Ten-year-old Asalif and his mother have been displaced from their farmland on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by the construction of a condominium. To fight back against those casting him out, Asalif taps into a fantasy of becoming his hero: the lion (“anbessa” in Amharic). Asalif uses his imagination to battle forces beyond his control. He must find the strength that resides in him in order to deal with the tides of change that are usurping a community, a country, and his own identity.
Anbessa Anbessa
Through an intimate coming-of-age story, Anbessa captures one boy taking on modernization on his own terms, revealing a unique and magical perspective on the myth of “progress”.
What's On
Whispers in the Woods Le chant des forêts
Vincent Munier
Thursday, 18. 06. 2026 / 16:50 / Main Hall
Following his film The Velvet Queen, in which he searched the Tibetan highlands for the elusive big cat, nature photographer Vincent Munier now invites us on an intimate journey to his native Vosges Mountains. Together with him, we will immerse ourselves in the sounds, textures, and scents of ancient forests. The film won the César Award for Best Documentary.
Sandbag Dam Zečji nasip
Čejen Černić
Thursday, 18. 06. 2026 / 19:00 / Main Hall
A story of forbidden love in the Croatian countryside, Sandbag Dam won the Kinotrip Youth Jury Award at Ljubljana International Film Festival (Liffe), as well as four awards at the Pula Film Festival.
Kinodvorišče
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Premiere
God Will not Help Bog neće pomoći
Hana Jušić
Thursday, 18. 06. 2026 / 21:30 / Kinodvorišče
The second feature film from Hana Jušić (Quit Staring at My Plate) is a darkly poetic neo-Western about a mysterious Chilean woman who brings unrest to a traditional Croatian shepherding community at the beginning of the 20th century. Blending elements of Wuthering Heights, Croatian folklore, and Jane Campion’s The Piano, the film earned its two leading actresses an award at Locarno.