2000s

In 1962, a U.S. soldier sent to guard the peace in South Korea deserted his unit, walked across the most heavily fortified area on earth and defected to the Cold War enemy, the communist state of North Korea. He then simply disappeared from the face of the known world. He became a coveted star of the North Korean propaganda machine, and found fame acting in films, typecast as an evil American. He uses Korean as his daily language. He has three sons from two wives. He has now lived in North Korea twice as long as he has in America. At one time, there were four Americans living in North Korea. Today, just one remains. Now, after 45 years, the story of Comrade Joe, the last American defector in North Korea, is told.Read More »

“A riveting BBC documentary that illuminates the character of that nation.” — Jeff Shannon, SEATTLE TIMES

“Striking footage from North Korea, the country with the world’s fewest visitors.” — Harvey S. Karten, COMPUSERVE

“Priceless footage inside the secret church-state of North Korea and the beautiful Mass Games, this documentary sheds little light on the people themselves.”  — Ron Wilkinson, MONSTERS AND CRITICS

“Gordon gives an intimate, balanced account of how political power, famine, power shortages and a hatred of America have shaped their young lives.”  — Paul Malcolm, L.A. WEEKLY

“The biggest value of the movie is the depiction of Pyongyang life, the elaborate Mass Games choreography, a wondrous road trip to the revered Mount Paektu, and the ideological mind-set of typical North Korean citizens.”  — G. Allen Johnson, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLERead More »

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With its riveting footage of a secretive ‘underground railroad,’ SEOUL TRAIN is the gripping documentary expose into the life and death of North Koreans as they try to escape their homeland and China.

SEOUL TRAIN also delves into the complex geopolitics behind this growing and potentially explosive humanitarian crisis. By combining verite footage, personal stories and interviews with experts and government officials, SEOUL TRAIN depicts the flouting of international laws by major countries, the inaction and bureaucracy of the United Nations, and the heroics of activists that put themselves in harm’s way to save the refugees.Read More »

“Peter Hutton is a still photographer that puts pictures into motion or it might be more apt to say that Peter Hutton is a motion picture maker that makes them still. His films are images, presented like slides, no inherent story, no specific connection other than local proximity. His camera remains locked down, his gaze intensely fixated on a particular setting as he allows time to unwind before the lens. The moments he captures are ones of small change, but profound beauty.Read More »

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In the heart of Jaffa, Reuven’s garage is a family business. His daughter Mali and his son Meir, as well as Toufik, a young Palestinian, work there. No one suspects that Mali and Toufik have been in love for years. As the two lovers are secretly making their wedding arrangements, tension builds between Meir and Toufik…Read More »

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Set in the same place and about the same war, “No Man’s Land” is like the grown-up version of “Behind Enemy Lines.” It’s a bleakly funny parable that could be titled “Between Enemy Lines.” In Bosnia in 1993, Serbs and Croats find themselves trapped in the same trench. Anyone who sticks his head up gets shot. And when will that land mine explode? The setup seems artificial until you reflect that things like this probably do happen in the confusion of war. As the film opens, a few Croatian fighters are lost in a battlefield fog, and decide to wait until dawn to go further. When the sun burns away the mist, they find themselves staring directly at Serbian troops. Some are killed. Ciki (Branko Djuric) falls into a trench and is spared.Read More »

Junie (Lea Seydoux) is a beautiful 16 year-old girl who arrives at a new school after the death of her mother. Introduced by her cousin to a band of his close friends, Junie finds herself the subject of constant attention as the colorful group of boys woo her in turn. Eventually she strikes up a close relationship with Otto (Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet), the most gently-mannered of the bunch. Otto seems to genuinely care for Junie, but she soon falls in love with Mr. Nemours (Louis Garrel), her Italian teacher. Nemours is a charmer with a serious penchant for his students, driven crazy by Junie’s mysterious nature. A fresh adaptation of the classic novel La Princesse de Clevese by Mademoiselle de Chartres, LA BELLE PERSONNE is director Christophe Honore’s free and modern interpretation of the classic story of young love.Read More »

Izzat paints an image of Oslo, Norway’s capital, and its crime-environment in the mid-90’s. We follow Wasim and his involvement in Eastside Crew, the crime-gang mostly consisting of second-generation Pakistanis in Norway. What makes this movie extra special, is the realness of it all. Based on actual events, the film marks a flashy debut for Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen, the director.Read More »

The Limits of Control is the new movie from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (Broken Flowers, Down by Law).
The film is set in the striking and varied landscapes of contemporary Spain (both urban and otherwise).
The location shoot there united the writer/director with acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle
(In the Mood for Love, Paranoid Park).

Isaach De Bankolé stars in the lead role for Mr.
Jarmusch; this marks the duos fourth collaboration over nearly two decades, following Night on Earth,
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and Coffee and Cigarettes.
The Limits of Control also features several other actors with whom Mr.
Jarmusch has previously worked, including Alex Descas, John Hurt, Youki Kudoh, Bill Murray, and Tilda Swinton;
and actors new to his films, including Hiam Abbass, Gael García Bernal,
Paz De La Huerta, Jean-François Stévenin, and Luis Tosar.

The Limits of Control is the story of a mysterious loner (played by Mr. De Bankolé),
a stranger, whose activities remain meticulously outside the law. He is in the process of completing a job,
yet he trusts no one, and his objectives are not initially divulged.

His journey, paradoxically both intently focused and dreamlike,
takes him not only across Spain but also through his own consciousness.
Read More »