Category Archives: – Official Section –

The Secrets of Radha (Subarna Thapa) Nepal. Official Section

The Secrets of Radha
Subarna Thapa
Nepal. 2022. 95 min

Radha, a young pregnant woman from a village in Nepal, embarks on a journey to find her husband, a migrant worker in Doha, who’s gone missing, but discovers instead an intriguing web of lies, deceit and fraud behind his disappearance and of many others.

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In the Form of Love (Siavash Asadi) Iran. Official Section

In the Form of Love
Siavash Asadi
Iran. 2023. 123 min

This is the story of a mother want to save her daughter’s reputation in a small village. On the heels of an unexpected trauma, Forough and her 16-year-old daughter, Atieh, go to Rassoul’s house , an old friend of Atieh’s dead father.
In the full throes of adolescent puberty and yearning for love, Kamran, Rassoul’s 14-year- old son, is instinctively drawn to Atieh. Little does he know that his father has hatched a plan that will shatter their lives.

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B32 to 44 (Shruthi Sharanyam) India. Official Section

B32 to 44
Shruthi Sharanyam
India. 2023. 110 min

B 32″ to 44″ takes a comprehensive look at the social, cultural and the political relevance of “Breast”, a significant part of female anatomy, in the context of a southern India city, which has yet to embrace the change and the progressive thinking. B 32″ to 44″ revolves around 6 women hailing from different social strata of Kochi, a southern Indian city and how “breast”, a body part, which has been a source of fascination, controversy and symbolism, becomes pivotal in deciding the course of their lives.

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Whispering Mountains (Jagath Manuwarna) Sri Lanka. Official Section

Whispering Mountains
Jagath Manuwarna
Sri Lanka. 2022. 87 min

A virus is spreading across Sri Lanka, reportedly causing young people to commit suicide. The Disease Control Unit promises containment of this terrifying pandemic by any means necessary, citing supernatural forces that only ancient healing rituals can vanquish. As parents mourn the deaths and disappearances of their children, government henchmen prepare the bodies and the remaining living prisoners for a cleansing of disturbing proportions.

NETPAC award for Best Asian Feature Film at IFF of Rotterdam.

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Little Tornadoes (Aaron Wilson) Australia. Official Section

Little Tornadoes
Aaron Wilson
Australia. 2022. 90 min

A newly-single father struggles to weather the turbulence of change, while a new immigrant endeavours to find her place in a foreign land.

Set in 1971 rural Australia, Introverted Leo is a metalworker at his small town’s local plant. After his wife vanishes, leaving him to care for their two young children, he is bereft – barely able to cook a decent meal or keep the household running. So when a recently-arrived Italian colleague suggests that his sister, Maria, act as surrogate homemaker, Leo reluctantly accepts. But can one woman’s warm, nurturing presence fill the void left by another, and can Leo yield to the winds of change?

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Shivamma (Jaishankar Aryar) India. Official Section

Shivamma
Jaishankar Aryar
India. 2022. 104 min

Shivamma (46), a mother of two and the wife of an ailing bedridden husband, works as a government school mid-day meal cook in a small village. She is the only active working member of her family.
Her entire family is in the process of finding a suitable groom for her daughter, though she has her own affair running alongside. Shivamma is introduced to a nutritional product and, looking at it miraculously bettering her husband condition, she tries to explore it further and learns about its network marketing scheme and its financial benefits. Getting highly inspired at a motivational event, she decides to take the risk of setting up her own nutritional club, putting everything at stake. But one unfortunate event derails all her attempts and also threatens her daughter’s wedding. Despite all the opposition and the blame from her own family, Shivamma’s determination stays unaltered.

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Betulim (Maor Zagouri) Israel. Official Section

Betulim
Maor Zagouri
Israel. 2022. 120 min

A coming-of-age story of a boy whose mother dies the year he discovers his own sexuality. A story of guilt and regret that a sensitive teenager carries through a journey to lose his virginity.
Set against the hypnotic desert landscapes, he is swept up in an erotic discovery and must bid goodbye to his childhood. An intimate journey, saturated with fear and lust, of one boy’s path to manhood.

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