23rd Madurai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2021
International Documentaries
Emptiness Crossing Us
Dir: Fernando Moreira; 22:58; Portuguese; Brazil; Documentary/Experimenta
Crossed by greed, two hundred and seventy-two people were buried by tailings from the Vale mining company in Brumadinho (MG), Brazil. The emptiness that now crosses those who try to carry on will never be filled. This tribute film is dedicated to the victims of the irresponsible mining tragedy that continues to take its toll with blood and devastation.
La Mujer Salvaje (The Wild Woman)
Dir: Sara G. Cortijo; 25 min; Spanish; 2021; Spain; Documentary/Short
"The Wild Woman" tells five stories of overcoming of five women. Inspired by the book "Women who run with wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola, this piece dives into perseverance as the engine to move forward in the lives of the five women.
Terra Sospesa
Dir: Matteo Grimaldi, Giacomo Boeri; 60 min; Italian with English subtitles; 2021; Italy; Documentary
From the days in which the mountain trembled, they remain anchored to the heavy debris that still obstruct the roads, without being able to fly away, towards some sort of future. Between the 24th of August 2016 and January 2017, their houses crumbled to dust, the people they knew disappeared or were displaced somewhere far: those who remained had to deal with the desolation, gathering on the collapsed walls of the villages, herding the animals on abandoned land, floating in a bubble of eternal present from which it is difficult to see a future besides an old run down bell tower.
65 Rose
Dir: Davide Del Mare; 89.28 min; Italian with English subtitles; 2021; Italy; Documentary
Christian has lost his pregnant girlfriend, Marta, and decides to start a long journey by foot to raise money for the scientific research against the most widespread rare genetic disease in Italy: Cystic Fibrosis. The director, Davide Del Mare, affected by the same disease, tells the story in first person walking side by side Christian for 4000km.
Hanlong Soymilk Shop
Dir: Ina Morken; 6:57 min; Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles; 2021; Taiwan; Short Documentary
Hanlong Soymilk Shop opens from 2 am to 2 pm every day, and is run by 72 year old Zhu Xiuyun. Sharing Xiuyun's world, this short documentary gives an observational glimpse of this relic, its closely intertwined relationship to Taipei's past, present and future and the woman who runs it.
Atomkraftwerk Zwentendorf
Dir: Hope Tucker; 16:40; English; 2018; USA; Documentary/Experimental
Atomkraftwerk Zwentendorf is a monument to the power of public protest and the potential of a democratic vote.
Father
Dir: Deng Wei; 1 hr 37 min; Chinese/English with English subtitles; 2021; China; Documentary
Set against the vast transformation and economic change within contemporary Chinese society, Wei’s quiet fly-on-the-wall cinematography captures the fraught relationship between his father and grandfather as they negotiate past resentments and an uncertain future.
652 miles = 0 (or the wonderful convenience of videocalling)
Dir: Giulio Gobbetti; 3:45 min; Italian with English subtitles; 2021; UK; Short Documentary
During a time of quarantine, global distances contract. The 652 miles separating the director’s London home from his grandmother in Italy are not any different than the distance between her and her neighbours. As most interpersonal relationships are brought into the online world, there is no better opportunity to teach her remotely how to do video-calls.
Dancing With Rosa
Dir: Robert Muñoz Rupérez; 26 min; Catalan with English subtitles; 2021; Spain; Short Documentary
At 84 years of age, Rosa realises that she no longer has the strength to take care of her daughter Eva who has Down syndrome, and she struggles to decide whether or not to put her into a care home.
I Won’t Remain Alone
Dir: Yaser Talebi; 15 min; Persian with English subtitles; 2021; Iran; Documentary
An old disabled couple living in a small village in the northern part of Iran, face an unfathomable tragedy when their youngest son falls into a coma after an accident. Defying the Islamic traditions of burial and overcoming problems of red tape, the parents agree to donate their son’s organs.
Ailleurs Partout
Dir: Isabelle Ingold, Vivianne Perelmuter; 1 hr 3 min; English/French/Persian with English subtitles; 2020; Belgium; Documentary
It’s the journey of Shahin, a 20-year-old Iranian boy who, fleeing his country alone, lands in Greece, then winds his way to England where he claims asylum.
Street Out
Dir: Sofia Rocha; 1 hr 40 min; Spanish with English subtitles; 2020; Argentina; Documentary
A choral account of women, who turned or have turned to prostitution, stands up to put to discussion abolitionism and legalization within the women’s movement and feminism, through their life stories, desires and convictions.
Talilo and Wassla
Dir: Jon Meyer; 24:33 min; English; USA; 2020; Documentary
An inspiring story of two hip hop artists from an impoverished town who turned their lives around and now use music to help the youth not fall into the same pitfalls they had to endure like prison and homelessness.
Dir: Jon Meyer; 24:33 min; English; USA; 2020; Documentary
An inspiring story of two hip hop artists from an impoverished town who turned their lives around and now use music to help the youth not fall into the same pitfalls they had to endure like prison and homelessness.
Id-Tal
Dir: Yamini Makeshwar; 16:42 min; Tribal language with English subtitles; 2021; Canada; Short Documentary
Lakshmi, a shaman priest of an age-old Lanjia Saora tribe, performs a healing prayer on one of her patients, she summons the spirits of her ancestors to find the evil responsible for the illness.
From Durban to Tomorrow
Dir: Dylan Mohan Gray; 39:52 min; Multiple languages with English subtitles; 2020; South Africa; Documentary
Five frontline health advocates from different parts of the world work through victories and defeats forging a path toward a meaningful, universal human right to health.
The Broken Femur
Director- Luyckx Jonas; 28 minutes 44 seconds; French with English subtitles; 2020
Within my walls, scrutinising the world, I took my camera to talk about intimacy in the face of a global upheaval.
Saving Kolobok
Director- Zhanna Shmakova; 10 minutes 1 second; Russian with English subtitles; 2022
The theatre director I.P. Kolobkov is accused of staging a protest performance in a children's theater. Major Zaytsev tries to detain Kolobkov during the performance. The major's son is in the audience, therefore, to go on stage and catch Kolobok, he and other police officers are forced to put on bunny masks. Kolobok makes the police sing and dance until his girlfriend Lisa appears on the stage and turns out to be the initiator of the allegations.
The Sako Tapes
Dir: Machiel van den Heuvel; 73 mins; Dutch, Indonesian with English subtitles; 2019; Netherlands; doc
A film about Sako, an eccentric Indonesian man with Chinese roots. Sako is struggling with his past. He is traumatized because of the murder of his innocent father, who was one of the approximately half a million alleged communists that were killed in the transition period to the Suharto regime in Indonesia in 1965. Sadly, this brutal period is still taboo in Indonesia. To break the taboo and process his trauma, Sako went out with his camcorder and filmed people close to him and talked with them about their experiences related to this past.
The Russian Rondo of Natalia Shakhovskaya
Dir: IRINA ZAITSEVA; 77 mins; Russian with English subtitles; 2019; Russian Federation; doc
Natalia Shakhovskaya was a 20th-century cello player, professor of the Moscow Conservatory and Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, a holder of the honorary title People's Artist of the USSR, whose name is etched in the history of both Russian and world music. She had many opportunities to leave the country, but she refused to, since patriotism, honor, and dedication to music were the values of a decent musician.
Ishim
Dir: Kirill Sultanov; 24:37 mins; Russian with English subtitles; Russian Federation; ; Documentary
How long do feelings last? To find out the answer, the film director organizes a meeting of his divorced parents in Ishim, the town of their youth, where they separated 16 years ago. Mutual claims, unspoken resentments and old feelings return to the lives of ex-spouses during their journey through the memorable places.
The Custodians of the Andean Gold
Dir: Marcella Menozzi; 32:25 mins; Spanish with English subtitles; 2019-2021; Italy; documentary;
In the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes, more than 3800 meters above sea level, live alpaca and vicunia breeders. Quechua and Aymara families who protect their animals earn livelihood from the sale of the animals’ fiber. Gold mining is another activity that is widespread among families living in the border area between Peru and Bolivia. The intensity of these production activities increases the need for environmental protection and workers' rights. It has become indispensable to support producers so that this activity does not disappear with the migration of native peoples, and abandonment of traditions and animals.
Murder Most Modest
Dir: Shany Moran Haziza; 106 mins; Hebrew with English subtitles; 2020; Israel; doc
The journalistic investigation of a cult in Jerusalem’s Meah Shearim neighborhood to solve two 30-year-old mysteries. Following the crucial findings discovered by the filmmakers during the filming, there are ongoing investigations by the legal authorities in Israel.
80.000 Schnitzel
Dir:Hannah Schweier; 103 mins; German with English subtitles; 2020; Germany; doc
Berta Zenefels (84) has never seen the sea. She has barely left her beloved farm,”Zollhaus“in Bavaria. A life shaped by hard word, a life that nobody wants to live anymore. During her lifetime she had to bury her firstborn son, her husband, her grand-son and her youngest son. Every single one of them lived and died for the big dream of the Zollhaus. But without a successor the heavily indebted farm is threatened with bankruptcy. But now the granddaughter Monika appears out of nowhere and decides to save the family-owned farm.
The Price of Cheap
Dir: Barry Stevens; 80 mins; Hindi, Tamil with English subtitles; 2021; Canada; doc
The stories of modern slaves in textiles manufacturing supply chains and the brave individuals fighting on the ground against immeasurable odds to help them. Joseph Raj, runs an organization called T.E.S.T. (Trust for Education and Social Transformation) in Tamil Nadu, India as he goes on raids to rescue underage children from unsafe and labor intensive factories.
The Disappearance of Tom R.
Dir: Paul Sirague; 18:55 mins; French with English subtitles; 2020; Belgium; doc
On March 22nd 1997, Tom R. disappears. 23 years later, a film crew tries to solve this mystery.
The Hook You Will Not Bite
Dir: José David Apel; 29:50 mins; Spanish with English subtitles; 2021; Argentina; doc
In the banks of the Victoria River, a fish merchant buys the product of the humble fishermen who inhabit the islands of the province of Entre Ríos (Argentina). In exchange for their fishing, he offers them a small amount of food in return.
Jacaranda
Dir: Austin Spies; 120 mins; English with English subtitles; 2020-2021; United States of America; doc
Shot on the iPhone during the Covid-19 pandemic, Jacaranda captures the very brief yearly bloom of a special purple tree in Los Angeles, presented alongside the experience of three different individuals, during the summer of 2020.
Dir: Machiel van den Heuvel; 73 mins; Dutch, Indonesian with English subtitles; 2019; Netherlands; doc
A film about Sako, an eccentric Indonesian man with Chinese roots. Sako is struggling with his past. He is traumatized because of the murder of his innocent father, who was one of the approximately half a million alleged communists that were killed in the transition period to the Suharto regime in Indonesia in 1965. Sadly, this brutal period is still taboo in Indonesia. To break the taboo and process his trauma, Sako went out with his camcorder and filmed people close to him and talked with them about their experiences related to this past.
The Russian Rondo of Natalia Shakhovskaya
Dir: IRINA ZAITSEVA; 77 mins; Russian with English subtitles; 2019; Russian Federation; doc
Natalia Shakhovskaya was a 20th-century cello player, professor of the Moscow Conservatory and Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, a holder of the honorary title People's Artist of the USSR, whose name is etched in the history of both Russian and world music. She had many opportunities to leave the country, but she refused to, since patriotism, honor, and dedication to music were the values of a decent musician.
Ishim
Dir: Kirill Sultanov; 24:37 mins; Russian with English subtitles; Russian Federation; ; Documentary
How long do feelings last? To find out the answer, the film director organizes a meeting of his divorced parents in Ishim, the town of their youth, where they separated 16 years ago. Mutual claims, unspoken resentments and old feelings return to the lives of ex-spouses during their journey through the memorable places.
The Custodians of the Andean Gold
Dir: Marcella Menozzi; 32:25 mins; Spanish with English subtitles; 2019-2021; Italy; documentary;
In the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes, more than 3800 meters above sea level, live alpaca and vicunia breeders. Quechua and Aymara families who protect their animals earn livelihood from the sale of the animals’ fiber. Gold mining is another activity that is widespread among families living in the border area between Peru and Bolivia. The intensity of these production activities increases the need for environmental protection and workers' rights. It has become indispensable to support producers so that this activity does not disappear with the migration of native peoples, and abandonment of traditions and animals.
Murder Most Modest
Dir: Shany Moran Haziza; 106 mins; Hebrew with English subtitles; 2020; Israel; doc
The journalistic investigation of a cult in Jerusalem’s Meah Shearim neighborhood to solve two 30-year-old mysteries. Following the crucial findings discovered by the filmmakers during the filming, there are ongoing investigations by the legal authorities in Israel.
80.000 Schnitzel
Dir:Hannah Schweier; 103 mins; German with English subtitles; 2020; Germany; doc
Berta Zenefels (84) has never seen the sea. She has barely left her beloved farm,”Zollhaus“in Bavaria. A life shaped by hard word, a life that nobody wants to live anymore. During her lifetime she had to bury her firstborn son, her husband, her grand-son and her youngest son. Every single one of them lived and died for the big dream of the Zollhaus. But without a successor the heavily indebted farm is threatened with bankruptcy. But now the granddaughter Monika appears out of nowhere and decides to save the family-owned farm.
The Price of Cheap
Dir: Barry Stevens; 80 mins; Hindi, Tamil with English subtitles; 2021; Canada; doc
The stories of modern slaves in textiles manufacturing supply chains and the brave individuals fighting on the ground against immeasurable odds to help them. Joseph Raj, runs an organization called T.E.S.T. (Trust for Education and Social Transformation) in Tamil Nadu, India as he goes on raids to rescue underage children from unsafe and labor intensive factories.
The Disappearance of Tom R.
Dir: Paul Sirague; 18:55 mins; French with English subtitles; 2020; Belgium; doc
On March 22nd 1997, Tom R. disappears. 23 years later, a film crew tries to solve this mystery.
The Hook You Will Not Bite
Dir: José David Apel; 29:50 mins; Spanish with English subtitles; 2021; Argentina; doc
In the banks of the Victoria River, a fish merchant buys the product of the humble fishermen who inhabit the islands of the province of Entre Ríos (Argentina). In exchange for their fishing, he offers them a small amount of food in return.
Jacaranda
Dir: Austin Spies; 120 mins; English with English subtitles; 2020-2021; United States of America; doc
Shot on the iPhone during the Covid-19 pandemic, Jacaranda captures the very brief yearly bloom of a special purple tree in Los Angeles, presented alongside the experience of three different individuals, during the summer of 2020.
