S1.E3 ∙ The Will to Win

When life takes a turn for the worse, how high can hope carry you? A pastor, a wife, and a family man are all faced this question when diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a muscle-wasting disease that gives the patient three-to-five years to live. Through their faith, family, and loved ones though the three are able to achieve incredible outcomes and finally discover the true breadth of hope.

After her parents' divorce, Sabina was forced to follow her mother to Switzerland while her sister, Narmina, stayed with their father in Baku. Five years later, the 17 and 19 year old sisters are reunited when Sabina comes to spend he summer in Azerbaijan. Yet Sabina's vacation has a secret motive: she wants to move back home to live with the father she loves so deeply. He, too, has a project of his own: he wishes to marry for the third time and has to break the news to his daughters.

Building for Life: Moving AIDS to the Positive Light is a story of rebirth and redemption for three remarkable villagers with HIV/AIDS in the north of Thailand. This documentary reveals their recovery through different stages of acceptance: personal, familial, and communal. Songsak, who contracted HIV from his first sexual encounter with a sex-worker, was told he had five years to live. Jittra, a widow, finds the strength to battle HIV/AIDS through the will to live for her son. Prakai, a young woman, lived a self-destructive life until she made the decision to turn herself around and help others.

A story of the close ties of teenage friendship, on stage and off, and a yearning that some things will never change.

The Peruvian craft-work called 'Retablo Ayacuchano' is a rectangular wooden box containing small sculptures of people and the environment in which they live, work, and celebrate. The filmmaker traveled to Peru and conducted interviews with retablo artists known as 'retablistas'. The result became a 20-minute documentary. This portrait of four artists reveals how they share their passion and inspirations in the creation of their retablos. In this video documentary, the retablistas open the doors of their houses, workshops, and hearts to reveal their memories, commitment, and love for their community, art, and life. The retablo project includes both this video documentary and the animation 'Retablo', inspired by this Peruvian craft-work.