Ole Christian Madsen : 2014
Itsi Bitsi

In the early 1960s, wannabe writer Eik meets fellow free spirit Iben whilst protesting American imperialism. Bonding over their love of literature, the boundary-smashing music of the period, and, not least, the pleasures of consciousness-altering drugs, the couple soon decamps from sleepy, bourgeois Copenhagen for the European continent and, eventually, Marrakesh, Baghdad, Nepal, and the deserts of Afghanistan. Struggling to write his novel, Eik desperately tries to hold on to Iben who refuses to commit herself to anything, let alone one man only. Deciding that the only way to win Iben's love is to start a band, Eik founds Steppeulvene (named after the Hermann Hesse novel, Steppenwolf) and enjoys near-instant success. The group makes Eik a celebrity, and Denmark's official spokesperson for the counter-culture – but it's uncertain whether his success will bring him what he most wants. A story based on true events about the desperate love of two young people who share an all-consuming passion for each other, a passion they attempt to relinquish but which never relinquishes them. An epic, continent-crossing counter-cultural romance based on events that led to the founding of the short-lived but massively influential Danish rock band Steppeulvene. Ole Christian Madsen's feature premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2014, and screened at İstanbul Film Festival 2015.

Batin Ghobadi : 2014

A police officer finds himself haunted by a traumatic childhood memory as he searches for a missing man in the rugged mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. Mardan is a serious, brooding officer who is called into action to investigate the disappearance of a young man. The man's wife is extremely worried that foul play may be involved, as he was carrying a lot of cash, so Mardan sets out with the woman and her young son to try to solve the mystery. Stalking the Kurdish countryside, trying to solve the case of the missing man, Mardan finds himself revisiting his own personal history. The journey through a haunting terrain also becomes a trip through an obscure past. Batin Ghobadi's feature debut premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2014.

Hisham Zaman : 2013
Før snøen faller

A road movie that becomes an odyssey from East to West for young Siyar, a village boy from Iraqi Kurdistan, who has overtaken the responsibility for his siblings after the death of their parents. His journey begins when his older sister, Nermin, flees her wedding. Siyar's father is dead, and as the eldest son, he is obliged to set out to find his sister and kill her to restore his family honour in the local village. In İstanbul he meets a young girl, Evin, and they travel together through Greece, Germany and Norway. During the journey through different cultures, Siyar gradually matures as he is forced to set in question the ethics of his cultural moral of honour-killing. Instead, the search for his sister becomes a search for dignity and love. Hisham Zaman's debut feature received the jury's honourable mention when it premiered at Tromsø Internasjonale Filmfestival 2013.