Carlos Esteva: the fight for the invisible

After the Kyrgyzstan Independence in 1991, the ancient practice of Ala-Kachuu ("grab and run") returned. Some women escape the men that kidnap them, but many remain married because of tradition and the fear of scandal.

In the remote village of Kök-Tash, Kyrgyzstan, where conservative norms confine women to domestic duties, an activist organizes a women's football tournament to challenge these patriarchal traditions. Stunningly filmed, visually captivating, and quite evocative, Kick-Off demonstrates how athletics has the power to break taboos, opposing the norms of traditionalism, while promoting gender quality in rigidly patriarchal societies, where women are left with no choice but to occupy the margins of solely inflexible, highly restrictive roles. Sports and play, being the most natural expression of human joy - unbound by limitations and uncontained, are the best response to the sullen "no's" imposed by any form of oppression.

Slavery has never ended. It has just assumed other names and ways to conceal itself. Roser Corella’s film zooms in on Beirut, where the upper class on a large scale hires maids from countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya and the Philippines through agencies that advise people how to cheat and manipulate the young women to work full-time (literally) for meagre wages. An upsetting revelation, but Corella keeps a cool head and tears the inhuman ‘kafala’ system apart piece by piece. She analyses the situation in both words and images, but it is the underpaid maids themselves who provide the conclusion in the form of demonstrations, protests and demands for proper working conditions. ‘Room without a View’, the title of which describes the rooms made available to the women, combines an artistic and an investigative approach to its exposition of the abominable monster that is modern slavery. A film that is highly topical in all parts of the world - unfortunately.

When Manuel Liñán takes the stage, he finds the freedom to be himself. Through dance, he explores the connection between bodies, love, and human relationships, seeking to understand the need to connect without taboos and the consequences of intimacy. Through emotion and flesh, he challenges the boundaries of flamenco, merging tradition with personal freedom. In this journey, the past and present intertwine, creating an atmosphere where bodies speak of love, struggle, and the bonds that define us

Manuel Liñán is a Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer who is pushing the boundaries of the artform and challenging gender norms. Born into a modest family in Granada in 1980, Liñán grew up under pressure to fulfil his father's dream of becoming a bullfighter - a path that did not correspond to his true passion. This documentary follows the artist through the creative process and rehearsals of his work “Muerte de Amor” in June 2024.

The centuries-old custom of blood feuds has started blighting lives since the collapse of communism in Albania, where many families are living locked down in their houses in fear of blood vengeance. The ancestral code of Kanun includes the right to murder to avenge an earlier killing: ‘blood must be paid with blood’.