Sport

What if the only evidence of a crime is the testimony of a parent translating the words of her child? Rubens is a carefree, charismatic swimming instructor who finds himself accused of displaying inappropriate affection toward one of his students by the boy’s mother. Other parents and colleagues are only too eager to condemn him. Jabor’s incisive, unsettling debut maintains an intriguing, tension-filled air of mystery even as it exposes our own propensity to pass judgment. More

Irene lives in a crumbling house in the outskirts of Rio with her husband and her four sons. Her teenage son Fernando is a local handball star and when he’s scouted to play professionally in Germany, the family has only a few weeks to ready his departure and say goodbye. The perspective of Fernando leaving is a shock and a big change in Irene’s life but also a chance to see herself as a woman again and not just as a mother. Irene gets her high-school diploma, finds a new job and pushes forward with plans for a new family home. More

This is the story of Yuma a strong-willed and rebellious girl from the poor neighborhoods of Managua who dreams of being a boxer. Managua, today. Yuma wants to be a boxer. In her poor neighborhood, gangs fight for control of the street. In her home, lovelessness is the name of the game. She dreams of the ring, energy and agile feet and hands. They are also her only options. A street, a theft, a chance encounter: Yuma meets Ernesto, a journalism student from the other side of the city. More

Bethlehem is a neighbourhood in the city of Bern where immigrants from over 30 nations have settled. At the centre of this film is the junior team of the Bethlehem Football Club. In this team, the majority are immigrants between 15 and 16 years old. The film also portrays – along with football – their everyday lives at school, vocational training and leisure time. More

Alongside the southernmost urban centre in Africa, separating city from ocean, lies an unusual strip of land. The Sea Point Promenade - and the public swimming pools at its centre - forms a space unlike any other in Cape Town.  Right here, slightly away from the hustle and bustle of the business area, life is most paraded most unapologetically in all its forms… Over-made-up power-walkers speed past homeless persons kissing above the rocks and rent boys waiting for the next pick-up. More

Jeffrey Levy-Hinte has brought the disparate and unedited film of Zaire '74 together into one coherent form for the first time. The rainchild of South African musician Hugh Masekela and American record producer Stewart Levine, Zaire '74 was a three-day music festival that took place in Kinshasa in 1974. The event assembled America's biggest rhythm and blues talents – including James Brown and the Mighty JBs, Bill Withers, B.B. King, and the Spinners – along with top African acts such as Miriam Makeba and Afrisa. More

In a tiny village on the northeastern coast of Brazil, the young fisherman Jusce scrapes out a living by diving 30 meters with rudimentary equipment for lobster. His ‘prize’ at the end of a long day of risky work is sitting close to Ana as she savors the drama of urban sophisticates on her favorite soap opera. Ana dreams of leaving the village to see the world. Jusce is content with the life he leads. Jusce’s old fishing buddy - Rogerio - returns from the big city for holidays. With his Buggy he drives around the dunes and scores Ana’s immediate attention. More

Barreto’s film offers yet another retelling of Shakespeare’s famous tale of star-crossed lovers. Instead of feuding families whose hatred leads to violence and death, Barreto serves up two families with opposing soccer team loyalties in soccer-mad Brazil. The movie takes place in São Paulo: The gorgeous Julieta (Luana Piovani) is the beloved daughter of Alfredo Baragatti (Luiz Gustavo), who himself is a lifelong Palmeiras fan as wella s a member of the Board of the Palmeiras Soccer Club. More

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Lagaan takes place in the small village of Champaner, now in the State of Gujarat, in western India during the height of the British Empire in India in 1893. Captain Andrew Russell, the commanding officer of the Champaner cantonment, has imposed high taxes (lagaan) on people from the local villages which they are unable to pay due to a prolonged drought. Led by Bhuvan, the villagers beg Raja Puran Singh to help them. He tells them that much to his regret, he is also bound by British law. It is after their visit to the Raja that the people of the village first witness a cricket match. More

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