This exploration of Japan's fascination with girl bands and their music follows an aspiring pop singer and her fans, delving into the cultural obsession with young female sexuality and the growing disconnect between men and women in hypermodern societies.
A top executive who can't bear to regard himself as a loser, even after nearly dying in the New York marathon; a woman unable to cope with the loss of her wealthy status after her divorce; and an ambitious financial couple confronted with their unresolved family matters. Every Sunday, in their upper class Bloemendaal church, the cutting sermons of reverend Ad van Nieuwpoort shake their faith and existence to the core. What drives people to be crushed by the weight of their ambitions?
An exploration of non-violence as the means to achieving social reforms, focusing on the downfall of Pinochet in Chile, the Palestinian Intifada, and Cory Aquino's "people power" revolution in the Philippines.
Taking part in The Voice Kids is already quite something, but for 11-year-old Merna it’s really something special. Her parents had to flee Iraq because they are part of the Christian minority, and IS was threatening to kidnap Merna. They now live in Lebanon, where one in three people is a refugee. The family has been waiting for two years for permission to move on. FaceTiming with her older sister, who stayed behind in Iraq, and cooking her favorite dishes with her mother make the situation more bearable. But what also really helps is singing – this calms Merna and makes her less afraid. She used to sing only in church, but since The Voice her beautiful, melancholy voice touches everyone. Because of her status as a refugee, Merna isn’t allowed to attend the foreign performances with the other finalists, but she’s now a national celebrity in Lebanon.
Daan is used to stand in front of a camera. Growing up, it was his father's camera, world-renowned photographer and filmmaker Ed van der Elsken. Now it's the camera of his good friend, Joris Postema. Together with him Daan tries to get control of his life by confronting his father posthumously. Daan believes his father - who he takes after more than he'd like - is mostly to blame for his mental problems. By means of photos, film footage and meetings with family members and friends, Daan tries to fathom what his father has passed on to him and he makes a surprising discovery.
Burma Storybook is a parade of characters, poems and cinema verité scenes set in this enchantingly beautiful land trying to recover from six decades of fear and suffering. The main story is of Maung Aung Pwint, Burma’s most famous dissident poet, who has spent more than 30 years behind bars for his political activism. The yearning for his lost son, who lives in political exile in Finland, and his long-awaited return home after 20 years, are at the heart of the film.
