Organized by the Justice and Cinema Association, the 16th International Crime and Punishment Film Festival will take place from November 27 to December 2. Following the opening ceremony on November 26, the festival will present Crescendo (L’Objet du délit), the latest film by acclaimed French filmmaker Agnès Jaoui, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Blending humor with themes of gender equality, power dynamics, and generational conflict, the film unfolds behind the scenes of a production of Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro. Meanwhile, the festival’s main non-competitive section, Scale of Justice, will feature four films, including selections from the Cannes and Berlin film festivals. Exploring themes ranging from silence and impunity within families to women’s struggles for freedom, stories of resistance, and social prejudice, the selection brings different dimensions of the pursuit of justice to the screen.

Opening Film: Crescendo

Acclaimed French actress, screenwriter, director, and singer Agnès Jaoui explores the intersection of Mozart’s world and contemporary social debates in her latest film, Crescendo (L’Objet du délit), weaving humor and irony into the narrative. Written after Jaoui attended the sexual harassment and bullying prevention training now mandatory in the French film industry, the festival’s opening film offers a sharp critique of both woke culture and traditional patriarchal structures.

During preparations for a staging of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, an allegation of sexual assault disrupts relationships among the cast and production team. As tensions rise, different generations clash over their views on women’s rights, power, and responsibility. Drawing parallels between the 18th-century opera’s critique of male dominance and class relations and contemporary social debates, Jaoui finds humor even in the midst of dramatic situations. Starring Jaoui alongside Daniel Auteuil and screened at the Cannes Film Festival, the film questions what has changed in women’s struggle for equality and which prejudices continue to persist.

Scale of Justice

This year, Scale of Justice, the festival’s main non-competitive section, contains four films from different parts of the world. Exploring long-buried family secrets and impunity, women’s solidarity against patriarchal structures in Chad, a struggle for survival overshadowed by history following Che Guevara’s death, and the social prejudices faced by a pastor who opens his church to homeless people during a deadly winter storm, the films examine justice from different perspectives. Which contains documentary, drama, and fantastical storytelling, the selection reminds us that justice is pursued not only in courtrooms but also within families, social relationships, and individual choices.

Adapted by Tunç Şahin from his play of the same name, Monster (Canavar) tells a powerful story of confrontation centered on hidden family secrets, silence, and impunity. When cousins reunite after a long separation and attempt to rebuild their family ties, the revelation of events concealed for years leads to an unexpected reckoning. Set entirely in a single location, the film explores how patriarchal family structures and social pressure force individuals into silence, and how crimes can be concealed under the pretext of preserving family unity. Featuring compelling performances by Tülin Özen, Gülçin Kültür Şahin, and Hakan Emre Ünal, the film creates a striking cinematic language through its minimalist setting, powerful dialogue, and close-up shots. Having won the Audience Award at the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, where it had its world premiere, Monster addresses not only the impunity of perpetrators but also the secondary trauma experienced by victims whose voices remain unheard.

Che Guevara: The Last Companions (Les Survivants du Che) brings to light a long-overlooked story that unfolded after Che Guevara’s death. Directed by Christophe Dimitri Réveille, the documentary follows the perilous 2,400-kilometer journey undertaken by six surviving guerrillas as they attempt to escape 4,000 soldiers pursuing them after Che Guevara was killed in Bolivia in 1967. The result of 22 years of research by the director, the film combines the guerrillas’ testimonies with rare archival footage and animation, while also incorporating perspectives from members of the Bolivian army and the CIA. Narrated by Vincent Lindon and presented in the Special Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival, the documentary examines resistance, loyalty, and betrayal through the eyes of individuals whose experiences have remained in the shadows of history.

Down the Arm of God (İnayet) tells a tense story about faith, conscience, and social prejudice. Directed by Peter Brunner, the film follows Nick, a young pastor newly assigned to the town of Amarillo, as he decides to open the doors of his church to homeless people struggling to survive a deadly winter storm. His decision exposes the town’s deeply rooted prejudices and suppressed anger. Unable to tolerate the presence of “outsiders” in their sacred space, members of the congregation and local leaders soon turn against their own pastor, pushing the town toward irreversible chaos. Inspired by true events, produced by Luc Besson, and starring Caleb Landry Jones, the psychological drama raises a disturbing question about the relationship between faith, conscience, and social hypocrisy: How far will a community go to exclude the very people it has a duty to protect?

Acclaimed filmmaker Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, who will receive the festival’s Cinema Honorary Award this year and serve as jury president of the Golden Scale National Feature Film Competition, brings mythology and women’s struggle for freedom together against the mesmerizing landscapes of the Sahara Desert in his latest film, Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars (Soumsoum, la nuit des astres). Seventeen-year-old Kellou, who lives in a village in Chad’s Ennedi region, is ostracized by those around her because of the mysterious visions she experiences. Meeting Aya, another woman marginalized by society, sets her on a path toward uncovering the secrets of her past and challenging oppressive traditions. Drawing on legends from his childhood and Chad’s ancient oral storytelling traditions, Haroun intertwines fantastical elements with social reality. Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize in the Main Competition of the Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere, the film explores women’s solidarity, prejudice, and trauma passed down through generations in a poetic cinematic language.

Bringing together the worlds of cinema and law under the guiding principle of “Justice for All” the 16th International Crime and Punishment Film Festival will take place in Istanbul from November 27 to December 2, featuring international feature and short film competitions, film selections across various sections, an Academic Program, and VisionIST events. The festival is held under the presidency of Prof. Dr. Adem Sözüer, with Prof. Dr. Bengi Semerci serving as Festival Director and Alin Taşçıyan as Program Director.