When Fern -- a fantastic performance by Frances McDormand -- loses her job and possessions, she decides to embark on a journey through America as a contemporary nomad. Nomadland rightfully won the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the award for the best film.
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate about his crush on her, while his teachers on different sides of the political divide, try to mask their fears.
Please note that this event is in Dutch. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Sam (Firth) and Tusker (Tucci)'s relationship of 20 years is put to the test as they visit places from their past to help with Tusker early-onset dementia, and find out their future together is not so certain. Tender, heartbreaking, drama with explosive acting.
Celia’s life is strongly shaken up when new classmate Brisa arrives at her Catholic school. Together, the two teenagers rebel against the strict school management. Their small acts of resistance have big consequences: seeing Celia’s new-found courage, her mother can also no longer stay silent…
A young Brooklyn couple (Sunita Mani, John Reynolds) heads to an upstate cabin to unplug from their phones and reconnect with each other. Blissfully unaware of their surroundings, they are left to their own devices as the planet falls under attack.
As Ida tries to get used to her new life with her estranged aunt's family she's confronted with lots of secrets and the same question her mother always asked her: how far will you go for your family?
On Jane’s first day of her new job as an assistant to a powerful executive at a large firm, she gets a growing, hard-to-put-into-words feeling that something is off. Julia Garner ('Ozark') is a powerhouse in this understated manifest against systematic oppression and workplace harassment.
Zed (Riz Ahmed), a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour. However, a crippling illness strikes him down, and he is forced to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.
This honest and sensitive drama by Maria Sødahl tells the story of Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig), who has just received the news that she has a terminal brain tumor. Together with her partner Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård), she tries to come to terms with this life-changing message.
In a Quebec Innu community, Mikuan and Shaniss struggle to maintain their close friendship when they clash over their increasing differences and diverging ambitions. Based on Naomi Fontaine's novel of the same name, 'Kuessipan' is a story about family, friendship and connection.
Solitary teenager Esther (Tallulah Cassavetti) follows her summer love Jean to Paris, starting a journey in a big city where she knows no one. The provocative tale of a young woman lost in Paris represents a dazzling debut showcase for writer/director Anna Cazenave Cambet.
In this beautiful yet unconventional romance, Daphne and Maxime must spend a couple of days together in the stunning French countryside despite not knowing each other. As they chat about their memories, the film tells an overarching story about the messiness of love.
Female artists in Egypt, a persecuted Lebanese musician – the young artists in this documentary come from diverse backgrounds, but fight for the same goal: freedom. Yallah! Underground paints a convincing picture of a new generation of Arabs, challenging their reality with passion and perseverance.
Jess is thrilled to be the surrogate for her best friend and his husband, but when the results of a prenatal test comes back, it creates a moral dilemma that threatens their friendship.
A terminally ill mother (a sublime Susan Sarandon) invites her family to their country house for one final gathering, but tensions quickly boil over between her two daughters (Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska). Roger Michell ('Notting Hill') tackles heavy topics with humor, curiosity, and a tremendous sense of humanity.
Hernán (Tomás Raimondi), a young man full of hopes and dreams, gets a job at the Central Post Office. There, a colleague teaches him the code of conduct, but reality will force him to break the rules - for Yanina, the girl he loves.
Alessandro and Arturo want to end their relationship after more than 15 years. However, their lives take an unexpected turn when a sick friend of theirs suddenly visits them, asking if they can temporarily take care of her two kids.
Asia is the single mother of 17-year-old Vika (Shira Haas, Unorthodox). But when Vika’s health starts deteriorating, Asia has to find her voice as a mother and embrace and cherish their time together in this award-winning drama.
In this beautiful yet unconventional romance, Daphne and Maxime must spend a couple of days together in the stunning French countryside despite not knowing each other. As they chat about their memories, the film tells an overarching story about the messiness of love.
The Iranian writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof won the prestigious Golden Bear in Berlin with his impressive film 'There is No Evil'. The film tells four unrelated stories about moral power, individual freedom, and taking responsibility for your own actions.
15-year-old Lis enjoys her summer with her friends and her older boyfriend Nestor, whom she keeps a secret from her parents. When the summer ends with an unpleasant surprise, she realizes that she will have to confront her parents and herself.
The true, gripping, and sublimely acted story of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was kidnapped by IS in 2013, and his family’s efforts to get him released. This year’s rightful favourite at Film by the Sea.
Eight years after his prize-winning 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' wowed LIFF-audiences, Benh Zeitlin is back with this mesmerizing adaptation of Peter Pan. Wendy is a reimagining of the classic tale in a scrappy, breathtaking new setting.
Spring 1995. After Switzerland's largest public drug scene 'Platzspits' is closed down, 11-year-old Mia and her heroin-addicted mother Sandrine move to an idyllic town for a new beginning. 'Christiane F.' meets 'JoJo Rabbit' in this brutally honest portrait of addiction and motherly love.
Dark comedy 'Marygoround' tells the story of Mary, a lonely woman who lives a simple life, free from sin, and is struggling with her menopause. But then her free-spirited cousin Helena arrives, and everything changes. Is Mary able to suppress her newfound lust for life?
Ruth (Jessica Barden) joins a scrap metal crew to try and pay her way through college. Against the bleak, snowed-in backdrop of a once thriving industrial town in Ohio, it soon turns out that the cost of an education for a girl like her might be more than she bargained for.
Vadym is a 25-year-old composer and a sound recordist living in Kyiv. Then he gets the chance to move to Canada -- provided he can record the voice of a very rare bird, which dwells only in the Transcarpathian mountains of Ukraine.
Hard-working widow Leila is faced with a heartbreaking decision. Will she give in to bus driver Kazem’s marriage proposal to give her family financial security, even if it means saying goodbye to her twelve-year-old son? The gripping portrait of a mother in modern-day Iran.
Ruth (Jessica Barden) joins a scrap metal crew to try and pay her way through college. Against the bleak, snowed-in backdrop of a once thriving industrial town in Ohio, it soon turns out that the cost of an education for a girl like her might be more than she bargained for.
When the mother of eight-year-old Max and his brother Leo is at work, their one-room flat changes into a mysterious place, where their biggest fantasies and adventures come to life. Los Lobos is brutally honest and yet poetic -- and full of hope.
Force of Habit follows different women in their confrontation with sexual harassment and power dynamics in their everyday lives. Written and directed by seven Finnish women in the wake of #metoo, this film is politically loaded as well as liberatingly humorous.
Based on Joanna Rakoff’s coming-of-age memoir, My Salinger Year is transformed by newcomer Margaret Qualley and filmstar Sigourney Weaver into a wonderful portrait of the different generations and their ambitions – and the grande dame that is literature.
A hot summer evening in Paris. Félix runs into Alma, and the two spend a magical night together. The next day, Alma heads off to the south of France, and in an impulse, Félix decides to follow her. A romantic road trip follows, in which nothing goes according to plan.
Neige was raised by her beloved grandfather, who offered protection from her toxic parents. His death will trigger a profound identity crisis for her as tensions between her family members escalate.
Fisherman Issa is secretly in love with Siham. When he discovers an ancient phallic statue while fishing, Issa takes it home, feeling that this discovery will change his life forever… An evocative satire on love and desire, and an affirmation that life continues amidst the absurdity of living.
In La Cañada Real, a shanty town outside Madrid, tensions are running high between the officials and the inhabitants given that the land has been sold and the families must leave the homes they put up with their own hands.
Seeking a partner through a video dating service, David discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him friendship. But Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David struggles to afford the price of admission.
In this VHS police training video from 1988, you are welcomed by Jim, a rookie cop whose steps are dictated by an omniscient Narrator. While Jim shows you the necessary training skills, things seem to be getting more and more out of hand. But it’s only a video… right?
Spring 1995. After Switzerland's largest public drug scene 'Platzspits' is closed down, 11-year-old Mia and her heroin-addicted mother Sandrine move to an idyllic town for a new beginning. 'Christiane F.' meets 'JoJo Rabbit' in this brutally honest portrait of addiction and motherly love.
Hard-working widow Leila is faced with a heartbreaking decision. Will she give in to bus driver Kazem’s marriage proposal to give her family financial security, even if it means saying goodbye to her twelve-year-old son? The gripping portrait of a mother in modern-day Iran.
Three officers are tasked with escorting an illegal immigrant to the airport, where he will be forced onto a plane and sent back to his homeland. But when they find out the truth, they have to make a difficult choice.
The Macaluso Sisters follows five Italian sisters through three different stages of their lives. Their happy childhood is disrupted when one of them suddenly dies. The relationship between the sisters builds on this incident as they try to live with this trauma.
Two lifelong pals (Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin) test the boundaries of their friendship when a woman comes between them. 'The Climb' uses the complicated bond between two friends to dissect male friendships in an engaging and often hilarious manner.
15-year-old Lis enjoys her summer with her friends and her older boyfriend Nestor, whom she keeps a secret from her parents. When the summer ends with an unpleasant surprise, she realizes that she will have to confront her parents and herself.
Harpist Remy van Kesteren releases his new album ‘an alternative soundtrack to the motion picture The Red Turtle’ on October 30. For this special occasion he organizes a livestream from an exceptional location, where he will perform the album from start to end.
A zombie outbreak horror-comedy against the backdrop of Taiwanese corrupt politics: it doesn’t get any more BONKERS! than this! After the president suddenly turns into a zombie, the parliament becomes a straight up bloodbath, where protagonists Hsiung and Wang have to fight to stay alive.
When the mother of eight-year-old Max and his brother Leo is at work, their one-room flat changes into a mysterious place, where their biggest fantasies and adventures come to life. Los Lobos is brutally honest and yet poetic -- and full of hope.
A hot summer evening in Paris. Félix runs into Alma, and the two spend a magical night together. The next day, Alma heads off to the south of France, and in an impulse, Félix decides to follow her. A romantic road trip follows, in which nothing goes according to plan.
Strategist Gary Zimmer decides to travel to the countryside to help candidate Jack Hastings become mayor. He hopes that this will lead the population to vote for a Democrat in the next elections. Once he arrives in the town of Deerlaken, he discovers the great cultural differences between the city and the countryside.
Cyberbullying, TV series addiction, telemarketers, blackmail over a sex tape… Neighbors Marie, Bertrand and Christine have had enough of modern-day technology. They join forces to declare war on the tech giants - seemingly impossible, but together they are strong...
Jess is thrilled to be the surrogate for her best friend and his husband, but when the results of a prenatal test comes back, it creates a moral dilemma that threatens their friendship.
Asia is the single mother of 17-year-old Vika (Shira Haas, Unorthodox). But when Vika’s health starts deteriorating, Asia has to find her voice as a mother and embrace and cherish their time together in this award-winning drama.
The stunning wide shots of the vast and virgin Alps take Renier and newcomer Abita’s acting skills to new, dizzying heights in this haunting and topical debut about Lyz, the fifteen-year-old trying to escape from her ski coach.
In this VHS police training video from 1988, you are welcomed by Jim, a rookie cop whose steps are dictated by an omniscient Narrator. While Jim shows you the necessary training skills, things seem to be getting more and more out of hand. But it’s only a video… right?
Pronck International Shorts is a celebration of the best shorts made all over the world. This session is full of bright filmmakers who want to share their vision, ideas or idiosyncrasies. You can come across all kinds of films, but one thing is clear: they all have a clear own voice. This session is sponsored by Pronck.
Jess is thrilled to be the surrogate for her best friend and his husband, but when the results of a prenatal test comes back, it creates a moral dilemma that threatens their friendship.
Kris, living with her uncle on a farm, is starting to second guess her current life. When she meets Mike, she realizes love has crossed her path. A life
Comedian Valérie Lamercier is ‘Céline’, ehh Aline! This French-Canadian tribute to a certain world star and pop icon tells her entire story: about her humble childhood in Canada, Eurovision, 'Titanic', about her relationship with her manager, and how her heart did go on after that. Not the name, but this movie is however full of her songs!
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate about his crush on her, while his teachers on different sides of the political divide, try to mask their fears.
The stunning wide shots of the vast and virgin Alps take Renier and newcomer Abita’s acting skills to new, dizzying heights in this haunting and topical debut about Lyz, the fifteen-year-old trying to escape from her ski coach.
In a Quebec Innu community, Mikuan and Shaniss struggle to maintain their close friendship when they clash over their increasing differences and diverging ambitions. Based on Naomi Fontaine's novel of the same name, 'Kuessipan' is a story about family, friendship and connection.
'Calamity' tells, in beautiful animations, how the young Martha Jane Cannary grew into the legendary ‘Calamity’ Jane, one of the gunslinging heroes of the Wild West. The film rightly won the top prize at the Annecy animation festival.
Ruth (Jessica Barden) joins a scrap metal crew to try and pay her way through college. Against the bleak, snowed-in backdrop of a once thriving industrial town in Ohio, it soon turns out that the cost of an education for a girl like her might be more than she bargained for.
Spring 1995. After Switzerland's largest public drug scene 'Platzspits' is closed down, 11-year-old Mia and her heroin-addicted mother Sandrine move to an idyllic town for a new beginning. 'Christiane F.' meets 'JoJo Rabbit' in this brutally honest portrait of addiction and motherly love.
A highly personal story of the director’s relationship with his father, their shared love of cinema, and his father’s illness. Rosenberg’s feature debut mixes fact, fiction, and autobiography as the film grapples with the big questions of life and death.
A young Brooklyn couple (Sunita Mani, John Reynolds) heads to an upstate cabin to unplug from their phones and reconnect with each other. Blissfully unaware of their surroundings, they are left to their own devices as the planet falls under attack.
Seeking a partner through a video dating service, David discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him friendship. But Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David struggles to afford the price of admission.
Hernán (Tomás Raimondi), a young man full of hopes and dreams, gets a job at the Central Post Office. There, a colleague teaches him the code of conduct, but reality will force him to break the rules - for Yanina, the girl he loves.
A subdued drama about Cookie and King-Lu, who meet as members of a group of trappers in 19th-century Oregon. A special friendship develops between the two, and together they start a successful business in stolen milk from an expensive dairy cow.
This tragicomical coming-of-age film is set in Ireland during the mid-90s. Teenagers Eddie and Amber fake a relationship in order to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality. However, their ‘ideal’ arrangement begins to fall apart, forcing both of them to rethink their lives.
International auditor Alain is tasked to appraise the airport of a small, isolated republic in the Caucasus to greenlight its eventual reopening. Through Edgar, a local boy running a make-shift business in the airport, Alain will risk all to help this territory open up.
A hot summer evening in Paris. Félix runs into Alma, and the two spend a magical night together. The next day, Alma heads off to the south of France, and in an impulse, Félix decides to follow her. A romantic road trip follows, in which nothing goes according to plan.
Zed (Riz Ahmed), a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour. However, a crippling illness strikes him down, and he is forced to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.
Kris, living with her uncle on a farm, is starting to second guess her current life. When she meets Mike, she realizes love has crossed her path. A life
The true, gripping, and sublimely acted story of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was kidnapped by IS in 2013, and his family’s efforts to get him released. This year’s rightful favourite at Film by the Sea.
Zed (Riz Ahmed), a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour. However, a crippling illness strikes him down, and he is forced to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.
Prepare for BONKERS! Shorts. Films that you can make no sense of, films that are completely BONKERS. They might be absurd, shocking, hilarious, or just simply make you ask: "what did I just watch?"
Mona is trying to find her way through a life that is characterized in large part by her mother’s early death. Griet Op de Beeck’s bestseller is translated into an impressive, reverberating character study of the sensitive Mona.
Three officers are tasked with escorting an illegal immigrant to the airport, where he will be forced onto a plane and sent back to his homeland. But when they find out the truth, they have to make a difficult choice.
When a father (Goran Bogdan) is faced with the corrupt social services that want to take away his children, just because the family is poor, he sets out on foot across Serbia to appeal to the national ministry in Belgrade.
Dark comedy 'Marygoround' tells the story of Mary, a lonely woman who lives a simple life, free from sin, and is struggling with her menopause. But then her free-spirited cousin Helena arrives, and everything changes. Is Mary able to suppress her newfound lust for life?
Prepare for BONKERS! Shorts. Films that you can make no sense of, films that are completely BONKERS. They might be absurd, shocking, hilarious, or just simply make you ask: "what did I just watch?"
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate about his crush on her, while his teachers on different sides of the political divide, try to mask their fears.
Asia is the single mother of 17-year-old Vika (Shira Haas, Unorthodox). But when Vika’s health starts deteriorating, Asia has to find her voice as a mother and embrace and cherish their time together in this award-winning drama.
A subdued drama about Cookie and King-Lu, who meet as members of a group of trappers in 19th-century Oregon. A special friendship develops between the two, and together they start a successful business in stolen milk from an expensive dairy cow.
Solitary teenager Esther (Tallulah Cassavetti) follows her summer love Jean to Paris, starting a journey in a big city where she knows no one. The provocative tale of a young woman lost in Paris represents a dazzling debut showcase for writer/director Anna Cazenave Cambet.
Part cautionary exposé of all-too-real elder abuse rackets, part welcome excuse to pit Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage against each other in a game of uproarious reprisals, I Care A Lot barrels along a twisty trajectory rife with terribly dark, but darkly funny, behaviour.
A zombie outbreak horror-comedy against the backdrop of Taiwanese corrupt politics: it doesn’t get any more BONKERS! than this! After the president suddenly turns into a zombie, the parliament becomes a straight up bloodbath, where protagonists Hsiung and Wang have to fight to stay alive.
Etienne, a not-so-successful but endearing actor, runs a theater workshop in a prison, where he brings together an unlikely troupe of prisoners to stage 'Waiting for Godot'. When he is allowed to take the convicts on a tour outside of prison, Etienne finally has the chance to thrive.
When Lola, a young transgender woman, can finally get her operation, her mother – who financially supports her – dies. To fulfill her mother’s last wish, Lola and her father travel to the Belgian coast, despite all their differences. Their journey, however, will not turn out as they imagined it…
In this hilarious and uncomfortably real debut, we become acquainted with Danielle’s Jewish family for one very long day, during which she runs into her secret sugar daddy - as well as her way-too-successful ex-girlfriend after the funeral of a mutual friend.
The Iranian writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof won the prestigious Golden Bear in Berlin with his impressive film 'There is No Evil'. The film tells four unrelated stories about moral power, individual freedom, and taking responsibility for your own actions.
A zombie outbreak horror-comedy against the backdrop of Taiwanese corrupt politics: it doesn’t get any more BONKERS! than this! After the president suddenly turns into a zombie, the parliament becomes a straight up bloodbath, where protagonists Hsiung and Wang have to fight to stay alive.
In this hilarious and uncomfortably real debut, we become acquainted with Danielle’s Jewish family for one very long day, during which she runs into her secret sugar daddy - as well as her way-too-successful ex-girlfriend after the funeral of a mutual friend.
In this VHS police training video from 1988, you are welcomed by Jim, a rookie cop whose steps are dictated by an omniscient Narrator. While Jim shows you the necessary training skills, things seem to be getting more and more out of hand. But it’s only a video… right?
A group of military wives starts a choir to cope with the absence of their husbands, who are fighting in Afghanistan to serve their country. The women are quickly noticed by the media and the choir is asked to sing on television. A special friendship develops between the women.
Vadym is a 25-year-old composer and a sound recordist living in Kyiv. Then he gets the chance to move to Canada -- provided he can record the voice of a very rare bird, which dwells only in the Transcarpathian mountains of Ukraine.
A marital separation pains David, the impulsive and jealous protagonist of Robert Machoian's stark, stripped-down, but empathetic indie drama. David and Nikki have decided to allow each other some space to contemplate their relationship, but David is willing to do anything to save his marriage.
In this warm comedy-drama, medical transport driver Vic is torn between his promise to get his elderly relatives to a funeral and his desire to help Tracy, a headstrong young woman in a wheelchair. During the ride, he encounters a wealth of amusing characters and situations.
2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest, especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs: being reunited with his dead wife.
Hard-working widow Leila is faced with a heartbreaking decision. Will she give in to bus driver Kazem’s marriage proposal to give her family financial security, even if it means saying goodbye to her twelve-year-old son? The gripping portrait of a mother in modern-day Iran.
The true, gripping, and sublimely acted story of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was kidnapped by IS in 2013, and his family’s efforts to get him released. This year’s rightful favourite at Film by the Sea.
Sam (Firth) and Tusker (Tucci)'s relationship of 20 years is put to the test as they visit places from their past to help with Tusker early-onset dementia, and find out their future together is not so certain. Tender, heartbreaking, drama with explosive acting.
A zombie outbreak horror-comedy against the backdrop of Taiwanese corrupt politics: it doesn’t get any more BONKERS! than this! After the president suddenly turns into a zombie, the parliament becomes a straight up bloodbath, where protagonists Hsiung and Wang have to fight to stay alive.
A subdued drama about Cookie and King-Lu, who meet as members of a group of trappers in 19th-century Oregon. A special friendship develops between the two, and together they start a successful business in stolen milk from an expensive dairy cow.
15-year-old Lis enjoys her summer with her friends and her older boyfriend Nestor, whom she keeps a secret from her parents. When the summer ends with an unpleasant surprise, she realizes that she will have to confront her parents and herself.
A group of military wives starts a choir to cope with the absence of their husbands, who are fighting in Afghanistan to serve their country. The women are quickly noticed by the media and the choir is asked to sing on television. A special friendship develops between the women.
Two lifelong pals (Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin) test the boundaries of their friendship when a woman comes between them. 'The Climb' uses the complicated bond between two friends to dissect male friendships in an engaging and often hilarious manner.
In this beautiful yet unconventional romance, Daphne and Maxime must spend a couple of days together in the stunning French countryside despite not knowing each other. As they chat about their memories, the film tells an overarching story about the messiness of love.
Celia’s life is strongly shaken up when new classmate Brisa arrives at her Catholic school. Together, the two teenagers rebel against the strict school management. Their small acts of resistance have big consequences: seeing Celia’s new-found courage, her mother can also no longer stay silent…
On Jane’s first day of her new job as an assistant to a powerful executive at a large firm, she gets a growing, hard-to-put-into-words feeling that something is off. Julia Garner ('Ozark') is a powerhouse in this understated manifest against systematic oppression and workplace harassment.
When the mother of eight-year-old Max and his brother Leo is at work, their one-room flat changes into a mysterious place, where their biggest fantasies and adventures come to life. Los Lobos is brutally honest and yet poetic -- and full of hope.
This tragicomical coming-of-age film is set in Ireland during the mid-90s. Teenagers Eddie and Amber fake a relationship in order to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality. However, their ‘ideal’ arrangement begins to fall apart, forcing both of them to rethink their lives.
A young woman (an amazing Carey Mulligan) haunted by a tragedy from her past takes revenge on the predatory men unlucky enough to cross her path. This very promising (no pun intended) debut by Emerald Fennell (producer and writer of Killing Eve) was one of the big hits at Sundance and will surely become a LIFF-favourite too!
A terminally ill mother (a sublime Susan Sarandon) invites her family to their country house for one final gathering, but tensions quickly boil over between her two daughters (Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska). Roger Michell ('Notting Hill') tackles heavy topics with humor, curiosity, and a tremendous sense of humanity.
In a Quebec Innu community, Mikuan and Shaniss struggle to maintain their close friendship when they clash over their increasing differences and diverging ambitions. Based on Naomi Fontaine's novel of the same name, 'Kuessipan' is a story about family, friendship and connection.
Pronck International Shorts is a celebration of the best shorts made all over the world. This session is full of bright filmmakers who want to share their vision, ideas or idiosyncrasies. You can come across all kinds of films, but one thing is clear: they all have a clear own voice. This session is sponsored by Pronck.
A subdued drama about Cookie and King-Lu, who meet as members of a group of trappers in 19th-century Oregon. A special friendship develops between the two, and together they start a successful business in stolen milk from an expensive dairy cow.
Seeking a partner through a video dating service, David discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him friendship. But Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David struggles to afford the price of admission.
Fisherman Issa is secretly in love with Siham. When he discovers an ancient phallic statue while fishing, Issa takes it home, feeling that this discovery will change his life forever… An evocative satire on love and desire, and an affirmation that life continues amidst the absurdity of living.
Female artists in Egypt, a persecuted Lebanese musician – the young artists in this documentary come from diverse backgrounds, but fight for the same goal: freedom. Yallah! Underground paints a convincing picture of a new generation of Arabs, challenging their reality with passion and perseverance.
Solitary teenager Esther (Tallulah Cassavetti) follows her summer love Jean to Paris, starting a journey in a big city where she knows no one. The provocative tale of a young woman lost in Paris represents a dazzling debut showcase for writer/director Anna Cazenave Cambet.
Strategist Gary Zimmer decides to travel to the countryside to help candidate Jack Hastings become mayor. He hopes that this will lead the population to vote for a Democrat in the next elections. Once he arrives in the town of Deerlaken, he discovers the great cultural differences between the city and the countryside.
Kris, living with her uncle on a farm, is starting to second guess her current life. When she meets Mike, she realizes love has crossed her path. A life
Vadym is a 25-year-old composer and a sound recordist living in Kyiv. Then he gets the chance to move to Canada -- provided he can record the voice of a very rare bird, which dwells only in the Transcarpathian mountains of Ukraine.
When Fern -- a fantastic performance by Frances McDormand -- loses her job and possessions, she decides to embark on a journey through America as a contemporary nomad. Nomadland rightfully won the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the award for the best film.
Zed (Riz Ahmed), a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour. However, a crippling illness strikes him down, and he is forced to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.
Jess is thrilled to be the surrogate for her best friend and his husband, but when the results of a prenatal test comes back, it creates a moral dilemma that threatens their friendship.
Eight years after his prize-winning 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' wowed LIFF-audiences, Benh Zeitlin is back with this mesmerizing adaptation of Peter Pan. Wendy is a reimagining of the classic tale in a scrappy, breathtaking new setting.
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate about his crush on her, while his teachers on different sides of the political divide, try to mask their fears.
Based on Joanna Rakoff’s coming-of-age memoir, My Salinger Year is transformed by newcomer Margaret Qualley and filmstar Sigourney Weaver into a wonderful portrait of the different generations and their ambitions – and the grande dame that is literature.
Struggling to support himself and his ailing younger brother, delivery man Ray takes a strange job in a strange new realm of the gig economy. Well crafted and confidently shot, this smart satire mixes 'Sorry We Missed You' with 'Black Mirror'.
A hot summer evening in Paris. Félix runs into Alma, and the two spend a magical night together. The next day, Alma heads off to the south of France, and in an impulse, Félix decides to follow her. A romantic road trip follows, in which nothing goes according to plan.
A marital separation pains David, the impulsive and jealous protagonist of Robert Machoian's stark, stripped-down, but empathetic indie drama. David and Nikki have decided to allow each other some space to contemplate their relationship, but David is willing to do anything to save his marriage.
A young woman (an amazing Carey Mulligan) haunted by a tragedy from her past takes revenge on the predatory men unlucky enough to cross her path. This very promising (no pun intended) debut by Emerald Fennell (producer and writer of Killing Eve) was one of the big hits at Sundance and will surely become a LIFF-favourite too!
Zed (Riz Ahmed), a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour. However, a crippling illness strikes him down, and he is forced to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.
The true, gripping, and sublimely acted story of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was kidnapped by IS in 2013, and his family’s efforts to get him released. This year’s rightful favourite at Film by the Sea.
A highly personal story of the director’s relationship with his father, their shared love of cinema, and his father’s illness. Rosenberg’s feature debut mixes fact, fiction, and autobiography as the film grapples with the big questions of life and death.
Part cautionary exposé of all-too-real elder abuse rackets, part welcome excuse to pit Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage against each other in a game of uproarious reprisals, I Care A Lot barrels along a twisty trajectory rife with terribly dark, but darkly funny, behaviour.
When a truck crashes inside a tunnel, people on their way home for Christmas are brutally trapped in a deadly fire. With a blizzard raging outside, and the first responders struggling to get to the accident, it’s every man for himself.
Jess is thrilled to be the surrogate for her best friend and his husband, but when the results of a prenatal test comes back, it creates a moral dilemma that threatens their friendship.
The Macaluso Sisters follows five Italian sisters through three different stages of their lives. Their happy childhood is disrupted when one of them suddenly dies. The relationship between the sisters builds on this incident as they try to live with this trauma.
The Macaluso Sisters follows five Italian sisters through three different stages of their lives. Their happy childhood is disrupted when one of them suddenly dies. The relationship between the sisters builds on this incident as they try to live with this trauma.
2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest, especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs: being reunited with his dead wife.
Cyberbullying, TV series addiction, telemarketers, blackmail over a sex tape… Neighbors Marie, Bertrand and Christine have had enough of modern-day technology. They join forces to declare war on the tech giants - seemingly impossible, but together they are strong...
The true, gripping, and sublimely acted story of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was kidnapped by IS in 2013, and his family’s efforts to get him released. This year’s rightful favourite at Film by the Sea.
Based on Joanna Rakoff’s coming-of-age memoir, My Salinger Year is transformed by newcomer Margaret Qualley and filmstar Sigourney Weaver into a wonderful portrait of the different generations and their ambitions – and the grande dame that is literature.
Dark comedy 'Marygoround' tells the story of Mary, a lonely woman who lives a simple life, free from sin, and is struggling with her menopause. But then her free-spirited cousin Helena arrives, and everything changes. Is Mary able to suppress her newfound lust for life?
Three officers are tasked with escorting an illegal immigrant to the airport, where he will be forced onto a plane and sent back to his homeland. But when they find out the truth, they have to make a difficult choice.
In this beautiful yet unconventional romance, Daphne and Maxime must spend a couple of days together in the stunning French countryside despite not knowing each other. As they chat about their memories, the film tells an overarching story about the messiness of love.
Solitary teenager Esther (Tallulah Cassavetti) follows her summer love Jean to Paris, starting a journey in a big city where she knows no one. The provocative tale of a young woman lost in Paris represents a dazzling debut showcase for writer/director Anna Cazenave Cambet.
When a father (Goran Bogdan) is faced with the corrupt social services that want to take away his children, just because the family is poor, he sets out on foot across Serbia to appeal to the national ministry in Belgrade.
The stunning wide shots of the vast and virgin Alps take Renier and newcomer Abita’s acting skills to new, dizzying heights in this haunting and topical debut about Lyz, the fifteen-year-old trying to escape from her ski coach.
Asia is the single mother of 17-year-old Vika (Shira Haas, Unorthodox). But when Vika’s health starts deteriorating, Asia has to find her voice as a mother and embrace and cherish their time together in this award-winning drama.
When the mother of eight-year-old Max and his brother Leo is at work, their one-room flat changes into a mysterious place, where their biggest fantasies and adventures come to life. Los Lobos is brutally honest and yet poetic -- and full of hope.
This honest and sensitive drama by Maria Sødahl tells the story of Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig), who has just received the news that she has a terminal brain tumor. Together with her partner Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård), she tries to come to terms with this life-changing message.
15-year-old Lis enjoys her summer with her friends and her older boyfriend Nestor, whom she keeps a secret from her parents. When the summer ends with an unpleasant surprise, she realizes that she will have to confront her parents and herself.
Etienne, a not-so-successful but endearing actor, runs a theater workshop in a prison, where he brings together an unlikely troupe of prisoners to stage 'Waiting for Godot'. When he is allowed to take the convicts on a tour outside of prison, Etienne finally has the chance to thrive.
Ruth (Jessica Barden) joins a scrap metal crew to try and pay her way through college. Against the bleak, snowed-in backdrop of a once thriving industrial town in Ohio, it soon turns out that the cost of an education for a girl like her might be more than she bargained for.
Spring 1995. After Switzerland's largest public drug scene 'Platzspits' is closed down, 11-year-old Mia and her heroin-addicted mother Sandrine move to an idyllic town for a new beginning. 'Christiane F.' meets 'JoJo Rabbit' in this brutally honest portrait of addiction and motherly love.
Seeking a partner through a video dating service, David discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him friendship. But Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David struggles to afford the price of admission.
In La Cañada Real, a shanty town outside Madrid, tensions are running high between the officials and the inhabitants given that the land has been sold and the families must leave the homes they put up with their own hands.
In this warm comedy-drama, medical transport driver Vic is torn between his promise to get his elderly relatives to a funeral and his desire to help Tracy, a headstrong young woman in a wheelchair. During the ride, he encounters a wealth of amusing characters and situations.
Hernán (Tomás Raimondi), a young man full of hopes and dreams, gets a job at the Central Post Office. There, a colleague teaches him the code of conduct, but reality will force him to break the rules - for Yanina, the girl he loves.
Troy (brilliantly portrayed by Steve Zahn) and his young transgender son Joe are on the run from Joe’s conservative mother Sally (Jillian Bell) in the Montana wilderness in this gripping family drama.
Mona is trying to find her way through a life that is characterized in large part by her mother’s early death. Griet Op de Beeck’s bestseller is translated into an impressive, reverberating character study of the sensitive Mona.
In this fantastic animated movie adventure, Miles Morales is a New York teen struggling with his own issues and, on top of that, being the new Spider-Man. In his journey, he meets several Spider-Men and -Women, who have to join forces to redeem all realities.
Struggling to support himself and his ailing younger brother, delivery man Ray takes a strange job in a strange new realm of the gig economy. Well crafted and confidently shot, this smart satire mixes 'Sorry We Missed You' with 'Black Mirror'.
Vadym is a 25-year-old composer and a sound recordist living in Kyiv. Then he gets the chance to move to Canada -- provided he can record the voice of a very rare bird, which dwells only in the Transcarpathian mountains of Ukraine.
Pronck International Shorts is a celebration of the best shorts made all over the world. This session is full of bright filmmakers who want to share their vision, ideas or idiosyncrasies. You can come across all kinds of films, but one thing is clear: they all have a clear own voice. This session is sponsored by Pronck.
Kris, living with her uncle on a farm, is starting to second guess her current life. When she meets Mike, she realizes love has crossed her path. A life
This tragicomical coming-of-age film is set in Ireland during the mid-90s. Teenagers Eddie and Amber fake a relationship in order to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality. However, their ‘ideal’ arrangement begins to fall apart, forcing both of them to rethink their lives.
Eight years after his prize-winning 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' wowed LIFF-audiences, Benh Zeitlin is back with this mesmerizing adaptation of Peter Pan. Wendy is a reimagining of the classic tale in a scrappy, breathtaking new setting.
Zed (Riz Ahmed), a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour. However, a crippling illness strikes him down, and he is forced to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.
When a truck crashes inside a tunnel, people on their way home for Christmas are brutally trapped in a deadly fire. With a blizzard raging outside, and the first responders struggling to get to the accident, it’s every man for himself.
The true, gripping, and sublimely acted story of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was kidnapped by IS in 2013, and his family’s efforts to get him released. This year’s rightful favourite at Film by the Sea.
A marital separation pains David, the impulsive and jealous protagonist of Robert Machoian's stark, stripped-down, but empathetic indie drama. David and Nikki have decided to allow each other some space to contemplate their relationship, but David is willing to do anything to save his marriage.
Hard-working widow Leila is faced with a heartbreaking decision. Will she give in to bus driver Kazem’s marriage proposal to give her family financial security, even if it means saying goodbye to her twelve-year-old son? The gripping portrait of a mother in modern-day Iran.
Pronck International Shorts is a celebration of the best shorts made all over the world. This session is full of bright filmmakers who want to share their vision, ideas or idiosyncrasies. You can come across all kinds of films, but one thing is clear: they all have a clear own voice. This session is sponsored by Pronck.
In this hilarious and uncomfortably real debut, we become acquainted with Danielle’s Jewish family for one very long day, during which she runs into her secret sugar daddy - as well as her way-too-successful ex-girlfriend after the funeral of a mutual friend.
The Macaluso Sisters follows five Italian sisters through three different stages of their lives. Their happy childhood is disrupted when one of them suddenly dies. The relationship between the sisters builds on this incident as they try to live with this trauma.
Prepare for BONKERS! Shorts. Films that you can make no sense of, films that are completely BONKERS. They might be absurd, shocking, hilarious, or just simply make you ask: "what did I just watch?"
A highly personal story of the director’s relationship with his father, their shared love of cinema, and his father’s illness. Rosenberg’s feature debut mixes fact, fiction, and autobiography as the film grapples with the big questions of life and death.
As Ida tries to get used to her new life with her estranged aunt's family she's confronted with lots of secrets and the same question her mother always asked her: how far will you go for your family?
This tragicomical coming-of-age film is set in Ireland during the mid-90s. Teenagers Eddie and Amber fake a relationship in order to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality. However, their ‘ideal’ arrangement begins to fall apart, forcing both of them to rethink their lives.
When Lola, a young transgender woman, can finally get her operation, her mother – who financially supports her – dies. To fulfill her mother’s last wish, Lola and her father travel to the Belgian coast, despite all their differences. Their journey, however, will not turn out as they imagined it…
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate about his crush on her, while his teachers on different sides of the political divide, try to mask their fears.
Ruth (Jessica Barden) joins a scrap metal crew to try and pay her way through college. Against the bleak, snowed-in backdrop of a once thriving industrial town in Ohio, it soon turns out that the cost of an education for a girl like her might be more than she bargained for.
In this VHS police training video from 1988, you are welcomed by Jim, a rookie cop whose steps are dictated by an omniscient Narrator. While Jim shows you the necessary training skills, things seem to be getting more and more out of hand. But it’s only a video… right?
Comedian Valérie Lamercier is ‘Céline’, ehh Aline! This French-Canadian tribute to a certain world star and pop icon tells her entire story: about her humble childhood in Canada, Eurovision, 'Titanic', about her relationship with her manager, and how her heart did go on after that. Not the name, but this movie is however full of her songs!
Solitary teenager Esther (Tallulah Cassavetti) follows her summer love Jean to Paris, starting a journey in a big city where she knows no one. The provocative tale of a young woman lost in Paris represents a dazzling debut showcase for writer/director Anna Cazenave Cambet.
Force of Habit follows different women in their confrontation with sexual harassment and power dynamics in their everyday lives. Written and directed by seven Finnish women in the wake of #metoo, this film is politically loaded as well as liberatingly humorous.
Vadym is a 25-year-old composer and a sound recordist living in Kyiv. Then he gets the chance to move to Canada -- provided he can record the voice of a very rare bird, which dwells only in the Transcarpathian mountains of Ukraine.
When Lola, a young transgender woman, can finally get her operation, her mother – who financially supports her – dies. To fulfill her mother’s last wish, Lola and her father travel to the Belgian coast, despite all their differences. Their journey, however, will not turn out as they imagined it…
Based on Joanna Rakoff’s coming-of-age memoir, My Salinger Year is transformed by newcomer Margaret Qualley and filmstar Sigourney Weaver into a wonderful portrait of the different generations and their ambitions – and the grande dame that is literature.
'Baghdad in My Shadow' is a fictional thriller about a group of Iraqi immigrants living in London: Amal (Ghandour), a wife in hiding, Taufiq (Haitham Ali), an unsuccessful writer, and Muhannad, a gay IT specialist (Waseem Abbas). The three meet regularly in a local cafe, until the author's radical cousin attacks them and turns all lives upside down.
Struggling to support himself and his ailing younger brother, delivery man Ray takes a strange job in a strange new realm of the gig economy. Well crafted and confidently shot, this smart satire mixes 'Sorry We Missed You' with 'Black Mirror'.
Hernán (Tomás Raimondi), a young man full of hopes and dreams, gets a job at the Central Post Office. There, a colleague teaches him the code of conduct, but reality will force him to break the rules - for Yanina, the girl he loves.
Mona is trying to find her way through a life that is characterized in large part by her mother’s early death. Griet Op de Beeck’s bestseller is translated into an impressive, reverberating character study of the sensitive Mona.
Force of Habit follows different women in their confrontation with sexual harassment and power dynamics in their everyday lives. Written and directed by seven Finnish women in the wake of #metoo, this film is politically loaded as well as liberatingly humorous.
When a father (Goran Bogdan) is faced with the corrupt social services that want to take away his children, just because the family is poor, he sets out on foot across Serbia to appeal to the national ministry in Belgrade.
Seeking a partner through a video dating service, David discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him friendship. But Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David struggles to afford the price of admission.
Alessandro and Arturo want to end their relationship after more than 15 years. However, their lives take an unexpected turn when a sick friend of theirs suddenly visits them, asking if they can temporarily take care of her two kids.
In this VHS police training video from 1988, you are welcomed by Jim, a rookie cop whose steps are dictated by an omniscient Narrator. While Jim shows you the necessary training skills, things seem to be getting more and more out of hand. But it’s only a video… right?
Celia’s life is strongly shaken up when new classmate Brisa arrives at her Catholic school. Together, the two teenagers rebel against the strict school management. Their small acts of resistance have big consequences: seeing Celia’s new-found courage, her mother can also no longer stay silent…
A hot summer evening in Paris. Félix runs into Alma, and the two spend a magical night together. The next day, Alma heads off to the south of France, and in an impulse, Félix decides to follow her. A romantic road trip follows, in which nothing goes according to plan.
A terminally ill mother (a sublime Susan Sarandon) invites her family to their country house for one final gathering, but tensions quickly boil over between her two daughters (Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska). Roger Michell ('Notting Hill') tackles heavy topics with humor, curiosity, and a tremendous sense of humanity.
The stunning wide shots of the vast and virgin Alps take Renier and newcomer Abita’s acting skills to new, dizzying heights in this haunting and topical debut about Lyz, the fifteen-year-old trying to escape from her ski coach.
When Lola, a young transgender woman, can finally get her operation, her mother – who financially supports her – dies. To fulfill her mother’s last wish, Lola and her father travel to the Belgian coast, despite all their differences. Their journey, however, will not turn out as they imagined it…
When the mother of eight-year-old Max and his brother Leo is at work, their one-room flat changes into a mysterious place, where their biggest fantasies and adventures come to life. Los Lobos is brutally honest and yet poetic -- and full of hope.
International auditor Alain is tasked to appraise the airport of a small, isolated republic in the Caucasus to greenlight its eventual reopening. Through Edgar, a local boy running a make-shift business in the airport, Alain will risk all to help this territory open up.
Zed (Riz Ahmed), a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour. However, a crippling illness strikes him down, and he is forced to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.
Pronck International Shorts is a celebration of the best shorts made all over the world. This session is full of bright filmmakers who want to share their vision, ideas or idiosyncrasies. You can come across all kinds of films, but one thing is clear: they all have a clear own voice. This session is sponsored by Pronck.
Hard-working widow Leila is faced with a heartbreaking decision. Will she give in to bus driver Kazem’s marriage proposal to give her family financial security, even if it means saying goodbye to her twelve-year-old son? The gripping portrait of a mother in modern-day Iran.
When a truck crashes inside a tunnel, people on their way home for Christmas are brutally trapped in a deadly fire. With a blizzard raging outside, and the first responders struggling to get to the accident, it’s every man for himself.
Jess is thrilled to be the surrogate for her best friend and his husband, but when the results of a prenatal test comes back, it creates a moral dilemma that threatens their friendship.
In a Quebec Innu community, Mikuan and Shaniss struggle to maintain their close friendship when they clash over their increasing differences and diverging ambitions. Based on Naomi Fontaine's novel of the same name, 'Kuessipan' is a story about family, friendship and connection.
The Macaluso Sisters follows five Italian sisters through three different stages of their lives. Their happy childhood is disrupted when one of them suddenly dies. The relationship between the sisters builds on this incident as they try to live with this trauma.
In this hilarious and uncomfortably real debut, we become acquainted with Danielle’s Jewish family for one very long day, during which she runs into her secret sugar daddy - as well as her way-too-successful ex-girlfriend after the funeral of a mutual friend.
In this beautiful yet unconventional romance, Daphne and Maxime must spend a couple of days together in the stunning French countryside despite not knowing each other. As they chat about their memories, the film tells an overarching story about the messiness of love.
This honest and sensitive drama by Maria Sødahl tells the story of Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig), who has just received the news that she has a terminal brain tumor. Together with her partner Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård), she tries to come to terms with this life-changing message.
Ruth (Jessica Barden) joins a scrap metal crew to try and pay her way through college. Against the bleak, snowed-in backdrop of a once thriving industrial town in Ohio, it soon turns out that the cost of an education for a girl like her might be more than she bargained for.
A group of military wives starts a choir to cope with the absence of their husbands, who are fighting in Afghanistan to serve their country. The women are quickly noticed by the media and the choir is asked to sing on television. A special friendship develops between the women.
Asia is the single mother of 17-year-old Vika (Shira Haas, Unorthodox). But when Vika’s health starts deteriorating, Asia has to find her voice as a mother and embrace and cherish their time together in this award-winning drama.
Sam (Firth) and Tusker (Tucci)'s relationship of 20 years is put to the test as they visit places from their past to help with Tusker early-onset dementia, and find out their future together is not so certain. Tender, heartbreaking, drama with explosive acting.
When the mother of eight-year-old Max and his brother Leo is at work, their one-room flat changes into a mysterious place, where their biggest fantasies and adventures come to life. Los Lobos is brutally honest and yet poetic -- and full of hope.
In this warm comedy-drama, medical transport driver Vic is torn between his promise to get his elderly relatives to a funeral and his desire to help Tracy, a headstrong young woman in a wheelchair. During the ride, he encounters a wealth of amusing characters and situations.
In this VHS police training video from 1988, you are welcomed by Jim, a rookie cop whose steps are dictated by an omniscient Narrator. While Jim shows you the necessary training skills, things seem to be getting more and more out of hand. But it’s only a video… right?
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate about his crush on her, while his teachers on different sides of the political divide, try to mask their fears.
Seeking a partner through a video dating service, David discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him friendship. But Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David struggles to afford the price of admission.
In a Quebec Innu community, Mikuan and Shaniss struggle to maintain their close friendship when they clash over their increasing differences and diverging ambitions. Based on Naomi Fontaine's novel of the same name, 'Kuessipan' is a story about family, friendship and connection.
A young Brooklyn couple (Sunita Mani, John Reynolds) heads to an upstate cabin to unplug from their phones and reconnect with each other. Blissfully unaware of their surroundings, they are left to their own devices as the planet falls under attack.
In this beautiful yet unconventional romance, Daphne and Maxime must spend a couple of days together in the stunning French countryside despite not knowing each other. As they chat about their memories, the film tells an overarching story about the messiness of love.
Two lifelong pals (Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin) test the boundaries of their friendship when a woman comes between them. 'The Climb' uses the complicated bond between two friends to dissect male friendships in an engaging and often hilarious manner.
Three officers are tasked with escorting an illegal immigrant to the airport, where he will be forced onto a plane and sent back to his homeland. But when they find out the truth, they have to make a difficult choice.
The young Iranian Parvis finds his way through multicultural Berlin. Exciting, critical, romantic. We present this beautiful debut film at LIFF together with our friends from the International Queer & Migrant Festival.
2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest, especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs: being reunited with his dead wife.
Kris, living with her uncle on a farm, is starting to second guess her current life. When she meets Mike, she realizes love has crossed her path. A life
Mona is trying to find her way through a life that is characterized in large part by her mother’s early death. Griet Op de Beeck’s bestseller is translated into an impressive, reverberating character study of the sensitive Mona.
Comedian Valérie Lamercier is ‘Céline’, ehh Aline! This French-Canadian tribute to a certain world star and pop icon tells her entire story: about her humble childhood in Canada, Eurovision, 'Titanic', about her relationship with her manager, and how her heart did go on after that. Not the name, but this movie is however full of her songs!
In this VHS police training video from 1988, you are welcomed by Jim, a rookie cop whose steps are dictated by an omniscient Narrator. While Jim shows you the necessary training skills, things seem to be getting more and more out of hand. But it’s only a video… right?
Pronck International Shorts is a celebration of the best shorts made all over the world. This session is full of bright filmmakers who want to share their vision, ideas or idiosyncrasies. You can come across all kinds of films, but one thing is clear: they all have a clear own voice. This session is sponsored by Pronck.
Force of Habit follows different women in their confrontation with sexual harassment and power dynamics in their everyday lives. Written and directed by seven Finnish women in the wake of #metoo, this film is politically loaded as well as liberatingly humorous.
15-year-old Lis enjoys her summer with her friends and her older boyfriend Nestor, whom she keeps a secret from her parents. When the summer ends with an unpleasant surprise, she realizes that she will have to confront her parents and herself.
When Lola, a young transgender woman, can finally get her operation, her mother – who financially supports her – dies. To fulfill her mother’s last wish, Lola and her father travel to the Belgian coast, despite all their differences. Their journey, however, will not turn out as they imagined it…
Spring 1995. After Switzerland's largest public drug scene 'Platzspits' is closed down, 11-year-old Mia and her heroin-addicted mother Sandrine move to an idyllic town for a new beginning. 'Christiane F.' meets 'JoJo Rabbit' in this brutally honest portrait of addiction and motherly love.
A highly personal story of the director’s relationship with his father, their shared love of cinema, and his father’s illness. Rosenberg’s feature debut mixes fact, fiction, and autobiography as the film grapples with the big questions of life and death.
As Ida tries to get used to her new life with her estranged aunt's family she's confronted with lots of secrets and the same question her mother always asked her: how far will you go for your family?
When the mother of eight-year-old Max and his brother Leo is at work, their one-room flat changes into a mysterious place, where their biggest fantasies and adventures come to life. Los Lobos is brutally honest and yet poetic -- and full of hope.
Hard-working widow Leila is faced with a heartbreaking decision. Will she give in to bus driver Kazem’s marriage proposal to give her family financial security, even if it means saying goodbye to her twelve-year-old son? The gripping portrait of a mother in modern-day Iran.
Kris, living with her uncle on a farm, is starting to second guess her current life. When she meets Mike, she realizes love has crossed her path. A life
'Calamity' tells, in beautiful animations, how the young Martha Jane Cannary grew into the legendary ‘Calamity’ Jane, one of the gunslinging heroes of the Wild West. The film rightly won the top prize at the Annecy animation festival.
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate about his crush on her, while his teachers on different sides of the political divide, try to mask their fears.
The Macaluso Sisters follows five Italian sisters through three different stages of their lives. Their happy childhood is disrupted when one of them suddenly dies. The relationship between the sisters builds on this incident as they try to live with this trauma.
15-year-old Lis enjoys her summer with her friends and her older boyfriend Nestor, whom she keeps a secret from her parents. When the summer ends with an unpleasant surprise, she realizes that she will have to confront her parents and herself.
Celia’s life is strongly shaken up when new classmate Brisa arrives at her Catholic school. Together, the two teenagers rebel against the strict school management. Their small acts of resistance have big consequences: seeing Celia’s new-found courage, her mother can also no longer stay silent…
Jess is thrilled to be the surrogate for her best friend and his husband, but when the results of a prenatal test comes back, it creates a moral dilemma that threatens their friendship.
Eight years after his prize-winning 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' wowed LIFF-audiences, Benh Zeitlin is back with this mesmerizing adaptation of Peter Pan. Wendy is a reimagining of the classic tale in a scrappy, breathtaking new setting.
Spring 1995. After Switzerland's largest public drug scene 'Platzspits' is closed down, 11-year-old Mia and her heroin-addicted mother Sandrine move to an idyllic town for a new beginning. 'Christiane F.' meets 'JoJo Rabbit' in this brutally honest portrait of addiction and motherly love.
The Iranian writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof won the prestigious Golden Bear in Berlin with his impressive film 'There is No Evil'. The film tells four unrelated stories about moral power, individual freedom, and taking responsibility for your own actions.
In this VHS police training video from 1988, you are welcomed by Jim, a rookie cop whose steps are dictated by an omniscient Narrator. While Jim shows you the necessary training skills, things seem to be getting more and more out of hand. But it’s only a video… right?
Cyberbullying, TV series addiction, telemarketers, blackmail over a sex tape… Neighbors Marie, Bertrand and Christine have had enough of modern-day technology. They join forces to declare war on the tech giants - seemingly impossible, but together they are strong...
A hot summer evening in Paris. Félix runs into Alma, and the two spend a magical night together. The next day, Alma heads off to the south of France, and in an impulse, Félix decides to follow her. A romantic road trip follows, in which nothing goes according to plan.
On Jane’s first day of her new job as an assistant to a powerful executive at a large firm, she gets a growing, hard-to-put-into-words feeling that something is off. Julia Garner ('Ozark') is a powerhouse in this understated manifest against systematic oppression and workplace harassment.
International auditor Alain is tasked to appraise the airport of a small, isolated republic in the Caucasus to greenlight its eventual reopening. Through Edgar, a local boy running a make-shift business in the airport, Alain will risk all to help this territory open up.
Ruth (Jessica Barden) joins a scrap metal crew to try and pay her way through college. Against the bleak, snowed-in backdrop of a once thriving industrial town in Ohio, it soon turns out that the cost of an education for a girl like her might be more than she bargained for.
A subdued drama about Cookie and King-Lu, who meet as members of a group of trappers in 19th-century Oregon. A special friendship develops between the two, and together they start a successful business in stolen milk from an expensive dairy cow.
Strategist Gary Zimmer decides to travel to the countryside to help candidate Jack Hastings become mayor. He hopes that this will lead the population to vote for a Democrat in the next elections. Once he arrives in the town of Deerlaken, he discovers the great cultural differences between the city and the countryside.
Solitary teenager Esther (Tallulah Cassavetti) follows her summer love Jean to Paris, starting a journey in a big city where she knows no one. The provocative tale of a young woman lost in Paris represents a dazzling debut showcase for writer/director Anna Cazenave Cambet.
A subdued drama about Cookie and King-Lu, who meet as members of a group of trappers in 19th-century Oregon. A special friendship develops between the two, and together they start a successful business in stolen milk from an expensive dairy cow.
In this hilarious and uncomfortably real debut, we become acquainted with Danielle’s Jewish family for one very long day, during which she runs into her secret sugar daddy - as well as her way-too-successful ex-girlfriend after the funeral of a mutual friend.
Prepare for truly authentic Egyptian cinema with El Diesel. Megastar Mohamed Ramadan is a stuntman looking for revenge in this blast of an action film and local box office hit. Maybe not for everyone, but certainly an experience!
Prepare for BONKERS! Shorts. Films that you can make no sense of, films that are completely BONKERS. They might be absurd, shocking, hilarious, or just simply make you ask: "what did I just watch?"
Sam (Firth) and Tusker (Tucci)'s relationship of 20 years is put to the test as they visit places from their past to help with Tusker early-onset dementia, and find out their future together is not so certain. Tender, heartbreaking, drama with explosive acting.
Please note that this event is in Dutch. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Vadym is a 25-year-old composer and a sound recordist living in Kyiv. Then he gets the chance to move to Canada -- provided he can record the voice of a very rare bird, which dwells only in the Transcarpathian mountains of Ukraine.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is factory worker Douglas Quaid in this science fiction classic by Paul Verhoeven. After visiting Rekall - a company that offers fake memories to customers as a form of escapist entertainment - reality, dream, and fiction merge into an unrecognizable whole, both for Douglas and the viewer.
A highly personal story of the director’s relationship with his father, their shared love of cinema, and his father’s illness. Rosenberg’s feature debut mixes fact, fiction, and autobiography as the film grapples with the big questions of life and death.
This honest and sensitive drama by Maria Sødahl tells the story of Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig), who has just received the news that she has a terminal brain tumor. Together with her partner Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård), she tries to come to terms with this life-changing message.
The Macaluso Sisters follows five Italian sisters through three different stages of their lives. Their happy childhood is disrupted when one of them suddenly dies. The relationship between the sisters builds on this incident as they try to live with this trauma.
Asia is the single mother of 17-year-old Vika (Shira Haas, Unorthodox). But when Vika’s health starts deteriorating, Asia has to find her voice as a mother and embrace and cherish their time together in this award-winning drama.
Alessandro and Arturo want to end their relationship after more than 15 years. However, their lives take an unexpected turn when a sick friend of theirs suddenly visits them, asking if they can temporarily take care of her two kids.
This tragicomical coming-of-age film is set in Ireland during the mid-90s. Teenagers Eddie and Amber fake a relationship in order to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality. However, their ‘ideal’ arrangement begins to fall apart, forcing both of them to rethink their lives.
Part cautionary exposé of all-too-real elder abuse rackets, part welcome excuse to pit Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage against each other in a game of uproarious reprisals, I Care A Lot barrels along a twisty trajectory rife with terribly dark, but darkly funny, behaviour.
15-year-old Lis enjoys her summer with her friends and her older boyfriend Nestor, whom she keeps a secret from her parents. When the summer ends with an unpleasant surprise, she realizes that she will have to confront her parents and herself.
In La Cañada Real, a shanty town outside Madrid, tensions are running high between the officials and the inhabitants given that the land has been sold and the families must leave the homes they put up with their own hands.
A zombie outbreak horror-comedy against the backdrop of Taiwanese corrupt politics: it doesn’t get any more BONKERS! than this! After the president suddenly turns into a zombie, the parliament becomes a straight up bloodbath, where protagonists Hsiung and Wang have to fight to stay alive.
Vadym is a 25-year-old composer and a sound recordist living in Kyiv. Then he gets the chance to move to Canada -- provided he can record the voice of a very rare bird, which dwells only in the Transcarpathian mountains of Ukraine.
In a Quebec Innu community, Mikuan and Shaniss struggle to maintain their close friendship when they clash over their increasing differences and diverging ambitions. Based on Naomi Fontaine's novel of the same name, 'Kuessipan' is a story about family, friendship and connection.
This honest and sensitive drama by Maria Sødahl tells the story of Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig), who has just received the news that she has a terminal brain tumor. Together with her partner Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård), she tries to come to terms with this life-changing message.
Three officers are tasked with escorting an illegal immigrant to the airport, where he will be forced onto a plane and sent back to his homeland. But when they find out the truth, they have to make a difficult choice.
The Macaluso Sisters follows five Italian sisters through three different stages of their lives. Their happy childhood is disrupted when one of them suddenly dies. The relationship between the sisters builds on this incident as they try to live with this trauma.
Hernán (Tomás Raimondi), a young man full of hopes and dreams, gets a job at the Central Post Office. There, a colleague teaches him the code of conduct, but reality will force him to break the rules - for Yanina, the girl he loves.
Pronck International Shorts is a celebration of the best shorts made all over the world. This session is full of bright filmmakers who want to share their vision, ideas or idiosyncrasies. You can come across all kinds of films, but one thing is clear: they all have a clear own voice. This session is sponsored by Pronck.
Spring 1995. After Switzerland's largest public drug scene 'Platzspits' is closed down, 11-year-old Mia and her heroin-addicted mother Sandrine move to an idyllic town for a new beginning. 'Christiane F.' meets 'JoJo Rabbit' in this brutally honest portrait of addiction and motherly love.
The Macaluso Sisters follows five Italian sisters through three different stages of their lives. Their happy childhood is disrupted when one of them suddenly dies. The relationship between the sisters builds on this incident as they try to live with this trauma.
Vadym is a 25-year-old composer and a sound recordist living in Kyiv. Then he gets the chance to move to Canada -- provided he can record the voice of a very rare bird, which dwells only in the Transcarpathian mountains of Ukraine.
In this warm comedy-drama, medical transport driver Vic is torn between his promise to get his elderly relatives to a funeral and his desire to help Tracy, a headstrong young woman in a wheelchair. During the ride, he encounters a wealth of amusing characters and situations.
In this beautiful yet unconventional romance, Daphne and Maxime must spend a couple of days together in the stunning French countryside despite not knowing each other. As they chat about their memories, the film tells an overarching story about the messiness of love.
A highly personal story of the director’s relationship with his father, their shared love of cinema, and his father’s illness. Rosenberg’s feature debut mixes fact, fiction, and autobiography as the film grapples with the big questions of life and death.
When the mother of eight-year-old Max and his brother Leo is at work, their one-room flat changes into a mysterious place, where their biggest fantasies and adventures come to life. Los Lobos is brutally honest and yet poetic -- and full of hope.
Asia is the single mother of 17-year-old Vika (Shira Haas, Unorthodox). But when Vika’s health starts deteriorating, Asia has to find her voice as a mother and embrace and cherish their time together in this award-winning drama.
Spring 1995. After Switzerland's largest public drug scene 'Platzspits' is closed down, 11-year-old Mia and her heroin-addicted mother Sandrine move to an idyllic town for a new beginning. 'Christiane F.' meets 'JoJo Rabbit' in this brutally honest portrait of addiction and motherly love.
Based on Joanna Rakoff’s coming-of-age memoir, My Salinger Year is transformed by newcomer Margaret Qualley and filmstar Sigourney Weaver into a wonderful portrait of the different generations and their ambitions – and the grande dame that is literature.
Pronck International Shorts is a celebration of the best shorts made all over the world. This session is full of bright filmmakers who want to share their vision, ideas or idiosyncrasies. You can come across all kinds of films, but one thing is clear: they all have a clear own voice. This session is sponsored by Pronck.
A marital separation pains David, the impulsive and jealous protagonist of Robert Machoian's stark, stripped-down, but empathetic indie drama. David and Nikki have decided to allow each other some space to contemplate their relationship, but David is willing to do anything to save his marriage.
Terror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Losing sleep, raising a teenage daughter, and caring for his ailing father, officer Marshall struggles to remind himself there’s no such thing as werewolves.
This tragicomical coming-of-age film is set in Ireland during the mid-90s. Teenagers Eddie and Amber fake a relationship in order to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality. However, their ‘ideal’ arrangement begins to fall apart, forcing both of them to rethink their lives.
Hard-working widow Leila is faced with a heartbreaking decision. Will she give in to bus driver Kazem’s marriage proposal to give her family financial security, even if it means saying goodbye to her twelve-year-old son? The gripping portrait of a mother in modern-day Iran.
2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest, especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs: being reunited with his dead wife.
When a truck crashes inside a tunnel, people on their way home for Christmas are brutally trapped in a deadly fire. With a blizzard raging outside, and the first responders struggling to get to the accident, it’s every man for himself.
When Lola, a young transgender woman, can finally get her operation, her mother – who financially supports her – dies. To fulfill her mother’s last wish, Lola and her father travel to the Belgian coast, despite all their differences. Their journey, however, will not turn out as they imagined it…
In this hilarious and uncomfortably real debut, we become acquainted with Danielle’s Jewish family for one very long day, during which she runs into her secret sugar daddy - as well as her way-too-successful ex-girlfriend after the funeral of a mutual friend.
Neige was raised by her beloved grandfather, who offered protection from her toxic parents. His death will trigger a profound identity crisis for her as tensions between her family members escalate.
Two lifelong pals (Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin) test the boundaries of their friendship when a woman comes between them. 'The Climb' uses the complicated bond between two friends to dissect male friendships in an engaging and often hilarious manner.
Force of Habit follows different women in their confrontation with sexual harassment and power dynamics in their everyday lives. Written and directed by seven Finnish women in the wake of #metoo, this film is politically loaded as well as liberatingly humorous.
Nick Cave and his piano, alone on an empty stage: that’s enough to fill a good 48 hours of entertainment. Sadly, this concert film is only 118 minutes long. Amazing visuals, amazing music, with cinematographer Robbie Ryan coming for his next Oscar nomination.
When Lola, a young transgender woman, can finally get her operation, her mother – who financially supports her – dies. To fulfill her mother’s last wish, Lola and her father travel to the Belgian coast, despite all their differences. Their journey, however, will not turn out as they imagined it…
Female artists in Egypt, a persecuted Lebanese musician – the young artists in this documentary come from diverse backgrounds, but fight for the same goal: freedom. Yallah! Underground paints a convincing picture of a new generation of Arabs, challenging their reality with passion and perseverance.
What exactly happened when Talib Ben Hassi (19) was held in police custody? Police officers Jens and Mike are on a routine patrol in the Svalegården ghetto when the news of Talib's death is announced on the radio. The news sparks a widespread protest and riots in the ghetto. Will the officers make it home safely?
Strategist Gary Zimmer decides to travel to the countryside to help candidate Jack Hastings become mayor. He hopes that this will lead the population to vote for a Democrat in the next elections. Once he arrives in the town of Deerlaken, he discovers the great cultural differences between the city and the countryside.
15-year-old Lis enjoys her summer with her friends and her older boyfriend Nestor, whom she keeps a secret from her parents. When the summer ends with an unpleasant surprise, she realizes that she will have to confront her parents and herself.
The stunning wide shots of the vast and virgin Alps take Renier and newcomer Abita’s acting skills to new, dizzying heights in this haunting and topical debut about Lyz, the fifteen-year-old trying to escape from her ski coach.
Jess is thrilled to be the surrogate for her best friend and his husband, but when the results of a prenatal test comes back, it creates a moral dilemma that threatens their friendship.
A hot summer evening in Paris. Félix runs into Alma, and the two spend a magical night together. The next day, Alma heads off to the south of France, and in an impulse, Félix decides to follow her. A romantic road trip follows, in which nothing goes according to plan.
Hernán (Tomás Raimondi), a young man full of hopes and dreams, gets a job at the Central Post Office. There, a colleague teaches him the code of conduct, but reality will force him to break the rules - for Yanina, the girl he loves.
The Iranian writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof won the prestigious Golden Bear in Berlin with his impressive film 'There is No Evil'. The film tells four unrelated stories about moral power, individual freedom, and taking responsibility for your own actions.
Kris, living with her uncle on a farm, is starting to second guess her current life. When she meets Mike, she realizes love has crossed her path. A life
Zed (Riz Ahmed), a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour. However, a crippling illness strikes him down, and he is forced to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.
When Fern -- a fantastic performance by Frances McDormand -- loses her job and possessions, she decides to embark on a journey through America as a contemporary nomad. Nomadland rightfully won the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the award for the best film.
Struggling to support himself and his ailing younger brother, delivery man Ray takes a strange job in a strange new realm of the gig economy. Well crafted and confidently shot, this smart satire mixes 'Sorry We Missed You' with 'Black Mirror'.
A marital separation pains David, the impulsive and jealous protagonist of Robert Machoian's stark, stripped-down, but empathetic indie drama. David and Nikki have decided to allow each other some space to contemplate their relationship, but David is willing to do anything to save his marriage.
Troy (brilliantly portrayed by Steve Zahn) and his young transgender son Joe are on the run from Joe’s conservative mother Sally (Jillian Bell) in the Montana wilderness in this gripping family drama.
Comedian Valérie Lamercier is ‘Céline’, ehh Aline! This French-Canadian tribute to a certain world star and pop icon tells her entire story: about her humble childhood in Canada, Eurovision, 'Titanic', about her relationship with her manager, and how her heart did go on after that. Not the name, but this movie is however full of her songs!
In this fantastic animated movie adventure, Miles Morales is a New York teen struggling with his own issues and, on top of that, being the new Spider-Man. In his journey, he meets several Spider-Men and -Women, who have to join forces to redeem all realities.
Solitary teenager Esther (Tallulah Cassavetti) follows her summer love Jean to Paris, starting a journey in a big city where she knows no one. The provocative tale of a young woman lost in Paris represents a dazzling debut showcase for writer/director Anna Cazenave Cambet.
Neige was raised by her beloved grandfather, who offered protection from her toxic parents. His death will trigger a profound identity crisis for her as tensions between her family members escalate.
In this warm comedy-drama, medical transport driver Vic is torn between his promise to get his elderly relatives to a funeral and his desire to help Tracy, a headstrong young woman in a wheelchair. During the ride, he encounters a wealth of amusing characters and situations.
On Jane’s first day of her new job as an assistant to a powerful executive at a large firm, she gets a growing, hard-to-put-into-words feeling that something is off. Julia Garner ('Ozark') is a powerhouse in this understated manifest against systematic oppression and workplace harassment.
Etienne, a not-so-successful but endearing actor, runs a theater workshop in a prison, where he brings together an unlikely troupe of prisoners to stage 'Waiting for Godot'. When he is allowed to take the convicts on a tour outside of prison, Etienne finally has the chance to thrive.
'Baghdad in My Shadow' is a fictional thriller about a group of Iraqi immigrants living in London: Amal (Ghandour), a wife in hiding, Taufiq (Haitham Ali), an unsuccessful writer, and Muhannad, a gay IT specialist (Waseem Abbas). The three meet regularly in a local cafe, until the author's radical cousin attacks them and turns all lives upside down.
Hernán (Tomás Raimondi), a young man full of hopes and dreams, gets a job at the Central Post Office. There, a colleague teaches him the code of conduct, but reality will force him to break the rules - for Yanina, the girl he loves.
Troy (brilliantly portrayed by Steve Zahn) and his young transgender son Joe are on the run from Joe’s conservative mother Sally (Jillian Bell) in the Montana wilderness in this gripping family drama.
Ruth (Jessica Barden) joins a scrap metal crew to try and pay her way through college. Against the bleak, snowed-in backdrop of a once thriving industrial town in Ohio, it soon turns out that the cost of an education for a girl like her might be more than she bargained for.
A hot summer evening in Paris. Félix runs into Alma, and the two spend a magical night together. The next day, Alma heads off to the south of France, and in an impulse, Félix decides to follow her. A romantic road trip follows, in which nothing goes according to plan.
Vadym is a 25-year-old composer and a sound recordist living in Kyiv. Then he gets the chance to move to Canada -- provided he can record the voice of a very rare bird, which dwells only in the Transcarpathian mountains of Ukraine.
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate about his crush on her, while his teachers on different sides of the political divide, try to mask their fears.
When a truck crashes inside a tunnel, people on their way home for Christmas are brutally trapped in a deadly fire. With a blizzard raging outside, and the first responders struggling to get to the accident, it’s every man for himself.
Asia is the single mother of 17-year-old Vika (Shira Haas, Unorthodox). But when Vika’s health starts deteriorating, Asia has to find her voice as a mother and embrace and cherish their time together in this award-winning drama.
Struggling to support himself and his ailing younger brother, delivery man Ray takes a strange job in a strange new realm of the gig economy. Well crafted and confidently shot, this smart satire mixes 'Sorry We Missed You' with 'Black Mirror'.
'Calamity' tells, in beautiful animations, how the young Martha Jane Cannary grew into the legendary ‘Calamity’ Jane, one of the gunslinging heroes of the Wild West. The film rightly won the top prize at the Annecy animation festival.
A subdued drama about Cookie and King-Lu, who meet as members of a group of trappers in 19th-century Oregon. A special friendship develops between the two, and together they start a successful business in stolen milk from an expensive dairy cow.
Force of Habit follows different women in their confrontation with sexual harassment and power dynamics in their everyday lives. Written and directed by seven Finnish women in the wake of #metoo, this film is politically loaded as well as liberatingly humorous.
'Calamity' tells, in beautiful animations, how the young Martha Jane Cannary grew into the legendary ‘Calamity’ Jane, one of the gunslinging heroes of the Wild West. The film rightly won the top prize at the Annecy animation festival.
Alessandro and Arturo want to end their relationship after more than 15 years. However, their lives take an unexpected turn when a sick friend of theirs suddenly visits them, asking if they can temporarily take care of her two kids.
A zombie outbreak horror-comedy against the backdrop of Taiwanese corrupt politics: it doesn’t get any more BONKERS! than this! After the president suddenly turns into a zombie, the parliament becomes a straight up bloodbath, where protagonists Hsiung and Wang have to fight to stay alive.
International auditor Alain is tasked to appraise the airport of a small, isolated republic in the Caucasus to greenlight its eventual reopening. Through Edgar, a local boy running a make-shift business in the airport, Alain will risk all to help this territory open up.
The true, gripping, and sublimely acted story of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was kidnapped by IS in 2013, and his family’s efforts to get him released. This year’s rightful favourite at Film by the Sea.
Vadym is a 25-year-old composer and a sound recordist living in Kyiv. Then he gets the chance to move to Canada -- provided he can record the voice of a very rare bird, which dwells only in the Transcarpathian mountains of Ukraine.
This suspenseful thriller follows Kevin Costner as a retired sheriff and his wife (Diane Lane). After their son's tragic death, the couple sets out to find their grandson, who has fallen into the clutches of a dangerous criminal family.
A marital separation pains David, the impulsive and jealous protagonist of Robert Machoian's stark, stripped-down, but empathetic indie drama. David and Nikki have decided to allow each other some space to contemplate their relationship, but David is willing to do anything to save his marriage.
When Lola, a young transgender woman, can finally get her operation, her mother – who financially supports her – dies. To fulfill her mother’s last wish, Lola and her father travel to the Belgian coast, despite all their differences. Their journey, however, will not turn out as they imagined it…
In a Quebec Innu community, Mikuan and Shaniss struggle to maintain their close friendship when they clash over their increasing differences and diverging ambitions. Based on Naomi Fontaine's novel of the same name, 'Kuessipan' is a story about family, friendship and connection.
Part cautionary exposé of all-too-real elder abuse rackets, part welcome excuse to pit Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage against each other in a game of uproarious reprisals, I Care A Lot barrels along a twisty trajectory rife with terribly dark, but darkly funny, behaviour.
Celia’s life is strongly shaken up when new classmate Brisa arrives at her Catholic school. Together, the two teenagers rebel against the strict school management. Their small acts of resistance have big consequences: seeing Celia’s new-found courage, her mother can also no longer stay silent…
Spring 1995. After Switzerland's largest public drug scene 'Platzspits' is closed down, 11-year-old Mia and her heroin-addicted mother Sandrine move to an idyllic town for a new beginning. 'Christiane F.' meets 'JoJo Rabbit' in this brutally honest portrait of addiction and motherly love.
When a father (Goran Bogdan) is faced with the corrupt social services that want to take away his children, just because the family is poor, he sets out on foot across Serbia to appeal to the national ministry in Belgrade.
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate about his crush on her, while his teachers on different sides of the political divide, try to mask their fears.
In La Cañada Real, a shanty town outside Madrid, tensions are running high between the officials and the inhabitants given that the land has been sold and the families must leave the homes they put up with their own hands.
What exactly happened when Talib Ben Hassi (19) was held in police custody? Police officers Jens and Mike are on a routine patrol in the Svalegården ghetto when the news of Talib's death is announced on the radio. The news sparks a widespread protest and riots in the ghetto. Will the officers make it home safely?
Seeking a partner through a video dating service, David discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him friendship. But Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David struggles to afford the price of admission.
Comedian Valérie Lamercier is ‘Céline’, ehh Aline! This French-Canadian tribute to a certain world star and pop icon tells her entire story: about her humble childhood in Canada, Eurovision, 'Titanic', about her relationship with her manager, and how her heart did go on after that. Not the name, but this movie is however full of her songs!
A hot summer evening in Paris. Félix runs into Alma, and the two spend a magical night together. The next day, Alma heads off to the south of France, and in an impulse, Félix decides to follow her. A romantic road trip follows, in which nothing goes according to plan.
Terror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Losing sleep, raising a teenage daughter, and caring for his ailing father, officer Marshall struggles to remind himself there’s no such thing as werewolves.
Sam (Firth) and Tusker (Tucci)'s relationship of 20 years is put to the test as they visit places from their past to help with Tusker early-onset dementia, and find out their future together is not so certain. Tender, heartbreaking, drama with explosive acting.
A marital separation pains David, the impulsive and jealous protagonist of Robert Machoian's stark, stripped-down, but empathetic indie drama. David and Nikki have decided to allow each other some space to contemplate their relationship, but David is willing to do anything to save his marriage.
Struggling to support himself and his ailing younger brother, delivery man Ray takes a strange job in a strange new realm of the gig economy. Well crafted and confidently shot, this smart satire mixes 'Sorry We Missed You' with 'Black Mirror'.
When Lola, a young transgender woman, can finally get her operation, her mother – who financially supports her – dies. To fulfill her mother’s last wish, Lola and her father travel to the Belgian coast, despite all their differences. Their journey, however, will not turn out as they imagined it…
In a Quebec Innu community, Mikuan and Shaniss struggle to maintain their close friendship when they clash over their increasing differences and diverging ambitions. Based on Naomi Fontaine's novel of the same name, 'Kuessipan' is a story about family, friendship and connection.
This honest and sensitive drama by Maria Sødahl tells the story of Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig), who has just received the news that she has a terminal brain tumor. Together with her partner Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård), she tries to come to terms with this life-changing message.
A subdued drama about Cookie and King-Lu, who meet as members of a group of trappers in 19th-century Oregon. A special friendship develops between the two, and together they start a successful business in stolen milk from an expensive dairy cow.
Zed (Riz Ahmed), a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour. However, a crippling illness strikes him down, and he is forced to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.
Prepare for BONKERS! Shorts. Films that you can make no sense of, films that are completely BONKERS. They might be absurd, shocking, hilarious, or just simply make you ask: "what did I just watch?"
This tragicomical coming-of-age film is set in Ireland during the mid-90s. Teenagers Eddie and Amber fake a relationship in order to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality. However, their ‘ideal’ arrangement begins to fall apart, forcing both of them to rethink their lives.
As Ida tries to get used to her new life with her estranged aunt's family she's confronted with lots of secrets and the same question her mother always asked her: how far will you go for your family?
A young woman (an amazing Carey Mulligan) haunted by a tragedy from her past takes revenge on the predatory men unlucky enough to cross her path. This very promising (no pun intended) debut by Emerald Fennell (producer and writer of Killing Eve) was one of the big hits at Sundance and will surely become a LIFF-favourite too!
As Ida tries to get used to her new life with her estranged aunt's family she's confronted with lots of secrets and the same question her mother always asked her: how far will you go for your family?
Ruth (Jessica Barden) joins a scrap metal crew to try and pay her way through college. Against the bleak, snowed-in backdrop of a once thriving industrial town in Ohio, it soon turns out that the cost of an education for a girl like her might be more than she bargained for.
In a Quebec Innu community, Mikuan and Shaniss struggle to maintain their close friendship when they clash over their increasing differences and diverging ambitions. Based on Naomi Fontaine's novel of the same name, 'Kuessipan' is a story about family, friendship and connection.
This suspenseful thriller follows Kevin Costner as a retired sheriff and his wife (Diane Lane). After their son's tragic death, the couple sets out to find their grandson, who has fallen into the clutches of a dangerous criminal family.
In this beautiful yet unconventional romance, Daphne and Maxime must spend a couple of days together in the stunning French countryside despite not knowing each other. As they chat about their memories, the film tells an overarching story about the messiness of love.
Eight years after his prize-winning 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' wowed LIFF-audiences, Benh Zeitlin is back with this mesmerizing adaptation of Peter Pan. Wendy is a reimagining of the classic tale in a scrappy, breathtaking new setting.
In La Cañada Real, a shanty town outside Madrid, tensions are running high between the officials and the inhabitants given that the land has been sold and the families must leave the homes they put up with their own hands.
'Calamity' tells, in beautiful animations, how the young Martha Jane Cannary grew into the legendary ‘Calamity’ Jane, one of the gunslinging heroes of the Wild West. The film rightly won the top prize at the Annecy animation festival.
When the mother of eight-year-old Max and his brother Leo is at work, their one-room flat changes into a mysterious place, where their biggest fantasies and adventures come to life. Los Lobos is brutally honest and yet poetic -- and full of hope.
This tragicomical coming-of-age film is set in Ireland during the mid-90s. Teenagers Eddie and Amber fake a relationship in order to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality. However, their ‘ideal’ arrangement begins to fall apart, forcing both of them to rethink their lives.
A beautifully shot Shakespearean drama, based on true events befalling one of the last tribes on the island Tanna. Two young members of the tribe are in love, but old traditions and strategies get in the way of their happiness. Will they choose for their fateful love, or the duties imposed upon them by their tribe?
Cyberbullying, TV series addiction, telemarketers, blackmail over a sex tape… Neighbors Marie, Bertrand and Christine have had enough of modern-day technology. They join forces to declare war on the tech giants - seemingly impossible, but together they are strong...
Jess is thrilled to be the surrogate for her best friend and his husband, but when the results of a prenatal test comes back, it creates a moral dilemma that threatens their friendship.
Strategist Gary Zimmer decides to travel to the countryside to help candidate Jack Hastings become mayor. He hopes that this will lead the population to vote for a Democrat in the next elections. Once he arrives in the town of Deerlaken, he discovers the great cultural differences between the city and the countryside.
Hard-working widow Leila is faced with a heartbreaking decision. Will she give in to bus driver Kazem’s marriage proposal to give her family financial security, even if it means saying goodbye to her twelve-year-old son? The gripping portrait of a mother in modern-day Iran.
The true, gripping, and sublimely acted story of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was kidnapped by IS in 2013, and his family’s efforts to get him released. This year’s rightful favourite at Film by the Sea.
In this beautiful yet unconventional romance, Daphne and Maxime must spend a couple of days together in the stunning French countryside despite not knowing each other. As they chat about their memories, the film tells an overarching story about the messiness of love.
What exactly happened when Talib Ben Hassi (19) was held in police custody? Police officers Jens and Mike are on a routine patrol in the Svalegården ghetto when the news of Talib's death is announced on the radio. The news sparks a widespread protest and riots in the ghetto. Will the officers make it home safely?
A subdued drama about Cookie and King-Lu, who meet as members of a group of trappers in 19th-century Oregon. A special friendship develops between the two, and together they start a successful business in stolen milk from an expensive dairy cow.
15-year-old Lis enjoys her summer with her friends and her older boyfriend Nestor, whom she keeps a secret from her parents. When the summer ends with an unpleasant surprise, she realizes that she will have to confront her parents and herself.
Struggling to support himself and his ailing younger brother, delivery man Ray takes a strange job in a strange new realm of the gig economy. Well crafted and confidently shot, this smart satire mixes 'Sorry We Missed You' with 'Black Mirror'.
This tragicomical coming-of-age film is set in Ireland during the mid-90s. Teenagers Eddie and Amber fake a relationship in order to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality. However, their ‘ideal’ arrangement begins to fall apart, forcing both of them to rethink their lives.
Terror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Losing sleep, raising a teenage daughter, and caring for his ailing father, officer Marshall struggles to remind himself there’s no such thing as werewolves.
A young woman (an amazing Carey Mulligan) haunted by a tragedy from her past takes revenge on the predatory men unlucky enough to cross her path. This very promising (no pun intended) debut by Emerald Fennell (producer and writer of Killing Eve) was one of the big hits at Sundance and will surely become a LIFF-favourite too!
Orphan boy and ‘real bad egg’ Ricky and his foster uncle (Sam Neill) face the New Zealand wilderness to escape the evil authorities in this delicious, hilarious adventure by Jojo Rabbit director Taikia Waititi. Big winner of LIFF 2016.
A group of military wives starts a choir to cope with the absence of their husbands, who are fighting in Afghanistan to serve their country. The women are quickly noticed by the media and the choir is asked to sing on television. A special friendship develops between the women.
A highly personal story of the director’s relationship with his father, their shared love of cinema, and his father’s illness. Rosenberg’s feature debut mixes fact, fiction, and autobiography as the film grapples with the big questions of life and death.
15-year-old Lis enjoys her summer with her friends and her older boyfriend Nestor, whom she keeps a secret from her parents. When the summer ends with an unpleasant surprise, she realizes that she will have to confront her parents and herself.
This honest and sensitive drama by Maria Sødahl tells the story of Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig), who has just received the news that she has a terminal brain tumor. Together with her partner Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård), she tries to come to terms with this life-changing message.
In a Quebec Innu community, Mikuan and Shaniss struggle to maintain their close friendship when they clash over their increasing differences and diverging ambitions. Based on Naomi Fontaine's novel of the same name, 'Kuessipan' is a story about family, friendship and connection.
Zed (Riz Ahmed), a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour. However, a crippling illness strikes him down, and he is forced to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.
When Fern -- a fantastic performance by Frances McDormand -- loses her job and possessions, she decides to embark on a journey through America as a contemporary nomad. Nomadland rightfully won the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the award for the best film.
Solitary teenager Esther (Tallulah Cassavetti) follows her summer love Jean to Paris, starting a journey in a big city where she knows no one. The provocative tale of a young woman lost in Paris represents a dazzling debut showcase for writer/director Anna Cazenave Cambet.
Seeking a partner through a video dating service, David discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him friendship. But Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David struggles to afford the price of admission.
The Macaluso Sisters follows five Italian sisters through three different stages of their lives. Their happy childhood is disrupted when one of them suddenly dies. The relationship between the sisters builds on this incident as they try to live with this trauma.
A hot summer evening in Paris. Félix runs into Alma, and the two spend a magical night together. The next day, Alma heads off to the south of France, and in an impulse, Félix decides to follow her. A romantic road trip follows, in which nothing goes according to plan.
Struggling to support himself and his ailing younger brother, delivery man Ray takes a strange job in a strange new realm of the gig economy. Well crafted and confidently shot, this smart satire mixes 'Sorry We Missed You' with 'Black Mirror'.
Jess is thrilled to be the surrogate for her best friend and his husband, but when the results of a prenatal test comes back, it creates a moral dilemma that threatens their friendship.
Vadym is a 25-year-old composer and a sound recordist living in Kyiv. Then he gets the chance to move to Canada -- provided he can record the voice of a very rare bird, which dwells only in the Transcarpathian mountains of Ukraine.
A terminally ill mother (a sublime Susan Sarandon) invites her family to their country house for one final gathering, but tensions quickly boil over between her two daughters (Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska). Roger Michell ('Notting Hill') tackles heavy topics with humor, curiosity, and a tremendous sense of humanity.
A young Brooklyn couple (Sunita Mani, John Reynolds) heads to an upstate cabin to unplug from their phones and reconnect with each other. Blissfully unaware of their surroundings, they are left to their own devices as the planet falls under attack.
When Lola, a young transgender woman, can finally get her operation, her mother – who financially supports her – dies. To fulfill her mother’s last wish, Lola and her father travel to the Belgian coast, despite all their differences. Their journey, however, will not turn out as they imagined it…
In this VHS police training video from 1988, you are welcomed by Jim, a rookie cop whose steps are dictated by an omniscient Narrator. While Jim shows you the necessary training skills, things seem to be getting more and more out of hand. But it’s only a video… right?
Troy (brilliantly portrayed by Steve Zahn) and his young transgender son Joe are on the run from Joe’s conservative mother Sally (Jillian Bell) in the Montana wilderness in this gripping family drama.
Force of Habit follows different women in their confrontation with sexual harassment and power dynamics in their everyday lives. Written and directed by seven Finnish women in the wake of #metoo, this film is politically loaded as well as liberatingly humorous.
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Zed (Riz Ahmed), a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour. However, a crippling illness strikes him down, and he is forced to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate about his crush on her, while his teachers on different sides of the political divide, try to mask their fears.
A marital separation pains David, the impulsive and jealous protagonist of Robert Machoian's stark, stripped-down, but empathetic indie drama. David and Nikki have decided to allow each other some space to contemplate their relationship, but David is willing to do anything to save his marriage.
Part cautionary exposé of all-too-real elder abuse rackets, part welcome excuse to pit Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage against each other in a game of uproarious reprisals, I Care A Lot barrels along a twisty trajectory rife with terribly dark, but darkly funny, behaviour.
In this hilarious and uncomfortably real debut, we become acquainted with Danielle’s Jewish family for one very long day, during which she runs into her secret sugar daddy - as well as her way-too-successful ex-girlfriend after the funeral of a mutual friend.
Etienne, a not-so-successful but endearing actor, runs a theater workshop in a prison, where he brings together an unlikely troupe of prisoners to stage 'Waiting for Godot'. When he is allowed to take the convicts on a tour outside of prison, Etienne finally has the chance to thrive.
A zombie outbreak horror-comedy against the backdrop of Taiwanese corrupt politics: it doesn’t get any more BONKERS! than this! After the president suddenly turns into a zombie, the parliament becomes a straight up bloodbath, where protagonists Hsiung and Wang have to fight to stay alive.
In La Cañada Real, a shanty town outside Madrid, tensions are running high between the officials and the inhabitants given that the land has been sold and the families must leave the homes they put up with their own hands.
Fisherman Issa is secretly in love with Siham. When he discovers an ancient phallic statue while fishing, Issa takes it home, feeling that this discovery will change his life forever… An evocative satire on love and desire, and an affirmation that life continues amidst the absurdity of living.
Terror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Losing sleep, raising a teenage daughter, and caring for his ailing father, officer Marshall struggles to remind himself there’s no such thing as werewolves.
An unlikely moment of reconciliation between enemies at the front in the Betuwe in the war winter of 1944? This short film tells about the true but unknown meeting between an American and German lieutenant after the German patrol was ambushed.
An unlikely moment of reconciliation between enemies at the front in the Betuwe in the war winter of 1944? This short film tells about the true but unknown meeting between an American and German lieutenant after the German patrol was ambushed.
Two lifelong pals (Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin) test the boundaries of their friendship when a woman comes between them. 'The Climb' uses the complicated bond between two friends to dissect male friendships in an engaging and often hilarious manner.
Celia’s life is strongly shaken up when new classmate Brisa arrives at her Catholic school. Together, the two teenagers rebel against the strict school management. Their small acts of resistance have big consequences: seeing Celia’s new-found courage, her mother can also no longer stay silent…
Maki is trying her best to survive in the mean streets of Kinshasa. She is ‘married’ to Mbingazor, leader of a gang of young sapeurs: a well-known subculture in Congo. But when her path crosses that of Acha, Maki decides to take care of the lost girl, and to continue their journey together.
The true, gripping, and sublimely acted story of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was kidnapped by IS in 2013, and his family’s efforts to get him released. This year’s rightful favourite at Film by the Sea.
A zombie outbreak horror-comedy against the backdrop of Taiwanese corrupt politics: it doesn’t get any more BONKERS! than this! After the president suddenly turns into a zombie, the parliament becomes a straight up bloodbath, where protagonists Hsiung and Wang have to fight to stay alive.
Hard-working widow Leila is faced with a heartbreaking decision. Will she give in to bus driver Kazem’s marriage proposal to give her family financial security, even if it means saying goodbye to her twelve-year-old son? The gripping portrait of a mother in modern-day Iran.
'Calamity' tells, in beautiful animations, how the young Martha Jane Cannary grew into the legendary ‘Calamity’ Jane, one of the gunslinging heroes of the Wild West. The film rightly won the top prize at the Annecy animation festival.
Two brothers – one an imam, the other a prospective mayor in a small town in Senegal – argue over their children’s marriage. Meanwhile, the town gradually slips into religious extremism. Baamum Nafi won both the award for best film and the Golden Leopard for contemporary film-makers at the Locarno Festival.
In this hilarious and uncomfortably real debut, we become acquainted with Danielle’s Jewish family for one very long day, during which she runs into her secret sugar daddy - as well as her way-too-successful ex-girlfriend after the funeral of a mutual friend.
Neige was raised by her beloved grandfather, who offered protection from her toxic parents. His death will trigger a profound identity crisis for her as tensions between her family members escalate.
Vaiana lives on a Polynesian island and is the daughter of a chief. When her people are in danger, she embarks on an exciting adventure to find the demigod Maui and save her people from destruction.
Nick Cave and his piano, alone on an empty stage: that’s enough to fill a good 48 hours of entertainment. Sadly, this concert film is only 118 minutes long. Amazing visuals, amazing music, with cinematographer Robbie Ryan coming for his next Oscar nomination.
Senegalese businesswoman Adjara develops a friendship with three other women from different countries during a bus journey. It takes them from Dakar, via Mali, Burkina Faso and Benin to Lagos (Nigeria). Along the way, the women are confronted with all kinds of dangers and obstacles.
A terminally ill mother (a sublime Susan Sarandon) invites her family to their country house for one final gathering, but tensions quickly boil over between her two daughters (Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska). Roger Michell ('Notting Hill') tackles heavy topics with humor, curiosity, and a tremendous sense of humanity.
In a Quebec Innu community, Mikuan and Shaniss struggle to maintain their close friendship when they clash over their increasing differences and diverging ambitions. Based on Naomi Fontaine's novel of the same name, 'Kuessipan' is a story about family, friendship and connection.
This tragicomical coming-of-age film is set in Ireland during the mid-90s. Teenagers Eddie and Amber fake a relationship in order to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality. However, their ‘ideal’ arrangement begins to fall apart, forcing both of them to rethink their lives.
Set in Lagos, Nigeria, Eyimofe (This is My Desire) follows the stories of Mofe, a factory technician, and Rosa, a hairdresser, on their quest for a better life on foreign shores. Tragedy and fate intervene as two people try to better the lives of their families.
In La Cañada Real, a shanty town outside Madrid, tensions are running high between the officials and the inhabitants given that the land has been sold and the families must leave the homes they put up with their own hands.
Kris, living with her uncle on a farm, is starting to second guess her current life. When she meets Mike, she realizes love has crossed her path. A life
Terror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Losing sleep, raising a teenage daughter, and caring for his ailing father, officer Marshall struggles to remind himself there’s no such thing as werewolves.
The true, gripping, and sublimely acted story of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was kidnapped by IS in 2013, and his family’s efforts to get him released. This year’s rightful favourite at Film by the Sea.
On Jane’s first day of her new job as an assistant to a powerful executive at a large firm, she gets a growing, hard-to-put-into-words feeling that something is off. Julia Garner ('Ozark') is a powerhouse in this understated manifest against systematic oppression and workplace harassment.
The story of the American Samoan national football team, the weakest football team in the world, who Amsterdam native coach Thomas Rongen helped to qualify for the World Cup. Selected in cooperation with Museum Volkenkunde, as part of their exhibition A Sea Of Islands.
The Iranian writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof won the prestigious Golden Bear in Berlin with his impressive film 'There is No Evil'. The film tells four unrelated stories about moral power, individual freedom, and taking responsibility for your own actions.
A young woman (an amazing Carey Mulligan) haunted by a tragedy from her past takes revenge on the predatory men unlucky enough to cross her path. This very promising (no pun intended) debut by Emerald Fennell (producer and writer of Killing Eve) was one of the big hits at Sundance and will surely become a LIFF-favourite too!
A subdued drama about Cookie and King-Lu, who meet as members of a group of trappers in 19th-century Oregon. A special friendship develops between the two, and together they start a successful business in stolen milk from an expensive dairy cow.
Seeking a partner through a video dating service, David discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him friendship. But Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David struggles to afford the price of admission.
Solitary teenager Esther (Tallulah Cassavetti) follows her summer love Jean to Paris, starting a journey in a big city where she knows no one. The provocative tale of a young woman lost in Paris represents a dazzling debut showcase for writer/director Anna Cazenave Cambet.
2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest, especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs: being reunited with his dead wife.
In this beautiful yet unconventional romance, Daphne and Maxime must spend a couple of days together in the stunning French countryside despite not knowing each other. As they chat about their memories, the film tells an overarching story about the messiness of love.
A highly personal story of the director’s relationship with his father, their shared love of cinema, and his father’s illness. Rosenberg’s feature debut mixes fact, fiction, and autobiography as the film grapples with the big questions of life and death.
What exactly happened when Talib Ben Hassi (19) was held in police custody? Police officers Jens and Mike are on a routine patrol in the Svalegården ghetto when the news of Talib's death is announced on the radio. The news sparks a widespread protest and riots in the ghetto. Will the officers make it home safely?
When the mother of eight-year-old Max and his brother Leo is at work, their one-room flat changes into a mysterious place, where their biggest fantasies and adventures come to life. Los Lobos is brutally honest and yet poetic -- and full of hope.
Etienne, a not-so-successful but endearing actor, runs a theater workshop in a prison, where he brings together an unlikely troupe of prisoners to stage 'Waiting for Godot'. When he is allowed to take the convicts on a tour outside of prison, Etienne finally has the chance to thrive.
A group of military wives starts a choir to cope with the absence of their husbands, who are fighting in Afghanistan to serve their country. The women are quickly noticed by the media and the choir is asked to sing on television. A special friendship develops between the women.
Asia is the single mother of 17-year-old Vika (Shira Haas, Unorthodox). But when Vika’s health starts deteriorating, Asia has to find her voice as a mother and embrace and cherish their time together in this award-winning drama.
A hot summer evening in Paris. Félix runs into Alma, and the two spend a magical night together. The next day, Alma heads off to the south of France, and in an impulse, Félix decides to follow her. A romantic road trip follows, in which nothing goes according to plan.
Mona is trying to find her way through a life that is characterized in large part by her mother’s early death. Griet Op de Beeck’s bestseller is translated into an impressive, reverberating character study of the sensitive Mona.
Prepare for truly authentic Egyptian cinema with El Diesel. Megastar Mohamed Ramadan is a stuntman looking for revenge in this blast of an action film and local box office hit. Maybe not for everyone, but certainly an experience!
A marital separation pains David, the impulsive and jealous protagonist of Robert Machoian's stark, stripped-down, but empathetic indie drama. David and Nikki have decided to allow each other some space to contemplate their relationship, but David is willing to do anything to save his marriage.
In this hilarious and uncomfortably real debut, we become acquainted with Danielle’s Jewish family for one very long day, during which she runs into her secret sugar daddy - as well as her way-too-successful ex-girlfriend after the funeral of a mutual friend.
Ruth (Jessica Barden) joins a scrap metal crew to try and pay her way through college. Against the bleak, snowed-in backdrop of a once thriving industrial town in Ohio, it soon turns out that the cost of an education for a girl like her might be more than she bargained for.
Fisherman Issa is secretly in love with Siham. When he discovers an ancient phallic statue while fishing, Issa takes it home, feeling that this discovery will change his life forever… An evocative satire on love and desire, and an affirmation that life continues amidst the absurdity of living.
Dark comedy 'Marygoround' tells the story of Mary, a lonely woman who lives a simple life, free from sin, and is struggling with her menopause. But then her free-spirited cousin Helena arrives, and everything changes. Is Mary able to suppress her newfound lust for life?
Hard-working widow Leila is faced with a heartbreaking decision. Will she give in to bus driver Kazem’s marriage proposal to give her family financial security, even if it means saying goodbye to her twelve-year-old son? The gripping portrait of a mother in modern-day Iran.
This honest and sensitive drama by Maria Sødahl tells the story of Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig), who has just received the news that she has a terminal brain tumor. Together with her partner Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård), she tries to come to terms with this life-changing message.
'Baghdad in My Shadow' is a fictional thriller about a group of Iraqi immigrants living in London: Amal (Ghandour), a wife in hiding, Taufiq (Haitham Ali), an unsuccessful writer, and Muhannad, a gay IT specialist (Waseem Abbas). The three meet regularly in a local cafe, until the author's radical cousin attacks them and turns all lives upside down.
This tragicomical coming-of-age film is set in Ireland during the mid-90s. Teenagers Eddie and Amber fake a relationship in order to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality. However, their ‘ideal’ arrangement begins to fall apart, forcing both of them to rethink their lives.
Cyberbullying, TV series addiction, telemarketers, blackmail over a sex tape… Neighbors Marie, Bertrand and Christine have had enough of modern-day technology. They join forces to declare war on the tech giants - seemingly impossible, but together they are strong...
After eleven days filled with films from all over the world, it feels more than appropriate in this crazy year to close the festival on a ‘local note’ with this poignant documentary about Leiden legend Jochem Myjer.
Set in Lagos, Nigeria, Eyimofe (This is My Desire) follows the stories of Mofe, a factory technician, and Rosa, a hairdresser, on their quest for a better life on foreign shores. Tragedy and fate intervene as two people try to better the lives of their families.
This suspenseful thriller follows Kevin Costner as a retired sheriff and his wife (Diane Lane). After their son's tragic death, the couple sets out to find their grandson, who has fallen into the clutches of a dangerous criminal family.
After eleven days filled with films from all over the world, it feels more than appropriate in this crazy year to close the festival on a ‘local note’ with this poignant documentary about Leiden legend Jochem Myjer.
After eleven days filled with films from all over the world, it feels more than appropriate in this crazy year to close the festival on a ‘local note’ with this poignant documentary about Leiden legend Jochem Myjer.