The Voice Of Finland

In August 2020, people gathered on the steps of the Belarusian State Philharmonic in Minsk to protest against the fraudulent presidential election. Holding signs that read "Our voice has been stolen", they stood up to the violence by singing together. Although the authorities pacified this spontaneous gathering, musicians soon began to appear on protest marches in shopping centers and subways, each time inspiring people with songs about the dignity, courage, fate and faith of Belarusians. This is how one of the symbols of the Belarusian resistance movement - the "Free Choir" - was born .

"Lost in an infinite and closed world, man no longer finds justification except in the desperate search for perfection." Interpretation of a poem taken as a pretext for research into new "animable worlds", through new technical and plastic processes.

A boy in early teens finds himself in danger of being demoted from his solo part in a choir due to his changing voice. He tries to fight against it, but to no avail.

With less than a month until his Eurovision appearance Tusse must undergo a surgery that puts everything in jeopardy. Here is Tusse’s incredible life story, from Congolese refugee to winner of Swedish Idol and Melodifestivalen.

Comedy Special where Eliza Sonrisas talks with humor about her early transition, her life as a trans woman and her relationship with her voice.

A companion piece to Voices from the Waves Kesennuma that forms half of the second installment in a documentary trilogy on the Tohoku region, co-directed by Sakai Ko and Hamaguchi Ryusuke. It captures dialogues between closely-linked people in accordance with the directors' objective of passing on experiences of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which is inspired by the folk tale tradition of the Tohoku region.

A companion piece to Voices from the Waves Shinchimachi that forms half of the second installment in a documentary trilogy on the Tohoku region, co-directed by Sakai Ko and Hamaguchi Ryusuke. Through numerous interviews, they concentrate on the experiences and emotions of people, not as victims but as individuals.

MUSICAL BIOHAZARD ~ Voice of Gaia ~ is set in an unspecified year where the threat of bioterrorism has continued to increase in extremity. Much of the story is set in and around the walled Croatian city of Dubrovnik, on the Adriatic seacoast, which faces attack from "Them", zombies infected by an ancient virus. The survivors in Dubrovnik are protected by both their wall and by music, as melodies are known to calm Them, surprising their violent urges.

Some people are interested in politics, others are not. We asked Martine and Arnaud to talk about their political involvement.

A Hong Kong documentary directed by Oscar winner Ruby Yang, chronicles the trials and tribulations of a group of under-privileged middle school students as they undergo six months of vigorous training to produce a musical on stage.

Born in 1873 in a poor neighbourhood in Naples, Enrico Caruso conquered the world with his singing voice. At the age of 27 he got a contract at the Scala in Milan, and his already considerable popularity skyrocketed thanks to the invention of the gramophone. He sold millions of records, and garnered international acclaim. In 1903 he moved to New York to perform at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera, in the role of Radames. But his riches and fame attracted the attention of the Mafia, who started blackmailing him. He felt trapped by his fame and died at just 48 years old. Biographer Francesco Canessa, the music critic Jürgen Kesting and the composer Micha Hamel explain the ups and downs of the man behind the timeless Italian voice.

Super-8 film by Tachibana Kaoru, silent.

1726, Sanchu, Okayama Prefecture: farmers negotiate with the feudal domain in order to seek exemption from rising taxes. Infighting leads to suppression by the samurai class, and the farmers band together for battle. It’s a moment of injustice, setting the stage for bravery and sacrifice. However those daring characters remain largely offscreen in Juichiro Yamasaki’s brilliant film. Instead, the cowardly protagonist Jihei (Naohisa Nakagaki) faces a crisis of the risks of rebellion and its aftermath that resonates with our contemporary moment. In this rare independent jidaigeki, Kenta Tawara’s beautiful digital B&W photography channels and refigures luminaries of classical Japanese cinema, boasting rapturous animated sequences by Tomomichi Nakamura and experimental score by Ayako Sasaki.

A voice not addressed and thrown away is assimilated to a bunch of microphones under the sea. The artwork throws an ambivalent question to the audience – striving to listen to the singing voice drifting on the wave and the mind of resignation that it won’t reach to anyone.

A professor has quit his job at the university to expiate his son's eyes disease. Giovanni's blindness drags Angelo into a never ending crisis. Finally, from Angelo's socially committed past, dark shadows spread out; he comes face to face with himself and gets back to his role as a father.

A documentary about famous writer Isabel Allende.

In the mid-80s, Aegokeros publishing house intended to publish a magazine about film and the theater. Theo Angelopoulos and Nikos Panayotopoulos had been chosen by the editorial board for the first issue. A summer evening at Angelopoulos house in the Mati area, Antonis Kokkinos and Yannis Soldatos recorded a three-hour interview between Theo and Nikos, within the frameworks set for them, in order to be included in the magazine. The interview brought to the fore their common course, even though completely opposite from one point onward. Thirty-five years later, the unpublished conversation has been found; both the tapes and the transcripts! This conversation stands as a valuable manifestation of the creators’ views regarding their own, until then, existing and future work, as well as a thorough insight into the New Greek Cinema, and into World Cinema in general.

Lucianeka follows her dream.

Akili, a young refugee in Rwanda who has endured a long and painful journey, sits with strangers and invites them to read her story.

The name Fukushima has become a synonym for the dangers of nuclear energy, much like Chernobyl. Director Hitomi KAMANAKA analyzes the parallels between the two disasters, travelling to the affected regions in Japan and Belarus. Her interest and compassion lies with the families, especially the children and their mothers who try to protect them. This film lets their voices be heard.