What is the meaning of land for different peoples whose soil has been colonized by individuals, countries and companies that value these areas differently? Is there such a thing as oldest rights, and how do these rights of indigenous inhabitants relate to the outsiders who try to usurp their territory and identity? The films in this pathway examine notions of belonging, sovereignty, traditions and modernity through diverse cinematic strategies, yet equally exciting.
A playfully styled portrait loosely based on memoirs published in 1889, evoking recollections of an unspoiled Chile that reflect on the here and now. But the portrayal also sheds light on what has been lost through colonization and modernization.
More info
Mexican filmmaker Xun Sero questions his mother about her life as a Tzotzil woman. The answers reveal a strong woman who has managed to create a place for herself within a patriarchal society.
More info
A richly documented, vivid panorama of the bizarre history of the Sinixt, an indigenous Canadian people legally declared extinct in 1956. Sinixt activist Marilyn James and others have been fighting this injustice for decades.
More info
The Black Mambas combat poaching in Kruger National Park. It’s a dream job that empowers women, or so it seems. A multilayered observational portrait about post-colonialism and the shady side of tourism and nature conservation.
More info
Israel has banned harvesting za’atar and akoub, two plants essential to Palestinian cuisine. Officially, it’s to preserve nature, but Palestinian wild pickers see it differently. A subtle but powerful film on how politics can reach into the kitchen.
More info
A poetic 16mm portrait of Sable Island and its sole human inhabitant Zoe Lucas, who is studying and conserving its flora and fauna. The inspiring bond that develops between Lucas and the filmmaker leads to some remarkable experiments.
More info
For decades, Vincent Carelli filmed the struggles of his friend Krohokrenhum, leader of the Gavião in the Brazilian Amazon, a man who tirelessly defends the traditions of his people against political, economic and cultural assimilation.
More info
On Mayotte, the only French island in the Comoros, a group of outlawed young men lead their lives in the shadows, with nothing to rely on but their dogs. An empathetic portrait of a lost existence, both rough and tender.
More info
Can a tree be racist? Residents of Crossley Tract, a historically Black neighborhood in Palm Springs, wrestled with this curious question for decades, culminating in heated discussions on national TV. The dispute is peeled away like the layers of an onion.
More info
Breathtaking landscapes alternate with scenes of somber small-town life on a train trip across Peru. This contemplative journey takes us along a railroad route of almost 300 kilometers.
More info
A beautiful observation of the Portuguese countryside, where the land and forests are worked with attention and respect. The film shows the intimate and reciprocal relationship between people and nature as a harmonious balance of give and take.
More info
An experimental film connecting the port of Amsterdam with the territory of the Wayuu people in Colombia. The use of coal in Europe has a major impact on the indigenous people and on Mother Earth. The mine is a stinking, open wound.
More info
A heatwave leads to huge forest fires in Siberia. Villagers join forces to subdue the inferno they call the Dragon. A visually powerful film about the havoc that climate change can wreak.
More info
Thoughtful shots of every state merge to become an alternative portrait of the USA. Benning shows America as we think it looks. A film to immerse yourself in, with a brilliant twist in the credits.
More info
A group of children from the Achuar community, the original inhabitants of the region along the Pastaza River bordering Ecuador and Peru, move through the jungle independently—playing and working, in harmony with nature.
More info
A film in cinema verité style about the gentrification of a Black working-class neighborhood in the US. Tensions rise when gay white people start buying up dilapidated but charming houses, at the expense of the original residents.
More info
An observational portrait of three aging brothers living together, isolated in a Spanish village that many decades ago was emptied by government order. But now new political and economic decisions are threatening their way of life again.
More info