The Alternative Futures category at RIFF is where films that dare to tackle difficult topics come to the fore. Here you can see more descriptions and trailers of the films that make up this year's category.
"Country life" by Rebekka Nystabakk – In this documentary, Rebekka follows her sister Rakel as she takes over their father's sheep farm for the fourth generation, but it is a transition for Rakel and her wife Ida to give up their music careers and move north to the countryside, as Rakel cannot work and Ida has never lived in the country.
"Wastelands" by Nicolás Molina – Once again, fires suddenly erupt in the forests of the port city of Valparaíso, Chile. Then, they fiercely attack the fragile vegetation up in the country's wilderness, moving quickly through it. These are the challenges and dangers that the volunteer firefighters of the city repeatedly face.
"Landless" by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor – This documentary is made by a team of Palestinians and Israelis with the aim of showing how the Israeli government’s land grabs in the occupied West Bank have affected Arab homelands, such as the settlements of Masafer Yatta. It also follows the close relationship that develops between Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham.
"The Story of Soleymane" by Boris Lojkine – An asylum seeker named Souleymane, whose job is to deliver food on his bicycle around Paris, has only two days to prepare for the interview that will determine whether he will be granted a residence permit.
“Preventive Listening” by Aura Satz – Over twenty coworkers are asked to reevaluate without thinking what a siren sound means to their ears: a call for attention, a call to action, or guidance about life and its possibilities.
"In the Shadow of Darkness" by Nelson Makengo – Plans to build Congo's largest power plant are believed to be threatening the homes of the country's 17 million residents.
"The One Body" by Elina Psykou – The documentary is a journey across and across Europe that sheds light on people's control over their own bodies.
"Passion" by Yasemin Samdereli – A documentary that follows a determined and driven young woman who desires nothing more than to compete in the Olympics.
“Altered Reality” by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen – In the Norwegian wilderness, a family is alone recharging their batteries, but a series of tragic events are about to shake up their local community, forcing the people to face a new reality.