We line up the films that caught our attention for their energy and originality in terms of subject, technique and sensibility.
Not every film that feels like a harbinger of the future is the work of a young filmmaker, although an encouraging number in this collection are.
A star student faces a stark choice of whether to succeed in a corrupt and hypocritical schooling system or to join in a real-life student movement that is re-shaping contemporary Thai society.
Authoritarian dictates masquerade as democratic reality in this slow burn Indo-thriller, and a young man must decide if it is worth discarding his values and losing his peace of mind for an affluent life.
First-time director Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s visually striking African fable depicting a clash between love and duty in a remote Senegalese village, premiered in Competition at Cannes.
A low effort heist could mean freedom or ruination for two plebeian bank workers fed up with the daily grind in this dreamy, entertaining enigma from New Argentine Cinema director Rodrigo Moreno.
A pregnant single mother with two children in foster care fights an impossible system in this affecting debut feature from Savanah Leaf.
A tense eco-thriller from US director Daniel Goldhaber questions just how far its young activist protagonists are willing to go in order to confront their nation’s complicity in the climate crisis.
This stunning, neon-drenched debut from cinematographer-turned-director Molly Manning Walker about a trio of British teen girls on a wild booze-fuelled holiday wowed all comers at Cannes.
Winner of Audience awards in both Sundance and Berlin, this vibrant, taboo-busting, music-filled documentary invites us into the lives of four black trans sex workers in New York and Atlanta.
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This dreamlike West African tale of a village, its water goddess and the men who desire to control her, was a deserving Sundance winner for its vivid black-and-white cinematography.
A young trans man must summon all his resilience to endure a whirlwind 24 hours in New York City as his foreign father, his straight ex-boyfriend and his 13-year-old sister are all thrust back into his life.
An invigorating tale of alleged witchcraft seeped in magical realism, director Baloji tackles grief and guilt as a Congolese man returns home in this Kinshasa set mind-bender.
This bold, semi-autobiographical debut from American director Jamie Dack is a tense coming-of-age drama that navigates the insidious and all too real threat of stranger danger.
Set in Australia’s remote Pilbara, Jub Clerc’s multi award-winning debut feature is a triumphant coming-of-age road movie that honours the power of country, community and art to transform lives.
Winner of the Grand Prize of Critics’ Week at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, a 12-year-old girl watches her body undergo a terrifying transformation in this irreverent art-horror debut from Malaysia.
This semi-autobiographical sophomore feature from Mexican director Lila Avilés follows one family’s journey through grief and loss, experienced through the eyes of a young girl.
This thrilling and playful story of stolen brass and the L.A. deaf community explores new possibilities in cinematic expression through creative sound design, deft editing and stunning photography.
Dreams, lack of means, and poodle schemes on the rez! Aided by their community, two young men push back against deprivation and systemic discrimination to forge their own paths.