Ama, the daughter of Senegalese asylum seekers, feels completely Dutch. When Ama’s mother and brother are arrested, Ama sets off in search of her father through Rotterdam in the middle of winter, hoping to avoid deportation. During this frightening and exciting journey, she discovers her roots, thanks in part to her extraordinary totem animal: a gigantic porcupine.
Totem Totem
Ama is really passionate about swimming and spends most of her free time practising for an important upcoming competition, together with her best friend, Thijs. Ama feels totally Dutch, even though her parents are asylum-seekers from Senegal.
directed by Sander Burger, screenplay Sander Burger, Bastiaan Tichler , music Amaury Laurent Bernier , cinematography Sal Kroonenberg , editing Manuel Rombley , cast Jean-Philippe Amani (Ama), Ole van Hoogdalem (Thijs), Lies Visschedijk (Thijs's mother), Emmanuel Ohene Boafo (Ama's father), Céline Camara (Ama's mother), producers Fleur Knopperts, Denis Vaslin
festivals, awards Cinekid 2022 (Audience Award), NYICFF 2023 – New York (Best Film), Giffoni 2023, JEF 2023 (Audience Award), BIKY – Busan 2023, CICFF 2023 –Chicago
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What's On
Bitter Christmas Amarga Navidad
Pedro Almodóvar
Thursday, 03. 09. 2026 / 17:00 / Main Hall
Bitter Christmas tells two alternating stories. One takes place in 2004 and stars an advertising director Elsa during a long weekend in December. The other, set in the present, features Raúl, a cult director working on a new script. Soon we discover Raúl is writing about Elsa, her boyfriend Bonifacio, and her friends Patricia and Natalia… Almodóvar’s—always stylish—latest comes straight from Cannes!
Last Screening
Sound of Falling In die Sonne schauen
Mascha Schilinski
Thursday, 03. 09. 2026 / 19:30 / Main Hall
The lives of four girls from different historical periods inhabiting the same farmstead in northeast Germany are subtly interconnected. Cannes 2025 Jury Prize.
Third World Treći svijet
Arsen Oremović
Thursday, 03. 09. 2026 / 20:00 / Small Hall
Third World is more than just a documentary about Haustor, the legendary Zagreb band that left its mark on the former Yugoslavia’s music scene. It is the story of two creative opposites: Darko Rundek and Srđan Sacher. Through candid conversations, a studio reunion, and a wealth of archival material, the film reveals how the two artists’ sensitivity to the magic of everyday life once united their creative worlds – creating a third.