The documentary series shows the change and the spirit of optimism on site. It shows life designs that recently wouldn’t have been possible in Cuba. In an entertaining way Fernando Spenglers’ road trip through his home becomes a detailed evaluation of the country’s’ situation: Here everybody longs for the opening to a new world but at the same time doesn’t lose sight of the well-being of Cuba. Every development, every idea has a holistic approach. And as one of Fernando’s companions says: “No matter where we go, we’ll always remain Cubans.”

The Pop Culture Festival in Berlin brings together various artists to the stages of Neukölln and stimulates a interdisciplinary exchange. Entirely in the spirit of “Into the Night With…” that connects two of the most exciting artists of the festival.

The New Yorker musician Thurston Moore, who’s always in the top 20 lists of the best guitarists in the world, contributed decisive impulses to indie rock. The British video artist and photographer Phil Collins inspires with his political interactive artworks that gained him a Turner Prize nomination in 2006.

Collins, who teaches at the Cologne school of arts for media, lives in Berlin and there he welcomes the Londoner-by-choice Moore. Both have the greatest respect for each others’ work so that a lively exchange between them arises quickly.

Together they visit the popular video installation “Manifesto” in Hamburger Bahnhof by Julian Rosefeldt which Cate Blanchett performs in a dozen roles for. At least equally impressed the both are by meeting the photographer and former RAF member Astrid Proll. Later that evening the artist Scott King shows them his collection of rock memorabilia. But Collins and Moore have their doubts: Is that really Kurt Cobains’ lighter or does King fib a little?

The last stop of the night is the bar “Das Gift” in Neukölln which Collins runs together with a member of the band Mogwai. Here Thurston Moores partner, the publisher of Eva Prinz, accompanies the Bristish-American duo. In an exuberant atmosphere the amusing and very entertaining interdisciplinary night finds its ending.

A journey back to the roots of circus when the spectacle was based on curiosity. The American Jim Rose revived the classical freak show in the 90s with his “Jim Rose Circus” and made a million dollar business with it. He even had guest appearances in “The X-Files” and “The Simpsons”. In his adopted country Nantes he meets his favourite artist , the legendary painter and provocateur Joe Coleman. Coleman is fascinated by the dark side of the circus since his childhood days. His paintings show the shadowy of American culture, stars like Johnny Depp belong to his admirers.

Nantes proves to be the perfect setting for the two fans of the fantastic. They marvel at the giant mechanic elephant at the “Island of Machines”, meet the hologram artist Pierrick Sorin and explore the Jules Verne Museum. Together they visit the circus school “Chapidock” where Rose tries to reconnect with the good old times as juggler and Coleman shoots flames into the night sky together with a fire-artist. The circus community “Quai des Chaps” inspired Jim Rose to some shenanigans with painful outcome for his victims.

Coleman and Rose — two men who look back on an extreme life full of drugs and excesses: One a freak show master enjoying tricks and fraud, the other an artist with a tendency for reckless self-experiments. The affection between those both extraordinary storytellers couldn’t be stronger. As a result Jim Rose bursts out the ultimate declaration of love while dining: “Joe, you are really crazy.”

For Americans the meaning of the Donald Duck comics in Europe is hardly conceivable. For a whole generation the stories by the outstanding comic illustrator Carl Barks were the first contact with comics, with the USA and with a daring idea: It doesn’t matter how often you fall – essential is that you stand up again. In Donald Duck we recognize our fears, our insecurities and failures, our vanities and our grief, but also our persistence that helps us standing up after every defeat to start over again.

„Donald Duck saved my life“, says the Austrian painter Gottfried Helnwein. The French cartoonist Jean-Pierre Dionnet explains that even the inventors of the legendary comic »Métal Hurlant« admired the small duck. “Donald was my access to the world” realizes the Norwegian poet Oyvind Holen.

Hardly any comic figure has such passionate fans in Europe like Donald Duck. Lots of them are famous artists themselves. Some of them dealt so seriously with the inner life of Donald Duck as if he was a real character. Who thought that uncle Dagobert is a cheapskate is proved wrong in this movie: Even the eager capitalist would like to be a bit more like his nephew.

But does Donald Duck still fit into our time? What is the role of jinx’ and losers in contemporary culture in which more and more people are concerned with optimizing their productivity and attractiveness? The film seeks answers with the help of sociologists, school losers, the founder of the French website “Vie de Merde”, in the Silicon Valley – where a loser with a crazy idea might become the winner of tomorrow and in Hollywood – where losers as are currently very present characters.

Donald Duck shows us like no other what it means to be human. Failure is over and over part of it.

Two hours away from Seoul, surrounded by paddy fields, the Byoungcheon Highschool is situated which trains an archer team with a long history. The school is a so-called third class school with a bad reputation. Equally unpopular is the archery, although South Koreans record considerable successes in the precision sport.

Even if the seven archers don’t get a lot of professional support, they are happy to draw their bow every school day from 9 am til 9 pm and to shoot up to 1000 arrows a day. Different to most teenagers in South Korea those boys don’t fulfil the dreams of their parents by attending a good college, but their own: to hit the perfect goal.

The film focuses on two protagonists: The 17-year-old rebel Kookhyun likes to irritate and is disciplined by the coach every day. Having a difficult family background he worked his way up from the bottom of the team. The 18-year-old Jeayup, who has always the same facial expression, is the ace of the Byoungcheon team, but he remains number two in his age class. Will he be able to overcome his sorrows and his rival with the help of his bow?

Director Donghan Lee, former social worker, accompanied the young athletes for one year to competitions and in everyday life. He creates a very personal portrait of the teenagers, their successes and failures and the impact of archery on their search for identity.

They met two years ago when the director invited the actor for a casting for his planned Fassbinder film. According to Eidinger, “it was love at first sight”. Roehler, the intellectual lone wolf, Eidinger, the instinctive emotional person, who has been a member of the Berlin “Schaubühne” ensemble since 1999, both restless in their creativity and multi-talented – an evening among equally talented, like-minded people. One thinks. But the evening becomes a challenge. There is a rift in German society that also has its impact on the German cultural landscape. He’s rather right-wing, says the ingenious filmmaker and author early that night. Eidinger appears to be irritated, but gets deeper into the topic.

On the way to the “Diener Tattersall”, once Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s favourite pub, the political discussion intensifies. Eidinger wants to share his wealth, Roehler counters: “As an artist you already share enough.” While eating sausages and aspic, the two get closer together again. You should always ask where one comes from, Roehler warns, “not just the Syrian refugee.”

In the studio of video artist John Bock they talk about artistic influences and directors they admire. Roehler and Bock discover their mutual love for the dark and decide to produce a remake of “American Psycho” before the evening heats up in a billiard pub: Here the former “Burgtheater” actor Oliver Masucci, who played Adolf Hitler in the movie “Er ist wieder da” (“He’s back”), awaits them and challenges Eidinger – not only politically.

Cinema has guided many boys’ transition into manhood – or at least influenced their self-discovery. “Film images have an enormous influence on real life,” says actor Robert Forster. His colleague Thomas Jane looks back on his school days when Clint Eastwood was the greatest. Dale Dye, now military adviser for Hollywood movies, wanted to join the Marines after seeing Sands of Iwo Jima with John Wayne. Steve McQueen, Bruce Lee, Bruce Willis – there have always been men who were more than just actors.

REAL MEN investigates the myth of the screen hero made in Hollywood and its importance for men all over the world.  The documentary is a visually stunning declaration of love for the tough men, yet  a critical look behind the scenes of image building in cinema in general. It traces the development of the Tough Guy from the beginnings of Bogart to the ultimate machos like Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Van Damme to a look into the future.

True role models of classic male icons such as cowboys and policemen have their say, as do Hollywood producers, celebrity personal trainers and former action stars such as Michael Dudikoff and Fred Williamson or the legendary one-time 007 George Lazenby. They discuss their image and a man’s search for his own identity.

Strength, assertiveness, self-confidence – many of the attributes of what is defined as manly traces back to cinema. However, in times of #metoo this machismo made in Hollywood seems outdated and nor even mainstream anymore.

The film looks into the future of cinema: big box office hits like Wonder Women and Black Panther just recently opened the door for more diversity. Female Kung Fu star Zara Phythian and Asian action hero Jean-Paul Ly discuss how tough the action film world used to be if you were not white and male while action star Scott Adkins insists: the old-school macho still is an intriguing role.