National Competition: (Chosen) Families

ÁHKUIN is a transcendent and playful documentary journey following three generations of a Sámi family united across time via the grandmother’s yoik. Longing, a flamingo and a riverside landscape guide the descendants into a new era, encouraging them to turn to the teachings of their ancestors.

In A Night That Took Everything, a young woman grapples with the tragic death of her father, who was falsely accused under Pakistan’s unforgiving blasphemy laws. As she deals with grief and injustice, she reflects on the harsh realities of a society that punishes the innocent.

Drawn in Water asks: We want to belong to families, but how can you define one? Maybe it is like a line drawn in water, ever moving and different in the next moment. The film ponders the difficulty of defining things and the simultaneous demand to find new answers.

In Pantyhose, a couple is about to attend an important gala. They have their keys, phones and invitations, but there is a hole in the tights.

In The Lightning Rod, a young mother, Irina, fleeing from a poisonous relationship, seeks safety from her grandmother’s house. Instead of protection, she is greeted by her grandma’s hostility towards her needs. In the midst of a raging summer storm, the two women of different generations have to face the consequences of repressing one’s feelings for too long.