DAY 8 | Friday, 17 april

This nocturnal documentary follows a group of migrant smugglers living in tents at the forested Serbia–Hungary border. Filmed entirely at night with minimal equipment, flickers of fires and phone screens illuminate cooking, waiting and planning crossings. Fragmentary conversa- tions reveal the tangled ties between migrants, smugglers and border authorities.

In the presence of the film’s editing supervisor, Sara Fgaier.

Info & tickets.

Giulio Regeni – All the Evil in the World reconstructs the judicial truth behind the kidnapping, torture, and murder of the Italian researcher near Cairo in 2016. Told by his par- ents, Claudio and Paola, and lawyer Alessandra Ballerini, it follows their fight for justice against Egyptian authorities, leading to a trial that restarts in 2026.

Online Q&A with director Simone Manetti and Lawyer Alessandra Ballerini.

Info & Tickets.

On a small Mediterranean island, Ettore and Giovannino, eleven and seven, spend their last summer together. Ettore moves to the mainland. Through Pino’s archive and camera, time becomes shared memory, and the island’s “sciatu” turns into the heartbeat of the entire community.

Suitable for ages 12 and over.

Info & tickets.

Johanna d’Arc of Mongolia begins on the Trans-Siberian Railway, a moving microcosm of European civilization crossing Siberia. Four women continue on the Trans-Mongolian line, where Mongolian horsewomen stop the train. Kidnapped by a mysterious princess, they travel with her caravan through the vast landscapes of Inner Mongolia.

At the presence of director Ulrike Ottinger

Info & Tickets.

A psychological thriller following Samaan, a young security guard whose parents were killed by religious violence in the Arab region. Now in his early twenties, he and his peers struggle with the inherited trauma of a generation shaped by loss and violence.

In the presence of director Mohammed Hammad.

Info & tickets.

For 30 years, doctor Loran Bonnardot has visited Tristan da Cunha, the world’s remotest island. Now 50, he wants to stay permanently. As the island council and his friend Martin weigh in, Loran faces his lifelong search for solitude. Tristan Forever explores the sense of belonging between documentary, fiction, and dreams.

In the presence of co-director Loran Bonnardot.

Info & tickets.

A dialogue on memory, restitution, and colonial responsibility: artist Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige discovers ancestral remains and artifacts of the Wanniyala-Aetto in a Swiss museum. Together with the community’s chief, Deneth pursues their repatriation after colonial removal.

In the presence of director Gregor Braendli.

Info & tickets.

Magdalena Chmielewska’s non-linear autofiction explores her mother Teresa’s body, marked by patriarchal violence. Memories surface like echoes underwater. Beneath a sour cherry tree, two sisters bury an amulet, recite an incantation, and hope to protect their mother from pain and abuse.

In the presence of director Magdalena Chmielewska.

Info & tickets.

Blues musician Al Cook lives in an apartment filled with memories. Outside,
the world carries on without him. But when his home is slated for demolition, out of the ruins of his existence, a long-forgotten dream suddenly resurfaces.

In the presence of directors Tizza Covi and Reiner Frimmel.

Info & tickets.

Seeing science: how audiovisual media shape scientific communication

Marta Rocchi (University of Bologna).