Nicole Santé

In 2024 (2023) painter Stefan Hayn takes us on a journey inside his head. Through his paintings and through his cell phone recordings/musings he shows us how he sees the world. The film is a study in patience and attention, and even though Hayn's own comments or reflections are rare, it also offers a genuine sense of intimacy.

A delightful feel-good movie about a circus family, filmed over the course of a year, as seen through the eyes of 11-year-old Santino, a boy who is yet to discover his special talent. Throughout, Circusboy manages to strike a delicate balance between reality and enchantment, and just like the circus itself it is an immersive and fun experience that makes you feel like you are part of a beautiful, different reality.

Why would anyone return to the place that totally rejected them? In his beautiful and multi-faceted documentary, Lebanese director Raed El Rafei does precisely that, and on his nostalgic journey home makes the audience fall in love with the city that doesn’t want to love him back. And with the people in it…including the filmmaker himself.

Afghan women are suffering terribly under the rule of the Taliban. But, as is clear in Zainab Entezar’s exhilarating documentary, a small group is fighting back - despite harsh repercussions. The film, shot by some of these brave women, takes you right into the heart of resistance. One can only hope this remarkable, heartfelt cry for freedom will get the attention it deserves.

A love letter to The Pyrenees, The Shepherd and the Bear sometimes looks and feels like a fairy-tale as it highlights quite beautifully the ongoing battle between environmentalists and traditionalists - or between humans and nature. The film is extraordinary watchable, because of its remarkable characters, its suspense and its dazzling cinematography.

In Afghan Najiba Noori’s captivating and disconcerting portrait of her defiant mother, the director creates a precious and unique document that also chronicles a terrible moment in history (the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal) as seen from the perspective of those who are usually overlooked. It also shows the importance of education and of raising compassionate and supportive men.

Even at the age of nine, Iranian Melina has already learned to deal with disillusionment and broken promises - she sees her mother much less than is promised; her father uses Melina's passport, which is in his possession, to exercise power. With great patience, respect and attentiveness, the filmmaker has made a very personal and relatable story of a universal phenomenon: the child who, between two bickering parents, has to fend for themselves.

The incredible story of Lhakpa Sherpa, screening on Netflix from July 31, will undoubtedly attract the attention of Hollywood, but any future filmmakers will have their work cut out as this documentary paints an almost perfect literal and metaphorical picture of an epic journey to the top of the world. If this film doesn't uplift, move and empower you, I'm afraid nothing will.

Incest remains very much a taboo subject - this much can be deduced from the impressive documentary Such a Resounding Silence, in which victims are given the chance to talk about the abuse they suffered. The film is empowering in conveying the incredible resilience and mental strength of the protagonists, and also enables co-director Emmanuelle Béart - herself a victim of childhood incest who at one point wants to quit the project - to keep going.

It may not be a hugely original premise - to invite (very) old people to talk about their lives and former partners - but Echo of Life is nevertheless a wondrous experience that touches your soul. It is a poetic reflection on life and love which indicates that, by the end, we remember what really matters, and shows how important (shared) memories are in a person's life.