The Chocolate Farmer

The Chocolate Farmer is the story of Eladio Pop, a cacao farmer in a remote district of southern Belize. A direct descendent of the ancient Maya, Eladio comes face to face with the moral dilemmas around the “fair trade” label within the multi-billion dollar chocolate industry. A tender and moving family tale, director Rohan Fernando’s […]

Dinner with the President

Still from Dinner With The President

What are the implications for democracy in Pakistan when secular political parties have succumbed to the Islamic agenda? What does it mean when the army appears to be the only force able to contain the opponents of democracy, the armed Islamists? President Musharraf agrees to explore this apparent contradiction over dinner at his official residence, […]

Your Father Was Born 100 Years Old, and So Was the Nakba

Still from Your Father Was Born 100 Years Old, and So Was the Nakba

A Palestinian grandmother returns to her hometown Haifa through Google Streetview, today, the only way she can see Palestine. In this experimental short film, filmmaker Razan AlSalah channels glitch aesthetics and digital erasure in a subversion of the physical borders and checkpoints imposed by the Israeli occupation.

Two Scoops

Still from Two Scoops

Hand-drawn animations punctuate this touching personal story about the 60’s “scoop” of Aboriginal children into the Canadian child-welfare system.

Something From There

Still from Something From There

SOMETHING FROM THERE is a reflection on the substance of our original lands. How does connection to land change after uprooting and in diaspora? How does matter come to embody our memories and defy official histories? This short film considers the complicated implications of fighting to belong to a land after displacement.

Visión Nocturna (Night Shot)

Still from Vision Nocturna

Carolina Moscoso’s VISIÓN NOCTURNA (NIGHT SHOT) is an experimental film composed out of fragments shot over years as the Chilean director reckons with the trauma of her rape. Artistic cinematography and sound composition create a visceral experience as the emotional artifacts of Moscoso’s story collide with the systemic burden of a justice system that has ultimately failed to […]

P is for Palestine

Still from P is for Palestine

P IS FOR PALESTINE shows an unnamed man in Amman, Jordan repeating difficult and politically-charged English words as he waits in an unknown ‘green room’. These decontextualized political words all include the letter P – a letter that doesn’t exist in the Arabic language and pronouncing it is coded socially and economically. Instead of practising […]

Call for Programmers

Do you love political cinema, especially documentaries? Cinema Politica is looking for enthusiastic and informed film programmers to join our Programming Committee!

The Return

Premiered at Dok Leipzig in 2016, THE RETURN is an independent film produced in Turkey by Armenian director Hale Güzin Kızılaslan, reflecting on present-day Eastern Anatolia, or the Armenian Highlands—a region where Christian Armenians had historically lived alongside Muslim Kurds. Through scenes from the everyday life of present-day occupants, Kızılaslan unravels the generational memory of the Armenian […]

Kaha:wi : The Cycle of Life

Still from KahaWi The Cycle Of Life

Celebrated performer, choreographer and artist Santee Smith interprets traditional Iroquois legends through contemporary dance in a cinematic restaging of her 2004 award-winning debut production KAHA:WI : THE CYCLE OF LIFE. In this touching documentary, a gorgeous and transformative performance is translated effortlessly to the screen, telling us of sacred portals between the Sky World, the […]