Three women embark on a mission to find out why an increasing number of women are emerging from their births physically and emotionally traumatised. Their discoveries expose the truth and lead them to join the birth revolution and forge a movement that hopes to change the face of maternity care in Australia and across the developed world. Improving women’s experience of birth helps them set up a stronger bond with their babies, decreases their risk of postnatal depression and encourages them to trust their maternal instincts when it comes to mothering their children. Care, connection, respect and trust begin with the mother baby bond.

Director Thomas Vinterberg (The Commune SFF2016) and award winning actor Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt, Hannibal) reunite to bring a tragicomedy combining science, alcohol and midlife defiance. Mikkelsen plays Martin, a morose high school history teacher who seems to have lost his mojo and enthusiasm such that it affects his students, wife and kids. He hangs out a bit with three other middle-aged teachers contemplating their current lives and paths. They start obsessing over an obscure theory by Norwegian psychologist Finn Skårderund, who argues that humans require alcohol in their system to thrive and suggests a daily intake in the vicinity of 5%. At first, this proves true enough: however, before long, Martin’s gone into pure “Nutty Professor” mode, as he smuggles Smirnoff and a breathalyser into the bathroom before unleashing kooky history lessons to his bemused students. His colleagues enjoy similar “success”, and soon the men careen into the inevitable downward spiral, upping their daily intake goals until they delve into questionable actions and circumstances. Ultimately, Vinterberg’s prizewinning film poses questions about social awareness and hints that the culture portrayed onscreen reflects a larger issue not just in Denmark but around the world.

Director Laura Gabbert (City of Gold, 2015) documents the collaboration between world renowned, London based Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi and the Metropolitan Museum of Art as he recruits A-list pastry chefs and curates an extravagant culinary presentation for the “Visitors to Versailles” exhibition. Filmed across three countries each pâtissier is tasked with creating a unique cake inspired by the Versailles exhibit. Each artist attempts their bespoke creation with the often-daunting challenges of cooking in a world class museum. With New York’s high society watching, months of preparation and planning ultimately culminate in two days of vigorous baking.

A highly memorable opening scene, introduces us turn by turn to five characters each confessing a secret, then coolly brushing it away. In a rural plateau in southern France caught in the grip of a snowy winter, Alice (Laura Calamy), a farmer’s wife sells insurance to – and is having an affair with – Joseph. Meanwhile, prominent Parisian Evelyne (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) has gone missing on the plateau, with only her abandoned car offering any clue. With exceptional performances that take you across continents, Dominik Moll’s constantly engaging film is a cleverly structured, non-linear thriller, that will keep your synapses firing.

A compelling family drama set in the warm southern countryside of Tunisia where a wealthy couple, Ben Fares Youssef (Sami Bouajila, Indigènes) and his wife Meriem (Najla Ben Adallah) answer their son Aziz’s demand to sing his favourite song one more time. As they drive down the dusty roads to their weekend holiday destination, they are ambushed by a group of radicals. They manage to escape but not without a fatality and a subsequent blood test that confirms a long buried secret. Supported by its superb leads, this tight directorial debut by Tunisian filmmaker Mehdi Barsaoui, cleverly captures emotions of masculinity and personal ego within a complex political climate. Ultimately this is a story that portrays the fierce love of a parent and how far they are willing to go to protect their own.

(Screenig with short film SMASHED).... Steven Yeun (Okja, SFF 2017; Burning, SFF 2018; The Walking Dead) is fantastic as Jacob Yi, a Korean immigrant who is determined to make a success of his life in America. Though his wife Monica (Yeri Han) is deeply sceptical, he moves the family to rural 1980s Arkansas with the hope of creating a viable farm on land that has been historically unproductive. His young son David and daughter Anne have mixed feelings about this move: at first excited by their new mobile home, they soon grow bored being in a backwater. The arrival of their foul-mouthed but loving grandmother (a sparkling Youn Yuh-jung, The Housemaid) from Korea brings new energy to the family dynamic, but Jacob’s determination to make it as a successful farmer throws the family’s finances, and its relationships, into peril. Clearly a deeply personal project for Lee Isaac Chung, Minari tenderly immerses itself lives of these delicately drawn characters.

This charming documentary set deep in the forests of Italy’s Piedmont region follows a handful of eccentric, often squabbling, locals who forage for the rare and expensive white Alba truffle—which can’t be farmed or grown in a lab. Guided by a secret culture and training passed down through generations, as well as by the noses of their cherished and expertly trained dogs, the elderly foragers live a simpler, slower way of life, in harmony with their faithful animals and their picture-perfect land. As a result of climate change, deforestation, the lack of young people taking up the mantle, and questionable dark alleyway deals, the secrets of the truffle hunters have become more coveted than ever. Armed with a dog Go Pro, directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (The Last Race), uncover touching, often mischievous, stories of lives untold while celebrating human passion and a community forgotten in time.

It is deep Autumn and Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci), partners of twenty years, are on holiday. They are travelling across England in their old campervan visiting friends, family and places from their past. Since Tusker was diagnosed with young-onset dementia two years ago their lives have had to change. Jobs have been given up and plans put on hold. Their time together is now the most important thing they have. As the trip progresses, their individual ideas for their future begin to collide. Secrets are uncovered, private plans unravel and their love for each other is tested like never before. Ultimately, they must confront the question of what it means to love one another in the face of Tusker’s irreparable illness.

(Screening with short film BAMA)... Shot with solar powered batteries in the Himalayan village of Lunana (population 56), this glorious directorial debut takes place in one of the most secluded and undeveloped areas of the entire world. Ugyen is an aspiring singer living in Bhutan’s capital. He dreams of moving to Australia but first he must finish his final year of teaching service. Slacking on his duties, he is punished by being assigned to “the world’s most remote school”. After an eight-day trek, Ugyen reaches the high-altitude village with more yak dung than people, few amenities, and a bunch of eager-to-learn kids who’ve never seen a car. He’s determined to leave as soon as he can despite the local community’s warm welcome. As winter approaches, he slowly succumbs to the charm of the community and its traditions.

(Screening with short film GLEN)... First-time director Simon Bird spins a bittersweet tale of the complexities of family and teenage strife, starring Earl Cave (son of Australian powerhouse talent Nick Cave) and his librarian mum Sue. Dad is long gone – off to Florida and a new fiancée – and Daniel has been invited out for the wedding. The invitation is both a respite from the boredom of school holidays and a token of his dad’s love, so when it’s retracted, Daniel is hurt and lashes out at his baffled mum. With strong performances, this debut feature brings a gentle coming-of-age, funny tale that acts as love-letter to single mums, introverts, suburbia and that great stretch of summer.

Set in the Western Australian desert during the 1890s Gold Rush, The Furnace stars David Wenham (radiating gravitas) as a rascally thief, Mal, trekking across the desert accompanied by Hanif, a young Afghan cameleer (Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek). Mal (Wenham, FILMS) has convinced the world-weary Hanif to help him transport a bag of stolen Crown gold across the desolate outback in search of a furnace, in which to convert the precious metal into a usable fortune. Unfortunately, a team of troops, including a menacing Sergeant Shaw (Jay Ryan It:Chapter Two, Neighbours), are following close behind. With beautifully shot scenes of the unforgiving terrain and a richly diverse cast including Baykalli Ganambarr (The Nightingale) and Mahesh Jadu (The Witcher), debut Australian director Roderick Mackay has delivered a sensitive portrait of a complicated history of the Muslim diaspora and Australia’s rough past.