Eye For Film >> Festivals >> Palm Springs >> 2024 >> Awards Buzz – Best International Feature Film
View other Palm Springs International Film Festival Films by strand: American Indies, Canadian Spotlight, Country Focus, Country Focus - Programmers’ Picks, Flashback, Galas, Gayla, Local Spotlight, Modern Masters, New Voices New Visions, New Voices New Visions/After Dark, Queer Cinema Today, Spotlight: James Ivory, True Stories, World Cinema Now, World Cinema Now: After Dark
Opponent and Tótem
20 Days In Mariupol
(Country: Ukraine; Year: 2023; Director: Mstyslav Chernov)
As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war’s atrocities.
About Dry Grasses (Kuru Otlar Üstüne)
(Country: Turkey, France, Germany, Sweden; Year: 2023; Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan; Writer: Ebru Ceylan, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Akin Aksu; Stars: Merve Dizdar, Deniz Celiloglu, Musab Ekici)
A young teacher hopes to be appointed to Istanbul after mandatory duty at a small village. After long time waiting he loses all hope of escaping from this gloomy life. His colleague helps him to regain his perspective.
Behind The Haystacks (Piso Apo Tis Thimonies)
(Country: Greece, Germany, North Macedonia; Year: 2022; Director: Asimina Proedrou; Writer: Asimina Proedrou; Stars: Stathis Stamoulakatos, Eleni Ouzounidou, Evgenia Lavda, Christos Kontogeorgis, Dina Mihailidou)
A tragic incident on Greece's northern border strikes a local family of three, pushing them to face their own personal impasses and consider the price for their actions.
Blaga's Lessons (Urotcite na Blaga)
(Country: Bulgaria, Germany; Year: 2023; Director: Stephan Komandarev; Writer: Simeon Ventsislavov, Stephan Komandarev; Stars: Eli Skorcheva, Gerasim Georgiev, Rozalia Abgarian, Ivan Barnev, Stefan Denolyubov, Ivaylo Hristov)
A woman's moral compass starts to slip after she is conned out of her savings by a phone scammer.
Brothers (Brati)
(Country: Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia; Year: 2023; Director: Tomas Masin; Writer: Marek Epstein, Barbara Masin; Stars: Oskar Hes, Jan Nedbal, Adam Ernest, Tatiana Dyková, Stefan Konarske)
A trues story from the 1950s.
The Taste Of Things and The Mother Of All Lies
The Burdened (Al Murhaqoon)
(Country: Yemen, Sudan, Saudi Arabia; Year: 2023; Director: Amr Gamal; Stars: Khaled Hamdan, Abeer Mohammed, Samah Alamrani, Awsam Abdulrahman, Shahd Algonfedy)
During the civil war in Yemen, Isra’a becomes pregnant again and, together with her husband, she decides to have an abortion. But this creates enormous problems, including in their relationship.
Bye Bye Tiberias (Bye Bye Tibériade)
(Country: Palestine, Belgium, Qatar, France; Year: 2023; Director: Lina Soualem; Writer: Lina Soualem, Nadine Naous, Gladys Joujou; Stars: Hiam Abbass)
Years after leaving her Palestinian village to pursue an acting career in France, Hiam Abbass returns home with her daughter, in this intimate documentary about four generations of women and their shared legacy of separation.
Concrete Utopia
(Country: South Korea; Year: 2023; Director: Um Tae-hwa; Writer: Um Tae-hwa; Stars: Park Seo-joon, Lee Byung-hun, Park Bo-young, Kim Sun-young, Park Ji-hu, Na Chul)
Survivors from a massive earthquake struggle for a new life in Seoul.
The Delinquents (Los Delincuentes)
(Country: Argentina, Brazil, Luxembourg, Chile; Year: 2023; Director: Rodrigo Moreno; Writer: Rodrigo Moreno; Stars: Margarita Molfino, Esteban Bigliardi, Cecilia Rainero)
Two bank staff rob their own establishment.
Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End of the World (Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii, Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World)
(Country: Romania, Luxembourg, France, Croatia; Year: 2023; Director: Radu Jude; Writer: Radu Jude; Stars: Ilinca Manolache, Ovidiu Pîrșan, Nina Hoss, Dorina Lazăr, László Miske, Katia Pascariu)
Overworked and underpaid, Angela drives around the city of Bucharest to film the casting for a 'safety at work video' commissioned by a multinational company. When one of the interviewees reveals the company’s liability in his accident, a scandal erupts.
The Zone Of Interest and The Delinquents
Fallen Leaves (Kuolleet Lehdet)
(Country: Finland; Year: 2023; Director: Aki Kaurismäki; Writer: Aki Kaurismäki; Stars: Alma Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen)
The course of potential love does not run smooth for a shelf-stacker and a metal worker.
Four Daughters (Les Filles D'Olfa)
(Country: Tunisia, France; Year: 2021; Director: Kaouther Ben Hania; Stars: Olfa Hamrouni, Eya Chikhaoui, Tayssir Chikhaoui, Nour Karoui, Ichrak Matar, Majd Mastoura, Hind Sabri)
A creative documentary following ten years in the life of a fortysomething Tunisian mother, a cleaning lady from a poor environment, who sees her two teenage daughters become radicalised, run away and join the terrorist organisation Daesh in Libya.
Godland
(Country: Denmark, Iceland, France, Sweden; Year: 2022; Director: Hlynur Pálmason; Writer: Hlynur Pálmason; Stars: Hilmar Guðjónsson, Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir, Elliott Crosset Hove, Jacob Lohmann, Waage Sandø, Vic Carmen Sonne)
In the late 19th century, a young Danish priest travels to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph its people. But the deeper he goes into the unforgiving landscape, the more he strays from his purpose, his mission and morality.
Goodbye Julia
(Country: Sudan, Egypt, Germany, France, KSA, Sweden; Year: 2023; Director: Mohamed Kordofani; Writer: Mohamed Kordofani; Stars: Eiman Yousif, Siran Riak, Nazar Goma, Ger Duany, Issraa Elkogali Häggström)
Wracked by guilt after covering up a murder, Mona — a northern Sudanese retired singer in a tense marriage — tries to make amends by taking in the deceased’s southern Sudanese widow, Julia, and her son, Daniel, into her home.
Housekeeping For Beginners (Domakinstvo za Pocetnici)
(Country: North Macedonia, Sweden, Kosovo, Poland, Serbia, Croatia; Year: 2023; Director: Goran Stolevski; Writer: Goran Stolevski; Stars: Rozafa Celaj, Sara Klimoska, Anamaria Marinca, Mia Mustafi, Aleksandra Pesevska, Samson Selim, Alina Serban, Vladimir Tintor, Ajse Useini)
A lesbian suddenly finds herself responsible for her partner’s two daughters.
In Flames and Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
Inshallah A Boy (Inshallah Walad)
(Country: Jordan; Year: 2023; Director: Amjad Al Rasheed; Writer: Delphine Agut, Rula Nasser, Amjad Al Rasheed; Stars: Mouna Hawa)
A mother fights for her rights in a partriachal system after her husband's death.
In Flames
(Country: Canada; Year: 2023; Director: Zarrar Kahn; Writer: Zarrar Kahn; Stars: Ramesha Nawal, Omar Javaid, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Mohammad Ali Hasni, Adnan Shah)
After the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart by figures from their past – both real and imagined.
Io Capitano
(Country: Italy, Belgium, France; Year: 2023; Director: Matteo Garrone; Writer: Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso, Massimo Ceccherini, Andrea Tagliaferri, Nicola Di Robilant, Chiara Leonardi; Stars: Affif Ben Badra, Hichem Yacoubi, Joseph Beddelem, Bamar Kane, Oumar Diaw, Mariam Kaba, Princess Erika, Taha Benaim, Seydou Sarr, Flaure B.B. Kabore, Beatrice Gnonko, Jackie Zappa, Emilie Adams, Bidar Abdelahad, Observateur Ebène)
Two Senegalese teenagers try to realise their dream of a new life in Europe.
Love To Love You, Donna Summer
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Roger Ross Williams, Brooklyn Sudano)
Documentary about the Disco star.
The Missing (Iti Mapukpukaw)
(Country: Philippines, Thailand; Year: 2023; Director: Carl Joseph Papa; Writer: Carl Joseph Papa; Stars: Carlo Aquino, Gio Gahol, Dolly De Leon)
When an alien comes back to take him, a mouthless young man's life twists and turns as his memories untangle.
Housekeeping For Beginners and About Dry Grasses
The Monk And The Gun
(Country: Bhutan, Taiwan, France, US; Year: 2023; Director: Pawo Choyning Dorji; Writer: Pawo Choyning Dorji; Stars: Tandin Wangchuk, Harry Einhorn, Tandin Phubz, Tandin Sonam, Pema Zangmo Sherpa)
The story of an American who travels into Bhutan in search of a treasure and crosses path with a young monk who wanders through the serene mountains, instructed by his teacher to make things right again.
The Mother Of All Lies
(Country: Morocco, France, Qatar; Year: 2023; Director: Asmae El Moudir)
The filmmaker doesn’t have any pictures of herself as a child. This is the starting point of a documentary investigation that unfolds the secrets of a Casablanca family.
Opponent (Motståndaren)
(Country: Sweden; Year: 2023; Director: Milad Alami; Writer: Milad Alami; Stars: Payman Maadi, Marall Nasiri, Björn Elgerd, Ardalan Esmaili, Arvin Kananian)
Iman, an Iranian, lives with his family in Sweden in an ever-changing succession of refugee hostels. To increase his chances of obtaining residence permits for them all, he resumes his career as a wrestler – and is confronted with the reason he had to flee.
The Peasants
(Country: Poland, Serbia, Lithuania; Year: 2023; Director: DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman; Writer: Wladyslaw Stanislaw Reymont, DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman; Stars: Kamila Urzedowska, Robert Gulaczyk, Miroslaw Baka, Sonia Mietielica)
A hand-painted animated film about an early 20th Century Polish peasant woman who creates havoc by marrying an older rich man.
Perfect Days
(Country: Japan, Germany; Year: 2023; Director: Wim Wenders; Writer: Takuma Takasaki, Wim Wenders; Stars: Kôji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano, Aoi Yamada, Yumi Asô)
The story of an urban renewal project which involves the creation of 17 public toilets in key locations in the Japanese capital.
Blaga's Lessons and Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End of the World
The Promised Land (Bastarden)
(Country: Denmark, Sweden, Norway; Year: 2023; Director: Nikolaj Arcel; Writer: Nikolaj Arcel, Anders Thomas Jensen; Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Gustav Lindh, Amanda Collin, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Magnus Krepper, Lise Risom Olsen, Søren Malling, Thomas W. Gabrielsson, Jacob Lohmann, Felix Kramer, Morten Hee Andersen, Simon Bennebjerg, Martin Feifel, Patricia Slauf, Arved Friese)
In 1755, the impoverished Captain Ludvig Kahlen sets out to conquer the harsh, uninhabitable Danish heath with a seemingly impossible goal; to build a colony in the name of the King.
The Settlers (Los Colonos)
(Country: Chile, Argentina; Year: 2023; Director: Felipe Gálvez; Writer: Felipe Gálvez)
19th century drama. A man on an expedition is forced to take part in a massacre. Afterwards he forms a bond with the only survivor.
Seven Blessings (Sheva Brachot)
(Country: Israel; Year: 2023; Director: Ayelet Menahemi; Writer: Reymonde Amsallem, Eleanor Sela; Stars: Reymonde Amsallem, Tikva Dayan, Rivka Bahar, Eleanor Sela, Eran Mor)
A woman travels from France to Israel, where her family now lives, to marry her one true love.
Shayda
(Country: Australia; Year: 2023; Director: Noora Niasar; Writer: Noora Niasar; Stars: Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Osamah Sami, Leah Purcell, Jillian Nguyen, Mojean Aria, Selina Zahednia)
Shayda, an Iranian mother, finds refuge in an Australian women’s shelter with her six-year-old daughter. Over Persian New Year, they take solace in Nowruz rituals and new beginnings, but when her estranged husband re-enters their lives, Shayda’s path to freedom is jeopardised.
Sira
(Country: Burkina Faso, France, Germany, Senegal; Year: 2023; Director: Apolline Traoré; Stars: Nafissatou Cissé, Mike Danon, Lazare Minoungou, Nathalie Vairac, Ruth Werner)
After a brutal attack, a young nomad refuses to surrender to her fate without a fight and instead takes a stand against Islamist terror. A feminist counterpoint to current reporting from the Sahel region.
The Peasants and The Promised Land
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
(Country: Estonia, France, Iceland; Year: 2023; Director: Anna Hints)
In the darkness of a smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences, washing off the shame trapped in their bodies and regaining their strength through a sense of communion.
Society Of The Snow
(Country: Uruguay, Spain; Year: 2023; Director: Juan Antonio Bayona; Writer: Juan Antonio Bayona, Nicolás Casariego, Jaime Marques, Pablo Vierci, Bernat Vilaplana; Stars: Rafael Federman, Esteban Bigliardi, Simon Hempe, Agustín Pardella, Enzo Vogrincic, Alfonsina Carrocio, Fernando Contingiani, Juan Diego Eirea, Esteban Kukuriczka, Paula Baldini, Matías Recalt, Emanuel Parga, Tomas Wolf, Valentino Alonso, Diego Vegezzi)
Survival thriller taking place in the aftermath of a plane crash in the Andes.
The Taste Of Things (La Passion De Dodin Bouffant, The Pot-au-Feu)
(Country: France; Year: 2023; Director: Trân Anh Hùng; Writer: Trần Anh Hùng; Stars: Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Pierre Gagnaire)
The story of Eugenie, an esteemed cook, and Dodin, the fine gourmet she has been working for over the last 20 years.
Tótem
(Country: Mexico, Denmark, France; Year: 2023; Director: Lila Avilés; Writer: Lila Avilés; Stars: Naíma Sentíes, Monserrat Marañon, Marisol Gasé, Saori Gurza, Teresita Sánchez)
In a large house, friends and family meet for a dual ritual: it is the birthday of young father and painter Tona, but also a farewell ceremony.
The Zone Of Interest
(Country: UK, Poland, US; Year: 2023; Director: Jonathan Glazer; Writer: Jonathan Glazer, based on the book by Martin Amis; Stars: Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel, Ralph Herforth, Max Beck, Stephanie Petrowitz, Marie Rose Tietjen)
The daily lives of the Höss family outside the walls of Auschwitz.
59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground
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