Dial Diali

Nana Benz

January 2012 •English

Nana Benz is the story of the legendary queens of the West African mercer, self-made women, coming out of nowhere, building empires. These women were heroes to the people, Mercedes driver at the West African coast. They influenced the history of Togo and were witnesses of the fights for independence, the dictatorship till the globalization nowadays. Thomas Böltken manages to establish closure to the protagonists by letting their heirs - grandchildren, widows, lovers - speak.

Personal Documentary

February 2024 •English

During the summer semester at a New York City arts school, boundaries begin to blur between an adjunct professor and the students in her Personal Documentary filmmaking class.

Tuktu and the Trials of Strength

January 1967 •English

In this short docu-fiction film, strong and hardy Inuit hunters demonstrate and test their strength in boxing, tug-of-war, and other strenuous activities. We see and hear the drum dance, a demonstration of Inuit poetry and rhythm.

Dreaming in Black and White

December 2017 •English

Dreaming in Black and White is a portrait of Singapore artist Tang Ling Nah. The film takes us on a journey into Ling Nah’s inner world—her memories, dreams and angels, and her fascination with black-and-white media, drawing charcoal and the city’s transitional spaces. The film explores her practice over the last 15 years and hints at the possible new directions in her art career. It highlights Ling Nah’s courage to pursue her dream to be an artist, the choices and sacrifices she has made, as well as the challenges of being a woman artist in Singapore and her regrets in this journey. The film’s dream-like form mixes documentary, fiction and animation. It blurs the boundaries between us, Ling Nah’s art and her deepest being. Ultimately, it celebrates our dreams—and reassures us that dreams do come true if persevered.

Of Another Place

Invalid date •English

On a Summer afternoon, Pedro packs the last few boxes before having to leave his apartment in New York. 12 years ago, Pedro and Ana had arrived in America from Portugal, in search of a dream. Now, Ana's voice describes, from the other side of the ocean, that same country to which they are returning. As the rooms are emptied, Pedro bids farewell to one life, welcoming another. But the dream that brought him will remain forever in the city that never sleeps, awaiting his return.

The Hugo's Brain

November 2012 •French

The Hugo's Brain is a French documentary-drama about autism. The documentary crosses authentic autistic stories with a fiction story about the life of an autistic (Hugo), from childhood to adulthood, portraying his difficulties and his handicap.

Refuge(e)

March 2019 •English

Refuge(e) traces the incredible journey of two refugees, Alpha and Zeferino. Each fled violent threats to their lives in their home countries and presented themselves at the US border asking for political asylum, only to be incarcerated in a for-profit prison for months on end without having committed any crime. Thousands more like them can't tell their stories.

M'hamed Issiakhem

December 1985 •Arabic

"A country without artists is a dead country... I hope we are alive..." It is in this film by Fawzi Sahraoui produced by the RTA in 1985 and filmed a few months before the painter M'hamed Issiakhem 'turns off this sentence is spoken. A very interesting docu-fiction in which Issiakhem delivers himself with finesse, passion and generosity.

Models

February 1999 •German

A revealing and devastating portrait of a trio of aspiring real-life Viennese models. Vivian will stop at nothing to be a magazine cover girl. Lisa fills her time with routine plastic surgery and cocaine binges, while innocent Tanja focuses on the mystical through tarot cards, yoga, and raw animal energy.

The Dark Side of Chocolate

March 2010 •English

A team of journalists investigate how human trafficking and child labor in the Ivory Coast fuels the worldwide chocolate industry. The crew interview both proponents and opponents of these alleged practices, and use hidden camera techniques to delve into the gritty world of cocoa plantations.

L'Histoire secrète de la Résistance

May 2021 •French

Atumpan: The Talking Drums of Ghana

January 1964 •English

This classic documentary features the story and sounds of the talking master drums of the Ashanti. Filmed in Ghana and narrated by Mantle Hood

Le Perroquet dans sa Soucoupe (Short Version)

May 2024 •English

A young shepherd explores his relationship with his pack and questions their future

La vie au temps de Cro-Magnon

October 2019 •French

Cradle to Grave

January 2017 •English

Through our subject Adam, we reveal the incredible changes and forces that take all humankind from Cradle to Grave.

Taube Feuer

January 2024 •German

With noise-canceling headphones, they communicate with an inaudible counterpart. Decoupled, they move around the room and meet their surroundings. Intimate stories and needs are discussed. The personal blends into a shared portrait.

Ils voulaient tuer de Gaulle

June 2005 •French

Based on the model of documentary fiction (alternating period films, interviews and re-enactments with actors), the film begins on September 8, 1961 with the failure of the Pont-sur-Seine attack on a road convoy carrying Charles de Gaulle, then President of the Republic, and continues with the slow preparation, the occurrence and the consequences of the Petit-Clamart attack on August 22, 1962.

Togo, le foot et la politique ne font qu'un

January 2008 •French

Who was Kafka?

February 2006 •German

Filmmaker Richard Dindo's unique documentary uses historical reenactments and speculative "interviews" of historical figures to paint a fascinating portrait of one of the most influential writers of modern literature, renowned author Franz Kafka. Best known for his novel The Metamorphosis, Kafka was famously secretive and eccentric, and the details of his private life have become just as captivating to his fans as his work.

Aya

October 2022 •French

Aya grows up with her mother on the island of Lahou. Joyful and carefree, she likes to pick coconuts and sleep on the sand. However, her paradise is doomed to disappear under the waters. As the waves threaten her house, Aya makes a choice: the sea can rise, but she will not leave her island.