What is left when the war is over? During a wild and unpredictable night in Sarajevo Selma, a young Bosnian screenwriter, shares an adventurous encounter with a German actor named Niklas.

In the near future, Ukrainian space trucker Andriy Melnyk transports nuclear waste aboard his cargo ship to Jupiter’s abandoned moon, Callisto. During a routine flight, the Earth suddenly explodes, but Andriy survives and becomes the last person in the universe.

In a tale rooted in ancient Greek tragedy, a patriarch must decide the fate of his son and the boy he raised when a long-standing unneighbourly feud turns to murder.

In a windy Somali village, a newly assembled family must navigate between their different aspirations and the complex world surrounding them. Love, trust and resilience will power them through their life paths.

Teenager Sara is constantly mocked and bullied by her peers. Misunderstood even by her own family, the girl lives an isolated existence. But when, after yet another abuse by some classmates, she has the unexpected opportunity to take revenge on her tormentors, she will discover how easy it can be to go from victim to tormentor.

Monday 24 June h 21 | Cinema King, Catania

Upon entry
Alejandro Rojas, Juan Sebastián Vásquez
(Spain, 2022, 77’) – Regional Premiere

Diego, a Venezuelan urbanist, and Elena, a contemporary dancer from Barcelona, move to the United States with their approved visas to start a new life. Their intention is to boost their professional careers and start a family in ‘the land of opportunities’. But upon entering New York airport’s immigration area, they are taken to the secondary inspection room, where border officers will subject them to an unpleasant inspection process and a psychologically grueling interrogation.

Tuesday 25 June h 21 | King

Augure – Omen
Baloji
(Belgium, Congo, Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, 2023, 91’)

After spending years in Belgium, a young Congolese man returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa to confront the intricacies of his family and culture

Wednesday 26 June h 21 | King, Catania

Noir Casablanca
Kamal Lazraq
(France, 2023, 94’)

A father and son in the suburbs of Casablanca get by on petty crimes for a local mob. When a kidnapping goes wrong, they must find a way to dispose of the body. 

Thursday 25 June h 21 | King, Catania

Joyland
Saim Sadiq
(Pakistan, 2022, 126’) – Italian Premiere

As the happily-patriarchal Rana family longs for the birth of a baby boy, the youngest of the Rana men secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and finds himself falling for a fiercely ambitious trans starlet. Their impossible love story slowly illuminates the entire Rana family’s desire for a sexual rebellion.

Friday 28 June h 21 | Arena Eden, Acireale

Io vivo Altrove!
Giuseppe Battiston
(Italy, 2023, 104’) – The director will be present 

Fausto Perbellini and Fausto Biasutti are middle-aged loners who strike up an unlikely friendship on account of a shared first name. They share a common goal: living a frugal life in the countryside escaping from Rome’s hustle. After their relocation into the Biasutti’s inherited house in the Friuli’ hills, they clumsily attempt to farm, while trying to ingratiate themselves with the local folk. 

07/11 h 21.00

FEATHERS
Omar El Zohairy
FR-EG-NL-EL, 2021, 112’

When a magic trick goes awry at a children’s birthday party, the authoritative father of the family turns into a chicken. An avalanche of coincidental absurdities befalls everyone; the mother, whose mundane life was dedicated to her husband and children,is now urged to come to the fore and take care of her family. 

08/11 h 21.00

THINGS WORTH WEEPING FOR
Cristina Grosan
HU, 2021, 93′

Maja’s life is finally coming together and her boyfriend couldn’t be more pleased. In the midst of moving out from their student flat, Maja’s evening takes a surprising turn when she stumbles upon an old relative who is without a doubt, dead. Nobody from the family is available to help, so Maja has to deal with it herself. 

09/11 h 21.00

LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES
Ahmet Necdet Çupur
FR-DE-TR, 2021, 92’

In a village in the south east of Turkey, Mahmut wants to divorce his newly-wed wife. At the same time, his sister Zeynep enrols in an open high school and takes on a job in a factory. Against her father’s wishes, she wants to leave the village and ultimately go to university. The siblings’ demands become the center of conflict in their conservative family.

10/11 h 21.00

TREE OF ETERNAL LOVE
Meel Paliale
EE, 2021, 82’

Kiik, a young car mechanic stuck between the gears of life, finds out that his girlfriend’s heart has been won over by a new handsome man. To get rid of the pain haunting his soul, Kiik asks his filmmaker best friend to join the adventure, with the final clause to cut down the tree of eternal love..
In collaboration with FNCE – Festival Nuovo Cinema Europa

11/11 h 21.00

VERA DREAMS OF THE SEA
Kaltrina Krasniqi
XK, MK, AL, 2021, 87’

Vera is a middle-aged sign language interpreter, who leads a well-structured life: a wife to a renowned judge, a caring mother and grandmother. Her serene life is disrupted by her husband’s suicide followed by an unwelcome, menacing parade of men who claim to have ownership over their village family house. When the tendrils of an underworld scheme begin to surface, Vera’s world will face danger and seem ready to collapse.