Today’s programme lines up smugglers from Colombia, Juhan Liiv, a Cypriot woman, who enjoys one-night stands, and the ever brilliant basketball stars from the club Žalgiris.
Prohibited way to live for a woman? Smaragda is walking down the hedonistic, tourist-oriented streets of Cyprus, trying to find her way in the society as a woman who is already forty, but has no husband or children to show for it.
Director Jaak Kilmi and actor Pääru Oja however have achieved the impossible, looking for the man behind the name Juhan Liiv. The Chinese film Hani, screening today, is also special, for it was shot without an official permission to avoid certain censorship.
Monday’s film suggestions can be found below and the whole schedule for today is here!
Smaragda - I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump
Director: E. Avraam; country: Cyprus
Monday, November 18 at 18.30 at Coca-Cola Plaza
Smaragda decides to move to the home of her recently deceased mother to take care of the guide dog she left behind. Against her expectations, Smaragda has ended up in a serving role in lives that fit the societal timeline with their family models and success. However, this does not dishearten a woman who knows how to enjoy smoking, sex, friends, and the power of newly discovered social media.
Director: A. Avranas; countries: Greece, Sweden, France, Estonia, Germany, Finland
Monday, November 18 at 18.30 at Apollo Kino Solaris
Sergei and Natalia, a refugee couple, flee Russia with their two daughters to start a new life in Sweden, seeking asylum after being violently persecuted in their homeland. In this harrowing family drama, bolstered by a chillingly restrained tone and emotionally controlled performances, Alexandros Avranas poignantly explores the devastating effects of trauma and despair on displaced families, and exposes a system in which empathy and humanity are in danger of collapsing.
Director. S. Parra R; country: Colombia
Monday, November 18 at 18 at Coca-Cola Plaza
World premiere with the filmmakers
Rusty menacing cars, a dangerous desert and a prize... Furiosa? No, babe, welcome to Colombia. An appealing cocktail between a coming-of-age and a rusty and ramshackle steampunk tale, Seed of the Desert emerges as a hardy road movie along the Guajira Peninsula. Will love overcome all these difficulties?
Director: J. Kilmi; country: Estonia
Monday, November 18 at 20:30 at Coca-Cola Plaza
The brilliant actor Pääru Oja portrays the persona non grata of Juhan Liiv, solving mysteries in his gloomy homeland, guided by his inner whispers and his passion for helping Mari. The film follows Juhan’s struggle to defend himself against false accusations, deceitful friends, and worsening mental illness. Amidst this chaos, he still managed to dream and write about freedom – a concept unknown at the time, even in poetry.
Director: H. Dasheng; country: Canada
Monday, November 18 at 19.15 at Coca-Cola Plaza
World premiere with the filmmakers
In the deep mountains, 14-year-old Hani plans to marry his 12-year-old bride Pushiha. But love fades. Because the Chinese government wants to keep the subject of this film hidden, Hani was shot without permission to avoid censorship. But it’s undeniable that arranged marriages and bride-buying still exist in China's poorer provinces.
Director: V. Dambrauskas; country: Lithuania
Monday, November 18 at 19 at Apollo Kino Solaris
Estonian premiere with the filmmakes
How did the Lithuanian Basketball Club Žalgiris rise from the ashes to become the pinnacle of European club basketball? This fast-paced, educative and touching film full of unique archive materials and memories of people involved, breathes new life into the era when epic battles between Žalgiris and CSKA Moscow were much more than just basketball - it was national resistance, a battle between David and Goliath.