Jakub lost his job as a teacher, and unemployment only increases his nagging doubts of inadequacy, which are certainly not allayed by his father-in-law. The latter imagined someone better for his daughter, and he never lets an opportunity slip by to make this perfectly clear. A job offer as a prison educator may at least partially resolve existential and familial tensions, but Jakub must answer a fundamental question: Will he control others or be controlled by them? The claustrophobic feelings from the prison visit in no way differ from the hopelessness dominating his own life, and the decision isn't easy...

Fifty-year-old Saila wakes up after a class reunion to find that 1) she's not in her own bed, and that 2) she's sharing it with Esa, a vaguely-remembered classmate. Their morning together brings a lot with it: flashes of last night's party but also of others that are long since past. The memories refresh old emotions which mingle with her current feelings, those that have been enriched by skepticism about life - and by her hangover. Esa would prefer to have scrambled eggs, but a single question is eating away at Saila: Is it true that the older we get, the stronger we become, or do people just say that?

Their mother's death becomes the pretext for long-estranged siblings to reconnect. They lead different lives, so much so that they find it hard to communicate. If they could live quietly together in one apartment they might find their way back to each other, but the constant interruption of grieving rituals and mourning relatives makes this impossible. Then something seemingly insignificant breaks down the barrier that divides them. Mukhadze's sensitive and intimate look into a domestic situation uses subtle allusions to navigate family relationships since words alone often fail.

A young woman comes to a remote island to get away from it all, taking refuge at a modern studio utopia. All she needs is restorative peace and quiet, but her stay is jarringly interrupted by an intruder: an artist whose acoustic installation disturbs everything that the starkly empty house has to offer. The tension between the two women rises and the motionless calm gives way to growing frustration and anger. Emerging from the wilds of nature, the house becomes the third character of the story - a labyrinth in which contrasting personalities meet and differing lifestyles and expectations clash.

A young director, who sits in front of a commission defending a film based on her own experiences with sex and relationships, is continually confronted with questions about why she's making the movie. The answer doesn't come easy... Linde took on a difficult task for her short film. Not only does she capture contemporary young women with humor and the unvarnished truth, but she also defends her right to creative freedom. She herself took on the role of the director struggling against the challenges posed by a film shoot, thereby presenting an original form that helps us understand how difficult it can be to create without compromise.

Lammert wouldn't hurt a fly. He raises pigeons and is interested in little else. Occasionally, he and his best friend Frieda go out. The village of Kropsdam enjoys blessed peace and quiet - that is until representatives from GreenNow energy company show up. They'd like to dot the surrounding countryside with wind turbines, but the community isn't interested. Through an unfortunate turn of events, Lammert is scapegoated for the entire affair, but all he wanted was a cup of coffee and something sweet... Let's take a trip to a place where everyone has to be happy, even if blood must flow and heads must roll.

Two prostitutes meet on a deserted road. One is used to the nightly routine but is having trouble coming to terms with the competition - a naïve beginner who is just discovering what the oldest profession is all about. Time spent together gradually reveals that neither has anything to reproach the other for. They both need money, whether to feed their family or to fulfill a lifelong dream. With its comic tone, Bones for Otto doesn't take aim at women on the streets, presenting them instead as strong individuals whose lives have taken an unexpected turn.

It's 2003, four years before Slovakia becomes part of the Schengen Area. Today the border with Ukraine is one of Europe's best guarded, but then it was the playground of smugglers and human traffickers. Martin and Denisija dream of leaving Ukraine for Germany to begin a new life. Crossing the border brings unexpected complications, but the pair are willing to sacrifice a great deal to reach their destination. Atlantis, 2003 provides a chilling excursion to a recent past we should not forget, but it also asks a universal question: How responsible are we for each other?

Mala and Jure live in Ljubljana. She works at a print shop. Just until something better comes along or she gives birth. Jure is a construction worker but it's also temporary, just to make some money. They live together in a small attic apartment but they don't consider it their home. Everything is just until they leave for Germany, where they long to go and find "something better." Or maybe not... Director Katarina Morano captures the young couple at the delicate moment of realizing that the temporary becomes the permanent, and maybe that's not so bad.

For John, the first day of school isn't the same as for the other kids whose parents accompany them and arrange everything. The young boy's only support is his 11-year-old brother Mika. He turns up unexpectedly with somewhat clinical "instructions for school" to help John overcome the challenges he'll face in the coming years. Carefree childhood is ending and adult responsibilities are rushing in too fast. Schoolyard Blues ushers us into an environment where kids become little adults, and their world is much crueler and more complicated than we could ever imagine.