MIFF 68½ – Documentary Shorts (presented by Abercrombie & Kent)

3 Logical Exits (2020)

Directed, photographed & produced by Mahdi Fleifel

A bleak look at the prospects of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. The Danish-Palestinian director grew up in one of these camps, and returns here to visit Reda, a 29-year-old man he has interviewed sporadically since the age of 10 (and has been in a camp since he was 13). The contrast of older colour footage with modern B&W footage emphasises the bleakness of Reda’s prospects, as the situation has worsened in the past 3 years. The director also talks to a refugee worker about the “3 logical exits” available to refugees (drugs, joining a faction, fleeing the country) and we learn from Reda which option he’s preparing to take.

All Cats Are Grey in the Dark [Nachts sind alle Katzen grau] (2019)

Directed by Lasse Linder

Follows a period in the life of cat dad Christian and his two fluffy grey cats, Marmelade and Katjuscha. The cats are pretty relaxed and accompany Christian on his shoulders wherever he goes. There are some cute shots of Christian spinning the cats around in a shopping trolley, and sitting with them in a ski lodge listening to some tacky techno. Marmelade comes into heat at the beginning, so Christian drives her to a home with a tom cat and shares a wordless cup of tea with the other cat’s companion while their “children” go at it. The final section follows Christian as he takes Marmelade for an ultrasound, pampers her through pregnancy, ensures that Katjuscha doesn’t feel neglected, and greets the new kittens as a proud grandparent.

Birds of Paradise [Les Oiseaux du Paradis] (2019)

Written, directed & produced by Aline Suter (cinematographer) & Céline Carridroit (editor)

A heterosexual woman tells the story of her life with HIV via photograph albums, home movie footage and extracts from old nature documentaries featuring the flora and birdlife of Guadalupe. Her journey begins with infection by her partner when it was believed to be a homosexual-exclusive disease and moves on through his death, her remarriage, the birth of a disease-free daughter, and passing the threshold of full-blown infection before culminating in her successful treatment.

Playback [Ensayo de una Despedida] (2019)

Written, directed & narrated by Agustina Comedi (aka La Delpi)

A personal reminiscence of the Argentinean drag scene and those who didn’t survive the AIDS crisis, using footage of the era to celebrate the good times and pay homage to those lost. The director was a performer within the scene and provides her personal reminiscences, with particular focus on one of the people who didn’t make it through.

Sky Aelans (2020)

Directed by Daniel Kakadi (cinematographer), Neil Nuia (co-producer), Mannar Levo (cinematographer), Junior Patrick Kauha Makau (cinematographer), Zahiyd Namo (cinematographer), Regina Lepping, Jeremy Gwao, Georgianna Lepping & Edward Manuga

A direct plea from Indigenous Solomon Islanders for the preservation of their ecosystem, sacred sites and way of life. A concisely edited showcase of their flora and fauna, the beauties of their natural environment, the spiritual significance of the mountain regions, their village life and connection to the land, all within 6 minutes. Accompanied by a combination of field recordings, original score and traditional music.

Umbilical (2019)

Directed & produced by Danski Tang

An animated film about surviving abuse. Cells divide in the initial stages of life and streams of red combine to form an umbilical cord, representing the bond between mother and daughter. Over these images, the director recalls her father beating her mother. The conversation turns to the Danski’s experiences at school, accompanied by expressionistic depictions of her sense of dislocation, disorientation and disempowerment. Despite the subject matter, the conversation is natural, open and friendly, indicating that she and her mother have been able to heal and move forward.

Up at Night [Nuit Debout] (2019)

Written & directed by Nelson Makengo

Documents the struggles of a community within the Democratic Republic of the Congo to generate light during an extended period without electricity, thanks to the depredations of local gangs destroying electrical cables which the community members can’t afford to repair. Told in an experimental style using three side-by-side camera images in mostly dark environments, with each new light source providing a glow which takes up most of the image but reveals little else. While this is an effective method of conveying the experience of living through those events, I could discern so little of what was happening within the squashed images that I couldn’t connect with the material. Hopefully this experience would be different on a cinema screen.

MIFF 68½ – Mayor (2020)

Mayor (2020) is a fascinating documentary which provides a glimpse into the daily life of a municipal official whose job is more affected by major geopolitical concerns than most.

Since 2012, Musa Hadid has been Mayor of Ramallah, the de facto capital of Palestine, which is located 10 km north of Jerusalem in the disputed West Bank territory. Director David Osit (who is also the producer, cinematographer & co-editor) follows Musa over a period of two years as he conducts council meetings, visits locations in need of refurbishment, spends time with his family, and generally works to make his city better. Musa comes across as calm, friendly and approachable throughout, even during the more volatile situations which might be expected in such a precariously positioned city.

Musa’s background prior to becoming Mayor was in civil engineering, which is reflected in his quick assessment of the infrastructure during his site visits. While visiting a building site in Old Town, a section of the city in great need of reconstruction, Musa points out to an overly zealous builder that his plans to redevelop a house will destroy the only public toilet for women in the area and is insistent that the maintenance of these facilities takes priority. He visits crop sites which have been polluted by run-off from the surrounding Israeli settlements, a situation over which he has little control. Later in the film we hear him lament about the need for all major construction to be approved by Israel – it took 15 years for a new cemetery to be approved, and they have still been unable to make any progress on the approval of a sewage treatment plant.

Early in the film we see Musa presiding over the city’s Christmas celebrations. It was a jarring experience to see Palestinians singing Jingle Bells around a huge fully-lit Christmas tree in the city square while people in Santa suits rappel down the side of a building. Presiding over the celebration, Musa speaks about lighting the tree “with the light of Jesus Christ” and shares his hopes for freedom and independence. This communal experience of tolerance is quickly contrasted with Trump’s announcement that the US will move their embassy to Jerusalem, the consequences of which hang over the rest of the documentary. At first, these events are depicted in an almost farcical manner – Musa doesn’t typically follow the media, especially in relation to Trump, and doesn’t learn about the speech until told by a priest a couple of days later. He’s never used the television in his office, and when he asks whether he can watch the news he’s told that the TV has never been hooked up to cable. He has to ask for a radio and a daily newspaper to learn more, and when he asks the next day why he doesn’t have a radio yet, he’s met with surprise that he might had wanted it immediately. When consulting with council members later, and discussing the need to switch off the Christmas lights so that they are not targeted by soldiers, he has to veto the needlessly inflammatory suggestion from one person that they should instead emblazon the tree with the message “Jerusalem is our capital”.

As the US increases their posturing on what they see as a religious matter, it remains clear that at the local level, religion isn’t a primary factor. In response to a statement from Pence about protecting Palestinian Christians, Musa makes a statement that they don’t want or need religious protection, but rather the protection of an occupied people who are constantly subjected to military intrusions. He visits the vicinity of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers, trying to gauge the extent of what is going on for himself – but he retains the composure to provide friendly greetings to children who have come up to say hello and shake his hand in the middle of this turmoil. Towards the end of the film we once again see Musa remaining calm while witnessing City Hall being surrounded by Israeli soldiers, even when residue of the tear gas being used affects those inside.

Rather than focusing on the futility and helplessness that could be evoked in the face of events larger than the city itself, David Osit chooses to celebrate the Mayor’s determination to do what he can to maintain his people’s dignity and improve his city. Plans for a fountain in Al-Manara Square have progressed throughout the film, and despite damage to the fountain during one of the incursions, the film closes with the opening ceremony of the illuminated fountain. The credits roll as colours sparkle across the waters, to the accompaniment of “Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò)” by Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman.

Some reviews of this documentary have an odd tone, describing it as “hilarious” or like “a lost season of Veep“. Comments like these strike me as patronising, as if viewing the situation from a comfortably ironic distance. Overall, the film provides an affectionate portrait of a leader who is engaged with his community and tries to provide hope and dignity to his people in difficult circumstances.