Synopsis

Iman, an ambitious family man, receives an appointment to become an investigating judge in Iran’s Revolutionary Court. Such a professional step means major advancement for him, his wife, and his two independently minded teenage daughters. His rise is complicated, though, when nationwide student-fueled protests against the government cause violent unrest in the streets, forcing Iman to work overtime. When his handgun mysteriously goes missing, his nerves are strained to the breaking point.

Equal parts tension-fueled domestic drama and paranoid political thriller, the film offers an excoriating examination of an oppressive, patriarchal society about to reach a tipping point. Currently living in exile to avoid an eight-year prison sentence for his films’ criticism of Iran’s hardline conservative government, veteran auteur Mohammad Rasoulof (There Is No Evil, 2020) returns to the Festival with this exhilarating, timely work that rises to the urgency of the moment.

Synopsis

Veteran filmmaker Errol Morris makes his most powerful political documentary in years, combining the effective investigative stories of Standard Operating Procedure and The Thin Blue Line with the cautionary tales of American Dharma and The Fog of War. His target: the Trump administration’s controversial 2018 policy of separating immigrant children from their parents at the Mexico-US border.

The film lays out in detail how Stephen Miller, Jeff Sessions, and Kirstjen Nielsen pursued the program with little regard for human rights, morality, or constitutional law. It also introduces characters like Captain Jonathan White at the Office for Refugee Resettlement, who becomes the film’s central compelling figure thanks to his determination to intervene and protect the well-being of those in his care. Filled with sobering indignation and disturbing revelations, Separated offers a riveting exposé of the Trump administration’s unjust programs and the brave people on both sides of the political divide trying to hold them at bay.

Synopsis

Sicily. Early 2000s. After serving several years in prison for Mafia-related crimes, Catello (Toni Servillo), a long-serving politician, has lost everything. When the Italian secret service prevails upon him to help capture the last major Sicilian Mafia boss Matteo (Elio Germano), who has been on the lam for three decades, Catello sees an opportunity to stage a comeback. A shrewd man of a hundred masks, Catello is a tireless illusionist and master manipulator, who turns truth into falsehood and falsehood into truth. As unique as it is improbable, Catello begins a correspondence with Matteo – using handwritten letters passed discretely to the fugitive with the intention of exploiting the younger man’s emotional shortcomings. It’s a gamble, one which, with one of the most wanted criminals in the world, involves a high degree of risk. Directing duo Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza (Salvo, Sicilian Ghost Story) return to the Festival with this mesmerizing addition to their wholly distinctive examination of the impact of Mafia culture on Sicilian civil society.

Synopsis

Many will recognize a pavilion-style roof and trapezoidal windows as the tell-tale signs of a family-style Pizza Hut. But what was once a fixture across America in the 1970s was transformed when the company, founded by two brothers in Wichita, Kansas, catapulted into the corporate age, and from dine-in to delivery.

In this charming documentary by Australian filmmakers Salleh and Tucker (Barbeque), we traverse America to meet the small business owners who have converted these buildings and made them their own. From a cannabis dispensary in rural Colorado to Big Ed’s BBQ in suburban Illinois to an LGBTQ+ church in Florida, Slice of Life offers a surprisingly stirring snapshot of a diverse swath of Americans from all walks of life, highlighting their shared sense of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and can-do spirit.

Synopsis

Following his Oscar-winning turn as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy delivers another powerhouse performance in this searing Irish drama based on the acclaimed novel by Claire Keegan. It’s Christmastime 1985, and Bill Furlong (Murphy) is a hard-working husband and father who is trying his best — like everyone in his small town — to keep his head down and provide for his family. But there are cruel secrets lurking in the local convent that this sensitive soul can’t bear to ignore.

This captivating and subdued thriller follows Bill as he wrestles with staying silent to protect his family even as he feels compelled to speak out in the face of wrongdoing. The film is bolstered by its exquisite performances, both from Emily Watson in her Berlin Film Festival-winning portrayal of the convent’s icy mother superior and from the exquisitely restrained Murphy, whose every glance and grimace expresses multitudes of emotion. Small Things Like These is an elegant account of courage and compassion.