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SANTOSH
Director: Sandhya Suri
When Santosh’s husband, a policeman in a rural district in North India, is killed in a riot, the widow can only keep their home if she takes his job. Eager to succeed, she shows more determination than is usual among the misogynist male police when a low-caste girl is reported missing and then turns up dead. A charismatic senior woman officer, Inspector Sharma, is duly drafted in to head the murder investigation, becoming Santosh’s mentor. Success for women, however, generally means showing they can bend the rules as flagrantly as the men, where survival always comes at huge personal cost. A fascinating police procedural, focusing on the relationships within the force rather than crimes or culprits, the film is an investigation into deep-rooted systemic corruption.
SUKKAR: SABAABAA W HOUBOUB AL KHARZIZ
Director: Tamer Mahdy
A beautiful day turns into a miserable one after the whole city gets infected with chickenpox. The children and the workers in the orphanage get infected as well and they try their best to figure out how to cure themselves. A doctor develops a vaccine for the disease against the approval of the policemen in the city. The children visit a magician called Frotto so he would cure their chickenpox. The children are rushed to the hospital after Frotto's failed attempts to cure them. An angel sent from heaven called Anisa, guides the children after they reach the hospital and she stays with them until the vaccine that is being developed by the doctor gets approved. The annual Circus visits the city and the children get invitations from Daddy- Long-Legs. After attending the Circus, Sukkar and her friends realize that the animals are being mistreated and they make a plan to save them. Sukkar celebrates her birthday in the orphanage with her friends. As a gift, Daddy-Long-Legs grants Sukkar a once in a lifetime opportunity and he sends her to a private school. The children get emotional and a feud occurs between Tarek and Sukkar. The children follow Sukkar to the train station to say goodbye for the last time but they get shocked at the quick transformation that happened with their dearest friend.
STATE OF SILENCE
Director: Santiago Maza
Four Mexican journalists who risk their lives to report on their country’s violent “narco-politics” talk in depth about their experiences, the dangers they face and the crucial importance of independent journalism. Mexico has been the frontline of the so-called “war on drugs” for two decades, where the line between law and crime is blurred – the continuing threats against journalists have effectively created dangerous zones of silence. Jesús Medina, Juan de Dios García Davish, María de Jesús Peters and March Vizcarra are committed to breaking that silence, reporting on local corruption, the theft of water from farmers by the drug lords and cartel-related shootings. Medina describes his job as being an “amplifier” for ordinary people who, without a free and committed press, have no voice.