Life in Neuperlach, a Munich suburb, is quaint. It is a safe neighborhood, where people know and greet each other. Everybody has their own backyard; single car garages are lining the narrow footpaths and everything is groomed. But for some time now that peacefulness is troubled, because refugees are supposed to move in next door. As some of the residents are afraid of the noise to be expected, they are putting up a noise protection wall. Biotope shows the life of the locals and gets to the bottom of the reason for building that wall.

Consumers love – and live on – their smartphones, tablets and laptops. A cascade of new devices pours endlessly into the market, promising even better communication, non-stop entertainment and instant information. The numbers are staggering. By 2020, four billion people will have a personal computer. Five billion will own a mobile phone. But this revolution has a dark side, hidden from most consumers. In an investigation that spans the globe, filmmaker Sue Williams investigates the underbelly of the electronics industry and reveals how even the smallest devices have deadly environmental and health costs.

On March 26, through a case study featuring the film Death By Design, Caitlin Boyle, the founder of film distribution firm Film Sprout, will show how grassroots screening initiatives and citizen-driven actions like petition-writing campaigns can create new opportunities for documentaries seeking to make a change in the world.