Interviews

In Mila Turajlić’s new project, the firebrand Elaine Mokhtefi, now in her mid-90s, revisits her days of radical activism within the Third World. “Elaine has now become an interpreter of the past for many young activists,” said Turajlić. “As she is confronted with their questions about the way things fall apart, we see an interrogation between generations in the search to understand what's left of the ideals of revolution, militancy and solidarity.”

Swedish-based Palestinian filmmaker Wafa Jamil spoke to Business Doc Europe after her emotional pitch for The Other Gaza, in which she articulates her cherished dream - to show her 8-year-old daughter the other Gaza, the fairyland that she left almost 30 years ago. “For me home is the essence of orange blossom and the taste of summer water melon, which became the symbol of Palestine,” she recalls.

“Jodari Meno presents a compelling investment opportunity by combining a universally relatable narrative of perseverance and self-discovery with visually stunning and emotionally resonant storytelling,” producer Cindy le Templier told BDE ahead of her September 15 presentation of debutant Jamal Al Khanji’s story of a passionate spearfisher and his relentless quest to capture the biggest ever dogtooth tuna.

In 2012, Georgia’s ruling ENM party ran a toothless election campaign – quite literally. In parts of the country voters were enticed into having all their rotten teeth removed, to be replaced with shiny new dentures after the election. The problem was that the ENM party lost, and the incoming Georgian Dream party saw no need to fulfil the promise. Director Luka Beradze chews over questions on his film, as posed by BDE.

Pauline Blanchet discusses her new doc project, which pitches September 14 at AJB DOC, about a 14-year old female wrestler defying traditional gender norms and ethnic barriers in her isolated Albanian-Muslim community. “Audiences worldwide will connect with Sadije’s struggle to forge her own path in a world that has already defined her role. Her story speaks to anyone who has faced pressure to conform to societal norms, especially during teenagehood,” Blanchet tells Business Doc Europe.

Belgian producer Frederik Nicolai discusses his new project, which pitches September 14 at AJB DOC, that focuses on Baron Arthur, the leader of a once wealthy and powerful Romani community at the border between Moldova and Ukraine, who faces a dilemma as his community seems to fall apart. “The emancipatory struggle raging in the Roma community today is a story that is universally relevant,” Nikolai tells BDE. “It can inspire women from other communities worldwide to dare to pursue their own dreams and ambitions, and fuel vigilance in more progressive societies.”

Georgia, November 2003. For three days the family of President Eduard Shevardnadze finds itself at the epicentre of the country’s pivotal Rose Revolution. Producer Sergey Yahontov outlines to Business Doc Europe why professionals and audiences alike should invest in the feature doc, directed by Shevardnadze’s grand-daughter Sophie. “This film is a deep emotional personal experience for our director. It’s a story of the 23-year-old Sophie documenting her beloved relatives in a critical situation,” says Yahontov ahead of his September 15 presentation.

Inside Gaza tells the highly pertinent and powerful story of “a war most international media have been banned from covering,” as told through the experiences of Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporters trapped in Gaza. “Our film brings the unique perspective of what happened in Gaza, seen through the eyes of professional witnesses working for an independent international news agency, dedicated to fact-based journalism,” producer Yann Ollivier tells Business Doc Europe.

Irish filmmaker Sinéad O’Shea talks to Business Doc Europe about the late Edna O’Brien, the subject of her new documentary world-premiering September 8 in Toronto. “She's in her mid-eighties and she's just so screamingly funny, but also draws you into all these psychodramas that are going on and really confides in you,” O’Shea explains of the first time she met O’Brien. “I just thought she was extraordinary and I never got over it.”

When journalist Lina Vdovîi, estranged from her violent father, agrees to help him expose the injustices perpetrated by previous employer, the process reopens the wounds of their past relationship. Nevertheless the experience also proves to be cathartic. Making the film convinced her that “running away” from him wasn’t “healing the wounds from your past.” She was, instead, giving herself a chance to make peace with him. “I can’t change him or my past but I can create a new model of family for ourselves and our little daughter,” Vdovîi reflects alongside partner Radu Ciorniciuc.