Mon 30.05.2022 | 19:30Back to Those Days (2021)
Section: Beyond the Childhood Horizon , Patron of Children Audience Award
Directed by: Konrad Aksinowicz
Poland, 2021, 104 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
InfoAlek has just come back from a long emigrant stay in the US and wants to start a new life in the new post-communist Poland. Unfortunately, he’s an alcoholic and drags his wife and 12-year-old son Tomek into being co-dependent alcoholics. As young Tomek starts to have difficulties at school, he gradually begins to understand the drama of his father’s alcoholism. Alek must make a choice…
Mon 30.05.2022 | 20:00The Perfect David (2021)
Section: Beyond the Childhood Horizon
Directed by: Felipe Gomez Aparicio
Argentina, 2021, 78 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
At 16, David is much like any teenager, but his boyish good looks rest upon a hulking, muscular body. His weightlifting obsession is driven by his mother Juana, a troubled artist whose only goal is to have her son reach physical perfection by his 17th birthday. With countless hours spent at a grungy gym in the company of a motley clique of pumped-up gym rats, David desperately searches for what it means to be a man.
Tue 31.05.2022 | 08:30The Path (2022)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Children’s Category, Patron of Children Audience Award
Directed by: Tobias Wiemann
Germany, 2022, 99 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
A story about an adventurous crossing of the Pyrenees and the unexpected friendship of two children who couldn’t be more unalike. Young Rolf and his father flee Berlin to escape the Nazis. All Rolf took with him was a dog and a signed book by Erich Kästner. Now in the south of France, their destination is New York, where Rolf's mother is waiting for them. The only way to freedom a steep path over the Pyrenees, and their guide, Nuria, is only slightly older than Rolf. But the boy's father is captured and the kids must continue their dangerous journey into the unknown alone.
Tue 31.05.2022 | 19:30Kryštof (2021)
Section: New Czech Film and TV Programmes
Directed by: Zdeněk Jiráský
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, 2021, 101 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
Krystof lives as a fresh postulant in a community of monks. With his brothers, he not only shares a world of contemplation, but also transfers people persecuted by the Communist regime across the border to Germany. One night, he witnesses the liquidation of his monk community and their transport. The place where he put his hopes and faith is destroyed, and now he is alone on the run. He understands that this is his last chance to rebel against a brutal political power and save a loved one.
Tue 31.05.2022 | 20:00Soul of a Beast (2021)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Youth Category
Directed by: Lorenz Merz
Switzerland, 2021, 110 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
In a delirious summer rush, teenage father Gabriel falls in love with the enigmatic Corey, the girlfriend of his best friend Joel. Overwhelmed with the decision of his life, Gabriel is catapulted into the unforgiving wilderness of his heart, where imagination is more real than reality. Director succeeds in treading the line between film genres - post-apocalyptic films, coming of age tales, Samurai sagas, etc. - without ever sliding into pure compilation.
Wed 01.06.2022 | 15:30A Second Life (2021)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Junior Category, Patron of Children Audience Award
Directed by: Anis Lassoued
Tunisia, 2021, 93 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2
Score:
Twelve-year-old Gadeha enjoys a carefree life with his friends until he has a serious traffic accident. But his mother can't afford his medical treatment. The random people she meets at the hospital help her financially, and Gadeha survives. After his recovery, he and his family end up moving to the new home of their donors. There he discovers that their same-aged son Oussam was seriously ill, but he is now returning home. The boys quickly bond and have a great time together. Gadeha is able to stop worrying for a moment about his father, who emigrated from Tunisia to Europe and he hasn't communicated with for a long time. However, the secret that Gadeha's mother is keeping to herself begins to disturb this new life. It's a secret with implications for everyone.
Wed 01.06.2022 | 15:30The Pack (2020)
Section: Top Teen Ten
Directed by: Tomáš Polenský
Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovak Republic, 2020, 94 min
Projection place: Castle SVOBODY
Score:
Ice skates cut the ice. Silhouettes of hockey players swirl in the spray of the frost, and sharp scratches remain on the ice behind them. Talented goalkeeper David (16) is joining a new team. He will do everything in his power to make a name for himself in the Wolves hockey team. But the position of the current goalkeeper Miky (16) seems unshakable. In addition, Miky is the son of a coach. David really doesn't fit in with the Wolves. Maybe it's the small plastic box that pumps insulin into his body. But David will not be defeated by diabetes. He is an outsider in the team and faces an avalanche of bullying. Those who do not attack also do no not help. David tries to fight, but the result is even worse. Pushes, injuries and humiliations pile on each other like the spiral scars of tracks engraved by ice skates. What will David do?
Wed 01.06.2022 | 16:30Scheme (2022)
Section: Festival Laurels from around the World
Directed by: Farkhtat Sharipov
Kazakhstan, 2022, 74 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
The focus is on Masha, a teenager who, through a friend, gets caught in an opaque web of dependency and exploitation. In complex images that capture Masha's lack of anchors and connections, as well as her search for support, the film creates the multi-layered portrait of coming of age in new-rich Almaty, precise, vivid, dramatic and of universal relevance.
Wed 01.06.2022 | 17:30Two Friends (2021)
Section: Beyond the Childhood Horizon
Directed by: Prasun Chatterjee
India, 2021, 111 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6
Score:
The aftermath of the Babri Mosque demolition and the Bombay blasts in India, 1992-93, found its violent echoes even in a remote village of West Bengal adjacent to the India-Bangladesh border where the story unfolds. A story of friendship between two little boys (Palash and Safikul) belonging to two warring religious communities, Hindu and Muslim.
Wed 01.06.2022 | 18:30Giant Little Ones (2018)
Section: Top Teen Ten
Directed by: Keith Behrman
Canada, 2018, 94 min
Projection place: Castle SVOBODY
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.
Wed 01.06.2022 | 19:00Playground (2021)
Section: Festival Laurels from around the World
Directed by: Laura Wandel
Belgium, 2021, 72 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4
Score:
Seven-year-old Nora and her big brother Abel are back to school in Belgium. When Nora witnesses Abel being bullied by other kids, she wants to protect him by warning their father. But Abel forces her to remain silent. Caught in a conflict of loyalty, Nora will ultimately try to find her place, torn between the worlds of children and adults.
Wed 01.06.2022 | 19:30My Brothers Dream Awake (2021)
Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Youth Category
Directed by: Claudia Huaiquimilla
Chile, 2021, 85 min
Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5
Score:
Ángel and his younger brother Franco have been incarcerated in a juvenile prison for a year. Despite the difficulties, they have formed a solid group of friends with whom they spend their days sharing dreams of freedom. Everything changes when the arrival of a rebellious young man offers a possible escape: the only door to make those dreams come true. Inspired by many true events.