A touring program of recent short films, commissioned by Film Hub Wales and delivered by the Independent Cinema Office, that showcases how contemporary working-class filmmakers depict working-class experiences in modern Britain. The program features films spanning various genres, from documentaries to flights of fancy, and aims to offer a richer, more complex, and creative perspective on working-class life beyond outdated stereotypes.
They say the personal is political, and it’s hard to find a story that represents that saying more than the story of Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old Jewish teenager, who found himself in the middle of a historical event on a Biblical scale - Kristallnacht - the event that would kick off the Holocaust. The Germans, by the way, claim that our little Hershel started World War II itself. This documentary presents the full story of this mysterious assassin for the first time, and rolls up one of the thrilling and often forgotten stories that form the greater story of the Holocaust, experienced by European Jews.
Naomi’s Questions is an intimate and poetic documentary about Naomi, a 34-year-old woman with Williams syndrome. Filmed by her father over more than thirty years—mainly in their family home in Old Jaffa—the film explores Naomi’s journey toward independence after leaving home at 21. Blending archival footage, present scenes, and poetic re-enactments, the film becomes a cinematic letter—a dialogue between a father and his luminous daughter. Through this personal and collective memory, it questions how we perceive difference, vulnerability, and intelligence. Inspired by the Kabbalistic idea of Tikkun Olam, it suggests that those often seen as “wounded by fate” may carry the seed of our collective healing.
Fukushima experienced the earthquake, the nuclear power plant incident, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The lives of people who have been living in Fukushima since before the earthquake, people who moved to the area after the reconstruction project, and Chinese people who live in various parts of the prefecture. A story of people living in Fukushima, who, though buffeted by many hardships, live with strength and, at times, with humor.
Luo Luo entrusts her camera to her seven-year-old granddaughter, Manman. Through her eyes, the interior of their small home comes to glitter like jewels in a treasure box. We learn once again how to partake in the endless joy of the world.
Spring. During Hakishka, a key event in their town’s traditional festivities, women gather on a hilltop to dance. An irrepressible vitality flows from their talking, singing, and dancing, in this festival so full of life.
An independent film screening, workers’ hands sewing blankets, the work of newspaper delivery people, stories of strife, and the poetry of crows . . . Images from a December in Jaipur comes into focus through this storytelling patchwork.
The story of the inaugural season of the Indy Ignite, Indiana’s first ever professional women’s volleyball team. The Ignite pursue success on and off the court as they navigate a new team, new league, new facility and more.
Famed photographer and Southampton resident Arthur Elgort defined an era of Vogue, introduced the candid ‘snapshot’ style of modern fashion photography, and lensed the legendary supermodels of the ’80s and ’90s. Now, the artist becomes muse and subject in this dynamic and affectionate portrait directed by his son Warren Elgort.
Housing a Dream follows Dutch visionary artist Joost Conijn as he builds his dream home—an unconventional, rotating house that turns with the help of a red bicycle mounted to its floor. By pedaling, Joost can orient the house to follow the sunlight, reflecting his work's delicate balance between function and poetry. Through his process, the film explores the philosophies shaped by a lifetime of craftsmanship, revealing how building a home can become a profound act of artistic creation.
The story of a London team’s mission to 'go fast' and their journey to the 'World Human Powered Speed Challenge' on Route 305, Battle Mountain, Nevada USA. There they discover an international community of speed freaks like no other. The Fastest Bicycle is a story of perseverance, as the team tackle a missing bike, high speed crashes, members departures, serious design flaws and injury. It’s also an exploration of community, as they discover that their competitors can also be their greatest allies.
A recording of a live performance by a group of film students at the final stage of their studies, in which they attempt to simulate the emotions experienced after screening their thesis film, reflecting on their final work submitted to the faculty.
The Philippines has one of the biggest diaspora of overseas workers in the world. The term Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) is well-known due to this. While the media has always acknowledged the big sacrifices that OFWs make in order to provide for their children an opportunity to live a better life than what they were given, no one talks about the perspective of the children who are left behind, having to grow up and face life without the presence of their parents. This film features Joanna, a Filipina in her mid-20s who has little to no connection left with her OFW mother. As she faces adulthood, she must decide if she wants to let go of her past. Bahay-Bahayan follows Joanna as she reels back to her past through memory and nostalgia.
Along the picturesque coast of South Africa stretches one of the most fascinating and unknown ecosystems on earth: the kelp forest. Consisting of meter-long brown algae, it stores as much CO2 as the Amazon rainforest. It is also home to numerous animal and plant species and a paradise of biodiversity: from crabs and starfish to small sharks and octopuses, many creatures use the kelp forest as a refuge. Kelp is also a healthy source of food, which is why the brown algae is currently experiencing a hype in South Africa.
Guided by compassionate experts and a devoted team of volunteers, Ramba, an Asian elephant who endured 50 years of isolation in a Chilean circus, embarks on an extraordinary 2,550-mile journey to her new home at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil.