PEACE TALKS
SCREENING
Sunday 30 June – 16.15
RAMSGATE COMMUNITY CINEMA
64 High Street Ramsgate CT11 9RS
TOSHA-MAMONTOSHA
(Russia)

SYNOPSIS
Six-year-old boy Antosha lives in orphanage. He thought to himself that the volunteer girl would become his mother. Angels fulfill his dream: one day they go home together, like mother and son. Almost a magical story, one might say, a parable. “But was it really or this the story takes place somewhere in heaven.” And the names of the characters in the film are not accidental: nannies Vera and Nadezhda, mother Lyubov, Angelina and Nikolai.
Writer/Director/Producer: Oksana Stashenko
Cast: Marina Yakovleva, Maxim Kolosov, Oksana Stashenko
MEET THE DIRECTOR

GOD WILL FORGIVE YOU
(Ukraine)

SYNOPSIS
The Ukrainian chaplain trying to get out of the Donbas gray area, stumbles upon a shot convoy of separatists, where he encounters a mortally wounded mercenary and is faced with a choice – to help or continue to flee, but suddenly inadvertently steps on an antipersonnel mine.
Director: Hovhannes Khachatryan
Writer: Maryna Artemenko
Producers: Mila Andriiash, Anton Sova, Viktor Zhdanov
MEET THE DIRECTOR
Hovhannes Khachatryan is known for The Chance (2014) and From War to Peace about April 2016 (2018) before GOD WILL FORGIVE
THE DOLL’S HOUSE
(UK)

SYNOPSIS
It’s the end of dinner at Miriam’s house and having just inherited a doll’s house from her mother, she’d like the answer to one simple question before her four adult children leave the table: which one of them will give her a grandchild and inherit the family heirloom?
Director: Tim Rogg
Writer: Sam Rogg
Producers: Chuckie McEwan, Keren Shefet
Cast: Maria Friedman, Jenny Bede, Daniel Ben Zenou
MEET THE DIRECTOR
After graduating from Bournemouth film school, Tim Rogg began as a script reader and gag writer for Channel 4. He worked in various film and TV production roles, from game shows to documentaries. Tim honed his editing skills, working on music videos for The Creatures andRebel MC, and directed commercials and promos. He has made several short films, drawing comedic inspiration from influences like Martin Scorsese and Sam Raimi.
THE GIRL FROM GAZA
(UK)

SYNOPSIS
The ongoing occupation in Palestine has wrought havoc on Mariam’s life, who with her mother Bara’ah in Gaza is constantly ‘fighting for her future against Israeli occupation, bombs and patriarchal rules’ while feeling like life is spiralling out of control.
Despite living in an open air prison, Mariam finds focus through Taekwondo and education. Many girls in Gaza get the opportunity to study abroad yet the majority never make it out – will Mariam’s dream of a scholarship be her ticket to freedom?
Writer/Director/Producer: Nicolas Aujula
Cast: Mariam Al-Muzainy, Bara’ah Abu Rass
Nicolas Aujula is a visionary who has appeared in over 100 media outlets aacross the globe. As a documentary filmmaker, he employs the female perspective to explore challenging social issues such as refugees, conflict, gender equality, and sexuality.
Through his thought-provoking work, he has shed light on the experiences and struggles of women from diverse backgrounds such as Lebanon, Jordan and Gaza. His short films; “I Am Beirut” and “The Girl From Gaza”, showcase the resilience and strength of Palestinian women as they navigate social and political challenges.
Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Nicolas worked as a therapist, where he gained first hand experience dealing with stories of human trauma and triumph. His therapeutic background has influenced his storytelling approach, allowing him to portray his female protagonists in an authentic and sensitive manner.
Nicolas’ films aim to foster understanding and empathy by highlighting the unique perspectives and experiences of women to contribute to a more inclusive and just society.
GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
(USA)

SYNOPSIS
One person witnessing war atrocities has to make a split-second decision to stop the madness before getting off the Paris Metro…
Director: Jim Hall
Writer/Narrator: Xavier Combe
Jim Hall, is a 2-time Peabody Award winner for his work as part of an investigative team in television. The Peabody is considered the Pulitzer Prize of broadcasting.
After a long career in TV News, the 21-time Emmy winner became a documentary filmmaker and last year co-produced and edited the first ever film on a jazz guitar legend-Wes Bound:The Genius of Wes Montgomery. The documentary is currently airing nationwide on American Public Television. It won (April 2024) a Silver Medal from the prestigious New York Festivals TV & Film World Awards Competition for Biography/Profiles, beating out a Netflix documentary that received a Bronze.
Watch Wes Bound here: https://indianapublicmedia.org/wesmontgomery/
Hall’s side hustle is producing the absurdist Paris based podcast: Muffy Drake-with collaborator Xavier Combe. Combe has worked for French public radio for decades. This Franco-American team of storytellers were once tennis doubles partners. Now, the podcast allows them to play together once again, this time without the net.
AFTER ISIS
(USA)

SYNOPSIS
“Meet Dan Liesik, a multiple tour platoon leader who engaged in combat missions during the United States campaign in Iraq. He was honorably discharged from service following injuries he received in the field and now builds playgrounds in impoverished and war-torn areas with an organization called Kids Around the World.
Iraqi communities who were forced to flee during the war are now returning to their homes. But restoring cities previously home to hundreds of thousands of Iraqis is no easy task, and there is much work to be done. For Dan, helping to rebuild Iraq is an act of redemption that unites those returning to their homeland and heals the wounds of ISIS.”
Director: Jimmy Galt
Producer: Laura Nihuys
MEET THE DIRECTOR
“Shrink the space between empathy and action”.
James Galt is a photographer and videographer who likes to connect audiences with the powerful stories of real people. Based in San Diego, California, James specializes in humanitarian work for non-profits, international NGOs, and corporations around the world.