Moscow IFF to Launch Documentary Competition

Austria, 2010, 100 min, 35 mm, HD, Creative, Society

Darkness can help us see things more clearly. In Abendland, Nikolaus Geyrhalter undertakes a long associative journey across nighttime Europe. Pulsating service economy and affluent society, the wall of security and exclusion, urban civilization, hedonist Temple of Pleasure, at once inspired and weighed down by history, tradition and high culture. Night work, self-abandon, noise and silence, confusion of tongues, birth, illness, death and desperate attempts to cross the border. Geyrhalter's camera and the congenial editing by Wolfgang Widerhofer create a compelling film essay about one continent and the principle of the West (Abendland).

Český mír , Czech Republic, 2010, 52 min, 35 mm, HD, Creative, Politics, Society

The story of the Star Wars, the Cold War and the War On Terror of one small Czech village. As part of its National Missile Defense Program, the US plan to build a military base in the Czech Republic, a former hiding place for Soviet nuclear rockets during the Cold War. Despite the fact that 73% of Czechs are against the project, the government has continued with negotiations. Supporters of the base claim that it will strengthen the country's defense against the global threats of the 21st century. Opponents point out that the plan essentially shifts the Iron Curtain toward the east; they also insist that it represents an attempt of the US to rule the world.

Ramin , Georgia, Latvia, 2011, 59 min, Anthropology, Creative, Personal View, Portrait, Society

Ramin, aka Fantomas, an old freestyle wrestling champion, drives across Georgia in his car to pay a visit to his mother’s grave. During his trip he testifies to the creeping decadence of a sport that was once one of the most popular in the Caucasus. But this does not torment him at 75 as much as the lack of a constant female presence in his life. An epic and poetic film about the art of living.

Deklaracja nieśmiertelności , Poland, 2010, 29 min, Beta, Personal View, Portrait

In his new film Marcin Koszałka returns to a forgotten genre, namely a mountain film. The protagonist of his story is Piotr “Mad” Korczak, somewhere in the background there is his rival Andrzej Marcisz. The director focuses on the decline of the career of the great master, provoking his reflection on his future life, when he will no longer be able to climb mountains. It’s a moving story about inability to come to terms with old age and about desire of immortality.

Katka , Czech Republic, 2010, 90 min, 35 mm, HD, Creative, Longitudinal, Portrait

Helena Třeštíková's film is a remarkable documentary tracing fourteen years in the life of a young junkie and her futile battle with drug addiction. Why did she start taking drugs? She claims she wanted to be different. The year is 1996 and 19-year-old Katka lives in the Sananim therapy community in the town of Němčice with hope for a normal life – she dreams of having a boyfriend and even a family, some day. But there's no happy ending. The director records Katka's descent over the years into a spiral of theft, prostitution, physical and psychological deterioration – a spiral that is broken only by brief flashes of hope and resolutions to stop taking drugs. Katka's desire is sincere, but in the end drugs always win. Will Katka finally find the strength when she becomes pregnant and motherhood offers her life-sustaining motivation?

Kołysanka z Phnom Penh , Poland, 2011, 98 min, Creative, Portrait, Social Issues

Everyone holds a secret. The secret of the future. Phnom Penh Lullaby is an intimate story of a man looking for love and acceptance. Ilan Schickman left Israel dreaming of a new life. He now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with his Khmer girlfriend Saran and daughters Marie, 2 years old, and Jasmine, 6 months, trying to make ends meet as a street fortune-teller.

Kawalek lata , Poland, 2010, 24 min, Digi Beta, Portrait

It is the last days of the summer holidays. A grandfather, who works in Bieszczady Mountains, awaits the arrival of his grandson. Surrounded by wild nature they try to reach an understanding of each other. The camera keenly observes, with slow and subtle pace, a developing relationship to one another and to the world that envelopes them.