Reviews

An up-close examination of the final days of an elderly woman in a Chinese hospital, The Ark is never an easy watch but ultimately a very involving and necessary one.

Zuhur’s Daughters is a compassionate and non-judgmental film that chronicles four deeply complex and life-changing years in the lives of siblings Lohan and Samar, two young transgender women who fled Syria with their family of fourteen and are now embarking on a very different – and much freer – life in Germany.

Director Großpietsch’s striking film may well be presented without words but nevertheless speaks volumes about the times we live in.

A warm-hearted and at times gently insightful delve into the life of Czech sex-worker Anny.

A deeply moving, compassionate and ultimately heart-warming doc which may be modest and straightforward in tone and structure, but will strike a deep chord with audiences.

The need for speed is beautifully underlined in Belgian filmmaker Eva Küpper’s impressive film about motorcycles, men and battling against the odds.

Passion starts off with a warning about the real blood and violence you’re about to see. But it should also warn that your views are to be turned upside down as you watch this brave, lyrical and aesthetic journey into the worlds of BDSM and Christianity, connected through rituals, mysticism and judgment.

Sometimes documentaries are made as a means of catharsis, either for the filmmaker or the protagonists. Our Memory Belongs To Us is a healing process for both parties, as well as an important document about the start of the Syrian uprising in 2011.

Kluijfhout’s meditative film serves up both stunning visuals and gentle lyric in telling the story of six very different people all motivated by their affection for, and connection to, the oyster.

Weits’ detailed and absorbing film has all of the elements for debate, controversy and angst as she delves into the diaries of her long-revered great grandfather hailed as one of the heroic pioneers of Israel.