First films of HUMAN 2020 – Syria, Chinese puppet theatre and antibiotic resistance

We proudly present the first six documentary films of HUMAN international documentary film festival 2020!

In these last weeks before Christmas, we have several difficult choices to make in the HUMAN festival. What color should the festival’s tote bags be? How should we make sure to include enough feel-good movies in a program focusing on human rights violations? How can we make sure that everyone knows that it is possible to give a festival pass to someone you love as a christmas present? And how on earth are we going to be able to include all the amazing documentaries we’ve seen in recent months?

Because now that we have been lucky enough to experience a wealth of good, new documentaries at festivals elsewhere in the world, we would very much like to ensure that you also get the opportunity to see these films during HUMAN idff 2020!

Thanks to filmmakers from Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, China, and elsewhere in the world, their tireless and fearless efforts to tell us new stories and give us new perspectives, we can compose a program so diverse that it should accommodate something for everyone. Whether it is organic farming, the struggle for land rights in the face of the greed of big corporations, how to survive in a besieged city in Syria, Philippine President Duterte’s mass murder of drug addicts, or riveting Chinese puppet theater, we promise to take all the issues seriously by giving you the very best cinema experience.

There is much to look forward to, and here we present six of the films you will be able to watch, in combination with conversations and debates, during next year’s festival.

Wishing you all an peaceful Christmas,

Silje Poulsen Viki

Head of programming

Ticket sales begin in January, but until December 25th you can buy festival passes at a discounted price.

Resistance Fighters

Germany / 2019 / 98 min / English, German
Dir: Michael Wech
Prod: BROADVIEW Pictures

Will antibiotic resistance be our apocalypse?

In 2015, the nightmare became a reality: The first bacteria resistant to all known antibiotics was discovered. This science thriller presents the shocking story of ignorance and greed that has brought us to the very edge, and it paints a dramatic picture of our near future: By 2050 we will no longer have antibiotics that work. We are losing the race, and this documentary puts us face-to-face with the researchers, diplomats and doctors who are the frontlines of the battle against this scenario. New antibiotics must be developed, and the excessive use, especially for animals, must end. But are the billion-dollar industries and politicians willing to do what is neccessary to avoid yet another disaster created by humans?

Máxima

Peru, USA / 2019 / 88 min / Spanish, English
Dir: Claudia Sparrow
Prod: Claudia Sparrow, Ryan Schwarz / Trustfall Films

A cinematically grandiose drama about one Peruvian woman’s fight against big business.

Máxima Acuña has become a worldwide symbol of the tireless battle against large multinational corporations for the rights to her own land. This riveting documentary follows her staunch attempts to defend her rights facing the world’s largest gold mining company, which through an alliance with the police is pushing to expropriate her farm through violence and sabotage. Máxima refuses to budge through trial after trial, in spite both her and her lawyer receiving death threats, and that the whole system seemingly is rigged against her.

For Sama

UK / 2019 / 95 min / Arabic, English
Dir: Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
Prod: Waad al-Kateab

How do you justify giving birth to a child in a war zone?

The most gripping film of the year is the Syrian journalist Waad’s harrowing story of her life in Aleppo, told to her daughter. Through Waad’s lens we get an extremely close and personal look at the fate of Syria, from Waad’s participation in the infancy of the optimistic student demonstrations, all the way to the horrific warfare of the Syrian regime and siege of Aleppo. At the same time, this is the story of life in spite of the war – Waad gets married, becomes pregnant and gives birth, while the world around her is literally collapsing. She and her husband run the very last hospital in Aleppo, and they refuse to leave all they have been fighting for. But what about their daughter? For Sama has won numerous awards globally, and this testimony is just as painfull as it is beautiful.

Our Time Machine

China, USA / 2019 / 81 min / Mandarin, English
Dir: Yang Sun, S. Leo Chiang
Prod: S. Leo Chiang / Walking Iris Media, Betsy Tsai

Beautiful and heartwarming story of a Chinese puppeteer and his aging father.

This documentary gem is about a son’s attempt to connect with his father, who is disappearing into dementia. At the same time it provides an enchanting glimpse into a China which is also disappering, and is a declaration of love for the traditional Chinese art forms. In the ancient streets of Shanghai, Maleonn runs a renowned puppet theater, and has a lifelong dream of cooperating with his father, a famous former director of the Shanghai Opera. However, time is running out, and Maleonn pushes ahead with an ambitious theater project he hopes will work as a time machine for his father, and rekindle his memories one last time.

On the President’s Orders

Germany / 2019 / 98 min / English, German
Dir: Michael Wech
Prod: BROADVIEW Pictures

Will antibiotic resistance be our apocalypse?

Advocate

Canada, Israel, Switzerland / 2019 / 108 min / Hebrew, Arabic, English
Dir: Rachel Leah Jones, Philippe Bellaïche
Prod: Home Made Docs

A thrilling court drama on the controversial Israeli advocate Lea Tsemel.

The unapologetic 74-year-old has spent her whole life defending Palestinians charged with serious violent crimes, and argues that most of these acts of violence are acts of resistance against the Israeli apartheid regime. The documentary follows a 13-year-old Palestinian boy risking life imprisonment for stabbing Israelis on the streets of Tel Aviv, and a Palestinian young woman charged with an attempted suicide bombing. Tsemel’s attempts to humanise her clients provokes strong reactions, and it is few and far between the victories in a legal system rigged to gross inequality between Israeli and Palestine accused. The documentary exposes how the political development in Israel has led to an increasingly autocratic society.