Babai
The Babai is the night-time bogeyman for children: traumas determine who you are, according to this claustrophobic portrait of two Russian brothers.
65'
Russia
IFFR 2020
Sebastian doesn't exactly choose the easy path. This is a young man who prefers climbing over hedges to using the gate. Later in life too, he has difficulty fitting in with the standard social norms for behaviour. This refined debut follows Sebastian closely through three phases of his life, on the road to self-discovery.
We meet him first as a small boy, on a bicycle that is too big for him as his single mother can't afford a new one every year. Sebastian, who wants to learn to fly, has learned at a very young age to be self-sufficient. He chooses – sometimes of necessity – to go his own way. During adolescence, this brings him into conflict with his girlfriend's father, who doesn't see this quiet boy fitting his ideal. As a young man, he wonders what remains of his childhood dreams.
German film academy student Ataman-Checa paints his protagonist's inner life with a sharp eye. This subtle coming-of-age drama is produced by Simona Kostova (Dreissig, IFFR 2019).
IFFR 2020
Programme IFFR 2020
A selection of fifteen feature-length debut films, presented at IFFR in world or international premiere.
Read more about this programmeThe Babai is the night-time bogeyman for children: traumas determine who you are, according to this claustrophobic portrait of two Russian brothers.
65'
Russia
IFFR 2020
1934. Bolivia is at war with Paraguay. Led by a mercenary German general, native soldiers push ever deeper into the hostile Chaco region.
77'
Bolivia
IFFR 2020
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.
75'
Guatemala
IFFR 2020