Turkey

After a tragic accident he’d just as soon forget, Nihat takes a post at a forest watchtower, where he meets a student who’s also on the run from a dark past. Over time the two become close, only to have their histories threaten to tear them apart. Through vivid character study, this slow burner from Pelin Esmer (10 to 11) observes the myriad challenges faced by a country unsure of its place in the world.

Director Reha Erdem Invited

A 17-year-old girl runs away from a stifling life in her small town to experience more freedom and discover herself in the big city. After spending days wandering the forests, struggling to survive, Jin finally makes her way to the city, only to discover that her new life there isn’t any easier. Jin is a captivating coming-of-age story about one young woman in a society that hasn’t always offered opportunities for girls like her.

Debuting in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, Children of Sarajevo is set in the present-day Bosnian city, a society where ghosts of Bosnia’s recent war for independence still loom large. Having turned to Islam to save her from a crime-filled adolescence, twentysomething orphan Rahima tries her best to keep her teenage brother Nedim out of jail. A fistfight between Nedim and the son of a local strongman triggers a chain of events leading Rahima to discover that her brother leads a double life.