Doc.Sydney Documentary Film Festival
In a world where “truth” is carefully curated, filtered, and viewed through the lens of social media, often the only difference between truth and fiction lies in the perspective through which one views the world.
Documentary films offer a fascinating peephole into a particular reality, at a certain time of a certain person's life. Whether in the form of an expository, a poem, an essay, an observational piece, whether it's dramatised, animated, or based on interviews, documentary films all have a message to send.
How can we make a difference in the world?
Documentary films are not just an avenue through which we can observe real life; they also serve to inform, educate, and critique. They are valuable creations in a day and age where media is increasingly curated and so much more homogenous.
That is why Doc.Sydney welcomes all of the above forms of documentary film-making, and even more so, those that transcend boundaries to move fluidly between one and more styles.
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Four Seasons of Youth (Brazil) by Essi Rafael
From enrollment to graduation, a wannabe movie director films his experience at one of the most important universities in Brazil. As the years go by, we follow the hopes and fears of students facing an unprecedented educational crisis.
Running time: 01:39:49 -
The Shaman and Dropout Psychologist (Mongolia, United States) by Frances Ulman
Filmed in Mongolia, this documentary is an intimate portrait of an elder female shaman named Altantsetseg. We have rare, complete access to be with Altantsetseg as she prepares for, and goes into a shaman's trance. Much of what is known about shamanism focuses on objects and rituals, because that...
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Mu and the Vanishing World (United States) by Paco Beltrán, Jessica W. Leung
Ever since fleeing Myanmar as a child, Mu, a young Kayan woman, lives confined as a refugee and tourist attraction in Thailand. Soon after she becomes a single teenage mother, the U.N. initiates a resettlement plan for the refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border which creates an opportunity for...
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A Human Ride (Germany) by Kristian Gründling
The transformation of transportation is on everyone's lips, and the future of mobility has become one of the most talked-about topics. But why does it matter so much? If transportation presents such enormous challenges, why don’t we just stay at home? Is mobility a fundamental human need?
Running... -
Tangle (Belgium) by Carla Hoogewijs, Frank Stevens
Tangle is a multimedia film blending vivid imagery, haunting words, and evocative soundscapes to delve into the core questions of human existence. Structured as a monologue in five chapters, it begins with a single breath of steam and culminates in the miracle of cell division, symbolizing the cy...
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Katharina Klement – Notes, Sound, and Film (Austria) by Mersolis Schöne
Vienna-based composer, pianist, and improviser Katharina Klement works on the expansion of the concept of music. She performs with piano and extended playing techniques on stages from Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus to New York City.
Katharina Klement – Notes, Sound, and Film takes us behind the scenes and ... -
The Untranslatable Forest (United States) by Ivan Miguel, Andy Camou
*** SF Doc Fest San Francisco, Manchester Animation Film Festival
A journey through a surreal airport where nature and untranslatable words unexpectedly reveal on the way.
Running time: 00:02:30
