“Animating Reality: a collection of short documentaries”

In an age of technological integration and urban life, New Zealanders attempt to fathom their deep, personal connection with their land. Blue, Karma, Tiger Sweden/12 min/Mia ulterstam, Cecilia Actis Spraypainters leave their mark on walls, tunnels and trains. But we rarely see the person behind the painted name. Three unmasked painting girls tell us why they do it. The Last Words of Dutch Schultz The Netherlands/23 min/Gerrit van Dijk Three mobsters were shot in a bathroom. Dutch Schultz lived for the next twenty hours, during which he rambled incoherently. This film is an abstract representation of what Schultz tried to say. Voiced by Rutger Hauer. The Beloved Ones United Kingdom/6 min/Samantha Moore An intimate portrait of two Ugandan women living with the repercussions of HIV/AIDS. Sold Out The Netherlands/8 min/Gerrit van Dijk, Marie Jos van der Linden In a tribute to the vanishing breed of small shopkeepers, we see the demise of family shops as a supermarket chain advances. One Voice, One Vote France/14 min/Jeanne Paturle, Ccile RoussetIn the run-up to the 2007 presidential elections, two strangers discuss the importance of voting. Martine, who took her first political steps in 1968, still extols a passionate and generous vision. Young Arnaud, disappointed by democracy, wonders about the point of politics. Learned By Heart Finland/29 min/Marjut Rimminen, Paivi Takala Five episodes explore the legacies of Finland’s post-war period by digging into the unspoken stories, misunderstandings and mysteries experienced by a child of the era. Birdlings Two Canada/6 min/Davina Pardo In revisiting a computer-animated film her father made when he was 20, this filmmaker explores the relationships between art and invention, hopes and disappointment and fathers and daughters. A Shift in Perception Australia/16 min/Dan Monceaux This examination of blindness takes an experimental approach to documentary making. The lives of three blind South Australi