Char Adhyay

My Sister

January 1944 •Hindi

Set against the backdrop of WW II in Calcutta, "Meri Bahen" is the story of a schoolteacher and his young sister. The film followed his rise to fame as a singer and the changes in his relationships following a bomb-raid.

Normality

January 2014 •Norwegian

Normality is a human state of good intentions, empathy, caring and wanting to do the best for those we love and the world at large.

57 Lawson

September 2016 •English

Set in a social housing estate in central Sydney, 57 Lawson preserves the disparate voices of the tenants at a time when these communities are becoming increasingly marginalised by the city around them. A patient observation of the daily lives of the area’s inhabitants over the course of one evening, 57 Lawson is a hybrid drama-documentary film about a specific place at a specific time.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

December 2008 •English

A representative of an alien race that went through drastic evolution to survive its own climate change, Klaatu comes to Earth to assess whether humanity can prevent the environmental damage they have inflicted on their own planet. When barred from speaking to the United Nations, he decides humankind shall be exterminated so the planet can survive.

exposer

February 2022 •English

A man battling drug addiction is stalked by an ominous masked photographer.

Koyaanisqatsi

April 1983 •English

Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.

Girls in My Hometown

January 1991 •Korean

Girls in my Hometown, released in 1991, is a melodrama dealing with individualism and sacrifice. A young girl has a friend who has just come back from abroad, bringing with her foreign fashions and foreign ideas. When the solider to whom the friend was engaged becomes blinded in an accident, she decides to put herself first, neglecting her duties to her fiancé and the community she lives in.

Strawberry and Chocolate

December 1993 •Spanish

Set in 1979, following a young Communist man's relationship with a gay Catholic writer, exploring tolerance, inclusion, homophobia and challenging its Cuban audience with great humour. Based on the short story by Cuban writer Senel Paz.

Kunku

February 1937 •Marathi

Neera (Apte) is trapped into marrying an old widower Kakasaheb (Date). He is a progressive lawyer with a son and daughter of Neera's age. Neera refuses to consummate the union claiming that while suffering can be borne, injustice cannot. Neera faces many hurdles including her mother-in-law and a lascivious stepson Pandit (Nene).

Paper Wheat

January 1979 •English

This film, based on the play of the same name, portrays the harsh lives of early Saskatchewan settlers and the foundation of the co-op movement on the Prairies.

The Myth of Manila

November 2021 •English

Since the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, Metro Manila has been subjected to intermittent lockdowns with demeaning punishments. Despite the danger, Sandra, a single middle-aged reporter living there, continues to search for stories, even after waking up with symptoms one day. As a public service, she turns the camera on herself for the first time in her career, documenting her condition and recording the sights and sounds of the afflicted city on her way to the hospital. Unfortunately, every place she reaches has a long queue. With her remaining strength, she brings herself to Quiapo Church, the site frequented by many pilgrims in dire situations.

Venerable

May 2022 •English

Devastated by a recent loss, Jayne's perseverance is tested by her nuisance husband as she attempts to complete her jigsaw, but as pieces start disappearing she must solve a far more complex puzzle; one she may not like the answer to.

Country's Funeral

February 2024 •Hindi

As per tradition, young man shaves his head after death, but whose death is he mourning about?

President

January 1937 •Hindi

Badi Bahen aka President is a 1937 Hindi social romantic drama film (the Bengali version was called Didi and starred several different actors). The story according to the credit roll of the film is "A tale of love and greater love" developed on an idea by M. M. Begg. It was a love triangle with a social content that highlighted the conditions of the mill workers. It was also the first film to show a liberated educated woman managing her own factory

Aliento

September 2019 •Spanish

Lintik

November 2013 •Tagalog

In a sprawling city, a man's firm belief that people are innately selfless is severely tested.

Romero

August 1989 •English

Romero is a compelling and deeply moving look at the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who made the ultimate sacrifice in a passionate stand against social injustice and oppression in his county. This film chronicles the transformation of Romero from an apolitical, complacent priest to a committed leader of the Salvadoran people.

The Bedroom

October 2016 •English

Set in one bedroom over six decades, The Bedroom explores the exciting changes to sex and sexuality in Australia.

Victim

August 1961 •English

A web of blackmail and murder attracts the attention of a barrister with a seemingly idyllic life, threatening to derail his career on the path of success.

The Yacoubian Building

June 2006 •Arabic

Cairo: a 70-year-old building of once-luxury flats with tenements on the roof. Zaki, an aging libertine, feuds with his sister. Pious Hajj Azzam takes a second wife, in secret, to satisfy his sexual drive within religious bounds. Bothayna, poor and beautiful, wants to support her family with her dignity intact. Her former fiancé, Taha, the janitor's son, humiliated by the police, turns to fundamentalism. Hatem, a gay editor, seduces and corrupts a young man from the sticks. Two Coptic brothers, one a tailor and the other being Zaki's factotum, connive for property. Allah is on everyone's lips, and corruption is in their hearts.