20th SFF Szczecin Film Festival - European Documentary Film Competition BLOCK 2

European Documentary Film Competition at the 20th SFF Szczecin Film Festival features 20 deeply moving films about the armed and religious conflicts, social and economic inequalities, migration, difficult identities, human rights, human frailties, but also human strength, passion, and special abilities that are so prevalent in today's world. EUROPEAN COMPETITION BLOCK 2 Selma, songs of the crossing / Selma, les beaux lendemains, dir. Jean-Jacques Cunnac, France / United States, 2025, 77' A disillusioned artist travels to Selma, Alabama, for the Jubilee, seeking hope and at the same time sharing intimate reflections addressed to his young son. The film presents a city suspended between its heritage, which sparked the 1965 marches for voting rights, and the burning issues of the present day. Women Soldiers of Ukraine, dir. Michał Przedlacki, Poland, 2024, 36’ Women Soldiers of Ukraine: They had families, careers, friends, and normal lives. Despite this, they decided to take up arms and resist the Russian occupiers. They risk death and must face gender bias. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, there were 16,500 active female soldiers serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ten years later, that number has grown to 45,500 women. Lift Lady, dir. Marcin Modzelewski, Poland, 2024, 25’ Brutalist architecture, a paid elevator, and the surrealism of the surroundings are everyday life for Mzia, a former sniper who supervises the only such transport system in the world. The grotesqueness of the housing estate and the vices of its residents paint a tragicomic picture of contemporary Georgia. Stand by Me, dir. Parisa Zandbaf, Netherlands, 2024, 9’ The film depicts an American couple's struggle with illness. The film has gained international popularity, attracting tourists from all over the world. The American couple's dream trip to Amsterdam becomes a test of their love. Tickets for the www.kupbilecik.pl: https://www.kupbilecik.pl/imprezy/180175/Szczecin/20.+Szczecin+Film+Festival+-+BLOK+2/ Co-financed by the Municipality of Szczecin, the Marshal's Office of the West Pomeranian Province, and the Polish Film Institute.