Bruiser

Eastern Cape, South Africa. A lonely factory worker, Xolani, takes time off his job to assist during an annual Xhosa circumcision initiation into manhood. In a remote mountain camp that is off limits to women, young men, painted in white ochre, recuperate as they learn the masculine codes of their culture. In this environment of machismo and aggression, Xolani cares for a defiant initiate from Johannesburg, Kwanda, who quickly learns Xolani's best kept secret, that he is in love with another man.

Manuela and her mother have different ways of perceiving the world they live in. They discuss masculinity, love, and, as if that were not enough, the importance of a sofa.

In a fading Louisiana town, Jerome dreams of Hollywood while Terry seeks escape from a troubled home. United by desperation, they train for a high-stakes bodybuilding competition that becomes their shot at something more. Filmed over 18 months, WEST OF GREATNESS blazes a bold new trail in cinematic storytelling, blending raw documentary with scripted drama. It's a haunting, human story of ambition, survival, and the quiet bond that forms when there's nothing left to lose.

A woman with a metal plate in her head from a childhood car accident embarks on a bizarre journey, bringing her into contact with a firefighter who's reunited with his missing son after 10 years.

Manuel and Lupe want to have a baby. When Manuel discovers he is infertile, he starts to fall apart both physically and emotionally. After exploring several options, Manuel turns to Rubén, his new friend, to act as their donor.

In a family of sheep rustlers, a 15-year-old must go up against his domineering father to help his younger brother keep the lamb left orphaned by their latest slaughter. Rustling touchingly presents an alternative masculinity instilled not with machismo, but with empathy.

During summer break, 14-year-old Darious explores the boundaries of his manhood through tumultuous interactions with Malcolm his strict father and a burgeoning mentorship with mysterious drifter Porter.

All filmed from the warped perspective of a doll, Black Daruma is a dark-humoured psychological horror film about an unemployed man who buys a Japanese 'luck doll' to improve his fortunes, only for his life to unravel in disturbing ways.

A mother and her son have left the marital home. The mother entrusts her son Jacques to a friend for the day. This is an opportunity for the little boy to play with Julie. But Jacques has a secret: he loves playing with dolls.

Yael is at the beginning of puberty and is searching for his own identity between his virile big brother and his queer best friend Aaron. In the process, he not only questions himself, but also endangers his friendship with Aaron.

Several actors are members of a amateur soccer team. They followed in their preparations for a particular audition and in their personal life. With about 6 actors this delivers a broad picture of Italian life in which the question what it means to be a man is posed in the challenging circumstances of familily life, sex relationships, sport, cross gender roles and mafia.

Five men meet on a self-development course run by a charismatic coach who promises to mend their relationship with their partners. The controversial methods of a self-proclaimed specialist turn their lives upside down, leading to a series of hilarious, sometimes blood-curdling consequences.

At times of changing gender roles, a tinder date encourages young Leonid to live his own definition of "masculinity". A current reflection on love, sexuality and role models.

Sons of Caribbean immigrants, Francis and Michael face questions of masculinity, identity and family amid the pulsing beat of Toronto's early hip-hop scene. A mystery unfolds when escalating tensions set off a series of events which changes the course of the brothers’ lives forever.

Ten-year-old Emil lives with his dad in an apartment in Taastrup. Following the death of Emil's mother, his father struggles with the role of single parent. In an effort to deal with this lack of fatherly attention and authority, Emil has come up with a set of strange rules and secret projects.

This anti-coming-of-age film follows Generation Y characters as they chase the desire for radical self-realisation.

A father and his two sons go on holiday together hoping to reconcile some of their differences, but when the arrival of two escaped convicts interrupts their vacation, the three men must cooperate in order to survive.

After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.

Manuel is 23 years old, he is independent and his only company is his pitbull dog. One morning he meets Margarita, a woman twice his age and with whom he sleeps in a nearby motel, receiving the first anilingus of his life. Confused between pleasure and fear, Manuel reflects on his prejudices, his masculinity and his identity.

Casey is attacked at random on the street and enlists in a local dojo led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei in an effort to learn how to defend himself. What he uncovers is a sinister world of fraternity, violence and hypermasculinity and a woman fighting for her place in it.