Favoriten

Spending three years with a classroom of elementary school kids in a migrant working class neighbourhood in Vienna allowed Ruth Beckermann to capture both everydayness and decisive moments in the lives of 7 year olds. With tenderness, Favoriten follows their teacher through thick and thin as she helps them in finding a place in a world in which they often feel they don’t belong. What future lies ahead for these children? Can education truly be emancipatory if children cannot be freed from societal constraints?

The Beast (La Bête)

2044. Emotions are nothing more than handicaps. Undergoing a procedure to get rid of her feelings, Gabrielle remembers her past lives, and the signs of a preordained fate shake her to her core. Time-travelling through three eras tinted by a deep existential angst, The Beast is an engaging and off-beat sci-fi about losing the sentimental core that makes us humans. Isn’t it dangerous to know the future?

Foreign Language (Langue Étrangère)

As part of a German-French exchange program, teenagers Lena and Fanny see each other for the first time in person after a long time of being pen-pals. At first, they don’t get along, despite suffering similar problems with their parents and their shared interest in left-wing activism – until they exchange a fateful French kiss at a house party under the influence of mushrooms. Where foreign tongues, foreign languages touch and mingle, that is where it grows: the future of Europe.

After Work

There are great disparities in the global work-life balance: In South Korea, people are having their computers forcibly shut down to be prevented from systematically working themselves to death. At the same time, companies like Amazon cunningly pit their workers against each other with absurd tactics, only to replace them with automation soon after. Instead of discussing the absence of work ethics, we should be asking: what should a fair labour market look like in the future?

Nam June Paik: Moon Is The Oldest TV

Years before The Buggles proclaimed "video killed the radio star" on MTV, someone had already set out to understand the medium of video and to destroy it from within: Equipped with the radical attitude of the avant-garde and inspired by countercultural figures like John Cage, the pioneering video artist Nam June Paik wages a bitter battle against the self-proclaimed "high arts."

The Nature of Love (Simple comme Sylvain)

After 10 years together, habits seems to weigh on the academic couple Xavier and Sophia like a shroud. So, it’s no wonder that midlife crisis is looming. This takes the form of the simple handyman Sylvain, who encounters Sophia during the renovation of her country house. A fiery affair can provide temporary distraction, but does the mismatched couple have a future?

Robot Dreams

“Are you alone?” addressed by a TV commercial, the lonely DOG buys himself a robot friend and from then on, they spend every minute together. But when they are unexpectedly separated, the future of their friendship is suddenly at stake. The fact that this animated film has no dialogue is quickly forgotten amid the touching moments and infectious dance scenes.

Architecton

Stone or concrete - Victor Kossakovsky’s film Architecton is a poetic journey to the world of construction materials. His explorative view at the megalomania of humans and their precarious relationship to nature raises urgent questions: How do we build, and how can we build better in the future, before it is too late? The visually stunning documentary shows that between the stones and the dust of past civilizations, there might be found an architecture of hope.

Blondi

The young mother Blondi and her teenage son Mirko share an extraordinary relationship. They are like best friends, sharing joints and their circle of friends, and enjoying their time at concerts. But as Mirko slowly begins to consider his own future, the two suddenly find themselves on a road trip to retrieve Blondi's sister, who has disappeared into a commune.

Kim's Video

Due to the extinction of video libraries, New York lost one of the biggest and most diverse movie collections in the world with the offer of Kim’s Video. Years later, a former regular is searching for the 55,000 lost films. Gradually, his film references take the helm and steer the documentary towards a course that becomes more and more surreal and entertaining.

Solo

“With a taste of your lips, I’m on a ride.” The young drag queen Simon stalks across the catwalks of Montréal’s drag scene with natural grace, until he meets charming Oliver and falls in love – head over heels. But his other half proves to be an insidious manipulator. Simon quickly becomes addicted to him and his love. ”I’m addicted to you. Don’t you know that you’re toxic?”

My Favourite Cake (Keyke Mahboobe Man)

She doesn’t seem like a rebel at all – the widow Mahin lives a modest, solitary life in Tehran. She enjoys fondly reminiscing about her youth, when women didn't have to constantly fear the wrath of the moral police. So one day, after a fleeting encounter with the taxi driver Faramarz, the 70-year-old decides to plunge into a romantic adventure. But what future remains for the rebellious power of love in the shadow of the Iranian regime?

Echo of You (Ekko af kærlighed)

Ghostly echos resonate through the empty rooms of the small Danish apartments. Between white tulle curtains and worn-out leather armchairs, an echo floats in the dusty air. An echo of past love, illuminated by warm sun rays. In intimate conversations, bereaved spouses remember their deceased loved ones and reinvigorate them and themselves for a moment.

Brief History of a Family (Jia ting jian shi)

The private life of a family is thrown into chaos when Wei brings his classmate Shuo home. Shuo proves remarkably adept at fulfilling the paternal ambitions and maternal longings of Wei’s parents. Wei, initially happy to escape his parents' expectations in this way, soon sees his status within the family threatened. This leads to a silent struggle for the right to one's own future.

Alien Island (Isla Alien)

UFO panic in Chile – As the dictator Pinochet subjugates the country, people look up; scanning the night sky for the lights of flying saucers. Starting from the mysterious island “Friendship Island”, the alien craze spreads like wildfire. When a group of radio geeks make contact with the island’s strange inhabitants, they find themselves dragged deeper and deeper into a conspiracy of unprecedented proportions.

The Blue Star (La Estrella Azul)

Mauricio is one of the lucky few who can actually make a good living from their music, but the rock’n’roll musician is not completely satisfied with his current situation in the business. He goes on a trip to Argentina to search for inspiration and meets the Chacarera legend Carlos Carabajal. In addition to coming in contact with a different way of making music, this also shows him a new perspective on life and consequently their lives and creative paths mix for a while.

All Shall Be Well (Cóng jīn yǐhòu)

Angie and Pat have everything they could wish for. They live together, they share goals, dreams, and a future with each other. But then Pat suddenly dies and Angie’s world collapses. Subsequently, her home is troubled too. Although the two of them have been a couple for a few years, Angie has no claim to her partner’s inheritance. Angie wants to fight but there’s one question left: shall all be well?

Mountains

The dutiful demolition worker Xavier has one big dream: leave the old house in Miami’s Haitian quarter where he lives with his wife Esperance and their son Junior. Their new home shall be larger and more luxurious. But as his own employer's wrecking ball comes closer and closer to the family's old home, the consequences of gentrification becomes noticeable and Xavier's loyalty is put to the test. In her feature film debut, director Monica Sorelle creates a unique and lively study of Little Haiti and at the same time sets a style-defining mark for a new era of American indie film.

Nome

1969. A bloody war of liberation has torn Guinea-Bissau in two. While young men like Nome join the guerrilla troops to fight against Portuguese colonial power, the women stay behind in their villages. The pregnant Nambú must pray for the protection of a nature spirit in order to survive. The fate of a country and the future of its inhabitants are decided between threatening archive recordings and powerful images of the rainforest