Doc.Berlin 2020 (Documentary Film Festival): Kaxa Marca, PE 2019, R: Mariel Sosa, 4 min, OmeU; 9 Degrees, US 2019, R: Kalim Armstrong und Demetre Papapgeorgiou, 13 min, OV; Hotel Stadt Altona, DE 2019, R: Sophia Schachtner, 5 min, OmeU; Changing LA, US 2020, R: Andrea Fiorentini Del Río, 4 min, OmeU; Holy Land, CH 2020, R: Lea Bloch, 12 min, OmeU; Glassy Stares, TUR 2020, R: Ridvan Karaman, 26 min, OmeU; mySELFie, DE 2019, R: Anne Scheschonk, 51 min, OmeU
Total length: 115 min
Synopsis:
KAXA MARCA (PERU) BY MARIEL SOSA
The ancient city of Kaxa Marca is where the so-called "meeting of two worlds" occurs. This region is revealed to the pilgrim's eyes as a town full of past and sadness, where the merging between the Inca race and the Spanish colonialist took place. In this short journey, the residents prepare to welcome the celebration of Carnaval, resulted from a mixture of native traditions and imported customs.
9 DEGREES (UNITED STATES) BY KALIM ARMSTRONG, DEMETRE PAPAPGEORGIOU
A personal journey of a man who discovers, through genetic testing, that he is one of 9 siblings, finding the love and acceptance in a family he never knew he needed.
HOTEL STADT ALTONA (GERMANY) BY SOPHIA SCHACHTNER
The team at Hotel Stadt Altona wishes you a warm welcome and a pleasant stay.
CHANGING LA (UNITED STATES) BY ANDREA FIORENTINI DEL RÍO
This short film is about finding the line between preservation and evolution.
HOLY LAND (SWITZERLAND) BY LEA BLOCH
The Christian Arab Juan, who is originally from Nazareth, struggles with his identity. He is of Palestinian origin, but lives in Israel. His identity crisis and his experience of racism due to his Arab roots, haunts him as far as Poland. As a student there, he discusses his identity with Ben his Jewish fellow student from Israel.
GLASSY STARES (TURKEY) BY RIDVAN KARAMAN
Twin brothers, Tayfun and Taykan, live at a retirement home although they are in their early forties. They are both passionately committed to music. The twins spend their time isolated, writing and composing songs for their band 'Glassy Stares'. 'Glassy Stares' is an ecstatic insight into truth amid the fogs of schizophrenia. It is knotting guitar strings in restoring torn ties with the real. It is a tribute to becoming music while going beyond making music. It is a story of brotherhood in which the agents mingle with each other.
mySELFie (GERMANY) BY ANNE SCHESCHONK
At the age of 12 Maya lost all of her hair. Within a couple of weeks she turned completely bald. The diagnosis: Alopecia areata. It causes Maya’s body to reject every single hair like a foreign object. Two years later she has gotten used to her baldness. But during summertime it’s too hot to wear a wig or a hat. Then, Maya feels naked, and she asks herself: How do others perceive me? Am I alright the way I am? Am I beautiful? Almost like a way to provide the answers, Maya takes lots of selfies, just like her friends. And somewhere in between swiping, liking and sharing, the girls are growing into young women. MySELFie is a documentary that observes the levels of self-perception and external perception that Maya and her friends are experiencing. It is not about narcissism but about searching and finding one’s inner self, and eventually self-love. A coming-of-age film that portrays the self-exploration of a whole generation by looking at Maya’s story.