Short films: Block VI. Give Us Our Voice Back

Tunis, November 2019. A group of women is gathered at Saïda’s, the hairdresser, on the eve of the presidential election.

The salon is transformed into a town square, mirroring the internal turmoil of the country. In this female sanctuary, we get an intimate look at the country’s teenage democracy.

The look at the murder case of Gisberta Salce Jr, a transsexual, HIV-positive, homeless drug addict who was brutally tortured and raped for several days straight by a group of 14 teenagers in Porto, Portugal, in 2006.

Centered around topics like memory, social status, violence, discrimination and gender identity, “Your Name Is” explores the disturbing account of two of the convicted teenagers, now young men, and the memories of Gisberta’s transexual friends, confronting different perspectives and dimensions of the human condition.

The brutal military coup of February 1st of 2021 destroyed ten years of fragile democratic transition in Myanmar and led to the death and imprisonment of thousands. Anonymous writers in this film seek inspiration from San Zaw Htway’s all too brief life to come to terms with the cruelty of this military regime. For he overcame 13 years of prison with wisdom, resilience and grace.

Albinism, which is a genetic and hereditary abnormality, affects not only pigmentation, but also and above all the physical and moral conditions of people affected by it.

In some African communities, albinism continues to be extremely misinterpreted; a phenomenon based on false beliefs. These beliefs endanger the lives of people with albinism who are victims of discrimination, mutilation and ritual crimes.

“In Flow of Words” follows the narratives of three interpreters of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. They were born and raised there and survived the war in the 90’s.

Today they find themselves in the surreal position of having their own memories and emotions confronted with narratives from opposite sides of the conflict: those of the people accused of war crimes, and those of the victims with whom they can identify as countrymen. In the interpretation process, the interpreters have to be simultaneously present and absent: to be visibly neutral yet as invisible as possible, to get close to those involved yet keep their distance, to speak out yet stay silent. They have to deal with the contrast between their inner turmoil and what they are allowed to show on the outside. This film places their voices and experiences center stage.