Forum of Independents - Competition

A gang of young hoodlums preys on vulnerable elderly people, isolating them in undignified circumstances and stealing the bulk of their retirement money. But after the arrival of a new mark, played by renowned Japanese dancer Min Tanaka, one of the thugs begins to question his conscience and sets out to explore his past and discover who he really is.

A desolate mountainous region, a young couple exhausted from a long journey, an abandoned house discovered by chance, and finally the arrival of a mysterious stranger speaking an unfamiliar language – the director defly employs these ingredients to create suspense in a psychological drama compressed by time and space.

At age 20, David is increasingly aware of how his mental illness influences his parents’ behavior. So one evening he decides to run away to Prague where, alone, he has to face numerous tricky situations – as well as his own thoughts. This courageous and moody debut is crowned with a fine lead performance from Patrik Holubář.

One night Lydia is attacked as she’s preparing to close her father’s store, and in the next few hours she is forced to make a number of life-altering decisions. In her powerful psychological drama, the director demonstrates her sensitivity in depicting the world of the Innu community as well as the inner emotions of the young protagonist.

Young Adam has lost his girlfriend (the mother of his child) but he’d like to win her back. In order to banish his feelings of emptiness, he agrees to help with a controversial project. A love story set in Stockholm during the filming of a feminist movie.

This debut by a talented Brazilian filmmaker offers a sensitive rendering and sincere initiation study of a lonely hero (still almost a boy with the nickname Junior) whose dream of becoming the star of an elite football team is jeopardized under the weight of circumstances.

Puberty is giving 12-year-old Adar a rough ride. A fascinating chamber piece in which debuting Tali Shalom-Ezer deftly transforms a playful dream into a provocative, even devastating nightmare.

The armed conflict between the Philippine military and the communist resistance at the beginning of the 1990s forms the backdrop to this study of three individuals who, for different reasons, are trying to resolve an untenable situation. The film makes sophisticated use of the narration to encourage contemplation of the dignity, morality, and also the manipulation of people trapped in tough circumstances.

Sin-Dee is back and she’s mad as hell. During the month she was gone (read: in prison) she found out her boyfriend was stepping out on her – and with a “normal” girl to boot. And Sin-Dee, a girl with a capital G (and with something that hints at her past life as a man), isn’t about to put up with that. Violence, love, and friendship – all this in a comedy shot on an iPhone 5.

San Jose, Costa Rica, the present. Pedro (30) and Luciana (29) meet at a party. Although there’s no fatal attraction, there’s a hint that something is happening between them. What follows is an impulsive decision to travel together to the base of the Rincon de la vieja volcano in the northwest of the country. Forget about past traumas, this unassuming romance focuses on the importance and singularity of the here and now.

A typhoon is slowly approaching Manila. And in the swelter that accompanies the storm something ominous is hiding which awakens suicidal tendencies and other inexplicable urges in the city’s inhabitants. This surprisingly self-assured and mature directorial debut is a sophisticated portrait of a society into which evil has come a-creeping.

The protagonists of this visually commanding picture are two girls who come from different social backgrounds. Shelly, who lives alone with her brothers, and financially carefree Rachel are connected via emotional alienation. Their mutual encounter proves to be a milestone in their lives – with one emerging reborn, the other scarred.