Sub/Version – Outdoor Documentary Film Cinema by Verzió at the Budapest Spring Festival
– Global themes, personal stories –
Between 6-8 May 2024, Verzió presents three new documentary films during the Budapest Spring Festival. Facing social injustice, political discrimination, or personal challenges, what strategies people choose – freeze, flee, or act to spur a change? Three moving films take you around the globe in search of answers.
The films will be screened in original language with Hungarian and English subtitles.
Tickets can be purchased on the website of the Budapest Spring Festival: https://budapestitavaszifesztival.hu/en/esemeny/szubverzio/
For the full program of the Budapest Spring Festival, check the website: https://budapestitavaszifesztival.hu/en/program/
Venue:
Városháza Passage, Budapest, Városház u. 9-11, 1052
PROGRAM:
6 May 20:00
Breaking Social (Fredrik Gertten, Sweden, 2023, 93’)
All societies are based on the idea of a social contract. We are told that if we work hard, if we treat others with respect, if we play by the rules, we will be rewarded. But then there’s the rule breakers. Those who make use of tax havens and reap profits without paying back to society. An assassinated investigative journalist in Malta. A river without water in Chile. Breaking Social looks at global patterns of kleptocracy and extractivism. When people reach a tipping point, they start to organize and protest. The film sets out to reimagine the building blocks of our societies and ignite the spark of hope that live within each of us by exploring the possibilities of overcoming injustice and corruption.
7 May 20:00
Beyond Utopia (Madeleine Gavin, US, 2023, 107’)
A suspenseful look at the lengths people will go to gain freedom, Beyond Utopia follows various individuals as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on Earth, a land they grew up believing was a paradise. Leaving their homeland is fraught with danger — severe punishment if caught and possibly even execution — as well as potential exploitation by unscrupulous brokers. Family members who remain behind also may face retribution. Yet these individuals are driven to take the risk. Gripping, visceral, and urgent, Madeleine Gavin’s film embeds the viewer with these family members as they attempt their perilous escape, palpably conveying life-or- death stakes.
8 May 20:00
Nice Ladies (Mariia Ponomarova, Netherlands, Ukraine, 2024, 92’)
With the recent escalation of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the seemingly unbreakable bond of a vibrant cheerleading team of 50+ year old women called “Nice Ladies” is challenged. They face impossible choices between motherland and grandmotherhood, between staying and leaving. Core team member Sveta flees with her family to the Netherlands, while captain Valia and coach Nadia stay behind in the repeatedly bombed city of Kharkiv. Torn apart, the ladies try to keep contact to hold on to their sanity amid terror, heartbreak, and the plague of Sveta’s survivor’s guilt. Will the team be able to reunite, save their sisterhood, and find a common language through the emerging scars of war?
The program is part of the Budapest Spring Festival, in cooperation with Verzió Documentary Film Festival and the Budapest Film Zrt.