Chai Coffi (Sanjoli Malani) India

Chai Coffi
Sanjoli Malani
India. 2023. 22 min

After her husbands demise, Lata a 60 year old homemaker embarks on a solo trip to a tea estate in Kerala, leaving the comforts of her village behind for the first time ever. The film follows her extraordinary adventure as she navigates feelings of wonder, grief and surprises. The film takes a turn when she meets 12 year old Mira who is carefree, independent and lives life to the fullest. Chai-Coffi is a heartwarming tale that weaves together themes of friendship, loss, courage and self discovery.

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Kurdish Cinema

BY MANO KHALIL

Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire, which previously ruled over the entire Arab world and the Kurdish region, in the World War I, followed by the division of Kurdistan into four countries – Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq – these governments, up to the present day, have prevented the Kurdish people in these regions from expressing their cultural, social, and national identity in all areas of art, literature, and culture. Cinema was most affected by this ban since it has a significant impact on the younger generation.

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The Beekeeper (Mano Khalil) Switzerland

The Beekeeper
Mano Khalil
Switzerland. 2013. 100 min

In the mid-1990s, Ibrahim Gezer, a Kurd, was living happily in Turkey with his family, making a good living producing honey with his 500 bee colony.

Then came the Turkish-Kurdish war and he lost everything. On the run for seven years, he arrived in Switzerland as a refugee.

This moving documentary tracks the story of how this gentle soul, nearing retirement age, was able to rebuild his life—with nothing more than his faith in humanity and his love of bees.

Mano Khalil was born in Kurdistan – Syria.
1981-1986 Studied history and law at Damascus University in Syria. 1987-1994 Studied fiction film direction in the former Czechoslovakia.
1990-1995 Worked as independent film director for Czechoslovakian and later for the Slovakian Television. Since 1996 lives in Switzerland, working as independent film director and producer. 2012 grounded the production film company Frame Film.

FILMOGRAPHY

2021 Neighbours – Fiction 124 Min
2018 Hafis & Mara – documentary 88 Min
2016 The Swallow – Fiction 102 Min
2013 The Beekeeper – documentary 107 Min
2010 Our garden of Eden. Documentary 97min
2009 My Prison, my Home. Documentary 33 Min.
2007 David the Tolhildan, Documentary, 54 Min
2005 Al-Anfal, in the name of Allah, Baath and Saddam Documentary.
2003 Colorful dreams. Fiction 52 Min
1999 Triumph of Iron. Fic-Doc.
1995 Kino-ocko (Kino eye) Doc.16mm, 20Min
1992 The place where god sleeps. doc.16mm, 30Min

mano.khalil@bluemail.ch

The Life of a Snowflake (Kazim Oz) Turkey

The Life of a Snowflake
Kazim Oz
Turkey. 2022. 110 min

During the last days of autumn, snow falls like never before in Trabzon and the roads are blocked. Miase and Adar, who attend the same school but have never met before, meet that dayat a bus station, while they are waiting for the bus which is late. They fall in love at first sight. Miase, who is the daughter of a Turkish family from Trabzon and Adar, who is the son of aKurdish family from Hakkari skip classes, they meet up everyday, walk for hours and they live aromantic love story for thirty-one days. On the night of New Year’s Eve, Adar disappears.Miase hits the road and heads to Dersim in order to find Adar. This movie tells the story of Miase looking for her lover in Dersim for a week, of her fluctuating emotions, and of her gloomy and broken love story, which we witness beneath the snow.

Kazim Öz, who is known as a director, scenarist, editor, cinematographer and producer of many awarded films, was born in 1973 in Dersim in Turkey with a Kurdish origin. He started his career in 1992 by acting at Teatra Jiyana Nu and at the same time, he worked as a director. During these times, he also became one of the founders of Mezopotamya Sinema & Yapim 13 film production.
With his first short film Ax (The Land), he won recognition in national and international level and the movie was awarded in many festivals as the ’Best Short Film.
His first feature-length film ‘’Fotoğraf (The Photograph)’’ is completed in 2001. The film was screened in many festivals and one of these festivals is National Geographic All Roads Film Festival. The film also is granted many awards. Unfortunately, like some of his films, it was released in Turkey and Germany in 2002.

kozfilm@gmail.com

This is not Norway (Alicia Albares, Paco Cavero) Spain

This is not Norway
Alicia Albares, Paco Cavero
Spain. 2023. 18 min

Jorge’s father’s last wish is to have a viking funeral: to be cremated at sea in a drakkar. And fulfilling that wish is crucial for Jorge: not only will it honor his memory, but it will prove to himself and his family that he is capable of anything, that he is already well and has overcome the slum he was going through.
However, the lack of means and the mistrust of his mother, brother and sister-in-law will not help at all. But sometimes persistence, a bit of luck and the love of a family can change everything.

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A Boy Called Piano (Nina Nawalowalo) New Zealand

A Boy Called Piano
Nina Nawalowalo
New Zealand. 2023. 60 min

A Boy Called Piano – The Story of Fa’amoana John Luafutu tells the remarkable story of Fa’amoana’s time as a state ward in the 1960’s and the intergenerational impacts of these experiences. Growing from the long term collaboration with Fa’amoana Luafutu and the Luafutu Aiga, the film blends dramatised sequences alongside powerful interviews and beautiful aerial and underwater photography – translating Nina Nawalowalo’s celebrated visual storytelling to the screen for the first time. The Conch has been honoured to walk alongside Fa’amoana and the Luafutu Aiga as they courageously bring their untold story into the light, with the kaupapa of connecting directly with survivors – and illuminating the survivor experience in wider society.

“I began in innocence, new born, a blank page. The story was written, the story of thousands of children, has to be heard. Our History must be faced. May the truth set us free.” Fa’amoana John Luafutu

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Postcards from the Verge (Natalia Koniarz) Poland

Postcards from the Verge
Natalia Koniarz
Poland. 2023. 40 min

A young Polish couple embark on a long bike ride through the Andes. The dangers of this undertaking become apparent as lightning strikes around them, the cold takes its toll and their muscles begin to seize up. They try to cross the border into Bolivia in the back of a truck, while a soldier has his gun at the ready.

Despite the growing tensions between them, the journey also proves to be a way to get to know themselves better. The young man spends a lot of time on the phone with his parents, who are getting a divorce, and he sadly realizes that home is no longer home. As he gradually breaks free from the ties to his parents, he strengthens his bond with his girlfriend.

Under these extreme conditions, the couple film breathtaking shots of the endlessly deserted mountain landscape, creating a visually stunning story about growing up and cementing a relationship in the midst of a crisis.

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Yes Sir (Mudit Singhal) India

Yes Sir
Mudit Singhal
India. 2023. 20 min

Tiwari, a Brahmin (dominant/privileged caste in India), is a peon in a government undertaking, where a Dalit (oppressed caste considered untouchables for centuries in India) has risen to become a big officer. Tiwari resents this. The officer’s bathroom’s drain has choked. This story is about how this reverse hierarchy, and Tiwari’s caste prejudice towards the officer, counterbalance each other to solve the problem of the choked drain.

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