The cold war, the space race, and NASA’s moon landing are landmark events that defined an era. But they are also fodder for conspiracy theories. In Houston, We Have a Problem! filmmaker Žiga Virc adds new material to the discussion on both fronts. This intriguing docu-fiction explores the myth of the secret multi-billion-dollar deal behind America’s purchase of Yugoslavia’s clandestine space program in the early 1960s.
Full Contact is a contemporary tale of a man trying to find new purpose in life after accidentally bombing a school through a remotely operated drone plane. Ivan, operating the plane from a far away air force base, has never been to the foreign countries of his attacks, nor has he ever touched the plane he uses to kill. Modern warfare keeps him safe and disconnected from his prey. However, after this incident Ivan's disconnectedness starts to apply to everything in his life. He is overwhelmed by feelings of guilt that he is unable to process.
Part documentary, part mockumentary and part stranger-than-fiction lesson in guerilla tactics, Velvet Terrorists is a quirky profile of three very different men and their former attempts to take down the communist regime of Czechoslovakia – by blowing the hell out of it. Having all spent time in prison for their crimes, one-time bombers Stanislav, Frantisek and Vladimir muse on their personal histories, the fall of the regime and their journey into middle age.
A post-modern theater adaptation of a classic Greek tragedy takes place in a central theater of Athens. Like every night, the audience take their seats and the play begins. Suddenly, the lights on stage go out. A group of young people, dressed in black and carrying guns, come up on stage. They apologize for the interruption and invite people from the audience to participate on stage. The play resumes with a main difference; life imitates art and not the opposite.
Croatia, 7th of January 1992: In the middle of the war, a young journalist's body is discovered dressed in the uniform of an international mercenary group. Twenty years later, his cousin Anja Kofmel investigates his story.
In Sarajevo, a teenager seeking affirmation reveals that she had sex for the first time during a game of 'truth or dare' among middle schoolers. Trapped in her own lie, she fabricates a pregnancy and becomes the center of a controversy that spirals out of control.
Ten-year-old Toda lives in a bakery with her dad and knows everything there is to know about cakes and pastries. Then, one day, her life is turned upside down: her dad is called away unexpectedly to defend his country. In order to stay safe, Toda has to undertake an adventurous and challenging journey to the neighbouring country where her mother lives. On the way she encounters challenging situations, meets interesting people and finds a special new friend. But will she eventually find her mother?
The "Occupied Cinema" follows young activists and events surrounding the takeover of "Zvezda", one of 14 extinguished cinemas from the privatized company "Beograd Film".
Bumpy are the pot-holed roads of Bulgaria’s capital Sofia. Doctor Krassi, nurse Mila and driver Plamen fly over them daily at break-neck speed. Together the three form one of 13 ambulance teams providing assistance to over two million people. They zoom around the city on double shifts from one emergency to the next. Ilian Metev’s camera is not aimed at those in need of help – their dignity remains preserved. He focuses instead upon the rescue team Krassi, Mila and Plamen and their wild rides across the city on a never-ending battle with time – a feat almost impossible without humour. The ambulance team fight against a ramshackle health system with passion, selflessness and sometimes near resignation. Ilian Metlev accompanied the trio for more than two years to find images that make poetry of the human figure and this depiction of reality.
Going from the emotion that lied down inside of me back from 2005. and all these magical things which was cast on me by the town of Sarajevo, little story about love and life was born…
Mitch is an artist, Mitch is schizophrenic. That’s what he claims, facing the camera. And Mitch is his self-portrait, showing a man of 40 who uses the camera and film as a form of therapy. So (a decisive gesture here) this is about reversing perspectives, in order to follow in his footsteps.
Earth has been abandoned for a long time and humanity has found refuge in outer space. Three archaeologists return to Earth to investigate the origin of a mysterious five tone signal…
In September 2004, Himzo Muratovic returned from the dead. Himzo turned up in a taxi in his Bosnian Muslim village, 12 years after he disappeared at the height of the Serb terror. His mother fell unconscious when neighbors told her that her missing son had returned. For several days the village celebrated the return of the long-dead Himzo Muratovic.
Anya was an ordinary Moscow teenager who found a chat group of her choice online. They talked about animals, the stars and social issues. A man called Ruslan D joined the group, who set up an office space for the online group to meet. Step by step, he began to lead young people who were critical of the Putin's regime towards political activism. Ruslan D placed a camera in the meeting room, and when he had enough footage, he handed it over to the prosecutor. The police raided the teenagers' homes and they were arrested on charges of planning to overthrow the government and terrorism. Three years of legal proceedings transformed Anya's mother from a loyal follower of Putin to a hunger-striking activist. Moscow-based director Anna Shishova followed Anya and her mother's life throughout the event and eventually revealed the true identity of Ruslan D.
In the start of the breakup of Yugoslavia, in spring 1991, there is a group of young conscripted soldiers in a remote military outpost. Their army and country are falling apart and the war is starting nearby. Friends are facing a decision of their lives: should they stay or run?
Marko and Atanas are two friends whose lives would be sweet as strudel but for an annoying little problem with their papers. They need a European passport and they are prepared to do almost anything to get one, including buying a wife. With nothing but their brass necks and 7,000 euros, they set out to find the woman of their dreams.
This film tells the story about futility of life of main character, Miro – yuppie whose life consists of repeating everyday routine. His sense tells him he is unhappy so he swamps into imagination and decides to change his life.
A Dutch photographer (played by David Verbeek himself – also a talented photographer in real life) takes a picture of a girl in a parking lot in nighttime Taipei as she plays with her kite. The photo transports us into her life. She is eight years old and is about to lose her best friend, a boy from a wealthy family who is moving to America. Back in the Netherlands, the photographer is confronted with his own constant loneliness. The photo of the girl evokes memories of his own childhood, when he still felt at home somewhere.
Iraqi Kurdistan. What happens to war zones after the lights go out? Where do their children go? The last war against Isis left 1.6 million people in need. Half of them are under the age of 18. Disordered elements of a post-traumatic stress syndrome demand to get away from the tragedies of war. It's a frenetic, explosive and totally unexpected euphoria, the struggle to finally find a normal life made of simple things. War is Over is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and its enduring hopes.
The Danish soldiers in Camp Dannevirke were assigned by the United Nations to monitor the ceasefire between the Serbs and the Croats. They were only allowed to use weapons in self-defense. In the summer of 1995, the Croatian Army ceasefire broke. Once there was no longer a ceasefire to monitor, the soldiers were ordered to stay inside their camp and not interfere in the war. It was therefore up to one Danish officer, to make the crucial decision: to give orders to shoot or follow the UN mandate and not intervene.
