AFM 2024 Line up I Arthouse
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
Directed by Pham Thien An
On Release
A man returns to his hometown, where he's haunted by past memories and desires.
Guardians of the Formula
Directed by Dragan Bjelogrlic
In 1958, during the Cold War, two scientists, two worlds, and two ideologies faced a race for survival at the Vinca Scientific Institute near Belgrade.
Set in a small remote Saudi Arabian village, in the 90s when artistic expression was banned, NORAH is a story about the basic human need to communicate through art, in all its forms. Nader, a new schoolteacher and an artist in secret, arrives at the village and meets Norah, a young woman who ignites the creativity inside him and inspires him to paint again. At great risk, they develop a delicate connection and a quiet bond. Nader enlightens Norah on the wider world outside of her tiny community and she realises she must leave, to find a place where she can be free to express her artistic self.
Norah
Directed by Tawfik Alzaidi
Screened @ Cannes 2024
Toronto Film Festival 2024
Johan, on the cusp of manhood, lives alone with his Mama on a crocodile farm in West Java. Mother and son live in voluntary exile with only a white crocodile as their confidant. Their life of isolation is disrupted when Johan falls for a girl in town, Arumi, setting off a chain of events that threatens the delicate balance of their lives. As the fabric of their world unravels, Mama’s opposition manifests in increasingly bizarre ways...
Crocodile Tears
Directed by Tumpal Tampubolon
After the birth of her first child, Diane disappears in an unknown city, but her body reawakens her memories and what she is fleeing from.
Paradises of Diane (Les Paradis de Diane)
Directed by Carmen Jaquier & Jan Gassmann
Locarno Film Festival
Karen lives with her husband Markus and their children in her idyllic childhood home. Karen’s sister Jule and her family are visiting for Markus’ birthday. The two women could not be more different. Grim reminders of their deceased mother incite Jule’s rebellion against her domineering sister. As the house gradually fills with life and a sparrow in the chimney seeks a way out to freedom, Karen becomes increasingly tense – until it all comes to a head and the old is destroyed to make room for the new.
The Sparrow In The Chimney
Directed by Ramon Zürcher
25-year-old Merey lives a quiet but happy life in Almaty. By chance, she meets the charming Nurlan, who invites her to a birthday party in the mountains. She expects a simple celebration with new friends, but what ensues is an intense and tumultuous night that quickly spirals into a dark game of cat-and-mouse.
Crickets, It’s Your Turn
Directed by Olga Korotko
Venice Film Festival
Over the course of a week boomerang is unfolding as a sociological snapshot of modern Tehran with manhood in crisis, a crumbling marriage and a teenage couple falling in love under the eyes of the public.
Boomerang
Directed by Shahab Fotouhi
BEST FILM ** FIPRESCI AWARD ** SPECIAL MENTION FOR BEST CINEMATOGGRAPHY
On December 20th, 1989, Romania stands on the brink of revolution. The streets are alive with demonstrations, students mock the regime through art, and New Year’s shows glorify Ceausescu. Yet, behind closed doors, families grapple with personal conflicts and the omnipresent Secret Police.
Six seemingly disconnected lives intersect in unexpected ways. As tensions reach a boiling point, an explosive moment brings them together, culminating in the dramatic fall of Ceausescu and the communist regime.
The New Year That Never Came
Directed by Bogdan Muresanu