Best of Fests: favorites from festivals around the world

The selection of 59 titles spans diverse styles and genres, engaging with some of the world’s most pressing topics. 

Several films engage directly with the state of crisis in the world, tracing how the histories of countries continue to shape the present. In a poignant chronicle of decades of resistance to the regime in Iran, Pegah Ahangarani’s Rehearsals for a Revolution finds a glimmer of hope in those who continue to resist. Amid daily bombardments in Gaza, Ahmed Hassouna’s Citizen Osama follows journalist and father Osama as he balances the demands of reporting with the responsibilities and fears of caring for his newborn son.  

Lukas Marxt’s >1.5°C: Pyropolitics and the New World observes the devastating wildfires that swept through Los Angeles County in January 2025, confronting the consequences of increasingly extreme weather. 

Other films begin from deeply personal perspectives. In The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer, Alessandra Sanguinetti follows cousins Belinda and Guillermina in rural Argentina over 25 years, creating a tender portrait on friendship and the passing of time.  

IDFA Bertha Fund-supported titles in the selection include Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava by Nong Nhat Quang, Concrete Land by Asmahan Bkerat, and Truck Driver by Francisco Marise.