Nicole Santé

An immersive experience of life on the dark side of Kinshasa - where, after the recent floods, electricity is non-existent and daily life is challenging, yet sense of community and faith remain strong. Although the stories told in this powerful documentary are down-to-earth, filmmaker Nelson Makengo manages to elevate them to an almost ethereal experience through editing, gorgeous cinematography and an intuitive, haunting score.

Unapologetically therapeutic, this ethereal documentary retraces a hiking trip that a Taiwanese couple took into the Himalayan mountains, before they went missing. After the Snowmelt is a beautiful, poetic reflection on loss and death bringing solace not only to its maker but to anyone who is mourning the unexpected loss of a loved one.

In following Japanese Noriko Oi on her return to her home town of Nagasaki, Canadian filmmaker Laurence Lévesque provides a delicate and emotional document of a journey into both a personal history and a national trauma, shedding new light on both and underlining the importance of shared memory.

In trying to get to the roots of her childhood traumas, filmmaker Maka Gogaladze lays bare the soul of her Georgian nation. What at first appears to be an ego-documentary turns out to be a beautiful portrait of the Georgian mentality and its cultural richness.

In visually breathtaking fashion, and full of wonderfully human, slightly absurdist observations, As the Tide Comes In tells the story of the Danish Wadden Island of Mandø through the character of Gregers, its last farmer resident. At the same time, it is, inevitably, a story about climate change and humankind’s fight for - and against - nature.

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.

What if you meticulously recorded your entire life as a single, working mother on your smartphone? Award winning filmmaker Victoria Mapplebeck did just that and has created a compelling document of what it means to raise a son without a father. Motherboard is a film that navigates successfully the fine line between emotional exhibitionism and a fervent desire to debunk the myths of motherhood.

A fast paced, yet carefully crafted portrait of a young boy trying to maintain his dreams on the streets of poverty-stricken Budapest, and of an unlikely friendship between a filmmaker and his protagonist. The film is a wonderful document about growing up in poor conditions. It could have been sensationalist, moralistic and voyeuristic, but the space he gives his characters allows you to see them in all their complexity and humanity.

Described by director Virpi Sutaari as “a kind of morality play where love for forests turns into beautiful action,” it's hard to imagine a more exquisite, convincing or perfectly crafted warning about the world’s climate crisis than Once Upon A Time In A Forest, which world-premiered March 16 at CPH:DOX. It’s an activist doc, but it doesn't always feel like one, mesmerising, instead, viewers with the astonishing beauty of Finnish nature and the dedication of those who seek to protect it.

From the debris of the 2019 Iraqi protests, Maja Tschumi has created a beautiful, cinematic monument for its heroes. Immortals is an unusual portrait of a country, a generation and a revolution, featuring two special young protagonists from a modern society where young people now dare to dream, hope and fight. It is also a film that delivers profound emotional impact.