A portrait of reflections from Standing Rock Reservation and the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016. Possibly the biggest gathering of Native Americans is joined by environmentalists and social activists try to stop the construction of the oil-pipeline through indigenous territory and raise awareness of the impacts on nature. Director Sky Hopinka combines his own footage from the camp with interviews. Cleo Keahna recounts his experiences entering, being at, and leaving the camp and the difficulties and the reluctance in looking back with a clear and critical eye.… >>>
Investor-State Dispute Settlement is the mechanism allowing foreign companies to sue States if a public decision harms their profit. Democratic decisions are therefore second-guessed by private tribunals. A group of lawyers shares their faith or doubts about the system and reflect on the meaning of their work. Three case studies, involving Peru, El Salvador and Egypt exemplify sense and nonsense of these abstract proceedings and show the power structures that rule the world almost unnoticed.… >>>
- Director: Romain Champalaune
"Muthi" is the term for traditional medicine in Southern Africa. After the European colonization Muthi and African healers were perceived as unscientific and ineffective. But urbanization and the rise of consumer culture radically changed traditional practices and created a growing market for traditional herbal medicine which threatens sustainability and biodiversity. The pharmaceutical industry has also joined in the trend, ignoring the cultural and spiritual contexts of the plants. The film follows the chains of value which include plant collectors, petty traders and traditional healers and touches on issues around tradition and modernity, indigenous knowledge and alternative medicine in post-colonial contexts.… >>>
Voicemails left by an anonymous caller from the future guide us to the remote islands of Tuvalu, a place the international media has described as “the first country to disappear due to rising sea levels”. Surrounded by thousands of miles of open water, much of Tuvalu’s revenue comes from its country-code web extension .TV, a popular domain choice among global video-streaming and television industries. A found footage essay-film reflecting on the notion of home and an escape into cyberspace where rising waters will never reach it.… >>>
- Director: G. Anthony Svatek
