Screening Schedule

Pari

Pari Siamak Etemadi 2020, Greece, France, The Netherlands, Bulgaria

Pari, an Iranian mother in her 40s, lands in Athens to visit her son, but quickly discovers he is nowhere to be found. Pari’s search for her son will follow his rebellious footsteps, taking her on a journey from the darkest corners of the city and the hidden depths of her soul to her ultimate freedom

200 Meters

200 Meters Ameen Nayfeh 2020, Palestine, Jordan, Qatar, Italy, Sweden

Mustafa and his wife live 200 meters apart, in villages separated by the Israeli West Bank Barrier. When informed of his son's accident, Mustafa rushes to the checkpoint but is denied entrance due to a bureaucratic technicality. In a world of brutal absurdity, a 200-meter distance is transformed into an agonizing 200-kilometer odyssey. A tale of fatherly love that plunges us into a dark reality, shedding light into the invisible barriers erected by lifelong οppression.

A Crazy, Crazy Family

Μια τρελλή, τρελλή Οικογένεια Dinos Dimopoulos 1965, Greece

Micka is a young woman living in a... crazy family. Her mother, Pasta Flora, is a nutcase, her little sister is out of control, while her – practically divorced from her mother – dad is a kind, chicken-hearted doormat of a person. Despite being engaged to Mickey, on their eve of their wedding, Micka flies off to Venice and gets married to Andreas, who – after finding out where he’s got himself into – separates Micka and takes on knocking some sense into this family of loonies.

A Good Man

A Good Man Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar 2020, France

Benjamin, a trans man still transitioning, and Aude, are happily living in Brittany. The couple is about to step into uncharted territories, though, as there is no alternative for having a child other than Benjamin carrying the baby. Faced with answerless questions and dilemmas way out of the ordinary, they are forced to reshape their entire life. Deconstructing the sanctified image of feminine motherhood, this heartwarming journey of self-determination reflects our times’ fluidity, questioning all predetermined roles and identities.

À L'abordage

À L'abordage Guillaume Brac 2020, France

Félix spends a passionate night with Alma in Paris, who hops on a train the following day to join her family in the south of France. Félix, determined not to let her slip away, embarks on a delirious carpool ride, along his banlieue homie Chérif and their reluctant driver Édouard, an upper-class mamma’s boy. A crosscutting and playful illustration of the various social and cultural layers that intersect French society, matched by the eternal questions of love and friendship.

A Perfectly Normal Family

En helt almindelig familie Malou Reymann 2020, Denmark

Emma, aged 11, is engulfed with love in a perfectly normal family environment. Nevertheless, this feeling of normality is about to take a serious hit as her dad has come out as transgender. Everything is turned upside down, as father and daughter strive to hold on to their bond and adapt to this uncharted territory. A heartwarming tale of laughter and tears, based on autobiographical experience, about family love and the fragile nature of predestined roles.

A Simple Man

Ένας ήσυχος άνθρωπος Tassos Gerakinis 2019, Greece, France, Serbia

Makis, a peaceful winemaker, lives isolated on a small border island, with his 30-year-old daughter Sophia, after she left her husband’s house. Makis is taken hostage by a dangerous fugitive. He will go beyond his limits in his efforts to prevent his daughter’s involvement with the criminal. Νow he has to face head-on the consequences of his actions.

A Thrush Flapping its Wings Against the Wind

Um tordo batendo as asas contra o vento Alexandre Haldemann 2020, Switzerland

Luis is a young lumberjack who works far from home, trying not to worry over his pregnant wife who’s about to give birth. As his daily work routine is riddled with tensions, distance and loneliness take a toll on Luis, who is gradually immersed in despair. A sinister glance at a lost soul’s struggle to stand on his feet and overcome life’s obstacles.

Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus

Slučajna Raskoš Prozirnog Vodenog Rebusa Dalibor Baric 2020, Croatia

Martin tried to fight the system and is now on the run. Inspector Ambroz is on his trail, aware that asking the right questions is more important than seeking answers – especially in this world of Machiavellian organizations, secret experiments, and two-way time travel highways. In the borderline between a metaphysical thriller and a sci-fi political manifesto, this hybrid mix of collages, found footage, and dreamlike imagery resembles a Russian doll of endless enigmas.

After Love

After Love Aleem Khan 2020, United Kingdom

Mary Hussain, a woman in her sixties, living in Dover, had converted to Islam after her marriage to Ahmed. Following his unexpected death, she discovers that her husband led a secret life across the Channel. In a state of shock, she sets off to Calais, yearning to uncover the truth. A heartwarming drama that weaves the portrait of two women separated by cultural differences yet sharing a profound common bond.

All the Pretty Little Horses

All the Pretty Little Horses Michalis Konstantatos 2020, Greece, Belgium, Germany

In the wake of a disaster, Aliki and her husband Petros take their young son Panagiotis to a provincial seaside town, seeking refuge. Working temporary jobs, Aliki and Petros try to put their lives back together so they can return home to Athens. When Aliki begins to realize that the plan is not working – or worse, may not even exist – the distance between her and Petros begins to grow.

Amercement

Πρόστιμο Fokion Bogris 2020, Greece

Vangelis scrapes by as a small-time weed dealer. He hopes to switch to a steady job but his prior arrest record won’t allow that. When his neighbors threaten to call the cops on him, his life changes overnight. He leaves his apartment, drops his stash and takes refuge at his sister's house where he meets her boyfriend, Petros, a bouncer tied to the local underworld. Petros offers Vangelis a way out, by involving him in various crime deals, which can provide easy money and respect among the underworld. Only problem is Vangelis doesn’t want to be part of this world

And Tomorrow, the Entire World

Und morgen die ganze Welt Julia von Heinz 2020, Germany, France

Luisa, a freshman Law student, breaks away from her conservative family background and joins an Antifa commune in Manheim, Germany. Divided into non-violent moderates and restless firebrands, Luisa finds herself faced with a crucial question: is violence justified when fighting against fascism? A fervent youth-in-revolt drama that explores the intersected paths between personal motives and political convictions, while addressing a call of awareness against the scourge of Neo-Nazism.

Anonymous Animals

Les Animaux Anonymes Baptiste Rouveure 2020, France

In a landscape of decaying nature, enwrapped in an ominous fog, tables have turned and the balance of power is reversed. Anthropomorphic animals have the upper hand while adopting all man-made codes of dominion. They act as hunters and exploiters, inflicting “dehumanizing” tactics upon the helpless humans, who are seen as nothing more than anonymous silhouettes, each interchangeable with any other. Stripped of any dialogue, this otherworldly parable on human-driven plundering crafts a threatening aura of primeval mystery.

Anthology of a Butterfly

Ανθολόγιο μιας Πεταλούδας Kostis Charamountanis 2020, Greece

Plants are immersed in a world of eternal silence. Caterpillars fall from the clouds into salt and, by the way, what is it that attracts butterflies, those that fly in the stomach?

Antivirus

Antivirus Anastasia Sima 2020, Greece

Athens, 2020. Quarantine days. Daphne, a young singer, decides to break down the wall that separates her from her annoying neighbor.

Apples

Μήλα Christos Nikou 2020, Greece, Poland, Slovenia

As an unpredictable, sweeping pandemic causes people to develop sudden amnesia, a man finds himself enrolled in a recovery program designed to help him build a new life. His treatment: performing daily tasks prescribed by his doctors on cassette tape, and capturing these new memories with a Polaroid camera. Greek writer-director Christos Nikou’s debut feature is a surreal and enigmatic work, a beguiling exploration of identity and reality.

As I Open My Eyes

A peine j’ouvre les yeux Leyla Bouzid 2015, France-Tunisia-Belgium-UAE

In Tunis in the summer of 2010, a few months before the revolution, 18-year-old Farah is taking her end-ofschool exams and her family is already picturing her as a doctor. But she doesn’t see things the same way. She sings in a protest rock group. She’s restless, gets drunk and discovers both love and her town at night, against the wishes of her mother, who knows Tunisia and what is forbidden there. Things turn sour for Farah when the group starts performing in the capital’s cafes and she gives free rein to her thirst for freedom and her desire to live life to the fullest. Farah is determined to spread the subversive message of Borhene, her boyfriend and leader of the group, and, by extension, the hopes of a generation.

As if Underwater

Όπως θα συνέβαιναν μέσα στο νερό Anthi Daoutaki 2020, Greece

The film is the portrait of Hera, a 35-year-old woman. Her home is her world, and a world of magic, and her loneliness is filled with objects. She forgets herself in her daily routine and gets tangled in the universe of her mind. Her difficulty to cope with social gender norms and an awkward encounter with a jeweler lead her to buy a wedding ring. The ring gives life to an imaginary relationship, fleeting like a dream. As the relationship comes to an end, Hera goes back to her everyday life. (Special Mention for Female Part - 43d Drama International Short Film Festival 2020)

Asia

Asia Ruthy Pribar 2020, Israel

Asia, a young single mother, and her 17-year-old daughter, Vika, seem unable to develop contact, trapped in a state of perpetual hesitation. No surprise there as Asia has always experienced her role as a struggle rather than an instinct. This troublesome routine is shaken when Vika’s health deteriorates abruptly; the two of them are finally able to open up and weave a bond of love and understanding. A gentle story of mutual womanhood that delves into motherhood’s fears and treasures.

Bad Roads

Pohani Dorogy Natalya Vorozhbit 2020, Ukraine

A man alleging to be a schoolmaster is accosted by the military at a checkpoint. Two teenagers wait for their soldier boyfriends in a dilapidated town square. A journalist is held captive and gets brutally assaulted. A young woman apologizes to an elderly couple for running over their chickens. Four stories set against the backdrop of the Donbass roads, loomed by disorientation, paranoia, and terror, which challenge the very notion of truth.

Ballad for a Pierced Heart

Η μπαλάντα της τρύπιας καρδιάς Yannis Economides 2019, Greece, Cyprus, France, Germany

In a small Greek town, when amorous passion meets the greed for money, dead bodies begin to pile up, and Olga, the “sleeping beauty,” will never know the horrors she has been spared of…

Bella

Bella Thelyia Petraki 2020, Greece

Greece 1986–1987, a little before the fall of State Socialism and just at the end of the Cold War. In front of Anthi’s eyes the country is changing, the world is changing, and along with them, Christos seems to be changing too.

Berlin Alexanderplatz

Berlin Alexanderplatz Burhan Qurbani 2020, Germany, The Netherlands

Francis, the only survivor of a boat of African immigrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea, winds up in Berlin. Living in the fringes of society, he has no choice but to join a drug-dealing gang. Working his way laboriously up the criminal ladder, he commits the ultimate hubris of grasping happiness. A modern take on Alfred Döblin’s masterpiece of German literature that unfolds as a heartbreaking tale of rise and fall, paying tribute to the famous American gangster films of the 70s.

Boje

Boje Andreas Cordes, Robert Köhler 2019, Germany

Boje is a little boy, who lives with his father in a remote cottage by the sea. Their life is ruled by silence, as Boje’s thirst for answers is left unquenched by his taciturn dad. Gradually, the churning sea and the wild landscape take on filling the gap between them. A subtle tale of father son coming together, where looks, gestures, and touches make up for the absence of words.

Boys From County Hell

Boys From County Hell Chris Baugh 2020, UK, Ireland

Eugene and his blue-collar pals, living in a Northern Ireland backwater, make a fool out of tourists by reproducing a local legend about a bloodsucker buried alive, centuries ago. However, when Eugene and his father take on digging the land near the “graveyard”, high levels of vampire activity are recorded in the area. A gore-drenched homage to traditional Irish folktale, tinged with offbeat humor, warning us that complacency against our inner fears can easily breed undead demons.

Bucharest Seen from Above

Bucureștiul văzut de sus Andrei Răutu̧ 2020, Romania

A charming old lady has to leave home because her family cannot take care of her anymore. On her way to the elderly care home, a cloud of guilt begins to engulf the sunny Bucharest skies. A car ride filled with remorse, bitterness, and doubt that casts a bleak heavy shadow on a bright day.

Charter

Charter Amanda Kernell 2020, Sweden

Alice has moved to Stockholm for professional reasons, leaving her husband and two children in the countryside. A toxic custody battle ensues, where Alice is portrayed as an incompetent and untrustworthy mother. Trapped in despair and denial, she takes off with her children for a week in Tenerife, determined to mend their broken bond of trust. A multilayered family drama that captures a woman’s struggle to balance between her desire for independence and her role as a mother.

Cold Meridian

Cold Meridian Peter Strickland 2020, Hungary, United Kingdom

Autonomous Sensory meridian response (ASMR), which has grown to become a YouTube sensation, can be defined as the tingling sensation on our scalp, cervix, and upper spine, followed by a feeling of slight euphoria and relaxation. In this entrancing short film, a series of repeated ASMR rituals immerse us in a hallucinatory and hovering world. Within this dreamlike and voyeuristic maelstrom, all certainties seem to take the form of distorted fantasies.

Daisies

Sedmikrásky Věra Chytilová 1966, Czechoslovakia

Věra Chytilová’s second feature film is one of the most celebrated films of the 1960s Czechoslovak New Wave. Shot when Chytilová was 37 years old, this timeless and vibrant classic continues to inspire new generations of viewers. A provocative film, it tells the story of two young women who decide to mirror the decadent, hedonistic world in which they live. Marie I and Marie II have no qualms with traditional morality or social norms, carelessly bamboozling the men attracted to their carefree exuberance – mostly older men. Although it was lauded by critics across the globe, and hailed at a multitude of film festivals, the film was subject to censorship in Czechoslovakia, having the rare “privilege” of being one of the few films to be heavily criticized by the country’s parliament.

Dakar

Dakar Stelios Moraitidis 2020, Greece

In 1978, on his birthday, Stavros was planning to get engaged to Matula. Instead, he was forced to embark on his first big journey. Forty years later, on his birthday, Stavros wanders around the city all alone. He doesn’t like to talk on this day; He prefers to ponder on how things would have been, had he made different decisions.

Daniel ‘16

Daniel ’16 Dimitris Koutsiabasakos 2020, Greece

Daniel, a German teenager, is sent to a juvenile offender community in Greece, to serve his sentence. There, in an abandoned village of Evros river region, near the border with Turkey, he experiences never-felt-before emotions and is called to solve difficult dilemmas... His final decision will surprise everyone.

Dead Man’s Letters

Pisma myortvogo cheloveka Konstantin Lopushansky 1986, USSR

In the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust, a history professor spends his time writing letters to his son in the unlikely chance that he is still alive. When he encounters a group of helpless and stranded children, he takes on guiding them to a refuge of safety amidst chaos and violence. A post-apocalyptic tale of hope and perseverance that urges us to draw valuable lessons out of our history’s darkest pages and avoid the same fateful mistakes.

Death on the Streets

Death on the Streets Johan Carlsen 2020, Germany, Denmark, Greece

Like the majority of modern-day farm men in the US, Kurt is out of work, unable to provide for his family. Smothered by a sense of void and hopelessness, he takes to the road, in a quest for his lost self-esteem. An existential journey of disenchantment that cuts right through the soul of the American inland, juxtaposing the shiny promises of the past with the harsh reality of a bleached-out Dream.

Digger

Digger Georgis Grigorakis 2020, Greece, France

A contemporary western about a native farmer who lives and works alone in a farmhouse at the heart of a mountain forest in Northern Greece. For years now, he has been fighting with an expanding industrial monster digging up the forest, disturbing the lush flora and threatening his property. Yet, the greatest threat comes with the sudden arrival of his young son, after a twenty-year separation. They turn into enemies under one roof. Father and son confront each other head on, with nature as their only observer, a showdown that ultimately yields an unexpected redemption for both.

Dry Wind

Vento Seco Daniel Nolasco 2020, Brazil

July’s dry wind and unbearable humidity transform the small city of Catalão into a whirlpool of sweltering heat and underlying excitation. Sandro’s routine of work, soccer, and partying, as well as his relationship with Ricardo, are about to be unsettled by the arrival of Maicon, an alluring young man clouded in mystery. A tale of forbidden and repressed desires set against the backdrop of the unexplored and mystical landscape of the Brazilian Midwest.

Eden

Eden Ágnes Kocsis 2020, Hungary, Romania, Belgium

Éva is allergic to chemical substances, radio waves, magnetic fields, air pollution. She is confined to absolute isolation, visited only by her brother and a group of scientists who treat her as a research guinea pig. One day, a psychiatrist takes on investigating whether Éva’'s illness is real or just a figment of her tormented imagination. Α sci-fi allegory on human solitude and the fiercest of all diseases: the lack of love and human touch.

Escaping the Fragile Planet

Απόδραση από τον Εύθραυστο Πλανήτη Thanasis Tsimpinis 2020, Greece

A few hours before the world ends, two men have an unexpected encounter, while the world is about to end by a strange pink fog that is spreading throughout the city. There is neither past nor future for them, only the space inbetween, where they just decide to live, despite the violent touch of time.

Exile

Exil Visar Morina 2020, Germany, Belgium, Kosovo

Xhafer, a Kosovo-born 45-year-old pharmaceutical engineer, lives and works in Germany. His concern over the hints of racial discrimination by his colleagues soon turns into panic, as he finds a dead rat hanging from his home entrance. As he grows suspicious of everyone and everything around him, the thin line between reality and imagination keeps blurring day by day. A somber and surreal thriller that explores the notions of identity and expatriation, delving into the abyss of paranoia.

Eyimofe: This is My Desire

Eyimofe: This is My Desire Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri 2020, Nigeria

Lagos, Nigeria. Mofe, a factory technician, is struggling to leave the country, but a series of family tragedies pin him down. Rosa, a hairdresser and bartender, also dreams of going away, but her hands are tied by poverty. Divided into two chapters, named after the characters’ fantasies of fleeing, this visually stunning portrait of human longing deploys an ingenious contradiction. Mofe and Rosa are already displaced, marginalized, and disoriented, as if native refugees of their own lives.

Fauna

Fauna Nicolás Pereda 2020, Mexico, Canada

Luisa and Gambino visit their parents in a deserted city of the Mexican North. A wave of awkwardness soon arises as their–otherwise uninterested–father seems spellbound by Luisa’s boyfriend, who stars in a narco-themed TV series. Meanwhile, Gabino’s lust for escape crafts an imaginary gangster-tinged universe. A sly take on the predominance of violence in Mexico’s psyche and an acerbic critique on toxic masculinity wrapped in a tale of family dysfunction.

February

Février Kamen Kalev 2020, Bulgaria, France

Rural eastern Bulgaria, in a remote village near the Turkish border that seems to be living outside the norms of time. Petar, a man who has long achieved a sense of inner peace and self-knowledge, marches towards his destiny with no regrets. Divided into three chapters that reflect three landmark periods in Petar’s life (childhood, adulthood, old age), this elegiac journey immerses us into the indiscernible powers that govern life’s predetermined, yet always unpredictable, pathway.

Fire Will Come

O que arde Oliver Laxe 2019, Spain, France, Luxemburg

When Amador is set free, after his imprisonment for committing arson, there is no joyous homecoming in store. He sets out to return to his hometown, a small village in the Galician mountains. His life by the side of his elderly mother is hardscrabble and bleak, but Laxe’s camera finds the way to install beauty into the harshness. As the title implies, the fire will return, like a dark self-fulfilling prophecy, to set a tragedy in motion. A mesmerizing requiem on a vanishing way of life built on sorrow and unhealed anger.

Fruit of Paradise

Ovoce stromů rajských jíme Věra Chytilová 1969, Czechoslovakia, Belgium

“Α dazzlingly complex, formally rigorous allegory of Adam and Eve that poses the eternal question, “Can one live with the truth?” – then refuses to answer it. In the Garden of Eden of an East European spa, Eva hands an apple to her husband Joseph, but he prefers ogling the other female guests. Cue a handsome new arrival, who offers Eva a few new Satanic pleasures along with that apple, plus enough murderous intentions to cause the death of them all... A rare, inventive union of allegory, feminism, and the avant-garde that defies all interpretations, yet suggests new ones in every frame.” – Jason Sanders

Funny Face

Funny Face Tim Sutton 2019, USA

Zama, a young Muslim who rebels against the stick-in-the-mud ways of her uncle and aunt, hits the city roads. Saul, a deranged young man who talks revenge on the rapacious developers who displaced his grandparents, dons a grinning mask, casting himself as a makeshift everyday superhero. Set in a maze-like and constantly changing New York City landscape, this oddball urban tale incarnates multicultural identity and gentrification effects, featuring two misfits pitted against an unwelcoming and incomprehensible world.

Galax, the Man-Doll

Galax, omul păpușă Ion Popescu Gopo 1983, Romania

Galax is a robotic man-doll, composed of wood and computer circuitry, programmed for industrial purposes. When he miraculously comes to life, he becomes a contender for the heart of Mariana, a beautiful young student, as well as a headache for university authorities that want him dismantled. A satire allegory on oppression, way too acute and subtle for Ceausescu censors to grasp, which praises love as the highest form of resistance.

Games of Love and Loneliness

Den allvarsamma leken Anja Breien 1977, Sweden, Norway,

Sweden, Victorian era. Aspiring newspaperman Arvid Stjärnblom falls in love with beautiful Lydia Stille yet, taught to behave with restraint, puts love on hold while pursuing a wealthy life and a prestigious career. Although willing to wait for him, Lydia finds herself in a difficult situation after her father dies. A story of missed chances and unfulfilled love, adapted from Hjalmar Söderberg’s novel, author of Gertrud that stood as inspiration for Carl Dreyer's last film.

Gaza Mon Amour

Gaza Mon Amour Tarzan and Arab Nasser 2020, France, Germany, Portugal, Palestine, Qatar

Issa, a 65-year-old fisherman in Gaza, is secretly in love with dressmaker Siham. Just as he’s ready to pop the question, an ancient statue of Apollo is caught in his fishing net and trouble is on the way, as Hamas is determined to lay its hands on the valuable treasure. A bittersweet and low-key dramedy that casts a tender glance to its gentle protagonist. An impenitent romantic who defies repression, conservatism, and age stereotypes, making a stand for love.

Get the Hell Out

Get the Hell Out I-Fan Wang 2020, Taiwan

Kicked out of office by her sexist and corrupted colleagues, Hsiung, a bold deputy of the Taiwanese parliament, rallies Wang, a meek security guard, to stand in her place. In what will become the deadliest political assembly of all times, a virus transforms all deputies into bloodthirsty zombies, and Wang, blessed with immunity, massacres his way out of this chaos. An infectious political satire, choreographed in gory slapstick, that evolves into an explosion of sheer merriment.

Ghosts

Hayaletler Azra Deniz Okyay 2020, Turkey, France, Qatar

In the near future, Turkey is suffering an inexplicable nationwide power outage that spurs violence and riots. Four individuals, like drifting ghosts, mirror the multiple aspects of a disoriented country on the verge of a flare-up. Flashing back and forth in time, often replaying scenes from a different perspective, this engaging puzzle outlines a series of vast contrasts and contradictions–a portrait of a society plunged into darkness.

Goads

Goads Iris Baglanea 2020, Greece

Ira lives with her family at a remote location in Greece. She will face one of the most powerful experiences of her childhood during a “training” session with her father, who has a very specific view on life.

Green Sea

Πράσινη θάλασσα Angeliki Antoniou 2020, Greece, Germany

Anna has lost her memory but she hasn’t forgotten how to cook. One night she shows up in a working class neighborhood.There she meets Roula and gets a job as a cook and a place to stay at his shabby seaside tavern. In the kitchen, amidst the scents of spices and old forgotten recipes, Anna struggles to rebuild her past. Her simple but delicious food awakens memories for the regulars who in turn help her to reconnect with herself. The story takes an unexpected turn when Roula discovers Anna’s true identity.

Gym

ΓΥΜΝΑΣΤΗΡΙΟ The Boy (Alexandros Voulgaris) 2020, Greece

"Those who do not make time to exercise will find time to become ill". Seventeen monologues about a gym that doesn't exist, about a film that was never shot, about the actors of the film, about the words that made them true characters.

Half World

Halbe Welt Florian Flicker 1993, Austria

In an undefined future, sun rays have become so lethal that human societies are active only during nighttime, as daylight is deemed forbidden. A gigantic corporation, called “The Whites,” has seized absolute power, owning the monopoly of past images, destined for the privileged. “The Blacks,” a guerilla group, question their omnipotence, fighting (almost literally) for a place in the sun. A gritty low-budget dystopia, set against a drab industrial backdrop that utters a cry of despair for Earth’s plundering.

Harmonica Man

Harmonica Man Alexandros Skouras 2020, Greece

A father has kidnapped his daughter. Having run out of money, they embark on a desperate road trip, trying to go as far as possible.

Honey Cigar

Cigare au miel Kamir Aïnouz 2020, France, Algeria, Belgium

Selma, a 17-year-old French-Algerian girl of a secular family, lives in a posh Parisian neighborhood. When she falls for her classmate, Julien, while her parents are devising matchmaking plans, it dawns on her for the first time that patriarchy is far from absent in her life. A tale of sexual awakening, pulsating with teenage angst, that draws parallels between a young woman’s struggle for emancipation and the dismal political scenery in the early 90s Algeria.

Hunted

Cosmogonie Vincent Paronnaud 2020, France, Belgium, Ireland,

Eve is infatuated by a seductive stranger in a nightclub, learning the hard way that appearances are deceiving, as the gentleman turns out to be a psychopath. Driven by survival instinct, she initially seeks refuge in the thick, dark forest. Plucking up courage in the course of an endless night, she fights back, empowered by the mystical force of nature. A modern rendition of the Little Red Riding Hood that reverses long-established stereotypes, where the prey and the predator exchange roles.

I Never Cry

Jak najdalej stad Piotr Domalewski 2020, Poland, Ireland

Ola’s dad, who’s always absent, as he works on a construction site in Ireland, has promised her a car for her upcoming 18th birthday. When news of his death comes blasting, Ola sets out from Poland to retrieve her father’s ashes, finding herself against a ruthless bureaucracy and the shock of his secret life. A bittersweet coming-of-age drama that explores the perplexity of family bonds, illustrating the gloomy landscape of today’s Europe.

Identifying Features

Sin Señas Particulares Fernanda Valadez 2020, Mexico, Spain

Miguel has just been deported from the US back to Mexico and is trying to make his way home, longing to see his mother again. Magdalena sets out on a quest for her missing son who disappeared while attempting to cross the border. Their paths join as they roam across a desolate and lawless land ripped by cruelty and despair. Two lonely drifting souls trapped in a state of limbo, seeking comfort and relief.

In her Steps

Στα βήματά της Anastasia Kratidi 2020, Greece

Lena is in a reintegration program. Her new job gives her access to a minors’ rural jail, where she has to deal with her past.

In the Dusk

Sutemose Sharunas Bartas 2020, Lithuania, France, Czech Republic, Serbia, Portugal, Latvia

Lithuania, 1948. WWII and its atrocities are over, but peace is yet to come. In a wrecked country left in ruins, the partisan movement is struggling against the Soviet occupation. Untè, a 19-year-old fighter, driven by the burning passion of youth and fully devoted to the cause of freedom, is abruptly thrust into an abyss of violence and treason. Innocence suddenly seems like a long-forgotten privilege found only in fairytales…

In the Strange Pursuit of Laura Durand

Η αναζήτηση της Λώρα Ντουράντ Dimitris Bavellas 2019, Greece

Antonis and Christos are two friends who live in a small apartment in Athens. In distress and secluded from society, they survive mostly with Christos unemployment benefit. The two friends are also united by their common, platonic love interest for Laura Durand, a pornstar of the 90s who disappeared mysteriously several years ago. They also perform 8-bit music with their offbeat band named Speed_28. When things go from bad to worse, the friends decide that time has come to start the quest for Laura Durand.

JerryMaya ́s Detective Agency – The Mystery of The Train

JerryMaya ́s Detective Agency – The Mystery of The Train Moa Gammel 2020, Sweden

A dark and rainy night a girl runs away from an orphanage. The girl seeks out d etectives Jerry and Maya and asks for their help. Her name is Klara and she is the daughter of a life imprisoned train robber! Now she needs help to prove that her father is innocent. Lasse and Maya who just got their detective agency shut down by Kristinelund's prejudiced police chief see their chance. They must prove that children can solve mysteries and crimes!

Jumbo

Jumbo Zoé Wittock 2019, Belgium, France, Luxemburg

Jeanne, a shy young woman who works as a cleaner at an amusement park, seems uninterested in dating. Instead, she is wrapped up in tinkering with light bulbs, wires, and spare parts in her bedroom. It won’t be long though before she finds herself under Jumbo’s spell, enchanted by “his” mechanical allure and chrome charm! A Magrettian-type parable on the unorthodox paths of desire and sexuality that allows the subconscious to take the driver’s seat.

Kala Azar

Kala Azar Janis Rafa 2020, The Netherlands, Greece

A young couple’s ritualistic job routine of collecting and cremating animal bodies from their owners and the roadkills that they come across is challenged when they cause an accident themselves.

Kill it and Leave this Town

Zabij To I Wyjedz z Tego Miasta Mariusz Wilczyński 2020, Poland

The Polish city of Łódź, in the Communist 60s, is reborn as a mosaic of sordid vignettes: trams run through an endless night, fish heads bob through the ceiling as the walls turn into water, and a cat-man in a trench coat rants about annihilation on a street corner. A hallucinatory autobiographical animation that unfolds as a psychotropic journey through the director’s memories, blurring the living with the dead in a melancholic feast of sadness and comfort.

Kin-dza-dza!

Kin-Dza-Dza! Georgiy Daneliya 1986, USSR

Vladimir and Gedevan, a Russian worker and a Georgian student, find themselves accidentally transported to a barren and desert-like planet ruled by monstrous bureaucracy. After having dismissed the scenario of having landed on a capitalist country, the two of them embark on a surreal journey of repatriation, getting caught up in a series of quirky misadventures. A poignant political parable, drawing inspiration from the Theatre of the Absurd, that mirrors a rigid and irrational regime.

King Kong vs. Godzilla

Kingu Kongu tai Gojira Ishirō Honda 1962, Japan

According to the scenario’s first draft, King Kong was supposed to take on Frankenstein, in San Francisco. Following a series of unfortunate (and not so transparent) events, Japanese studios Toho got their hands on the script and KingKong clashed with Godzilla in Mount Fuji. One of the most legendary monster clashes in cinematic history, which blatantly satirizes post-war Japan’s TV mass culture, while expressing a bitter remark on the still fresh horror of the nuclear devastation.

Lapsis

Lapsis Noah Hutton 2020, USA

In a present-day retro-futuristic universe, Ray is struggling financially, while his ailing brother needs expensive care. Left out of options he takes a shady job of laying out cable through miles of wild forest for a new-tech company. Faced with a mysterious–yet not unfounded–hostility by his co-workers, Ray must pick a side: it’s either with the exploiters or the exploited. A blue-collar sci-fi sparkled with comedic absurdity, that blasts corporate greed.

Last and First Men

Last and First Men Jóhann Jóhannsson 2020, Iceland

Two billion years ahead of us, the human race is on the verge of extinction, beaming a message (narrated by Tilda Swinton) to the present day. Jóhann Jóhannson’s swan song is a stunning concoction of futuristic images of the otherworldly stone monuments erected in the former Yugoslavian communist era, accompanied by the late composer’s mesmerizing score. A haunting allegory on the illusion of utopia and the harrowing decay of our civilization.

Last Days of Spring

La última primavera Isabel Lamberti 2020, Netherlands, Spain

The inhabitants of an illegal shanty town on the outskirts of Madrid are faced with an eviction as the land they live on has been sold. Intertwining real-life characters and situations with made-up subplots, this hybrid blend of fiction and documentary casts a glance at the Gabarre-Mendoza family, outlining all its members’ reactions, which range from denial and despair to optimism and determination. A gripping tale of emotional dislocation that explores the everlasting bond between human beings and their surroundings.

Last Words

Last Words Jonathan Nossiter 2020, France,Italy

In 2085, the planet resembles a vast desert. Ecological devastation has brought civilization to its knees; the human species is on the face of extinction. A handful of Earth’s last survivors are recipients of a mysterious call to meet up in Athens. Jo, a 17-year-old boy of African origin, is destined to become the world’s last moviemaker, capturing the last-gasp moments of human presence. A tale of doom that plants the seed of hope, while exalting cinema’s fate-changing power.

Letter of Forgiveness

Bilet de iertare Alina Șerban 2020, Romania

1855, Romania, in a wealthy household of a noblewoman. Preparations for a posh dinner are heating up, as the distinguished guests are coming in. Maria, a Gipsy slave, is plucking up courage, determined to make a st and and earn her freedom. A based-on-true-events story of bravery and resistance that pays tribute to the resilience of a remarkable woman, who changed the course of an entire country.

Listen

Listen Ana Rocha de Sousa 2020, UK, Portugal

On the outskirts of London, Portuguese immigrants Bela and Jota, parents of three, are struggling to make ends meet. When British social services decide to take their children into care, following a misunderstanding involving their deaf daughter, they are forced to engage in an uneven and desperate battle against a faceless and in flexible system. A heart-aching family drama that reminds us that life is made up of countless grey zones and that every story has more than one side.

Little Girl

Petite Fille Sébastien Lifshitz 2020, France

Sasha, aged 7, has always felt a girl trapped in the body of a little boy. As society fails to treat Sasha like the children of her age, in all aspects of her daily life, her supportive family goes out of its way to build a cocoon of acceptance and understanding. A journey of self-determination and mutual trust that sheds light on the fierce battles we are forced to fight so as to forge our own identity.

Los Conductos

Los Conductos Camilo Restrepo 2020, France, Colombia, Brazil

Pinky has just freed himself from the grip of a religious cult, having found a job in a T-shirt factory, in Medellín, Colombia. As he strives to glue the pieces of his shattered life, memories of violence and manipulation haunt him, driving him to the futile path of revenge. Based on a true story (the real-life hero is the film’s protagonist), this documentary-type portrait of a tormented soul paves the way to catharsis and salvation.

Love Affair(s)

Les choses qu'on dit, les choses qu'on fait Emmanuel Mouret 2020, France

Daphné, pregnant to François’s child, takes on unexpectedly hosting his doleful cousin, Maxime, at the couple’s country house, all while François has been called back to the city on an emergency. These two strangers will open up to one another, sharing personal stories of romantic woe that will gradually merge into an interconnected universe of sentimental absurdity. A bittersweet dramedy, tinged with farcical pinches and non-judgmental attitude, which contemplates on love’s randomness and pettiness.

Luxor

Luxor Zeina Durra 2020, Egypt, UK

Ηana is a British aid worker who returns to Egypt, after taking leave. Upon arriving, she encounters Sultan, an archeologist with whom she shares a long lost love. Although their feelings for each other are obvious, it becomes clear that Hana’s traumatized past prevents her from seizing a second chance at happiness. Set against the mystical backdrop of Luxor, where ancient ruins portray the protagonist’s crumbling soul, this heartwarming story of love appeases all persistent inner demons.

Madonna F64.0

Madonna F64.0 Stavros Markoulakis 2020, Greece

After a major surgery, Maria returns to her family home to recover, living with her mother, her sister, and a newborn baby. While her body startsto heal, an innermost desire emerges. Maria wants to get close to the baby, thus posing a serious threat to the family home “safety.”

Malmkrog

Malmkrog Cristi Puiu 2020, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia

Transylvania, end of the 19th century. Wealthy landowner Nikolai invites a group of distinguished guests in his luxurious manor, among which a decorated general, a politician, and several members of the aristocracy. In an idle ambiance, the banqueters engage in heated philosophical and political debates, gradually revealing their different moral and cultural standpoints. A chamber drama of exquisite dialogue orchestration and tableau vivant aesthetics that recreates an entire era, echoing the intrinsic arrogance of the ruling class.

Mare

Mare Andrea Štaka 2020, Switzerland, Croatia

Mare lives close by the airport with her husband and three children but has never boarded a plane. Although a devoted wife and mother, she is gradually succumbing to a feeling of alienation, as if a visitor in her own life. When a young man moves next door, all certainties are subject to revaluation. A low-key story of emancipation that longs to break free and head for the unknown, without playing down the importance of the mundane.

Melatonin

Μελατονίνη Nikos Pastras 2020, Greece

A short love story set against the backdrop of electronic music and sleeping disorders.

Memory House

Casa de Antiguidades João Paulo Miranda Maria 2020, Brazil, France

Cristovam, a native from the impoverished Brazilian North, moves to a town of the wealthy South, to work in a milk factory. Confronted with racism, intolerance, and prejudice, he is withdrawn in isolation and estrangement. As he settles in an abandoned house, filled with objects that reconnect him with his roots, Cristovam discovers traces of his ancestry. An elusive metamorphosis is gradually carried out, in a surreal invasion of the transcendental and the spiritual into the visible.

Microcassette – The Smallest Cassette I' Ve Ever Seen

Mikrokazeta – najmanja kazeta koju sam ikad vidio Igor Bezinović, Ivana Pipal 2020, Croatia, Serbia

Somewhere in Croatia’s Adriatic coastline, Zoki discovers a microcassette amidst a hill of garbage. The mysterious message on its label propels him to reconstruct the circumstances revolving around this miniscule finding. A blend of fiction, documentary and animation that unfolds as a stream of consciousness, reminding us that a man’s trash may be someone else’s treasure.

Morning Patrol

Πρωινή περίπολος Nikos Nikolaidis 1987, Greece

A woman travels alone, through a destroyed and abandoned city. She wants to pass the Forbiden Zone and get to the Sea... Deceptive traps lurk everywhere. The Morning Patrol is guarding and they are on her trail. Electronic voices warn the nonexistent citizens to desert the city... Yet he is one of the men who guard this city now... Having a fractured memory in common, they will come close to one another. Together, they will try to recall the past and make some sense out this catastrophe. A story of love in an unbearable world, surrounded by violence and death... What point can it have?

Mustang

Mustang Deniz Gamze Erguven 2015, Turkey-France-Germany-Qatar

It’s the beginning of the summer. In a village in the north of Turkey, Lale and her four sisters come home from school and innocently play with the boys. The supposed debauchery of their games causes a scandal with unintended consequences. The family home slowly turns into a prison, classes on housework and cooking replace school, and marriages begin to be arranged. The five sisters, driven by the same desire for freedom, fight back against the limits imposed on them.

My Best Part

Garçon Chiffon Nicolas Maury 2020, France

Jérémie’s rampant jealousy has exhausted his partner to the point of a breakup. Job-wise, his acting career is trailing along with his miserable love life. Jérémie, standing on the precipice of a typically Parisian depression, heads to his mother’s house in the countryside, aiming to pull himself together for an important audition. However, the return to his roots will prove anything but restful. Bordering between light comedy and bittersweet drama, an insightful journey of self-knowledge that delves into modern man’s existential tragicomedy.

My Heart Can't Beat unless You Tell It To

My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To Jonathan Cuartas 2020, USA

Dwight and Jessie are at odds over the care of their younger brother, Thomas, who lives off of human blood due to a rare illness. Their appalling task of keeping him alive results in a trail of corpses gradually taking a toll on Dwight, who desperately strives for a way out of this nightmarish vicious circle. A vampire tale of bloodthirsty family love that evolves into an allegory over the acceptance of death and loss.

My Tender Matador

Tengo miedo torero Rodrigo Sepúlveda 2020, Chile, Argentina, Mexico

1986, Chile, in the lead-up to the guerilla attempt against dictator Pinochet’s life. An aging drag queen, living in a ramshackle but once luxurious abandoned apartment, is caught up in a risky clandestine operation after falling in love with a younger Mexican rebel. The portrait of a slow-burning and delicate bond between two outcasts, who struggle to escape from a feeling of entrapment and futility. A melancholic and low-key chant about people’s little stories devoured by the beast of history.

Next of Kin

Arven Anja Breien 1979, Norway

Shipowner Kai Skaug has died. At his funeral, in a flower-decorated crematorium and amongst the mourners, the parson speaks of a man who passed away too soon, at 54 years of age. In the first row, his next of kin are about to see their lives change when inheriting the fortune of the deceased. As hidden conflicts come into the open, the question remains: Who has indeed lived up to the values of this family? Who deserves to be granted the heir?

Night of the Kings

La Nuit des rois Philippe Lacôte 2020, France, Ivory Coast, Canada, Senegal

A young man is sent to Ivory Coast’s most ferocious prison, a world governed by rites and unwritten laws. As the red moon casts an eerie spell, he is designated to narrate stories to his fellow inmates; he has no choice but to carry on until dawn. Recalling One Thousand and One Nights, this fable of visions and hallucinations transforms ancient myths into a talisman against death and delves into the mystical universe of an entire continent.

Nina

Nina Hristo Simeonov 2019, Bulgaria

Nina is trapped into a web of dependency, as bossy and malicious Vassil trains her to become a skilled pickpocket in the streets of an unwelcoming metropolis. When caught red-handed, Nina is given the chance to veer off her criminal ways – but do outcasts like Nina get a second bite of the apple? Α modern take on the Oliver Twist legacy that seeks salvation amidst a world of cruelty.

Oasis

Oasis Ivan Ikić 2020, Serbia, Slovenia, The Netherlands, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The friendship between Maria and Dragana is put to the test, as they both develop a crush on Robert, a fellow-resident at an institution for people with mental disabilities. The three teenagers’ dire longing for independence and human touch, amplified by the newly foun feelings of jealousy and desire, soon clashes with the stifling rules of a rigorous environment. Featuring actual residents, this powerful story of free will and self-determination dives into an unseen world, shunned by society.

One for All

Uno para todos David Ilundain 2020, Spain

A substitute teacher is sent to a town he has never set foot on, to take on a class of sixth graders. When he is told to undertake the task of reintegrating a student recovering from a serious illness into the class, he is on for an unpleasant surprise: none of the kid’s classmates want him back. A touching tale of guidance and tolerance that reminds us that true change always comes from within.

Pashka

Pashka Oltjon Lipe 2020, Greece

A father and a son drive towards the borders. The road is paved with memories of their life together. Away from home, they are struggling for themselves and their family. However, the boy’s desire to return home will lead them to an unexpected journey

Pelle

Pelle Svanslös Christian Ryltenius 2020, Sweden

A modern rendition of a timeless Swedish animated classic, featuring the titular beloved cat that has lost its tail. One seemingly fine day, an abrupt storm drives Pelle away from the serene safety of the countryside into the heart of the unpredict able and dangerous city. In the course of this musical adventure, Pelle will discover not only the treasures of friendship but the hardships of everyday life as well.

Premier Amour

Premier Amour Haris Raftogiannis 2019, Greece, France

Two loners meet for the first time. Their dogs interact. Perhaps they do, too.

Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time

Felkészülés Meghatározatlan Ideig Tartó Együttlétre Lili Horvát 2020, Hungary

Márta, a 40-year-old neurosurgeon, abandons her promising career in the US to unite with the love of her life in Budapest. However, a shattering shock is in store for her, as her “soul mate” has no recollection of even meeting her. Is love actually a verifiable feeling or just a mere projection of our inner fantasies? A journey into the uncharted territory of desire that defers only to its own set of laws

Rape

Voldtekt Anja Breien 1971, Norway

It’s winter in the suburbs. A housewife is brutally raped. A young woman falls victim to attempted rape. The police tighten the noose around Anders, a young road worker, who was spotted at the scene. Anders is a common, simple man; he could be anyone. Being entagled by the police and the rigid judicial system, he is forced out of his monotonous life, changing his view on things.

Rascal

Vaurien Peter Dourountzis 2020, France

Djé has just set foot in the faceless megacity. He has no money or a place to stay but is equipped with a malicious and irresistible charm. He is a chameleon that adapts to all environments, seducing his way to the hearts of people. Drawing inspiration from the stories of real-life serial killers in the Parisian 90s, comes this portrait of a devil who lurks on human weakness disguised as an angel.

Red Moon Tide

Lúa vermella Lois Patiño 2020, Spain

Time seems to stand still in this remote village of the Galician coast, as three women are in search of a sailor who has disappeared. Distant murmurs of the shipwrecked people vanished into this sea cemetery are merged with the astrological phenomenon of the red moon, in this mystical blend of reality and the imaginary. A parable on grief and loss, where the harshness of a mesmerizing landscape is interwoven with ancestral legends of ghosts and monsters.

Relic

Relic Natalie Erika James 2019, Australia

Edna is an elderly woman living alone, whose disappearance has brought her daughter and granddaughter to her remote and crumbling home. As Edna re-appears out of the blue, unharmed but unable to recount the past few days, it all points out to lurking dementia–or is it something way more sinister lurking behind the putrid walls? A stark and allegorical tale of remorse and wearing away that interlaces fraught family drama with the classic horror motifs.

Rocca Changes the World

Rocca verändert die welt Katja Benrath 2019, Germany

Brave, funny, and one of a kind: that’s Rocca. Rocca is eleven years old and lives a rather unique life. While her dad is watching over her as an astronaut from outer space, Rocca lives alone with her squirrel and is attending a normal school for the first time in her life. At school her carefree and non-conformist way of life instantly stands out. She fearlessly confronts the class bullies, because first and foremost Rocca stands up for justice. That’s why she makes friends with the homeless Caspar and tries to help him. All the while she is also attempting to win over her grandmother’s heart.

Rosa Cairo

Ρόζα Κάιρο Jacques Simha 2020, Greece

Another farewell underlines the distance between the ones absent, the visitors, and the residents of a commune in the heart of Athens.

Rose Plays Julie

Rose Plays Julie Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor 2019, Ireland

Rose, a vet student, has just discovered that she’s adopted. Tracking down her birth mother, a successful TV actor, she’s in for a traumatic experience, as a dark secret comes to light. Riddled with rejection and rage, Rose disguises herself with a wig and confronts her biological father, posing as Julie. A stark psychological thriller wrapped in a chilling ambiance of clinical detachment, which unfolds as a tragedy of shattered identities and haunting memories.

Saint-Narcisse

Saint-Narcisse Bruce LaBruce 2020, Canada

1972, Quebec, Canada. Dominic, aged 22, is a modern-day Narcissus as nothing turns him on more than the reflection of his image. When his grandmother dies, a dark family secret is unveiled. His mother didn’t die in childbirth, as he was told, and he has an identical twin brother, who was raised by a depraved priest in a monastery. A somber fate reunites the two siblings, who get entangled in a web of lust, revenge, and a futile quest for redemption.

Salvador

Salvador César Heredia Cruz 2020, Colombia

1985, Bogotá, shortly before the bloodbath of the Justice Palace siege. Salvador is a taciturn and solitary tailor, whose routine is about to be shattered when Isabel, the elevator operator in his building, unlocks his heart. When Salvador senses his gauche yet invaluable romance is threatened, he instinctively resorts to extreme measures. A tale of disarray and underlying paranoia, where personal devastation is intertwined with the collective tragedy of an impassive country.

Sarmako - A Tale of the North

Σαρμάκο: Μια ιστορία του Βορρά Marco Papadopoulos 2020, Greece

Thessaloniki, October 1949. The Greek Civil War is supposedly over, but its impact is still felt by the people and a great divide exists between them. Antonis, the owner of the tavern “Makedonikon,” stays neutral and tries to distance himself from politics. But dreadful news summons his most feared childhood experience. While the war, the decade and a whole epoch come to an end, the band of musicians play their last classic rembetika songs. And for Antonis the time for revenge has come.

Schoolgirls

Las Niñas Pilar Palomero 2020, Spain

Celia, aged 11, is a student at a nun school in Zaragoza. The arrival of Brisa, a new classmate, boosts Celia towards the doorstep of adolescence. A tender emancipation and coming-of-age portrait, set against the backdrop of the Barcelona Olympics and the Expo ’92. On a larger scale, the true protagonist is no other than Spain, a country undergoing an era of transition that strives to cut the umbilical cord with its conservative and painful past

Schooltrip to the Future

School trip to the Future Josephine Ehlert 2018, Germany

Greta’s class is going on a school trip next week and a lot of arrangements must be made. She needs to pack up her things and make sure that nothing important is left out and calm down her over the top worried parents. Yet, two question s remain to be answered. What’s the packing guidebook for a trip to the future? Why do all grown-ups freak out with this particular f-word?

Secret Ingredient

Iscelitel Gjorce Stavreski 2017, FYROM, Greece

Vele can’t afford to buy the expensive medications for his father, who has cancer. Desperate, he steals marijuana from some criminals, makes a cake with it and gives it to him, hoping it will reduce his pain. His father’s health miraculously improves, but Vele is suddenly confronted by their neighbors, who demand the recipe for the “remedial” cake, and by the criminals, who want their drugs back. The greatest challenge, however, is to persuade his father that his life is worth living for.

Senior Citizen

Πολίτης τρίτης ηλικίας Marinos Kartikkis 2020, Cyprus

Theoharis, an elderly and lonely man, takes refuge every evening in the hospital to spend the night on the benches and chairs of the outpatients’ wing. Every morning he returns to his house, where his only companion is his cat and his memories. One night he is discovered by a young nurse, Evgenia, who tries to learn more about him. Theoharis is initially skeptical and refuses to give her any information. Gradually, however, a relationship of trust between the two begins to build.

Servants

Služobníci Ivan Ostrochovský 2020, Slovak Republic, Romania, Czech Republic, Ireland

1980, communist Czechoslovakia. Mihal and Juraj are two seminarians entangled in a nightmarish web of faith and politics, as the regime is making sure that Catholic clergymen fall into line. Their tutors probe their allegiance to the party, frowning upon the slightest hint of individual thinking by students, but subversion is bubbling beneath the façade of compliance. A noir-tinted political thriller of stifling ambiance, a story of defiance that rebukes ideological manipulation.

Sexmission

Seksmisja Juliusz Machulski 1983, Poland

Two men participate in a cryogenetics experiment, consenting to remain frozen for three years. They wake up fifty years later, in an era where persons of male sex have become extinct. As living relics of the past, they become subjects for study and targets of a long-forgotten lust. Faced with a sex-change operation threat, they unveil the obscure plot behind society’s grotesque transformation. A cult pastiche of sci-fi conventions voted among the most popular Polish movies of all times, that pitilessly lampoons totalitarianism.

Shorta

Shorta Anders Ølholm, Frederik Louis Hviid 2020, Denmark

For unclear reasons, a young immigrant taken into police custody has fallen into a coma. Meanwhile, two police officers are on routine patrol in a notorious Copenhagen ghetto area. When the news of the youngster’s death gets out, all hell breaks loose and the two edgy (anti)heroes have to fight tooth and claw for a way out. A sharp-edged adventure of life-and-death urgency that delivers an acute social commentary, without resorting to simpleminded blame games or clean-cut definitions.

Should the Wind Drop

Si le vent tombe Nora Martirosyan 2020, France, Armenia, Belgium

Alain, a French technocrat, is assigned to study the feasibility of reopening the airport of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed area between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In this surreal, fragmented world of an airport without planes and a state deprived of international legitimacy, any official set of regulations is too inept to tackle this absurd reality. A story of utter disorientation and lurking chaos that has become alarmingly timely over the last months, featuring the immense void in between two unbridgeable worlds.

Sisters Apart

Im Feuer Daphne Charizani 2020, Greece, Germany

Rojda, a German soldier and native Kurd, volunteers for a mission to train female Kurdish soldiers in Iraq to fight ISIS. No one must know that she is actually looking for her missing sister.

Sisters: The Summer We Found Our Superpowers

Tottori! Sommeren vi var alene Silje Salomonsen, Arild Østin Ommundsen 2020, Norway

Vega, aged 9, and her 5-year-old sister Billie are off to an overnight excursion in the Norwegian woods. Their trip is joyful, until their dad twists his ankle. Unable to walk, he asks his daughters to get some help. Their initial panic subsides as several otherworldly encounters dredge their mission with magic. The two girls overcome their fears, discover their inner superpowers, and draw courage from the almighty bond of sisterhood.

Slalom

Slalom Charlène Favier 2020, France, Belgium

Lyz, aged 15, makes it to the skiing team of a prestigious high-school, coached by a Machiavellian trainer. While pursuing victories, Lyz is drained of her innocence, lured by false dreams of glory. When the forbidden line is crossed, she finds herself entangled between her adolescent desire to be loved and the dawning that she fell victim to a deranged mind. A somber immersion into the breeding ground of young champions that explores the mechanisms of manipulation and toxic competition.

Sleep

Schlaf Michael Venus 2020, Germany

Marlene is tormented by recurring nightmares, filling notebooks with vivid drawings. Determined to face her inner demons, she checks into a mysterious hotel in the village of Steinbach, portrayed in her drawings. Upon discovering the real-life effects of her dreams, Marlene suffers from a nervous breakdown. Her daughter, Mona, rushes to her side, only to experience similar ghastly visions. Blurring the lines between the visible and the subconscious, this never-ending tangle of family trauma unravels through an echo chamber of collective guilt.

Something Different

O něčem jiném Věra Chytilová 1963, Czechoslovakia

Eva is a gymnast, training for an important competition after which she wants to drop her career as a professional sportswoman. Věra is a housewife caring for a four-year old son and a husband. The two women do not know each other, but have many things in common - both in their thirties, and they find themselves in the whirligig of day-to-day stereotypes, which leave them worn out and disgusted. Concordant with the burgeoning of second-wave feminism, Véra Chytilová’s debut feature intertwines fact and fiction, in a strikingly shot film with a wild, jazzy soundtrack.

Sow the Wind

Semina il vento Danilo Caputo 2020, Italy, France, Greece

Nina, a 21-year-old agronomy student, leaves Rome and returns to her native Apulia. Her family is in financial dire straits, awaiting the promised state compensation for the area’s dying centuries-old olive trees. This defeatist approach is rejected by Nina, who embarks on a quest to restore balance, having almost religious faith in nature’s survival forces. A mystical blend of social realism and environmental activism that delves into the secrets of ancestral pagan traditions.

Space Girls

Space Girls Carys Watford 2018, United Kingdom

During a sleepover, four lovable 9-year-old girls, obsessed with the charms of outer space, embark on a secret mission in their cardboard rocket, ripping the skies. Fearless girl power along with a heavy dosage of rampant imagination and good old thirst for knowledge is a compound of unmatched courage and pure fun.

Space is the Place

Space is the Place John Coney 1974, USA

Jazz musician Sun Ra has landed on a new planet he wishes to settle with African Americans, transporting them away from Earth through music waves. First, he must time-travel to the 1943 Chicago club, where he used to play the piano, and beat a satanic figure in a card game that will define the fate of the black race. An Afro-futuristic blend of blaxploitation, sci-fi, and political allegory that builds an “alternative destiny” bereft of racial prejudice and oppression.

Spiral

Spirál Cecília Felméri 2020, Hungary

Bence and Janka live on the shore of a secluded lake. Their ailing relationship and the mysterious perishing of the fish disrupt this heavenly ambiance. When Janka accidentally drow ns, Bence is unwilling to let go of her, lowering her body into the lake. In time, he finds comfort and love in Nora, who gradually develops an uncanny resemblance to Janka. A tale of four seasons that unfolds as a haunting metaphor on the burden of grief and loss.

Stardust

Stardust Gabriel Range 2020, UK

As ludicrous as it may sound, there existed a time when David Bowie was just a young prodigy and not a glowing music dandy. It’s the year 1971, and 24-year-old Bowie embarks on his first trip to America that soon evolves into a journey of self-discovery and introspection. An inventive biopic that takes a furtive glimpse at the unseen moments that inspired the birth of Ziggy Stardust, while capturing a turning point of upcoming greatness: when Bowie rose to fame, becoming the Messiah of glam rock.

Sticker

Nalepnica Georgi M. Unkovski 2020, North Macedonia

Following an unsuccessful attempt to renew his car registration, Dejan is gradually submerged into a bleak bureaucratic whirlpool. This Kafkaesque trap triggers violence, defines logic, morality, and good intentions, putting his determination to be a good father to the test. A tale of a man’s struggle to keep his inner dignity intact and his priorities straight

Summer Rebels

Sommer-Rebellen Martina Saková 2020, Germany, Slovakia

11 year-old Jonas, who has just mourned his father, sets off to Slovakia, on his own, to visit his cool grandpa, Bernard. Yet, loneliness has taken a toll on Bernard, who is now sullen and withdrawn. Determined to help him, Jonas teams up with local tomboy Alex, getting up to crazy ideas that lead to trouble. A summer-imbued adventure of friendship and selflessness that reminds us that dreaming is both invaluable and ageless.

Swimming out Till the Sea Turns Blue

Yi zhi you dao hai shui bian lan Jia Zhang-ke 2020, China

Three of China’s greatest writers, representing three different generations, present their takes on the landmarks of the country’s 20th-century history. The narrators’ recounts, dating from the dark days of the Cultural Revolution to the frenzied urbanization of the violent financial booming, are interwoven with lyric frames that seem to evade the flow of time. Divided into 18 chapters, this “symphonic” documentary ruminates on history’s traces, echoing in the human psyche.

Tailor

Ράφτης Sonia Liza Kenterman 2020, Greece, Germany, Belgium

Α coming-of-old-age story of an eccentric Tailor who doesn’t quite fit into the world and has isolated himself into the attic of the family’s tailoring shop. On the verge of loosing everything, he finally gets triggered: with a wondrously strange bricolage coach—a tailor shop on wheels— he reinvents his life and his craft. He changes the brides of Athens and falls in love for the first time in his 50s.

Teddy

Teddy Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma 2020, France

Teddy, an introverted 19-year-old without a high school diploma, lives with his uncle in the French Pyrenees. Suffocated by the small-town limitations, he is dreaming of a new life alongside his girlfriend. Little does he know that he’s about to undergo a hairy and violent transformation following a scratch inflicted by a mysterious beast. A homage to the werewolf tradition pinched with sly humor, which serves as an allegory for youth rage, class-related frustrations, and the dread of adulthood.

Tench

Muidhond Patrice Toye 2019, Belgium, Netherlands

Jonathan, who has just been released from prison due to lack of incriminating evidence, is determined to make a fresh start. However, even though wholeheartedly abiding by all rules, his kind intentions are put on a strain when a young mother and her daughter move in next door. A humane and multilayered portrait of a tortured man who desperately strives to become the best version of himself and break loose of his somber past.

Teo, My Neighbor

Τεό, ο γείτονάς μου Christos Karteris 2020, Greece

Teo stays next to me and enjoys spending time alone. He chooses to live at his own, unique pace. He dreams of finding a soulmate.

The 10th Victim

La Decima Vittima Elio Petri 1965, Italy, France

In a dystopian future, the world’s most popular attraction is no other than the “Big Hunt,” where each competitor is either a hunter or a victim. At least up until a female predator and a male prey decide to question the rules of this morbid game. A stylish as hell parable—featuring as a point of reference for countless films—on the grotesque society of the spectacle that has transformed violence and death into a prime time sensation.

The Apple Game

Hra o jablko Věra Chytilová 1976, Czechoslovakia

Chytilová had been forced by Communist censors into artistic silence for seven years when an international outcry prompted her return to filmmaking. Her comeback was this bold, feminist take on the battle of the sexes farce, a commercial success that re-established her as a leading light of Czechoslovak cinema. Centered on a love triangle between the staff members of a maternity ward, the film is remarkable for both its anti-patriarchal perspective and unflinching, almost documentary-like treatment of childbirth and abortion.

The Audience

The Audience Mariano Pensotti 2020, Greece

The performance is over, the actors step off the stage, the audience leaves the theater. However,in this case, the end marks the beginning. Eleven spectators star in their own tales, intertwined in a collage crafted by life itself. Restaurant and movie theater owners, immigrants and tourists, regulars and passers-by interact with the urban entourage and the people they come across, weaving a mosaic of endless possibilities.

The Book of Vision

The Book of Vision Carlo S. Hintermann 2020, Italy, UK, Belgium

Eva, a brilliant doctor who has devoted herself to the study of medicine’s history, discovers a manuscript written by an 18th-century physician, who recorded the dreams, fears, and thoughts of nearly 1,800 patients. Immersed in their tales and visions, Eva embarks on a journey of self-revelation that defies time boundaries, rational laws, and even death. A transcendental meditation (evoking the cinematic universe of executive producer, Terence Malick) on the unfathomable mysteries of both femininity and the human body.

The Call

Η κλήση Marios Psaras 2020, Cyprus

A transgender person receives a phone call by her brother, so as to attend their mother’s funeral; under one condition.

The Care of Others

El cuidado de los otros Mariano González 2019, Argentina

Luisa, a nanny, suddenly finds herself trapped in a painful predicament. A careless mistake by her boyfriend, Miguel, sends Felipe, the boy she’s looking after, to the emergency room. As the potentially dreadful consequences are looming over her head, Luisa is tortured by anguish and dilemmas. Being left in the dark as to the child’s condition, she is agonizing over whether or not she should protect Miguel, while struggling to overcome a feeling of unbearable guilt.

The Club of Ugly Children

De club van lelijke kinde Jonathan Elbers 2020, The Netherlands

When the new president wants to hide away all the “ugly” children to keep the schools neat and clean, one of the boys, Paul, escapes. On the run, he and some friends start an underground revolution that will challenge the perception of all the adults and ultimately bring down the evil president

The Comeback

Revansch Patrik Eklund 2019, Sweden

Annbritt, a once-promising badminton player, has been going downhill ever since 1983, attributing her defeat in the Swedish championship final to an erroneous referee call. Almost 40 years later, Annbritt has hit rock bottom and can only look upwards. Determined to gain what was unjustly stolen from her, she sets out to achieve an unthinkable comeback. A tragicomic story of rebirth that applauds a troubled soul’s struggle to regain self-respect.

The Death of Cinema and My Father Too

The Death of Cinema and My Father Too Dani Rosenberg 2020, Israel

A director tracks his father’s final days with a handheld camera, striving to freeze time and arm himself against the impending grief. The dying father is unsentimental towards the unavoidable end, dismissing any commemoration. A hybrid blend of fiction and facts, tinged with autobiographical references, where cinema crashes upon the walls of reality. A plangent and self-reflexive journey that juxtaposes the everlasting flow of time against the fleeting moment of death, seeking inner catharsis.

The End of Suffering (A Proposal)

Το τέλος του πόνου (Μια πρόταση) Jaqueline Lentzou 2020, Greece

Sofia is under a panic attack, again. The Universe decides to contact her, inviting her to another-worldly dialogue. A planet symphony for Mars, where people dream wide awake and fight for love.

The Garden

Gullregn Ragnar Bragason 2020, Iceland, Poland

Indíana accuses immigrants of scrounging off the Icelandic state, while she lives on welfare. Pulled-back in her secluded garden, she has focused on tending her award-winning laburnum tree. When her only son pops up, along with his new Polish girlfriend, Indíana’s world of prejudice falls into pieces. Meanwhile, there is a mandate to remove all non-native flora, including her precious tree. A dark comedy of self-reflection that delves into xenophobia by raising all the poignant and necessary questions.

The Hamburg Syndrome

Die Hamburger Krankheit Peter Fleischmann 1979, West Germany, France

Hamburg’s health authorities register an alarming phenomenon: dozens of people are found dead without an evident cause, in the position of an embryo. As casualties skyrocket, a series of torturing questions arise as to mysterious disease’s nature and origin. Galloping panic and hard-core quarantine measures transform Germany into a state of terror and confusion. A raw, poetic, and gruesomely timely pandemic film that reshapes all the conventions of its genre, crafting a world of existential despair.

The Jar

Το βάζο Kyriakos Rontsis 2020, Greece, UK

Staring at a butterfly trapped in a jar, a boy ponders over the balance between protection and freedom.

The Meaning of August

Το νόημα του Αυγούστου Manos Papadakis 2020, Greece

Andreas has to look after the house and the dog of his boss. The dog is ferocious and the house is luxurious. His co-workers are jealous. The dog’s name is Leben and has its own plans.

The Painter and the Thief

The Painter and the Thief Benjamin Ree 2020, Norway

Czech painter Barbora Kysilkova was quite disappointed to see that two paintings of hers, stolen from an art gallery in Oslo, were nowhere to be found despite the arrest of the perpetrators. In an attempt not so much to trace the missing paintings but reconcile with the feeling of loss, Barbora approaches one of the thieves and asks him to pose for a portrait. An endearing tale of reaching-out, forgiveness, and reciprocal understanding begins to unfold as two fragile souls let go of their preconceived roles and discover in each other a reflection of their inner scars, defeats, and gaps.

The Predators

I Predatori Pietro Castellitto 2020, Italy

The members of the Vismara family, running a gun shop in Rome’s impoverished outskirts, are outspoken fascists, nostalgic of Mussolini’s regime. On the other side, we meet the wealthy Pavone family, highborn, and intellectual gentlefolk, living in the capital’s most exclusive district. These two worlds will collide through a series of improbable events, tinged with black humor and grotesque sarcasm. At the end of the day, they are both predators in the jungle of life.

The Sky Calls

Nebo Zovyot Mikhail Karyukov, Aleksandr Kozyr 1959, USSR

A Soviet expedition is gearing up to set foot on Mars. Dreading to finish second place, a US ship sets out for the Red Planet, leaving its serious mechanical issues unresolved. When their opponents find themselves in a deadly predicament, the Soviet cosmonauts make a detour to save them, running thus out of fuel and ending up deserted on a passerby asteroid. A sci-fi benchmark of the Cold War space conquest frenzy that cries out a message of humanity and brotherhood.

The Trouble with Being Born

The Trouble with Being Born Sandra Wollner 2020, Austria, Germany

Elli is an android in the body of a little girl, living with a man she calls “father,” whose memories she has been programmed to share. One idle summer night, she sets off to the woods, summoned by a fading echo. A cinematic reverie that submerses us into a world of riddles and voids, challenging the absolute authority of memory. Deprived of this identity-defining mechanism, human existence can only succumb to the chaos of meaninglessness.

The Trouble with Nature

The Trouble with Nature Illum Jacobi 2020, Denmark, France

Irish philosopher Edmund Burke embarks on a tour of the Alps, hoping to regain his lost inspiration. Suffocated by debts, Burke places all his rebound hopes on the re-edition of his youth authorial masterpiece. The trip devolves into a disaster, as Burke is overcome by feelings of bitterness, self-pity, and suicidal obsession. Featuring one of the most renowned thinkers of modern political philosophy, this fictional and reflective road movie delves into our inherent weakness to grasp the mysteries of nature and existence.

The War of the Worlds: Next Century

Wojna światów – następne stulecie Piotr Szulkin 1981, Poland

Earth is under occupation by alien invaders. The media, performing 24-hour propaganda, impose the standards and set the chilling tone: “it is us who create reality.” However, a popular TV presenter refuses to turn into a feckless puppet, making an audacious call for resistance against the oppressors. Based on the titular legendary H.G. Wells novel, this prescient sci-fi allegory on freethinking subjugation and media manipulation was released just as Poland was plunged into the darkness of martial law.

The Whaler Boy

Kitoboy Philipp Yuryev 2020, Russia, Poland, Belgium

Bering Strait, Russia’s borderline with Alaska, in a whale-hunting village, where men resort to online webcam chat. So does Leshka, a coltish 15-year-old boy, who falls in love with a girl logging in from Detroit. Finding his “sweetheart” chatting with someone else, jealousy-stricken Leshka sets out for an unthinkable odyssey. Set in the symbolical merging point between the old ways and the future, this tender coming-of-age story portrays the turbulence of youth and first love.

The Witch Hunt

Forfølgelsen Anja Breien 1981, Norway, Sweden

She risked all for a man but was too strong for him. In the age of witch-hunting, there was no room for forceful women...

There’s No Love Stronger than Ours

Personne ne s’aimera jamais comme on s’aime Laure Bourdon Zarader 2018, France

Pauline and Noham are madly in love, but they are about to be separated from each other, as Pauline’s family is moving to Paris. Even though the two lovebirds have devised a scheme to prevent Pauline’s departure, they remain fully aware of one tiny obstacle they cannot surmount: they are only ten years old! A touching and playful story about the indelible memories of first love and the sincere innocence of childhood.

Thou Shalt Not Hate

Non odiare Mauro Mancini 2020, Italy, Poland

Simone Segre, a prominent surgeon of Jewish origin, has long cut off ties with his roots. Returning from rowing practice, he spots a dying man, victim of a hit-and-run accident. He rushes to his help but decides to abandon him upon noticing a swastika tattoo. Stricken by guilt, he tracks down the deceased man’s family and is confronted with the consequences of his action. A portrait of a decaying society that is gradually mutated into a breeding ground of hatred.

True Mothers

Asa Ga Kuru Naomi Kawase 2020, Ιαπωνία

A well-off Tokyo couple, undergoing frustrating fertility treatments, decides to adopt Asato, an offspring of immature adolescent love. Six years later, Asato’s young birth mother appears out of the blue, regretful of past mistakes, striving not to be erased from her child’s life. Skillfully weaving timelines, narratives, and genres—from family drama to teenage romance, social realism, and delicate touches of a thriller—this heartwarming study of characters delves into the notions of family and motherhood.

Unidentified

Neidentificat Bogdan George Apetri 2020, Romania

Florian is a tall, robust, hot-tempered cop, who doesn’t exactly refrain from power abuse. Fixated on cracking open a case of woods arson that resulted in the death of two women, he puts a young Romani, Bănel, on the spot. However, his suspicions are driven by racist reflexes rather than solid evidence. A suspense-imbued thriller, set against a contradictory luminous backdrop, which skillfully handles the genre’s conventions, while tackling the scourges of corruption and discrimination.

Uppercase Print

Tipografic Majuscul Radu Jude 2020, Romania

1981, in a provincial Romanian town. Uppercase protest messages, written in blue chalk,come as a thunderbolt for Ceausescu’s totalitarian regime. The Secret Police launches exhaustive investigations, suspecting foreign agents. Eventually, the “terrorist” turned out to be Mugur Călinescu, a 16-year-old student guilty of the most abominable crime: free thinking. Radu Jude makes exemplary use of the archival material, merges the personal with the collective, and sheds light on the heartbreaking story of an unsung hero.

Vasy’s Odyssey

La Odisea de Vasi Vasilis Papatheocharis 2020, Spain

Two lives, two different worlds and two unalike places. Vasi and Alexandra, two strangers, travel from Alicante to Greece, through France, Italy and Albania, on a trip where they will learn to face their mistakes and delve into their personal and family relationships. A journey through gastronomy, folklore, old traditions and the difficulty of communication between foreign languages. A search for happiness, dreams and hope.

Violetta

Violetta Fivos Imellos 2020, Greece

After the sudden death of Violetta's mother, her father is looking for a way to renew their relationship. However, he’s up against the powerful character of Violetta, as well as his own mistakes of the past.

Vouta

Βούτα Dimitris Zahos 2020, Greece

Vouta is a pigeon breed that flies all the way up to the clouds, then dives at 230 km/h and slows down just before hitting the ground. Christos is a teenager who lives in a disadvantaged neighborhood of Athens. He has to find a way to avoid conflict with his father who just got home from prison, just like the pigeons he loves avoid collision.

When Forever Dies

When Forever Dies Peet Gelderblom 2020, The Netherlands

For every film we’ve watched there are countless others we’ve missed: forgotten classics, hidden gems, reels stuffed in dusty attics. This kaleidoscopic mosaic of archival images – silent movies, newsreels, animation, advertising, experimental films, propaganda, and educational shorts – miraculously weaves a narrative that unfolds a tale of amour fou sliding into abysmal hatred. A mesmerizing cinematic collage that pays tribute to the power of imagery, mirroring the perpetual flow of time.

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

Als Hitler das Rosa Kaninchen stahl Caroline Link 2020, Germany, Switzerland

Suppose your hometown began to change. Suppose that, without your noticing it, it suddenly became dangerous for some people to live in your country. This is what happened to 9-year-old Anna, in 1933. Anna is not exactly sure who Hitler is. But when her own father goes missing one day, she comes to realize that the man on the posters is about to change the whole of Europe – starting with her own world. From now on Anna experiences life as a refugee, not speaking the language, unaware of customs and traditions, missing her friends and loved ones – including the stuffed bunny she left behind.

Who Will be Eaten

Ποιος, ποιος θα φαγωθεί Elpiniki Voutsa-Rentzepopoulou 2020, Greece

We are in Athens. The city is like a ship sailing upon the Aegean Sea with passengers of all cultures. There is not enough space for everyone on this ship and so the class cannibalism begins. The heroine in the film vacillates between individualism and collective action, the luxury of abstention from public life and the emotional struggle of participating in it. Will she be able to save the next child to be eaten?

Wildfire

Wildfire Cathy Brady 2020, United Kingdom, Ireland

Kelly reappears out of the blue in her insular border town, in Northern Ireland. Her sister, Laura, who had put her entire life on hold after her disappearance, is torn between relief and bitterness. The reuniting of the two sisters unearths buried family secrets regarding their mother’s death, triggering a head-on collision with a painful past. Skillfully blending stark elements of kitchen sink drama with surreal brushstrokes, this tale of sisterly reconciliation mirrors the collective trauma of a tortured country.

Wildland

Kød & Blod Jeanette Nordahl 2020, Denmark

Following the death of her mother, 17-year-old Ida falls into the care of her aunt and her three grown sons. At first, her grief is soothed thanks to an environment of tenderness and support. However, dark clouds loom ahead, as the criminal ways and the toxic dynamics of her new family soon rise to the surface. A multilayered drama that contemplates on boundaries of family love and loyalty, while exploring the seductive force of violence.

Wives

Hustruer Anja Breien 1975, Norway

Three women get together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their high school graduation. After a 3-day wild celebration and an escapade to Copenhagen, they return to Oslo and their husbands. A humorous and with a hint of drama approach to the stereotypical view of married life. A playful take on Cassavetes’s legendary Husbands hailed as a feminist icon of the Scandinavian cinema.

Wives III

Hustruer ΙΙΙ Anja Breien 1996, Norway

It all began in 1975, the United Nations International Women’s Year. Anja Breien and the actresses Anne Marie Ottersen, Katja Medboe, and Froydis Armand, resolved to make a women’s film, Wives, which questioned the traditional roles of the sexes. Ten years later, the same women came together once again for the film Wives-Ten Years After, proving that 40- year-old women, too, can let their hair down and challenge accepted norms. In this sequel of Wives, the three women and childhood friends have reached the age of 50...

Wives, 10 Years After

Hustruer –10 År Etter Anja Breien 1985, Norway

Ten years have passed since our heroines’ first adventure in 1975. Now the three women meet again at yet another class reunion. As expected, even when the party is over, they are still unwilling to call it a night. Husbands and children need to celebrate Christmas on their own, while the wives spend quality time drinking and taking stock of their lives.

Yezidi

Yezidi Anja Breien 2009, Norway

Gaining unprecedented access to the heart of the Yezidi community, this revealing documentary unveils the ways of a Kurdish religious minority that has traditionally been surrounded by mystery. The elusive portrait of a world that seems to exist and survive outside the boundaries of time, abiding by its own set of eternal rules. A breathtaking journey into the soul at a population remorselessly hunted and persecuted that urges us to take a distance from our established viewpoint.

Yongary, Monster from the Deep

Daekoesu Yonggari Kim Kee-duk 1967, South Korea

In post-WWII South Korea, a nuclear test triggers a devastating earthquake. As the ground splits in two, a gigantic monster, named Yongary, rises to the surface of the Earth causing havoc and panic. A young scientist, called upon to trace its weak spots, dismisses the use of weapons as he discovers that Yongary feeds off the energy they unleash. A pacifistic cry against the inherent paranoia of war that evokes the painful memories of the atomic bomb horror.

Κing of the Belgians

Κing of the Belgians Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth 2016, Belgium-The Netherlands-Bulgaria

According to the road movie tradition, the heroes are usually underdogs who find redemption as they travel. But what happens when the main character of a road movie is a King? The King of the Belgians embarks on a visit to Istanbul with a British filmmaker who has been commissioned by the Palace to shoot a documentary intended to polish the monarch’s image. But when the news breaks that Wallonia has declared its independence, he must return home to save his kingdom. In his odyssey, he will confront volcano eruptions, a solar storm and surreal encounters. A mockumentary about the adventurous tragicomedies of the European continent.