by Oeke Hoogendijk (The Netherlands 2019)

My Rembrandt provides fascinating insight into what makes the work of this Dutch master so extraordinary, and why different people are so deeply affected by his oeuvre, or a specific work? Meanwhile, centuries after Rembrandt’s death, his paintings are still a source of drama and gripping plot twists. Premiere at IDFA 2019.

“When in the editroom in Amsterdam we came to a point that we’ve had been editing for so long that we where losing our freshness and didn’t see clearly anymore where and how we could improve our film, I contacted the RCS. My first contact was with Iikka Vehkahlahti. Iikka put me in contact with Erez Laufer. From the moment I’ve shown my film to those two highly skilled proffesionals I felt I was in good hands. I felt they both understood the film and I also felt that working with both of them could bring the film to a higher level.
Showing one’s film in such a vulnerable stage is never easy, but I can not say otherwise than I’m truly amazed on how they worked with me and the film. They didn’t spare me nor the film, but instead put their fingers exactly on the weak spots of the film. Not just critizising, but always coming up with valuable suggestions on how we could try to solve our problems. And by following most of their suggestions the film has indeed inmensly improved.
I feel great gratitude to have had the opportunity to work with the RCS, in fact I cannot imagine how I’ve made films before without consulting them. It’s my sincere hope that this is the beginning of a life long collaboration.”
Oeke Hoogendijk, director.

by Cha Escala (the Philippines 2019)

A founding member of the Communist Party of the Philippines is on the final days of his life when his son discovers his role in the dark period of the Party’s history. In the last phone call they would share, father and son tell each other everything that needs to be said. World premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2020.

“It took me 4 years to finish my film and I must say that without the help of RCS, I probably would never have finished it. Deciding on a structure with the materials that I was able to gather within the years I was working, mostly on own, was the most difficult part. I came up with a rough cut but couldn’t move forward from it. It sat there for more than a year until RCS came on board and solved the puzzle.” Cha Escala, director.

by Radovan Síbrt (Czech Republic 2019)

The film follows members of The Tap Tap – a music band of physically disabled. A story full of music, friendship, desires and dreams that can be lived despite an unlucky fate. Premiere at Ji.hlava IDFF 2019. Selected for Hot Docs, One World, goEast.

“We planned to approach RCS as we had a prior experience with them and valued their input. We approached at the right moment, while we were editing but running in circles at the same time. We were even becoming depressed about our own film. Therefore, we needed someone to see with no closer involvement and help us to make a meaningful progress. Jordana Berg and Jakob Kirstein Høgel helped us to renew the strong story line and essential message of the film. It hurt as any editing process does, but totally worth it.”
Radovan Síbrt, director.

by Barbora Berezňáková (Slovakia/Czech Republic 2019)

The director investigates a top level kidnapping case, exploring the chain of events and the emotional impact for the witnesses. Premiere at Warsaw IFF 2019. Cinematik IFF – Cinematik.doc Award.

“The RCS experience was one of the most eye-opening experiences after my studies. The consultants were very sensitive people with a lot of understanding for my film as well as the approach I took to the topic. Even that the story was quite complicated and of a local character, they understood the specifics and gave me sophisticated insight into both the structure of the film and the style I chose.” Barbora Berezňáková, director.
“From my point of view, the consultations with both Iikka Vehkalahti and Menno Boerema helped the director in the last phase of editing to focus the story, change some unclear spots in the narrative and they both gave her their insight in a very sensitive way. We were as well very pleased by very quick feedback which helped us a lot as we were under time pressure.”
Hana Blaha Šilarová, Czech Producer.

by Elsa Kremser & Levin Peter (Austria 2019)

How a Moscow street dog was sent into space and returned as a ghost.
Laika, a stray dog, was the first living being to be sent into space and thus to a certain death. According to a legend, she returned to Earth as a ghost and has roamed the streets of Moscow ever since. Following her trace, and filmed from a dog’s perspective, SPACE DOGS accompanies the adventures of her descendants: two street dogs living in today’s Moscow. Premiere at Locarno Film Festival 2019.

“We are really very thankful for the help RCS gave us during our editing process. It really gave us trust into our film, in a time when we where quite critical with ourselves – especially with the more abstract episodes of the storytelling and also with the overall philosophical arch of it. So it helped us to come finally to a version that we love ourselves, that works in terms of dramaturgy, and that is radical, without compromises.”
Elsa Kremser, director.

by Ai Weiwei (2019)

Through a documentary film (and a series of portraits made with Lego pieces), the artist explores the personal and social consequences of the disappearance of the 43 students from the Escuela Normal Rural de Ayotzinapa on the night of September 26-27, 2014. This project makes a bid for constructing memory as an invisible tie that binds us to our ancestors and maps out an obligation to the generations that succeed us. World premiere at Sundance 2020.

by Maria Arlamovsky (Austria 2019)
ROBOLOVE is a film about the future of human interaction with humanoid, android robots. It explores how we will bond with robots that resemble human women and men. Robots that will serve us at home, teach us, help us, comfort us and perhaps be our cuddly partners. Premiere at DOK Leipzig 2019.

by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts (UK 2019)

FOR SAMA is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war. A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. FOR SAMA was awarded the Prix L’Œil d’Or for Best Documentary at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Further selected awards include the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary and the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the SXSW Film Festival, the Special Jury Prize for International Feature Documentary at Hot Docs, the Audience Award at Sheffield Doc/fest and Best Documentary at the European Film Awards. Oscar 2020 nomination – Best Feature Documentary.

“I cannot recommend RCS highly enough. They took a look at our film when we thought we’d finished everything. Their notes were brilliant and helped us to see with new eyes where we could really push the emotion and clarity of the cut. Their insights lifted the film to another level.”
Edward Watts, director.

by Archana Phadke (India 2019)

Three generations of the Phadke family live and work together in South Mumbai. As they prepare for a family wedding, director Archana Atul Phadke, who is not in any hurry to marry, observes the shifting, often very funny household dynamics, as both her mother and grandmother wonder how they have tolerated their husbands for so long. Premiere at Sheffield DocFest 2019, where the film won the New Talent Award. Best Documentary – Indian Film Festival Stuttgart. DMZ Docs – Best Film Asian Perspective Award.

by Hye-Ryeong Park (South-Korea 2018)

A deep homage to Mother Nature through a heart-warming culinary journey. Jiho Im, better known as the “Wandering Chef”, travels the Korean peninsula, in search of the most unique ingredients, honouring Mother Nature with whom he has a very strong and personal relationship. For him, Nature is at the core of his life and his creative work. One day, he meets someone very special on the road leading him to the most incredible challenge of a lifetime: conceiving and cooking 108 plates in 24 hours – significant of 108 agonies of life in Buddhism – to pay tribute to his adoptive mother. Premiere at Hot Docs 2019.