1. Xapiri (Xapiri)
Xapiri is a Yanomami term that characterizes the shamans, male spirits and also auxiliary spirits . Xapiri is an experimental film about Yanomami shamanism that was filmed during a meeting of 37 shamans at the Watoriki Reserve, Roraima, in March of 2011. The film was designed to take into account two different notions of image: those of the Yanomami and ours. Therefore, it does not set out to explain shamanism, its methods or procedures, but to allow different cultures to visualize and feel the way in which the shamans “embody” the spirits, their bodies and voices.
2. Paper Dolls
Paper Dolls follows the lives of transgender migrant workers from the Philippines who work as health care providers for elderly Orthodox Jewish men and perform as drag queens during their spare time. It also delves into the lives of societal outcasts who search for freedom and acceptance.
It has an average vote of 7.2 on TMDB.
3. Ellis Island, une histoire du rêve Américain (Ellis Island, une histoire du rêve Américain)
In 1892, Ellis Island, in New York Bay, became the main gateway to the United States for immigrants arriving increasingly from Europe. The story of immigration to the United States from 1892 to 1954, an enthralling polyphonic narrative that embraces both small and great history.
It has an average vote of 4.5 on TMDB.
4. Reparation (Reparação)
In 1968, Orlando Lovecchio was made victim of a guerilla's bomb terrorist attack, which main objective was to fight against the Military Regime. Orlando lost one leg after the world-reckoned attack against the U.S. Consulate in Sao Paulo.
It has an average vote of 4.5 on TMDB.
5. Brasil Impossível
Brazil, I want you so much, but I'm afraid. I love you, I desire you, but I hate you, deep down. I do not see the wonderful future that I see with you. You created this damn paradise with your debris and traumas. I do not know if my heart can handle you any longer. My Impossible Brazil.
6. La Vie sans Brahim (La Vie sans Brahim)
(La Vie sans Brahim)
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
7. The River and the Wall
Five friends embark on a 1,200 mile journey along the US-Mexico border from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico to learn first hand what effect a border wall will have on the natural landscape and the wild animals roaming the land.
It has an average vote of 5.5 on TMDB.
8. Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary
Filmmaker Arturo Perez Torres follows in the footsteps of two friends traveling on an extraordinary and extremely dangerous journey from Central America to North America. On their journey they encounter gangs and vigilantes as well as border patrol. But these immigrants navigate real-life nightmares with uncanny calm, grace and even humor in their perilous pursuit of the a better life.
It has an average vote of 6.2 on TMDB.
9. A letter to Nikola (Lettre à Nikola)
As a letter to her son, the filmmaker testifies her experience as a photographer aboard the Aquarius, a ship that rescued 29,523 people in the Mediterranean between 2016 and 2018.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
10. Sunflower Seeds (Ηλιόσποροι)
A group of children living on the streets of Athens. Among them is Sayid, a twelve-year-old boy, who works all day selling sunflower seeds in the city’s parks and squares. His existence borders on absolute poverty, as he goes looking for food at soup kitchens. His daily routine in the chaotic capital of Greece is a continuous struggle for survival. At the same time, however, he manages to find and enjoy the freedom the city streets can offer. Sayid, along with his friends who are all immigrants from Afghanistan, escape their desperation by clinging onto their hopes. With them, he plays innocent childhood games and dreams of a better future: He wants to leave for Northern Europe, to go to school, and to get a decent job when he grows up. Sayid is trapped in Greece, a country plagued by a financial crisis, increasing unemployment, rampant xenophobia, and racist violence. Sayid doesn’t mince his words: “I’ve been here for about two years, and it feels like twenty.”
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
11. A French Youth (Une jeunesse française)
In the heart of the Camargue region, in the south of France, Jawad and Belka find freedom in their love of Camargue races. For these young Maghrebi men, the event is more than a simple tradition. Facing off with a bull is an opportunity to establish their place in the arena—and in French society. But at what cost?
12. Le flic, la juge et l'assassin - Épisode 2 : Sainte Rita, priez pour nous (Le flic, la juge et l'assassin - Épisode 2 : Sainte Rita, priez pour nous)
(Le flic, la juge et l'assassin - Épisode 2 : Sainte Rita, priez pour nous)
13. Le flic, la juge et l'assassin - Épisode 3 : L'habit ne fait pas le moine (Le flic, la juge et l'assassin - Épisode 3 : L'habit ne fait pas le moine)
(Le flic, la juge et l'assassin - Épisode 3 : L'habit ne fait pas le moine)
14. Dreaming of Democracy
A desperate journey in the heart of Thessaloniki. Seven Iranians, each one for his personal reasons, leave their homeland and embark on a life journey. Europe can provide them with a different life. It can provide them with human rights. An obligatory stop on the way is Greece. There, they meet each other, they are imprisoned and they realize that “democracy” isn’t what they imagined. They try in any way they can to flee the country, living to the fullest every last moment they spend here. Thessaloniki is their new homeland for now. So, they try to become one with the city, to experience “Greek democracy”
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
15. Chez Jolie Coiffure (Chez Jolie Coiffure)
Rosine Mbakam is invited to step in Sabine’s small hairdresser’s because it is dangerous in the street. She accepts and pushes in with her camera. Sabine’s stories and the customers’ joys, worries, problems and fears bring depth and life into the premises. At times, it feels like the entire African quarter of Brussels had squeezed in. Laughter abounds, anecdotes and life stories elicit emotions, and a male visitor brings a touch of flirt into the salon.
It has an average vote of 5.8 on TMDB.
16. I Come From Away: An Immigrant in Maine
An intimate look inside the immigrant community in Portland, Maine, as told by Nyamuon Nguany Machar who arrived as refugee in 1995 and David Zwalita Mota who came as an asylum seeker in 2019.
17. Frustrated
Afro-American men and women express their views on why some Black men are travelling from the US to Brazil to find sex partners.
18. Les Autres - Les immigrants peuvent-ils sauver Huntingdon? (Les Autres - Les immigrants peuvent-ils sauver Huntingdon?)
Huntingdon Mayor Stéphane Gendron wants to encourage immigration to save his town, which has been struggling ever since large-scale factory closures some years ago. Mayor Gendron’s project is a way in to a discussion about immigration and social and economic integration.
19. Pizza Shop: An Italian-American Dream
With humor, insight, and compassion, this documentary shares the journey of two Italian brothers who have run a successful restaurant for over 40 years, the sacrifices they’ve made for their children, and what it means to immigrants when they fulfill the American Dream.
20. Maria Bethânia: Música é Perfume (Maria Bethânia: Música é Perfume)
Brazilian singer Maria Bethania has a 40-year singing career. A documentary shows her concerts and famous family.
It has an average vote of 7.2 on TMDB.