Boxeadora The 2015 edition of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) kicks off on November 18, and will run through the 29th.

Skimming through this year’s lineup, I came across the below titles (short docs and feature docs) that have not been previously covered on this blog, and that will be of interest to readers. So take a look at the summaries below.

S&A will be present for the festival this year, so expect write-ups on these films, and others (some already covered quite extensively on this blog, like Stanley Nelson’s "The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution" and more).

First, the 3 *unknown* short films.

1 – "Boxeadora," a film by Meg Smaker. Description: Since Castro’s Revolution, Cuba has won more Olympic gold medals in boxing than any other country in the world. Although this boxing powerhouse has more than 19,000 male boxers, female boxing is nonexistent on the island – the result of a ban on female boxing put into place after the revolution. ‘Boxeadora’ follows Namibia, a Cuban woman who has been training in secret as a boxer for five years, hoping the government would lift its ban. Now 38, she only has two years left of boxing eligibility. Journey with Namibia as she tries to leave the island to follow her only dream: to compete as a boxer.

Here’s its trailer:

2 – "Bird Skin," from director Clara Peltier. Description: A Brazilian named dancer Tuane transcends her life in the favelas with dazzling performances in glittering costumes.

3 – "Iceberg," from director Juliana Gabriela Gomez Castañeda. Description: An intimate and lyrical portrait of Theresa, a frail fisherwoman in her sixties living on a small island with her granddaughter Maria.

And here are the 3 feature documentaries.

1 – "Coming of Age," from director Teboho Edkins. Description: A film that follows teenagers over two years as they grow up deep in the southern African mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Lefa, sees her world fall apart when her best friend Senate leaves the village, and must decide whether to stay or leave in search of a better education. Retabile takes care of the family’s livestock up in a remote cattle post, helped by his younger brother Mosaku, who watches as he goes through a rite of passage that marks his transition into manhood. The summer of youth is quickly over, doors into adulthood open and close.

2 – "Last Conversations," the last film by the late Brazilian director who died last year (he shot the film but passed away before he was able to edit it). Made from interviews with young Brazilian students by Coutinho, the film seeks to understand how teenagers think, live and dream nowadays. The footage was edited by Coutinho’s longtime partner, film editor Jordana Berg, and the final cut is signed by João Moreira Salles.

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)-2