A film about the end of the world and the end of a roll of toilet paper. In his deftly playful work shot on 16mm, filmmaker (and musician) Ondřej Vavrečka reminisces, says his farewells and also reflects on the limits of progress. Via three fictional characters, each of whom responds differently to the impulses of their surroundings, he simultaneously enhances the sensitivity of the film audience. Will a pain we experience leave a scar or merely a colourless memory? And will someone remember the old Vysočany station a hundred years from now? In its poetic charm this cinematic piece is almost tactile in nature; it awakens all the senses and, in places, bears the hallmark of Jan Švankmajer, if the latter had been born an essential optimist, that is. Film as a whisper emanating from smiling lips. (Viktor Palák, KVIFF)
The heroine, a young archaeology student, whose relationship with herself, and with those around her, is forever marked by a traumatic event. Initially, Gaia cannot find the words to describe her situation, let alone the courage to speak about it. Eventually, however – like an archaeological excavation – she begins to uncover fragments of the past in order to piece her life together.
29-year-old Ilona and her boyfriend have just moved into a new apartment in a block of flats. When the building’s renovation begins soon afterwards and she befriends Oleg, one of the Ukrainian construction workers, her idyllic notions of a fulfilling life as she approaches thirty start to crumble, like the old plaster on the walls.
Javiera, an up-and-coming dancer, lands her first duet in a performance with an erotic theme. But as rehearsals begin, buried memories of past sexual abuse resurface, forcing her to confront a trauma she thought she'd left behind. Torn between her passion for dance and the weight of her past, she pushes herself to the edge, struggling to move forward without hurting her partner or her career. In the process, art and pain become inseparably entwined.
The Linyuan Pavilion, the library of the Li family that has never been open to the outside world, was suddenly robbed, and detective Bai Fei was invited to assist in the investigation. At the scene of the mysterious secret room, he found that this seemingly ordinary theft was full of dangers, and everyone seemed to be holding a secret that could not be told.
Struggling real estate agent Mandy discovers her true passion and love when she inherits her grandfather's bowling alley, teams up with a local vet, and finds a lost kitten along the way.
A young woman living out of the city goes on two crucial road trips, one with her father, and the other with her fiancé to his parents house in the city. Upon arriving, she comes to question everything she thought she knew about him, and herself. "Does It Hurt Too Bad to Look at Me?" invites audiences to reflect on the fragility of relationships, the influence of parents on our choices, and self exploration.
In a powerful and tension-filled drama, “White Dwarf” explores the story of Ayham, a scrapyard guard living under harsh conditions. He faces a situation that unveils his repressed anger, leading to a breaking point that changes everything.
Ala'a is a high-achieving university student, torn between ambition and suppressed desire. When his friend Yazan draws him into a momentary escape through prostitution, their decision spirals into a harrowing trap of blackmail and guilt. As consequences close in, Ala'a is forced to confront the darkness behind his choices, and the cost of crossing the line.
By knowing oneself, a person knows the whole world. Refusal of self-knowledge distances a person from God. What does a woman seek in a man's world? What passionate and vague dreams control her? The painful search for the Ideal in an imperfect world is realized by a love triangle. While men measure their strength in the fight for a woman, her subconscious has already equalized them in weakness, because next to her Ideal, they are both just insignificant shadows. Perhaps the reason for the collapse is the very existence of an abstract Ideal, which inevitably gives rise to a comparative analysis of the surrounding men, and, as a result, the impossibility of choice. The happiness of motherhood for this woman lies in the absence of a reason for comparison, because the child is certainly pure and beautiful.
Sewa, a young woman living in Lagos who is constantly interrogated by her friends and family about her prolonged lack of romantic relationships, seems to find a suitable admirer, but a strange presence in her dreams complicates the matter.
Eccentric Aunt Nellie (Shelley Duvall) has a magical trunk in her attic at the costume shop that she owns. Costumes that are placed in the trunk possess the ability to fulfill the "dreams" of those who wear them.