Poliske Nets

The Cost of Cobalt

In the cobalt mining areas of Katanga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), babies are being born with horrific birth defects. Scientists and doctors are finding increasing evidence of environmental pollution from industrial mining which, they believe, may be the cause of a range of malformations from cleft palate to some so serious the baby is stillborn. More than 60% of the world’s reserves of cobalt are in the DRC and this mineral is essential for the production of electric car batteries, which may be the key to reducing carbon emissions and to slowing climate change. In The Cost of Cobalt we meet the doctors treating the children affected and the scientists who are measuring the pollution. Cobalt may be part of the global solution to climate change, but is it right that Congo’s next generation pay the price with their health? Many are hoping that the more the world understands their plight, the more pressure will be put on the industry here to clean up its act.

Atlantis

Atlantis is filmmaker Luc Besson's celebration of the beauty and wonder of the world beneath the sea, expanding upon themes touched on in his film The Big Blue. Combining stunning underwater cinematography and a hypnotic score by Eric Serra, Besson's singular vision defies dialogue or narrative structure to explore ocean life as you've never seen it before. Following the colossal success of The Big Blue, Luc Besson crisscrossed the world's seas and oceans to film the beauty and diversity of marine life: from the giant octopuses of Vancouver to the manta rays of the Pacific (New Caledonia), and the grey sharks of Tahiti. A film with no actors or sets other than the underwater world. A breathtaking view of marine species: sharks, dolphins, manatees, octopuses. An exploration of the seabed in the Bahamas, the Galapagos, Vancouver, and Tahiti.

Now and Forever

The true-to-life story of Miss Finland Armi Kuusela who was crowned Miss Universe in the first Miss Universe pageant held in 1952. In 1953, some nine months after she won the Miss Universe title, Armi was invited by the Philippine International Fair Committee to crown that year’s Miss Philippines, in the course of her stay, she met Virgilio Hilario, a Filipino businessman, through a blind date in Baguio, the two were eventually married in Tokyo that year. Kuusela chose to relinquish her crown shortly before her reign ended as Miss Universe

Desynchronized

Recent studies show that insects are in decline across the globe and there may be a direct connection between the current climate crisis and these declining populations. DESYNCHRONIZED focuses on Pope Canyon Queens, a beekeeping and queen breeding company in Northern California. Pope Canyon Queens is currently trying to rebuild after the 2020 LNU Lightning Complex fires destroyed their farm, shop, and half of their hives. Their crucial work to breed honey bee queens with stronger genes fortifies beekeepers' hives across the country while they face the effects of climate change and unregulated industries. Dr. Nicholas Teets, PhD Entomology, explains how shifts in phenology are predicted to cause bigger issues. Howard Goldstein, Senior Forest Ecologist at the Prospect Park Alliance explores how community gardens and green spaces in large metropolitan areas may help insect populations recover from loss of habitat and food scarcity.

Mommie Dearest

Renowned film star Joan Crawford's abuse towards Christina, her adopted daughter, intensifies as her professional and romantic relationships turn sour.

Sheep

In the lush fields of northern Belgium, as winter tightens its grip, the sheep of Eddy, Jeroen, and Johny become silent witnesses of a hidden drama when a wolf is driven to the edges of human lands in search of sustenance. With the three human protagonists doing anything within their power to patronize their rights of existence, this film stands up for the least heard voice in Belgium’s brand new wolf territory: that of the bleating sheep.

The Tree of Authenticity

Photographer and visual artist Sammy Baloji’s fascinating film essay explores the Democratic Republic of Congo’s colonial history and its ecological significance. Drawing on research from the 1930s, the film highlights the Congo Basin’s vital role in consuming carbon dioxide and shaping global environmental balance over a century.

Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island

In this thrilling documentary, indomitable women fight back against the nuclear industry to expose one of the biggest cover-ups in US history: the 1979 Three Mile Island meltdown and its aftermath. The film reveals the never-before-told stories of four intrepid homemakers who take their case all the way to the Supreme Court, and a young female journalist who's caught in the radioactive crossfire.

Les Mégafeux, la nouvelle guerre du feu

Three Days

Three Days is a feature film exploring the on-and-off-tour lives of Jane's Addiction. Set predominately on their 1997 'Relapse Tour', this docu-drama weaves audiences throughout the band's legacy in a colorful, fast-paced orgy of gritty backstage drama and rare musical performances

Soleil Noir

City's Step Child and The Dump Hill Dreams

Unlike the many rag pickers working at this Dump Hill(Land Fill) in Delhi, young Devendra is committed to collect electronic waste discarded from our homes, in an attempt to create machines. Even the carcinogenic gases emitting from this hill have not been able to poison his engineering dreams.

Les rescapés de Wagner

Bread

Life on the breadline in the 1930s was hard enough, but times were desperate when you fell beneath it. Hunger marches organised by the National Unemployed Workers' Movement drew attention to the cause, but this left-wing collective picked up a cine-camera. The fictional story at the heart of the film is somewhat melodramatic, but the authentic surroundings give its message realism and weight.

Supervolcan Yellowstone : Menace sur la planète ?

The Shoes We Wear

"The Shoes We Wear" is a short documentary on footwear created by Anderson Hauptli. This is one of my most significant passion projects to date, the footage has been accumulated in the timeframe of an entire year...

Sketches

A British artist misses his parents' wedding anniversary for a last-minute sketching commission in Cornwall, but memories of them affect his work along the way.