DocHouse Shorts: New Voices, New Media

Runtime: 1h 18min Certificate: TBC
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Runtime: 1h 18min Certificate: TBC

In this world of hyper-content creation, how do you get noticed? How do the stories that matter get seen?

The screening will be introduced by the Bertha DocHouse shorts programmer Sean Parnell.

You’ll need to find a unique voice – and the perfect platform. These short but perfectly formed documentaries dive into the lives of young activists who have found a way to get noticed and stand out from the crowd.

Three short films from Germany, Cuba and Sudan offer surprising insight into social commentary and the reality of young activism around the world in tumultuous times. The lineup:

Following Valeria
Germany | 33mins | 2023 | Nicola Fegg

After the Russian invasion, a young Ukrainian woman becomes an accidental TikTok star when sharing her funny takes on an awful situation.

In March 2022, as Russian troops invade Ukraine and head for the capital Kyiv, 20-year-old Valeria posts accounts of life with her family in a bomb shelter to TikTok. Trying to stay positive in an otherwise hopeless situation, her ironic missives from the bunker go viral and she becomes an unexpected ambassador for those terrorised and displaced by the war. Caught between the experience and image of both a refugee and an internet celebrity, her support is matched by harsh online criticism and confrontation.

DINAMITA
Cuba, Germany | 26mins | 2022 | Paola Calvo, Steffen Köhn

Dina_Stars and ComePizza are among the first generation of YouTubers in Cuba. After Dina experiences an attempted sexual assault, she begins to dedicate her channel to women’s rights issues. Her political activism, however, provokes repercussions when Cuba experiences the biggest anti-government protests in decades.

Content Guidance: contains references to sexual assault.

Suddenly TV
Sudan, Qatar | 19mins | 2023 | Roopa Gogineni

In April 2019, after the fall of President Omar al-Bashir, Sudanese people from across the country congregate in Khartoum to demand civilian rule. Demonstrators occupy the military headquarters. As the weeks pass, the besieged protest grows into a utopian settlement with library tents, communal kitchens, concerts, and health clinics. In this liminal space, a group of young revolutionaries create an imaginary television station – a playful act that grows into an urgent conjuring of a new Sudan.

Content Guidance: contains graphic images of a massacre.

Screening times and booking

Wed 27th Sep 18:30

Prices

Peak: £9 (£7 concessions)

Prices

Peak: £9 (£7 concessions)