Film programme 2023

Exodus (2022)

Section: Beyond the Childhood Horizon

Directed by: Abbe Hassan

Sweden, 2022, 102 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4

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We follow the journey of a young Syrian refugee, Amal (12). Fleeing to Romania to reunite with her family at a refugee camp there, she first must pass through Turkey. Smuggled to Istanbul in a crowded shipping container, she barely escapes when it’s raided by Turkish immigration authorities. With one of the smugglers, Sam (40), they embark on a perilous journey across Europe to try to get Amal back to her family.

Billie Blue (2023)

Section: Beyond the Childhood Horizon

Directed by: Mariloup Wolfe

Canada, 2023, 115 min

Projection place: Congress Centre

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At 16, Billie is just now catching up with her peers: in love, in height (a growth spurt has propelled her to 1m80), in having her first period. In a hurry to catch up, she begins her summer as a lifeguard at the water park with her best friends and her oh-so-perfect older sister Annette. Everything goes wrong when Billie and Annette both fall for Pierre, a talented local racing cyclist. Thus begins a heartbreaking love triangle where Billie must once and for all take her place, shine bright and fight to live the love story she deserves.

Girl (2023)

Section: Festival Laurels from around the World

Directed by: Adura Onashile

United Kingdom, 2023, 87 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5

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Eleven-year-old Ama and her mother, Grace, take solace in the gentle but isolated world they obsessively create. But Ama’s thirst for life and her need to grow and develop challenges the rules of their insular world and gradually forces Grace to reckon with a past she struggles to forget.

You Can Live Forever (2022)

Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Youth Category (over 15 years of age)

Directed by: Sarah Watts, Mark Slutsky

Canada, 2022, 96 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 6

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After the sudden death of her father, Jaime is sent to live with relatives, members of a devout Jehovah's Witness congregation. The daughter of an apostate from the faith, she's at the mercy of the community if she again integrates herself among the believers. At a meeting, she meets the charming Marike, the daughter of the congregation's leader. At first glance, they make a connection, which they must hide from everyone. Despite all the do's and don'ts of their faith, their relationship focuses only on their mutual love, which becomes a source of tension and inevitable condemnation. This sensitive queer drama from the 1990s premiered at New York's Tribeca Film Festival and is a sought-after title by festival programmers. Audiences will be reminded of Danish director Niels Arden Oplev's magnificent drama Worlds Apart (2008), which also sets a story of forbidden love in a mysterious yet attractive religious setting.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Section: Open-Air Cinema

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

United States of America, 2022, 131 min

Projection place: Open Air Cinema

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Roi (2022)

Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Children’s Category (up to 10 years of age)

Directed by: Rane Tiukkanen

Finland, 2022, 84 min

Projection place: Congress Centre

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Valo, a schoolgirl, recently moved with her father to a new town, where she feels lonely because she has not yet made friends with the local kids. But everything changes when she rescues an abandoned German Shepherd, who she befriends and names Roi. A thrilling adventure begins after someone kidnaps a neighbor's little boy. Valo, Roi and their new friends embark on a great crime story. Will they be able to find the kidnapper and save their little friend? This great family film with a real criminal plot was based on the book by the famous Finnish author Jorm Kurvinen, who first published books in the 1970s, which were then also made into a popular TV series. An exciting and moving story about friendship, courage and the desire to help others, it won the award for the best children's film at the International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Oulu, Finland.

Just Super (2022)

Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Children’s Category (up to 10 years of age)

Directed by: Rasmus A. Sivertsen

Norway, 2022, 76 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 2

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Who wouldn't want to have a superhero dad admired by the whole city? They've even built him a statue in the middle of the square! Who wouldn't want to be his successor? The little Hedvig has affirmative answers to both questions. But it doesn't look like she's going to take up the family scepter of the city's masked protector Super Lion. At school, she is an outsider and has only one friend, with whom she plays computer games all day. One day her whole life is turned upside down after she causes an unfortunate accident. Hedwig has to convince her father that she is the right candidate to become a superhero. Her grandmother, who is currently living in a retirement home but likes to reminisce about her career as a superhero, helps her in her difficult battle with her cousin Adrian. In addition to action and humor, the Norwegian animated film also offers an answer to the question of what it means to be cool.

The Hullabaloos (2023)

Section: World Children´s Film Panorama

Directed by: Reetta Huhtanen

Finland, 2023, 83 min

Projection place: Aula

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The story of a rowdy family that sticks together no matter what. As the family sets out to the capital, Helsinki, to celebrate the birthday of their twin boys Mökö and Luru, their dog Pulla is accidentally swapped for the dog of the president of Finland. The boys set out to retrieve their dog from the president while the parents must figure out a way to reunite the family.

The Secret of Mr. M. (2023)

Section: New Czech Films and TV Programmes

Directed by: Pavel Šimák

Czech Republic, 2023, 81 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 1

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The rascal Kuba takes Jirka's diary containing his inventions notes. Jirka is the only kid to stick up for the new girl at school, Míša, who wants to get back at Kuba after losing a race. A chase through the city begins, ending at some old gates that shut behind the fleeing Kuba. He subsequently breaks out of the gate and runs away screaming. What so scary behind the gate that can scare even the tough Kuba? The next day, the kids set out to uncover the mystery and discover that someone is watching them… Everything is connected to the name Mendel, but who can it be?

Garden (1977)

Section: Check the Czechs

Directed by: Břetislav Pojar

Czechoslovakia, 1977, 14 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5

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Four boys seek out an educated whale. They want help for the next day's test, but the whale is a book worm and they do not learn anything practical from it.

How They Met at Kolin (1965)

Section: Check the Czechs

Directed by: Břetislav Pojar, Miroslav Štěpánek

Czechoslovakia, 1965, 14 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5

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Two bears meet in Kolin. Their games transform them. The older bear is worldly-wise and foxy; the younger is naive and swallows the bait every time.

Jája and Pája (1986)

Section: Check the Czechs

Directed by: Břetislav Pojar

Czechoslovakia, 1986, 10 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5

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Mila must return home after the holidays, but doesn't want to. She wants to stay with the boys. They decide to hide her, but where so that no one can find her?

Dashenka (1979)

Section: Check the Czechs

Directed by: Břetislav Pojar

Czechoslovakia, 1979, 7 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5

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Who doesn't know little Dashenka? Seven stories combine the life of a real puppy, Dashenka, with animated dog fairy tales, told to help her sleep well.

Břetislav Pojar - Short Animations

Section: Check the Czechs

, 0, 45 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 5

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Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light (2023)

Section: International Competition of Feature Films in the Children’s Category (up to 10 years of age)

Directed by: Filip Pošivač

Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Hungary, 2023, 80 min

Projection place: Golden Apple Cinema 4

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Tonda is not an ordinary boy; he's been shining since birth. Ashamed of this, and because his parents do not let him go anywhere, he prefers to spend all his time in his room. When Slávka, a girl with glasses and a “magic” flashlight, moves into the building, he doesn't trust her at first. Eventually, it turns out that the two may understand each other and that they might also unravel the secrets of the old apartment building. Is there some kind of monster, or is it a ghost running through the corridors and terrifying everyone? Why can only the old janitor talk to it? The poetic, visually captivating film using stop animation shows that one can deal with otherness in any form and that tolerance and responsibility are cards that one can always play, especially at a time when the ideals of tolerance, justice, and compassion are in doubt. This film for the whole family is presented in its world premiere.

Missing 10 Hours (2022)

Section: Brainz VR Cinema

Directed by: Fanni Fazakas

Hungary, 2022, 16 min

Projection place: Brainz VR Cinema

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Rape cases often involve more than just the perpetrator and the victim. Your decisions as a bystander will influence the course of an evening.

Thank You for Sharing Your World (2022)

Section: Brainz VR Cinema

Directed by: Yu Sakudo

Japan, 2022, 33 min

Projection place: Brainz VR Cinema

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Takashi lost his eyesight in grade school. He begins to lose interest in a world he can’t see, until he’s invited to an event which changes how he sees the world.

Sorella's Story (2021)

Section: Brainz VR Cinema

Directed by: Peter Hegedüs

Australia, Hungary, Sweden, 2021, 15 min

Projection place: Brainz VR Cinema

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We follow 10-year-old Sorella in 1941 on her final journey to a Baltic Sea beach where close to 4,000 Jewish people, mostly women and children, were murdered.

Rock Paper Scissors (2022)

Section: Brainz VR Cinema

Directed by: Alex Ruhl

United Kingdom, 2022, 7 min

Projection place: Brainz VR Cinema

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Single mum Lina and her daughter Priya have found a fair way to settle any debate, using the game Rock Paper Scissors. But life isn’t always like on the playground.

Reimagimed vol. 1: Nyssa (2022)

Section: Brainz VR Cinema

Directed by: Julie Cavaliere

United States of America, 2022, 15 min

Projection place: Brainz VR Cinema

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After losing her best friend/broom, a young witch must learn about fear and how to harness it in order to protect her village from the wrath of the evil Teemencaag.