The second collection of 2016 from Walk This Way is ready to go. The VOD distribution program, bringing films to platforms such as iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Filmin, Flimmit, Universciné and more, has prepared a new instalment of its documentaries selection, Docs From Around the World. This selection of non-fiction films, which last year featured titles by Mika Kaurismäki (Mama Africa) and Ilian Metev (Sofia's Last Ambulance), gives viewers the opportunity to understand the world a little better through seven compelling and acclaimed documentaries.
Polish title Papusza, by filmmakers Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze, one of the most unique films of the selection, blends fiction and documentary to portray the life of Bronisława Wajs (aka Papusza), the famous Polish-Romani classic poet and singer (1908-1987). The black and white film, awarded in competition at Karlovy Vary, portrays a gifted woman who wants to preserve her culture with words and must pay a painful price for that decision. The film is available in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Slovakia.
Another biopic documentary about struggling artists is As Time Goes by in Shanghai by Uli Gaulke. Described as a Buena Vista Social Club set in China, this German documentary dives into the story of Shanghai's Peace Old Jazz Band, a jazz band with members aged between 65 and 87 who have struggled all their lives against China's many oppressive faces, longing for international success which is imminent. The film is available in Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Old age is also at the centre of a more intimate and personal story, that of Forget Me Not by German filmmaker David Sieveking. The director paints a portrait of his mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, and the consequences of such a thing on a family – even a very special one born from open relationships forged during the student movement of the 1960s. Awarded in Locarno Critics Week, the film is available in Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The 60s and 70s are also under the spotlight in Concerning Violence by Swedish director Göran Olsson. With its unprecedented look at the African nationalist and independent movements through controversial essay The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon, and an acute analysis of the dehumanising effects of colonisation, the film is a must-see to understand the heritage of white western imperialism, and is narrated by none other than singer Lauryn Hill. The documentary, which was unveiled at the Berlinale, is available to viewers in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Spain.
Another global topic is tackled in Energized (Macht Energie) by Austrian filmmaker Hubert Canaval. The film poses a difficult question: how can we continue to use energy derived from oil and gas without destroying the world around us? An insightful documentary about the energy sector and its relationship with climate change and the future of our planet. Viewers from Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom will be able to watch the film.
The future of Earth is also placed under the microscope in Population Boom by Austrian director Werner Boote. Is the world overpopulated? Are dwindling resources, mountains of toxic waste, hunger and climate change the results of overpopulation? A smart and intelligent documentary that addresses the consequences of demographic growth, the film is available in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Lastly, science is also the focal point of documentary CERN by Austrian filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhaulter. The director plunges into the centre and meets the people who created the Large Hadron Collider, trying to grasp the meaning behind the aims of the Swiss research centre, where scientists try to recreate the Big Bang no less. The film is available in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
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