The Fencing Champion

American documentarian James Longley delivers a sweeping, profoundly compassionate group portrait of Afghan students and teachers still weathering national turbulence.

In this chilling and groundbreaking documentary, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various film genres. As they recreate their past atrocities, the line between reality and performance blurs, exposing the lingering impact of Indonesia's 1965-66 anti-communist purge and the unsettling psychology of its perpetrators.

Hnutove, Donbass, eastern Ukraine, 2015. Young Oleg lives in a war zone where anti-aircraft gunshots and missile attacks often resonate dangerously near. Although many inhabitants have already left this dangerous area, he remains with his grandmother, who has cared for him since his mother's death, because they have nowhere to go. They are just waiting for the war to end.

A temporary house for abandoned children near the front line in eastern Ukraine is run by a small group of social workers determined to provide comfort and safety. It may be humble and somewhat run-down, but this house is filled with love and offers up to nine months of refuge to kids whose fate will be determined by the system. During this short time, the caretakers try to nurture within them a sense of stability and normalcy.

50 % of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2050 this will increase to 80%. Life in a mega city is both enchanting and problematic. Today we face peak oil, climate change, loneliness and severe health issues due to our way of life. But why? The Danish architect and professor Jan Gehl has studied human behavior in cities through 40 years. He has documented how modern cities repel human interaction, and argues that we can build cities in a way, which takes human needs for inclusion and intimacy into account.

When 12-year-old Reshat looks around him, he sees the oil fields of Azerbaijan. When he looks up dreamily, he sees pigeons flying to heaven. He misses his father, who died a year ago, and who also loved these birds. Reshat cautiously approaches the best pigeon keeper in the village. Will he teach him to train pigeons? His father taught him that he should be kind to birds, because souls fly to heaven on their wings. While Reshat is learning all about pigeons, he discovers what he really wants. Part of the "Kids on the Silk Road" documentary project.

The filmic approach playfully balances on the edge between documentary and fiction, thereby both underlining and adding to the theme of the film. The two directors have filmed Troels for 4 years, capturing all his ups and downs, the defining moments, both the hilarious and the sad. This material will be combined with Troels¿ video diary where we get even closer, and animation that will bring life to Troels¿ text and inner universe in a compelling and humoristic way. The animation is done by the artist Carl Krull whoose very distinctive style matches Troels¿ story and personality, combining darkness and humor, the grotesque and the beautiful. It will be subtly integrated into the filmed material, at times taking over completely. The story of Troels and the visual approach melt together.

Nastia is a gymnast in Kyiv, training intensively with her four teammates for the Ukrainian National Championships. At other times they make dance clips, perform acrobatic feats, and giggle a lot. Nastia knows that together they can achieve anything. But then the war breaks out, and Nastia’s parents send her to her grandmother in Germany, hoping that the separation will be temporary.

'Chikara - the Sumo wrestler's son' follows the 10-year-old Japanese boy, Chikara, and his struggle to become a Sumo wrestler. His father was a professional Sumo wrestler, so expectations surrounding Chikara are extremely high. Today his father owns a noodle-shop where he works a lot. Their only time together is when they train Sumo wrestling. It's a very valuable time for Chikara. He wants to impress his father, but when he's there, Chikara gets nervous and everything seems to go wrong. The national Sumo Championship is approaching and Chikara wants to do well. It's a story of a small boy in a tough sport, parental pressure and expectations, but above all, it's a universal narrative about the relationship between father and son.

Ruben lives in Denmark, Nastya in Russia, Chikara in Japan, and all practice high-level sports. For one, managing stress and defeat proves difficult. For the other, relentless training is tough, and for the last, not disappointing his father's hopes is paramount. Three sensitive portraits of young champions.