We present the lineup of the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 32nd edition of the EnergaCAMERIMAGE International Film Festival.
ANORA
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.
Director: Sean Baker
Cinematographer: Drew Daniels
Production: Cre Film, FilmNation Entertainment
Country and year: USA, 2024
BEING MARIA
Maria is a young, promising actress struggling to make it. When an emerging Italian director casts her as the lead in a new film alongside an American superstar, it seems like her dreams are coming true. However, what appears to be a major breakthrough soon turns into a living hell. That movie is The Last Tango in Paris. The actress is Maria Schneider.
Original title: Maria
Director: Jessica Palud
Cinematographer: Sébastien Buchmann
Production: Les Films de Mina
Country and year: France, 2024
FROM HILDE, WITH LOVE
Berlin, 1942: it was the most beautiful summer for Hilde – madly in love with Hans and joyfully pregnant. But amid the passion there is grave danger. Hans becomes involved in the anti-Nazi resistance, with a group of young people who will later be called the “Red Orchestra”. Despite the huge risks, Hilde decides to get involved herself but is arrested by the Gestapo and gives birth to her son in prison. Now in a desperate situation, Hilde develops a quiet inspirational strength, but she only has a few months left with her son.
Original title: In Liebe, Eure Hilde
Director: Andreas Dresen
Cinematographer: Judith Kaufmann
Production: Pandora Film Verleih
Country and year: Germany, 2024
FÜHRER AND SEDUCER
While Hitler is at the height of his power, his Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels is the creator of the pictures of the flag waving crowds and anti-Semitic films like Jud Süß, that prepare the people for the mass murder of the Jews. When the war is lost, Goebbels conceives his last staging, with the murder of his family, Hitler's and his own suicide in the Berlin bunker.
Original title: Führer und Verführer
Director: Joachim Lang
Cinematographer: Klaus Fuxjäger
Production: Zeitsprung Pictures
Country and year: Germany, 2023
MEETING WITH POL POT
Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia), 1978. Three French journalists are invited by the Khmer Rouge to conduct an exclusive interview with the regime’s leader, Pol Pot. The country seems ideal. But outside of the Potemkin village, the Khmer Rouge regime is declining and the war with Vietnam poses a threat of invasion. The regime is looking for culprits, secretly carrying out a large scale genocide. Under the eyes of the journalists, the beautiful picture cracks, revealing the horror. Their journey progressively turns into a nightmare. Freely inspired by journalist Elizabeth Becker’s account in When The War Was Over.
Original title: Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot
Director: Rithy Panh
Cinematographer: Aymerick Pilarski
Production: Anupheap Productions, Catherine Dussart Productions
Country and year: Cambodia, France, Turkey, Taiwan, Qatar, 2024
MÜNTER & KANDINSKY - THE BLUE RIDER
They were extraordinary artists and passionate lovers: Gabriele Münter and Wassily Kandinsky. Both co-founders of “The Blue Rider“, one of the most famous loose groups of artists of Classical Modernism at the beginning of the 20th century. But while he enjoys the fame, artistic and financial recognition, she struggles with her life by his side. The relationship becomes increasingly complicated, tiring and, above all, toxic. For the first time, the true story of Münter and Kandinsky is told from her perspective. Explore the untold chapters of her life, her love affair, and her crucial role in the avant-garde Blue Rider movement that revolutionized the art world.
Original title: Münter & Kandinsky
Director: Marcus O. Rosenmüller
Cinematographer: Namche Okon
Production: The Playmaker Munich
Country and year: Germany, 2024
THE PIANO LESSON
A family clash over an heirloom piano explodes. The battle between brother and sister - one hopes to sell it, the other refuses to give it up - unleashes haunting truths about how the past is perceived and who defines a family legacy.
Director: Malcolm Washington
Cinematographer: Mike Gioulakis
Production: Mundy Lane Entertainment, Netflix Studios
Country and year: USA, 2024
SEW TORN
Barbara Duggen, ‘The Mobile Seamstress’, is struggling to keep her fabric shop alive. After a botched sewing appointment sets her on a quest to replace her client’s lost button, she unexpectedly stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad. Faced with two downed motorcyclists, guns, and a briefcase – Barbara is completely torn. She is forced to pick between three choices: commit the perfect crime, call the police, or drive away.
Director: Freddy Macdonald
Cinematographer: Sebastian Klinger
Production: Barry Navidi Productions, Orisono, Sew Torn
Country and year: USA, Switzerland, 2024
SIMONA KOSSAK
Deprived of the talent that has defined her family for generations, Simona Kossak grows up without experiencing any warmth from her domineering mother. When she gives up everything after graduating from university and takes a job as a scientist in Białowieża, she finally begins a life of her own. It is there that she meets photographer Lech Wilczek, with whom she shares common passions, and their unusual relationship escapes all clichés. However, Simona’s ideas about the work of a naturalist and the position of a young woman in a male-dominated world are painfully tested. She must stand up not only for her ideals, but also for the world of plants and animals.
Director: Adrian Panek
Cinematographer: Jakub Stolecki
Production: Balapolis
Country and year: Poland, 2024
THE SUMMER BOOK
Based on Tove Jansson’s beloved novel, The Summer Book tells the story of Sophia, a nine-year-old girl who is growing up fast, and her grandmother, who is nearing the end of her life. Together with Sophia’s father, they spend time at their family’s summer home on a tiny unspoiled island in the Gulf of Finland, exploring the islet, talking about life, nature and everything but their feelings about Sophia's mother's death and their love for one another. By the end of the summer, emotional wounds are healed, bonds are deepened, and the grandmother is able to leave this life peacefully.
Director: Charlie McDowell
Cinematographer: Sturla Brandth Grøvlen
Production: Helsinki-filmi, Finnish Impact, Film Fund, Case Study Films, Craig Stilley Productions, Free Range Films, High Frequency Entertainment, Hurst Capital
Country and year: USA, Finland, 2024
THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE
In a windy Somali village, a newly assembled family must navigate between their different aspirations and the complex world surrounding them. Love, trust, and resilience will power them through their life paths.
Director: Mo Harawe
Cinematographer: Mostafa El Kashef
Production: FreibeuterFilm, Kazak Productions, Maanmaal, NiKo Film
Country and year: France, Australia, Somalia, 2024