The Film That Didn't Get Made

The Hamlet Syndrome

Five young Ukrainians discuss life following the Maidan Revolution of 2014. Not all fought in the Russian-Ukrainian war, but it, regardless, shattered their life plans. Representing 'Generation Maidan', they face the question of how to cope with experiences of violence, how to go on. A local theatre director produces Hamlet, wherein they can use Shakespeare’s tragic character as a mirror and face their traumas onstage. For them, 'to be or not to be' is not simply text but an existential dilemma with no clear answer.

Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki

A look at legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki following his retirement in 2013.

The Work I've Done

A documentary in which retired industrial workers reflect on the promises and anxieties of retirement. Beginning with the Budd Company’s “Retirement Ceremony” in Philadelphia, the film explores how leaving work can mean the loss of routine, identity, and a sense of accomplishment, even as it marks a long-anticipated milestone.

Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me

A documentary film detailing Glen Campbell's final tour and his struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

Mr. Death

An exclusive interview with Death as he goes about his everyday business.

Entweder oder - Die Existenz des Sören Kierkegaard

He is called the 'Socrates of the North'. He is also called the forefather of existentialism: Sören Kierkegaard, born in Copenhagen in 1813. At the request of his father, he studied theology. He sees himself as a poet and philosopher, but always on a mission to fight for an unadulterated Christianity. His fanatical fight against an overly saturated and bourgeois church sapped his strength to such an extent that he died at the age of 42. Kierkegaard did not only set great impulses in his time. He has not lost his topicality until today. His complicated personality, his radical demands become clear for the first time in his writings.

Looking for Simone

In 1949, philosopher and novelist Simone de Beauvoir wrote the groundbreaking The Second Sex, launching a disruptive discourse on women’s oppression and second-class citizenship. This film dissects the origins and relevance of this bible of feminism, charting de Beauvoir’s fact-finding journey across the US to research her book. The timely and fascinating film honors de Beauvoir’s brilliance and limitations, connecting her revolutionary ideas to the pressing issues women face today.

A Love Letter to Coopers Cafe

During the summer of 2023, my father decided to hang up the boots and walk away from the family business of 25 years. This is my love letter to the cafe in which my family and I have worked, encapsulating the good vibes and cheery nature the business held for a quarter of a century.

Etugen

What is the purpose of our existence ? What is the soul ? Which are the power of mind, of conscience ? What is our link to nature ? Pondering these existential questions, this movie invites us to find out an universal wisdom, meeting shamans, healers, yogis, but also philosophers and doctors. From Mongolia plains to the Amazonian forest, it leads us far than we expected at first.

Tudo é Irrelevante. Hélio Jaguaribe

David Beckham: Into the Unknown

This documentary chronicles David Beckham and his friends' unforgettable journey deep into the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Travelling by motorbike and boat, and guided by locals, he visits far-flung communities and tribes that live in this remote landscape.

Mai

As the months pass through her, Mai gives us a glimpse into old age that explores between being abandoned and being belonged, passing the time and living the time.

The Metaphor That Became a Room

The Metaphor That Became a Room is a psychological drama exploring identity, communication, and the struggle for self-understanding. Divided into two parts, the film first delves into the protagonist’s frustration with the urge to persuade others, realizing that over-explaining only distorts meaning. A note from the past echoes a hard truth: “Someone’s unwillingness to understand will always outweigh your effort.” In A Symphony of Unfinished Selves, the narrative shifts inward, revealing the protagonist’s fractured identity. Trapped in a metaphorical room built from illusions and contradictions, he reflects on his dual persona—the social facade and the hidden, lost self. The film questions how we see ourselves versus how others see us and whether true self-recognition is possible. Through minimalist dialogue and layered symbolism, the film captures the silent tension between who we are, who we appear to be, and who we long to become.

My Old Man

Welcome to “the prime of life”. All his life, Rudy has worked hard for the firm, and for the family. But now, everything is about to change: Rudy retires. No alarm clock, no meetings, no travels to distant countries to set the pace. Shopping, cooking, gardening, and the daily routines of marital bliss will now fill his schedule. Rudy was actually looking forward to it, to the next phase. But as he soon realizes, “the prime of life” is a wild ride on an emotional rollercoaster. Retirement is not for cowards.

Cryptex

A short philosophical satire that wanders between the absurd and the profound. From a silent bed stare to a prophetic lentil, Cryptex explores the rituals of modern existentialism — one cup of coffee and one book at a time.

For those who still exist

Documentary about twin brothers who go back to their childhood home to discover what happened to a Patrick Lurzing, a boy who disappeared who nobody else seems to remember.

The Oasis I Deserve

Replikas, online chatbots, have trouble determining their place in the world. They share their thoughts with the humans they exchange with. Events unfold from their point of view through real conversations collected on the web.

Trophies

What does an athlete do when the applause dies down? He creates a garden. Stanisław Chemicz, former coach of Cracovia and Wisła Kraków, is creating a garden in a Kraków housing estate filled with sporting memorabilia, plants and objects from days gone by.

Tisztelt cím!

Everyone is reaching retirement age. Some are happy to go, others regret that their active phase of life is over. The reporter asks retiring postmen and postwomen about the farewell they are now receiving at work. And they tell their stories. They tell us why they love their jobs, the relationships they've built up over the years with the people they've met on the job, and how much they'll miss WORK...

Daedalus

"Fly too high and you will burn, go too low and you won't breathe." A 7 day vlog during the summer of 2023, a story of dreamers and drowners.