10th edition CIFF – 10-14 April 2024

American Honey (2017 Feature Film)

Pounding music; the youngsters sing, smoke weed, have sex and fight. The ragged Star (scintillating debut from Sasha Lane) falls for Jake (Shia LaBeouf) and jumps in his van to travel with him. A depressing look at the American economy, but an optimistic take on the strength of young people. First American production by British director Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank).

Angélica (2017 Feature Film) Nominee

Angélica dreams of a major career as a fashion designer in New York, but hasn’t gotten much further than a boring sewing job. A visit to her motherland Puerto Rico, where her sick father awaits her in hospital, marks the start of a journey of personal discovery.

Arábia (Araby) (2017 Feature Film)

In an old factory, a young man finds the diary of a worker who died in an accident. In the same way that in certain Westerns an anonymous drifter driven by a primitive survival instinct can become the hero, Araby focuses on the life of a marginalized worker in contemporary Brazil. Original, socially committed, and poignant.

Astrid H. Roemer – De wereld heeft gezicht verloren (2017 Feature Film)

A Persian cat, a laptop and a rucksack– the only possessions renowned Surinamese-Dutch author Astrid Roemer had with her for the past 15 years. Her word art was more important than interpersonal relationships or a place to put down roots. Colleagues, linguists and Roemer explain her work in this literary-documentary homage.

Bad Lucky Goat (2017 Feature Film) Nominee

Growing up under the same roof doesn’t guarantee friendship. That definitely applies to these bickering siblings in this playful coming-of-age story. Can these Colombian youngsters rely on each other if they run into trouble together? A colorful, musical road trip with a dead goat as catalyst.

The Burglar (2017 Feature Film)

Yaeli lives with her mother in a village by the Dead Sea. One day, her mother disappears without any explanation. After a break-in at their apartment, Yaeli decides to turn burglar herself. Not for the money, but because she misses intimacy and this allows her to catch a glimpse of the lives of others.

Burma Storybook (2017 Feature Film)

Poet and activist from Myanmar Maung Aung Pwint has spent large swathes of his life in prison. Now the country is free after 50 years of military dictatorship, he reminisces and struggles with painful memories. A poetic, loving documentary about a country reinventing itself.

La calle de los pianistas (Pianists Street) (2017 Feature Film)

In a small street in Brussels, Rue Bosquet, a remarkable concentration of talented pianists has developed over the years. For instance, the world-famous Argentinian concert pianist Martha Argerich lives right next door to the renowned Tiempo-Lechner family of pianists. The walls are thin enough to hear what the neighbors are rehearsing.

Donkeyote (2017 Feature Film)

Manolo wants to walk the Trail of Tears, the route used during the forced removal of Cherokee Indians to Oklahoma. But the 73-year-old Andalusian has chronic arthritis, speaks no English and more importantly: how will he get his trusty donkey into the US – and cure its fear of water? An ode to intransigence and friendship.

Elle (2017 Feature Film)

High-powered business woman Michèle, head of leading video game company, seems indestructible. Being attacked in her home by an unknown assailant changes Michèle’s life forever. When she resolutely tracks the man down, they are both drawn into a curious and thrilling game, a game that may, at any moment, spiral out of control.

Extraño pero verdadero (Strange But True) (2017 Feature Film)

A refuse truck driven by Mister Clean crisscrosses the streets of Mexico City with Jonathan and Yesi on board, who are in love – and on the point of losing control of their lives. Sharp black-and-white drama by director Lipkes on the crime and violence blighting his country, with love as a leitmotif.

Félicité (2017 Feature Film)

Powerful portrait of Kinshasa and the confident, independent Félicité who helps patrons of the bar she performs in temporarily forget the misery outside. Fate strikes when her son ends up in hospital due to a motorbike accident. But this could be the start of something good.

Fonko (2017 Feature Film)

An exciting exploration of the musical, social and cultural innovation presently spreading across the African continent. Fonko introduces us to a young generation that is rediscovering its own musical and activist heritage in countries like Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa and is producing a wide range of infectious new music styles.

Frantz (2017 Feature Film)

A German woman grieving the death of her lover in World War I is shocked when his grave is visited by a Frenchman, who claims he was friends with her beloved before the war. The two bond over their shared connection, unaware of the true reason the Frenchman has come to visit.

Glove

An animated tale based on the true story of glove lost in space in 1968 and which has been drifting ever since.

Home (2017 Feature Film)

Where and with whom do you feel at home? This is the theme the teenage friends and their families grapple with in Fien Troch’s latest drama. Who can you truly trust when you have nowhere left to turn? The tension is always palpable, partly thanks to Johnny Jewel’s seamlessly fitting soundtrack.

I Am Not Your Negro (2017 Feature Film)

“The negro story in America is America’s story. And it’s not a good story,” wrote American author, poet and social critic James Baldwin (1924-1987), whose writings and statements about the American civil rights movement constitute the core of this impressive documentary that was nominated for an Oscar in 2017.

La idea de un lago (The Idea of a Lake) (2017 Feature Film)

Milagros Mumenthaler returns with a playful family drama set amongst stunning Argentinian mountains. Photographer Inès is pregnant and wants to find out about her father, who disappeared. She only has a single, old photograph of him. Dreamy fantasy elements are expertly interwoven with her reconnaissance of intimacy and undisclosed history.

Jean of the Joneses (2017 Feature Film)

“I won’t let you write that down”, Jackie says to her interviewer, a slight smile playing across her face, after getting too personal. However, we see it all, in this first English-language film by Chilean master Pablo Larraín, about Jackie Kennedy in the days after JFK’s assassination. The widely lauded Natalie Portman puts in an intense and intimate performance in the title role.

Jeffrey (2017 Feature Film)

Jeffrey depicts the dreams of a 12-year-old windshield washer both realistically and poetically. He’d love to be a famous reggaeton vocalist and send his sister to school. But for a Dominican boy, reality is harsh.

Julieta (2017 Feature Film)

Julieta and her daughter Antíasuffer in silence over the loss of Xoan, Antía’s father and Julieta’s husband. When Antía turns eighteen she abandons her mother, without a word of explanation. Julieta looks for her in every possible way, but all she discovers is how little she knows of her daughter.

Keyla (2017 Feature Film) Nominee

Just before her 18th birthday, Keyla’s father is lost at sea. What has happened to him? Where is his body? Colombian filmmaker Viviana Gómez Echeverry studies the tension between dream and reality on an ostensibly paradisiacal Caribbean island in this promising debut.

La Chana (2017 Feature Film)

She ruled on stage, but at home flamenco phenomenon La Chana was emotionally and physically abused by her husband. The moving documentary La Chana, an audience favorite at IDFA, is an ode to human resilience and to this grande dame of flamenco.

Landfill Harmonic (2017 Feature Film)

Violins, flutes, drums: the instruments played by the members of the poverty-stricken Paraguayan youth orchestra in the documentary Landfill Harmonic are made from waste. The film explains how music has unexpectedly offered these children a brighter future.

The Man (2017 Feature Film)

When the unknown son of world-famous artist Simon suddenly turns up and moves in with him, things start getting tense. Is this just a midlife crisis, professional jealously or justified suspicion? What does the enigmatic Casper really want from him? Satire, thriller and fluently filmed drama set in the art world of the always photogenic Copenhagen.

Moonlight (2017 Feature Film)

American indie sensation shows the life of a black man as he grows from being the poor child of a single, addicted mother into a tough adult continually wracked with doubt. This poetic narration about the exploration of identity, sexuality and bonding is pioneering in its tender portrayal of black masculinity. It has already won many prizes. Winner Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama.

Neruda (2017 Feature Film)

Santiago, 1948. A police inspector (Gael García Bernal) is ordered by president Videla to hunt down poet and politician Pablo Neruda who has openly criticized the right-wing regime, and who has gone into hiding.

The Other Side of Hope (Toivon tuolla puolen) (2017 Feature Film)

“No problem. You are not the first one”, is what a Syrian refugee is told by a dry-as-dust cop at the police station in Helsinki where he applies for political asylum. Enter the unique, mildly absurdist Finnish universe of Aki Kaurismäki in which both this newcomer and a born-and-bred Finn reinvent themselves.

Paterson (2017 Feature Film)

Paterson (Adam Driver) gets up at six a.m., drives his bus, comes home to his wife (Golshifteh Farahani) at six p.m., walks the dog and has a beer at his local bar. Every day. In the meantime, he writes poetry. Jarmusch is the loving observer of this loving observer. A small oasis of a film.

Pela janela (A Window to Rosália) (2017 Feature Film)

Sensitive, heart-warming debut about a journey undertaken by a middle-aged brother and sister. As they set out from São Paulo, the unhappy Rosália is a shadow of her former self. But thanks to her dedicated brother José, during the journey to bustling Buenos Aires she regains the belief that life can be joyful.

Perfetti sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers) (2017 Feature Film)

When seven friends give each other control of their cell phones during an intimate supper, they all prove to harbor more secrets than they thought. This box-office hit from Italy is an intelligently written, bittersweet comedy about modern-day life and love, topped off with outstanding acting.

Playing Lecuona (2017 Feature Film)

Cuban Latin-jazz pianist and composer Ernesto Lecuona left behind a rich musical inheritance some decades ago. Three Spanish-speaking contemporaries use stories and music to show how greatly the ‘Cuban Gershwin’ influenced their music. Homage to the legendary Lecuona, his work and the universal love of music we all share.

Pop Aye (2017 Feature Film)

A disillusioned architect rediscovers Pop Aye, the elephant from his childhood, in the streets of Bangkok. Together they set off on a journey to the village where they grew up. Occasionally funny, occasionally moving road movie about two uprooted souls who meet the most colorful figures on their journey home.

Il postino (Il Postino: The Postman) (2017 Feature Film)

A cycling Italian postman only delivers to one address in the early 1950s: the temporary, remote abode of Pablo Neruda. This Chilean poet in exile teaches the unassuming and endearing postman to love the written word. Award-winning arthouse classic from 1994 that is still universally heartwarming in 2017.

Santa y Andrés (Santa & Andres) (2017 Feature Film)

In Cuba in 1983 an improbable friendship develops between a homosexual author and the obedient government official who has to ‘babysit’ the former for three days. Subtle drama demonstrates how politics can drive people apart and how essential human contact can obviate that distance.

Tramontane (2017 Feature Film)

Moving, ingenious, and musical narrative about life after war. When his band is to perform in Europe, blind Lebanese musician Rabih has to get a passport. This leads to a quest for his roots in a country where the civil war has left a trail of lies and loss. Who is really blind here?

El vigilante (The Night Guard) (2017 Feature Film)

Salvador works as a night watchman at a construction site. Normally nothing much happens, but precisely on the day that his wife is about to give birth, the problems just keep mounting; from an inexplicable theft to the discovery of a dead body.

The Violin Teacher (Heliopolis) (2017 Feature Film)

Will a talented musician’s life end after a botched audition? Brazilian violinist Laerte fears the worst. He decides to start work as a music teacher in the favelas, where he is confronted with a pack of undisciplined youths. Will this rag-tag mob ever be musical?

A Wedding (Noces) (2017 Feature Film)

The strong bond between Zahira and her parents is tested when an arranged marriage with a Pakistani man is set up as tradition decrees. She faces a heart-rending dilemma. Convincing portrait of the conundrums facing second generation immigrants that unfolds like a Greek tragedy in contemporary Brussels.