Love, by Michał Ciechomski | Tales of the Outback, by Lauri Ketonen & Konsta Verta | Firehead, by Ryoji Yamada | The Ballet of Service, by Marlies Smeenge | Bird of Paradise, by Jannik Weiße | When the Morning Dawns, by Karmen Obrdalj
FEST Room
| Love |
Most prisoners would do anything for a woman if they had the chance. Especially if they've been sentenced to 25 years in a high-security prison for a crime they did not commit. Paweł is 38 years old and a dozen or so years ago he was unjustly condemned of murder. He is in love with his attorney, with whom he plans to marry, and he's willing to sacrifice everything for what he considers the meaning of life - love.
| Tales of the Outback |
Three mystical characters gather in a cozy, misty mountain cabin. While they wait for the weather to improve, they tell stories, folktales that take the viewers to beautiful Finnish landscapes. Through the voices of mesmerizing narrators, the tales come to life, mysterious and strange incidents that have occurred over time. After three stories, the mist has finally passed, and the three characters leave the cabin one by one.
| Firehead |
A young boy lives at peace in a cave world. Safe and sound away from everyone, he has nothing to fear. But when one day his mother doesn’t come home, he is forced to leave and go look for her on the outside. Life as he knows it is about to change, a metamorphosis awaits him.
| The Ballet of Service |
At the International Butler Academy in Limburg (yes, there is such a thing as a butler academy), everything must be in order. Perfection is the gold standard and the norm for the people training to become butlers for the elite. An observational and absurdist documentary that gives us an incredible insight into a world that deals with all things in servitude and looks at the people hiding behind the polished veneer of the perfect butler.
| Bird of Paradise |
Bird of Paradise has been selected for several festivals in Germany, Sweeden and Portugal, and follows a man’s first real break-up right after his first real relationship. All he and Laurie have now is a plastic bag full of memories and their “adoptive child”, which none of them wants.
| When the Morning Dawns |
A lonely self-conscious girl spends her days drinking wine on the roof and waiting for her boyfriend to come home. She can sense that something is wrong. He’s become cold. They don’t have sex any more and he’s gotten close to another woman. The girl can’t help but feel more and more self-conscious about her body image. What will happen to them? Can they stay together despite it all?