Jiska Rickels

Veins of the World

Amra is growing up in the Mongolian steppe between herds of goats and YouTube videos. His hopes and dreams revolve around someday performing onstage in "Mongolia's Got Talent". However, the fight against the exploitation by gold mining companies and the campaign for a viable environment soon challenge the boy's eclectic talents.

The Sound of the Bandoneon

'El sonido del bandoneon' is a documentary film about the instrument that is most associated with passion: the bandoneon. The film is a search for the soul and special sound of this magical instrument that is so inextricably linked to Argentina and its most famous musical expression, the tango.The story of the bandoneon now seems to be headed for a dramatic ending. The old bandoneons from the beginning of the 20th century break down or are bought by collectors, and new bandoneons are made only in very small quantities. These new bandoneons lack the quality and special sound of the German originals and are expensive. So there are fewer bandoneons around, the once so popular instrument is played by fewer musicians, ad the bandoneon is in very real danger of disappearing altogether.

The Sound of the Bandoneon

'El sonido del bandoneon' is a documentary film about the instrument that is most associated with passion: the bandoneon. The film is a search for the soul and special sound of this magical instrument that is so inextricably linked to Argentina and its most famous musical expression, the tango.The story of the bandoneon now seems to be headed for a dramatic ending. The old bandoneons from the beginning of the 20th century break down or are bought by collectors, and new bandoneons are made only in very small quantities. These new bandoneons lack the quality and special sound of the German originals and are expensive. So there are fewer bandoneons around, the once so popular instrument is played by fewer musicians, ad the bandoneon is in very real danger of disappearing altogether.

The Two Horses of Genghis Khan

An old, broken morin khurr (horse head fiddle) compels renowned Mongolian singer Urna Chahar Tugchi to take a road journey to Ulan Bator and the steppes of Mongolia.

Babaji, an Indian Love Story

A poetic documentary about the life of an aged and colorful Indian Shaman, who longs to be reunited with his deceased wife

4 Elements

Documentary about men who are fighting one of the elements in the 21st century: mine workers in Germany, king crab fishers of the Bering Sea, Russian "Smokejumpers" and astronaut training.

Electriek

An old farmer's wife lives alone on a secluded farm. In documentary-like observations, her idyllic life files past. Then, it is discovered that her house, as the last one in Belgium, has not been connected to the electricity grid yet. On their TVs and radios, the Belgians, living in houses that are filled with electric appliances, hear her story. `How has she managed to live like that?'

Electriek

An old farmer's wife lives alone on a secluded farm. In documentary-like observations, her idyllic life files past. Then, it is discovered that her house, as the last one in Belgium, has not been connected to the electricity grid yet. On their TVs and radios, the Belgians, living in houses that are filled with electric appliances, hear her story. `How has she managed to live like that?'

Untertage

A beautiful depiction of one day in the life of the miners in the Lohberg-Osterfeld coal-mine in Germany. In little carts, men descend into the subterranean corridors. Beside an arrow on a wall is written ‘Zur Hölle’ (to hell). Deeper and deeper, the camera penetrates the interior of the earth, where darkness reigns and strange sounds of people and machines are distorted into a frightening cacophony. At the end of the day, the miners come back up, towards the daylight. There, they change and rinse the dust from their pores.

The Story of the Weeping Camel

When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.