Chantín - Isaac Tejeira

The multis are apartment-style buildings where thousands of people have been displaced for various reasons, such as evictions from the historic city centre. This short film explores the socio-cultural phenomenon linked to the housing crisis in Colón province, addressing issues such as illegal land occupation, social inequality, and the struggle to live with dignity on one’s small piece of property.

Dile a los fantasmas que pueden pasar (Tell the Ghosts They Can Cross) - Joab Huc

In a casual conversation, a young man confesses to his friend his greatest fear: claustrophobia. Motivated by the idea that “to overcome your fears, you must face them”, he decides to lock himself inside the boot of a car. What begins as a personal challenge soon turns into a journey into his own past, where he uncovers the root of his fears.

Winner: Hija de la tierra (Daughter of the Earth) - Helen Miranda

The sound of the chainsaw echoes; Helen closes her eyes. As she hears the crash of a tree hitting the ground and feels overwhelmed, she leaves her home and heads into the forest. Surrounded by the river, the undergrowth, and the trees, she forgets the world and its destruction, losing herself in the song of the birds. But soon, the sound of the chainsaw returns, and she hears axes striking the trees once more.

3 p.m.

Máhccan

Homecoming (2023, Finland, 77 min)

The film is set in the world of museums at a turning point, as national museums are forced to confront their colonialist past. The National Museum of Finland returned thousands of everyday objects taken from the indigenous Sámi people. Filmmaker Suvi West takes the audience behind the scenes of the museum world, revealing a visual, philosophical, and spiritual realm. She searches for a connection with her ancestors through the museum’s ancient objects, ultimately reaching the collective wounds of the Sámi people. How can the harm inflicted by outsiders be repaired so that these shared pains may finally be left behind? Watch trailer

5 p.m.

Les pas perdus

Les pas perdus (2024, Belgium, 71 min)

The courthouse opens its doors. People arrive in search of freedom, recognition, love, and forgiveness. They pass through the Hall of Lost Steps, but not for long. Today, they will make a decision that will change their lives, discovering that the journey of self-discovery is never without consequences. Watch trailer.

7 p.m.

Las chicas están bien

Las chicas están bien (The girls are alright) (2023, Spain, 85 min)

A summer tale about four actresses and a writer living together as they rehearse a play in an old mill, far from the outside world. It is the story of an enchantment — with princesses, frogs, rivers, letters, and even a clumsy prince. During those days of rehearsals, the women will get to know one another, reflecting on the themes explored in the play and sharing their own experiences of love, beauty, loss, faith, friendship, acting, and death. Watch trailer.

3 p.m.

Walchensee Forever

Walchensee Forever (2020, Germany, 113 min)

A lakeside café at Bavaria’s Walchensee, founded 100 years ago by the filmmaker’s great-grandmother, still stands in a dreamlike Alpine setting. This serves as the starting point and heart of a female family epic spanning four generations — a century of self-realisation, duty, and the quest for one’s roots and destiny; a true Heimatfilm. Watch trailer.

5 p.m.

The Man with the Answers

The Man with the Answers (2021, Cyprus, 80 min)

Victor is a former diving champion. He lives alone, works occasionally at a furniture workshop, and looks after his ill grandmother. Her passing prompts him to set off on a road trip to visit his mother somewhere in Bavaria, where she has built a new family and a new life years ago. Watch trailer.

7 p.m.

Puertas de Guerra

Doors of War (Ukraine–Canada, Special Pre-Premiere Screening, 66 min)

Special pre-premiere screening with directors TARAS LESIUK and ANNICK SHEEDY MCLELLAN at the Canal Museum Auditorium (new venue)

In an effort to illustrate the tragedies faced by millions of Ukrainians forced to walk through their doors to escape the advancing Russian troops, Ruslan Kurt, an activist and contemporary artist, transports doors damaged and destroyed by the war to exhibit them across his new home, Canada. This moving project invites us to reflect on war, time, and human connections. Watch trailer.

3 p.m.

Andrzej Pągowski

Osito (1980, Poland, 112 min)

Ryszard Ochódzki, known as Osito, is the president of the sports club “Tęcza”, running a side business that includes a scheme to extort citizens under the pretext of building a monstrous teddy bear made of wood and straw to meet “the vital needs of our society”. During a trip abroad, he is detained after several pages are found missing from his passport. Ochódzki suspects his ex-wife Irena is behind this, as she wants to delay his departure and reach London before him. Years ago, the former couple opened a bank account in London, and Irena’s sudden trip forces them to divide their assets. However, neither is willing to share the money held abroad with the other. Watch trailer.

Within the project CINE POLACO EN AMÉRICA LATINA 2025 of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU www.cinepolaco.pl.

5 p.m.

Sur Chemins Noirs

Sur les chemins noirs (My Inner Road) (2023, France, 95 min)

One drunken night, Pierre, a writer and explorer, falls several storeys. The accident leaves him in a deep coma. Back in the land of the living, lying in his hospital bed, he promises himself to cross France on foot, from Mercantour to Cotentin. A unique and timeless journey to rediscover France’s remote rural areas, its natural beauty, and the rebirth of oneself. Watch trailer.

7 p.m.

Tula, the Revolt

Tula: The Revolt (2013, Netherlands)

Set in Curaçao, a Caribbean island belonging to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, this historical drama, based on true events, tells the story of Tula, a slave who led a rebellion in 1795 in the fight for freedom and equality. His courage and leadership remain a symbol of the global struggle for human rights and dignity. Watch trailer.

3 p.m.

Las cuatro almas del coyote

The Four Souls of Coyote (2023, Hungary, 100 min)

A group of indigenous teenagers confronts a pipeline project downhill from their ancestral land. Their grandfather recounts the story of Creation, reminding everyone that we must each find our place within the great circle of living beings. Watch trailer.

5 p.m.

Vadio

Vadio (2022, Portugal, 91 min)

Thirteen-year-old André lives in isolation with his father in a remote, arid region of Alentejo, where he helps him with his well-drilling business instead of attending school. When his father suddenly disappears, André knocks on the door of their only nearby neighbour, a young mother named Sandra — his only hope of finding him. Watch trailer.

7 p.m.

LIMITE

Límite (Limit) (2023, Bulgaria-México, 40 min)

This short film by Bulgarian writer and director Georgi Nicholas tells the story of Manuel, a 16-year-old boy living in Tijuana, Mexico, with his grandfather while his mother works in the United States. The teenager meets a girl he is drawn to and wishes to assert his independence, unaware that she will push him to the limit. Watch trailer.