18. If! Istanbul Bagimsiz Filmler Festivali 2019
List activity
233 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
58 titles
- DirectorPatricia OrtegaStarsLucía BedoyaBelkis AvilladaresMaría Elena DuqueA young woman discovers she was submitted to several surgeries to correct her intersexual body as a baby. She has to find her own self outside gender binaries.
- DirectorDavid Charles RodriguesStarsTim SeeligChris VerdugoAshle BlowIn response to a wave of discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws and the divisive 2016 election, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus embarks on a tour of the American Deep South.
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsBill MurrayAdam DriverTilda SwintonThe peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves.
- DirectorJérémy ClapinStarsHakim FarisVictoire Du BoisPatrick d'AssumçaoA story of Naoufel, a young man who is in love with Gabrielle. In another part of town, a severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, determined to find its body again.
- DirectorJohnny MaStarsXiaoli ZhaoGuidan GanXihu YanA Sichuan Opera troupe are faced with the demolition of their theater and dissolution.
- DirectorDominga SotomayorStarsDemian HernándezAntar MachadoMagdalena TótoroDuring the summer of 1990 in Chile, people begin to feel a growing sense of freedom and three teenagers face their first loves and fears.
- DirectorLucio CastroStarsJuan BarberiniRamon PujolMía MaestroTwo men meet in Barcelona and after spending a day together they realize that they have already met twenty years ago.
- DirectorTomer HeymannStarsJonathan AgassiMichael LucasJonathan Agassi is one of the world's most successful gay porn stars. This is a rare and intimate look at the world of porn and escorting, as well as on a unique relationship between a mother and son.
- DirectorKantemir BalagovStarsViktoria MiroshnichenkoVasilisa PerelyginaAndrey Bykov1945, Leningrad. WWII has devastated the city, demolishing its buildings and leaving its citizens in tatters, physically and mentally. Two young women search for meaning and hope in the struggle to rebuild their lives amongst the ruins.
- DirectorHari SamaStarsLumi CavazosMarina de TaviraXimena RomoIn the 1980s, an outsider gets invited to a mythical nightclub where he's unleashed to punk, sexual liberty and drugs.
- DirectorJan-Ole GersterStarsCorinna HarfouchJohann von BülowAlexander KhuonIt's Lara's 60th birthday, and this very evening, her son will be giving his debut piano concert. Lara mapped out his musical career. But Lara is not welcome at his debut performance. Even if Lara engages, everything gets out of control.
- DirectorLadj LyStarsDamien BonnardAlexis ManentiDjebril ZongaA cop from the provinces moves to Paris to join the Anti-Crime Brigade of Montfermeil, discovering an underworld where the tensions between the different groups mark the rhythm.
- DirectorCarlos ReygadasStarsNatalia LópezPhil BurgersCarlos ReygadasA family lives in the Mexican countryside raising fighting bulls. Esther is in charge of running the ranch, while her husband Juan, a world-renowned poet, raises and selects the beasts. Although in an open marriage, their relationship begins to crumble when Esther falls in love with an American horse-breaker and Juan is unable to control his jealousy.
- DirectorRoy AnderssonStarsJessica LouthanderTatiana DelaunayAnders HellströmRoy Andersson adds to his cinematic oeuvre with a reflection on human life in all its beauty and cruelty, its splendour and banality.
- DirectorDaniel ScheinertStarsMichael Abbott Jr.Virginia NewcombAndre HylandDick died last night, and Zeke and Earl don't want anybody finding out how. That's too bad though, cause news travels fast in small-town Alabama.
- DirectorJoanna HoggStarsNeil YoungTosin ColeJack McMullenA young film student in the early '80s becomes romantically involved with a complicated and untrustworthy man.
- DirectorAlaa Eddine AljemStarsYounes BouabSalah Ben SalehBouchaib SemmakA criminal returns to the fake grave where he buried his loot years before and discovers that it has become the shrine of an unknown saint and a thriving little village.
- DirectorJakub HejnaHelena TrestíkováStarsMilos FormanMiroslav OndrícekA look at the life and work of director Milos Forman, from the Czech New Wave to Hollywood.
- DirectorMiki WecelStarsBartosz ArmusiewiczSean M. BobbittDouglas BoothThe journey of two passionate filmmakers to achieve their impossible dream: creating the world's first fully painted feature film.
- DirectorMidge CostinStarsGary RydstromSteven SpielbergTeresa EcktonAn exploration of the history and emotional power of cinema sound, as revealed by legendary sound designers and visionary directors, via interviews, clips from movies, and a look at their actual process of creation and discovery.
- DirectorRichard LowensteinStarsMichael HutchenceDennis FarrissINXSA documentary feature about the troubled heart and soul of Michael Hutchence, lead singer and songwriter of INXS.
- DirectorRenaud BarretStarsBéni BarasGéraldine TobeFreddy TsimbaIn the urban jungle of Kinshasa, amid social and political chaos, an eclectic and bubbling street art scene is emerging.
- DirectorJohana OzvoldStarsSteve GoodmanJohn RichardsFrançois BonnetElectronic music is a playground. And your toy can be an instrument, a machine, an object.
- StarsAgnès VardaSandrine BonnaireHervé ChandèsAgnès Varda, photographer, installation artist and pioneer of the Nouvelle Vague, is an institution of French cinema. Taking a seat on a theatre stage, she uses photos and film excerpts to provide an insight into her unorthodox oeuvre.
- DirectorKivilcim AkayStarsAminata FallAmina, an African immigrant woman living in Turkey, tries to hold on to life through her dreams against the challenges of life.
- DirectorUmran SafterStarsAysel YildirimThe Sin of Being a Woman is the story of an indomitable woman who fought a relentless and uphill battle against prejudice, convention and authority at a difficult time in a difficult part of the world.
- DirectorBeniamino BarreseStarsBenedetta BarziniBeniamino BarreseLauren HuttonA once-iconic fashion model strives to escape the world of images and disappear for good, but her son's determination to make a final film about her sparks an unexpected collaboration and confrontation with the camera's gaze.
- DirectorNanfu WangJialing ZhangStarsNanfu WangZaodi WangZhimei WangAfter becoming a mother, a filmmaker uncovers the untold history of China's one-child policy and the generations of parents and children forever shaped by this social experiment.
- DirectorCaglar MalliStarsRozita Iles MusafiaViktor AlbukrekCan EvrenselFaced with the imminent extinction of her ancestral language, a young woman embarks on a voyage across Europe, to discover her origins and her (dying) culture.
- DirectorCyril ArisStarsAntoine ArisMarie-Therese ArisToufic ArisAn assured, emotionally rich film about the lies a family tells to keep their patriarch happy; and the unattended costs of their falsehood. After sixty years of marriage, Antoine and Vivi have lost their most beloved daughter; but no one has dared to tell the bedridden nonagenarian Antoine, lest his heart crack.
- DirectorDaniel HuiStarsVicki YangGlen GoeiVikneshwaran KobinathanA young actress struggles to come to terms with the price she has to pay for making art.
- DirectorRick OstermannStarsLouis HofmannOliver MasucciAn estranged father and son takes a wild trip. The journey turns into an adventure during which they both have to deal with their and each other's past and present.
- DirectorAnna ErikssonStarsVeera SivonenJoni SegerroosDulce Rodriguez-SaldivarM is a work of art that explores the relationship between sexuality and death. These two appear to be opposite forces, but in fact they merge in all of us, disguising the fear of death or the desire to die, the world of Eros and Thanatos. In M the character of Marilyn Monroe should be seen as a symbol of this interpenetration. The actress's death is as famous as her sexuality and thus sets a perfect example of how the ancient bond between sex and death is being forever mystified and exploited by the popular culture. M attempts to explore this phenomenon in a much more personal level. All the events in the work are fictional and they are set in no particular place or time. The work consists of film material that has been produced on and off in a time period of four years, beginning in March 2013 to December 2017. The footage was shot mainly in the home and grounds of Casa das Musas Art House in Nazare, Portugal. Other shooting locations were Litibu village in Mexico and Uusikaupunki, Finland. All the actors in the work are non-professionals and were chosen because of their strong essence and character. Although the work is based on a script the roles and events were adjusted to fit the actors presence, and all of the dialogue was acted by the artist herself as voiceover. At times the process of filming was on the verge of improvisation and therefore only the afterwork would fully determine how some of the scenes developed. This way of working turned out to be a crucial element of the work. M is not an attempt to tell a story or redefine a character. In fact it is quite the opposite. The elements of film are being used as pathways for the artist to move in and out of the characters, each character representing somewhat a side of the artists own fantasy. By placing herself in the part of an object of fantasy the artist strives to understand the unity of sex and death, not merely as a myth in popular culture, but as an integral part of humanity.
- DirectorCamilla Strøm HenriksenStarsYlva Bjørkaas ThedinMaria BonnevieSverrir GudnasonFrom a young age, Jill has acted as the responsible adult in her small family. She cares for her loving but mentally unstable mother and her younger brother. The news that their estranged father will be visiting on Jill's birthday gives the children much needed hope. When the family is struck by tragedy, Jill keeps it a secret.
- DirectorKeith BehrmanStarsJosh WigginsDarren MannTaylor HicksonTwo popular teen boys, best friends since childhood, discover their lives, families, and girlfriends dramatically upended after an unexpected incident occurs on the night of a 17th birthday party.
- DirectorToby MacDonaldStarsAlex LawtherJonah Hauer-KingPauline EtienneIn the school-set re-working of Cyrano, an awkward but imaginative pupil helps the handsome but spectacularly dim school-hero pursue the fiery daughter of a visiting French teacher.
- DirectorSalima GlamineDimitri LinderStarsSofia LesaffreChristopher ZeerakAtiya Rashid-Brussels, 2018. Amel and Mashir, 17 and 22 years old, live a secret love story which, under the weight of family traditions, threatens brutally to collapse. Without breaking the balance of those around them, the two lovers will then try to save their relationship.
- DirectorMartin LundStarsJonas TidemannElli Rhiannon Müller OsborneSaara Sipila-KristoffersenGeneration Achievement meets impossible love. Frida is different; Marius, on the other hand, is the most popular boy in class. When they must work together at school, a turbulent and challenging relationship commences.
- DirectorJohannes NyholmStarsLeif EdlundYlva GallonKatarina JacobsonAs a couple goes on a trip to find their way back to each other, a sideshow artist and his shady entourage emerge from the woods, terrorizing them, luring them deeper into a maelstrom of psychological terror and humiliating slapstick.
- DirectorTilman SingerStarsLuana VelisJohannes BeneckeJan BluthardtLuz, a young cabdriver, drags herself into the brightly lit entrance of a run-down police station. A demonic entity follows her, determined to finally be close to the woman it loves.
- DirectorDennison RamalhoStarsDaniel de OliveiraFabiula NascimentoBianca ComparatoStênio, the nightshifter of a morgue, has the ability to communicate with the cadavers that are brought to him every night.
- DirectorMelina LeónStarsPamela MendozaTommy PárragaLucio RojasGeorgina's newborn daughter is stolen at a fake health clinic. Her desperate search for the child leads her to the headquarters of a major newspaper, where she meets a lonely journalist who takes on the investigation.
- DirectorAaron SchimbergStarsJess WeixlerAdam PearsonStephen PlunkettA beautiful actress struggles to connect with her disfigured co-star on the set of a European auteur's English-language debut.
- DirectorElmar ImanovStarsKamala IsrafilovaRasim JafarovMir-Movsum MirzazadeA troubled family spends some time at the beach before their formation changes forever.
- DirectorAgnieszka SmoczynskaStarsGabriela MuskalaLukasz SimlatMalgorzata BuczkowskaAfter a two-year disappearance, free-spirited Alicja is reunited with her parents, husband and young son despite having no memory of them. A dizzying psychological puzzle. Mesmerizing from the jaw-dropping first frame to the last.
- DirectorEdgar NitoStarsEduardo BandaRegina ReynosoFernando BecerrilAn innocent crush propels fourteen year old Lalo's descent into the criminal underworld of illegal gasoline extraction. What begins as a fast track for the latest smartphone quickly veers into a deadly fight for his life.
- DirectorChi ZhangAn actor in the twilight of his career returns, with his wife, to the small island where they first met. Will this journey be home to a new chapter in his life?
- DirectorViktor van der ValkStarsVincent van der ValkReinout Scholten van AschatSimone van BennekomOn the very eve of shooting his debut film, a harried young director struggles to balance fiction and reality as he spends one fever dream of a night searching for the inspiration that eludes him.
- DirectorTonia MishialiStarsStella FyrogeniAndreas VasileiouPopi AvraamTrapped in the misery of an oppressive marriage, a middle-aged woman finds refuge in a fantasy world of vindictive violence. Soon, reality and fantasy start to blur.
- DirectorRobert BudinaStarsOsman AhmetiArben BajraktarajSuela BakoBesnik is a lonely shepherd and devoted Muslim, haunted by unfulfilled love. He is the son of a Catholic mother and formerly Communist father whom he takes care of in an Albanian village in the mountains. Up here, Christians and Muslims have found a way to co-exist peacefully. Even after the discovery that the old mosque used to be a church and that the building was actually shared by the two religions in the past, the calm of daily life can be preserved - with Besnik's help. After the death of his father, however, drastic changes threaten Besnik's multi-faith family and the shepherd is forced to seek his own path.
- DirectorAli JaberansariStarsForough GhajabagliMehdi SakiAmir Hessam BakhtiariThree disenchanted characters: an ex-champion bodybuilder, an overweight beauty clinic secretary and a dispirited religious singer, yearn for love and connection in Tehran.
- DirectorShola AmooStarsNicholas PinnockDenise BlackSamuel AdewunmiAfter a happy childhood in the countryside, a teenager moves to London, where he must navigate an unfamiliar environment on his road to adulthood.
- DirectorÇigdem BozaliElif Akarsu PolatStarsBoncuk YilmazBenian DönmezSahin ErgüneyThe separation from her first love makes Zeynep into a lonesome woman; trying to find her lost love in letters she writes to prison inmates, she is led to one sentenced to life in prison.
- DirectorSerhat KaraaslanStarsBerkay AtesSaadet AksoyIpek TürktanIn the heart of Istanbul's prison, Zakir controls the letters prisoners receive. His average day is spent between the censorship office, his colleagues and his evening writing class. For a writing assignment, he steals a photo from one of the letters, in which appears Selma, an inmate's wife. More than an inspiration, she becomes an obsession for Zakir.
- DirectorOsman Nail DoganStarsSeyit Nizam YilmazMert Bugra TatarogluKutay SandikçiA rogue teenager who is a pigeon thief aids an 8-year-old child who is trying to complete the house foundation from his father by doing the job he knows best.
- DirectorCan EvrenolStarsDenizhan AkbabaElif SevinçÖzgür CivelekIn a war-torn post-apocalyptic region, a bunch of kids, who suffer from deformed limbs due to a toxic explosion, embark on an adventure.
- DirectorAli VatanseverStarsErol AfsinSaadet AksoyOnur BulduThe Fikirtepe district of Istanbul. Urban transformation is sweeping away the poor communities and Syrian refugees take shelter in deserted buildings. Kamil and his wife Remziye risk losing their home. Unemployed for a long time, Kamil, has no choice but to secretly accept a job on a construction site.
- DirectorSüleyman Arda EminçeStarsEnis AybarBurak SarimolaBülent ÇolakThe subject of the film drawn inspiration from a true story: two young men living in a house examines the life and system in Turkey with an early morning police raid on waking.