Ten-year-old Asalif and his mother have been displaced from their farmland on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by the construction of a condominium. To fight back against those casting him out, Asalif taps into a fantasy of becoming his hero: the lion (“anbessa” in Amharic). Asalif uses his imagination to battle forces beyond his control. He must find the strength that resides in him in order to deal with the tides of change that are usurping a community, a country, and his own identity.
Anbessa Anbessa
Through an intimate coming-of-age story, Anbessa captures one boy taking on modernization on his own terms, revealing a unique and magical perspective on the myth of “progress”.
What's On
The Last One for the Road Le città di pianura
Francesco Sossai
Monday, 01. 06. 2026 / 18:50 / Main Hall
Francesco Sossai breathes new life into Italian comedy with a bittersweet road movie. Together with two old friends, we wander through the Venetian lowlands, empty our glasses, and try to remember the “truly incredible thing about life” that Carlo Bianchi discovered. It was the big winner at the prestigious Italian David di Donatello film awards.
Pillion Pillion
Harry Lighton
Monday, 01. 06. 2026 / 21:00 / Main Hall
This explicit and raw yet surprisingly tender film challenges our notions of what an ideal relationship should look like. It won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes.
Kontinental '25 Kontinental '25
Radu Jude
Tuesday, 02. 06. 2026 / 18:40 / Main Hall
Radu Jude, the ever-lucid provocateur behind Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, returns with yet another razor-sharp satire on the perversities of neoliberalism. The film won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlinale.