Synopsis

In this wondrous and warm-hearted portrait, director Sari Braithwaite (ChicagoIFF winner [Censored]) follows a very unique Australian family. Middle-aged and deeply in love, thoughtful and witty couple “Buddha” Barnes and Janet Sharrock live in a dusty working-class Melbourne suburb, still caring for their five adult kids from separate marriages. Adding to the complexities of a mixed family is the fact that they are all neurodivergent, living with a range of conditions from autism to depression to extreme dyslexia.

Sharing their deepest thoughts, fears, and dreams, we get to know each of the family members as they confront their vulnerabilities. And of course life, in all of its joys, misfortunes, and traumas, gets in the way. Blending the mundane with the universal through intimate verité footage and poetic shots of starry nighttime skies, Because We Have Each Other is a tender chronicle of the most normal, extraordinary lives.

Synopsis

Pulled pork, ribs, and liverwurst sandwiches — these are a few of the Southern delicacies filmmaker Eric D. Seals grew up eating alongside his father, Donnie Seals, Sr. But after facing death and undergoing the first of three quadruple bypass operations, the elder Seals decided to completely overhaul his life. Bike Vessel chronicles Donnie’s new chapter after becoming an avid cyclist, and follows the two men as they set out on an epic bike ride from St. Louis to Chicago.

Filled with flat tires, GPS snafus, and fast-food detours, the documentary is both a funny document of a father-son road trip and a powerful social statement. Through Eric and Donnie’s relationship, it takes a hard look at health disparities in the Black community and the systemic racism plaguing the well-being of Black men in America.

Synopsis

A Berlin courtyard becomes an unwitting battleground as a xenophobic property owner, the threat of gentrification, and simmering political unrest converge in Azli Özge’s volatile drama Black Box. When an apartment building is put under lockdown by police after an undisclosed event, tensions within the tight-knit community escalate on multiple fronts. Frustrations boil over and conflicts collide as residents unite to take legal action against their landlord, an unemployed mother faces a critical job interview, and the discovery of a corpse in an abandoned unit forces the residents to confront their personal politics and prejudices.

Özge’s deft direction creates a unique crucible where the boundaries of power, fear, and community are tested, raising unsettling questions about the rights and autonomy of those who call this courtyard home. Their preconceived biases deepen the divisions, unearthing long-buried conflicts as residents reveal their true natures, driven by personal agendas in a complex web of capitalism and power.

Synopsis

Etero adores her independent life. Living alone in a small Georgian village, the 48-year-old shopkeeper is perfectly content on her own. The pangs of love strike at the most unexpected times, however, and Etero’s world is turned upside down when she begins to fall for a delivery man from a nearby town.

Lead actor Eka Chavleishvili plays Etero with tentative grace, imbuing the character with tenderness and empathy as she’s forced to choose between the quiet days she cherishes and this unexplored alternative of passion and romance. Filled with effortless charm and directed with a light touch, Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry is a lyrical look at the unpredictable impulses of the human heart.

Synopsis

Thirty years ago, Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass (known for Succession as well as films like Lemon Tree and Paradise Now) left her village in Galilee to follow her dreams of acting in France. In this poignant portrait, both deeply personal and inescapably political, filmmaker Lina Soualem — who is also Abbas’ daughter — traces the story of her mother, her mother’s mother, and their extended family, all of whose lives have been defined by separation, exile, and displacement. Interwoven with nostalgic home video recordings and rich archival footage of Palestinian life through the decades, Bye Bye Tiberias is a moving memoir about the burden of leaving, the endurance of memory, and the determination to forge one’s own destinies and identities.