Mon 29.05.2017 | 17:10Bright Nights (2017)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Thomas Arslan
Germany, Norway, 2017, 86 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Info
Austrian civil engineer Michael lives with his girlfriend in Berlin. For years, he has barely had any contact with his 14-year-old son Luis. When Michael’s father dies, the two travel together to the funeral held in the remote north of Norway. Barely knowing each other, the two are suddenly caught in an intimate situation. After the funeral, Michael suggests spending a few days together exploring the region, which turns out to be more difficult than expected. Never having spent any time with each other on a daily basis, they have trouble handling their relationship. When they are in the car together it feels like the calm before a storm.
Mon 29.05.2017 | 19:20Filthy (2017)
Section: International Competition of European First Films
Directed by: Tereza Nvotová
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, 2017, 87 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 1
Score:
This is the coming-of-age story of 17-year old Lena. In love with a boy for the first time, Lena longs for freedom and adventure. Her magic world is shattered instantly when her teacher, whom all her classmates have a crush on, rapes her in her own home. Instead of sharing her trauma, Lena keeps it a secret, even from her best friend. Her pent up feelings drive her to attempt suicide. Her family in shock, Lena ends up in a psychiatric ward. In the middle of wild and similarly misunderstood kids, she discovers she is not alone in her experience. But when her close roommate hangs herself, Lena hits bottom. She agrees to electroconvulsive therapy. At first, it seems to help and – apart from memory loss – Lena is well again. But the attempt to live her old life doesn’t last long. Gradually, her memories come to the surface, bringing a realization that is unbearable. This time, however, she does not fall into the same abyss of self-hate and instead tries to face the trauma.
Mon 29.05.2017 | 19:40Heartstone (2016)
Section: International Competition of European First Films
Directed by: Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson
Iceland, 2016, 129 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
In his directorial debut, director and screenwriter Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson offers us a view into the lives of two teenage boys in a remote fishing village in Iceland. Thor and Christian truly experience a turbulent summer. As one tries to win a girl's heart, the other discovers till now unfamiliar emotions towards his best friend. As Iceland's harsh nature takes back its right with the ending summer, it is high time to leave the playground and face adulthood. The sensitive and intimate story is like a mosaic composed of many of life's important themes: the relationship between parents and children, life in a remote village, first love, awakening of puberty and sexuality, and friendship.
Mon 29.05.2017 | 20:00Sister (2012)
Section: Welcome to Switzerland
Directed by: Ursula Meier
Switzerland, France, 2012, 97 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Simon lives with his older sister in a housing complex below a luxury Swiss ski resort. With his sister drifting in and out of jobs and relationships, 12-year-old Simon takes on the responsibility of providing for the two of them. Every day, he takes the lift up to the opulent ski world above, stealing equipment from rich tourists to resell to the local kids down in the valley. He is able to keep their little family afloat with his small-time hustles and his sister is thankful for the money he brings in. But, when Simon partners with a crooked British seasonal worker, he begins to lose his boundaries, which affects his relationship with his sister and plummets him into dangerous territory.
Mon 29.05.2017 | 20:30Don't Call Me Son (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Anna Muylaert
Brazil, 2016, 82 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
Pierre is 17 and in mid-puberty. He plays in a band, has sex at parties and secretly tries on women’s clothing and lipstick in front of a mirror. Ever since his father’s death, his mother Aracy has looked after him and his younger sister Jacqueline, spoiling them both. But when he discovers that she stole him from a hospital when he was a new born baby, Pierre’s life changes dramatically. Overnight, his world falls apart and his mother Aracy is arrested. His biological parents Gloria and Matheus have spent 17 years searching for him; they are now desperate to make up for the lost years and spend time with their eldest son, whom they call Felipe. But Pierre has his own designs for his life.
Mon 29.05.2017 | 21:30Teenage Kicks (2016)
Section: Night Horizons
Directed by: Craig Boreham
Australia, 2016, 99 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Miklos Varga is punching his way through the dark terrain that exists somewhere between the vague, scratchy signposts marked “Boy” and “Man.” On the verge of his 18th birthday, Miklos’ world has come crumbling down. His plans to run away and escape the strangulating hold of his migrant family have been tipped sideways by a family disaster. Only Mik knows the events that led to this tragedy, and he blames just one person: himself. Mik is suddenly torn between his desire to head north and start a new life with his best friend Dan, and the obligation to his broken family. Is Mik a danger to himself and everyone around him, or just a kid caught hopelessly in the tripwires of teen angst?
Tue 30.05.2017 | 10:50Fourteen Sucks (2004)
Section: Days of Swedish Cinema
Directed by: Emil Larsson, Henrik Norrthon, Martin Jern, Filippa Freijd
Sweden, 2004, 82 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
Fourteen-year-old Emma goes to a party with friends of her brother's and ends up passed out on a bed with an older boy who takes advantage of the situation. Later, her brother Markus senses that something is wrong but Emma keeps her thoughts to herself. She has trouble dealing with her own emotions. But then she meets Aron, an easy-going guy who spends his days on a skateboard.
Tue 30.05.2017 | 17:10The Polar Boy (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Anu Aun
Estonia, 2016, 97 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Mattias has a dream of becoming a photography student at the Berlin Arts Academy. His dream is constantly put to the test when he falls in love with the beautiful free spirit Hanna. Trying to win her heart, he feels the need to prove to Hanna that he can be just as adventurous and unpredictable as she is. Breaking the law together with Hanna, Mattias risks everything dear to him, not knowing yet that Hanna’s bold acts are only the symptoms of bipolar disorder. In a moment of jealousy, Mattias accidentally commits a crime that could put him behind bars for years. In order to save himself Mattias decides to get himself declared irresponsible by faking the illness his girlfriend really has – bipolarity.
Tue 30.05.2017 | 17:20Heartstone (2016)
Section: International Competition of European First Films
Directed by: Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson
Iceland, 2016, 129 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
In his directorial debut, director and screenwriter Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson offers us a view into the lives of two teenage boys in a remote fishing village in Iceland. Thor and Christian truly experience a turbulent summer. As one tries to win a girl's heart, the other discovers till now unfamiliar emotions towards his best friend. As Iceland's harsh nature takes back its right with the ending summer, it is high time to leave the playground and face adulthood. The sensitive and intimate story is like a mosaic composed of many of life's important themes: the relationship between parents and children, life in a remote village, first love, awakening of puberty and sexuality, and friendship.
Tue 30.05.2017 | 17:30Bad Influence (2016)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Claudia Huaiquimilla
Chile, 2016, 89 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
Arrested after a violent gas station robbery, troubled Santiago youth Tano is remanded to the custody of his father Javier, an auto mechanic living in the small mountain community of Wallmapu. Soon the wayward teen befriends shy, awkward Cheo, whose indigenous Mapuche community fights against the displacement and destruction wrought by a massive local pulp mill. The bond between the two boys quickly deepens against the pressures of schoolyard cruelty and the troubled home lives of each, forcing a reckoning in both boys with themselves and the world around them.
Tue 30.05.2017 | 19:40Butterfly Kisses (2017)
Section: International Competition of European First Films
Directed by: Rafael Kapelinski
U.K., 2017, 89 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
At the housing estate they call home, Jake, Kyle and Jarred hang around playing billiards, partying, smoking pot, watching porn, and talking about sex. They welcome anything that breaks the routine, even if it's a fight at the snooker hall – or a new neighbour such as the pretty Zara, a teenage girl who just moved into the estate with her younger sister. Standing at the window on the top floor, Jake can survey the whole housing block. Something about this place captivates him: the solitude, the isolation, the anonymity. In high contrast black and white, set to haunting organ music, the film portrays the life of a teenager whose increasing isolation takes on a sinister form under the burden of a secret he cannot tell anyone.
Tue 30.05.2017 | 20:00Filthy (2017)
Section: International Competition of European First Films
Directed by: Tereza Nvotová
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, 2017, 87 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
This is the coming-of-age story of 17-year old Lena. In love with a boy for the first time, Lena longs for freedom and adventure. Her magic world is shattered instantly when her teacher, whom all her classmates have a crush on, rapes her in her own home. Instead of sharing her trauma, Lena keeps it a secret, even from her best friend. Her pent up feelings drive her to attempt suicide. Her family in shock, Lena ends up in a psychiatric ward. In the middle of wild and similarly misunderstood kids, she discovers she is not alone in her experience. But when her close roommate hangs herself, Lena hits bottom. She agrees to electroconvulsive therapy. At first, it seems to help and – apart from memory loss – Lena is well again. But the attempt to live her old life doesn’t last long. Gradually, her memories come to the surface, bringing a realization that is unbearable. This time, however, she does not fall into the same abyss of self-hate and instead tries to face the trauma.
Tue 30.05.2017 | 20:201:54 (2016)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Yan England
Canada, 2016, 106 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
At the age of 16, Tim is an intelligent but shy young man gifted with a natural athletic ability for running. However, the last four years have been tough on him because of Jeff and his crew. In his last year of high school, Tim is sick and tired of feeling like a loser and wants to shine for once. He decides to stand up to Jeff by dethroning him in the 800 m championship, the event Jeff is known for in school. But behind the competition and rivalry, a secret is wreaking havoc. Tim tells both his running coach and his father, both of whom want to help him, that “Either you shut up and do absolutely nothing. Or you shut up and take care of it yourself. I choose option two.”
Wed 31.05.2017 | 10:40Number Four (2016)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Children
Directed by: Mehran Malakouti
Iran, 2016, 71 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
The story of this film is about a young adult boy whose father is dead and can’t accept this truth… It’s been about two years since Atou’s father failed to come back home from the sea and everybody thinks that he’s dead. Atou’s uncle tries to force his mother to re-marry. He tries to help his mother earn money so he decides to work with smugglers, but he faces many problems – problems he is not old enough to handle.
Wed 31.05.2017 | 10:501:54 (2016)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Yan England
Canada, 2016, 106 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
At the age of 16, Tim is an intelligent but shy young man gifted with a natural athletic ability for running. However, the last four years have been tough on him because of Jeff and his crew. In his last year of high school, Tim is sick and tired of feeling like a loser and wants to shine for once. He decides to stand up to Jeff by dethroning him in the 800 m championship, the event Jeff is known for in school. But behind the competition and rivalry, a secret is wreaking havoc. Tim tells both his running coach and his father, both of whom want to help him, that “Either you shut up and do absolutely nothing. Or you shut up and take care of it yourself. I choose option two.”
Wed 31.05.2017 | 13:20Zozo (2005)
Section: Days of Swedish Cinema
Directed by: Josef Fares
Sweden, U.K., Denmark, 2005, 103 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
It's 1987, and Zozo is a ten-year-old boy whose parents are struggling to flee Beirut as warfare in the streets accelerates. His grandparents have emigrated to Sweden, and his mother and father plan to follow as soon as their passports and exit visas are approved. On the day that their papers finally come through, Zozo's mother asks him to go outside and get something for her – and just misses being killed by the shell that hits into their home and kills his parents. He now has little choice but to fetch his passport and airline ticket and make his way to the airport on foot. With his pet bird and a young runaway girl named Rita for company, Zozo sets out on the first leg in his journey to a new home.
Wed 31.05.2017 | 17:10Summer 1993 (2017)
Section: International Competition of European First Films
Directed by: Carla Simon Pipó
Spain, 2017, 96 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
In the summer 1993, following the death of her parents, 6-year-old Frida moves from Barcelona to the Catalan province to live with her aunt and uncle, who are now her new legal guardians. The country life is a challenge for Frida – time passes differently in her new home and the nature that surrounds her is mysterious and estranging. She now has a little sister for whom she has to take care of and has to deal with new feelings, such as jealousy. Often, Frida is naively convinced that running away would be the best solution to her problems. Yet, the family does what it can to achieve a fragile new balance and bring normality to their life. Occasional family outings to a local fiesta or a swimming pool, cooking or listening to jazz in the garden bring them moments of happiness. Slowly, Frida realizes that she is there to stay and has to adapt to the new environment. Before the season is over, she has to cope with her emotions and her new parents have to learn to love her as their own daughter.
Wed 31.05.2017 | 17:20Boy on the Bridge (2016)
Section: International Competition of European First Films
Directed by: Petros Charalambous
Cyprus, 2016, 85 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Spring has come to a Cypriot village, bringing with it an invitation for Socrates to indulge in his favourite pastimes: setting off homemade fireworks, tormenting local pensioners, hurtling through the village on a moped and defying his mother. As Easter looms, Socrates masterminds a plan to make the biggest firecracker of the year and set it off at midnight on Holy Saturday. The device explodes collapsing part of the church and burying an old man beneath the rubble. The spotlight shines briefly on Socrates before illuminating a more serious crime. A boy has been attacked and the village becomes a hotbed of gossip and finger-pointing. When a friend is arrested for the crime, Socrates, convinced of his innocence, is determined to find the real perpetrator. Behind the scenes in this seemingly idyllic backwater, an abused wife plots revenge on her husband, a scheming miser falls in love and a dangerous predator stalks the innocent. Spring brings a rude awakening to all the villagers and Socrates in particular.
Wed 31.05.2017 | 17:30Just Charlie (2017)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Rebecah Fortune
U.K., 2017, 99 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
Football is Charlie’s joy. When he has the ball at his feet, he can make magic happen – a gift that many teenage boys only dream of. Now the opportunity for Charlie to play professionally has come along. It looks like Charlie will be able to succeed where his father could not. But Charlie has a secret, a secret locked in his heart. Now, with his future seemingly mapped out, the secret cannot stay hidden any longer. Charlie’s decision to reveal the truth tears his once united family apart and puts his friends in turmoil. No-one is quite sure of themselves or each other anymore and the road back to harmony is paved with obstacles, prejudices and confusion.
Wed 31.05.2017 | 19:20Sami Blood (2016)
Section: International Competition of European First Films
Directed by: Amanda Kernell
Sweden, Denmark, Norway, 2016, 110 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 1
Score:
The Scandinavian variant of a shameful practice employed by self-proclaimed “civilized" nations around the world in the 19th and 20th centuries: the systematic removal of Indigenous children from their parents, homes, and traditional lifestyles and forced integration into an educational system that taught them that their customs and lifestyles were inferior at best. Elle Marja is a teenage Sámi girl in the 1930s who is sent to a boarding school intended on raising its Indigenous charges to a level "acceptable" to the rest of Swedish society. Curious and excited, Elle Marja at first excels in her new surroundings, mastering the Swedish language and her other lessons while her younger sister, Njenna, struggles. But this very success, coupled with Elle Marja's intense desire to be accepted by her teachers, her internalization of the school's vile lessons about race and class, and her burgeoning sexuality, soon drives a wedge between her and her fellow students, forcing her to take an action she may not have the opportunity to regret.