MILLE NUITS ET UNE AUBE

(A Thousand Nights and One Dawn)

52 minutes, 2020
Director : Nasser BENABDERAHMAN (Morocco)
Production : Bingo Films (Morocco)
In coproduction with 2M (Morocco)

A Thousand Nights and one Dawn offers a poetic look at the life of Morocco’s night watchmen – combining poverty, wisdom and hope. The film shows us these workers’ lives and stories. The night shapes their character, their behaviour – and their vision of the world. A reflection on the time of those nights and space, both prison and escape route to other universes.

Nasser BENABDERAHMAN was born in 1986 in Morocco. Having studied film he began to work in the design and production of various audiovisual projects. In 2016, he directed his first short film, “Occupation”. “A Thousand Nights and a Dawn” is his first documentary.

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LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES

(Terrible Children)

52 minutes, 2021
Director : Ahmet Necdet CUPUR (Turkey, France)
Production : TS Productions (France), Jyoti Film (Germany), Liman Film (Turkey), Al Jazeera Documentary Channel (Qatar) with the participation of France Télévisions

“Les enfants terribles” takes us into the daily life of a Turkish family – the director’s. Young adults fight every day as each tries to assert his or her freedom and independence in the face of a paternal authority rooted in traditional values. Ahmet Necdet Cupur gives us here an intimate portrait of a younger generation desperate to change things. 

Ahmet NECDET CUPUR was born in a village on the Syrian border in Turkey. At thirteen he left home and settled in Antakya. He became a civil engineer and worked in Iraq and Afghanistan during the war then moved to Paris to become a film-maker. He made a short film “Latin Babylon” and then returned to his native village to make “Les enfants terribles”.

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FIANCÉES

(Brides)

80 minutes, 2019
Director : Julia BÜNTER (Swiss)
Production : Intermezzo Films (Swiss)
In coproduction with Nouvelle Tribu (Swiss)

Brides follows three Egyptian women as they approach marriage. Without taboos or judgment, the film draws a portrait of contemporary Cairo society and its youth, torn between unchanging traditions and a growing desire for freedom.

Born in Geneva in 1990, Julia BÜNTER grew up in Valais before studying film at ECAL in Lausanne. Her graduation film “Jour J” has been screened at many international festivals, including the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. She then made “À la maison”, a short documentary, before moving to Cairo in 2015 to concentrate on making “Fiancées”, her first feature-length documentary.

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BEST UNKEPT SECRET

57 minutes, 2019
Director : Ilan MIZRAHI (Israel)
Production : Blimey (Israel)

For 15 years “Best Unkept Secret” follows the heartbreaking story of a teenager who discovers all his life he has been manipulated and used by fundamentalist Jewish organizations. A journey of redemption begins, a search for the truth about the many rumours which surround his past, while facing his own worst fears.

Ilan MIZRAHI is a photojournalist with over twenty years experience, working for the Los Angeles Times, The Times of London, The Washington Post and many more. His first documentary “The Rise of the Right” was bought by Al Jazeera in 2008. “Best Unkept Secret” is his second documentary.

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THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE

73 minutes, 2021
Director : Anat TEL (Israel)
Production : Anat TEL (Israel), Ventana Film (Germany)

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City, the most sacred place in Christendom, is shared between many different religious communities: Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian, Copt, Syrian and Ethiopian. They try to maintain the old, fragile status quo of these places. Two Muslim families hold the key to the church, each claiming the right to be the keeper of this historic key. As for Johnny, an Israeli police officer, he’s responsible for keeping the peace at the Holy Sepulchre.

Anat TEL graduated in film from Tel Aviv University. She began her career in 2005 as a producer for Channel 8. She has worked as a scriptwriter and assistant director on series, films and commercials. Since 2010, she has also been a teacher and produces documentaries and news reports for television and the Internet. She has the following films to her credit: “Phoenix” (2018), “Palestine.net” (2016), “Mom, Dad, I’m Muslim” (2012) and “I’m not Filipina” (2010)

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PESCAMARE

61 minutes, 2019
Director : Andrea LODOVICHETTI (Italy)
Production : Lobecafilm (Italy)

A tradition shared for generations, respect for the sea, human fear and its challenges, survive to eat and trade. Nothing is created, nothing destroyed, everything is transformed.
Ports in small towns, like Fano, are different. Over the years they have changed, often profoundly. But they remain rich, rich with a varied, indefatigable humanity, and with a multi-ethnic wealth. The atmosphere surrounding today’s maritime world has remained almost unchanged and flourishes proudly in the large and small towns which live off the sea. Traditions won’t die, neither will those gravelly voices and broad accents of the “oldies” with whom we grew up. They’re still working today with the same determination as in the past.

Since 2013 Andrea LODOVICHETTI, graduate in film directing at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, has lived between Europe and the United States. Director, screenwriter and producer, he was assistant to Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino for the films “l’Amico di famiglia” and “ll Divo”. From 2002 to today, Andrea’s films have received more than 50 awards and special mentions, including the Italian Golden Globe and the Looking for Genius Award (Babelgum Film Fest) at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

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THE SILENT GENERATION

61 minutes, 2020
Director : Ferran NAVARRO-BELTRAN (Spain)
Production : Amoros Producciones (Spain)

This documentary is a tribute to Barcelona’s elderly LGBTQI, to the “Silent Generation” forced to remain hidden, to the movement’s pioneers as well as to those who have remained anonymous. A collection of testimonies where those concerned talk about the powerful events and moments which have marked their life: religious education, the repression of the Franco dictatorship, the birth of democracy, the first LGTBQI associations, the fight against AIDS and legalisation same-sex marriage.

Ferran Navarro-Beltran is a film-maker and graphic designer from Barcelona. He has been working as a freelance designer for 8 years. His two short films, “The Orchid” and “Forget-Me-Not” have been selected at over 60 international festivals.

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