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Karlovy Vary International Film Festival · 2017

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2017

Documentary Films: Competition

Programme

11 films · 3 reviews

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Another News Story

Review preview for Another News Story

There's strong stuff here, but for the very reasons the film describes, it's often difficult to connect with.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A documentary about journalists sent by their employers to the Mediterranean to cover the unfolding humanitarian tragedy.

(Country: UK; Year: 2017; Director: Orban Wallace)

Full review

Atelier De Conversation

One room, twelve red chairs, and a common language. Foreigners from all corners of the world meet each week for free lessons to hone their French. This formally minimalist documentary captures the fleeting moments in which grammatical fumblings and the painstaking search for the right word inadvertently open a window into the human soul.

(Country: Austria, France, Liechtenstein; Year: 2017; Director: Bernhard Braunstein)

Before Summer Ends (Avant La Fin De L'été)

Even after studying in France for five years, Arash hasn’t completely gotten used to the place, so he decides to return home to Iran. But friends Hossein and Ashkan are determined not to accept the loss of their closest pal.

(Country: Switzerland, France; Year: 2017; Director: Maryam Goormaghtigh)

A Campaign Of Their Own

A documentary following supporters of Bernie Sanders in the US and their response to his loss in the Democratic Primaries in 2016.

(Country: Switzerland; Year: 2017; Director: Lionel Rupp)

Land Of The Free

In the economically depressed neighborhoods of South Central Los Angeles it’s far too easy to get on the wrong side of the law. One fateful day 42-year-old Brian, who has just been released from serving a long prison sentence, experienced it firsthand. The vicious cycle of social determination, however, also begins to effect the lives of teenager Juan and seven-year-old Gianni.

(Country: Denmark, Finland; Year: 2017; Director: Camilla Magid)

Lots Of Kids, A Monkey And A Castle (Muchos hijos, un mono y un castillo)

Julita always wanted lots of kids, a monkey, and a castle. After finally realizing these wishes, however, her family loses their property in the economic crisis. But they have not lost the disarming ease and kindheartedness that mark their domestic squabbling.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2017; Director: Gustavo Salmerón)

A Memory In Khaki

Review preview for A Memory In Khaki

This is less a portrait of a country than a journey through the emotional landscape of its people

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
A Syrian director dusts off memories of the past, when people were persecuted for their political beliefs.

(Country: Qatar; Year: 2016; Director: Alfoz Tanjour)

Full review

My Life Without Air

The most important moments in the life of Goran, a Croatian free diving record-holder, take place exclusively under water.

(Country: Croatia; Year: 2017; Director: Bojana Burnać)

Tarzan's Testicles (Ouăle Lui Tarzan)

A research center in Sukhumi, the capital of today’s Abkhazia. Legend has it that it was built at the end of the 1920s to create a hybrid between man and monkey.

(Country: Romania, France; Year: 2017; Director: Alexandru Solomon)

This Is Not Me (Richard Müller: Nespoznaný)

A documentary portrait of the troubled Slovak singer Richard Müller.

(Country: Slovak Republic, Czech Republic; Year: 2016; Director: Miro Remo)

The White World According To Daliborek

Review preview for The White World According To Daliborek

This psychological willingness to go along with an idea, however ludicrous, in order to avoid confrontation is likely to strike a chord with many in other countries currently grappling with how to deal with the rise of extremism.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A stylised portrait of an authentic Czech neo-Nazi, who hates his life but doesn’t know what to change.

(Country: Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, UK; Year: 2017; Director: Vít Klusák)

Full review