The Castle

Six girls from Tanzania, Chile, Germany, Korea and Serbia tell us their thoughts about the rights of self-determination and identity issues such as circumcision, biases and plastic surgery. It includes their experiences while they face the tradition and historical reality: the memory of the Tanzanian girl who ran away from circumcision and the story of the refugee girl who had to move to Germany.

The plot follows an ordinary woman whose family are becoming estranged. Her daughter is a compulsive liar, and her husband seeks escape by working as a stuntman in a B movie with a third-rate film company. The chances of him dying while filming are high, and everybody in the family knows it. Tormented by the thought that she is no longer needed and is unloved by her family, the woman will go to any extreme to prove the opposite, and to keep her family together for ever.

Talib Shah Hossaini, a 37-year-old Afghan filmmaker and asylum-seeker, lives in Moria on the Greek island of Lesbos – the biggest refugee camp in Europe until it burnt to the ground in autumn 2020. One year into his life in the camp, Talib Shah finds himself on the verge of losing hope. Instead of giving up, however, he decides to shoot a film called Picnic − an insider’s look at the lives of thousands of refugees stuck in a place sometimes described as a humanitarian disaster. Exploring topics such as dreams versus reality, art as a means of survival, or the current immigration policies in Europe, the film invites us to become better acquainted with the people who will soon be our neighbours.

Belarus. Town of Zhlobin. It's been 21 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Most of the locals survive solely by making and selling soft toys. Their only customers are the people passing through on trains. However, approaching a train with a toy in one's hands is illegal. The film tells the stories of ordinary people living in the town of Zhlobin. They all make toys, sell them, have chats, drink, go back to making toys, sing, fight and... make toys again.

Lina, a Vilnius morgue medic who becomes fascinated by the mysterious disappearance of a sailor named Vilkas. Her obsession leads her to eerie places and disturbing encounters. The clock is ticking as Lina searches for the missing man.

The year 1992. Lithuania is already independent. One day at her workplace a factory worker Danguole wins the SPECIAL prize . This means she will be entitled to welcome an American press-photographer who is coming to Lithuania in three days. She and her family are to represent the New Lithuania to the world in a photo reportage to be issued. This way the factory worker Danguole becomes a kind of a Lithuanian ambassador. Obviously, everything she owns is dated, soviet-tinged and cannot represent anything. The New Lithuania should be newly fashioned. The problem is... what exactly does the 'newly fashioned' mean?

On his way to school through the streets and canals of the Xochimilco neighborhood in Mexico City, Jesus talks about issues that move him and his family - such as access to water, environmental pollution, crime and inequality. - with a maturity that contrasts with his age.