The International Competition Program of the XVIII International Documentary Film Festival Flahertiana is formed. 14 films were selected to the shortlist including ones from Czech Republic, Latvia, Syria, France, the USA, and other countries. To collect this program, Flaherthiana selection committee watched over 700 films that were applied and visited the biggest European festivals.

The audience will see festival hits, for example, the film about the Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics Margarita Mamun "Over the Limit", which was shot by the Polish director Marta Prus (her student film "Eighteenth birthday" Flahertiana showed in 2014 in the program "Through Young Eyes"). This documentary has already visited film festivals in Amsterdam, Helsinki, Trieste, Biarritz, Gothenburg, Luxembourg, Zagreb and Krakow, and almost everywhere received prizes.

For the Golden Nanook will also compete Elvira Lind's documentary"Bobbi Jene" about the American dancer, known for her frank performances and work with the cult choreographer Ohad Nahardi. The picture was successfully screened at foreign festivals and will surely interest Perm audience.

The shortlist of the International Competition includes two Russian works. The first film is "King Lear" by Denis Klebleev, a graduate of Marina Razbezhkina and  Mikhail Ugarov’s documentary film school, whose film "Strange Particles" won the Russian Flahertiana Competition in 2015. The second film - "Songs for Kit" by Ruslan Fedotov - tells the story of a homeless woman. The film is called "one of the closest approximations to a person".

The film critic and resident of Flahertiana’s selection committee Marina Drozdova commented on the program: "To a greater extent than in past years, the films of the competition are a kind of “film novels”: with psychological nuances, original figurative systems and, most importantly, the drama of human destinies. However, in its form, this is also a kind of satire in Irish "The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid" (directed by Feargal Ward, Ireland). And the sly comedy of deceit in Argentine "The Dread" (directed by Martin Benchimol, Pablo Apara). And the family-political Syrian horror film "On Fathers and Sons" (director Talal Derki). I would suggest that you pay attention to how the documentaries plunged into the style space of "magical realism", amazingly finely fixing the natural - not invented by the writers - fantasy of our being".

We remind you that Flahertiana-2018 will be held from 14 to 20 September. The winner of the International Competition will receive the Golden Nanook award and a money prize of 250 thousand rubles.

Shortlist of the International Competition program of the XVIII International Documentary Film Festival Flahertiana:

América

dir. Erick Stoll, Chase Whiteside, USA, 2018

Bobbi Jene

dir. Elvira Lind, Denmark, Sweden, 2017

Distant Constellation

dir. Shevaun Mizrahi, USA, Turkey, Netherlands, 2017

King Lear

dir. Denis Klebleev, Russia, 2017

Muhi – Generally, Temporary

dir. Rina Castelnuovo-Hollander, Tamir Elterman, Israel, Germany, 2017

Of Fathers and Sons

dir. Talal Derki, Germany, Syria, Lebanon, 2017

Over the Limit

dir. Marta Prus, Poland, 2017

Piripkura

dir. Renata Terra, Bruno Jorge, Mariana Oliva, Brazil, 2017

Solving My Mother

dir. Ieva Ozolina, Latvia, 2017

Songs for Kit

dir. Ruslan Fedotov, Russia, 2017

Taste of Cement

dir. Ziad Kalthoum, Germany, Syria, Lebanon, UAE, Cathar, 2017

The Dread

dir. Martin Benchimol, Pablo Aparo, Argentina, 2017

The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid

dir. Feargal Ward, Ireland, 2017

The White World According to Daliborek

dir. Vit Klusak, Czech Republic, Slovakia, UK, Denmark, 2017