O AMIGO DUNOR (DUNOR MY FRIEND) by José Eduardo Alcazar (Brazil/Paraguay, 2005), world premiere, Hubert Bals Fund supported film.
Fascinating interconnection between a silent drama and a deconstruction of a political film within the film. The 'friend from the North' is a young French writer arriving in Brasil during the seventies. He befriends a filmmaker who is shooting a film about the relationship between a deaf man and a paralyzed woman.
EL CIELO GIRA (THE SKY TURNS) by Mercedes Alvarez (Spain, 2004), international premiere.
Picturesque documentary registering the time passing in the Spanish village of La Aldea. Alvarez, the last baby born in this now nearly empty village returns to let her camera paint the essence of countryside life.
HAT MUA ROI BAO LAUY (BRIDE OF SILENCE) by DOAN Minh Phuong & DOAN Thanh Nghia (Vietnam/Germany, 2005), world premiere.
Refined, esthetically overwhelming Vietnamese epic tale that tells the story of a young, unmarried mother. Because she chooses not to speak, her life becomes a intriguing mystery.
ALLEIN (ALONE) by Thomas Durchschlag (Germany, 2004), international premiere.
Library assistant Maria is in fact a borderline case indulging herself in alcohol, drugs and - painful - sex. In his first feature film, Durchschlag holds back successfully, where in many scenes his ALLEIN could become uneasy or sensational.
ONDE (WAVES) by Francesco Fei (Italy, 2005), world premiere.
A story of love, dreams and anguish set among the new and old architecture of Genoa. Fei's début feature film shows how two characters meet and develops a well constructed image of human life in a demanding society.
LAS MANTENIDAS SIN SUEÑOS (KEPT AND DREAMLESS) by Vera Fogwill & Martin Desalvo (Argentina, 2005), world premiere, Hubert Bals Fund supported film.
Intimate portrayal of an irresponsible junkie-mother trying to kick the habit, her ten-year old daughter and their extended family. A encouraging, beautifully performed ensemble film.
NEMMENO IL DESTINO (CHANGING DESTINY) by Daniele Gaglianone (Italy, 2004), international premiere. Dutch distribution: Bright Angel Distribution.
Two young students, spend dreary lives roaming the suburbs and surroundings of a industrial city in decay. Using remarkable photography and editing, Gaglianone paints an intense portrait of loss and solitude.
SANCTUARY by HO Yu-hang (Malaysia, 2004), European premiere.
Realist drama on alienation, identity and solitude in Malaysia, a country trapped between tradition and modernity. Lai sells toy guns and spends his leisure time gambling. His girlfriend See has a very monotonous job.
PARADISE GIRLS by Fow Pyng HU (The Netherlands, 2004), European premiere. CineMart 2002 Project. Dutch distribution: 1morefilm.
In his PARADISE GIRLS, Hu brings together three Asian lives in three cultures and in three episodes. Three women's carefree lives are disturbed by male figures: a friend, a father and a son.
4 by Ilya Khrzhanovsky (Russia, 2004). Hubert Bals Fund supported film.
Fascinating début feature film written by famous controversial writer Vladimir Sorokin shows episodes of contemporary Moscow and countryside life touching on such diverse subjects as cloning and the Russian social and political changes.
BOGINYA: KAK YA POLYUBILA (GODDESS) by Renata Litvinova (Russia, 2004), international premiere.
Bizarre and fairytale-like police thriller in which a female detective tries to solve the lost case of a missing girl. Directed and played by Russian cult actress Renata Litvinova.
HAWAII, OSLO by Erik Poppe (Norway, 2004), European premiere. Dutch distribution: A-Film Distribution.
Five strong stories about love in Oslo during the hottest day of the year. A dying man lays in the street, while the persons around him are more alive than ever. One longs for Hawaii, Hawaii. One longs for Hawaii, Oslo. Gradually, the film unravels its web of interconnected relations.
ARU ASA SOUP WA (THE SOUP, ONE MORNING) by TAKAHASHI Izumi (Japan, 2003), European premiere.
Kitigawa suffers from panic attacks. His girl friend Shizu tries to reach and assist him, but the long silences speak for themselves. A very powerful and moving film written, directed and played by non-professionals only.
FRAKCHI (SPYING CAM) by WHANG Cheol-Mean (South Korea, 2004), European premiere
Two men seem bored to death in a steaming hot hotel room. They read Dostoyevsky and film using a video camera. The unpredictable SPYING CAM turns out to be an strong character study as well as a tragic political thriller.