Vanessa Ciszewski

Animal Tales of Christmas Magic

In a festive and fairytale atmosphere, animals from around the world are brought together through five poetic and humorous adventures to celebrate Christmas and wintertime. They will learn about the importance of helping each other, being generous and rediscovering the beauty of nature.

The Siren

November 1980. Southern Iran. We are at the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war. Abadan, the capital of the Iranian petrol industry resists the repeated assaults of the Iraqi army, but is soon under full siege. Omid, a 14-year-old boy, has stayed back in the city, with his grandfather, waiting for his elder brother to come back from the frontline. Along with Omid, we discover several other uncommon characters, each one having stayed for a personal reason. Each one resisting in his own way. But as the Iraqi siege of the city hardens, Omid has to quickly find a way to save those he loves.

The Lost Souls of Syria

Twenty-seven thousand photos of corpses, and bodies tortured in detention centers of the Syrian regime, are leaked in 2014 by a mysterious deserter with the code name "Caesar". Because of the geopolitical interests of some countries and the indifference of other nations, international justice refuses to prosecute the regime of Bashar Al Assad responsible for crimes reminiscent of Nazi or Khmer barbarism. Filmed throughout Europe over nearly four years between 2016 and 2020, the film recounts the behind-the-scenes and twists and turns of investigations and proceedings that will lead to the issuance of arrest warrants for the highest officials of Bashar al Assad's administration for crimes against humanity.

This Summer Feeling

In high summer, Sasha suddenly dies. Her death brings two virtual strangers, her boyfriend Lawrence and sister Zoé, closer together, sharing their grief and the burden of their loss in Berlin, Paris and New York.

Ananda

ANANDA (in French: La Javanaise) is a fictional story, based on historical figures and events, of a young girls journey to find freedom and return home. In 1893, free-spirit ANANDA (13), lives happily with her little sister Tika (8) and their grandmother EMBAH (53) in a seaside village in Java. Yearning to be a shaman like Embah, Ananda enters the forbidden jungle and encounters a fierce TIGER. Suddenly, the girl and the tiger are both captured by traffickers. Ananda is sent to Paris, France where she works as a model and servant for a bohemian painter who abuses her. On a quest to return home, Ananda escapes, disguises herself as a boy, and encounters the Tiger again at the Cirque Fernando, where Ananda finds a new family among the misfits of the circus.

Looking for Zion

A multi-generational journey exploring the archives of the director's grandfather Ephraim Erde, an official Zionist photographer from the 30s, confronted with the director's current vision in an attempt to create an utopia of her own.

The Youngest Daughter

The story focuses on Fatima, who is the youngest daughter in a family of Algerian migrants in France. She discovers her love for women, which brings her into conflict with her family, her faith and her own identity.