By the River (2021)

Sects of Turkey

We feel as if we are discovering Turkey for the first time. All of a sudden, we came across a Türkiye with imam marriage and congregations. Actually, that Türkiye has always existed, but we seem to be ignoring it. Especially the iftar dinner given by Prime Minister Erbakan to the leaders of the sect suddenly increased the discussions even more. Sects are a danger to the Republic for some of us, and star people for peace in the country according to others. Regardless, the truth of sects is now a part of our lives. Tonight we will open a 2-part sects file. How many sects are there in Turkey? Who participates, how and why? How do they enter and what do they do? What are the advantages of being a cult member? How many members do sects have? Is Türkiye about to surrender to the sects? Here you will find answers to hundreds of more questions like these. Rıdvan Akar joined various sects. He studied the positive and negative aspects of the sects world. A beautiful file has emerged...

Fight Church

A documentary about the confluence of Christianity and mixed martial arts, including ministries which train fighters. The film follows several pastors and popular fighters in their quest to reconcile their faith with a sport that many consider violent and barbaric. Faith is tried and questions are raised. Can you really love your neighbor as yourself and then punch him in the face?

You Can't Kill Meme

A hybrid documentary feature film about the genesis of "memetic magick" and its application by the alt-right in the United States.

A Laugh will save us

The documentary explore the intersection between humor, satire, and religion, analyzing how they mutually influence each other. Through interviews with comedians, artists, and scholars, we will discover irreverent jokes, clever parodies, and bold caricatures that challenge religious dogmas, exploring the power of comedy within the context of religions and opening new perspectives on cultural dynamics.

Feral

The mountains of Oaxaca harbor the remains of a ravaged and burnt shelter, once home to a psychoanalyst priest who used it to look after savage children, trying to re-integrate them into society. Through videotape diaries and interviews, the truth of what happened is shockingly revealed.

Playing Hide and Seek

The documentary follows the story of two brothers who were sexually abused by the same priest of Polish Catholic Church.

Anhell69

A funeral car cruises the streets of Medellín, while a young director tells the story of his past in this violent and conservative city. He remembers the pre-production of his first film, a Class-B movie with ghosts. The young queer scene of Medellín is casted for the film, but the main protagonist dies of a heroin overdose at the age of 21, just like many friends of the director. Anhell69 explores the dreams, doubts and fears of an annihilated generation, and the struggle to carry on making cinema.

Secrets of Christ's Tomb

We follow leading experts on a quest to unlock the mysteries surrounding the tomb of Christ, using the latest scientific techniques to restore the Aedicula housing the tomb.

I Remember When I Die

Death, the passage of time and eternity. Big topics, but seen from a new and original perspective in a film based on a simple idea: that one's sense of time ceases to function when one dies, and that one for a short – or in fact very long – moment has the chance to experience eternity. And to therefore live in a single memory forever. Which one would you choose? 'I Remember When I Die' takes place at life's last destination, a hospice, but is a poetic and vital journey into the borderland of consciousness, and right into a possible afterlife.

Lighthouse

After the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004, widowed women struggled to receive aid due to their social status. Following the story of Mrs. Manjula along with many other women from Tamil Nadu, the challenges faced by millions of widows across the country are illuminated. From being ostracized to denied basic rights and economic opportunities, widows in India endure a cycle of discrimination and marginalization. “Kalangarai” meaning "lighthouse" in Tamil, is an organization dedicated to empowering women through initiatives such as self-help groups and educational programs. Throughout the film, "Lighthouse" illustrates the emotional journeys and resilience of these women, as well as the active change that Kalangarai strives to achieve. This documentary urges global awareness and support for widowed women’s rights, as the women’s struggles depict the intersectionality of gender, poverty, and social injustice.

The Mighty Spirit

An overview of Brazilian spirituality and religions.

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden

Darwin meets Hitchcock in this documentary. Directors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine have created a parable about the search for paradise, set in the brutal yet alluring landscape of the Galapagos Islands, which interweaves an unsolved 1930s murder mystery with stories of present day Galapagos pioneers. A gripping tale of idealistic dreams gone awry, featuring voice-over performances by Cate Blanchett, Diane Kruger, and Gustaf Skarsgard.

Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality

In a world losing itself to screens, teenage mystic Carlo Acutis saw beyond our social media-addicted society and offered an answer—if we’re willing to listen. Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality explores the life of the first millennial saint while following teens on a phone-free pilgrimage to his tomb, immersing them in his story, his passion for Christ, and a search for meaning in a digital age.

Millions Can Walk

Hundreds of thousands of Indian men and women – indigenous inhabitants and landless farmers – demand their right to existence by making a 400 kilometre protest march from Gwalior to Delhi. How can one fight for one’s rights without using violence? With such an important contemporary question, the film spreads far beyond the borders of India. It shows the multiple facets of this imposing protest march and focuses as well on the daily realities of these proud people.

Making Dust

Making Dust is an essay film, a portrait of the demolition of Ireland's second largest Catholic Church, the Church of the Annunciation in Finglas West, Dublin. Understanding this moment as a 'rupture', the film maps an essay by architectural historian Ellen Rowley on to documentation of the building's dismantling. Featuring oral interviews recorded at the site of the demolition and in a nearby hairdressers, the film invites viewers to pause and reflect on this ending alongside the community of the building. The film is informed by Ultimology, and invites its audience to think about the life cycles of buildings and materials, how we mourn, what is sacred, how we gather, what we value and issues of sustainability in architecture.

Wonders of the Monsoon

The wildlife and cultures of southern Asia have been shaped by one of the greatest phenomena on Earth: the mighty monsoon winds that sweep across this vast region, turning drought into deluge. All life – human and animal – is dominated by this rampaging weather system. From the northern shores of Australia to the highest peaks of the Himalayas and the wind-blown deserts of northern India to the lush equatorial forests of Borneo, this series makes an exhilarating journey through the lands of the monsoon. Along the way, it offers a taste of the variety and colour of the different regions’ most extraordinary wildlife and cultures and the way they cope with the tumultuous weather. This is the story of a relationship between humans and nature that has grown across thousands of years – all living in the shadow of the monsoon.

Hostage to the Devil

This documentary examines age-old questions about the existence of the Devil and good versus evil, through the life of controversial priest, Father Malachi Martin. It explores Martin's horrifying final case before his mysterious death.

The World's Worst Place to Be Gay?

Scott Mills travels to Uganda where the death penalty could soon be introduced for being gay. The gay Radio 1 DJ finds out what it's like to live in a society which persecutes people like him and meets those who are leading the hate campaign.

Heaven

A series of interviews are conducted concerning people's beliefs towards the possibility of an afterlife. The interviews are filmed against a set of strange backdrops, and are intercut with clips from classic films and a variety of stock footage.

Between the Lines: India's Third Gender

Repping best view to date into the world of the Indian eunuch, “Between the Lines: India’s Third Gender” may not answer all the questions it poses, but helmer Thomas Wartmann provides an intimate glimpse at a community whose members are considered pariahs and conduits of supernatural force. Following shutterbug Anita Khemka in her quest to discover why these castrated men fascinate and repel, docu concentrates on three personalities and uses them as guides to their highly stratified world. Under its nautch skirts, film has strong enough legs to step out into international arthouses.

The Grass Dwellers

Juan Méndez Bernal leaves his house on the 9th of april of 1936 to fight in the imminent Spanish Civil War. 83 years later, his body is still one of the Grass Dwellers. The only thing that he leaves from those years on the front is a collection of 28 letters in his own writing.

Out

Through a montage of compelling videos posted on the Internet by young gays, bis, lesbians or transsexuals, «Out» makes us experience from within the groundbreaking moment of their coming out – after which their intimate and social life shall be forever changed.

Hexenkinder

The movie recalls children who suffered mental and physical harm both during the last century, particularly in religious orphanages, and during the time of early modernperiod witch-hunts. It shows that the mindsets and behavioural patterns of both time periods are more alike than one might think.