Events for Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.

Exploring his blossoming sexuality in the vibrant Copenhagen nightlife, young Johan (Magnus Juhl Andersen) works at a popular bathhouse and meets local hookups on the apps. When one online connection turns out to be a trans man named William (Nina Rask), Johan is unsure of how to proceed but immediately taken in by William's charm. Their tryst blooms into a torrid affair that opens Johan up to an entire new world, meeting William's trans friends and learning the daily struggles they face as they fight for access to surgery and hormones. Johan is also unexpectedly confronted with the persistent social norms that still exist in the gay community and is forced to question whether he has what it takes to push back.

Writer-director Mathias Broe's Sauna is a confident debut feature, avoiding any easy tropes by delving headfirst into the complexities of queer relationships and the clashes that erupt within them. Complimenting Broe's direction are the raw and striking lead performances by Andersen and Rask, which make Johan and William such indelible, real characters.

Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.

Taken to a UK detention center, sullen and too petrified to talk, Isio, an undocumented Nigerian fleeing homophobia, is assigned to a room with Farah, a soft-mannered yet gutsy artist who knows more about the ins and outs of the immigration system. While Isio would rather sit with her despair than make any friends, Farah’s helpfulness in the appeals process gives Isio a new outlook on her future while challenging her views of right and wrong. As friendliness progresses into flirtatious exchanges, Isio finds an unexpected chance at happiness and allows herself the luxury of dreams.

Making its world premiere at Berlinale and based loosely on her life, writer/director Joy Gharorro-Akpojotor’s timely and tender look at the uncertainty of the migrant experience gives voice to oft-unnamed asylum seekers navigating a confusing, belittling system while trying to maintain hope and sense of self.