Absence
A lyrical portrait, inspired by Indian poet Shiv Kumasi Batalvi, of the people left behind when men leave to work in big cities.
Advocate
Biographical documentary about Lea Tsemel who defends Palestinians: from feminists to fundamentalists, from non-violent demonstrators to armed militants.
American Factory
In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring 2,000 blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
The filmmakers have traversed the globe to document the evidence and experience of human planetary domination.
Apollo 11
A purely archival reconstruction of humanity’s first trip to another world, featuring never-before-seen 70mm footage and never-before-heard audio from the mission.
The Brink
Following former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon through the 2018 mid-term elections.

D

Diary Of Cattle
A day in the life of cows grazing at a landfill site.
Dive: Rituals In Water
Portrait of Icelandic pioneer Snorri Magnusson, who has been patiently teaching babies to float and paddle for over 25 years.
The Edge Of Democracy
Consideration of post-dictatorship politics and the resurgent right in Brazil.
For Sama
A young woman's struggles with love, war and motherhood over the span of five years in Syria.
Hail Satan?
A look at the intersection of religion and activism, tracing the rise of The Satanic Temple: only six years old and already one of the most controversial religious movements in American history. The Temple is calling for a Satanic revolution to save the nation’s soul. But are they for real?
Honeyland
When nomadic beekeepers break Honeyland's basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees), the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and restore natural balance.
The Hottest August
Seven months after Donald Trump assumes the US presidency, filmmaker Brett Story journeyed to all five boroughs of New York City asking people a simple question: what are your hopes for the future?

I

In Search...
Documentary about the lasting trauma of female genital mutilation and the filmmaker's reconstructive journey.
Jawline
The film follows 16-year-old Austyn Tester, a rising star in the live-broadcast ecosystem who built his following on wide-eyed optimism and teen girl lust, as he tries to escape a dead-end life in rural Tennessee.
Knock Down The House
Four young Democratic candidates take on established incumbents in the US 2018 election.
Lemebel
A multi-layered portrait of one of South America’s most important and most provocative artists, a tireless fighter in dictatorial Chile and an uncomfortable gay activist who spoke out – right up to the end of his life.
Los Reyes
Documentary capturing the microcosm that surrounds a couple of street dogs that live in a skatepark.
A Love Song For Latasha
A dreamlike conversation with the past and the present, this film reimagines a more nuanced narrative of Latasha Harlins by excavating intimate memories shared by her cousin and best friend.

M

Marianne & Leonard: Words Of Love
A story of enduring love between Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse Marianne Ihlen. The film follows their relationship from the early days in Greece, a time of ‘free love’ and open marriage, to how their love evolved when Leonard became a successful musician.
Midnight Family
In Mexico City's wealthiest neighborhoods, the Ochoa family runs a for-profit ambulance, competing with other unlicensed EMTs for patients in need of urgent care. In this cutthroat industry, they struggle to keep their financial needs from compromising the people in their care.
Midnight Traveler
When the Taliban puts a bounty on Afghan director Hassan Fazili’s head, he is forced to flee with his wife and two young daughters. Capturing their uncertain journey, Fazili shows firsthand the dangers facing refugees seeking asylum and the love shared between a family on the run.
Mother
In Thailand, Pomm takes care of Europeans with Alzheimer’s. Separated from her children, she helps Elisabeth during the final stages of her life, as a new patient arrives from Switzerland.
Nomad: In The Footsteps Of Bruce Chatwin
When writer Bruce Chatwin was dying of AIDS, his friend Werner Herzog made a final visit. As a parting gift, Chatwin gave Herzog his rucksack. Thirty years later, Herzog sets out on his own journey, inspired by Chatwin’s passion for the nomadic life.
One Child Nation
After becoming a mother, a filmmaker uncovers the untold history of China’s one-child policy and the generations of parents and children forever shaped by this social experiment.
On The President's Orders
Expose of Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte's single-minded war on drugs.
Property
A look at the residents of a Berlin apartment building designated for redevelopment.
Push
An international look at the global housing crisis in our cities.
Queen Of Lapa
A proud transgender sex worker since the age of 11, Luana Muniz, now 59, shapes a new reality in her 'hostel' by housing a new generation of transgender sex workers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

R

Seahorse
Charts a transgender man’s path to parenthood after he decides to carry his child himself. The pregnancy prompts an unexpected and profound reckoning with conventions of masculinity, self-definition and biology.
Shelter: Farewell To Eden
The thoughts and life of Pepsi, a transgender woman born in the Philippines, now living in Italy.
Solidarity
Solidarity looks at blacklisting in the construction industry where thousands of workers were denied employment for involvement in trade union activism and workplace disputes.
Tiny Souls
Following lives of three siblings in a refugee camp as their time their stretches from weeks to years.

V

The Vibrant Village
In a quiet Hungarian village, men gather to swill beer at the bar. Meanwhile the women are busy at work manufacturing something unexpected.
What We Left Unfinished
Story of five unfinished fiction films from Communist-era Afghanistan.
What You Gonna Do When The World's On Fire?
The story of a community of black people in the American South during the summer 2017, when a string of brutal killings of black men sent shockwaves throughout the country.
XY Chelsea
Following the shock commutation of her sentence, whistleblower and trans woman Chelsea Manning prepares to leave an all-male military prison in Kansas and transition to living life for the first time as a free woman.
News

59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground

More news and features

Playing Now

Eye For Film continues to support festivals both locally and across the world. At the moment, we're covering:

Sands Film Festival
Weekend film event in St Andrews

Queer East

Visions du Réel
Swiss documentary showcase

Overlook Film Festival

New Directors/New Films
New York's celebration of new voices

In the Archive


Archive of festival coverage.

Daily diary and reviews from 2005-2018.

Coverage of the lynchpin German festival.