by Hans Lukas Hansen (Norway, The Netherlands 2020)

In certain alpine forests one might find special trees that are worth their weight in gold. Their value lies in the unique ability of the wood to amplify sound, making it a prerequisite for the best string instruments in the world. This film is the story about the quest for these magical trees. Tonewood they call it, a gift of trees so rare, that grow in places so secret and remote, that finding the perfect one – can be the quest of a lifetime. Premiere at Human IDFF 2021.

“When we got in contact with RCS “The Quest for Tonewood” needed an outside viewpoint, someone who could see the film from a different angle, without relating to other, previous versions or to the source material. Getting the feedback from the two RCS experts was really valuable. It confirmed some of the things we already knew, both good and bad, and it gave us some new ideas of how to solve specific scenes and overall structure. It was interesting to hear two completely different views, that nevertheless shared our enthusiasm for the film. Especially being at the very last stage of the editing, it was very useful to get a new perspective on the project.” Benedikte Danielsen, producer and Hans Lukas Hansen, director.

by Toni Venturi & Val Gomes (Brazil 2020)

A poignant and disturbing blend of characters, music, and black intellectual thinking that unveil the racism rooted in the Brazilian soul. A documentary composed of personal stories and reflections of the white filmmaker about his privileges. International premiere at IDFA 2020.

“We had a very creative relationship with RCS. Our film has several narrative lines and countless possibilities of embroider it. We’re in the middle of its montage and got two independent feedbacks from Iikka Vehkalahti and Maya Hawke. It was great. Both provoked us to think deeply about our choices and helped us to find the best form to address it. Several meetings and innumerable exchanges throughout the process. We even thought we were abusing then but they kept interested in the film till the very end. We can only say: thank you very much for all!” Toni Venturi & Val Gomes, directors.

by Hans Hochstöger (Austria 2020)

On the night of May 2nd, 1945, less than a week before the end of World War II, 228 Hungarian Jews were murdered in the small village of Hofamt Priel in Austria. The murderers are still unknown, and there was never a trial but witnesses recognized local helpers. The massacre is one of the largest endphase crimes and one of the few about which very little is known until today.

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.