Nicole Santé

How do you measure the impact of a horrific crime on a nation? And, more specifically, how does a crime involving children affect their peers? The End of Innocence is a haunting and gripping reconstruction of the extensively covered case of Marc Dutroux, who in the 1990s triggered a collective Belgian trauma, but who also united a divided nation.

More than anything Inner Lines, selected for International Competition, sends out a message of displacement and of disorientation - both geographically and mentally. It is an important and artful film, but dealing with the Yazidi genocide it is far from an easy watch.

As unlikely it sounds, Dogwatch is a delight to watch, an aesthetically pleasing and almost poetic observation of three men working as armed guards on ships traversing pirate-infested waters.

Chaylla is a powerful portrait of a woman fighting her addiction to an abusive relationship as well as a substantiated plea for a more empathic judicial system. A rewarding, inspiring and sometimes uncomfortable journey, and one totally worth taking.

A Taste of Whale is definitely not for the faint-hearted with copious amounts of bloodshed and much animal cruelty on display. At the same time it paints a very nuanced picture of what is perceived everywhere as a barbaric tradition: the Grind – the killing of the pilot whales by the Faroese people.

Daughters is both a heart-wrenching and cathartic documentary about three sisters who have lost their mother to suicide. Filming the girls over a long period of time, connecting the past to the present through memories, it shows the impact of grief on young children and the importance of love, connection and communication.

Modern day fairy tales don’t include princes and white horses anymore, unless as a prop perhaps in a carefully composed video. Who needs Prince Charming when you can be a successful influencer and live a life filled with online love? Girl Gang, selected for DOX:Award Competition, tells the captivating story of a girl’s dream come true, but whether it’s a happy ending is a matter of opinion.

If you can overcome the at-times unnecessarily dramatic voice-over, Moosa Lane is a beautiful documentary about bridging the gap between two cultures - the one the director was born into and the one she was formed out of.

Seeing a white man in South Sudan explaining to soldiers and their superiors how to fight a war in a ‘humane’ way screams of neo-colonialism. Which makes Rules of War, selected for F:act Award Competition, an uncomfortable yet fascinating and provoking watch, which leaves you with mixed emotions and a lot of questions.

Alain Gomis’ documentary on Thelonious Monk, which world-premiered in Berlinale Forum, is like a diamond in the rough, unpolished but of incredible valuable, showing the legendary jazz musician in his truest form. It depicts a man who doesn’t care about presence, fame and glory, interpretations of his music, or others' opinions. He just cares about music.