
Projects 2023-2024
October 6, 2023
Projects 2025-2026
September 26, 2025Projects 2024-2025
Projects 2024-2025
CLOSE UP
We are excited to announce the 12 selected projects from Southwest Asia and North Africa for the upcoming 2024-2025 Close Up program! We’re thrilled to have received over 85 projects from talented filmmakers across Southwest Asia & North Africa, showcasing powerful stories. The selection process has been inspiring and very competitive. The 2024-2025 Close Up selected cohort comprises visionary documentarians whose groundbreaking works traverse the globe, revealing narratives that are concealed from public discourse.
14.5 KM AWAY FROM OUR DREAMS
Lilit Mkhitaryan, Producer Ruzanna Ghazaryan
Artur, his two school friends, their retired history teacher Kima, and the senior taxi driver Zaven all live in the Armenian-Turkish border village of Margara, a mere 14.5 kilometers from the Mount Ararat, a powerful symbol of Armenian identity, has belonged to Turkey since Lenin’s era. Artur and his friends share a common dream: to climb Mount Ararat, an aspiration that ties them to their heritage and history. Meanwhile, Kima, Zaven, and Artur remain caught in the uneasy anticipation of the decades-long closed border’s potential opening. They wonder how such a momentous change will impact their lives, their futures, and their connection to the land that once seemed so far beyond reach.
ASHES
Daham Alasaad
Across Paris, Berlin, and Damascus, Syrian war survivors in exile fight for justice, guided by a filmmaker who shares their past. Then the unimaginable occurs : the fall of bashar al-assad’s regime. Is justice finally within reach for the Syrian people?
BURY A DOVE
Noga Chevion, Producer Udi Nir & Sagi Bornstein
A Holocaust survivor dressed as Hitler roams the streets of Israel. This is Dov Or-Ner – an artist who burned and buried his own work to confront his society’s deepest taboos. After his death, during a brutal war, a filmmaker locks herself in his abandoned studio to unearth what he left behind. But can the present-day Israeli society face what he dared to see?
ECHOES OF AVEY
Atanur Nabiyeva, Producer Durna Safarova
After living abroad for ten years, Atanur returns to the last place she felt at home—Avey Mountain. Upon her return, she finds that Avey is no longer the mountain she remembers. The once vibrant summer pastures are now lifeless, and quarries and factories have taken over the landscape. Accompanied by her grandmother, who has never left the village, Atanur begins to uncover traces of the past. Through their conversations, they discover a common thread that unifies their lives: violence. Now, committed to exploring the past, Atanur intertwines the fate of Avey and the women living there.
HANA, ALGERIA AND ME
Assia Tamerdjent, Producer François Combin
Hana, my older sister, lives alone in Algiers. We parted ways seven years ago, when I chose to leave for Paris. Today, as this so-called city of refuge feels more hostile than ever, I decide to pick up my camera and go find Hana. This film is a journey to rebuild a lost bond, between two sisters that Algeria gave birth to, and that Algeria separated.
MY GRANDFATHER, ME AND A REVOLUTION
Sophie Shevardnadze, Producer Sergei Yahontov
The events of the film unfold in Tbilisi, Georgia, in late November 2003, when Sophie, the 23-year-old granddaughter of Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, visits her family. Unexpectedly, she becomes a witness to her grandfather’s final two days in power during a revolution in full swing. Sophie documents the turbulent events on her student mini-DV camera.
MY AUNTIES
Hazal Hanquet, Producer Aslıhan Altuğ-Anna Maria Aslanoğlu, Co-Producer Valarié Montmartin
Aslı and Ayşın’s 40-year love and friendship story unfolds through the eyes of Hazal, who grew up considering both women as her aunts. Tracing their queer journey across Istanbul through personal archives, photos, and reflections, Hazal uncovers a tale of resilience, love, and quiet defiance in a society that sought to keep them hidden.
THE AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER’S FAMILY PORTRAIT
Nurlan Hasanli, Producer Irina Gelashvili
A filmmaker whose script was stolen in Azerbaijan seeks creative revenge by making the film with his own family. But his family proves to be impossible to direct, and the documentary takes over.
THE 10TH MONTH
Rachel Szor
A mother from Gaza must flee to the other side of the fence. Torn between seeking safety and safeguarding her children, she is fighting for freedom against all odds
CONFIDENTIAL
A collective of Filmmakers from Afghanistan
This character-driven documentary captures the underground scenes of women’s historic resistance in occupied Kabul.













