De Cinema actively explores and celebrates the global contemporary film landscape. In our CINEMA NOW-series, we collect those titles that challenged or moved us most: new films that dare to defy cinematic boundaries and narrative structures as we know them. CINEMA NOW highlights remarkable debut features as well as the latest films from renowned directors. But most importantly, it highlights those gems that received little to no media attention or were not released in Belgium in the first place.

HIGHLIGHTS

MY FATHER’S SHADOW is a landmark: the first Nigerian film ever selected for Cannes (where it received a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or) and the semi-autobiographical feature debut of Akinola Davies. Lagos, June 1993. As Nigeria teeters between military rule and democratic hope, young brothers Remi and Akin unexpectedly spend a day with their often-absent father Folarin, who travels to the city to collect unpaid wages. What begins as a practical trip becomes a turning point, as the boys come to see their father as a layered, complex man shaped by worry, loss, and a troubled past.

In a sedate corner of Massachusetts, circa 1970, a self-absorbed, unemployed carpenter by the name of James B. Mooney plans his first big art heist. CHALLENGERS and LA CHIMERA star Josh O’Connor is impeccable as the world’s worst art thief. THE MASTERMIND steers well clear of genre staples like OCEAN’S ELEVEN or RESERVOIR DOGS, aligning more closely with the austere style of Robert Bresson and Jean-Pierre Melville than with Tarantino’s violent flair, though it’s laced with a surprising amount of deadpan humor.

In THE LOVE THAT REMAINS, Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason paints a poetic, surreal, and darkly comic portrait of a family trying to regain their footing after a divorce. This tender slice-of-life drama, featuring an award-winning canine in the cast, is a worthy successor to Pálmason’s acclaimed GODLAND.