by Peter Torbiörnsson (Sweden 2020)
Ninosca – The Woman and the Emigrant’s Song is the third and last film of a trilogy, about a woman’s struggle for independence which requires her to face her past in the macho-culture of Central America. Premiere at Göteborg Film Festival 2020.
by Jola Wieczorek (Austria 2020)
The Mediterranean has always played a central role in our world. It is crossed, made use of, enjoyed, feared and loved every day, every night. Stories from the Sea portrays women aboard three vessels who experience the Mediterranean Sea as a place of longing, a place of work, or a scene of human encounters. The all-encompassing waters, unceasing waves and distant horizons are elements that link the protagonists, regardless of their motivation to go out to sea.
“We started working with RCS at a stage when we felt to be stuck in a dead end, going in circles. The conversations with the consulting editors and Anne Fabini and Niels Pagh Andersen gave us a new look on our material, the edit and many fresh ideas. The feedback also helped us to look at our film from an audience perspective and discover what is working and what not and why. We started to try out things with new confidence which led us to change the film structure and way of storytelling. In a very short time we reached a stage, in which we felt that we have a real film in between our hands. We are very grateful and thankful for this fruitful collaboration. I feel I have now the film that I have been always looking for, that is sincere and close to me and at the same time works with the audience.” Jola Wieczorek, director & producer.
by Dögg Mósesdóttir (Iceland 2020)
An exploration of women’s stories of home birth in Iceland, seen through the lens of a female filmmaker who is forced to come to terms with her feminine side when she discovers she is pregnant.
“I cannot put into strong enough words how The rough cut service influenced my film. You could say I had two films, one before the RCS and one after. My consultants, Joelle Alexis and Jakob Høgel gave me the courage to tell the story I had hiding deep inside. They seemed to deeply care about the progress of the film and went out of their way to see it through to the end. Last but not least they showed me the power of the service of great editors, never to be underestimated.”
Dögg Mósesdóttir , director.
by John Harkrider (USA 2020)
Fault tells the story of the director’s father – a Caltech geophysicist who is slowly losing his memory to Alzheimers. David G. Harkrider discovered how to tell the difference between underground nuclear tests and earthquakes. But he also tried to kill his wife when she told him she was leaving him for a young musician. The film is intended to understand the reasons people do what they do, while at the same time completely rejecting their sufficiency. To forgive, rather than to forget, while acknowledging that there may be no difference between the two.
by Amin Behroozzadeh (Iran 2020)
Fish Eye follows the biggest industrial fishing boat in Iran, the Parsian Shila, whose objective is to catch 2,000 tons of tuna fish. The film depicts the cruelty and harsh conditions of the job, and just how nature is affected by this activity. Premiere at Visions du Réel 2020.
by Anita Rivaroli (France, Italy 2020)
Rock music fan, Fabio wants to convince the Foo Fighters to perform in his little village in Italy. To do that he gathered 1,000 musicians to play their song together… This resulted in a huge community who became the biggest rock band on Earth.
by Jens Meurer (Austria, Germany 2020)
The film tells the story of the self-professed crazy, charming, dogged and visionary Austrian, Dr. Florian Kaps – the world knows him simply as Doc – and his crusade for everything analog, instant photography especially. Doc decided to save the last Polaroid factory in the world, and started a wonderfully incongruous company called The Impossible Project. Premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2020.
by Jerzy Sladkowski (Sweden, Finland 2020)
A lovesick misfit, a mysterious beauty, a retired civil servant, a randy fortuneteller and a couple of doubtful, young, charismatic lovers meet in late summer on a Russian river cruise. They have one thing in common – they suffer from emotional problems and doubts. However, they’ve come to the right place. River cruises in Russia are colloquially called “floating matchmaking agencies”. Premiere at CPH:DOX 2020.
by Jenni Kivistö & Jussi Rastas (Finland)
The film examines if a nation can stop the cycle of violence that has lasted for decades, even centuries. Ernesto is one of the FARC guerrillas who after 53 years of armed conflict, are about to hand over their arms in exchange for the social inclusion of the poor. While Ernesto thrives for a change, opposing forces arise: A furious right-wing politician and a descendant of Spanish conquistadors want to reclaim the country. Many want to tear the peace agreement and instead of the long awaited peace the country is pushed into chaos, where everyone tries to secure their privileges or just basic needs. World premiere at Göteborg Film Festival 2020 where it won the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Documentary.
by Mohamed El Aboudi (Finland, France, Morocco 2020)
School of Hope tells about a nomad tribe struggling to get education for their children, and a young teacher trying to help them while suffering himself of the Government’s indifference toward rural regions. Premiere at DocPoint Documentary Film Festival 2021 where it was awarded the Jury Special Mention.
“It was a great experience to work with Iikka and Claudio from RCS. Both have a strong sense of dramaturgy and a clear vision of how to make the story stronger and lift it to a higher level. I enjoyed exchanging ideas with them; they were challenging me, sharing their views, but always leaving the final choice to the filmmaker. I can strongly recommend RCS.” Mohamed El Aboudi, director.
