Alison

A jaw-dropping story of survival against all the odds

In 1994, Alison Botha was abducted at knife-point by two men outside her home in South Africa. Driven into a nature reserve off the main road, she was raped, disembowelled, almost decapitated and left for dead. Against extraordinary odds, mystifying the doctors who had treated her, Alison survived this horrific attack. But this was only the beginning of her struggle. This is the remarkable story of her fight for justice and recovery.

Death of a Child

Living with the guilt of your own child's death

Having a child die is the worst thing imaginable – but what if you are responsible? Just one moment of distraction, one lapse of concentration, can put a child’s life at risk. With a sympathetic and unobtrusive approach, this poignant doc explores the stories of parents who have undergone this trauma. Grappling with their own guilt, lengthy legal battles and the wrath of the public eye, these parents open up about their unthinkable tragedy.

Still Tomorrow

How one disabled farmer became China's star poet

A farmer from rural China with cerebral palsy is not a likely candidate for fame. But when Yu Xiuhua’s poetry went viral online, she was suddenly touted for great success. Brutally visceral, her poetry is born from grappling with disability, a loveless marriage, and her relationship with China’s eroding pastoral interior. This sympathetic doc lays bare the disjunction at the heart of Yu’s life between physical circumstance and inner expression.

No Friends But The Mountains

Will the Kurdish dream of independence and freedom ever become reality?

With the rise of ISIS and the central role played by the Kurdish Peshmerga in the fight against them, the question of Kurdish independence has taken on greater urgency. To answer this pressing question, Kurdish author Kae Bahar travels from his London home to his rocky and mountainous homeland, finding a complex mix of Kurdish nationalism and internal division. ‘War or Peace?’ Bahar asks. The answer is not so simple.

Motorkite Dreaming

The ultimate Aussie adventure story.

This is the tale of Aidan, Daryl, their fiancées and their shared dream to fly microlights from Adelaide to Beagle Bay. The intrepid couples navigate tough flying conditions, crocodile-infested swamps and their own conflicting personalities. Led by two Aboriginal guides, the flying circus heads deep into the spiritual heartland of Australia. Soaring through twenty indigenous language nations they connect with a culture thousands of years old.

Hotel Coolgardie

Two female backpackers get more than they bargained for working in a remote Australian town

In remotest red-dust Australia is the sleepy mining town of Coolgardie. When two Finnish girls take jobs in the town’s only pub, they find themselves in a trial of endurance. Full of raucous drinkers and ogling patrons, the girls soon realise that pouring pints is the least of their work. Amusing, disturbing, and thoroughly bizarre, this candid doc reveals the struggles of adapting to life in an insular and politically-incorrect community.

Indivisible

A heartrending exploration of the human cost of US immigration policy

The young people at the heart of the US immigration debate are given a voice in this moving profile of the families torn apart by anti-immigration measures. Renata, Evelyn and Antonio were brought to the US by their parents in search of a better life, but their families are now divided as a result of deportation. They are known as Dreamers, fighting to be heard among the turbulence and controversy surrounding US immigration reform.

Letters From Generation RX

The Menace of Mental Health Medication

The shattering side-effects of anti-psychotic drugs are exposed in this sobering doc, which sensitively weaves together accounts of lives destroyed by medicines intended to heal them. Challenging the belief that medication is the best solution to mental health problems, this powerful film explores the science behind antidepressants and the horrific experiences endured by patients and their loved ones.

Dalya's Other Country

A Syrian refugee navigates her teenage years in a politically volatile USA

Dalya, a Syrian refugee living in America, tries to be a normal teenager. Yet under the shadow of Donald Trump’s rise to power, she must contend with daily reminders of her otherness, like being the only girl in school that wears a hijab. Keeping her Muslim father proud and integrating into American teen life with make-up, proms and boys is a hard line to walk. This touching film explores a young life caught between highly politicised identities.