The Chess Player

God Help Us

April 2024 •English

In the gripping drama "God Help Us", a desperate man stands on the edge of self-destruction caught in a supernatural game of life and death. An Angel and a Demon engage in an otherworldly game of chess to determine the man's fate. Tension rises as the dual between the two extraterrestrial beings mirrors the man's internal struggle with each move on the chessboard propelling the man closer to either salvation or despair. Will Angel's divine strategy prevail or will Demon's conniving manoeuvres let him leave? "God Help Us" is a thought-provoking journey as it challenges viewers about the fragility of the human soul exploring themes of faith, resilience and morality

The Island Within

November 2020 •Azerbaijani

Seymour Tahirbekov is an international chess grandmaster from Azerbaijan. Having won the Candidates Tournament, Seymour earns the right to challenge the defending world champion Skroten Gudmonson in the World Chess Championship match. With a few weeks left before the championship match, Seymour’s psychological and emotional state deteriorates under escalating abuse and pressure to succeed by any means.

Pawn Sacrifice

September 2015 •English

American chess champion Bobby Fischer prepares for a legendary match-up against Russian Boris Spassky.

Mastergame

November 2023 •Hungarian

A young, revolutionary couple aboard the last train leaving Budapest after the Russian invasion of 1956. Based on a novel by the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig.

Fresh

June 1994 •English

Death and violence anger twelve year old drug courier Fresh, who sets his employers against each other.

Analysis Paralysis

September 2016 •English

A man’s head is bursting with thoughts and decisions. A gardener is about to explode – somebody has trampled on her flowerbeds. The man is looking for somebody who is better at playing chess than his dachshund. The gardener is looking for a mysterious vandal who is missing a yellow boot. In the end, they might just be looking for the same thing.

The Pawn and the King

Invalid date •Portuguese

Europa

June 1991 •German

A young, idealist American gets a job as a train conductor for the Zentropa railway network in postwar, US-occupied Frankfurt. As various people try to take advantage of him, he soon finds his position politically sensitive, and gets caught up in a whirlpool of conspiracies and Nazi sympathisers.

The Chess Player

November 1938 •French

A toymaker in Poland specializes in building lifesize mechanical men. He builds a chess-playing "automaton" to hide a pretty young Polish activist who is being hunted by occupying Russian forces.

Alice Through the Looking Glass

December 1998 •English

A modern adaptation of the classic children's story 'Alice through the Looking Glass', which continued on from the popular 'Alice in Wonderland' story. This time Alice is played by the mother, who falls asleep while reading the the bedtime story to her daughter. Walking through the Looking Glass, Alice finds herself in Chessland, a magical and fun world. There she meets the Red and White Queens, as well as many other amusing friends on her journey across the chessboard countryside onto become a crowned queen.

Shattered Games

October 2024 •Polish

The Polish national chess squad, the 'Golden Team', won the world chess championship in Hamburg in 1930, and was renamed by the German press as the 'Bombenmannschaft' ('Bomber Crew'). The film focuses on team leader, Akiba Rubinstein, alongside his fellow players Dawid Przepiórka, Ksawery Tartakower, Mieczyslaw Najdorf, Paulin Frydman and Kazimierz Makarczyk. They battle to win the trophy as well as dealing with the mental illness of Rubinstein and the outbreak of World War II. The film tracks the fate of the Polish players, some of whom are Jewish, as the Nazis occupy Poland.

Chess Story

September 2021 •German

1938. While the Nazi troops march into Vienna, the lawyer Josef Bartok hastily tries to escape to the USA with his wife but is arrested by the Gestapo. Bartok remains steadfast and refuses to cooperate with the Gestapo that requires confidential information from him. Thrown into solitary confinement, Bartok is psychologically tormented for months and begins to weaken. However, when he steals an old book about chess it sets him on course to overcome the mental suffering inflicted upon him, until it becomes a dangerous obsession.

Searching for Bobby Fischer

August 1993 •English

A seven-year-old chess prodigy refuses to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.

Illegal Move

June 2016 •English

In a game of Chess, a Knight and a Queen of opposing sides show that, with love, any move is possible.

Nightswimming

June 2003 •Italian

A young man prefers to play chess rather than taking a swim. Only by moonlight does he go for a swim alone. Or so he thinks.

E4

November 2023 •English

A boy plays a game of chess by himself but after looking away for a moment he realizes the pieces on the board have begun to move by themselves.

Die Grünstein-Variante

April 1985 •German

The plot revolves around three men waiting to be deported in a prison. To escape the monotony, they form chess pieces from their bread rations, with which they then play against each other. Grünstein, a Polish Jew, proves to be a real talent, because although he is a beginner, he manages to defeat even the experienced player Lodeck, a German sailor, with his "Grünstein Variant".

All the Pretty Horses

December 2000 •English

The year is 1949. A young Texan named John Grady finds himself without a home after his mother sells the ranch where he has spent his entire life. Lured south of the border by the romance of cowboy life and the promise of a fresh start, Cole and his pal embark on an adventure that will test their resilience, define their maturity, and change their lives forever.

Stalemate

December 2022 •English

Upon a stay in his grandparent's countryside house, young writer Matt begins to encounter strange happenings as he attempts to write his first novel.

Rondo

June 1966 •

Every Sunday, lonely bachelor and refined judge Mladen goes to play chess with his friend, sculptor Fedji. Slowly, he engages in a love affair with Neda, Fedia's wife, and almost invisibly, a love triangle forms. Chess board is the central part of the film, as moves on the board reflect emotions of the characters.