Directed by: Ofir Raul Graizer
Israel, Germany, Czech Republic, 2022, 127 min

Eli works as a swimming coach in Chicago but news of his father’s death necessitates his return to his native Israel. His decision to contact a friend from his childhood sets in motion a series of events that have a lasting impact on everyone’s lives. An affectionate tribute to 60s and 70s cinema and an enchanting tale of love and friendship – that’s the essence of America.

Directed by: Tomasz Wiński
Czech Republic, Poland, 2022, 95 min

After years together, Petr and Hana share their unspoken erotic fantasies. What begins as an innocent conversation gradually turns into curious experimentation with a non-monogamous approach to their relationship. This debut by Tomasz Wiński boldly explores various forms of intimacy and the possibilities of its depiction on the big screen.

Directed by: Masaaki Kudo
Japan, 2022, 128 min

An unadorned perspective on impoverished life in Okinawa. 17-year-old Aoi works as a nightclub hostess in order to earn rent money and to provide for her little boy and his lazy father, who has no qualms about hitting his wife. Yet how dark does reality have to get before it stifles the rays of hope that filter through?

Directed by: Anna Kazejak
Poland, 2022, 96 min

Two families who have known each other for years spend the long May weekend camping together as usual on the idyllic Danish island of Bornholm. However, instead of the relaxation they had anticipated, the holiday turns into purgatory… An acerbic Polish comedy on the pitfalls of raising children, midlife crisis and partnership discord.

Directed by: Sophie Linnenbaum
Germany, 2022, 120 min

Paula is a supporting role aspiring to become a main character. Yet, just before her final exams, her emotive music generator suddenly starts playing up, which presents a major problem for her. No starring role can survive without a heartrending accompaniment from the strings. The Ordinaries is a film about what it’s like to live in a film. An enchanting ode to cinema, a whirl of ideas, and playfulness in every take.

Directed by: Ilian Metev, Ivan Chertov, Zlatina Teneva
Bulgaria, Germany, 2022, 110 min

A provincial hospital in Bulgaria, Covid ward. This observational documentary draws our attention to the country’s antiquated healthcare system and reminds us of our attitudes at the time when faced with an unknown threat. A skilfully constructed survey of the bleak goings-on in an underfunded facility where, even when looking death in the face, people still manage to find their sense of humour.

Directed by: Ioseb "Soso" Bliadze
Georgia, Germany, 2022, 107 min

Tina, a young woman who has lost her way in life, rents a room from the vibrant Megi, thanks to whom she gradually starts to discover what it’s like to be free and to be able to make her own decisions without being reliant on men… Self-assured in its directorial style, this authentic film portrays millennials in contemporary Tbilisi and points to the influence of patriarchal thinking on Georgian society.

Directed by: Christos Passalis
Greece, 2022, 81 min

Aris and Anna meet one evening in a half-abandoned town surrounded by antennas. In this strange, dreamlike world the two solitary souls gradually start to develop feelings for one another… A melancholic love story with a mesmeric atmosphere and striking visuals that proves Greek cinema has lost nothing of its originality.

Directed by: Sadaf Foroughi
Canada, Iran, 2022, 99 min

A young swimmer is training for the national championships with his new coach. But the alliance between the two young men elicits disapproval from the people around them. This social drama, set in northern Iran, is the second film by Sadaf Foroughi who, since her successful feature debut Ava, has continued to develop her distinctive visual narrative style.

Directed by: Kristina Buožytė, Bruno Samper
Lithuania, France, Belgium, 2022, 114 min

At some point in the future the Earth’s ecosystem collapses. A tough 13-year-old called Vesper, whose father is paralysed, tries to get food for them wherever she can. When she finds a mysterious woman in the forest one day she starts to hope that things will change… Thanks to a combination of a unique artistic concept, strong performances from the cast, and an imaginative score, this dystopian sci-fi offers viewers a comprehensive audiovisual experience.

Directed by: Beata Parkanová
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland, 2022, 104 min

Beata Parkanová, the filmmaker behind Moments, returns to Karlovy Vary with an exceptionally vivid portrait of the family of notary Václav Vojíř, a small-town moral authority, and his selfless wife Věra. This masterfully told and highly original intimate drama, whose protagonists undergo a difficult ordeal in the summer of 1968, is reinforced by finely wrought, exquisite performances from Martin Finger and Gabriela Mikulková.

Directed by: Jonás Trueba
Spain, 2022, 64 min

Two couples in their thirties, heated discussions on the essentials of life unfolding between Madrid and the neighbouring countryside. Directorial star of Spanish film Jonás Trueba (The August Virgin, KVIFF 2019) is a master of soulful cinematic miniatures which don’t require long hours to convey profound, existential feelings infused with enchanting melancholy and gentle humour.