Il bene mio

Pippo Mezzapesa : 2018
My Own Good

The last remaining inhabitant of Provvidenza, a village destroyed by an earthquake, Elia refuses to go along with the rest of the community, which has resettled in Nuova Provvidenza and put the past behind them. To Elia, his town is still alive, and thanks to the help of an old friend, Gesualdo, he strains to keep its memory alive as well. When the mayor orders him to abandon Provvidenza, Elia seems to be on the point of pulling up stakes, when he suddenly senses a strange presence. In fact, a young woman, Noor, is hiding in the rubble of the school, where Elia's wife had lost her life. Noor is on the run, and this chance encounter, coupled with Elia's own desire as keeper of the flame for Provvidenza, brings him up against a decision from which there is no going back. Pippo Mezzapesa's feature premiered as a Special Event screening at Venice Days 2018.

Gwen

William McGregor : 2018

In the stark beauty of 19th century Wales a young girl tries desperately to hold her home together. Struggling with her mother's mysterious illness, her father's absence and a ruthless mining company encroaching on their land. A growing darkness begins to take grip of her home, and the suspicious local community turns on Gwen and her family. Gwen lives on a farm in the hills of Snowdonia with her mother, Elen and little sister Mari. Like nearly all the local men, Gwen's father is away at war. Elen, Gwen, and Mari must already maintain a punishing work schedule to keep the farm going, but they are plagued by one ominous occurrence after another, as well as by a town that begins to become suspicious of their behaviour. A neighbouring family perishes from cholera; potatoes are rotting in the soil; Elen becomes ill and there is no money for medicine. And their sheep – someone has slaughtered every one of their sheep. Who could possibly wish such misfortune on this humble family? William McGregor's feature debut premiered in the Discovery section at Toronto International Film Festival 2018.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Desiree Akhavan : 2018

It's 1993 and after having been discovered in the arms of a girl at a school prom, Cameron Post is packed off to a Christian conversion camp called God's Promise, in a remote area where it is hoped she will be cured of her 'gayness'. While she is being subjected to questionable gay conversion therapies Cameron meets a group of fellow sinners including the amputee stoner Jane, and her friend, the Lakota Two-Spirit, Adam. Together, this group of teenagers form an unlikely family as they fight to survive in the face of intolerance and denial. A rally cry for individualism, Desiree Akhavan's feature was winner of the Grand Jury Prize when it premiered in competition at Sundance Film Festival 2018.

L'homme fidèle

Louis Garrel : 2018
A Faithful Man

Marianne leaves Abel for Paul, his best friend and the father of her unborn child. Eight years later, Paul dies. As they meet again, Abel decides to win back Marianne, arousing feelings of jealousy in both Marianne's son, Joseph, and Paul's sister, Eva, who has secretly loved Abel since childhood. As the plot snakes through the bric-à-brac of Abel's days, we find an ironic and sympathetic sensibility on display. Rather than being in control, Abel is acted on, as he good-humouredly tries to navigate the challenges that come his way. Louis Garrel's second feature premiered in Special Presentations at Toronto International Film Festival 2018, and won the Jury Prize for Best Screenplay when it had its European premiere at San Sebastián International Film Festival 2018.

Beast

Michael Pearce : 2017

Living in an isolated community, a troubled young woman finds herself pulled between the control of her oppressive family and the allure of a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders. Yearning to escape from her stifling home life, Moll, the black sheep of an upper-crust family on the island of Jersey, impulsively moves in with Pascal, a rugged hunter with a mysterious past. When a local girl goes missing following a string of murders, Moll must decide what to trust: her own instincts, or the mysterious man with whom she has made a home. A riveting, slow-burning thriller about the limits of love and the darkness inside us. Michael Pearce's feature debut premiered in the Platform section at Toronto International Film Festival 2017, and had its UK premiere at London Film Festival 2017.

On Chesil Beach

Dominic Cooke : 2017

In July 1962, Edward Mayhew, a graduate student of history, and Florence Ponting, a violinist of a string quartet, have just been married and are spending their honeymoon in a small hotel on the Dorset seashore, at Chesil Beach. The two are very much in love despite being from drastically different backgrounds. During the course of an evening, both reflect upon their upbringing and the prospect of their futures. Edward is sexually motivated and, though intelligent, has a taste for rash behaviour. Florence is bound by the social code of another era and, perhaps having been sexually abused by her father, is terrified of sexual intimacy. Florence tries to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable consummation, but the thought of it continues to repulse her. The story unfolds with great tenderness to show how, unbeknownst to them both, the decisions they make that summer will resonate throughout their lives. Dominic Cooke's feature premiered in Special Presentations at Toronto International Film Festival 2017, and had its UK premiere at London Film Festival 2017.

The Heart

Fanni Metelius : 2018
Hjärtat

Photographer Mika and music producer Tesfay prove to be each other's first great loves. With their talents, her blonde hair and his black dreads, they are a beautiful couple that fits in perfectly in today's Sweden. After a period of courtship, parties, sex and getting to know each other, they decide to live together. For the outside world, this hip couple presents an ideal picture, but things start going wrong between the sheets. An insidious power game is in play, with its rules changing like music beats at the parties in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Ibiza. Behind closed doors and beautifying filters lies a raw reality where Mika's control over her mind and body is at stake. But Mika rips apart relationship prejudices and explores what really makes our pulses quicken in matters of the modern heart. Fanni Metelius's feature debut premiered in the Bright Future section at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2018.