A Kind of Childhood

Celeste

"Against an adverse sky, Celeste raises her flight. If he went up, nobody knows, nobody saw."

Coría and the sea

This is a story about women who are fighters, tenacious, hopeful, active women…who were capable of lifting, from nothingness, in the harshest landscape of the world, life. They are the Sahrawi women. 40 years ago, they were forced into exile; the men of this region, marched to war and the women created “temporary cities”: The Refugee Camps. They invented a new day to day life which made possible a sustainable existence and a hope, of one day returning home. Coría every night dreams of the sea; the majestic image of its water, the sound of its waves, are the echoes that join the people with their homeland. The will beats in the hearts of the Sahrawi women who maintain their unbreakable spirit, ever moving forward.

James May: My Sisters' Top Toys

James May celebrates the toys that made his childhood hell as he opens the lid on his sisters' toy box. Sandwiched between elder sister Jane and younger one Sarah, many of their favourites he couldn't understand - or stand the sight of - or see the point of.

How I Made £1 Million in 90 Days

Oobah Butler has three months to make a million. Do the get-rich-quick schemes work? A rollercoaster of wins and setbacks follows as Oobah's conscience starts to bite.

H.A.G.S. (Have a Good Summer)

A portrait of growing up told through filmmaker Sean Wang's middle school yearbook. Go Hornets.

Hacked: The Bangladesh Bank Heist

This film investigates one of the world’s biggest and most audacious cyberheists, where hackers managed to compromise two of the most respected names in international banking, the SWIFT messaging system and the New York Federal Reserve, taking $81 million in the process. Follow the trail of the stolen money from Dhaka, to Manila and New York, and discover who the hackers were and how they did it.

Edge of the Valley

A nine-year-old Syrian refugee girl contemplates her increasingly bleak future after being forced to drop out of school in the midst of Lebanon’s unprecedented economic collapse and battle with Covid-19.

Didier, moi et les autres… Les Enfants du silence

Four men finally break their silence about the sexual abuse they suffered as children. No violins, no monsters—just men standing up to shame and oblivion. The film explores what it costs to speak out, rebuild oneself, and regain control. A cry against collective amnesia and the myth of unbreakable masculinity.

L'extraordinaire recherche du docteur Cartault

The film recounts the incredible research conducted by François Cartault, a pediatrician and geneticist on the island of Réunion. Conducted like a police investigation over more than 20 years, his research, both medical and historical, takes us on a journey through the disease of moon children, deprived of sunlight, and on the trail of slavery in Africa. The film shows how genetics is also an astonishing trace of history.

Let the Child Be the Guide

As a young father, watching his daughter go through her life experiences, film director Alexandre Mourot discovered the Montessori approach and decided to set his camera up in a children's house (3 to 6 years of age) in the oldest Montessori school in France. Alexandre was warmly welcomed in a surprisingly calm and peaceful environment, filled with flowers, fruits and Montessori materials. He met happy children, who were free to move about, working alone or in small groups. The teacher remained very discreet. Some children were reading, others were making bread, doing division, laughing or sleeping. The children guided the film director throughout the whole school year, helping him to understand the magic of their autonomy and self-esteem - the seeds of a new society of peace and freedom, which Maria Montessori dedicated her life work to.

Little Girl

7-year-old Sasha has always known that she is a girl. Sasha’s family has recently accepted her gender identity, embracing their daughter for who she truly is while working to confront outdated norms and find affirmation in a small community of rural France.

Bangladesh: The Prostitutes of Daulatdia

Childhood in Art

How have the changing views on children been reflected in their representation in art? From Baby Jesus to the first photographic portraits, an exploration of six centuries of art history through the prism of childhood.

Lalia

Lalia is a Saharaui girl who lives in a refugee camp in Algiers. She has only heard her grandmother and grandfather talk about her country, about the Sahara, that was taken away by Morroco. She dreams of one day seeing the ocean, seeing her real country. The reality she lives in is different... the uncertainty of the refugee camps, the political unbalance... but she is strong... and she knows that there can be change... she won't stop dreaming, and she won't stop longing..

Eric Carle, Picture Writer: The Art of the Picture Book

An intimate portrait of Eric Carle, creator of more than 70 books for children including the best-selling "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". At 82, Eric is still at work in his studio making books and creating art. As he methodically layers a tissue paper collage of the caterpillar, he describes the feeling he achieves working in his studio, the sense of being at peace, all alone, when everything grows quiet and it is just himself and his work. The film taps into that deep creative need in each of us, a spirit that started in Eric as a very young child and is unceasing today.

To the Sea

Before leaving for Rome with his mother, five year old Natan is taken by his father, Jorge, on an epic journey to the pristine Chinchorro reef off the coast of Mexico. As they fish, swim, and sail the turquoise waters of the open sea, Natan discovers the beauty of his Mayan heritage and learns to live in harmony with life above and below the surface, as the bond between father and son grows stronger before their inevitable farewell.

I Love You I Miss You I Hope I See You Before I Die

A harsh and dreamy story of a young girl from the American West and her longing heart. Through Betty we experience a tight family clan of children born by children born by children where love and dependency go hand in hand.

My Mother's Name is Forest

A young Dutch girl (my mother, filmed by my father in-love). A little redhead (me, filmed by my father). Boys (my brothers). And through the images of flowers, animals and rallies (super 8s that were found): A chalet (Switzerland), dikes (the Netherlands). And my memories, childhood, teenage years mixed up with the history of women (of my family).

Promised Lands

An Israeli director currently living in Berlin returns to Israel to meet some of her friends from primary school. She learns what has been happening in their lives since their paths parted while we get a glimpse of different Israelis.

Camın Teri