The Black Balloon

The Beast

May 2016 •Zulu

An ordinary day at a Zulu cultural village. Shaka, their star performer, expresses his frustrations to his co-workers as he sits on display for tourists. When he reaches the end of his tether, his protest reaches Shakespearian proportion.

The Piano

May 1993 •English

A mute Scottish woman arrives in colonial New Zealand for an arranged marriage. Her husband refuses to move her beloved piano, giving it to neighbor George Baines, who agrees to return the piano in exchange for lessons. As desire swirls around the duo, the wilderness consumes the European enclave.

Little Miss Sunshine

July 2006 •English

A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.

The Tailor of Panama

March 2001 •English

A British spy is banished to Panama after having an affair with an ambassador's mistress. Once there he makes connection with a local tailor with a nefarious past and connections to all of the top political and gangster figures in Panama. The tailor also has a wife, who works for the Panamanian president and a huge debt. The mission is to learn what the President intends to do with the Canal.

The Game

September 1997 •English

In honor of his birthday, San Francisco banker Nicholas Van Orton, a financial genius and a cold-hearted loner, receives an unusual present from his younger brother, Conrad: a gift certificate to play a unique kind of game. In nary a nanosecond, Nicholas finds himself consumed by a dangerous set of ever-changing rules, unable to distinguish where the charade ends and reality begins.

Nemesis

October 2010 •German

Claire and Robert spend most of their time in a house they own in the beautiful and remote countryside in Italy. Their life seems to be perfect. But when Claire's sister gets murdered in the very same house, the traumatic event shakes up their relationship. Disappointment, fear and resentment they swept under the rug for years, resurface. Revealing the dark side of a blissful love - a dream that turns into a nightmare. It is the story of two people trapped in a dark secret.

Baise-moi

June 2000 •French

Manu has lived a difficult life. Abused and violently raped, she sets off to find herself only to meet Nadine, a prostitute who has encountered one too many injustices in the world. Angry at the world, they embark on a twisted, rage-filled road trip. They choose to have sex when they please and kill when they need. Leaving a trail of mischief and dead bodies in their wake. Generating a media blitz and manhunt, soon everyone is out to capture the young fugitives.

Robyn O. (14)

June 2012 •English

Teenage girl Robyn is desperate about joining her older brothers on parties, but they don't want her around. When their parents leave for a business trip, Robyns little brother manages to realize what she has never been able to. She totally loses control.

Lullaby

January 1994 •Georgian

This Georgian drama seeks to renew and reinforce a sense of cultural and national identity as it examines a tragic event in the idyllic life of an aristocratic Georgian family. Much of the film focuses upon their happy and peaceful life of this family comprised of a young couple and their baby daughter Keto. Their life changes when two drifters come in. The two men (who seem to be Muslims from the Azerbaijan republic) are met with hospitality. They repay it by kidnapping baby Keto. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Der Meineidbauer

November 1926 •German

Gisela

June 2005 •German

Gisela is a young wife and mother, living in a working class German Housing Scheme. She is a supermarket cashier, her husband a delivery driver. The marriage is stale but together they are working their way up into the middle class. George and Gisela evidently knew each other as teenagers. They live on the same scheme and George introduces her to his friend Paul. There is instant mutual attraction. Gisela spontaneously goes to a party that they invite her to that evening, where she and Paul begin a sexual relationship.

Lady Chatterley

November 2006 •French

In the Chatterley country estate, monotonous days follow one after the other for Constance, trapped by her marriage and her sense of duty. During spring, deep in the heart of Wragby forest, she encounters Parkin, the estate’s gamekeeper. A tale of an encounter, a difficult apprenticeship, a slow awakening to sensuality for her, a long return to life for him. Or how love is but one with experience and transformation.

After the Wedding

February 2006 •Danish

A manager of an orphanage in India is sent to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he discovers a life-altering family secret.

Brides of the Frontier

January 1943 •Japanese

The only surviving film directed by Tazuko Sakane. A propaganda film to encourage Japanese young woman to move to Manchuria to become the wives of Japanese emigrants, so-called brides of the Continent. Villagers played roles different from their actual lives; single women from "school of training future brides" were recruited to act in the film.

On Dragon's Wings

October 2012 •English

A young boy struggles to get through to his mum because of his severe autism. This short film is made to raise more awareness about ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). When I saw the struggle people with autism and their relatives go through--every day--I realized: if only people would be able to take a look inside the world of someone with autism, if only people would understand a little of what it really means for them, many judgments and dismissive actions towards people with autism, can be turned into motivating and stimulating actions. Understanding is the key for a change of behavior. It is my hope this film will create more of this understanding.

Strawberry Time

January 1978 •Slovenian

Jagoda Kopriva is a typical teenage girl who hangs out with her friends from school, flirting with boys, quarreling with her parents, and discovering her own sexuality.

The Pig Child

September 2014 •English

A scientist makes a reckless decision to carry on with an illegal surrogacy experiment, using her own body.

Rita

January 1958 •Latvian

The Horses of McBride

December 2012 •English

When Nicki finds two horses stranded deep in the Rocky Mountain snow, she makes it her mission to find a way to get them to safety. With no other options, she picks up a shovel and starts to dig out the mile-long path, inspiring her father, Matt, and the rest of the community to join together and save the horses in the spirit of Christmas.

The Man Who Was Allowed to Leave

October 1995 •Faroese

An elderly man one day realises that he will leave his wife for the much younger Maria. His wife reacts stoically. She is neither angry nor unhappy but thinks he should be allowed to sow a few wild oats. She is convinced that he will come to his senses and return to her bosom. He does - but not quite in the way she had imagined...