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April 23, 2025 | 19:00 | By Invitation
SCHEDULE
23 APRIL 2025
MINGHUN
After the tragic loss of his daughter, Jurek (Marcin Dorociński) and his Chinese father-in-law Ben (Daxing Zhang) struggle with their grief and decide to perform the ancient Chinese Minghun ritual, also known as a posthumous marriage. Their emotional journey to find an eternal partner leads to a profound clash of cultures, highlighting a universal truth: no matter where we come from, we are all part of one human family. Minghun is a poignant story about hope, love and the search for the meaning of life and what comes after it. It tells us about the most important emotions and the existential limits of the human experience. It is a story about the meeting of cultures and about love, which can show up at the least expected moment. Truly, the end can be a beginning.
24 APRIL 2025
WARBOY
It is the fall of 1944 with World War II closing to an end. In this backdrop, teenager Nicu embarks on a perilous journey through the wilderness of the Apuseni Mountains trying to save the horses belonging to his family. When a group of wounded German soldiers arrive in the village and begin preparations to retreat, his horses are taken to help carry men and war equipment. Desperate to save his horses, Nicu takes them back and runs away in the forest resulting in a dramatic journey.
25 APRIL 2025
TASTY
Best friends Ona and Saule work as chefs in a small canteen in Kaunas, Tasty. Always going out of their way to please their customers, one day Saule signs them up for a televised cooking contest by creating fake restaurant profiles. They surprisingly get in. The prize: the winner gets their own restaurant. Turning up on the show, the unlikely pair are the clear underdogs, struggling to compete with their idol: chef Madame Brukne. Despite this, their simple yet delicious dishes see them successfully go through the first rounds supported by adoring fans. All is going well till Ona falls for the charismatic French judge Emanuel.
26 APRIL 2025
SIEGER SEIN (WINNERS)
Eleven-year-old Mona has fled Syria with her Kurdish family and ended up in a school in Wedding, where 90% of the students are “foreigners”. And while Mona doesn’t know much German, she speaks football fluently. When a dedicated teacher Mr Che recognises her extraordinary talent and accepts her into the girls’ team, chaos erupts within the team and the whole school. But eventually, one thing becomes clear: they can only be winners if they learn to play together.
SEI FRATELLI
(FAMILY MATTERS)
It is rightly said, the strongest bonds are also the most fragile and they get tested in this gripping drama. Family tensions of six siblings come to the fore when the father passes away. The siblings find themselves together for the first time in their father’s house in Bordeaux, living the illusion of being one strong and united family. But with dramatic back stories conflicts and tensions rapidly unravel.
27 APRIL 2025
TANCUJ, MATYLDO (WALTZING MATHILDA)
This tells the story of a debt collector Karel, his 80-year old mother Mathilde - a former choir singer - and his teenage son Pavel. The withdrawn, emotionally torn Karel does not get along with his extroverted and bohemian mother. Pavel despises his father’s profession and cannot forget that he abandoned his family as a child. The three come together when Mathilde develops Alzheimer’s disease, loses her apartment and Karel has to take her in. Unable to take care of his mother, he reaches out to his son to help his sick grandmother. As the illness progresses, crises and conflicts arise in this tragi-comic story that has more twists and turns than life itself.
LET’S GET LOST
(Ailleurs si j’y suis)
Just when his family and his job particularly need his presence, Matthew (Jérémie Renier), without any warning, walks out into the woods and decides to stay there. Confronted by this radical act of freedom and unsettled by his sudden absence, his relatives, friends and colleagues come face to face with their own existence and the choices they have made.
01 MAY 2025
SIDETRACKED
Sidetracked is an optimistic comedy about how a group of friends – all in their forties - confront challenges experienced by many in present-day society: the lack of jobs and opportunities, the search for a better life and love stories that rarely last forever. After a six-year relationship, Alberto and Luisa, who are at a low-ebb in both their personal and professional lives, decide to move to a small village in the middle of nowhere. Luisa has to travel to Madrid every day to work whilst Alberto takes care of their son. They soon realise in they are not alone in their struggles.
02 MAY 2025
SERENA
This film is about perseverance against all odds. It tells the story of Serena Segalle, a student and retired athlete who was born with a club foot and told she would never be able to run. Despite all her naysayers, she comes out of retirement to become one of Europe’s top 400m sprinters.
03 MAY 2025
BAMBI: L’HISTOIRE D’UNE VIE DANS LES BOIS
The film recounts the adventures of a young fawn, surrounded by his mother and the animals of the forest: his friend the raven, the rabbit, the raccoon, he discovers the world of trees and their secrets. Every day, his mother teaches him to grow up strong. But when autumn arrives, Bambi ventures out into the open when hunters separate him from his mother forever. From then on, the young fawn had to learn to live on his own. Fortunately, he finds his childhood friend Faline. Then a large, majestic deer, who is none other than his father, finds Bambi and helps him to grow up. Bambi then embarks on his own destiny.
SMOKE, SAUNA, SISTERHOOD
Hailed by critics as ‘breathtaking’ and a ‘masterpiece,’ this Sundance prize-winning documentary feature debut by Anna Hints unfolds in the darkness of a smoke sauna in Estonia. Women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences, washing off the shame trapped in their bodies, regaining their strength through a deep and shared sense of communion.
04 MAY 2025
SAVAGES
In Borneo, near the tropical forest, Kéria rescues a baby orangutan in the palm oil plantation where her father works. Kéria's cousin Selaï comes to live with them seeking refuge from the conflict between his indigenous tribe and the logging companies. Kéria, Selaï and the little orangutan, now named Oshi, will have to fight against their forest’s destruction. But for Keria, the fight will also allow her to discover the truth of her own origins.
09 MAY 2025
THAT THEY MAY FACE THE RISING SUN
An adaptation of celebrated Irish writer John McGahern’s last novel of the same name, this film is a poetic celebration of the everyday. Joe (Barry Ward) and Kate Ruttledge (Anna Bederke) move from London to live and work in the countryside of Joe’s childhood. Capturing a year in the life of a rural, lakeside community in Ireland in the 1970s through the rhythms of changing seasons, director Collins presents a film replete with extraordinary beauty and truth. One that has been hailed by critics as a ‘poignant meditation on life and friendship.’
10 MAY 2025
SIX AT SIXTY
BUTTERFLIES (PERHOSET)
A daughter searching for her life’s direction and a father adept at avoiding reality meet after a long time during a summer night at the Seinäjoki Tango Festival. Siiri (Aksa Korttila), a 29-year-old woman, and her optimistic father Petri (Jani Volanen) embark on a journey of self-discovery, confronting their personal truths as they navigate the complexities of their relationship and find their own paths in life. Siiri works as a special assistant to the quick-tempered Minister of Economic Affairs. Her father, a former tango prince, is still searching for anchors in his life. Both are speeding ahead, but in different ways, inevitably heading for a crash, which happens one weekend when things rapidly spiral out of control.
11 MAY 2025
LET THE RIVER FLOW
Based on true events that inspired a generation of young Norwegians, writer/director Ole Giæver’s elegant, multi award-winning historical drama follows a young woman who is unintentionally drawn into a protest against a dam that may flood Indigenous Sámi land. During summer 1979, Ester (Ella Marie Hætta Isakse) moves to Alta in Northern Norway to begin teaching in an elementary school. Like many Sámi at the time, she is ashamed of her heritage and conceals her ethnicity by going to great lengths to fit in. When her cousin Mikkhal takes her to a camp by the Alta River where people are demonstrating against the building of a dam, Ester learns how the fight for the river is also a revolt against years of discrimination against her people. She finds her voice and takes a stand inspiring countless others.
15 MAY 2025
WITHOUT AIR (Elfogy a levegő)
In a small Hungarian town, Ana Bauch (Ágnes Krasznahorkai) is a dedicated and liberal literature teacher. Beloved by her students for her unorthodox and creative approach, she assigns Agnieszka Holland’s 1995 Total Eclipse, depicting the relationship between 19th-century French poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine, so they can better understand Rimbaud’s poetry. When a conservative father interrupts his son Victor (Soma Sándor) and hears of the assignment, he reports Ana to the school’s principal (Tünde Skovrán). Ana is accused of misconduct and spreading homosexual propaganda. When the local media reports the brewing scandal, she faces even more scrutiny. Ana must now decide: whether to fight or to flee. Without Air is a multiple award-winning film, including Best First Feature at Warsaw International Film Festival (2023).
16 MAY 2025
MINGHUN
After the tragic loss of his daughter, Jurek (Marcin Dorociński) and his Chinese father-in-law Ben (Daxing Zhang) struggle with their grief and decide to perform the ancient Chinese Minghun ritual, also known as a posthumous marriage. Their emotional journey to find an eternal partner leads to a profound clash of cultures, highlighting a universal truth: no matter where we come from, we are all part of one human family. Minghun is a poignant story about hope, love and the search for the meaning of life and what comes after it. It tells us about the most important emotions and the existential limits of the human experience. It is a story about the meeting of cultures and about love, which can show up at the least expected moment. Truly, the end can be a beginning.
17 MAY 2025
ANIMAL
Director Sofia Exarchou’s second feature, a poignant coming-of-age story, casts a sensitive lens on the unseen side of the booming tourism entertainment industry. It portrays the gruelling working hours and effort it takes to transform human bodies into those of wild animals and perform always with a smile on. The audience is taken on a whirlwind of never-ending entertainment - dances, sketches, music and songs through a group of seasonal performers led by Kalia (Dimitra Vlagopoulou) whose riveting acting was awarded Best Performance in Locarno.
TOVE
In the midst of her artistic struggles and unconventional personal life, Tove Jansson found worldwide success from an unexpected side project: the creation of the beloved world of the Moomins. Tove’s desire for liberty is put to the test when she meets theatre director Vivica Bandler. Her love for Vivica is electric and all-consuming but she soon realises that the love she truly yearns is not being reciprocated. Dealing with her unrequited love for Vivica she soon realises that only by breaking away from her can she truly be free. TOVE is a captivating drama about the creative energy of an iconic talent and her turbulent search for identity, desire and freedom.
18 MAY 2025
THE SWEDISH TORPEDO
This gripping period drama from director Frida Kempff tells the story of Sally Bauer (portrayed with immense sensitivity by Josefin Neldén), a Swedish mother who pursues her dream of swimming the English Channel before the Second World War envelops Europe. The “torpedo” moniker is fitting as during her the Swedish swimming sensation took on a number of long-distance challenges, usually succeeding with flying colours. There is a novel and a play written about her inspiring life and now this feature film.
KLAMMER | CHASING THE LINE
Barely 22, Franz Klammer finds himself in the eye of the storm at the men’s downhill competition at the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. The charismatic newcomer who cemented his status at the 1972 Olympics in Innsbruck has won virtually every race but pressure from the media, the public and the hopes of an entire nation are mounting. His sponsor is pushing him to switch equipment right before the competition, the weather is getting steadily worse, and his greatest rivals know he has to do better than just a flawless run. Franz senses he has to find his own path and that only the love of his life can give him the strength to do that. In the most important race of his life he skis a line that nobody thought was possible turning him into a legend in the sport of downhill skiing. Director Andreas Schmied’s feel-good movie takes viewers behind the scenes of professional sports through a real life hero who rebels against the commercialisation of skiing.
20 MAY 2025
DIAGNOSIS: DISSENT
This hard-hitting drama is based on real life stories of political prisoners. Diagnosis: Dissent, the first feature film by Denys Tarasov, is also the first film in the world that addresses the theme of forced psychiatric treatment as punishment for those who disagree with the political order in the Soviet Union. Andrii, a young, creative, freedom-loving person uncovers a horrible truth that had been kept secret for years. Most of those accused of ‘anti-Soviet propaganda’ were never sent to prison, but to special psychiatric hospitals with a diagnosis of slow progressive schizophrenia. Andrii finds himself in a hell of punitive psychiatry where he faces a difficult choice. He can either cooperate with the KGB and return to his family, or reveal the truth about dissidents tortured in such psychiatric hospitals.
24 MAY 2025
MY GRANDFATHER’S DEMONS
Rosa is a successful designer living in a generic big city. After the unexpected death of her grandfather, she realizes she has not been in a place where she felt connected or loved since she left her homeland. She abandons the city to go to her grandfather’s property. This is where she grew up and she is thinking of selling the land she has inherited. Things take a twist when letters and clues show up. Rosa discovers that her grandfather has left her an important task that will help her make peace with herself and others, while she fixes her grandfather’s past mistakes.
CLOSE
The film, co-produced by Belgium, France and the Netherlands, tells the moving story of a close bond between Leo and Remi, two 13-year-old boys and what happens when it is disrupted. It is a powerful story touching upon themes of friendship, intimacy and responsibility, portrayed with great emotion and tenderness. Critics say: ‘Close is Belgian cinema at its most fragile. And at its very best.’ The coming-of-age drama won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and has received multiple awards, including seven Magritte Awards.
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
(Pigen med Nålen)
Karoline a young factory worker, finds herself abandoned and pregnant while striving to climb out of poverty in post-World War I Copenhagen. Amidst her struggles, she meets Dagmar a charismatic woman running a secret adoption agency within a candy store, helping poor mothers find foster homes for their unwanted children. A strong connection is formed between the two women, but Karoline’s world shatters as she stumbles upon the dreadful revelation of the nightmarish fate she unknowingly embraces.