Programserie: Samfunn

On the windswept island of Amrum, in the final weeks of World War II, twelve-year-old Nanning struggles to keep his family together as the world around them collapses. His mother, who has just given birth, is starving and deeply depressed after Hitler’s fall, while his father is away at the front. When his mother’s only wish is white bread with butter and honey – unattainable luxuries in the war’s final days – Nanning embarks on an adventurous quest. The journey forces him to confront his family’s dark legacy.

Director Fatih Akin, known for films such as Head-On (2004), In the Fade (2017), and The Golden Glove (2019), creates a quiet and beautiful portrait of childhood in the shadow of a distorted adult worldview. Nature provides a majestic backdrop where questions of guilt and innocence collide.

Agnieszka Holland creates a hypnotic portrait of one of the 20th century’s most enigmatic writers: Franz Kafka. The film traces his life from his youth in Prague to his death.

Known for films such as Europa Europa (1990), In Darkness (2011), and Green Border (2023), Holland often depicts real events from Europe’s turbulent recent history with raw realism. In Franz, however, she adopts a dreamlike cinematic language that dissolves the boundaries between fantasy and reality.

After his father is murdered in a gang conflict, 15-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing of a renowned kabuki master. Growing up in his household alongside the master’s son, Shunsuke, the two boys explore the wondrous – and merciless – world of kabuki theatre. This grand, Oscar-nominated epic follows Kikuo and Shunsuke across five turbulent decades marked by friendship, rivalry, and artistic obsession.

The film became a massive box office success in Japan, where it is now the most-watched non-animated Japanese film of all time.

Italian President Mariano De Santis is known as a restrained and cautious leader. Near the end of his term, he faces a series of moral dilemmas involving controversial pardons and legislation on assisted dying. Yet De Santis himself longs only for a quiet life – mourning his late wife and listening to hip-hop.

This character-driven family portrait introduces three women who form an unconventional family in Tunis. Marie is a pastor and a vital voice within the city’s immigrant community. Naney dreams of reuniting with her daughter in Ivory Coast, while Jolie struggles with engineering studies in a foreign language. Together, they care for Kenza, a young girl who has lost everything.

At some point in the future, humanity has given up dreaming in exchange for eternal life. Miss Shu encounters a creature known as a “fantasmer,” still capable of dreaming. As the fantasmer’s life draws to a close, Miss Shu journeys into its dreams – and we are taken on a wondrous voyage.

With Resurrection, Bi Gan delivers a masterfully crafted and visually stunning film. More than a tribute to cinema through the ages, it is a meditation on the necessity of dreams and art for humanity.

Set in a German university town, Silent Friend observes human life across generations through the presence of a majestic ginkgo tree. Three stories intertwine: a female student in 1908 fighting gender discrimination, a student in 1972 drawn to a fellow student, and a neuroscientist in 2020 seeking insight through an experiment involving the ancient tree.

Silent Friend is a love letter to the plant world and a reminder of all that trees have witnessed while the people around them live brief moments in their shade. With impressive sound design, atmospheric images of nature, beautiful black-and-white scenes, and strong performances from, among others, Léa Seydoux and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Silent Friend creates a poetic and unique cinematic experience that reminds us to listen to our quiet friends on Earth.

In the near future, Brazilian authorities decide that citizens over 80 will be sent to a state-run colony to live out their final years. When the age limit is lowered, 77-year-old Tereza suddenly faces deportation. She escapes the system and embarks on an unusual journey through the Amazon to fulfill her lifelong dream: to fly for the first time. Along the way, she meets Cadu, a scruffy boatman who offers her passage on his rickety riverboat.

With the Amazon as a living backdrop and a hopeful narrative at its core, The Blue Trail invites us to long for freedom and new beginnings. It is never too late to embark on a new adventure.

Nine-year-old Lamia is given a seemingly innocent task: to bake a cake for President Saddam Hussein’s birthday. But Iraq is crippled by both Western sanctions and the president’s iron grip, resulting in severe food shortages. Together with her loyal rooster, Lamia embarks on a perilous journey to gather the ingredients.

After her mother’s death, Mar decides to sell three plots of land she has inherited. Her plan is to leave Malta for good – but first she must confront relatives and assert her claims. She travels dusty roads across the island, meeting characters along the way, including Nenu, a lively 80-year-old troubadour. A deep friendship begins to form.