The World is My Home
15th International Exile Film Festival 2021

PROGRAM

The festival accepts films in the following program sections:

Main Program

  • Exile, a Global Experience
    The festival’s main program will screen films made by filmmakers living in exile and other film­makers who live outside their country. Theme is free.

Special Programs

  • Panorama Corona
    In this special program, we will showcase the unstable situation of today’s human being in a world, infected with Corona, and the impact of this infernal disease on human life both from personal, and global perspectives through presenting a series of documentary and fictional films. The program will include the following sections:
  • Corona – Social distancing
  • Corona – Family
  • Corona – Unemployment
  • Corona – Vaccination – Global Inequality
  • Corona – Democracy
  • Corona­ – Environment
  • Corona – Existence
  • Corona – The Future
  • OFF: The suburb will Speak Out
    This program is about people, generally refugees, especially the young ones, living in suburban areas of major cities referred as “critical” and “vulnerable” neighborhoods by mass media.
    The panoramic media image of these neighborhoods is based on a series of stereotypes focusing on violence, wide-open presence of criminal organizations, rampant shootings, and drug dealing. But is it possible to project a different view than this common public view – an impartial view?
    This is an attempt to create a free and open forum, so that the suburban people are given the opportunity to be heard.
  • Jam Cut: Film and Fascism
    Film is an important artistic and communication tool with the utmost potential to influence public minds, which has been always exploited by those in power to gain, stabilize, and maintain their control.
    The history of cinema from the past to the present bears witness to how dominators have been using the power of the film for propagandistic purposes and to even try to “brainwash” people and force them to remain under their political dominance.
    Today’s situation in the world is not distant from this historical trend of film misuse – from Nazism to religious fascism in the form of ISIS.
    The question is which expressive element of film leads to its instrumentation by fascism?
    A cineastic analysis is done via the selected films in this program.
  • Close Up: Dream of My Palestine
    A special feature program about Palestinians dreams and nightmares confused with widespread scent of green olive tree branches.
    This program will be held in collaboration with the Palestine Film Institute.

Side-Programs

  • Odyssey of Cinema – Freedom Odyssey
    This is an open program for films that advocate efforts towards solidarity for human rights, democracy, justice and freedom.
  • Focal Points
    Finally, we have an open program for films that focus on the areas of the world affected by war, conflict, occupation or civil war.
  • Another View
    In this section we will present films made by non-exiled filmmakers about immigrants and people who live in exile, in an attempt to see another point-of-view: a look from the outside.
    The program of the festival will be supplemented by several lectures, live music, poetry and discussions with invited filmmakers, artists and experts.