Documentary films at ZFF in competition: Time, Mayor, Jacinta, I am Greta
The 16th Zurich Film Festival has 12 documentary films in competition. Vivamost selected four for you:
TIME
by Garrett Bradley
Documentary Competition
- Genre: DOC: Social & Human Interest
- Country, Year: USA, 2020
- Runtime: 81 Min
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: German
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Time – credit photo ZFF
21 years ago, Sibil Fox Richardson and her husband, Rob, robbed a bank. While she was sentenced to three and a half years behind bars, he was sentenced to 60 years in Louisiana’s state prison. The African-American is now a successful entrepreneur, author and mother of six children, all of whom have had to grow up without their father. For two decades, Sibil has fought unwaveringly for her husband’s pardon – all the while capturing family life on film. Far more than just a personal legal battle, Sibil’s struggle is a fierce resistance against the racist structures of the American judicial system. Director Garrett Bradley virtuously interweaves Sibil’s home videos with her own footage to create a touching odyssey. Although this epic and dramatic long-term documentary is an urgent commentary on the mass arrests of People of Colour in the USA, TIME is first and foremost the poetic revelation of a family caught between separation, longing and hope.
Sept 24 at 9 pm Kosmos 6
Sept 27th at 4 pm Arthouse Picadilly
Sept 30th at 3.30 pm at Corso 4
Oct 2nd at 9.30pm at FilmPodium
MAYOR
by David Osit
Musa Hadid’s credo is simple: First comes the provision of basic urban services, then comes politics. But even in his second term of office as mayor of Ramallah, the de facto capital of Palestine, Hadid’s communal work is dominated by regional conflict. Surrounded by Israeli settlements, Ramallah is only a stone’s throw away from Jerusalem. Every day, the charismatic Hadid hurries from appointment to appointment and, while inspecting a dilapidated school building and organizing a Christmas party, he suddenly finds himself face to face with Israeli soldiers violently attacking protesters. At a time of intense upheaval, as the U.S. moves its embassy to Jerusalem, MAYOR provides unique insights into the work of a mayor who fights for the dignity of his city and the Palestinian people. Director David Osit opens up a fresh perspective on a place that is underrepresented, not only in film, and also on the suffocating burden of occupation.
Mayor credit photo ZFF
Sept 24th at 7 pm Arthouse Picadilly
29th Sept 1pm Corso 4
Oct 1st 9.30pm Filmpodium
Oct 3rd at 6.15pm Arthouse Picadilly
- Genre: DOC: Social Interest & Politics
- Country, Year: Palestine, USA, UK, 2020
- Runtime: 90 Min
- Languages: Arabic, English
- Subtitles: English, German
JACINTA
by Jessica Earnshaw
26-year-old Jacinta has come to the end of a nine-month prison sentence at Maine Correctional Center, the same prison where her mother, Rosemary, is serving her time. In addition to their intimate relationship, mother and daughter are also united by a sad truth: both are convicted criminals and drug addicts. Their family history is marked by a cycle of drug use and imprisonment that has been repeated over generations. A vicious circle that Jacinta wants to break for the sake of her own daughter, 10-year-old Caylynn. This documentary accompanies Jacinta over a period of three years, highlighting her daily struggle as she attempts to get her life back on track, stay sober and maintain her relationship with Caylynn. Shot from a strictly female perspective, director Jessica Earnshaw tells a story of dependence and the hereditary nature of trauma. She provides a deeply touching insight into the causes and devastating effects of addiction.
Sept 26th at 9.15 pm at Corso 4
Sep 27th at 7pm at Arena 3
Oct 1st at 4pm at Kosmos
Oct 3rd at 8.45 pm at Corso 4
Jacinta credit photo ZFF
- Genre: DOC: Drugs & Addiction
- Country, Year: USA, 2020
- Runtime: 105 Min
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: German
I AM GRETA
by Nathan Grossman
In August 2018, Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Sweden, starts a school strike for the climate. Why should she worry about her future at school when adults don’t worry about her future on earth? Within months, her action develops into a global movement. Thousands of young people follow her example and take to the streets, while Greta is appointed the figurehead of a whole generation. Director Nathan Grossman has accompanied the young Swedish woman at close quarters: from the first day of protest in Stockholm to the halls of parliaments around the world – but also to the places secluded from the public eye, where she forges out her next plans. He reveals a personality that is as fascinating as it is fragile: a shy schoolgirl with Asperger’s syndrome, a girl who becomes an overnight global pop star, and the demanding side effects of the personality cult that follows her. I AM GRETA is the differentiated portrait of a strong personality.
I AM GRETA credit photo ZFF
Sept 25th at 6.45pm at Kosmos 1
Sept 28th at 3.30pm at Filmpodium
Oct 2nd at 6.15pm at Arthouse Le Paris
Oct 3rd at 1.15pm at Kosmos 1
- Genre: DOC: Portrait
- Country, Year: Sweden, 2020
- Runtime: 97 Min
- Languages: English, Swedish
- Subtitles: English, German
For more documentary films please check here. Please contact us and let us know which films you like the most.
