Elyas, a former Special Forces soldier who has become paranoid since a mission in Afghanistan, is recruited to ensure the safety of Amina and her daughter Nour, 13 years old, both of whom came from the Middle East for the holidays. As he takes office, Elyas senses something is up.
In modern-day Helsinki, two lonely souls in search of love meet by chance in a karaoke bar. However, their path to happiness is beset by obstacles – from lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog.
A fisherman's son is offered the ultimate privilege to study at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the epicenter of power of Sunni Islam. Shortly after his arrival, the university’s highest ranking religious leader, the Grand Imam, dies and the young student becomes a pawn in a ruthless power struggle between Egypt's religious and political elite.
After her father's funeral, Maarit plans to return to Thailand. On the day of the departure, she finds her mother Sylvi and her father’s taxidermy badger in a bar and Sylvi makes a revelation that may change Maarit’s departure plans.
George Fahmy, Egypt's most adored actor, is pressured to star in a film commissioned by the highest authorities. He reluctantly accepts and finds himself thrown into the inner circle of power. Like moth drawn to flame, he begins an affair with the mysterious wife of the general overseeing the project.
A restaurateur befriends a Syrian refugee who has recently arrived in Finland.
Yazan is a Palestinian filmmaker, born and raised in a Syrian refugee camp. When he gets a residency in Paris to write his first feature, it’s a dream come true at the worst time: he is grieving his grandmother’s death in Aleppo, crushed by self-doubt, and heartbroken. Longing to make his first film, he finds himself emotionally blocked, haunted by trauma and survivor’s guilt. Alone in this beautiful city, pressured to prove himself, he spirals between inspiration and despair. In a desperate attempt to reconnect, he invites fellow international filmmakers from the residency to read his script. What begins as a creative exercise turns into a chaotic, funny, and revealing encounter.
When an immigrant taxi driver finds the ashes of a deceased stranger in his backseat, his night shift turns into a search for a final resting place that transcends cultures. Can the literal ground be our common ground?
A Finnish-Palestinian woman, Amani Lillak, is completing her voluntary military service in the Finnish Army’s medical corps. During a final combat exercise, Lillak learns that the crisis in her father’s homeland has further escalated. Film selected for the Cannes Film Festival La Cinéf competition lineup.