OVID’s May Lineup: Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958–1989, Christopher Nolan presents The Quay Brothers, Czech Classics, Maya Deren & much more!

OVID’s May lineup is filled with resplendent restorations and monumental new releases.

Exclusive premieres include the NY Times Critic’s Pick Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958–1989, from archival wizard Göran Hugo Olsson, still resonant since its Film Forum run, praised as “honest and electrifying” (Erik Reed, Spectrum Culture) and “one of the most complete cinematic documents about a political conflict in recent memory.” (Siddhant Adlakha, Truthdig)

Other new releases include the enrapturing return of twin-brother animation masters the Quay Brothers: Sanatorium Under the Signs of the Hourglass, presented by Christopher Nolan, hailed as “a mouthful, an eyeful and a mind-melt” (Guy Lodge, Variety), and “a murky underworld marvel of fractured time and ticking mortality [that] will haunt me forever.” (Stephen A. Russell, Orion’s Shoulder)

We’ll also resurrect the long-lost Czech occult horror anthology film Prague Nights, filled with magic, golems, and satanic visitors; part of a program of four revived Czech gems from the ’60s and ’80s. 

What else? Two films spotlighting Lebanon that capture its tumultuous history (Anxious in Beirut and We Loved Each Other So Much), and an award-winning doc about Afghan women striving to free themselves from oppression (Writing Hawa). Plus, a batch of experimental films by the singular Maya Deren, including her first film, Meshes of the Afternoon, from 1943.

Full details on May’s complete lineup are below.

Image above from Maya Deren's THE FILMS OF MAYA DEREN: EXPERIMENTAL FILMS 1943–1959, premiering on OVID on May 21st.

Friday, May 1

Blum: Masters of Their Own Destiny
Directed by Jasmila Žbanić
Icarus Films | Documentary | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2025 | 76 min

Academy Award–nominated and BAFTA-winning director Jasmila Žbanić sheds light on an extraordinary historical figure Emerik Blum, a Sarajevo-born engineer and founder of Energoinvest.
Žbanić’s film is a lively testament to the unwavering power of Blum’s vision, and a reminder that business can thrive under models very different from today’s rapacious capitalism.

“An important historical document, highlighting the innovation, vision, and courage of past generations… An inspiring narrative!” —Sarajevo Times (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

“Shows not only the fascinating life of this great man, but also the wider context of the industrial revolution that shaped the former Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.” —Lepota & Zdravlje

OVID EXCLUSIVE — SVOD PREMIERE

Personale
Directed by Carmen Trocker
Icarus Films | Documentary | Italy, Austria | 2024 | 93 min

Carmen Trocker’s subtly radical observational documentary immerses us behind-the-scenic-scenes. Set at a four-star hotel in northeastern Italy, a luxurious spot in the Italian Dolomites, guests come to ski, swim, and relax. Yet we see none of this. Instead, the film focuses on the unseen: the housekeeping staff, migrant workers — from southern Italy, eastern Europe, and north and west Africa — who are at the bottom of the hotel hierarchy, but without whom nothing churns. In a recent interview for Cinecittà News, Trocker said: “Between trolleys and sheets, I tell the contradictions of tourism.”

“Deceptively simple… there are shreds of beauty that can be found amidst real life.” —Cineuropa 

“A choral and respectful fresco.”  —Cinecittà News 

OVID EXCLUSIVE — SVOD PREMIERE

Tuesday, May 5

The Golden Fern
Directed by Jirí Weiss
With Vít Olmer, Daniela Smutná, Karla Chadimová, Frantisek Smolík
Deaf Crocodile | Fantasy | Czechoslovakia | 1963 | 115 min

Czech director Jiří Weiss’s breathtaking B&W fairy tale is one of the most unjustly neglected treasures of 1960s fantasy filmmaking, a hauntingly lyrical work with overtones of Wojciech Has’s The Saragossa Manuscript and Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast.

“A dark and haunting fairy tale… Weiss subtly weaves elements of the magical or miraculous.” —Budd Wilkins, Slant Magazine

Wednesday, May 6

Prague Nights
Directed by Miloš Makovec, Jiří Brdečka and Evald Schorm
With Milena Dvorská, Miloš Kopecký, Jirí HrzánVít Olmer, Daniela Smutná
Deaf Crocodile | Horror Anthology | Czechoslovakia | 1969 | 99 min

The long-lost Sixties Czech occult horror anthology film Prague Nights is filled with magic, giant golems and satanic visitors. In the vein of horror anthologies like Bava’s Black Sabbath, this long-unseen gem is a supernatural vision of ancient and modern Prague: caught between Mod Sixties fashions and nightmarish Medieval catacombs, and filled with Qabbalistic magic, occult rituals, clockwork automatons and satanic visitors.

“A delightful, visually ravishing horror odyssey through modern and medieval Prague.” —Andrew Kotwicki, The Movie Sleuth

“Both horror and not horror with a heavy helping of sensuality that makes for a heady brew of adroit artistry. One may be as warmed by the naughtiness at play as they are chilled by the dread that punctuates all of the stories including the bookends. Rest assured Prague Nights will delight fans of both horror and European Cinema alike.”  —A.W. Kautzer, The Movie Isle

Thursday, May 7

The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians
Directed by Oldrich Lipský
With Miloš Kopecký, Michal Dočolomanský, Evelyna Steimarová
Dead Crocodile | Gothic mystery | Czechoslovakia | 1981 | 97 min

A unique and almost indescribable mix of gothic fiction, steampunk gadgetry, slapstick comedy and romantic opera. In 1897, in a castle near the town of Werewolfville in the Carpathians, a slightly deranged Professor Orfanik experiments with his new inventions which include, even at this early date, television and a film camera.

“Surreal and slyly subversive.” —Budd Wilkins, Slant Magazine

Friday, May 8

The Pied Piper
Directed by Jiří Barta
With Oldrich Kaiser, Jirí Lábus, Michal Pavlícek, Vilém Cok
Dead Crocodile | Animation | Czechoslovakia, West Germany | 1986 | 56 min

A darkly brilliant stop-motion adaptation of The Pied Piper of Hamelin about a plague of rats that punish townsfolk corrupt with greed. One of Czechoslovakia’s most ambitious animation projects of the 1980s, notable for its unusual dark art direction, innovative animation techniques and use of a fictitious language.

“Combines the horrors of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with Metropolis, as filtered through medieval carving techniques… mesmerizing.” —Michael Barrett, Slant Magazine

“Jiri Barta’s ambitious 55-minute animation recasts The Pied Piper as a parable about capitalism run amok, amplifying the avarice of the townsfolk into depraved gluttony.” —Joshua Katzman, Chicago Reader

Christopher Nolan Presents:
Sanatorium Under The Sign Of The Hourglass
Directed by The Quay Brothers
With Tadeusz Janiszewski, Wioletta Kopanska, Andrzej Klak
KimStim | Animation | UK, Poland, Germany | 2024 | 76 min

From the makers of Cabinet of Jan Svankmeyer and Institute Benjamenta comes this beguiling concoction of live action and stop-motion animation inspired by the writings of Polish author Bruno Schulz that weaves a dreamlike tale of one man’s journey through time, space, life, and death to find his father.

“If you close your eyes, you might wake up inside the movie, unstuck from time yourself.” —Nicolas Rapold, The New York Times

“A surreal stop-motion fantasia.” —Guy Lodge, Variety

”Too wonderfully strange and beguiling for mainstream animation audiences… a niche item that connoisseurs will no doubt treasure.”  —Tim Grierson, Screen International

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Wednesday, May 13

Anxious in Beirut  
Directed by Zakaria Jaber
EPF Media / DS2 | Documentary | Lebanon | 2023 | 93 min

This documentary serves as Zakaria Jaber’s personal diary, capturing moments of revolution, destruction, and protest in Lebanon. Living with constant anxiety, Zakaria narrates his own life as a series of unfortunate events prevents him from leaving the country. These recurring events reflect the cyclical nature of the city and prompt a deeper look at the systemic issues fueling Beirut’s collective anxiety.

We Loved Each Other So Much
Directed by Jack Janssen
Icarus Films | Documentary | Netherlands, Lebanon | 2003 | 80 min

Regardless of their political or religious affiliations, the people of Beirut felt a deep emotional connection with Lebanese singer Fairuz. By explaining their attachment, they tell their life stories, often recounting violent incidents from the civil war. Their reminiscences, combined with portions of many of Fairuz’s songs, provide a moving commentary on Lebanon’s tumultuous history.

“Poetic… finds humor and indomitable spirit in its subjects.” —Dennis Harvey, Variety

“A touching portrait of life in post-war Beirut.” —Peter Speetjens, The Daily Star

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Thursday, May 14

The Perfect Meal – The Secrets of the Mediterranean Diet
Directed by Alexandros Merkouris
First Hand Films / DS2 | Series | Greece, France | 2023 | 5×26 min

Everybody knows that the Mediterranean Diet, consisting of plant-based foods like vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes and fruits, with few or no animal products – is good for our health. Only few of us know, however, how particular plants affect different parts of our body, our heart and mind or how the food we eat can act as medicine, if used correctly.

The Perfect Meal follows five leading international scientists who gradually uncover the secret mechanisms of the Mediterranean Diet and reveal how certain ingredients and combinations of plant based foods can protect us from obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and aging brains.

Episode one features London cook Marianna Leivaditaki returning to her homeland in Crete, reconnecting with her family and seeking inspiration for her new menu, and episode five features award-winning ‘green chef’ Xavier Pellicer as he visits an organic vegetable field outside Barcelona.

Friday, May 15

Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958–1989
Directed by Göran Hugo Olsson
Icarus Films | Documentary | Sweden | 2025 | 206 min

Excavating long-unseen footage from the vaults of the Swedish public TV network (SVT), archival wizard Göran Hugo Olsson (The Black Power Mixtape) probes 30 years of history in Israel and Palestine. Recognizing there is no definitive chronicle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Olsson focuses on showing how this history was told by SVT, including war reportage (the 1967 Six Day and 1973 Yom Kippur Wars), human interest stories, and interviews with political leaders (Yasser Arafat, David Ben Gurion, Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir, Anwar Sadat) and intellectuals (Ghassan Kanafani, Raymonda Tawil, Amos Oz). Everyday life in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank is presented by Swedish journalists, who provide useful vantage points on this continuing conflict. 

“Deserves to be seen. Beyond hours and hours of fascinating footage.” —Steve Macfarlane, Screen Slate 

“CRITIC’S PICK! AN EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY…This sprawling, continually engrossing assemblage from Göran Hugo Olsson… is built entirely from material shown on Swedish public television. Its subject is not only the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also how the news was mediated for Swedish viewers by a dominant broadcaster with a mandate for impartiality.” —Ben Kenigsberg, The New York Times

OVID EXCLUSIVE — SVOD PREMIERE

Tuesday, May 19

Writing Hawa
Directed by Najiba Noori & Rasul Noori
Icarus Films | Documentary | France, Netherlands, Qatar, Afghanistan | 2024 | 85 min

Writing Hawa follows three generations of Hazara women from the same family in Afghanistan. With unique access and empathy, Najiba Noori films her mother Hawa and niece Zahra in their aspirations to free themselves from patriarchal traditions. Forced into marriage at the age of 13 to a much older man, Hawa sets out to open a small textile business. Eventually reunited with her granddaughter Zahra, having escaped an abusive father in the countryside, Hawa takes Zahra under her wing.

An essential testimony of women’s resilience in the face of oppression and the dreams cut short by the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. 

“An intimate film that touches on how it feels to become your mother’s friend. Writing Hawa shows how the gains of an entire generation of Afghan women determined not to repeat [their parents‘] idiocy for their own daughters was reversed from one day to the next – but also, in its spirit of guerrilla-shot defiance, it also offers hope for the future.” —Lee Marshall, Screen Daily

** FIPRESCI Award, IDFA

** Winner, Docs for Schools Student Choice Award, 2025 Hot Docs Festival

OVID EXCLUSIVE — SVOD PREMIERE

Devi
Directed by Subina Shrestha
First Hand Films / DS2 | Documentary | UK, Nepal, South Korea | 2024 | 52 min

Nepal’s Civil War ended in 2006, but not for Devi; rebel warrior, mother and sexual violence survivor. As those in power try to erase rape from the history of the war, Devi has to battle her own demons before she can begin to build a movement to fight for justice.

“Devi’s tale is powerful and profound for those both in her own country and around the world.” —Jason Gorber, POV Magazine

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Thursday, May 21

The Films of Maya Deren: Experimental Films 1943–1959
Directed by Maya Deren
Women Make Movies | Shorts | USA | 1943–1959 | 76 min

“The mother of the American avant-garde cinema” according to Jonas Mekas, Maya Deren’s fascinating films are masterpieces of their era and provide an important insight into the history of the avant-garde and the trance film. This bundle of Deren shorts include her first film, Meshes of the Afternoon (1943, 14 mins), At Land (1944, 14 mins, Silent), A Study in Choreography for Camera (1945, 3 mins, Silent), Ritual in Transfigured Time (1946, 15 mins, Silent), Meditation on Violence (1948, 13 mins), and The Very Eye of the Night (1959, 15 mins).

This collection joins In The Mirror Of Maya Deren, Martina Kudlácek’s pitch-perfect introduction to Deren’s poetic body of work, currently streaming on OVID. 

“A pioneer of American avant-garde cinema, Deren’s legacy is both abstract and tangible. Her innovations in filmmaking continue to fascinate aspiring experimental filmmakers. Her pioneering, uncompromising spirit enabled her to elude the institutional limitations that controlled filmmaking in 1940s American culture.” —Wendy Haslem, Senses of Cinema

“Maya Deren introduced the possibility of isolating a single gesture as a complete film form.” —P. Adams Sitney, Visionary Film: The American Avant-Garde

Friday, May 22

Only the River Flows
Directed by Wei Shujun
With Zhu Yilong, Chloe Maayan, Hou Tianlai
Kimstim | Feature | China | 2023 | 101 min

1990s, Banpo Town, rural China. A woman’s body is found by the river. Ma Zhe, Chief of the Criminal Police, heads up the murder investigation that quickly leads to an obvious arrest. As his superiors are keen to communicate their success, several clues push Ma Zhe to delve deeper into the hidden behavior of his fellow citizens.

“The filmmaker has a gift for disorientation.” —Ben Kenigsberg, The New York Times

“Shujun has built a compelling, evocative mystery that maintains its enigmatic, unfinished feeling even after the higher-ups have closed the case and patted themselves on the back.” —Gabrielle Marceau, The Film Stage

“As pure cinema, Only The River Flows is a knockout: eerie and dreamlike.” —Danny Leigh, Financial Times

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Tuesday, May 26

Unwelcomed
Directed by Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez & Amílcar Infante
EPF Media / DS2 | Documentary | Chile | 2025 | 68 min

Once promoted as a land of opportunity, Chile now faces rising anti-immigrant sentiment and systemic barriers that leave newcomers in a state of uncertainty and exclusion. Through intimate access and personal testimonies, directors Amílcar Infante and Sebastián González Méndez weave together a portrait of resilience and struggle, exposing the human toll of shifting national attitudes.

“Deft and journalistically assured.” —Jason Gorber, POV Magazine

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Wednesday, May 27

Biocentrics
Directed by Fernanda Heinz Figueiredo
Impronta Films / DS2 | Brazil | Documentary | 2022 | 109 min

Have you ever thought about the package that brought you into the world? In Biocentrics, this and other provocations are answered through the eyes and voice of biologist Janine Benyus. Traveling to different corners of the planet, this doc reveals the birth and principles that guide biomimicry, a multidisciplinary methodology of technological innovation inspired by a master with 3.8 billion years of experience.

“A fascinating examination into the natural world and our interaction with it.” —Steve Norton, In the Seats

Thursday, May 28

Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed
Directed by Ann Shin
EPF Media / DS2 | Documentary | Canada | 2025 | 79 min

A teen girl faces online harassment on a popular gaming platform. With the help of friends, she uncovers darker activities lurking beneath the surface of this digital world meant for children. Their investigation exposes explicit games, hate groups, and predators thriving on platforms meant for kids. When a young gamer is kidnapped and a mass shooting occurs, the urgency becomes chilling. Dangerous Games reveals how platforms like Roblox are failing to protect their youngest users.

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Friday, May 29

The Mohican
Directed by Frederic Farucci
With Alexis Manenti, Mara Taquin, Théo Frimigacci, Paul Garatte
Distrib Films | Feature | France | 2024 | 87 min

Joseph is the last shepherd on the island still grazing his goats on clifftop pastures overlooking the sea. But his land, passed down through generations, is coveted by the mafia and the forces of unchecked greed. When a group of menacing strangers arrives at his door to pressure him one final time, the standoff turns violent. A gunshot shatters the calm, and Joseph flees into the wild. Joseph’s flight becomes a stark portrait of resistance—an epic struggle of one man against the forces closing in.

“An intriguing arthouse elevated genre film, blending social realism with thriller elements.” —Martin Kudlac, ScreenAnarchy

“The film’s greatest strength lies in cleverly reintegrating elements of legend and mythology into the heart of the story.” —Jacques Morice, Télérama

Complete list of films premiering on OVID this month (in alphabetical order):

Anxious in Beirut, Zakaria Jaber (2023)
Blum: Masters of Their Own Destiny, Jasmila Žbanić (2025) 
Biocentrics, Fernanda Heinz Figueiredo (2022) 
Christopher Nolan Presents: Sanatorium Under The Sign Of The Hourglass, Quay Brothers (2024)
Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed, Ann Shin (2025) 
Devi, Subina Shrestha (2024) 
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989, Göran Hugo Olsson (2025) 
Only the River Flows, Wei Shujun (2023) 
Personale, Carmen Trocker (2024) 
Prague Nights, Miloš Makovec, Jiří Brdečka and Evald Schorm (1969)
The Films of Maya Deren: Experimental Films (1943-1959) 
The Golden Fern, Jirí Weiss (1963)
The Mohican, Frederic Farucci (2024) 
The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians, Oldrich Lipský (1981)
The Perfect Meal, Alexandros Merkouris (2023) 
The Pied Piper, Jiří Barta (1986)
Unwelcomed, Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez & Amílcar Infante (2025) 
We Loved Each Other So Much, Jack Janssen (2003)
Writing Hawa, Najiba Noori & Rasul Noori (2024)