THE KIBOMANGO STORY (USA) BY SAVVA SVET​

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Synopsis: The incredibly true story of Kibomango, a former child soldier turned Congolese national boxing champion. Now a struggling mechanic, he has devoted himself to helping former child soldiers and street children of Goma through boxing. Kibomango aims to instill in them a sense of discipline, ambition and self-worth. Running time: 00:03:30.

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About the director: Savva is a documentary filmmaker from Brooklyn who is dedicated to creating inspiring, entertaining, and thought-provoking films. His clients include Nike, Universal Records, The Home Depot, Under Armour, and NatGeo. Over the past decade, Savva has toured with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Florence + The Machine, and Lemmy, trailed deep into the jungles of Peru with Werner Herzog, lived with indigenous tribes in Brazil and filmed inside refugee camps in Jordan. His travels and experiences have led him to believe strongly in giving back and empowering communities to take action and make a difference in their world.

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I NEVER HAD DREAMS OF MY SON (UKRAINE) BY JASON BLEVINS​

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Trailer

Synopsis: After five years of war, a Ukrainian father finds proof his missing son may still be alive in captivity. Running time: 00:16:16.

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About the director: Jason Blevins is a documentary cinematographer based in Washington, D.C. His work has been featured internationally on Netflix, National Graphic and Discovery, as well as the award-winning films "Duchamp: The Art of the Possible" (2020) and "Invisible Hand" (2021).

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MY UNCLE FROM KABYLIA (FRANCE) BY LEILA TOUATI, CLOVIS STOCCHETTI, MICHAEL MARCHETTI

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Synopsis: Algeria 2011. In a small village in Kabylia, my old uncle answers a strange radio quiz about the Third Reich in Germany. Running time: 00:05:11.

About the director: After graduating from an engineering school, Leila Touati obtained a Master in Cinema at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris in 2018.

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HARRIER (UK) BY CIARA FLINT​

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Synopsis: Using the practices of birdwatching and nature observation as a gateway, we unravel the story of Joan McNaughton, a woman whose passion for the natural world was born from a dark and tumultuous history with alcohol addiction. Running time: 00:15:00.

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About the director: A documentary filmmaker originally from Johannesburg, Flint moved to the UK in 2015. She holds a Masters degree in Film Directing from the Edinburgh College of Art. She was included in Rife Magazine's list of 24 Most Influential Bristolians Under 24 for her work as a young filmmaker, and was also shortlisted for the Young Scottish Filmmaker Prize at Glasgow Short Film Festival 2022. Her independently-directed short films have been screened at and collected awards from a wide array of festivals across the UK and Europe, including Sheffield Doc/Fest, Andaras Traveling Film Festival, Encounters Film Festival, Kendal Mountain Festival and Wildscreen.

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WHAT REMAINS (LEBANON) BY CHRISTIAN HARB

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Trailer

Synopsis: In the few minutes of "What remains", a silent short film, we can hear the deafening sound of the detonation. The scenes filmed on the spot, as they presented themselves to Christian in the streets of Beirut, tell of a violated intimacy. Lost photo albums and memories tell the story of those who left too soon leaving behind inconsolable relatives and friends. Running time: 00:05:00.

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Selections/awards: Al Ard FF (Best Experimental Film), Lebanese Independent FF, International Oriental FF Geneva.

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About the director: Harb is a Lebanese photographer and designer. After studying photography at university and working in the design domain for more than 10 years, he decided to concentrate on capturing the events on the spur of the moment and telling stories of his country to raise awareness of its critical situation, with creativity and artistic twist. Capturing authentic things happening in Lebanon to portray an objective and humble way through his photography, he meets with fellow citizens to share enriching moments with them and listen to their stories.

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IN LIMBO (UK) BY ANNINA LEHMANN

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Synopsis: A photographer and a filmmaker create portraits of internally displaced people living in former sanatoriums in Georgia, Caucasus. The walls are crumbling, the sunlight moves through the staircase, the sounds of swallows and dripping water mark the passing of time. For thirty years, these refugees from the Georgian-Abkhaz war have been suspended between past and future. Their former home is under Russian control, they are unable to go back and struggling to move forward. The act of posing for a photograph turns into a miniature re-enactment of their lives: one after the other we see them holding still until the sound of the camera shutter ends their waiting, at least in the framework of the film. Sensuos and lyrical, the film explores the experience of arrested time in the long aftermath of war. Running time: 00:17:35.

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About the director: Annina Lehmann is a filmmaker, writer and PhD researcher based in Berlin and London. Growing up in Berlin, Tripolis (Libya) and Kassel, she studied philosophy, politics, economics, comparative literature and film at the University of Oxford, Goldsmiths and the University of Westminster. 

DEAR DOCTOR, (UK) BY JASMINA SALEH

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Synopsis: A visual poem about the pain and misdiagnosis of Endometriosis - utilising striking imagery and raw words to combine an effective and poignant piece. Running time: 00:03:45.

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Selections/awards: New York International Women FF, Doc.Berlin (Best Poetic Documentary), Super Shorts London (Best Super Short Film), and more.

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About the director: Jasmina is a multi-lingual Writer, Researcher, and Filmmaker. She works closely with clients including Amazon, Netflix, and other major studios to inform their content and marketing strategies. She is also the endometriosis sufferer this short is based on, battling this condition for nearly 10 years. She started her career at Universal Pictures in distribution before moving into entertainment market research. In addition, she has developed and produced short films, with "Dear Doctor," marking her directorial debut.

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THE MECHANICS OF FLUIDS (FRANCE) BY GALA HERNÁNDEZ LÓPEZ

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Trailer

Synopsis: In 2018, an incel called Anathematic Anarchist posted a suicide letter on Reddit entitled "America is responsible for my death". The Mechanics of Fluids is an attempt to find answers to his words. A virtual drift through the internet in search of his digital traces that ends up being an inner journey between our connected solitudes. Running time: 00:35:00.

Selections/awards: Brussels Independent FF (Best Short Documentary), DOK Leipzig, FIFIB Bordeaux Contrebande (Grand Prix Contrebande and more), Seminci Valladolid Documentary (Best Documentary Short), Kasseler Dokfest, Beijing International Short FF, Clermont Ferrand Short FF, and more.

About the director: About the director: Gala is an artist, filmmaker and researcher based in Paris and Berlin. Her work combines interdisciplinary research with the production of audiovisual artistic forms about the processes of individuation and the new modes of subjectivation produced specifically by computational digital capitalism. Particularly interested in approaching from a feminist, poetic and critical prism the discourses and imaginaries that circulate in eminently masculine online communities, her mid-length film La Mécanique des fluides is the first of a series of experimental audiovisual essays that will be followed by Cashflow Quadrant, both proposing a reflection on the politics of the representation of contemporary masculinity on the internet in its articulation to algorithms and digital flows of data, signs and capital.

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