10. There is No Evil (Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran)
“There Is No Evil” is a very good film that makes up for the slight missteps with its cleverness, integrity and soulfulness. Rasoulof is here to stay at the film festival circuit, no matter the ban. Good news! (Marko Stojiljković)
9. Yellow Cat (Adilkhan Yerzhanov, Kazakhstan)
Two months after Venice IFF where it competed in the Orizzonti selection, densely followed by San Sebastian, “Yellow Cat” is in Tallinn to conquer the audience, and it will probably continue to travel the world in tow with its younger sibling. (Marina D. Richter)
8. Momê (Rodi Güven Yalçinkaya, Turkey)
“Momê“ is a very suspenseful blend of drama and political thriller. Rodi Güven Yalçinkaya tells a story about a flawed, but powerful system based on surveillance and control, thus undermining social cohesion and people's sense of security. (Rouven Linnarz)
7. 200 Meters (Ameen Nayfeh, Palestine)
“200 Meters” tells a story about the human implications of separation, created through the political and historical differences between people. Ameen Nayfeh has managed to create a quite tense and emotional drama about a father wanting to be there for his family, but is unable to do so due to circumstances he cannot control. (Rouven Linnarz)
6. Ghosts (Azra Deniz Okyay, Turkey)
“Ghosts” is a drama which tells a story about a possible future Turkey, its society and its politics. Director Azra Deniz Okyay has managed to make an aesthetically convincing feature debut which, while its overall atmosphere seems quite bleak and pessimist at times, still maintains some shimmer of hope for the future, an aspect which is possibly the movie's biggest asset. (Rouven Linnarz)
5. The End Will Be Spectacular (Ersin Celik, Kurdistan)
“The End Will be Spectacular” is an excellent film that functions greatly as both a documentary and a war drama, as it achieves to inform while entertaining. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
4. Mariam (Sharipa Urazbayeva, Kazakhstan)
At its heart, “Mariam” harkens the plight of all women across not just the third world but across the entire planet. A snapshot of how heavily tipped the scales are against their favour, the films goes so far to push the question of a woman's worth not simply as a woman but as a human being; that its lead is denied the privilege to even earn a living is testament to how far behind many cultures are with regards to this. In this light it is more than just one woman's story but that of millions, many of which will no doubt never get to tell their rendition of it. In each other, Urazbayeva and Sabbusinova have found a remarkably simple but no less effective platform that will hopefully inspire many more to do the same. (Jamie Cansdale)
3. The Slaughterhouse (Abbas Amini, Iran)
“The Slaughterhouse” is a blend of social drama and thriller whose message, bleak as it may be, shows the cruel logic of a system based on necessity and economic survival. Abbas Amini's feature cannot be viewed as a “whodunit” since the perpetrator is known, but rather as a study of the world which allows them to roam free and go about their business. (Rouven Linnarz)
2. You Know Him (Ercan Kesel, Turkey)
“You Know Him” is a powerful and quite acidic look at the machinations of modern politics, its obsession with image and problematic relationship with reality. Ercan Kesal has managed to direct a highly ambitious blend of drama and satire, exposing the chasm between the person and the figure smiling from a campaign poster. (Rouven Linnarz)
1. Khatemeh (Hadi Zarei, Mehdi Zarei, Iran)
The concept of “real-life exceeds fantasy” finds one of its apogees here, since it is doubtful any scriptwriter could come up with a story as cinematic as the actual one we see unfolding in front of our eyes. Taking things from the fact that Khatemeh's family wants to marry her to a man who was the cause of her sister's suicide, and continuing to the circumstances of the actual marriage (Khatemeh states that her husband had forceful sex with her 10 times in her wedding night while he insists it was just 5, among other extreme situations) a truly nightmarish setting begins to appear to the viewer. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
