France
Shorts: Power Play
Who holds the power, who pays the price, and what happens when the balance shifts? Five short films explore the tensions beneath the surface.
Truly Naked
Alec films porn for his father’s business. Falling for classmate Nina opens up a different kind of intimacy in this tender story of teenage vulnerability.
The Dreamed Adventure
In rural Bulgaria, archaeologist Veska tries to keep the peace between opposing gangs. A simmering thriller about buried secrets, violence and patriarchy.
La Bola Negra
Three gay men, three eras, and histories too often silenced. Los Javis place Federico García Lorca at the heart of a sweeping story of desire and repression.
The Beauty of the Donkey
After six decades in exile, Asslan returns to Kosova with his daughter Dea. Together, they rebuild his childhood memories in a moving encounter with the past.
Sad Girlz
Two teenage swimmers are fierce rivals and best friends. When Paula is assaulted, La Maestra’s attempt to avenge her sends their lives spiralling.
Minotaur
Pressured to send employees to war, company director Gleb also discovers his wife’s infidelity. A tense thriller about personal betrayal and systemic corruption.
I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning
Five friends grow up and drift apart after their council housing is demolished. Clio Barnard’s portrait of friendship opens the 45th Cambridge Film Festival.
Fjord
Religious belief, social expectation and a family newly arrived in Norway. Cristian Mungiu puts contemporary prejudices under the microscope.
Filipiñana
At an exclusive Philippine country club, a teenage tee-girl follows a strange trail of signs beneath the surface of luxury and good manners.
Fatherland
Germany, 1949. Thomas Mann returns from exile with his children in a Cold War road trip that reflects on art, family and the shadows of war.
Elephants in the Fog
When one of her daughters disappears, Pirati must weigh her own dreams against her responsibilities to her chosen family in rural Nepal.
Coward
In the trenches of the First World War, a reluctant soldier encounters vaudeville and a different idea of masculinity. Lukas Dhont explores freedom within discipline.
CFF 45th Screening: Portrait of a Lady On Fire
Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant star in an entrancing, slow-burning romance on the Brittany coast, chosen to celebrate CFF’s 45th anniversary.
All of a Sudden
When health suddenly deteriorates, how do we care for each other? Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s gentle film explores illness, conversation and human connection.