• John Sayles – Amigo (2010)

    2001-2010DramaJohn SaylesUSAWar

    AMIGO, the 17th feature film from Academy Award-nominated writer-director John Sayles, stars legendary Filipino actor Joel Torre as Rafael, a village mayor caught in the murderous crossfire of the Philippine-American War. When U.S. troops occupy his village, Rafael comes under pressure from a tough-as-nails officer (Chris Cooper) to help the Americans in their hunt for Filipino guerilla fighters. But Rafaels brother (Ronnie Lazaro) is the head of the local guerillas, and considers anyone who cooperates with the Americans to be a traitor. Rafael quickly finds himself forced to make the impossible, potentially deadly decisions faced by ordinary civilians in an occupied country. A powerful drama of friendship, betrayal, romance and heartbreaking violence, AMIGO is a page torn from the untold history of the Philippines, and a mirror of todays unresolvable conflicts.Read More »

  • Franklin J. Schaffner – Welcome Home (1989)

    1981-1990DramaFranklin J. SchaffnerThrillerUSA

    Jake died in Vietnam; his family mourned him, then moved on. When he reappears, quite alive, the question is, what must he do and how will his family respond to him?Read More »

  • Yasuzô Masumura – Hyoheki AKA The Precipice (1958)

    1951-1960DramaJapanMysteryYasuzô Masumura

    Kosaka drops to death while ice climbing with his friend Uozu to see the sunrise on the New Year’s Day. The investigators try to find the cause of the death, then discover that the cut rope was made in the factory for which Uozu’s brother works.Read More »

  • Lionel Baier – La cache AKA The Safe House (2025)

    2021-2030ComedyDramaFranceLionel Baier

    The ten-year-old boy lived through the events of May 1968 hidden away at his grandparents’ house, surrounded by his uncles and great-grandmother, all bivouacked around a mysterious hideout. Adapted from the novel by Christophe Boltanski.Read More »

  • Frank Beyer – Der Bruch AKA The Break AKA The Break’in (1989)

    1981-1990ComedyCrimeFrank BeyerGermany

    Three men break into a bank and are pursued by three other men. The burglars have been at this sort of thing for years; the policemen have only been in their jobs for a few months. Two young men chase a girl because they want to learn how to tango, but soon find themselves caught up in a dance for a fortune – even though a million ain’t worth as much as it used to be. Hard work is hardly ever worth it, but it’s always worthwile keeping oneself occupied, says Bruno Markward to Bubi. In order to help his friend, Bubi trains as a bricklayer so that he can knock a hole through the ceiling. But because women are never easy, Bruno the expert winds up in front of the arch-criminal, Lotz, with whom he has already done time not so long ago in the same Nazi prison. Graf the waiter is caught in bed – but not with his wife. Julian, a trainee police inspector who is definitely still wet behind the ears, loses his friend Bubi and his girlfriend Tina, but because he can run faster, he does manage to catch Lubowitz – the fox with the mask. There is a wonderful canary in a supporting role. Berlin, just after the war, between winter and spring, is backdrop for these city-dwellers who find themselves in difficult but also humorous situations.Read More »

  • Umetsugu Inoue – Arashi o yobu gakudan AKA The Poem of the Blue Star (1960)

    1951-1960JapanMusicalUmetsugu Inoue

    Musical about the “Blue Star,” a struggling jazz band led by pianist Takarada and trumpet player Takashima and their love interests. Done very much in the style of a Fox musical of the same 1940s, complete with an elaborate “History of Jazz” finale.Read More »

  • János Xantus – Szoba kiáltással AKA Cruel Estate (1990)

    1981-1990DramaHungaryJános Xantus

    Helén and Jenö are waiting for a child and are desperately searching for an accomodation. They eventually sign a contract with an old lady, Szeréna, who lives in a two-family house. According to the contract, they are to pay a moderate rent and they have to take care of her until her death. After the first weeks, Szeréna accuses the couple of trying to poison her and builds a chicken coop on the balcony with the aim of living off the eggs she herself gathers.Read More »

  • Heather Young – Murmur (2019)

    2011-2020CanadaDocumentaryDramaHeather Young

    When an elderly dog is scheduled to be euthanized, Donna decides to take the dog home to fill the emptiness she feels, Donna begins to take home more and more animals and she is soon in over her head.Read More »

  • Kesang Tseten – Diversity Plaza (2023)

    Documentary2021-2030Kesang TsetenNepal

    Drawing inspiration from Frederick Wiseman’s classic aesthetic, Nepalese filmmaker Kesang Tseten spends a year observing the community and culture of Himalayan immigrants in and around the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. During the buildup to the 2020 U.S. Census, the inhabitants reveal their motivation to have their presence recorded, encouraged by visits from their political representatives, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In carefully captured verite footage, we see a rich portrait of people deeply connected to homeland traditions while adjusting to life in exile.Read More »

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