Fri 26.05.2017 | 19:40Normal Autistic Film (2016)
Section: Documentary Films
Directed by: Miroslav Janek
Czech Republic, 2016, 90 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Info
Children with autism don’t suffer from an incurable disease. They suffer because they are neurodiverse in a world set up for neurotypicals. With that perspective, the director embarks on a series of live meetings with a number of children and young adults who have been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. He gives them the opportunity to express freely their relationship with the world and with themselves, as well as what sets them apart from “normal”. We find that he’s brought us into the company of fun, fascinating people who often suffer because they are labelled as “disabled”. This excursion into the world of autism redefines the seemingly firm boundaries between “otherness” and normality.
Sun 28.05.2017 | 19:00Jimmie (2008)
Section: Welcome to Switzerland
Directed by: Tobias Ineichen
Switzerland, 2008, 90 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Kathy is a single mother who is reluctant to have her 17-year-old autistic son Jimmie return to a home. After he completes school, she takes him in, even though everyone dissuades her from doing so. Painful though it is, she is forced to accept that her proximity to Jimmie does not have the desired effect for his progress. On the contrary, his reactions to the unfamiliar situation are fierce, taking her to her limits time and again. The only thing that makes Jimmie feel comfortable is swimming: his greatest passion. When the swim coach discovers his talent, new prospects seem to open for him.
Mon 29.05.2017 | 14:00Oskar's America (2017)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Children
Directed by: Torfinn Iversen
Norway, 2017, 79 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Moving tale of extraordinary friendship against the backdrop of a broken family. Oskar's dream of spending the holidays with his mother on horseback on the prairie collides with dreary reality as she drops him off with his cantankerous grandfather for the summer. She must go first to America alone in order to find a job. Levi, a social outcast who talks with his pony becomes Oskar's only friend. When Levi has to go to a care home and Oskar's mother does not return, the two of them hatch a plan: using Levi's great-grandfather's boat, they will row across the Atlantic to America.
Mon 29.05.2017 | 17:20Simple Simon (2010)
Section: Days of Swedish Cinema
Directed by: Andreas Öhman
Sweden, 2010, 82 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
"My name is Simon. I have Asperger's syndrome. I like space, things shaped like circles, and my brother Sam, who takes care of me. I do not like feelings, other people, change, and comedies with Hugh Grant." For 18-year-old Simon every day is a challenge. But with the patient care of his brother Sam and a firmly established regime he's able to function. The status quo gets disrupted after the breakup of Sam and his girlfriend. Her departure from the household affect both brothers badly. When Sam falls into depression, Simon's life becomes an unbearable chaos. He decides to take the situation into his own hands. To reestablish the lost order, he's got to find his brother a new perfect girl.
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.
Tue 30.05.2017 | 08:30Oskar's America (2017)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Children
Directed by: Torfinn Iversen
Norway, 2017, 79 min
Projection place: Mala scena
Score:
Moving tale of extraordinary friendship against the backdrop of a broken family. Oskar's dream of spending the holidays with his mother on horseback on the prairie collides with dreary reality as she drops him off with his cantankerous grandfather for the summer. She must go first to America alone in order to find a job. Levi, a social outcast who talks with his pony becomes Oskar's only friend. When Levi has to go to a care home and Oskar's mother does not return, the two of them hatch a plan: using Levi's great-grandfather's boat, they will row across the Atlantic to America.
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 | 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.
Wed 31.05.2017 | 15:30Normal (2010)
Section: Welcome to Switzerland
Directed by: Bernard Weber
Switzerland, 2010, 60 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
A portrait of an extraordinary teacher and her class. She teaches children who are disabled, who have learning difficulties, and who are highly gifted together in one classroom. While the school administration worries about if and how a disabled child should be integrated into secondary school, we observe daily life in this exceptional class, where children philosophize about, for example, God and death. A portrait about how the classroom returns to normal by defining new norms. The children do not perceive their divergent abilities as a deficit, but rather as a chance and source of enrichment.
Wed 31.05.2017 | 20:30The Polar Boy (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Anu Aun
Estonia, 2016, 97 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
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.