From 1st to 30th November 2016, Documentary Month is an unmissable opportunity to highlight documentary films made both in France and worldwide.

As the international partner of this event organised in France by Images en Bibliothèques, the Institut français offers a rich, diverse program of recently released and festival-nominated films, as well as cultural themes and new perspectives. For its 17th edition, the focus of this year’s program is real-life tragi-comedies.

For all details of this evenement, please consult the website:

http://www.faguowenhua.com/en-article-525-documentary-month

1. Le challat de Tunis

Tunisia, before the revolution. A man on a motorbike, razor blade in hand, prowls the streets of Tunis slashing women's buttocks. They call him The Challat, aka "The Blade", and the mere mention of his name provokes fascination and terror. Is he a lone criminal, an urban legend, or could he be the creation of a political group or religious fanatics? 10 years later, in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, a stubborn young female director sets out on an investigation to unravel the mystery and discover the true Challat of Tunis...

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
With: Kaouther Ben Hania, Jallel Dridi, Moufida Dridi

2. On the Edge of the World

Paris, after nightfall. This is where Jeni, Wenceslas, Christine, Pascal and the others attempt to survive on the capital’s streets. Some have been homeless for several years. Michel, 60, still hopes to get back on his feet. Some people can be kind, such as a man who gave Pascal two bags of groceries. But the vast majority of society prefers to walk on by. They do not even consider the possibility that these people might change their lives. ‘We are always in somebody’s way’, complains Michel. It’s this fatalism and lack of solidarity that saddens Christine the most…

Director : Claus Drexel

Year : 2014

Duration : 98 MINUTES

3. Oh la la Pauline !

Pauline, 15, is the only one of the siblings still living at home. Between her mother, a long-term party animal, and her cross-dressing father, her everyday life is a high-drama affair. Pauline is filmed over two years by her half-sister, Emilie, who mixes the family archives with candid snapshots… We discover a young girl full of life, who is sometimes irritating but is blessed with an entertaining charm, and who is deeply in love with a musician. A fundamental question reveals itself over the two years in which Pauline is followed by the camera: When and how do we become an adult? When is the right moment to leave the family nest, to ‘tear yourself away’?

Director: Émilie Brisavoine
With : Pauline Lloret-Besson, Meaud Besson, Frédéric Lloret

Year : 2015

Duration : 88 MINUTES

4. Nostalgia for the Light

In Chili’s Atacama desert, the stars shine brighter than anywhere else in the world. Observatories like oriental temples welcome researchers seeking the truth about the origin of universe, as well as archaeologists studying pre-Colombian civilizations. At the foot of the observatories, however, mothers are searching for a different truth. The dryness of the earth makes it excellent for preserving human remains – those of their children, the political prisoners of the dictatorship. One day, they found a ditch in which 10 of the ‘desaparecidos’ were buried. And they haven’t stopped searching since…

Director: Patricio Guzmán

Year : 2010

Duration : 90 MINUTES