Iranian cinema is known for being a delight to both the eye and the mind, and Atiye Zare Arandi’s documentary Grand Me about her niece Melina is no exception. Lively like its protagonist, the film is a masterfully told tale of an intelligent and cheerful girl in difficult circumstances. It is also a painful story about the way in which so-called […]

Radu Jude’s feature films such as Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021) and Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023) explore the relations between image and reality. In this new found-footage documentary, the director turns his eye to commercials. He and philosopher Christian Ferencz-Flatz look at changing perceptions in […]

In the United States, many smaller public office positions are decided through local elections. One of these positions is a membership on the school board, a board that decides on educational policies at a local level. In recent years, US conservatives have made use of the incredibly low voting turnouts of local elections to win […]

Some say that a garanti talisman offers a direct connection with the gods, while others believe that ancestors need to act as intermediaries. Whatever the case, the result is the same: a garanti offers protection and brings happiness. The island of Réunion is home to a lively trade in these “magical insurance policies”, which range […]

It’s 1989, the summer of peace and love. Over 20,000 youth representatives from 177 countries gather in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. The largest youth festival in its history celebrates socialism, peace, international solidarity, and anti-imperialism through sports, culture, and political programs. The Romanian delegation […]

A wife finds messages from an unknown woman on her husband’s phone, and a familiar story begins; a story of doubts, jealousy, fears, and a love wronged. What makes this particular story take an unusual turn, however, is the wife’s decision to hire an outsider to handle matters. Wang, a “mistress dispeller”, is hired to resolve […]

New Zealand born CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth walks on the razor’s edge between sanity and death. Her first assignment with CNN is to cover the riots that followed Indira Gandhi’s assassination in India. She goes on to cover conflicts in Africa, the Middle East and fatally, the Bosnian war. In vivid, emotional detail, we see […]

In this original and funny self-portrait, moving between hope, despair and heartbreak, we follow the main character Rogier Kappers for seven years. He wants to realize the dream he had as a nine-year-old boy: to become a famous musician playing the glass organ, an instrument made of singing glasses. Boundless optimism or naive impulsivity? “He […]

Polish mountaineer Wanda Rutkiewicz went missing in 1992, following a terrible fall while climbing in the Himalayas. She was already famous for being the first woman and the first inhabitant of Poland to reach the top of Mount Everest. Now the story is circulating that Rutkiewicz is still alive, in a convent in Tibet. Filmmaker […]

In the heyday of the jute industry, millions of people in Bengal made their living doing this laborious work, which has hardly changed since the industrial revolution. The 100-year-old machinery has been endlessly repaired. State aid kept this sustainable alternative to plastic going, but its future looks bleak. In beautifully composed shots, Nishtha Jain (Gulabi […]