If history is written by the victors, where does that leave those who were never allowed to be part of the game? A collective of queer athletes sets out to honour those who were excluded from the winners’ podium. Together they create a radical utopia far from the rigid gender rules in competitive sports. Thu [...]
Saint Omer
Jan Smacka2023-05-17T14:20:26+00:00A young novelist attends the trial of a young woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter by abandoning her to the rising tide on a beach in northern France. But as the trial continues, the words of the accused and witness testimonies will shake Rama’s convictions and call into question our own judgement. In SAINT [...]
No Bears
Jan Smacka2023-05-17T14:21:14+00:00No Bears portrays two parallel love stories. In both, the lovers are troubled by hidden, inevitable obstacles, the forces of superstition and the mechanics of power. Around the World in 14 Films 2022 Credits +++ Berlin Premiere +++ OT: Khers Nist Director: Jafar Panahi Screenplay: Jafar Panahi Country: Iran 2022 Production: JP Production (Jafar [...]
When the Waves Are Gone
Jan Smacka2023-05-17T14:41:06+00:00Lieutenant Hermes Papauran, one of the best investigators of the Philippines, is at a deep moral crossroad. As a member of the police forces, he is a first-hand witness of the murderous anti-drug campaign that his institution is implementing with dedication. The atrocities are corroding Hermes physically and spiritually, causing him a severe skin disease [...]

Trenque Lauquen Part 1 and Part 2
Jan Smacka2023-05-17T14:46:55+00:00This epic work from Argentina is an elaborate trip through the genres – from romcom via fantasy to thriller. A woman disappears, two men set out to find her. Both are in love with her. Why did she go? Both have an idea, and neither is right. The sudden disappearance is the starting point for [...]
Autobiography
Jan Smacka2023-05-17T14:56:09+00:00A young man torn between loyalty and justice confronts the truth of his father figure that may destroy them both. With his father in prison and his brother abroad for work, young Rakib works as the lone housekeeper in an empty mansion belonging to Purna, a retired general whose family Rakib’s clan have served for [...]
The Banshees of Inisherin
Jan Smacka2023-05-17T14:24:24+00:00Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, The Banshees of Inisherin follows lifelong friends Padraic and Colm, who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship. A stunned Padraic, aided by his sister Siobhan and troubled young islander Dominic, endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing [...]
Parallel Mothers
Jan Smacka2021-12-01T14:07:10+00:00Two women meet in a hospital about to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, is exultant. Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. While they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors, Janis tries to encourage her. The few words they exchange creates a very close bond between [...]
El Gran Movimiento
Jan Smacka2021-12-01T14:09:00+00:00Bolivia today. After walking for a week, Elder and his miner companions arrive in La Paz wanting their jobs back. But suddenly Elder starts to feel sick. He’s gasping and struggling for breath until Mamá Pancha sends him to see a witch doctor, who may be able to restore the young man’s health. Friday, 03.12.2021 [...]
Happening
Jan Smacka2021-12-01T14:16:26+00:00France, 1963. In a society that censures women’s desires and sex in general, Anne, a young woman, decides to have an abortion to finish her studies and escape the social constraints of a working-class family. This simple but cruel story follows a woman who decides to go against the law. And Anne has little time [...]