Leaving Jesus

As her adolescence gives way to the obligations of motherhood, troubled Gemma matures in Motherwell, her Scottish hometown, heavily dependent on the steel industry. Unfortunately for her, her hedonistic way of understanding the world does not fit in with the philosophy of the rest of the villagers, so trouble soon follows.

Shannon, Shaunaugh and Mirren are three girls with one thing i common. They are temporarily occupants at the The Good Shepherd, outside of Glasgow, a secure unit for young people with behavioral and emotional problems. In the midst of facing some of the hardest times in their young lives we meet their thoughts and dreams, but also their fear of coming out and their fear of not having the walls of The Good Shepherd to keep them safe.

Charlotta Björck leaves a stable career in healthcare to fully commit to her dream of becoming a comedian. But just as her big break seems within reach, her personal life begins to falter - her relationship is tested, motherhood demands her full attention, and her career takes unexpected turns. At the same time, the challenges of everyday life become a source of inspiration for her creativity. Director Ellen Fiske (Scheme Birds, 2019; Leaving Jesus, GFF 2024) crafts an intimate and moving portrayal, brought to life by Pia Lehto’s sensitive cinematography, of one of Sweden’s most talked-about comedians in recent years.

A beloved guinea pig has been put to sleep. Someone has been dissed by their first and greatest love. Out in the shimmering summer archipelago, a little girl carries a terrible secret. The team has received permission from the Swedish non-profit association BRIS to film authentic phone calls from children and young people.

When 22-year-old Romanian beggar Florin meets 38-year-old Swedish single Josefin outside the grocery store, love arises immediately. Eight months later they get married and move in the small village of Oskarström. But when the pressure from the Florin family in Romania becomes too great, the dream of a better life in Sweden is challenged and the relationship is put to the test.

Gary, Stephen and Steve are three single dads in the old industrial town Motherwell in Scotland. They meet in a lone dads group session where they try to prove to the social services that they are fit to be parents.

An encounter in Karlstad will be the start of a love story. But when Tiola's mother passes away in cancer, she does not leave much at home in Sweden. Tiola is told that there will be photographs of her in the house in Serbia where she grew up. She sets out on a journey to retrieve them.