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Every night nameless bodies land in Dr. Cristina Cattaneo’s autopsy room. She calls them the Pure Unknown. These Pure Unknown often belong to the fringes of society. They are homeless, sex workers, runaway teenagers. Lately, they have mostly been migrants, rejected by the Mediterranean Sea onto the shores of Italy. If all rights belong to the living, nothing is left to the dead. So what happens when the dead have lost their identity? In the face of this growing multitude, no one seems concerned about their right to dignity. No one but Cristina. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Nameless bodies land in Cristina’s autopsy room. Lately, they have mostly been migrants, rejected by the Mediterranean Sea. No one seems concerned about their right to dignity. No one but Cristina.  

Valentina Cicogna worked as assistant director and assistant editing on the documentary NAPOLI PIAZZA MUNICIPIO by Bruno Oliviero, produced by Indigofilm and Point du Jour, winner in the Italiana Doc section at the Turin Film Festival in 2009. She is the screenwriter of the film LA VARIABILE UMANA by Bruno Oliviero, with Silvio Orlando and Giuseppe Battiston, produced by Rai Cinema, Lumiére &amp; Co., Invisibile Film, distributed by BIM.&nbsp;&nbsp;She was the editor of several documentaries feature films, including QUARTIERI CINESI, (Rai Cinema and Indigofilm), IL GIUDICE E IL SEGRETO DI STATO (Point du Jour and MIR) and MM MILANO MAFIA (Invisibile Film, distributed by Chiarelettere) by Bruno Oliviero, IL COMANDANTE by Enrico Maisto, 74 MIGLIA (Invisibile Film) by Laura Viezzoli, ALBERI CHE CAMMINANO (Oh! Pen) by Mattia Colombo, based on a subject by Erri De Luca, distributed by Feltrinelli; she worked as scriptwriter and editor of the documentary VOGLIO DORMIRE CON TE (Start and The Kingdom) by Mattia Colombo, winner of the Salani Award and the Filmmaker Competition "Nutrimenti terrestri, nutrimenti celesti", finalist of the Solinas Award.&nbsp;&nbsp;She edited the film RITMO SBILENCO by Mattia Colombo, presented at the Rome Film Festival and distributed by Feltrinelli, and the documentary IL PASSO (Start srl and Rai Cinema) by Alessandra Locatelli, Mattia Colombo and Francesco Ferri, in competition at the Nyon Festival.&nbsp;&nbsp;She is the author and editor of the documentary film LA CONVOCAZIONE (The Summoning) by Enrico Maisto, winner of the 2015 Solinas Documentary Award for Cinema, produced by Start srl and Rai Cinema. The film was selected in competition at the 58th Festival dei Popoli, where it won the MyMovies Audience Award, and at IDFA.&nbsp;&nbsp;The latest works are LA SCOMPARSA DI MIA MADRE by Beniamino Barrese, which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2019, and BROTHERHOOD by Francesco Montagner presented in Locarno. PURE UNKNOWN is her directorial debut.&nbsp;

Valentina 

Mattia Colombo's first short film IL VELO was selected at Visions du Réel, EIFF Edinburgh Film Festival, AFI Silver Docs. The documentary ALBERI CHE CAMMINANO, written with Erri De Luca and distributed by Feltrinelli, was in competition at Festival dei Popoli, Slamdance Film Festival and Trento Film Festival. The documentary VOGLIO DORMIRE CON TE, winner of the Corso Salani prize, finalist at Filmmaker In Progress Lab, finalist at Premio Solinas Documentario per il Cinema and selected at Périphérie Cinéastes in Paris, participated in Cinéma du Réel and Biografilm Festival. The documentary IL PASSO, a Start and Rai Cinema production, was presented at Visions du Réel and broadcast on Rai and RSI.&nbsp; Mattia directed the film RITMO SBILENCO, a documentary on the Italian band Elio e le Storie Tese, a special event at the Rome Film Festival, distributed in Italian cinemas and on home video by Wanted Cinema. The documentary UNINVITED, a biographical film on Marcelo Burlon, fashion designer and outsider DJ, was released in Italian cinemas and distributed on home video by CG Entertainment.&nbsp; His most recent documentary, IL POSTO, was selected at Visions du Réel and Hot Docs. Mattia's current documentary PURE UNKNOWN, co-directed with Valentina Cicogna, is an Italy/Sweden/Switzerland production. The project was a finalist in the Solinas Documentary Award for Cinema, received support from MEDIA Europe, MiC, Trentino Film&nbsp;Commission, Piemonte Doc Film Fund, and was selected for the international workshop Dok.Incubator.As author and screenwriter, he is working on a crime series produced by The Family, inspired by the books of forensic scientist Cristina Cattaneo.&nbsp;

Mattia 

Human Interest & Society

Human Rights

Current Affairs & Politics

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Sconosciuti Puri

English

Pure Unknown

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When Iván Simonovis becomes the first and most famous political prisoner in Venezuela, a 15-year period of imprisonment leaves devastating effects on his and his family’s lives. Living in exile as a filmmaker, his son Iván Andrés crafts a very personal and moving story, using over 25 years of unique family material, showing history from an angle never seen before.&nbsp; A family that had to overcome extreme hardship, a father that has to find his place in life again and a son that faces his traumas by inviting the viewer into the core of a wound that touched both his family and his entire country.

Iván Simonovis becomes the first and most famous political prisoner in Venezuela. His son Iván Andrés crafts a very personal and moving story, showing history from an angle never seen before. 

Iván Andrés Simonovis Pertiñez is a Venezuelan filmmaker exiled in Berlin.&nbsp;His work focuses on political persecution and exile. He has a degree in Communication Sciences from the University of Marburg and a Masters in Film from the Free University of Berlin. His documentary shorts for the web A LA DERIVA (2015), DESDE EL EXILIO (2017), and CARACAS 9 DE ENERO (2018) have appeared in international media outlets such as El País and Jungle World.&nbsp;His first feature documentary MY FATHER’S PRISON has been selected for the main competition at Vision du Reel.&nbsp;

Iván Andrés

Author's Documentaries

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La Prisión de mi Padre

English 

My Father’s Prison

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In a small village in Galicia in northern Spain, Pablo’s family lives attached to their ancient traditions and beliefs. Feeling that he did not fit into their world, Pablo left 20 years ago to become a filmmaker. But, as both he and his family are growing older, a restless feeling in him starts to get stronger, urging him to go back home to confront the ghosts of the past and find answers, in the limited time they still have together. As every autumn, his grandmother Alicia opens the doors of her house to continue the ancestral tradition of making “augardente”, a homemade-liquor. The house is prepared, the „augardenteiros“ arrive and the neighbors come join in ritual and celebration. Nothing seems to have changed, but everything is different. Alicia no longer has the same energy and enthusiasm. Santi, the augardenteiro who has been there for many years, seems to have lost the joy in life after many years of hard work. And the habit of Pablo’s parents to not talk about emotions makes it difficult for him to connect and fully grasp what is going on. Little by little the process of making the liquor, the vapors, the mists, the cold and the rain submerge Pablo into a journey that brings him back to his childhood, his old fears and all that haunts him. Alicia knows her grandson well, and although they seem to live in opposite worlds, she creates a new bond between them through her rites and beliefs. A connection that sets them both on their own journey.

In Galicia, Pablo's family lives attached to their ancient traditions. He left years ago to become a filmmaker. Now a restless feeling is urging him to go back home to confront the ghosts of the past. 

Pablo Lago Dantas is an experienced director of photography, a CamerImage best cinematography nominee whose films have made it to more than 100 official sections in prestigious international film festivals. In his visual language he is fascinated by the search for the subconscious, using his Galician connections to myth and rituals to add layers and depth to the mundane.&nbsp; O AUTO DAS ÁNIMAS is his first film as a director. An encounter with his place of origin and family, it is a journey through memory, tradition, the deconstruction of home, death and the passage of time.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Pablo 

History

Generation

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Alternative English title: A House for Wandering Souls

English, Spanish 

O auto das ánimas

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84-year-old Vika is a true star of Warsaw nightclubs. As a charismatic and colorful DJ surrounding herself with young people she seems unstoppable and keeps repeating that age is just a number.&nbsp; But as Vika’s health starts to deteriorate she has to come to terms with the passing of time, finding purpose in bringing joy to other seniors – just as lonely as she is. Told with captivating musical parts, VIKA! is a bitter-sweet portrait of a woman who has to face aging, yet celebrating life till the very end.

Charismatic 84-year-old Vika is a DJ, and a true star of Warsaw clubbing scene. Facing the passing of time,  Vika repeats that age is just a number and inspires others to live life to the fullest.

Agnieszka Zwiefka is known to the audience thanks to her films: SCARS (2020) about women fighting the ranks of the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka and QUEEN OF SILENCE (2014) about a Roma deaf girl who escapes into the world of Bollywood fantasy. It was in&nbsp;QUEEN OF SILENCE that we saw a combination of a documentary and a musical for the first time. This original film language became the basis for creating the story about DJ Vika.&nbsp;Currently, Agnieszka is working on another documentary, RUNA, about a young girl-refugee, and on her fiction debut.&nbsp;She lives in Wrocław with her husband, two daughters and dogs. He lectures at the University of Wrocław. Makes great kimchi and ramen. She collects old kimonos and, like Vika, believes that it is never too late to live to the fullest.

Agnieszka 

Art & Culture

Music

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Vika!

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Jackie is a hedonistic and world-weary Parisian. At 75, in good health and living a charmed life, she is determined to end it on her own terms. Inspired by a character in a Sartre novel, Jackie intended to kill herself in her early twenties, but the plan was delayed when she got pregnant. Young and in love, she spent the happiest years of her life raising her three sons. As the boys grew and left home, past ideas about beauty, aging, and dignity returned to haunt her. In 2018 Jackie gives an interview to Hugo Clément on a French online platform where she provocatively discusses her plans for assisted suicide. The interview is seen by millions, adding fuel to an already heated national debate on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.&nbsp; Her son Tuki uses the controversy as a starting point for a film that investigates his mother’s resolve and his own attempt to cope with her impending death. Through a series of intimate conversations Tuki questions whether he can or should dissuade her. What begins as a portrait of a strong-willed and flamboyant woman turns into a story of a mother and son as they tease, provoke and challenge each other while discussing a controversial ethical question.

At 75, in good health and living a charmed life, Jackie is determined to end it on her own terms. Through a series of intimate conversations, her son questions whether he can or should dissuade her.

Tuki Jencquel was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1974 where he attended the German school. He has a degree in film from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Master of Business Administration from IESA, Venezuela. &nbsp;&nbsp;He founded Orinokia Filmproduktion in 2018 when he moved to Germany. As a director and cameraman he has worked with Deutsche Welle and for Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei.&nbsp;His first feature-length documentary, ESTÁ TODO BIEN, gives a rare voice to the victims of Venezuela’s public health system collapse. It was shown in the Best of Fests section at IDFA 2018 and won numerous international awards. JACKIE THE WOLF is his second documentary feature.&nbsp;&nbsp;He is a member of the German documentary association AG-Dok and a Eurodoc 21 alumni.&nbsp;

Tuki

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Jackie the Wolf

English, German, French

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His small oeuvre is pretty much all Johannes Vermeer, painter of iconic images and international favorites like The Girl with a Pearl Earring has left behind. CLOSE TO VERMEER follows Gregor Weber, curator at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, working on his last big dream before his retirement: setting up the largest Vermeer exhibition ever. Weber joins a number of Vermeer experts using the latest techniques in search of what makes a Vermeer truly Vermeer.&nbsp;New discoveries and passionate opinions are still capable of rousing the emotions.

Gregor Weber, curator at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, is working on his last big dream before his retirement: setting up the largest Vermeer exhibition ever.

Suzanne Raes has been working as an independent filmmaker for more than 20 years. Her early films a.o. THE HOUSES OF HRISTINA (2007), THE RAINBOW WARRIORS OF WAIHEKE ISLAND (2009), and THE SUCCESSOR OF KAKIEMON (2012) premiered at IDFA and won several awards at international film festivals. Her film COME CLOSER about Boudewijn de Groot received the IDFA Music Audience Award in 2015.&nbsp;For her film about the Rotterdam social service, QUID PRO QUO (2015) Raes won a Golden Calf, the most important film award in the Netherlands. More recent the co-production GANZ; HOW I LOST MY BEETLE had a successful theatrical release and has been broadcasted in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

Suzanne 

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Dicht bij Vermeer

Close to Vermeer

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On 24 February 2022, Yevhen didn’t have to puzzle over what he should do. He went to the front. And from the first minute of Russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine, he began to record everything that surrounded him: his own feelings when the first rockets began to bomb his city; tens of thousands of refugees in a hurry to leave their homes, creating endless traffic jams at city exits; and the friends with whom he went to war – a war which had progressed to the threshold of his own house in Kyiv. Yevhen is a member of the volunteer medical battalion ‘The Hospitallers’; created in 2014, it now has more than 1,000 people. The battalion’s mission is to provide first aid on the front line and to evacuate the wounded to headquarters or frontline hospitals. Each mobile brigade includes an armed driver, an armed guard, and two paramedics. Brigades usually work in pairs of two medical vehicles, thus creating a mobile unit. These people are the main characters of the film. From the first hours of the war, we get as close as possible and spend the first half of the year there, until 24 August 2022. These six months are full of drama, despair, fear, hatred, bitterness, love, and, most importantly, faith in victory. When they went to war, our protagonists sent their families to the rear in the west of Ukraine – to a village where the parents of Soupchik live. At one point, 25 refugees were living in their homes. It was in this village that all the young men gathered to meet their relatives before the Ukrainian army’s large-scale southward counterattack. Not everyone is destined to return alive and in good health.At the end of August, they came to the rear not only to say goodbye to their loved ones but also to baptise the nine-month-old son of Subbota in the village church. As soon as they rose from the celebratory feast, they had to go back to the war…

Defending their homeland from Russian aggression, the protagonists went to the Eastern Front. In 2022 all of Ukraine, from the Donbas to the Carpathians, became the Eastern Front for Europe. 

Vitaly Mansky graduated from VGIK (the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography) in 1989 and became one of the most prominent contemporary Russian documentary filmmakers and producers. He has directed over 30 films which have been screened at almost every major festival around the world and have won over 100 international awards.&nbsp;Since 2007, he is the founder and president of the International Festival of Creative Documentary Films ‘Artdocfest’ (its activity was halted in 2022 due to censorship in Russia, as well as Russia’s war against Ukraine). He is persecuted by the Russian authorities for defending his civic position.In 2020, he founded the International Documentary Film Festival ‘Artdocfest/Riga’.Vitaly Mansky emigrated from Russia to Latvia in 2014.

Vitaly 

Yevhen Titarenko graduated from the Mykolaychuk Institute of Visual Arts in 2009, specialising in film and TV direction.&nbsp;2012–2014: Owner of a film production company and film school in Crimea. After the beginning of the temporary occupation of Crimea by Russia on 2014, he left his business and left Crimea, going to the front as a documentary filmmaker.&nbsp;After being evacuated from the Donetsk airport, he signed up as a volunteer for the Hospitallers medical battalion.&nbsp;24 February 2022 and onward: A volunteer in the Hospitallers medical battalion.

Yevhen 

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Shidniy Front

Eastern Front

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Young&nbsp;independent filmmaker and&nbsp;reporter Lina&nbsp;goes underground to document the Syrian revolution, adopting a series of aliases to&nbsp;avoid detection from the violent state.&nbsp;In Damascus, she is Lina, one of the many of the silent passerbys, but in Homs, she is Maya the war reporter and in Aleppo, she is Lama.&nbsp; In her debut,&nbsp;5 SEASONS OF REVOLUTION,&nbsp;Lina uses&nbsp;video diaries of smuggled footage and memoir to share this personal story of&nbsp;her&nbsp;close group of friends – Susu, Rima, Malaz, and Bassel – as they are slowly pulled deeper into the&nbsp;struggle for freedom and autonomy against enemies known and unknown.&nbsp;&nbsp;One by one, they are detained and targeted by the regime and Lina ends up alone and isolated amidst the violence and chaos.&nbsp;&nbsp;She continues filming to find clarity.&nbsp; Months transform into years, and Lina – aka Maya aka Layla aka Lama – returns over and over again&nbsp;to the frontlines to witness the regime’s brutal crackdown and see her country morph into a staging ground of global proxy wars.&nbsp; When&nbsp;Lina is detained and held captive in Aleppo, she witnesses unspeakable suffering and torture, and barely escapes. Told over the course of a decade and against the backdrop of shifting&nbsp;historical forces,&nbsp;5 SEASONS OF REVOLUTION is Lina’s story; the tale of becoming brave.&nbsp;

Born in Damascus, Lina starts to report on the events around her but is compelled to become a war reporter and later, the unexpected narrator of her own destiny.

Born in Damascus, Lina is a documentary filmmaker, a journalist and a camerawoman, who's been documenting events in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey over the past ten years. She holds a master’s degree in Documentary Filmmaking from Essex University. Lina made short and medium-length documentaries, and her debut feature, 5 SEASONS OF REVOLUTION is to premiere at Sundance World Cinema Documentary Competition 2023.

Lina

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5 Seasons of Revolution

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Bombay fishermen Rakesh and Ganesh are inheritors of the great Koli knowledge system – a way to harvest the sea by following the moon and the tides. Rakesh has kept faith in the traditional fishing methods while Ganesh has strayed away from them, embracing technology. AGAINST THE TIDE is a tale of friendship and rising resentment between the two men, as close as brothers, against the backdrop of an adoring sea, which is increasingly turning hostile because of climate change.

Two indigenous Koli fishermen in Bombay, are driven to desperation by a dying sea. Their friendship begins to fracture as they take very different paths to provide for their struggling families.

Sarvnik Kaur is a documentary filmmaker who strives to tell stories that hide the tension and conflict just beneath the surface of the “normal” and “mundane”.&nbsp;&nbsp;Her first feature documentary, A BALLAD OF MALADIES, explores the tradition of political resistance in Kashmir through the work of those poets, musicians and artists who have turned their art into weapons of resistance during periods of heightened state repression and violence in the region. The film was banned from broadcast on the national network but it won India’s 64th National Film Award for Best First Non-Feature Film in 2017, Best Film at the 11th biennial Film South Asia and Best Documentary at the 10th IDSFF Kerala.&nbsp;She has spent three years with the Kolis of Bombay developing her new documentary AGAINST THE TIDE. She is a recipient of multiple grants from Sundance Film Fund, Catapult Film Fund, IDFA Bertha, San Francisco Film Fund, AlterCine Foundation, HotDocs Crosscurrents International.&nbsp;She has also been a fellow at Hot Docs Accelerator Lab, IDFA Academy, and the Chicken &amp; Egg Eggcelerator Labs.

Sarvnik

Nature & Environment

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Against the Tide

Deckert Distribution is a world sales company for documentaries and stands for excellent, director-led, award-winning films.

We distribute creative documentaries from around the globe for which we see a potential on the international market. The films in our catalogue are very divers in style and content, but they all have one thing in common: we are convinced of their high quality and their high relevance, and we want to introduce these outstanding documentaries to a wide international audience. So our main goal is to make the connection between a film and its viewers, via TV as well as within the festival circuit.

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