Gasping for Air (2016)
Section: Night Horizons
Directed by: Carlo Obispo
Philippines, 2016, 104 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Luis is a teenage boy on the idyllic fishing island of Silag. He goes through the regular trials of adolescence with his childhood sweetheart, Maricar, while his younger sister, Lulu busies herself by joining amateur singing contests in hopes of becoming a star. One day, a talent manager discovers her singing and offers her to undergo vocal coaching in Manila, and later to join a popular TV singing contest. Lulu eagerly takes the opportunity and leaves for the city, thinking her dreams are finally coming true. However, after a few months, Lulu’s family loses communication with her. This drives Luis to go to Manila in search for his sister.
Half Ticket (2016)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Children
Directed by: Samit Kakkad
India, 2016, 100 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
A film about desires and the yearning for the unattainable, Half Ticket is a story of two slum kids who are fascinated with the arrival of a new pizza shop in their locality. Expensive beyond their means, they long to try one. But, fate has a different game in store for them. Weaving a story of myriad relationships in the world of the Have-Nots, Half Ticket interlaces the story of the kids' desires for a Pizza with a mother's desire to bring her husband back home and a low-rent thug's desire for easy money. The film also metaphorically shows the world of the 'Haves' and their desire for the little things in lives that elude them and the desires invoked by television, which teach us to salivate over things we never even knew existed. ln a world divided, the desires explored through the film showcase a world filled with expectations and aspirations – an entry ticket to an exclusive club.
Bad 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.
The Eagle Huntress (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Otto Bell
U.S.A., Mongolia, U.K., 2016, 87 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
This film follows the story of Aisholpan, a 13-year-old nomad girl. Aisholpan is growing up in a patriarchal community in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia. She has a passion for hunting with golden eagles, an activity that for thousands of years has been entirely dominated by men. Her fascination causes consternation when she sets out to become the first female eagle hunter. Despite criticism from village elders, her father lends her his support. Her time spent on horseback learning the finer points of hunting with her father reveal the closeness of their relationship. Then comes the annual eagle-hunting contest. Aisholpan is the youngest participant, and also the only girl. Can she hold her own?
Number 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.
Wallay (2017)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Berni Goldblat
France, Burkina Faso, Qatar, 2017, 84 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
This film depicts everyday life in Burkina Faso through the eyes of 13-year-old Ady. Ady actually lives in France, but his father has decided to send him off on a long journey to relatives in West Africa. The boy is super excited at the prospect of a laid-back vacation in his father's country of origin, but when he finally gets there, his uncle’s welcome is cold and reproachful. The other members of the family are happy to see this visitor from afar, but Ady soon realizes that his trip will not provide much in the way of relaxation.
Railway Children (2016)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Prithvi Konanur
India, 2016, 115 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Raju, a 12-year-old runaway, steps into an unknown, never-seen-before world on the railway platform. Timid, insecure and unsure, he falls into the hands of a gang involved in illegal businesses. Jollu, a gang-member of Raju’s age and a substance addict, teaches Raju the tricks and trades of surviving on the platform. They realize that while platforms are divided among gangs for selling spurious drinking water, the trains themselves are free for anyone. Both Raju and Jollu reconcile with another platform-boy and start selling water on their own, undercutting their boss and inviting danger to their lives.
Play the Devil (2016)
Section: Night Horizons
Directed by: Maria Govan
Bahamas, U.S.A., 2016, 89 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Gregory, a gifted working-class teenager from Paramin, stars in a theater play that brings him to the attention of James, an affluent businessman. The two men strike an uncanny friendship as James takes Greg under his wing, pushing him to discover himself professionally, creatively, and intimately. Confused, Greg must at once deal with the return of his drug addicted father, and navigate through the early days of adulthood. As Carnival Monday approaches and the locals prepare for the annual male initiation parade, Greg must confront James – an act which will culminate in life changing events for him.
Half Ticket (2016)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Children
Directed by: Samit Kakkad
India, 2016, 100 min
Projection place: Mala scena
Score:
A film about desires and the yearning for the unattainable, Half Ticket is a story of two slum kids who are fascinated with the arrival of a new pizza shop in their locality. Expensive beyond their means, they long to try one. But, fate has a different game in store for them. Weaving a story of myriad relationships in the world of the Have-Nots, Half Ticket interlaces the story of the kids' desires for a Pizza with a mother's desire to bring her husband back home and a low-rent thug's desire for easy money. The film also metaphorically shows the world of the 'Haves' and their desire for the little things in lives that elude them and the desires invoked by television, which teach us to salivate over things we never even knew existed. ln a world divided, the desires explored through the film showcase a world filled with expectations and aspirations – an entry ticket to an exclusive club.
Number Four (2016)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Children
Directed by: Mehran Malakouti
Iran, 2016, 71 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
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.
The Journey to Melonia (1989)
Section: Days of Swedish Cinema
Directed by: Per Åhlin
Norway, Sweden, 1989, 104 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
The beautiful paradise island Melonia is inhabited by the sorcerer Prospero and his daughter Miranda, the albatross Ariel, the good-natured vegetable-faced gardener Caliban, and William the dog-nosed poet. They live a generally peaceful life, except for Caliban who has to work hard with the garden. A few miles away lies the dark island Plutonia, where the greedy capitalists Slug and Slagg rule. Now that they’ve nearly exhausted Plutonia's resources, Slug and Slagg turn their gaze on the unexploited Melonia, scheming to take it over with a gigantic drill…
Bad Influence (2016)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Claudia Huaiquimilla
Chile, 2016, 89 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
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.
Play the Devil (2016)
Section: Night Horizons
Directed by: Maria Govan
Bahamas, U.S.A., 2016, 89 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Gregory, a gifted working-class teenager from Paramin, stars in a theater play that brings him to the attention of James, an affluent businessman. The two men strike an uncanny friendship as James takes Greg under his wing, pushing him to discover himself professionally, creatively, and intimately. Confused, Greg must at once deal with the return of his drug addicted father, and navigate through the early days of adulthood. As Carnival Monday approaches and the locals prepare for the annual male initiation parade, Greg must confront James – an act which will culminate in life changing events for him.