Radio DOLORES (2017)
Section: Special Mention
Directed by: Katariina Lillqvist
Spain, 2017, 18 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
RADIO DOLORES is a puppet animation documentary of the everyday lives of shoe factory workers in 1930s Tampere. It tells the story of stove room rebels, the illegal radio transmitters of cold attics, and shoemaker Arvo, who disappeared in the Spanish Civil War and left his son only an accordion and a ticket to the jail in Malaga.
TIKI TAKA (2016)
Section: International Competition of Student Films Zlín Dog
Directed by: Ioana Mischie
Romania, 2016, 8 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Ionel, a shy Roma boy nicknamed "Van Damme", is an avid soccer player. He's doing everything possible to become the best player in the world. His diligence is the motivation for his family and neighborhood in his village. A visually impressive documentary by a film school student in Bucharest.
Over pressure (2016)
Section: International Competition of Student Films Zlín Dog
Directed by: Sebastian Binder, Sebastian Fred Schirmer
Germany, 2016, 13 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
A documentary reflection on the part of the pressures in our lives. Unless the pressure is in a kettle, it's useless. How can this force be defined when it's not tangible? Reflections of people who demonstrate the need for pressure in our lives.
Zlín Dog - Student Documentaries 2 (2017)
Section: International Competition of Student Films Zlín Dog
International, 2017, 84 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
In between (2016)
Section: International Competition of Student Films Zlín Dog
Directed by: Nora Johanna Brockamp
Germany, 2016, 8 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Ahmad leaves Syria during the so-called Arab Spring. As one of many refugees, he's decided to cross over safely to Europe by boat. Here, however, his fight for freedom is far from over. Effective animation fused with the testimony of a real person provides this animated documentary a certain appeal and develops the viewer's imagination.
Jágr republic (2016)
Section: International Competition of Student Films Zlín Dog
Directed by: Ondřej Šálek
Czech Republic, 2016, 14 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
For Czech society Jaromír Jágr embodies a symbol to which they relate during their personal failures and with which we celebrate national wins. Jágr Republic is a poll-based film essay showing the everyday banalities of a society while raising a simple question: What does it say about us that we've chosen Jaromír Jágr as our god?
Close to Earth (2016)
Section: International Competition of Student Films Zlín Dog
Directed by: Shammini Gunasegaran
Singapore, 2016, 25 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
The portrait of a rural Vietnamese family that survives each year from harvest to harvest. The problem with this life is not just the poverty, but also the men’s alcoholism; they abuse their wives and children. The film also alludes to a bleak future for these children. An image of a people whose voices are not normally be heard.
Your Attention, Please! (2016)
Section: International Competition of Student Films Zlín Dog
Directed by: Brigitte Grüter
Switzerland, 2016, 16 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Philippe is thirteen and Max is seven. Both are hyperactive and have been diagnosed with ADHD. While Philipp has already learned to handle some emotions, Max has yet to learn to adapt to the society around him. The film captures both kids and shows the world from their perspective.
Sami 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.
Where Have All the Good Men Gone (2016)
Section: International Competition of European First Films
Directed by: Rene Frelle Petersen
Denmark, 2016, 94 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Living in a tiny trailer in the back of their family's bar, Sofia and her older half-sister Olivia live a rough life filled with abuse and exploitation. Sofia's stepfather, Lars, is a violent man who keeps the girls and their mother under an iron thumb. When their mother lets it slip that Sofia's biological father may still be alive and living nearby, Sofia packs up her and Olivia's bags and they hit the road, going off of an address found on an old love letter. What they find is rather unexpected. Adam, Sofia's father, is holed up in an isolated farmhouse surrounded by barbed wire and signs that warn everyone to "KEEP OUT!" An ex-soldier with severe PTSD, Adam lives alone and has no interest in opening up to anyone, much less two young runaways. The girls camp out outside his property until he finally gives in and lets them stay with him, and slowly but surely they all grow close to resembling the kind of stable, caring family the girls have always wanted. Things can't stay perfect forever, though, and the girls realize they might not have gone far enough to escape Lars.
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.
Big Big World (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Reha Erdem
Turkey, 2016, 101 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
Ali and Zuhal are two teenagers who grew up in an orphanage with a bond as strong as between a brother and sister. When Ali moves out on account of his age, Zuhal is put into the dubious care of a foster family and is no longer allowed to see him. In a desperate attempt to save Zuhal from a scheduled arranged marriage, Ali commits a terrible crime and they find themselves on the run, away from civilization and into the woods. There, in a secluded space deep in the forest, they try to start a new life in a mystical natural environment full of wonders, strange residents and concrete threats. One day, however, Ali finds Zuhal drenched in blood and doesn’t have any choice but to take her back to the city again.
The 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.
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.
Logan: Wolverine (2017)
Section: Open Air Cinema
Directed by: James Mangold
U.S.A., 2017, 137 min
Projection place: Open Air Cinema
Score:
Wolverine is back, but a little worse off. He’s losing both his ability to heal and his zest for life. What's more, he's nearly on his own. Though Charles Xavier is still alive, he's seriously ill, losing his memory and suffers from dangerous seizures that threaten his surroundings. They're hiding together in an abandoned factory on the US-Mexican border. Their hiding is over when Laura shows up; she's a girl who, surprisingly, has the same abilities as Wolverine and is being chased by merciless pursuers who are trying to capture her. The moment Wolverine and Professor X take Laura "into the family", they become the hunted, with a very relentless, brutal enemy going for their jugular…
Robby and Toby´s fantastic Voyager (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Wolfgang Groos
Germany, 2016, 105 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 1
Score:
This is the story of Toby, the most creative 11-year-old boy and inventor you can think of. One day, the little robot Robby enters his life. He got separated from his robot parents when his spaceship crashed and now he’s looking for them. Toby decides to offer his help and the two of them become friends. Teaming up, they build an invention that can fly, float, and drive on a road – the fantastic Voyager. Meanwhile, the unscrupulous Sir Joshua and his super bad agents are hot on their heels, wanting to use Robbie and the fantastic Voyager for their own evil plans. But even super bad agents should never, ever underestimate the power of best friends!
Tatu and Patu (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Rike Jokela
Finland, 2016, 70 min
Projection place: Aula
Score:
Brothers Tatu and Patu are clever inventors from Oddsville, where things are usually done a bit differently. They are invited to the big city to experience Christmas time with by their best friend, 9-year old Veera. Things get complicated when Veera is late to the railway station and the boys venture out on their own. An adventure of positively-nutty incidents ensues, in this funny and warm film about friendship and how it's perfectly okay to be weird or different. A family comedy based on the bestselling Finnish children's book series.
The Dragon Spell (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Manuk Depoyan
Ukraine, 2016, 85 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
In an age of monsters and heroes, the lines between the human and magic worlds are blurred. The kingdom of Kiev is under siege by a ferocious and unstoppable dragon. Only a hero named Cyril Tanner is able to defeat the beast, but the dragon’s spirit lives on. A magical flower, the Fire Blossom, is the only thing that can bring the dragon back to life, but the dragon’s spirit is forced to possess the body of the Fire Blossom’s guardian instead, the good witch Siringa. Adler the wizard tries to save the good witch, but to no avail. With a heavy heart, Adler has no choice but to use his magic to seal the dragon-possessed witch inside the dragon’s lair. He doesn’t see Siringa’s baby daughter crawl away…
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.
Swallows and Amazons (2016)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Philippa Lowthorpe
U.K., 2016, 97 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Set over an idyllic English summer holiday, the four Walker children and their sailing rivals, the Blacketts, run amok in their boats against the stunning backdrop of the Lake District. The Walkers sail the agile Swallow and the Blacketts commandeer The Amazon, making camp on a nearby island. Their world is one of imagination – filled with pirates and canons, where boats are captured and the enemy has to walk the plank. But when family friend, Uncle Jim is revealed to be a spy, our motley crew are forced to put down their imaginary swords and band together to protect him from his Soviet enemies.