November 2013, the Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan has destroyed Tacloban city. Miguel, 23 years old, wakes up in the middle of a devastated landscape. Most of the buildings are wiped out. Everywhere, dead bodies lie among the ruins. While he is looking for his mother, Miguel comes across his friend, Andrea. She informs him about another incoming typhoon and offers him to leave the town with
Catalina Torres Uruguayan artist, writer, and filmmaker, interested in exploring the complex relationship between people and their environment, focusing on identity formation and issues of gender and LGBT+ communities. She graduated from the Andy Goldstein Creative Photography School in Buenos Aires in 2019, and later pursued a degree in Documentary Film at the National University of San Martín. She holds a master's degree in Photography
Natasha K. Sung Coming from a diverse background, including a Bachelor's degree in Science and 10 years of experience as an advertising creative awarded at Cannes Lions, Natasha K. Sung has since pursued filmmaking, receiving an MA in Filmmaking from Goldsmiths, University of London. With unique cinematic language, she looks to uncover the absurdities of life with a sense of humour to deliver a touch
Katsuya Tomita After his A-levels Katsuya Tomita worked as a labourer and lorry driver. He has been making his own films since 1996, in his hometown, investing the money he had saved and having his friends act. ABOVE THE CLOUDS (2003), was shot on 8mm and took three years to complete, he financed it working as a truck driver. He then used the prize money
Abderrahmane Sissako Mauritanian-born Malian film director and producer. His film Waiting for Happiness was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival official selection under Un Certain Regard winning a FIPRESCI Prize. His 2006 film Bamako received much attention. Sissako's themes include globalisation, exile and the displacement of people. His 2014 film Timbuktu was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section
Gitanjali Rao Gitanjali Rao graduated as an applied artist from Sir. J. J. Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai, in 1994. Her two independently produced, directed and animated short films 'Orange' and 'Printed Rainbow', have won her 28 Awards Printed Rainbow has been the first ever Indian animation film to be selected at Cannes. It went on to win three Awards for the best Short film,
Juanita Onzaga Colombian filmmaker and visual artist currently based between Bogotá, Brussels and Mexico. In her films, Juanita combines fiction and non-fiction elements, touching the importance of memory, death and imagination, creating poetic tales that reflect different ways of perceiving reality within strong political contexts. Her work explores the crossroads between mysticism, ancestral knowledge, transformation of trauma from violent conflict, the dreamworlds, animism, futurism, technology
Konstantin Bojanov Born in Bulgaria in 1968, KONSTANTIN BOJANOV is a writer, director and a visual artist. He graduated from the National School of Fine Arts in Sofia in 1987 and received an M.A. from the Royal College of Art, London. His career as an artist began in London in the early 90s, and his work has been exhibited internationally. His directorial debut was the
Pascal Tessaud Pascal Tessaud was born and grew up in the suburb of Paris. Coming from a working class family, he obtained a Baccalaureate specialized in fine arts before completing a master degree in Cinema at Nanterre-Paris X University. He studied Italian cinema at the Universtà Ca’Foscari Di Venezia and then specialized in documentary cinema at the IECA of Nancy. He directed four short-movies: Night
Carlo Francisco Manatad Born in Tacloban City, Carlo Francisco Manatad is an alumnus of the Asian Film Academy, Berlinale Talent Campus, and Docnet Campus Project. His short film, Junilyn Has was screened in Festival del film Locarno, Clermont Ferrand, and has since travelled the festival circuit. His other short film, Sandra has premiered at Fribourg International Film Festival last March and has won several awards
Omar Shargawi is a self-taught director and independent photographer. He was born in Copenhagen from a Danish mother and a Palestinian father. His first feature film, GO WITH PEACE JAMIL (2008), was rewarded by many international festivals. It received the VPRO Tiger Award at Rotterdam, the Church Award, the FIPRESCI prize at Göteborg, and the best director prize in Transylvania. MY FATHER FROM HAIFA (2009)
Zhang Tao ZHANG Tao is a Chinese director, screenwriter and actor. Born in the Shandong Province, the birthplace of Confucius, ZHANG Tao is the son of peasants. He first studied law while working as a civil servant. He quit his career to depict, through cinema, modern China and its evolutions. He joined the prestigious Central Academy of Dramatic Art of Beijing, within the department of
In a nameless Chinese city, a mother with her daughter missing, refuses to go gentle into that good night. Director : Qiu Yang Written by : Qiu Yang Length : 15 min Language : Wu Chinese Original title : Xiao cheng er yue Cast : LI Shuxian Producers : Yanling Education (China) – QIU Yang, LI Yi Co-producers : A Wild Grass Films (China) –
In a Shandong village, an old peasant woman falls. Immediately, her children take advantage of it to declare her disabled, in order to sign up her in a nursing home. Waiting for a bed to be released, the old mother is brought to each of her children's home, no one willing to keep her. This chaotic journey keeps going on whilst both her health and her family ties
In a fast growing city of East China, migrants have been arriving and living for a dream of a better life. But what they find there is little opportunities and poor living conditions that push people, even couples, into violent and oppressive relations. XIAO MIN, LING LING and LAO YEH are some of the characters of this bitter chronicle of todays China. Director : Wang
