FREEDOM WAY
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LITTLE JAFFNA
Director: Lawrence Valin
“You’re not in Paris any more. You’re in Little Jaffna.” During the civil war in Sri Lanka that raged from 1983 until 2009, Tamils in the Parisian district of Little Jaffna were forced to contribute towards buying arms for Tamil Tigers. Aya, ostensibly a grocer, leads the ruthless extortion gang that bleeds the community dry. Michael, a straight-shooting young police officer with Tamil roots, is sent to infiltrate the organization but as he befriends the gang’s members at terrible risk to himself, he starts to see the issue in a more nuanced way and feels his loyalties shifting. Valin combines the theatricality of Tamil movies with the hard edge of new French cinema, using largely non-professional actors, in this spectacular thriller.
THE INEVITABLE JOURNEY TO FIND A WEDDING DRESS
Director: Jaylan Auf
On the eve of her wedding, Warda has a disastrous accident with her bridal gown, ruining it completely. The show is going to go on, however, so she and her best friend set out to find another white dress in a hurry. Their search takes them from one shop to the next across Cairo, giving these two working-class girls a new vision and experience of the city where they have grown up and which becomes a major character in the film. For Warda, it is also a journey of self-discovery, challenging her relationship with herself. The wedding dress becomes the central motif in a social drama about life in modern, rapidly changing city.
DREAMING OF LIONS
Director: Paolo Marinou-Blanco
For anyone who likes to laugh at events that should make you want to cry Dreaming of Lions will be your favourite movie of the year. This absurdist tragicomedy from Greek-Portuguese director Paulo Marinou-Blanco introduces us to Gilda, a terminally ill woman whose dying wish is for her painful existence to stop as quickly and peacefully as possible. When her attempts at ending her life fail, she seeks professional help and discovers the Joy Transition International. She attends their funny meetings, which bring new friends, a lover and 99 problems. However, when she finds out that the organisation is not what it seems, she and her new beau decide to take matters into their own hands with heartwarming results.