Doc Edge Film Festival 2017

Overview

If you're anything like us, you're loving this colder weather because it's the perfect excuse to spend nights out cuddled up in the cinema. You've probably also been hanging out all year for the Doc Edge Festival to release its program. Well lucky you, it's out now and there are some real gems among the lineup.

This year's festival echoes stories of a world in flux. Mass immigration, refugees and life in war zones are all themes explored alongside stories of the underdog and those who inspire change.

In Ambulance, Mohamed Jabaly takes his camera out on the streets of a city at war, joining an ambulance crew in Gaza to document the war in the summer of 2014 that left more than 2,200 Palestinians dead. Filmed each night over the 51-day war, the 24-year-old's portrait of conflict takes you right into the heart of the destruction and impact on civilian life. Expect to be thrust right in the thick of things from the word go.

Born in Syria is the latest feature documentary from Spanish director Hernan Zin who previously brought us Born in Gaza. Told from the perspective of seven children with different experiences of migration, among them they have faced abuse, the harsh sea, the death of parents and bombed houses. Now, as they navigate life in new lands, they reflect on their journey so far. 

Fallen Flowers, Thick Leaves explores female sexuality in a society that holds tightly onto tradition. The documentary highlights a range of stories, including that of a queer woman, those known as 'left-over' and 50-year-old Xiao who was widowed several years ago and is trying to come to terms with her new life while navigating societies expectations of her.

The Opposition tells the story of a small community in Papua New Guinea who are in a battle over land as a luxury hotel construction project threatens their homes. Exploring the ethics of development in emerging nations, the further it delves into the situation at hand, the more dirt that is uncovered.

For Akheem is a coming of age story of a 17-year-old navigating life as a young black teenager in the United States today. Daje Shelton attends a court-supervised alternative high school in St. Louis as the result of getting in a school fight. She's lost friends to gun violence and is committed to turning her life around so that she can have a better future.

The 12th Doc Edge International Documentary Film Festival returns to Wellington (10 – 21 May) and Auckland (24 May – 5 June).