Animals Director: Greg Zglinski Writers: Jörg Kalt, Greg Zglinski Genre: Mystery/ Thriller A collision with a sheep on a country road initiates a whole series of weird and unsettling experiences for Anna and Nick which ultimately leave them both incapable of being certain exactly where they are: in the real world, in their own imaginations – or in someone else's imagination. Andrea jumps out of a third floor window in a Viennese tenement building. Anna and Nick live in the very same building. She believes Nick used to have an affaire with Andrea and decides to try to start over in a holiday house in Switzerland. Meanwhile attractive Mischa is hired as housesitter for the Viennese flat. Anna can't help to notice her physical likeness with Andrea. Even in far away Lousanne an ice cream vendour reminds her strongly of Andrea. Slowly various story levels start to overlap and dissolve into each other. On top of all of that strange things start happening in their holiday home, which apparently only Anna experiences. Anna starts to doubt her sanity, to suspect that she's trapped in a parallel reality, from where there's no way back. Is it because of her car crash with Nick? Is she imagining things? Or does Nick really start to engage in an affaire with the ice cream vendour, who looks so much like Andrea? Or is Mischa actually Andrea and dreams that Anna goes crazy? "This darkly comic thriller about a married couple's nightmarish alpine retreat pays obvious dues to Hitchcock, Polanski and Lynch, but is too stylish and self-aware to fall into the trap of mere pastiche. As a superior genre exercise, it is assured a healthy festival future, but venturesome distributors may also see the potential in its classy European psycho-horror pedigree." – Hollywood Reporter "A film that is transformed into a sublime four-handed symphony." - CineEuropa "All we can say: it just works, on a gut level and on an aesthetic level... Yet it's not the destination, but the journey there which makes Tiere worthwhile and a wild box of fun. After the credits rolled, I wanted to see it again." – Berlin Film Journal Cast Philipp Hochmair (Nick) Birgit Minichmayr (Anna) Mehdi Nebbou (Tarek) Michael Ostrowski (Harald) Mona Petri (Mischa / Andrea / Eisverkäuferin)
Runtime: 95 min Country: Switzerland/Austria/Poland Language: German Year: 2017
The Benefit of the Doubt Director: Samuel Tilman Writer: Samuel Tilman Genre: Thriller Where does belief end and doubt begin? David is a father to a young family: he has a wife whom he loves, two young adorable children, and is part of a close-knit group of friends who often holiday together. But upon his return from a stay with friends in the Vosges, David is questioned by police in connection with a murder. The investigation quickly uncovers that behind his flawless facade, David doesn't seem to have such a perfect life after all. Doubt spreads and people take sides. If, initially, solidarity persists, the group’s beautiful harmony soon crumbles to pieces. Suspicions quickly arise, particularly as the investigation begins to creep into every dark and intimate corner of David's life, unearthing wellhidden secrets. Some big-time secrets. But if David’s capable of hiding such things from his wife and close friends, surely he's capable of hiding much worse? „A psychological thriller that strikes a chord with us all“ - Cineuropa „In his first feature-length fiction drama, Samuel Tilman offers an extremely mastered thriller“ – La Libre „Samuel Tilman demonstrates a propensity for mystery and atmosphere. Written in tempore non suspecto, but in the same mood, the scenario is remarkably sharp in the era of viral information and in the aftermath of the Weinstein affair, the #MeToo movement and subsequent debates.“ – Critique Film Cast Fabrizio Rongione (David) Natacha Régnier (Julie) Baptiste Lalieu (Noël) Myriem Akheddiou (Cathy) Yoann Blanc (Fabian) Christophe Paou (Marco) Florence Roux Eyre (Guest) Erika Sainte (Maud) Steve Driesen Naïma Ostrowski
Original title: Une part d'ombre Runtime: 90 min Country: Belgium/France/Switzerland Language: French Year: 2017 Festivals and awards 2017 Les Arcs European Film Festival 2018 Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur 2018 International Thriller Film Festival Beaune - The Special Police Prize 2018 Bari International Film Festival
Blue My Mind Director: Lisa Brühlmann Writer: Lisa Brühlmann Genre: Drama/Thriller/Fantasy 15-year-old Mia is facing an overwhelming transformation which calls her entire existence into question. Mia is a sensitive teen who’s been uprooted and forced to adapt to a new school midway through the year on account of her father’s career change. Not content to just ogle the cool clique from afar, she’s eager to win their favor and desperate for approval from peers who act twice her age. Heedless of consequence, Gianna (Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen) and her gal pals embrace all manner of extreme behavior. In the face of choking games, pill-popping and binge drinking, their smoking habits, shoplifting and twerking are tame by comparison. Mia too gets a rush from these and other forms of rebellion. Like most teens, she acts out against her parents, is keen on experimenting, and very curious about sexual exploration, all the more so because losing her virginity is sure to up her cool factor with the libidinous teenagers she looks up to. „’Blue My Mind’ is frank, feminine and all-around fantastic“ – Screen Anarchy „A skin-deep film from a director of such sensual pleasure.“ - Cineuropa „The debut feature from actress Lisa Brühlmann brings a surreal spin to the coming of age story, and is an effective showcase for a striking cast of young performers.“ – Screen International Cast Luna Wedler (Mia) Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen (Gianna) Regula Grauwiller (Gabriela) Georg Scharegg (Michael) Lou Haltinner (Nelly) Yael Meier (Vivi) David Oberholzer (Roberto) Una Rusca (Sophie) Timon Kiefer (Alex) Benjamin Dangel (Jim) Martin Rapold (Gianna’s father) Rachel Braunschweig (Doctor) Dominik Locher (Teacher)
Runtime: 97 min Country: Switzerland Language: Swiss German Year: 2017
Awards Swiss Film Prize 2018 Winner Swiss Film Prize Best Film; Best Actress - Luna Wedler; Best Screenplay Zurich Film Festival 2017 Winner Critics' Choice Award Winner Golden Eye Best Film in Focus Switzerland, Germany, Austria
Crater Directors: Luca Bellino, Silvia Luzi Writters: Luca Bellino, Silvia Luzi, Rosario Caroccia (contributor) Genre: Drama Success becomes an obsession, and talent becomes a punishment. Rosario works as a street seller on the fairgrounds of the suburbs of Naples. His dream to escape poverty latches onto the musical talent of his daughter Sharon. Fascinated by the video images of his teenage daughter, he turns into an impresario to make her a star of the Italian folk music. Between documentary and realistic tale, Crater portrays the ambitions of a father against the freedom of his daughter. „It’s a technically impressive feat, complete with a few hidden cameras, that recalls a reality show in the hands of two very sensitive, skillful directors.“ – The Hollywood Reporter „Luzi and Bellino’s observant eyes remain Crater’s trump card, particularly in capturing the impressive performances of its non-professional, first-time leads... Their immersive, authentic efforts... should go a long way towards helping the film secure further berths on the international circuit after its premiere in Venice Critics Week and special jury prize in Tokyo’s main competition.“ - Screen Daily „An extraordinary job, perhaps the best Italian film presented in 2017. A tale between real and hypothetical that drains every stereotype and offers a third look but full of emotion on the life of those looking for a chance. The opening scene, magnetic yet distant, yet true, would represent a moment of very high cinema, of what few can conceive and turn.“ – Anonima Cinefili Cast Sharon Caroccia (Sharon) Rosario Caroccia (Rosario) Tina Amariutei Assunta Arcella Imma Benvenuto Eros Caroccia Mariaelianna Caroccia Rosario Junior Caroccia Rosario Petrone Davide Russo Genny Valentino
Original title: Il cratere Runtime: 93 min Country: Italy Language: Italian Year: 2017
Awards Tokyo International Film Festival 2017 Winner Special Jury Prize for Film Crossing Europe Film Festival 2018 Crossing Europe Award, Special Jury Award
Hunting Season Director: Natalia Garagiola Writer: Natalia Garagiola Genre: Drama In a wild environment, the father tames his son and teaches him how to respect nature and human relationships. Ernesto is a respected hunting guide who lives in Patagonia with his new family. After the loss of his first wife, he is forced to house his teenage son, Nahuel, whom he has not seen for more than a decade. Confronted with the past he left behind, Ernesto struggles to contain the violent outbursts of his son. In the hostility of nature, resentment will give way to a possible relationship between the two. Their reunion will confront them with their own ability to kill and forgive. Argentinian director Natalia Garagiola already has a well-established presence at film festivals with her three short films. She started out at BAFICI with her debut, Rincón De López (2011), and later attended Cannes with Mares and Parakeets (2012) in the Critics’ Week and Sundays (2014) – codirected with Kræsten Kusk – in the Directors’ Fortnight. "There's a regal, rolling sense of great-outdoors scale to "Hunting Season," a confident, clean-lined debut from Argentinian writer-director Natalia Garagiola, that only puts the internal shuttering of its young protagonist in starker relief." - Variety "While its story is not new, it is sensitively told, and this nuanced approach, together with compelling performances, helps lift this film above the usual family drama. Its stunning aesthetic should strike a chord." – Screen International "New wine in old bottles, then, but the steely taste is nevertheless undeniably potent." – The Hollywood Reporter Cast Germán Palacios (Ernesto) Lautaro Bettoni (Nahuel) Boy Olmi Rita Pauls Pilar Benitez Vivart Original title: Temporada de Caza Runtime: 105 min Country: Argentina/France/United States/Germany/Qatar Language: Spanish Year: 2017
Awards and nominations Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Argentina 2017 Nominated Award of the Argentinean Academy Best First Work Best New Actor - Lautaro Bettoni Bratislava International Film Festival 2017 Nominated Grand Prix International Competition Chicago International Film Festival 2017 Nominated Gold Hugo New Directors Competition San Sebastián International Film Festival 2017 Nominated Horizons Award Venice Film Festival 2017 Won Audience Award (Critics' Week) Best Film
Imperfect Age Director: Ulisse Lendaro Writer: Cosimo Calamini Genre: Drama She’s seventeen-year-old girl like many others, and like many others somewhat special. She lives in a quiet city in Northern Italy, she is a good student and doesn’t get along with her younger sister Francesca. She has a dream, which her mother, a pragmatic and hard-working woman from Eastern Europe, doesn’t understand, unlike her father, who is more “maternal” and supportive. Camilla wants to become a ballet dancer and an upcoming audition to be admitted into a prestigious academy is a great opportunity. But Sara, another aspiring ballerina, disrupts Camilla’s life like an unrelenting summer wind. She is eighteen, charismatic and sexy, with a wealthy father and an absent mother. Provoking and affectionate moments, drama, pivotal decisions, twists and turns will alter the course of their relationship in unexpected ways, changing Camilla’s life forever. „...Extremely different film from others in Italian cinema, and in many ways much superior in its art of telling. And if that's not the definition of a good movie, I do not know what else it might be. Do not miss this movie.” - Mymovies.it „...A film defined by love, clashes, disappointments, revenge and passions immersed in a shady atmosphere where no one is innocent for real. A convincing surprise.“ - La Repubblica „An attentive and mature directorial debut that moves away from the usual topics of the contemporary Italian cinema“ – Taxidrivers.com Cast Marina Occhionero (Camilla) Paola Calliari (Sara) Anna Valle Anita Kravos Ulisse Lendaro Enrico Cavicchioli Antonio Framarin Vivian Darlene Grillo Diego Pagotto (Ivano) Piergiorgio Piccoli
Original title: L'Età Imperfetta Runtime: 96 min Country: Italy Language: Italian Year: 2017
Lemonade Director: Ioana Uricaru Writers: Tatiana Ionascu, Ioana Uricaru Genre: Drama They say when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. This story, inspired by real events, reveals the true taste of the American Dream. While working in the US on a temporary visa as a caretaker, Mara, a 30 year-old single mother from Romania, marries Daniel, an American. After the arrival of her son Dragos, everything seems to have fallen perfectly into place. When the process of getting a green card veers unexpectedly off course, however, Mara is faced with abuses of power on every level and forced to answer a dark question about herself – how far would you go to get what you want? The lead role, Mara, is played by Malina Manovici (Graduation, 2016) and this first feature by Ioana Uricaru is produced by Palme d'Or winner Cristian Mungiu. „A strong debut feature from Romanian writer-director Ioana Uricaru. Built around an excellent, harrowingly sensitive lead performance by Malina Manovici, it was one of the standout world premieres at this year's Berlinale, where its combination of quiet style and provocative content played well with audiences.“ – The Hollywood Reporter „Uricaru’s steady pacing and sympathetic eye ensures that Mara’s downbeat journey is a consistently intriguing and watchable one... Lemonade suggests an optimistic future is in store for both Mara, and Uricaru.“ – Cinevue „Uricaru’s film seems a calling card for bigger features to come, whether produced at home or abroad.“ - Variety Cast Mãlina Manovici (Mara) Dylan Smith (Daniel) Steve Bacic (Moji) Milan Hurduc (Dragos) Ruxandra Maniu (Aniko) Goran Radaković (The Lawyer) Víctor Gómez (Officer Cruz) Meghan Allen (Officer Dean) Lisa Bronwyn Moore (Muriel) Paula Costain (Real Estate Agent) Arthur Holden (Doctor) Richard Jutras (Motel Clerk)
Runtime: 88 min Country: Romania/Germany/Canada/Sweden Language: English/Romanian Year: 2018