Category: BEST DOCUMENTARY – 2024 ARFF PARIS

Original Film Title: The Colonel & The Fox

Director’s Name: Nathaniel Maddux

Writer’s Name: Nathaniel Maddux

Producer: Daniel Haas, Neill Haas

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming : United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes 12 seconds

Film Description:

The untold cultural story of North America’s greatest wildlife conservation success story and the generation who saved wild turkeys from extinction.

By the 1940s, both wild turkeys and the way of life of those who hunt them were on the brink of extinction. In what would become known as America’s greatest conservation success story, wildlife conservation’s greatest generation decided to do something about it.

With wild turkeys extirpated from nearly every state, these last remaining turkey hunters started a revival that wouldn’t stop until 49 states were home to millions of turkeys. Two men remain from this cultural core: Col. Tom Kelly, author of the 1973 cult classic Tenth Legion, and Fox Haas, the “grandfather” of outdoor brand Mossy Oak. Col. Kelly earned the title of “poet laureate of turkey hunting,” Tenth Legion became known as the “turkey bible,” and Mossy Oak became the uniform of passionate turkey hunters everywhere.

The Colonel & The Fox chronicles the revival of the wild turkey alongside the lives of these two woodsmen who grew to become icons of turkey hunting, conservation and outdoor family tradition. This film aims to inspire all to leave the land and the wildlife that call it home better than they found it and to carry on a way of life that almost vanished.

Original Film Title: The Session Man

Director’s Name: Michael Treen

Writer’s Name: Michael Treen

Producer: Michael Treen, Mike Sherman

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming : United Kingdom, United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes

Film Description:

The Session Man tells the story of Nicky Hopkins, the highly gifted and prolific session pianist, and unsung hero.

Nicky Hopkins not only played with The Kinks, The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, he also played on solo albums of all four members of the Beatles in the early part of a stellar career that spanned over 30 years. During that time, he contributed to over 250 albums and a vast number of single releases.

Nicky’s legendary piano riffs and wonderful musical motifs helped ordinary tracks become extraordinary and iconic. So many of them remain popular today. The generations that followed The Golden Era of Rock And Roll soon discover those iconic tracks that made Nicky Hopkins a legend amongst his peers – tracks like “Revolution” by The Beatles, “Like A Rainbow”, “Sympathy For The Devil” and “Angie” by the Rolling Stones, “Jealous Guy” by John Lennon from his “Imagine” album and “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker.

The Session Man’s narrator, Bob Harris, former presenter of the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test, had no hesitation at the end of the film in confirming that, “Nicky Hopkins’ contributions made him Rock And Roll’s greatest Session Man.”

Original Film Title: Beyond the Beach: The Hell and the Hope

Director’s Name: Graeme Scott, Buddy Squires

Writer’s Name: Graeme Scott, Buddy Squires

Producer: Kathy LoPrimo

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming : Afghanistan, Iraq, Italy

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 24 minutes

Film Description:

A powerful story of hope confronting the civilian woes fleeing the terror of an ISIS overrun Iraq, brutal violence in Afghanistan before Kabul’s infamous international evacuation, to the tragic migrant humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean.

Original Film Title: Čudo u srcu Bosne

Director’s Name: Dr Sam Osmanagich

Writer’s Name: Dr Sam Osmanagich

Producer: Dr Sam Osmanagich

Country of Origin: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Country of Filming : Bosnia and Herzegovina

Language: Bosnian

Runtime: 21 minutes 57 seconds

Film Description:

Most beautiful park in the south of Europe, transformation from the swampy and neglected land into archaeological, cultural, sports, spiritual and artistic oasis.

Original Film Title: The 90 Year Old Cyclist

Director’s Name: Florent Piovesan

Writer’s Name: Florent Piovesan

Producer: Florent Piovesan

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming : France

Language: French

Runtime: 21 minutes 57 seconds

Film Description:

This is a life portrait of my grandfather illustrated through his love of cycling.
From his immigration to France from Italy as a teenager and the hardships that came with it, to his role and influence as the eldest brother in a loving and close-knit family.
Cycling has been a major part of his later life, and has contributed to his good health and longevity.
And is also a reflection of how I see him as his grandson with his constant energy and unwavering positivity.

I consider this to be both a portrait and tribute to his personality and it is probably my most personal and important project to date.

10 years ago I made a short documentary about my grandfather who was 80 at the time and still cycling everyday.
It was my first proper short documentary and of course it was made with limited gear, experience and budget.
Fortunately my grandfather is still with us and very much cycling almost as often as before so I wanted to revisit this idea and create a new documentary for his 90th.

The plan was not to create a copy of the original one of course, but to shoot this with a bigger crew and create a new documentary with a different angle and stronger visual style.

For this one I also wanted to include some of his brothers and friends and give the opportunity for them to express what they feel about my grandfather.

I feel very lucky and privileged to have been able to tell his story.

Original Film Title: Lise’s life

Director’s Name: Thierry Jourdan

Writer’s Name: Svitlana Bahaieva Jourdan

Producer: Thierry Jourdan

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming : France

Language: French

Runtime: 52 minutes 24 seconds

Film Description:

When she was 18 months old, Lise’s parents learned that she had a tumor on her optic nerve which made her visually impaired. At 12 years old, before completely losing her sight, she found a solution that would change her life.

Original Film Title: LA BROCHA como ARMA

Director’s Name: Nèma van Raalte

Writer’s Name: Nèma van Raalte

Producer: Nèma van Raalte

Country of Origin: Netherlands

Country of Filming : Chile

Language: Spanish

Runtime: 54 minutes 24 seconds

Film Description:

Nemad©c, an independent film production company based in the Netherlands, proudly announces the launch of ARMED with a BRUSH, a full-feature documentary portraying the works and lives of Chilean street art movement Brigada Ramona Parra (BRP).

The BRP originated in 1968 as a propaganda department of the JJCC (Juventudes Comunistas de Chile, Chilean Communist Youth League). As a young group they supported the democratically elected President Salvador Allende.

The early members of the Brigada Ramona Parra (named after a political activist assassinated in Santiago in 1946) painted verbal messages on strategically placed walls of the capital to communicate their views in support of democracy and equality. Their art form evolved into colourful murals depicting symbols of what they have always believed to be basic human rights, while lashing out against totalitarian regimes and social inequalities.

During the Pinochet regime, members of the BRP were captured, tortured, and killed, while others went into exile. Still, BRP members persisted in their belief that the paintbrush was mightier than the sword, that ideas would eventually conquer senseless violence and repression.

Today’s BRP is stronger and more determined than ever to peacefully paint for justice and equality among Chileans. Despite the political lull, the BRP brigadistas remain relentless in their strife for a more equitable democracy in Chile, passing their art form and beliefs on to even younger generations, relentlessly, colourfully depicting the dreams and hopes forever painted in the hearts and minds of the Chilean people.

In a series of compelling interviews spanning across three generations and nearly 60 years of paintbrush wielding, ARMED with a BRUSH explores the origins, motivations, symbolism, and evolution of this unique, bold, relentless pacifist movement in a country still wrought with unsolved social and political issues. This never-ending search for justice and equality among the Chilean people may be best expressed by Chin Chin, a senior brigadista, whose firm belief is that (they) “can change the world”.

Original Film Title: MORA IS HERE

Director’s Name: khalid ZAIRI

Writer’s Name: khalid ZAIRI

Producer: NADA ABIGHANIM

Country of Origin: Morocco

Country of Filming : France, Morocco

Language: Arabic, French

Runtime: 1 hour 27 minutes 2 seconds

Film Description:

Back in the 1950s, the management of Charbonnages de France, a state-owned coal mining company, hired Félix Mora, a recruiter and former Indigenous Affairs officer in the French army in Morocco.
Over a period of 20 years, more than 70,000 people from southern Morocco were recruited to work in the mines of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.
Mora is here a traumatic account of former Moroccan miners recruited by Felix Mora, in sixteens, to work in the mines of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, in France.

Original Film Title: Exopía

Director’s Name: Aritz Gorostiaga Eskubi

Writer’s Name: Aritz Gorostiaga Eskubi

Producer: Aritz Gorostiaga Eskubi

Country of Origin: Spain

Country of Filming : Greece

Language: Basque, English, French, Spanish

Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes

Film Description:

After conversations between the rock group Muxutrock and Zaporeak volunteers during several solidarity concerts, the concern arose to go to Greece and see in situ what is happening there with the refugees.

Original Film Title: Kill Altamirano

Director’s Name: Carlos Altamirano

Writer’s Name: Carlos Altamirano

Producer: Carlos Altamirano

Country of Origin: Chile

Country of Filming : Chile, Cuba, France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States

Language: English, Spanish

Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes

Film Description:

“Kill Altamirano: Revolution, Resilience, and Redemption” is a gripping and thought-provoking film that takes audiences on a journey through Chile’s tumultuous history and one family’s personal struggles. Centered around the life of Altamirano, a Chilean senator turned socialist revolutionary, the film explores themes of political activism, family legacy, and the resilience of the human spirit.

The narrative unfolds through different periods, spanning from the 1960s to the present, as two generations grapple with the enduring impact of their parents’ legacy. Coming from an aristocratic background, Altamirano joined the Chilean Socialist Party during President Salvador Allende’s government, during which they aimed to achieve a socialist revolution through peaceful means. However, their dream is shattered when General Pinochet stages a military coup in 1973, plunging the country into a brutal dictatorship.

Altamirano, due to his upper-class origins and radical beliefs, becomes a prime target of Pinochet’s regime. Despite numerous close calls, he miraculously escapes to Argentina with assistance from East Germany, only to face continued persecution and assassination attempts even in Paris, where he seeks refuge. The film portrays Altamirano’s determination and resilience in keeping the flame of socialism alive, as he plays a crucial role in reviving and reinvigorating the Socialist Party and supporting the transition to democracy in Chile.

Intertwined with Altamirano’s story is the journey of his son, who finds himself caught in a different kind of revolution in London during the early ’70s. Believing in the ideals of peace and love, he becomes an advocate for the spiritual revolution. However, after the coup, he must constantly reinvent himself to navigate the era’s extraordinary changes. The film delves into his resilience as he grapples with his family’s history and strives to find his path in a constantly evolving world.

“Kill Altamirano” draws inspiration from the literary tradition of autobiography, as it presents a narrative that merges the historical-biography genre with elements of docu-drama and testimonial docu-reality. Through this combination, the film creates a powerful and intimate portrayal of a family’s experiences throughout the 20th century to the present, exploring the more prominent themes of revolution, resilience, and redemption.

With its compelling characters, gripping storytelling, and rich historical backdrop, “Kill Altamirano” promises to captivate audiences worldwide. It serves as a reminder of the enduring power of the human spirit in the face of adversity and leaves viewers reflecting on the complex interplay between personal and political transformation.