The Third edition of the Beneath The River Danube will be held in Belgrade, Serbia.
31 films from 27 countries all over the world will be shown on November 10th, 2024.
Last three months we have lived an amazing experience watching 1223 films from 102 countries around the world.
With a great pleasure and happiness, we present films from this year’s official selection:
Assist – Maria Tsioli (Greece)
In an empty city, a girl runs towards a football match. Along the way, she encounters her friend in a yellow car, who tries to make her realize the futility of the chase and the solace that can only be found in their shared companionship. The two friends are two separate universes that will only connect when a third friend will appear. The last one will bring them back to reality, uniting their separate worlds.
Butterfly Maneuvers – Gor Margaryan (Germany)
Butterfly Manoeuvres’ is an experimental essay film based on old, private film footage of fighter planes. The film documents the preparations and training for war, recorded as historical evidence. An artful fusion of images and sounds creates a unique cinematic experience. It is interesting to note that the soundtrack does not always correspond exactly with the visual impressions. This deliberate discrepancy between image and sound was chosen to create new associations and perspectives. A central motif of the film is the contrast between the destructive fighter planes and the fragile, seemingly lost images of butterflies. This juxtaposition symbolises the transience and irreversible destruction caused by war. ‘Butterfly Manoeuvres’ is therefore not only a documentary record, but also a profound reflection on war, loss and the fleeting beauty of life.
Columba Urbica – Goran Radovanovic (Yugoslavia)
Belgrade, 1994. At the foot of a mediaeval fortress, in the centre of the city, Jasar Dzemalov lives in an illegally erected shanty, without water and electricity. In a city where a loaf of bread is priced at three and a half billion dinars, garbage bins have become the source of sustenance for many citizens of Belgrade, the competition around garbage bins is growing keener. Jasar loses his battle, but not the will to survive. Can the city’s pigeons provide enough calories for Jasar’s emaciated stomach?
Arid – Orlando Almeida (Spain)
A farmer arrives motivated to the market with his best fruits and vegetables, but his experience there leads him to question the value of his effort.
Food – Breech Asher Marfil Harani (Philippines)
Inspired by a true story, ‘PAGKAON’ follows the ordinary life of Marie, whose story is seen across time, through the perspective of the food she eats every 10 years, from the beginning until the end of her life.
Ocean Without a Floor – Amna Hadzic (United States)
After excerpts from an old journal are read by her granddaughter, Albertine, a retired novelist with dementia, recalls a lost memory of a person from her past.
My Crutch – Ahmad Tariq Hamad Hamad (Palestine)
Silence and childhood in a room transforms into chaos within a quick time series
The Baker – Nitzan Cohen (Israel)
“The Baker”, is an experimental video work that includes, cinema, performance, dance, and text work. The work wanders between dreaming and waking, between narrative and wild association, between spirit and matter, and examines the interrelationships between the edges of these concepts of thinking in the context of video work.
Corrientes – Beltran Pons (Argentina)
A young man wanders around Avenida Corrientes, waiting for his date to arrive.
I Have a Song to Sing You – Eluned Zoe Aiano (United Kingdom)
Ivanka spent most of her life falling into trance to enter the realm of the dead.
Stray Dog – Peter Vadocz, Agata Pisiewicz (Georgia)
We are all stray dogs at some point in our lives.
Picnic In Palavas – Hugues Beauregard & Mit Jarouble (Switzerland)
One guy eats fries on a beach, another one seeks birds and a curious connection seems to exist between these two.
The best moment of the day – Zsuzsa Sándor (Hungary)
Does everyone think about the best moment of the day in the evening? Do we value them or take them for granted? Do we even notice the little joys in life, that make us smile at the most unexpected moments? Are these moments passing by, or are we living them? Do we still invoke them in our weaker moments, or are they forgotten? Do we find meaning in our lives, or do we see everyday life as a big mess? The animated anthropological documentary seeks answers to these questions.
Wet Dremas – Gloria Ampofo (Ghana)
Sleep comes knocking on Ray’s door at an unwanted hour. He fights so hard to prevent himself from falling asleep due to his nightmares.
Affect – Sandro Khafor (Sweden)
A young ambitious, timid martial artist struggles to realize his full potential, at a club with a harsh culture where one day he meets a skilled fighter who abuses his position.
The Wish Room – Mohammad Rashidi Far (Iran)
A father who intends to fulfill the impossible wish of his disabled child.
Koce Forever – Nebojsa Ilic Ilke (Serbia)
A story about immeasurable human strength, about nobility born from pain, about humanity that we need in modern times more than ever before.
At The Border – Laurent Rouy (France)
In 2022, a wave of western emigrants in search of happiness, want to enter poor but happy Serbia. But this country closes its borders to the rich and builds an anti-migration wall. Arnaud, a French illegal immigrant, wants to join Jelena, the woman he loves, in Serbia.
The Choice – Lorenzo Mombelli (Italy)
Leonardo is undecided whether to leave so as not to be separated from his sister. Michael, who believes in his friend a lot, instead encourages him to travel.
The Stream XII-II – Hiroya Sakurai (Japan)
Human beings act on nature in order to keep their lives.
From their activities, several streams are generated and landscapes are transformed.
Gilgamesh – Shaqir Veseli (Albania)
Everything was watched by the God of this world.
There was no one anywhere who did not know him,
his knowledge and what he had done, acts were carved on stone slabs,
on stone slabs he carved all his sufferings.
The Last Sticker – Luca Dal Canto (Italy)
Two boys, an old cellar of the grandfather fan of Livorno soccer team, a mysterious stickers album and a journey to discover their own city.
The film goal was to bring back the fans’ passion for the team, after some years of disappointments and failures.
Yellow Skulls – German Oswaldo Jimenez Lozano (Colombia)
On a devastated planet, two cars are involved in a shocking chase. A girl whose world is extinguished has to face an extreme situation that will break her childhood into a thousand pieces.
Second Wind – Faustine Masingarbe (France)
Benji, a promising athlete, is tragically injured on his way to training. His hopes of success, so close at first, now seem beyond his reach. However, he will rise again.
The Veil of Thanatos – Blas Payri (Spain)
Film explores the conflict between Eros (the life drive) and Thanatos (the death drive) in Freudian theory. Named after the Greek god of death, Thanatos embodies the drive towards destruction and self-sabotage. The protagonist, overwhelmed by the internal tyranny of the superego, experiences guilt and unworthiness whenever seeking pleasure. As the death drive dominates, the character succumbs to this internal battle, veiling herself in darkness and surrendering her desires, leading to the emotional death.
Planet SOS – Md Shahadat Hossain (Bangladesh)
The weather around us is becoming increasingly strange. One moment it’s scorching sun, then suddenly thunderstorms. Are we blaming nature, or are we facing the consequences of our actions? Deforestation, pollution, and ecological imbalance—all are our creations. This film shows how our daily mistakes can lead to major disasters.
The n-th One – Laszlo Lenhardt, Jennifer Montenegro (Netherlands)
A young couple faces a life-altering decision when an unexpected pregnancy forces them to confront their uncertain relationship, all within the pressure of a six-minute countdown, where each second brings them closer to an irreversible choice.
Bird Drone – Radheya Jang Jegatheva (Australia)
A heartfelt story of unrequited love explored through a lonely seagull struggling to accept that his newfound object of affection is a human-operated drone with a limited battery life.
Fresh – Ignacio Rodo (Spain)
Large room in a dream apartment. Unbeatable location. Ready to move in. Plenty of light.
Tear Down the City – Hugo Dubé-Bouchard (Canada)
The video represent an infinite line trough trees, skyscrapers ended up in the subway heading home. All in the same city.
When You Return – Vicky Van Hemelrijck & Jonathan Van Hemelrijck (Belgium)
Two friends on the beach meet up once a year to escape reality.
BENEATH THE RIVER DANUBE, 2024