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The 1970s punk rock movement: New York had the Ramones, London had the Sex Pistols, Australia had the Saints. Stranded takes a look at the role four musicians from suburban Brisbane played in the explosion of one of the all time greatest musical movements. Featuring interviews with the members of the band, including its leaders Ed Kuepper and Chris Bailey, as well as the likes of Sir Bob geldof, former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra and Buzzcocks guitarist Steve Diggle, Stranded examines how the oppresive and conservative government of Joh Bjelke-Peterson in the 1970s helped act as a catalyst for the rise of punk rock in Australia, and how as a result The Saints went on to be one of the most influential bands in the country.
When Marie, a widow in Provence with two daughters, locks her bedroom door and goes to sleep, she dreams about Marty, a literary agent in Manhattan who dreams equally vividly about Marie. The women look alike. Marie meets William who begins to court her. Marty meets Aaron, an accountant, becomes his friend and then his lover. Both women tell their lovers about their dream life. William is jealous, Aaron is accepting. Even though they’ve become lovers, Marie won’t fall asleep next to William. Marie goes on holiday with William to Paris, and Marty wakes up with an ashtray from the hotel on her night stand. Are they the same person? What will unlock reality?
Ricardo, an amusing grumpy middle-aged man, decides to travel overland to India, as he used to do, shipping hippies in the sixties. Only now he has other things on his mind. He has been in a wheelchair for 10 years, suffering from a degenerative disease, that’s pushing into its final stages. This is to be his last journey. Accompanied by his housekeeper Dana he sets off, crossing Europe, through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan. It turns out to be a funny and inspiring journey, opening doors both Ricardo and Dana thought were closed forever. As the landscape widens ahead, all of the crucial things of life unfold before them. Most importantly, Ricardo finds a reason to live.
Our host sets out to find a scientific explanation for her erratic behavior during adolescence. Characterized by immense hormonal and physical changes, every person can relate to this life stage, filled with intense emotion, moodiness, and challenge. Now, research and new technologies allow us to gain a better understanding of what is happening inside our brains during these tumultuous years.
Julie, star cyclist, is two races away from winning the World Cup. It is the culmination of years of effort. Julie loves the spotlight. Her entourage too. Encouraged by her coach and doctor, she has been doping since the age of 14. When her doctor denounces her, she manages to hush up the case, but the extent of the mess leads to abuse, lies, and treason. Caught in a gear that goes beyond her, will she succeed in finding a way out?
Checco, an uneducated but self-satisfied fellow from Milan, who has always dreamed of becoming a police officer, fails his entrance exam for the third time. It must be said that at the oral examination Checco said that the reason why he wanted to join the police was benefits in kind and cronyism! But the young man has connections and he soon finds himself a security agent at the Milan Cathedral. Of course the bumbling idiot proves a living catastrophe! Spotted by Sufien, an Arab terrorist who is preparing an attack against the cathedral, Checco appears as the perfect sucker. To manipulate him, he sends his charming sister Farah to him, with the mission to seduce him…
“Boy from the Blaze” is the survivor of a tragic accident that destroyed his life and that of his family. About to turn 18, without a job or an education, he spends his days in the darkness of his room. Consumed by pain and anger, his only hope is writing songs for an imaginary crowd. Inspired by a friend and encouraged by his mother, he will find the strength to go on stage and overcome his fears.
Middle-class housewife Kay Miniver deals with petty problems. She and her husband Clem watch her Oxford-educated son Vin court Carol Beldon, the charming granddaughter of the local nobility as represented by Lady Beldon. Then the war comes and Vin joins the RAF.
The crooks in London know how it works. No one carries guns and no one resists the police. Then a new gang appears that go one better. They dress as police and steal from the crooks. This upsets the natural order of the police/criminal relationship and the police and the crooks join forces to catch the IPOs (Impersonating Police Officers), including an armoured car robbery in which the police must help the gangs to set a trap.
This film covers the last years of the Emperor’s life, imprisoned by the British on St Helena, a remote island off the west coast of Africa. Napoleon retains a loyal entourage of officers who help him plot his escape and evade the attentions of the island’s overzealous governor, Sir Hudson Lowe.
Follows Georgian ex-wrestler’s journey to Brooklyn, New York. His aim is to get his son out of a gambling debt. He meets people who help him and people who ignore him.
Inspired by a true story, “Beyond the Blackboard” is about a 24-year-old first-time teacher who makes a difference in the lives of the homeless children she teaches in a shelter’s makeshift classroom. Set in 1987 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this movie tells the story a brand-new teacher and Mom who is given a tougher than expected teaching job and winds up teaching homeless children in a school that is housed in a room and called, literally, The School with No Name. She has some personal prejudicial hurdles to cross before she is able to be a true teacher for these children and of course there are hurdles like the lack of books and supplies.
An ex-convict must undertake a perilous, violent journey in order to meet his daughter after ten years of imprisonment.
“White Boy Rick”, as he was called, was a novelty: A white teenager seemingly running a major inner-city drug operation. In May of 1987, 17-year-old Richard Wershe Jr. was charged with a non-violent, juvenile drug offense. By the time of his arrest he was already a Detroit legend, frequently making front-page headlines and leading the local television news. In this film, gangsters, hit men, journalists and federal agents struggle to explain why he remains in prison at nearly 50 years old. The possible explanation is more stunning than the crimes Wershe was alleged to have committed.
Emigration is one of the most pronounced issues faced by the post-communist Romanian society. With a script inspired from the life of the Romanian community in Cyprus, the film tells a painful, personal story in a world in which we use only numbers to talk about emigration, prostitution and suffering, as an unfortunate statistic. Abused by her step father, then driven away from home, Eva, a Romanian teenager, becomes a victim of human trafficking. She ends up prostituting herself in Cyprus. Years later, the young woman creates her own web of relations and becomes a full-fledged “courtesan” for influential men: politicians, diplomats, business people. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she is diagnosed with AIDS.
Romanian-born Radu Patru is a trainee at a prestigious French news network. Serving as a translator and general problem solver, or “fixer,” for the headlining journalists during his trial period, he’s looking to make his big break. He sees his opportunity when two underage Romanian prostitutes are repatriated from France, creating an international scandal. Taking advantage of his language skills and local connections, Radu is prepared to do whatever it takes to interview one of the young girls. But as he ventures into tricky moral ground, he must stop to ask himself if, as an aspiring journalist, he can live with the consequences of his actions, and if, as a father, he’s setting a good example for his son.
Inspired by a true story, the film presents a TV reporter’s journalistic investigation into alleged American “flying prisons” in Romania. Through a combination of circumstances, following a mysterious File 631, Dinu (Iosif Paștina) discovers a leak from a NATO base in Romania. The news event stirs, provokes, tempts various media, top politicians, services, both internal and external, causing both hilarious and absurd dramas in a black comedy. The journalistic endeavour of the “newly” turned investigative reporter is a tough, not easy, test to preserve his professional dignity, but also his character, noting the duplicity, the moral volatility, the lack of measure of a world that relentlessly continues its course.
In the missionary jungle, Ismael Guzmán, a seasoned park ranger, patrols the reserve daily in search of poachers. Orlando Venneck is a beloved settler in the area and, like his ancestors, he is a hunter. Sara Voguel, a committed rural doctor, is married to Guzmán and used to be Venneck’s fiancee. Both venerate the mountain in their own way, but a jaguar appears and this generates a confrontation between them. Behind the tourist postcard of the park hides a world besieged by passions, conflicts of interest and fights. The spiral of violence will become inevitable and blood will flow.
The story centers around a graduating class of “less-gifted” students in a private Versailles high school. Only a miracle has brought the students this far along, and after a practical joke misfires and the whole school is dynamited, the students are in deep trouble. They have to present themselves in court for their punishment and it could not be worse: If they don’t pass their high-school graduation exams, they go to prison!
Four unrelated short comedies by four different directors. “Queen Sabina” chronicles the sexual misadventures of a teenage girl on the road home. “Queen Armenia” centers on a self-serving opportunistic gypsy babysitter who uses her employer’s kids for her own gain. The third episode, “Queen Elena” centers on a husband who learns a lesson about the perils of infidelity after he succumbs to the wiles of the seductive wife next door. The last vignette, “Queen Marta” centers on a wealthy woman who, when drunk, uses her butler as an outlet for her lust.
Everyone has a unique father story. Whether positive or painful, it’s always personal and can deeply affect the core of our identity and direction of our lives. Providing a fresh perspective on the roles of fathers in today’s society, Show Me the Father invites you to think differently about how you view your earthly father, and how you personally relate to God.
Jin Zhuyuan mistook impersonator Luo Lin as a actress Vickie when he was on a film shooting site. They had an embarrassing misunderstanding but Jin was also attracted by Luo. The painting “secret garden” played magic suddenly, and the two souls exchanged. The usual routine like bathing is getting harder……A hilarious and touching romantic journey begins.
Canada, the summer of 1898. A group of German settlers travel towards the far north in covered wagons with packhorses and their few possessions in tow. The seven travellers set off from Ashcroft, the final railway station. Along with their leader, flamboyant businessman Wilhelm Laser, they are hoping to find their fortune in the recently discovered goldfields of Dawson, but they have no idea of the stresses and dangers which lie ahead on their 2,500 kilometre journey. Before long uncertainty, cold weather and exhaustion begin to take their toll and conflicts escalate. The journey leads these men and women deeper and deeper into a menacing wilderness. (Berlinale.de)
From award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter comes “The Lady Bird Diaries,” a groundbreaking all-archival documentary film about Lady Bird Johnson, one of the most influential and least understood First Ladies. The feature film looks at the 123 hours of personal and revealing audio diaries that Lady Bird recorded during her husband’s administration. The film reveals Lady Bird as an astute observer of character and culture and a savvy political strategist. It recasts her crucial role in LBJ’s presidency and brings viewers behind the scenes of one of the most tumultuous and consequential periods in modern American history.
In the fifties, the leaders of the Greek-Catholic church are arrested and sent to the Sighet prison.The soviet regime has banned any church except the orthodox. Tortured and dehumanized, the only choices are conversion or death. The bishop Iuliu Hossu stands up in front of the torturers and through courage and stature becomes an inspiration for the other priests.
In a world that is consumed by fake news, Eddie Lowry is an idealist who has been squeezed out of San Diego’s mainstream media because of his daring refusal to change into a click bait or sensational journalist. When the truth-seeking reporter begins to gain notoriety on back page blogs for his journalistic integrity, an off-the-books FBI-SDPD joint task force discovers that he could be their key to uncovering a case of corruption and by a subsequent quick stroke of luck, Eddie literally collides into the woman of his dreams, and finds that she could become his key to breaking out back into the mainstream. But Eddie soon finds himself in over his head, when the case of corruption converges into his personal life and he’s forced to make the ultimate choice–sacrifice his values…or everything else.
It’s 1965 and Lia, a spirited young woman living in a small Sicilian town, is initially attracted to Lorenzo, the son of the most prominent (and possibly Mafia-tied) local family. His possessiveness eventually repels her. But soon after, he appears with his cronies to kidnap, rape and force her into a shotgun marriage, all with the collusion of the town’s authorities. Lia and her family refuse to accept this barbaric ‘tradition’ and, despite the constant intimidation and violence, they take their fight for Lia’s rights to court.
Dharmendra and Bobby play a crooked father-son pair based in Varanasi. Sunny plays a Canada based upright man who gets to know after two decades that he has a father and brother in Varanasi. The film is about Sunny’s journey to his past.
Julien est envoyé par son patron à l’île Maurice, où il fait la connaissance d’Henri, un chômeur professionnel. Un soir de beuverie, les deux hommes se soulagent au pied d’une statue sacrée. Offensés par ce sacrilège, les dieux les punissent en leur ôtant leur reflet et en les faisant léviter. Si cette situation leur paraît au début invivable, les deux hommes finissent cependant par tirer parti de ces désavantages pour régler leurs problèmes personnels.
Laine is a college girl from a bland middle-class suburb in Latvia. As Laine’s father distances himself from his crumbling marriage and his family, Laine is unable to cope with the separation and discovers the edgy Riga party scene, where she falls in love with seasoned raver Gunda. Going from rave to rave, the girls journey into a drug-fuelled underworld of anarchy, freedom and exploration.
Famous by age 9, struggling by age 20 and dead at ripe age of 34, this documentary dives deep into the life of pop singer Aaron Carter. He became a mainstay of the early 2000s pop scene, touring the world as a child solo artist with chart-topping hits like “I Want Candy” and earning the title “The Little Prince of Pop” from Michael Jackson. Just a few years after his rise to fame, Carter began a cycle of mental health struggles, experienced family turmoil, and grappled with addiction ― culminating in his untimely death in November 2022.
Inspired by the true story of indomitable Kuki Gallmann, the film tells of a beautiful and inquisitive woman who had the courage to escape from her comfortable yet monotonous life in Italy to start anew in the African wilderness with her son, Emanuele, and her new husband, Paolo. Gallmann faces great danger there but eventually becomes a celebrated conservationist.
Faced with a traumatic injury that renders you permanently disabled; how would you reinvent yourself? Full Circle tells the story of Trevor Kennison and Barry Corbet’s shared resiliency and refusal to let their passion for life be limited by Spinal Cord Injury. It is an unblinking examination of the challenges of Spinal Cord Injury, and a celebration of the growth that such tragedy can catalyze.
Told from the perspective of two children, and in four parts which run parallel to seasons, The Small Town describes the relationships between members of a small-town family. Both brother and sister witness the complexities of the adult world, as well as the mysteries of life and nature.
Ali, a blind man, is attempting to commit suicide when he is interrupted by the concierge of his building. He is informed that the police is in search of a woman who has escaped and hidden somewhere in the building. Little by little, Ali finds out that the fugitive woman, Leila, is inside his apartment. After participating in a workers’ protest that led to chaos, she is distraught about her four-year-old son who was lost when she was taken in a police van. Gradually, Ali becomes emotionally attached to her. Wishing to flee reality, helping Leila becomes a refuge in his own world of imagination.
Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne Boleyn, his second wife, executed on charges of treason, King Henry weds maid Jane Seymour, but that marriage also ends in tragedy. Not one to be single for long, the king picks German-born Anne of Cleves as his bride, but their union lasts only months before an annulment is granted, and King Henry continues his string of spouses.
Finding Joe is an exploration of the studies of mythologist Joseph Campbell, and of their continuing influence on our culture. Through interviews with visionaries from a variety of fields—interwoven with enactments of classic tales by a sweet and motley group of kids—the film navigates the stages of what Campbell dubbed “the hero’s journey”: the challenges, the fears, the dragons, the battles, and the return home as a changed person.
In his provocative 2021 book, The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto, New York Times opinion columnist Charles M. Blow calls for a “reverse Great Migration” of African Americans from the North back to the South to upend today’s political power structures while reclaiming the land and culture they left behind. South to Black Power does more than illustrate Blow’s enlightening ideas; we journey through Blow’s personal story, from his childhood in Louisiana to his role as father to young adult children in New York City, showing us the hard-won truths behind his vision for the future.
This Great War drama opens in the trenches during an artillery bombardment. Receiving bayonet wounds, young Simon (Guillaume Depardieu) drops out of the action, joining other injured soldiers at a Brittany hospital. One day he meets schoolteacher Marthe (Clotilde Courau), who lives in the household of the hospital’s head doctor (Bernard Giraudeau). Soon a romance begins to develop. Cinematography by Kevin Jewison, son of director Norman Jewison.
Your favourite gamer trio is back! This time, Waldek, Staszek and Delfina will spend an adventure-packed summer in the Tatra Mountains. During the trip, Waldek accidentally finds out that his father – the man he has heard so much about from his mum, the person who abandoned his family a long time ago – lives nearby. The boy is determined to find him and ask him about the reasons for his decision. Together with Staszek, under the cover of night, they set out on their mission. The hazards of the mountain trail, however, are nothing compared to what Delfina will have to do. The creative teenager has to hide the truth about the boys’ disappearance from her aunt, the mother of Waldek and… her new partner. How will this secret mission affect the lives of all the characters? Will Waldek find an answer to the questions that haunt him and understand the actions of his father?