Today’s films explore the ways people break, rebel, test boundaries, and confront systems that offer them no mercy. It’s a day when history, creative chaos, trauma, and crises of identity collide powerfully on the big screen, creating cinematic experiences that linger long after the credits roll.
The day opens with a sharp look into the past. Fiume o morte! tears open the poetic myth of D’Annunzio’s rule, revealing the machinery of authoritarianism. As Croatia’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature, the film stands out with its striking originality, showing how one eccentric figure managed to drive an entire city into madness. Meanwhile, Backstage Madness turns the camera on the filmmakers themselves. This wild Kyrgyz satire transforms the creative process, ego, and money into a dizzying, genre-bending parody.
As evening approaches, the tone becomes darker and more intimate. The China Sea follows a man desperate to escape the burdens that haunt him, only to realize he cannot outrun himself. Anemone places viewers in an almost electric tension where the air feels sharp enough to slice through. Daniel Day-Lewis returns to the screen in this gripping family thriller, directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis, where bonds of trust fray with unsettling intensity.
Easy Girl adds a bittersweet, sensual exploration of freedom, vulnerability, and the kind of trauma that refuses to be buried. At the same time, Hercules Falling guides viewers, alongside Danish superstar Dar Salim, straight into the heart of post-war trauma, set against a stark and unforgiving reality.
Tuesday concludes with Flesh, Blood, Even a Heart. Filled with gentle humor, the film captures the struggles of growing up and the past that trails behind you, even when you try your hardest to break free.
See all films screening at PÖFF this Tuesday here!
18 Nov, Tuesday at 17:00 — Artis Cinema
Director: I. Bezinović
Countries: Croatia, Italy, Slovenia
Fiume o morte! revisits the eccentric rule of poet Gabriele D’Annunzio in Fiume. Igor Bezinović reconstructs the story with the help of today’s residents, creating a sharp and personal commentary on the mechanisms of authoritarianism. The result is a provocative metadocumentary and Croatia’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film.
18 Nov, Tuesday at 17:45 — Apollo Kino Plaza
World premiere with filmmakers
Director: A. Azhymat
Country: Kyrgyzstan
This film follows a director trying to write a new script amid creative chaos, while a novice producer and funders demand increasingly absurd solutions. Amanbek Azhymat’s playful and genre-mixing debut offers wild sequences—from musicals to gangster parodies—while breaking apart stereotypes about patriarchal Kyrgyzstan.
18 Nov, Tuesday at 19:00 — Apollo Kino Plaza
World premiere
Director: J. Matulevičius
Countries: Lithuania, Taiwan, Poland, Czech Republic
The China Sea tells the story of Osvaldis, an MMA fighter who hides at a friend’s Taiwanese restaurant after a violent incident. Inspired by the tragic true story of a Lithuanian mixed martial arts champion, this gritty drama features an international cast led by world-renowned Severija Janušauskaitė. A stylish and forceful exploration of guilt, identity, and the search for redemption.
18 Nov, Tuesday at 20:00 — Apollo Kino Solaris
Director: R. Day-Lewis
Countries: United Kingdom, USA
Anemone marks Daniel Day-Lewis’s return to cinema after eight years, directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis. An unexpected plea disrupts the fragile routine of Ray Stoker, a reclusive former soldier living alone in a forest cabin. Supported by a powerful ensemble cast, the film delivers a tense yet sensitive story about brotherhood.
18 Nov, Tuesday at 20:15 — Apollo Kino Plaza
International premiere with filmmakers
Director: H. Norden
Country: Germany
Easy Girl follows two childhood friends who impulsively move in together and plunge into a whirlwind of discovery, desire, and freedom. But beneath the surface, deeper traumas slowly rise, casting shadows over every romantic and sexual encounter. Hille Norden’s film offers a sensual yet unsettling portrait of women’s paths toward self-determination.
18 Nov, Tuesday at 21:00 — Sõprus Cinema
Director: C. Bonke
Country: Denmark
The film follows Youssef, a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, as he tries to cope with rage and trauma after a devastating incident at home. Dar Salim delivers a powerful performance in this timely and deeply moving drama that reflects the invisible battles soldiers face long after the war has ended.
18 Nov, Tuesday at 21:45 — Apollo Kino Plaza
World premiere with filmmakers
Director: A. Zariņa
Country: Latvia
Flesh, Blood, Even a Heart centers on Livi, a woman in her thirties searching for confidence and purpose in her life. Her father’s sudden illness forces her to confront the past, fractured family ties, and childhood wounds. Director Alise Zariņa weaves together gentle humor, painful honesty, and tender childhood memories to create a warm, melancholic tragicomedy about growing up.