Essay film, 4K, DCP with 5.1 sound, 25', 2025

Direction, camera, sound: Lisa Mazenauer
Production: Chus Martínez (HGK Basel FHNW), Lisa Mazenauer
Editing: Lisa Mazenauer, Orsola Valenti
Sound Design: Lisa Mazenauer, Thy Truong, Rico Langjahr
Re-recording: Till Aldinger
Color Grading: Patrischa Freuler
Graphic Design: Alice Monguzzi

With the support of Fachausschuss Film und Medienkunst Kanton Basel-Stadt and the Gwaertler Grant

Synopsis

When Lisa asks about her grandfather’s gold mines, the answer is clear: all the documents were burned. As she retraces his links to Mobutu Sese Seko and the mining business in former Zaire, the void in the family archives begins to echo a broader societal question. The Right to Forget brilliantly explores how silence and denial shape both intimate and national memory.

Awards

Basler Kurzfilmpreis, Switzerland, 2026
Special Mention, Herceg Novi Film Festival, Montenegro, 2026

Festivals and screenings

Visions du Réel, World Premiere, Switzerland, 2026
Sheffield Doc Fest, UK, 2026
Journées photographiques de Bienne, Switzerland, 2026
Herceg Novi Film Festival, Montenegro, 2026
Tirana International Film Festival, Albania, 2026
San Giò Verona Video Festival, Italy, 2026
DOC NYC, USA, 2026
Kasseler Dokfest, Germany, 2026
Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Switzerland, 2026