This year, documentaries at the Edinburgh International Film Festival are not locked away in their own category. While it’s nice to see that they’re included across all categories, they can be a bit tricky to spot in the programme. So here’s a list of all documentaries for you to choose from.
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Now take your picks here:
Amateur
SAT 23 June 21:30 CINEWORLD
FRI 29 June 21:30 CINEWORLD
A dentist by trade, Jorge Mario has numerous hobbies and one real passion: the cinema. For years he made films in Super 8, graduating from home movies to narrative films. Now 70, Mario wants to do a remake of his own magnum opus, the super-8 western Winchester Martin. This documentary is an affectionate homage to a vanishing culture of popular cinephilia.
Ambassador, The
SUN 24 June 16:45 CINEWORLD
MON 25 June 18:10 CINEWORLD
Danish documentarist/satirist/provocateur Mads Brügger decides to expose the high-stakes game of political and economic corruption in Africa. How to go about this? By carrying a hidden camera as he buys a diplomatic assignment to the Central African Republic and sets up a match factory staffed by Pygmies to serve as a front for a diamond-smuggling operation. A gonzo exposé of neo-colonialism that is bound to stir up controversy. “Brügger is sort of the VICE magazine version of Sasha Baron Cohen, as financed by Lars Von Trier” (Karina Longworth, LA Weekly).
Anton Corbijn: Inside Out
THU 28 June 18:30 CINEWORLD
FRI 29 June 20:40 CINEWORLD
This deft and insightful film offers an intimate and revealing view of the life and creativity of the celebrated photographer and filmmaker. Thoughts from Bono, Metallica, Lou Reed and others, together with footage taken on the set of The American, starring George Clooney, fill out a portrait of a sensitive and reticent artist. “A thoughtful film that is as much an homage to the creative process as it is a tribute to a man” (Jessica Kiang, IndieWire).
Au Pair
SAT 23 June 14:25 CINEWORLD
TUE 26 June 18:35 CINEWORLD
The exploitation of au pair women who come from overseas to work in richer countries becomes the subject of this compassionate and hard-hitting documentary. The film looks at the lives of three Philippine women who work as au pairs in Denmark. Struggling in their new country to earn money for their families back home, the women face social marginalisation and the imminent expiration of their work permits.
Bestiaire
SAT 23 June 16:50 CINEWORLD
SUN 24 June 21:15 CINEWORLD
Curious, compelling and compassionate, Denis Côté’s contemplative portrait of animals in captivity is, put simply, a series of beautifully framed and composed tableaux of a variety of animals at Quebec’s Parc Safari; but it’s also a complex meditation on the relationship between man, beast and environment. Côté lets his often startling imagery speak for itself, giving us, the viewer, plenty time, and food, for thought.
Coal Money + Brutality Factory
SUN 24 June 13:20 FILMHOUSE 2
Two astounding short works by a contemporary master who trains his camera on the human costs of a merciless economy of exploitation. Coal Money follows Chinese truck drivers carrying coal from the mines to the market, encountering criminals and corrupt policemen, haggling with buyers in endless negotiations. Set amid the rubble of a disused factory, Brutality Factory recreates one of the show trials of accused reactionaries that were a feature of the Cultural Revolution. The filmmaker will be in attendance and will also discuss his work in depth in a masterclass.
differently, Molussia
THU 21 June 17:55 FILMHOUSE 3
SUN 24 June 19:15 FILMHOUSE 3
Nine short, individually titled reels of colour 16mm film, which are presented in a random order determined before each screening. Drawing on a text by German philosopher Günther Anders, the film is an imaginary documentary about Molussia, a fictional totalitarian country that Anders invented to represent the dystopia of fascism.
Don’t Expect Too Much
SUN 24 June 19:45 CINEWORLD
SUN 1 July 18:45 FILMHOUSE 1
As Nicholas Ray’s partner, Susan Ray lived with We Can’t Go Home Again from the inception of that massive project through the director’s lengthy attempts to finish it. In Don’t Expect Too Much, she provides the ideal introduction to the ambitions, accomplishments and contradictions of the film. Capturing the memories of those who participated in the production as Ray’s students, Don’t Expect Too Much also incorporates rare film and audio documentation of Ray teaching at Harpur College in the 1970s.
Dress Rehearsal for Utopia
THU 28 June 20:00 FILMHOUSE 3
FRI 29 June 19:00 FILMHOUSE 3
As his father lies dying in a hospital room in Venezuela, the filmmaker’s thoughts travel to Mozambique. Images of dance and revolution, some retrieved from archival footage, some newly shot, conjure up a spectral alternate reality where human figures take part in a cascade of excited movements.
El Casamiento
SUN 24 June 19:30 CINEWORLD
SAT 30 June 18:45 CINEWORLD
An intimate documentary portrait of an exceptional couple who live in a suburb of Montevideo: Julia, a 65-year-old transsexual whose new gender identity has finally been recognised (after twelve years) by the Uruguayan state, and Ignacio, her lover, a former construction worker with a troubled past. Inseparable for 20 years, the couple are now preparing for marriage. Aldo Garay’s camera follows Julia and Ignacio’s joys and worries, patiently revealing the sources of the strength of their relationship.
Fengming: A Chinese Memoir
SAT 23 June 13:45 FILMHOUSE 2
An elderly woman walks along a snowy street to her apartment. She makes herself comfortable in her armchair and speaks to the camera. Her name is He Fengming. As night slowly falls, she tells her life story, which spans the history of the Cultural Revolution. Once idealistic young journalists, Fengming and her husband were denounced as counterrevolutionaries, separated, and thrust into labour camps. A moving testament to human endurance, an extraordinary piece of oral history and a landmark in recent documentary cinema. Filmmaker in attendance.
First Position
TUE 26 June 19:00 CINEWORLD
SAT 30 June 15:10 CINEWORLD
Every year 5000 dancers aged 9-19 compete in the Youth America Grand Prix, an international ballet competition, in the hope of winning scholarships and contracts with dance companies. We follow six inspiring young people as they strive to make their dreams of becoming professional dancers come true. The screening on 30 June will be followed by a Q&A on dance as a career, with Kerry Livingstone, Head of the Associates Programme at Scottish Ballet and Lecturer in Modern Ballet at the Royal Conservatoire.
Forever Loved
TUE 26 June 17:50 FILMHOUSE 3
There are an estimated six million documented and one million undocumented migrant Philippine workers scattered throughout 200 countries all over the world. Every day, some 4,000 more join their ranks. Weaving recollections and letters from various migrant workers around the story of a Philippine man searching for his missing wife in a Middle Eastern city, Christopher Gozum creates an intimate, evocative and hypnotic mixture of documentary, poetry and fiction.
Fukushima: Memories of the Lost Landscape
THU 21 June 20:05 FILMHOUSE 2
SAT 23 June 18:50 CINEWORLD
Tokyo-based documentary filmmaker Yojyu Matsubayashi, anxious to document the tragedy of the tsunami in northeast Japan and the nuclear disaster at Fukushima, won the trust of the Tanakas, a middle-aged couple working to help people forced to evacuate their homes in the town of Minami-soma. Matsubayashi’s portrait of the Tanakas’ dedication and of the varying experiences and emotions of the evacuees creates a compelling image of loss and resilience.
Future My Love
THU 21 June 18:05 CINEWORLD
FRI 29 June 20:30 CINEWORLD
“We have the resources to feed everyone; the technology to create clean energy; and the ability to supply everyone with creative, free and comfortable lives: yet we choose not to.” Maja Borg’s poetic ‘experimental documentary’ expands on the themes of her 2007 short film, Ottica Zero, and explores, in the light of global economic collapse, alternatives to monetary capitalism and, in particular, the work of sprightly 93-year-old futurist and social engineer, Jacque Fresco.
Gate #5
SAT 23 June 16:15 CINEWORLD
FRI 29 June 18:00 CINEWORLD
Simon El Habre’s follow up to 2008’s One Man Village is a thoughtful study of day labourers, one of them his own father, in the once bustling port of Beirut. Through their tales of former glory as truck drivers in some of the most hostile roads in war-torn Lebanon, and their eloquent descriptions of the port at its economic height, El Habre presents a bigger picture: of Lebanon itself and how the country has changed from the 1960s to the present day.
Imposter, The
FRI 22 June 21:10 CAMEO 1
SAT 30 June 20:45 CAMEO 1
Nicholas Barclay was 13 years old when he disappeared from his San Antonio home in 1994. Three years later he was found in southern Spain and returned to his overjoyed parents. Yet how could they not notice their son’s change of hair and eye colour, or the fact he now spoke with a pronounced French accent? Truth is definitely stranger than fiction in this highly original and compelling documentary about con-artist Frédéric Bourdin and the Texan family who inexplicably welcomed him into their home.
It’s the Earth Not the Moon
THU 21 June 20:10 CINEWORLD
FRI 29 June 20:10 CINEWORLD
Filmmaker Gonçalo Tocha documents life on the island of Corvo, the smallest of the Azores, with a population of only 440. Gaining the trust of the people of Corvo, Tocha persuades them to unfold for his camera the hidden traditions and histories of the island. “A beautiful meditation on community, isolation and time’s passing” (Jay Weissberg, Variety).
Leave It on the Track
SUN 24 June 20:45 CINEWORLD
SAT 30 June 17:30 CINEWORLD
Roller derby is the fastest growing (and, arguably, most entertaining) women’s sport in the world. In Houston, Texas, it’s the end of season championship bout and the undefeated Cherry Bombs are taking on the Hellcats. Meet the brilliantly named players (Curly Suicide, Miss Amerikill, Rocky Casbah…), get a lesson in the rules (despite appearances, there ARE rules), and witness the thrills and (eye-wateringly painful) spills of derby at its best.
Life and Times of Paul the Psychic Octopus, The
FRI 22 June 20:45 FILMHOUSE 1
SAT 23 June 15:05 CINEWORLD
From the director who brought The People Versus George Lucas to EIFF 2010, this is the official, exclusive story of the world’s best loved, and unlikeliest, football pundit, Paul the Psychic Octopus. A cephalopod with a rare gift for predicting the outcome of important football matches, his 100% success rate at the 2010 World Cup captured the imagination of millions. Hilarious, moving and deeply compelling, Paul’s story is the epitome of celebrity culture at its most bizarre.
Lifeguard, The
SUN 24 June 19:00 CAMEO 1
MON 25 June 18:00 CINEWORLD
Mauricio, a lifeguard on a Chilean beach, considers himself to be a model of efficiency and professionalism. His colleagues, however, think otherwise, and speculate on why he never goes into the water. Maite Alberdi’s visually gorgeous feature documentary debut has the intensity of a short story; beginning as a quirky character study of lifeguards and beachgoers, it becomes something altogether darker and more shocking when events take a dramatic turn.
No Man’s Zone
SAT 23 June 14:15 CINEWORLD
WED 27 June 17:45 FILMHOUSE 3
Filmmaker Toshi Fujiwara journeys into the 20-kilometer zone around the afflicted Fukushima nuclear power station. Speaking with residents who are preparing to comply with the government’s order to evacuate the zone, Fujiwara elicits testimony of dedication to the past and uncertainty about the future. No Man’s Zone is at once a documentary record of a time of crisis and a reflection on the meanings of home and homelessness, on Japanese culture and on strength in adversity.
Nuclear Nation
FRI 22 June 18:00 CINEWORLD
THU 28 June 20:15 CINEWORLD
After the 11 March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster, residents of Futaba, a town in Fukushima Prefecture, are relocated to an abandoned high school in a suburb of Tokyo, 150 miles south. With a clear and compassionate eye, filmmaker Atsushi Funahashi follows the displaced people as they struggle to adapt to their new environment. Among the vivid personalities who emerge are the town mayor, a Moses without a Promised Land; and a farmer who would rather defy the government than abandon his cows to certain starvation.
One Mile Away
SUN 24 June 21:30 FILMHOUSE 1
TUE 26 June 20:00 CINEWORLD
A compelling tale of courage and determination with a smooth hip-hop soundtrack. Dylan and Shabba, members of rival Birmingham gangs, attempt to broker a peace agreement after being introduced by filmmaker Penny Woolcock, who had directed Dylan in the drama 1 Day (also screening). After the screening on 24 June, there will be a Q&A with Penny Woolcock, producer James Purnell and the young men in the documentary, followed by a special live performance at the Traverse Theatre, with Zimbo, YT, JB and surprise guests.
Papirosen
SUN 24 June 21:00 CAMEO 1
TUE 26 June 18:00 CINEWORLD
Young filmmaker Gastón Solnicki spent more than a decade recording the lives of various members of his Argentine Jewish family on video. The result is an engrossing and dramatic documentary that gathers together the vivid personalities and the sometimes painful memories of four generations of Solnickis. Accustomed to the presence of Gastón’s camera, his relatives speak and behave with engaging and occasionally startling candour, revealing the disagreements that divide them and hinting at the weight of the past.
Riding Zorro
WED 27 June 19:55 FILMHOUSE 3
THU 28 June 21:45 FILMHOUSE 3
This documentary recounts the life of ‘El Zorro’, a legendary untamable horse of the pampas. The filmmaker uses testimonies from those who tried to ride the horse and those who witnessed the attempts, together with archival footage in various formats. Through the creative treatment of these materials, the filmmaker generates both a strong narrative momentum and a deep empathy with the proud horse.
Search for Emak Bakia, The
WED 27 June 20:45 FILMHOUSE 1
FRI 29 June 18:20 CINEWORLD
In 1926, Man Ray filmed a cinepoem in the southeast of France, and called it Emak Bakia, which is a Basque expression meaning ‘Leave me alone’. Filmmaker Oskar Alegria embarks upon an exploration of the film and its title – was it named after a house? Or an inscription on a gravestone? The discoveries and detours along the way make for a charming, fanciful road movie about chance, serendipity and the journey being more important than the destination.
Siblings – For Better or Worse
SAT 23 June 16:00 CINEWORLD
SUN 24 June 13:10 CINEWORLD
A delightful series of four short documentaries about the relationships between sibling children. Focussing on children from the ages of 8 to 12, these films portray the inner lives of close family relationships. A very special look into the joys, difficulties, and fears of children who try to form their own identities while growing up as others’ siblings.
Sodankylä Forever: The Century of Cinema
SAT 23 June 21:00 FILMHOUSE 3
SUN 1 July 13:00 FILMHOUSE 3
The Midnight Sun Film Festival in Sodankylä, Finland, is a mecca for film lovers, famous for festival director Peter von Bagh’s in-depth and free-flowing interviews with visiting master directors. From the hundreds of hours of video recordings, von Bagh has made four feature-length documentaries that add up to a passionate and personal history of cinema. The first part, The Century of Cinema, focusses on World War II in relation to filmmaking. Screening with A Day at Karl Marx’s Grave (Peter von Bagh/Finland/1983/16 min). See www.filmhousecinema.com for details.
Tahrir: Liberation Square
FRI 22 June 18:10 CINEWORLD
SUN 24 June 13:00 CINEWORLD
An exhilarating, immersive, impressionistic account of the revolution that lead to the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in February last year. Director Stefano Savona’s camera weaves through crowds chanting slogans, captures the horror when it is realised that live ammunition is being used on protestors, eavesdrops on heated discussions about what kind of government should replace Mubarak, and, finally, witnesses the joy of victory. Visually beautiful, hypnotically intense, this is superb on-the-ground documentary filmmaking.
Tondo, Beloved: To What Are the Poor Born?
SUN 24 June 20:50 FILMHOUSE 2
Documentarist Jewel Maranan turns her camera on one of the oldest and most densely populated districts of Manila. “The beauty of it is that it does not try to impress. On the contrary, the aesthetic force of Tondo, Beloved is effortlessly persuasive. Maranan is able to express the collapse of what separates life from fiction, both of them sharing parallel realities, the emotions of the characters carrying the narrative and not the other way around” (Khavn de la Cruz, filmmaker).
¡Vivan las Antipodas!
MON 25 June 20:00 CINEWORLD
TUE 26 June 21:00 CINEWORLD
Antipodes are places diametrically opposite one another on the earth’s surface, though cases where both are on land are fairly rare, given that so much of the planet is under water. Award-winning Russian director Victor Kossakovsky’s playful, evocative and stunningly cinematic film contemplates life in four antipodal pairs – Russia and Chile, China and Argentina, Botswana and Hawaii, and Spain and New Zealand – and changes the way we see our world.
What Is This Film Called Love?
TUE 26 June 18:00 FILMHOUSE 1
SAT 30 June 19:45 CINEWORLD
Together with Sergei Eisenstein, his imaginary companion on a walking tour of Mexico City, Mark Cousins contemplates historical change, shot composition, and his own identity. After the mammoth effort of The Story of Film: An Odyssey, Cousins felt the need to make a very different kind of film. “It’s an ad lib. It was made on three days off, as a response to the six years of making The Story of Film, for fun, to do something emotional and a bit sad. Its main subject is walking and being alone!” (Mark Cousins)
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