Breathing and She Monkeys
Almayer's Folly
(Country: Belgium, France; Year: 2011; Director: Chantal Akerman; Writer: Chantal Akerman; Stars: Marc Barb, Stanislas Merhar, Aurora Marion, Zac Andrianasolo)
Chantal Akerman heads east, with a very distinctive take on the Joseph Conrad novel about two men fighting over the future of a half-Malaysian woman.
Alois Nebel
(Country: Czech Republic; Year: 2011; Director: Tomás Lunák; Writer: Jaroslav Rudis, Jaromír Svejdík; Stars: Miroslav Krobot, Marie Ludvíková, Leos Noha, Karel Roden, Alois Svehlík, Ondrej Malý, Ján Sedal, Tereza Vorísková, Marek Daniel, Simona Babcáková, Ivan Trojan),
Official Site
Memories of the past haunt a train station dispatcher.
Amador
(Country: Spain; Year: 2011; Director: Fernando Len de Aranoa; Writer: Fernando Len de Aranoa; Stars: Magaly Solier, Celso Bugallo, Pietro Sibille, Sonia Almarcha)
From Spain's Fernando Len de Aranoa comes a socially incisive and beautifully performed tale of an unlikely friendship.
Breathing (Atmen)
(Country: Austria; Year: 2011; Director: Karl Markovics; Writer: Karl Markovics; Stars: Thomas Schubert, Karin Lischka, Gerhard Liebmann, Georg Friedrich, Stefan Matousch),
Official Site
A troubled young man on day release from prison takes a job in a morgue and is inspired to go looking for the mother who abandoned him as a baby.
Dreileben 1: Beats Being Dead and Dreileben 2: Don't Follow Me Around
A Bitter Taste of Freedom
(Country: Sweden, USA, Russia; Year: 2011; Director: Marina Goldovskaya; Writer: Marina Goldovskaya; Stars: None)
Marina Goldovskaya's highly affecting tribute to Russian journalist, Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered in 2006 after her disturbing reports from Chechnya.
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
(Country: Sweden, USA; Year: 2011; Director: Gran Hugo Olsson; Writer: None; Stars: None)
Striking footage from the struggle for civil rights in the USA, resurrected from the vaults of Swedish TV.
The Boy Who Was a King
(Country: Bulgaria, Germany; Year: 2011; Director: Andrey Paounov; Writer: None; Stars: None)
Andrey Paounov's compelling documentary about Simeon II of Bulgaria's unprecedented journey from boy king to democratic leader.
Corpo Celeste
(Country: Italy, Switzerland, France; Year: 2011; Director: Alice Rohrwacher; Writer: Alice Rohrwacher; Stars: Yle Vianello, Salvatore Cantalupo, Pasqualina Scuncia, Anita Caprioli)
A young girl struggles to cope with a family move, while preparing for her confirmation ceremony.
Crulic - The Path to Beyond
(Country: Romania, Poland; Year: 2011; Director: Anca Damian; Writer: Anca Damian; Stars: Vlad Ivanov, Jamie Sives)
Anca Damian's poetic and innovative animated feature recounts the life and final days of a Romanian immigrant wrongly imprisoned in a Polish prison.
The Jewel and The Giants
Dreileben 1: Beats Being Dead
(Country: Germany; Year: 2011; Director: Christian Petzold; Writer: Christian Petzold; Stars: Jacob Matschenz, Luna Mijovic, Vijessna Ferkic)
A young couple's passionate relationship plays out against the backdrop of a manhunt.
Dreileben 2: Don't Follow Me Around
(Country: Germany; Year: 2011; Director: Dominik Graf; Writer: Dominik Graf, Markus Busch; Stars: Jeanette Hain, Susanne Wolff, Misel Maticevic)
A police psychologist renews old acquaintances when she is drafted in to help small town police find an escaped convict.
Dreileben 3: One Minute of Darkness
(Country: Germany; Year: 2011; Director: Christoph Hochhäusler; Writer: Christoph Hochhäusler, Peer Klehmet; Stars: Stefan Kurt, Eberhard Kirchberg, Imogen Kogge)
A suspenseful cat-and-mouse search between police and an escaped convict.
Elena
(Country: Russia; Year: 2011; Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev; Writer: Oleg Negin, Andrei Zvyagintsev; Stars: Nadezhda Markina, Andrei Smirnov, Elena Lyadova, Alexei Rozin)
Andrei Zvyagintsev's award-winning account of a struggle over inheritance is accompanied by an effective score by Philip Glass.
The Fatherless
(Country: Austria; Year: 2011; Director: Marie Kreutzer; Writer: Marie Kreutzer; Stars: Andrea Wenzl, Philipp Hochmair, Andreas Kiendl, Emily Cox, Marion Mitterhammer)
The impressive debut feature from Marie Kreutzer, The Fatherless is a sophisticated and compelling drama dealing with issues of family and freedom.
Bernadette: Notes On A Political Journey and The Loneliest Planet
Fuchsia, The Mini-Witch
(Country: Netherlands; Year: 2011; Director: Johan Nijenhuis; Writer: Sander de Regt; Stars: Rachelle Verdel, Marcel Hensema, Porgy Franssen)
A small witch creates mayhem at Witch School but tries to make amends when she discovers a plot that threatens the forest where she and her friends live.
The Giants
(Country: Belgium, France, Luxembourg; Year: 2011; Director: Bouli Lanners; Writer: Bouli Lanners, Elise Ancion; Stars: Zacharie Chasseriaud, Martin Nissen, Paul Bartel, Karim Leklou, Didier Toupy)
Coming-of-age yarn which takes a cue from Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
The Great Bear
(Country: Denmark; Year: 2011; Director: Esben Toft Jacobsen; Writer: Jannik Tai Mosholt, Esben Toft Jacobsen; Stars: Markus Rygaard, Alberte Blichfeldt, Flemming Quist, Mller)
A young boy enters the forbidden forest and finds himself among mysterious magical creatures.
Gypsy
(Country: Slovakia, Czech Republic; Year: 2011; Director: Martin ulk; Writer: Marek Leck, Martin ulk; Stars: Jnko Mizigr, Martin Hangurbadzo, Martinka Kotlrov, Miroslav Gulyas)
Martin ulk's groundbreaking portrait of Roma life in present-day Slovakia focuses on a young boy whose father has suffered a violent death.
Hut In The Woods (Hütte im Wald)
(Country: Germany; Year: 2011; Director: Hans Weingartner; Writer: Hans Weingartner; Stars: Peter Schneider, Timur Massold, Henrike von Kuick, Julia Jentsch)
A young man befriends an orphaned boy, and they try to escape the world by building a cabin in the woods.
Hut In The Woods and Sleeping Sickness
The House
(Country: Slovakia, Czech Republic; Year: 2011; Director: Zuzana Liov; Writer: Zuzana Liov; Stars: Miroslav Krobot, Tatjana Medveck, Judit Brdos, Marin Mita)
A father and a daughter come into conflict about whether she should stay in rural Slovakia or leave for England in Zuzana Liov's award-winning debut.
The Jewel
(Country: Italy; Year: 2011; Director: Andrea Molaioli; Writer: Andrea Molaioli, Ludovica Rampoldi, Gabriele Romagnoli; Stars: Toni Servillo, Remo Girone, Sarah Felberbaum)
A gripping conspiracy thriller story about the rise and fall of a major Italian food company, due to mismanagement, dodgy financial deals, shady politics and embezzlement.
King Curling
(Country: Norway; Year: 2011; Director: Ole Endresen; Writer: Ole Endresen, Atle Antonsen; Stars: Atle Antonsen, Jan Slid, Jon igarden, Linn Skber, Ane Dahl Torp)
Eccentric pastel bright comedy about middle age, OCD and... the sport of curling!
Last Winter
(Country: Belgium, France; Year: 2011; Director: John Shank; Writer: John Shank, Vincent Poymiro; Stars: Vincent Rottiers, Anas Demoustier, Florence Loiret Caille, Michel Subor, Aurore Clment)
An atmospheric, brooding rural drama reminiscent of early Terrence Malick.
Li and the Poet
(Country: Italy, France; Year: 2011; Director: Andrea Segre; Writer: Andrea Segre, Marco Pettenello; Stars: Zhao Tao, Rade Serbedzija, Marco Paolini)
Original and intriguing tale of a Chinese woman coming to work in a bar on the Venetian island of Chioggia who forms a friendship with a retired fisherman.
Stopped On Track and Corpo Celeste
The Loneliest Planet
(Country: Germany, USA; Year: 2011; Director: Julia Loktev; Writer: Julia Loktev; Stars: Gael Garca Bernal, Hani Furstenberg, Bidzina Gujabidze)
A young couple are taken by surprise on a trek deep into the Caucasus Mountains.
The Magicians
(Country: Netherlands; Year: 2010; Director: Joram Lrsen; Writer: Frank Ketelaar; Stars: Daan Schuurmans, Thor Braun, Theo Maassen, Java Siegertsz)
Ben's magical act is brought under question when his vanishing act results in the disappearance of his friend, Sylvie.
On the Sly
(Country: Belgium, France; Year: 2011; Director: Olivier Ringer; Writer: Olivier Ringer, Yves Ringer; Stars: Wynona Ringer, Olivier Ringer, Macha Ringer)
Lonely girl Cathy comes to terms with her parents lack of attention in this child's eye view.
Play
(Country: Sweden, Denmark, France; Year: 2011; Director: Ruben Ostlund; Writer: Ruben Ostlund; Stars: Kevin Vaz, Sebastian Blyckert, Anas Abdirahman, Sebastian Hegmar, Yannick Diakit)
Thought-provoking and considered drama inspired by an elaborate scam developed by young teens in Gothenburg.
Seven Acts of Mercy
(Country: Italy, Romania; Year: 2011; Director: Gianluca De Serio, Massimiliano De Serio; Writer: Gianluca De Serio, Massimiliano De Serio; Stars: Roberto Herlitzka, Olimpia Melinte, Ignazio Oliva)
Gritty contemporary crime drama about a Slovenian girl caught in a plot to steal and sell a baby in return for a new legitimate identity in Italy.
Dreileben 3: One Minute of Darkness and The Sleeping Voice
She Monkeys (Apflickorna)
(Country: Sweden; Year: 2011; Director: Lisa Aschan; Writer: Josefine Adolfsson, Lisa Aschan, Helene Lindholm; Stars: Kevin Caicedo Vega, Maria Hedborg, Sigmund Hovind, Inger Lindberg, Isabella Lindquist, Adam Lundgren, Sergej Merkusjev, Linda Molin, Malin Müller, Nasrin Pakkho, Mathilda Paradeiser, Elin Söderquist),
Official Site
An intense relationship of power-play develops between two girls on an equestrian acrobatics team.
The Sleeping Voice (La voz dormida)
(Country: Spain; Year: 2011; Director: Benito Zambrano; Writer: Dulce Chacón, Carmen López-Areal, Ignacio del Moral, Benito Zambrano; Stars: Javier Godino, Inma Cuesta, Ana Wagener, Marc Clotet, Miryam Gallego, María Garralón, Berta Ojea, Susi Sánchez, Emilio Linder, Antonio Dechent, Ángela Cremonte, Ana Gracia, María León, Amaia Lizarralde, Jesús Noguero)
Set in the terrible years immediately following the end of the Spanish civil war, the film narrates the moving relations between two sisters, one of them in jail, and the two men they love, who become two guerrilla fighters.
The Soul of Flies
(Country: Spain; Year: 2011; Director: Jonathan Cenzual Burley; Writer: Jonathan Cenzual Burley; Stars: Andrea Calabrese, Javier Sez)
A quirky absurdist road movie-cum-comedy charts the adventures of two brothers travelling together to their father's funeral.
Sleeping Sickness (Schlafkrankheit)
(Country: Germany, France, Netherlands; Year: 2011; Director: Ulrich Kohler; Writer: Ulrich Kohler; Stars: Pierre Bokma, Jean-Christophe Folly, Jenny Schilly, Hippolyte Girardot)
Absorbing and boldly original drama revolving around a German doctor in present-day Cameroon.
Stopped On Track (Halt Auf Freier Strecke)
(Country: Germany; Year: 2011; Director: Andreas Dresen; Writer: Andreas Dresen, Cooky Ziesche; Stars: Steffi Khnert, Milan Peschel, Talisa Lilli Lemke, Mika Nilson Seidel)
A raw, compelling study what happens to a ordinary family when a husband and father becomes terminally ill.
King Curling and The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
Target
(Country: Russia; Year: 2011; Director: Alexander Zeldovich; Writer: Alexander Zeldovich, Vladimir Sorokin; Stars: Maxim Sukhanov, Justine Waddell, Vitaly Kischenko, Danila Koslovsky, Daniela Stoyanovich)
A boldly conceived dystopian epic set in Russia 2020.
Terraferma
(Country: Italy, France; Year: 2011; Director: Emanuele Crialese; Writer: Emanuelle Crialese, Vittorio Moroni; Stars: Donatella Finocchiaro, Beppe Fiorello, Mimmo Cuticchio)
Powerful drama of a Sicilian fishing family on the island of Linosa, whose lives are disrupted by the arrival of African refugees, who they save from drowning.
There Was Never a Better Brother
(Country: Azerbaijan, Russia, Bulgaria; Year: 2010; Director: Murad Ibragimbekov; Writer: Murad Ibragimbekov, Pavel Finn; Stars: Sergei Puskepalis, Evgeny Tsyganov, Nino Ninidze)
Two brothers end up as rivals in Murat Imbragimbekov's poetic tale of life in Azerbaijan in the 1970s.
Twilight Portrait
(Country: Russia; Year: 2011; Director: Angelina Nikonova; Writer: Olga Dihovichnaya, Angelina Nikonova; Stars: Olga Dihovichnaya, Sergei Borisov, Sergei Goludov, Roman Merinov)
A female social worker becomes involved with one of her abusers in Angelina Nikonova's disturbing portrait of a disjunctive urban world of everyday violence.
Undercurrent
(Country: Iceland; Year: 2010; Director: rni lafur sgeirsson; Writer: Ott Geir Borg, rni lafur, sgeirsson, Vesturport; Stars: Ingvar E Sigursson, Nna Dgg, Filippusdttir, Gsli rn Gararsson, lafur Egill Egilsson)
Powerful desires are awoken between two young riders who compete both inside and out of the arena.
Volcano
(Country: Denmark, Iceland; Year: 2011; Director: Rnar Rnarsson; Writer: Rnar Rnarsson; Stars: Thedr Jlusson, Margrt Helga Jhannsdttir, Elma Lsa Gunnarsdttir, Thorsteinn Bachmann)
A grumpy retired janitor finds redemption when circumstances require him to become a carer.
Walking Too Fast
(Country: Czech Republic; Year: 2010; Director: Radim pacek; Writer: Ondrej Stindl; Stars: Ondrej Mal, Kristna Farkaov, Martin Finger, Oldrich Kaiser)
A lieutenant in the secret police goes about his deadly business but develops an unexpected obsession in Radim paek's compelling portrait of Czech society in the early 1980s.
The Waves
(Country: Spain; Year: 2011; Director: Alberto Morais; Writer: Alberto Morais, Daniel Martin, Ignacio Gutierrez-Solanas; Stars: Carlos Alvarez-Nvoa, Laia Marull, Armando Aguirre, Sergio Caballero)
A magnetic central performance by Carlos Alvarez-Novoa (Solas) grounds this remarkable film about loss and memory by Spanish director Alberto Morais.
Whores's Glory
(Country: Austria, Germany; Year: 2011; Director: Michael Glawogger; Writer: None; Stars: None)
A profound insight into the world's oldest profession that reveals vast differences in attitude to sex, money, power and religion in three different countries.
Women With Cows
(Country: Sweden; Year: 2011; Director: Peter Gerdehag; Writer: Peter Gerdehag, Tell Aulin, Malcolm Dixelius; Stars: None)
Two sisters are divided and united by the old family farm. One has given her life to the cows, the other only wished she could escape them.