Films in First Feature Competition
The Sutherland Award recognises the most original and imaginative directorial debut.
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First Feature Competition supported by
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The Chambermaid
Dir Lila Avilés | Mexico-USA
Actor-turned-director Lila Avilés provides an engaging, behind-closed-doors look at the working environment of a chambermaid in one of Mexico City’s most luxurious hotels.
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The Day I Lost My Shadow
Dir-Scr Soudade Kaadan | Syria-Lebanon-France-Qatar
Soudade Kaadan’s moving drama unfolds in war-torn Syria, where a woman travels to the outskirts of Damascus and witnesses the fate of her countrypeople.
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Dead Pigs
Dir-Scr Cathy Yan | China
Cathy Yan’s freewheeling, mosaic-like multicultural comedy charts the misadventures of diverse Shanghai denizens, linked by a mysterious epidemic of porcine carcasses drifting towards the city’s harbour.
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Girl
Dir Lukas Dhont | Belgium
A transgender teenager dreams of becoming a ballet dancer in this extraordinary coming-of-age story, which won the Queer Palm at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
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Holiday
Dir Isabella Eklöf | Denmark-Netherlands-Sweden-Turkey
A lavish trip to the Turkish Riviera goes horribly awry in this disturbing tale of power, exploitation and complicity.
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Journey to a Mother’s Room
Dir-Scr Celia Rico Clavellino | Spain-France
The sense of loss experienced by a mother and daughter is thoughtfully conveyed in this intimate, tender drama from first-time director Celia Rico Clavellino.
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Only You
Dir-Scr Harry Wootliff | UK
Rising stars Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country) and Laia Costa (Victoria) sizzle in this refreshingly honest romantic drama.
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Ray & Liz
Dir-Scr Richard Billingham | UK
In this astonishingly personal film, Richard Billingham delves into his Black Country upbringing to recreate visceral family memories and desperate living in Thatcher’s Britain.
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Soni
Dir Ivan Ayr | India
Feminist policing, Indian style: Ivan Ayr’s refreshing, class-conscious debut considers the solidarity between a fiery female officer and her superior.
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Wildlife
Dir Paul Dano | USA
Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal play a couple on the rocks in Paul Dano’s directorial debut, an elegant 1950s-set melodrama.
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