CINEDOC

A journey through the Aegean Sea, where old meets new, and the askavlos, the ancient Greek bagpipe, is being revived in the hands of musicians dedicated to restoring and maintaining an ancient tradition. The instrument slowly but surely finds its way to the city, where modern musicians bring it into the contemporary music scene. The viewer becomes a witness to this revival and, alongside the protagonists, discovers something that is almost lost: the customs and ethos of the people of another era, and an oral tradition that was once a way of life, preserved over the centuries.

How can schools support the building of a future-proof, “different” society? This film explores two self-organized preschool educational projects in Greece, which use a combination of alternative educational methods. “The Little Tree” in Thessaloniki operates on the values of libertarian education and experiential learning. In the forest school “Little World” on Lesbos island, everyday local and refugee children play together and learn from each other.

An observational documentary set in post-conflict Belfast’s Ardoyne, where a marginalized, working-class community has for generations been plagued by poverty, drugs, and guns. This film charts the dream of Headmaster Kevin McArevey and his dedicated, visionary team illustrating how critical thinking and pastoral care can empower and encourage children to see beyond the boundaries and limitations of their own community. We see how philosophy can encourage them to question the mythologies of war and of violence, and sometimes challenge the narratives their parents, peers, and socio-economic group would dictate.

Rikke Brewer and Aiden Knox struggle with the death of their best friend Nye Newman, and subsequent mental health issues, in very different ways, that threaten to tear them apart. In pursuit of 15million clicks of fame and money, and a career as a youtuber, outgoing Rikke seeks the dangerous thrill of UrbEx stunts as a way to numb his loss and pain. Aiden, more introverted, seeks solace in Parkour, while working menial jobs to pay for his increasing reliance on alcohol. As they process Nye's tragic death, deeper scars from difficult childhoods emerge. Exclusive rights to 10 years of their self-shot archive reveal a rich story of their formative years. As we watch the stunts with sweaty palms and open mouths, we ultimately engage with the warmth and humanity of these two extraordinary young men.

The Irish song entitled “The Laughing Boy” was written by a teenage rebel called Brendan Behan in memory of another iconic rebel, Michael Collins – the centenary of whose death was commemorated in 2022. But this song also had an extraordinary and dramatic afterlife as “To Yelasto Paidi,” the powerful left-wing anthem of resistance against the dictatorship that ruled Greece in the late Sixties and early Seventies. Translated by the poet Vassilis Rotas, Behan’s words in Greek were set to music by the legendary Mikis Theodorakis. The song remains an enduring and potent cultural force in the heart of Greece today. The film takes poet Theo Dorgan on an odyssey of his own, as he attempts to uncover the truth of the story behind the song. It is a narrative that interweaves the tragic and bloody birth pangs of both modern Ireland and modern Greece. But these histories are also bound together by something more profound and transcendent: the power of a song.

A pioneer among filmmakers, Jane Campion was the first woman to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes for The Piano, and recently won Best Director at the Academy Awards for The Power of the Dog. In 40 years of work, she has carved out a unique place for herself in the traditionally masculine pantheon of cinema. A visual and iconoclastic director, a subtle portraitist of the human soul and women, Jane Campion is also a furtive filmmaker, at once discreet and whimsical, gentle and impertinent, and at times misunderstood. For the first time, another woman filmmaker draws the portrait she deserves, in a film that is unapologetically subjective and offbeat, very much mirroring Jane’s own trailblazing journey in cinema and life.

Privately-hired mercenaries are responsible for protecting vessels crossing the High-Risk Area off the Somali coastline against pirate attacks. Rigorously preparing to face the enemy, each watch brings them closer to the day of contact. Yet the sea is full of surprises. Or lack thereof.

What makes a male, and what makes a female? Where do we draw the line, and does it really matter? Sharon-Rose Khumalo, a South African beauty queen, plunges into an identity crisis after finding out she is intersex. She needs the guidance of somebody just like her. The only person who will help is Dimakatso Sebidi, a male-presenting intersex activist who turns out to be her complete opposite. The two parallel but divergent stories are an intimate look at the struggle of living in a male-female world, when you are both, or neither. Who I Am Not gives a voice to the long-ignored and mostly silent two percent of the world's population: the intersex community.

Four decades into democracy, yet the wounds in Spanish society have still not healed, as the atrocious crimes of the Franco regime are not acknowledged by the national narrative. Filmed over seven years, this courageous and moving documentary follows victims and survivors of a dark and suppressed past fight against the state-imposed amnesia of crimes against humanity. Sometimes, when seeking justice, the voice of the few can break the silence of the (many) others.