A fatal car crash on the misty highways of Donegal brings together two survivors - slick London businessman Hamish and teenager Evan, who initiates an uncanny friendship with the older man. Hamish, who has inherited the home of his late aunt, had planned to visit Ireland only briefly. But his stay is prolonged by this tense entanglement with Evan and an unspeakable attachment to the land where his mother was raised. Antonia Campbell-Hughes' directorial debut is a moody capsule of hyper-masculinity, grounded by the palpable, bottled-up agony of lead actor Cosmo Jarvis (Lady Macbeth).

It's only a few hours' drive to Bucharest but it seems like a world away to Irina. An intelligent 22-year-old, Irina wants to study in the capital but feels coerced into working at the country hotel run by the violent and abusive men in her extended family. This toxic atmosphere of in-fighting, mind games and simmering resentment has also deeply affected Irina's volatile sister, Vicki. Things begin to change when Irina makes an unexpected and unorthodox connection with Tudor, a married actor. Grigore's fearless and confronting screenplay is matched by Ioana Chitu's outstanding performance as the vulnerable yet coolly determined young woman who wants to finally start living her own life.

Told over three Fridays, GIRL PICTURE follows whip-smart best friends Mimmi and Rönkkö - two teens mystified by the pitfalls of love and desire. Sparks fly when hot-headed Mimmi meets Emma, an elite figure skater determined to reach the European championships. Meanwhile, Rönkkö embarks on a bold quest to orgasm for the first time. Leaning into joy and discomfort, filmmaker Alli Haapasalo paints a tender portrait of young women on the watershed between adolescence and adulthood. Terrific performances and banter cement GIRL PICTURE as a remarkably authentic ode to female friendship and first love.

In this dark feminist fable, a life is suspended between the present and the future. Eldest daughter Lise spends an idyllic summer frolicking barefoot on her family's farm. She's about to attend boarding school, the dream of an independent future in reach. But when her mother experiences a life-threatening childbirth, Lise is forced to confront the claustrophobia of 19th century gender roles. With elemental cinematography and a breakout performance from newcomer Flora Ofelia Hofmann Lindahl, AS IN HEAVEN pays tribute to the labour and resilience of women.

Clara, a PhD candidate in her late 30s, is determined to live a self-possessed life in Berlin. She teaches philosophy, has a troubled affair with a student and attends upper-class dinner parties with cutthroat intellectuals. A deep thrum of unease runs through this razor-sharp script, as Clara witnesses the ennui, jealousies and class anxiety of the bourgeoise. That unease deepens further when Clara returns to her rural hometown in what used to be the GDR and suddenly realises she can no longer relate to anyone there. Annika Pinske's absorbing drama wonderfully unpacks the neurosis of a complicated woman caught between milieus.

After birthing a stillborn child, the grieving Agata is tortured by her Catholic faith - specifically the belief that her baby's soul lies in eternal Limbo. Hope comes in the form of a mystical sanctuary in the middle of the mountains which can allow her baby to live for just one breath - just long enough to be blessed. Against the wishes of her husband and community, Agata embarks on an Orphean journey across north-east Italy, along rivers and into forests brimming with ancient power. Echoing the folkloric aura of Alice Rohrwacher's HAPPY AS LAZZARO, Samani's odyssey is stunning and strange in equal measure.

Feminist writer Nilo's calm life is disrupted by the arrival of her wayward sister Maya - who then runs off with Nilo's Volvo and 13-year-old daughter. Nilo reluctantly tags along on this impromptu road trip, which takes them from the orderly streets of Stockholm to the misty hills of Portugal. As the two sisters contend with zany mishaps, their emotional baggage and the rebellious whims of teenaged Laura, the film revels in the delight and messiness of their three-way bond. Shot in luminous 35mm with a dreamy synth score, Swedish director Lovisa Sirén establishes herself as a bold new voice.

The small Polish town of Nasielsk was once home to around 3000 Jewish people. Fewer than 100 of them survived the Holocaust. A year prior to their fateful deportation, Jewish-American David Kurtz visited his childhood town, shooting three minutes of amateur holiday footage during his stay. Decades later, Dutch director Bianca Stigter - with the help of narrator Helena Bonham Carter - dives deep into this precious fragment. Through inventive assemblage and intimate reflections, the footage unfurls into a haunting tapestry of mystery and loss demonstrating how the film medium can bear witness. Co-produced by Steve McQueen (12 YEARS A SLAVE).

Texan novelist Patricia Highsmith has long been acclaimed for her strange, cinematic stories of suspense, which captured the imaginations of directors including Alfred Hitchcock, Todd Haynes, and Anthony Minghella. Best known for penning 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' and sequels, Highsmith also wrote 'Carol' (aka 'The Price of Salt'), her only novel to feature an unequivocal lesbian relationship. In this intimate documentary, Highsmith's unpublished diaries lyrically intermingle with the personal accounts of people who knew and loved her. The heart-rending character study depicts a visionary female writer, forced to repress her innate desires by a heteronormative society.

Colourful flat-mates, indie rock, and druggy adventures abound in Tijana Zinajić's vibrant debut. Sardonic millennial Eva is stuck in life. Hopelessly in love with her stoner roommate, she's also conducting an ill-advised affair with a married painter. But worst of all, she's lost her creative spark. Then, just as Eva and her friends face certain eviction, she discovers her period is late. Bolstered by a charming ensemble cast, Bitch brims with caustic humour and moments of scorching truth about young people caught in the throes of late-stage capitalism.