"All the films in the programme deal in one way or another with profound experiences or events that are currently unfolding that will inevitably go down in history. The characters in the films are searching for the truth, however unpleasant or inconvenient it may be. Tense, relentless and sometimes funny, the films will leave you unmoved." - Andrius Blaževičius, Competition Programme Director.
FILMS:
The Chilean Selection / La selección de Chile
Dir. Giulio Pacini / documentary / Italy / 2024 / 14 min.
On 11 September 1973, President Salvador Allende's democratic government is overthrown in a brutal military coup. Five decades later, Santiago's own national football stadium comes to life to tell the story of the horrific events that were silently witnessed at the time.
Dancing in the Corner
Dir. Jan Bujnowski / fiction / Poland / 2024 / 14 min.
After the fall of communism in Poland in 1989, colour TV is no longer a luxury item. In most Polish homes, screens are beginning to resemble the reality outside the window. But is reality really in colour?
The Medallion
Dir. Ruth Hunduma / documentary / Ethiopia, UK / 2023 / 19 min.
Ruth receives a locket from her mother engraved with the image of Nefertiti - a symbol of beauty, strength and freedom. Her mother, who was captured by the Derg regime and grew up in a prison camp, passed on the locket as a reminder of escape and survival to keep the story of their family and country alive.
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
Dir. Nebojša Slijepčević / fiction / Croatia, France, Bulgaria, Slovenia / 2024 / 14 min.
27 February 1993, Štrpci, Bosnia and Herzegovina. A train from Belgrade to Bar is stopped by paratroopers on an ethnic cleansing operation and innocent civilians are taken outside. Of the 500 passengers, only one dares to resist.
Unwanted Kinship
Dir. Pavel Mozhar / documentary / Germany / 2024 / 30 min.
Ukrainian victims of Russian and Belarusian torture and repression tell their stories of what is arguably systemic torture and repression. Based on their testimonies, the Belarusian-born filmmaker examines this systematic procedure on the streets of his own neighbourhood in Berlin, while at the same time questioning what he has to do with this war and to what extent he is personally responsible.
VTFF25: In Search of Truth (International Competition Programme) Sesje