30 international feature films in the program

From October 21, 2025, Hof will once again transform into a creative hub of film art during the 59th Hof International Film Festival, under this year’s motto “The Place to Grow.” And what could make the world more visible than stories that move us, expand our horizons, and capture the pulse of the times?

A total of 30 international feature films, including German and world premieres, will take you on a cinematic journey around the globe—from Australia, China, Georgia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, and the USA to our European neighbors: France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Whether quiet, loud, poetic, or radical, the films speak of humanity, change, love, loss, and the inexhaustible zest for life. On the screen you can expect—great emotions, new perspectives, and bold signatures from filmmakers from all over the world.

The films:

ANGE, directed by Tony Gatlif, France 2025

Tony Gatlif is again a guest in Hof (Retrospective 2017): Ange, an unbound musician, feels a fundamental need to track down his old friend Marco and make peace with him. Solea, the daughter of his former lover, accompanies him on his journey in full rebellion against the world.

LES ARÈNES, directed by Camille Perton, France 2025

Brahim is an aspiring young football star about to sign his first professional contract in Lyon. But when a mysterious and powerful agent disrupts the negotiations, Brahim discovers the dark side of the football business.

BAD HAIRCUT, directed by Kyle Misak, United Kingdom 2025

When Billy Crumpus, an awkward student, reaches a low point, his friends take drastic action: a haircut at their favorite hairdresser. The haircut quickly turns into a surreal nightmare.

BECOMING VERA, directed by Sergio Vizuete, USA 2025

A young pianist fights against poverty, unscrupulous music producers, and her own insecurities to find a future in the world of Latin Jazz.

THE ISLANDERS, directed by Alanté Kavaité, France 2025

In the near future, on a remote island far from the rest of the world, Gaëlle, 30, cares for a small group of elderly people. When a sailboat lands, new life seems to come to the island. But the initial idyll is deceptive. Gaëlle grows suspicious as the old begin to die one by one. Are the newcomers truly travelers, or is there a darker intention behind their arrival?

C’EST SI BON, directed by Diane Kurys, France 2025

She loved him more than anything, he loved her more than anyone. Simone Signoret and Yves Montand were the-era's most famous couple. Hurt by her husband's affair with Marilyn Monroe and all that followed, Simone Signoret always refused to take the role of the victim. They knew only that they would never part.

CIELO, directed by Alberto Sciamma, United Kingdom 2025

Santa, an eight-year-old girl from the abandoned Bolivian Altiplano, embarks on a surreal, star-guided journey to lead her mother from a life of poverty to paradise.

THE KEY, directed by Paul Sportiello, France 2025

The incredible adventure of two men broken by life, who rediscover an improbable, simple happiness together. Will they be able to be content? No one is ever sure whether they are truly happy, and asking the question risks spoiling the answer.

AS IT IS, directed by Antonello Scarpelli, Italy and Germany 2025

Così Com'è stages the director’s family in an “autofiction”: a worried mother, a sick father and a disillusioned son – all victims of poor communication and the difficulties of understanding one another. The film begins with fragments of family videos and shifts into the present, which we experience from the parents’ point of view.

DON’T LET THE SUN, directed by Jacqueline Zünd, Switzerland and Italy 2025

An unbearably hot place. Human closeness has become scarce, and loneliness yields strange blossoms. Jonah (28) lives at the service of others’ desires. Until fatherhood for nine-year-old Nika puts his life completely into question. A tender drama about the fragility of human relationships.

ESPINA, directed by Daniel Poler, Panama and USA 2025

Jonathan has lost his job and plans a trip to Panama City. Since he is in a wheelchair, he hires two extraordinary companions for this wild journey. Was Jonathan’s trip chosen for fun, or to settle a old score?

TOM’S 2ND SUICIDE, directed by Karni Haneman, Israel 2025

Today is March 9, and it’s time for Tom’s annual suicide attempt. This time it’s supposed to work; the exhaust will do the job. Bad luck—the car is broken. Fortunately, Kobi drives by in his car. Together they embark on a surreal road trip intended to end Tom’s life.

HAPPYLAND, directed by Evi Romen, Austria 2025

Helen(e) returns to her hometown on the Danube after a not very successful pop-music career in London. There she encounters the ghosts of her youth in the form of former bandmates, her teenage love, and a mysterious young horse enthusiast.

KOKUHO, directed by Sang-Il Lee, Japan 2025

Nagasaki, 1964 – After his father, the head of a Yakuza gang, dies, 14-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing of a famous Kabuki actor. Together with Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, he decides to devote himself to this traditional theatrical form. For decades the two young men grow and develop together—from acting school to the biggest stages—in the midst of scandals and fame, friendship and betrayal.

MODERN WOMEN, directed by Hugo Santa Cruz, United Kingdom 2025

Lily returns to her shared flat after spending several weeks in a psychiatric clinic. Ruth is a homeless street poet, Monica a single mother living in a hotel. Over the course of a day, their stories become inextricably linked in this sharply satirical comedy.

MR. NO ONE, directed by Miguel Ángel Calvo Buttini, Spain 2025

Daniel, a homeless man, roams the streets of Madrid. Aina, a young NGO worker, tries to help him, but without success. Persistently, she uncovers Daniel’s past—a top executive who was fired and left his family. Daniel will confront his old life for the first time.

BLOOMING, directed by Paula Morel Kristof, Argentina 2025

In a remote valley in northern Argentina, the local herb of love, Muña Muña, blossoms. Olga, a 60-year-old nurse, is preparing to say goodbye to her only son who wants to leave the country, when she meets Stefano, a young French tourist. Their unexpected connection awakens a desire she thought long lost.

ENOUGH, directed by Odd Einar Ingebretsen, Norway 2025

As every week, a woman visits her mother. They do not enjoy each other’s company. The mother argues that their relationship is unhealthy and that the best course is not to see each other anymore. The daughter cannot understand her mother’s decision. We witness the last conversation between the two women.

THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD, directed by Rossella Inglese, Italy 2025

Eva is 19 years old and lives in a small town. One night she causes an accident in which a woman loses her life. Eva runs away in terror, and no one learns of the accident’s dynamics—not even Bruno, the husband of the victim. Overwhelmed by guilt, Eva begins dating Bruno while concealing her true identity from him.

QUEENS OF THE DEAD, directed by Tina Romero, USA 2025

The daughter of George Romero (Hof Retrospective 1977) follows in her father’s footsteps and presents her first feature film: When a zombie apocalypse erupts in Brooklyn during a massive warehouse party, a colorful group of drag queens, club kids, and friends-enemies must put aside their differences and use their unique abilities to fight the brain-hungry, scrolling undead.

ROUGHHEAD, directed by Aurelio Galfetti, Switzerland 2025

Ela and Anao bond through hard work on the farm. In the solitude of the Prealps, their casual partnership grows into love. A love that has no chance. When Ela uncovers Anao’s secret, it is too late, and the eerie surroundings become increasingly threatening.

ROOM TEMPERATURE, directed by Dennis Cooper and Zac Farley, USA 2025

Once a year a family turns their house and garden into a haunted house and invites their neighbors to walk through it. What used to be a joint project gradually becomes the father’s obsessive fantasy, which his family is to enact.

ROSEMEAD, directed by Eric Lin, USA and China 2025

Rosemead is set in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley and is based on a harrowing true story. It is a gripping, emotionally charged portrait of a mother’s love pushed to its limits. Lucy Liu delivers a transformative performance as a terminally ill Chinese immigrant who uncovers her teenage son’s disturbing fixation with mass shootings.

DEAR SOBRIETY: YOU'RE KILLING ME, directed by Raúl Campos, Mexico 2025

Raffi, a 39-year-old addicted to rehab facilities, must come to terms with life after being kicked out of a clinic and returning to his estranged mother’s house. When she throws him out, he finds refuge with Trino, his last remaining friend.

SOFT LEAVES, directed by Miwako Van Weyenberg, Belgium 2025

Yuna lives in Belgium with her father, who lies in a coma after an accident. Her parents split when Yuna was small. When Yuna’s mother, together with Yuna’s younger half-sister, returns from Japan to Belgium, Yuna must adjust to her new role as big sister...

Photosensetive, directed by Tadeusz Sliwa, Poland 2025 

Agatha works with difficult young people and brings out the best in life. She is blind. Robert is a successful photographer who runs away from people. Their meeting will change everything. A film about love, full of wild energy and sensitivity.

WAITING FOR THE STORMS, directed by François Delisle, Canada 2025

Across different timelines and places, the fates of four characters intertwine as they struggle to find connections and meaning in a world changed by climate change.

THE PORTUGUESE HOUSE, directed by Avelina Prat, Spain and Portugal 2025 

The disappearance of his wife leaves the teacher Fernando completely devastated. Aimlessly, he assumes the identity of another man as a gardener at a Portuguese estate, where he forms an unexpected friendship with the owner and enters a new life that is not his own.

OUR GIRLS, directed by Mike van Diem, Netherlands, Austria and Belgium 2025 

For years, two couples have shared the perfect vacation home in the Alps. But when their teenage daughters are involved in an accident, their long-standing friendship is put to a new, unimaginable test. Uncomfortable truths come to light and force them to abandon any claim to decency.

WHEN WE WERE SISTERS, directed by Lisa Brühlmann, Switzerland and Greece 2025 1996: The fifteen-year-old Valeska goes on holiday with her mother Monica. Also along is Jacques, the mother’s new partner, and his daughter Lena, with whom Valeska has little in common. Slowly, a friendship develops between the two girls. But the adults’ relationship increasingly spirals out of control.