability to deal with this problem. Neither dogmatic nor sensationalist, Playground offers no clear-cut answers, but compels us to begin asking the right questions: why do we treat children as victims in cases of sexual abuse, but as soon as money is exchanged these sexually abused children are deemed criminals?Why is there such an overwhelming demand for sex with a child? Running time: 87’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Bluprint Films Contact Person: Libby Spears 5482Wilshire Blvd, No. 147 Los Angeles 90036, USA T. +1 213 385 5353 [email protected] www.bluprintfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 351 P 568 CANADA Category: Current Affairs PORN-DEMIC Robin Benger Internet porn is now bigger than the combined financial turnover of professional sports and live music. In 2008, it was worth 10 billion dollars. With extraordinary access, Porn-Demic goes behind the scenes to reveal the main players in an old industry, now larger than ever and quickly taking over the latest, biggest delivery system in the history of sex: the Internet. Porn-Demic looks at the immense financial prosperity of the players and the seeming impossibility of governments and other watchdog organizations to regulate or just to stem it. An unflinching portrait of the people both living the high life and swept along in the deluge of electronic pornography. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 352 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 347 P USA Category: History & Politics THE POWER OF THE POWERLESS Cory Taylor This year (2009) marks the twentieth anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia – an event comparable to the nonviolent movements of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr. that changed modern history.Two decades after the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, The Power of the Powerless brings to life the events that led to theVelvet Revolution, provides an insider’s view of life in the pro-democracy underground opposition, and examines whether the spirit of dissent, which thrived a generation ago, endures in the lives of young Czechs. Featuring new and original interviews with former PresidentVáclav Havel and more than a dozen other prominent dissidents, this film explores the consequences of waging an open struggle for human rights versus conforming to the pressures of an authoritarian regime. Running time: 60’& 90’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Taskovski Films Contact Person: IrenaTaskovski 4BWentworth Street London E1 7TF, UK T. +420 2 3331 3839 [email protected] www.taskovskifilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 353 P 391 USA Category: Current Affairs PRAYING WITH LIOR Ilana Trachtman “If there is a God, Lior is definitely closer to God than anyone else I know.” Yoni Liebling, Lior’s brother Praying with Lior introduces Lior Liebling, also called “the little rebbe”. Lior has Down’s syndrome and has spent his entire life praying with utter abandon. Is he a “spiritual genius” as many of those around him say? Or simply the vessel that contains everyone’s unfulfilled wishes and expectations? Lior – whose name means “my light” – lost his mother at age six, and her words and spirit hover over the film. While everyone agrees Lior is closer to God, he’s also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration, and an embarrassment, depending on which family member is speaking. As Lior approaches Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony, different characters provide a window into a life spent “praying with Lior”. The film poses difficult questions, such as what is “disability” and who really talks to God? Told with intimacy and humor, Praying with Lior is a family story, a story of triumph, a story of grief, and a divinely inspired story. Running time: 56’& 87’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Smiley Film Sales Contact Person: Ewa Bigio PO Box 90943 AMSC Auckland 1142, New Zealand T. +64 9 360 0325 F. +64 9 360 0163 [email protected] www.smileyfilmsales.com 354 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 533 P BULGARIA Category: Docudrama PREHISTORY: GODS AND WORSHIPERS Atanas Dimitrov The creators of this six half-hour docudrama series focus on the cult to the Sun and the secret knowledge in the Bulgarian lands existing for over seven thousands years. They explore the chalcolithic graves nearVarna, search for the roots of this cult in Egypt as well as its reflection in the ancientThracian and Greek beliefs.The series also investigates the heresies and takes the viewers into a mysterious journey through the secret societies in Europe. Running time: 6 x 27’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Bulgarian NationalTelevision Contact Person: Daniela Kuzmanova 29 San Stefano St. Sofia 1504, Bulgaria T. +359 2 814 2390 F. +359 2 943 6045 [email protected] www.bnt.bg 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 355 P 456 GERMANY Category: History & Politics PRESTES MAIA – FREEDOM IN CONCRETE Levin Peter & Jonas Ginter & Ira Wilke Sao Paulo, 2008: Brazil on its way to becoming an economic superpower. Right in the center of the 20-million-strong metropolis of Sao Paulo, Prestes Maia Road 911, lays the bastion of the underclass: a huge and proud bastion. 468 families on 22 floors, 1,379 inhabitants with 1,379 stories. And all of them have only one goal: to stay. But the government has different plans. Freedom in Concrete is a film about a country on its way to becoming a global player and about its poorest, who try their best to find their place in this new society and to stay there. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion Hamburg Contact Person: Eva Fouquet 93A EppendorferWeg Hamburg 20259, Germany T. +49 40 7697 3070 F. +49 40 7697 3065 [email protected] www.gebrueder-beetz.de 356 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 281 P MEXICO Category: History & Politics PRESUMED GUILTY Roberto Hernández Presumed Guilty is the heart-wrenching story of a man who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. On a December day in Mexico City, in the year 2005, Toño pleaded:“God, kill me or put me in jail”to escape an unhappy love affair. Weeks later, a judge who never heard him speak sentenced him to twenty years in prison for killing a man he’d never met. Through one man’s extraordinary two-year struggle to regain his freedom, two lawyers document the contradictions of a judicial system that presumes guilt. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 357 P 551 POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries PRL DE LUXE Edyta Wróblewska Crazy Mike organizes trips for the Western tourists. He reveals to them the past PRL way of life.They travel with the old bus to the Nowa Huta; together they visit relics of the past. During every visit to another place he tells stories about the absurdities of real socialism. Will this trip leave the tourists with a vivid memory? Running time: 15’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Krakow Film Foundation Contact Person: KatarzynaWilk 5 Morawskiego p.434 Krakow 30-102, Poland T. +48 12 294 6945 [email protected] www.kff.com.pl 358 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 124 P USA Category: Creative Documentaries PRODIGAL SONS Kimberly Reed Kimberly Reed returns home to a small town in Montana for her high school reunion, hoping for reconciliation with her long-estranged adopted brother. But along the way, Prodigal Sons uncovers stunning revelations, including a blood relationship to OrsonWelles and Rita Hayworth, intense sibling rivalries, and unforeseeable twists of plot and gender. Reed’s rare access delicately reveals not only the family’s most private moments, but also an epic scope as the film travels from Montana to Croatia, from jail cell to football field, from deaths to births and commitments of all kinds.This unflinching look at identity and the past challenges us to wonder if we can ever truly become someone new. Running time: 86’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Louise Rosen Ltd. Contact Person: Louise Rosen 16 High Street Brusnwick, Maine 04011, USA T. +1 207 725 8215 F. +1 207 725 8057 [email protected] www.louiserosenltd.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 359 P 527 ARGENTINA Category: History & Politics PROJEKT HUEMUL: THE FOURTH REICH IN ARGENTINA Rodrigo H. Vila “Projekt Huemul”was a secret atomic project developed by former president Perón with the collaboration of German scientists. The project began in 1946, only months after Hiroshima. In 1951, President Perón announced to the world that his administration had produced atomic energy in what was, at the time, a secret atomic plant.The amazing discovery was published by the most important newspapers in Argentina and all over the world, such as the New York Post and the London Times. One year after the success, the island was closed and the project cancelled. Even today the remnants of the main reactor and laboratories stand abandoned on the island. Our documentary film is about the way in which Argentine military officers were molded in the Prussian military tradition and how Perón helped and financed the immigration of German scientists, military men and war criminals, and how, during Perón’s presidency, the most ambitious project was carried out.This was“Projekt Huemul”. Running time: 52’& 90’& 115’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinema 7 Films Contact Person: Dalila Zaritzky 1691 Freire Buenos Aires 1426, Argentina T. +54 11 4555 4159 F. +54 11 4555 4159 [email protected] www.cinema7.com 360 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 589 P UK Category: Art/Music & Culture PROMISED LAND OF HEAVY METAL Tanja Katinka Karttunen Promised Land of Heavy Metal is a documentary about the history and philosophy of Heavy Metal and how it became such a big deal in a small country called Finland. We tell the story of Finnish Metal, from its early“underground”days to the present success stories, interviewing musicians, experts, event organizers, a psychiatrist and a doctor of theology.The film takes us from the graveyard to the Finnish President’s palace. Why is metal a religion for so many?What are its links to Satanism and ritualistic murders? What made metal mainstream in Finland? Why does the Finnish Church have Metal Masses?What’s the future of metal, after Lordi won the Eurovision song contest and even the President approves?We hear strong opinions: some see metal as the new folk music, while others detest its commercialization. The film is narrated by Kimmo Kuusniemi, a filmmaker, Sarcofagus guitarist and forefather of Finnish metal. Kimmo has lived in England for 16 years, and sees the current popularity of heavy metal as a strange phenomenon. He was the one who fought for the metal message 30 years ago.What happened in Finland in his absence? Running time: 101’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: EspressoTV Contact Person: David Hooper 25YorkVillas Brighton BN1 3TS, UK T. +44 1273 730 929 F. +44 1273 299 403 [email protected] www.espressotv.co.uk 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 361 P 465 ITALY Category: Currrent Affairs PRO-VEIL-LAYMEN: THE DISCORD IN TURKEY Vincenzo Pergolizzi Today, Turkey is torn between pro-veil and laymen. Two opposite visions of the world, of freedom and democratic struggle. In the public arena, two ideologies of the world collide and proclaim themselves for or against the fundamental symbol of the discord. The question to authorize the wearing of the veil in public institutions such as universities is just the tip of this iceberg that divides Turkey. It’s a universal issue, which is troubling Turkey and a number of other countries. Moreover, the Turkish state, just as its European neighbors, suffers difficulty in satisfying two opposite visions. How far will this fight go?What disastrous consequences can be foreseen? Running time: 26’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 362 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 282 P USA Category: Sports PULLING JOHN Vassiliki Khonsari Pulling John explores the mythical professional world of arm-wrestling, where two titans battle in pursuit of their ultimate hero. The hero, American John Brzenk, is consumed by one question. A living legend in a sport he helped popularize, Brzenk has been the undefeated arm-wrestling World Champion for 25 years. Today at age forty, he is torn as to whether he should retire or confront the inevitable: be defeated by a new champion.The young generation is ready: AlexeyVoevoda, a 23-year-old Russian. Alexey’s one goal is to dethrone Brzenk and become the new world champion. From the deep ends ofWestVirginia comes a second challenger, a young bull named Travis Bagent who has inherited the legend of John Brzenk and the spiritual importance of arm-wrestling from his father. As this fast talking powerhouse rises to glory from the ashes of poverty and hardship, he must defeat AlexeyVoevoda and finally John Brzenk for ultimate glory. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 363 398 Q GREECE-AFGHANISTAN Category: Current Affairs QADIR – AN AFGHAN ULYSSES Anneta Papathanassiou The journey of Qadir, an Afghan refugee who came to Greece after theTaliban invasion. He returns home nine years later, searching for his family.The country is destroyed, theTaliban are still there. Qadir is torn between two worlds, East and West, and his emotions are mixed. Running time: 55’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: JMT Films Distribution Contact Person: MichaelTreves 20 Bialik Street Tel Aviv 63324, Israel T. +972 52 363 3398 [email protected] www.jmtfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 365 Q 137 SWEDEN Category: Creative Documentaries THE QUEEN AND I Nahid Persson Sarvestani Director Nahid Persson is an ex-revolutionary filmmaker who helped overthrow the monarchy in Iran’s 1979 revolution. After having made two documentaries with anti-Islamist messages, she decides to make a film about the former queen, her old enemy.They are both women living in exile. Over a two year period, the two confront each other about their past, question their old beliefs, and share their grievances. Their relationship grows as they realize they have more in common as two strong women who have risen above the hardships and continue evolving toward a positive future. Running time: 89’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Shoreline Entertainment Contact Person: Sam Eigen 1875 Century Park East, Suite 600 Los Angeles CA 90067, USA T. +1 310 551 2060 F. +1 702 974 0707 [email protected] www.slefilms.com 366 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 369 Q USA Category: History & Politics QUILOMBO COUNTRY Leonard Abrahams Brazil, once the world’s largest slave colony, was a brutal and deadly place for millions of Africans. But many thousands escaped or rebelled, creating their own communities in Brazil’s untamed hinterland. Today they navigate the hazards of the modern world. Quilombo Country (“Quilombo” is an Angolan word meaning “encampment”), which ranges from the northeastern sugar-growing regions to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, portrays these contemporary communities, and includes examples of material culture such as hunting, fishing, construction and agriculture; rare footage of local musical performances; syncretic Umbanda and Pajelança ceremonies;Tambor de Crioula, Carimbó and Boi Bumbá drum and dance celebrations; and Festivals of the Mast. Also included are frank discussions of political identity, land rights, and racial and socioeconomic discrimination. Running time: 73’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Media Space Inc. Contact Person: Hisami Kuroiwa 718 Broadway, 2b NewYork NY 10003, USA T. +1 212 475 4488 F. +1 212 475 4488 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 367 Q 350 ITALY-ARGENTINA-UK Category: Art/Music & Culture QUIRINO CRISTIANI. THE MYSTERY OF THE FIRST ANIMATED MOVIES Gabriele Zucchelli Who made the first animated feature film?Today forgotten, Quirino Cristiani delivered the first animated movie – El Apostol – in Buenos Aires in 1917. In 1931, Cristiani’s genius and industry resulted in another breakthrough when he produced Peludopolis, the first animated feature film with sound.The documentary shows what’s left of his work, a lost interview and two short films that were re-discovered during the making of this film. Since his ground breaking feature films were destroyed in a number of fires, this documentary is all that exists to chart his unique adventure. Running time: 52’& 88’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Vitagraph Contact Person: Filippo D’Angelo 1 Via Schiavonia Bologna 40121, Italy T. +39 05 126 7150 F. +39 05 126 7150 [email protected] 368 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 426 R ISRAEL Category: Creative Documentaries RABBI FIRER – A REASON TO QUESTION Amit Goren Hippocrates cautioned, “The sick must battle both their illness and their doctors”. This is especially true today, with medicine emerging as an incomprehensible series of specialists and doctors, options and opinions, experimental drugs and high-tech medical equipment. About 150 patients a day seek an unbiased second opinion from an unusual rabbi, self-educated in medicine. He can change the way the patients are treated with a single phone call, often to world-renowned experts in their fields. Admired by some doctors and harshly criticized by others, he remains a fascinating phenomenon in the tangled web of modern medicine. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 369 R 577 ITALY Category: Creative Documentaries RADIO EGNATIA Davide Barletti (Fluid Video Crew) A Neapolitan artist with nomadic leanings is the guide along a journey which, from Durazzo to Istanbul, follows theVia Egnatia, the ancient Roman road which is a continuation of the AppianWay in the Balkans. The itinerary, which is marked at every stage by a chianca, a typical stone from Lecce, tells the stories of peoples and traditions, from Salento to Turkey, passing through Albania, FYROM and Greece, across the borders that divide many different cultural identities. The journey finds its voice in Radio Egnatia, an imaginary radio station whose program schedule is created by the mingling of sounds and real information from those places. Radio Egnatia documents the living history of a secret identity of Mediterranean territories and people, and of a group of men and women who have gone in search of it. Besides being a geographical term,Via Egnatia is a place of the soul, the connective tissue of three thousand years of history spanning East andWest. A ‘relational’ film, in a web of perceptions that is traversed by a sensitivity and culture which today could help free us from the constant fear of one another. Running time: 74’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Oyibo Productions Contact Person: Fulvia D’Ottavi Via Cassia 878, Rome 00189, Italy T. +39 068 7903 958, +39 064 3419 651 F. +39 068 7903 958 [email protected] [email protected] www.oyiboproductions.com 370 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 506 R GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture RAMBA-ZAMBA Athanasios Palos-Papantonopoulos Due of the birth of his Down syndrome child, a famous theater director of the Deutsche Theater, Klaus Erforth, decided to change his life and the life of his companion, after the fall of the Berlin wall. In 1990 he founded the Ramba-Zamba theater, a powerful creative centre for handicapped actors, located in the Kultur Brauerei. Hommage à Tadeusz Kantor is their latest production. A moving story of love and social engagement. Running time: 30’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Aktis AVteam Contact Person: Athanasios Palos-Papantonopoulos 1 Ellis Street Athens 152 32, Greece T. +30 210 683 8888 F. +30 210 684 8008 [email protected] www.aktis.biz 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 371 R 283 CHINA-USA Category: Lifestyles THE REAL SHAOLIN Alexander Sebastien Lee The Real Shaolin is a moving, poetic and action-packed documentary feature about two Chinese and twoWesterners who journey to the ShaolinTemple in China, inspired by the legends portrayed in Kung Fu movies with Bruce Lee and Jet Li. In the course of excruciating martial arts training, their fantasies to become Kung Fu warriors collide with harsh reality, as the ShaolinTemple is the ultimate test for martial artists from all over the world. Will they achieve their goal of living the Shaolin dream? Running time: 89’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 372 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 487 R ISRAEL Category: History & Politics THE REBELLIOUS SON Shoshi Greenfield My cousinYa’acov’s secret ambition is not to be noticed. He dreams of becoming a monk, a recluse. One summer, towards the end of high school, he fulfills his monastic ambitions. He drops out of school and becomes a shepherd on a forsaken farm in the South Hebron Hills. The mystery and magic that he discovers in the mountains aren’t exactly greeted with enthusiasm by his family. The behavior of their rebellious son draws the family into quarrels that reveal surprising and invigorating points of view about themes such as love, war, and the beard my cousin has decided to grow. Grandma, for example, has turned out to be an admirer of Joan of Arc, though she supports draft-dodging. Uncle Shmulik views quarrelling as just another form of love. My brother, Yehuda, thinks that life gives you the most when you expect the least. This is a docu-comedy with a hint of tragedy; a family story about one individual’s attempt to find his own path and independence, even when those around him think differently. Running time: 72’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Go2Films Contact Person: Hedva Goldschmidt 37/8 Issar Natanzon St. Jerusalem 97787, Israel T. +972 2 583 1371 F. +972 2 583 5450 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 373 R 446 FINLAND Category: Docudrama RECIPES FOR DISASTER John Webster Director John Webster convinces his wife and two small children that the whole family should go on an oil-free diet, yet without having to give up their middle-class suburban lifestyle. All the everyday things that we don’t do, or that we can’t help doing, make up recipes for disaster. In this comedy of errors they find themselves questioning their values and putting to the test their willpower and ultimately, their happiness. Running time: 63’& 85’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Deckert Distribution Contact Person: Heino Deckert 1 Marienplatz Leipzig 04103, Germany T. +49 341 215 6638 F. +49 341 215 6639 [email protected] www.deckert-distribution.com 374 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 284 R USA Category: History & Politics THE RECKONING Pamela Yates In response to horrific atrocities igniting increasingly around the world, more than 60 countries united to launch the International Criminal Court (ICC) – the first permanent home for prosecuting perpetrators (no matter how powerful) of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. The Reckoning follows charismatic ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo for three years across four continents, as he and his team tirelessly issue arrest warrants for Lord’s Resistance Army leaders in Uganda, put Congolese warlords on trial, challenge the UN Security Council to help indict Sudan’s president for the Darfur massacres, and shake up the Colombian justice system. Moreno-Ocampo has a mandate but no police force. At every turn, he must pressure the international community to muster political clout for the cause. As this tiny court inThe Hague struggles to change the world and forge a new paradigm for justice, innocent victims suffer and wait. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 375 R 437 UK-GERMANY Category: Current Affairs RED OIL Lucinda Broadbent The film takes a look at Hugo Chavez, the leader of the Socialist revolution in Venezuela, whose main pillar of support is formed by the state oil company PDVSA. Lucinda Broadbent heads for the South American nation to find out more.Who is Hugo Chavez? Is he really something of a soap opera hero, a champion for his socially-disadvantaged compatriots? Or is he simply a megalomaniac villain who uses his clout in the oil industry to buy votes and who will stop at nothing in order to retain his political power? Stay tuned to find out! Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Deckert Distribution Contact Person: Heino Deckert 1 Marienplatz Leipzig 04103, Germany T. +49 341 215 6638 F. +49 341 215 6639 [email protected] www.deckert-distribution.com 376 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 427 R ISRAEL Category: History & Politics A REFUSENIK’S MOTHER Ori Ben Dov In Israel, military service is obligatory for all 18-year-olds. Refusing to enlist is punishable by imprisonment in a military prison. Marit’s son decided to become a conscientious objector despite her disapproval.This is a story of a mother torn between the values she was brought up on, the instinct to protect her son and the will to let him follow his beliefs.The film also offers a fascinating look into the phenomenon of young Israelis refusing to serve in the Israeli Army and willing to pay the price. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 377 R 133 CZECH REPUBLIC Category: Docudrama RENé Helena Třeštíková “Why has my shitty life turned out like this? No one knows. Not even God. God’s on holiday and he’s reading porn.” Αn excerpt from “Diary of the Forgotten”, the journal kept by the main protagonist. With raw authenticity, the director records the luckless fate of René over a period of twenty years, as he goes back and forth between prison and freedom.The life of René, who successfully stylizes himself in the role of a desperado, unfolds against a backdrop of important political events occurring in the Czech Republic and beyond its borders.TheVelvet Revolution, the presidential election, 9 11 and the Czech Republic’s accession to the EU - all this is “digested”by René, mostly from the confines of various prisons. Running time: 83’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Taskovski Films Contact Person: IrenaTaskovski 4BWentworth Street London E1 7TF, UK T. +420 2 3331 3839 [email protected] www.taskovskifilms.com 378 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 285 R USA Category: Current Affairs REPORTER Eric Daniel Metzgar As focused as this superbly conceived examination of New York Times reporter Nicholas D. Kristof is on its subject, filmmaker Eric Metzgar has a much greater arena in mind in this multilayered exploration of journalism than just the work and impact of the Pulitzer Prizewinning columnist. Tracking Kristof as he traveled to the Congo to report on the conflict and desperate poverty besieging the African republic – where 5.4 million have died in the last decade as a result of the unceasing and convoluted warfare over territory, resources and tribal hatred. In an attempt to put this crisis on the international radar, as he did with his articles on Darfur, the film immerses us in a discussion of the ways this kind of reportage reaches the public, effects change, and creates a humanitarian response. He knows that statistics deaden his readers’ compassion, so to get the world to care Nick goes in search of a single individual whose story will reflect the country’s desperate crisis and mobilize readers worldwide. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 379 R 473 FRANCE Category: Science & Knowledge RESEARCH: TERRA INCOGNITA Eric Chevillard Terra Incognita takes us behind the scene of this event, which, every 50 years, gathers the international scientific world around ambitious research programs related to the North and South Pole. For these researchers and specialists, the international polar year is an opportunity to expand their knowledge of the Polar Regions, as well as to put this knowledge at the center of the news. This year the main topics are the evolution of the environment and the climate, and the protection of bio-diversity. The study of ice, astronomy and biology are intermingling topics in these fields. We follow Mireille Raccurt, penguin specialist, in her mission from Dumont d’Urville in the South Pole, as well as Delphine Six in her drillings on the Saint Sorlin glacier. Through science, Terra Incognita offers perspectives on our future. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 380 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 534 R BULGARIA Category: Lifestyles RESERVE FOR GELINAS Damyan Petrov The documentary is dedicated to a group of extraordinary people – the Bulgarian Mohammedans living in the village of Ribnovo – and their way of life.The narration focuses on the seldom-held wedding ritual“gelina”, only preserved in this area of the Rhodope Mountains. But the wedding is just a reason to take a look at the unusual world of these people, who have harmoniously combined in an incredible way the wisdom of experience and tradition with an eye to the world of the 21st century.The documentary is a film about a different point of view on life. The team has tried to write a contemporary and unusual fairy-tale about the existence of eternal love and the changes time might have caused to the relationships between men and women. Running time: 28’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Bulgarian NationalTelevision Contact Person: Daniela Kuzmanova 29 San Stefano Str. Sofia 1504, Bulgaria T. +359 2 814 2390 F. +359 2 943 6045 [email protected] www.bnt.bg 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 381 R 348 CAMBODIA-UK-GERMANY Category: Docudrama THE RETURN Jo Parkes & Sven O. Hill Sathia lives through dance. As a child in Cambodia, she survives the brutal Khmer Rouge regime by dancing for the soldiers. One day she has a road accident and is left disabled. Sathia accepts that she will never dance again. Then she meets Katie, an English dancer, who desperately wants Sathia to dance with her and return to the stage. Running time: 58’& 78’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Taskovski Films Contact Person: IrenaTaskovski 4BWentworth Street London E1 7TF, UK T. +420 2 3331 3839 [email protected] www.taskovskifilms.com 382 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 340 R GERMANY Category: History & Politics THE RETURN OF THE MARTYR Thomas Tielsch Nobody had expected his return. In the glare of the world’s publicity, he stepped out from the dark of his past on September 11, 2001. Since then, he has been back: the martyr (from the Greek martyr = witness). His history reached far back into the ancient world, but only in Christ was he given a face. By now the martyr has become a figure with many faces and he shows up wherever conflicts are smoldering.The film presents the historical background to the worship of martyrs in Judaism, Christianity and Islam and describes the forming of a new religion in the 20th century: nationalism, a religion that is breeding new martyrs every day. Experts from the three religions are interviewed, old representations and archival film material are presented and the most important sites of modern-day martyr worship are shown.The film also tells the stories of courageous people, who, beyond any normal sense of mission, stand up for those closest to them and for their religious and moral convictions. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: United Docs Contact Person: Anne Hufnagel 48-50 Breite Strasse Cologne 50667, Germany T. +49 221 920 690 F. +49 221 920 6969 [email protected] www.united-docs.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 383 R 546 GERMANY Category: Creative Documentaries THE REVOLUTION THAT WASN’T Aliona Polunina In Russia 2007, the opposition to Putin’s regime is gathering force for the next presidential elections due in exactly one year. Anatoly and Andrei are not just two such opposition fighters, they are veteran revolutionaries. According to them, only a revolution can bring about“The other Russia”. However, as members of the banned National Bolshevik Party they will try and go the“democratic”way – but neither Revolution nor victory are in sight. While Anatoly’s teenage son remains with the political cause, Anatoly finds spiritual refuge in the Orthodox Church – the Russian revolution’s arch-enemy. The Revolution that Wasn’t shows us the ongoing conflict between an opposition clinging onto the ideals that once formed the Soviet Union and those ruling Russia with a firm neo-capitalist grip. A film about political activists in the Russian underground who know they might have to sacrifice their lives in order to fight a system that seems unbreakable from within. Running time: 96’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Rise and ShineWorld Sales Contact Person: Stefan Kloos 29/30 Schlesische Str. Berlin 10997, Germany T. +49 30 4737 2980 F. +49 30 4737 29820 [email protected] www.riseandshine-berlin.com 384 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 581 R ITALY Category: History & Politics R-EXISTENCE Marco Pasquini Srifa; South of Lebanon. August 2006.They struggled for survival amongst more than one million people forced away from their houses because of the Israeli bombings of inhabited areas. Layla, Haifa, Dina, Zeynab and Fatme speak with grace, sitting in what remains of their houses.They tell us about their life in the village during the bombings, they speak about the meaning of having a home and what they felt when they discovered that everything had been destroyed. They struggled for survival among more than one million people forced away from their houses, refugees of the Israeli bombings of inhabited areas. Women reflect on the unending war, they explain the difficulties of living in a permanent condition of war and describe their will to resist as a result of their conscious social role in the community. Their everyday resistance is intimate, sweet and tenacious. The Lebanese women of the South are educated to resist, it is part of their upbringing passed on by their mothers within the walls of the home. This kind of resistance is now a part of their life and identity. Running time: 46’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Suttvuess Contact Person: Federico Schiavi 61Via Sannio Rome 00183, Italy T. +39 06 4341 9651 F. +39 06 4341 9652 [email protected] [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 385 R 517 GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture RHYTHMS AND RHYMES Nikos Skarentzos Nikos Skarentzos’musical film entitled Rhythms and Rhymes is a portrait of the Greek hip hop scene.The film is divided into 12 thematic chapters in which the creators and protagonists of the genre talk about the history of hip hop in this country, from its birth in the early 90s to the present day, with reference to its main features, such as DJing, MCing, graffiti, breakdancing and beatbox. Each chapter begins with single-minute excerpts (which, when put together, will constitute a short film) from the lives of a group of Greek and immigrant kids who live in Athens and are trying to make a name for themselves in Greek hip hop. Running time: 77’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Top Cut Contact Person: Nikos Skarentzos 36 b Marousiou – Halandriou Str. Athens 15125, Greece T. + 30 210 610 0100 F. + 30 210 610 0109 [email protected] Sales Contact: Greek Film Center Contact Person: Evi Lazari 7 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str. Athens 117 42,Greece T. + 30 210 368 7503 F. + 30 210 361 4336 [email protected] www.gfc.gr 386 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 161 R GERMANY Category: Docudrama RICH BROTHER Insa Onken Ben,“The Lion of Cameroon”, has just succeeded in becoming a professional boxer, yet his goal is higher: not only does he want to become a champion but“the world boxing champion”.That way he will have fulfilled his family’s high expectations. Without a title or money, Ben cannot go back to Cameroon. He was the one his family chose to send to Europe and he must return a success, bringing them money, gifts and business connections.Together with Wolfgang, a non-professional yet dedicated trainer from the former Democratic Republic of Germany, Ben bushwhacks his way through the tough jungle of the boxing world. Under the enormous pressure of achieving success, their friendship eventually breaks up. Ben must make his way alone and soon begins to lose matches. Disheartened, he is just about to give up boxing when a golden opportunity arises and he gets an offer to fight for the world title. At last he can afford to fly back to Cameroon and face his family: his ticket is booked and no matter how the fight goes, Ben will fly. Running time: 97’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: TwentyTwentyVision Filmproduktion Contact Person: Thanassis Karathanos 13 Schwedter Str. Berlin 10119, Germany T. +49 30 6128 1750 F. +49 30 6128 1751 [email protected] www.twentytwentyvision.eu 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 387 R 166 CANADA Category: Art/Music & Culture RIP: A REMIX MANIFESTO Brett Gaylor In RiP: A Remix Manifesto,Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers. The film’s central protagonist is GirlTalk, a mash-up musician topping the charts with his sample-based songs. But is Girl Talk a paragon of people power or the Pied Piper of piracy? Creative Commons founder, Lawrence Lessig, Brazil’s Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil and pop culture critic Cory Doctorow are also along for the ride. A participatory media experiment, from day one, Brett shares his raw footage at opensourcecinema.org for anyone to remix. With RiP: A Remix Manifesto, Gaylor and GirlTalk sound an urgent alarm and draw the lines of battle. Which side of the ideas war are you on? Running time: 80’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: National Film Board of Canada Contact Person: Johanne St. Arnauld 3155 Cote de Liesse Road St. Laurent Quebec H4N 2N4, Canada T. +1 514 283 2703 F. +1 514 496 1895 [email protected] www.nfb.ca 388 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 457 R SENEGAL-FRANCE Category: Creative Documentaries RIVER MOVIE Laurence Attali A film’s genesis and metamorphoses, from the first intuition to the first clapboard. From Tom Waits to Cheikh Lô and from Venice to Paris, on to Saint Louis in Senegal, this documentary travels the river’s flow in search of the Unshod Man. Not a ‘making of’or behind-the-scenes look, but more like the hidden side before the shoot starts. A testimony to what could have been, seen, heard... Describing the build-up to the word: Action! Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Autoproduction Contact Person: Laurence Attali 12 rue Jean Du Bellay Paris 75004, France T. +33 1 4329 5737 F. +33 1 4329 5737 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 389 R 172 AUSTRIA Category: History & Politics A ROAD TO MECCA - THE JOURNEY OF MUHAMMAD ASAD Georg Misch In the early 1920s, LeopoldWeiss, aViennese Jew, traveled to the Middle East.The desert fascinated him, and Islam became his new spiritual home. He left his Jewish roots behind, converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Asad. He became one of the most important Muslims of the 20th century, first as an advisor at the royal court of Saudi Arabia, and later translating the Koran into English. The director follows his fading footsteps, leading from the Arabian desert to Ground Zero. He finds a man who was not looking for adventures but rather wanted to act as a mediator between East and West. A Road to Mecca takes this opportunity to deal with a heated debate which is currently becoming more and more important. Running time: 58’& 92’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 390 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 451 R GERMANY-FINLAND-POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries ROBINSONS OF MANTSINSAARI Victor Asliuk The film tells the story of two elderly men who are the last residents of a now Russiancontrolled island on Lake Ladoga. Although they are the sole inhabitants of the islands, neither speaks to the other: one is of Belarusian origin, the other of Finnish origin. And between the two, there is a long history. Occasionally though, the younger of the two men climbs up on a hill during the evening to see whether light still burns at his neighbor’s house. Running time: 56’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Deckert Distribution Contact Person: Heino Deckert 1 Marienplatz Leipzig 04103, Germany T. +49 341 215 6638 F. +49 341 215 6639 [email protected] www.deckert-distribution.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 391 R 578 ITALY Category: Current Affairs ROMA RESIDENCE Andrea Foschi & Marco Neri The urgent need for living quarters, as told through the experiences of the inhabitants of Roma Residence, a residential complex located in Bravetta, not far from downtown Rome. This documentary isn’t an investigation; it shows the metamorphosis of a living experience that lasted over a year. It shows the faces, the dynamics between different communities, the building of the residence itself and the changes it undergoes. “Once the spatial-temporal coordinates were set out and once the existence of a ghetto and its decay just a few kilometers from the center of Rome was established, the film took off with a succession of sequences toward a reflection that, above all, valorizes the visual experience. The chronological story is almost always a pretext for visualizing the spaces, the internal dynamics within the various communities, the encounters between people in their environment, their arenas. The film develops and finds its meaning in an increasingly intimate way of representing the relationship between the residence and its inhabitants.” Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Oyibo Productions Contact Person: Fulvia D’Ottavi Via Cassia 878 Rome 00189, Italy T.-F. +39 068 7903 958 [email protected] [email protected] www.oyiboproductions.com 392 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 261 R THE NETHERLANDS Category: History & Politics ROOTS OF EVIL: WORD FROM DUTROUX Jessica Villerius The definitive documentary on paedophile and serial killer Marc Dutroux, made with his co-operation from prison and featuring exclusive interviews with his father and sister and police investigators. What turned Dutroux into a serial killer? Was it nature or nurture? In this unique film, we trace Dutroux’s life from his childhood in Obaix to his abduction and rape of six girls, four of whom he murdered. From his prison cell in Belgium, Dutroux publicly comments on his crimes – crimes that caused a national scandal in Belgium and led to the reorganization of the country’s criminal system. Running time: 45’& 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Java Films Contact Person: Kathryn Bonnici 4-6VillaThoreton Paris 75015, France T. +33 1 4060 2624 F. +33 1 4060 2649 [email protected] www.javafilms.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 393 R 104 UK Category: Creative Documentaries ROUGH AUNTIES Kim Longinotto Fearless, feisty and resolute, the Rough Aunties are a remarkable group of women unwavering in their stand to protect and care for the abused, neglected and forgotten children of Durban, South Africa. This documentary follows the outspoken, multiracial cadre of Thuli, Mildred, Sdudla, Eureka and Jackie, as they wage a daily battle against systemic apathy, corruption and greed to help the most vulnerable and disenfranchised of their communities. Neither politics, nor social or racial divisions stand a chance against the united force of the women. It brings us an intimate portrait of change from Africa, this time from post-apartheid South Africa, a nation being transformed with hope and energy into a new democracy. Running time:105’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Rise Films Contact Person: Manu Pandey 46 Berwick Street LondonW1F 8SG, UK T. +44 207 214 6072 F. +44 207 214 6070 [email protected] www.risefilms.com 394 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 526 R POLAND Category: Creative Documentaries THE RUNAWAY Marek Tomasz Pawłowski The film presents the complicated vicissitudes of the last living fugitive, organizer of the most famous and courageous escape from the Auschwitz Concentration Camp which took place on June 20, 1942. Four prisoners wearing SS uniforms fled with weapons in the camp commander’s car.This was the most famous, daring and spectacular flight from the camp ever. It became a legend among prisoners and buoyed their spirits for a long time. The entire story is told by Kazimierz Piechowski himself, one of the runaways. Thanks to his fluent German the escape was successfully carried out. The film contains previously unpublished photos and materials showing the private life of the SS-men that tortured and oversaw the prisoners in the camp. Running time: 56’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Telewizja Polska S.A Contact Person: Agata Chłopek 17Woronicza Str Warsaw 00-999, Poland T. +48 22 547 5680 F. +48 22 547 4248 [email protected] [email protected] www.tvp.pl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 395 R 317 USA Category: Sports RUNNERS HIGH Justine Jacob When teenagers from one of the nation’s toughest neighborhoods in Oakland, California sign up to train for a marathon, they begin the journey of a lifetime. Runners High is an intimate, character driven documentary of struggle, courage and hope showing that no matter what happens next, one season of training to run 26.2 miles can change your life forever. Running time: 86’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Mercury Media International Contact Person: Patricia Hickey 6 Baseline Studios,Whitchurch Road LondonW11 4AT, UK T. +44 20 7221 7221 F. +44 20 7221 7228 [email protected] www.mercurymedia.org 396 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 523 S POLAND Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife THE SAGA OF THE ANCIENT FOREST Bożena Walencik & Jan Walencik The Saga of the Ancient Forest presents the nature of the Bialowieza Forest, the last remaining of the lowland ones that used to cover nearly the entire continent of Europe. In the area between Poland and Belarus everyone may find roots and see an exclusively nature-made primeval forest. The sophisticated shooting techniques consciously ignore computerized effects. It is with nature sounds that they complete the reflective character of the whole, building up emotions with calls of animals and sophisticated music, rarely using the voice of a narrator. Running time: 10 x 52’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Telewizja Polska S.A Contact Person: Agata Chłopek 17Woronicza Str Warsaw 00-999, Poland T. +48 22 547 5680 F. +48 22 547 4248 [email protected] [email protected] www.tvp.pl 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 397 S 378 BELGIUM Category: Creative Documentaries SAINT-MARCEL. SEEING ALL & NOTHING François Hien A thriller about the relationship between two women, bound by the degenerative illness of one of them who is blind and slowly dying. In this‘huis-clos’with a fantastic film atmosphere, the director finds himself cornered between reality and appearance, madness and reason, truth and lies; reality becomes stronger than fiction. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 398 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 100 S FRANCE Category: History & Politics SANDRA’S PARADISE Marianne Roussy As soon as she moved to the ghetto of El Paraiso in Bogota, Columbia, at the age of seven, Sandra decided she had to do something about the misery and poverty around her. A few years later, she opened up a neighborhood center where young and old come everyday to share a meal and spend time together. Running time: 74’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Les Films duVoilier Contact Person: Steve Moreau Rue Lemecier 29 Paris 75017, France T. +33 1 7550 0144 [email protected] www.lesfilmsduvoilier.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 399 S 507 GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture SCHOOLWAVE ON THE ROCKS Alexandros Grammatopoulos A unique festival has been taking place in Athens for the past 4 years. High school bands from Greece and Europe come and play their own music on a huge stage in front of thousands of their schoolmates. Schoolwave 2008 took place at the Theatro Vrahon (the theater on the rocks) in Vyronas, a northeastern suburb of Athens. The cameras record the frenzied rhythm of the kids on stage, their nervousness before going on and their joy afterwards. For three days they have the leading roles in a play written by themselves and not by adults. Running time: 43’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Schooligans CreativeTeam Contact Person: Christos Ioannidis 6 Saronos Str. Athens 1143,Greece T. + 30 693 661 4715 [email protected] 400 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 212 S GREECE Category: Science & Knowledge SCIENCE’S PATHS: CHRISTOS PAPADIMITRIOU Ioannis Kaspiris George Grammatikakis talks with Christos Papadimitriou, a famous and important researcher in computer science and professor at one of the world’s leading universities as well as at Berkeley, one of the most popular universities in the United States. He became very well known in Greece following the publication of his book Logicomix co-authored with Apostolos Doxiadis.This is a graphic novel, dealing with the genesis of Reason, Reason as science and as the necessity for the existence of a language which can be clear, accurate and logically consistent. In this effort, George Grammatikakis and Christos Papadimitriou talk and compare the level of research of the Greek Academic Community with that of the USA.“It’s true that Greek postgraduate students are probably the best that I have ever had,” he states. He was a student at the National Technical University of Athens and later a postgraduate student at Princeton, a professor at Harvard and MIT. Later on he taught at the NTUA for a short time, but he soon went back to the USA and taught at UC Berkeley. For Christos Papadimitriou, computer science is the precursor of the Internet, which has dramatically changed the world. Algorithms have been a large part of Papadimitriou’s research. He has written a book entitled Algorithms, whose subject is the importance of algorithms in the future of computer science as well as in the future of the world. Running time: 49’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 153 42, Greece T. +30 210 607 5711-12, F. +30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 401 S 318 SOUTH AFRICA Category: Creative Documentaries SEA POINT DAYS François Verster Set between city and ocean, Sea Point Days presents a record of transformation on Cape Town’s coast.ThisToronto Film Festival selected film uses cinematic vignettes to explore issues of belonging, integration, nostalgia, happiness and identity. Beautifully shot, enigmatically edited, complex and richly rewarding, this treat from Emmy award-winning FrançoisVerster will delight fans of the creative documentary genre. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Mercury Media International Contact Person: Patricia Hickey 6 Baseline Studios,Whitchurch Road LondonW11 4AT, UK T. +44 20 7221 7221 F. +44 20 7221 7228 [email protected] www.mercurymedia.org 402 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 154 S IRELAND Category: Current Affairs SEAVIEW Nicky Gogan & Paul Rowley Mosney, on the beautiful Irish coast, is a holiday resort whose glamour and amusementpark atmosphere have long since faded.Today, it houses nearly 800 asylum seekers from around the globe who wait for permission to start their lives over, offering a surreal and incongruous backdrop to their stories.This lyrical and deliberately displacing film captures the irony of a space repurposed and stories of migration put on hold. A unique view into a closed world – we meet the people who have been waiting in the asylum process for years on end in this bizarre no-mans-land. Running time: 82’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Forward Entertainment Contact Person: Sheri Levine 125 East 87th Street, #15B NewYork NY 10128, USA T. +1 914 450 6781 F. +1 212 300 6677 [email protected] www.forwardentertainment.us 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 403 S 131 USA Category: History & Politics SECRECY Peter Galison & Robb Moss In a single recent year the United States classified about five times the number of pages added to the Library of Congress.We live in a world where the production of secret knowledge dwarfs the production of open knowledge. Depending on whom you ask, government secrecy is either the key to victory in our struggle against terrorism, or our Achilles heel. But is so much secrecy a bad thing? This film is about the vast, invisible world of government secrecy. By focusing on classified secrets and the government’s ability to put information out of sight if it would harm national security, Secrecy explores the tensions between our safety as a nation and our ability to function as a democracy. Running time: 81’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Louise Rosen Ltd. Contact Person: Louise Rosen 16 High Street Brusnwick, Maine 04011, USA T. +1 207 725 8215 F. +1 207 725 8057 [email protected] www.louiserosenltd.com 404 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 481 S FRANCE Category: History & Politics SECRET HISTORY: THE GULAG ARCHIPELAGO Jean Crepu It was one of the most important books of the twentieth century. An account so shocking, few believed it could be true. But the real story of how Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago came to be published is just as remarkable as the manuscript itself. In this exclusive new film, Solzhenitsyn and his team of‘invisible’helpers describe how they smuggled his masterpiece to theWest. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Java Films Contact Person: Kathryn Bonnici 4-6VillaThoreton Paris 75015, France T. +33 1 4060 2624 F. +33 1 4060 2649 [email protected] www.javafilms.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 405 S 543 GERMANY Category: Creative Documentaries THE SECRET OF DEVA Anca Miruna Lazarescu The Romanian city of Deva is famous for its medieval castle, the legendary gymnast Nadia Comaneci, and for its poverty. Deva is also famous for its sports boarding school, which for decades has been training world-class gymnasts. Pitic and Malina might be two future stars, but their way to the podium is full of deprivation. They are 8 and 9 years old. Their parents sent them to live in Deva when they were six.They train for four hours every day and spend the rest of their time in school. The filmmaker followed the girls for two years until their first and most important competition. An intimate and moving film about innocent dreams and harsh reality – and with lots of merciless and sometimes bitter moments that make the viewer aware of what physical exercise really means. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Rise and ShineWorld Sales Contact Person: Stefan Kloos 29/30 Schlesische Str. Berlin 10997, Germany T. +49 30 4737 2980 F. +49 30 4737 29820 [email protected] www.riseandshine-berlin.com 406 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 130 S USA Category: Current Affairs SECTION 60: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY Jon Alpert & Matthew O’Neill Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery provides rare, intimate glimpses of the loss, love and pride felt by Section 60 visitors, underscoring the human toll exacted by the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, while honoring those who sacrificed their lives for their country.The directors capture the sights and sounds of this quiet pocket of Arlington National Cemetery, where families and friends grieve, honor, remember and find comfort and community with others who share profound loss. A reverent snapshot of the ever-expanding Section 60, the film comprises vignettes shot from early morning to sundown. Running time: 53’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: HBO International Distribution Contact Person: Dan Selig 1100 Avenue of the Americas NewYork NY 10021, USA T. +1 212 512 1266 [email protected] www.hbotvsales.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 407 S 468 SWITZERLAND Category: Current Affairs SEX TOYS STORIES Anne Deluz & Béatrice Guelpa From “Tupperware”parties to “Fuckerware” ones! Or how the sex toy got rid of its vulgar image and sex taboos. Through three portraits, with delicacy, a lot of humor but also with precision, the film offers a contemporary and surprising vision of these objects of pleasures. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 408 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 565 S SOUTH AFRICA Category: Current Affairs SHAMIELA’S HOUSE Robyn Rorke Shamiela’s House is a milk-and-cookies mother’s extraordinary fight to save her house for her kids. From revolutionary street protests through the halls of power, the battle for her home becomes a balancing act between her roles as an activist, a leader and a mother. It is a sober reflection on the state of South Africa’s democracy. The film is an intimate observation of a mother’s struggle to save her home and her children from being evicted by a mismanaged state-funded housing company. Shamiela is a strict and loving mother, a deeply spiritual person, and her house a haven for many children on the ganglands of CapeTown. The CapeTown Community Housing Company begins unfairly evicting residents.The film follows Shamiela as she reluctantly accepts the position as a community leader in the fight to stop evictions – a public role that she struggles with, being a shy homebody. Shamiela’s first person account of her experience intertwines with observational footage, leading residents from burning tyres through the halls of power. Tension mounts as the community splits between those who support negotiations, and residents who want to resort to revolutionary tactics to be heard. The film is a close and timely comment on the state of grassroots democracy in South Africa two decades after independence. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: nightswimming films cc Contact Person: Robyn Rorke 6 HawthornWay, Pinelands CapeTown 7405, South Africa T. +27 83 420 1705 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 409 S 488 ISRAEL Category: History & Politics SHINING STARS Yael Kipper Maytal, the first film about Maytal, was filmed shortly after the terrorist attack at Dizengoff Center in 1996. Nine years later, I’ve resumed my documentation of Maytal at a point at which her life will once again undergo dramatic change. About a year and a half following the attack, Maytal separated from her husband. And after years on her own, she decides to commence fertility treatments and to have a child as a single mother. The treatments, the bouts of anesthesia, the operations under lifethreatening conditions; all force Maytal, in a single moment, back to the past. The physical distress is enormous, but even more trying is coping emotionally not only with the present difficulty but also with what she has repressed since the attack. The film interlaces with Maytal’s spirit, joining the complex journey down the road of realizing her dream. Running time: 61’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Go2Films Contact Person: Hedva Goldschmidt 37/8 Issar Natanzon St. Jerusalem 97787, Israel T. +972 2 583 1371 F. +972 2 583 5450 [email protected] 410 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 139 S TURKEY Category: Docudrama SHOULD I REALLY DO IT? Ismail Necmi This real-life feature follows the extraordinary life of Petra, a German woman living in Istanbul, in an ironic inversion of the Turkish migrant in Germany. Her life will take such strange turns you’ll think she’s following a script. But we’re actually watching a real life protagonist evolve in the face of life. For, ultimately, nothing is ever as surprising as life. Except, perhaps, fiction! During ‘sessions’ with the mysterious, masked Herold, her life unfolds before our eyes and we learn about everything: Istanbul, Germany, family, friends, drugs and death. Should I Really Do It? plays with these concepts of real life and fiction, documentary and drama... Could life ever be more interesting than fiction? Running time: 86’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Zeyno Film Contact Person: Zeynep Ozbatur Akkavak Sok. No: 6-2 Nisanatasi Istanbul 34365,Turkey T. +90 212 224 0198 F. +90 212 291 7220 [email protected] www.zeynofilm.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 411 S 187 FRANCE-BELGIUM-SENEGAL Category: Lifestyles THE SILENT MONOLOGUE Khady Sylla & Charlie Van Damme Senegal, Dakar, the dawn of the 21st century. Guéro, a young girl exiled from the countryside where she grew up, works as a maid who is at the beck and call of a family living in the poor suburbs of Dakar. Guéro talks to us about her life as a maid in a long monologue full of contained rebelliousness and a desire to escape. A strange mixture of documentary and dramatized fiction, the film uses Guéro’s case as a starting point from which to explore the economic and social conditions that make it possible for women to live in such extreme servitude. It is a reality which one finds hard to accept, and yet it is imposed almost as a way of life. As one of the women in the film says: “This story takes place in Dakar, which is to say, pretty much everywhere, and it’ll take much more than good intentions to make it a part of the past.” Running time: 45’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Andana Films Contact Person: Stephan Riguet LeVillage Lussas 07170, France T. +33 475 943 467 F. +33 475 942 509 [email protected] www.andanafilms.com 412 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 405 S SOUTH AFRICA Category: Lifestyles SILENT RESPONSE Makela Pululu Pululu is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who lost contact with his son when in 2005 Mark walked out the door of their Sea Point flat, choosing to live on the streets. Since then Mark has written to his father asking for forgiveness and this film is Pululu’s response. Running time: 12’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Encounters FF & Distribution Contact Person: Nazeer Ahmed 27 Caledon Street, 1st Floor CapeTown 8000, South Africa T. +27 21 465 4686 F. +27 21 461 6964 [email protected] www.encounters.co.za 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 413 S 311 GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture SING ALONG Lucia Rikaki Sing Along is a film about the experimental amateur choir of the island of Rhodes, a group of 50 musicians offering music to the community. They visit old people‘s homes and invite them to sing along, they visit prisons and encourage the inmates to sing and dance along with the choir. They also participate in international music festivals around the world.The film follows the choir for over three years and documents highlights along their musical journey. Running time: 68’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: TrickyTrick Films Ltd Contact Person: Lucia Rikaki 10 Ionos Dragoumi Str. Athens 11528, Greece T. + 30 210 724 5227 F. + 30 210 729 3776 [email protected] Sales Contact: Greek Film Center Contact Person: Evi Lazari 7 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str. Athens 117 42,Greece T. + 30 210 368 7503 F. + 30 210 361 4336 [email protected] www.gfc.gr 414 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 109 S TURKEY Category: Creative Documentaries SISTERS OF LILITH Emel Çelebi Three women who live in harmony with nature.Yielding to nothing, living at peace with nature by the strength they derive from their own labor. A shepherdess who lives with her flock in wild and remote mountains; a fisherwoman who sails out to sea and casts her nets every day, even though she can’t swim; and a farmer who looks after her household, buying and selling fields when necessary.This is a song of praise for strong and productive women as told through the stories of three characters. Running time: 41’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: ZeZe Film Contact Person: Necati Sonmez Sahkulu Mah. Seraskerci Cik. 4/2 Galata, Beyoglu Istanbul 34420,Turkey T. +90 212 249 9721 [email protected] www.zezefilm.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 415 S 343 GERMANY Category: Current Affairs SISTERS OF NO MERCY Lukas Roegler A shocking inside view of the African human trafficking and forced prostitution business. Sisters of No Mercy tells the very personal stories of Faith, Linda, Betty and Queen – four Nigerian girls whose dream of a better future turned into a prostitution nightmare on the streets of Europe. Recruited from one small animist region in Southern Nigeria, they do not only suffer from the horrible exploitation as sex slaves, but have to go through an occult ‘juju’ritual, which inescapably ties them to their traffickers – until they repay their individual debt of up to €60,000. At the hub of this brutal new African slave trade are the socalled‘Madams’– Nigerian female pimps, who make the human trafficking business from Nigeria the only major organized crime business worldwide controlled by women. Told through the eyes of the trade’s victims, Sisters of No Mercy, for the first time ever, sheds light on a new and vicious form of slavery between Nigeria and countries such as Italy, where today an estimated one in three prostitutes comes from Nigeria. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: United Docs Contact Person: Anne Hufnagel 48-50 Breite Strasse Cologne 50667, Germany T. +49 221 920 690 F. +49 221 920 6969 [email protected] www.united-docs.com 416 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 436 S GERMANY Category: Science & Knowledge THE SKY AND BEYOND – ON THE TRAIL OF DOROTHEA BUCK Alexandra Pohlmeier The Sky and Beyond reflects on the remarkable life of the 91-year-old sculptor Dorothea Buck who cured herself from schizophrenia. Born in 1917, she was overcome by a severe mental crisis at the age of nineteen. During theThird Reich, with the diagnosis of schizophrenia, she was classified as a minor human being. According to the Nazi race policies she was forcibly sterilized in 1936. A few years later she barely escaped“euthanasia”. Contrary to all prognoses – incurable mental illness – Dorothea Buck tried to understand what drove her into psychosis and developed her own theory about her illness.That way she found the key to her own sanity. Between 2001 and 2008, director Alexandra Pohlmeier was able to capture Dorothea Buck’s breathtaking story during regular visits to her home and studio in Hamburg and by traveling with her. Buck’s younger sister provides an outside view, reflecting on the dismay and helplessness most families experience when mental illness strikes in their midst. By accentuating the narrative, Dorothea Buck’s sculptures unfold an impressive body of work. The Sky and Beyond is a film about the life and work of a courageous woman – an encouraging film. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Alexandra Pohlmeier Filmproduktion Contact Person: Alexandra Pohlmeier 10 Bleibtreustr. Berlin 10623, Germany T. +49 30 881 9973 F. +49 30 882 3318 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 417 S 181 SWEDEN Category: Creative Documentaries SLAVES Hanna Heilborn & David Aronowitsch “We were abducted, my mother, father, sister and me. Then they killed my parents and separated me from my sister. I was five,” Abouk tells us in a low voice. “I stayed with one of the men who kidnapped us and took care of his goats.” Slaves is about Abouk, nine years old, and Machiek, fifteen years old. Like thousands of other children they were taken by government sponsored militia in Sudan and used as slaves. They were later liberated by an organization headed by James Aguer. Slaves is based on an interview made in 2003 and is the second film in a series of animated documentaries with and about children in difficult situations. Running time: 15’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Story AB Contact Person: David Aronowitsch, Hanna Heilborn 2aVirkesvägen Stockholm SE 12030, Sweden T. +46 8 156 280 F. +46 8 156 282 [email protected] [email protected] www.story.se 418 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 190 S KENYA Category: Current Affairs SLUM SURVIVORS Peter Murimi & David Gough Worldwide, more than a billion people live in slums. As many as one million of them in the Kenyan slum of Kibera. Slum Survivors tells the stories of a few of them and charts their remarkable courage in the face of extreme poverty. Running time: 42’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Irin News Contact Person: David Gough Ocha House, Un Crescent Nairobi, Kenya T. +254 20 762 2147 [email protected] www.irinnews.org 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 419 S 363 UK Category: History & Politics SO HELP ME GOD Simon Cole The English “advertising Guru” Simon Cole loves his job, his beautiful car and his wife. But there is no connection to God. He starts a personal and amusing journey across America and its religious people, trying to find the meaning of God in the 21st century. This documentary is the first collaboration from the acclaimed Cole Brothers (Ben, Nigel & Simon Cole). Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Autlook Filmsales Contact Person: Susanne Guggenberger 4/17 Trappelgasse Vienna 1040, Austria T. +43 720 346 934 / +43 676 900 3771 [email protected] www.autlookfilms.com 420 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 115 S UK Category: Creative Documentaries THE SOLITARY LIFE OF CRANES Eva Weber Part city symphony part visual poem, The Solitary Life of Cranes explores the invisible life of a city, its patterns and hidden secrets, seen through the eyes of crane drivers working high above its streets. Running time: 27’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Odd Girl Out Productions Contact Person: Samantha Zarzosa 10 Kemp House, Sweardstone Road London E2 9JL, UK T. +44 20 8980 3834 [email protected] www.oddgirlout.co.uk 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 421 S 541 GERMANY Category: Current Affairs SONBOL Niko Apel “Why can’t you actually find a man?”Sonbol is asked by her mother.The answer is silence. Sonbol Fatemi is 35: she is attractive, single and divorced, has her own dentist surgery, likes to tell dirty jokes and has a passion for car racing – competing against men. Sonbol lives in the holy city of Mashad, in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Living a life like this in Iran means that she has to fight everyday. Against her mother who would love to arrange another marriage for her. Against the sports administration that wants to exclude women from rallies altogether. And, not least, against her own doubts about God and whether He is actually by her side. Sonbol gives a unique insight into a torn society by painting the portrait of an extraordinary and unconventional woman who pays a high price in order to be her self. Running time: 54’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Rise and ShineWorld Sales Contact Person: Stefan Kloos 29/30 Schlesische Str. Berlin 10997, Germany T. +49 30 4737 2980 F. +49 30 4737 29820 [email protected] www.riseandshine-berlin.com 422 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 213 S GREECE Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife SOS ANIMALS IN DANGER Angelos Kovotsos The Greek episode of the European TV series SOS Animals in Danger focuses on the Viper of Milos, the sea turtle Caretta-Caretta, and the brown bear; these animals are threatened with extinction and are therefore protected.The case of the Dalmatian Pelican – the fourth animal featured in the film – is quite a different one: after successful measures for the protection and management of its habitat in Northern Greece, this bird’s population has been restored to an impressive degree. The episode is in four parts and there is no narration. Each animal’s habitat is presented by a young child (between 8 and 10 years of age), who interviews the environmental scientists working for its protection. Filmed on the islands of Milos and Crete, in the village of Nymphaeon, on Mount Hasia and the Prespes Lakes, the Greek episode tries to help young viewers become better acquainted with the wealth of Greek nature and the passion of the people who work in environmental protection programs. Running time: 26’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12 F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 423 S 490 ISRAEL Category: Adventure & Travel SOUL TRIPPING Michael Greenspan Jewish communities around the world are surrendering to the lure of assimilation. In an effort to reverse this trend, Jewish mega-philanthropists are bringing tens of thousands of young Jews on free visits to Israel in a project calledTaglit Birthright Israel. Photographed in the US and Israel, this hour-long documentary follows three young American Jews as they make the journey: Rachel – a 26-year-old public-relations professional, married to a non-Jew and raising their adopted son in a mixed religious environment. Emma – a 22-year-old actress, the daughter of two lesbians, who is seeking to resolve her alternative lifestyle with her sense of Jewish identity. Michelle – a 27-year-old singer-songwriter who joined the firstTBI trip in 2000. Soul Tripping seeks to understand how TBI affects the lives of participants. Hosted by Israeli television journalist Linoy Bar-Geffen, it blends a whirlwind journey through Israel, moments of fun and adventure, with intimate, personal experiences. It includes revealing video blogs photographed by the participants themselves. Running time: 50’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Go2Films Contact Person: Hedva Goldschmidt 37/8 Issar Natanzon St. Jerusalem 97787, Israel T. +972 2 583 1371 F. +972 2 583 5450 [email protected] 424 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 323 S LITHUANIA Category: History & Politics THE SOVIET STORY Edvins Snore The Soviet Story offers an alternative history of an Allied power; a regime which helped the Nazis to murder Jews, which slaughtered its own people on an industrial scale, and whose crimes were largely ignored by theWest.The complete story of Europe’s most murderous regime has never been told. Until now… Running time: 85’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Mercury Media International Contact Person: Patricia Hickey 6 Baseline Studios,Whitchurch Road LondonW11 4AT, UK T. +44 20 7221 7221 F. +44 20 7221 7228 [email protected] www.mercurymedia.org 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 425 S 516 GREECE Category: Lifestyles SPECIAL RIDES WITH A MOTORBIKE Eleftherios Katsaros Someone with a motorbike takes it upon himself to offer help and transport sight impaired people to their jobs and anywhere else they wish to be taken. Out of these journeys, we really come to terms with and get a feel for the daily grind, the problems and the ways in which these people, who live mainly in Athens, occupy themselves. Running time: 60’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Video-books.gr Contact Person: Eleftherios Katsaros 27 Fanariou Street Athens 171 24, Greece T. +30 213 006 7576 F. +30 210 523 0322 [email protected] 426 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 586 S MEXICO Category: Art/Music & Culture SPENCER TUNICK IN MEXICO Javier Garcia Rivera Spencer Tunick, the well known contemporary artist who has traveled all over the world photographing individual and massive naked body installations, visited Mexico City and introduced us to a new face of the city with his work. Reaching more than 18,000 participants, Spencer touched their souls in more than one way and, for some of them, changed their lives. Even though the artist had already photographed this kind of installation many times, the Mexican people gave him more than he could expect from them. This documentary that ran to the final stage of the Emmy International Awards for Arts Programming is a visual retrieval of those events and a mosaic of opinions and experiences of those who shared that day. Running time: 55’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 427 S 164 USA Category: Art/Music & Culture SQUEEZEBOX! Steve Saporito & Zach Shaffer During the turbulent reign of Mayor Giuliani in the 90s whenTimes Square was being sold to Disney and sex clubs were shuttered in favor of fast food chains, there was a brief shining moment when drag queens rocked New York nightlife. The epicenter of that moment was SqueezeBox,a weeklypansexual rockand roll party at Don Hill’s nightclub.Started as a refuge for gay rock and rollers who felt like outsiders in both the gay and rock worlds, the party grew to become a landmark event in nightlife history. By bringing together two seemingly contradictory worlds, SqueezeBox engendered a spirit of universal acceptance for everyone who passed through its doors.What transpired for seven years on the corner of Spring and Greenwich was an often hilarious, always rocking, and frequently debauched assemblage of everything from the ridiculous to the profane. SqueezeBox! re-creates the chaotic, frenetic, and unapologetic energy of the club and spotlights the people and the times that demanded something original in an ever increasingly capitalistic world. Running time: 93’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Moving Forward Pictures Contact Person: Steven Saporito 130 Berry Street Brooklyn NY 11211, USA T. +1 323 810 4915 [email protected] [email protected] 428 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 205 S GREECE Category: Creative Documentaries THE STARE OF THE ANIMAL Angelos Panagou As he works, the painterVassilis Stavrou makes mental trips to the place where his images originate.This film doesn’t endeavor to analyze his technique (a combination of painting and photography); rather, it’s an attempt to express the inner journey of his images from their place of origin, the little Greek village in Epirus where Stavrou grew up, to the finished canvas. The texts are a selection of the artist’s notes, intercut with excerpts from an old diary that his grandfather kept between 1922-1937. While in his diary his grandfather constantly refers to the struggle against nature to keep life going, the artist’s struggle consists in trying to achieve a more precise depiction of these primal images that accompany him while he works; images in which the “stare of the animal” is the main theme. Running time: 16’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Repo Film Contact Person: Angelos Panagou Petsovou 7 Athens 11473, Greece T. + 30 210 523 8436 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 429 S 328 GERMANY-ITALY Category: Science & Knowledge STATES OF MIND Elisa Mishto A nurse and three mental patients take turns playing the lead roles in four stories told over four seasons.Their world within the rooms and hallways of the psychiatric clinic is at once brutally honest, tragic, and poetic. Moving through summer, autumn, winter, and spring, we are presented with the stories of four individuals moving through crisis, waiting, normalization, and adjustment. Elements of their previous lives and of their current daily adventures are told with the lightness of a fairy tale or the playfulness of a game, but without omitting the harshest and most melancholic aspects of their existence. Running time: 52’& 85’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Wide Management Contact Person: Anais Clanet 40 rue Sainte Anne Paris 75002, France T. +33 1 5395 0464 F. +33 1 5395 0465 [email protected] www.widemanagement.com 430 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 319 S UK Category: Science & Knowledge STEAL THIS FILM Jamie King Following the success of the original Steal This Film with over 5 million downloads, this revised edition takes a second electrifying look at how copyright theft threatens to destroy existing intellectual copyright conventions. The sudden and unexpected emergence of ‘Peer to Peer’ technology has taken Hollywood and the entire entertainment industry by surprise and has changed the way the public think about music and film, and its exploitation. This documentary shows how widespread piracy has become and how it threatens the business models driving the media industry. Running time: 45’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Mercury Media International Contact Person: Patricia Hickey 6 Baseline Studios,Whitchurch Road LondonW11 4AT, UK T. +44 20 7221 7221 F. +44 20 7221 7228 [email protected] www.mercurymedia.org 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 431 S 552 POLAND Category: Creative Documentary STEP BY STEP Marcin Pieczonka Three young, teenaged Italians visit Mielno, northern Poland. Every day, wearing extra-designed suits, they practice walking, step by step. The rehabilitation center in Mielno specializes in paraplesis. Although being in a difficult position – Serena, Genny and Gianluca retain hopefulness, a sense of humor and joy of life. The film is about living “despite”or “nevertheless”. Running time: 28’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Krakow Film Foundation Contact Person: KatarzynaWilk 5 Morawskiego p.434 Krakow 30-102, Poland T. +48 12 294 6945 [email protected] www.kff.com.pl 432 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 374 S BELGIUM Category: Art/Music & Culture STOLEN ART Simon Backès A criminal and esthetical investigation of artist Pavel Novak, virtuoso forger wanted by the FBI and on his 1978 Stolen Art exhibition in New York that caused a scandal. Some pieces proved to be originals. Specialists discuss our relation to Art as cultural object but also merchandise. A film as a hoax to reveal the real emotion an art piece awakes in us. Does beauty exist without copyright? Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 433 S 341 GERMANY Category: Art/Music & Culture STUMBLING STONE Dorte Franke The stumbling stones of the title are small concrete blocks covered with a sheet of brass, embedded flush into the footpath in front of the last residence of Nazi victims. Engraved on the plaque is the legend“Hier wohnte”(Here lived), followed by a name, the date of deportation and the place of death. With this project, conceptual artist Gunter Demnig aims to give back to the nameless victims their identity. It has triggered an avalanche. There are now 6,000 of these blocks all across Germany –and they will soon be arriving elsewhere in Europe. Demnig prepares each individual block himself and installs it personally. The film portrays the stumbling stones on shining projection screens, which are used to help us deal with the history of the Third Reich today in a very tangible manner. They also have a polarizing effect, because they are a democratic form of memorial, which were not commissioned by any government, through which we are confronted with moving personal histories and experience a heated, social controversy that is spreading further across Europe every day. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: United Docs Contact Person: Anne Hufnagel 48-50 Breite Strasse Cologne 50667, Germany T. +49 221 920 690 F. +49 221 920 6969 [email protected] www.united-docs.com 434 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 582 S ITALY Category: Adventure & Travel SUCH A GAME – A BOSNIAN JOURNEY Renato Giugliano War has always been a game in the hands of the few who play as they like with the destiny of people, their lives and countries. Years after the end of the Bosnian conflict, its effects are still present in every day life, though the youngsters are trying to forget. Four Italian friends wanted to see with their eyes what comes out of if, by traveling through the country and meeting people. Running time: 13’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: RLP - Renato Giugliano Contact Person: Renato Giugliano 17 via S. Campagnoli Bologna 40128, Italy T. +39 335 667 8740 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 435 S 417 ITALY Category: Art/Music & Culture SUSPENDED STEPS I Marco Valentini The Passi Sospesi I (Suspended Steps I) theater project took place in the Santa Maria Maggiore District Prison (Venice). It started in September 2006 and ended in September 2007. It was led and coordinated by Michalis Traitsis, a sociologist, actor and theater teacher from the cultural association Balamòs. The project in the Santa Maria Maggiore District Prison consisted of a theater workshop based on actor dramaturgy, Stanislavski’s method, theory and techniques about forum theatre. The video record shows a summary of the theatre workshop with commentary and remarks by Michalis Traitsis, accounts given by people who helped with the project, members of the prison authorities and inmates. Finally, it shows some scenes from Vite Parallele (Parallel Lives), the ForumTheater performance that took place in the Santa Maria Maggiore District Prison inVenice, before an audience of inmates, guests, educational staff, social workers and university lecturers and students. Running time: 30’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Associazione Culturale Balamòs Contact Person: MichalisTraitsis 5 Via Belli Ferrara 44100, Italy T. +39 328 8120452 [email protected] www.balamos.it 436 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 418 S ITALY Category: Art/Music & Culture SUSPENDED STEPS II Marco Valentini The Passi Sospesi II (Suspended Steps II) theater project took place in the SAT District Prison (Giudecca,Venice). It started in September 2006 and ended in September 2007. It was led and coordinated by MichalisTraitsis, a sociologist, actor and theater teacher from the cultural association Balamòs. The project in the SAT District Prison consisted of a theater workshop based on the techniques of narration, singing and the construction and use of stage props for open spaces. The video record shows a summary of the theatre workshop with commentary and remarks by MichalisTraitsis, accounts given by people who helped with the project, members of the prison authorities and inmates. Finally, it shows some scenes from Storie Sconte (Secret Stories), the walkabout performance staged in the SAT District Prison in Giudecca, Venice, before an audience of inmates, guests, educational staff, social workers and university lecturers and students. Running time: 30’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Associazione Culturale Balamòs Contact Person: MichalisTraitsis 5 Via Belli Ferrara 44100, Italy T. +39 328 8120452 [email protected] www.balamos.it 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 437 S 336 THE NETHERLANDS Category: Creative Documentaries SWEETY – THE FRIENDS, BETRAYAL AND MURDER OF MAJA BRADARIC Menna Laura Meijer On November 17, 2003, Maja Bradaric was killed by three of her friends during a car ride. They strangled her, burned her body in the countryside and cold-bloodedly paid their respects to her family. She was 16 years old. Maja’s best friend Nina was the girlfriend of one of the murderers. She was convicted for her alleged foreknowledge of the murder plan. In the film, Nina talks about her experiences for the first time. Friends of Maja ask themselves how this murder could have taken place in their midst and why none of them saw it coming. Sweety tells the story of a group of close friends and how evil came to them disguised as a friend, changing their lives forever. Running time: 92’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Pieter van Huystee Film Contact Person: Curien Kroon 37-39 Noordermarkt Amsterdam 1015 NA,The Netherlands T. +31 20 421 0606 F. +31 20 638 6255 [email protected] www.pvhfilm.nl 438 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 182 S SPAIN Category: Current Affairs SWIMMING Carla Subirana Α grandfather who disappeared and was executed in the civil war for carrying out three armed attacks, a grandmother who died of Alzheimer’s and a mother suffering from the same illness. Swimming is a personal journey of director Carla Subirana that reflects on the loss of historical memory and the search for personal identity through the reconstruction of the past. But, above all, it enables us to see how later generations face up to reconstructing the past. Running time: 93’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Benece Produccions Contact Person: David Matamoros 10 PassatgeTona Barcelona 08023, Spain T. +34 93 284 0719 F. +34 93 219 5117 [email protected] www.benece.es 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 439 309 T GREECE Category: Arts, Music, & Culture T 4 TROUBLE AND THE SELF ADMIRATION SOCIETY Dimitris Athiridis Fifty-six-year-old Terry Papadinas lives in Thessaloniki, Greece, is a musician and is desperately seeking a job. Raised in New York during the 60s, he became a star of the indie rock scene upon his return to seventies Greece. A charming, charismatic man, he became an icon and a representative of rock subculture, so often typified by reactionary self-destruction. Today, a recluse living on the fringes of society, Papadinas bears his soul to the camera and reveals a state of mind that reflects a wider societal phenomenon. This is the story of a life lived by the values of rock mythology; a unique journey through the songs of a forgotten artist, painfully seeking recognition and salvation. Running time: 108’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: 2K Films Contact Person: George Kalomenopoulos 47 Kokkinara Str. Athens 14563, Greece T. + 30 210 801 0432 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 441 T 144 USA Category: Current Affairs TAKING ROOT: THE VISION OF WANGARI MAATHAI Lisa Merton & Alan Dater Taking Root tells the story of the Green Belt Movement of Kenya and its founder Wangari Maathai, the first environmentalist and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In response to rural women’s problems stemming from a degraded environment, Maathai suggested they plant trees. Starting with this simple act, these women worked successively against deforestation, poverty, and violent political oppression until they became a political force that helped to bring down Kenya’s 24-year dictatorship. The film follows Maathai’s courageous thirty-year journey to safeguard the environment, democracy and peace. Running time: 80’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Marlboro Productions Contact Person: Rebecca Rueter PO Box 96 Marlboro,VT 05344-0096, USA T. +1 802 257 0743 F. +1 802 257 0743 [email protected] 442 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 409 T ISRAEL Category: Creative Documentaries THE TALE OF NICOLAI & THE LAW OF RETURN David Ofek The story of Nicolai begins in a tiny, remote village in the Romanian region of Moldavia. With the collapse of communism, Nicolai – like many thousands of other villagers – suddenly found himself out of work, so he decided to seek his fortune overseas, far from his family and home. For three years he worked as a guest laborer in Israel, exploited to the hilt by the company that sent him there. He had little contact with his wife, who gave birth in his absence. Finally, determined to gain control of his destiny, Nicolai fled his employer and became an “illegal”. He was caught by the police and sent to prison, but suddenly his life took an abrupt turn and at once everything changed… Nicolai plays himself in this film, and relives the dramatic events of his life. As his story unfolds, the film raises ethical questions about life in Israel and the kind of law that defines Israel’s national identity. Running time: 54’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Eden Productions Contact Person: Edna Kowarsky 84 Arlozorov St. Tel Aviv 62647, Israel T. +972 3 527 3403 F. +972 3 523 6076 [email protected] www.edenproductions.co.il 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 443 T 353 ITALY Category: Adventure & Travel THE TALKING TREE Nello Correale A journey of discovery of the rural radio stations in Mali. From Bamako to Djennem, down to the Dogon people, the film is a refreshing account of the day-to-day struggles of ingenious local broadcasters. We get to see first-hand a largely unknown face of Africa, through encounters with colorful characters in unexpected places and the telling of their entertaining stories. In times of technological divide, radio may be considered the most democratic media and is certainly the one that best reflects Africa’s tradition of oral communication. Rural radio has come to play an important role throughout the continent, and Mali is the country where it has gained its strongest foothold. Running time: 45’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Vitagraph Contact Person: Filippo D’Angelo 1 Via Schiavonia Bologna 40121, Italy T. +39 05 126 7150 F. +39 05 126 7150 [email protected] 444 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 439 T UK-INDIA Category: Lifestyles TANTRIC TOURISTS Alexander Snelling A cult comedy/documentary combining the rich and slightly tarnished tapestry of India with a hysterical comedy of errors. Enigmatic NewYork tantric guru/charlatan Laurie Handlers aims to transform a small group of American followers through the misadventure of their first trip to India in search of spiritual enlightenment; a very human and remarkably warm tale unfolds. This cinematic documentary, narrated by Steven Berkoff, is a study in contradiction which invites the audience to laugh at the Tantric Tourists, then laugh with them, ultimately turning the mirror on themselves. Tantric Tourist works on many levels, it is a quest in cutting edge cinema, set to challenge preconceptions and entertain. Running time: 80’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Slack Alice Films Contact Person: Kirsty Allison Lionel Road Studios, 370 Lionel Road North LondonTW8 9QX, UK T. +44 20 8560 8006 [email protected] www.slackalicefilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 445 T 250 PALESTINE Category: Lifestyles TASTE THE REVOLUTION Buthina Canaan Khoury A personal family story about my brothers who returned to Palestine after living in the US for 30 years to fulfill our father’s dream and establish a business. Not only returning to Palestine, but also investing his education, experience, knowledge and the family money to open the first micro brewery in the entire Middle East right after the Oslo agreement on the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis. In spite of the hardship and constant obstacles of the unpredictable life in Palestine, Nadim Khoury and his brother Dahoud Khoury’s success has given hope to others. Taybeh brewery became the central focus for the international media and attracted many tourists and locals to trust the new taste of the revolution in making an excellent quality local product. Running time: 27’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Majd Production Contact Person: Buthina Canaan Khoury Main St #1 Taybeh Ramallah 0000, Palestine T. +972 599 423 408 F. +972 2 289 8022 [email protected] 446 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 590 T UK Category: Art/Music & Culture THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC Chris Swanton Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones. The old musical masters are back, courtesy of a curious sleight of hand and clever counterfeit skills. The forgers are good and bad, but the best can pack the Albert Hall and pull in a good living. The greatest fakes play full time, touring the UK and the world. This film looks at some of the most successful acts on the UK tribute scene, goes backstage with them and watches them on stage, seeing the rapturous reception they receive. The Bootleg Beatles have been together for 26 years; but as they approach middle-age, we ask if they mind still pulling on the wigs and pulling in the stomachs. We also talk to the fake Marc Bolan, who has the blessing of Marc’s wife June, is a close friend of Bolan’s son, Roland, and is married to Bolan’s ex-baby sitter, Karen. And the onetime girlfriend of Brian Jones is very close to the fake Brian in the fake Rolling Stones. So have the fakes become a little too real? And are they real enough to satisfy fans? In the end, we ask if being fake is real enough. Running time: 56’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: EspressoTV Contact Person: David Hooper 25YorkVillas Brighton BN1 3TS, UK T. +44 1273 730 929 F. +44 1273 299 403 [email protected] www.espressotv.co.uk 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 447 T 329 FRANCE Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife THAT SHOULD NOT BE Jean Paul Jaud In Europe every year 100,000 children die of diseases caused by the environment. In Europe 70% of cancers are linked to the environment: 30% to pollution and 40% to food. In Europe cases of cancer in children have been increasing by 1.1% yearly for 30 years. In France the number of cancers in males has increased by 93% in 25 years. In a little French community at the foot of the Cévennes Mountains, the mayor has decided to take a stance by making the school canteen organic. Here, as everywhere else, people are confronted with the anxiety of the dangers of industrial and agro-chemical pollution. It’s the start of a fight against a process that could become irreversible, a fight to stop our children from blaming us in the future. Running time: 112’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Wide Management Contact Person: Anais Clanet 40 rue Sainte Anne Paris 75002, France T. +33 1 5395 0464 F. +33 1 5395 0465 [email protected] www.widemanagement.com 448 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 399 T CZECH REPUBLIC Category: Creative Documentaries THEM, US AND SKITSKOJ – A DIALOGUE IN THE EDITING ROOM Zdeněk N. Bričkovský In an inaccessible forestland on the river Pizhma, on the island of Skitskoj located in the north of European Russia, there lives a community of Old Believers,.They are hidden from civilization and the changing outside world. The film is about isolation, prejudice and building“bridges”to bring people together. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: JMT Films Distribution Contact Person: MichaelTreves 20 Bialik Street Tel Aviv 63324, Israel T. +972 52 363 3398 [email protected] www.jmtfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 449 T 508 GERMANY Category: Art/Music & Culture THEO ANGELOPOULOS FILMS DUST OF TIME Nicos Lygouris Berlin, winter 2008.Theo Angelopoulos is shooting Dust of Time.This film is not a “making of documentary”, but rather the portrait of a monomaniac artist at work during 8 days of shooting, from 18 January to 16 February 2008. Running time: 47’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: German united distributors Contact Person: Betina Oebel 48-50, Breite Str. Cologne 50667,Germany T. + 49 2219 2069-31 F. + 49 2219 2069-69 [email protected] 450 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 509 T GREECE Category: Creative Documentaries THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY Stavros Psillakis Even after the Civil War had ended in the rest of Greece, a small rump of the Democratic Army, six men and two women, remained in hiding for 14 years in Hania, Crete, where they continued to take part in illegal political activity. In 1962, six of the former partisans escaped, via Italy, to Tashkent. The documentary focuses on the three who are still alive. The film reveals the miraculous endurance of the broken remnants of the Democratic Army and the self-sacrifice of the ordinary people who hid them. It shows that the main protagonists and the unsung heroes of this story are equally exceptional, embodying not just ideology, but a deep dedication to mankind and human dignity. Running time: 87’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Stavros Psillakis Contact Person: Stavros Psilakis 5 Avgerinou Str. Athens 11522, Greece T. + 30 210 646 4797 [email protected] Sales Contact: Greek Film Center Contact Person: Evi Lazari 7 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str. Athens 117 42,Greece T. + 30 210 368 7503 F. + 30 210 361 4336 [email protected] www.gfc.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 451 T 179 USA Category: Docudrama THIS DUST OF WORDS Bill Rose Thirty years after he last saw her, Stanford English professor John Felstiner finds mystery and wonder in the life of a former student, and in her death. This Dust of Words, whose title is taken from ElizabethWiltsee’s Stanford honors’ thesis, is a meditation on her extraordinary and tumultuous life, as well as the story of how parishioners in a small central California town managed with uncommon kindness and compassion, to keep this brilliant and fragile woman alive, for a time. An elegy for a life lived differently – tragic, beautiful and haunting, right to the end. Running time: 59’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Bill Rose 1990 Newell Road Palo Alto CA 94303, USA T. +1 650 324 1799 F. +1 650 325 3211 [email protected] www.thisdustofwords.com 452 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 320 T USA Category: History & Politics THIS IS NOT A ROBBERY Lucas Jansen & Adam Kurland J.L.“Red”Rountree was the oldest bank robber in US history. He spent his final years robbing banks up and down the Gulf Coast. But the real story’s not about where Red ended up, but how he got there. In this perversion of the American dream, we explore the life of an outrageous and poignant character and his transformation from millionaire family man to 92-year-old outlaw. Running time: 75’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Mercury Media International Contact Person: Patricia Hickey 6 Baseline Studios,Whitchurch Road LondonW11 4AT, UK T. +44 20 7221 7221 F. +44 20 7221 7228 [email protected] www.mercurymedia.org 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 453 T 376 BELGIUM Category: Creative Documentaries THOSE WAITING FOR THE BIRDS Eve Dea The portrait, against the backdrop of a small mining town, of a long-time homing pigeon champion who perpetuates this popular practice. A traditional sport, amateur, open to all, that questions contemporary sport’s evolution. In Belgium, internationally renowned for breed quality and for specialized products, this sport has become a business and a science. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 454 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 102 T LATVIA Category: Creative Documentaries THREE MEN AND A FISH POND Laila Pakalnina & Māris Maskalāns Three elderly country bachelors idle away their time amidst semi-wild nature, closer to birds and pond fish than to humans. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Vides Filmu Studija Contact Person: Uldis Cekulis 17 Lapus Street Riga LV1002, Latvia T. +371 6750 3588, F. +371 6750 3589 [email protected] www.vfs.lv 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 455 T 530 BULGARIA Category: Lifestyles THREE MEN BY THE WATER Ralitza Dimitrova Three men are awaiting the Big Fish. They have the camera on standby so that they can photograph it, hanging on the fishing string. They discuss the ways to cook it for dinner. Or simply how to deep freeze it and preserve it for the next day. This is a documentary about the faith in the Big Catch – while standing by the water where you can see the fin of the fish sparkling right next to you, only to swim away. And you keep on waiting with the same old smile upon your face. Running time: 48’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Bulgarian NationalTelevision Contact Person: Daniela Kuzmanova 29 San Stefano Street Sofia 1504, Bulgaria T. +359 2 814 2390 F. +359 2 943 6045 [email protected] www.bnt.bg 456 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 349 T FRANCE-ITALY Category: Adventure & Travel TIBER Catia Ott An unusual portrait of Rome viewed from theTiber, a historical walk starting in the northern residential districts and continuing along the buildings of the Fascist age and the locations ofVittorio de Sica’s Bicycle Thief, down to the relics of the commercial port near the seaside. Discovering an unknown Rome, between the remains of industrial archaeology, the districts being renovated and the spots that inspired Pier Paolo Pasolini’s early novels. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Vitagraph Contact Person: Filippo D’Angelo 1 Via Schiavonia Bologna 40121, Italy T. +39 05 126 7150 F. +39 05 126 7150 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 457 T 122 DENMARK Category: Current Affairs TICKET TO PARADISE Janus Metz In a small village in the northeast of Thailand there are two kinds of families. Those who have a daughter married to a Dane, and those who don’t.The former live in concrete buildings, the latter in small wooden cottages. Sommai is the queen of the village. Normally she works in a factory in Denmark. But now she is back inThailand, where the young girls flock around her. They hope she can help them find a Danish husband. Life in the West, however, has its price and the women often need to make difficult decisions while pursuing their dreams. For the newly-married Kae this means that she has to leave her child behind. As for young Saeng, her ticket to paradise is through the sex-bars in Pattaya. Running time: 59’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: DR International Sales Contact Person: Sanna Arlø 20 Emil Holms Kanal Copenhagen C DK 0999, Denmark T. +45 3520 3040 F. +45 3520 3969 [email protected] www.drsales.dk 458 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 286 T USA Category: Discoveries/Nature/Wildlife THE TIGER NEXT DOOR Camilla Calamandrei As populations of tigers in the wilds of Asia and India dwindle dangerously close to extinction, experts estimate that there are currently 7,000-10,000 domestically bred tigers being kept by private individuals in the United States. This means that there are more tigers in private captivity, eating frozen turkey, and living in roadside zoos, in this country than there are roaming the wilds in the world. Twenty-four of them live in Dennis H’s backyard in Flat Rock, Indiana. The Tiger Next Door follows the story of one man who has been keeping, breeding, and selling Bengal tigers from his backyard for over fifteen years. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 459 T 390 USA-CHINA Category: Current Affairs TONGZHI IN LOVE Ruby Yang “Of the three filial offenses, failing to maintain the subsequent generation is the worst.” Confucian Teaching “Frog”Cui and his gay friends are torn between the lures of city life and the stern demands of Chinese tradition.They live in cosmopolitan Beijing, reveling in the freedom that it affords them. But traditionally, a Chinese son’s solemn duty is to produce a child and carry forward the family line. That China’s laws limit most families to a single child only compounds the pressures on gay men. Many resort to sham marriages. When his mother arrives to find him a girlfriend, Frog, 28 years old, understands that he cannot delay much longer.“Some of my gay friends have married lesbians,” he confides. “At the wedding, I saw how happy their parents were.” Long Ze, even as he relishes his sexual life with men, lashes out against gays who refuse to marry. “That attitude is selfish, completely selfish… If you live your whole life for yourself, not for your parents,” he says, “how are you going to fulfill your responsibilities as a Chinese man?”Frog’s good friend, Xiang Feng, has asserted that he will come out to his parents on his next visit home. But when he and Frog travel the thousand miles into the Chinese countryside to the family village, events do not unfold as planned. The film is directed by Ruby Yang who, together with producer Thomas Lennon, won a documentary Oscar in 2006. Yang Yishu was field producer and cinematographer. Running time: 30’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Smiley Film Sales Contact Person: Ewa Bigio PO Box 90943 AMSC Auckland 1142, New Zealand T. +64 9 360 0325, F. +64 9 360 0163 [email protected] www.smileyfilmsales.com 460 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 116 T ΙRAN Category: Art/Music & Culture TORGHEH Mohammad Hassan Damanzan Four Iranian women from the northern province of Khorasan, who play the dotar and sing, come up against life’s challenges. Although they face several social problems, they have a common passion: to relieve their pain through music. Even though they suffer social prejudice and segregation on a daily basis, the film depicts how music soothes them. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Sheherazad Media International Contact Person: Katayoon Shahabi 2, 3rd Sarvestan, Pasdaran St., Shariati Ave. Tehran 16619, Iran T. +98 21 2286 3260 / +98 21 2286 3261 F. +98 21 2285 8962 [email protected] [email protected] www.smediaint.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 461 T 428 BULGARIA-ITALY Category: History & Politics TOTAL DENIAL Milena Kaneva Burmese activist Ka Hsaw Wa, who lives as a fugitive outlaw, and his American wife initiated a lawsuit in a US court against Unocal, an oil company. In the case, 15 villagers sued the company for human rights abuses, accusing it of collaborating with the Myanmar military to build a pipeline using forced labor. The film reveals the crisis in Myanmar and demonstrates how international companies cooperate with tyrant governments for financial profit. Running time: 53’& 93’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 462 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 510 T GREECE Category: Current Affairs TOWARDS A NEW BEGINNING Maria Schina The stories of three families of immigrants who now live permanently on the island of Kythera.Through their narration we follow their journeys from their countries of origin to Greece and the problems they have to deal with as they adapt to their new homeland. Edi from Albania, who has lived in Kythera for the past seventeen years, has built a steady life for himself and his family, although he still has the same problems with his residence papers as he did 17 years ago. Maria from Bulgaria, who went through many difficulties along the way, can now finally say:“The world is ‘open’, borders are free, you can go wherever you want, live wherever you want”. Lastly, there’s Liana and her husband, both from Georgia and with roots in Asia Minor.They were uprooted from their motherland, just as their grandparents were in 1922. Running time: 28’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Kytherios Music Contact Persons: Panayotis Leftheris, Maria Schina Trifillianika Kythera 80 200, Greece T. +30 2736 033 327 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 463 T 252 THE NETHERLANDS Category: Current Affairs TRANSIT DUBAI Ineke Smits In the heart of the Middle East, a brand new, modern city is rapidly rising – the city of Dubai. But no city can or will exist without a population, and Dubai’s population is a unique one. More than 80 percent of its inhabitants are temporary immigrants of European, Asian, American and Middle-East origin. Whether it be to earn fast money, to live a life of luxury, to labor seven days a week to support the family back home, or to enjoy the freedoms of a Middle-East city with flexible morals, they all eventually want to go home. Except for the privileged locals, who have no choice but to see their home town grow into something nobody can predict the future of. Through the eyes of four photography students, we step through the glittering façade of a city that might just be a mirage. Running time: 72’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: NPO/RNW Sales Contact Person: Kaisa Kriek 45 Sumatralaan Hilversum 1217 GP,The Netherlands T. +31 35 677 3561 F. +31 35 677 5318 [email protected] www.nposales.com 464 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 400 T ISRAEL Category: Creative Documentaries TRANSPARENT TIME Gali Meiri At the age of 33, Eylon Nuphar, co-creator and founder of Mayumana the world-renowned performance group, is at the peak of her career. One day, in the middle of a European tour, Eylon gets a distressing message: The mammogram that she had taken revealed a suspicious lump in her breast; she finds herself facing a whirlwind of challenges while fighting breast cancer. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: JMT Films Distribution Contact Person: MichaelTreves 20 Bialik Street Tel Aviv 63324, Israel T. +972 52 363 3398 [email protected] www.jmtfilms.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 465 T 475 SWITZERLAND Category: History & Politics THE TWILIGHT OF THE CELTS Stéphane Goël French-speaking Switzerland is the scene of an extraordinary discovery. On Mormont Hill, diggers have unearthed a huge Celtic sanctuary, the largest known to date.Two thousand years ago, the Helvetians dug hundreds of shafts in this isolated spot to deposit offerings to their gods: objects, animals, and fragments of human bodies. The discovery enables archaeologists to inquire into the religious practice of our ancestors. Rituals, sacrifices and Druids: what do we know, or think we know, about the remarkable Celtic civilization? In an attempt to answer this question, this thriller-like film follows the excavations of the site and the archaeologists’ work step by step. Sudden new discoveries immerse us in a mysterious world between the imaginary and the real. Running time: 53’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 466 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 160 U FRANCE Category: Current Affairs UMOJA, THE VILLAGE WHERE MEN ARE FORBIDDEN Jean Crousillac & Jean-Marc Sainclair From 1970 to 2003, about 1600 women said they had been raped by British soldiers in Northern Kenya. Husbands felt dishonoured and rejected their wives after beating them. In 1990, a few women gathered and created Umoja, a village forbidden to men. Jealous men frequently attack Umoja and create many problems to Rebecca, founder of the village. In 2005, a woman was killed in the village. Rebecca fights for women rights and educates them in the Samburu region; she is even going to the Nairobi international summit to find help. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Manta Productions Contact Person: Jean-Marc Sainclair 12 rue d’Orsel Paris 75018, France T. +33 6 6700 7265 [email protected] www.mantaprod.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 467 U 114 SWITZERLAND-FRANCE Category: History & Politics UNWANTED WITNESS Juan José Lozano At the heart of the humanitarian drama in Colombia, a journalist fights to denounce atrocity and to document events through his weekly television program“Contravía”– a oneof-its-kind program among a plethora of soap operas and show-biz gossip shows. Hollman Morris’s exclusive eyewitness accounts have won him international recognition and prestigious prizes, as well as intimidation and death threats. Living in an increasingly hostile environment, Morris and his family contemplate leaving the country. Going beyond the typical war reporter’s account on courage and heroics, Unwanted Witness draws a candid portrait of a complex person who, at the heart of a country torn apart by war, is full of conviction, motivation and fear, yet devoted to freedom of expression. Running time: 52’& 78’& 87’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Cinephil Contact Person: Philippa Kowarsky 18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv 65112, Israel T. +972 3 566 4129 F. +972 3 560 1436 [email protected] www.cinephil.co.il 468 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 149 U GERMANY Category: Current Affairs UPSTREAM BATTLE Ben Kempas “When the fish are sick, we are sick.” Native Americans in Northern California fight for the survival of their fish and their culture. They’re up against an energy corporation that runs hydro-electric dams on their river which have devastated the salmon stocks.Tribal members first take on a global energy giant in Scotland, and eventually the second-richest man in the United States.The dam owners defend hydro-power as a low-cost, climate-friendly electricity, a resource they say they couldn’t afford to lose.Yet, the tribes along the Klamath River may soon trigger the largest dam removal project in history. Running time: 52’& 59’& 97’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: 601 Production Ltd. Contact Person: Todd Gamble 14 Auerfeld Strasse Rgb Munich 81541, Germany T. +49 89 9508 0733 F. +49 89 9508 0759 [email protected] www.601production.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 469 136 V USA Category: Creative Documentaries VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR Matt Tyrnauer Valentino: The Last Emperor is an intimate, engaging, and humorous exploration of one of Italy’s most extravagant icons. At the heart of the film is the unique relationship between Valentino and his business partner and companion of 50 years, Giancarlo Giammetti. Valentino is the last of the great couturiers. He is a design genius, an Italian legend, and the man who lives in a lost world of luxury and extravagance unparalleled in Europe.The film provides an insider’s view of his creative brilliance, as well as his opulent lifestyle, as he rubs shoulders with the Hollywood and political elite, and the European royal families – a true maestro of la dolce vita. He dressed the likes of Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana and now, finally, on the heels of his retirement from the fashion world, the film provides a very human portrayal of the man at the center of a brilliant, colorful chapter in the history of Rome and Europe, and the end of an era in global fashion. Running time: 95’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Celluloid Dreams Contact Person: Violaine Pichon 2 RueTurgot Paris 75009, France T. +33 1 49 700 370 F. +33 1 49 700 371 [email protected] www.celluloid-dreams.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 471 V 184 MALI-FRANCE Category: History & Politics VICTIMS OF OUR RICHES Kal Touré One year after the tragic events that took place near the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in northern Morocco in September 2005, young deported African men and women talk about their unfortunate attempts to cross over to Spain and give us their own versions of those events. What drives these young people to risk so much in this adventure? Different voices from middle-class society – a historian, a jurist, a writer – attempt to explain the cause of this emigration from their own perspective. Running time: 58’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: 10 Francs Contact Person: Guy Knafo 28 Rue de L’Equerre Paris 75019, France T. +33 1 4874 4377 F. +33 1 4874 8265 [email protected] www.10francs.fr 472 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 230 V GREECE Category: Art/Music & Culture VICTORIA THEODOROU: THE WAVES THAT TAUGHT ME TO BE UNSUBDUED Costas Dandinakis The life and work ofVictoriaTheodorou, representative poet of the first postwar generation. Herchildhoodand adolescence in Chania(Crete), the years she spent in exile,her isolationand the writing of her work: Poetry: Laudation (1957), Threshold and Window (1962), Northern Suburb (1966), Lute (1971), Excursion (1973), Urania (1978), Supreme Sleep (1983), The Night Ode of Frontiers (1986), Offerings (1990), Chronicle (1994), Encouraged (1998), Lament for the Craftsman (2008). Prose: Women’s Camps (1975), Traiko (1982), Nuptial Gift (1995), The Young Ladies of Lampsakou Street (2005). VictoriaTheodorou extended her poetry beyond the reverberations of the“generation of defeat”, gazing at the‘struggling human being’ of history through his awe and loneliness in the face of time and the universe. Running time: 80’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Costas Dandinakis 15 Protopapadaki Str. Chania 73100, Greece T. + 30 697 905 8458 [email protected] / [email protected] Sales Contact: Greek Film Center Contact Person: Evi Lazari 7 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str. Athens 117 42,Greece T. + 30 210 368 7503 F. + 30 210 361 4336 [email protected] www.gfc.gr 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 473 V 327 FRANCE-SPAIN-MEXICO Category: Current Affairs LA VIDA LOCA Christian Poveda In Central America they are called Maras, these groups of youngsters who have modeled themselves on the Los Angeles youth gangs. They are extremely violent and are propagating terror in El Salvador and elsewhere. This is a study, through photography and the personal stories of these gang members, of a violent phenomenon that has been imported from the USA. Running time: 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Wide Management Contact Person: Anais Clanet 40 rue Sainte Anne Paris 75002, France T. +33 1 5395 0464 F. +33 1 5395 0465 [email protected] www.widemanagement.com 474 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 381 V BELGIUM Category: Creative Documentaries VOLUNTEER Sylvie Bonsangue Louise is 65 andValery 19.They are volunteers in a Brussels hospital. Several hours a week, they come and help with hospital work. When Louise starts her 20th year of volunteering,Valery is confronted for the first time with the distress of a visitor. Faced with fate and hope, this experience becomes a landmark in their lives. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 475 V 430 FRANCE Category: Creative Documentaries VOTE FOR DREAMS Julia Laurenceau Dreams, anxiety, anger… In Vote for Dreams, Camille, Julien and Julia the director meet together. Their first meeting came about during the student’s strike against the French government in 2006, in the city of Strasbourg. They demonstrated against the first employment contract law which would have made it easier for the employer to fire employees by removing the need to provide reasons for dismissal for an initial “trial period”of two years. Today they are wondering about how to insert themselves into French society and how to change it. Vote for Dreams is made of knots, doubts, and family stories that intersect. It’s a political discourse between very particular things and collective ones, between anger and rationality, between hope for a new world and everyday life. Running time: 63’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: dora films Contact Person: Daniel Coche 1a place des Orphelins Strasbourg 67000, France T. +33 388 379 528 [email protected] www.dorafilms.com 476 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 295 W UK Category: Current Affairs WAITING FOR WOMEN Estephan Wagner In the remote Spanish village of Riofrio the women left years ago. Only men are left without the slightest possibility of finding a partner. Unable to bear the situation any longer, they organize a busload of single women to come from Madrid and rid them of their loneliness.Their ideal aim is to fall in love! But having never learned how to deal with women, besides their mothers and a few motorway prostitutes, the event goes terribly wrong. Waiting for women is a heart-warming documentary about love and solitude, about gender, migration and hope. Running time: 30’& 34’& 45’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Wagnerdocs Contact Person: EstephanWagner 55 Malvern Road London E83LJ, UK T. +44 785 271 5191 [email protected] www.wagnerdocs.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 477 W 304 GREECE Category: Currents Affairs WAR ZONE: THE POLYGON Dimitris Gerardis From 1949, when the first Soviet atomic bomb was detonated, to 1989, 456 nuclear tests were conducted at the “Polygon”, a testing ground covering 18,000 square kilometers. Until 1992, more than 20,000 military officers and scientists worked in the area, living in a top-secret Soviet Union town that went under the code name“Moscow 400”or“Semipalatinsk-21”. Filmed on the icy steppes of Kazakhstan, where the nuclear test site of the former Soviet Union was located, the documentary explores secret cities and areas where radiation is as much as 200 times above normal levels, revealing an unknown chapter of the ColdWar, and, more importantly, its effects on the local population. Running time: 70’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Teletypos SA - Mega Channel Contact Person: Litsa Deli & Ioanna Louloudi Roussou 4 & Messoghion Ave. Athens 115 21, Greece T. + 30 210 690 3656 F. + 30 210 699 6811 [email protected] www.megatv.com 478 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 441 W GERMANY Category: Docudrama THE WAY OF A WARRIOR Andreas Pichler “The only way is to believe in the revolution, which is identical with the belief in the Kingdom, or rather: the Realm of God.” Ernesto Cardenal Michael N. is a wild child. On his sledge he races down the snowy slopes of the forest, almost unable to brake. He leaves his home in SouthTyrol in the early 80s, determined to become a Catholic priest. Eventually he turns his back on Europe and, as a novice, joins the Jesuits in South America, where the Catholic priests have sided with the powerless and the wretched. Eight years later, as the head of a Bolivian guerilla troop, he carries out terrorist attacks and kidnaps Bolivia’s Coca-Cola boss. Several days later he dies in a hail of police bullets, taking with him the abductee and almost every commando member. He leaves behind letters addressed to his family, audio recordings of religious and Bolivian folk songs and a stunned, speechless family, along with a diary of the kidnapping.This happens in 1990.The wall has fallen.The cold war and all the ardent visions that went with it are declared dead and forgotten. No one is interested in the boy who wanted to become a priest and bring God’s Kingdom to one of the poorest countries in the world.Ten years later, Europe is confronted with a new generation of educated idealistic young men: men who are deadly serious about God’s Kingdom on Earth. Running time: 52’& 86’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Deckert Distribution Contact Person: Heino Deckert 1 Marienplatz Leipzig 04103, Germany T. +49 341 215 6638, F. +49 341 215 6639 [email protected] www.deckert-distribution.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 479 W 478 FRANCE Category: Art/Music & Culture WE DRANK THE SAME WATER Serge Avédikian When Serge Avédikian was invited to a theater festival in Istanbul in 1987, he could not resist crossing the Sea of Marmara to go and seek the town his Armenian grandfather Avédis had lived in. The day he spent in this town left him with haunting memories. Incomplete, half-stolen images remain, revealing the furtive traces of a community driven away in 1922 – a torn down church and some beautiful tombstones, lying about or used for other purposes. And the dialog that had been started with the inhabitants in 1987 was interrupted, too. Now, nearly twenty years later, film director Serge Avédikian aims to return to Soloz, to break the deep-seated taboo between Armenians andTurks, and to enable people to turn their minds to the future without forgetting their past. Running time: 72’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Les films d’ici Contact Person: Céline Paini 62 Bd Davout Paris 75020, France T. +33 1 4452 2323 [email protected] www.lesfilmsdici.fr 480 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 265 W ITALY Category: History & Politics THE WEAK CURRENT – PIETRO SAVORGNAN DI BRAZZA Nicole Leghissa In the late 19th century, a young nobleman left the comforts and privileges of his homeland in Friuli, northern Italy, bound for those unexplored areas in Africa that were still marked white on the atlas. His name was Pietro Savorgnan di Brazzà. Finally, after all this time, the bongo drums salute the Great Spirit of this hero as he returns to his river, to the place that bears his name: Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo. In 2006 a great mausoleum in Italian marble was erected to house his remains. Behind all the fine words, the red carpets and the cutting of ribbons arranged for Brazzà’s family so that they would allow the removal of the remains of their illustrious ancestor, lies a dark and highly lucrative reality.The timber, rubber and ivory of yesterday have given way to a far more interesting export: oil. Alongside Brazzà’s face in the foreground stand the victors, the accomplices and even the vanquished. Behind everything, the stakes. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Tico Film Company Contact Person: Sarah Pennacchi 91Viale Parioli Rome 00197, Italy T. +44 753 102 9340 [email protected] [email protected] www.ticofilm.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 481 W 567 CANADA Category: Current Affairs WEB WARRIORS Edward Peill Web Warriors offers an unprecedented glimpse into the world’s newest and most vulnerable frontier: cyberspaceWe enter the world of hackers like Mafia Boy – a 15-year-old high school student who rose to infamy in 2000 by causing millions of dollars in damage after single-handedly shutting down internet giants, includingYahoo, Amazon, eBay, Dell, eTrade, and CNN.We meet Donnie, who goes on a journey into the Russian cyber underground searching for the creators of a computer virus with the hopes of collecting the $250,000 reward being offered by Microsoft. Computer viruses now have the ability to control millions of computers unbeknownst to their owners, creating massive illegal computer networks known as “Botnets”. These Botnets are being put to illicit uses including identity theft and cyber extortion. A massive cyber attack against Estonia in 2007 virtually shut down the country. Web Warriors offers rare interviews with cyber sleuths from the FBI, the Pentagon, NATO, and the Department of Homeland Security who explain how cyberspace has become the latest battle ground between nation states and how terrorist groups are already plotting their next move. Some reports say the cost of cyber crime is now on par with the illegal drug trade. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: FilmsTransit Contact Person: Jan Rofekamp 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec H3L 1A8, Canada T. +1 514 844 3358 F. +1 514 844 7298 [email protected] www.filmstransit.com 482 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 324 W SWEDEN Category: Current Affairs WELCOME TO HEBRON Terje Carlsson An intimate portrait of 17-year-old Leila Sarsour, a charming and intelligent Palestinian schoolgirl whose daily life involves talking to friends on MSN, listening to Jimi Hendrix and being attacked on her way to school by Israeli settlers... Welcome to Hebron. Filmed over three years in the West Bank, this hard-hitting documentary reveals the reality of life under occupation. Running time: 55’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Mercury Media International Contact Person: Patricia Hickey 6 Baseline Studios,Whitchurch Road LondonW11 4AT, UK T. +44 20 7221 7221 F. +44 20 7221 7228 [email protected] www.mercurymedia.org 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 483 W 370 BELGIUM Category: Creative Documentaries WELCOME TO PARADISE Manuel Poutte & Florence Vandendorpe From a refugee camp to a small American town, the film depicts the destiny of a Somali couple, who are candidates for asylum. A portrait of their waiting, exile and integration, the film questions the sacrifices consented to for a “better life”, as well as the values of our occidental world in regard to work, such as the US Patriot act. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES Contact Person: Thierry Detaille 19F Avenue des Arts Brussels 1000, Belgium T. +32 47 761 7170 F. +32 2 227 2239 [email protected] 484 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 491 W TURKEY Category: History & Politics WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DEMOCRACY! Belmin Soylemez & Berke Bas & Hasmet Topaloglu & Somnur Vardar Turkey, summer 2007. The general election is in two months’ time and political campaigning is everywhere. Six different women are working hard to reach the same goal: to become a member of parliament for the first time in their lives. One successful businesswoman runs from house visits packed with women to mass-circumcision ceremonies to ensure that her party, already in power, will gain more seats. Her rival warns women that there will be a sheria regime if they don’t vote for the opposition party. Meanwhile, the Kurdish candidate tries to console mourning mothers but faces strong criticism because she can’t speak Kurdish. And two former sex-workers claim the street even though there is hardly a penny in their pockets and the police are hard on them. There is pressure at every level: Men, money, time, voters and rivals. Istanbul based film collective Filmist’s What A Beautiful Democracy! is an observational feature documentary reflecting both women’s struggle for power and also the social face of today’s polarizedTurkey. Running time: 74’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Filmist Contact Person: HasmetTopaloglu PK 244 Beyoglu Istanbul 34431,Turkey T. +90 532 695 4198 F. +90 212 252 7255 [email protected] www.filmist.org 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 485 W 394 USA Category: Current Affairs WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? Brandon Klein & Nicholas Klein & Daniel Klein & Tim Klein What Are We Doing Here? explores why the charity given to Africa over the last four decades has been largely ineffective and often harmful.The film tells the story of Brandon, Nicholas, Daniel and Tim Klein who travel across Africa in an attempt to understand one of the greatest problems of our time: the failure to end poverty. In the film, the Klein family travel 15,000 miles via public transportation from Cairo to CapeTown.They cross war torn and famine-ridden regions where aid workers, politicians, and inspiring individuals tell about the incredibly complex and often misunderstood issues that affect hundreds of millions of people across the continent. Daring to ask the questions no one else will, the filmmakers invite the world to rethink the fight against poverty in Africa. Could our good intentions be causing more harm than good? Have humanitarian interventions prolonged suffering? Who is actually benefiting from our good intentions?These questions and many more are addressed for the first time ever in this groundbreaking feature length film. If you ever wanted to know what happened to the $10 dollars you donated to charity last year, look no further. This film will change the way you look at charity in Africa forever. Running time: 84’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Smiley Film Sales Contact Person: Ewa Bigio PO Box 90943 AMSC Auckland 1142, New Zealand T. +64 9 360 0325 F. +64 9 360 0163 [email protected] www.smileyfilmsales.com 486 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 404 W MALAWI-SOUTH AFRICA Category: Current Affairs WHERE MY HEART BELONGS Villant Virginia Ndasowa Jen, a Briton, came to Malawi on holiday and finding love in the small fishing village of Chembe, on the shores of Lake Malawi, was not something that she expected. Mateyu (Mathew) is a fisherman, and now Chembe is her second home. Despite all the problems they face she is determined to fit into a society that is not ready to accept her as one of their own. Only love will see her through. Running time: 12’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Encounters FF & Distribution Contact Person: Nazeer Ahmed 27 Caledon Street, 1st Floor CapeTown 8000, South Africa T. +27 21 465 4686 F. +27 21 461 6964 [email protected] www.encounters.co.za 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 487 W 264 MEXICO Category: Creative Documentaries WHO AM YOU? Pavel Aguilar According to official information, Pável Antonio Aguilar Martínez was born on the 20th of August, 1974 and he is currently wanted by Interpol and the CIA. My name is also Pável Antonio Aguilar Martínez and I was also born on the 20th of August 1974. These coincidences have given me the opportunity, both in Berlin and NewYork, to know prison from the inside. This story is based on true events, my own experiences with seers and shamans, with the police and jail. Different worlds mix, crossroads open, chances multiply. I look for clues in different faces, in far away places, O my doppelganger?Where are you?Who AMYou? Running time: 119’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica Contact Person: JessyVega Calzada deTlalpan 1670 Col. Country Club Mexico City 04220, Mexico T. +52 55 4155 0090 F. +52 55 4155 0092 [email protected] www.ccc.cnart.mx 488 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 169 W GERMANY-AUSTRIA Category: Creative Documentaries WHO’S AFRAID OF KATHY ACKER? Barbara Caspar Who’s Afraid of Kathy Acker? is the first film to explore the outrageous life and times of the banned American writer, Kathy Acker, a woman who lived her life without boundaries. Named one of America’s original “outlaw writers”by the New York Times, Acker created challenging and sexually graphic fiction rooted in the same NewYork underground scene which inspired the worldwide punk movement. The film covers every aspect of Acker’s life, from her wild early years in New York City to her untimely death in Tijuana, Mexico, of breast cancer in 1997. Caspar’s film is a multi-layered, artistic tour de force - a sophisticated mix of animation, graphic text and filmed re-enactments of scenes from Acker’s bestseller Blood & Guts in High School, shot in NYC, as well as a host of interviews with leading figures of the time connected with Kathy, includingWilliam Burroughs, Kathleen Hanna & Bikini Kill, Richard Hell & theVoidoids, Barney Rosset, and Ira Silverberg. Running time: 87’ Year of production: 2008 Contact Person: Barbara Caspar 16 Dr. Robert Siegerstrasse Graz 8010, Austria T. +43 676 646 0039 [email protected] www.fragilefeatures.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 489 W 389 CANADA Category: Current Affairs WITH AND WITHOUT YOU Maryse Chartrand The Beaudry family was to embark on the trip of a lifetime – an extensive backpacking adventure in exotic locations around the world and a welcome respite from Samuel Beaudry’s high pressure city job. Twelve months into the trip, Samuel decided to take a trip of his own. Only this time, it was a journey of no return for Samuel – he had taken his own life. With and Without You is a first-hand account of the impact of male suicide on the family left behind.What began as footage for a travel diary documentary about an enchanted trip quickly turned into a nightmare exploration into the dark and unspoken dimensions of male suicide. With and Without You is one woman’s quest to understand and grow instead of breaking and sinking. An audacious and acclaimed first documentary, the film has been described as an astonishing and vibrating anthem to life. Running time: 91’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Smiley Film Sales Contact Person: Ewa Bigio PO Box 90943 AMSC Auckland 1142, New Zealand T. +64 9 360 0325 F. +64 9 360 0163 [email protected] www.smileyfilmsales.com 490 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 269 W ITALY Category: Current Affairs THE WORKING CLASS GOES TO HELL Simona Ercolani December 6, 2007, at dawn. A fire breaks out at line 5 of theThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni plant in Turin. It’s hell on earth: seven steelworkers out of eight will burn to death. One worker is killed during the blaze, while six others will die later in hospital from serious burns. Paradoxically, the massive media coverage of the disaster gave the victims a privileged position in the tragic frame of the work related deaths… Running time: 56’& 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: RaiTrade Contact Person: Margherita Zocaro 18Via Umberto Novaro Rome 00195, Italy T. +39 06 3749 8341 F. +39 06 3701 1343 [email protected] www.raitrade.it 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 491 W 494 ICELAND Category: Art/Music & Culture THE WORLD MUSIC: JORUNN VIDAR Ari Alexander & Ergis Magnusson A documentary about the coming of modern music and the creative avant-garde in Reykjavik with a unique soundtrack, in-depth history and breathtaking Icelandic visuals. From the makers of Screaming Masterpiece. Running time: 73’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Contact Person: VigdisThormodsdottir 14Tungata Reykjavik 101, Iceland T. +354 562 3580 F. +354 562 7171 [email protected] www.icelandicfilmcentre.is 492 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 493 W ICELAND Category: Art/Music & Culture THE WORLD MUSIC: MAGNUS BLONDAL Ari Alexander & Ergis Magnusson A documentary about the coming of modern music and the creative avant-garde in Reykjavik with a unique soundtrack, in-epth history and breathtaking Icelandic visuals. From the makers of Screaming Masterpiece. Running time: 73’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: The Icelandic Film Center Contact Person: VigdisThormodsdottir 14Tungata Reykjavik 101, Iceland T. +354 562 3580 F. +354 562 7171 [email protected] www.icelandicfilmcentre.is 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 493 W 511 GREECE Category: Current Affairs THE WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE PROJECT IN THESSALONIKI Elli Zerbini The World Naked Bike Ride is a worldwide movement that supports the use of the bicycle as an alternative means of transportation. It took place for the first time inVancouver, Canada in 2004. Since then, it has been held annually in 73 different cities around the world.The documentary is about a group of Greek cyclists that decided to organize a naked bike ride in the city of Thessaloniki. The camera records their effort to get their ecological message across to the citizens ofThessaloniki. The film includes the bike ride itself that took place on 27 June 2008, the way the mass media covered it and the reaction of local authorities, as well as events and actions organized after June 2008. Running time: 27’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Spirto Productions Contact Person: Manos Papadakis 1 Odisseous Str. Athens 54627,Greece T. + 30 2310 51 9930 [email protected] 494 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 440 Y GHANA-UK Category: History & Politics YAA ASANTEWAA; THE SPIRIT OF ASHANTI NATION LJ Aryeetey Yaa Asantewaa, the grandmother who led an army to resist colonization is a story woven into the fabric of African myths and legends. As a Queen, she had foresight and conviction to fight the concept of colonization. In November 1884, the imperial chancellor Otto von Bismarck convened a conference in Berlin to settle the political partitioning of Africa. After the Berlin conference, the British Government began pressuring the Ashanti King to become part of the British protecterate. When the king refused, the British army invaded Ashanti.These events prompted Yaa Asantewaa to take up arms against the British Army. Lord Baden-Powell described her as the antithesis of Ashanti womanhood, who went against the grain of accepted norms, defied the male traditional rulers and called the bluff of the British by declaring war on them. Running time: 63’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: LJ Pictures Contact Person: LJ Aryeetey 13867 SunshineTerrace Victorville CA 92394, USA T. +1 323 244 2142 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 495 Y 402 ISRAEL Category: Creative Documentaries YOLKI PALKI Alexander Gentelev Director Alexander Gentelev takes us on a personal journey to seek out fellow passengers from the flight on which he came to Israel in the early 1990s. Through the stories of Russian immigrants scattered across Israel and outside of it – from a simple kibbutz in the valley to a lavish office atop a Moscow skyscraper – the image of the last great wave of Russian immigration unfolds in all its facets. The complexity underlying the stereotypes attached to Russian immigration, the difficulties, the achievements and the failures, are at the center of this film that painfully confronts the question of what it means to be Israeli and what chance does a public of over a million people have of receiving the stamp of “Israeliness” – a question that has accompanied the director since his arrival in Israel. Running time: 2 x 52’& 91’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: Eden Productions Contact Person: Edna Kowarsky 84 Arlozorov St. Tel Aviv 62647, Israel T. +972 3 527 3403 F. +972 3 523 6076 [email protected] www.edenproductions.co.il 496 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 461 Y SOUTH AFRICA Category: Current Affairs YOU CHUSE Rehad Desai & Anita Khanna You Chuse is a documentary on the role of new media democracy movements in Africa. Using innovative remixing and reworking of various media sources, the film looks at wideranging initiatives from the Open Source Software movement and the use of such technology in the fight against AIDS in Malawi, to organizations like the Creative Commons and the attempt to bring a nuanced argument to debates around piracy and intellectual property.The documentary is an exploration of the problems and solutions to the ever-broadening Digital Divide between rich and poor nations in the information age. Running time: 52’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Uhuru Productions Contact Person: Zivia Desai Keiper 10th Floor, Sable Centre 41 De Korte Street, Braamfontein Johannesburg 2001, South Africa T. +27 84 526 1155 F. +27 86 671 8295 [email protected] www.uhuruproductions.co.za 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 497 Y 450 SWEDEN Category: Current Affairs YOUNG FREUD IN GAZA Peå Holmquist & Suzanne Khardalian Ayed is a 28-year-old Palestinian who is a field psychologist working at the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza. Our camera follows him as he goes on home visits around the camp, his briefcase swinging from his hand. Ayed treats young Inas who has suicidal thoughts; Maysa who has had traumatic experiences; Hanan who lives in extreme poverty; and Abed, a former militant and suicide bomber driver. Ayed is a dedicated psychologist who attempts to offer his patients a life of light and warmth.“A million psychologists are needed in Gaza,” he says. A comic yet tragic film from the“secret rooms”of Gaza. Filmed between 2006-2008, when Gaza was isolated from the world. Running time: 58’& 90’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Deckert Distribution Contact Person: Heino Deckert 1 Marienplatz Leipzig 04103, Germany T. +49 341 215 6638 F. +49 341 215 6639 [email protected] www.deckert-distribution.com 498 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 162 Y USA Category: Creative Documentaries YOUSSOU NDOUR: I BRING WHAT I LOVE Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi Senegalese pop sensationYoussou Ndour has spent the last 20 years in the spotlight as a world-renowned musician and the iconic representative“voice of Africa.” At the height of his career,Youssou became frustrated by the negative perception of his Muslim faith and composed “Egypt”, a deeply spiritual album dedicated to a more tolerant view of Islam. It was a critical and career-defining moment. Ndour’s brave musical message was wholeheartedly embraced byWestern audiences but ignited serious religious controversy in his homeland of Senegal. Combining unprecedented images of Senegal’s most sacred Muslim rituals, vibrant concert performances filmed around the world and intimate access to Ndour and his family, I Bring What I Love chronicles the difficult journeyYoussou must undertake to assume his true calling.Youssou Ndour is a voice of hope and tolerance, a modern day moral and political leader whose message transcends music but remains grounded in the universality of faith. Running time: 102’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: Celluloid Dreams Contact Person: Violaine Pichon 2 RueTurgot Paris 75009, France T. +33 1 49 700 370 F. +33 1 49 700 371 [email protected] www.celluloid-dreams.com 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 499 224 Z GREECE Category: Current Affairs ZERU ZERU, THE GHOSTS Yorgos Avgeropoulos The new documentary of the“Exandas”series. A crazy manhunt has broken out in peacefulTanzania. Bounty hunters murder and mutilate Albinos so that they can take their limbs. According to the paranoid superstition that has been initiated by 167,000Tanzanian witch doctors, the limbs of the bodies of those who were born without melanin in their skin bring good fortune and wealth. A horror trade of human limbs has been set up and is spreading like wildfire into neighboring countries. Albinos are being slaughtered like animals. They are the Zeru Zeru; the Nobodies; the Ghosts. Running time: 60’ Year of production: 2009 Sales Contact: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA Contact Person: Yannis Kollias 432 Messoghion Ave., Aghia Paraskevi Athens 15342, Greece T. + 30 210 607 5711-12 F. + 30 210 607 5715 [email protected] www.ert.gr Sales Contact: Small Planet Contact Person: Anastasia Skoubri 55 Pitheou Str., Neos Kosmos Athens 11743, Greece T. + 30 210 951 5295 F. + 30 210 951 5294 [email protected] 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 501 Z 396 ISRAEL-GERMANY Category: Art/Music & Culture ZITRA (TOMORROW) – OF TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION Judd Ne’eman Students from Schwerin (Germany) andTel Avi, are co-producing a musical cabaret.They are speaking and singing in German and Hebrew as if the two languages were one and the same. The rehearsals and the staging of the cabaret are intertwined with the reenacting of the scenes from the play on the streets of Schwerin and Berlin, and with Manka Alter’s personal story as a survivor of theTerezin ghetto (Theresienstadt).The love of music and an experience of reconciliation are shared. Running time: 86’ Year of production: 2008 Sales Contact: JMT Films Distribution Contact Person: MichaelTreves 20 Bialik Street Tel Aviv 63324, Israel T. +972 52 363 3398 [email protected] www.jmtfilms.com 502 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l 267 Z ITALY Category: Art/Music & Culture ZULU MEETS JAZZ Ferdinando Vicentini Orgnani Zulu meets Jazz provides an opportunity to learn the history of Jazz music in the townships of Durban, a link between music and the social movement “A long walk towards freedom”, which brought an end to Apartheid.The film also recounts the musical journey and the challenges faced by a few South African musicians who were forced into exile or fled their homeland where their human rights were denied.Thanks to the musician Paolo Fresu and filmmaker Ferdinando Vicentini Orgnani, we experience a very special journey into the South African music, guided by the KZNVintage Legends Orchestra, a group of over 20 Zulu musicians that include Theo Bophela and Ndikho Xaba, two very important figures in the South African music scene, both in their late seventies. Running time: 60’& 78’ Year of production: 2007 Sales Contact: RaiTrade Contact Person: Margherita Zocaro 18Via Umberto Novaro Rome 00195, Italy T. +39 06 3749 8341 F. +39 06 3701 1343 [email protected] www.raitrade.it 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 503 Indexes Index of Directors Abrahams, Leonard 367 Abramo, Luigi 210 Aghion, Anne 230 Aguilar, Pavel 488 Akil, Miryam 84 Alaveras, Philippos 233 Alexander, Ari 492, 493 Alpandakis, Nikos 304 Alpert, Jon 407 Alsheich, Alon 350 Andjus, Dimitris 69 Angelos, Kovotsos 220 Anker, Daniel 309 Apel, Niko 422 Appetito, Andrea 284 Ardito, Ernesto 219 Aristomenopoulou, Angeliki 266 Armstrong, Franny 31 Aronowitsch, David 418 Aryeetey, LJ 495 506 Asliuk,Victor 391 Assmann, David 189 Athanasopoulos, Angelos 97 Athiridis, Dimitris 441 Attali, Laurence 389 Avédikian, Serge 480 Avgeropoulos,Yorgos 92, 119, 157, 501 Awwad, Nahed 22 Babouris,Teo 57 Bachelier, Heiki 282 Backès, Simon 433 Balsamo, Mario 227 Bandmann, Maria Ingrid 153 Bar On, Uri 262 Bari, Laura 46 Barletti, Davide 370 Barous, Christos 105 Bas, Berke 485 Bellini, Chiara 231 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l Benger, Robin 352 Bensimon, Agnes 338 Bergkraut, Eric 275 Bergman, Sunny 333 Berlinger, Joe 137 Betzl, Klaus 76 Białobrzeski, Maciej 229 Bilgin, Sibel 218 Bliley, Robyn 122 Blumenschein,Viviane 206 Błaszczyk, Anna 59 Bôas, BhigVillas 273 Bonsangue, Sylvie 475 Boucault, Mosco 81 Bouchet, Alexandre 51 Boulet, Jean-Marie 232 Boutang, Pierre-Andre 126 Bozzo, Sam 95 Braubach, Mary Ann 226 Brettkelly, Pietra 54 Bričkovský, Zdeněk N. 449 Broadbent, Lucinda 376 Brooke, James 260 Brouillette, Richard 165 Brunetti, Raffaele 215 Brzakovic,Tanja 246 Burkovska Jacobsen, Ilze 314 Burt-Wintonick, Mira 345 Cajori, Marion 283 Calamandrei, Camilla 459 Calamari, Giovanni 295 Cardona, Joe 111 Carlsson,Terje 483 Carmosino, Christian 284 Caspar, Barbara 489 Cattier,Thandiwe 308 Cattin, Antoine 305 Çelebi, Emel 415 Chamman, Rishi 96 Chartrand, Maryse 490 Chevillard, Eric 380 Chressanthis, James 322 Cole, Simon 420 Cornellier, Robert 88 Correale, Nello 444 Crepu, Jean 405 Crichton, Sandy 114 Cropp, Ben 138 Crousillac, Jean 467 Curtin, John 184 Damanzan, Mohammad Hassan 461 Dandinakis, Costas 473 Danezis, Sotiris 256 Dater, Alan 442 Datta, Anirban 234 Davidson, Kief 258 De Garis, Kirsty 30 De Perlinghi,Tatiana 348 De Putter, Jos 83 De Roos, Prosper 104 DeVarona, Mario 111 Dea, Eve 454 Del Deo, Adam 168 Delassus, Jean-François 20 Deluz, Anne 408 Dembinski, Miroslaw 310 Desai, Rehad 497 Dethloff, Sigrid 127 Devlin, Paul 89 Dimellas, Manolis 233 Dimitriou, Alinda 35 Dimitrov, Atanas 355 Dimitrova, Ralitza 456 Dobrucki, Leslaw 98 Doğan, Özgür 330 Doggart, Sebastian 136 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 507 Doringer, Marko 216 Dothan, Dani 315 Dov, Ori Ben 377 Drew, Robert 248 Ducat, François 324 Dzianowicz, Beata 263 Eckert, Eva 307 Economou, Marianna 80 Efrat, Jonatan Ben 23 Efroni, Neta 255 Efthymiou,Vangelis 116 El-Tahri, Jihan 77 Emery, Dan 251 Ercolani, Simona 491 Eskiköy, Orhan 330 Farges, Joël 202 Faroux, Bernard 332 Faver, Paolo 185 Ferdek, Pawel 203 Filho, Rene Goya 175 Finnochiaro,Turi 287 Fiorou, Eleonora 163 Fonjallaz, David 268 Fontana, Angelo 185 Foschi, Andrea 392 Franke, Dorte 434 Gage, George 34 Gage, Margaret 34 Gajá, Lucía 312 Galison, Peter 404 Gaylor, Brett 388 Gentelev, Alexander 496 Georgiev, Atanas 109 Gerardis, Dimitris 256, 478 Gertten, Magnus 279 Geyrhalter, Nikolaus 25 Giannaris, Constantine 200 Giannouli, Maria 294 508 Gieling, Ramon 247 Gillard, Khristine 301 Gilley, Jeremy 145 Ginter, Jonas 356 Giommi, Giovanni 321 Giugliano, Renato 198, 204, 435 Goël, Stéphane 466 Gogan, Nicky 403 Goren, Amit 369 Gough, David 419 Grammatopoulos, Alexandros 400 Grandclément, Daniel 249 Greenfield, Shoshi 373 Greenspan, Michael 424 Greuling, Heinz 162 Grigor, Murray 239 Gudmundsdottir, Maria 169 Gudnadóttir, Hulda Rós 134 Guelpa, Béatrice 408 Guiro, Idrissa 70 Guo Jing 123 Haasen, Bettina 224 Habelsreiter, Martin 186 Hanachi, Khatereh 135 Hansen, Markus 232 Haronitis, Lefteris 320 Hattum, Rob van 63 Heathcote, Andy 282 Hedin, Oscar 29 Heilborn, Hanna 418 Heise,Thomas 297 Hernández, Roberto 357 Hien, François 398 Hill, Sven O. 382 Hindash, Fadi 325 Hjelm, Mats 87 Hoel, Dag 28 Hoffman, Jens 21 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l Holmquist, PeA 498 Honigmann, Heddy 327 Hoogendijk, Oeke 319 Jacob, Justine 396 Jacoby, Oren 129 Jafari, Mohammad Sadegh 131 Jäggi, Simon 268 Jala, Rajesh S. 120 Janek, Miroslav 124 Jang, Okepne 128 Jansen, Lucas 453 Jaud, Jean Paul 448 Jayanti,Vikram 32 Jensen, Nele 91 Jezior, Katarzyna 229 Jolley,Timothy 30 Jonsson, Arnar 164 Jönsson, Elin 279 Jóźwiak, Michał 188 Kambandu, Mali 329 Kaneva, Milena 462 Karaisaridis, Iordanis 112 Karakasis, Apostolos 317 Karras, Nick 342 Karrer, Cristina 221 Karttunen,Tanja Katinka 361 Kaspiris, Ioannis 401 Katomeris,Yannis 303 Katsaros, Eleftherios 426 Kazamias, Manolis I. 171 Ke Dingding 123 Kemezys, Algis 296 Kempas, Ben 469 Kerekes, Peter 132 Khanna, Anita 497 Khardalian, Suzanne 498 Khonsari,Vassiliki 363 Khoshnoudi, Bani 339 Khoury, Buthina Canaan 446 Kieft, Martijn 62 King, Jamie 431 King, Peter 259 Kipper,Yael 154, 410 Kleijn, Debbie 252 Klein, Brandon 486 Klein, Daniel 486 Klein, Nicholas 486 Klein,Tim 486 Kohn, Diego Rivera 172 Komasa, Jan 182 Kooij, Floor 218 Kostomarov, Pavel 305 Kouloglou, Stelios 50 Koutecký, Pavel 124 Kovotsos, Angelos 423 Krajinovic, Jasna 141 Krass, Michael 139 Kreso, Sergej 245 Krilovs, Peteris 265 Krogh, Mikala 170 Kuenne, Kurt 148 Kuras, Ellen 82 Kurland, Adam 453 Lainé, Brice 143 Lakatos, Robert 71 Lamby, Stephan 125 Lamprinos, Fotos 106 Lassche, Geertjan 176 Laurenceau, Julia 476 Lazarescu, Anca Miruna 406 Lee, Alexander Sebastien 372 Legaki, Calliope 180 Legars,Yvon 86 Leghissa, Nicole 481 Lehotský, Juraj 90 Leontis, Isidor John 179 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 509 Leopardi, Marco 215 Levitan, Joanne 147 LinYu-hsien 290 Lindwer,Willy 43 Linszen,Tom 43 Löhr, Sandra 178 Lom, Petr 276 Longinotto, Kim 394 Louka, Natasa 213 Lourens, Darell 91 Lozano, Juan José 468 Lozinski, Pawel 264 Lygouris, Nicos 450 Maciejko, Kuba 280 Magnusson, Ergis 492, 493 Marczewski, Filip 253 Martens, Renzo 166 Mascara,Tina 121 Mascaro, Gabriel 75 Maskalāns, Māris 455 Mataré, Louis 268 Matsikas,Yorgos 55 Mazaheripoor, Pezhman 271 Meck-Chimbuya, Dorothy 299 Meddeb, Hind 108 Meerman, Marije 64 Meijer, Menna Laura 438 Meiri, Gali 465 Menneking, Matis 127 Merton, Lisa 442 Messina, Piero 347 Metz, Janus 285, 458 Metzgar, Eric Daniel 379 Meunier, Jean Henri 326 Mevorach, Dalia 315 Meynadier, Pierre 159, 270 Mezzapesa, Pippo 346 Millan, Ramiro 331 510 Minnich, Rick 192 Miranda, Anna Recalde 272 Mirtahmasb, Mojtaba 269 Misch, Georg 390 Mishto, Elisa 430 Moatsos, Michalis 130 Mohammadi, Abbass 313 Mohseni, Ala 311 Moldoványi, Ferenc 44 Molina,Virna 219 Mołodecki, Igor 201 Montanyà, Anna 237 Moss, Robb 404 Mouriki, Pandora 349 Mühlenbeck, Horst 336 Muñoz, David 183 Murimi, Peter 190, 286, 419 Najafi, Ayat 189 Narr, Sophie 36 Ndahayo, Gilbert 79 Ndasowa,VillantVirginia 487 Ne’eman, Judd 502 Necmi, Ismail 411 Neri, Marco 392 Nestoridis, Panayiotis 42 Ney, Michael 277 Nikolic, Dragan 110 Nikolopoulos, Dimitris 97 Nivet, Gilles 156 Norouzi, Minou 33, 37 Norvind, Eva 99 Novikova, Masha 238 O’Donoghue, Kyle 128 O’Neill, Matthew 407 Ochoa, Mariana 146 Oddsson, Hilmar 152 Ofek, David 443 Onken, Insa 387 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l Orgnani, FerdinandoVicentini 503 Ott, Catia 457 Østergaard, Anders Hosbro 101 Pakalnina, Laila 455 Palit, Ranjan 191 Palos-Papantonopoulos, Athanasios 371 Panagou, Angelos 429 Paoli, Stephane 337 Papaeliou, Alexandros 340 Papastathis, Lakis 68 Papathanassiou, Anneta 365 Parkes, Jo 382 Pasquini, Marco 199, 385 Paterakis,Yorgos 112 Patsalidis, Constantinos 223 Pawłowski, MarekTomasz 395 Peacock, Richard Beck 342 Pearlman, Bari 144 Pedroso, Marcelo 75 Pehlivanidis, Chronis 260 Peill, Edward 482 Pelletier, Margo 193 Pergolizzi,Vincenzo 362 Peter, Levin 356 Petrov, Damyan 381 Piano, Emanuele 210 Pichler, Andreas 479 Pieczonka, Marcin 432 Pluta, Kryspin 197 Pohlmeier, Alexandra 417 Polgovsky, Eugenio 240 Polunina, Aliona 384 Poutte, Manuel 484 Poveda, Christian 474 Profit, Patrick 316 Prud’homme, Olga 217 Psillakis, Stavros 451 Pululu, Makela 413 Rafnsdóttir, Helga Rakel 134 Redelinghuuys, Miki 128 Redelinghuys, Miki 261 Redmon, David 241 Reed, Kimberly 359 Renton, Polly 190 Rhalib, Jawad 142 Rikaki, Lucia 414 Ripper,Velcrow 177 River, Mem 236 Rivera, Javier Garcia 427 Rodríguez, Mercedes Moncada 302 Roegler, Lukas 416 Roggon, Andrea 167 Rorke, Robyn 409 Rose, Bill 452 Rossetti, Nathalie 287 Roussy, Marianne 399 Rowley, Paul 403 Rubino,Vito 293 Russo, Robert A. 27 Rutter, Naftali Beane 85 Sabin, Ashley 241 Sabo,Yoram 222 Sainclair, Jean-Marc 467 Salahshour, Sahar 78 Salameh, Georges 289 Samoladas, Zahos 48 Sannia, Gwyn 133 Santi, Guido 121 Saporito, Steve 428 Sarvestani, Nahid Persson 366 Sasa, Makoto 181 Saywell, Shelley 151 Schina, Maria 463 Schmedes, Adam 113 Schmiderer, Othmar 61 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 511 Schrijber, Coco 93 Schwartz, Andrei 343 Schweizer,Werner 221 Schwietert, Stefan 161 Seeger, Petra 235 Sfyris, Dimitris 140 Shaffer, Zach 428 Shal, Shahriar Siami 328 Shamir,Yoav 149 Shirvani, Mohammad 24 Shishmanova, Sevda 72 Sirignani, Giulia 155 Skarentzos, Nikos 386 Skevas,Yorgos 67 Smits, Ineke 464 Snelling, Alexander 445 Snore, Edvins 425 Solomon, Alexandru 49 Soylemez, Belmin 485 Spears, Libby 351 Stalenhoef, Mercedes 107 Stefani, Eva 73 Steinman, Jennifer 306 Steinthorsdottir, AnnaThora 228 Stern, James D. 168 Stimmel, Jeff 53 Stone, Dan 58 Suau, Christian 331 Suber, Pietro 52 Subirana, Carla 439 Suh, Caroline 196 Svezia, Emanuele 160 Swanton, Chris 447 Sweetwood, Matt 192 Sylla, Khady 412 Symons, Johnny 56 Takahashi,Taro 291 Tal, Nili 100 512 Tammiksaar, Arbo 318 Taner, Mujgan 257 Taviani, Franco Brogi 298 Taylor, Chris 187 Taylor, Cory 353 Theotokis, Etienne Nikolaos 45 Thomas, Lisa 193 Tielsch,Thomas 383 Todd, Richard 205 Topaloglu, Hasmet 485 Touliatos,Takis 250 Touré, Kal 472 Trachtman, Ilana 354 Třeštíková, Helena 378 Tselentakis, Emmanouil 194 Tsiandos, Pavlos 195 Tsitsoulis, Apostolos 208 Tyrnauer, Matt 471 Unen, Nezih 281 Ushpiz, Ada 150 Valentini, Marco 436, 437 Van Damme, Charlie 412 Van Zantvoort,Ton 94 Vandendorpe, Florence 484 Vardar, Somnur 485 Vasarhelyi, Elizabeth Chai 499 Vázquez, Rodrigo 118 Vecchiet, Jean Michel 243 Verboud, Mathieu 103 Verster, François 402 Vianellis, Freddy 173 Vila, Rodrigo H. 360 Villerius, Jessica 393 Virve, Kristian Paul 47 Von Glasow, Niko 323 Voros, Christina Alexandra 267 Wagenhofer, Erwin 274 Wagner, Estephan 477 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l Walencik, Bożena 397 Walencik, Jan 397 Wallach, Amei 283 Wassef, Engi 292 Weber, Eva 421 Webster, John 374 Wege,Tim 225 Weidenbach,Thomas 162 Wilke, Ira 356 Wintonick, Peter 345 Wogrolly, Markus 207 Wolski,Tomasz 209 Worcester,Tracy 344 Wróblewska, Edyta 358 Wulff, Constantin 242 Wuytack, Fabio 341 Xanthopoulos, Lefteris 66 Xirou, Efi 115 Yang, Ruby 460 Yannakakis, Εlias 65 Yates, Pamela 375 Yehezkel, Eran 350 Yezi, Abdon 74 Yoffe,Tal Haim 211 Zerbini, Elli 494 Zervas, George 278 Zervas,Yorgos Ch. 212 Zorzos, Gregory 38, 39, 40, 41, 300, 335 Zucchelli, Gabriele 368 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 513 Index of Sales Companies 10 Francs 86, 108, 139, 156, 159, 202, 217, 270, 273, 277, 316, 362, 380, 408, 427, 466, 472 2K Films 441 3DD 145 601 Production Ltd. 469 Accent Films International Ltd. 275 Ad Lumina Productions 33, 37 Aktis AVteam 220, 340, 371 Alexandra Pohlmeier Filmproduktion 417 Alida Dimitriou 35 Altadena Films 111 Ambiances…asbl 301 American Princess LLC 136 Andana Films 70, 245, 312, 412 Andoliado Producciones 165 Art inVision 179 ARTE France 81, 103, 126, 243, 332, 337 Arthouse Films 283 Associazione Culturale Balamòs 436, 437 Autlook Filmsales 25, 29, 90, 109, 161, 166, 186, 188, 207, 242, 307, 318, 323, 325, 341, 343, 390, 420 Auto Images 279 Autoproduction 389 B&B Film 117, 215 BAK 296 Barbara Caspar 489 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 515 Benece Produccions 439 BigWorld Cinema 77 Bill Rose 452 Bluprint Films 351 Bonanza Films 93 Bulgarian NationalTelevision 72, 355, 381, 456 Celluloid Dreams 31, 82, 274, 471, 499 Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica 146, 488 Cinema 7 Films 360 Cinephil 28, 56, 149, 211, 216, 222, 230, 262, 369, 377, 462, 468 Cinetic Media 322 CL Productions 106 Costas Dandinakis 473 Cyprus Broadcasting Corporations 213 Deckert Distribution 50, 124, 191, 224, 234, 297, 374, 376, 391, 479, 498 Dethloff /Mennekinf Film 127 Diego Rivera Kohn 172 Dimitris Sfyris 140 dora films 476 DR International Sales 123, 285, 310, 458 Eden Productions 443, 496 een2dee Productions 91 Efubun-no-ichi Inc. 291 Eleonora Fiorou 163 Elmadno Productions 143 Encounters FF & Distribution 147, 299, 329, 413, 487 Engram Film Productions Ltd. 44 Ernesto Ardito 219 ERT 3 208 EspressoTV 43, 138, 259, 282, 361, 447 ExploreNatureGR 105 Eyesteelfilm 46 Filmist 485 Filmoption International Inc. 95 FilmsTransit 53, 83, 88, 104, 110, 151, 184, 192, 226, 239, 248, 251, 276, 309, 327, 342, 345, 352, 357, 363, 372, 375, 379, 459, 482 First Hand Films 101 FluidVideo Crew 370 516 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l Fortissimo Films 168, 330 Forward Entertainment 403 FP Films 69 Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion 206, 336, 356 George Matsikas 55 German united distributors 450 Go2Films 150, 154, 315, 373, 410, 424 Goethe Institute Athen 200 Graal S.A 73 Greek Film Center 80, 106, 115, 212, 250, 317, 386, 414, 451, 473 Gregory Zorzos 38, 39, 40, 41, 300, 335 HBO International Distribution 407 Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA 45, 65, 66, 67, 68, 73, 92, 106, 113, 119, 157, 265, 317, 349, 401, 423, 501 Heraclion Prefecture Self-Government 320 Herrlander Pictures 87 Hi Film Productions 49 Hibrida 183 Historical & Literary Archives of Kavala 42 Illumina Films 144, 189, 333 Inkas Film Productions 80 Iranian Independents 24, 269 Irin News 190, 286, 419 Iris Productions 195 Ironick Ltd 304 Java Films 21, 34, 51, 84, 100, 118, 249, 393, 405 JMT Films Distribution 23, 255, 350, 365, 449, 465, 502 Joint Entertainment International Inc. 290 Journeyman Pictures 263 K Production 326 KaosWorld Studios 47 Kazco Ltd 171 Klaus Betzl 76 Krakow Film Foundation 98, 182, 197, 203, 209, 253, 264, 280, 358, 432 Kytherios Music 463 La Boia 237 Latido Films 302 Latinofusion 99 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 517 Le Artigiane Della Comunicazione 289 Les films d’ici 480 Les Films duVoilier 399 Les Films Hors-Champ 305 Lioba Film 153 LJ Pictures 495 Lomotion AG 268 Louise Rosen Ltd. 89, 359, 404 MachineOff -TV & Cinema Productions Company 130 Magic Lantern 48 Majd Production 446 Manolis Dimellas 233 ManolisTselendakis 194 Manta Productions 467 Maria Giannouli 294 Marlboro Productions 442 Media Space Inc. 367 Mercurio Cinematografica 321 Mercury Media International 30, 205, 306, 344, 396, 402, 425, 431, 453, 483 MigrantTurtle Films 267 Modiano S.A. 173 Morgana Production s.r.l. 231 Moving Forward Pictures 428 Myrsini Lionaraki 116 National Film Board of Canada 177, 388 National GeographicTelevision International 113 Ndahayo Films 79 Newton Film 94 Nezih Unen Productions 281 nightswimming films cc 409 Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion GmbH 178 Non Stop Media PC 97 NordicWorld 314 NPO/RNW Sales 62, 63, 64, 176, 238, 464 Odd Girl Out Productions 421 Okna Produções 175 Ondamax Films 331 Onos Productions 260, 266 518 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l Oscilloscope Laboratories 196 Oyibo Productions 52, 133, 160, 185, 210, 284, 370, 392 Parallel Film 218 PBS International 148 Pensée Sauvage Films 339 Pieter van Huystee Film 96, 107, 247, 319, 438 Pietra Brettkelly 54 Plexus Films 128, 225, 261 Point du Jour International 22 Portolanos Films 180, 317 Positively 25th St Prods 187 Progressive Productions 122 Protasis Production 250 Radical Media 137 RaiTrade 293, 298, 346, 491, 503 Rajesh S. Jala 120 Repo Film 429 Rise and ShineWorld Sales 36, 167, 181, 384, 406, 422 Rise Films 394 RLP - Renato Giugliano 198, 204, 435 Ro*co Films 27, 258 Roaring Films 252 Rosalind Lichter Law Firm 292 Schooligans CreativeTeam 400 SF Film Production 170 Sheherazad Media International 78, 131, 135, 271, 311, 313, 328, 461 Shoreline Entertainment 366 SKAITV 303 Slack Alice Films 445 Small Planet 92, 119, 157, 501 Smiley Film Sales 114, 129, 236, 241, 354, 460, 486, 490 Spirto Productions 494 Spotlight Pictures 58 Stavros Psillakis 451 Story AB 418 Suttvuess 155, 199, 272, 385 Talas Film 246 Taskovski Films 71, 75, 132, 353, 378, 382 2009 Thessaloniki Doc Market Guide 519 Tecolote Films 240 Teletypos SA - Mega Channel 256, 478 Telewizja Polska S.A 59, 201, 229, 395, 397 Teo Babouris 57 The Film Sales Company 121 The Icelandic Film Center 134, 152, 164, 169, 228, 493 The Match Factory 61 Thin Edge Films 193 Tico Film Company 481 Top Cut 386 TrickyTrick Films Ltd 414 TRT 257 TwentyTwentyVision Filmproduktion 387 Uhuru Productions 497 United Docs 125, 162, 235, 383, 416, 434 Ventes - CBA/WIP - SALES 141, 142, 287, 308, 324, 338, 348, 398, 433, 454, 475, 484 Video-books.gr 426 Vides Filmu Studija 265, 455 Virna Molina 219 Vitagraph 227, 295, 347, 368, 444, 457 VIXPIX Films Ltd. 32 VOX Documentaries 115, 278 Wagnerdocs 477 Walking Around theWorld 223 Waterbound Pictures 85 Wide Management 20, 221, 232, 430, 448, 474 World Alone 112 Yezi - Arts Promotions and Productions 74 Zeyno Film 411 ZeZe Film 415 520 1 1 t h Th e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y Fe s t i va l