Winter of starvation, 1947. In Austria desertion from the Wehrmacht is still a crime even after the war. The cook, the farmer, the altar boy, and the head pig keeper give insight into the military terror they were subjected to and their reasons for fleeing. The documentary-style film is a montage of the real fates of young deserters and shows moving moments of traumatic memories and the social ostracism experienced after the war.

Six young black men from Akron, Ohio, enter college, determined to redefine society’s images and low expectations. Despite their confidence, the stark reality of being away from home brings a series of crises. Well trained in critical and metaphorical thinking, and unusually articulate about their inner lives, each of the protagonists guides us to his core. Since sixth grade, they have been part of an innovative mentoring program called ‘Alchemy, Inc.’ that uses mythological stories, drumming and writing. In the twice-yearly reunion workshops everyone speaks of his trials and his triumphs with authenticity, intelligence, honesty and heart. In turns quiet, thoughtful and exuberant, the six protagonists grow before our eyes, whether navigating racial provocations, or seeking support with new friends, estranged fathers and wise grandmothers.

Eleven year old Masha Kulabokhova is about to be adopted into fourteen year old Cami Diaz’s family. Masha grew up in a Russian orphanage; Cami was born and raised in Wisconsin and has been the exclusive focus of her parents’ love her whole life. The process of Masha becoming part of the Diaz family is going to change both girls forever. The Dark Matter of Love follows Masha as she leaves Russia to the spend her first year as part of the Diaz family, who have also adopted five year old twin boys Marcel and Vadim. When the reality of bonding with children who have grown up in institutions turns out to be more difficult than they ever imagined, the Diaz’s hire two of the world’s best developmental psychologists to help them build their new family – through science. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, The Dark Matter of Love melds the story of the Diaz family learning to love, with rare archive footage of science experiments exploring parent-child love.

Many objected to leather-jacket, spike-hair kids with tattoos. But, that did not dissuade a generation… No one realized that a little club in Costa Mesa, CA would end up spawning a multi-billion dollar youth culture that still endures today! It was the Cuckoos Nest of the late 70s and early 80s. With archival, unseen and new footage, the filmmakers compiled an intimate story about the beginning of a movement, a place of refuge for a youth culture, a fearful establishment and a police force that didnt understand what was happening.

Seventy years ago one of the greatest amphibious assaults in history was launched from here on the south coast of England. And within a matter of hours, 7000 vessels had landed 156,000 troops on the beaches of Normandy. It was a manoeuvre that changed the course of the war and tested innovations in science and engineering for the first time. On this programme, engineer Rob Bell looks at the nuts and bolts which made such a staggering invasion possible. From giant troop carrying gliders to tanks that could drive on water. How necessity really did become the mother of invention. Like all new inventions – not all of them worked and resulted in devastating consequences. We find out why. This is the science of D-Day.

A young couple on the run take a family father as a hostage and are shocked to realize that he actually is a serial killer who just murdered the family. With the police on the outside and the killer on the inside they now have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, all whilst trying to solve their relationship problems… This is an action packed thriller with tongue in cheek

Cassie works as a teller at the bank where her mother is the branch manager. When the bank is robbed, Cassie is taken hostage. She soon finds out that the bank robbers are teenage girls, one of whom is her best friend, Abbie. In this propulsive real time, ticking clock thriller, as the girls are on the run from the police, we learn that the real motivation behind the robbery is something unexpected.

Clarise, an OFW mother in Japan, and her desire to have a husband and father for her children. One day, Clarise bumps into Henry, ridiculed and rejected. Then, they meet again in a plane going back to the Philippines. Here, an accident happens. Clarise wakes up and finds herself in an island with Henry, who now has amnesia. Clarise takes advantage of the situation and introduces herself as his wife. She makes him believe that they have been married in Japan and they are on their way to the Philippines to get married in church. After being saved, Clarise then introduces Henry to her family and friends. Will Henry learn to really love Clarise? Or, will Henry find the truth about Clarise’s lies? What if Henry learns that Clarise is his “illegal wife?”

The Summit is a 2012 documentary film about the 2008 K2 disaster directed by Nick Ryan. It combines documentary footage with dramatized recreations of the events of the 2008 K2 disaster. On the way to and from the summit, eleven climbers died during a short time span creating one of the worst catastophes in climbing history. Much of the documentary footage was captured by Swedish mountaineer Fredrik Sträng. Sträng was planning to do a Documentary which was aborted due to the fact that he did not reach the summit. The footage was still valuable to help solving what really did happen since all the climbers had different stories about what happened.

Baby Girl, 30, a poet with a bachelor’s degree in arts, is anguished because of her relationship with Pirkka, a relatively smart, young man. Baby Girl’s parents, Eila and Rampe, do their best to become friends with Pirkka and his elegant mother. Through coincidence and error Eila occupies her summerhouse neighbors’ empty luxury villa. When Pirkka’s mother drops by, Eila lies that she and Rampe own the fancy house. The showing off and lying escalate when Eila’s mother and sister show up. The real owners of the house, an upper-class couple, Thomas and Monica, are driven away to Eila and Rampe’s modest cottage.

Telmo is a retired theater director that realizes he doesn’t remember the time he spent kept in jail during the military dictatorship in Brazil. He decides to stage a play and, with threads of memory, he improvises the lines with his young cast. Telmo dives into his own history and ends up revealing for himself what, being so painful, he’d rather forget.

James Hunt has never been equalled. Could swashbuckling Hunt catch the scientific Lauda? Could Niki overcome an appalling crash to come back from the dead and fight James all the way to the last race of the season? This powerful story captures the heart of the 1970s – told through unseen footage and exclusive interviews with the people who were really there – the team managers, families, journalists and friends who were in the front row of the season that changed Formula 1 forever.

A heartwarming, quintessentially British adventure for all the family, PUDSEY THE DOG: THE MOVIE follows cheeky London stray dog, Pudsey, who is quite happy being a lone ranger, looking out for number one, until he meets siblings Molly (Izzy Meikle-Small), George (Spike White) and Tommy (Malachy Knights). After losing their father, their mother Gail (Jessica Hynes) is moving the family to the sleepy village of Chuffington and Pudsey tags along, to the dismay of their landlord, Mr. Thorne (John Sessions), and his cat Faustus. As Pudsey starts to settle in with the family and realize what he was missing when he was alone, he stumbles across Thorne’s evil plan and he determines to save them and the whole village.

A relentlessly-paced hybrid of gritty crime thriller and Lovecraftian supernatural horror, “The Devil’s Mile” follows a trio of kidnappers who take an ill-advised detour en route to deliver their hostages – two teenage girls – to their mysterious and powerful employer. When they accidentally kill one of the girls during a botched escape attempt, their simmering mistrust explodes into shocking violence. But what they thought was their worst case scenario is only the beginning, as they are engulfed by the hellish forces that haunt the road – a road they realize they may never escape. Now captors and captive must fight together to escape the monstrous forces pursuing them and somehow survive …

In the winter of 2002, over 300 bodies were discovered strewn about the property of the Tri-State Crematory in Noble, GA, in various stages of decay. “Sahkanaga” imagines this event from the perspective of a teenager who discovers the first body. Filmed on location in Walker County, GA, with a cast of non-professional actors, some of whom had direct connections to the real-life scandal, “Sahkanaga” observes a tight-knit community on the brink of a terrible tragedy and their efforts to make sense of the unknowable.

Patrick McCord doesn’t accept the explanation of his sister’s mysterious death as suicide, and instead teams up with a team of paranormal investigators to delve deeper into the inexplicable circumstances that surround what he believes to be murder. The team’s investigation leads them from one bizarre and frightening clue to another, at the center of which seems to exist something evil and terrifying, a presence well beyond their wildest imaginations and experiences. Before long, they realize this deadly entity has now targeted each of them, and they are confronted with the impossible challenge of defeating it and saving their own lives. In the end, what survives, and is presented here, is the disturbing footage that Patrick and his team shot, footage that if seen by others, likely endangers the viewer, marking them as the next victim of this powerful and evil force. Be careful what you chase – you just might end up catching it.

Sonny Steele used to be a rodeo star, but his next appearance is to be on a Las Vegas stage, wearing a suit covered in lights, advertising a breakfast cereal. When he finds out they are going drug the horse in case its too frisky, he rides off into the desert…

Set against the backdrop of 1971 Indo-Pak war, the movie is inspired by real incidents and the protagonists are inspired by Param Vir Chakra recipients. The movie shows what consequences of war are on the lives of soldiers on either side of the border.

“Made In Romania” is the story of a producer who is given the chance to realize his dream project; to film an adaptation of an obscure, beautifully written Victorian novel, “The Tides of Reason”. Disillusioned after years of making low budget genre films, the producer readily accepts the demands of his less than legitimate financiers. Namely, the production be filmed entirely in Romania to take advantage of a complicated and slightly suspicious tax deal. Shot in documentary style, this behind-the-scenes comedy deftly and inexorably exposes the painful reality of runaway film production. Way off the radar in deepest, darkest, rural Romania the hopelessly disconnected production veers swiftly off the tracks as bizarre personalities, cultural, economic and language issues quickly combine to send the production spiraling into hysteria. Written by Neil Monaghan

Roger Li, the son of the richest man in town, is involved in a car accident which has soon become the talk of the town. The only witness James, nervous and terrified, denies witnessing the accident and seems to withhold the truth. Veteran undercover cop Dream Dragon and James are old time buddies; with an intention to take advantage of their relationship, Dragon approaches James to investigate this suspected substitute case. James’ beloved sister Kwan is born with a serious eye disease. Her only wish before losing her sight totally is for James to realise his dream of being a popular superstar. It is the motivation for James to join the male pageant “Man of China” in hope to win the competition. Meanwhile, James is invited by a renowned director to work abroad on his new international project. However, the shooting period overlaps with the court date of the case. It turns out that everything is controlled by a mastermind with a premeditated intention yet to be revealed…

Join our fiendish host, Dr. Vincent Van Gore, as he leads you into the forbidden world of the dead. Only the nastiest car accidents, suicides and murders are here; faithfully and explicitly documented through actual crime scene investigations by police and emergency response teams from around the world. Everything you see is real; nothing has been faked. There are no boring autopsies or old World War II footage. Only the best and bloodiest corpses killed within the past 10 years are good enough to become the FACES OF GORE! If you cannot handle smashed brains, bug-eyed corpses and char-boiled fetuses, then DO NOT WATCH THIS DVD! Nothing you have ever seen before can prepare you for this breakthrough new horror film by TODD TJERSLAND, the Visionary Overlord of American Horror!

In an ethereal, high-ceilinged room, women stand, waiting. Perhaps it’s Purgatory and they’re dead. In the room, two young women, one an actress and the other a psychologist, watch the last few days of their lives on a TV screen. Both are having affairs with married men, each has a long encounter with her lover’s wife, and both these scenes take place in a ladies’ room, one backstage at a play that’s about to preview, the other at an opera house during the first act. The relationships between each pair of younger and older women take surprising turns, and in the room with the TV, a sylph asks probing and challenging questions of the two young women as they watch.

A look at one of the most exclusive holiday destinations in the world – Necker Island. This reveals how the rich holiday, and what it’s like for the staff who serve them. For the first time viewers are given an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at one of the most exclusive holiday destinations in the world – Necker Island. This film is an intimate portrait of how the rich, powerful and famous holiday, and what it’s like for the staff who serve them. It’s an upstairs-downstairs world where nearly 100 staff cater to just 30 guests – where some have over a staggering £40,000 a night to experience the perfect island paradise. And while Necker is home to Sir Richard Branson and his family, it is also a serious commercial venture. Meeting the needs of these VIPs are the staff of British, European and local islanders. It may seem that they’ve landed the dream job working in paradise, however the realities of living in the middle of the Caribbean Sea bring a whole host of major challenges.

As Zipper’s Clown Palace (a strip bar) closes, Neil wanders in and decides to hold the dancers, bartender, and remaining customers hostage. He torments them with little tasks he wants performed, playing on their weaknesses and relying on his gun for intimidation. Eventually the hostages begin formulating plans to thwart his control. Meanwhile, two policemen are observing the outside of the strip joint, realizing that something’s wrong and trying to decide if it’s worth ruining their buzz to intervene.

This is a David and Goliath story of one veterinarian’s battle to protect her patients (tigers, lions and even house cats) from big corporations, with their big corporate money, that will shamelessly do anything to animals to increase their bottom line. She starts a grassroots movement that is fueled by passion, but appears to be losing the battle. Then, unexpectedly, she realizes that the corporations accidentally left her a giant loophole. In a scramble to take advantage of this unforeseen gift, she leads the crusade passing legislation protecting animals from de-clawing in seven cities in just six weeks.

Mathieu Roy’s L’Autre maison is an intimate and powerful family drama featuring three generations of great Quebec Actors. Marcel Sabourin plays Henri Bernard, an 86 year-old man with a failing grip on reality. His sons, a jet setting middle aged photo-journalist (Roy Dupuis) and a younger pilot-in-training (Emile Proulx-Cloutier) disagree on a course of action, leaving the father and the younger son inhabiting a rustic cottage in the woods. As the older man’s health deteriorates, options become more limited; when an IED accident in Afghanistan kills the photo-journalist’s translator, the family must come together like never before. Shot in Quebec, Iceland, Africa and Asia, Another House blends elements of memory, perception and lyricism into a remarkable cinematic mix that moves the story well beyond direct domestic issues into a visual realm that balances nature and humanity.

The ostensibly simple story of a sympathetic veteran teacher giving Italian lessons to a weekly class of diverse immigrants is given infinitely more depth and complexity by the manner in which director Daniele Gaglianone renders his story. Blurring the lines between fact and fiction, truth and artifice, and between documentary and drama, Gaglianone has created a film within a film. You see the apparent artifice of Gaglianone’s crew using professionals, including the noted film actor Valerio Mastandrea as the teacher, interlinked with ‘real’ immigrant protagonists, studying the language to improve their chances of employment and of gaining a permanent residence permit. Thus in the course of the lessons there is simultaneously the painful and upsetting relation of the students’ personal stories but also humour, as they interact and share their humanity, bridging cultural differences, united in their striving to make a better life for themselves. (Source: LFF programme)

Charlie Bradford, an aspiring filmmaker in his 30s, is doing the best he can to distance himself from the chaos of his childhood home. But his eccentric mother Linda, a compulsive hoarder who suffers from depression punctuated by spells of manic consumption, has a tendency to keep the people and things she loves close at hand. Charlie’s younger sisters still live at home with Linda: Lisa, the older of the two has a history of petty theft and works as a home healthcare aid, and Penny, who is trying to overcome her agonizing shyness is starting a a new career as a home stager in a beleaguered real estate market.

What would it be like to step inside a great work of art, have it come alive around you, and even observe the artist as he sketches the very reality you are experiencing? From Lech Majewski, one of Poland’s most acclaimed filmmakers, The Mill and the Cross is a cinematic re-staging of Pieter Bruegel’s masterpiece “Procession to Calvary,” presented alongside the story of its creation.

Upon graduating college, a brokenhearted aspiring writer, without a dime or connections, packs his bags and heads to Los Angeles in the hopes of finding a new beginning. He quickly gets immersed into two very different worlds – one young, provocative and alluring, the other rooted in diversity, community and loyalty – both with their own unique appeals, advantages and dangers. Through his new experiences, he realizes who he is and where he belongs.