Synopsis

Haunted by guilt over her role in the death of a Southern man and his young son, a former singer from the North of Sudan seeks redemption by hiring the dead man’s widow as her maid — all while concealing her true identity. Their intricate connection develops amidst the turmoil of Sudan’s final days as a unified country, against a backdrop of violence and systemic racism. In this gripping feature debut — Sudan’s first feature film to be officially showcased at the Cannes Film Festival — director Mohamed Kordofani offers viewers a haunting and deeply layered exploration of guilt, redemption, and the enduring power of human bonds.

Synopsis

Urgent, clear-eyed, and helmed with incredible conviction, Green Border finds master filmmaker Agnieszka Holland training her camera on a real-life geopolitical crisis. Set on the border of Poland and Belarus, the film offers a glimpse into the lives of refugees fleeing to the European Union and the humanitarian activists working to help them reach safety.

When a family of Syrian asylum seekers is left stranded in the forest, a group of Belarusian border guards shepherds them into Poland. When they encounter the Polish military, they’re forced back over into Belarus. Julia, a psychologist who lives alone near the border, witnesses this cyclical, inhumane back-and-forth and joins up with a group of activists working to rectify the situation.

Synopsis

Stefan, a construction worker living in Brussels, is ready to leave town. As a farewell gesture, he boils up a large pot of vegetable soup and crosses the city sharing farewell meals with friends. Then, during his final days in the city, he meets Shuxiu, a woman working in a small family restaurant who is preparing her doctorate in microbiology. The two share a walk together in a local park, and a connection blossoms amidst the mosses.

An enchanting, lyrical ode to sharing space in an urban center, Here observes the minute, multitudinous plant life that surrounds us all. Lush 16mm cinematography lends the film a beautiful earth-toned hue, as it ruminates on yearning for companionship in a world teeming with invisible life.

Synopsis

Three teenage boys are stuck at a remote youth asylum center in snow-laden northern Norway. Thoughtful and poetic Hamid, together with the always sensible Aras and easy-going Imael, is plotting his escape. Up and over the mountains, a land of infinite possibility and freedom awaits. But they have a deadline. On their 18th birthdays, each will be feted with a party and then promptly processed for return to their country of origin — places to which they all have tenuous connections. But then one day Aida shows up at the center, turning Hamid’s world, and the boys’ plans, upside down.

An impressive and imposing frosty Nordic landscape populated by mischievous reindeer provides the backdrop for this poetic, intimate tale of hope and heartbreak. Deadpan humor gently intertwines with the absurd in this poignant exploration of otherness, identity, and what it means to belong.

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.