Behind The Sun – Abril Despedacado

6 Oct 2004 Director: Walter Salles Brazil, France, Switzerland 2001 106 mins A tale set in the badlands of Brazil in 1910. When 20 year old Tonho’s older brother is killed by a rival family, his father orders Tonho to avenge his death. Realising he is caught in a cycle of vengeance, Tonho is torn… Continue reading Behind The Sun – Abril Despedacado

Frida

3 Nov 2004 Director: Julie Taymor USA, Canada, Mexico 2002 123 min Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were the most acclaimed artists in Mexican history. Their outrageous personas and tempestuous love affair made them 20th Century icons. Julie Taymor’s biopic took years of devotion to develop it for the screen. It mixes colour with the… Continue reading Frida

Belleville Rendezvous

Les Triplettes de Belleville 15 Dec 2004 Director: Sylvain Chomet France, Belgium, Canada, UK 2003 77 min A unique, stylish and exquisitely executed animation from France. Champion, under the care of his grand mother Madame Souza, enters a rigorous training regime in order to one day enter the Tour de France. But Champion is kidnapped… Continue reading Belleville Rendezvous

Osama

20 Oct 2004 Director: Siddiq Barmak Afghanistan 2003 82 min In Afganistan, the Taliban close the factory where a 12 year old girl and her mother work. They forbid women to leave their houses without a male ‘legal companion’. The males in their family are dead. The mother has nowhere to turn, so she disguises… Continue reading Osama

Laissez-Passer

2 Mar 2005 Director: Bertrand Tavernier France 2002 170 min It is the 1940’s and France is under German occupation. The French film industry can continue but ‘ under supervision. Continental Films comes to symbolise the unholy alliance between France’s creative talent and the Nazis. Screenwiter Jean Aurenche does everything to avoid working for the… Continue reading Laissez-Passer

Dirty Pretty Things

16 Feb 2005 Director: Stephen Frears UK 2002 97 min A thriller set in the world of illegal immigrants. Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a kindly Nigerian doctor, lives with a Turkish asylum seeker, Senay (Audrey Tautou). During the day he works as a taxi driver and, at night, as a porter at a shady hotel run… Continue reading Dirty Pretty Things

Man without a Past

Mies vailla menneisyytta 17 Nov 2004 Director: Aki Kaurismaki Finland, Germany, France 2002 97 min ‘M’ arrives in Helsinki looking for work, where he is set upon by thugs and left for dead. He recovers but with no memory of his past. With nothing to support him, he begins to rebuild his life. He wanders… Continue reading Man without a Past

Elling

1 Dec 2004 Norway, Sweden 2001 89 min Director: Petter Næss Elling, a neurotic middle-aged man, has a nervous breakdown when his mother dies and is institutionalised. There he meets fellow patient Kjell Bjarne, a gentle giant and female obsessed virgin. When the two are released into the outside world they are paralyzed by fear,… Continue reading Elling