MY FRIEND THE POLISH GIRL borrows from cinema verite and video bloggers to create a rare naturalism in style and performance. Katie, a young, rich American, decides to make a documentary film about Alicja, an impulsive Polish actress living in London. During the making of the film, the interference of Katie in the life of her character proves to have serious consequences, both in their relationship and the film’s narrative. Set in a post-Brexit-vote London, Katie’s colonizing, disruptive presence in Alicja’s life mirrors the treatment of migrants in the UK: Welcomed, used, then discarded.

The first Kenyan film to screen at Cannes & banned in its home country, RAFIKI bursts onto the screen with fresh energy. “Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives,” but Kena and Ziki long for something more. A tender tale of forbidden first love told in an electric, colorful Afropop style, RAFIKI tells the story of the touching, but illegal romance between Kena, a skateboarding tomboy, and Ziki, the charismatic daughter of a conservative local politician. When rumors begin to swirl about the nature of their relationship, the young lovers find themselves in great jeopardy.

Wu is in her mid-twenties and lives with her mother in a traditional one-story house in one of Beijing’s hutongs. Both consider themselves to be writers, but success has so far eluded them. Their unhealthily close relationship is characterised by reproaches and quibbling; only during meals do they appear to lay down their verbal weapons. The situation escalates when both Wu and her mother hit an emotional low.

Alicja has no memory and no knowledge about how she lost it. In two years, she manages to build a new, independent self, away from home. She doesn't want to remember the past. When her family finds her, Alicja is forced to fit into the role of mother, daughter and wife, surrounded by what seem to be complete strangers. But Alicja sees them as strangers, and whatever ordeals she experienced while she was missing has eradicated the cheerful, compliant personality they remember. As Alicja learns more about the woman she supposedly was, the more fractured her precarious sense of self becomes.

BLINDSPOTTING is a landmark film that blends poetry, rap, buddy comedy, and social commentary to depict life in the increasingly “hip” Oakland. Collin, played by Hamilton star Daveed Diggs, faces his final three days of probation and needs to stay clear of trouble. Miles, his troublemaking childhood best friend, can’t stay out of it. When Collin witnesses a police shooting, the two men’s friendship is tested as they grapple with identity, racism, and changed realities in the rapidly-gentrifying neighborhood they grew up in.

Under the guidance of acclaimed South African storyteller, Gcina Mhlophe, a group of orphaned children in the Kingdom of Swaziland confront past trauma through the collaborative creation of their own fictional story depicted through vivid animation. Their young heroine, Liyana, must embark on a dangerous quest to save her brothers after their home is violently attacked and her siblings are stolen away. Confronting painful memories, profound insights are revealed as the children shape Liyana’s mythic journey and parallels are drawn between her fate and that of the young storytellers.

Based on a true crime story that fascinated Italy in the 1980s, DOGMAN follows Marcello, a small and gentle dog groomer. When Marcello is not devoting himself to his dogs or beloved daughter, he sells cocaine on the side. The money helps, but he fears his biggest customer, Simoncino, a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighborhood. After a double-crossing, Marcello will be pushed to his limits and submit to an unexpected act of vengeance.

Orna is the mother of three young children with a husband struggling to start his own restaurant. To help support her family she returns to the workplace, landing a job with a former army superior, Benny, who is now a successful real estate developer. While Orna embraces her new position and tries to balance its demands with her home life, she begins to experience escalating sexual harassment from her boss.

OBSCURO BARROCO tows the line between documentary and fiction as it tackles the dizzying heights of gender and metamorphosis. It is also a cinematographic homage to a land of extremes: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Following the path of iconic transgender figure Luana Muniz, the film explores different quests for the self through her own gender identity, Carnaval, and political struggle.

Coming at a moment of profound political and social crisis, WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? reflects on a word we often take for granted. This philosophical journey spans millennia and continents: from ancient Athens’ groundbreaking experiment in self-government, to modern-day Greece grappling with financial collapse, and a mounting refugee crisis to the United States reckoning with its racist past and the growing gap between rich and poor. This urgent film connects the past and the present, the emotional and the intellectual, the personal and the political, in order to provoke and inspire.