Program Series: Society

The Olympics in Beijing are fast approaching, and a village on the border of the Gobi Desert is set to be transformed into a modern city—meaning that all the stray dogs in the area must be captured and removed. Lang has just returned home after being released from prison and finds a job with the local dog patrol. However, complications arise when he forms a strong bond with a clever black dog.

Director Arnaud Desplechin (My Golden Days, Oh Mercy!) is back, this time exploring the meaning of—and love for—the precious cinematic experience. How do we, as an audience, interpret what we see on the screen, and what happens when reality and fiction are creatively blended? Desplechin challenges us to reflect on our own role as viewers and how film can change us. With stylish visuals and plenty to think about, Filmlovers! is a clever tribute to the power of cinema.

This film takes us back 6,000 years to the Scandinavian Stone Age, a time of transition between hunter-gatherer and farming societies. We follow siblings Aathi and Tharan, who represent the first farmers. In a brutal encounter with a hunter tribe, their entire family is wiped out. We follow their fate as they are forced to submit to the new tribe’s way of life while also struggling to preserve their own.

This film interweaves the stories of three individuals from an Afghan family who have fled to Iran. Little do they know how long their struggle for a new home will be. The story begins in 2001, depicting people with hope and joy for the future, even as they live at the mercy of a state that constantly threatens them with police brutality, administrative violence, and armed conflict.

Nawi tells a gripping story of the struggle between tradition and hope. The film follows 14-year-old Nawi, an ambitious girl from Kenya who dreams of starting high school. She is the top student in her class, but her dreams are threatened when she discovers that her father has promised her in marriage to an older man in exchange for livestock.

Pigen med nålen (The Girl with the Needle) is inspired by a true and shocking story from Copenhagen in the aftermath of World War I.

Factory worker Karoline’s husband never returns from the war, leaving her unable to pay rent. After an affair with the factory owner, she becomes pregnant and loses her job. When all hope seems lost, she meets Dagmar, who runs an illegal adoption agency. The two women form a close bond, but a horrifying revelation threatens to unravel everything.

When Sujo is just four years old, he witnesses his Sicario father being killed by his own cartel associates. Thankfully, the poor little boy is hidden away and cared for by two aunts, growing up alongside his cousins. However, the violent reality of his past continues to haunt him as he grows older. The question is whether Sujo will be able to defy fate and carve out a different life for himself.

Family man Iman is promoted to judge during a period of political unrest in Tehran, facing increasing pressure and paranoia that comes with the job. When his gun mysteriously disappears, it creates tension and distrust within his family, exacerbated by the political divide between him and the women in his household.

Feliciano is an eight-year-old boy who spends his days herding his family’s alpaca flock in the spectacular Andes Mountains. Alongside his alpaca Ronaldo and his dog Rambo, he eagerly follows Peru’s bid to qualify for the men’s World Cup for the first time in 36 years. However, a looming threat emerges as a mining company pollutes the village’s water supply and seeks to buy up their land.

Liane is a bold and ambitious 19-year-old with big dreams of becoming France’s answer to Kim Kardashian. She is obsessed with her appearance—never feeling good enough—and seeks validation through social media. One day, a unique opportunity arises: an audition for a reality show! This sparks an emotional journey between self-realization and self-destruction.