Festival Diary Day 9

For example, at ACUD, we welcomed director Meritxell Campos Olivé and producer Dieter Meier. Together, they presented their film "Surfing Einstein" and took time for a documentary interview. In 1915, Albert Einstein predicted gravitational waves. In 2016, a group of physicists succeeded in confirming this part of Einstein's theory of relativity. The documentary delves into the interpersonal and emotional elements of the research project. The physicists tell their story through dance and their unique body language. Soon, you’ll be able to read an interview with both of them here, and you can stream the film online until the end of the month

Additionally, we celebrated a world premiere yesterday at Dokumentale: Love & Trouble premiered at Kant Kino! This very special documentary is about love, trauma, and the will to overcome great difficulties together. Over 10 years, we follow a couple's healing process as they try everything, from ice bathing to horseback riding, to find themselves and become more resilient. After the premiere, director Amy Hardie said: “I hope what the audience takes away from this movie is that however shit life may be at one particular point, you can change it!” Tonight, you’ll have another chance to see this touching film at the festival center. Come by

We also had a celebration last night, as “Party-Alex” prepared a fantastic evening for us at YAAM. For almost 30 years, YAAM has been the hotspot for underground music, street art, and alternative culture right in the heart of Berlin. It was the perfect place to show “Harder than the Rock”. This film is about The Cimarons, the UK’s first reggae band. Although they played a major role in the rise of the genre from Jamaica and collaborated with legends like Bob Marley and Paul McCartney, their own music often remained in the shadows. The documentary follows them on their journey to fulfill their dream: performing live one last time. After the film, there was a Q&A and, of course, an afterparty. If you’re curious about the film now, come to Sputnik Kino tonight, where we’ll be screening it for the second time

Here are our tips for the last day of the festival:

And So it Begins

Full of euphoria, people sing and dance in the streets, defying the autocratic developments in the Philippines. During the 2022 presidential campaign, Leni Robredo, former Vice President of the Philippines, is seen as a beacon of hope for progress and democracy. She runs against the son of the late dictator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., who is part of the right-wing Kilusang Bagong Lipunan party. In the midst of the presidential campaign, a movement emerges that stands up for freedom of speech and the press.

October 20th, 6:30 PM, ACUDkino

The Friendship Bench

In 2006, Dr. Dixon Chibanda, a psychologist in Zimbabwe, faces an apparently unsolvable challenge: many people in the country have mental health issues, but there are hardly any psychologists. He finds a solution outside the conventional health system and starts meeting with a group of 14 grandmothers, training them. They sit on public benches with people from their community who need support. By now, Chibanda’s approach is known worldwide.

October 20th, 8:30 PM, Kant Kino

Hollywoodgate

Immediately after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban take over the Hollywood Gate complex, a former CIA base in Kabul. There, they discover an impressive amount of cutting-edge military technology left behind by the most technologically advanced army in history. Newly appointed Air Force Commander Malawi Mansour is overwhelmed by the complexity of the equipment found and orders his soldiers to inventory everything and repair it if possible. Mukhtar, an ambitious Taliban member with dreams of world domination, sees Hollywood Gate as his opportunity to launch a significant military career.

October 20th, 6 PM, City Kino Wedding