Couture
A delicate garment, feature film Couture is about women brought together in one place, at different stages of life, their stories spinning off one another. Angelina Jolie gives a raw and honest performance in a leading role that is both personal but also universal. Filmmaker Alice Winocour sets the drama during Paris fashion week, where South Sudanese model Ada (Anyier Anei) is alone in the big city. Seamstress Christine (Garance Marillier) is working on Ada’s show stopper dress. Angele (Ella Rumpf) is a make-up artist, while Maxine (Jolie) is an American film director there to shoot the fashion house’s finale. Soon however, she’ll receive news that she has breast cancer. Louis Garrel and Vincent Lindon co-star in this drama of considerable poignancy and potency.
The World of Love
How do we rebuild our sense of self after deep emotional wounds? The World Of Love, the latest from Korean director Yoon Ga-eun, offers a moving portrait of a teenager navigating trauma with unexpected honesty and detachment. Jooin (Seo Su-bin), appears cheerful and outspoken, but her confidence masks a more painful past. Rather than focusing on suffering, the film explores resilience and the subtle power of reclaiming one’s own story. With understated direction and a remarkable performance from Chang Hyae-jin as Jooin’s mother, Yoon brings a lyrical sensitivity to the emotional terrain of family relationships and adolescence. Grounded and quietly courageous, The World Of Love is a deeply human story of survival and the quiet triumph of emotional healing.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
The Voice Of Hind Rajab is an emotional and innovative hybrid of documentary and drama that recounts the heart-wrenching story of a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed during the Israel-Gaza war. In January 2024, Hind was trapped for hours in a car after it came under fire, squeezed between the bodies of her aunt, uncle and cousins, leaving her the sole survivor. For hours she remained in contact with Red Crescent volunteers, who navigated a maze of military and governmental approvals in an attempt to reach her. The film transcends traditional cinema, becoming a powerful act of resistance and a vital work of memory. Filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania delivers a haunting testament to the tragic reality of war, resonating with audiences long after the credits roll.
All That's Left of You
This compelling family drama traces three generations of Palestinians from 1948-2022, revealing the profound impacts of the Nakba. The story begins in 1988 with Noor, a man who joins a protest that turns violent in the West Bank. Decades later his mother, Hanan, recounts her son’s story, starting with the 1948 expulsion of his grandfather from Jaffa. Amid the hardship, the family holds on to the hope of returning to their ancestral home. A love story between Hanan and her husband Salim serves as a beacon of light. Through intimate, moving performances, this film explores how trauma and heritage shape the bonds between a grandfather, a father and son, while filled with moments of joy, love and humor.
Palestine 36
In 1936, as rebellion sweeps across Mandate Palestine, Yusuf, caught between his rural home and the charged atmosphere of Jerusalem, longs for peace. But with Jewish immigrants fleeing European fascism, the region is heading fast toward a major collision. Palestine 36, a historical drama set during this period, explores the Palestinian Arab Revolt against the British colonial rule, focusing on the stories of individuals caught in the conflict as well as the human cost of the uprising. It follows the lives of Palestinian farmers, city dwellers and British officers as they confront the conflict. The film examines the choices and unexpected situations faced by its characters.
Unidentified
Noelle Al Saffan, a 29-year-old divorcee, returns to her small hometown for a fresh start. A fan of true crime podcasts, she gets a mundane clerical job at the local police station, digitizing old files. Her life changes when a teenage girl’s body is found in her school uniform, with no ID. Haunted by the girl’s senseless death, Noelle decides to investigate. She uses her insight into the hidden world of women to identify the victim, befriending a group of women and other characters that all seem connected to the crime. To solve the mystery, she must challenge her preconceived notions about women and their threats.
Sink
Behind the facade of a perfect life, Nadia, a 40-year-old wife and mother of three, struggles with her marriage and a lost sense of self, leaving her emotionally detached. Her one true connection is with her eldest son, Basil, a brilliant but unsociable high school senior. When a violent outburst at school leads to his suspension, Nadia’s world crumbles. On the verge of burnout, she attempts to care for him, but as she battles her own crisis, she’s pulled into his undiagnosed mental illness. As his condition spirals, Nadia’s struggle to prove that her son is normal intensifies. The film is an intimate look into a powerful maternal bond and a portrait of unconditional love in the face of chaos.
Girl
Superstar Shu Qi, icon of Asian cinema and muse of Hou Hsiao-hsien, makes her directorial debut with this self-penned, deeply personal coming-of-age drama. In a cramped home ruled by abuse, young teenager Lin Xiaoli keeps her head down, caring for her little sister while her father’s drunken rages cascade into her mother’s cruelty. Everything shifts when she befriends Li Lili, a rebellious classmate who skips class, smokes and urges Xiaoli to challenge the family’s toxic status quo. As escape glimmers, Shu Qi films with poised restraint, observing at a remove and tuning the viewer to intimate, everyday textures with a quietly harrowing strength. Tender yet unsentimental, Girl finds fragile beauty amid hurt and announces a formidable new directorial voice.
Hijra
A grandmother and her two granddaughters journey from Taif to Mecca. When the eldest granddaughter vanishes, the two remaining women travel north to find her, with their search highlighting the deep cultural and generational bonds between Saudi women. Set against the backdrop of the Hajj pilgrimage, Hijra portrays the intimate and emotional odyssey of these women, which evolves into a spiritual quest. Their journey carries the weight of an entire heritage and offers an emotional, powerful and insightful look at identity. Shot across eight Saudi cities, the film provides a deep dive into the nation’s rich cultural tapestry. Actress Khairia Nazmi infuses the story with profound emotion due to her strength and energy.
In-I In Motion
Juliette Binoche’s directing debut is an honest and unflinching account of her artistic collaboration with the British dancer and choreographer Akram Khan, resulting in the 2008 hybrid stage production In-I which premiered at the National Theatre in London. Khan and Binoche honed the show in a workshop, assisted by American acting coach Susan Batson and movement director Hsu Man-su, and filmed by the director’s sister Marion Stalens. Shown alongside footage of the finished show, which features sets by Anish Kapoor and music by Philip Sheppard, this new edit of In-I In Motion marks a rare chance to watch the creative process between two open-minded, questioning, and often exhausted performers as they birth a work of art.
Wedding Rehearsal
Tamara, with a child from a marriage that did not last long, is from an impoverished aristocratic family. To save her family from bankruptcy, Tamara is to marry Hassan Al-Dabbah, owner of one of the largest meat empires in the Middle East. Despite his wealth, Hassan comes from a nouveau riche family. Shortly before the wedding, the families spend a week together to oversee the wedding preparations. The differences between the families becomes apparent, and behind the fake smiles, all parties supervise the final wedding details. These details are overseen by Omar, Tamara’s old love, who has created a rock sculpture to give a unique character to the wedding. This sculpture will become the source of several disputes during the wedding.
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
Rose Byrne dominates in Mary Bronstein’s psychologically oppressive and compulsively dark story of a mother firmly on the edge. Both the actress and director take no prisoners as Linda (Byrne) appears in a cacophony of demands on her time as a wife, mother and (a barely functioning) therapist. Her sickly daughter is never seen, only a barrage of requests are heard, compounded by the ceiling that has caved in on her apartment, forcing Linda to move to a motel as her long-distance husband occasionally dials in. And one of her patients has disappeared. While the stress ramps up on screen, there is a catharsis to it all. Watch out for a deft cameo from A$AP Rocky.
Late Shift
Petra Volpe’s salute to caregivers is executed with strength and admiration. Led by a nuanced and meticulous performance from Leonie Benesch, Late Shift is an eloquent plea for compassion, as well as being a gripping story about a day in the life of a hospital worker. Floria (Benesch) is a nurse on an understaffed surgical ward, where she balances the constant demands of her patients — medical and emotional — knowing that every decision she makes (or neglects) could have fatal consequences. Floria, and Volpe’s camera, are constantly on the move to beeping monitors and crash carts in the ward’s confined quarters. As Switzerland’s Oscar submission, Late Shift delivers high drama and a sharp question: who will care for the carers?
Ghost School
This gentle yet arresting debut feature from Seemab Gul centers around 10-year-old Rabia, a clear-eyed, logical-thinking, courageous child protagonist who wants to understand the real reason for the abrupt closure of her school. Rumours start that the school is haunted and her teacher is possessed by supernatural beings. However, her day-long quest for the truth, fuelled by her simple desire for an education, leads her into an adult world that has been plunged into superstition. What soon becomes clear are the machinations behind a corrupt regime and classist society, giving way to the nature of its real victims. Ghost School is a bittersweet portrayal of injustice for Rabia and the hope of a better future for all younger generations.
