Chosen

Director: Jasmin Dizdar

Year: 1999

London, 13th October 1993. The day England are to play Holland in a critical World Cup qualifier. The Bosnian war is at its height, Sebrenica is besieged and the UN are preparing relief airdrops. A Serb (Dado Jehan) and a Croat (Faruk Pruti) meet on a London bus. Recognising each other as fellow refugees from the same village in Bosnia they immediately renew their contact by . . . attempting to beat each other to a pulp. Their subsequent manic chase through the streets of central London sets the scene for the electric comedy of Beautiful People. Jasmin Dizdar's extraordinary debut feature film tracks the interlinked and troubled lives of four British families whose encounters with refugees from the war in former Yugoslavia helps them to see the beauty that exists in their own lives. Beautiful People unites its disaffected, troubled and eccentric characters in a panoramic portrait of London's melting pot of class and culture and infuses it with a dark comedy which has at its heart a profound understanding that if 'life changes just a little bit in your favour - it can be beautiful'.

Director: Kieran Bourne

Year: 2026

Arthur, a Black filmmaker struggling with his sense of identity and external expectations, retreats to a remote farmhouse with seven days left to finish his script. His solitude is quickly interrupted by Clara, a high-profile actress on the run from her press tour, seeking an escape from a life defined by words on a page. Searching for distance from the pressures that have led them here, Arthur and Clara initially resist one another. But as their fragile egos attempt to connect, their shared vulnerability leads them on an accidental journey of self-discovery, revealing what it truly means to be seen. Set against the quiet isolation of the British countryside, Arthur & Clara is an intimate exploration of identity and genuine connection. This is not a story about two people finding each other, but about two people finding themselves. Official Selection, Austin Film Festival 2026 - WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Adam Lavis

Year: 2027

Thomas and Anje have been struggling to conceive, but neither knows how to talk about what they’re going through. Anje pours herself into her family and caring for her demanding mother, while Thomas retreats into work and the purchase of their dream home. To Thomas, the house represents a chance for them to build a life away from Anje’s overbearing family, particularly her brother Hemming, a man seemingly incapable of tact, grace or decorum. But just as they are preparing to complete on the house, Thomas unexpectedly loses his job. With only fourteen days to find new employment before the bank withdraws their mortgage, he keeps the news from Anje, convinced he can solve the problem himself. When Hemming discovers Thomas’s secret, he immediately takes it upon himself to help. His increasingly bizarre solutions draw in dubious acquaintances, eccentric family members and, eventually, the attention of the law. What begins as a quiet domestic crisis gradually descends into farce, as Thomas’s determination to solve everything alone threatens to sabotage the family and future he has been trying so desperately to protect.