The Motorcycle Diaries

Diarios de motocicleta 21 Sep 2005 Director: Walter Salles USA, Germany, UK, Argentina, Chile, Peru, France 2004 128 min Based on the diaries of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, this is the story of two Argentinean friends who travel across South America on the back of a rickety motorcycle. It is a thrilling and inspirational journey that… Continue reading The Motorcycle Diaries

Moolaadé

8 Mar 2006 Director: Ousmane Sembene Senegal, France, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia 2004 124 min African cinema’s founding father Ousmane Sembene brings us a story from the dark heart of Africa. In a village four girls are facing the horrible and demeaning practice of female circumcision. They seek ‘protection’ from Colle who has previously… Continue reading Moolaadé

Vera Drake

30 Nov 2005 Director: Mike Leigh UK, France, New Zealand 2004 125 min Vera Drake is a kind and selfless woman, in the 1950’s, who is devoted to and loved by her family. Her days are spent caring for sick neighbours and her elderly mother which she does with kind words and encouragement. However there… Continue reading Vera Drake

The Wind That Shakes The Barley

21 Mar 2007 Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Ireland, UK 2006 127 min Director: Ken Loach Ken Loach’s uncompromising adaptation of Paul Laverty‘s story of the struggle for Irish independence in 1920. Damien is a promising doctor but is troubled by the brutality of the Black and Tans and his deep love and sense of duty… Continue reading The Wind That Shakes The Barley

Les Choristes

The Chorus 4 Apr 2007 Director: Christophe Barratier France, Switzerland, Germany 2004 96 min In January 1949, former music teacher Clément Mathieu arrives at a boarding school for orphans and troubled boys. There he finds a severe regime where the boys receive harsh punishment for their faults. When he sees that this treatment is not… Continue reading Les Choristes

Marche de l’empereur

March of the Penguins 27 Sept 2006 France 2005 85 min Director: Luc Jacquet Every year, deep in the Antarctic, thousands of Emperor Penguins battle against the frigid stormy weather and cross the perilous continent. Here they will nurture a single egg and raise it to adulthood against all the trials this inhospitable place can… Continue reading Marche de l’empereur

Caché

Hidden Director: Michael Haneke 11 Oct 2006 France, Austria, Germany, Italy 2005 117 min The comfortable life of talk show host George, and his wife Anne is shattered when they receive a package containing footage shot of themselves and their family. Secretly filmed by an unknown sender they are soon followed by disturbing drawings and… Continue reading Caché

Paradise Now

22 Nov 2006 France, Germany, Netherlands, Israel 2005 90 min Director: Hany Abu-Assad In the crushing poverty of the Palestinian West Bank City of Nablus, childhood friends Said and Khaled pass their time drinking tea and working in menial jobs as mechanics. One day they receive a message that sets in motion what might be… Continue reading Paradise Now

Les Égarés

Strayed 8 Nov 2006 Director: André Téchiné France, UK 2003 95 min In June 1940 the German forces are advancing on Paris. There is widespread panic in the city; Odile, a recently widowed mother, succumbs to this and joins the exodus south with her two children. When a German plane attacks the refugees, Odile and… Continue reading Les Égarés

Joyeux Noel

Merry Christmas 20 Dec 2006 Director: Christian Carion France, Germany, UK, Romania 2005 116 min On Christmas Eve in 1914 in the trenches of Northern France the the bloodiest war in human history is well underway. Soldiers from France and Germany have been fighting in trenches barely 100 metres apart. This day, however, witnesses a… Continue reading Joyeux Noel