First Feature Competition Best Director

Meet Isabella, “The Lady” of director Samuel Abrahams’ oddball first feature. She is fabulously wealthy, hopelessly lonely and with more square footage in her mansion than meaningful human connections. Eccentric and tragic, Isabella is desperate for attention. She finally gets her chance in the spotlight when a local talent show film crew starts following her every move. However, this isn’t just another story about the rich being sad. Set in a quintessentially British estate, “Lady” is a witty satire of loneliness dressed up in pearls and polished silver – as if a Downton Abbey lady accidentally took a wrong turn into the absurdist world of “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. At its centre, Sian Clifford (“Fleabag”) is sublimely bonkers as Isabella. Her every gesture feels like an act of rebellion against sanity, her comic flair strikes a balance between absurd and tragic, keeping the film alive and constantly kicking.

Off-the-wall, sharp and with just the right amount of absurdity, “Lady” makes you laugh at privilege while rooting for its bizarrely lovable heroine. It’s a comedy of manners turned upside down – and one of the most entertaining portraits of human need you’ll see in a long while.

Malaika Bova