20 YEARS OF WATCH DOCS - ONLINE

TYSIAC TOG (A THOUSAND ROBES) (2020)

Recommended. A 12-minute film on the Polish judges' protest against dismantling the rule of law in the country. Judges, both Polish and from other European nations, explain the current governmental decisions will affect the nation for generations and stress the risk the protesting law professionals are taking. Profoundly touching.

THE WORK (2017)

Switched off. You follow group psychotherapy sessions filled with therapy jargon i.e. "being in the place", "holding" or "letting out" emotions.

上访 (PETITION) (2009)

Watchable. China from an unusual perception: a decade of filing petitions with a central institution to complain about human rights violations. The petitions all fall on deaf ears and the petitioners are frequently beaten up on authorities' orders or locked up in psychiatric wards where new drugs are tested on them against their will. It's a peculiar situation since the authorities have created the institution but then they threaten the people who seek justice this way. The film shows how it ruins people's lives, families, how they spend years camping and living like homeless people in order for their complaint to be heard. When a woman running from henchmen hired by those authorities fell under a train, the gathered just collected her body parts without manifesting any shock or emotions. A totally dehumanising system. The film is a bit hard to understand at times. Shot by a Chinese who might have assumed everyone knows what is discussed.

S21. LA MACHINE DE MORT KHMERE ROUGE (S21: THE KHMER ROUGE DEATH MACHINE) (2003)

Recommended. Blood-chilling but explains the whole machinery: how the guards tortured and killed because a refusal to obey an order equalled immediate death and how they would lie to the prisoners about where they were taking them or their children to prevent protests when in fact they were about to kill them. Lots of gruesome detail but each harrowing account is followed by a quiet moment so the viewer's tension doesn't accumulate.

The post-festival VOD section was highly interesting and comprised of a selection of hand-picked documentaries on human rights issues from all over the world, scarily a few from Poland. The viewing quality varied, especially with older films. The greatest hindrance, though, was the fact they were interrupted by commercials a few times. A fair deal, the films were free, but the foreign ones had so many breaks it discouraged from watching.

AFRYKAMERA ONLINE

PETIT PAYS (SMALL COUNTRY: AN AFRICAN CHILDHOOD)

Recommended. Based on facts. Set in Burundi and Rwanda at the onset of the civil war in 1994. Brings the events home. Not very graphic, apart from two dead bodies on the road, more are mentioned in a conversation ("100 000", "no sidewalk free"). Mid-way through the story, a wedding gathering turns into a black and white photograph. On the emotional level, for the first hour children frolic, dance, enjoy good weather. The second hour tugs on your heartstrings. Fine performances all around: all the children, Jean-Paul Rouve and Isabelle Kabano as their parents and everyone else. 

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NOTRE-DAME DU NIL (OUR LADY OF THE NILE)

Watchable. Based on the novel of the same title by Scholastique Mukasonga, it depicts life in a school for girls run by nuns in Rwanda in 1973 which serves both to present the theory of black pharaohs and a hypothesis they may have been Tutsis as well as the beginnings of discriminatory practices, e.g. a 10% quota for Tutsis as students. The story of a Hutu schoolgirl's envy against Tutsi girls and their intrigue leading to a pogrom is engaging, finely acted and shot. Only the ending referring to the situation in the whole country seems far-fetched. It looks as if one girl caused a pogrom and a subsequent bloody war. Combining a girl's novel with politics detracts from the gravity of the story. I wonder what made the producers pick the novel rather than the writer's memoirs, i.e. "Cockroaches" - that would be entirely truthful hence would make more sense. 

W POLSKIM OBIEKTYWIE 

4 Polish short documentaries:

TOURING CLUB DE CATASTROPHE

Watchable. Grainy footage of tourism and colonial times, French-accent English-language voiceover - probably referring to the two largest colonizers of the continent - and excerpts of sociodemographic theories which sound so abstract they can prove any theory in the absence of evidence. The opening is confusing - who is writing for who? A bizarre artistic vision and a discourse which can be seen both as a stance for racial equality and as a proclamation of colonization as a natural phenomenon.

ALL ON A MARDI GRASS DAY

Watchable. An ex-junkie talks about Fat Thursday sounding high. Partly a tale of history when runaway slaves were given shelter by Indians and hence now keep paying tribute to them via their Indian-inspired Mardi Gras costumes: lots of plumes and embroidered with smaller or bigger beads, a new costume every year, sewn all days long. Also a story of overcoming one's drug addiction. The area's ridden with drug dealers and kids with no fathers. Also some talk on the gentrification of some wards of New Orleans. Informative but unpleasant to listen to the raspy voice of an uneducated local due to the junkie voice timbre, a huge number of language mistakes and a hard accent. His chants on Mardi Gras sound the same.

The translation into Polish is poor at times.

JESTEM Z DOUMGA (I AM FROM DOUMGA)

Watchable. A personal account of a warm-hearted Senegalese who, after studies in Poland, went on to live in the country and is even on a town council. He talks about how much help he received in the past somewhat downplaying his own skills which made him win one competition after another, whether to get to a Polish university or to land a civil servant job. He presents his Polish and Senegalese extended family. Nothing new culture-wise but he's such a jovial man it was pleasant to hear his life story.

I'm skipping "Kiedy zabraknie ryb" ("Stolen Fish") which I saw at Watch Docs and wrote about earlier this month. 

OBLICZA AFRYKI - AFROSZORTY

8 short films:

WARD'S HENNA PARTY

Watchable. The first half resembled an ethnographic documentary on Egyptian weddings and I wondered why I'd be interested in some stranger's wedding in the first place. But the second half highlights the culture where a man enters a woman's room without knocking, takes half her gift money and, with women's approval and beats up a female henna painter and depicts discrimination against the Sudanese. And it turns out to be an actors' film.

CALL ME NEGUINHO

Watchable. A brief impressionistic documentary on being a Cape Verdean. The protagonist mentions having spent half his life on emigration as well as the slave past of Cabo Verde. You get glimpses of capoeira and the island. That's it. Nothing is shown to support his claims about how the past has affected him, instead he showcases his daughter. The film also doesn't tell you anything you wouldn't have known otherwise.

DA YIE (GOOD NIGHT)

Watchable. The beginning with children playing was uninspiring. When a stranger, from outside Ghana, treats them to lunch and other attractions, it becomes intriguing, even more so, when he makes an unsettling phone call. The ending fails to clarify what it was all about.

COSMOTO

Watchable. Visually attractive, with great editing and an impressive story of soldiers fighting poachers in Zambia. Looks like a promotional video since it highlights their prowess, courage, endurance - not everyone manages to complete the training. Shame this short documentary overlooks to explain why a poacher turns into a wildlife protector. Still, it leaves you grateful such people exist. With the way it's shot, it reminds me of "Rambo" and of how that American feature altered the perception of war veterans by the society. This film should do the same to the attitude to forest guards. 'cause they are heroes.

TIMOUN AW (YOUR KID)

Watchable. A humorous tale of a smalltime Guadeloupean drug-dealer who finds a baby with a message it's his. Engaging but I've seen several films with a similar storyline from all over the world. An iguana on a roof and sugar cane juice are the only special attractions.

KARINGANA: OS MORTOS NAO CONTAM ESTORIAS (THE DEAD TELL NO TALES)

Watchable. A tribute to those who lost their spirits, while still alive, in the Mozambican war. Black and white, slightly poetic, solemn yet superficial. No mention of what happened at war or to the people's psyche afterwards. 

RASTA

Watchable. I only waited to see what happens next. But this excessively expressive film consists of a simple story and erratic actions, the conversation with the killed rebel's mother is pure nonsense, especially: "Maybe they wouldn't join rebels if they had a mother like you." Plain stupid. I only give it credit for bringing the Ivory Coast rebellion to attention. 

KAUNAPAWA (INVISIBLES)

Watchable. Picture-perfect shots mix with ordinary ones in this Namibian poetic vision of departing.

KRAINA 1000 OPOWIESCI - RWANDA

7 short films:

MUGABO

Watchable. I hated the ear-piercing high tone music. Story-wise, it's about returning to your home country after years. While you may guess the girl is a war refugee, the coming back is like from any other emigration.

I GOT MY THINGS AND LEFT

Watchable. A group of youngsters gather around the coffin of a friend who died at 27 and talks about nothing in particular. I only liked the statement that even if there is another life after this one there's no point in living preparing for it - that pretty much does away with Christianity - and the butterflies a girl has attached to her face, hair and tights. The rest just drags. 

LA MAZDA JAUNE ET LA SAINTETE (THE YELLOW MAZDA AND HIS HOLINESS)

Watchable. A documentary family memoir. Peculiar the 17-year-old girl had no objections to marrying a man much older than herself. Him being a priest at the time was the least problem. The film would suit a family video album rather than a general release if it weren't for the opening when the narrator informs an opening scene speaks of the author's soul.

IBIHOZO (ROCKABYE)

Watchable. A black and white tale of a prostitute coping with her son's suffering from bullying triggered by her profession. Could be set anywhere in the world.

TORMENT

Watchable. A full-colour mock interview with a prostitute. She also has a little boy. Engaging, at the end you get to know why the young man questions her. Still, nothing I wouldn't have heard before.

WAITING

Watchable. A simple story which plays with your idea which waiting is meant in the title. Ingenious ending. But the wait for the finale feels lengthy.

LUNA

Watchable. A protracted short film about children of the street who have run from domestic violence. The story makes sense, just feels too long.

The Rwandan films show the current standard of living matches European, they have access to the same technologies too. They only have no clue how to build a story.

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PLAY SCHENGEN

Watchable. A humorous short mockumentary on the EU by Gunhild Enger from Norway. I didn't laugh but the scenes reflect the problems with communication within the structure and with the policy on border control. Clever. And yes, it does explain the institution pretty well.

The film was awfully quiet but at least had big subtitles.

BLOCK OF ANIMATIONS

THE BEAST

Watchable. This Swedish pottery doll variation on Kafka's "Metamorphosis" by Marlene Rusk focuses on psychological aspects of the metamorphosis for the guy on the receiving end and his family. Not much of a story or depth though. The dolls and house decor are plain ugly.

FREEZE FRAME

Switched off. Black and white Finnish short film by Soetkin Forstegen. Workers cut out ice blocks in which various animals run which you see as if via X-ray. Nonsensical and boring.

TIGER

Watchable. The Danish offering by Pernille Kjaer uses colours for elements of the jungle and humans and black, white, grey, beige hues for the rest. The story of people's attitudes to nature and its revenge on humans is presented in a weird way. I also didn't like the drawings much.

ON AMBITION, COURTSHIP AND PROCREATION

Switched off. Geometric forms in the Danish film by Pernille Kjaer imitate mostly penis movements and a sexual intercourse. Simplistic and vulgar.

KUHINA

Switched off. This Finnish film by Jonni Männistö is about a fat kid killing animals and making fun of it. Lots of swarming insects complete the picture. Couldn't stand it visually and plot-wise. 

NOTHING HAPPENS

Watchable. Another Finnish one. This one, by Michelle and Uri Kranot, is a highly skilled artistic depiction of people surrounded by wintry nature in a park. It looks like paintings. The tale is tongue-in-cheek since gawpers gather to watch crows and not listen to baskers. The bluish palette suits the season. I didn't like the music - sounds Klezmer.

THE BUREAUCRACY MONSTER

Watchable. All I can make of it is that the Norwegian director, Thomas Simonsen Balmbra, hates paperwork. The monster is trully disgusting. The picture is weird.

ENOUGH

Watchable. This 2-minute Swedish doll short by Anna Mantzaris depicts a series of situations where people have had enough. Of various things, e.g. a beard, a baby, waiting for a bus etc. Smart. Simplistic dolls.

All the animations were short: from 2 to 12 minutes. 

AFRYKAMERA ONLINE

NDOTO ZA ELIBIDI (THE DREAMS OF ELIBIDI)

Watchable. Neither did I find the comedy amusing, nor do I need explanation about AIDS transmission but the educational performance had an engaging storyline so I kept watching to see what would happen to the characters. Also the form of the film is unusual since the action jumps from the stage onto the city (Nairobi) locations and back seamlessly. And the look on the faces of the local audience makes you appreciate the initiative: education through entertainment appears to hit the bull's eye. Decent music, I particularly liked the song over the end credits.

THE SOUND OF MASKS

Switched off. Haywire commentary, additionally in a dull voice and with plenty of pausing. Nothing pretty in the mask dance either. Also, I didn't learn anything new from this documentary.

AFRYKAMERA ONLINE

BUDDHA IN AFRICA

Recommended. A shocking documentary about a Chinese organization collecting orphaned boys from all over Malawi in order to provide them with a future, Asian way. Training kung fu, teaching Chinese and Chinese culture: playing instruments, making tofu, Buddhism - all Chinese way: extensively and intensively, using corporal punishment. To the boys it's both a chance of them to "civilize Africa" in the future but also a risk of forgetting their own language. When you hear their Chinese and see astonishing kung-fu performances, it's obvious it works, they also receive a clear education path bankrolled by sponsors. But the organization overtly speaks about their colonial plans to set up an ACC centre in every African country and boasts of the number of Mandarin speakers bound to surpass that of English speakers worldwide. The film's attractive to watch - bright colours are typical for both cultures.

OF GOOD REPORT

Recommended. Not only is it top-notch noir, the film, in Xhosa mixed with English, also plays with the genre. The lead character utters no word. Certain situations are repeated slightly altered in a different context, e.g. pulling knickers down or up, schoolgirls finding Nolitha in the bathroom or the use of the bat. The movie's quite erotic but extremely brutal - the story combines Eros and Thanatos and both get graphic. The girl's name sounds like Lolita and in the final scene the eponymous book is being closed by the librarian. The sequence of events isn't chronological but is cut perfectly and unambiguously. A masterpiece. The movie's black and white. Ingeniously, a little red man silhouette is dancing to the music accompanying the end credits.

BEYOND MOVING

Recommended. The documentary charts Siphe November's road from Zolani in Western Cape, SA to a ballet school in Canada and touring the world. He's been talented since early years, incredibly muscled already at 11 and by the age of 17 he achieved a mind-blowing softness of movement. His dancing mesmerises and touches to the core. I only have to correct the protagonist - song "Malaika" doesn't originate in South Africa but in East Africa, it's in Swahili. As for languages, he also mentions he can't speak his native Xhosa fluently any more. 

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MIHKEL

Recommended. A harrowing story of a drug mule, based on facts. It's tense and intense, which is magnified by fantastic cinematography by Tómas Örn Tómasson. Each setting is emphasised: shabbiness, luxury, feeling blue, each mood and place has its different visuals - the director of photography made full use of his exquisite skills. Perfect make-up presents stages of sickness and death. The script covers all details of the case. Fine performances all around. I didn't expect much of an Estonian-Icelandic co-production but it's superb. And makes use of Estonian and Icelandic landscapes too. 

Shame the film had such tiny subtitles.

AFRYKAMERA ONLINE

KANARIE (CANARY)

Watchable. About a musically skilled gay draftee. A silly story, with barely comprehensible dialogues about religion, the army and South Africa of 1985. In Afrikaans which slightly helps to get which point of view it is. The enactions of pop hits of the time are better. Too little music and dress-ups though. Too much crazy acting up. Apartheid is mentioned once, for no particular reason since it's not race that's an issue in this gay movie. It dabbles in several matters but doesn't delve into any, not even homosexuality - even the main topic is treated superficially. I love Culture Club but the two songs are recycled in the movie with no adequate finale. In fact, the ending is so flat it disappoints. As for the movie structure, the division into chapters is pointless. The highlight is the ringing bikers scene and the following dance in the barracks is superb: the expression, the choreography, lighting. Wow!

SEW THE WINTER TO MY SKIN

Switched off. Lots of violence and, with the action jumping to and fro, no consistent storyline. It's a bloody mess. One catchy and funny song, "The Zulu Warrior" by Marais, doesn't save the movie. Also, with racial issues at the core, a shallow adventure flick seems inappropriate.

LA PROCHAINE FOIS QUE JE VIENDRAI AU MONDE (IN ANOTHER LIFE)

Watchable. A documentary about children of the street in Burundi and their lives as adults. Black, purplish, grey palette - almost unnatural for Africa though reflecting the gloomy subject. The boys - later self-conscious men in their 30s - have simple needs. A truly touching moment is when they put on suits and try another life. Uncertain how many they were at first - five? Three remain, two are mentioned die. Unemotional but hard-hitting anyway. Flat narration, philosophical so it's hard to feel for them no matter how much sympathy you have. You hear how authorities and the police treat them and learn that cigarettes masked the smell of their unwashed bodies and hear of their problems with alcohol. But is their homelessness that different from this predicament elsewhere? For a bigger part, the film could be set anywhere in the world.

I've finally started watching this year's festival and I'm upset. I was refused media patronage because the organizers' policy was not to work with blogs and I've just seen other blogs on the patrons' list, none of them in English, while this event attracts a number of foreigners. All movies are barely audible, especially dialogues. The website technical help section doesn't seem to work at night when it's the easiest to watch or on festive days. While I'm happy the first two films had big English subtitles on black background, the third had them too small and whether white or yellow not always legible from a distance. 

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КИТОБОЙ (THE WHALER BOY) 

Recommended. A teenage boy from Lorino in Chukotka falls in love with a Detroit online stripper and sets off on a journey to America. It's Russian cinema at its best because this setting provides grounds for a sublime story of teenage dreams and of an impossible love. Violent acts conceal a troubled soul. It also tells about friendship and family. The humorous character of a dying grandpa is brilliant. Wonderful cinematography, deserving a bigger screen, provides a display of mesmerising tundra, often in dimmed, polar light, but also a memorable view of a whale cemetery. Even whale intestines are fascinating instead of revolting as you might expect. The ambiguous ending makes full use of cinematographic means as well. The soundtrack emphasizes the American dream. A gem. 

20 YEARS OF WATCH DOCS - ONLINE

POTOMKOWIE CYWILIZACJI LACINSKIEJ (2020)

Recommended. A chance to see Polish nationalists' marches of 2016, 2018, 2020 up close from a safe distance. The film takes on a satirical tone in the opening, when the marching men kind of dance to the soundtrack and in the ending. The documentary shows how the Independence Marches started as events uniting football supporters of different teams and how they drew rightist fathers teaching children their vision of patriotism and how the events transformed, first attracting nuns and the same men chanting Catholic slogans, an extreme rightist party, Konfederacja, leader and how violence escalated year after year. 

7-MY SIERPNIA (AUGUST THE 7TH) (2020)

Recommended. Deeply touching. Within 30 minutes it presents the situation of the LGBT people in Poland - from what it was before the rule of Law and Justice until now. And it's appalling how the police handle them and how politicians and the Church brainwash straight people, including old ladies, into violence against gays.

NI HAO HOLLAND (2015)

Recommended. Following two Chinese women's trip to a little Dutch town, the film shows Europe in Chinese eyes - fresh air and gardens of a small town where people know each other are juxtaposed with an overpopulated, congested Chinese city of large grey blocks of flats. The ladies are conscious tourists and the short film, incorporating also citizens', politicians' and hospitality workers' attitudes, showcases mass tourism in a nutshell. Entertaining and some food for thought.

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The festival runs online only from 21 to 30 December. I've seen "You Will Die at 20", "The Cursed Ones", "Kati Kati", "Liyana", "Supa modo", "Comboio de Sal e Açucar" ("The Train of Salt and Sugar") at earlier editions of Afrykamera and Polish short "Stolen Fish" at this year's Watch Docs and have reviewed them here before. I'm planning on seeing amazing "Kati kati" again. 14 other full-length movies, 3 short film sets of 19 films together (minus "Stolen Fish") and 6 classics (plus "Kati kati" again) await me. I'm also on the short film jury so I'll have to watch those particularly carefully, maybe twice.

STOLEN FISH Q&A

The director was going to research reasons for migration from Africa for an NGO. 30% of Gambian GDP comes from tourism and the fish supply affects that as well. Gosia Juszczak, director of the Polish short, lives in Spain where there are many immigrants from Gambia, Senegal and other countries with numerous Chinese fish factories. Emilia Plaskota's view is that the government is gullible. After 20 years of dictatorship now they've invested lots of trust in foreign investment. At best they'll impose fines which, for global corporations, amount to peanuts. The only regulations on fish powder production have to do with product quality, nothing to do with workers' rights or environmental issues. Fish powder is used in factory farming as animal fodder so that's an underlying issue as well.

OM DET OANDLIGA (ABOUT ENDLESSNESS)

Watchable. Each shot looks like a painting. While the movie's in greyish-brownish hues, the shades of grey and brown vary, making it very artistic. The film consists of a series of separate scenes, mostly with one line, sometimes repeated, each and a few minute break when you can ponder on the meaning while admiring the still photo, since the picture more often than not freezes, or watch a long blackout - less inspiring. Most scenes depict situations with no way out. The film's as philosophical as "En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron" ("A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence") and even some sets are re-used. The only problem is the lack of a consistent plot and prolonged images may make you drift away.

The movie on mojeekino.pl ran fairly smoothly, was perfectly audible and had large subtitles on black background.

20 YEARS OF WATCH DOCS - ONLINE

10 films are available free of charge till 30th December. I saw "Framing the Other" in 2012 and posted a note about it then.

JUSTICA (JUSTICE) (2004)

Watchable. A microcosm of Rio: a slick courtroom or lawyers' houses or cars contrast with dark overcrowded prisons, where the human congestion reminds of concentration camps with the difference of cooking utensils (right in those overcrowded cells) and without cruelty, and with favelas, well-fed judges preside over hungry petty thieves. The work of justice is futile since the big fish never get caught and the brutal police are feared more in the society than drug dealers. The portrait of Brazil is clear both in terms of words and taking into account cinematography. The film is unemotional, doesn't evoke feelings in the viewer, just like it doesn't in judges. The documentary is informative but deprived of hope or emotion, just like the system. Seems mechanical.

NO BURQAS BEHIND BARS (2012)

Recommended. A reverse reality: helpful, family-like prison wardens and vengeful husbands at large, liberty behind bars and constant vigilance at home. Women who fear leaving prison. And certain Javid who I'd love to beat up with my own hands - just wait till the end and you'll understand. Afghanistan: women sentenced for years of prison for running from home - before being forcefully married off - or running from their husbands. The reversal of what we perceive right and wrong makes their situation so absurd it's on the verge of being funny.

The films ran perfectly smoothly, were audible and had big subtitles, unfortunately white ones on often light backgrounds.

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TELLIER SEBASTIEN, BEAUCOUP DE VIES (SEBASTIEN TELLIER: MANY LIVES)

Watchable. A documentary about a bum's sudden rise to fame. Various terms are used for his music. I'd call it psychedelic electro pop for its sound, the gig and video clip visuals are typical for the genre too. He's a disgusting, fat drunk and junkie. But one with a flair for music and a never-serious demeanour. Which leads me to think how much we value entertainment that we bankroll someone's debauchery. Not that it's even mentioned in the documentary. No, this one just charts his rise from his couch potato state to tours round the world, playing at a Karl Lagerfeld fashion show, singing at Eurovision and his consecutive albums. It's overtalked. The film looks as if they decided to put any opinion about him and by him in it, whether it matters or not. His music's light, enjoyable, videos fun, but not everyone deserves a film. This guy has no personality. Or if he has one - as his jokes may imply - it doesn't show here.

IVANA CEA GROAZNICA (IVANA THE TERRIBLE)

Watchable. Ivana Mladenović has made a superficial movie about her summer holiday. Beautiful young women, sandy beaches, light blue lake, pleasant Serbian and Romanian music, a younger boyfriend and family arguments. Easy to follow but as empty as the actress's pretty head. She tells a story in spite of having nothing to say

TELLIER SEBASTIEN, BEAUCOUP DE VIES (SEBASTIEN TELLIER: MANY LIVES) DIRECTOR Q&A

First Sebastien was a character in Valenza's movie. François Valenza wasn't thinking about a documentary about him, he's not into music but became "fascinated by his character". He ended up working on the film for 8-9 years. 

IVANA CEA GROAZNICA (IVANA THE TERRIBLE) DIRECTOR Q&A

She cast her real family. She had to teach them lines but not too well so they don't pronounce them too automatically.

All festival movies run quite smoothly, most are audible and the subtitles are legible from a distance, though bigger ones would be better, just as they could do with a black background. Sadly, the quality of the films themselves is low or very low. The whole festival is skippable.

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MOTHERLAND DIRECTOR Q&A

The American-raised director is yet another director from outside our continent at the European film festival. Maybe they should name the event Both Americas in Europe? Tomas Vengris is also an alien to the movie topic. He's edited movies before and he still enjoys the cutting job. What he wanted to reflect in the film, was a strong sense of subjectivity. They wanted the boy to get accustomed to the camera so they let him just wander around. The bit in the film when the boy smells bark comes from that free wandering.

ნეგატიური ნომრები (NEGATIVE NUMBERS) 

Switched off. The Georgian feature, based on real events, tells of a prison rugby team - nothing engaging in the story, nothing attractive in the form either.

Ο ΓΙΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΣΟΦΙΑΣ (S0N OF SOFIA)

Watchable. Finally a truly engaging drama about building a patchwork family and different visions of what a family looks like. With quality cinematography and a stylish set design. On the other hand, the movie attempts to incorporate both Greek and Russian Olympics, fairy tales, theatre, the history of Sparta into the plot which enlivens the main storyline but doesn't make much sense otherwise. As for gay prostitution - too many pathologies for one movie.

ნეგატიური ნომრები (NEGATIVE NUMBERS) WRITER-DIRECTOR AND LEAD ACTOR Q&A

The rehearsals and shooting took place in an authentic prison over a month. I was impressed by how the director struggled with his English but had no qualms about asking for a word he wasn't sure of - a sign of a sincere personality.

Ο ΓΙΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΣΟΦΙΑΣ (S0N OF SOFIA) DIRECTOR Q&A

The director is a mother of an 11-year-old son herself. She had a difficult childhood but different - she was a refugee. Interestingly, she's unable to pronounce her boy-character's Russian name correctly. As for creating different imaginary layers, she just associated the fact that animals appear both in fairy tales but also as mascots of Olympic Games. On depicted pathologies: "There is no good and no bad, there is no black and white. It has to do with the point of view."

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LOVE ME TENDER

Watchable. The Swiss offering goes to great lengths to present agoraphobia and some other mental disturbances but with no rhyme or reason to it. You never learn what condition(s) she actually has or why, since when, what really happened with her mother and it leads virtually nowhere. A fleeting touching moment is the reconciliation attempt by her father. The little girl, most likely representing her younger, courageous self, only adds to the disarray. It starts and ends with kind-of-dancing but it's so odd it's unattractive. The movie's just weird. 

LOVE ME TENDER DIRECTOR Q&A

Klaudia Reynicke has been into antiheroes since childhood. Apparently she finds her protagonist to be an antihero too and thinks Seconda is funny. The writer-director is Peruvian but has been living in Switzerland for years. The film's set in Ticino, where she lives. Seconda was initially written as a middle-aged woman. And yes, the little girl is a part of the protagonist.

ZENTRAL FLUGHAFEN THF (THF: CENTRAL AIRPORT)

Watchable. Yet another documentary about refugees, this one about a refugee centre based in the disused Tempelhof airport, curiously originally conceived by Hitler, now housing asylum seekers. They are safe, receive excellent medical care, even flu vaccinations. At the same time, with no work permits, they are served by Germans. Even the cleaning and cooking is done for them. Jobless, they often get lazy. The system serves no-one. The film is protracted. Just like the asylum procedure, taking more than a year. There's little voice over, a number of lengthy walking through the square sequences feel empty. But I guess that's how the protagonists feel too.

ZENTRAL FLUGHAFEN THF (THF: CENTRAL AIRPORT) DIRECTOR Q&A

Brazil- born Germany-based director didn't say anything worth citing.

BE POLAR FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

From today till 31st December and free of charge. Some movies ara available within a 3-hour evening slot, other, mostly a few decades old documentaries, for the whole duration of the festival.

SYNDROM ZIMOWNIKOW (THE ANTARCTIC SYNDROME)

Recommended. The 3rd Polish Antarctic Expedition. About 4 decades ago. A different reality: lots of alcohol, a sex doll, killing, skinning and eating a seal - I've never been there but seriously doubt it'd be possible nowadays. On the other hand, the psychological observation, connected with a few experiments, was a milestone in group psychology and the results of the research were quickly grabbed by the Congress Library and NASA became immediately interested due to its space program. The group wintering over comprised mostly of men. I guess that's why the first deprivation they suffered was sex. Next came apathy. Then irritability, people's idiosyncrasies started triggering conflicts. In the middle of the winter it was the worst. Difficulty in concentration meant that, in spite of ample time in hand, performance decreased. The lack of stimuli led to aggression. On the other hand, I saw them skating on a little lake near the station - must be the same frozen lake I saw in photos from the station just a few days ago. It's also comforting to know that Puchalski knew he would most likely pass away in Antarctica and he wanted to die there, in his dream land. The fact, the penguins fell silent around him when he passed is some food for thought. Altogether a fascinating insight into an extraordinary place.

I have to say it's the most important documentary I've seen during the pandemic. Now I finally understand why everyone in Poland seems to have such a short fuse - it's the lockdown-induced lack of stimuli that causes aggression in people. On the other hand, I understand why so many activities are scheduled into the Antarctic station rota nowadays.

The screening went smoothly and was loud enough to watch from a distance. Only captions weren't very legible then, but you could easily make out who was who.

ARTEKINO FESTIVAL ONLINE

КОТКА В СТЕНАТА (CAT IN THE WALL)

I was intrigued by the earlier Q&A. Unfortunately this 1 title out of 10 is unavailable in Poland.

FULL CONTACT

Watchable. Hottie Grégoire Colin in the leading role, written by equally hot David Verbeek - the guys are the primary attraction in the film and in the bonus Q&A. I couldn't understand the fascination of the film world with strippers but the Q&A justifies it for this offering. Yet the most striking visuals don't come from the strip joint. Thought out cinematography and set design take you, with clear shots, from translucent water round a white island to a dark boxing den or an airport hangar, face close-ups juxtapose distant drone views, the man and the dog's eyes shine red in the light of the fire. The storyline, focusing round a remote worker seeking close contact in several consecutive ways, feels emptish though. But, worst of all, it's hard to make out the time and place of the events, or their chronology for that matter. 

FULL CONTACT WRITER-DIRECTOR Q&A

The writer-director of the feature is fascinated by the "virtuality of our identity" - which this year has taken further. Yet this story originates from David Verbeek's findings when he conducted research on who suffered from PTSD the most: in WW2 - snipers, now - drone pilots i.e. those who are in a distance. He first wrote the story. By coincidence he had guessed most about an ex drone operator he met later. The director has been attracted to slow movies e.g. by Kubrick or Antonioni which explains the pedestrian pace of his latest creation.

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SHORT FILMS

DIABLA 

Watchable. While it reflects the dream of revenge after being raped, the supposed "witchcraft" seems to hurt the girl rather - judging from the blood and the actual revenge requires no magic. A sharp knife is sufficient. Poorly acted too. One thing the film succeeds in is its depiction of the machismo culture in Mexico.

AND THEN GOD LAUGHED

Recommended. Fantastic script: the protagonist is amiable, the criminal investigation is thoroughly engaging and provides good suspense, the ending is brilliant. The whole film maintains black humour. Superbly acted, especially by Jon Weintraub in the leading role. 

SYNCHRONIZACJA (SYNCHRONIZATION)

Watchable. 2084 and winter outside - optimists. The action is intriguing but what "program" Wanda has created is never revealed. What's more, the plot combines witchcraft with science which only makes it less plausible. And it's gross - all that talking about semen extraction... A mess.

Most films are loud enough, all have clear big subtitles on black background and all run smoothly. You can start a film one day and continue the next. Technically, the festival's little short of perfection. The short film section is superb: varied in genre and cultures but maintaining high quality throughout. I'll be looking forward to the next edition, hopefully online too, at least short films. 

WATCH DOCS FESTIVAL ONLINE

I wasn't able to see the last film on my voucher. Mojeekino.pl claims I've seen 10, I know for a fact I've seen 9 (eight films + one 2-film set). The festival's over. I'm upset. That's on top of the problem with stuttering screenings. The platform's utterly annoying. On the other hand, I learnt a lot about the world - like every year, all films were of high quality, they also had large subtitles on black background and were audible. You could start a film one day and continue the next. Q&As and debates are still available on Facebook which is very convenient. They are subtitled so you don't need to wait for interpreting and hear the same thing twice like it used to be in real life. The online festival was a hit, the platform a miss. 

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SHORT FILMS

MR. SAM

Recommended. Tests your notions of weirdness. And does it smartly. The most dangerous people are the seemingly normal ones. It also teaches you that your own dirty secret might not be as bad as other people's. Superbly acted by Christopher Piccione. The plot is complex but lucid. Makes you uneasy but the thing is so stylish, including costumes and the scenery, you can't help but be amazed.

LA NUIT M'APPELLE (THE NIGHTS ALONE)

Watchable. Starts with a woman approaching the entrance and when she opens the door, her face is just in front of you, as if you were there. Costumes match interiors. Yet the film, though set in a wealthy residence, is ofted hard to look at, the monster is disgusting and the story perverse, even if ingenious. The French are obsessed with sex, no other nation would associate the monstrous, fat, revolting, old chap with voluntary sex.

SIREN

Recommended. The constantly flashing red and blue lights first blur identities, next make it spooky. The story's of identity - everyone's, of sexual identity and of kidnapping but when and of whom? This 16-minute film has a mid-credit and a horrifying end-credit. 

PSOTNIK W SZKLANEJ PULAPCE (PSOTNIK IN THE GLASS TRAP)

Watchable. A clever rework of the adult genre, "Poltergeist", horror clowns and silly cartoons. Black and white animation mixes with a colour actors' film. If only it weren't so vulgar.

LA PENUMBRA (THE GLOOM)

Recommended. Scary as hell from unsettling music in minute one. Add to it: a strange neighbour, walls closing down, some energy turning on devices, losing it, blood, memories playing with your mind - picture-perfect horror. 

WEIRDO

Watchable. The opening with silhouttes moving fast in the background and the shaky "R" in the title are foreboding but not as scary as the boy's prolonged stare right in the middle of the film. Putting both pairs of eyes separated by a line across the screen is creative but changes nothing. The victim's eyes only or a dead bird don't have a similar terrifying effect. It makes your pulse race. But cannibalism is not a new thing either.

FUTHARK

Recommended. A damn clever documentary. Strong opposition to Christianity. Is devil what you believe in when you divert from science? Does nature want us to act automatically, like ants, without thinking? Does it want to self-destroy in order to renew the cycle? As for movie effects, it starts with a gong and comprises of night-vision woods, skies, cities, red backgrounds and ominous sounds. 

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SHORT FILMS

IMAGO

Watchable. Starts unsettlingly, with a few consecutive menacing images and foreboding sounds which, one by one, turn out benign. The rest, though, comprises of very dark pictures, concealing amateurish costumes and cinematography. Needless cross-dressing. Inexplicable ending. 

The film was a bit too quiet but the dialogues didn't matter anyway.

LIVE FOREVER / THE MUSICAL MASSACRE 2 

Watchable. A 2-minute 17-second horror genre mockery. The 6 characters from famous movies sing about death and not making it into a sequel. Odd.

伏魔殿 (TEMPLE OF DEVILBUSTER)

Watchable. The Taiwanese offering is videoclip-style gangsta junk. Interesting cinematography blurring the surroundings to show high speed and exotic sounds - of dialogues and music alike - make up for this modern patriarchal legend.

ROZLAM (SPLIT)

Watchable. Enigmatic yet realistic setting. Very Polish, with adequate performances by Wojciech Solarz as the lead and Krzysztof Kiersznowski as the night caretaker. Too ambiguous, the ending explains it pretty much but the plot is overly convoluted and the pictures too dark to see what's going on.

SIYAR - CHAPTER IV (AWAKE - CHAPTER 4)

Watchable. Superb, diverse cinematography. The film is Syrian, the demonic voice scaring the girl-soldier is called Daesh. She's haunted by the war, being given away as a bride and death. Created to honour the fallen at Tabqa. The makers thank David Lynch and Edgar Alan Poe along with a number of Syrian and Spanish names listed in the end credits. Makes impression but doesn't go beyond what we all know.

KOEKOEK! (CUCKOO!)

Recommended. Truly original and unpredictable, with good suspense. The set is created with a great attention to (period) detail.

LICENSE & REGISTRATION

Watchable. A violent psychological drama. No conclusion to the story.

ZUPA (SOUP)

Watchable. A man is making a soup out of himself. Physically and metaphorically. Ingenious, though some props are over the top, especially the long dark red thing he's pulling and pulling out of his throat.

Z DALA (OUTWARD)

Watchable. Rudimentary animation, focusing mostly on machinery. Little artistic value. The story in the film description is not reflected in the film. You just don't find the meanings it wants to convey.

UCIEKINIERZY (THE FUGITIVES)

Watchable. A drama about what matters in life the most, what less and what the least. On the touching side.

*** (RYBA) (*** (FISH))

Watchable. Franciszek Pieczka's voice doesn't match the genre. The 2-minute film on dying is smart enough.

WATCH DOCS FESTIVAL ONLINE

FLINT: WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

Recommended. A shocker. The situation would be outrageous anywhere in the world and it's unbelievable it's happening in a civilized, supposedly democratic country. I've heard about the issue before - in Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 11/9". This one is devoted entirely to the Flint tap water problem. The citizens of Flint bathed and drank water heavily contaminated with lead, bacteria and most likely several other pollutants which has led to arrested development in children and irreversible defects. Hard to believe but it's still going on and I can't see an end to it. Those people are neglected and lied to on and on. Evidence collection for lawsuits is hindered. The underlying problem is hinted to be class and race. Film-wise, it's a documentary thriller with cameos by Mark Ruffalo, Barrack Obama, Alec Baldwin - who don't change the plot - and a handful of twists of action.

JOZI GOLD

Recommended. Have you heard of radioactive pollution in South Africa, particularly all around Johannesburg? Many inhabitants haven't either. The documentary's comprehensive. Covers the issue from all angles: historical, legal, medical. Visually attractive due to the activist's stylish clothes and impeccable hair-dos. Her manner of speaking is appealing too. Most importantly, exercise caution if you travel to the region. It's still unresolved. The heaps are there. 

BEHIND THE BLOOD

Watchable. Imperfect due to overlong passages and difficulty in distinguishing who is who between the priest and the human rights defender but it's a complete depiction of the system of violence where "first class" police pick up a sicario after an execution. The film is sprinkled with ingenious pictures, e.g. perfume sprayed the way a pistol is triggered. Very informative. Sadly, it looks like the vicious circle can't be broken in any way.

KIEDY ZABRAKNIE RYB (STOLEN FISH)

Recommended. I saw it by chance, since it's part one of a double bill with "The Campaign Against the Climate". Otherwise I'd have missed this little gem: 30 minutes which show globalisation and its dire consequences superbly: the Chinese overfish the ocean and the river of the Gambia, depriving local fishermen of their catch which, in turn, forces them to migrate. The authorities don't want to discourage foreign investment but you see no one benefiting from it. The ruthless exploitation of resources by China overseas is de facto colonial. The film manages to tell a whole range of human stories behind migration: from successful ones, through imprisonments and ransom demands in Libya to deaths on the sea on the road to Europe. Clear-cut, leaves no doubts as to the condition of the world. It also features an ear-catching African song about... poverty

THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE CLIMATE

Recommended. An excellent and entertaining explanation of who and how spins climate change denialism. Because, as a matter of fact, no scientist denies it. The oil company funded battle is waged by PR experts and fast on their feet professional salesmen against less-outspoken scientists. The rightist think tank "pundits" reveal their deceptive techniques. Disturbing how an action on global warming might have been taken 30 years ago had it not been for those spin-doctors.

'TIL KINGDOM COME

Watchable. Starts with American music but what's American about it is the country's imposition on foreign states with its own agenda and the people's shortsightedness. You learn there's Evangelical Advisory Board by president Trump - created because the religious minority constitutes 25% voters. First they pushed the abortion ban through the Supreme Court. But mostly they aim at promoting Israeli advantage over Palestine. Actor "Gerry" Butler has been roped in to support an association raising funds for Israeli arms. Evangelics are also behind diminished aid for Palestinian refugees because "they receive too much". Their actions are passive-aggressive - they support Jews because later, by means of fire, God will turn them into Christians. Is this going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy like the one about settlers which is bankrolled by millions pouring from deprived American communities which are so blinded by faith they sacrifice their means to finance the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? The documentary is multi-angled but it overcomplicates the film. I had to go back several times to understand fully.

All the films were audible enough and had big subtitles on black background. Unfortunately, in spite of re-setting the router once a day, they did stutter a bit, even late at night, though the router re-start decreased the stutter. I should be able to see one more film, my 5-film voucher ended 1 movie early. I'm in the course of clarifying the problem with the platform.

WATCH DOCS FESTIVAL ONLINE

INFLUENCE

Recommended. The protagonists say mass psychology is easy. For them it clearly is since Bell Pottinger was the first company to transfer the rules of marketing into political campaigns. This socio political documentary thriller shocks you with how easy it is to steer human behaviour and dupe people into acting against their own interest. The rightist PR company  strategy was based on deepening division lines and they wouldn't have qualms about inciting riots, where those in South Africa almost led to a civil war. Asma al-Assad was nice, she caused outrageous atrocities but "was nice", Pinochet, oil companies - Bell Pottinger founder Tim Bell feared no evil and served all evil. He was a professional liar. Interesting what one of his colleagues said about his visit to the KGB - with the skills and knowledge of social psychology they have the West is 30 years behind. Tim Bell himself boasts of the millions he earned and remarks how illusive power is. One not to be missed.

Audible in English and with legible Polish subtitles. In the meantime mojeekino.pl advised me to restart the router if a film stutters. After restarting it twice and restarting the computer too, a few minutes in, not right away, it seems to have clicked in. I saw a bigger part of the film with no problems in spite of peak time.

WATCH DOCS FESTIVAL ONLINE

QUAND ON SAIT (ONCE YOU KNOW)

Recommended. My first conclusion: save Earth, don't give birth! On the other hand, in China, the one child policy has led from overpopulation to overconsumption. Well, we're doomed. If we don't act now, the temperature will rise by 5 degrees over just 100 years. That's if nothing changes. In fact, the global population rise will accelerate this further - imho. Adaptation, e.g. by moving from agriculture to fishing in Bangladesh, civil disobedience in the West, compensations for the poorer nations who suffer the effects the most while contribute to the global warming the least - these solutions are given. Well, we can have either economic growth or the world, not both. I was apprehensive about this film at first since French documentaries tend to be protracted and often pointless. This one diverts from the usual way the climate change issue is depicted, doesn't shy from mentioning overpopulation as one of the core issues, though it says this can't be helped. Pessimistic. 

The film had very big subtitles which helped because the audio was very quiet. The main problem was that mojeekino.pl at evening peak time stuttered unbearably so the screening took 1/3 longer than the running time.

ARTEKINO FESTIVAL ONLINE

КОТКА В СТЕНАТА (CAT IN THE WALL) DIRECTORS Q&A

The funny, comical bits are the closest to the truth. If it makes you laugh, it's true. 

WATCH DOCS FESTIVAL ONLINE

THE 8TH

Watchable. A protracted summary of the 35 years of fight for abortion rights in Ireland. It sums up what you have most likely known already and shows the activists in action which is kind of dull, needless red tape. On the other hands, when I compare the situation to Poland, Ireland has gone through a series of harder shocks: women's slave work in a shelter run by nuns, children's mass graves, also a raped teenager prevented from leaving the country to abort or a woman who died because she was refused abortion. An important reminder women's hearts beat too and the unborn don't need to be born.

It was protracted more than necessary by mojeekino.pl where it stuttered which significantly slowed down the film. Again, tiny subtitles but at least Irish accent was perfectly comprehensible. And due to lots of newspaper clips in the documentary it was better to watch it next to the screen anyway, those wouldn't be legible from a distance.

WATCH DOCS FESTIVAL ONLINE

This year's festival runs from 4-13 December and is payable, while a few older films will be available 14-31 December free of charge (the 20 Years of WATCH DOCS section). 

SUNLESS SHADOWS

Watchable. Teenage girls frolic, learn pottery or play antics with a water hose in a yard surrounded by greenery. They tell their stories in gentle, feminine voices, kind of seductive. They're in prison. Most of them have killed a male family member. Each of them used to be beaten and saw their mother battered. They appear to suffer from Stockholm syndrome. It's just hard to comprehend how they can manifest so much love to the oppressors they've murdered. They're not sure if freedom is better than the prison. Safer it is not. A picture of a society where men hold the power over women's life or death - literally, even the law is constructed in such a way that you can be pardoned only if all the relatives of the deceased agree, otherwise you get capital punishment or, again, subject to the relatives' approval, can pay "blood money" and be acquitted. Whether in ordinary life or in prison, women's lives are in the hands of men who show little compassion even to their mothers. Should be harrowing but it's depicted so placidly it fails to shock. One of them committed suicide after the film shooting ended, as you read on the final screen.

The film, in Persian, had tiny subtitles.

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SHORT FILMS

VAR AR VARGEN? (WHERE IS THE WOLF?)

Watchable. Mysterious, with scarce yet atmospheric music, a clear-cut story, fine performances and skillful superimpositions in the visual layer. IScandinavian-way peaceful and pleasant. Lacks novelty though. It's just a decently recycled pattern. The title's inexplicable in the context, unless it means something more contextual in Swedish.

POLTER

Watchable. Satisfactory plot, filling the 11 minutes completely. Quality visual effects. One image was on the verge of being scary which was too harsh for a satire. The ending disappoints, too stereotypical.

AD LIB

Watchable. I loved the idea with moving or catching subtitles by hand. But the love and violence plot is too ordinary.

POTWOR Z BAGIEN (SWAMP MONSTER)

Watchable. A comedy with elements of satire on Polish society, on documentary-making and a mockery of "The Blair Witch Project". Entertaining, with a few surprises up the sleeve. Amateurishly acted though. The sound could be more professional too.

MOURN

Watchable. A brilliant supernatural story with a psychological second bottom ruined by a schlock ending, incongruent with the plot and with tun-of-the-mill devilish voice-change.

All films were perfectly audible and had subtitles visible from a distance.

ARTEKINO FESTIVAL ONLINE

This online screening of 10 European films translated into 10 languages is available in 45 countries free of charge till the end of the year. Not all 10 are available everywhere though. Poland, for one, has 9 that can be viewed.

GIMTINE (MOTHERLAND)

Switched off. The Lithuanian feature tells about a family settling some mundane legal matters. Only lawyers can be possibly interested.

LESSONS OF LOVE

Watchable. The Italian movie is another mundane story but without red tape. Superficial and stereotypical. A bit unpleasant: ugly people, an ugly village. The relationship is between a fat cow breeder and a stripper. Good music but just occasional.

LESSONS OF LOVE DIRECTOR Q&A

The director told the actress to act the stripper as if she was detached from her body and the dance was just automatic - that first helped the actress, then she realized that was actually the character.

Both films were too quiet and had too small subtitles to allow watching form a distance. But the screenings went smoothly.

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

The very last movie:

ЗАБУТІ (THE FORGOTTEN)

Watchable. Disturbing, especially for women. But all the more realistic for it. Each flawed character in this story embodies a facet of master or servant in a society under occupation. It's going on in present day Europe, the forgotten "Lugansk Republic" in the disputed Donbass region. People who can only either suck up to the occupiers - who won't be loyal to the occupied, or try to survive under occupation - keeping nationality but losing dignity, or migrate to another city in Ukraine - where they'll be discriminated against by fellow countrymen. An engaging love tale makes for the main storyline. If you're not familiar with the situation and the forgotten region, it's also factually difficult to make out what's going on in the plot. Poor night lighting makes it hard at times to distinguish who and what. 

Seen on mojeekino.pl, it stuttered and slowed down so badly, the whole thing took half an hour longer than its running time. The sound was fine. I'm happy the platform got it right. But the screenings constantly slow down absurdly.