Colo

Teresa Villaverde : 2017

In Portugal, a father, a mother and a daughter's daily lives are being subsumed by the effects of the economic crisis. This is a process which begins to influence their life together by degrees while their nicely furnished high-rise flat continues to tell a tale of different, bygone times. The unemployed father spends his days on the roof gazing at the horizon which no longer offers him a future. The mother returns home exhausted from working double shifts. Their adolescent daughter keeps her secrets to herself and wonders if there is enough money to pay her bus fare to school. The family members begin to shed their previous roles, their relationship to each other changes and unexpected possibilities start to reveal themselves. It may not be apparent to either father, mother or daughter but each of them has long since begun to take their lives in their own hands and to reshape them. Teresa Villaverde's feature premiered in competition at Berlin International Film Festival 2017.

On the Beach at Night Alone

Hong Sang-soo : 2017
Bamui haebyun-eoseo honja

After an affair with a married man, celebrated actress Young-hee decides to take some time out. She travels to the far-off, foreign city of Hamburg. In a conversation with a friend she asks herself if her lover will follow her and whether he misses her as much as she misses him. During her long walks through wintry parks and along riverbanks she attempts to become clear about her feelings and desires. Back in Korea, Young-hee meets some old friends in the coastal town of Gangneung. They eat and drink together and under the influence of alcohol Young-hee provokes, insults and angers the others. Their conversations get more and more out of hand, giving vent to minor and major realisations and truths. Afterwards, Young-hee withdraws to a deserted beach. It seems as if she can only truly find herself in nature. Hong Sang-soo's feature won the Silver Bear for Best Actress when it premiered in competition at Berlin International Film Festival 2017.

Ana, mon amour

Călin Peter Netzer : 2017

Toma and Ana meet at university. A love affair begins that is full of hopes and dreams and suffused by the feeling that each needs the other in equal measure. Ana has a complicated family background and suffers from severe panic attacks. Middle-class Toma is as shocked as he is fascinated by the deep well of despair he encounters in his beloved. Toma gives Ana his complete support and takes her to see a string of doctors. At the same time the two begin to isolate themselves from their families and friends. Ana's weakness appears to make Toma stronger. When she falls pregnant, Ana embarks on a therapy based on analytical psychoanalysis from which she emerges a stronger person. But then Toma's world begins to topple. The film blends romantic drama with a study of mental illness and how it is overcome. Călin Peter Netzer's feature was winner of the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution when it premiered in competition at Berlin International Film Festival 2017.

Close-Knit

Naoko Ogigami : 2017
Karera ga Honki de Amu toki wa

Eleven-year-old Tomo is pretty much left to her own devices. Unwashed dishes are piling up in the sink and supermarket onigiri are all there is to eat again. Tomo's single mother usually comes home late, and drunk. When she leaves her daughter for good one day the girl has to rely on help from her uncle, Makio, who takes in Tomo to live with him and his girlfriend Rinko. At their first meeting Tomo is flabbergasted to discover that Rinko is a transsexual. She works as a caregiver in a nursing home where Makio's mother Sayuri who suffers from dementia is living. Rinko immediately sets about taking care of Tomo; not only does she lovingly prepare meals but she also succeeds in creating a new home for the girl. A story about finding a way out of one's loneliness; in the case of Tomo and her new family the solution is a mixture of human warmth, good food and the symbolic act of knitting. In quietly concentrated images the film portrays non-normative sexuality as a natural way of life and describes the value of families that are defined not by convention but by a loving, caring environment. Naoko Ogigami's feature was winner of the Teddy Jury Award when it premiered in the Panorama section at Berlin International Film Festival 2017.

Call Me by Your Name

Luca Guadagnino : 2017

It's the hot, sun-drenched summer of 1983 and Elio is at his parents' country seat in northern Italy. The 17-year-old idles away the time listening to music, reading books and swimming until one day his father's new American assistant arrives at their large villa. Oliver is charming and, like Elio, has Jewish roots; he is also young, self-confident and good-looking. At first Elio is somewhat cold and distant towards the young man but before long the two begin going out together on excursions. Elio begins to make tentative overtures towards Oliver that become increasingly intimate – even if, as Oliver says, 'one can't talk about such things'. Amid the sun-drenched splendour of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever. A sensual and transcendent tale of first love. Luca Guadagnino's feature premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2017.