Up the Duff

Anna, 12, lives with her deaf mother in a loving bond, yet under humble conditions, that are a source of social shame when she begins high school. Staying close to its heroines, this refreshing debut blends solidarity, feminism and tons of melodies.

County Durham, England, 1984. The miners' strike has started and the police have started coming up from Bethnal Green, starting a class war with the lower classes suffering. Caught in the middle of the conflict is 11-year old Billy Elliot, who, after leaving his boxing club for the day, stumbles upon a ballet class and finds out that he's naturally talented. He practices with his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson for an upcoming audition in Newcastle-upon Tyne for the royal Ballet school in London.

A peculiar neighbor offers hope to a recent widow who is struggling to raise a teenager who is unpredictable and, sometimes, violent.

A deadpan young man obsessed with death meets an eccentric septuagenarian who teaches him to live life to the fullest.

For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.

When two strangers cross paths while trying to escape their past, they form an unlikely music partnership that will take them running across rural Australia.

16-year-old, Blanka, is both curious and disturbed when her two new step brothers move in. One afternoon she goes all in to provoke a reaction and to mark her territory.

Bjørn has gone with his mum on a summerhouse trip. He’s a teenager and is finding life a little challenging in all aspects. When a group of 20 somethings occupy the neighbouring house, an unforgettable summer starts for Bjørn in this intimate coming of age drama, which hones in on issues of gender, intimacy and boundaries.

At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.

After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a disturbed classmate, Plato, and falls for local girl Judy. However, Judy is the girlfriend of neighborhood tough, Buzz. When Buzz violently confronts Jim and challenges him to a drag race, the new kid's real troubles begin.

The streets of the Bronx are owned by '60s youth gangs where the joy and pain of adolescence is lived. Philip Kaufman tells his take on the novel by Richard Price about the history of the Italian-American gang ‘The Wanderers.’

After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four boys decide to go see the body. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, but they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.

Ulysses is a shy and effeminate boy who finds himself coping with new responsibilities as man of the house after the death of his father. Living alongside his mother, younger brother, and conservative aunt, Ulysses is also struggling with questions about his gender identity. He finds an escape by creating a world of fantasy filled with dance and music. Ulysses' journey takes a turn for the better when he finds a vibrant transgender community.

Julie, a southern white girl, falls in love with a former slave of her father's in the middle of the American Civil War and is faced with the challenge of her life.

"The Future," a short film by Fahad Albazi starring Darnell Tabor III, is a thoughtful exploration of the anxiety and uncertainty young people face when deciding on a career and life path. The film follows a young man who finds himself in a surreal scenario where he interviews several "future versions" of himself to see where different choices might lead.

Lucas Simons, an 11-year-old filmmaker, is obsessed with death after the loss of his brother. When Lucas accidentally captures a mysterious presence in one of his films, he inadvertently becomes a YouTube phenomenon, and must learn to live life in the spotlight while also learning how to once again start living life to its fullest.

Inseparable best friends AJ and Moose decide to run the local pool's snack shack after their plan to sell home-brewed beer goes down the drain. Things take a turn when they meet Brooke, an effortlessly cool lifeguard who puts their big plans, and friendship, at risk.

Burgundy, France, end of 1945. On the day of his 15th birthday, Louis receives a very special gift from his uncle Jules, who decides to take his nephew to his favorite brothel in an attempt to let him explore his new life as a grown-up man. Through the evening’s bittersweet encounters, Louis discovers the adult world in all its complexity and cruelty.

Two girls explore their relationship and what it means to be in the world and be vulnerable in this hand drawn graphite animation.

Photographer and social recluse Louis and his cool-girl co-worker Eloise are unlikely friends at their New York photo lab. But when Eloise leaves on a date, Louis has to confront his priorities when he gets stuck overnight in the darkroom door.