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Annual Aarhus Film Festival 2025
10 May at the Øst for Paradis
The Annual Aarhus Film Festival returns for its annual date on the 10th of May. Taking place at the city’s art cinema, the Øst for Paradis, the AAFF will screen six independent short and feature films by local and international filmmakers.
This year’s programme consists of a unique selection of indie gems that touch upon various themes. Personal dilemmas, social issues and relationship challenges are brought to the epicentre through powerful storytelling. Upcoming cinematographers and independent filmmakers share their amazing stories, highlighting the power of independent cinema.
The 7th Annual Aarhus Film Festival opens with Mahdi Fleifel‘s multi-awarded drama-thriller ‘To a Land Unknown‘. Following the lives of two Palestinian refugees living in modern-day Athens, the critically acclaimed film is about displacement, the struggles and challenges of exile and the need for survival in a society that makes no sense.
On the second programme, five short films by upcoming cinematographers celebrate the art of short filmmaking and put new talents in the spotlight. Through both comedies and dramas, this programme navigates the challenges of love relationships, family bonds and friendships. ‘Belinda’ by the Danish director Maureen Payne-Hahner, ‘The Easy Way‘ by Luca Senoner and Martin Loos and Alice Hjorth’s Ecocide are some of the short films of the Annual Aarhus Film Festival 2025.
PROGRAMME
Feature Film: 18.00 – 20.00
▹To a Land Unknown • Mahdi Fleifel • 98′ • United Kingdom • 2024 • Feature Film Competition
Chatila and Reda are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. But when Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his dangerous drug addiction, Chatila hatches an extreme plan, which involves them posing as smugglers and taking hostages in an effort to get him and his best friend out of their hopeless environment before it is too late.
**Break: 20.00 – 20.15**
Short Films: 20.15 – 21.40
▹Belinda • Maureen Payne-Hahner • 23′ • Denmark • 2024 • Danish Production Competition
A woman, Linda, seeks out her estranged father, Holger, an esteemed astrophysicist living alone in rural Denmark.
▹The Easy Way • Luca Senoner, Martin Loos • 25′ • Austria • 2024 • Short Film Competition
Lea and Tom are trapped in a toxic relationship and seek a quick solution through a nature trip guided by a shaman. But as they confront their past and present, they are plunged into a deeper crisis, challenging their beliefs and stereotypes.
▹Sorry I’m Late (But I Brought a Choir) • Håkon Anton Olavsen • 10′ • Norway • 2024 • Short Film Competition
Nina isn’t exactly thrilled when Stian shows up late to her housewarming party – with an entire choir he picked up on the tram. Boisterous, drunk, and silly, the motley troupe in the stairwell quickly tests the hostess’s patience.
▹Ecocide • Alice Hjorth • 15′ • Denmark • 2024 • Danish Production Competition
Noah, a charismatic advertisement executive, has just launched the ad campaign of his career for the company Nordic Meat. But when his little sister Naia begins live-streaming from the roof of a Nordic Meat factory, accusing the company of greenwashing and threatening to commit so-called “ecocide” by jumping off the building unless they meet her controversial activist network’s demands, Noah is forced to confront his values and fight for what matters most.
▹Where Do Ideas Come From? • Joysi Olijhoek • 5′ • Netherlands • 2023 • Experimental Film Competition, Student Film Competition
Archival footage, sounds and words are combined to explore the relatedness between these seemingly random finds and discover where ideas come from.
Address
Paradisgade 9C, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
+45 86 19 31 22
Starting time: 18.00
Admission fee: 70DKK
**Films in English or with English subtitles**
Links:
www.facebook.com/aarhusfilmfest/
www.instagram.com/annualaarhusfilmfestival/
Press Office: Aliki Seferou, [email protected]