Charming, funny and uplifting, this Sundance Audience Award-winner tells the story of a 15-year-old North Macedonian boy who finds refuge in dance music and in first love. Ahmet and his brother Naim are growing up in a family scarred by grief in a remote village, conservative as it is superstitious. The boys’ stern father has no qualms forcing Ahmet to work on the family sheep farm rather than let him go to school, whilst he takes his little brother Naim, silent since his mother’s death, to a suspect healer. Into this grim reality enters the beautiful Aya, who has returned from Germany in order to enter an arranged marriage. When Ahmet discovers a secret rave he is immediately transfixed by the music, and by Aya, and sees a path to a more joyous and free life. Says director Georgi M. Unkovski: “I wanted to explore the delicate balance between tradition and self-expression, particularly within a small, close-knit community The film delves into the challenges of growing up in a traditional setting while simultaneously discovering one’s own identity. I was fascinated by the tension that arises when individual desires clash with the expectations of the collective.”

After his passing, legendary Yolngu actor David Gulpilil is brought back to his home country in a continent-traversing commemoration worthy of his transcendent talent. David Gulpilil was one of Australia’s greatest screen actors, beginning with his first performance in 1971’s Walkabout (MIFF 2015) and continuing over the next five decades through roles in landmark films including Rabbit-Proof Fence (MIFF 2015) and The Tracker (MIFF 2015). After his death in 2021, his body was repatriated from Murray Bridge, South Australia, to be laid to rest in his homeland on Yolngu country. An extraordinary odyssey across more than 3000 kilometres of outback road from Victor Harbor to Darwin, followed by a chartered plane and helicopter flight to his birthplace in East Arnhem Land, Gulpilil’s final journey is recorded in this moving, thoughtfully observed documentary.

Can a rich, eccentric superfan reunite his favourite indie-folk duo? And can they mend his lonely heart? Chatty oddball Charles believes lightning can strike twice: after all, he bought two lottery tickets and won on both. But five years after his beloved wife’s death, something’s still missing. So Charles lures his favourite band, now-estranged folk duo McGwyer Mortimer, to an extremely lucrative gig on the gorgeous, remote Welsh island where he lives. Charles’s hapless hosting and effusive fandom, however, only remind Herb McGwyer how far he is from the solo stardom he craves – and, more awkwardly, his ex-bandmate and old flame, Nell Mortimer, has brought her American husband along. As past yearnings and grievances reverberate, one question resounds: will the magic of music reignite the passion that first brought them together?

The sleepy Highlands community of Carrbridge, home to numerous amiable eccentrics, comes alive each year when the Porridge Committee begins their preparations. Then the contestants arrive, including reigning champ Lisa and seven-time finalist Nick, a health food aficionado, along with contenders from Canada, the Netherlands and Zimbabwe – and Australian newbie Toby (a taco chef!). The judges pick up their spoons… the oatmeal battle is on. Director Constantine Costi – also an acclaimed theatre librettist and director, most recently bedazzling audiences with Siegfried and Roy: The Unauthorised Opera – captures the charm and spunk of this Highlands competition with warmth, respect and lashings of humour.