Patient och undertecknad

Caught on opposing sides of a debate about a proposed centre for refugee children, two parents try to navigate the turbulent tides of public opinion.

Witness and explore a whole range of emotions and desires in this series of stories about the lesbian experience. From rediscovering a lost parent in Israel, coming of age in rural Appalachia, finding love in friendship through meditation and imagination, to fending off the competition in a boot-making contest in New Mexico - what Upon Her Lips proves is that variety is the spice of life.

At the break of dawn, teenagers Axel and Love are on the way home after a night out partying. As the sun rises, they start to see each other in a whole new light... Elin Övergaard's remarkably tender portrait of the struggle to say what you mean to the person you care for the most packs a considerable emotive punch in only just a few minutes.

Get ready to explore a dizzying confection of Swedish life and love spanning all shades of the gay experience, from childhood confusion to a teen's coming out, a trio of friends in a three-way relationship, a mother trying to connect with her deaf son and a heterosexual ghost from a homosexual past. The 7 short films are: Coming Out [Komma ut] (2011); Polly (2017); Filip (2015); No Breaks [När bromsvajern släpper] (2008); The Memory of You [Minnet av dig] (2015); Distances [Bortom] (2014); Stockholm Daybreak [Gryning] (2013).

The conductor starts a symphony by the Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén in front of a sea of ​​graying heads. But playing to an aging crowd is proving to have its challenges. Questions about the survival and relevance of classical music are brought to a head in a satire that feels relatable to anyone who has visited the country's cultural institutions.

A final feedback meeting is being held prior to the release of an art school's new commercial. Everyone is happy, but then a thought arises as to whether the commercial can be perceived as too white. The meeting escalates into a debate about how it happened, if it can be solved and above all - whose fault it is.

A model agent tries to do a good deed but it pulls us into a game with our own judgemental gaze.

At 15, John and Nicolas decide to learn about love together; Matteo falls in love with the village priest; and Gabriel secretly draws naked men... Seven European shorts on the theme of homosexuality and early teenage love, selected by the Marais Film Festival.