LANGUAGE DECAY
A broken camera captures my grandmother. Time causes disintegration and different variations and versions of selves emerge. With separation, she forgets her native tongue and languages once spoken, mirroring the transformation of living languages. The film is intentionally not subtitled.
United States 2025 / 2:55 / Director/Producer: Zazie Ray-Trapido
PERISHABLE IDOL
As the blue sky meets the surrounding seas, the native-turned-archeologist Hassan Al-Failakawy returns to the abandoned island of Failaka, off the coast of Kuwait. Between the desolation and the ruins on the island after the Gulf War, he is met with questions about return, restitution, and belonging.
France, Kuwait, Qatar 2025 / 18:30 / Director: Majid Al-Remaihi / Producer: François Bonenfant
LILI
In rural Yunnan, a nine-year-old girl’s ordinary life with her grandparents is shattered by an unspeakable incident.
China 2025 / 14:00 / Director: Shuhan Liao, Zhaoguang Luo
THE MEN'S LAND
In Georgia, Ushguli mountain customs dictate that in the absence of a son, a family’s land must be handed down to the next male relative. We follow the journey of an aspiring singer as she fights for her property in the face of dated rules and traditions, her song becoming a bulwark against humiliation.
Georgia 2025 / 15:00 / Director: Mariam Bakacho Khatchvani / Producer: Teimuraz Chkhvimiani
GOD IS SHY
During a train ride, Ariel and Paul pass the time sketching their deepest fears. Their game takes an unexpected turn when Gilda, a mysterious passenger, intrudes on their exchange. Yet, her relationship with fear seems far less innocent than their playful drawings.
France 2025 / 15:00 / Director: Jocelyn Charles / Producer: Félix de Givry, Ugo Bienvenu, Joséphine Mancini
THE LIGHTNING ROD
A young mother is fleeing from a poisonous relationship, and seeks safety at her grandmother’s house. Instead of protection she is greeted by her grandma’s hostility. In the midst of a raging summer storm the two women have to face the consequences of repressing feelings for too long.
Finland 2025 / 20:52 / Director: Helmi Donner / Producer: Sandra Enkvist, Hadi Nikzad