WatchDocs 2025

18:00 – The Battle for Laikipia (94’ 2024, dir.: Daphne Matziaraki, Peter Murimi)

Kenya. Global warming intensifies old conflicts rooted in colonial history.

A year and a half of drought in Kenya’s Laikipia region has driven desperate shepherds to defy grazing restrictions in territories occupied by European settlers. The looming election only intensifies the unrest. For the nomadic Samburu community, this conflict isn’t just about resources but about ancestral lands where their forebears once grazed cattle and goats. Ranch and reserve owners, feeling the pressure, defend their property with electric fences, armed militias, and regular patrols. But when violence is committed against animals, the volatile situation escalates. This is a story about identity, the tangled legacy of British colonialism, and who has the right to control natural resources in a region profoundly affected by climate change.

18:00 – 19:35 – Intercepted (95′ 2024 dir.: Oksana Karpovych)

The year’s most acclaimed Ukrainian documentary. Conversations between Russian soldiers and their families intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence.

A film about the war in Ukraine like no other. Without showing a single shot fired—no wounds, tanks, or explosions—the filmmakers capture the heart of the conflict. Long, perfectly framed shots reveal lunar landscapes and the wrecked interiors of apartments claimed by the „Russian World” in 2022. The absurdity and brutality of war are laid bare by the occupiers themselves: the audio consists solely of intercepted conversations between Russian soldiers and their families, recorded by Ukrainian intelligence, in which they recount their wartime experiences. Some of these conversations will likely serve as evidence in war crime trials. This bold cinematic experiment, where sound and image amplify one another, mercilessly exposes the state of Russian society, consumed by toxic propaganda. A must-see in theaters.

19:35-20:10 – Discussion with Nina Gajewska (no translation provided) 

Nina Gajewska – A Ukrainian activist in the field of women support and self-defence, especially near the front line, a WenDo trainer of self-defence and assertiveness

18:00-19:17 – Planet B  (74′ 2023 dir.: Pieter Van Eecke)

A portrait of a generation steeped in the fight against global warming. Protests, police harassment and climate depression  should teenagers bear the burden of responsibility for the fate of the world?  

A film about growing up in a world tainted with the specter of the coming apocalypse. Bo and Luka don’t want to helplessly watch the climate catastrophe. They join Extinction Rebellion to fight global warming: together with their colleagues, they blockade factories and highways, experience harsh criticism and police violence. Luka prefers radical actions while the more prudent Bo looks for her own way in the maze of modernity. What are politicians doing in the meantime? Why do they kick proposed solutions to climate issues down the road? And is it even possible to function normally in a world that is ruining our future?

Intermission: 19:17-19:30

19:30-19:50  – We Did Not Consent (18′ 2023 dir.: Dorothy Allen-Pickard)

The stories of British activists seduced by undercover police officers.

20:00-21:00 – Discussion with Marta Korzeniak (Otwarte Klatki) and Marysia M. Extinction Rebellion / Fundacja Teraz Ulica (no translation provided)

18:00-18:28 – Black Sheep (27′ 2018 dir.: Ed Perkins)
 

A young black man befriends his teenage persecutors for his own survival.

After the widely publicised murder of Damilola Taylor, the Walker family moves out of London looking for asylum in the suburbs. However, moving out does not bring the expected results. Young Cornelius also experiences violence in his new place of residence – this time it is racially motivated. To survive, he takes the drastic step of befriending his teenage persecutors. „Black Sheep” blurs the boundaries between documentary and fiction and raises the universal problems of identity, maturation and intolerance. Nominated for an Oscar.

18:30-19:55 – Fury (85′ 2021 dir.: Krzysztof Kasior)

Ola dreams of a career as a professional fighter. How much is she willing to sacrifice to win the coveted belt?

Intermission: 19:57 – 20.10

20:10-21:00 –Discussion with Marta Waliczek 

An MMA and kick-boxing fighter. A 2011 kick-boxing World Champion, gold medalist of The 2017 World Games.

21:00-22:17 – Forest (89’ 2024 dir.: Lida Duda) 

Lidia Duda’s new film is one of the most important and awarded Polish documentaries of 2024. Accolades in Thessaloniki, Warsaw and Prague are accompanied by audiences’ love for the protagonists Asia and Marek and their children: Franek, Ignacy and Marysia. 
 

Asia and Marek live with their three children in the oldest forest in Poland, next to the border with Belarus. When their dream of buying a house came true soon after graduating from university, they had no idea what will happen in their little paradise. Cameras installed in the area had one purpose – to observe wild animals. But one day the recordings show people who appeared in the forest. They are refugees trying to find a safe route to Europe. The whole family engages in helping them regardless no support from the state od Poland. From now on the forest is a different place. How do you come back home, when people are dying nearby?

18:00-18:52 –The Spy In Your Mobile (part 1) (52′ 2023 dir.: Anne Poiret, Arthur Bouvart)
 

What is Pegasus really, who is using it and why? Can’t anyone feel safe using a smartphone these days?

In July 2021, the world heard for the first time about Pegasus – Israeli surveillance software. Thanks to an unprecedented data leak, an international investigation led by Forbidden Stories revealed the existence of more than 50,000 potential victims of Pegasus, a sophisticated spying tool developed by the Israeli company NSO Group. Among the victims were journalists, human rights activists, lawyers, politicians, scientists, and businessmen. The journalists covering the case reconstruct the subsequent steps leading to the disclosure of the results of the investigation and expose the authoritarian actions of the authorities, the violations of citizens’ privacy and their consequences. Among other things, Pegasus was (and is) used to fight the opposition, uncover journalistic sources and learn about the plans of activists. In Poland, the names of specific individuals who were spied on using Pegasus have been revealed. 

19:00 – 19:33 – Following Valeria (33′ 2022 dir.: Nicola Fegg)

Millions watch the funny videos shot by an influencer in anti-aircraft shelters. As Valeria unexpectedly becomes the face of an entire generation of young Ukrainians, she tries to put it to good use. 

Millions watch funny videos shot by an influencer in anti-aircraft shelters. Valeria unexpectedly becomes the face of an entire generation of young Ukrainians – and tries to make sense of it. But online popularity has its dark side – the girl has to face a wave of hate from Russian trolls. 

Intermission: 19:33-19:50

19:50 – 20:11 – Adidas Owns the Reality (21′ 2024 dir.: Keil Orion Troisi, Igor Vamos)

The Yes Men are back, and this time their target is Adidas.

20:15- 20:26 – Loud & Here (11′ 2023 reż.: Josiane Blanc)

What is the scale of sexual violence at school? And how can it be countered?

Canadian teenagers are organizing against the harassment and objectification of women in their high schools. Without waiting for adults, they are taking matters into their own hands – and demanding that local politicians pass legislation to help reduce the incidence of sexual violence at school.