Mongrels
Jerome Yoo, Canada, 2024, 111 min, in English and Korean, with English subtitles, Toronto Premiere
Vancouver FF 2024, Emerging Canadian Director Award
In rural Canada in the 1990s, a Korean family, a widower, his teenage son, and young daughter, attempts to find footing in a new land while navigating the dark forests of grief. Sonny has been hired to eradicate the feral canines plaguing the town, while sensitive Hajoon figures out what it means to be a man. Finally, young Hana, missing her mother, dreams up ways to make her return.
Anywhere, Anytime
Milad Tangshir, Italy, 2024, 85 min, in Italian with English subtitles
TIFF 2024, Nominated, People’s Choice Award (Best Film); Venice FF 2024, Winner, Premio Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Award & Luciano Sovena Award, Nominated, Critics’ Week Award (Best Film); Busan IFF 2024, Nominated, Best Film
Showtime: Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 3:45PM
In Anywhere Anytime, a young undocumented immigrant from Senegal, Issa (Ibrahima
Sambou), navigates the unforgiving streets of Turin in search of a better life. After losing
his job, he turns to food delivery to make ends meet, only to face a devastating setback
when his newly purchased bike, his sole means of survival, is stolen. Desperate and
determined, Issa embarks on a relentless journey to reclaim his livelihood. Set against a
backdrop of harsh realities and fleeting moments of kindness, this powerful debut from
Milad Tangshir echoes the heartache of Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves (1948),
offering a poignant exploration of resilience, hope, and the human spirit.
Meet the Barbarians
Meet the Barbarians (Les barbares)
Julie Delpy, France, 2024, 101 min, in French, Arabic, and English, with English subtitles
The town council of Paimpont — a small village in Brittany — has unanimously voted in favor of welcoming a family of Ukrainian refugees. However, the refugees who turn up aren’t Ukrainian but Syrian, and some of the locals are not very pleased with their new neighbors. Yet the Fayad family avoids all the clichés the French villagers may have expected. So much so that, they leave one wondering: who in this little village are the true ‘barbarians’?
In the Land of Brothers
Alireza Ghasemi and Raha Amirfazli, Iran, France, Netherlands, 2024, 95 min, in Farsi, Dari, Hazaragi with English subtitles, Toronto Premiere
Sundance FF 2024, Winner, Directing Award, Nominated, Grand Jury Prize; Uruguay
International FF 2024, Nominated, Human Rights Award; Jeonju IFF 2024, Nominated, Netpac Award
Showtime: Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 7:45PM
In the Land of Brothers explores the profound experience of alienation within a place
once thought of as a haven, exposing the fragile boundaries we impose upon one
another. Set against the backdrop of Iran following the US invasion of Afghanistan, the
film follows an Afghan refugee family as they navigate the harsh realities of their new
life in exile. Mohammad, a bright teenage student; Leila, a woman caught in isolation,
and Qasem, the burdened protector of his family, each struggle under the weight of
displacement, facing unseen costs as outsiders in a society reluctant to accept them.
Through empathy, audiences are invited to reflect on the harsh, predetermined fates
faced by marginalized groups and reconsider the invisible barriers that separate us,
advocating for solidarity in a world still d ivided by borders and prejudice.