Spotlights

​Jonathan Ng, seven minutes, Animation/Drama/Romance, English without subtitles, 2012, Canada. A modern-day couple's phone call about the anguishing details of their relationship, is juxtaposed with visuals of an epic battle in feudal China where

​Malas Twins, 16 minutes, Drama, Arabic and French with English subtitles, 2021, Syria and France. An anti-Syrian regime refugee lives in France with his French woman. His twin brother, pro the Syrian regime, arrives unexpectedly from Syria and lives

Ali Kadhum, 13 minutes, Drama, French and Arabic with Arabic and English subtitles, 2021, Belgium and Iraq. After the death of his father, Dries must make a fundamental decision to either cremate the body or return it to be buried in his birth

Sahand Sarhaddi, seven minutes, Experimental/Documentary, no dialogue, 2020, Iran and Sweden. An experimental film about narrations of two journal photos from Iran's revolution in 1979 that focuses on the mass purge that took place in universities

Honami Yano, 10 minutes, Animation, Japanese with English subtitles, 2021, Japan. A little girl reflects on her last summer with her father at his funeral.

Synopsis: Haunted by the disappearance of her partner, Ida visits the site where he went missing, hoping to feel his presence one last time and say goodbye.

Synopsis: In the wild, two estranged brothers reunite while on their way to bury their father. The day forces them to confront their past and reach a joint decision.

Synopsis: Hadeel, a young Palestinian refugee living in the El Hosn refugee camp in Jordan, wakes up every morning to explore the surroundings with her small cart. Her objective is clear and resolute: to collect recyclable waste in order to sell it

Synopsis: In Amman, a Syrian refugee family’s struggle for survival takes an unexpected turn when their father falls ill. As 18-year-old Amal embarks on a daunting quest for work through the city’s unforgiving streets, their story unfolds – a

Synopsis: Abed is a 9-year-old child who works with his abusive father in a restaurant. One night, he faces his extreme fear of darkness when he is forced to buy a pack of cigarettes for his father.

Synopsis: Nadia and Peter cross paths amidst their failing marriages. Peter’s marriage has cooled due to his wife Lenka’s work missions in Africa, while Nadia’s husband Viktor has found a new love. A chance car collision brings Nadia and Peter into

Synopsis: A mouse and a fox die and find themselves in animal paradise and become best friends. Upon their return to earth they are reborn in opposite roles, but the power of friendship surpasses the impossibl

Synopsis: A beautiful portrait of everyday Gazan citizens, leading meaningful lives beyond the rubble of perennial conflict.

Synopsis: Years after leaving her Palestinian village to pursue an acting career in France, Hiam Abbass returns home with her daughter, in this intimate documentary about four generations of women and their shared legacy of separation.

Synopsis: An amateur historian defies the stodgy academic establishment in her efforts to find King Richard III’s remains, which were lost for over 500 year

Synopsis: Annika dreams of having a synthetic mermaid fin — expensive fun for the supermarket cashier who longs for distraction from the worries of her everyday life.