Synopsis

“The more you see, the unhappier you become. Because you then start understanding, just how little you can actually change.” This statement out of Kosherland comes from a policeman, who, of all people, has clairvoyant powers. He drinks vodka with the criminal Jarik in broad daylight, while his two accomplices collect protection money from the Jewish shop owner next door. The fact that the other policeman notices nothing as well, since he is having a prolonged session on the toilet, makes Pyotr Magnus Nedov’s portrait of security authorities no less cynical. This Kosherland is located in the Latvian countryside. Its final frenzy of violence draws a picture of the sheer ignorance of the authorities; one that is all too accurate in many places of the world.

The film will be presented within the frame of SHORT FILM COMPETITION 2 together with the following productions:

The Chicken
GER/CRO 2014 | 15 min.
Language: Bosnian w. Engl. ST
Director: Una Gunjak
For her birthday, six-year-old Selma gets a living chicken from her father, who is currently serving the army. She now tries to save her present from ending up in the cooking pot. A compelling study of a family’s life under the horrors of war.

Albert
POL 2014 | 24 min.
Language: Polish w. Engl. ST
Director: Daniel Wawrzyniak
Albert leads a heteronomous life in an undisclosed factory. An above all visually impressive story of the longing for life in an industrial society, which is dominated by lifelessness.

Ucronia (Ukronija)
SRB 2014 | 29 min.
Language: Serbian w. Engl. ST
Director: Marko Backović
A murder caused by an innocent joke results in a violent frenzy. What if the quarrel never emerged? A black comedy about the possibilities of de-escalation, filled with bizarre caricature gangsters.

Ukrainian Lessons
UKR 2013 | 29 min.
Language: Ukrainian w. Engl. ST
Director: Ruslan Batytskyi
When an attractive new teacher arrives in a small Ukrainian town, a tremendously dynamic series of events is triggered. The hatred of young mine workers, accumulated in years without prospect, explodes in striking pictures of violence and destruction.

Invisible Spaces (Ukhilavi sivrtseebi)
GEO/USA 2014 | 10 min
Language: Georgian w. Engl. ST
Director: Dea Kulumbegashvili
The morning routine of a priest’s wife: breakfast, prayers, taking care of her husband. A silent glimpse on domestic hierarchies in a religious patrimony and the resulting emotional standstill.

Guests

Pyotr Magnus Nedov

Director Kosherland