NARRATIVE FEATURES OUT OF COMPETITION

ARE WE LOST FOREVER
Director: David Färdmar
104 min | 2020 | Sweden | Swedish

One morning it is over. For Hampus it is a relief to break up from their destructive relationship, while Adrian is devastated and heartbroken. Will he be able to survive without the love of his life, or is there a possible way of somehow getting him back?

DAYS OF HAPPINESS
(Original Title: Les Jours Heureux)
Director: Chloé Robichaud
118 min | 2023 | Canada (Quebec) | French

Charismatic, gifted Emma is on track to become a major player on the Quebec classical music scene. Audiences are enraptured by her work, but her career is very closely managed by her controlling father, Patrick, who’s also her agent. After years of acquiescing to his demands, Emma is finally in a position to re-evaluate both their professional and personal relationships — and that’s when cellist and single mother Naëlle enters her life, offering her the chance to experience an entirely different type of family dynamic.

DVAMDVA
(English Title: Duality)
Director: Kling Johnson
119 min | 2023 | India | Kannada

Dvamdva revolves around life of Chukki who lives in a coastal town of Udupi, where he is famous playing characters in a unique traditional art form. Chukki seemingly trapped in society falls in love and decides to leave the coastal town. Chukki’s life decisions turn out to be grave when the very people who applauded his performance on stage ridicule him. His life turns miserable under the deep blue night sky not knowing where to head on a caliginous path. Dvamdva showcases the colorful, subtle journey of the coastal art form and Chukki’s struggles in different spheres of his life which also quietly affects many lives surrounding him and the traditional art form.

F.L.Y. is a slice-of-life comedy about two exes, Max and Rafael, who get stuck under the one roof after the pandemic hits – for better or worse! Having not seen each other in five years and with a new boyfriend in tow, things get off to a rocky start as Max navigates the situation with Raf, who just moved to LA with the dream of becoming the next drag superstar. They’ll both face up to some hard realities and also learn more about each other than they did before. This wistful comedy celebrates living your truth and trusting where it takes you.

Hailey Rose is a contemporary family comedy about love in all its expressions. Twentysomething Hailey hasn’t been back to her coastal Nova Scotia hometown in a decade. Now, recently unemployed and running out of excuses as to why she shouldn’t move in with her non-binary partner, Syd, her frantic sister calls with news compelling her to return home – only to discover a stunning surprise waiting for her. Before Hailey can return to her protected life out west, she must face some startling truths – about both her parents, the effects of her sudden departure on her sister and closest friends, her feelings for Syd, and the fate of one rundown old fishing boat. A comically tragic and heart-warming tale about running away, facing your past and accepting your loved ones, old and new.

ONENESS revolves around Ivan Martin, a young boy hailing from a conservative Christian family in Manipur, India. In a society where homosexuality is still considered a sin and prohibited, Ivan found himself developing feelings for Pamheiba, a boy from the Meitei community. Their relationship came to light when they were both apprehended during a raid at a hotel. Ivan’s family, driven by their beliefs, subjected him to conversion therapy in an attempt to change him. While Ivan’s father and assertive older brother, Daniel, vehemently opposed his sexuality, his mother and sister stood by his side. Despite the relentless efforts of both families to separate them, the love between Ivan and Pamheiba only grew stronger. Tragically, Ivan’s brother, consumed by the notion that Ivan had disgraced their family, took matters into his own hands. The film sheds light on the challenges faced by individuals who dare to love freely in a society constrained by prejudice and intolerance.

Myung is a transgender who cut ties with her family and hometown because of who she is. Now, all she needs is the surgery but the only way to earn money, by winning the Waacking dance competition, didn’t go well. One day, she receives a call that her father passed away and Myung finds out that her father left a will that he will give her the legacy if she performs Drum Dance during his 49th memorial ritual. With no choice left, Myung goes back to her hometown to perform according to her father’s will.

Upon the loss of his mother, an Egyptian teenager leaves his home of Cairo to live with his estranged father in Toronto. While discovering his new home, Nabil runs into a trans elder and drag queen named Malibu Malibu’s queer bar is supposed to be demolished and she has to organize the local LGBTQ+ community to action. Nabil becomes dedicated to the cause even though it’s his dad’s company behind the demolition and gentrification of the neighborhood. As Nabil comes into his own queer identity, he realizes that he not only needs to sew his mother’s dress, but that he needs to wear it. With the other queens rallying around Nabil to train him to become a drag queen, Nabil finally finds the home in Toronto that he couldn’t find with his father or at their Coptic Egyptian Church. All roads lead to a fight at city hall where Nabil, in drag, outs himself. He is Queen Tut.

Seventeen-year-old Manon leaves the Swiss mountains to head out in search of her father, who is nowhere to be found. As she forms new bonds and encounters her first love, she is determined to follow the path she has set herself on the ice: to become a professional hockey player.

SAHELA
(English Title: Companion)
Director: Raghuvir Joshi
93 min | 2023 | Australia | English

Vir and Nitya are a happily married couple living a seemingly idyllic life in Sydney. However, the happy facade they’ve been putting up begins to slip under the weight of familial expectations and ingrained gender norms, with their marriage reaching breaking point when Vir reveals the truth about his sexuality to Nithya. As Vir embarks on a voyage of self-discovery, Nitya grapples with her own reality, leading them both down pathways of exploration and transformation. Sahela is a poignant and sensitive drama about a couple trying to cope with expectations and dealing with realities.

TURTLES
(Original Title: Les Tortues)
(English Title: Companion)
Director: David Lambert
83 min | 2023 | Belgium, Canada | English, French

Since Thom and Henri met 35 years ago, their love for each other has never faltered. The seemingly perfect life they had built in Brussels started to go awry when Henri retired from being a police officer. Now, Henri’s days seem to stretch endlessly, each one as bland as the next while his feelings for Thom are fading fast. They drift away from each other a little more each day, to the point that their house has become a battleground. Thom’s love for Henri remains strong though and he is not ready to give up. He will do anything to save his relationship and rekindle their love, even if that means asking Henri for a divorce.