The Swenkas are Zulu men who are entertainingly profiled in this inventive and beautifully understated documentary. Every Saturday night, a group of laborers from Johannesburg transform themselves into the best-dressed men in South Africa. They take great pride in putting on flashy suits and stand out as an inspiration for others, leaving their grimy overalls behind and wearing their best Carducci or Pierre Cardin creations to impress the weekly selected judge with sultry steps and graceful arm gestures. They are a close-knit set of men who consider respect, tidiness and virtue of paramount importance. The film follows an elder known as "Mr Dangerous" who takes a young man, Sabelo, under his wing. Sabelo's father, once a leading Swenka, has recently died and the emotional support he receives demonstrates a phenomenon which runs much deeper than an unusual fashion show. Their tale is told by an elderly Zulu man, who builds his fictitious story around real characters.

producers: Rasmus Thorsen, Anne Diemer
screenplay: Kim Leona, Jeppe Ronde
camera: Lars Skree, Sebastian Wintero, Nic Hofmeyer
editor: Olivier Bugge Coutté
music: Povl Kristian

festival info:
Special Jury Prize for Direction - Toronto Hot Docs International Documentary Festival, Canada, 2005 / Special Mention - Odense IFF, Denmark, 2005 / Gold Dok Best Cinematography, Gold Dok of the Year - CPH Dox Copenhagen Documentary Festival, Denmark, 2005 /Nominated, Prix Arte - Berlin European Film Academy Awards, Germany, 2005 / 23rd Annual Minneapolis - St. Paul International Film Festival, USA, 2005 / Leeds International Film Festival, UK, 2005 / Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia, 2005

production info:
Cosmo Film
Ryesgade 106 A
2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel: + 45 35 387 200
Fax: + 45 35 387 299

sales info:
First Hand Films
Schaffhauserstrasse 359
CH - 8050 Zürich, Switzerland
Tel: +41 1 312 20 60
Fax: +41 1 312 20 80
info@firsthandfilms.com
www.firsthandfilms.com

filmography:
Dancing in The Midst of War, 2000 / Son, 2001 / Jerusalem, My Love, 2003

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An atmospheric film about Zhengzhou, China's busiest train station, and two of it its employees - Mr. Fu and Mr. Liu. "People with children, climb through the windows" is not an unusual instruction from Zhengzhou station staff, especially on the eve of Chinese New Year when 1.2 million people are all trying to get home. Mr. Fu is Party Secretary and responsible for the political education of the station staff, and Mr. Liu, Head of Passenger Affairs. Both of them are filmed working at this hectic station and at home with their families. Film-maker Jiang Yue goes deep into the souls of these two men, and reveals their inner lives. Mr. Fu confesses being in an unhappy marriage and still mourns for his first wife, the mother of his child, who died during an abortion. He is very upset when his darling son leaves home to join the army. Mr. Fu's colleague Mr. Liu also has problems but of a different nature. The financial pressures after buying a new luxury home weigh heavily on him; he and his wife are facing redundancy, and school fees for their child are unexpectedly expensive. This film offers an eye-opening glimpse of life in contemporary China through the everyday course of events at Zhengzhou station, where giving away a found baby to a fruit vendor and the murder of a passenger by a psychopath are just part of the daily routine.

producer: Juang Yue, Mark Frith
camera: Yue Jiang
editor: Yue Jiang
sound: Chen Min

festival info:
IDFA, 2002 / 22nd International Documentary Film Festival, Munich, 2003

production info:
Decameron Films
29 Tradescent Road
London, SW8 1XD UK
Tel: +44 (1453) 544 375
dec@dircon.co.uk

sales info:
TV2 WORLD
Sortedam Dossering 55 A
2100 Copenhagen,Denmark
Tel.: +45 65212223
Fax.: +45 65214199
www.tv2world.com
sales@tv2.dk

filmography:
Bakhor, 1992 / Catholics in Tibet, 1992 / The Other Bank, 1995 / The War of Love, 2002

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The oil pipeline that is being laid between the Caspian and Mediterranean Seas is of great geopolitical interest. It will be 1,110 miles long, 155 of which will run through Georgia, passing Sakiré, a poor village with muddy roads and houses with flaking paint. Without interviews or voiceover, as an unnoticed bystander, director Nino Kirtadze films the villagers who, especially in the street, vehemently discuss this unexpected clash with world politics: the health risks, the governmental corruption, the possibility of an attack by Bin Laden and especially the level of financial compensation from BP, the oil company responsible for the pipeline. Emotions rise higher and higher: the elected village leader storms out of a chaotic meeting, where the resistance is led by the self-confident and self-appointed Leila. An equally chaotic court case against BP is lost, but the oil company is getting nervous too: the filmmakers travel by car with the general manager of BP in Georgia and attend talks about the villagers' objections. In the end, the general manager decides to pay a personal visit to the village.

producer: Dominique Tibi
screenplay: Nino Kirtadzé
camera: Jacek Petrycki
editor: Isabel Lorente
sound: Patrick Boland
music: Gio Tsintsadze

festival info:
CPH:DOX Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, Denmark, 2005 / Prix Arte, Best Documentary at the European Film Awards, Berlin, Germany, 2005 / 26th Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia, 2006

production info:
ROCHE PRODUCTIONS
Dominique Tibi
45, rue de Louvain
Courbevoie
92400 France
tel: +33 143 340 712
fax: +33 143 340 724
dtibi@rocheproductions.com

sales info:
DOC & CO
13 rue Portefoin
75003 Paris, France
Tel: + 33 1 42775687, Fax: +33 1 427 73656
doc@doc-co.com
www.doc-co.com

filmography:
The Three Lives of Eduard Shevardnadze, 1999 / Chechen Lullaby, 2000 / Stalin by Stalin, 2002 / Stalin - the funeral of a god, 2002 / Tell My Friends That I Am Dead, 2003

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Welcome to the world of industrial food production and high-tech farming! To the rhythm of conveyor belts and immense machines, the film looks without commenting into the places where food is produced in Europe: monumental spaces, surreal landscapes and bizarre sounds - a cool, industrial environment which leaves little space for individualism. People, animals, crops and machines play a supporting role in the logistics of this system which provides our society's standard of living. Our Daily Bread is a wide-screen tableau of a feast which isn't always easy to digest - and in which we all take part. A pure, meticulous and visually stunning film that enables the audience to form their own ideas. A rare experience for anyone who cares about food and our planet. Content warning: Contains some graphic material related to animal processing.

producers: Michael Kitzberger for Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion GmbH, Markus Glaser, Wolfgang Widerhofer
screenplay: Wolfgang Widerhofer, Nikolaus Geyrhalter
camera: Nikolaus Geyrhalter
editor: Wolfgang Widerhofer
sound: Hjalti Bager-Jonathansson, Andreas Hamza, Stefan Holzer

festival info:
Special Jury Award - IDFA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2005 / Best Film - Ecocinema International Film Festival, Athens, Greece, 2006 / Honourable Mention - Special Jury Prize - International Feature - Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Toronto, 2006 / Special John Templeton Prize - Visions du Réel, Nyon, Switzerland, 2006

production info:
NIKOLAUS GEYRHALTER FILMPRODUKTION GMBH
Hildebrandgasse 26
Wien
A-11 Austria
tel: +43 140 301 62
fax: +43 140 301 62
office@geyrhalterfilm.com
www.geyrhalterfilm.com

sales info:
AUTLOOK Filmsales
Zieglergasse 75/1 A-1070 Vienna
Tel: +43 720 5535 70
Fax: +43 720 5535 72
welcome@autlookfilms.com
www.autlookfilms.com

filmography:
Washed Ashore, 1994 / The Year After Dayton, 1997 / Pripyat, 1999 / Elsewhere, 2001 / Temelin. A Village in Southern Bohemia, 2002 / Senad and Edis, 2003

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Construction of the Lakeside housing development in Cluj - Napoca (Romania) began in the 1980s. Most of the private homes were demolished. The Moszny family were evicted against their will. József Moszny did not move into the apartment building that was offered to him in exchange to his house, instead, he withdrew with his cows, dogs and cats to his plot of land in between the two lakes. He has been reported several times because the cows wandered around the housing estate and the tennis courts in Cluj. The film follows the life of Mr. Moszny during one year.

producer: András Muhi
screenplay: Róbert Lakatos
camera: Arthur Bálint, Róbert Lakatos

production info:
Inforg Studió
1092 Budapest, Kinizsi utca 11.
Hungary
Tel.: + 36 1 219 0961
inforg@inforgstudio.hu

filmography:
Feszületi feszültség, 1997 / Nyáron piros, télen kék., 1999 / Csendország, 2001 / Gen(i)us Diabolis - Ördögtérgye, 2003 / Spílerek, 2004

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Baku in Azerbaijan, with some of the richest deposits of oil in the world, is becoming a focus for foreign investors eager to take advantage of the country's natural resources. Source traces the "Great Oil Road" from European highways to this surreal and sinister landscape, where cows graze on polluted land and children play in toxic gunge. With three quarters of the population living under the poverty line, the country's post-Soviet government is promising that oil will turn Azerbaijan into a prosperous and flourishing "New Kuwait". But between big oil companies like British Petroleum and the corrupt government lining their pockets, what does this mean for the ordinary people of Azerbaijan? Is this "liquid gold" more of a curse or a blessing for the country?

producer: Vratislav Šlajer
screenplay: Martin Mareček, Martin Skalský
camera: Jiří Málek
editor: Martin Mareček

festival info:
The Plzeňský Prazdroj Audience Award - One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Prague, Czech Republic, 2005 / The Grand Prix - EKOFILM, Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic, 2005 / Audience Award, Best Czech Doc. Film - Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, 2005 / The Grand Prize and the Trophy, Public Sympathy Prize - CRONOGRAF International Festival of Documentary Film, Chisinau, Moldova, 2005 / Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, New York, USA, 2006 / Leeds International Film Festival, UK, 2006

production info:
Bionaut Films
U Zvonařky 14
Praha 2 - 120 00
Czech Republic
Tel/Fax: + 420 222 517908
bionaut@bionaut.cz
www.bionaut.cz

sales info:
Taskovski Films
4b Wentworth Street
London E1 7TF
Tel: +44 207 930 572866
taskovskifilms@yahoo.co.uk
www.taskovskyfilms.com

filmography:
Maple Tree 98, 1998 / Egg Methods, 1999 / Dust Games, 2001

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The Roma inhabitants of the Macedonian town of Shutka are poor, but their lives and their customs are exquisite. Each of the residents believes that he or she is the champion of a different discipline - protecting the community from evil spirits, singing, training fighting geese, fashion design, party planning and, of course, sexual technique. There's the man with the most money, the woman with the strongest opinions, the guy with the best suits, the greatest lovers, the most powerful music producer, the best bed maker for circumcisions, the best trainer of ganders and the best trainer of pigeons, to name but a few. The town boasts many competitions, including the annual Turkish music cassette contest. In this little-seen land, vampires are exorcised with fire and pure willpower and popular songs are composed in ten minutes by the world' s most prolific songwriter. Severdzan Bajram, an actor known from Emir Kusturica's Black Cat, White Cat, is our guide on this entertaining tour through the town.

producer: Aleksandar Manić
camera: Dominik Miskovsky
editor: Ivana Davidová

festival info:
FIPRESCI Critic's Award, Golden Audience Award - Serbia and Montenegro Film Festival, Novi Sad, Serbia, 2005 / 15th Philadelphia Film Festival, 2006 / Audience Award - Leeds International Film Festival, UK, 2005 / 26th International Istanbul Film Festival, Turkey, 2006

production info:
CABIRIA LTD
Na Petynce 96
Prague, 169 00 Czech Republic
Tel: +42 224 313 586
Fax: +42 224 319 080
info@cabiriafilms.com
www.cabiriafilms.com

sales info:
TASKOVSKI FILMS LTD
4B Wentworth Street
London
E1 7TF U.K.
Tel/Fax: +44 207 247 0238
info@taskovskifilms.com

filmography:
Shooting Days: Emir Kusturica Directs Underground, 1996 / Kosovské zdi, 1998 / The Orphans of Enver Hoxha, 1999, (TV) / Doger - the Serbian Revolution, 2000

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Naples has many neighborhoods with small betting shops. The daily customers don't pick numbers at random: some play the numbers which correspond to the dates of birth or death of relatives, others play the numbers of their dreams. Dreams are translated into numbers with the help of the Italian numbers book Grimas and by the knowledgeable owners of century-old lottery offices. A "reasoned bet" happens, for example, when someone has had a dream about his father stepping into a bucket of water. The lottery vendor takes the book out: father is 81, foot is 53, water is 39 and bucket is 4, so these are the numbers to bet on. When a regular customer's brother gets murdered, people even use this incident to stake their bets. The obsession with numbers sometimes reaches hilarious proportions ("which numbers can be derived from a dream about a cockroach with a limp?"), but behind the gambling, there are often tragic stories. A historian sees parallels with Pythagoras' theory of numbers, which is kept alive in Italian popular culture.

producers: André Bos, Hans Mulde
screenplay: Anna Maria Bucchetti
camera: Stefano Bertacchini
editor: Katarina Turler
sound: Bouwe Mulder
music: Luciano Caliendo

festival info:
Joris Ivens Award - IDFA, 2005 / Jury Award - Planete Doc, 2006 / Second Prize - Ecofilm, Rhodos, 2006 / Vesuvius Award - Napoli, 2006 / Jury Award - Flahertiana, Perm, Russia, 2006

production info:
Armadillo Film
Postbus 51056
1007 EB Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 627 3272
Fax: + 31 20 627 3265
info@armadillofilm.nl
www.armadillofilm.nl

sales info:
First Hand Films World Sales
Schaffhauserstrasse 359
8050 Zürich - Switzerland
Tel: +41 1 312 2060
Fax: +41 1 312 33080
info@firsthandfilms.com
www.firsthandfilms.com

filmography:
With Love, Me, 1994 / Turkish Delight, 1995 / You Have to Do It Yourself, 1996 / Through Our Own Eyes in Sarajevo, 1996 / Endless Start , 1997 / Solidair, 1998 / Genoa Through My Own Eyes, 2001 / An Italian Story, 2002

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