The 16 films in the world cinema documentary competition, selected from 620 submissions represent eight countries including Pakistan, Jordan, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Canada. "The range of human experience is played out in these engaging stories about the artistic process, the cost of conflict, faith and nationalism, and the triumph of personal spirit."
Up The Yangtze and Man On Wire
Be Like Others
(Country: UK; Director: Tanaz Eshaghian)
An intimate and unflinching look at life in Iran, seen through the lens of those living at its fringes. A provocative look at a generation of young Iranian men choosing to undergo sex change surgery.
Derek
(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Isaac Julien)
Film involving two courageous and innovative artists - one the subject and one the filmmaker - provides a cinematic journey that illuminates the work and enduring importance of the late Derek Jarman.
In Prison My Whole Life and Alone In Four Walls
Dinner With The President
(Country: Pakistan; Year: 2007; Director: Sabiha Sumar, Sachithanandam Sathananthan; Writer: Sabiha Sumar, Sachithanandam Sathananthan)
From on-the-street interviews to audiences with religious leaders to dinner with the President of Pakistan, the film takes the temperature of a culture on issues from politics to women’s rights.
Durakovo: The Village Of Fools (Durakovo: Le Village Des Fous)
(Country: France; Year: 2007; Director: Nino Kirtad; Writer: Nino Kirtad)
Russian nationalism percolates in a castle outside Moscow, where Mikhail Morozov rules autonomously over young initiates, laying the groundwork for a rapidly growing right-wing movement.
In Prison My Whole Life
(Country: UK, US; Year: 2007; Director: Marc Evans; Writer: Marc Evans, William Francome; Stars: William Francome, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Boots, Noam Chomsky, Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, Steve Earle, William Francome, Russell Simmons, Alice Walker, Howard Zinn,)
Documentary about questions that hang over the conviction of Death Row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Man On Wire
(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: James Marsh; Writer: James Marsh; Stars: Philippe Petit),
Official Site,
Trailer
Documentary about tightrope walker Phillippe Petit's attempt to cross between the twin towers of the World Trade Center.
Puujee
(Country: Japan; Director: Kazuya Yamada; Writer: Kazuya Yamada)
Against the backdrop of a magnificent but harsh natural landscape, a Japanese photojournalist encounters puujee, a young girl who tames wild horses on the Mongolian plains.
A Complete History Of My Sexual Failures and The Art Star And The Sudanese Twins
Recycle (E'adat Khalq)
(Country: Jordan, Netherlands; Year: 2008; Director: Mahmoud Al Massad; Writer: Al Massad),
Official Site
A Jordanian family man living in the hometown of Muslim leader Al-Zarqawi struggles to support his family and define his identity in a tense political climate.
Stranded: I've Come From A Plane That Crashed On The Mountains
(Country: France; Director: Gonzalo Arijon; Writer: Gonzalo Arijon)
Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma
(Country: Canada; Director: Patrick Reed)
Acclaimed doctor James Orbinski, former head of Doctors Without Borders, returns to Africa to confront the harsh reality of conditions there and explores what it means to be a humanitarian.
Up The Yangtze
(Country: Canada; Year: 2007; Director: Yung Chang; Writer: Yung Chang; Stars: Jerry Chen Bo Yu, Cindy Yu Shui, the Yu Shui family),
Official Site
Documentary about the humanitarian impact of the Three Gorges Dam project.
The Women Of Brukman (Les Femmes De La Brukman)
(Country: Canada; Director: Isaac Isitan; Writer: Isaac Isitan)
Amidst Argentina’s financial collapse, workers take over a Buenos Aires men’s clothing factory and continue producing clothing on a self-management model. As the formerly poor become business managers, their lives are changed forever.
Dinner With The President and Yasukuni
Yasukuni
(Country: Japan; Director: Li Ying; Year: 2007; Writer: Li Ying)
A controversy abounds as Japanese officials honor the deceased at the legendary Yasukuni shrine, where swords used to kill Chinese soldiers were famously forged. Few know about the shrine’s eerie past and the mysterious sword inside.
