Movies That Matter: In The Age Of Vigilance

Together, these films paint a picture of the urgency and fragility of life under constant pressure, where vigilance is a fundamental part of daily existence. They explore what it means to live this way, and what it takes to keep thinking, feeling, and resisting.

Looking For A Donkey (Juan Vicente Manrique, 2024 – 17 min)
In a small town in the Venezuelan Andes, two firefighters recorded a video of a donkey, pretending it was the president of Venezuela visiting their dilapidated facilities. That same day, the firefighters were imprisoned, but little is known about what happened to the donkey.

A Lien (David Cutler-Kreutz, Sam Cutler-Kreutz, 2023 – 15 min)
On the day of their green card interview, a young couple faces a perilous immigration process.

What If They Bomb Here Tonight? (Samir Syriani, 2025 – 16 min)
Samir and Nadyn, a Lebanese couple, spend a sleepless night, afraid that an Israeli airstrike will shatter the glass walls of their home. While their children sleep peacefully, they wrestle with the question of whether to flee or take the risk and stay.

happiness (Fırat Yücel, 2025 – 18 min)
An urgent desktop diary, created at the intersection of a hectic digital landscape and the internal violence of modern colonization. The film follows the sleepless nights of a group of activists, their eyes glued to screens as they follow the news from Palestine and the rest of the region. In Amsterdam, far from their homelands, police brutality and the threat of deportation keep them glued to digital interfaces night after night. By connecting with anti-colonial resistance through screens and on the streets, happiness is a modest reminder to keep searching for solutions.