Great Non-Hollywood Movies

Director: Damián SzifronWriter: Germán Servidio, Damián SzifronStars: Darío Grandinetti, María Marull, Mónica VillaSummary: The film is divided into six segments. (1) "Pasternak": While being on a plane, a model and a music critic realise they have a common acquaintance called Pasternak. Soon they discover that every passenger and crew member on board know Pasternak. Is this coincidence? (2) "The Rats": A waitress recognizes her client - it's the loan shark who caused a tragedy in her family. The cook suggests mixing rat poison with his food, but the waitress refuses. The stubborn cook, however, decides to proceed with her plan. (3) "The Strongest": Two drivers on a lone highway have an argument with tragic consequences. (4) "Little Bomb": A demolition engineer has his car towed by a truck for parking in a wrong place and he has an argument with the employee of the towing company. This event destroys his private and professional life, and he plots revenge against the corrupt towing company and the city hall. (5) "The Proposal": A reckless son of a wealthy family has an overnight hit-and-run accident, in ... Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Director: Juan José CampanellaWriter: Eduardo Sacheri, Juan José CampanellaStars: Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo RagoSummary: In 1999, retired Argentinian federal justice agent Benjamín Espósito is writing a novel, using an old closed case as the source material. That case is the brutal rape and murder of Liliana Coloto. In addition to seeing the extreme grief of the victim's husband Ricardo Morales, Benjamín, his assistant Pablo Sandoval, and newly hired department chief Irene Menéndez-Hastings were personally affected by the case as Benjamín and Pablo tracked the killer, hence the reason why the unsatisfactory ending to the case has always bothered him. Despite the department already having two other suspects, Benjamín and Pablo ultimately were certain that a man named Isidoro Gómez is the real killer. Although he is aware that historical accuracy is not paramount for the novel, the process of revisiting the case is more an issue of closure for him. He tries to speak to the key players in the case, most specifically Irene, who still works in the justice department and who he has always been attracted to ... Written by Huggo

Director: Fabián BielinskyWriter: Fabián BielinskyStars: Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, Graciela TenenbaumSummary: Early one morning, Marcos observes Juan successfully pulling off a bill-changing scam on a cashier, and then getting caught as he attempts to pull the same trick on the next shift. Marcos steps in, claiming to be a policeman, and drags Juan out of the store. Once they are back on the street, Marcos reveals himself to be a fellow swindler with a game of much higher stakes in mind, and he invites Juan to be his partner in crime. A once-in-a-lifetime scheme seemingly falls into their laps - an old-time con man enlists them to sell a forged set of extremely valuable rare stamps, The Nine Queens. The tricky negotiations that ensue bring into the picture a cast of suspicious characters, including Marcos' sister Valeria, their younger brother Federico and a slew of thieves, conmen and pickpockets. As the deceptions mount, it becomes more and more difficult to figure out who is conning whom. Written by Farsante

Director: Rodrigo GrandeWriter: Rodrigo GrandeStars: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Pablo Echarri, Clara LagoSummary: Joaquín is a computer engineer in wheelchair trapped by the imminent foreclose of his house due to the debt with his bank. Trying save it, he rents one room to Berta, an exotic dancer, and Betty, her six-years-old daughter. Meanwhile Joaquín is blocked emotionally by the remembers of his wife and daughter, dead after an accident time ago, Berta lives with the drama of Betty, who two years ago stopped to talk mysteriously. Their at the beginning uneasy coexistence gradually softens, turning in a friendship and a love interest between them, when Joaquín accidentally discovers that a little gang wants to steal a bank it causes that Joaquín decides to watch them in secret. But Joaquín's plan crashes against a couple of secrets that will threaten all the plan provided. Written by Chockys

Director: Luis PuenzoWriter: Aída Bortnik, Luis PuenzoStars: Norma Aleandro, Héctor Alterio, Chunchuna VillafañeSummary: Alicia Marnet de Ibáñez is a high school history professor and a well-to-do housewife in Buenos Aires, circa 1983, after the fall of the "junta militar" that had taken over the government since 1976. She has a husband, Roberto, who is a succesful lawyer and a five-year-old adopted daughter. Written by Miguel Cane

Director: Erik Van LooyWriter: Bart De PauwStars: Koen De Bouw, Filip Peeters, Matthias SchoenaertsSummary: 5 friends who are all married and know each other very well decide to rent a loft together. In this loft they meet their mistresses. Everything is OK until one morning the body of an unknown young woman is found in the loft. The 5 friends begin to suspect each other of murder. And it becomes clear that they don't know each other as good as they always thought. Written by Lieselot P

Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc DardenneWriter: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc DardenneStars: Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Catherine SaléeSummary: Sandra Bya, married with two children, has been off work from her job at Solwal on medical leave for depression. During her absence from work, her boss, M. Dumont, on the suggestion of her immediate supervisor, the shop foreman Jean-Marc, figures that her section of the company can function with sixteen people working full time with a bit of overtime instead of seventeen with no overtime, that seventeenth person being Sandra. Because of the global competition the company faces, Dumont decides the company can only finance the annual bonuses for those sixteen employees, which are EUR1,000 per person, or Sandra's job, leaving the decision to those sixteen. On a Friday near the end of her medical leave, Sandra learns of this situation from her friend and co-worker Juliette after the "show of hands" vote is held, the result a 13-3 decision for the bonuses over Sandra's job. Because Juliette knows Jean-Marc, who is determined to get rid of Sandra, influenced the vote by scare mongering ... Written by Huggo

Director: Andrés WoodWriter: Eliseo Altunaga, Roberto BrodskyStars: Matías Quer, Ariel Mateluna, Manuela MartelliSummary: Santiago, capital of Chile during the Marxist government of elected, highly controversial president Salvador Allende. Father McEnroe supports his leftist views by introducing a program at the prestigious "collegio" (Catholic prep school) St. Patrick to allow free admission of some proletarian kids. One of them is Pedro Machuca, slum-raised son of the cleaning lady in Gonzalo Infante's liberal-bourgeois home. Yet the new classmates become buddies, paradoxically protesting together as Gonzalo gets adopted by Pedro's slum family and gang. But the adults spoil that too, not in the least when general Pinochet's coup ousts Allende, and supporters such as McEnroe. Written by KGF Vissers

Director: Thomas VinterbergWriter: Thomas Vinterberg, Tobias LindholmStars: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus MillangSummary: There is a theory that man is born with half a per mille too little. That alcohol in the blood opens the mind to the outside world, problems seem smaller and creativity increases. We know it well; after the first glass of wine, the conversation lifts, the possibilities open up. Martin is a high school teacher. He feels old and tired. His students and their parents want him terminated to increase their average. Encouraged by the per mille theory, Martin and his three colleagues throw themselves into an experiment to maintain a constant alcohol impact in everyday life. If Churchill won World War II in a dense fog of spirits, what could the strong drops do for them and their students? The result is positive in the beginning. Martin's class is in a different way now, and the project is being promoted to a real academic study with the collection of results. Slowly, but surely, the alcohol makes the four friends and their surroundings loosen up. The results are rising, and they really begin... Written by Kenneth Kjær

Director: Zaza UrushadzeWriter: Tatjana Mülbeier, Zaza UrushadzeStars: Lembit Ulfsak, Elmo Nüganen, Giorgi NakashidzeSummary: War in Georgia, Abkhazia region 1992: local Abkhaz are fighting to break free from Georgia. Estonian village between the mountains has become empty, almost everyone has returned to their homeland, only 2 men have stayed: Ivo and Margus. But Margus will leave as soon as he has harvested his crops of tangerines. In a bloody conflict in their miniature village wounded men are left behind, and Ivo is forced to take them in. But they are from opposite sides of the war. This is touching anti-war story about Estonians who find themselves in the middle of someone else's war. How do they handle it? How do the enemies act under third-party roof? Written by Annts

Director: Rachid BoucharebWriter: Rachid Bouchareb, Olivier LorelleStars: Samy Naceri, Roschdy Zem, Sami BouajilaSummary: Algeria, 1943, through Italy and France, to Alsace in early 1945, with a coda years later. Arabs volunteer to fight Nazis to liberate France, their motherland. We follow Saïd, dirt poor, an orderly for a grizzled sergeant, Martinez, a pied noir with some willingness to speak up for his Arab troops; Messaoud, a crack shot, who in Province falls in love with a French woman who loves him back; and Abdelkader, a corporal, a budding intellectual with a keen sense of injustice. The men fight with courage against a backdrop of small and large indignities: French soldiers get better food, time for leave, and promotions. Is the promise of liberty, equality, and fraternity hollow? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Director: Jean-Pierre JeunetWriter: Guillaume Laurant, Jean-Pierre JeunetStars: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, RufusSummary: Amélie is a story about a girl named Amélie whose childhood was suppressed by her Father's mistaken concerns of a heart defect. With these concerns Amélie gets hardly any real life contact with other people. This leads Amélie to resort to her own fantastical world and dreams of love and beauty. She later on becomes a young woman and moves to the central part of Paris as a waitress. After finding a lost treasure belonging to the former occupant of her apartment, she decides to return it to him. After seeing his reaction and his new found perspective - she decides to devote her life to the people around her. Such as, her father who is obsessed with his garden-gnome, a failed writer, a hypochondriac, a man who stalks his ex girlfriends, the "ghost", a suppressed young soul, the love of her life and a man whose bones are as brittle as glass. But after consuming herself with these escapades - she finds out that she is disregarding her own life and damaging her quest for love. Amélie then ... Written by spragg_s

Director: Christian CarionWriter: Christian CarionStars: Diane Kruger, Benno Fürmann, Guillaume CanetSummary: In 1914, World War I, the bloodiest war ever at that time in human history, was well under way. However on Christmas Eve, numerous sections of the Western Front called an informal, and unauthorized, truce where the various front-line soldiers of the conflict peacefully met each other in No Man's Land to share a precious pause in the carnage with a fleeting brotherhood. This film dramatizes one such section as the French, Scottish and German sides partake in the unique event, even though they are aware that their superiors will not tolerate its occurrence. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Director: Xavier BeauvoisWriter: Xavier Beauvois, Etienne ComarStars: Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Olivier RabourdinSummary: In 1996, in Algeria, eight French monks of The Monastery Notre-Dame de l'Atlas of Tibhirine have a simple life serving the poor community that was raised around the monastery. During the Algerian Civil War, they are threatened by terrorists but they decide to stay in the country and not return to France. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Director: Luc BessonWriter: Luc BessonStars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie PortmanSummary: After her father, step-mother, step-sister and little brother are killed by her father's employers, the 12-year-old daughter of an abject drug dealer manages to take refuge in the apartment of a professional hitman who at her request teaches her the methods of his job so she can take her revenge on the corrupt DEA agent who ruined her life by killing her beloved brother. Written by J. S. Golden

Director: Olivier Nakache, Éric ToledanoWriter: Olivier Nakache, Philippe Pozzo di BorgoStars: François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le NySummary: In Paris, the aristocratic and intellectual Philippe is a quadriplegic millionaire who is interviewing candidates for the position of his carer, with his red-haired secretary Magalie. Out of the blue, Driss cuts the line of candidates and brings a document from the Social Security and asks Phillipe to sign it to prove that he is seeking a job position so he can receive his unemployment benefit. Philippe challenges Driss, offering him a trial period of one month to gain experience helping him. Then Driss can decide whether he would like to stay with him or not. Driss accepts the challenge and moves to the mansion, changing the boring life of Phillipe and his employees. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Director: Olivier Assayas, Frédéric AuburtinWriter: Tristan Carné, Emmanuel BenbihyStars: Juliette Binoche, Leonor Watling, Ludivine SagnierSummary: Paris, je t'aime is about the plurality of cinema in one mythic location: Paris, the City of Love. Twenty filmmakers have five minutes each; the audience must weave a single narrative out of twenty moments. The 20 moments are fused by transitional interstitial sequences and also via the introduction and epilogue. Each transition begins with the last shot of the previous film and ends with the first shot of the following film, extending the enchantment and the emotion of the previous segment, preparing the audience for a surprise, and providing a cohesive atmosphere. There's a reappearing mysterious character who is a witness to the Parisian life. A common theme of Paris and love fuses all. Written by Emmanuel Benbihy

Director: François OzonWriter: François Ozon, Philippe PiazzoStars: Pierre Niney, Paula Beer, Ernst StötznerSummary: In 1919 Quedlinburg, Germany, a young woman named Anna is still mourning the death of her fiance, Frantz Hoffmeister, in the Great War while living with his equally devastated parents. One day, a mysterious Frenchman, Adrien Rivoire, comes to town both to pay his respects to Frantz's grave and to contact that soldier's parents. Although it is difficult for both sides with the bitterness of Germany's defeat, Adrian explains that he knew Frantz and gradually he wins Anna and the Hoffmeisters' hearts as he tries to connect with them. Unfortunately, Adrien and Anna discover the truth of his motives and things seem shattered for all. However, when Adrien leaves, Anna has her own struggles with the truth and her feelings until she sets out to find Adrien in France. With that, Anna has her own journey to make in more than one sense, even as they both realize that neither have easy answers to their complex personal conflicts with each other and the dead man linking them. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Director: Wolfgang BeckerWriter: Bernd Lichtenberg, Achim von BorriesStars: Daniel Brühl, Katrin Saß, Chulpan KhamatovaSummary: East Germany, the year 1989: A young man protests against the regime. His mother watches the police arresting him and suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma. Some months later, the DDR does not exist anymore and the mother awakes. Since she has to avoid every excitement, the son tries to set up the DDR again for her in their flat. But the world has changed a lot. Written by Benjamin Stello

Director: Stephen DaldryWriter: David Hare, Bernhard SchlinkStars: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Bruno GanzSummary: THE READER opens in post-war Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair. Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens. Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from "The Odyssey," "Huck Finn" and "The Lady with the Little Dog." Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken. Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life - this time as a defendant in the courtroom. As Hanna's past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives. THE READER is a story about truth and reconciliation, about how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another. Written by The Weinstein Company

Director: Tom TykwerWriter: Tom TykwerStars: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert KnaupSummary: Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manni. He lost 100,000 DM in a subway train that belongs to a very bad guy. Lola has 20 min to raise this amount and meet Manni. Otherwise, he will rob a store to get the money. Three different alternatives may happen depending on some minor event along Lola's run. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Director: Oliver HirschbiegelWriter: Mario GiordanoStars: Moritz Bleibtreu, Christian Berkel, Oliver StokowskiSummary: The movie is based on the infamous "Stanford Prison Experiment" conducted in 1971. A makeshift prison is set up in a research lab, complete with cells, bars and surveillance cameras. For two weeks 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards. The 'prisoners' are locked up and have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the 'guards' are told simply to retain order without using physical violence. Everybody is free to quit at any time, thereby forfeiting payment. In the beginning the mood between both groups is insecure and rather emphatic. But soon quarrels arise and the wardens employ ever more drastic sanctions to confirm their authority. Written by <armin@sfb288.math.tu-berlin.de>

Director: Florian Henckel von DonnersmarckWriter: Florian Henckel von DonnersmarckStars: Ulrich Mühe, Martina Gedeck, Sebastian KochSummary: Gerd Wiesler is an officer with the Stasi, the East German secret police. The film begins in 1984 when Wiesler attends a play written by Georg Dreyman, who is considered by many to be the ultimate example of the loyal citizen. Wiesler has a gut feeling that Dreyman can't be as ideal as he seems, and believes surveillance is called for. The Minister of Culture agrees but only later does Wiesler learn that the Minister sees Dreyman as a rival and lusts after his partner Christa-Maria. The more time he spends listening in on them, the more he comes to care about them. The once rigid Stasi officer begins to intervene in their lives, in a positive way, protecting them whenever possible. Eventually, Wiesler's activities catch up to him and while there is no proof of wrongdoing, he finds himself in menial jobs - until the unbelievable happens. Written by garykmcd

Director: Neeraj PandeyWriter: Neeraj PandeyStars: Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Jimmy SheirgillSummary: A man calls up the Mumbai police, and tells them he has placed five different bombs in the city -- all set to go off in some time. He wants four terrorists in exchange. Does he get them? Who is behind it all? What's his motive? Is there more than meets the eye? Written by Saurabh Roy

Director: Ritesh BatraWriter: Ritesh Batra, Vasan BalaStars: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin SiddiquiSummary: The film, set in Mumbai, revolves around a mistaken delivery by the Dabbawalas (lunchbox service) of Mumbai, which leads to a relationship between Saajan, a lonely widower close to retirement, and Ila, an unhappy housewife, as they start exchanging notes through the daily lunchbox. Written by Iceman

Director: Rajkumar HiraniWriter: Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat JoshiStars: Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sanjay DuttSummary: P. K. is a comedy of ideas about a stranger in the city, who asks questions that no one has asked before. They are innocent, child-like questions, but they bring about catastrophic answers. People who are set in their ways for generations, are forced to reappraise their world when they see it from PK's innocent eyes. In the process PK makes loyal friends and powerful foes. Mends broken lives and angers the establishment. P. K.'s childlike curiosity transforms into a spiritual odyssey for him and millions of others. The film is an ambitious and uniquely original exploration of complex philosophies. It is also a simple and humane tale of love, laughter and letting-go. Finally, it is a moving saga about a friendship between strangers from worlds apart. Written by Abhijat Joshi

Director: Danny Boyle, Loveleen TandanWriter: Simon Beaufoy, Vikas SwarupStars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh ShuklaSummary: The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's Kaun Banega Crorepati? (2000) (Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?) But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Each chapter of Jamal's increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show's seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really ... Written by Fox Searchlight Pictures

Director: Rajkumar HiraniWriter: Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat JoshiStars: Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Mona SinghSummary: Farhan Qureshi and Raju Rastogi want to re-unite with their fellow collegian, Rancho, after faking a stroke aboard an Air India plane, and excusing himself from his wife - trouser less - respectively. Enroute, they encounter another student, Chatur Ramalingam, now a successful businessman, who reminds them of a bet they had undertaken 10 years ago. The trio, while recollecting hilarious antics, including their run-ins with the Dean of Delhi's Imperial College of Engineering, Viru Sahastrabudhe, race to locate Rancho, at his last known address - little knowing the secret that was kept from them all this time. Written by rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

Director: Mira NairWriter: Sooni Taraporevala, Jhumpa LahiriStars: Kal Penn, Irrfan Khan, TabuSummary: While traveling by train to visit his grandfather in Jamshedpur, Calcutta born, Bengali-speaking Ashoke Ganguli meets with fellow-traveler, Ghosh, who impresses upon him to travel, while Ashoke is deep into a book authored by Nicholai Gogol. The train meets with an accident, and after recuperating, Ashoke re-locates to America, settles down, returns home in 1977 to get married to aspiring singer, Ashima, and returns home to New York. Shortly thereafter they become parents of a boy, who they initially name Gogol, and a few years later both give birth to Sonia. The family then buy their own house in the suburbs and travel to India for the first time after their marriage. The second time they travel to India is when Gogol and Sonia are in their late teens, and after a memorable visit to Kolkata and then to the Taj Mahal, they return home. Gogol falls in love with Maxine Ratliff and moves in with her family, while Ashoke spends time traveling, and Sonia moves to California, leaving Ashima... Written by rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

Director: Aniruddha Roy ChowdhuryWriter: Shoojit Sircar, Aniruddha Roy ChowdhuryStars: Taapsee Pannu, Amitabh Bachchan, Kirti KulhariSummary: Deepak is a lawyer suffering from bipolar disorder who experiences frequent mood swings. One night, Rajveer and his friends get drunk and try to molest Miss Arora and her two roommates leading to an accident. The film revolves around how Deepak fights the girls' case against these influential boys. Written by Varunish Garg

Director: Anubhav SinhaWriter: Anubhav Sinha, Gaurav SolankiStars: Ayushmann Khurrana, Nassar, Manoj PahwaSummary: In Lalgaon village two Dalit girls are abducted in a school bus Ayan Ranjan an IPS officer is assigned on the case where he closely works with two officers Brahmdutt and Jatav.Ayan finds that villagers believe in caste discrimination which is the major problem he meets his old friend Satinder who behaves strangely and goes missing next morning.The two girls body are found hanging on a tree while one goes missing an autopsy revels that they were raped multiple times.Gaura sister of one of the dead girl tells Ayan that they were slapped by their owner Anshu when they asked to increase their daily wage by three Rupees .Ayan finds that Anshu did this due to caste discrimination and posts copy of Article 15 according to constitution of India at the police station. Written by alex.mjacko@gmail.com

Director: Ramin BahraniWriter: Ramin Bahrani, Aravind AdigaStars: Adarsh Gourav, Rajkummar Rao, Priyanka ChopraSummary: Balram Halwai (Adarsh Gourav) narrates his epic and darkly humorous rise from poor villager to successful entrepreneur in modern India. Cunning and ambitious, our young hero jockeys his way into becoming a driver for Ashok (Rajkumar Rao) and Pinky (Priyanka Chopra-Jonas), who have just returned from America. Society has trained Balram to be one thing - a servant - so he makes himself indispensable to his rich masters. But after a night of betrayal, he realizes the corrupt lengths they will go to trap him and save themselves. On the verge of losing everything, Balram rebels against a rigged and unequal system to rise up and become a new kind of master. Written by Netflix

Director: Majid MajidiWriter: Majid MajidiStars: Mohammad Amir Naji, Amir Farrokh Hashemian, Bahare SeddiqiSummary: Zahra's shoes are gone; her older brother Ali lost them. They are poor, there are no shoes for Zahra until they come up with an idea: they will share one pair of shoes, Ali's. School awaits. Will the plan succeed? Written by Eileen Berdon <eberdon@aol.com>

Director: Asghar FarhadiWriter: Asghar Farhadi, Azad JafarianStars: Golshifteh Farahani, Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh AlidoostiSummary: A group of middle-class friends travel from Tehran to spend the weekend at the seaside. Sepideh invites Elly, who is her daughter's teacher, to travel with the three families in order to introduce her to their recently divorced friend Ahmad, now living in Germany. The next morning, the two women go shopping in the town and Elly says that she has to return to Tehran because her mother has been recently submitted to hospital for heart surgery, but Sepideh asks her to stay and hides her luggage. The children are playing in the sea and one mother asks Elly to watch them. Out of the blue, Sepideh's daughter calls to some men playing volleyball to rescue one of the children from the water. After rescuing the little boy they seek out Elly, questioning whether she has drowned or returned to Tehran. What has happened to Elly? Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Director: Majid MajidiWriter: Majid MajidiStars: Parviz Parastui, Roya Taymourian, Soghra ObeisiSummary: Blind since childhood, Youssef has a devoted wife, loving daughter, and successful university career, but his affliction fills him with secret torment. As if in answer to his prayers, a clinic restores his sight- a miracle that is double-edged. Although this new world of sight and color floods him with ecstacy- the breathtaking images seen through his reawakened eyes include a dazzling vista of snow-blanketed hills, a shower of molten gold sparks in a jewlery foundry, an array of lollipop lights behind a rain-speckled car window- it also plunges him into a labyrinth of confusion and temptations. A pretty student begins to enclipse his previously invisible wife; he silently watches a subway pickpoket, who fixes him with a look of withering complicity. Eager to claim the lost life he feels he is owed but unable to take the next step, Youssef is inflamed with possibility and paralyzed with egoism. A resonant metaphor for life's second chances and a powerful parable of sigh and insight, ... Written by Arya

Director: Kamal TabriziWriter: Peyman GhassemkhaniStars: Parviz Parastui, Bahram Ebrahimi, Shahrokh ForoutanianSummary: Satirical commentary on clergymen in post-revolutionary Iran. While in prison, petty criminal Reza (Parviz Parastui) comes across a clergyman, sparking a plan for escape. Reza dons his new acquaintance's clerical robes and makes a bid for freedom. He soon learns that being a clergyman brings little respect from the public. Reza travels to the outlying villages, from where he plots to escape the country. However, his plans must be put on hold when the villagers accept him into their community and expect him to perform religious duties. Will Reza's prison break transform him into an unlikely pillar of the community? Written by IMVBox.com

Director: Asghar FarhadiWriter: Asghar FarhadiStars: Payman Maadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh BayatSummary: Nader (Payman Maadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami) argue about living abroad. Simin prefers to live abroad to provide better opportunities for their only daughter, Termeh. However, Nader refuses to go because he thinks he must stay in Iran and take care of his father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi), who suffers from Alzheimers. However, Simin is determined to get a divorce and leave the country with her daughter. Written by Amin Davoodi

Director: Majid MajidiWriter: Mehran Kashani, Majid MajidiStars: Mohammad Amir Naji, Maryam Akbari, Kamran DehghanSummary: When an ostrich-rancher focuses on replacing his daughter's hearing aid, which breaks right before crucial exams, everything changes for a struggling rural family in Iran. Karim motorbikes into a world alien to him - incredibly hectic Tehran, where sudden opportunities for independence, thrill and challenge him. But his honor and honesty, plus traditional authority over his inventive clan, are tested, as he stumbles among vast cultural and economic gaps between his village nestled in the desert, and a throbbing international metropolis. Written by David Stevens

Director: Roberto BenigniWriter: Vincenzo Cerami, Roberto BenigniStars: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio CantariniSummary: In 1930s Italy, a carefree Jewish book keeper named Guido starts a fairy tale life by courting and marrying a lovely woman from a nearby city. Guido and his wife have a son and live happily together until the occupation of Italy by German forces. In an attempt to hold his family together and help his son survive the horrors of a Jewish Concentration Camp, Guido imagines that the Holocaust is a game and that the grand prize for winning is a tank. Written by Anthony Hughes <husnock31@hotmail.com>

Director: Vittorio De SicaWriter: Cesare Zavattini, Luigi BartoliniStars: Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella CarellSummary: Ricci, an unemployed man in the depressed post-WWII economy of Italy, gets at last a good job - for which he needs a bike - hanging up posters. But soon his bicycle is stolen. He and his son walk the streets of Rome, looking for the bicycle. Ricci finally manages to locate the thief but with no proof, he has to abandon his cause. But he and his son know perfectly well that without a bike, Ricci won't be able to keep his job. Written by jolusoma

Director: Giuseppe TornatoreWriter: Giuseppe TornatoreStars: Philippe Noiret, Enzo Cannavale, Antonella AttiliSummary: A boy who grew up in a native Sicilian Village returns home as a famous director after receiving news about the death of an old friend. Told in a flashback, Salvatore reminiscences about his childhood and his relationship with Alfredo, a projectionist at Cinema Paradiso. Under the fatherly influence of Alfredo, Salvatore fell in love with film making, with the duo spending many hours discussing about films and Alfredo painstakingly teaching Salvatore the skills that became a stepping stone for the young boy into the world of film making. The film brings the audience through the changes in cinema and the dying trade of traditional film making, editing and screening. It also explores a young boy's dream of leaving his little town to foray into the world outside. Written by Clarisse P.

Director: Giuseppe TornatoreWriter: Giuseppe Tornatore, Luciano VincenzoniStars: Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano FedericoSummary: Malèna is about the peril of a beauty through the eyes of a 12 year old kid named Renato. He experiences three things on the same day, beginning of war, getting a bike and sees the arrival of Malèna in town. Through his eyes, we see the curse of beauty and loneliness of Malena, whose husband is presumed to be dead, and through his soul we see his love for her. Written by Paul

Director: Giuseppe TornatoreWriter: Massimo De Rita, Tonino GuerraStars: Marcello Mastroianni, Michèle Morgan, Valeria CavalliSummary: Matteo Scuro is a retired Sicilian bureaucrat (responsible mainly for the writing of birth certificates) and a father of five children, all of whom live on the mainland and hold responsible jobs. He decides to surprise each with a visit to know how they live. The film is a veritable travelogue across contemporary Italy, as Matteo journeys to Naples, Rome, Florence, Milan, and Turin to search for each of his sons. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Director: Giuseppe TornatoreWriter: Giuseppe Tornatore, Pascal QuignardStars: Gérard Depardieu, Roman Polanski, Sergio RubiniSummary: Onoff is a famous writer who hasn't published any new books for quite some time and has become a recluse. When he is picked up by the police one stormy night, without any identification, out of breath and running madly, without clear memory of recent events, the Inspector is suspicious. Through interrogatory dialectic, the head of this lonely, isolated, broken-down police station tries to establish what has happened, by delving into the mind of his writer-hero, and clearing up a mysterious killing. Written by Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu>

Director: Paolo GenoveseWriter: Filippo Bologna, Paolo CostellaStars: Giuseppe Battiston, Anna Foglietta, Marco GialliniSummary: On a warm summer evening, the loving couple of Rocco, a plastic surgeon, and Eva, a therapist, are expecting their good friends to share a pleasant gathering over dinner. Everything is in order: The first course is ready; the roast is in the oven; the table is set, and without a doubt, this is going to be a meeting of true friends. Before long, the group begins the feast; however, in this nice but somewhat ordinary dinner, there is certainly something missing. Perhaps, if everyone placed their mobile phones on the table--and like a dangerous Russian roulette shared whatever arrived (texts, WhatsApp messages, and calls)--it would spice things up. Clearly, this uncommon truth-or-dare game has no point among honest companions who share everything with each other; nevertheless, when the phones start ringing, who will be the one with the sweatiest palms? Written by Nick Riganas

Director: Nanni MorettiWriter: Nanni Moretti, Linda FerriStars: Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante, Jasmine TrincaSummary: Giovanni is a successful psychoanalyst who has to put up with the seemingly endless string of trivial details his patients ramble on about. Yet his family provides a loving and steadfast foundation for his life that can even survive a problem like their son, Andrea, being accused of stealing a rare fossil in school. That foundation is profoundly rocked when Andrea dies in a scuba diving accident. Although the usual arrangements run smoothly, the emotional harm is profound. Giovanni begins to obsessively dwell on the missed chances he had with his son that might have saved his life, even blaming his patients. In addition, his wife is inconsolable and his daughter is becoming anti social in their loss. In the midst of this turmoil, a secret of their son's life is revealed that provides healing in a way they never anticipated. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Director: Nadine LabakiWriter: Nadine Labaki, Jihad HojeilyStars: Nadine Labaki, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisèle AouadSummary: Six women in Beirut seek love, marriage, and companionship and find duty, friendship, and possibility. Four work at a salon: Nisrine, engaged to Bassam, with a secret she shares with her co-workers; Jamale, a divorced mother of teens, a part-time model, fearing the encroachment of time; Rima, always in pants, attracted to Siham, a client who smiles back; Layale, in love with a married man, willing to drop everything at a honk of his horn. There's also Rose, a middle-aged seamstress, who cares for Lili, old and facing dementia. Rose has a suitor; Layale has an admirer on the police force. Is delight a possibility? Is caramel a sweet or an instrument of pain? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Director: Nadine LabakiWriter: Thomas Bidegain, Rodney El HaddadStars: Claude Baz Moussawbaa, Nadine Labaki, Yvonne MaaloufSummary: Christians and Muslims lived peacefully together for years in this small Lebanese village, but animosities begin to build among the men as a result of slights and misunderstandings. The women of the village conspire to avert sectarian strife though a series of harebrained plans, none of which succeeds in slowing down the escalating spiral of violence. When tragedy strikes, the women find themselves driven to make a deeply personal sacrifice for the sake of peace. Written by The Oddball

Director: Ziad DoueiriWriter: Ziad Doueiri, Joelle ToumaStars: Adel Karam, Kamel El Basha, Camille SalamehSummary: In today's Beirut, an insult blown out of proportions finds Toni, a Lebanese Christian, and Yasser, a Palestinian refugee, in court. From secret wounds to traumatic revelations, the media circus surrounding the case puts Lebanon through a social explosion, forcing Toni and Yasser to reconsider their lives and prejudices.

Director: Paul GreengrassWriter: Paul Greengrass, Åsne SeierstadStars: Anders Danielsen Lie, Jonas Strand Gravli, Jon ØigardenSummary: In Norway on 22 July 2011, right-wing terrorist Anders Behring Breivik murdered 77 young people attending a Labour Party Youth Camp on Utøya Island outside of Oslo. A three-part story. About the survivors of the attacks, the political leadership of Norway, and the lawyers involved. Written by Ulf Kjell Gür

Director: Nae CaranfilWriter: Nae CaranfilStars: Mircea Diaconu, Gheorghe Dinica, Mara NicolescuSummary: Ovidiu, a high-school teacher looking for an extra buck, finds an unexpected way to earn easy money.

Director: Hanno Höfer, Razvan MarculescuWriter: Cristian MungiuStars: Diana Cavallioti, Radu Iacoban, Vlad IvanovSummary: Several urban legends of Communist Romania are dramatized.

Director: Nae CaranfilWriter: Nae CaranfilStars: Vera Farmiga, Mark Strong, Harry LloydSummary: Bucharest 1959. A spectacular Bank heist has the country in an uproar. In post-war Communist Romania it is an unimaginable slap in the face to the iron fisted authorities. Four men and a woman are arrested, tried, convicted and while waiting for their execution... are forced to star in a propaganda film about the crime. All five protagonists were heroes of the resistance during the Second World War and highly placed members of Romanian society. They clearly knew they would be caught and executed. Written by Anonymous

Director: Cristian MungiuWriter: Cristian MungiuStars: Adrian Titieni, Maria Dragus, Lia BugnarSummary: Romeo Aldea (49), a physician living in a small mountain town in Transylvania, has raised his daughter Eliza with the idea that once she turns 18, she will leave to study and live abroad. His plan is close to succeeding - Eliza has won a scholarship to study psychology in the UK. She just has to pass her final exams - a formality for such a good student. On the day before her first written exam, Eliza is assaulted in an attack that could jeopardize her entire future. Now Romeo has to make a decision. There are ways of solving the situation, but none of them using the principles he, as a father, has taught his daughter. Written by 69th Cannes International Film Festival 2016

Director: Yuriy BykovWriter: Yuriy BykovStars: Artyom Bystrov, Natalya Surkova, Yuriy TsuriloSummary: The Fool is a movie about a simple plumber. An honest man, he is up against an entire system of corrupted bureaucrats. At stake are the lives of 800 inhabitants of an old dorm that is at risk of collapsing within the span of the night. Dima Nikitin is a simple and honest guy, a foreman of a repair team at a provincial housing service. Nothing really makes him stand out among the rest. It's only the unusual combination of honesty and integrity that makes others perceive him as somewhat weird.In the little town there is a notorious dorm, inhabited mainly by drunkards and outcasts. One night the pipes burst at the dorm. After arriving at the scene, Nikitin discovers that things are way more serious - the building will not stand through the night. People need to be evacuated immediately. Fighting the red tape, Nikitin sets off on a night Odyssey around the town authorities. Written by Anonymous

Director: Woody AllenWriter: Woody AllenStars: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier BardemSummary: Sexually adventurous Cristina and her friend Vicky, who is bright but cautious, holiday in Barcelona where they meet the celebrated and wholly seductive painter, Juan Antonio. Vicky is not about to dive into a sexual adventure being committed to her forthcoming marriage. But Cristina is immediately captivated by Juan Antonio's free spirit and his romantic allure is enhanced when she hears the delicious details of his divorce from fellow artist, the tempestuous Maria Elena. Written by johnno.r[at]xtra.co.nz

Director: Pedro AlmodóvarWriter: Pedro AlmodóvarStars: Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola DueñasSummary: Raimunda, her daughter Paula and her sister Sole travel from Madrid to the windy and superstitious village of Alcanfor de las Infantas to visit the grave of their mother Irene, who died years ago in a fire with her husband. Then they visit Irene's sister Paula, an old senile aunt that raised Raimunda after the death of her parents that insists to tell them that Irene is alive and living with her; later, they go to the house of her neighbor and friend Agustina, who gives a support to Paula. They return to Madrid, and after a hard day of work, Raimunda meets her daughter completely distraught at the bus stop waiting for her. When they arrive home, Paula tells her mother that she killed her unemployed father Paco, who was completely drunk and tried to rape her. While Raimunda hides his body, Sole calls her to tell that their beloved aunt Paula has died. The next morning, Sole travels alone to the funeral, and when she returns to Madrid, she finds her mother hidden in the trunk of her car... Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Director: Pedro AlmodóvarWriter: Pedro AlmodóvarStars: Penélope Cruz, Lluís Homar, Blanca PortilloSummary: Passion, obsession, wealth, jealousy, family, guilt, and creativity. In Madrid, Harry Caine is a blind screenwriter, assisted by Judit and her son Diego. The past comes rushing in when Harry learns of the death of Ernesto Martel, a wealthy businessman, and Ernesto's son pays Harry a visit. In a series of flashbacks to the 1990s, we see Harry, who was then Mateo Blanco, a director; he falls in love with Ernesto's mistress, Lena, and casts her in a film, which Ernesto finances. Ernesto is jealous and obsessive, sending his son to film the making of the movie, to follow Lena and Mateo, and to give him the daily footage. Judit doesn't like Lena. It's a collision course. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Director: Maria RipollWriter: María MínguezStars: Oscar Martínez, Inma Cuesta, Mafalda CarbonellSummary: 2018, City of Valencia (east to Spain). Emilio is a retired academic teacher, widow five years ago of his wife Carmen, who lives the days in a comfortable routine eating in the same bar and solving magic squares in the pastimes until that one day he has difficult to complete the square and confuses the streets to back home. Going to the hospital for a routine medical check, he is diagnosed with the first stage of the Alzheimer's disease, which eventually will delete all his mind and remembers. Just when he leaves the hospital Emilio meets by chance with Julia, his stranded daughter, who works as medical commercial. Noticing about the disease, Julia invites Emilio to a family lunch with his dysfunctional family composed by her husband and his son-in-law Felipe, who tries to be an Internet motivational coach after he was fired of his previous job, and his lame granddaughter Blanca, a 11 years old child as streetwiser as expert in the cell phones and social networks, to consider options ... Written by Chockys

Director: Oriol PauloWriter: Oriol Paulo, Lara SendimStars: Adriana Ugarte, Chino Darín, Javier GutiérrezSummary: On November 9, 1989 (the same day the Wall of Berlin falls), Nico is a 12-year-old boy passionate about videotaping himself while playing guitar. He is being raised by his single mother María. On the same night, a 72-hour electric storm breaks out, and Nico looking through his room window witnesses a violent scene in the house of his neighbour, Ángel Prieto. He ventures into the house and stumbles on Hilda Weiss, Prieto's wife, lying dead in the house. Running scared from Prieto, who has discovered him in his home, Nico is run over by a passing car and dies as a result. Twenty-five years later, on November 9th, 2014, Vera Roy is a woman who divides her time between working as nurse in the hospital and her family: her husband David Ortiz and her little daughter Gloria. To celebrate moving into their new house in the suburbs, they invite her friend and former boyfriend Aitor Medina and his mother Clara to their house where Vera learns that she and David are living in Nico's house and ... Written by Chockys

Director: Álex de la IglesiaWriter: Jorge Guerricaechevarría, Álex de la IglesiaStars: Blanca Suárez, Mario Casas, Carmen MachiSummary: On an ordinary day in bustling downtown Madrid, life ticks over as usual, while inside a decrepit and noisy central bar, a motley assortment of common urbanites is killing time indolently, up until a loud gunshot sends chills down the spine. Out of the blue, now a man lies dead in front of the bar in a pool of blood, and then surprisingly, in broad daylight, another death follows. Where did that mysterious lethal bullet come from? Is this an act of terrorism or is there a solitary invisible sniper hidden on a roof? As hysteria prevails and the bodies miraculously vanish into thin air, the perplexed and terrified bar's regulars are bound to turn on each other, paranoid and suspicious of the potential assassin who might be hiding inside the place. Is there indeed a wolf among sheep? Written by Nick Riganas

Director: Asghar FarhadiWriter: Asghar FarhadiStars: Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Ricardo DarínSummary: Laura, a Spanish woman living in Buenos Aires, returns to her hometown outside Madrid with her two children to attend her sister's wedding. However, the trip is upset by unexpected events that bring secrets into the open.

Director: Hannes HolmWriter: Hannes Holm, Fredrik BackmanStars: Rolf Lassgård, Bahar Pars, Filip BergSummary: 59 year old Ove is the block's grumpy man who several years earlier was deposed as president of the condominium association, but he could not give a damn about being deposed and therefore keeps looking over the neighborhood with an iron fist. When pregnant Parvaneh and her family moves into the terraced house opposite and accidentally backs into Ove's mailbox it turns out to be an unexpected friendship. A drama comedy about unexpected friendship, love and the importance of surrounding yourself with the proper tools.