International Competition

There’s something for everyone in this year’s International competition. Comedy, genre films, thrillers, romance, social commentary, suspense, and sometimes a little bit of everything at once. 64 films that tell stories and sometimes History navigate between wide-open spaces and intimate confrontations, between promising beginnings and difficult endings, between unexpected bursts of laughter and teary eyes.

First, there are the longings for elsewhere. To see a little further, to step outside the box, as in Out of Window (China), where a worker caught up in the dark machinations of one of his colleagues seeks a glimmer of hope in the landscape through his window. In When You Will Be Big (United States) and Buah (Singapore), nature becomes a new playground. We take our time, feet in the water and in the heart of the woods, to experience unexpected adventures and to rediscover ourselves at the dawn of a new beginning. And then there are the constrained horizons, those that no longer open up, those that cause you to dream of what lies on the other side. In Kentucky Gaza (Jordan, Palestine), a young man embarks on a series of strange adventures with his group of friends. A quest where the holy grail takes the form of a bucket of golden fried chicken brought from beyond the checkpoints. Destinies that yearn for a place somewhere else, near or far.

And then there are those who stand rooted to the spot, stuck in their daily routine, close to losing it. In the delightful A Shot at Art (Netherlands), volunteers at a contemporary art event take advantage of an unusual installation to blow off some steam. At a time when AI is transforming our world and the way it operates, a group of diehards decides to fight against the omnipresence of robots by taking up space in We Were Here (India). They become a backup camera, a microwave, or a satellite dish in a funny and offbeat mockumentary. In Obi Is a Boy (Nigeria), Obi decides to finally embrace his identity in the eyes of everyone, in a society where simply being yourself can lead to hatred. Others, always others, with their inquisitive stares, sometimes disguised with insincere good intentions, as in Ovary-Acting (Norway, UK, Sweden) by director Ida Melum (selected in the International competition in 2022). A young woman endures the incessant questions of her family regarding her lack of desire to have children, until her uterus gets involved… literally.

When things get tough, what better way to let off steam than with a good song? The contestants in this International Competition have taken this principle to heart. From “The Final Countdown” in Myggor & Salta (Sweden) to “No Limit” in Ride Your Horse (China), there will be no shortage of hit songs to set the rhythm for this year’s programs. Hit songs are also featured in Nostalgie (United Kingdom), in which Aidan Gillen (Littlefinger from Game of Thrones) shines as a somewhat washed-up singer who discovers that one of his songs has become the anthem for an unexpected cause. But above all, music brings people together. It creates timeless moments, as in The Singers (United States), where the patrons of a bar embark on a mesmerizing singing competition. Moments suspended in time where people and music take center stage.

So let’s sing, travel, fight, laugh, and rejoice together with this new International selection. A feast for our eyes, ears, and hearts!