Synopsis

Jérémie returns to his sleepy hometown of Saint-Martial in the south of France to attend the funeral of his former boss, the village baker. Afterwards, he decides to stay for a few days with Martine, the baker’s widow. His continued presence in town unsettles the locals, and a threatening neighbor starts to question Jérémie’s intentions. When a mysterious disappearance disturbs the community, a cloud of suspicion begins to form.

Packed with suspense and intrigue, director Alain Guiraudie (Stranger by the Lake, 2013, Staying Vertical, 2016) returns to the Festival with this misty masterwork. Cloaked in an aura of uncertainty, the film’s tense, winding plot expertly suggests hidden meanings and secret motivations. Featuring a stunning earth-toned visual palette and an unforgettable cast of characters (including a priest with suspicious intentions), Misericordia is an incisive, twist-filled mystery.

Synopsis

Melrick, an unruly 13-year-old boy living in Stains, France, spends his summers at his grandmother’s house in French Guiana. He loves drumming — in no small part because his uncle Lucas, who tragically died 11 years prior, was also a drummer. As Melrick’s awareness of his family’s devastating past grows, he searches for ways to pay tribute to his history, culture, and heritage. Through a blend of intimate invented scenarios and carefully observed documentary footage, director Maxime Jean-Baptiste deftly crafts a heart-wrenching, deeply human portrait of a family and of a community committed to the anti-colonial struggle trying to reconcile their grief with an impulse for revenge. Listen to the Voices is urgent, beautiful, and filled with humanity.

Synopsis

During the hot Corsican summer of 1995, teenager Lesia is whisked away from the beach to a secret villa. Initially nonplussed, she’s excited when she realizes the reason for this sudden departure: she’s going to spend time with her father. Wanted by the authorities for his ties to violent, criminal acts, he’s hiding out in a compound. And although she’s not allowed to make phone calls to the outside world, Lesia is thrilled for some quality time with her outlaw dad. But when war erupts in the underworld, the two are forced to face one another as their familial bond is brought to its breaking point. The idyllic, sun-baked island serves as the backdrop for this explosive drama mixed with a heart-pounding coming-of-age thriller, anchored by a tour-de-force performance from newcomer Ghivanna Benedetti and directed with assurance and precision by Julien Colonna.

Synopsis

Iconoclastic French filmmaker Leos Carax (Holy Motors, ChicagoIFF 2012 Gold Hugo winner) reflects on his work and life in this personal cinematic essay. Nodding to the late style of New Wave master Jean-Luc Godard, whose voice can be heard on the soundtrack, the film assembles footage from Carax’s work and situates it within the broader history of cinema. Originally commissioned for an exhibition hosted by Paris’s Pompidou Center, the museum asked the auteur to respond to a simple question: “Where are you at, Leos Carax?”

No subject is off limits, no idea too small or large. The result is a dazzling, playful masterpiece of freely associative montage that includes everything from nostalgic film clips to heartbreaking voicemail recordings to ecstatic spectacles of dancing puppets. Essential viewing for fans and newcomers alike. Just be sure to stay for the post-credits sequence.

Synopsis

Nana is a young girl living on a remote volcanic island that much of her family, including her mother, have long since fled. When Nana falls ill to a strange fever, she is sent to the foot of the island’s volcano for treatment by the local healer. There, she encounters a world steeped in magical realism, suspended between dream and reality.

Hanami is a stunning, surreal look at family and community in Cabo Verde, an island nation whose diaspora far outnumbers its residents. Exploring the necessity of migration and the void it leaves behind, filmmaker Denise Fernandes paints a sweeping portrait of the inherited echoes between daughters and mothers — all set against the otherworldly landscape of Ilha do Fogo, Cabo Verde and its volcano.