AFI Fest is exclusive within the competition ecosystem for not being tied fairly as immediately into the awards season dialog as different fall festivals: Definitely, as all the time, there are numerous high Oscar contenders within the 2025 AFI Fest lineup, shared under — “Bugonia,” “Springsteen: Ship Me from Nowhere,” “Jay Kelly.” But in addition some high quality movies that most likely don’t have the advertising budgets to launch a serious Oscar push resembling Ira Sachs’ “Peter Hujar’s Day” or Kristen Stewart’s “The Chronology of Water.”
In that sense, AFI Fest’s cinephilia isn’t overly tied to Oscar forecasting: Have a look at how Robert Zemeckis’s “Right here” opened final 12 months’s competition and “All of Us Strangers” headlined the 2023 version.
Try the complete 2025 AFI Fest lineup under. All language comes courtesy of the competition. The competition runs October 22-26.
Pink Carpet Premieres
“Christy”
In David Michôd’s stirring biopic “Christy,” Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney) by no means imagined life past her small-town roots in West Virginia—till she found a knack for knocking individuals out. Fueled by grit, uncooked dedication, and an unshakable need to win, she costs into the world of boxing underneath the steering of her coach and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Ben Foster). However whereas Christy flaunts a fiery persona within the ring, her hardest battles unfold exterior it—confronting household, id, and a relationship that simply may turn into life-or-death. Based mostly on exceptional true occasions, Christy Martin’s story is one among resilience, braveness, and the battle to reclaim one’s life. DIR David Michôd. SCR Mirrah Foulkes, David Michôd. CAST Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, Chad L. Coleman. USA
“Lifeless Man’s Wire”
Gus Van Sant returns with the unimaginable true story of an notorious 1977 kidnapping and ransom over a enterprise deal gone dangerous, with the kidnapper (Invoice Skarsgård) demanding restitution and an apology from the mortgage dealer whose firm ripped him off. DIR Gus Van Sant. SCR Austin Kolodney. CAST Invoice Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino. USA
“Jay Kelly”
“Jay Kelly,” the brand new movie from Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach, follows well-known film actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting each his previous and current, accompanied by his devoted supervisor Ron (Adam Sandler). Poignant and humor crammed, epic and intimate, “Jay Kelly” is pitched on the intersection of life’s regrets and notable glories. DIR Noah Baumbach. SCR Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer. CAST George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Greta Gerwig, Emily Mortimer. USA
“Nuremberg”
“Nuremberg” chronicles the true story of the struggle crimes trials held by the Allies towards the defeated Nazi regime. The movie facilities on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), who’s tasked with figuring out whether or not Nazi prisoners are match to face trial for his or her atrocities and finds himself in a fancy battle of wits with former Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe), Hitler’s right-hand man. DIR James Vanderbilt. SCR James Vanderbilt. CAST Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon, Richard E. Grant, Leo Woodall, John Slattery. USA
“Tune Sung Blue”
Based mostly on a real story, two down-on-their-luck musicians (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson) type a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it’s by no means too late to search out love and comply with your desires. Written, directed and produced by Craig Brewer. DIR Craig Brewer. SCR Craig Brewer. CAST Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi. USA
“Springsteen: Ship Me from Nowhere”
“Springsteen: Ship Me from Nowhere” chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s legendary 1982 acoustic album “Nebraska,” written and recorded at a pivotal time within the younger musician’s life, on the cusp of worldwide superstardom. Starring Jeremy Allen White because the Boss and Jeremy Robust as his supervisor Jon Landau. DIR Scott Cooper. SCR Scott Cooper. CAST Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Robust, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham, Odessa Younger. USA
“The Spongebob Film: Seek for Squarepants”
Arrrr you prepared? SpongeBob and his Bikini Backside pals set sail of their greatest journey but, “The Spongebob Film: Seek for Squarepants.” Determined to be a giant man, SpongeBob units out to show his bravery to Mr. Krabs by following The Flying Dutchman — a mysterious swashbuckling ghost pirate — on a seafaring comedy-adventure that takes him to the deepest depths of the deep sea, the place no Sponge has gone earlier than. DIR Derek Drymon. SCR Pam Brady, Matt Lieberman. CAST Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Invoice Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence. USA
“* Preceded By: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 — Misplaced In New Jersey”
When a mysterious toy firm exploits the Turtles’ newfound fame, the brothers comply with the clues to New Jersey the place they come upon a surprising discovery. DIR Kent Seki. USA
Particular Screenings
“Unhealthy Apples”
On this delectably darkish satire, an beautiful Saoirse Ronan performs an overworked schoolteacher whose pupils’ research enhance after she removes a foul-mouthed and violent scholar from her classroom — by inadvertently kidnapping and locking him up in her basement. DIR Jonatan Etzler. SCR Jess O’Kane. CAST Saoirse Ronan, Eddie Waller, Nia Brown, Jacob Anderson, Rakie Ayola, Robert Emms, Sean Gilder. UK
“Bugonia”
Two conspiracy-obsessed younger males kidnap the high-powered CEO of a serious firm, satisfied that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. DIR Yorgos Lanthimos. SCR Will Tracy. CAST Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone. UK
“Is This Factor On?”
Bradley Cooper’s superbly affecting comedic drama stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern in standout performances as a New York couple whose separation results in main midlife self-reckoning and reinvention. When Arnett’s character makes an attempt open-mic standup at a comedy membership with confessional, self-deprecating materials, a complete new world opens for him. DIR Bradley Cooper. SCR Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, Mark Chappell. CAST Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Bradley Cooper, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds, Scott Icenogle. USA
“A Magnificent Life (Marcel Et Monsieur Pagnol)”
In 1955, 60-year-old Marcel Pagnol is a well known and acclaimed playwright and filmmaker. When the editor-in-chief of ELLE journal commissions a weekly column about Pagnol’s childhood, he sees this as a terrific alternative to return to his inventive roots: writing. Realizing his reminiscence is failing him and deeply affected by the disappointing outcomes of his final two performs, Pagnol begins doubting his means to pursue his work. That’s, till Little Marcel – the younger boy he was once – seems to him as if by magic. Collectively, they are going to discover Marcel Pagnol’s unimaginable life and produce again to life his most cherished encounters and reminiscences. DIR Sylvain Chomet. SCR Sylvain Chomet. CAST Matthew Gravelle, Lu Corfield, Jonathan Keeble, Celyn Jones, Jess Nesling, Flora Montgomery. France, Luxembourg, Belgium
“Merrily We Roll Alongside”
Spanning three many years, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Alongside charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong pals — author Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. Initially produced on Broadway in 1981, then turning into an creative cult-classic forward of its time, “Merrily We Roll Alongside” options a few of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated and private songs. DIR Maria Friedman. SCR Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, guide by George Furth, primarily based on the unique play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. CAST Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, Crystal Pleasure Brown, Katie Rose Clarke, Reg Rogers. USA
“Nebraska Dwell”
Bruce Springsteen performs the songs from his 1982 album “Nebraska” for the primary time ever in its entirety in an intimate soundstage setting. Shot in moody black-and-white, the movie is directed by Springsteen’s longtime filmic collaborator Thom Zimny. DIR Thom Zimny. CAST Bruce Springsteen. USA
“Rebuilding”
Divorced and displaced Colorado rancher Dusty (Josh O’Connor) re-enters the lives of his ex-wife Ruby (Meghann Fahy) and younger daughter when he loses his household ranch to a devastating wildfire. DIR Max Walker-Silverman. SCR Max Walker-Silverman. CAST Josh O’Connor, Meghann Fahy, Amy Madigan, Kali Reis, Lily LaTorre, Nancy Morlan, Zeilyanna Martinez. USA
“Rental Household”
Academy Award® winner Brendan Fraser performs an American actor in modern-day Tokyo employed by a “rental household” company to function a stand-in for shoppers. As he immerses himself in his shoppers’ worlds, he begins to type real bonds that blur the traces between efficiency and actuality. Confronting the ethical complexities of his work, he rediscovers function, belonging, and the quiet great thing about human connection. DIR HIKARI. SCR HIKARI, Stephen Blahut. CAST Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Gorman, Akira Emoto. USA, Japan
“The Choral”
1916. As struggle rages on the Western Entrance, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has misplaced most of its males to the military. The Choral’s formidable committee, decided to press forward, decides to recruit native younger males to swell their ranks. They need to additionally interact a brand new refrain grasp, and regardless of their suspicions that he has one thing to cover, their greatest wager appears to be Dr. Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) – pushed, uncompromising, and lately returned from a profession in Germany. As conscription papers begin to arrive, the entire group discovers that one of the best response to the chaos that’s laying waste to their lives is to make music collectively. DIR Nicholas Hytner. SCR Alan Bennett. CAST Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Mark Addy, Alun Armstrong, Robert Emms, Lyndsey Marshal, Ron Cook dinner, Amara Okereke, Emily Fairn, Shaun Thomas, Jacob Dudman, Oliver Briscombe, Taylor Uttley, Simon Russell Beale. UK
“The Chronology Of Water”
Kristen Stewart’s staggering directorial debut adapts Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir of abuse and therapeutic, anchored by a uncooked and revelatory efficiency from Imogen Poots. DIR Kristen Stewart. SCR Kristen Stewart. CAST Imogen Poots, Thora Birch, Earl Cave, Kim Gordon, Jim Belushi, Tom Sturridge. USA, France, Latvia
“The Testomony of Ann Lee”
A daring colonial-era musical, “The Testomony of Ann Lee” follows visionary Shaker chief Ann Lee as she builds a radical utopian religion in 18th century America. Amanda Seyfried stars as Lee in a career-defining position. Academy Award® winner Daniel Blumberg composed the rating and authentic songs for the movie. DIR Mona Fastvold. SCR Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet. CAST Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Abbott. UK
“Practice Goals”
Based mostly on Denis Johnson’s beloved novella, “Practice Goals” is the shifting portrait of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger and railroad employee who leads a lifetime of surprising depth and wonder within the quickly altering America of the early twentieth Century. DIR Clint Bentley. SCR Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar. CAST Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy, Nathaniel Arcand, Clifton Collins Jr., John Diehl, Paul Schneider. USA
Luminaries
“Amrum”
Germany, 1945: a 12-year-old boy on the remoted North Sea Island of Amrum begins to study the reality about his nation, which is on the precipice of complete defeat, regardless of the propaganda fed to him. Fatih Akin directs, from an autobiographical screenplay by octogenarian filmmaker Hark Bohm. DIR Fatih Akin. SCR Hark Bohm, Fatih Akin. CAST Jasper Billerbeck, Laura Tonke, Lisa Hagmeister, Kian Köppke, Diane Kruger. Germany
“Father Mom Sister Brother”
Winner of the Golden Lion at this 12 months’s Venice Worldwide Movie Competition and starring Tom Waits, Adam Driver and Cate Blanchett, legendary indie auteur Jim Jarmusch’s latest work is a wry gem in regards to the timeworn drift of familial intimacy. DIR Jim Jarmusch. SCR Jim Jarmusch. CAST Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Indya Moore, Luka Sabbat. USA, Eire, France
“Ghost Elephants”
Half nature detective documentary, half fever dream, Werner Herzog’s newest documentary journeys into Angola’s distant highlands, alongside Nationwide Geographic explorer Dr. Steve Boyes, on a quest to doc the existence of the mythic “ghost elephant.” DIR Werner Herzog. SCR Werner Herzog. CAST Steve Boyes, Werner Herzog. USA
“Learn how to Shoot a Ghost”
This impressionistic quick movie, from visionary director Charlie Kaufman, stars Jessie Buckley as a ghost roaming the streets of Athens in quest of the town’s previous and current. DIR Charlie Kaufman. SCR Eva H.D. CAST Jessie Buckley, Josef Akiki, Eva H.D. USA, Greece
“Kontinental ’25”
Radu Jude gained the Greatest Screenplay award on the 2025 Berlin Movie Competition for this scabrous black comedy a few guilt-wracked civil servant’s effort to clear her conscience, as a substitute discovering that guilt is just a relative idea in modern Romania. DIR Radu Jude. SCR Radu Jude. CAST Eszter Tompa, Gabriel Spahiu, Adonis Tanța, Oana Mardare, Șerban Pavl. Romania
“La Grazia”
Filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino reunites with actor Toni Servillo on this parable-like story of parliamentary politics and moral selections, the place Servillo’s growing old, depressive president should weigh up and resolve on a sequence of more and more tough authorized dilemmas. DIR Paolo Sorrentino. SCR Paolo Sorrentino. CAST Toni Servillo, Anna Ferzetti, Massimo Venturiello. Italy
“Magellan (Magalhães)”
Gael García Bernal stars as notorious navigator Ferdinand Magellan in Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz’s monumental story of colonialism and resistance. DIR Lav Diaz. SCR Lav Diaz. CAST Gael García Bernal, Ângela Azevedo, Amado Arjay Babon, Ronnie Lazaro, Hazel Orencio. Portugal, Spain, France, Philippines, Taiwan
“Miroirs No. 3”
The survivor of a automotive crash is taken in by a close-by household on this drama of mysterious connections from director Christian Petzold and his frequent collaborator, actress Paula Beer. DIR Christian Petzold. SCR Christian Petzold. CAST Paula Beer, Barbara Auer, Matthias Brandt, Enno Trebs. Germany
“Peter Hujar’s Day”
Legendary photographer Peter Hujar (Ben Whishaw) spends a day with author Linda Rosenkrantz (Rebecca Corridor), regaling her with the minute, gossip-filled particulars of his earlier day. Recorded in 1974, the re-discovered transcript serves as the premise for Ira Sach’s luminous ode to a bygone New York. DIR Ira Sachs. SCR Ira Sachs. CAST Rebecca Corridor, Ben Whishaw. USA, Germany
“Silent Pal”
This century-spanning drama from Ildikó Enyedi unites the tales of three researchers, from the identical college however separated by generations, who research the interior lifetime of crops and develop their sense of time and notion within the course of. DIR Ildikó Enyedi. SCR Ildikó Enyedi. CAST Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Luna Wedler, Enzo Brumm, Sylvester Groth, Martin Wuttke. Germany, France, Hungary
“The Stranger (L’Étranger)”
François Ozon brings Albert Camus’ acclaimed 1942 novel to the large display as a sun-baked, black-and-white neo-noir, a potent mix of psychological thriller and anti-colonial critique. DIR François Ozon. SCR François Ozon. CAST Benjamin Voisin, Rebecca Marder, Pierre Lottin, Swann Arlaud, Denis Lavant. France, Belgium, Morocco
“Two Prosecutors”
Set in 1937 on the peak of Josef Stalin’s Nice Purge — but chillingly related at the moment — Sergei Loznitsa’s darkish parable of tyranny relies on a brief story by the dissident author and scientist Georgy Demidov, who was himself imprisoned for almost 20 years. DIR Sergei Loznitsa. SCR Sergei Loznitsa. CAST Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Aleksandr Filippenko, Anatoli Beliy, Andris Keišs, Vytautas Kaniušonis. France, Germany, Netherlands, Latvia, Romania, Lithuania
“What Does That Nature Say to You”
Tensions come up when a struggling, idealistic poet meets his girlfriend’s household at their idyllic, hillside countryside dwelling in Hong Sang-soo’s newest function — a quietly profound meditation on the complexities of filial love and familial strife. DIR Hong Sang-soo. SCR Hong Sang-soo. CAST Ha Seongguk, Kwon Haehyo, Cho Yunhee, Kang Soyi, Park Miso. South Korea
“Younger Moms” “(Jeunes Mères)”
In a Liège group dwelling, 5 teenage moms navigate abandonment, fractured households, and the steep studying curve of parenthood — discovering surprising power and solace in one another’s firm on this tender, unflinching drama from the Dardenne brothers. DIR Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne. SCR Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne. CAST Babette Verbeek, Elsa Houben, Janaina Halloy Fokan, Lucie Laruelle, Samia Hilmi. Belgium, France
Discovery
A showcase for thrilling new voices that push the boundaries of latest cinema with cutting-edge themes and authentic visions.
“A Poet (Un Poeta)”
Winner of Cannes’ Un Sure Regard Jury Prize, Colombian director Simón Mesa Soto’s delightfully deadpan sophomore function is an absurdist tragicomedy a few washed-up poet mentoring a gifted teen author. DIR Simón Mesa Soto. SCR Simón Mesa Soto. CAST Ubeimar Rios, Rebeca Andrade, Guillermo Cardona, Allison Correa, Margarita Soto. Colombia, Germany, Sweden
“A Helpful Ghost (Pee Chai Dai Ka)”
When Tutorial Ladyboy calls a repairman to repair his possessed vacuum cleaner, two interconnected tales of reincarnation unearth a heartfelt plea for the remembrance of private historical past and a biting proclamation for collective labor dissent in Thai filmmaker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s absurdist function debut. DIR Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke”. Scr”Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke. CAST Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon, Wanlop Rungkumjad, Wisarut Homhuan. Thailand, Singapore, France, Germany
“Amoeba”
At an elite all-girls Chinese language college in Singapore, 16-year-old Choo and her gang of misfits problem the authoritarian college and the strict doctrines that bind them on this sharp-witted debut from rising filmmaker Siyou Tan (AFI DWW Class of 2019). DIR Tan Siyou. SCR Tan Siyou”. Solid”Ranice Tay, Nicole Lee, Lim Shi-An, Genevieve Tan, Jack Kao. Singapore, Netherlands, France, Spain, South Korea
“Fantasy Life”
Lately laid-off Sam Stein is a lifelong neurotic who struggles with panic assaults, however his psychological state begins altering for the higher when he begins babysitting the grandchildren of his psychiatrist. DIR Matthew Shear. SCR Matthew Shear. CAST Amanda Peet, Matthew Shear, Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban. “Usa”
“Comfortable Birthday”
Toha — the kid maid of an upper-class Cairo household — forges an unlikely bond along with her employer’s daughter Nelly and turns into fixated on planning her new good friend’s ninth birthday celebration. DIR Sarah Goher. SCR Sarah Goher, Mohamed Diab. CAST Doha Ramadan, Nelly Karim, Hanan Motawie, Hanan Youssef. Egypt
“Honeyjoon”
Within the lovely Azorean Islands, an American girl and her Persian-Kurdish mom reckon with reminiscence, exile and the sophisticated bond between them. HONEYJOON mixes humor, heartbreak and beautiful landscapes to disclose how loss can fracture — and in the end renew — the ties that maintain us collectively. DIR Lilian T. Mehrel. SCR Lilian T. Mehrel. CAST Ayden Mayeri, Amira Casar, José Condessa. USA
“Junkie”
AFI Conservatory alum William Means’ (AFI Class of 2021) spirited debut is an eccentric odyssey by way of rural America — following meth-addicted, perpetual screwup Stevie (Rocky Shay) on a quest to evade rehab, repay her money owed and reconcile along with her estranged son. DIR William Means. SCR William Means. CAST Rocky Shay, Jessica Lea Risco, Kian Morr, Rett Keeter, Drew Faulkner. USA
“Fortunate Lu”
After his e-bike will get stolen, supply driver Lu goes on a determined journey throughout New York’s Chinatown on this visceral social realist drama about the price of the American Dream. DIR Lloyd Lee Choi. SCR Lloyd Lee Choi. CAST Chang Chen, Fala Chen, Carabelle Manna Wei. USA, Canada
“My Father’s Shadow”
In 1993 Lagos, on the day of the primary election in a decade, younger brothers Akin and Remi reunite with their absent father on a hasty street journey. Historical past, reminiscence and nostalgia blends right into a vividly realized work of autofiction in Nigeria’s first ever Cannes choice. DIR Akinola Davies Jr.. SCR Wale Davies, Akinola Davies Jr..”Solid”Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, Godwin Egbo. Nigeria, UK
“Silent Rebel (A Bras-Le-Corps)”
Set in impartial Switzerland throughout World Battle II, this triumphant debut function is a feminist coming-of-age drama that weighs the prices of braveness on two fronts: the neighboring struggle and a younger girl’s refusal to steer a life she by no means needed. DIR Marie-Elsa Sgualdo. SCR Marie-Elsa Sgualdo, Nadine Lamari. CAST Lila Gueneau, Sasha Gravat Harsch, Cyril Metzger. Switzerland, Belgium, France
“Sound Of Falling (In Die Sonne Schauen)”
Mascha Schilinski’s beautiful sophomore function is a hypnotic, time-traversing portrait of 4 generations of girls residing in the identical remoted German farmhouse over the course of a century. DIR Mascha Schilinski. SCR Louise Peter, Mascha Schilinski. CAST Hanna Heckt, Lena Urzendowsky, Laeni Geiseler, Lea Drinda, Susanne Wuest. Germany
“The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (La Misteriosa Mirada Del Flamenco)”
Queer love shines with contradicting exuberance in Diego Céspedes’ audacious Cannes prize-winning debut a few commune of crossdressers set in a reimagined desert city in Chile throughout the daybreak of the AIDS epidemic. DIR Diego Céspedes. SCR Diego Céspedes. CAST Tamara Cortés, Matías Catalán, Paula Dinamarca, Claudia Cabezas, Luis Dubó. Chile, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium
“The Plague”
AFI Conservatory Alum Charlie Polinger (AFI Class of 2017) makes his placing function debut with this poisonous story of pre-teen posturing at an all-boys’ water polo camp. Equal elements hilarious and disturbing (puberty in a nutshell), Polinger melds physique horror with a razor-sharp perception into the unconscious psyche of adolescence. DIR Charlie Polinger. SCR Charlie Polinger. CAST Joel Edgerton, Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, Kenny Rasmussen, Lucas Adler. USA, Romania
“The President’s Cake (Mamlaket Al-Qasab)”
Set in Nineteen Nineties Iraq underneath Saddam Hussein’s authoritarian rule, Hasan Hadi’s Cannes award-winning debut follows a younger woman’s perilous quest to bake a cake to mark her college’s obligatory Presidential birthday celebrations. DIR Hasan Hadi. SCR Hasan Hadi. CAST Baneen Ahmed Nayyef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheeda Thabet Khreibat, Rahim AlHaj. Iraq, USA, Qatar
“We Imagine You (On Vous Croit)”
Household secrets and techniques unravel over the course of a vital day as a mom fights for her kids in a tense custody battle on this astutely layered, gripping debut function. DIR Charlotte Devillers, Arnaud Dufeys. SCR Charlotte Devillers, Arnaud Dufeys. CAST Myriem Akheddiou, Laurent Capelluto, Natali Broods, Ulysse Goffin, Adèle Pinckaers. Belgium
World Cinema
“1001 Frames”
Actresses in an audition for Scheherazade in “A Thousand and One Nights” endure more and more confrontational and innuendo-laden questioning from their male director in Iranian American filmmaker Mehrnoush Alia’s provocative debut function. DIR Mehrnoush Alia. SCR Mehrnoush Alia. CAST Mohammad Aghebati, Mahin Sadri, Leili Rashidi, Mahsa Rezaei, Behafarid Ghaffarian. Iran, USA
“All That’s Left of You”
Within the Occupied West Financial institution of the Eighties, a Palestinian teenager is swept right into a protest that adjustments the course of his household’s life. Reeling from its aftermath, his mom, Hanan, shares the story that led them to that fateful second. Spanning seven many years, this epic drama traces the hopes and heartaches of 1 uprooted household, revealing not solely the scars of displacement, however the unbreakable spirit of survival. DIR Cherien Dabis. SCR Cherien Dabis. CAST Saleh Bakri, Cherien Dabis, Adam Bakri, Maria Zreik, Mohammad Bakri. Germany, Cyprus, Palestine, Jordan, Greece, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
“Case 137 (File 137)”
A tenacious inner affairs investigator in Paris confronts police brutality, political stress and private doubt when she takes on a controversial case involving a protester gravely injured by riot police. DIR Dominik Moll. SCR Dominik Moll, Gilles Marchand. CAST Léa Drucker, Yoann Blanc, Guslagie Malanda. France
“Divine Comedy (Komedie Elahi)”
Notable Iranian filmmaker Ali Asgari (TERRESTRIAL VERSES) blurs the traces between fiction and actuality in his newest function, which follows filmmaker Bahram Ark and producer Sadaf Asgari (as thinly veiled variations of themselves) on a mission to display their banned movie for a neighborhood viewers in Iran. DIR Ali Asgari. SCR Alireza Khatami, Bahram Ark, Ali Asgari. CAST Hossein Soleimani, Mohammad Soori, Amirreza Ranjbaran, Faezeh Rad. Iran, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey
“Eagles of the Republic”
Tarik Saleh’s newest political thriller stars Fares Fares as essentially the most well-known actor in Egypt, who is obtainable a task he can’t refuse: portraying present president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as a heroic soldier. DIR Tarik Saleh. SCR Tarik Saleh. CAST Fares Fares, Lyna Khoudri, Zineb Triki, Amr Waked, Cherien Dabis. Sweden, France, Denmark
“Kokuho”
Sang-il Lee’s luxurious epic tells a decades-spanning story of devotion and sacrifice for the revered craft of Kabuki. Starting in 1964 Nagasaki and unfolding over the subsequent 50 years, younger Kikuo (Soya Kurokawa) is taken underneath the wing of famend Kabuki maestro Hanjiro Hanai (Ken Watanabe) after his yakuza father was slain. DIR Sang-il Lee. SCR Satoko Okudera. CAST Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama, Mitsuki Takahata, Shinobu Terajima, Nana Mori. Japan
“Left-Handed Lady”
Shih-Ching Tsou’s solo debut, co-written and produced by longtime collaborator Sean Baker, is a vibrant iPhone-shot portrait of Taipei as seen by way of the eyes of three generations of girls navigating household, custom and independence. DIR Shih-Ching Tsou. SCR Shih-Ching Tsou, Sean Baker. CAST Shih-Yuan Ma, Janel Tsai, Nina Ye, Teng-Hui Huang. Taiwan, France, USA, UK
“Residing the Land (Sheng Xi Zhi Di)”
Younger director Huo Meng (Greatest Director, 2025 Berlin Movie Competition) confirms his expertise with this epic story of a farm household navigating life-changing occasions in ‘90s rural China, recalling the work of each early Zhang Yimou and Meng’s mentor, Jia Zhangke. DIR Huo Meng. SCR Huo Meng. CAST Wang Shang, Zhang Chuwen, Zhang Yanrong, Zhang Caixia, Cao Lingzhi. China
“Olmo”
On this heartfelt coming-of-age story set in 1979 New Mexico, a teen navigates household responsibility and past love on his quest to beg, borrow and steal his strategy to a neighborhood get together. DIR Fernando Eimbcke. SCR Fernando Eimbcke, Vanesa Garnica. CAST Aivan Uttapa, Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Andrea Suárez Paz, Rosa Armendariz, Melanie Frometa. USA, Mexico
“Orphan (Árva)”
László Nemes, an Oscar® winner for 2015’s SON OF SAUL, returns with one other trenchant exploration of Hungary’s twentieth century historical past — this time set in 1957, only one 12 months after the united states brutally suppressed the Hungarian Rebellion. Andor (Bojtorján Barabas) longs for the return of his father, lacking because the struggle, however his mom suggests his father may very well be one other man. DIR László Nemes. SCR László Nemes, Clara Royer. CAST Bojtorján Barabas, Andrea Waskovics, Grégory Gadebois, Elíz Szabó, Soma Sándor, Hermina Fátyol. Hungary, UK, France, Germany
“Palestine 36”
Annemarie Jacir’s sweeping, well timed and deeply affecting historic epic brings to life a pivotal interval in Palestinian historical past within the months main as much as the Arab Revolt of 1936. DIR Annemarie Jacir. SCR Annemarie Jacir. CAST Hiam Abbass, Kamel Al Basha, Yasmine Al Massri, Jalal Altawil, Liam Cunningham, Jeremy Irons. France, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UK
“Phantoms of July (Sehnsucht In Sangerhausen)”
An ethereal, intoxicating comedy, Julian Radlmaier’s fifth function is as mild as a summer time breeze, however its easy pleasures cover profound truths in regards to the ghosts of the previous and the mysteries of the current within the sleepy East German village of Sangerhausen. DIR Julian Radlmaier. SCR Julian Radlmaier. CAST Clara Schwinning, Maral Keshavarz, Henriette Confurius, Paula Schindler, Ghazal Shojaei, Kyung-Taek Lie. Germany
“Pin De Fartie”
Adapting Samuel Beckett’s iconic 1957 play “Endgame” with gleeful, reckless abandon, maverick Argentine filmmaker Alejo Moguillansky discovers moments of magic within the registers and resonances of Beckett’s textual content as repetitions, refractions, music and dance crescendo right into a glittering, literary and formal masterwork. DIR Alejo Moguillansky. SCR Luciana Acuña, Alejo Moguillansky, Mariano Llinás. CAST Santiago Gobernori, Cleo Moguillansky, Laura Paredes, Marcos Ferrante, Luciana Acuña, Maxi Prietto. Argentina
“Promised Sky (Promis Le Ciel)”
On this gorgeously crafted and heartfelt drama from Erige Sehiri, three Ivorian ladies’s close-knit bonds are examined when the Tunisian authorities ramps up an immigration crackdown that would goal every of them. DIR Erige Sehiri. SCR Erige Sehiri, Malika Cécile Louati, Anna Ciennik. CAST Aïssa Maiga, Debora Lobe Naney, Laetitia Ky, Estelle Kenza Dogbo, Foued Zaazaa. Tunisia, France, Qatar
“Romería”
Orphaned at a younger age, Marina arrives within the glittering Galician port metropolis of Vigo prepared to fulfill her father’s household for the primary time. Acclaimed Spanish auteur Carla Simón’s return to the fervent floor of her childhood is a deeply private meditation on reminiscence, id and familial delusion making. DIR Carla Simón. SCR Carla Simón. CAST Llúcia Garcia, Mitch, Tristán Ulloa, Alberto Gracia, Miryam Gallego. Spain, Germany
“The Currents (Las Corrientes)”
After leaping right into a frigid Swiss lake on a piece journey, clothier Lina returns to Buenos Aires a modified girl. Now deathly afraid of water, she sleepwalks by way of life unable to elucidate her malaise. With surreal thrives and bursts of absurdity, filmmaker Milagros Mumenthaler casts a beguiling, dreamlike spell that delicately examines motherhood, class and id. DIR Milagros Mumenthaler. SCR Milagros Mumenthaler. CAST Isabel Aimé González Sola, Esteban Bigliardi, Claudia Sánchez, Ernestina Gatti, Jazmín Carballo. Switzerland, Argentina
“The Nice Arch (L’Inconnu De La Grande Arche)”
Stéphane Demoustier’s THE GREAT ARCH dramatizes the true story of Danish architect Johan Otto von Spreckelsen (performed brilliantly by Claes Bang), whose unbelievable Eighties design for Paris’s La Défense arch units off battles over inventive imaginative and prescient and obsession versus French paperwork. DIR Stéphane Demoustier. SCR Stéphane Demoustier. CAST Claes Bang, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Xavier Dolan, Swann Arlaud, Michel Fou. France
“The Love That Stays (Ástin Sem Eftir Er)”
Set towards the majestic grandeur of Iceland’s rugged panorama, filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason (GODLAND, AFI FEST 2022) pens a surprisingly delicate and poignant exploration of a crumbling marriage getting ready to ending. DIR Hlynur Pálmason. SCR Hlynur Pálmason. CAST Saga Garðarsdóttir, Sverrir Guðnason, Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir, Grímur Hlynsson, Þorgils Hlynsson. Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France
“The Voice of Hind Rajab”
The newest movie from filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, and Tunisia’s Oscar® entry for Greatest Worldwide Characteristic, is a daring and impressed drama that blurs the traces between fiction and documentary to recount the heartbreaking story of five-year-old Hind Rajab, a Palestinian woman murdered throughout Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip. DIR Kaouther Ben Hania. SCR Kaouther Ben Hania. CAST Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Clara Khoury, Amer Hlehel. Tunisia, France
“Sure”
Financially struggling musician Y has been tasked with composing a brand new anthem for a nation he morally opposes. Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s newest tour de power is an absurdist, boldly stunning condemnation of his homeland. DIR Nadav Lapid. SCR Nadav Lapid. CAST Ariel Bronz, Efrat Dor, Naama Preis, Alexey Serebryakov. France, Israel, Cyprus, Germany
Documentary
“Andy Kaufman Is Me”
Equal elements icon and enigma, comic Andy Kaufman defied conference — and this illuminating documentary dives deep into the life and artwork of probably the most ingenious entertainers of our time. DIR Clay Tweel. SCR Clay Tweel, Luis Lopez, Shannon E. Riggs. CAST Michael Kaufman, Carol Kaufman, David Letterman, Carol Kane, Tim Heidecker, Eric Andre, Kristin Schaal. USA
“Beneath The Clouds (Sotto Le Nuvole)”
Winner of the Particular Jury Prize on the Venice Movie Competition, documentary grasp Gianfrano Rosi (SACRO GRA, FIRE AT SEA) explores the town and environment of Naples, Italy, a spot the place each day, hundreds of years of historical past echo and resonate for its individuals. DIR Gianfranco Rosi. SCR Gianfranco Rosi, Marie-Pierre Muller, Carmelo Marabello. Italy
“Cowl-Up”
Oscar® winner Laura Poitras and veteran documentarian Mark Obenhaus discover Pulitzer-winning journalist Seymour Hersh’s fearless exposés of U.S. energy abuses — from My Lai to Abu Ghraib — mixing biography, political thriller and pressing reflection on reality and press freedom. DIR Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus. CAST Seymour Hersh. USA
“Fiume O Morte!”
Winner of each the Tiger Award and the FIPRESCI prize at this 12 months’s Rotterdam Movie Competition, Croatian director Igor Bezinović’s creative hybrid documentary re-enacts scenes from Gabriele D’Annunzio’s siege and occupation of the Adriatic seaport of Fiume (now Croatia’s Rijeka) within the aftermath of World Battle I. DIR Igor Bezinović. SCR Igor Bezinović. CAST Izet Medošević, Ćenan Beljulji, Albano Vučetić, Tihomir Buterin, Andrea Marsanich. Croatia, Italy, Slovenia
“Holding Liat”
Benjamin Kramer’s profile of an Israeli household searching for the return of their kidnapped family members who have been kidnapped throughout the October 7 Hamas assault gained the award for Greatest Documentary on the Berlin Movie Competition. Govt produced by AFI Alum Darren Aronofsky. DIR Brandon Kramer. CAST Yehuda Beinin, Liat Beinin Atzili, Chaya Beinin, Tal Beinin. USA
“I Was Born This Approach”
The cultural impression of singer Carl Bean extends far past his 1977 homosexual anthem “I Was Born This Approach.” Award-winning filmmaker duo Sam Pollard and Daniel Junge dive into the untold legacy of this uniquely inspirational artist whose outspoken voice and lyrics influenced a era. DIR Daniel Junge, Sam Pollard. CAST Archbishop Carl Bean, Billy Porter, Questlove, Woman Gaga, Dionne Warwick, Rep. Maxine Waters. USA
“Love+Battle”
This gripping portrait of New York Occasions struggle photographer Lynsey Addario explores her fearless work — from the frontlines of Ukraine to the Center East and past — and the stress between motherhood and a life spent documenting battle. DIR Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin. CAST Lynsey Addario. USA
“My Armenian Phantoms (Mes Fantômes Arméniens)”
Private memoirs and collective cinematic nostalgia converge in Tamara Stepanyan’s tender love letter to her late father and a pale previous of Soviet Armenia. DIR Tamara Stepanyan. SCR Tamara Stepanyan, Jean-Christophe Ferrari. France, Armenia
“Seeds”
Winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at this 12 months’s Sundance Movie Competition, this black-and-white, engrossing and profoundly function debut from Brittany Shyne explores the lives of a multi-generational household of Black farmers whose agrarian lifestyle is threatened by historic injustices. DIR Brittany Shyne. USA
“Selena Y Los Dinos”
The life and legacy of Selena, the “Queen of Tejano Music,” is recounted on this affectionate documentary using never-before-seen archival footage from the household’s intensive private assortment. DIR Isabel Castro. USA
“The Eyes Of Ghana”
Two-time Oscar®-winning director Ben Proudfoot reteams with the Obamas’ Larger Grounds Productions for this documentary spotlighting the exceptional but under-recognized Ghanaian filmmaker Chris Hesse, who captured important footage — beforehand regarded as misplaced — of the African independence actions as a private cameraman to revolutionary chief Kwame Nkrumah. DIR Ben Proudfoot. CAST Chris Hesse, Anita Afonu, Edmund Addo. USA
“The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld”
Stuart Cornfeld (AFI Class of 1975) appears again on his colourful profession as a inventive producer, collaborating with Anne Bancroft, Mel Brooks, David Lynch, Steven Soderbergh, David Cronenberg, Guillermo Del Toro and Ben Stiller, amongst others. That includes a wealth of interviews, Joan Bonfill’s intimate and insightful documentary portrait delves into the mysterious chemistry of inventive collaboration. DIR Joan Bofill Amargós. SCR Joan Bofill Amargós, Joan Marimón. CAST Stuart Cornfeld, Jack Black, Mel Brooks, David Cronenberg, Guillermo del Toro, David Lynch, Steven Soderbergh, Ben Stiller. USA, Spain
“The King of Colour”
A compelling tribute to Larry Herbert, the visionary thoughts behind the Pantone Matching System, which not solely standardized shade throughout industries, however rippled out to vary commerce, tradition and notion itself. DIR Patrick Creadon. CAST Larry Herbert. USA
“The Oz Diaries”
Drawing from a treasure trove of archival supplies — journals, images, interviews and unseen dwelling motion pictures — Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Daniel Raim provides each an intimate biography and revelatory portrait of prolific Japanese grasp Yasujiro Oz, one among cinema’s most authentic and enduring auteurs. DIR Daniel Raim. SCR Daniel Raim. CAST Yasujiro Oz, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Wim Wenders, Luc Dardenne, Tsai Ming-liang, Kyoko Kagawa. USA
“The Story of Silyan”
In a Macedonian village, Nikola, a fledgling middle-aged farmer, is left behind after his household immigrates to Germany, and shortly varieties a poignant bond with an injured stork. Tamara Kotevska (HONEYLAND) weaves folklore, placing photographs and intimate statement right into a poetic documentary about loss, resilience, and the fragile thread binding people to nature. DIR Tamara Kotevska. CAST Nikola Conev, Jana Coneva, Aleksandra Coneva, Aleksandar Conev, Ilina Coneva. North Macedonia
After Darkish
“By Design”
In Amanda Kramer’s fantastical, avant-garde curiosity BY DESIGN, Camille (Juliette Lewis) — motivated by deep-seated envy — makes a fateful want to be simply as fascinating as an exquisitely costly wood chair. DIR Amanda Kramer. SCR Amanda Kramer. CAST Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney, Clifton Collins Jr..”Usa”
“Infinite Cookie”
Written and directed by half-brothers Seth and Peter Scriver, one a resident of Toronto, the opposite a resident of Shamattawa First Nation within the far north of Manitoba, ENDLESS COOKIE is a kooky, ramshackle rumination on collective remembering and household bonds. Followers of Grownup Swim will enjoyment of its surreal animation and subversive humor. DIR Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver. SCR Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver. CAST Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver, Kristin “Cookie” Scriver, Dezray “Dez” Scriver, Ada Scriver. Canada
“Fucktoys”
Intercourse employee A.P. (performed by breakout author/director/producer/star Annapurna Sriram) wants a thousand {dollars} and a child lamb to interrupt a curse, setting her on a quest for a number of fast paydays and a complete lot of misadventure in Trashtown, USA. DIR Annapurna Sriram. SCR Annapurna Sriram. CAST Annapurna Sriram, Sadie Scott, Francois Arnaud, Massive Freedia, Brandon Flynn. USA
“Mārama”
Taratoa Stappard’s haunting and visceral debut function — a gothic revenge horror filtered by way of a Māori lens — melds the chills of a haunted home thriller with a stark exploration of Britain’s darkish colonial legacy. DIR Taratoa Stappard”. Scr”Taratoa Stappard”. Solid”Ariāna Osborne, Toby Stephens, Umi Myers, Evelyn Towersey, Erroll Shand. New Zealand
“Morte Cucina”
Deliciously tense with luxurious cinematography by Christopher Doyle, Thai New Wave author/director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s (LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE) newest function is an modern, culinary tackle the rape-revenge thriller. DIR Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. SCR Pen-ek Ratanaruang. CAST Bella Boonsang, Kris Srepoomseth, Punika Ranschaya, Nopachai Chaiyanam, Wisit Junloon. Thailand
“Straight Circle”
Winner of the highest prize at Venice Critics’ Week, Oscar Hudson’s debut function is a surrealist anti-war satire about two troopers stationed at a fictional desert border who lose their grip on actuality. DIR Oscar Hudson. SCR Oscar Hudson. CAST Elliott Tittensor, Luke Tittensor, Neil Maskell. UK
Visitor Inventive Director – Guillermo del Toro
“Barry Lyndon”
Stanley Kubrick’s visually beautiful, Academy Award®-winning 18th-century epic — which marks its fiftieth anniversary this 12 months — follows the rise of a reluctant conscript (Ryan O’Neal) by way of struggle, romance and intrigue throughout Europe. DIR Stanley Kubrick. SCR Stanly Kubrick. CAST Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Kruger, Diana Koerner, Homosexual Hamilton”. Usa”
“Fellini’s Casanova”
Federico Fellini’s notorious 1976 tackle Giacomo Casanova’s story is a visible and sonic spectacle — a lavish, hallucinatory reimagining of the legendary Venetian seducer’s life, starring Donald Sutherland and set to an unforgettable rating by Nino Rota. DIR Federico Fellini, SCR Federico Fellini, Bernardino Zapponi. CAST Donald Sutherland, Tina Aumont. Italy
“The Arcane Sorcerer”
A private favourite of Guillermo del Toro, this richly atmospheric, religious horror movie follows a disgraced seminary scholar as he takes refuge with an excommunicated monsignor with a penchant for the occult. Compelled to take part in more and more macabre rituals and checks, Giacomo is consumed by the sinister — as apparitions, ghosts and lethal rumors begin to accumulate. DIR Pupi Avati, SCR Pupi Avati, CAST Carlo Cecchi, Stefano Dionisi, Arnaldo Ninchi, Andrea Scorzoni, Consuelo Ferrara. Italy
“The Duellists”
Ridley Scott’s placing Cannes prize-winning debut function is a visually arresting story of honor, obsession and delight chronicling the 16-year feud between two French officers (Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel) towards the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. DIR Ridley Scott, SCR Gerald Vaughan-Hughes, CAST Harvey Keitel, Keith Carradine, Albert Finney, Edward Fox, Cristina Raines. USA
Brief Movie Competitors
After Darkish Shorts
“My Fantastic Life”
Grace Lee, an overworked mother in Singapore, collapses at work. She will get admitted into the hospital the place she finds newfound freedom as a affected person. DIR Calleen Koh. Singapore
“Final Name”
Claudia, a fast-riding motorbike insurgent, indulges in her worst vices to keep away from confrontation with a mysterious serpent girl who faucets into her most grotesque fantasies. DIR Winnie Cheung. USA
“The Fisherman”
A religious fisherman has his religion examined as a sequence of supernatural phenomena plague him and his household. DIR Calvin Brown. USA
“Water Sports activities”
Jelson and Ipe, college students deeply in love, endure trials of the thoughts and physique as they put together to outlive a world devastated by local weather change. DIR Whammy Alcazaren. Philippines
“Mr. Ogre’s Fortress”
A bunch of youngsters enjoys a bootleg keep at an expensive villa whereas the mysterious proprietor is away. Their get together will get spoiled when a CCTV digital camera operator calls to tell the police. DIR Maxime Chudeau. USA
“Demons To Diamonds”
Within the chilly enterprise district of La Défense, the place metal towers pierce a stressed sky and CCTV watches each shadow, a wave of suicides exposes the fractures of a crumbling society. DIR Valentin Noujaïm. France
Animation Shorts 1
“Ostrich”
A sparrow sees photographs of ostriches in every single place. In awe of the ostriches with their lengthy necks, dazzling eyes and muscular legs, the little hen desires to be identical to them. DIR Marie Kenov. Switzerland
“Carcassonne-Acapulco”
As flight 7836 reaches cruising pace above the Atlantic Ocean, the pilot, co-pilot and flight attendant are startled by an surprising knock on the door — inflicting chaos and confusion to ensue. DIR Marjorie Caup, Olivier Héraud. France
“Apple Gatherers”
APPLE GATHERERS reveals the loneliness and dissatisfaction in a labour-intensive world and the transient reprieve now we have in moments of actual human connection. The second is fleeting, but highly effective. DIR Danielle Rhoda Addae-Boateng. UK
“Snow Bear”
Set in a quickly altering world, SNOW BEAR tells the story of a polar bear in an unforgiving surroundings on his quest to discover a good friend. DIR Aaron Blaise. USA
“Petra And The Solar (Petra Y El Sol)”
Throughout a heavy snowmelt within the Andes, Petra discovers the superbly preserved corpse of a misplaced mountaineer — bringing him to her wood chalet and sparking an surprising romantic story. DIR Malu Furche, Stefania Malacchini. Chile
“S The Wolf”
A middle-aged man displays on his tumultuous adolescence by way of intricate and deeply private musings all tied to his hair rising or receding. Over time, we accumulate that means into the bigger journey of his life. DIR Sameh Alaa. France
“Dollhouse Elephant”
In a world that calls for group participation, particular person needs inevitably collide. A bunch of neighbors, every targeted on their very own objectives, should study to speak and contemplate each other. DIR Jenny Jokela. Finland
“9 Million Colours (9 Milionů Barev)”
The ocean is paradise for Fran the shrimp. For blind fish Milva, it’s a battle to outlive. Fran sees Milva as lovely and desires her to see the ocean in the identical method. DIR Bára Anna. Czech Republic, Germany, Norway
Animation Shorts 2
“Dormilón”
“2025 Usa 9 Min”
DIRECTOR Olivia Marie Valdez
In a quest to turn into the performer of his desires, Dormilón, a starry-eyed and middle-aged janitor residing in an deserted theater, should confront his nightmares face-to-face.
“Canine Alone (Cão Sozinho)”
After the loss of life of its proprietor and its companions, a canine is left alone. Howls day and night time disturbing all of the neighborhood. In the home subsequent door, a widowed man’s granddaughter returns from London. DIR Marta Reis Andrade. Portugal | France
“Forevergreen”
A joyful journey that includes an orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree turns severe when the cub is tempted by the attract of simple meals. DIR Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears. USA
“Mine”!
Within the early twentieth century Midwest USA, deep underground, a bunch of coal miners make an unimaginable discovery. DIR Lou Morton. USA
“Desi Oon”
By way of the story of Balu Mama and his revered flock of Deccani sheep, Desi Oon contrasts a wealthy heritage with the trendy neglect of India’s native sheep and wool business. DIR Suresh Eriyat. India
“Amarelo Banana”
After yet one more night time of insomnia, a person comes throughout a wierd group residing in his constructing and discovers an elaborate phantasm they’ve created. DIR Alexandre Sousa. Portugal, Hungary
“As soon as In A Physique”
Whereas coping with a wierd being that lives within her, a girl seeks reconciliation along with her sister over an incident from their adolescence. DIR María Cristina Pérez González. Colombia
“Murmuration (Zwermen)”
An aged man realizes that he’s instantly turning right into a hen. DIR Janneke Swinkels, Tim Frijsinger. Netherlands
Documentary Shorts 1
“My Reminiscence-Partitions (Mes Murs-Mémoire)”
Rose G. Lévesque, an virtually nonagenarian painter and poet, painted the story of her life on her home’s partitions to remodel it right into a museum. DIR Axel Robin. Canada
“Native One”
The Amazon Labor Union launches a nationwide strike throughout peak vacation procuring season. LOCAL ONE takes us into the primary days of the strike at two Amazon warehouses in NYC. DIR Stephen Maing, Brett Story. USA
“Memento Mori (Zinc)”
As rhythmic machines press zinc sheets into coffins, manufacturing unit staff replicate on their very own mortality. Does day by day contact with loss of life heighten their consciousness of life’s impermanence? DIR Ainara Vera. USA
“Beneath Which Rivers Movement (“ابراهيم)
Ibrahim is tethered to the river, reeds and buffalo he tends, however because the rivers dry and the panorama withers, he faces unrelenting forces threatening the one life he’s ever identified. DIR Ali Yahya. Iraq
“Massive Cash: A Religious Manifesto”
Oscar® and Grammy®-winning musician Jon Batiste crafts an album with legendary producer No ID — mixing pleasure, lineage, alchemy and protest into one thing deeply private. DIR David Henry Gerson. USA
“Welcome House Freckles”
After 4 years aside, a daughter returns dwelling to confront the unresolved household conflicts and violence that plagued her childhood, discovering the generational cycle of abuse solely she will break. DIR Huiju Park. UK, South Korea
Documentary Shorts 2
“Pavilhão”
Set in Rio de Janeiro, Aleksia wanders on a journey by way of time — unveiling the origins of samba and its emergence from resilience, pleasure, spirituality and resistance of her Afro-Brazilian group. DIR Victoria Fiore. Brazil
“Right Me If I’M Unsuitable (“如你所愿)
In a battle of affection, legacy and perception, a southwest Chinese language household tries to purge an undesirable entity from their queer inheritor. DIR Hao Zhou. Germany, USA
“Lengthy Dwell Livia”
An animator discusses a scene from the TV sequence, THE SOPRANOS, whereas meticulously crafting stop-motion recreations of his household’s dwelling motion pictures. DIR Zach Dorn. USA
“Lab Man”
LAB MAN is a docu-portrait about Arturo Arnold, a grasp of emulsion who processes all of the 8mm and 16mm movement image movie for a busy movie lab in North Hollywood. DIR Neil Butler. USA
“Shanti Rides Shotgun”
On Manhattan’s jam-packed streets, NYC’s most iconic driving teacher prepares college students for the street forward. DIR Charles Frank. USA
“Al Basateen (The Orchards)”
In 2015, the Basateen al-Razi district of Damascus was destroyed as punishment for the inhabitants’s rebellion towards Bashar al-Assad’s regime. A decade later, reminiscences are woke up, resisting deliberate erasure. DIR Antoine Chapon. France
Dwell Motion Shorts
“Poster Boy”
Within the cutthroat world of Nineteen Nineties boy bands, a determined 16-year-old dancer betrays his greatest good friend and bandmates in a misguided try to safe his spot within the limelight. DIR India Opzoomer. Canada
“Nervous Vitality”
On the cusp of success/failure, two unhinged feminine filmmakers resolve to interrupt up with their boyfriends and for as soon as, make a daring determination with their lives. DIR Eve Liu. USA
“Stranger, Brother”
When self-absorbed and lonely millennial Adam wakes to search out his estranged half-brother on his doorstep one morning, he should face the household he’s been working from. DIR Annelise Hickey. Australia
“Coyotes”
A Palestinian surgeon drives dwelling after a protracted night time shift, however little does she know {that a} commute by way of a desolate West Financial institution street will change her ceaselessly. DIRECTOR Stated Zagha. France, Palestine, Jordan
“Casi Septiembre”
Alejandra struggles with the concern of abandonment. Residing year-round along with her household in a tenting resort, a blossoming romance with a vacationer brings her latent insecurities to the floor. DIR Lucía G. Romero. Spain
Dwell Motion Shorts 2
“The Singers”
On this movie adaptation of a Nineteenth-century quick story written by Ivan Turgenev, downtrodden patrons commiserating at a lowly pub join unexpectedly by way of an impromptu sing-off. DIR Sam Davis. USA
“The Man Of Shit (L’Homme De Merde)”
Between faculty and her luxurious lodge job, Fernanda wonders if she’ll ever obtain one thing significant in life. The arrival of The Man of Shit will give her an surprising alternative. DIR Sorel França. France
“Pink Egg & Ginger”
Hannah, a half-white, half-Chinese language teenager, meets her new child, 100% Chinese language half-sister at a standard Chinese language occasion, forcing Hannah to query her cultural id and the place she suits in her household. DIR Olivia Owyeung. UK
“Majonezë”
Elyria follows the strict guidelines imposed by her father, hiding her anger with obedience. A robust need for insurrection grows in her daily that results in a obligatory act of revolution. DIR Giulia Grandinetti. Italy
“Mermaids (Gorgones)”
Summer time holidays in Greece. Below the scorched solar, a flirt pushes two reverse good friend teams on a journey of sexual discovery, lust, consent and full transformation. DIR Dimitris Tsakaleas, Lida Vartzioti. Greece
AFI Conservatory Showcase
A group of quick narrative movies from the newest graduates of the world-renowned AFI Conservatory.
“Conservatory Showcase 1”
“The Apple Picker’s Son”
Afaaq, a Kashmiri boy with supernatural powers, learns his father can be selecting apples in a war-torn area of Kashmir. Afaaq should cease him from leaving earlier than the apples ripen and the harvest begins. DIR Yang Zimik. SCRYang Zimik, Dulguun Bayasgalan, PRODUCER Cathy Ni, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Liz Mealey, EDITOR Shiyi Xie and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Oscar O’Neill. USA
“Jia”
Jia loves her bestie Nina greater than something, however when Nina tells Jia she desires to attend the varsity dance with a boy and never with Jia as deliberate, a selection is made that adjustments their friendship ceaselessly. DIR Samantha Mandich, SCRSamantha Mandich, PRODUCER Paloma Pinto, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Rebecca Richard, EDITOR Sydney Sullivan, and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Natalie Peracchio. USA
“Patakha”
Radha, an 11-year-old woman in rural India, loses her backpack on her first day of labor at a manufacturing unit. She journeys to retrieve the varsity bag and with it, her desires for the long run. DIR Rohit Relan, SCR Umut Ipek, PRODUCER Tiffany Wu, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Brooke Mueller, EDITOR Siddharth Lal and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Reem Alshaini. USA
“Beware The Wolves”
Throughout an prolonged keep, Carlisle and his older sister endure strict remedy from their grandmother and ailing grandfather. When Carlisle witnesses a disturbing violation, he should forge a path for his or her escape. DIR Alex Bush, SCR Alex Bush, Annabel Newland, PRODUCER Ilias Kyriakidis, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Matthew Rove Roveto, EDITOR Vaishnavi Upadhyay and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Demie Cao. USA
“Conservatory Showcase 2”
“Canine Sees God”
When a meteor lands in his yard, killing his beloved canine, suburban misfit Atticus channels his grief into his garage-punk band as he wrestles with teenage angst, fractured household dynamics and a rising authorities presence in his neighborhood. DIR Yana Gladkikh, SCR Alex Bush, Ilias Kyriakidis, PRODUCER Andrew Svistunov, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Junxiong Joshua Zhu, EDITOR Zheyu Ian Jiang and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Shengtao Anakin Li. USA
“Azul”
Struggling to deal with her sister’s surprising passing, 17-year-old Azul finds solace in an surprising place: a woman Lowrider Automotive Membership. DIR Santos Arrué, SCR Santos Arrué, PRODUCER Yoko Chen, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Alexandra Geneviève Agar, EDITOR Lu Li and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Jessica Burnam. USA
“Behind The Masks”
After a well-known actor’s loss of life, his estranged daughter appears for closure at his home. She discovers a magical theater masks that whisks her again in time to a grand stage the place she comes face-to-face with him as a younger man. DIR Catherine Andre, SCR Catherine Andre, PRODUCER Becca E. Davis, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Simran Sawhney, EDITOR Matthew Gelzer and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Irena Weaver. USA
“Oldman’s Blues”
Grappling with dementia, eighty-year-old Kang longs to return to China. When a yellow crane seems, reminiscence and actuality blur — guiding his spirit dwelling in a remaining goodbye seen solely by his granddaughter. DIR Ziyi Zeng, SCR Ziyi Zeng, PRODUCER Tianyu Yang, Ali Buckner, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Keren Paldi, EDITOR Ann Zhao and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Tang Hu. USA
“Teen Mary”
Teen Mary will get pregnant by Nazareth’s greatest participant, Gabriel. Going through loss of life, she and her homosexual BFF Joseph hatch a plan: persuade everybody that God is the daddy, turning scandal into scripture to outlive. DIR Ali Rosenthal, SCR Ali Rosenthal, PRODUCER Bridger Zadina, Hector Martinez, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jodi Savitz, EDITOR Carter Huang and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Abbie Vance. USA
“Conservatory Showcase 3”
“Maraschino”
When a former centerfold suffers a breakdown on her companion’s birthday, she should outwit her good dwelling system on a blood-soaked path to having her personal cake and consuming it, too. DIR Alyssa Cody Garcia, SCR Alyssa Cody Garcia, Simona Galant, PRODUCER Simona Galant, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Mads Fridolin Vejlby, EDITOR Qiqi Deng and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Maui McDonald. USA
“Poolboy”
Kaspar is a medical tech identified with terminal most cancers and 6 months to reside. Confronting mortality, he quits his job to pursue his childhood dream of turning into a Los Angeles pool boy. DIRHaoran Ma, SCR Ben Keeshin, PRODUCER Zhedan Deng, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Simon Gulergun, EDITOR Yu Solar and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Xuefei Rong. USA
“Discovering Yiyi”
After shedding her mom’s cherished dumpling recipe, 65-year-old YiYi embarks on a journey to piece it again collectively, main her to reconnect with a childhood good friend and discover the connection they by no means had. DIR Kim Caicedo, SCR Kim Caicedo, Bao Le Cheok, PRODUCER Michelle Levinger, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Bao Le Cheok, EDITOR Attila Tayefeh and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Zaina Tripp. USA
“Membership Rats”
When younger golfer Penny wins the membership championship on a doubtful hole-in-one, her standing and fame are referred to as into query. Main the cost is Penny’s former lover and fiercest rival, inflicting her to doubt the reality. DIR Grace Francis Godvin, SCR Grace Francis Godvin, PRODUCER Chenning Yang, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jasper Khadjenouri, EDITOR Daniel Elder and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Juliana Newman. USA
“Night time Feeds”
An Arab American mom struggles with postpartum as an evening nurse unsettles her, and struggle floods her screens. This psychological horror the place nightmare bleeds into actuality paints a visceral portrait of motherhood in our time. DIR Rana Roy, SCR Rana Roy, PRODUCER Adia Ivey, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Julia Maixer, EDITOR Joan Mao and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Janhvi Gupta. USA
“Conservatory Showcase 4”
“Tune Of Silence”
In a war-torn 2071 America, Greta should shield a lethal secret in a hidden village of girls, forcing her to decide on between her solely son’s life and the protection of her group. DIR Vasilisa Kuzmina, SCR Vasilisa Kuzmina, Daisy Anderson, PRODUCER Qiuping Han, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Dominika Podczaska”, Editor”Yuntong Hazel Dai and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Elli Kypriadis. USA
“The Finish Is At Hand”
A reclusive telephone repairman discovers a pulsing, slime-covered organism rising inside a mysterious system. When it disappears from his desk, he searches for it — however the extra he appears, the extra he dreads what he’ll discover. DIR Japhet Velazquez SCR Sam Gallen, PRODUCER Sam Gallen, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Diana Dahllund, EDITOR Junwu Tan and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Yuheng Kuang. USA
“Greatest Eyes”
Whereas commuting between her interior metropolis neighborhood and elite non-public college, a biracial teen varieties a friendship that challenges the model of herself her mom believes will preserve her protected — main her towards self-acceptance. DIR Kira Powell, SCR Kira Powell, Lauren Thomas, PRODUCER Tara Austin, Bonnie von Duyke, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Udit Nijhawan, EDITOR Sharon Shen and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Disha Shah. USA
“You & Me, Chaz & Rodney”
Greatest pals Elisa and Valerie set out on an journey to Rodney’s home with plans to hook up for the primary time. However because the night time progresses, the curious 13-year-olds are confronted by their very own shifting friendship. DIR Lillian Lion, SCR Lillian Lion, Cecilia Cereijido-Bloche, PRODUCER Yang Qian, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jessica Hayes, EDITOR Elise Beers and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Nicole Baroudi. USA
“Iron Lake”
On a scouting journey within the Nineteen Nineties, a risky teenager expresses secret emotions for an additional boy. When he’s rejected, he’ll go to darkish lengths to maintain his secret hidden. DIR Grant Swanson, SCR Grant Swanson, PRODUCER Annine Fan Zhang, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Ioana Vasile, EDITOR Yuchen Bobby Fang and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Emily Henninger. USA
“Conservatory Showcase 5”
“Joe Hunt”
After his father’s mysterious loss of life, thirteen-year-old William turns to his imaginary hero, Joe Hunt, for steering. As they seek for solutions, the road between protector and menace blurs, forcing William to query who he can really belief. DIR Matthew Genecov, SCR Matthew Genecov, PRODUCER Muqing Evelyn Tang, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Yoshihisa Toda, EDITOR Yiming Wang and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Zixi Roey Zhang. USA
TĀ
In a bleak, dystopian fashionable metropolis, an agent of the underworld intersects with the lives of these misplaced in despair — guiding them on a surreal, transformative journey into loss of life and past. DIR Jiyuan Ler, SCR Jiyuan Ler, Jack Ruefli, PRODUCER Jack Ruefli, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Arman Meinecke, EDITOR Anushri Srinivasan and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Jing Chen. USA
“Paper Boy”
An artist escapes right into a fragile paper world. As his creativeness grows into huge cities and unimaginable creatures, fantasy blurs with actuality. Because it collapses, he should face the truths he’s hidden and the burden they carry. DIR Saulius Baradinskas, SCR Saulius Baradinskas, Juan-Arturo Maldonado, PRODUCER Ella Danna, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Nyssa Glück, EDITOR Wenzhe Brandon Li and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Bing Yi Liao. USA
“Dandelion”
In Seventies Los Angeles, rebellious queer teen Margaret will get thrown out of yet one more foster placement and finds herself within the firm of a social employee tasked with discovering her a brand new dwelling. DIR Fiona Obertinca, SCR Corey Pinchoff, PRODUCER Tori Ichikowitz, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Bruce Wang, EDITOR Jing Ace Wang and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Ana Visuetti.
