Fri 24.05.2019 | 09:10Whale Rider (2002)
Section: Discover & Explore: People
Directed by: Niki Caro
Germany, New Zealand, 2002, 105 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
InfoIn a small New Zealand coastal village, Maori claim descent from Paikea, the Whale Rider. In every generation, a male heir has succeeded to the chiefly title. The time is now. When twins are born, and the boy twin dies, Koro, the chief, is unable to accept his grand-daughter, Pai, as a future leader. A few years later, Koro is convinced that the tribe's misfortunes began at Pai's birth and calls for his people to bring their sons to him, in the hope that the new leader is among them. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must stand up to him and tradition.
Fri 24.05.2019 | 17:20Afterlife (2018)
Section: Competition of European First Feature Films
Directed by: Willem Bosch
Netherlands, 2018, 93 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Sam is a very bright, very mature 14-year old girl. She´s a good student, disciplined and always on time. This is all the more impressive once you realize she juggles those responsibilities while caring for her little brothers. When her mother Vera passed away, Sam took up responsibility for the family, helping her dad out around the house. But when Sam has an accident on the way to school, she wakes up in a strange office across from someone claiming she´s dead. It was a truck, he says. He also tells her that her mother, Vera, is waiting for her here, on the other side. It´s a strange mixture of joy and sadness for Sam, being dead on the one hand, but getting to see her mom in return. Something she thought she would never do again. But Vera reluctantly decides that they must find a way to bring Sam back to life. But Sam has her own agenda. She´s taking her mother with her.
Fri 24.05.2019 | 18:15Shelter (2010)
Section: Discover & Explore: Balkan
Directed by: Dragomir Sholev
Bulgaria, 2010, 88 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
While changing TV channels, making pickles and discussing politics, the parents of 12-year-old Rado have missed their son´s growing up. Now they cannot understand why, after disappearing for two days, he isn´t sorry for the nightmare he has caused them and why is he ready to run away from home with the first junkies he met on the street.
Fri 24.05.2019 | 20:15Indian Horse (2017)
Section: Discover & Explore: People
Directed by: Stephen Campanelli
Canada, 2017, 101 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
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.
Sat 25.05.2019 | 15:30Afterlife (2018)
Section: Competition of European First Feature Films
Directed by: Willem Bosch
Netherlands, 2018, 93 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Sam is a very bright, very mature 14-year old girl. She´s a good student, disciplined and always on time. This is all the more impressive once you realize she juggles those responsibilities while caring for her little brothers. When her mother Vera passed away, Sam took up responsibility for the family, helping her dad out around the house. But when Sam has an accident on the way to school, she wakes up in a strange office across from someone claiming she´s dead. It was a truck, he says. He also tells her that her mother, Vera, is waiting for her here, on the other side. It´s a strange mixture of joy and sadness for Sam, being dead on the one hand, but getting to see her mom in return. Something she thought she would never do again. But Vera reluctantly decides that they must find a way to bring Sam back to life. But Sam has her own agenda. She´s taking her mother with her.
Sat 25.05.2019 | 17:20Winter Flies (2018)
Section: Czech Films and TV Production
Directed by: Olmo Omerzu
Czech Republic, Poland, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, 2018, 85 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
A road movie about the friendship of boys, adventure, and freedom. Fourteen-year-old outsider Mára and his 12-year-old friend Hedua make their way to freedom. Mara steals a car and even manages to influence a young hitchhiker. Everyone is on the run on an adventure and enjoying a sudden freedom they may never experience again. Until the police nab Mara. The two police officers who interrogate him can't quite decide which parts of his story are real and what's fictional; sometimes it is difficult to distinguish reality from fantasy.
Sat 25.05.2019 | 21:30Girl (2018)
Section: Competition of European First Feature Films
Directed by: Lukas Dhont
Belgium, 2018, 103 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
Determined 15-year-old Lara is committed to becoming a professional ballerina. With the support of her father, she throws herself into this quest for the absolute at a new school. Lara´s adolescent frustrations and impatience are heightened as she realizes her body does not bend so easily to the strict discipline because she was born a boy.
Sun 26.05.2019 | 10:50Abe (2019)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Fernando Grostein Andrade
United States of America, Brazil, 2019, 85 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Abraham Solomon-Odeh to his Israeli-Jewish maternal family, Ibrahim to his Palestinian-Muslim paternal family, and Abraham to his Brooklyn parents prefers to be called Abe. A 12-year old with a passion for cooking, Abe is tired of mediating between his politically-at-odds family. When he meets Chico, an Afro-Brazilian chef with a fusion restaurant, things get cooking and Abe wonders if the flavors of his grandparents´ homeland might be the catalyst that brings his family together.
Sun 26.05.2019 | 13:10Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs (2019)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: Edmunds Jansons
Latvia, Poland, 2019, 70 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Jacob lives in the city and dreams of becoming an architect like his busy dad. He spends a lot of time drawing buildings and daydreaming while his father is at work. One day, his dad needs to go away on business for longer than usual and Jacob has to spend the a whole week with his bossy cousin Mimmi. As soon as Jacob arrives it turns out that the local park is about to be transformed into new skyscrapers by a greedy businessman. Jacob and Mimmi decide to stop the development. It turns out that they can only do it with the help of a pack of local dogs that can talk!
Sun 26.05.2019 | 17:40The Unpromised Land (2019)
Section: Competition of European First Feature Films
Directed by: Victor Lindgren
Sweden, 2019, 87 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Sabina has traveled from Romania to the small Swedish town of Holmsund with her Roma brothers. They work in a garage and Sabina is looking for a job. Elin, born and raised in Holmsund, is in the church singing at the graduation ceremony. Summer is about to start and Sabina gets to know Elin. Together they will revolt against the old ways and find something new in each other. At the same time, the society around them collapses in fear and Elin´s dad goes insane with sorrow. There is a madness in this Swedish idyll.
Sun 26.05.2019 | 20:15Gwen (2018)
Section: Panorama
Directed by: William McGregor
United Kingdom, 2018, 86 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
In the stark beauty of 19th Century Snowdonia, a young girl, Gwen, tries desperately to hold her home together. Struggling with her mother´s mysterious illness, her father´s absence and a ruthless mining company encroaching on their land, a growing darkness begins to take grip of her home, and the suspicious local community turns on Gwen and her family.
Sun 26.05.2019 | 20:45Girl (2018)
Section: Competition of European First Feature Films
Directed by: Lukas Dhont
Belgium, 2018, 103 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
Determined 15-year-old Lara is committed to becoming a professional ballerina. With the support of her father, she throws herself into this quest for the absolute at a new school. Lara´s adolescent frustrations and impatience are heightened as she realizes her body does not bend so easily to the strict discipline because she was born a boy.
Mon 27.05.2019 | 10:30Scent of Oranges (2019)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth, Festival Gala
Directed by: Ivan Pokorný
Czech Republic, Germany, Slovak Republic, 2019, 92 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 1
Score:
Darek lives with his father and sister in a mountain village on the Czech-German-Polish border. His life changes after his mother's death. He has more freedom, but life has lost its luster. His mother could solve problems playfully and imaginatively; his father struggles with them - he's shut himself off, drowns his sorrows with alcohol, and puts too much of a burden on Darek's shoulders. Darek is growing up fast. He´s getting tougher and earning respect. And the charming Hanka has eyes for him. When his father loses his job, he can no longer keep the family together. But then pops up an old friend, Uli, bringing new prospects: they'll breed horses together. His dad gets caught up in the idea, picks himself up, and their problems seem to be over. Darek eagerly helps out and the horses give him new meaning, prestige and love. Now he can impress Hanka and score more points than his rival Hugo. But nothing is forever..
Mon 27.05.2019 | 15:10Abe (2019)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Fernando Grostein Andrade
United States of America, Brazil, 2019, 85 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Abraham Solomon-Odeh to his Israeli-Jewish maternal family, Ibrahim to his Palestinian-Muslim paternal family, and Abraham to his Brooklyn parents prefers to be called Abe. A 12-year old with a passion for cooking, Abe is tired of mediating between his politically-at-odds family. When he meets Chico, an Afro-Brazilian chef with a fusion restaurant, things get cooking and Abe wonders if the flavors of his grandparents´ homeland might be the catalyst that brings his family together.
Mon 27.05.2019 | 15:30Zen in the Ice Rift (2018)
Section: Competition of European First Feature Films
Directed by: Margherita Ferri
Italy, 2018, 90 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
Maia, called Zen, a rowdy yet solitary 16-year-old tomboy, lives in a small village on top of the rough and beautiful Italian Apennines. She´s the only girl in the local ice hockey-team and she is constantly bullied by her teammates for her masculine attitude. When Vanessa - the beautiful and bewildered girlfriend of the team captain - runs away from home and hides in Maia´s family lodge, Maia feels free to trust someone for the first time. Led by the need to break away from the roles that the small community has forced them to play, Maia and Vanessa embark on a journey of self-discovery: an exploration of their gender identity and sexuality, liquid and restless like the troubled time of youth.
Mon 27.05.2019 | 20:45Boy (2010)
Section: Discover & Explore: People
Directed by: Taika Waititi
New Zealand, 2010, 90 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
New Zealand. 1984. Michael Jackson's Thriller is changing children's lives. Boy is a dreamer who loves Jackson. His father Alamein is another hero of his and is the subject of Boy's fantasies - in his thoughts he's a deep diver, a war hero and a close relative of Michael Jackson. In reality, Alamein is an incompetent criminal who is sitting in prison for robbery. When he returns home after seven years, Boy is forced to cope with the man he's had fictional ideas about, find his own potential, and learn to dispense with the hero he'd hoped for.
Tue 28.05.2019 | 10:30Whale Rider (2002)
Section: Discover & Explore: People
Directed by: Niki Caro
Germany, New Zealand, 2002, 105 min
Projection place: Congress Centre
Score:
In a small New Zealand coastal village, Maori claim descent from Paikea, the Whale Rider. In every generation, a male heir has succeeded to the chiefly title. The time is now. When twins are born, and the boy twin dies, Koro, the chief, is unable to accept his grand-daughter, Pai, as a future leader. A few years later, Koro is convinced that the tribe's misfortunes began at Pai's birth and calls for his people to bring their sons to him, in the hope that the new leader is among them. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must stand up to him and tradition.
Tue 28.05.2019 | 17:00Meteorites (2018)
Section: Competition of European First Feature Films
Directed by: Romain Laguna
France, 2018, 85 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
Sixteen-year-old Nina spends her summers working at a fading amusement park with her friend in rural France, but dreams of a bigger life. When she sees a meteorite crashing through the sky, she knows her life is about to change forever. It does, when she meets her best friend's brother, Morad, and we experience Nina's hopes, dreams, and downfalls with her. Told using Polaroid-sized vignettes, this film's collages are an empathetic portrait of a world characterized by changing identities against an unmoving landscape. An honest and moving character study with a dash of Jurassic-themed surrealism, Meteorites offers something new. Sometimes the best stories can be found in the here and now, but a little bit of fantasy never hurt.
Tue 28.05.2019 | 17:20Scent of Oranges (2019)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth, Festival Gala
Directed by: Ivan Pokorný
Czech Republic, Germany, Slovak Republic, 2019, 92 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Darek lives with his father and sister in a mountain village on the Czech-German-Polish border. His life changes after his mother's death. He has more freedom, but life has lost its luster. His mother could solve problems playfully and imaginatively; his father struggles with them - he's shut himself off, drowns his sorrows with alcohol, and puts too much of a burden on Darek's shoulders. Darek is growing up fast. He´s getting tougher and earning respect. And the charming Hanka has eyes for him. When his father loses his job, he can no longer keep the family together. But then pops up an old friend, Uli, bringing new prospects: they'll breed horses together. His dad gets caught up in the idea, picks himself up, and their problems seem to be over. Darek eagerly helps out and the horses give him new meaning, prestige and love. Now he can impress Hanka and score more points than his rival Hugo. But nothing is forever..
Tue 28.05.2019 | 17:40Psychobitch (2018)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films for Youth
Directed by: Martin Lund
Norway, 2018, 111 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 3
Score:
If you ask Frida, it was her choice to become the class outsider. At any rate, the other kids at school agree - Frida is totally different. Marius is in the same year of school as Frida and does pretty much everything he can to be a success. When the two are paired up as study buddies, Marius sees it as yet another opportunity to show everyone what a great guy he is. But Frida has no intention of being helped or fixed by the class golden boy. Their study sessions become the catalyst for a turbulent relationship. Yet in his fights with Frida, Marius also experiences something exciting, challenging, and completely new.