For the third time in 2023, we will present the Grand Jury Fiction Award. Eight fiction films will be selected from the festival’s full film programme. These are films where cinematography and content go hand in hand. An international jury will declare the winner of €5,000.
Halim and Mina run a caftan store in Salé, Morocco. In their caring relationship, they have a wordless understanding about Halim’s homosexuality. But their fine balance is disturbed by the arrival of young apprentice Youssef and by Mina’s illness. Delicate and visually gorgeous, like the caftan in its title. Halim (Sa...
England, 1988. Gym teacher Jean keeps a secret at her school that she is a lesbian. A new law is set to outlaw teaching ‘the acceptability of homosexuality’ in schools. When new student Lois arrives, Jean’s entire being is tested. Does she think she has a place in this world? Jean Newman is happy in her job as a gym t...
Twelve-year-old Dalva is taken to a shelter home after her father is arrested for abusing her. However, she wants nothing more than to see him again. Slowly, she has to learn all over what trust, love and intimacy can be – and perhaps most of all: what it’s like to be young. ‘Can’t a father and daughter simply love e...
Riga, 1991. Latvian film school student Jazis searches for his identity against the backdrop of rising tensions between the USSR and the newly proclaimed Baltic states. When his girlfriend Anna gets a career break, embittered Jazis takes his camera to the barricades. With effective archive footage and delicious Latvian...
Five boys from the streets of Medellín go on a wild road trip. Are they claiming their rights or just chasing a pipe-dream? Alternately raw and poetic, with electrifying performances from the non-professional actors. Featuring the breath-taking highlands of Colombia as the mesmerizing backdrop. Rá, Sere, Winny and Nan...
Beth is a helpline volunteer, taking phone calls from people who are lonely, desperate or frightened. She turns out to have her own reasons for doing this intense work. Intimate drama by Steve Buscemi, taking its time to settle deep into your heart and mind. Beth (Tessa Thompson) wakes up and fixes her coffee and break...
An experimental, confronting and often hilarious comment on prejudices and exploitation in the art world. A group of Roma actors participate in a play by a white Hungarian director. Feeling exploited and stigmatized, they quit. But the play is already sold to a prestigious Berlin theatre, and the premiere is looming. ...
Fereshteh is a young woman living in Tehran. When her parents announce a sudden visit, they must not find out about Fereshteh’s newborn baby. Her secret sets off an odyssey with her baby and her best friend. Beautiful layered story about being a modern woman in present-day Iran. Fereshteh is a university student and wo...