The In Focus programme is a selection of outstanding films that have already achieved success at prestigious film festivals, and this year it brings a lineup of seven powerful works by both established filmmakers and debutants.
„This year’s programme features several period films that are all distinct in theme and style, such as Rose, The Loneliest Man in Town, and Mother. However, these titles also deal with contemporary topics in an original way. Of course, some films deal with the present day, whether through intimate stories like Titanic Ocean, or in a more general way that carries a political dimension, such as Yellow Letters or Promised Spaces. There is also the film 3 Days in September, which is rich in comedic elements – a strong characteristic of the Romanian New Wave. Ultimately, what makes the programme unique is the strong authorial voice present in every selected film. The movies have already been screened at prestigious film festivals, including Venice (Mother), Rotterdam (3 Days in September), Berlin (Rose, The Loneliest Man in Town, and Golden Bear winner Yellow Letters), and Cannes (Titanic Ocean and Promised Spaces),” said programme selector Elma Tataragić.
Films in programme:
3 DAYS IN SEPTEMBER / 3 ZILE ÎN SEPTEMBRIE, Tudor Giurgiu
Romania, 2026, 78 min.
Cast: Andreea Vasile, Emilian Oprea, Conrad Mericoffer, Adela Popescu, Mirela Zeța
On Bianca’s wedding day, in the midst of the final preparations, her fiancé’s mistress crashes the nuptials. Bianca is shocked and flees on a tourist train, launching a real-time odyssey of chaotic escape and surreal encounters through the seaside resort in the off season. Rejecting her old life, she transforms her humiliation into a liberating night of rebellion.
MOTHER / MAJKA, Teona Strugar Mitevska
Belgium, North Macedonia, Denmark, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2025, 104 min.
Cast: Noomi Rapace, Sylvia Hoeks, Nikola Ristanovski, Ekin Corapci, Labina Mitevska
Kolkata, India, August 1948. Teresa, Mother Superior of the convent of the Sisters of Loreto, anxiously awaits the letter that will finally allow her to leave her monastery and create a new order in response to the call she has received from God. Then, just as everything seems ready, she finds herself faced with a dilemma that challenges her own ambitions and faith at a major turning point in her life.
PROMISED SPACES, Ivan Marković
France, Germany, Serbia, Cambodia, 2026, 78 min.
Cast: Vollak Kong, Chea Loch, Vita Vong, Lyer Von, Theara Or, Kanitha Tith
Sleepless from the heat, Sokun leaves his crowded dormitory and joins a community of fellow construction workers living in one of many unfinished high-rises. One such tower becomes the long-awaited luxury home of its first tenant, Seda, who soon feels isolated in the vast gated complex.
ROSE, Markus Schleinzer
Austria, Germany, 2026, 93 min.
Cast: Sandra Hüller, Caro Braun, Marisa Growaldt, Robert Gwisdek, Godehard Giese
Somewhere in Germany in the early seventeenth century, a mysterious soldier arrives in an isolated Protestant village. Slight and modest by nature, his face disfigured by a scar, this stranger declares himself to be the heir of a long-abandoned farmstead and produces a document to support his claim to the suspicious villagers. With the passage of time, he overcomes their doubts and, proving himself to be a hard-working, God-fearing man, becomes a part of their community. However, his quest for acceptance is built on a bold-faced lie.
THE LONELIEST MAN IN TOWN, Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel
Austria, 2026, 86 min.
Cast: Alois Koch, Brigitte Meduna, Alfred Blechinger, Flurina Schneider
Blues musician Al Cook lives surrounded by memories: in his apartment and basement studio, books, videotapes, and vinyl records fill the space, all that remains of a life once fully lived, a place where time seems to stand still. Outside, the world carries on without him. When a ruthless real estate company targets his home for demolition, however, his refuge collapses and he is forced to face the ruins of his existence. As he lets go of the treasures of his life one by one, Al confronts a painful question: How do you move forward when your memories are all you have left? In the face of total loss, he chooses a radical new beginning.
TITANIC OCEAN, Konstantina Kotzamani
Greece, Germany, Romania, France, Spain, Japan, 2026, 130 min.
Cast: Arisa Sasaki, Melina Mardini, Haruna Matsui, Kotone Hanase, Hanna Muro
In the scintillating, pop-infused world of a Japanese boarding school that trains teenage girls to become professional mermaids, seventeen-year-old Akame learns to hold her breath, perform for adoring crowds, and swim alongside sharks. Beneath her silicone mermaid’s tail, Akame will find her siren voice, discover first love and experience a metamorphosis, turning performance into transformation.
YELLOW LETTERS / GELBE BRIEFE, İlker Çatak
Germany, France, Türkiye, 2026, 128 min.
Cast: Özgü Namal, Tansu Biçer, Leyla Smyrna Cabas, İpek Bilgin, Aydin Isik, Aziz Capkurt
Aziz, a professor at Ankara University, receives a “yellow letter” arbitrarily informing him of his dismissal. When his wife Derya, a famous actor at the national theatre, receives one too, it is the final blow for the couple. Condemned for their ideas, they are forced to seek refuge in Istanbul with Aziz’s mother. The compromise between this new precariousness and their political commitment will put their marriage to the test.
