While the holidays invite us to gather and settle in, not everyone's relationship with home is simple.
This December, we spotlight three award-winning stories of people holding on to home in the face of displacement, erasure, or conflict. From a Swiss housing estate under threat, to an Italian village wrestling with new arrivals, to a Palestinian artist piecing together identity across borders - each film reveals how deeply home shapes who we are.
In a season devoted to belonging, these films ask: Who gets to feel at home - and who is still searching?
Brunaupark
When the community confronts the money guys #Suisse
Launches 4 Dec 2025 | Winner: Visions du Réel 2024
"A vivid portrayal of a community's struggle against gentrification", Variety Magazine
In Zurich's Brunaupark neighborhood, 405 flats face demolition as the Crédit Suisse pension fund cancels half the tenancies. Over 3 years, filmmakers Dominik Zietlow and Felix Hergert capture a vibrant community refusing to disappear quietly - from wild raves to moving an entire restaurant into a kitchen - revealing the human cost when progress erases place.
Why watch:
- Urgent exploration of housing crisis in one of the world's wealthiest cities
- Tragicomic portrait of grassroots resistance
A Black Jesus
Faith and strangers in a Sicilian town #Italy
Launches 18 Dec 2025
Produced by Wim Wenders. Winner: Golden Dove, DOK Leipzig.
In Siculiana, locals worship a Black Jesus - a centuries-old tradition. But when African refugees arrive in nearby camps, the town's capacity for acceptance is tested. Director Luca Lucchesi, who worked with Wim Wenders since 2009, maps this paradox through daily life: As one refugee observes, "The people here do not like black people, but they worship a black statue."
Why watch:
- Video Librarian: "Film activism at its very best... a powerful eye-opener"
- Questions the nature of faith and acceptance in divided communities
Namrud: Troublemaker
Music, borders, and the cost of speaking out
Launches 11 Dec 2025. Premiered at DOK Leipzig | IMDb 8.3
Jowan Safadi is a Palestinian musician from Israel whose band Fish Samak has built a devoted following across the Arabic world. His witty, penetrating lyrics tackle taboo subjects - and have landed him in trouble with authorities on both sides. Director Fernando Romero Forsthuber follows Jowan through a tour that ends with arrest and an overnight stay in a Jordanian prison cell, capturing an artist who insists on co-resistance over co-existence, no matter the personal cost.
Why watch:
- Rare portrait of Palestinian life through music and defiance
- Father-son story amid political turmoil
Explore more award-winning documentaries on iWonder.
For press inquiries, screeners, or interview requests, contact andreas@iwonder.com
