Forged from Fire

The story of how an Australian and international community of blacksmiths, welders, artists and volunteers responded to the devastating Black Saturday bush-fires by creating perhaps the nation's most ambitious public artwork and memorial – The Blacksmith's Tree, a three tonne, 9.8-meter tall stainless steel and copper gum tree.

My Real Life

Montréal-Nord is one of those areas we euphemistically call “disadvantaged.” A place where drugs, poverty, delinquency, suicide and all kinds of dysfunction are depressingly commonplace. This is where the late Magnus Isacsson decided to film 18 months in the lives of four young men aged 17 to 22: Danny, Alex, Mickerson and Michael. Music is central to all of their lives. More than just a pastime, hip-hop is their outlet for coping with their demons. With the help of their teacher, mentor and friend Don Karnage, and driven by a fierce desire to overcome hardship, they learn to be adults. Winner of the award for Best Canadian Feature Film at the most recent Montreal International Documentary Festival, Ma vie réelle is an exceptionally astute document in which listening and generosity gain the power to defeat misery.

Harvest of Peace

Portrait of a group of 150 U.S. citizens who spent two weeks participating in the cotton harvest in a remote village in Nicaragua, seeing for themselves the impact of the U.S.-backed Contra war.

Scenes For A Revolution

The film is about aftermaths and reckonings. Revisiting material for his earlier 4-part series, Karlin returns to Nicaragua to examine the history of the Sandinista government, consider its achievements, and assess the prospects for democracy following its defeat in the general election of 1990.

Pactes de silenci

Due to the increasing privatization of basic public services in Spain, companies such as BB Serveis are accused of misappropriating several million euros of public money intended to finance care for the elderly and other dependent persons.

Nicaragua Part 1: Voyages

Composed of stills by renowned Magnum photographer Susan Meiselas taken in 1978 and 1979 during the overthrow of the fifty-year dictatorship of the Somoza family. Written in the form of a letter from Meiselas to Karlin, it is a ruminative and often profound exploration of the ethics of witnessing, the responsibilities of war photography and the politics of the still image.

Nicaragua Part 2: The Making of a Nation

Shot in 1983–84 and focusing on the work of the Historical Institute, this film witnesses how Nicaraguans are recovering their history, the memory of Sandino’s struggle, to transform their sense of identity.

Nicaragua Part 3: In Their Time

Through the eyes of journalists and photographers working at Barricada, the official publication of the FSLN, the film observes the problems of putting socialism into practice, with reports on the war, the economy, the prison system and the political process leading up to the 1984 elections.

Nicaragua Part 4: Changes

A portrait of a remote area in the rural north of Nicaragua facing difficulties with the revolutionary process. It follows Marlon Stuart, the regional FSLN political organiser, at the time of the 1984 elections.

Einmal mehr als nur reden

Bananas!*

Juan “Accidentes” Dominguez is on his biggest case ever. On behalf of twelve Nicaraguan banana workers he is tackling Dole Food in a ground-breaking legal battle for their use of a banned pesticide that was known by the company to cause sterility. Can he beat the giant, or will the corporation get away with it?

Fritz Berger: The Photographer of Memories

In the spring of 1962, members of the Christian Peace Service aid group flew in from Bern, Switzerland and settled in the poorest villages in all of Greece. Led by photographer and social worker Fritz Berger, the group itself had one purpose: the provision of aid and development services to local communities inhabiting the southwest region of Lefkada. What followed were revolutionary advancements that would leave their lives forever changed.

Zurück in Bismuna

Christian, Finn and Moritz became addicted to drugs as teenagers. In 1999, the film "Bismuna - Ein Abenteuerfilm" was made about the three teenagers and their counselor as they traveled to an indigenous tribe for the drug cure. Now, some 10 years later, it shows what the men have done with their lives.

Sunflowers of Nicaragua

Sixteen female sex workers have been named judicial aides by Nicaragua’s Supreme Court to facilitate the resolution of conflicts that come up in their work. It is the first time in the world that sex workers have had access to this function. The film accompanies some of these women in their mediation work and in the actions they promote through their association, Girasoles (Sunflowers) of Nicaragua, to gain recognition and regulations for autonomous sex work.

Land

American resort developers bear down on the wild west coast of Nicaragua, hoping to build the next tourist paradise. With lax labour and environmental regulations, some of the developers take full advantage of the situation, and the local fishermen start accusing them of exploitation and land thievery. Unexpectedly, in the midst of this conflict, firebrand Daniel Ortega and the Sandinistas sweep back into government, boldly empowering the local fishermen. The tables turn viciously on the American developers, who get much more than they bargained for. But when the local fishermen, corrupted by new found power, begin acting in the same manner as the American developers, questions are posed about human nature, morality, and ethics on a much larger scale.

Visit Nicaragua

Looking for a few reasons why you should visit Nicaragua? Considering the country's two incredible coastlines, almost 20 volcanoes, lively colonial cities, abundant wildlife, rich culture, and delicious food, it won't be hard to convince you to put “visiting Nicaragua” at the top of your travel bucket list! Nicaragua, set between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, is a Central American nation known for its dramatic terrain of lakes, volcanoes and beaches. Vast Lake Managua and the iconic stratovolcano Momotombo sit north of the capital Managua. To its south is Granada, noted for its Spanish colonial architecture and an archipelago of navigable islets rich in tropical bird life.