A New Hope: The Young Indigenous Generation (The Territory)

Ryoh Heejung Tuesday, 6 December 2022.
What comes to mind when one hears the words 'indigenous people'? One may think of 'primitive' or 'innate,' which are the counterparts to 'urbanized' or 'technological.' However, surprisingly enough, one can see tech-savvy indigenous people in Alex Pritz's first feature documentary, The Territory (2022).

This little girl never gives me a moment’s peace – Ruth Beckermann 70

Simon Petri-Lukács Tuesday, 29 November 2022.
The films of Ruth Beckermann urge and document the repossession of one’s time and space, a political way of introspection, a resistance against oblivion, and they offer an insight into rites, customs and performances. Ruth Beckermann, one of the freest filmmakers of our era turned 70 on November 27, 2022.

The Good Life: a reality check on neocolonialism

María Paula Ángel Benavides Thursday, 11 August 2022.
In May 2014, Jairo Fuentes Epiayu found himself far from home, in Zug, Switzerland. As governor of New Tamaquito, an indigenous Colombian village forced to relocate due to harmful mining practices, he addressed a room of Glencore shareholders, telling them, with great seriousness, "you're exploiting the mines in my country to multiply your wealth". The Wayúu leader was referring to Cerrejón, a...

Ukrainian documentaries shown at Verzió

Thursday, 17 March 2022.
Since its beginnings, Verzió Film Festival has screened Ukrainian documentaries and welcomed Ukrainian filmmakers. The festival organizers maintain a close relationship with Ukrainian documentary filmmakers through our partner festival, DocuDays UA. Some of these films and filmmakers are presented in what follows.

Stylistic Choices and Metaphors. This Rain Will Never Stop // Verzió X ELTE

Hamza Ayub Thursday, 9 December 2021.
Alina Gorlova’s documentary This Rain Will Never Stop is a war documentary very different from the conventional documentaries on wars. It presents war in artistically, to rather show its impact on the people. yet we still are kept at a distance from the bombs and blood visually, which are usually a part of war documentaries. Alina Gorlova has incorporated different artistic choices to guide us...

Is change really coming to Zimbabwe? President // Verzió X ELTE

Yannick Lemke Thursday, 9 December 2021.
“This is not the end of the road, but this is the beginning. Change is coming, change is coming. Whether it is delayed is another thing. It cannot be denied.” Those are the final words of Nelson Chamisa – Zimbabwean opposition leader – in Camilla Nielsson’s documentary President. Chamisa said this in August 2018, after the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe dismissed his challenge of the electoral results...

On Documentary Modes: How President Helps Us Hold Space for Zimbabwean Stories. // Verzió X ELTE

Marissa Jensen Monday, 6 December 2021.
In 2017, a coup d’etát resulted in the removal of former president Robert Mugabe from the office he had held for 30 years and the replacement of him by his former vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa. This led to cautious hope that the 2018 presidential election might finally be a truly free and fair one—one where the voices of the Zimbabwean people would finally be both heard and respected.

Tobi’s journey. Colors of Tobi // Verzió X ELTE

Lena Opel Wednesday, 1 December 2021.
Alexa Bakony’s documentary is about Tobi, a trans teen living with his parents in a small Hungarian village, who tries to figure out who he really is. The title Colors of Tobi suggests the difficulties he faces during this journey, and metaphorically is expressed also by the constant changes in his hair color (Tárnai, 2021). But more than ‘transness’, this is a story about family, the...

To Act and To Understand. Courage // Verzió X ELTE

Skadi Pest Friday, 26 November 2021.
Courage depicts the events around last year’s elections in Belarus and the following protests against Alexander Lukashenka, known as Europe’s last dictator. The 2021 documentary by the Belarusian filmmaker Aliaksei Paluyan does so by focusing on individual stories of three (former) actors in resistance against the ruling government, but also by depicting the events on the streets from a protester...