PIRINHA | Natasha Craveiro | 0:53:00 | Cape Verde

 

Synopsis:

Pirinha follows a young woman exploring her subconscious to find herself and face her past. She meets the feared ‘evil’ creatures from Cape Verdean folklore, only to learn that true evil lies elsewhere. These encounters are softened by memories of her grandmother, a wise healer who used traditional medicine. The film is a story of healing rooted in Cape Verdean culture, showing that even feared demons can bring sweetness and hope.

 

A HAPPY PLACE | Siddhant Sarin | 0:21:43 | Belgium

 

Synopsis:

Happy, an undocumented Indian immigrant in Brussels, lives a quiet life working in a corner shop. As he endures long days and haunting nights, phone calls reveal the dark realities of illegal immigration. Despite fears of deportation, he holds onto hope of reuniting with his family. His fatigue blurs the line between reality and hallucination in this intimate portrait of survival.

 

PLASTIC FLOWERS | Adán Aliaga | 0:10:51 | Spain

 

Synopsis:

My mother got her first embroidery machine when she was 13 years old. After my father died, my mother and grandmother walked through the cemetery to replace the fresh flowers with plastic flowers. My mother and grandmother still continue embroidering.

 

MUKUNAN APRENDIZ DE PAJÉ | Rodrigo SENA | 0:25:00 | BRAZIL

 

Synopsis:

Mukunã prepares to become the Shaman of the Potiguara Katu village in Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil), older than us, the power plants become the teacher teaching environmental care.

 

FLAME OF THE FOREST | Amrita Akshit | 0:29:40 | India

 

Synopsis:

The film follows the journey of three women who search for truth, courage, and freedom in a world that often silences them. Like the Tesu flower that blooms in dry forests, they rise with warmth, humour, and quiet strength. Through singing, dancing, and dreaming, they challenge power and reclaim their voices. Inspired by the spirit of Kabir and stories of defiance, the film reflects on memory, forgetting, and becoming. As they reconnect with their lost colours, they become Tesu. They become forest. They become flame.

 

MATIN | Sam Soleimani | 0:29:46 | Iran, Islamic Republic Of

 

Synopsis:

Teenage Matin is an Afghan illegal immigrant, working in a stray dog shelter in a deserted spot in Iran. Feeling abandoned and ignored by the people who have founded the shelter, he has built a world of his own, surrounded by the dogs as his sole friends - the ones who beg to play with the others, the ones who beg to be caressed by the others. When he finds out that due to the economic crisis in Iran, he will face big problems to feed the dogs, he is obliged to make a decision.

 

GRAPE SEASON | Ebrahim Hesari | 0:25:00 | Iran, Islamic Republic Of

 

Synopsis:

The companionship of ripe grapes turns them into wine that brings joy and creates romances, just like old people in love who make a miracle with love.

 

TIME OF NOISE | Patricio Escartín | 0:12:04 | Mexico

 

Synopsis:

In the town of Xoco, the spirit of an old villager awakens in search of its lost home. Along its journey, the ghost discovers that the town still celebrates its most important festivities, but also learns that the construction of a new commercial complex called Mítikah will threaten the existence of both the traditions and the town itself.

 

MAMA TURKEY | Ebru Erke | 0:40:00 | Turkey

 

Synopsis:

Kulva, whose arm was cut off by strangers who broke into the house one night in her sleep, siblings Cuma and Abdurrahim, who could not go to school for fear of being kidnapped, Fatuma, who had no opportunity to find a job, and dozens of children who were forced to live in a camp to survive... What they all have in common is that they are all albinos. And a woman who opens her arms and her heart to all albinos and keeps them alive.

 

THE RITUAL | Alex Tiernan | 0:07:40 | Philippines

 

Synopsis:

In Manila’s tenements and cemetery slums, pride is decided on the basketball court. During the Day of the Dead, two local ballers enter the heart of the streetball scene for a shot at honouring their respective communities. 'Ang Ritwal' explores the power of communal rituals — sacred or profane — and their role in creating a sense of identity for those on the city's forgotten fringes.

 

 

THE CARPETS SPEAK | Daria Razumnikova, Artur Sokolov | 0:20:00 | Russian Federation

 

Synopsis:

Ingush carpet felting was once a sacred tradition, with symbols woven to bless families or protect them from harm. Passed from mother to daughter, this tradition ended with the 1944 mass deportation of the Ingush people. Now, 80 years later, historian Tanzila Dzaurova seeks to revive this lost art—and her people's identity.

 

SIAM PRONTI ALLA MORTE | Basilio Maritano Sailer | 0:29:57 | Germany

 

Synopsis:

Each morning, the trumpets echo through the air. At the "Felice Maritano" military barracks in Florence, two thousand young Italians tread the path to becoming marshals of the Carabinieri. Within this collective rhythm, they push each other to grow, to hold fast to their purpose, and to endure together until the final, solemn day—the day of the oath.

 

FATHER'S RIGHT | Nijat Gulam | 0:27:44 | Azerbaijan

 

Synopsis:

An elderly man, Hakki Ulubash, abandoned by his six children, lives alone, facing life’s challenges with quiet resilience. At 75, he handles all daily chores himself, yet struggles with the fear of dying alone. What begins as a simple portrait turns into a moving reflection on loneliness, family estrangement, and the fading hope of reconciliation. Will his children return before it’s too late?