For Vova and Roma, war is everything but a game in Kramatorsk
It’s summer in Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine. Vova and Roma, aged 12 and 14, spend their days together. They clean windshields for a bit of money, swim in the lake to escape the scorching heat, and play war with plastic guns. The real war is everywhere. The grown-ups want to kill the enemy.Vova and Roma […]
Léandre: the story of a determined young boy
At just 10 years old, Léandre collapsed during a football practice. A stroke left the entire right side of his body paralyzed. His dream of becoming a professional player vanished, but the young boy rebuilt himself. Now 14, he thrives in the pool, delivering outstanding performances. Léandre trains one to two hours a day, driven […]
Zvonko waits for the train
On the railway line between Knin and Zadar, the small station of Benkovac seems empty, deserted, abandoned. No train has stopped there for almost ten years. But Zvonko, an employee of the Croatian Railways, works there every day. Facebook ↗ Twitter ↗ Directed by Melita VrsaljkoCinematography: Jurica MarkovicSound: Martin SemenčićEditing: Martin SemenčićProduction: Tena Trstenjak, Tena […]
In Finland, mowing the lawn is quite a story
https://vimeo.com/1000702485 In Finland, when summer comes, the lawn has to be mowed. For some, it’s a job. For others, it’s a real chore. Whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to mow the lawn… Twitter ↗ Facebook ↗ Directed by Otso AlankoPhotography: Jukka MoisioSound: Joonatan Hietanen, Mika MiettinenEditing: Matti Näränen, Joni AapaojaMusic: […]
Abbas, Mumbai’s ultramarathon runner
Abbas had never run before. One day, he decided to give it a go. And he didn’t do it by half: he became an ultramarathon runner completing races of 50, 75 and 100 kilometres one after the next. Every morning at 5am, when Mumbai is still cool and calm, Abbas gets up to go running. […]
Yvette’s in her own little world
Hidden behind her nets above the courtyard her flat overlooks, nothing escapes Yvette’s attention. 95 years young, she was once caretaker of the block she’s called home for 64 years. You can’t move for clocks in the flat she lives in; a place she hasn’t left for a full 6 years. The caretaker’s instinct lives […]
When a hair salon in Tunis becomes an arena for political debate
Tunis, November 2019. On the eve of the presidential election, the customers at Saïda’s hair salon are in the throes of debate. Which candidate to go for? Who will win votes? Everyone has their own opinion. Speak up, or you won’t be heard over the hum of hairdryers, the hiss of shower heads. The older […]
While filming her parents and sister, Carol explores her family ties
The dinner table brings families together. To eat, drink coffee, debate, open up or to share what kind of day they’ve had. To pull up a chair often means playing by the rules. Depending on the family, you have to sit up straight, keep elbows off the table, or not talk whilst eating. But in […]
The daily life of a “forensic cleaner” in Mexico City
Sealed from head to toe in a white ‘hazmat’ suit, hands gloved to the elbows, a respirator covering his entire face; Donovan is at work. “Forensic cleaning means removal of blood, bone fragments, skin, maggots, flies – everything that a dead body leaves behind. Everything has to disappear by the time I leave”, he explains. […]
Tuvsho dreams of “shining ever brighter” as a major sumo champion
In Mongolia, sumo holds great status in sporting circles. Over the last thirty years, wrestlers from the “Land of the Eternal Blue Sky” have made a winning impression in Japan. From the start of the century, five Mongolians have been awarded the supreme title of yokozuna – the very highest rung of the sumo ‘ladder’ […]