Take on Power

In Take on Power we show films about uneven power relations. And about people taking on forces and structures that seem bigger than themselves.

Everything is Temporary

Juliette Klinke

When filmmaker Juliette Klinke left for Myanmar in 2020, she had no idea of the upheavals the country was about to experience. Amid the darkness of the Covid-19 pandemic and the violent coup d’état, one light shines: that of 17-year-old Zu Zu and her steadfast dream of a better future for her people. A moving portrait of friendship and resilience in a time of political and social upheaval.

Flavors of Iraq

Léonard Cohen

French-Iraqi Feurat Alani grew up in Paris but spent his summers in his family’s native Iraq, a country scarred by Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship. After becoming a journalist, he returns to Iraq during the American occupation and is confronted with the silent memories of war. Today, at the ceremony paying tribute to his late father, he looks back on their personal history and that of Iraq itself.

Manas

Marianna Brennand

Deep in the Amazon, 13-year-old Tielle grows up with dreams fueled by the departure of her older sister. To her, this escape symbolizes a chance at a better life. But as she grows older, her idealism begins to waver, and she discovers the harsh reality of her surroundings. A raw yet powerful story about a young woman who refuses to let her life be dictated by a system of oppression.

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

David Borenstein, Pasha Talankin

As Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, primary schools across Russia’s hinterlands are transformed into recruitment sites for the war. Facing the ethical dilemma of working in a system defined by propaganda and violence, a brave teacher goes undercover to film what’s really happening in his school.

Night is Not Eternal

Nanfu Wang

A personal exploration of political activism through the eyes of Chinese-American filmmaker Nanfu Wang. Over seven years, Nanfu followed activist Rosa María Payá in her fight for a democratic Cuba. Interwoven with Payá’s narrative are Nanfu’s reflections on her Chinese upbringing and observations of eroding democracy in the US.