Cronograf – 8 Caravan Titles in Competition

Mlčeti zlato , Czech Republic, 2010, 90 min, HD, Environmental, Personal View, Politics, Social Issues

Situated at the crossroads of global interests, Kyrgyzstan reflects the political rivalry between Russian and American influence, reveals the religious rivalry between Christianity and Islam, and lies between the economic predominance of China and Russia. All That Glitters examines how strange capitalism and democracy can be when introduced to a former Soviet country, where people who were never given autonomy are suddenly expected to make their own financial and political decisions.

Pa Rubika Celu , Latvia, 2010, 30 min, Digi Beta, Creative, Experimental

If the entire world can be reflected in a single drop of dew (and it can!), then why couldn’t it fit onto a single bicycle road in Latvia? A film about a world that walks, runs, crawls, sits, rides, flies. And falls. A world alive.

Koniec Rosji , Poland, 2010, 72 min, Digi Beta, Society

Alexei is a nineteen year old recruit being flown in to perform his military service on the frontier of northern Russia. The base is one of few such remaining outposts on the Arctic Ocean. There are five other seasoned and long serving soldiers stationed here, each with their own personal story or secret that has caused them to retreat from the real world. Their training and breaking in of the new arrival is sometimes humorous, at times harsh. Gradually, they each reveal something of themselves in their daily interactions and private moments as they continue their absurd duty in this snow covered no man's land, hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement.

Hotel Rai , Bulgaria, 2010, 54 min, Beta SP, Human Rights, Social Issues, Society

The young Demir dreams of a wedding. But his Roma tower block at the outskirts of a provincial town in Bulgaria is no place for romance. 25 years ago it had all it takes for panel socialist heaven: from parquet floors to intercom, the coveted hot water central, street lamps, benches under murmuring apple trees. Someone called the place Paradise Hotel – and the name stuck. But now? The parquet disappeared. The water stopped. The lights went off. And if you cross the field behind Paradise Hotel, you will see Bozhidar “The God Given” who protects everyone from evil and excessive happiness in a documentary about panel integration, love, misery, a lot of dreams, a little lyrics and one Gypsy wedding.

Auk Nr 8 , Estonia, Ukraine, 2010, 95 min, HD, Creative, Personal View, Social Issues

In the heart of a once thriving Ukrainian coal-mining region everybody digs – retirees, unemployed miners and even the children. Years ago, the town's desperate residents decided to start mining illegally; they excavate everywhere!!! The story focuses on the Sikanov family, which has three children. 15-year-old Yura, the grandson of a powerful Soviet plant director, is the head of the family working as a miner in the illegal pit. Most Jura wants to run his own cafe somewhere far from home, but the responsibility for the two sisters and looming economic crisis pushes his dreams in the distant future.

Lobotoomia , Belarus, Estonia, Germany, Poland, 2010, 57 min, Digi Beta, Creative, Current Affairs, Politics, Social Issues

Lobotomy is Yuri Khashchavatski's personal indictment of the Russian media's brainwashing tactics. Taking the recent war between Russia and Georgia as a point of departure, he illustrates how far removed actual events were from the conflict as it was reported on Russian state television. The director's own voice drives the argument, but journalists, military experts and politicians also have their say. The film intersperses interviews (live or via Skype) with archive footage that is, in turn, contrasted with amateur clips found on the Internet. Khashchavatski contends that "Montage is a powerful and insidious weapon." And he would be the one to know, because in addition to directing the film, he also edited it and its highly effective audio mix. He is a master of the art of irony as well. This personal account by the director suggests that the Russian state is not being governed according to democratic principles, but by a Mafia-style hierarchy.

Planeta Kirsan , Poland, 2010, 52 min, Digi Beta, Arts and Culture, Creative, Society

Over the hills and far away, in the middle of the Russian steppe, you will find Chess City. It was built by Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the first and only President of the Republic of Kalmykia, one of the smallest and poorest republics in the Russian Federation.In Kalmykia, there also lives a boy called Alekhan, who dreams of becoming the World Chess Champion. And his younger brother Amir, who shares the same dream.The road to make their dreams come true passes through the Chess Competition in Chess City.

Zachraňte Edwardse , Czech Republic, 2010, 80 min, Beta SP, Health, Society

For the purposes of this film, Edwards is a child; a long-awaited child of a loving couple, a child struck with a terrible and fatal mistake at conception. Edwards had an extra chromosome, one more than the exact number required for the development of a healthy baby. This flaw causes severe developmental disorders that cannot support life. The condition was first described by American medical scientist John Alexander Edwards, hence the name Edwards Syndrome. Considering modern prenatal diagnostics, it is very uncommon for such children to be born. In the majority of cases, the pregnancy is terminated. The parents of this child decided otherwise. The film follows the struggle of the parents to save a child who was buried by many long before being born.

Cinema Komunisto , Serbia, 2010, 100 min, Digi Beta, HD, Arts and Culture, Creative, History, Politics, Society

When reality has a different script from the one in your films, who wouldn't invent a country to fool themselves? Using rare footage from dozens of forgotten Yugoslav films, as well as never-seen-before archive from film sets and Tito’s private screenings, the documentary recreates the narrative of a country, the stories told on screen and the ones hidden behind it. Stars such as Richard Burton, Sofia Loren and Orson Welles add a touch of glamour to the national effort, appearing in super-productions financed by the state. Tito’s favorite film director, his projectionist who showed him films every night for 30 years, the most famous actor of partisan films, and the director of the film studios who was a secret policeman – all tell how the history of Yugoslavia was constructed on the screen. 2 x 52' version also available.

Negatív Magyar Filmtörténet , Hungary, 2010, 47 min, Beta SP, Archive , Arts and Culture, Creative

Reconstructions of unrealized Hungarian films in cooperation with the greatest Hungarian film directors.

Oko nad Prahou , Czech Republic, 2010, 78 min, 35 mm, DV, Arts and Culture, Portrait

An extraordinary tale of Jan Kaplicky, one of the most consummate visionaries of modern architecture. Shot over 3 years in the UK, Czech Republic and Italy, the film portrays Kaplicky at the height of his profession and the petty political gamesmanship that denied him his crowning achievement. His most audacious building would have been the Czech National Library, a triumphant return to his home country and vindication of his uncompromising philosophy. The organic design was too forward-looking for the political powers in Prague, however, and the architect tragically died uncertain whether his achievement would ever be realized.

Lumea vazuta de Ion B. , Romania, 2009, 60 min, HD, Arts and Culture, Portrait

Ion B. is a 62 year-old homeless man. His bed is a filthy foam mattress at the bottom of a garbage chute. Ion sorts through the daily household garbage of the block, avidly reading the books, magazines and newspapers he finds. Since the 70s he has been creating collages from them that he calls "my films".

Hranica , Slovak Republic, 2009, 72 min, 35 mm, History, Personal View, Politics

During the night of August 30, 1946, the village of Slemence on the eastern European border, was divided by the Red Army into two parts. One part, Veľké Slemence, remained in Slovakia [former Czechoslovakia]; the other part was renamed Malé Slemence and became a part of Ukraine [in the former Soviet Union]. The absurdly demarked border, similar to the famed Berlin Wall, divides estates, the cemetery, and closest families up to this day. This documentary pictures the bitter experience of people from Slemence, who dream of the opening of the most closely-watched border of the European Union.

Sanya i Vorobey , Russia, 2009, 52 min, DV, Creative, Personal View, Portrait

Documentary about an ordinary life of two workers demonstrates that behind problems and conflicts there are just ordinary human feelings and desires.