Films

For the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women:
63 Years On
by Dong-won Kim
South Korea 2008, 60 min., documentary film, digital, OV, English subtitles

„ Comfort women“ is the trivialized word for sex-slaves who, during World War II, were held in military brothels by the Japan military – the victims were in the hundreds of thousands, forcefully kidnapped in Korea, China and other occupied countries. The last of the victims – in their 80s and 90s – demand even to this day apology and compensation by the Japanese Government and State!

Afya Yangu. It’s my Right!
by Martina Backes and Lisa Ott
Germany/Kenya 2011, 68 min., documentary, digibeta, OV, German subtitles

A restrictive abortion policy is one of the reasons for the high maternal death rate in Kenya. Poverty, inequality, gender based violence, religious and traditional thinking contribute to this situation. Afya Yangu shows courageous men and women working toward the Millennium Development Goal of reproductive health and self-determination of women. Yet even in this work, there are conflicting ideas about „how“...
Director present.

Behind the Wheel of Life
by Sahar Salahshour
Iran/GB 2008, 26 min., documentary, Beta, OV, English subtitles

Nasrin is a taxi driver with abandon: the streets of Tehran are her home, she smokes, swears and insults other drivers. The single mother has an unusual life for a woman in Iran – exciting insight into the current situation of Iranian women.

Blood Calls You
by Linda Thorgren
Sweden/Finland/Norway 2010, 97 min., documentary, Beta, OV, English subtitles

On her travels to Cuba, the home country of her mother, Swedish filmmaker Linda Thorgren falls in love with Alexis. After she gets pregnant, they marry and move to Sweden. But soon their love story becomes a nightmare – her husband proves to be violent. Searching for reasons, Linda soon finds a pattern of abuse throughout four generations of her family – in Sweden as well as in Cuba.
Awarded Locarno Festival.

Doctora Mariana und die verlorene Welt der Mbyá Guarani
by Charlotte Eichhorn
Argentina 2011, 82 min., documentary, digital, OV, German Voice Over

Mariana, a Swiss-Argentinian doctor, has cared for the health of the native Mby’Guarani people in Argentina for 16 years. The foundation of their existence was the rainforest. But through deforestation and soya production they are losing their home, tradition and culture. A courageous woman struggling to prevent the extermination of a spiritually rich people used to living in full harmony with nature.
Director present.

du und ich
by Ruth Rieser
Austria 2011, 103 min., documentary, DCP, German Version

Hiltraud and Franz have been a couple for years now. There are many things which make them different – her disability, their age. But there are other things which they share: fun, romantic love and the dream of a house for the two of them, even when the pursuit of this dream puts their relationship to the test. Ruth Rieser's almost fairy tale premiere work about her own cousin provokes utmost respect!
Director present.

Frozen Angels
by Frauke Sandig and Eric Black
Germany/USA 2005, 93 min., documentary, 35 mm, OV,German subtitles

People as products: egg and semen donors, surrogate mothers, children made-to-order. California has one of the most biotechnology-friendly legislatures in the world. Mercilessly and unvarnished, the directors present an industry, which is developing rapidly and where life and death are close. It’s “Brave New World” come true... Which practices do we want to accept and in which way do we want to protect life?

Guerrilla Midwife
by Deja Bernhardt
USA 2008, 67 min., documentary, digital, OV, English subtitles

In 1995 midwife and philosopher Ibu Robin Lim founded a Clinic in Bali for pregnant women and children of the poorest social strata. She sees „gentle birth“ as key to supporting the bond between woman and child, contributing to the development of peaceful societies. For her engagement in disaster areas like Indonesia or Haiti she was awarded CNN Hero of the Year 2011.
Awarded in Mexico a.o.

Supporting spot before Guerilla Midwife
Cesaria Innecesaria
Puerto Rico 2012, 4 Min., digital, Original with German Subtitles
by Juan C. Dávila

A Hip Hop Video of the Campaign inne-CESARIA.org against the alarming rise of unnecessary Cesarean sections in Puerto Ricio and for a humanized birth, with the Puertorican singers Carlos Padilla Caraballo and Misael González, as well as the Chorus of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico.

Hearing Radmilla
by Angela Webb
USA 2010, 82 min., documentary, digital, OV, German subtitles

Radmilla Cody, half Navajo-Indian, half Afro-American, faces many prejudices, but receives recognition by being elected Miss Navajo and wining a Native American Music Award. The hard fall comes in 2003: because of her violent boyfriend she becomes involved in a drug crime and goes to prison. After a period of reflection, she apologizes to her people and begins a vehement campaign against domestic violence.

Herz des Himmels, Herz der Erde
by Frauke Sandig and Eric Black
Germany 2011, 98 min., documentary, 35mm, OV, German subtitles

2012: The end of the world? For the Mayan people it is a new start. Embedded in the Mayan myth of creation, the Popohl Vuh, but living the reality of destruction of the earth and discrimination as indigenous people, young chamans in Mexico and Guatemala are struggeling for a new world: Political grassroot resistance combined with spirituality. Especially the women among them are capable of this balancing act.

I Am a Woman Now
by Michiel van Erp
The Netherlands 2011, 86 min., documentary, DCP, OV, German subtitles

Five trans women, now in their seventies, offer a fresh perspective on trans identity and aging. Sharing parallel experiences with their surgeries, which were performed fifty years ago in Casablanca. The women reflect on their lives, exploring the challenges they have faced, the bitterness they had to live and the joy they continue to feel about the operation that helped them let the women within to surface.

Jalda und Anna – Erste Generation danach
by Katinka Zeuner and Benjamin Laser
Germany 2012, 72 min., documentary, digital, OV, English subtitles

Jalda and Anna are a Jewish couple, living in Berlin. For sure they are affected by their parents’ traumatic past – their mothers were survivors of Auschwitz. But both try to find a different way to cope with it: with creativity, satirical humour and music they take Judaism to German streets – and therefore reaching out closer to the people.
Director present.

Like a Pascha – Som en Pascha
by Svante Tidholm

Sweden/Germany 2010, 52 min., documentary, DigiBeta, OV, English subtitles

Sonia from Rumania works in Europe’s largest brothel, the “Pascha” in Cologne. There, 200 women serve about 800 men each day. Filmmaker Svante Tidholm filmed Sonia for three years from a rare close perspective. Most prostitutes in Germany do not work voluntarily. From Sweden, where it’s illegal to buy sex, not sell it, Tidholm asks blunt questions starting with: “Why do men visit brothels?”

Man for a Day
by Katharina Peters
Germany/UK/Finland 2012, 96 min., documentary, DCP, OV, German subtitles

„I want you to be more than a man“ – For 23 years Diane Torr has conducted her workshop „Man for a day“. Participants learn to assume male gestures, behaviour and clothing. With humour and easiness, the participants explore the social construction of gender and learn about the implications in everyday life. Torr does not want them to become men, but to understand the constructed dichotomy of woman-man.

Nessa
by Loghman Khaledi
Iran 2011-12, 52 min., documentary, Beta, OV, English subtitles

Nessa has financed her studies through jobs in film and TV und now wants to do this on a full-time basis. That is not an easy task in Kermanshaha, a Kurdish-Iranian provincial town. Her brother gives her a black eye to remind her of the family’s honour. Eventually, she gets a sizeable role in a film and rehearsals begin…

For the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women:
Saving Face
by Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
USA/Pakistan 2011, 40 min., documentary, DCP, OV, English subtitles

Zakia and Rukhsana are both victims of acid attacks by their families, as are hundreds of women every year in Pakistan. Thanks to reconstructive surgery by Dr. Jawad, they find new hope and strength. But their inner wounds can only be cured if the offenders are convicted in court and Pakistani society acknowledges the crimes. Two courageous victims decide to go public...
Oscar 2012.
Expert present

The Invisible War
by Kirby Dick
USA 2012, 93 min., documentary, digital, OV

It had been Helen’s dream since childhood to go into the U.S. Army. The dream turned into a nightmare: she was raped by one of her fellow soldiers and heavily traumatised. About half a million women in the Armed Forces have suffered sexual assault. They are more likely to be victimized by fellow soldiers than by the enemy. A chronicle of the women’s struggle for justice.
Audience Award at Sundance.

Vierzehn
by Cornelia Grünberg
Germany 2012, 95 min., documentary, 35mm, OV, English subtitles

Lisa, Steffi, Laura and Fabienne are pregnant at just fourteen years old. They themselves are still children, they experience their first love, one baby could be handicapped. All enormous challenges which they decide to meet: they will have their children... A multi-layered portrayal of the young mothers through the highs and lows before and after giving birth.
Director and protagonist present.

Von König Amanullah zu Facebook
by Elke Jonigkeit
Germany/Afghanistan 2011, 82 min., Beta, OV, German subtitles

King Amanullah, the Russians and now the Karzai regime? Conservative groups have overthrown modern regimes several times in Afghan history, and women’s freedom went down with them. Since 1985, Elke Jonigkeit has been filming and working with a group of women in Afghanistan. They describe a society with deeply anchored traditions that even Facebook cannot break. What will NATO retreat bring?
Director present.

Words of Witness
by Mai Iskander
USA/Egypt 2012, 70 min., documentary, digital, OV, English subtitles

The 22-year old journalist Heba Afify is a witness to the political events after the downfall of president Mubarak. Fearlessly she takes to the streets to talk to demonstrators and investigate the disappearance of people. To document the disputed struggle for democracy, she has to confront danger in the streets as well as the worries of her family. In Egypt she happens to be „only a girl“...

Zeit der Namenlosen
by Marion Leonie Pfeifer
Germany 2012, 90 min., documentary, digital, German Version

Svetlana is lured out of Russia to Germany by her boyfriend with the offer of a job as a housemaid. But there he sells her to pimps. Most of the prostitutes in Germany have lived through similiar scenarios, becoming victims of trafficking in women and forced prostitution. 95% of them do not work voluntarily as prostitutes. Laws do not seem to help the victims.
Director present.