The Ugly Stepsister (2025) – Directed by Emilie Blichfeldt
In her directorial debut, Norwegian filmmaker Emilie Blichfeldt delivers a dark, psychological twist on the Brothers Grimm’s Cinderella. The film follows Elvira (Lea Myren), a young woman consumed by jealousy and obsession as she sets out to outpace the radiant beauty of her stepsister, Alma (Thea Sofie Loch Næss), to win the attention of the prince at the ball.
Since its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, The Ugly Stepsister has been met with critical acclaim, earning a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its haunting visuals and storytelling.
Shadow Force (2025) – Directed by Joe Carnahan
Action director Joe Carnahan returns with a high-stakes thriller featuring Shadow Force operatives Kyrah (Kerry Washington) and Isaac (Omar Sy), who must go on the run to protect their son after violating the group’s cardinal rule: never fall in love.
Though the film has yet to premiere, its entertaining lead cast and premise suggest a promising entry into the action-thriller genre.
Young Hearts (2024) – Directed by Anthony Schatteman
A tender coming-of-age Dutch-Belgian drama Young Hearts captures the story of Elias (Lou Goossens), a boy quietly falling in love with his neighbor Alexander (Marius De Saeger). As their bond deepens, the boys must navigate the delicate terrain of first love, impressioned by fear, secrecy, and the pressure of conforming to societal norms.
Critic G. Allen Johnson praised it as “a film that treasures fragile thoughts and feelings, rare in cinema these days.” The film holds a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been widely celebrated for its emotional authenticity.
The Good Teacher (Pas de Vagues) – Directed by Teddy Lussi-Modeste
Based on a true story, The Good Teacher stars François Civil as a teacher whose life unravels after he is falsely accused of sexual harassment. As he fights to prove his innocence, he confronts the troubling reality of injustice, cancel culture, and the fragility of his reputation.
Premiering at Belgium’s Ramdam Festival in January 2025, the film has received mixed reviews, averaging 3.4 out of 5 on the French site AlloCiné, but has also earned nominations for the SCORE Bernhard Wicki Award and the DGB Film Award.
Across the Sea (La Mer au Loin, 2024) – Directed by Saïd Hamich Benlarbi
Set in 1990s Marseille, Beyond the Sea follows a tense love triangle between a police officer (Grégoire Colin), his resentful wife (Anna Mouglalis), and Nour (Ayoub Gretaa), a young Moroccan man navigating life as an undocumented immigrant.
The film debuted at the 2024 Cannes Critics Week and has since been nominated for the Queer Palm and the Golden Star at the Marrakech International Film Festival.
Light Falls (2023) Directed by Phedon Papamichael
Also drawing attention this week is the upcoming world premiere of Light Falls, the latest feature by acclaimed Greek filmmaker Phedon Papamichael, set to debut at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (POFF). A co-production between Georgia, Albania, Greece, and Germany, the thriller follows a young couple from Los Angeles vacationing on a Greek island. When they venture into an abandoned hotel, a sudden accident and the clash of two starkly different worlds ignite a chilling spiral of violence and revenge.
Invisible World – Directed by Manuel de Coco
Nearly two decades in the making, Invisible World chronicles a global road trip in search of “Shambhala,” a mythical state of inner peace. Shot over 17 years across 10 countries, the film captures a journey as picturesque as it is philosophical. It premiered in 2023 and was honored with the Debate Evolution Prize for its ambitious scope and meditative tone.
Boonie Bears: Time Twist – Directed by Lin Yongchang
In this animated adventure, Vick, a programmer living in the city, dreams of two talking bears and a magical forest, pushing him to abandon urban life and confront the consequences of environmental destruction. When he takes a job as a logger, he must decide whether to protect the forest and its bear inhabitants.
Since its release last summer, the film has received multiple nominations, including Best Animated Feature and Best Screenplay for an Animated Film, and won both the Sir Movie Cultural Award and the Sound Guild Award in China.
Athens City Festival’s ‘Queer Movie Nights’
In parallel with this week’s new releases, Queer Movie Nights returns as part of the Athens City Festival, spotlighting powerful LGBTQI+ voices through cinema. Originally launched in May 2022 to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia, and Interphobia, the initiative has grown into a vital platform for queer short and feature films, as well as documentaries—offering a safe, expressive space for global stories to be shared on the big screen.
