Cyprus is also represented in international lineup

In just a few weeks, Cyprus’ longstanding festival dedicated to documentary cinema returns and its programme has been unveiled. A curated selection of films will be screened at Ceronia Hall – Lanitis Carob Mill from August 1 to 8, touching on diverse social topics and themes.

Documentaries that reveal both the dramatic and the humorous facets of contemporary life, that explore pressing issues shaping the world, that approach diversity with empathy and sensitivity and offer cinematic narratives that engage and inspire audiences are coming up.

Award-winning documentaries, acclaimed directors and emerging voices from around the world, including Cyprus, come together in this edition.

The Refugee Experience and War

The festival opens with One in a Million (Itab Azzam & Jack MacInnes), a deeply moving portrait of a young Syrian woman and a chronicle of her journey from the streets of Izmir to Germany, her final destination. Cultural barriers, the challenges of displacement, inner conflict and differing perspectives within the same family lie at the heart of this documentary.

In A Fox Under a Pink Moon (Mehrdad Oskouei), the protagonist is a 16-year-old Afghan refugee in search of a better life. Fear, uncertainty and the violence she endures cast a long shadow over her life. Art, painting and sculpture become her refuge, as well as her path to freedom.

A moving love story set against the backdrop of the turbulent Middle East lies at the heart of Birds of War (Janay Boulos & Abd Alkader Habak). Janay Boulos is a London-based journalist of Lebanese descent who covers the Syrian civil war, while Abd Alkader Habak is a Syrian activist and cinematographer. What begins as a long-distance professional relationship gradually evolves into a profound emotional bond.

Experiences of Otherness

The Georgian documentary A Song Without Home (Rati Tsiteladze) is the portrait of a young trans woman in search of her identity and a new sense of balance far from her homeland. After eleven years of confinement in conservative Georgia, Adelina sets out to build a new life in Vienna. There, she finds work, discovers dance, and gradually attains a newfound sense of balance.

The legendary thriller Cruising, directed by William Friedkin and shot in the ‘80s, is the subject of Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders (Jeffrey Schwarz). Starring Al Pacino, the film follows the investigation into a series of murders targeting gay men. Upon its release, it sparked a storm of controversy, especially for its portrayal of New York’s gay scene.

In In Hell With Ivo (Kristina Nikolova), Ivo Dimchev leaves conservative Bulgaria for New York in search of a place where he can breathe more freely. A musician, dancer, activist, and performance artist, he is provocative, restless, and fiercely unconventional, pursuing his creative vision through every artistic medium. A vibrant portrait of a truly multidimensional artist.

Arts and Artists

Bull’s Heart (Eva Stefani) is a compelling record of the artistic process in the making, as well as a study of Dimitris Papaioannou’s choreographic practice. Filmed over two years across different stages in Paris, London, Vilnius and San Francisco, the documentary follows the development of Transverse Orientation, capturing both the creative process and the performance itself.

A landmark gathering of some of the most influential figures in America’s countercultural and artistic avant-garde lies at the heart of Nova ’78 (Aaron Brookner, Rodrigo Areias). In 1978, New York’s East Village hosted the Nova Convention, an inspiring event dedicated to writer and ‘counterculture icon’ William S. Burroughs. Among those taking part were Frank Zappa, Allen Ginsberg, John Cage, Patti Smith, Philip Glass and Laurie Anderson. An ode to creative freedom, the documentary revisits this electrifying meeting of the American avant-garde.

Barbara Forever (Brydie O’Connor) pays tribute to the legendary figure of experimental and queer cinema, Barbara Hammer (1939–2019). The portrait captured by the director is composed entirely of Hammer’s own voice and images: excerpts from her films alongside previously unreleased material from her personal archive.

Today’s World: Contradictions and Complexities

Presented in collaboration with The Island Club and curated by Androula Kafa, The Urban Condition: An Expanded Screening brings together a wide range of works -from archival footage and artists’ films to music videos- interwoven with live musical interventions. The programme unfolds from the rapid transformation and gentrification of Cyprus’s urban landscape.

Set in the world of high-end art dealing, The Oligarch and the Art Dealer (Andreas Dalsgaard) unfolds as a gripping thriller. At its centre is the bitter clash between Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier and Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, the billionaire owner of the Greek island of Skorpios. Money, power, deception, ambition and manipulation lie at the heart of the scandal that shook the art world.

A City in the Forest (Lev Omelchenko & Nolan Huber) tells the story of a forest threatened with destruction and the struggle to save it. As the local community mounts a determined resistance against the forces of institutional power, protests and demonstrations are met with violent repression.

An unlikely and seemingly uncinematic subject lies at the heart of The History of Concrete (John Wilson). The construction material that dominates the urban landscape becomes the starting point for a witty, smart and inquisitive documentary infused with understated humour. Using a lightweight digital camera alongside his mobile phone, Wilson adopts an almost naïve visual style to reflect on modern life.

TikTok Never Dies (Hao Wu) follows the legal battle over the proposed US ban of TikTok, the addictive Chinese social media platform. At its centre are three influencers who decide to challenge the government’s attempt to ban the app in the US. Fast-paced, witty and visually inventive, the documentary explores both TikTok’s meteoric rise and its profound impact on contemporary culture.

Human Tragedy

A traumatic event and its aftermath have left an indelible mark on the protagonist of Filthy / Sucia (Bàrbara Mestanza & Marc Pujolar). Bàrbara Mestanza is an actress. The rape she endured years ago was a deeply traumatic experience she has been unable to come to terms with. Now, she seeks justice and a new sense of balance.

The anguish of a father searching for his missing son lies at the heart of Closure (Michał Marczak) from Poland. When his son vanishes without a trace, he refuses to accept the loss without a fight. The camera remains closely focused on his face, his grief and obsession, and his inner conflict as he is torn between the fear that his son is gone forever and the hope that he may still be alive.

The Flycatcher

Humour and Music

With warmth and gentle humour, The Golden Spurtle (Constantine Costi) follows the annual porridge-making championship held in a picturesque Scottish village. The film turns its gaze both to the village and its eccentric residents, and to the competition and its contestants, creating a series of portraits observed with warmth and affection.

Humorous in tone, Still Pushing Pineapples (Kim Hopkins) centres on an ageing pop star and his attempts to reclaim the spotlight. Dene Michael was once an ‘80s pop sensation, a member of Black Lace and the voice behind the hit Agadoo. Blending humour and emotion with a sense of nostalgia and an undercurrent of melancholy, the film ultimately emerges as a deeply moving portrait.

Places in Turmoil and Forgotten Images

Curated by Marina Christodoulidou and Eleni Tzialli, Translocal Solidarities opens with a presentation of Tokyo Reels by Subversive Films in the Festival’s project space. Focusing on the archive and documentary as sites of historiography, memory and solidarity, Tokyo Reels foregrounds anti-colonial struggles, transnational networks of solidarity, and cinema as a form of political practice. The programme is presented in collaboration with the Limassol Municipal Arts Centre – Apothikes Papadaki.

Do You Love Me (Lana Daher) is a chaotic, deeply personal and utterly captivating documentary portrait of a city: Beirut. Once known as the Paris of the Middle East, the city has a rich and eventful past as well as a compelling present. Scenes from fiction films and documentaries, photographs, TV reports, home movies and images spanning decades, from the 1960s to the present day, through periods of peace and civil conflict, come together to shape the film’s distinctive cinematic portrait.

Cypriot Presence

In 2023, Stephanos Stephanides returned to the Kali Temple in Blairmont, West Bank Berbice, Guyana, where he filmed Hail Mother Kali in 1988. The result of this return is Remembering Mariamman, a journey centred on the goddess Mariamman across Guyana, India, Cyprus and the United States. Mariamman is the Hindu goddess of rain, health and fertility. A poetic meditation on healing and the divine, the film explores migration, displacement, labour, ritual and transoceanic memory.

A forgotten chapter of Cyprus’ colonial past lies at the heart of The Flycatcher (Khalil Betz-Heinemann & Johan Duchateau). Cyprus was the first country in the world to eradicate malaria. Through archival photographs, oral testimonies and personal recollections, the documentary recounts the campaign to eliminate the disease. At its centre is Mehmet Aziz, the public health inspector who led the eradication effort.

21st Lemesos International Documentary Festival

One week of film screenings, documentaries, Cyprus premiers, discussions and parties. August 1-8. Ceronia Hall, Lanitis Carob Mill, Limassol. www.filmfestival.com.cy