International Spotlight

Sam, a bright, extremely mature teen girl, assumed some very adult responsibilities when her mother died, helping her father run the household and…

Debut director Mati Diop’s “Atlantics” — the Grand Prix winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival — tells a star-crossed love story infused with…

In Cuba during the summer of 1994 — in the midst of the so-called Special Period in Time of Peace, when the island’s economic fortunes plummeted…

In “Autonomy” — which premiered at SXSW — celebrated journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell (“The Tipping Point,” the new “Talking to Strangers”)…

In the summer of 1979, in Thüringen, East Germany, two families put together a crazy plan: Desperate to reach the West, they intend to flee in a…

Director Kantemir Balagov, who’s a precocious 28 years old, follows “Closeness,” his lauded 2017 debut, with “Beanpole,” a powerful period drama.…

In 1930 Paris, surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel is left penniless after the scandalous release of “L’Age d’Or” leads to a falling out with…

On the run from an arranged marriage with an elderly man, Becky arrives in Europe — via Libya — from her native country of Nigeria. Becky could…

François Ozon — the celebrated director of “8 Women,” “Swimming Pool,” and “Young and Beautiful” — offers a distinct change of pace from the…

In her feature debut, theater director Lila Avilés turns the monotonous work day of Eve (Gabriela Cartol), a chambermaid at a high-end Mexico City…

Ayumu Watanabe’s “Children of the Sea” — the latest feature from Japan’s Studio 4°C, whose films include “Tekkonkinkreet,” “MFKZ,” and “Batman:…

In Morocco’s "clay rock" region, young Sulayman —  an orphan raised by an elderly hermit — lives in perfect harmony with the local fauna and flora…

It is 1992 in Priština. Yugoslavia is falling apart, with war raging in Croatia and threatening to spread to Bosnia. Serbian dictator Slobodan…

Four indigenous environmental leaders embark on an extraordinary trans-continental adventure, traveling from the Canadian plains to deep into the…

In this fictionalized account of “Casablanca’s” creation, Hungarian-born Jewish film director Michael Curtiz — whose credits include “Captain…

Eleven-year-old Humera lives in the small, impoverished Pakistani fishing village of Cashma Goth with her mother and sisters. Because her father…

This charming new film from master animator Michel Ocelot (“Kirikou and the Sorceress,” “Azur & Asmar”) travels to the upper reaches and lower…

An exploration of the many varieties of art, from tattooing to quilting to cartooning to beading to painting.

A program that explores the black experience from a multiplicity of perspectives.

An eclectic selection of films — from the comedic to the deadly serious — that explore religion in its many manifestations.

A collection of real-life stories told through a variety of animated techniques.

A nonfiction "The Handmaid's Tale," this program relates stories of sexual abuse and violence against women around the globe.

A wide-ranging program of films that explore science, technology, and cyberspace.

Stories in which women excel in diverse athletic endeavors, from running and boxing to automobile racing and samurai sword-handling.

“Drag Kids” is an intimate journey into the lives of four child drag queens from around the world. As an art form, drag has always been about…

In “A Dream Before Dying,” Alan and his family — Kurds in Northern Iraq — have experienced more than their share of the horrors of war, and their…

The iconic statues and sensationalized "mysteries" of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) have drawn the interest of the world for centuries, attracting…

Nine years after she left him for his best friend, journalist Abel (Louis Garrel) gets back together with Marianne (Laetitia Casta), his recently…

Unfolding over the course of a late summer's day in the fabled resort town of Sintra, Portugal — known for its dense gardens and gorgeous villas…

Acclaimed filmmaker Fatih Akin (“Head-On,” “The Edge of Heaven,” “In the Fade”) offers a pitch-black horror film — based on a true story — set in…

In Marie Kreutzer’s taut psychological thriller — a close cousin to “Repulsion” — Lola (Valerie Pachner) manages her personal life with the same…

Helle has been waiting forever for workaholic husband Peter to retire, allowing them to enjoy the autumn of their years by traveling and exploring…

In 1988 — before the fall of the Iron Curtain — Andrei and his father, Vasile, live in Romania, whose impoverished citizens suffer under the…

The new film from legendary director Terrence Malick (“Badlands,” “Days of Heaven,” “The Tree of Life”), “A Hidden Life” tells the real-life story…

In Sönke Wortmann’s darkly comic “How About Adolf?,” Stephan and wife Elisabeth organize a dinner party for family and friends in celebration of…

In “The Humorist,” set in the midst of the collapsing U.S.S.R., the favorite stand-up comedian of the regime begins challenging censorship. Boris…

Maria temporarily moves to Rio to be close to her husband, Pedro, who is acting in a TV series. Far from her friends and work, Maria feels…

On the path of life, sometimes we meet someone whose dreams overtake our own to the point that they converge. Motoring down an isolated road…

“Kairos” — taken from the ancient Greek word meaning “the supreme moment” — tells the inspirational story of Danny, an aspiring boxer with Down…

This highly entertaining documentary about British singer/songwriter and actress Kate Nash — a star of Netflix’s “GLOW” — is a kaleidoscopic,…

A distressing account of extinction in real time, “Kifaru” follows the lives of two young Kenyan recruits who join Ol Pejeta Conservancy's rhino-…

When Andrew Briggman (Nat Wolff), a young soldier taking part in the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, witnesses other recruits killing innocent…

In “Kings of Beer” — directed by Sean Mullin (“Amira & Sam,” the winner of SLIFF’s 2014 New Filmmakers Forum) — a diverse group of elite…

Set in the Indian community of 1980 South Africa’s Sugarhill District, “Kings of Mulberry Street” recounts the charming, often hilarious…

Alice (Emily Beecham), a single mother, is a dedicated plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species. She has engineered a very…

In “Locusts,” a dark thriller set in Australia’s Outback, estranged tech entrepreneur Ryan Black returns to his desert hometown — the ironically…

“Made in Auschwitz” focuses needed attention on a little-known aspect of the Nazis’ ghastly experiments, detailing the efforts of gynecologist…

Namdev Bhau, a 65-year-old chauffeur, is tired of the noises in cacophonous Mumbai City and has completely stopped speaking. Deciding to pursue…

This impressively diverse program of animation features drugs, dogs, motorcycles, and much, much more.

These hilarious shorts will leave your sides aching.

Small, delicate stories that are perfect for the big screen.

Performers you recognize, and performances you won't forget.

A selection of tales from different countries that speak to our universal connections.

Vibrant imaginations and fascinating colors combine in this program of animation from around the world.

This collection proves that laughter truly is a universal language.

Worldly stories that test your mettle and tug at your heart.

As a bookend to our opening-night film, SLIFF offers a closing-night collection of shorts that explore the good and the bad of married life.

A potpourri of brain-warping comedies, animated films, and experimental shorts.

Told in Werner Herzog’s inimitable style, “Nomad” explores the creative and personal vision the filmmaker shared with legendary travel writer and…

Like all Israeli youth, Atalya is obligated to become a soldier. Unlike most, she questions the practices of her country’s military and becomes…

A revealing, unfiltered profile of Academy Award-winning theater and film actor Olympia Dukakis, “Olympia” includes the expected interviews with…

In “Once Upon a Boy,” an Israeli family deals with the challenges of cerebral palsy, which affects one of their twin sons. Both ingratiatingly…

When violinist Simon Daoud is hired to teach the violin to a class of unruly junior-high-school students in an immigrant suburb of Paris, his…

In “Piranhas,” a gang of teenage boys stalks the streets of Naples armed with handguns and AK-47s to do their mob bosses’ bidding. Based on the…

In 1760 France, Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), a young woman who has just left…

"The Rest" — by acclaimed artist Ai Weiwei — documents the plight of refugees who arrive in Europe, the world's purported bastion of human rights…

In 2014, Geovane, a young man from a poor neighborhood in Brazil, was arrested by the military police and never seen again. Assisted by the local…

A brutally poetic, suspense-packed drama, “Retrospekt” tells its story through the eyes of Mette (Circé Lethem), a once-confident and successful…

In the mid-’70s, a strange man arrives in a quiet Argentinian provincial city. While at a restaurant in the town, without any apparent provocation…

Freddy is 30 and yearns to start a family, but for him this ordinary desire comes with unique challenges: He is a gay transgender man. Deciding to…

Diagnosed with ovarian cancer, iron-willed journalist Sheng Nan (“Surpass Men” in Chinese) is pressured to make a quick fortune and engage in mind…

Timeless fables and otherworldly adventures highlight this compilation for children ages 4 to 8.

Embracing your differences and following your dreams are just two of the messages in this program for children ages 8 to 13.

In this musically rich film by François Girard, director of “The Red Violin,” Tim Roth and Clive Owen star in an emotional detective story spread…

Set in 1988, in a Peru wracked by political violence and turmoil, Melina León’s heart-wrenching first feature recounts what occurs after a newborn…

Ken Loach (“I, Daniel Blake,” “The Wind That Shakes the Barley”) again empathically explores the British working class in “Sorry We Missed You,” a…

The year 2018 marked the centenary of the birth of South African leader Nelson Mandela, who seized center stage during a historic trial in 1963…

In Paris, things do not exactly get off to a good start for the newly arrived Yoav. He knocks on the door of the flat where he’s supposed to stay…

In “Temblores,” a deeply personal follow-up to his landmark debut, “Ixcanul” (SLIFF 2015), Jayro Bustamante shifts settings from rural Guatemala…

After his father was killed in an accident — a death caused by fireworks that he was creating for his son — grief and guilt conspire to make…

In late-19th-century Vietnam, 14-year-old May becomes the third wife to a wealthy landowner. She quickly learns that she can gain status and…

A lyrical story of love in the midst of conflict, loss, and trauma, “Those Who Remained” — which debuted at Telluride — explores the healing…

“The Traitor” — directed by legendary Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio (“Fists in the Pocket,” “The Wedding Director”) — tells the true story of…

On a tramway that connects several of Jerusalem’s neighborhoods from East to West, people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds are…

The delightful “Treasure Island” follows the patrons and staff members of a water park in the Paris suburbs over the course of a summer season.…

Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda (“Shoplifters”) journeys to France for his latest work — which premiered at Venice — and recruits an impressive…

In Italy’s Sardinia — full of both beauty and hidden dangers — two adolescents who have been abused and damaged by life escape together to start…

Director Fernando Meirelles (“City of God”) tells the intimate story of one of the most dramatic transitions of power in the last 2,000 years.…

“Unsettled” choncicles the journeys of four LGBTQ refugees who come to the U.S., specifically the “gay mecca” of San Francisco, to escape…

“Up the Mountain” offers a beguiling, visually gorgeous record of a year in the painting studio of Shen Jianhua in Dali, located in China’s Yunnan…

“We Are Not Princesses” offers moving profiles of a half-dozen Syrian women refugees in Beirut who come together to tell their stories of love,…

In this hilarious, whip-smart comedy, first-time director Judith Davis examines the frustrations of a generation that came of age after the fall…

In this wry, twisty noir thriller by Corneliu Porumboiu (“12:08 East of Bucharest,” “Police, Adjective”) — which debuted at Cannes — corrupt…

Fleeing from the law and seeking redemption, gangster Zenong Zhou (Ge Hu) crosses paths with innocent-looking Aiai Liu (Lun-Mei Kwei), a girl with…

Complete with a canine sidekick, a fantastic escape scene, and the cringeworthy sexual frustrations of teenage boys, “Winter Flies” is a…

“Women of the Gulag” tells the compelling and tragic stories of some of the last survivors of the Gulag, the brutal system of repression that…

Andy Cohen, who has served as a producer on an array of impressive documentaries — “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” “Hooligan Sparrow,” “Human Flow” —…

In “Zombi Child,” which debuted at Cannes, stylish French director Bertrand Bonello (“Saint Laurent,” “House of Pleasures,” “Nocturama”) offers…