Background

Competing for a Bright Future

18 December 2019

Background

Competing for a Bright Future

18 December 2019

15 debut films by emerging talent selected to compete for the Bright Future Award.

IFFR has announced the selection for its Bright Future Competition, a selection of 15 feature-length film debuts, screening in world or international premiere. IFFR’s competition for first-time filmmakers presents a variety of innovative, cutting-edge and promising discoveries from all over the world. The Bright Future Award is chosen by a jury of three film professionals. From the selected films, 10 films will be world premieres and 5 films will be international premieres.

Bright Future Competition 2020 is slightly revised in its set-up, now limited to 15 feature debuts. A near equal distribution between female and male filmmakers, the lineup echoes the interests, formal tactics and topics of a new generation of filmmakers – some as young as 21 years old. Embracing fiction, documentary, essay as well as experimental approaches, the filmmakers use their craft to address issues of family and upbringing, memory and landscape, representation and art, all while developing a singular cinematic voice. 

The Bright Future jury consists of Beatriz Navas, director of ICAA in Spain; Zsuzsanna Király, head of development at German production company Komplizen Film; and Mexican filmmaker and director of FICUNAM film festival, Michel Lipkes. They will choose the winner of the Bright Future Award, worth €10,000.

All films selected for Bright Future Competition 2020

Babai
Artem Aisagaliev, 2020, Russia/USA, world premiere
The Babai is the night-time bogeyman for children: traumas determine who you are, according to this claustrophobic portrait of two Russian brothers.

Chaco
Diego Mondaca, 2020, Bolivia/Argentina, world premiere
1934. Bolivia is at war with Paraguay. Led by a mercenary German general, native soldiers push ever deeper into the hostile Chaco region.

Los fantasmas
Sebastián Lojo, 2020, Guatemala/Argentina, world premiere
By day, Koki is a nice tourist guide in Guatemala City, but at night he lures men to a hotel – where they are relieved of their property.

Fellwechselzeit
Sabrina Mertens, 2020, Germany, international premiere
Poignant psychodrama about young Stephanie, whose life is characterised by her symbiotic relationship with her mentally unstable mother.

For the Time Being
Salka Tiziana, 2020, Germany/Spain/Switzerland, international premiere
During a sultry summer holiday in the remote Spanish mountains, estranged family members are forced to relate to one another.

I Blame Society
Gillian Wallace Horvat, 2020, USA, world premiere
Whilst making her debut film, a young director is driven to commit the perfect murder and edges towards madness.

Moving On
Yoon Dan-bi, 2019, South Korea, international premiere
A subtle portrait of three generations of a family forced to live under one roof by circumstance.

My Mexican Bretzel
Nuria Giménez Lorang, 2019, Spain, international premiere
Excerpts from the diary of a woman and beautiful images made in the post-war decades by a man combine to weave an enchanting narrative.

Ofrenda
Juan María Mónaco Cagni, 2020, Argentina, world premiere
Two young women are reunited in the Argentine pampas, in a place where they spent their childhoods.

Panquiaco
Ana Elena Tejera, 2020, Panama, world premiere
A descendant of the Panamanian Dole community returns to his roots. An enchanting film poem about myths, memory and identity.

A Rifle and a Bag
Cristina Hanes/Isabella Rinaldi/Arya Rothe, 2020, India, world premiere
Intimate documentary portrait of Indian communist rebels who have laid down their arms to ensure their future.

Sebastian springt über Geländer
Ceylan-Alejandro Ataman-Checa, 2020, Germany, world premiere
This refined, painstaking debut follows Sebastian through three phases of his life, on the road to self-discovery.

The Trouble with Nature
Illum Jacobi, 2020, Denmark/France, world premiere
A film about the disrupted relationship between man and nature. Edward Burke, founding father of modern conservatism, climbs the Alps in search of 'the sublime'.

Truth or Consequences
Hannah Jayanti, 2020, USA, world premiere
Truth or Consequences is a speculative documentary set in a small desert town in the American state of New Mexico. Anchored in nonfiction footage, the film takes place in a near-future when humans are leaving Earth to colonize other planets. A lyrical meditation on striving and loss, the film follows five people in the town who find what they’re looking for in the unlikeliest of places.

Wisdom Tooth
Liang Ming, 2019, China, international premiere
A thriller and coming-of-age film in which the harmonious life of Guxi and her half-brother is shaken up by an attractive lifesaver.

Browse through the entire IFFR 2020 film lineup

Read more about the Tiger Competition 2020

Read more about the Big Screen Competition 2020

Other blog posts on IFFR 2020