Few themes in cinema are as awe-inspiring and powerful as freedom, and it is no surprise that so many of the world’s best films have centred on our inalienable right to be free. From stories of people fighting to defend what makes them unique, and others of broken characters fleeing past traumas to start a new life, we will never grow tired of watching films that make us battle for a better and fairer world. Here below, we’ve put together some of the best indie films on the subject, all for you to enjoy on Cineuropa.

These titles are brought to you in partnership with eyelet (read the news), a streaming platform designed to give cinephiles around the world access to the very best in independent cinema. In conjunction with eyelet, we are now able to showcase films we’ve been reviewing over the years - titles you can stream and read about on Cineuropa. Stay tuned for the new movies coming your way soon!

The Colors Of The Mountain - Carlos César Arbeláez

Nine-year-old Manuel dreams of becoming a goalkeeper, but when an unexpected accident sends his football into a minefield, the kid’s dreams will jostle with the harsh realities of the Colombian armed conflict. A riveting first feature by Carlos César Arbeláez, drenched in humanity and compassion.

Elles [+lire aussi :
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interview : Malgorzata Sumowska
fiche film] - Malgorzata Szumowska

On her latest assignment, a journalist for Elle immerses herself in a prostitution ring run by university students. Confrontational and intoxicating, Elles thrives on Binoche’s superb performance, dissecting the sordid world of prostitution and the dangers faced by sex workers.

A Very Curious Girl – Nelly Kaplan

A small-town prostitute turns the tables on her hypocritical clients in A Very Curious Girl, Nelly Kaplan’s first feature, a farcical account of sexual revenge that remains amazingly fresh fifty years after its release. An uplifting tribute to outsiders and outcasts of all sorts.

Bad Hair [+lire aussi :
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interview : Mariana Rondón
fiche film] – Mariana Rondón

Nine-year-old Yunior has one preening obsession: straightening his hair, even if this mean clashing with his single-mother, who worries the boy’s changing hairdo may belie awakening homosexual feelings. An uncomfortably piercing study of a mother-son power struggle, which treats both with oodles of toughness and empathy.

The Nothing Factory [+lire aussi :
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interview : Pedro Pinho
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Crowned with the FIPRESCI award in Cannes back in 2017, Pedro Pinho’s The Nothing Factory is an intriguing gem sitting somewhere between musical and social realism: a lyrical hymn to the resilience of factory workers protesting the relocation of their workplace.

Land of the Little People [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] – Yaniv Berman

Four young children stranded in a village of military officers’ families form a small gang, and when two deserters seek refuge inside the kids’ hideout, violence ensues. An unflinching and brutal parable of violence, and the price the youngest pay for it.

Félix et Meira – Maxime Giroux

Fans of Unorthodox [+lire aussi :
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fiche série] will find plenty to marvel at in this subtle study of a Jewish woman breaking free from her Hasidic community to find refuge in a young man mourning his father’s death. Two broken souls from markedly different worlds reunited in a daring tale of love and belonging.

Skate Kitchen – Crystal Moselle

Introverted teen Camille befriends a group of skateboarders, and watches as her life changes forever once the new crew beckons her deep into the heart of New York City and its raw subcultures. It’s uplifting, gorgeous, and deeply infectious: a memorable portrait of female friendship, and an evocative meditation on the casual joys of being young. Don’t miss it.

Memory Exercises [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] – Paz Encina

Agustín Goiburú, the foremost political opponent of Alfredo Stroessner’s dictatorship in Paraguay, disappeared in 1976 in Argentina, where he was exiled. Paz Encina’s vital documentary conjures his story through the memories of Goiburú's three children. A canvas of Paraguay’s troubled history spanning the last 35 years.

My Little Princess [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
interview : Anamaria Vartolomei
fiche film] – Eva Ionesco

Isabelle Huppert stars as an ice-queen monster-mommy in Eva Ionesco’s semi-autobiographical debut, where a teenage girl struggles against her commanding mother, a revered photographer with rather controversial ideas about sexual inhibitions...