Film Under the Stars 2018

Rome, the 1940s. Delia wants to be a good mother and wife. Always busy, she lives with her husband Ivano and their three children. Ivano is the harsh padre padrone, but his bedridden father is even worse. Delia has occasional moments of relief exchanging secrets with her best friend Marisa, and she is happy at the prospect of her oldest daughter getting married to a wealthier young man. She submissively accepts the fate that was assigned to her, until one day a mysterious letter arrives …

The debut of an Icelandic director, this is a warm but never sentimental story about the solace that unexpected friendship can bring.

Slovenian director Olmo Omerzu (Family Film), based in the Czech Republic, returns with an original drama about a family in crisis, infused with subtle humour and unexpected narrative turns. The film had its world premiere in the main competition at the San Sebastián Film Festival.

Emerik Blum, born in Sarajevo and, founded Energoinvest in 1951. In doing so, the entrepreneur launched one of the most successful international corporate histories of what was then socialist Yugoslavia. His recipe for success: people, worker self-management, and innovation. 

1949. George Orwell finishes what will be his final but most important novel, 1984. Orwell: 2+2=5 delves deep into his final months and visionary works to explore the roots of the vital and troubling concepts he revealed to the world in his dystopian masterpiece. Doublethink, Thoughtcrime, Newspeak, the omnipresent spectre of Big Brother. Disturbing sociopolitical truths which resonate ever-more powerfully today.

In the shadows of the Catholic church, nuns and women have long endured abuse at the hands of priests—insidious and tactful grooming, silenced by confession, and hidden through systemic cover-ups.

In 1991, on the outskirts of Tenja, Josip Reihl Kir – the chief of the Osijek Police Department, a man dedicated to negotiations and avoiding war – was assassinated. Peacemaker is a story about the last few months of his life, in the dawn of the bloodthirsty Croatian-Serbian war, which Kir had been trying hard to prevent, told through the statements of a few witnesses and archive materials from the era. Many elements of that assassination still remain unclear.

Between Vesuvius and the Gulf of Naples, the land quakes from time to time, and the fumaroles of the Phlegraean Fields taint the air. The ruins that lie below – Pompeii, Herculaneum, long-submerged Roman villas – tell of a future that was buried by time. From these traces of history, memories of the subterranean world, in black and white, a lesser-known Naples emerges and fills with lives.

Socio-cultural hub, consumer mecca, and source of existential dread; the video rental store forever changed the way we interact with movies. With narration by Maya Hawke over footage culled from hundreds of sources, Perry’s Videoheaven tells the story of an industry’s seismic impact on American movie culture.

Cat is a solitary animal. However, as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences. In this lonesome boat sailing through mystical flooded landscapes, they navigate the challenges and dangers of adapting to this new world. »A survival epic full of mysteries and magic, it’s an animated epic worthy of Ghibli.« – Time Out. »One of the most moving animated films in recent memory, and, beyond that, groundbreaking too.« – IndieWire. Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

Mihrije, Sina, and Jasna are best friends in their early twenties. Because of their boyish lifestyle, they often clash with their conservative surroundings. When they meet a transgender woman named Fantasy, a new world opens up to them… In her feature debut, young Slovenian director Kukla asks: “Who am I when there is no one left to define me?” The film won the award for Best Ensemble Cast at the Sarajevo Film Festival.

This moving dramedy about the unlikely friendship between a cynical Englishman and an adorable penguin was adapted by Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty) from a true story.

Somewhere between computer animation, macro photography, and time-lapse footage, a gentle narrative unfolds about a world after the end of the world.

The first Slovenian film to express scepticism towards socialist Slovenia.

A cross between Fernández, Dreyer, Eisenstein, and Pudovkin.

Breathless Slovenian style.

A road movie in which Slovenia lies somewhere between Wichita and Tulsa.

Even more provocative today than in 1972, when it was made.

Sex, Love, and Dreams–not necessarily in that order–are the chapters in the trilogy exploring contemporary relationships, set in modern-day Oslo. In Love, the director invites us to reflect on our desires and expectations regarding sexuality, relationships, and intimacy. 

In a Mexican border town plagued by neglect, corruption and violence, a teacher tries a radical new method to unleash the curiosity and potential of his students … and maybe even their genius. Based on a true story!

A sun-drenched neo-noir directed by German filmmaker Jan Ole Gerster, co-written with the recently deceased Slovenian screenwriter and director Blaž Kutin, who also co-wrote Gerster’s previous feature Lara. The film had its gala premiere in the Berlinale Special Gala section.

An intimate look into the life of an Icelandic family as the parents navigate their separation. Featuring the director’s own children, the film explores the complexities of fading love and the impact of shared memories.

In this dystopian drama, Tereza, a septuagenarian, refuses being sent to a senior housing colony, embarking instead on a journey through the Amazon to realize one last wish before losing her freedom.

In this fiercely original sex, drugs and hip-hop biopic, Kneecap play themselves in a global rallying cry for the defence of native cultures. 

Portuguese film-maker Miguel Gomes (Taboo, Arabian Nights) takes us on a dreamlike journey through the past and present with a turbulent love story set in colonial Asia in the early 20th century. The film, which combines melancholic drama and screwball comedy, won the Best Director award at Cannes.