Current Program | Mon Nov 2 | Tue Nov 3 | Wed Nov 4 | Thu Nov 5 | Fri Nov 6 | Sat Nov 7

You | Mikito Kyo
Japan 2009 | 22 min. Short | engl. subtitles
'You' is the tale of two wandering girls who happen to meet in midnight Tokyo. Idling their time talking about unnecessary topics and devoting themselves to the simple pleasure of the moment, they gradually get to know each other in an aimless walk-about.

Tokyo! | Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Bong Joon-Ho
Japan 2008 | 110 min. Feature | engl. subtitles
In TOKYO!, three visionary directors (Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon?]ho) come together for an omnibus triptych examining the nature of one unforgettable city as it’s shaped by the disparate people who live, work (and run amok) inside an enormous, constantly evolving, densely populated Japanese megalopolis — the ravishing and inimitable Tokyo. Triptych, rhapsody, psychogeography, omnibus, urban valentine, freak show, mindwalk and many other things, TOKYO! is a fantasy in three movements that will make you see one of the world’s greatest cities — if not any city — in unpredictable and ravishing new ways. In the tradition of such films as NEW YORK STORIES, NIGHT ON EARTH, PARIS JE T’AIME and its forthcoming sequel NEW YORK I LOVE YOU, TOKYO! addresses the timeless question of whether we shape cities, or if cities shape us — in the process revealing the rich humanity at the heart of modern urban life. 

Onkel Dieter | Tanja Schwerdorf
Germany 2008 | 13 min. Short
Alle zwei Wochen treffen sich drei Schwestern mit ihren Familien zum Mittagessen bei ihrer Mutter. Über die eigenen Probleme wird geschwiegen, man redet viel Belangloses oder über den vermissten Bruder Dieter, den die Mutter vor dem Mauerbau im Osten zur Adoption freigegeben hat. Von den DDR-Behörden bei der Suche nach ihm im Stich gelassen, scheint dieses Problem so mächtig, dass alle anderen Schwierigkeiten der Familie in den Hintergrund geraten. Als nach dem Fall der Mauer Onkel Dieter endlich gefunden wird, gerät trotz großer Freude das Familiensystem ins Wanken.

102 PS | Katharina Duve
Germany 2009 | 16 min. Short
Ein Film über einen weißen BMW und zwei ungleiche Frauen, die darin aus unterschiedlichen Gründen in die Weiten Norddeutschlands fliehen. Die Fahrt wird zum Abenteuer und die Frauen zu Freundinnen. Die im Wagen spielenden Szenen sind komplett im Studio mit dem Old-School Verfahren der Rückproduktion entstanden.

Dicke Hose | Miles Terheggen & Henna Peschel
Germany 2009 | 80 min. Feature
Miles Terheggen (Love Ravers) und Henna Peschel („Rollo Aller!“, „Mad Boy“) konnten für ihren neuen Film Ferris MC, Sebastian Krumbiegel (Die Prinzen) und Adam Bousdoukus („Soul Kitchen“) verpflichten. Alle begeisterte die verrückte Geschichte von Sleepy, dem rappenden Pizzaboten aus Ottensen. Ein Altonese legt mit 300 Euro Startkapital und einem rostigen Fahrrad eine steile Karriere zum prominenten Musik- Manager hin. Mit extrem losem Mundwerk und der nötigen Bauernschläue nimmt der „King of Schnack“ den Kampf gegen die im Viertel regierende „Akropolis-Connection“, schwer bewaffnete Heimkinder und eine russische Domina mit Umschnalldildo auf … Die schrägste Hommage an den Multikulti - Stadtteil Altona mit einem teuflisch groovenden Soundtrack im Stil der frühen Siebziger!

Road to Sangam | Amit Rai
India 2009 | 135 min. Feature | engl. subtitles
The story revolves around Hasmatullah, A 50-55 year old, bread earner of a big joint family, living in a ghettoes of Allahabad. Though not literate enough, he is a very good mechanic of old automobile units, hard-working, loyal, firm believer of God and good-hearted man. Though a devout practitioner, he has a very modern outlook towards his religion eschewing radicalism and believing in progression and openness about it. He believes in understanding the true meaning of the religion and one of the principles he believes, is that of live and let live. He believes in following the call of duty and in spite of all oppositions. These ideas certainly make him unpopular within his community and brethren. One day though he stands at crossroads. When he has to choose between what he believes is his duty and as an individual and as a citizen of India, and between the dictates of his community elders who strongly oppose him. He chooses the vocation of his heart and the voice of his inner self and thus faces wrath of his community. Left isolated and humiliated, he decides to fight back. He sets himself on a journey to redeem all his friends and near and dear ones, one by one by making them understand his belief and the true understanding of duty and religion. In the end his inner voice triumphs and he succeeds to show a new path to everyone in these trying times of suspicion, hatred and pointing fingers.

Salute | Matt Norman
USA/Australia 2008 | 90 min Documentary
Salute is a journey back to the 1960s to examine what has now become one of the most famous Olympic moments in history. During this era the world was just three years away from the Cuban missile crisis and the threat of nuclear war, the horror of Vietnam, the assassinations of John F. and Robert Kennedy, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. Frightened and desperate people were rioting in the streets of Europe, and throughout the U.S. where there was an urgent push for civil rights. Black nations were - threatening to boycott the Olympics in protest and black athletes within the United States team were being urged to boycott the Games. Into this atmosphere walked Peter Norman, whose performance had taken the US team by surprise. Who was this unknown sprinter from Australia? He wasn’t a typical sprinter – he was quietly spoken, short-legged and white.

No. 4 Street of our Lady | J. Maltz, B. Bird & R. Sherman
Israel/USA 2009 | 90 Min. Documetary | engl. subtitles
If your neighbors were being hunted down and came to your door begging for help, would you risk your life to save theirs? This film tells the remarkable, yet little-known, story of Francisca Halamajowa, a Polish-Catholic woman who hid 16 of her Jewish neighbors during the Holocaust, while cleverly passing herself off as a Nazi sympathizer.

The Fog | Anton Dorin
Russia 2008 | 15 min Short | engl. subtitles
An ordinary day of little boy’s life in a Russian countryside. He goes fishing but instead meets a father he’d never seen. This helps the boy to overcome his fears and awake his spirit. Or was it just a dream?

Flawless | Stanislava Buevich
England 2009 | 10 min. Short
A young high society mother believes that being a true lady means hiding your emotions. She tries to instill these ideals on her daughter. One day, while shopping at a posh London boutique, the daughter cannot manage to hide her feelings inside any longer and runs away. When the mother discovers her daughter's absence, she begins a gradual descent into madness, as she is no longer able to keep the emotions inside.

The War on Kids | Cevin Soling
USA 2008 | 90 min. Documentary
Focusing on public education, The War On Kids demonstrates how American public schools have become modeled after prisons in response to fear and a burgeoning intolerance of youth. The oppressive environment that students are subjected to, coupled with brutal responses to any transgression including the drugging of children, are shown to have long-term repercussions beyond creating a generation of dysfunctional adults. Ultimately, democracy itself is under siege.