Filmoption International

A fertilizer used in a rich gated community becomes the source of a genetic mutation that transforms its residents into zombies. Can a teenager and his baby sister break free from the quarantined island before turning into grass?

GAZA brings us into a unique place beyond the reach of television news reports to reveal a world rich with eloquent and resilient characters, offering us a cinematic and enriching portrait of a people attempting to lead meaningful lives against the rubble of perennial conflict. Throughout its entire history the Gaza Strip has been witness to conflict and upheaval. From ancient times this tiny coastal territory, located at a crossroads between continents, has been a pawn whose fate rested in the hands of powerful neighbours.

A woman finds herself isolated in her remote home with her brother who is seeking forgiveness for the darkest moment in their family history.

What makes a male, and what makes a female? Where do we draw the line, and does it really matter? Sharon-Rose Khumalo, a South African beauty queen, plunges into an identity crisis after finding out she is intersex. In her quest to deal with gender dysphoria, she needs the guidance of somebody just like her. The only person who will help is Dimakatso Sebidi, a masculine presenting intersex activist, who turns out to be her complete opposite. The two parallel but divergent stories offer an intimate look at the struggle of living in a male-female world, when you are both or neither. For the first time in a creative documentary, Who I Am Not gives a voice to the long ignored and mostly silent two percent of the world's population: the intersex community.

Why are we still able, today, to view images that were captured over 125 years ago? As we enter the digital age, audiovisual heritage seems to be a sure and obvious fact. However, much of cinema and our filmed history has been lost forever. Archivists, technicians and filmmakers from different parts of the world explain what audiovisual preservation is and why it is necessary. The documentary is a tribute to all these professionals and their important work.

Lea Tsemel, a Jewish-Israeli lawyer, defends Palestinians: from feminists to fundamentalists, from nonviolent demonstrators to armed militants. As far as most Israelis are concerned, she defends the indefensible. As far as Palestinians are concerned, she’s more than an attorney, she’s an ally. «Advocate» follows Tsemel in real time, including the trial of a 13-year-old boy — her youngest client to date.

Giuseppina Pasqualino di Marineo, better known as Pippa Bacca, was a 34 years old Italian artist. She crossed 11 countries involved in wars, hitchhiking with another Milanese artist, Silvia Moro, both wearing a wedding dress. This was a performance for peace, trust and hoping to prove that if you rely on others, you’ll receive good things only. After travelling many roads, the two artists decided to split for a while in Istanbul, planning to meet again in Byblos. Pippa left then, alone, and nobody heard from her again.

In the nearly 50 years since Israel's decisive victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens have established expanding communities in the occupied territories of the West Bank. Frequently coming into direct conflict with the region's Palestinian inhabitants, and facing the condemnation of the international community, the settlers have been viewed by some as the righteous vanguard of modern Zionism and by others as overzealous squatters who are the greatest impediment to the possibility of peace in the region.

Alexis, a talented and proud student of the National Ballet School of Cuba, spends his life practicing chassé and entrechats with his girlfriend and dance partner Yelenia. However, when his family moves to Florida to be reunited with his sister, he must adjust his expectations and dreams to a radically new environment. Alexis, facing rejection and homesick for his native Cuba, feels lost and alone. He must find his way in the world of American ballet while remaining faithful to his roots.

A young would-be writer is forced to confront her past upon the return of her angry, wayward brother.

When a man living alone in the woods saves the life of a young woman, they are forced to coexist. Chaos ensues when the woman makes a terrifying discovery in the woods behind the man's home and unleashes something truly haunting.

From Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp, to the University of Toronto and the Supreme Court of Israel, I Shall Not Hate follows the uncharted path of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, The first Palestinian doctor that worked in an Israeli hospital delivering babies, whose ethos of forgiveness and reconciliation is put to the ultimate test when an Israeli tank bombs his house, killing his three daughters. Against all odds, he turns his tragedy into a global campaign to eradicate hate.

Segregated, highly surveilled, heavily filmed and intensely guarded: H2 uncovers the ways in which a single neighborhood in Hebron fuels the entire Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 54 years of military occupation, told through the story of a one-kilometer long street.

Social isolation affects millions of people, even Mars-bound astronauts. A savvy NASA psychologist is tasked with protecting these daring explorers.

Documentary and reflection about the effects of technology.

The son of a wealthy Haitian presidential candidate has just been kidnapped. The kidnappers are demanding a hefty ransom. Doc and Zoe are two amateur gangsters - and soccer freaks - who must deliver the young man to their ruthless boss. Impulsive Zoe accidentally kills the candidate’s son. Faced with a terrible fate for killing their hostage, Doc and Zoe stumble upon Patrick and his nine-month-pregnant wife, Laura. The young couple must, at all costs, catch a flight out of Haiti to give birth in the US to get citizenship for their baby. Patrick’s great misfortune is that he looks ex- actly like the senator’s dead son. In the midst of a heated election and a Barça-Real classico match, Doc and Zoe find themselves at the center of a political conspiracy.

The Price of Cheap tells the stories of modern slaves in textiles manufacturing supply chains and the brave individuals fighting on the ground against immeasurable odds to help them. We follow a man named Joseph Raj, who runs an organization called T.E.S.T. (Trust for Education and Social Transformation) in Tamil Nadu, India as he goes on raids to rescue underage children from unsafe and labour intensive factories. We hear from the survivors he has helped rescue, hear of their horrific experiences, and desire for education and change. Academics and social justice workers weigh in on why the issue of forced labour persists.

Bombarded by thousands of images every day, are we still able to truly see them, especially those of conflict and its aftermath? Helen Doyle takes us on a quest for the meaning of images and discovers a vast palette of contrasting images which shock and compel.

Princess Sydney is so lonely… When she hears about the Great Pumpkin Ball, she gets excited – what a wonderful opportunity to make new friends! But there’s a catch: She has to find a witch to turn her into a pumpkin. Her search takes her to strange and scary places, where she meets a wacky bunch of characters.

The story of Project Cassandra is one of the most important investigative reports in recent years. Published in 2017 on Politico, it reveals the eight-year-long, six-continent operation led by the DEA, targeting drug trafficking and money laundering that financed Hezbollah and Iran‘s terrorist and war activities. Incidentally, the US ad- ministration defanged the project as negotiations started with Iran on the nuclear agreement until reaching an agreement in 2015. Was the most extensive law-enforcement narco-terror operation in a decade compromised to pave the way for the sake of the nuclear deal with Iran? With exclusive archives and interviewees the film ta- kes us behind-the-scene of Project Cassandra and questions the price paid when political interests prevail over the rule of law. In a cosmic coincidence, this important and insightful documentary is due to be released, as the same time, world-leaders are grappling with the geo-political reprecussions of a renewed deal with Iran.