The Mission

A volunteer surgeon exposes the horrors facing Gaza's fragile medical services

In the darkest days of the ongoing Palestinian genocide, acclaimed British-Iraqi nerve surgeon Dr. Mohammad Tahir embarks on his third humanitarian mission to Gaza. Amid waves of casualties flooding overwhelmed hospitals, he fights tirelessly alongside his colleagues to save innocent lives. Filmed by two members of his medical team, The Mission captures the raw, brutal reality of Gaza's operating rooms in real time. This urgent and unflinching documentary stands as a historic testament to human compassion amid profound catastrophe.

Iron Winter

Two young herders battle Mongolia's deadliest winter on record to save 2000 horses

In Mongolia’s coldest valley, horses mean life. But in the Iron Winter, nothing can survive alone. For countless generations, the herders of the Tsakhir Valley have protected their horses from ferocious arctic storms by amassing a giant winter herd, nominating their bravest young men to protect it. The daring tradition served as a brutal coming of age ritual, until five years ago, when under increasing environmental pressure, it abruptly ended. Fearful about the loss of culture, elders soon vowed to revive it. And two young friends were handed the daunting responsibility to not only protect the valley’s herd — but to save its most sacred practice. For four months, the boys battle Mongolia’s deadliest winter on record, testing friendship and faith in a fight to keep 2000 horses alive, and preserve an ancient way of life.

*smiles and kisses you*

If you can't meet her, make her

Chris, a thirty-something gas station employee, lives in North Carolina with his girlfriend Mimi, a live-sized 'love doll', who he communicates with through an AI app. A clear-eyed, open-hearted and fascinating take on machine learning and AI, the rising levels of loneliness, and the social implications for people who may seek safety and control over their circumstances in ways they cannot find elsewhere in life.

The Palestine Laboratory

How Israel exports the technology of occupation around the world

Israel punches way above its weight when it comes to arms sales. The 97th country by population, it is the ninth largest arms dealer in the world with a $13bn military-industrial complex. Award-winning journalist Antony Loewenstein goes on a journey to investigate how these weapons and surveillance technologies are used to control and repress Palestinians in Palestine before being sold all over the world.

Lupi Nostri: In a Landscape of Fear and Love

For or against the wolf?

Professor Luca Rossi dedicates what remains of his university career to study wolves, but his findings conflict with his emotions as he navigates the contentious divide between wolf defenders and opponents. As Luca tries to be as close as possible to the wolves to understand them, he finds himself facing the sentiments of those who fear and love them.

Spartan Bare Knuckle

The real life Fight Club in the North of England

In the North of England, an underground fight club is pushing violence to new extremes. Spartan Bare Knuckle Fight Club is the UK’s only licensed 8x8ft bare-knuckle pit fighting club. But beneath the violence, the club aims to be a lifeline in difficult times. Over seven years, Spartan has become a form of community and therapy for men battling addiction and poor mental health.

Sex in the Soviet Union

How authoritarianism warps human sexuality

A cinematic, unflinching exploration of the sexual mores and brutal repression that defined life in the USSR. Delving into the darkest corners of Soviet society, the film sheds light on the underground worlds of pornography, prostitution, sexpionage, gay life, the gulag, abortion, rape and the daily terrors of searching for intimacy in a totalitarian regime. A stark warning of the personal consequences of authoritarianism.

Katwe

A salt-mining community navigate broken promises of development

Nima Shirali’s subtly humorous film follows a community tucked between Uganda’s Katwe Salt Lake and a national park. Through the eyes of an enthusiastic teacher, a jaded caretaker and a sharp-witted mother, the salt lake is seen as a vital lifeline. Between harvests and floods, the lake transforms from a role that is central to local identity and offering a promising industry, to become a symbol of failed development. The low price of salt adds to the woes of toxic labour conditions. And yet, for many in Katwe it remains the only path of opportunity. As a flamboyant, retro-styled local politician pushes grand plans onto a crumbling mine and community, the local population reflects on what the future holds.

Mola: A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss

100 year old exiled Tibetan nun pursues her final wish to go home

Kunsang Wangmo, known as “Mola” (grandmother) has been away from home for nearly 60 years. A Buddhist nun exiled from her native Tibet since 1959, Mola’s final wish is to return to Tibet to die near the paradise of her homeland. With her 100th birthday approaching, time is running out.