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by Alexa DalbyManto
by Nandita Das
Set during India’s Independence and Partition, Manto tells the true story of four tumultuous years in the life of the subcontinent’s greatest and most controversial writer, Saadat Hasan Manto. As sectarian violence engulfs the nation, he is compelled to make the difficult choice of leaving behind his beloved city of Bombay, India. In Lahore, Pakistan, he finds himself bereft of friends, unable to get his writings published and burdened by trials for obscenity. His increasing alcoholism leads him into a downward spiral. Through all of this, he continues to write prolifically, his stories mirroring the harsh reality of the times. It is a story of two emerging nations, two faltering cities, and one man trying to make sense of it all.
“…the film is not a eulogy. But it is a compelling portrait of the artiste with all his warts…” – The Hindu
Girl
by Lucas Dhont
Girl tells the story of 15-year-old Lara who wants to become a ballerina, with a classical training for female dancers. Lara is accepted in a ballet school and her dream seems closer than ever. But there is one problem: Lara was born into the body of a boy. A body that she will push to its limits in order for her to succeed.
“This story of a trans teen who dreams of being a ballerina marks a stunning debut for both director Lukas Dhont and star Victor Polster.” – Variety
Se Rokh (3 Faces)
by Jafar Panahi
Well-known actress Behnaz Jafari is distraught by a provincial girl’s video plea for help – oppressed by her family to not pursue her studies at the Tehran drama conservatory. Behnaz abandons her shoot and turns to filmmaker Jafar Panahi to help solve the mystery of the young girl’s troubles. They travel by car to the rural northwest where they have amusing encounters with the charming folk of the girl’s mountain village. But the city visitors soon discover that the protection of age-old traditions is as generous as local hospitality.
“Jafar Panahi has here created a quietly engaging quasi-realist parable, part of his ongoing and unique creative cine-autobiography, full of intelligence and humility and a real respect for women and for female actors. It is gentle, elusive, and redolent of this director’s mysterious Iranian zen.” – Guardian
Les Filles du Soleil (Girls of the Sun)
by Eva Husson
Somewhere in Kurdistan, Bahar, commander of the “Girls of the Sun” battalion, is preparing to liberate her hometown from the hands of extremists, hoping to find her son who is held hostage. A French journalist, Mathilde, comes to cover the attack and bear witness to the story of these exceptional warriors. Since their lives have been turned upside down, they have all been fighting for the same cause: Women, Life, Liberty.
“Girls of the Sun is partisan and it wears its heart on its sleeve: a powerful, forceful story” – Guardian
Leave No Trace
by Debra Granik
A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Ore., rarely making contact with the world. But when a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are sent on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own.
“Debra Granik is the exceptional film-maker who directed Winter’s Bone in 2010, launching the career of Jennifer Lawrence, and now she returns with this deeply intelligent, complex, finely tuned and observed movie, adapted by Granik and her screenwriting partner, Anne Rosellini, from the novel My Abandonment by Peter Rock” – Guardian
“Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie gives a breakthrough turn as the loyal daughter of Ben Foster’s post-traumatised soldier, determined to live off-grid in post-frontier America, in Debra Granik’s tremendously subtle drama of diverging yearnings.” BFI