Una mujer fantástica

Sebastián Lelio : 2017
A Fantastic Woman

Marina and Orlando are in love and plan to spend their lives together. She is working as a waitress and adores singing. Her lover, twenty years her senior, has left his family for her. One night, when they return home after having exuberantly celebrated Marina's birthday at a restaurant, Orlando suddenly turns deathly pale and stops responding. At the hospital, all the doctors can do is confirm his death. Events follow thick and fast: Marina finds herself facing a female police inspector's unpleasant questions, and Orlando's family shows her nothing but anger and mistrust. Orlando's wife excludes Marina from the funeral; she also orders her to leave the apartment – which on paper at least belonged to Orlando – as soon as possible. Marina is a transgender woman. The deceased's family feels threatened by her sexual identity. With the same energy she once used to fight for her right to live as a woman Marina, with head held high, now insists on her right to grieve. Sebastián Lelio's feature was winner of the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay and the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film when it premiered in competition at Berlin International Film Festival 2017.

69 Minutes of 86 Days

Egil Håskjold Larsen : 2017

Slowly we glide over the remains of life-jackets, torn travel bags and discarded shoes at an unnamed shoreline, establishing the tense political framework of this story. From here we pass on to observe groups of fellow travellers, still continuously moving forward. In the midst of the crowd a three-year-old girl, Lean, catches our attention. She is sitting on the shoulders of her father, with a Frozen backpack on her own back. The father is wearing a hoodie, an Adidas backpack and Nike shoes. This is a family like our own; these people are just like our neighbours. The only, but huge, difference is that they have lost their home and are on their way to a new one – one with their relatives who live in Sweden. There are no interviews or voice-overs; the filmmaker follows the family, which also includes Lean's mother and sister as well as her uncles, as they wait at the Macedonian border, then get into a car driven by a Serbian, walk through Hungarian fields, get on a train in Austria, and then board a bus in Germany. But these locations are not identified with narrative titles – the viewer can determine their geographical position only by means of road signs, railway station instructions or the language spoken in some of the scenes. Carefully we are getting into Lean's journey, and we get to know her outstanding character as she slowly makes her way through Europe with her family. She is strong, never cries and seems to grasp the seriousness of these circumstances. This film tells the story about childhood, family relations, hope and a world that is difficult to understand. Egil Håskjold Larsen's documentary, his first feature, premiered at Copenhagen International Documentary Festival 2017.

69 Minutes of 86 Days – trailer (vimeo)

Helle Nächte

Thomas Arslan : 2017
Bright Nights

Austrian civil engineer Michael lives with his girlfriend in Berlin. For years, he has barely had any contact with his 14-year-old son Luis. When Michael's father dies the two nonetheless travel together to the funeral which is held in the remote north of Norway. At the deceased's secluded home Michael begins to pack up his late father's personal items – watched in silence by his son. Two people who barely know each other are suddenly caught in an intimate situation. After the funeral, Michael surprises Luis by suggesting that they spend a few days together exploring the region. A road movie begins that is also a journey into their non-existent shared past. Being together turns out to be more difficult than expected. Never having spent any time with each other on a daily basis, they have trouble handling their relationship. Whilst Michael glosses over this situation, Luis can't hide how hurt he is. His father's long years of absence stand between them like a wall. When they are in the car together it feels like the calm before a storm. During the long days of the summer solstice, days when the sun never sets, Michael tries to break the repetitive cycle and find a joint way forward. Thomas Arslan's feature was winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actor when it premiered in competition at Berlin International Film Festival 2017.

Final Portrait

Stanley Tucci : 2017

Paris in 1964. Alberto Giacometti is the one who decides when it is time for work, drink, doubt, destruction, flirtation or laughter in his studio. An established artist whose works fetch record prices, he hides his earnings in his studio. This is just one of the causes of many an argument with his wife Annette, another being the fact that his mistress Caroline receives all his attention. His brother Diego, also an artist, is all too familiar with his idiosyncrasies. One day, Giacometti asks American art critic and biographer James Lord to pose for him. But their sittings, scheduled to take a week, are frequently interrupted by visits to the bistro or long car rides, with no end in sight. Lord postpones his return flight several times. The films peers into the workshop and personality of this famous Swiss painter and sculptor, two years before his death. It shows the artist with all his strengths and weaknesses and relates the chaos of his artistic output, doubts, and courageous ability to destroy and begin afresh. Stanley Tucci's feature premiered in competition at Berlin International Film Festival 2017.

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.

Berlin Syndrome

Cate Shortland : 2017

Australian backpacker Clare is wandering through Berlin's Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg with her stills camera. She's particularly fascinated by the old GDR buildings. She meets a friendly English teacher named Andi and they hit it off immediately. He shows her the allotments and the neighbourhood, and they end up in bed together. Something that begins as a romance takes an unexpectedly sinister turn when, in the morning – Andi has left for school – Clare tries to leave the otherwise empty old building and realises that she is locked in. At first she thinks this is a mistake, but she soon realises that she is a prisoner. Cut off from the rest of the world, Clare experiences terrifying weeks during which she vacillates between yielding to Andi's obsessions and trying to escape. Cate Shortland's feature premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2017.

The Road to Mandalay

Midi Z : 2016

The people-traffickers have a well-established route: from Burma into Thailand across the Mekong River at Tachileik; along quiet country roads; passing bribed police checkpoints and then into Bangkok, where the illegal migrants are on their own. Lianqing is one of five illegals who travel this route one summer night in 2013; along the way a fellow migrant called Guo is kind to her, and their fates later become entwined. By the standards of illegals, Lianqing does well: she finds 'underground' jobs, saves money and finds out how and where to buy faked identity papers. But Guo does less well. They are two people with contradictory personalities, however they seem to be bound by fate. Midi Z's feature was winner of the Fedeora Award for Best Film when it premiered in competition at Venice Days 2016.

Seed

Naomi Kawase : 2016

The girl was born amid rays of the divine light. Reaching out for a white seed, she begins to walk in the direction of the light shining on the earth. Emotions are transferred from objects to people and from people to the girl. The girl is more like a fairy, a mysterious creature. A boy offers her the gift of an apple, which she in turn gives to a homeless man, who proffers a soft piece of chiffon fabric in return. Moving like a tree that sways in the wind, the girl expresses a spirit that secretly runs through places and living things. Seed is the story of the journey this girl takes from the enchanted nature of Nara to the chaos of Tokyo, and the encounters she has along the way. Seed is also a sentimental portrait of Asian femininity, which Kawase depicts as "primitive, primal and erotic at the same time." The eleventh commission from designer Miu Miu as part of "Women's Tales", a series of short films by women who critically celebrate femininity in the 21st century. Naomi Kawase's film screened at Venice Days 2016.

Heartstone

Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson : 2016
Hjartasteinn

A remote fishing village in Iceland. Teenage boys Þór and Kristján experience a turbulent summer as one tries to win the heart of a girl while the other discovers new feelings toward his best friend. When summer ends and the harsh nature of Iceland takes back its rights, it's time to leave the playground and face adulthood. Heartstone is a personal story based on the director's experience growing up in a small fishing village. The core of the film is a strong, beautiful friendship between two boys, and how their environment and inner conflict drive them apart, before the bond they share manages to reunite them again. The village is a place full of contrasts, where kids discover how nature and people can be both amazingly beautiful and incredibly cruel. Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson's feature debut was winner of the Queer Lion when it premiered in competition at Venice Days 2016.

Sami Blood

Amanda Kernell : 2016
Sameblod

In 1930s Lapland, the 14-year-old indigenous Sámi girl, Elle Marja, leaves the wild ancestral grounds and the family's reindeer camp to attend a remote draconian boarding school along with her younger sister, Njenna. However, as the bright rural student pursues a denied education and an opportunity, wishing to integrate herself into the modern Swedish society, a painful visit by a team of anthropologists paired by a traumatic experience will be the harsh reminders of an ever-present brutal prejudice and a deep-seated racism. Uppsala promises a bright future in the bustling metropolis, but to pass as a regular Swedish teenager, Elle Marja will have to make a greater sacrifice than just changing her name. But, can an outcast sever ties and renounce her proud lineage so easily? Amanda Kernell's feature was winner of the Fedeora Award for Best Director of a Debut Film when it premiered in competition at Venice Days 2016.

The Idea of a Lake

Milagros Mumenthaler : 2016
La idea de un lago

Inés's father mysteriously disappeared in 1977. Decades later the 35-year old photographer is busy compiling a monograph on her oeuvre, a project that inexplicably leads her back to her youth during Argentinian dictator Jorge Videla's regime. The film opens with her contacting the national forensic lab: can they perhaps help her discover her father's fate? The last photo of him, taken at the lake near La Angostura, comes to her mind. After that she spent her summers without him in this mountainous region at her family's vacation home, far from Buenos Aires' oppressive heat. Cherished memories, such as playing hide and seek, lead to abstract interplays of light in Inés's imagination. Other flashbacks shed new light on her difficult relationship with her mother. Milagros Mumenthaler's second feature premiered in competition at Locarno Film Festival 2016.

La ragazza del mondo

Marco Danieli : 2016
Worldly Girl

Giulia's world is an ancient one, frozen in time, rigorously devoted to its sacred texts – a world that ruthlessly shuts out those who don't belong. Libero's world is that of everyone else, with their mistakes, their strategies for getting by and starting over, their ability to love unconditionally. When she meets Libero, Giulia realises her life can go in a different direction, of her own choosing. It's a pure, inescapable passion, an intense new season in their lives, and a decision that will cost Giulia her inclusion in the Jehovah's Witnesses community, and turn her into an outcast. Yet Libero will give her the greatest gift of love: the freedom to belong to the world outside, a shining new world full of future chances. Marco Danieli's feature debut premiered in competition at Venice Days 2016.

The Levelling

Hope Dickson Leach : 2016

Somerset, October 2014. When trainee veterinary surgeon Clover Catto receives a call telling her that her younger brother Harry is dead, she must return to her family farm and face the man she hasn't spoken to in years: her father Aubrey. She is shocked to discover her home changed forever by the devastating floods that destroyed the area six months earlier, and Aubrey a tormented shadow of his former self. As she learns what has been going on in her long absence she and her father forge a new understanding, but can it withstand the troubles that they face on the ravaged farm as well as the truth of what drove Harry to take his own life? As the funeral approaches, her discoveries send Clover on an emotional journey of reckoning – with her family, her childhood and herself. Hope Dickson Leach's feature debut premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2016.

House of Others

Rusudan Glurjidze : 2016
Skhvisi sakhli

It's the beginning of the 1990s and Georgia is immersed in a civil war with the newly emerging state of Abkhazia. Those who managed to escape and now find themselves on the winning side are assigned houses previously occupied by the enemy. In the strange environment of other people's homes, with lingering memories of the horrors experienced by the original occupants, many of these new arrivals try to start afresh. But there's no sign of the contentment they had envisaged in their new surroundings; their old demons have come back to torment them. The director's own harrowing experiences, faithfully conveyed onscreen twenty years later, are rendered into a tale of rootlessness, where the loss of identity, of childhood and of the very meaning of life cannot negate the protagonists' awareness that life itself must still go on. Rusudan Glurjidze's film, her feature debut, was winner of the East of West Award when it premiered in competition at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2016.

Aloys

Tobias Nölle : 2016

A lonely private investigator is contacted by a mysterious woman who pulls him into a mind game known as 'telephone walking'. Fascinated by her voice, Aloys discovers an imaginary universe that allows him to break out of his isolation. 'We'll be in touch.' Aloys Adorn always speaks of himself in the first person plural. His unhealthily close personal and professional symbiosis with his father has made this taciturn, lone wolf of a private detective the man he is. In spite of his father's very recent death, the son sees fit to carry on as before, secretly observing and staying invisible. 'To film other people is my job', he says. 'To watch the films again is my hobby.' But a painful memory distracts Aloys from his ritualised daily routine of filming, watching the material and ordering 'one portion of rice to go' at the local Chinese, and he is discovered during his surveillance. Bewildered, he gets drunk, falls asleep on a bus and wakes up to discover that his camera and tapes have been stolen. The mysterious woman who calls him shortly afterwards seems to have something to do with this. Or does she simply want to break into his private world? Tobias Nölle's feature debut premiered in the Panorama section at Berlin International Film Festival 2016.

Strangled

Árpád Sopsits : 2016
A martfüi rém

Based on real-life events, the story is set in the provincial Hungary of the 1960s, when a series of atrocious murders shock the small town of Martfü. A psychotic killer is on the prowl, strangling young women. Amidst the media frenzy, an innocent man is accused and sentenced for the crimes he could not possibly have committed. A determined detective becomes obsessed with finding the real killer, whilst under pressure from his superiors who just want to see a man hang. Stuck in the suffocating social, political and psychological world of socialist Hungary, they find themselves entangled in a web of intricate conspiracy. The film premiered at Warsaw Film Festival 2016.