Highlights from the Without Borders film fest

In 1981, a young Australian agronomist by the name of Tony Rinaudo went to Niger, where radical clearing depleted fertile soils and left the land desolate. But he discovered a vast root network beneath the supposedly dead soil, which led him to develop an unprecedented conservation farming method. Volker Schlöndorff's first documentary is dedicated to Rinaudo's life's work.

Spectacular images and an issue that could not be more topical: The documentary "Into the Ice" follows three glacier researchers into endangered study areas in Greenland. What does the ice say about rising sea levels? The Danish filmmaker asks questions that have bleak answers — with captivating nature footage.

The film takes a look behind the scenes of the world of teenage female influencers. What looks like a seemingly effortless, dazzling life turns out to be hard work that garners online fame and fans — but also hatred. Director Susanne Regina Meures gets close to a 14-year-old Berlin-based influencer, and leaves viewers wavering between horror and fascination.

Earlier this year, Catalan director and video artist Albert Serra presented "Pacification" at the Cannes festival. The unconventional film is set in colonial French Polynesia, on the island of Tahiti. White men in bright suits, locals with shadowy intentions and interests, the threat of nuclear bomb tests — the film is reminiscent of a James Bond movie, but only to a point.

Kosovar director Blerta Basholli tells the story of a woman's emancipation in a village in Kosovo. Her film is based on the true story of Fahrije Hoti, who is now a successful entrepreneur and is known throughout the country for her commitment to women's rights.

This film gives a glimpse into the lives of a generation of workers from Anatolia, the heartland of Turkey, who came to work in Germany as part of an official "guest worker" program in the 1960s. Using a wide range of archival footage, documentary filmmaker Cem Kaya tells a story of culture and music as the guest workers create roots in Germany through their music, clubs and stars.