O Grande Elias

Dreamover

When life turns unbearably miserable, a lonely old man takes part in a medical experiment, reviving a long-forgotten story of his love.

The Enchanted Forest of the Pygmy Hippopotamus

One of the most mysterious animals to inhabit the jungle is the pygmy hippopotamus - up to 300 kg in weight, just 2 meters long, and 80 cm tall, and a true loner. Since its discovery in 1844, generations of researchers have attempted to study it in the wild - but in vain. Although it proved possible to catch a few specimens for zoos, no one ever got to see them before they were already inside the trap. They eluded the gaze of the researchers like phantoms under the protection of the enchanted forest. These are the first ever pictures of pygmy hippopotami in their natural surroundings - the rain forest of West Africa. Set amid stories about their habitat, the film allows a first impression of this timid creature's life. While their ten-times heavier relatives are loud and gregarious and live in open stretches of water, the pygmy hippopotamus moves furtively through the thick undergrowth.

Vortex

La Venganza del Norteño

Forest

Video installation, 2005, at LOKAAL_01 Breda 2007, Burning Marl, curator Frederik Vergaert in Seppenshuis Zoersel, 2005. A woman walking through 3 video images. Three screens display how the day’s light passes by: from the early morning light until late at night. Along with the woman the artist walks through the forest, in the same rhythm, the same pace. Off-screen she looks through the camera, fragmenting time. The age-old androgynous trees are a vertical constant along which the woman moves, as if in an interval between visibility and invisibility, between sound and silence, while the light keeps on evolving metabletically.

Hero of the Year

The early 1980s. A former entertainment industry star is now selling leather goods. One day, he watches a TV interview with a department store employee who smelled gas leaking and prevented a tragedy in time. This gives him an idea. With the support of his journalist friend Lutek Danielak, he begins to organize a series of meetings with the "hero of the year" across the country. He hopes that this will help him make a comeback in the industry. The meetings gain momentum. Lutek accepts the offer to host the final "Miss Polonia" contest.

István, a király - Csíksomlyó

Solo, the Law of the Favela

Leonardo and Anselmo are both eleven years old and live in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. It is the summer of 1994, the World Championship Soccer is held in the USA, and Brazil is the favorite for the world title. Leonardo and Anselmo dream of becoming professional soccer players, to escape the poverty and violence of their slum. They fantasize of being able to organize a barbecue, once they have made it. Some of their friends want to become fishermen, but when they go boating on the lake, they find a corpse in the water (victim of yet another drug-related crime). Leonardo and Anselmo play for the team of Nova Saffra, a home for poor kids. But when a scout of a famous team arrives, everything might change: he invites both Leonardo and Anselmo to play a test match. During this once in a lifetime opportunity, Anselmo forgets his shoes and his father is nowhere to be found. Leonardo realizes he will have to make a tough decision

Adelaide

In the most anticipated interview of the year, sisters Adelaide, Carolina and Julia Paixão come together with their mother Anita - to recount the events that led to one of the most controversial crimes ever committed in Portugal.

Feminine Foursome

Four nude women perform a dance routine.