The Other Side of Hope

Two-time Palme d’Or winner Michael Haneke directs Juliette Binoche and follows every consequence of one small cruelty, a piece of rubbish tossed into a beggar’s lap on a Paris street. His Europe is a Tower of Babel on the brink of collapse, where nobody quite manages to understand anyone else. — While her partner is away covering the war in Yugoslavia, an actress runs into his younger brother on a Paris street. Moments later the boy throws a crumpled paper bag into the lap of a woman who is begging there. A man whose parents emigrated from Mali tells him to pick it up. Then the police arrive. — Official Selection | Cannes Film Festival | 2000 Prize of the Ecumenical Jury | Cannes Film Festival | 2000

The refugee crisis and the "sensitivity" of high art to resolve it get tangled in this unique satire full of suspense and scathing symbolism, that was even nominated for an Oscar for Best International Film. — A Syrian man stranded in Lebanon will allow a French artist to turn his back into a work of art. It’s the only way for him to travel to Europe, find his fiancée and finally live freely. He will experience fame and glory but is he really free now that as a work of art he is obliged to spend his life exhibiting his back in museums around the world? — Nomination for Best International Feature | Oscars | 2021 Best Actor (Yahya Mahayni) - Orizzonti | Venice Film Festival | 2020

Aki Kaurismäki, as we know and love him, with his characteristic and sui generis minimal and deeply human cinema, that always harbors a big heart and a warm hug for all the pariahs and outcasts of life. — A Syrian refugee arrives to Helsinki by boat and starts working at a restaurant owned by a middle-aged, former door-to-door salesman, who gives up everything for a new start. The meeting of the two men will change both their lives forever. — Best Director | Berlin International Film Festival | 2017 FIPRESCI Prize | San Sebastián International Film Festival | 2017 Grand Prix | Luxembourg City Film Festival | 2017

The refugee tragedy of recent years inspires Abbe Hassan for a shocking directorial feature debut, a journey into the brightest light and the deepest darkness of the human condition. — A Syrian girl flees to Turkey, bound for Sweden and reunification with her sisters and parents. After a raid by the Turkish immigration authorities she is rescued by one of the smugglers who organized her escape. The seemingly mismatched duo begin their journey to freedom.

The Cannes Palme d’Or was awarded to "Dheepan" for the film’s authentic, heartrending and deeply humane look at the experiences of 21st-century refugees, as faced by its electrifying protagonist. A cinematic punch to the gut. — A Tamil Tiger warrior becomes a deserter in order to leave Sri Lanka, where a civil war is raging. He comes across a young woman and a girl who also need to escape from their homeland; although unrelated, they form a makeshift family and reach Paris by using a dead man's passport. French immigration officers take them to a suburban apartment complex that looks like a prison. There, instead of making a fresh start, the three have to contend with the violence of local thugs and drug dealers. — Palme d'Or | Cannes Film Festival | 2015

Aki Kaurismaki at his best and more political than ever. He left Cannes loaded with awards (and a few beers). Always a minimalist, always a sentimentalist, with a surefire weapon to conquer his melancholia: his unwavering tenderness towards people. — A bohemian middle-aged guy who once aspired to be a writer in Paris now lives in the port city of Havre. His life is divided between his work as a shoe-shiner, his frequent visits to his favourite bar and the care of his gravely ill wife. A chance encounter with an underage immigrant from Africa, hunted by the police, will bring out our hero’s innate optimism and his trust in the kindness of strangers. He will try to help the boy, even if he has to suffer the consequences. — FIPRESCI Prize | Cannes Film Festival | 2011 Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention | Cannes Film Festival | 2011