Second Life (2019)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Park Young-ju
South Korea, 2019, 70 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Seon-hee, a high school girl, starts a small lie to attract attention from her friends. But when the truth gets out, her friends start to leave her out and avoid her. To get back at Jeong-mi, who had been her closest friend, Seon-hee sets her up as a ring thief. Suffering greatly from rumors after the incident, Jeong-mi ends up committing suicide. Seon-hee flees Seoul from the shock of witnessing Jeong-mi's death to the countryside where no one can find her. There, Seon-hee decides to live a new life in the name of 'Seul-ki'.
If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle (2010)
Section: Discover & Explore: Balkan
Directed by: Florin Șerban
Romania, 2010, 94 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
Silviu, a young man who has spent years in a youth penitentiary, is granted release. Before he can leave, his mother returns to Romania to bring his little brother to Italy with her, despite Silviu's objections. He meets a young woman, Ana, who is working on a research project in the prison and becomes interested in her. In desperation, Silviu resorts to violence and Ana becomes his hostage.
For a Happy Life (2018)
Section: Competition of European First Feature Films
Directed by: Salima Sarah Glamine, Dimitri Linder
Belgium, Luxembourg, 2018, 88 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Amel, 17, of Algerian origin, lives alone with her father Karim. For the past couple of months, she has had a secret love affair with her best friend's brother, Mashir, 22, of Pakistani origin. Following a work accident, Mashir's uncle comes to live in the neighbourhood with his wife and his daughter, who he now wants to marry off. Barely arrived, he sees Mashir as the ideal son-in-law. And faced with the determination of this fragile man, nobody dares criticize his idea. Despite the love he has for Amel, Mashir is unable to openly oppose his uncle and risk disappointing his family. The noose is tightening around their relationship and Mashir's fate seems sealed. Amel, in a last-ditch attempt to save the one she loves, will break taboos and violently disrupt the lives of those around her.
Bille (2018)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Inara Kolmane
Latvia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, 2018, 104 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Latvia. Late 1930s. Bille lives in a world where the poor have their streets and the rich have theirs. She has learned to cope with poverty but is deprived of her mother´s love; relatives take care of Bille but keep reminding her regularly that she is a good-for-nothing who won´t achieve much in her life&. This hurts Bille, but the girl has a dream - to prove herself and break loose from the bondage of feeling inferior. Bille´s personal growth passes through complex and tragic stages of Latvian history.
Icebox (2018)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Daniel Sawka
United States of America, 2018, 88 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
The grim reality of the current US immigration system through the eyes of Oscar, a 12-year-old schoolboy from Honduras, whose unwanted ties to a brutal gang have prompted his parents to smuggle him out of the country in the hope that he will escape to America and lead a better life under the protection of his uncle Manuel, a recent immigrant. However, Oscar is caught in the Arizona desert by border police and sent to a juvenile immigration center, where he tries regain control of his life inside a "wire box" and reach his dream destination.
Giant Little Ones (2018)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Keith Behrman
Canada, 2018, 94 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
A heartfelt and intimate coming-of-age story about friendship, self-discovery and the power of love without labels. Adolescents face enormous pressure to make life-defining decisions every day and they want to lock in their identities sooner than later. All of this pressure is exacerbated by physical and social changes. Franky is under more pressure than most. His life was altered when his father left his mother for a man. Franky is left confused and angry toward his father for breaking up the family. Things are further confused for Franky when his wild birthday party ends in a sexual encounter no one could have imagined, including his best friend and girlfriend. As Franky's world crumbles, he and his friends are forced to decide what kind of people they want to be.
Friday´s Child (2018)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: A.J. Edwards
United States of America, 2018, 91 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Fresh out of foster care at age 18, a young drifter turns to petty crime to survive and discovers an impossible love in an unlikely friend.
Enclave (2015)
Section: Discover & Explore: Balkan
Directed by: Goran Radovanović
Germany, Serbia, 2015, 92 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
In a small Serbian enclave in Kosovo lives 10-year-old Nenad together with his father Vojislav and his sick grandfather Milutin. Besides them, the Serbian Orthodox priest Drazha and a 30-year teacher are the only Serbs for miles around. Every day, Nenad is taken by a KFOR military vehicle from his father's farm to school, where he is now the only student. His great desire to play with other children seems unattainable. Again and again, he sees Albanian boys his age through the slots of the armored vehicle and wonders...
Isy Way Out (2018)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Mark Monheim, Max Eipp
Germany, 2018, 89 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
In a brutal mixture of jealousy, lovesickness, alcohol, pills, cocaine and a whirlwind of beats, Isy passes out. Jonas, whose heart she broke, and his friends use the situation to take advantage of her. Afterwards, Isy can't remember a thing and refuses to involve the police. Jonas's father wants to avoid a scandal at all costs and does whatever he can to sweep the crime under the rug. But what will happen if nothing happens? If there is no punishment? The families face an existential crisis that threatens to tear them apart.
Broken Mirrors (2018)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Imri Matalon, Aviad Givon
Israel, 2018, 104 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
From the outside, the Adler family lives an enviable life, but underneath Giora´s great love for his family lays an obsession with his eldest daughter Ariella. This strict military disciplinarian follows his teenage daughter´s every move, and he inflicts severe methods of punishment. Ariella commits a grave error, yet her father won´t punish her for it. Seeking a punishment of her own, Ariella embarks on a dark quest where she will discover a secret to her father´s past that will lead them to confront one another.
Tomka and his friends (1977)
Section: Discover & Explore: Balkan
Directed by: Xhanfise Keko
Albania, 1977, 74 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
During WWII in a small Albanian village, little Tomka, the oldest among his young friends, plays daily on the riverbank until the Nazis invade the playground. The outraged children decide to retaliate. First, they poison the black German shepherd that does not permit them to approach their beloved playing field. Later, the children help blow up the enemy military camp Who knew war could be this much fun?
Hacker (2019)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Poul Berg
Denmark, 2019, 98 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Thirteen-year-old Benjamin is a highly skilled hacker, but also a teenager who is highly distrustful of others following the loss of his mother seven years earlier. Benjamin, who has never known his father, lives in a children´s home. One day he receives a visit from two men from the Danish Defence Intelligence Service who inform him that a woman they believe to be Benjamin´s mother was spotted by an airport surveillance camera several days earlier. At first, Benjamin is shocked by the news. However, he soon makes up his mind to investigate the matter and get to the bottom of what really happened to her.
For a Happy Life (2018)
Section: Competition of European First Feature Films
Directed by: Salima Sarah Glamine, Dimitri Linder
Belgium, Luxembourg, 2018, 88 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
Amel, 17, of Algerian origin, lives alone with her father Karim. For the past couple of months, she has had a secret love affair with her best friend's brother, Mashir, 22, of Pakistani origin. Following a work accident, Mashir's uncle comes to live in the neighbourhood with his wife and his daughter, who he now wants to marry off. Barely arrived, he sees Mashir as the ideal son-in-law. And faced with the determination of this fragile man, nobody dares criticize his idea. Despite the love he has for Amel, Mashir is unable to openly oppose his uncle and risk disappointing his family. The noose is tightening around their relationship and Mashir's fate seems sealed. Amel, in a last-ditch attempt to save the one she loves, will break taboos and violently disrupt the lives of those around her.
Indian Horse (2017)
Section: Discover & Explore: People
Directed by: Stephen Campanelli
Canada, 2017, 101 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
In the late 1950s Ontario, 8-year-old Saul Indian Horse is torn from his Ojibway family and committed to one of the notorious Catholic Residential Schools. In this oppressive environment, Saul is denied the freedom to speak his language or embrace his Indigenous heritage while he witnesses horrendous abuse at the hands of the very people entrusted with his care. Despite this, Saul finds salvation in the unlikeliest of places and favourite winter pastime - hockey. Fascinated by the game, he secretly teaches himself to play, developing a unique and rare skill.
Icebox (2018)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Daniel Sawka
United States of America, 2018, 88 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
The grim reality of the current US immigration system through the eyes of Oscar, a 12-year-old schoolboy from Honduras, whose unwanted ties to a brutal gang have prompted his parents to smuggle him out of the country in the hope that he will escape to America and lead a better life under the protection of his uncle Manuel, a recent immigrant. However, Oscar is caught in the Arizona desert by border police and sent to a juvenile immigration center, where he tries regain control of his life inside a "wire box" and reach his dream destination.