Dollar-store sunglasses are worn by young girls of the Wulan Lengkoan, who declare they should be vegan while practicing an ancient martial art and war dance traditionally performed only by Minahasan men. This saturated fever-dream of absurdities blends (Western) pop-culture references and globalized consumer iconography with the ancient knowledge, technologies and cosmology of the Minahasa—an Indigenous nation in the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia. The film’s narrative centers on the primeval legends of the Minahasa people but frames them through the framework of a coming-of-age story, depicting, among other themes, the rapidly changing social and economic context of Indonesia.

As if successfully having captured a dream within the digital realm, Hu Ching Chuan leads us on a digital tour of its narrative—fueled by nostalgia yet firmly rooted in reality. Using 3D scanning technology, the film portrays the Burmese Chinese community of Huaxin Street in New Taipei City, Taiwan, blending different locations and times. Here, the past is not merely a foreign country, it is a foreign planet from a foreign time, stitched together with the present to create a cohesive whole—reminiscent of childhood recollections that do not belong to us.

Disguised as a harmlessly ordinary video tutorial, we see our protagonist painting over film photography—the type of content that would be difficult to stop watching if you were to serendipitously stumble upon it on YouTube. Contrasting this innocence are the photographs depicting scenes from the 2019-2020 protests in Hong Kong, during which the government hired workers to censor its citizens by painting over walls bearing messages and thoughts of protest. Archiving the scene recaptures, and repurposes the protests by appropriating the government’s censorship tactics into an empowering performance that celebrates the right to freedom of thought and identity.

In Jonathan Hielkema's film, alter egos Jonny Toxic and Jacco Macho set out on a journey across Italy and The Netherlands to explore masculinity in contrasting cultural settings. Italy's shameless machismo and the frugal Calvinist-influenced Netherlands serve as backdrops for their introspective exploration of masculinity. Rather than relying on academic theories, they focus on personal experiences and the evolving nature of their own masculinity in these distinct cultures.

Successful model Arjan van Hesteren goes on a month-long retreat in Thailand to escape the boozing and partying lifestyle of his profession, hoping to focus on self-improvement, relaxation, and Thai boxing after a difficult breakup. However, when three of his close friends—Jamal, Nino, and David—join him, their plans gradually unravel into lounging in luxury villas, chasing girls, and boasting about their physical appearances. Filmmaker (and sister) Amanda van Hesteren offers an uncompromising view of their exhilarating, uninhibited adventures, while simultaneously unveiling the insecurities, sensitivities, and emptiness underlying their lives—just as it does for all of us.

We follow the fictional story of two close friends spending their summer together after finishing secondary school. What is meant to be a relaxed and carefree time where the two friends bond and imagine their shared future, the relationship turns tense when one of them reveals they are forced to move away. Mateo Vega's beautifully shot short film is an honest and powerful portrayal of teenage friendship, and a poignantly visceral exploration of unspoken feelings and the challenge of coming to terms with difficult news.

Robota features lens-based artist Verena Blok—who doesn’t appear on screen herself—interacting with young Polish men as they discuss topics like politics, immigration and religion or share personal anecdotes from their lives. Interspersed with corporeal close-ups of their bare torsos as they engage in physical labor or go through seemingly mundane moments of their daily life, the film offers brief yet very striking moments of clarity and thought-provoking insights into the precariousness of (male) stereotypes and masculine (beauty) standards.