Still Standing

Tracing the divided history of an ancient province

As the homeland of the Indus-Valley Civilisation, the Sindh region of Pakistan is one of the cradles of human civilisation. It was also the only region of Pakistan left undivided by the Partition of 1947. That same year, the Sindhi Diaspora emerged: Sindhi Hindus fled Pakistan for India and other countries, while Muslims from all over India fled into Pakistan, with large numbers reaching Sindh. Suddenly, the Sindhi community found itself to be a minority. Still Standing searches for the footprints of those who left, as well as digging into the stories of those who remained. A tale of nationalism, radicalisation, and division in a land which, once upon a time, was home to florid cultures and peaceful coexistence.

North by Current

A visual rumination on the relationships between parents and children, truths and myths, losses and gains

After the inconclusive death of his young niece, filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax returns to his rural Michigan hometown, prepared to make a film about the family’s wrongful persecution at the hands of authorities. Instead, he pivots to excavate struggles of generational addiction, Christian fervor, and trans embodiment, and in the process, creates a breathtaking visual rumination on the understated relationships between mothers and children, truths and myths, losses and gains. Lyrically assembled images, decades of home movies, and ethereal narration form an idiosyncratic and poetic undertow that guide a viewer through lifetimes and relationships. Like the relentless Michigan seasons, the meaning of family shifts, as Madsen, his sister, and his parents strive tirelessly to accept each other. Poised to incite more internal searching than provide clear statements or easy answers, North By Current dives head first into the challenges of creating identity, the agony of growing up, and the ever-fickle nuances of family.

Shut Up and Say Something

What’s the point of love if you can’t use it to forgive?

Shane Koyczan is an acclaimed international spoken word artist. Seen and heard by millions worldwide, Shane's poignant and powerful poems tackle everything from bullying to body image. When he embarks on an emotional road trip to reconnect with the father he never knew, he unravels the story behind his troubled childhood, providing a powerful and intimate look at how a master wordsmith mines the scars of his past for truth, acceptance and the most important poem of his life.

Inside Antifa

The real Antifa: inside the divisive anti-fascist movement

They are faceless. They are nameless. They are feared and hated. And they make no apologies. Antifa is notorious for their radical and often divisive tactics - but what’s it really like to be a member of this anti-fascist movement? In the weeks surrounding the 2021 Inauguration, a group of antifa members allowed one film-maker full and unprecedented access. The story is one of clashes with police and militias, as they work to create the society they want to live in. A rare glimpse into what it’s really like to be a member of this anti-fascist movement.

Unknown Distance

When does the battle end?

After five tours and ten years as a Marine Sniper, Sergeant Douglas Brown, alongside director and producer Gordon Clark, takes us on an emotional journey across America, documenting the powerful testimony of returning combat veterans -- all trained with a deadly skill set, now rendered useless. Failing to prevent death, and the act of taking a human life, can shatter a soldier’s religious and spiritual views, resulting in moral injury. How do these soldiers fit back into a society that supported them when they enlisted but became ambivalent when they returned?

By Rook or Left Hook: The Story of Chessboxing

Rocky meets The Queen's Gambit as brain and brawn are put to the test

Follow a self-defeating promoter from London and a self-promoting artist from Berlin as they fight for control of professional chessboxing, a sport which taxes mind and body through alternating rounds of chess and boxing. While Londoner and chessboxing aficionado Tim Woolgar toiled away and carried the financial burden to get the sport into the spotlight, Iepe Rubingh, the sport's inventor, used his status to garner all of the media attention at his events. As relations turned sour, Tim cut ties with Iepe and the two squared-off in a behind-the-scenes battle to decide who would become the 'Don King of chessboxing.'

Magic City Hustle

Dreaming of sporting triumph in Miami

Magic City Hustle follows former University of Miami athletes hoping for a second chance at glory as they take on the world’s fastest sport. Set against the challenging hustle economy of Miami where working multiple jobs is required to stay economically afloat, the only Americans in the game face the longest of odds learning to play a sport totally foreign to them. Director Billy Corben, with credits including “The U,” “Broke” and “Screwball,” chronicles the lives of these former outstanding college athletes fighting for hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money. The ups, downs and almost outs reveal themselves as they prepare for and compete in this inaugural season.

Sheltered

Hope, despair and devoted care are all in a day's work at this animal shelter

In the busy world of the animal shelter, the loving bond between humans and animals is strained by the endless stream of abandoned dogs, cats and rabbits. Pets are life companions - but for some, they are also a dispensable status symbol. With attentive care and training by the passionate employees and dedicated volunteers, the hopeful animals are rehabilitated and prepared for the right match with a new owner. Not every story has a happy ending, but no matter how limited the resources are, the team fights on—even for the biggest misfits of them all.

Origin of the Species

Is a new era dawning for robotics?

Origin of the Species explores the contemporary world of android development with a focus on human/machine relations, gender and the ethical implications of this research. The film provides an insider look into cutting-edge laboratories in Japan and the USA where scientists attempt to make robots move, speak and look human. These scientists and their discoveries are contextualised with cinematic and pop culture references to underline the mythic, comic and uncanny aspects of our aspiration to create machines that are eerily similar to ourselves.