ECHOES FROM BORDERLAND — Germany 2023 — Directed by: Lara Milena Brose — 70 min — Spoken language: English — Subtitles: English — Script: Lara Milena Brose — Producer: Lara Milena Brose — Production Company: University of Television and Film Munich (HFF Munich) — Photography: Natalia Mamaj, Lilly Rose Pongratz — Editing: Aora Helmzadeh, Lara Milena Brose, Boris Gavrilović — Sound: Hanna Hocker — Music: Ludovico Failla
Ferida, a Bosnian, lives within sight of the EU’s external border. Every day she witnesses refugees’ desperate attempts to reach the EU and her memories of violence and war come flooding back. Nahid is 15 years old and is stranded here after fleeing the Taliban. In this hypnotic narrative, the fading echoes of Ferida’s stories and Nahid’s voicemails intertwine.
Hungary 2023 — Directed by: Gergö Somogyvári — 83 min — Spoken language: Hungarian — Subtitles: English — Script: Zsolt Pocsai, Gergö Somogyvári — Editing: Judit Feszt — Sound: Marius Leftãrache, Florin Tabacaru — Music: Viktor Bátki — Production: New Retina Productions — Producer: Nora Somogyvari
At first glance, Fanni and Laci’s life really doesn’t seem like much of a fairytale: Fanni, 19, is trans and totally consumed by her transition; Laci, 60, ekes out a living through seasonal work. They live together as outcasts from Hungarian society in a self-built forest cabin. A close up look at two lives – full of hardness, cantankerous honesty and an unequal bond.
Hungary, Belgium, Portugal 2023 — Directed by: Anna Gyimesi — 16 min — Spoken language: Hungarian — Subtitles: English — Production Company: Docnomads Joint Masters — Producer: Anna Gyimesi, Docnomads Joint Masters — Script: Anna Gyimesi — Photography: Anna Gyimesi — Editing: Anna Gyimesi — Sound: Anna Gyimesi
As her daughter awaits a decision on psychiatric euthanasia, Els navigates love, guilt, and grief — a lyrical portrait of a mother caught between letting go and holding on.
France, Lebanon 2023 — Directed by: Diala Al Hindaoui — 15 min — Spoken language: French — Subtitles: English — Production Company: La cinéfabrique — Producer: Timothé Perrier — Script: Diala Al Hindaoui — Photography: Maïssa Elydja Olivier, Cléo Miquel Delhon — Editing: Hugo Pichon-Martin, Lili Cazals — Sound: Plume Languille And Margot Delaunay — Music: Plume Languille
In a roadside tent in Lebanon, 11-year-old Fatmé defies gender norms and expectations, determined to become the strongest—no matter what others say.
Serbia 2023 — Directed by: Eluned Zoë Aiano, Alesandra Tatić — 77 min — Production Companies: Servia Film, Wild Pear Arts — Producers: Greta Rauleac, Miloš Ljubomirović
In Eastern Serbia, in a town with a dual identity divided between magic and industry, a family whose destiny is intrinsically linked with both does their best to ensure the survival of their traditions and their future generations. Desa is the widow of the union leader who is trying to continue his legacy by ensuring the rights of fellow mine-worker families. Meanwhile, her brother Dragan Markovic is the last in a line of dragon hunters, but it’s hard to continue now even the dragons are being driven away.
LIGHT OF LIGHT — Greece 2023 — Directed by: Neritan Zinxhiria — 13 min — Production Company: Reconstructing Memories — Producer: Efijeni Kokedhima
Before his death in 1932, a monk created his own camera in one of the most isolated places in the world. Nearly a century later, a filmmaker discovers and reconstructs the 3000 preserved photographic plates, blending them with his own evocative Super 8, crafting a cinematic pilgrimage, where the past interlaces seamlessly with the present, in a spellbinding visual narrative that defies the constraints of time itself.
THE LAST KO — France 2023 — Directed by: Timothée Catherine — 70 min — Spoken language: French — Subtitles: English — Production Company: Tripode Productions — Producer: Guillaume Dreyfus — Script: Timothée Catherine — Photography: Mathieu Kauffmann — Editing: Lucas Marchina — Sound: Adriano Cerone, Clément Lemariey — Music: Balthazar Naturel
Carl Strugnell, the world chessboxing champion, is just a few months away from his final showdown in the ring. It's a challenge that promises to be decisive for the fight he's waged all his life, to break free from his condition, but also for all those left behind, to whom he dreams of offering the opportunity to become heroes. Because Karl is himself an imperfect character, champion of an imaginary discipline invented in the drawings of Enki Bilal.
THE HUNTER'S SON — Switzerland 2023 — Directed by: Juliette Riccaboni — 54 min — Spoken language: French — Subtitles: English — Production Company: Akka Films — Producer: Juliana Fanjul — Script: Juliette Riccaboni — Photography: Gabriel Lobos — Editing: Orsola Valenti, Karine Sudan — Sound: Carlos Ibanez-Diaz — Music: Adrien Heiniger
Samir hardly knows his father. Hoping to become closer with him, he decides to accompany a hunter on a expedition in the mountains. Director Juliette Riccaboni decides to film the complexity of a relationship rife with disagreement. The picturesque Valais scenery provides the backdrop for this difficult reunion, shot through with humour and tenderness.
ANTON'S JOURNEY — France 2023 — Directed by: Mariana Loupan — 73 min — Spoken language: French — Subtitles: English, French — Production company: Schuch Productions — Producer: Anne Schuchman-Kune — Script: Mariana Loupan — Photography: Sarah Blum / Emmanuelle Collinot / Pukyo Ruiz de Somocurcio — Editing: Santi Minasi — Sound: Lilian Matigot / Graciela Barrault
Nothing and nobody could have predicted that Anton Hirschfeld, a young man with special needs, would one day become a recognized painter. Anton’s Journey retraces his journey, filmed by his mother since his birth. A journey made possible by the determination and love of his family and the pivotal encounters that marked his path.
THE LIGHTS OF KYIV — Switzerland 2023 — Directed by: Serhii Tykhoniuk — 16 min — Spoken language: Ukrainian — Subtitles: English, French — Production Company: ECAL — Producer: Paolo Moretti — Script: Serhii Tykhoniuk — Photography: Serhii Tykhoniuk — Editing: Serhii Tykhoniuk — Sound: Serhii Tykhoniuk — Music: Mathys Nouspikel
In exile, Lisa wanders Lausanne haunted by memories of Kyiv — a dreamlike reflection on war, identity, and the fragments of home carried by those forced to flee.
Spain 2023 — Directed by: Núria Ubach, Marta Codesido, Dubi Cano, Ulrika Andersson — 20 min — Spoken language: Catalan — Subtitles: English, Spanish — Production: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) — Producers: Marta Codesido, Núria Ubach
The daily walk of three grandmothers in Cabrianes is disrupted by the sudden death of one of them. But life goes on. In the meantime, party preparations are taking place for the oldest person in the village. A portrait that makes us reflect on the passage of time, our society’s aging population, and feeling closer to death.
LOVE ME TRUE — France 2023 — Directed by: Ines Sedan — 7 min — Spoken language: French — Subtitles: English, Spanish — Production Company: LARDUX FILMS — Producer: Benoit Ayraud — Script: Ines Sedan — Photography: Ines Sedan — Editing: Michele Le Guernevel — Sound: Adam Wolny, Olivier Calvert — Music: Olivier Calvert
Laurence is desperately looking for love. On the advice of a friend, she starts using online dating sites to find her soulmate. She becomes addicted to her phone and addicted to a toxic man. Adapted from the report “Love me Tinder” by Alain Lewkowicz, produced for Sonia Kronlund's radio program “Les pieds sur terre” on France Culture.
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