From travelogue, newsreel and ethnographic film to cinema verité, mockumentary and docudrama – the idea of documenting lives on camera has a long and constantly evolving tradition. This section of our programme showcases five films which stand in a category of their own, united by an directness, simplicity and artfulness in the broad spectrum of documentary.
Punam
Lucian Muntean
Serbia and Montenegro | 2005 | 27mins | Beta | Colour | SubtitledThis is the story of a nine-year-old girl, Punam Tamang, who lives in Nepal and takes care of her brothers and sisters while her father works double shifts to afford her school fees.
Christy
Alex Gill
Ireland | 2006 | 16mins | Beta | Colour
A snapshot of one of the most particular characters you are ever likely to meet on the streets of Dublin.
Sun In Winter
Du Soleil En Hiver
Samuel Collardey
France | 2005 | 17mins | 35mm | Colour | Subtitled
Michel is a farmer in the Franche Comté and uses the peaceful winter months to spend time with his young apprentice, Francis. They soon develop a very close bond.
Special Jury Prize – Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, 2006
We Are The Faithful
Wir Sind Dir Treu Michael Koch
Switzerland, Germany | 2005 | 9mins | Beta | Colour | SubtitledThe crowd at an FC Basel match erupt in unison – a surreal documentary about football.
The Ecstatic
Mast Qalandar Till Passow
Germany | 2005 | 30mins | 35mm | Colour | Subtitled
The film documents a pilgrimage festival at the shrine of a Sufi holy man in Pakistan. Mast is the name given to the state of devotional ecstacy achieved through chanting, ‘whirling’ dances and self-mortification; practices widely condemned within mainstream Islam.
