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Paris Memories

DIRECTOR: Alice Winocour

WRITER: Jean-Stéphane Bron, Marcia Romano, Alice Winocour

CAST: Virginie Efira, Benoit Magimel, Maya Sansa COUNTRY: France

Following her mesmerising performance in Benedetta, Virginie Efira once again delivers in Alice Winocour’s powerful tale. She plays Mia, a young woman caught up in a shocking terrorist attack in a Parisian bistro. Still traumatised months later by her fragmented memories of that fateful night, Mia confronts her fears in her bid to find a healing process. Festival buzz has been strong for the drama described by Little White Lies as: “a poignant mediation on personal trauma”.

Prison 77

INFO: Sat 4 Mar / Light House 1 / 11:00 / 125 mins

DIRECTOR: Alberto Rodriguez

WRITER: Rafael Cobos

CAST: Miguel Herrán and Javier Gutiérrez

COUNTRY: Spain

Based on the story of a real-life, audacious jail break attempt, Alberto Rodríguez’s gritty prison thriller is set in a notorious institution in 1970s Barcelona. There, a young accountant facing embezzlement charges turns to an organisation fighting for the rights of prisoners. As the country at large takes steps towards democracy following the death of Franco, so too does the prisoners’ fight for better conditions - with much at stake during a time of unprecedented change.

Sick of Myself

INFO: Wed 1 Mar / Light House 2 / 18:15 / 97 mins

DIRECTOR: Kristoffer Borgli

WRITER: Kristoffer Borgli

CAST: Kristine Kujath Thorp, Eirik Sæther, Fanny Vaager

COUNTRY: Norway

R.M.N

INFO: Wed 1 Mar / Light House 2 / 20:30 / 125 mins

DIRECTOR: Cristian Mungiu

WRITER: Cristian Mungiu

CAST: Marin Grigore, Judith State, Macrina Bârladeanu

COUNTRY: Romania

Cristian Mungiu’s compelling drama comes to DIFF on foot of a widely lauded festival run. It focuses on Matthias, a man forced to abandon his job in Germany following a confrontation with a colleague. Back home in his multi-ethnic Transylvanian village and out of work, he seeks to reconnect with his son and ex-lover and rebuild his life. But he must do so in a place of growing and urgent cultural and political divisions.

Sisu

INFO: Sat 25 Feb / Light House 1 / 22:30 / 91 mins with HoH Captioning

DIRECTOR: Jalmari Helander

WRITER: Jalmari Helander

CAST: Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan

COUNTRY: Finland

Comedy meets horror in this Norwegian film which focuses on the very complex relationship between toxic couple Thomas and Signe. He’s a self-obsessed artist with little regard for his partner, so she takes extreme action to gain attentionshe intentionally makes herself ill. Signe takes unprescribed medication and fakes anaphylaxis to get Thomas’s sympathy, but just how far is she willing to go? Director Kristoffer Borgli channels Lars von Trier in this lively pitch-black comedy.

This gritty action movie is set towards the end of World War II, as a miner strikes it lucky when he uncovers a gold treasure in Lapland in Northern Finland. Taking his bounty, his luck looks to run out when he encounters a violent group of SS soldiers determined to take his gold. They don’t expect the miner to have sisu, the essence of Finnish courage and perseverance, as he bids to make his escape through enemy lines.

Smoking Causes Coughing

INFO: Sun 26 Feb / Light House 2 / 21:00 / 80 mins

DIRECTOR: Quentin Dupieux

WRITER: Quentin Dupieux

CAST: Gilles Lellouche, Vincent Lacoste, Anaïs Demoustier

COUNTRY: France

Tata

INFO: Sun 26 Mar / Light House 1 / 15:30 / 110 mins

DIRECTOR: Anna Maliszewska

WRITER: Anna Maliszewska

CAST: Polina Gromova

COUNTRY: Poland & Ukraine

Quentin Dupieux’s wildly inventive comedy features a starry cast and a bizarre premise - centring on the adventures of a group of superheroes known as The Tobacco Force. Named Nicotine, Benzene, Mercury, Ammonia and Methanol, they unite to tackle their enemies, including a giant turtle, but are sent to camp to brush up on their skills.

They may not be the Avengers, but if you’re looking for surreal and absurdist French cinema, you’ve come to the right place.

The Beasts

INFO: Tue 28 Feb / Light House 1 / 17:50 / 137 mins

DIRECTOR: Rodrigo Sorogoyen

WRITER: Isabel Peña, Rodrigo Sorogoyen

CAST: Marina Foïs, Denis Ménochet, Luis Zahera

COUNTRY: France & Spain

A French couple seek a simpler way of life in this mystery thriller from filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen (Madre). Olga and Antoine have long settled in a picturesque village in Galicia - but their relationship with some locals is not as peaceful as they’d hoped for. When a dispute with neighbouring brothers escalates, there are terrible consequences in a film described by Screen International as: “A terrific psychological thriller and a brooding, muscular piece of filmmaking”.

Acclaimed filmmaker Anna Maliszewska’s latest movie is a road-trip drama which centres on a long-distance driver facing major life changes. Michal is a single parent - but when his childminder neighbour dies suddenly, he has no choice but to take his young daughter and her best friend to the highways of Poland and Ukraine with him. In doing so, he opens them up to a rapidly changing world - as he contemplates his own life priorities.

The Damned Don’t Cry

INFO: Fri 3 Mar / Light House 1 / 15:30 / 110 mins

DIRECTOR: Fyzal Boulifa

WRITER: Fyzal Boulifa

CAST: Abdellah El Hajjouji, Antoine Reinartz, Aicha Tebbae

COUNTRY: France, Belgium, Morocco

British-Moroccan Fyzal Boulifa follows up his powerful exploration of female friendship, Lynn + Lucy (which was screened DIFF in 2020), by examining the dynamic between a poor single mother and her teenage son. Their already volatile relationship is pushed to breaking point as the boy learns his mother is harbouring dark secrets and will do anything to keep him safe from life’s hardships. Set in Morocco, the cast’s mix of non-professional and first-time actors amplifies its sense of potent realism.

The Five Devils

INFO: Sat 4 Mar / Light House 2 / 16:00 / 103 mins

DIRECTOR: Léa Mysius

WRITER: Paul Guilhaume, Léa Mysius

CAST: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Swala Emati, Sally Dramé

COUNTRY: France

Award-winning French actress Adèle Exarchopoulos stars in this fantasy-drama born out of Léa Mysius’ long-held fascination with smell. It centres on Vicky, a strange girl with the ability to reproduce any scent she likes, who has secretly captured the scent of the mother she adores. But when another family member comes into their lives, their scent brings her to dark and secretive places in a genre-bender about love, family and sense of place.