Le grand jeu

Nicolas Pariser : 2015
The Great Game

One evening, on the terrace of a casino, Pierre Blum, a one-time best-selling author, meets a mysterious man called Joseph Paskin. Pierre agrees to work as a ghost writer for Joseph – a man who commands the political influence at the heart of the French State. Influential, charismatic and manipulative, Joseph is fomenting a conspiracy against the Interior Minister and will take advantage of his new protégé to achieve his own ends. Soon realising the life-threatening implications linked to his new job, Pierre will be seduced by Laura, a young extreme left militant. But is she really as harmless as she looks? Delicately navigating the mysteries of the misinformation of the secret back rooms of the State, and the portrait of a young forty-something man forced to exceed the faded revolutionary delusions of his youth. Nicolas Pariser's feature directorial debut premiered in competition at Locarno Film Festival 2015, screened at Festival de Cinéma Européen des Arcs 2015, and was winner of the Louis-Delluc Prize for Best Debut Film 2015.

Lovesong

So Yong Kim : 2016

Sarah, a young mother, raises her precocious daughter in their country home whilst feeling abandoned by her husband, who perpetually travels for work. When Sarah's old friend Mindy comes to visit, they decide to take a road trip, and after an alcohol-infused heart-to-heart, a long unspoken intimacy emerges between the two best friends. Later Sarah is unable to articulate her thoughts about her husband or Mindy, and Mindy decides to leave the trip and go home. Three years later, the two women are reunited for Mindy's wedding, and Sarah is forced to reconcile the reality of her feelings. So Yong Kim's feature premiered in competition at Sundance Film Festival 2016.

Wild

Nicolette Krebitz : 2016

On the way to work Ania has a strange encounter. Crossing the park she comes upon a wolf, and looking directly into his eyes, she suddenly discovers a new meaning to her existence. She seizes it, just like the idea to find the wolf again, and never to let it go. Ania is the Slayer, she lays tracks and manages to catch the wild animal. Revoking the tacit contract with civilisation, she fearlessly opts for a life without hypocrisy or an obligatory safety net. Ania is a woman who gradually sets herself free with each step into the Wilderness. Equally disturbing and fascinating, a love story of animalistic radicality, freedom and intransigence. Nicolette Krebitz's third feature premiered in competition in the World Cinema section at Sundance Film Festival 2016.

Amina's Letters

Jacob Bitsch : 2016
Aminas breve

When 21-year-old Janus is released from a secure psychiatric hospital, he has only one thing in mind – to find a girl named Amina. She means everything to him and her letters gave Janus faith and consolation while in hospital, but they suddenly stopped coming. Janus fears that Amina has come to grief and embarks on an investigation that leads him through the city's shadowy streets to find her. His journey takes him into a paranoid and violent world, where anyone who knows her seems to have something to hide. He becomes increasingly convinced that Amina is living in a violent marriage, from which he must save her. He becomes so obsessed by the notion of Amina's tragic fate, that only when it is too late does he realise that the person who needs saving is himself. Jacob Bitsch's second feature is based on Jonas T Bengtsson's award-winning debut novel.

Mammal

Rebecca Daly : 2016

Margaret, a separated woman living alone in Dublin, learns that her teenage son has been found dead. Enduring her unsettling grief privately, she escapes daily to the local swimming pool. One day at the pool she runs into Joe, a homeless youth she found injured late one night in the deserted laneway behind her work. Margaret offers Joe a room in her house and an unorthodox relationship starts to develop between them. Margaret's ex-husband Matt begins to turn up randomly in Margaret's life. As Margaret and Joe's mutual reliance grows their tentative trust is threatened by the escalation of Matt's grieving rage and Joe's involvement with a gang of violent youths. Rebecca Daly's second feature premiered in competition in the World Cinema section at Sundance Film Festival 2016.

Moira

Levan Tutberidze : 2015

After Mamuka is released from prison, he tries to rescue his family from poverty. His mother is working abroad, his father is wheelchair-ridden, and his unemployed younger brother appears to be attracted by criminals. Mamuka takes out a loan and buys a small fishing boat, eager to work and bring his mother back. The brothers name the fishing boat after Moira, a goddess of fate. But fate is often blind and merciless. Levan Tutberidze's feature premiered at San Sebastián International Film Festival 2015, and screened as the opening film at Tbilisi International Film Festival 2015.

Don't Look at Me That Way

Uisenma Borchu : 2015
Schau mich nicht so an

Hedi is the new neighbour of Iva, who is raising her young daughter, Sophia. Iva is struggling with being a single parent whilst trying to lead a semblance of a personal life, and Hedi seems to be a breath of fresh air. Iva falls desperately in love with Hedi and the two women begin a complex relationship. When Iva's father appears out of the blue, Hedi finds herself strongly attracted to him. It seems that only one world exists for Hedi – her own. Soon their worlds will all collide. Uisenma Borchu's feature debut was winner of the FIPRESCI Prize when it premiered at Filmfest München 2015, and had its international premiere in competition at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2015.