Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

Young women see themselves as rivers, connecting poetic imagery to landscapes in a multi-voiced narrative that transforms into political commentary: Kazakh women choose to live without men. Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 2026 - Forum Special - World premiere

Synopsis

The South African cleric Desmond Tutu was more than just an archbishop, he was a moral compass, a fearless champion of justice and a global beacon of hope for a more peaceful future. TUTU reveals the man behind the icon through previously unpublished archive footage and first-hand accounts from those who walked beside him. The film traces Tutu’s rise as the unwavering voice of the oppressed. In the face of brutality, he stood resolute, guided by faith, fuelled by hope and driven by an unshakable belief in the humanity of all people. At its heart, this is a story of the transformative power of forgiveness, a message from which Tutu never wavered. Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 2026 - Berlinale Special Presentation - World premiere

Synopsis

In the remote Siberian Arctic, an Indigenous Sakha scientist descends into the depths of the melting permafrost. Searching for an ancient creature, he makes his way through the dangerous, claustrophobic caves to the mythical realm of the Underworld. Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 2026 - Berlinale Shorts - World premiere

Synopsis

Drawing on a location test filmed in Uganda and an email exchange with the scout, this short film captures cinema’s ties to land and its entanglement with colonial imaginaries, binding the fiction of filmmaking with state-building. Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 2026 - Forum Expanded - World premiere

Synopsis

A radical Black Queer photographer and archivist challenges respectability politics through his intimate portraits, reclaiming the right to represent Black desire, pleasure and memory on his own terms.

Synopsis

Under the skin of Douglas Gordon, probing what it means to be an artist. Capturing the chaotic energy of a working studio and blurring the lines between art, performance, and reality. The filmmaker's presence challenges the authenticity of the process, exposing the tensions, collaboration, and unpredictability of documenting a boundary-pushing artist. Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 2026 - Panorama Dokumente - World premiere

Synopsis

Structured as a psychogeographic voyage, the film explores place, memory, and sensation through the inner life of a poet whose sense of self gradually dissolves into cinematic reflection. Departing from conventional documentary forms, EVERY MOON IS ATROCIOUS invites audiences into a layered sensory environment where image, sound, and language operate associatively. At its core lies the poetry of the late Niall McDevitt (1967-2022), whose work forms the conceptual and emotional spine of the film, shaping a trance-like rhythm that mirrors the protagonist’s journey towards death and the unknown. Yvonne McDevitt’s filmmaking resists separating form from feeling. Dreamlike visuals, intense durational shots, and richly layered sound design prioritise emotional resonance over linear narrative. Fragmented imagery and superimpositions draw viewers into a meditative mode, presenting the film as a cinematic drift that charts inner terrains as much as physical ones. Movement through cities and coastlines becomes inseparable from movement through memory, grief, and desire. Official Selection Dublin International Film Festival 2026 - World premiere

Synopsis

Unveiling the untold story of Joe Dilworth, the photographer who captured the pulse of London and Berlin’s music underground. Through his lens, time stands still - raw, electric, and unfiltered. As he reflects on his craft, his city, and his legacy, this intimate documentary reveals how a single frame can echo across generations. The documentary is an intimate exploration of the life and photographs of Joe Dilworth, whose black-and-white photography immortalized the energy of the music scene in London and Berlin. Set against the evocative backdrop of Berlin, this documentary follows Dilworth as he reflects on his decades-long career, revisits iconic moments in his photographic journey, and shares insights into his process and philosophy. Weaving together interviews, archival photographs, and atmospheric sequences of Berlin, the film paints a portrait of a city and an artist united by their resilience, creativity, and layered histories. From the solitude of his darkroom to the social vitality of his photo bookshop and studio, viewers witness the symbiotic relationship between a photographer and his vision, uncovering how the art of still photography can transcend time and place.

Synopsis

A trippy tale capturing the creative vision of writer Jack Thorne and director Marc Munden, as a British crew and young cast film this timely adaptation on the remote islands and interior of Malaysia during monsoon season. The crew battle twisters, torrential rain and scary insects to create this hallucinatory fever dream, featuring behind the scenes interviews, observational footage and mesmerising performances by the newbie cast.

Synopsis

[We Are] A small Asian hair salon in Cambridge. A Chinese-Malaysian immigrant hairdresser, a grandmother, runs her business quietly, happily, and peacefully. [Still Dreaming of Hope] The iconic Middle East photograph featured in the film is a staged image. The two boys in the photograph are not an Israeli and a Palestinian, but two Israeli Jewish children.

Synopsis

For 14 years, Syrian filmmakers Hasan Kattan and Fadi Al-Halabi have journeyed together through war and storytelling. Their bond was forged on the frontlines of revolution where their cameras recorded terror and hope, laughter and heartbreak – moments that defined a generation. Years later, their story takes an unexpected turn. Confined inside a UK asylum hotel, Hasan and Fadi document a new chapter shaped not by bombs, but by waiting, bureaucracy, and exile. Amid rising anti-refugee hostility, they turn the camera inward exploring friendship and displacement and how filming itself becomes an act of survival when the future is so uncertain. Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026 - World premiere

Synopsis

Courtney Love, singer, songwriter, and actor, is sober and preparing to release new music after a decade, ready to share her unfiltered story. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2026 - World premiere