Official Selection 2024
Change
Across seven compelling documentaries, we journey alongside young activists, explore the concept of home, and witness the courage of those defying societal norms. The Change programme spotlights pressing global causes and the changemakers advocating for the future, examining the choices we make and the ripples they create. A powerful look at the forces shaping our collective destiny.
KNOW YOUR STONES
Dir: Katarina Jazbec
Young climate activists, steelworkers, and a geologist come together in a dream-sharing, time-travelling space. Their special bonds with ores, fossil fuels, and machines act as the oracles for the future. Who else could speak on behalf of stones about the faith of humanity?
FOR YOU
Dir: Luca Paulli
A heartfelt letter from a father to his two-year-old son, capturing a summer day in Peckham, a world filled with wonders yet to be discovered, and looming danger. What lies ahead might be uncertain, but with love, courage, and imagination, we can create a better future.
PUFFLING
Dir: Jessica Bishopp
On a remote Icelandic island, teenagers Birta and Selma rescue pufflings (young puffins), taking it upon themselves to counteract humanity's damaging impact on nature. A coming-of-age documentary about growing up and making choices that explores the delicate interplay between wildlife, the environment, and human life.
INSIDE OUTSIDE
Dir: Benji Human
An experimental documentary exploring how the people’s right to home has been lost and won throughout time. Home has always been something to fight for. As squatting in empty buildings and trespassing on empty land becomes increasingly criminalised, a timeline of unseen voices recall why we must fight for the right for home, wherever that may be.
BROWN BRIT
Dir: The Romantix (Jay Stephen & Ralph Briscoe)
A woman’s journey from an arranged marriage in 1987 India to her new life on a North London council estate. Told through real archival VHS footage, and created by her family and friends, this film is a tribute to a mother’s resilience, her bravery in defying societal norms, and her unwavering commitment to forging her own destiny, for both herself and for her daughters.
PORTA D’EUROPA
Dir: Samuel Mueller
For over 30 hours, a migrant boat with fifteen people on board has been stranded off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy. Emergency calls made to European coastal authorities have been ignored. As The Sea-Watch Crew, an NGO fighting for the rights of refugees, pinpoint the boat’s location and send out distress calls, an unknown vessel appears on the horizon.
ISLAND IN BETWEEN
Dir: S. Leo Chiang
The Taiwanese islands of Kinmen sit merely 2 miles off the coast of China, marking the frontline for Taiwan in its escalating tension with China. With lyrical vignettes of tourist visits, local life, and the director’s own bonds with Taiwan, China, and the US, this Oscar-nominated documentary explores the islands’ uneasy peace - and contemplates Taiwan's uncertain future.
Official Programme 2024
Take me to: Animation Change Comedy Documentary Drama Music Video Student Film
