DOCUMENTARY FILMS
A Pretty Awesome Girl, reż. Monika Meleń, Polska 2018, 9 min.
A Pretty Awesome Girl is a movie about a strong woman who after the diagnosis of MS does not break down, on the contrary - she just starts to fight for herself. Izabela Sopalska - Rybak not only founds the Kulawa Warsaw foundation, thanks to which it eliminates architectural barriers in the capital, but also becomes a champion in wheelchair rugby. He inspires others, works and, above all, loves to wear high heels.
Shock Waves, reż. Kineret Hay-Gillor, Izrael 2017, 70 min.
Three stories about three families who live every day with the consequences of wars and the terror attacks in Israel.
How to Describe the Size of a Plan, reż. Szymon Jan Sinoff, Polska 2019, 19 min.
Przemek takes on his first-and-final bicycle trip. Due to a rare genetic disease he gradually loses his eyesight, and will be blind in a few years. Coming to terms with his inevitable future turns out to be tougher than the hardships of his challenge. While this adventure and the people he meets along the way enrich him, he finds no relief to his great loneliness.
Julek, reż. Bartosz Toboła, Polska 2019, 27 min.
It would be difficult to describe fascination Julek experiences when he sees a performance of the Cracow Choir for the first time. Despite his autism, he is not an "excluded hero". He participates. He comes to rehearsals, beats out the rhythm, sings. At home, together with his mother, he learns the lyrics which often evokes personal, emotional tensions. 'Julek' is a film about a need to fit into the world, despite the inherent sense of difference, loss and inevitable farewells.
Michail and Daniel, reż. Andrei Zagdansky, USA/Ukraina 2018, 63 min.
Michail is an artist. He works on a series of paintings called 'Franz Kafka’s Diary'. His son Daniel is thirty-four, yet his life is barely separable from his father's life. He is deaf-mute, and suffers from a severe form of cerebral palsy. The pair is unique and so is their story.
My Sandy Skin, reż. Inés Calero, Hiszpania 2018, 8 min.
My Sandy Skin tells the story of Paula Serrano, a contemporary dancer born with atopic dermatitis. Paula sees her disease as a creative process to go on and to accept her differences, those which make her beautiful.
A Brave One, reż. Stas Ivanov, USA 2019, 31 min.
This true and inspiring story is about a medical student who volunteers to save the lives of those on the front-lines against the forces of Muammar Gaddafi during the Libyan revolution in 2011. While collecting the injured, he is accidentally shot by one of the freedom fighters. This mistake costs him an ability to walk, but his courage and resilience do not stop him from moving forward.
Connected, reż. Aleksandra Maciejczyk, Polska 2018, 18 min.
Blind Krzysztof goes skiing with Wiola, his wife and guide. Bluetooth kits on their helmets connect them. While they go up the mountain, we learn about their life. The weather conditions change. When the couple reaches the summit, they must find each other in the fog. A film about love and passion.
Design-Ability, reż. Otoxo Productions, Hiszpania 2017, 33 min.
Design – ability is a short documentary that explores the value of difference through the experiences of Odile ,Joan, Quim, Carlo and Sophie and their unique approach to their lives, work and creativity.
Restoring Dignity, reż. Claire Jeantet, Fabrice Catérini, Francja 2018, 52 min.
Nigeria. Sakina is a little girl, Amina and Adamu are teenagers and Mulikat and Aliyu are adults who have lived with terrible physical and psychological consequences of noma for decades . While they suffer from pain, discomfort and discrimination, they are also on a life-changing journey to overcome years of isolation. Noma is a gangrenous and disfiguring infection.
Knight Stefan, reż, Agnieszka Kozaczka-Gralak, Polska 2019, 35 min.
'Knight Stefan' is a documentary that allows the viewers to see the world through the eyes of a three-year-old boy named Stefan suffering from the Down Syndrome . Stefan has a seven-year-old sister Kalina. Their relationship is based not solely on love, but also on fierce rivalry. In the meantime the second sister - Marysia is born. Stefan is jealous. The boy experiences drama he must cope with.
Happy Together, reż. Yen Kung Kuo, Tajwan 2017, 53 min.
Tika, living in the Netherlands, has worked as a "sexual caregiver" for more than 15 years. Kumashino, a sufferer of cerebral palsy living in Japan, partnered with a sex toy company TENGA to develop sex aids so that people with disabilities could also discover sexual pleasure by themselves. Traversing Asia, America and Europe, this is a documentary that explores the pursuit of sexual fulfilment by people with disabilities.
In the Hospice, reż. Lorenz Wetscher, Niemcy 2019, 25 min.
The movie gives a deep insight into life in the hospice. We follow Robert the nurse, who aligns his life after night shifts for several days through his work routine with the dying people, at night in the hospice.
Close Your Eyes and Fly, reż. Julia Pietrangeli, Włochy 2019, 39 min.
Sabrina, blind from birth, with great perseverance learns to pilot. She takes us to France where she attends a workshop organised by Les Mirauds Volants, the European Association of Visually Impaired Pilots. This story goes beyond overcoming disabilities, it's about the strength of those who live up to their own dreams: there are no barriers up in the clouds.
The Sign for Love, reż. Elad Cohen, Iris Ben Moshe, Izrael 2017, 73 min.
Elad was born deaf to a hearing family. After his mother’s tragic death and the breakdown of his family, he makes the most important decision of his life: to become a father.
The Signs, reż. Wojciech Klimala, Polska 2018, 56 min.
A life of a seemingly ordinary woman turns upside down when the Miss Deaf International crown lands on her head. While being in the spotlight, she has to face numerous miss duties, travels around the world participating in a TV talent show, fighting for the rights of the deaf - and in the middle of it all, unexpectedly, new love is born.
FEATURE FILMS
#head, reż. Steve Roberts, Wielka Brytania 2019, 4 min.
A short film about the long wait for a diagnosis for ADHD and Autism.
Circular Insanity, reż. Niklas Blum, Niemcy 2018, 5 min.
Starting on a train, a young woman sits quietly on a bench, calmly observing her surroundings. Something seems to be on her mind. After leaving the train, she continues on foot as her view of the world gets increasingly distorted. Chaos embarks inside her and she tries to flee from it. Running aimlessly and in panic, she questions her own perception of reality.
Stall, reż. Ryan Shovey, USA 2018, 7 min.
A woman gets stuck in a bathroom haunted by an unusual spirit.
Summertime, reż. Aleksandra Mazoń, Polska 2018, 42 min.
The film is about a thirty-year-old woman named Katarzyna who is extremely talented in arts. She works in a kindergarten which is considered by her mother as a disappointing choice as she expects Katarzyna to follow her footsteps and focus on building a career in art. Their relationship gets even more complicated when Katarzyna is diagnosed with a terminal illness. There is a chance though that Katarzyna could find a cure for her illness - will she go for it?
My Name is Petya, reż. Daria Binevskaya, Rosja 2019, 15 min.
At a winter night a mother with two young children gets into an isolation hospital. Extraordinary events which change the mother's life start to happen there.
Cross-Country, reż. Marco Baumhof, Niemcy 2017, 10 min.
Multiple scleroses turns Isabella's live into chaos. She is tired of everything and wants to break up with her boyfriend Tom. But he won't hear of it. Instead he shows Isa, that there still can be moments of happiness in her life.
Imperfect, reż. Cristian García Zelada, Peru 2019, 5 min.
A group of people with intellectual disabilities discuss whether it is worth including a regular person in their association.
Madness, reż. Jakub Drobczyński, Polska 2018, 22 min.
An uncle arrives to take back home his young nephew. He comes home for Christmas. On the way something strange begins to happen to him. But is it really his family home?
The Bird, reż. Sakari Sankkinen, Finlandia 2018, 9 min.
To lose the grip of your controlled life can be the scariest thing for a fragile young boy.
Whose Reality 2.0, reż. Nico Falcone Georgiadis, Szwecja 2019, 14 min.
A depressed taxi driver Elias loses his motivation to live when he loses his daughter. He goes to a therapist/psychologist. He also drives strangers and listens to their stories. Whose reality counts and how much can you listen without getting involved and is this safe in a world that divides us more and more?
Terror, reż. Yonatan Shehoah, Izrael 2018, 16 min.
Dan, who suffers from PTSD after being wounded in a terrorist attack, finds himself thrown together with his Arab co-workers when multiple terror attacks hit Jerusalem again.
Here and Now, reż. Aurélien Mathieu, Francja 2016, 6 min.
A little boy forces his mom to break free from a heavy secret so she can finally live fully here and now! During his quest for truth, the child gets help from an imaginary friend in a samurai armor.
Wiki, reż. Veronica Andersson, Polska 2017, 30 min.
Wiki is an autistic and curious young girl who has to face a really harsh reality of living with an alcoholic mother after her grandmother dies. Luckily amongst all this chaos she meets Mateusz - a huge fan of Warsaw city buses - who brings back real sunshine to her life.
We’re All Leaving, reż. Jonas Risvig, Dania 2019, 28 min.
A 22-year-old Jeppe suffers from autism and works in a camping shop in his home town Silkeborg. Everything seems chaos when a colleague suddenly decides to change all the systems in the shop. However, when a city girl Mynthe and her two girlfriends check into the camping site, Jeppe cannot concentrate on anything else but this strange girl.
The Lost Ones, reż. Maria Castillejo Carmen, Maëlle Grand Bossi, Elisabeth Silveiro, Francja 2018, 13 min.
A supermarket at the end of the day. While a few customers finish their groceries, a hooded intruder breaks into the store.
Do You Dance, Daddy?, reż. Miguel Monteagudo, Hiszpania 2019, 26 min.
Joaquín is a Parkinson's patient who, thanks to his daughter Sara, discovers that swing dancing can significantly improve his quality of life. But Parkinson's does not make it easy for them ...
AMATEUR FILMS
Good As…, reż. Maciej Książko, Polska 2019, 5 min.
She is sensitive. She helps everyone. She meets the homeless. She knows that her smile is not enough because he is hungry. What to do? Bread. This is a solution!
We Go, reż. Dorota Zjawińska, Jadwiga Osłońska, Polska 2019, 2 min.
The authors of the film have dreamt for a whole year to go to Koszalin in September. Therefore, there is a motif of a journey they want to make.
Who Do You Visit?, reż. Łukasz Waśniowski, Polska 2019, 10 min.
What to do when you lose a friend? If you used to talk with him every day. If everyday something reminds you about him.. How to find a new friend?
The Colour of Life, reż. Michael Njoroge, Grace W. Matu, Kenia 2018, 5 min.
The Colour of Life is a short film about a lady with albinism who struggles to survive in a discriminative, cultural African society in the twenty first century. This story strives to create awareness about the life threatening challenges faced by people with Albinism in Africa.
She didn’t Die, reż. Adam Górecki, Danuta Wróblewska, Polska 2018, 8 min.
When difficult moments in the history of a nation appear it is seen how much depends not only on the elites but on all of us.
Superhero, reż. Dariusz Janiczak, Polska 2019, 7 min.
A mysterious event takes place in a town. The main person mentioned by witnesses is a boy with a Down Syndrome – Marcin. What really happened and what does Marcin have to do with it?
NON-CONTEST FILMS
System Crasher, reż. Nora Fingscheidt, Niemcy 2019, 118 min.
Benni is nine and has no home because she refuses to accept all the foster homes and special care facilities that she is taken into. She wants to be with her mother, who already has a new relationship and no space for an older, difficult child.
Fugue, reż. Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Polska 2018, 103 min.
Alicja suffers from memory loss and has rebuilt her own free spirited way of life. Two years later she returns to her family and unwillingly resumes her role as a wife, mother and daughter. Her estranged husband and son do not recognize this woman who looks familiar but behaves like a stranger. Feelings of alienation, love rekindle her interior flame.
A Cat With a Dog, reż. Janusz Kondratiuk, Polska 2018, 102 min.
A bittersweet portrait of family relations inspired by true events. Filled with ironic humor, the story follows the life of an unconventional family in which conflicts and rivalry are intertwined with moments of affection and authentic intimacy. When Andrzej suddenly falls ill, his younger brother puts aside their differences and the wall of disagreements that has grown between them over the years, and decides to help his sibling in need.
Rolling to You, reż. Franck Dubosc, Francja 2018, 107 min.
Jocelyn is a successful businessman, selfish, misogynistic and a chronic liar. Fed up and bored, he sets out to seduce a pretty young care-taker who mistakenly thinks he is confined to a wheelchair. Adept at the art of the con, Jocelyn goes along with it until one day she introduces him to her sister Florence who actually is handicapped.
Maudie, reż Aisling Walsh, Irlandia, Kanada, 2016, 115 min.
„Maudie”, based on a true story, is an unlikely romance in which the reclusive Everett Lewis hires a fragile yet determined woman named Maudie to be his housekeeper. Maudie, bright-eyed but hunched with crippled hands, yearns to be independent, to live away from her protective family and she also yearns, passionately, to create art. Unexpectedly, Everett finds himself falling in love. Maudie charts Everett’s efforts to protect himself from being hurt, Maudie’s deep and abiding love for this difficult man and her surprising rise to fame as a folk painter.
Save and Die, reż. Frédéric Tellier, Francja 2018, 118 min.
Frank is one of the best firefighters in Paris. Their motto: to save or perish. Married with newborn kids, he is happy. Waiting for what all men like him are waiting for: test by fire. When that test arrives, Frank sacrifices himself, stuck in the blaze and rescuing his unit. He miraculously wakes up at the Serious Burn Unit and understands that his face melted in the flames and his body is changed forever. A long recovery process starts where Frank needs to accept to be saved as well.