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"In my country, we say that one who lives in Siberia lives on the verge of ruin," says director Martin Ryšavý in an interview with the main figure of the film, Afonka, who responds to him: "They also say that here. It is a simple fate, from which you cannot escape." Afanasij (Afonka) Konstantinov comes from a Yakut-Even marriage, and is a member of one of the last families who make a living in Siberia by the herding of reindeer. Even if he would often like to end the difficult nomadic way of life and settle down in the town of Sakkyryr where he used to go to school, he has nothing other than reindeer herding in his blood. This picture, which was awarded at the 2004 Jihlava Documentary Film Festival, was filmed amidst the harsh beauty of the endless snow-covered landscape and reflects the contradictions in contemporary Siberian life. Footage of everyday joy and concerns of the family from among Siberia's original inhabitants clearly shows the harsh reality that civilization destroys traditional ways of life even in the far ends of the earth.
The African Tuareg are an ancient and completely distinctive group of Berbers, who are still characterized by numerous specifics: a strict caste system, a nomadic way of life in low tents, a special affinity for black and dark blue colors, and the covering of the faces of the men. This proud nation living in the Sahara desert oases has already proven itself able to defend its extensive territories in the past, even against the French armies. The main figure of Ulrike Koch's documentary, the maker of the highly acclaimed film The Saltmen of Tibet, is Tuareg Noehi, who is searching for his stray camel. Together with him we set off on a journey through desert, mountains and oasis settlements and meet many characters including Imzad, who can play the traditional stringed instrument, and a solitary Marabut, who makes a healing drink from the verses of the Koran while inside a hidden mosque. In this peacefully flowing film, the director offers us a unique look into the specific mentality and philosophy of the nation, whose life is inseparably connected to their camels and ubiquitous sand, and shows that their way of living has not fundamentally changed during last few centuries.
Festival@medialuna-entertainment.de
"I feel like a coconut. Black on the outside and white inside," confides the huge "Swedish aborigine", who is never called by anyone other than Big Mike. Mike was born in Australia to an aboriginal family. Due to young age of his mother, he found himself in an institution for infants, where he was adopted by a Swedish couple. When his new mother decided to return to Sweden, Mike immediately found himself three thousand kilometers away from his native land. In the peaceful small Swedish town where he grew up, he has become best friend with Abban, with whom he organized hip-hop events, where he can rap successfully using his own texts. One day Mike is called from Australia by his biological mother and decides to visit her. After meeting with a completely different mentality from that one he was brought up in, he begins to regret that he was not able to grow up with his own family. His mother accepts her lost son very openly and after initiation into a traditional aboriginal ceremony, Mike seriously begins to consider not returning to Sweden. Will Mike's Swedish mentality and being homesick for his old friends win over his joy for his newly-discovered family and his original roots?
"I love James Bond films, action films and even romantic films, but my favorite one is without a doubt 'The Mission'. My uncle acts in it and nobody calls him anything other than 'Burnt Arse'", says Marcelo Gonzales at the beginning of the film. This young man from the Mbya Guarani Indian tribe lives with his family in the Red Earth settlement in the Northeastern part of Argentina. These original inhabitants survive in the immediate vicinity of the rainforest as best as they can. Their dilapidated houses are often a tourist attraction for Japanese visitors. They sometimes set off into the jungle to hunt for armadillos or pumas or leave in a group to work on the tea plantations. However, most of them do not receive the promised wages for their several days' hard work. In this colorful ethnographic documentary with mini-portraits of members of the Indian community, we meet with zealous Christian missionary Claudio, an older peasant named Sebastian, and the active Agustin, who goes off to fight for the rights of his people to their land in the city of La Plata. The picture offers a unique look at the conflict between the traditional Indian culture and white civilization, and the way in which the Indians perceive the universal human themes such as identity, friendship, adulthood, death and religion.
The main motive of this hour-long documentary is a pilgrimage around the mountain of Kailas, the holiest mountain in Asia, sacred for Buddhists, Hindus, Jainists, and Bonists. Kailas, which has the shape of a pyramid and on each side is the source of the great rivers of Asia, is considered to be the axis of the universe and the center of the world. It is located in western Tibet and the journey around it represents psychologically and physically the most difficult religious pilgrimage in the world. Through the pilgrims we learn not only about the daily lives of Tibetans - the villagers and nomads - but also their spiritual conception of the world and their existence in it. The circle of the pilgrimage symbolizes the phases of life, death, the state between death and rebirth, and the period of new life.
This film directed by legendary Indian Anand Patwardhan follows the campaign of the militant movement Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) for destroying a mosque from the 16th century in the city of Ayodhya. The supporters of the VHP claim that the mosque was built on the site of the birth of the Hindu God Ram. Moreover, in retaliation for destroying of the temple to Ram several centuries ago they are demanding destruction of the Muslim sanctuary and the building of a new temple to honor the God Ram. The conflict escalated into open violence, in which thousands of people lost their lives. The film is a powerful testimony about how far religious intolerance can lead.
