Director : Jafar Panahi / Iran/2018/color/100 min/Persian, Azeri Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival Synopsis Well known actress Behnaz Jafari is left distraught when she comes across a provincial girl's video plea for help after her family prevents her from taking up her studies at the Tehran drama conservatory. Behnaz abandons her shoot and turns to filmmaker Jafar Panahi to help with the young girl's troubles.They travel by car to the rural northwest where they encounter with the charming and generous folk from the mountain village where the girl resides. Crew Director and Producer Jafar Panahi Screenplay Jafar Panahi and Nader Saeivar DoP Amin Jafari Edited Mastaneh Mohajer, Panah panahi Cast Behnaz Jafari,Jafar Panahi, Marziyeh Rezaei, Maedeh Erteghaei   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTwB4dVxZ-M

Director : Ying Liang / aiwan/2018/colour/ 107 min / Mandarin, Taiwanese, Cantonese Awards/Festivals Locarno Festival Synopsis A Chinese filmmaker, Yang Shu makes a film which offends the government which makes her go on a forced exile in Hong Kong. Yang’s mother lives in Sichuan and wishes to see her daughter and grandson due to relapse of her stomach cancer. Yang takes the opportunity of a film festival in Taiwan and plans a travel to meet her mother under the strict itinerary of Chinese government. Crew Director Ying Liang Screenplay Chan Wai, Ying Liang Producers Jeremy Chuva, C Melanopterus, Tseng Wen Chen, Lee Shuping Editor Liu Yue Xing Cast Gong Zhe, Nai An, Pete Teo, Tham Hin Yue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8BWg9KdMdw

Director : Siew Hua Yeo / France, Netherlands, Singapore/2018/Colour/95’/Bengali, English, Mandarin Awards/Festivals Locarno International Film Festival Hamburg Film Festival Synopsis Wang, a migrant industrial worker in Singapore suffers a worksite accident and is anxious about repatriation. Unable to sleep, Wang starts frequenting a dreamy cybercafé in the dead of the night. Hoping to look for some form of human connection in this foreign land he feels alienated from, Wang forms a virtual friendship with a mysterious gamer that takes a sinister turn.When Wang suddenly disappears, police investigator Lok is appointed to find him.He digs deep into the trail leading to a land reclamation site. Crew Director and Screenplay Siew Hua Yeo Producer Fran Borgia DoP Hideho Urata Editor Daniel Hui Music Wei Yong Teo Cast Peter Yu, Xiaoyi Liu, Yue Guo, Jack Tan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKRLkJBrP0s

Director : Amos Gitai / Uruguay, Argentina, Spain/2018/Colour/122'/Spanish Awards/Festivals Venice FF Synopsis A Tramway in Jerusalem is a situation comedy that juxtaposes stories and human situations in the context of the Israeli Palestinian society in 2018. In Jerusalem the tramway connects several neighbourhoods, from East to West, recording their variety and differences. Director Amos Gitai Screenplay Amos Gitai,Marie Jose Sanselme Producer Amos Gitai, Catherine Dussart, Laurent Truchot DoP Eric Gautier Editor Yuval Or Music Louis Sclavis Sound Design Alex Claude Cast Alex Claude,Mathieu Amalric, Lamis Ammar

Director : ÁLVARO BRECHNER / 122 min / Uruguay | Argentina | Spain / Spanish / 2018 Awards/ Festivals Berlin International Film Festival, Biarritz IngernationalFestival of Latin American Cinema, International Antalya Film Festival, International Crime and Punishment Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Venice Film Festival Synopsis In a secret mlitary operation, three Tuparmaro prisoners are being taken from their cells in Uruguay. For the next twelve years they have to remain in solitary confinement. They spend most of the time wearing hoods over their heads. One among the prisoners is Pepe Mujica, who later became the President of Uruguay. Crew Director Álvaro Brechner Producer Mariela Besuievsky, Birgit Kemner, Fernando Sokolowicz, Vanessa Ragone DoP Carlos Catalan Editor Irene Blecua, Nacho Ruiz Capillas Music Federico Jusid, Silvia Pérez Cruz Cast Antonio de la Torre, Chino Darín, Alfonso Tort, César Troncoso, Soledad Villamil, Silvia Pérez Cruz, Mirella Pascual, Nidia Telles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y97o1phiyRY

Director : Milko Lazarov / 96 min / Bulgaria | Germany | France / 2018/ Colour/ Sakha (Yakutian) Awards/ Festivals Cabourg Romantic Film Festival, Eurasian International Film Festival, Free zone Film Festival, Golden Rose Bulgarian Feature Film Festival, International Cinematograhers’ Film Festival Manaki Brothers, Jerusalem Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Valladolid International Film Festival Synopsis Nanook and Sedna lead a self-sufficient life in a tundra. Their daughter leaves them for a better living away from the tundra after she refuses to follow the traditional ways of living. They notice that spring is coming earlier than usual and ice fishing is no longer bountiful. Chena is the only one who visits them bringing them wood and fuel, along with the news of their daughter Aga. The severe changes in the climate force them to seek out their daughter. Crew Director Milko Lazarov Screenplay Simeon Ventsislavov Milko Lazarov Producer Veselka Kiryakova DoP  Kaloyan Bozhilov Editor Veselka Kiryakova Music Penka Kouneva Sound Design Sebastian Schmidt Cast Mikhail Aprosimov, Feodosia Ivanova, Sergai Egorov. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sNP9laRXts  

Director : Quarxx / France/2018/Colour/102'/French Awards/Festivals Catalonian International Film Festival Synopsis Simon, a factory worker lives a solitary existence inside a dilapidated farm located in a remote countryside in France. Estelle, his sister is severely disabled after a childhood game went wrong and a guilt ridden Simon devotes his time caring her. He then finds a way to escape from their sufferings and the corporeal cage they are confined to. Crew Director and Screenplay Quarxx Producer Vincent Brancon, Francois Cognard DoP Antoine Carpentier Editor Quarxx Sound Design Julien Perez, Kevin Simon Cast Jean-luc Couchard, Melanie Gaydos, Zelie Rixhon, Thierry Fremont.    

Director : Brillante Ma Mendoza / Philippines/2018/Colour/94’/Filipino,Tagalog,English Awards/Festivals San Sebastian IFF, Warsaw IFF Synopsis Set against the backdrop of the Philippines Government's crackdown on illegal drugs, a SWAT-led police force launches an operation to arrest Abel, one of the biggest drug lords in Manila. Police Officer Espino and Elijah, a small-time pusher turned informant, provide the intelligence for the operation, which quickly escalates into a violent and heavily-armed confrontation in the slums between the SWAT and Abel's gang. Crew Director Brillante Mendoza Screenplay Troy Espiritu DoP Joshua Reyles Editor Diego Marx Dobles Music Diwa de Leon Cast Allen Dizon,Elijah Filamor,Baron Geisler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqJlYupeIYY

Director : Isold Uggadottir / Iceland, Sweden, Belgium/2018/Colour/100’/Icelandic,English Awards/Festivals Athens IFF, Hamptons IFF Synopsis Two women's lives will intersect while trapped in circumstances unforeseen. Between a struggling Icelandic mother and an asylum seeker from Guinea-Bissau, a delicate bond will form as both strategize to get their lives back on track. Crew Director and Screenplay Isold Uggadottir Producer Skuli Fr. Malmquist DoP Ita Zbroniec-Zajt Editor Frédérique Broos Music Gisli Galdur Cast Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir, Babetida Sadjo,Patrik Nökkvi Pétursson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwf3oTcydIE

Director : Zhangke Jia / China, France, Japan/2018/Colour/137'/Mandarin Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival Synopsis Initially set in the jianghu-criminal underworld-setting ‘Ash is Purest White’ is less a gangster movie than a melodrama. In an industrial city in China, a young dancer named Qiao falls in love with a mobster named Bin. When a fight breaks out between rival gangs, Qiao uses a gun to protect Bin and is sent to prison for five years. Crew Director and Screenplay Zhangke Jia Producer Shôzô Ichiyama, Nathanaël Karmitz DoP Giong Lim Editor Matthieu Laclau Music Giong Lim Sound Design Nikolas Javelle, Gwennolé Le Borgne Cast Tao Zhao, Fan Liao, Yi'nan Diao   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt5BGibtb3I  

Director : Stéphane Brizé / France/2018/Colour/113'/French Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival Synopsis In spite of heavy financial sacrifices on the part of the employees and a record profit of their company, the management of a factory decides the total closure of the site. Agreement rejected and promises over turned, the 1100 employees, led by their spokesman Laurent Amedeo, refuse management’s decision and tries everything to save their jobs. Crew Director Stéphane Brizé Screenplay Stéphane Brizé, Olivier Gorce Producer Philip Boëffard, Christophe Rossignon DoP Eric Dumont Editor Anne Klotz Music Bertrand Blessing Sound Design Hervé Guyader Cast Vincent Lindon, Mélanie Rover, Jacques Borderie, David Rey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITpFKgBEmms

Director : Christopher Makoto Yogi / USA/2018/Colour/75’/English Awards/Festivals International Film Festival Rotterdam Synopsis Musician Alex sets off to an island to find his ancestral home with only childhood memories as navigational system. As he fails to find his home, he reaches a retreat run by a Buddhist woman, Akiko, where he decides to stay for a while. Over a course of few weeks, they share a special bond out of music and therapeutic techniques. Crew Director and Screenplay Christopher Makoto Yogi Producer Chris Choi, Cris clatter, Sarah S Kim, Vince Keala Lucero, James Sereno, Joshua Strickland DoP Jose Asuncion, Eunsoo Cho Ediotr Christopher Makoto Yogi Music Alex Zhang Hungtai Cast Alex Zhang Hungtai, Akiko Masuda, KinukoArakaki, Phoenix Yamashiro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5t_AdsQp2w

Director : Khavn / Philippines/2018/colour/120’/Filipino Synopsis 1901, Balangiga. Eight-year-old Kulas flees town with his grandfather and their carabao to escape General Smith's Kill and Burn order. He finds a toddler amid a sea of corpses and together, the two boys struggle to survive the American occupation. Crew Direction Khavn Screenplay Khavn, Jerry Gracio, Achinette Villamor Producer Edong Canlas, Khavn , Achinette Villamor DoP Albert Banzon Editing Carlo Francisco Manatad Music Khavn Cast Pio Del Rio, Warren Tuano, Justine Samson, Daniel Palisa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LgZsEXJbiI&t=4s

Director : Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra / Colombia, Denmark, Mexico/2018/Colour/125’/Spanish, Wayuu, English Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival Synopsis Raphayet and Moises, both hailing from the indigenous Wayuu family in northern Colombia, grows a steady business by selling marijuana to American youth. That doesn’t seem to be an issue for Ursula, the local matriarch of the family, until Moises goes rogue in the middle of a deal. A fratricidal war breaks out and put their lives, culture and traditions at the verge of cessation. Crew Director CristinsaGallego, Ciro Guerra Screenplay Maria Camila Arias, Jacques Toulemonde Producer KatrinPors, Cristina GallegoDoP David Gallego Editor Miguel Schverdfinger Music Leonardo Heiblum Cast Natalia Reyes, Carmina Martinez, Jose Acosta, John Narvaez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cbzb4pXZT0

Director : Spike Lee / USA /2018/Colour/132’/English Awards/Festivals Cannes FF, Film Independent Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards, Hollywood Film Awards, International Cinematographers’ FF Manaki Brothers, Jerusalem FF, Legionnares of Laughter Legacy, Lacarno IFF, Sydney FF Synopsis Ron Stallworth is a Police officer. With repeated incidents of racial discrimination, he moves to operate in undercover operations. He sets off to infiltrate and expose Ku Klux Klan. With the help of the colleague, Flip Zimmerman, he manages to get into a local branch. They team up to take down the extremist hate group. Crew Director Spike Lee Screenplay Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee Producer Jason Blum, Spike Lee, Raymond Mansfield, Sean McKittrick, Jordan Peele, Shaun Redick DoP Chayse Irvin Editor Barry Alexander Brown Music Terence Blanchard Cast John David Washington, Alec Baldwin, Isiah Whitlock Jr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQNZhs0QKq0  

Director : Ali Abbasi / Sweden, Denmark/2018/Colour/108’/Swedish Awards/Festivals Cannes FF, Toronto International FF, Telluride FF Synopsis Tina, a customs officer possess a peculiar sense of smell which she uses to nab her suspects. Her ability gets challenged when Vore, a suspicious man, crosses Tina’s path. She gets along and finds a strange attraction towards him only to realise that her hitherto existence was a big lie which prompts her to embrace her real identity. Crew Director Ali Abbasi Screenplay Ali Abbasi, Isabella Eklof, John AjvideLindqvist Producer Nina Bisgaard, PiodorGustaffson, Petra JonssonDoPNadimCarlsen Editor Olivia Nergaard-Holm, Anders Skov Music Christoffer Berg, Martin Dirkov Sound Design Christian Holm Cast Eva Melander, EeroMilonoff, Jorgen Thorsson, Ann Petren https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMvYdo8cQcU  

Director : Nadine Labaki / Lebanon /2018/Colour/123’/Arabic Awards/Festivals Adelaide FF, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, British International Film Awards, Calgary IFF, Camerimage, Cannes FF, Ghent IFF, Melbourne IFF, Montreal festival of new Cinema, Sao Paulo IFF, Toronto IFF Synopsis Story of a Lebanese boy, who sues his own parents for giving him birth. He leaves his negligent parents to live in the streets and takes care of a refugee and her baby child. Soon he gets the responsibility of the child. He lands in trouble soon and ends up in a courtroom, where he questions society’s systematic inhumanity. Crew Director Nadine Labaki Screenplay Jihad Hojeily, Michelle Keserwany, Nadine Labaki, Khaled Mouzanar Producer Khale Mouzanar, Michel Merkt DoP Christopher Aoun Editor Konstantin Bock, Laure Gardette Music Khaled Mouzanar Sound Design Chadiroukoz Cast Zain Al Rafeea, Yardanos Shiferaw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULUo0048xZE

Director : Gaspar Noe / France/2018/color/96’/French, English Synopsis French dancers gather in a remote, empty school building to rehearse on a wintry night. The all-night celebration turns into a hallucinatory nightmare when they learn their sangria is laced with LSD. Crew Direction and Screenplay Gaspar Noe Producer Rectangle productions, Wild Bunch, Arte France DoP Benoit Debie Editor Denis Bedlow, Gaspar Noe Cast Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic, Souheila Yacoub https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSykjaMIxBM

Director : Pawel Pawlikowski / Poland, France, United Kingdom/2018/Color/88’/Polish Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival Synopsis A passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds and temperaments, who are fatefully mismatched and yet condemned to each other. Set against the background of the cold war in the 1950s in Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris, the film depicts an impossible love story in impossible times. Crew Direction Pawel Pawlikowski Screenplay Janusz Glowacki, Pawel Pawlikowski Producer Ewa Puszczynska, Tanya Seghatchian DoP Lukasz Zal, Editor Jaroslaw Kaminski, Music Marcin Masecki Cast Joanna Kulig,Tomasz Kot,Tomas Kot ,Agata Kulesza https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvPkDdFeTk8

Director : Natalya Meshchaninova / Russia, Lithuania, Ireland, France/2018/Colour/127’/Russian Synopsis Egor, a veteran dogtrainer, lives in a small building next to the house of the master of a facility training centre. He cleans the kennels, treats the dogs and it is easier for him to get along with the dogs than with people. Egor is ready to do any job for the master but he wants the impossible – to become the member of the family. Crew Director NataliyaMeshchaninova Screenplay NataliyaMeshchaninova,Boris Khlebniko, StepanDevonin Producer Natalya Drozd, Sergey Selyanov DoPEvgeniyTsvetkov Editor Dasha Danilova Cast StepanDevonin, DmitriyPodnozov, Yana Sekste, Ekaterina Vasiljeva    

Director : Darya Zhuk / Belarus, USA, Germany, Russia/2018/colour/ 95’ / Russian Awards/ Festivals Bergen International FF, Karlovy Vary International FF, Odessa International Film Fetsival Synopsis A young DJ from Belarus dreams of getting to US for her career. She forges the visa application form, but a typo in the phone number lands her in trouble. She lands in a small village of Crystal and waits for the call from embassy. Crew Director Darya Zhuk Screenplay Helga Landauer, Darya Zhuk Producers Valery Dmitrotchenko, Birgit Gernbock, Olga Goister, Debbie Vandermeulen DoP  Carolina Costa Editor Nicholas Metcalf Music Andreas Lucas Cast Alina Nasibullina, Ivan Mulin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eav__UGDdQ

Director : Kent Jones / USA/2018/Colour/95’/English Awards/Festivals Locarno International Film Festival Synopsis Diane is a widow who now spends most of her time taking care of the people in her life and doing whatever she can to ease their burden .She fills her days helping others and desperately attempting to bond with her drug-addicted son. As these pieces of her existence begin to fade, she finds herself confronting memories she'd sooner forget than face. Crew Director and Screenplay Kent Jones Producer Luca Borghese, Ben Howe, Caroline Kaplan, Oren Moverman DoP Wyatt Garfield Editor Mike Selemon Music Jeremiah Bornfield Cast Mary Kay Place, Jake Lacy, Estelle Parsons, Andrea Martin

Director : Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit / Thailand / 2017 / Colour / 75’ / Thai Awards/Festivals Berlin International Film Festival, Hong Kong International, Singapore International Festival of Arts Synopsis Death often comes unexpectedly - what happens the day before is usually ordinary. In Bangkok, 6 people are going to die tomorrow. They don't have any clue of their fate. Told in a documentary essay style, the film explores the conversation of people on their last day on earth. Crew Director and Screenplay Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit Producer Donsaron Kovitvanitcha, Pacharin Surawatanapongs DOP Niramon Ross Editor Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit , Chonlasit Upanigkit Cast Sunny Suwanmethanont, Patcha Poonpiriya, Sirat Intarachote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYjUSGU9GYw  

Director : Matteo Garrone / Italy, France /2018/Colour/103’/Italian Awards/Festivals Cannes FF, European Film Awards, International Cinephile Society Awards, Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists, Jerusalem FF, Toronto International FF, Valladolid International FF Synopsis Marcello, a dog groomer leads a happy life with his daughter and numerous friends. He indulges in cocaine business to save money for his daughter. The association with Simone, a former boxer, leads him to jail. He desperately tries to prove his innocence before his friends. He has his own way of vengeance. Crew Director Matteo Garrone Screenplay Ugo Chiti, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso Producer Paolo Del Brocco, Matteo Garrone, Jean Labadie , Jeremy Thomas DoP Nicolai Bruel Editor Marco Spoletni Music Michele Braga Sound Design Mirko Perri Cast Marcello Fonte, Edorado Pesce https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eum93mpzpE0

Director : Sergey Loznitsa /Germany, Ukraine, France, Netherlands, Romania/2018/Colour/110’/Russian, Ukrainian Awards/Festivals Best Director, Opening Film Un Certain Regards Cannes Film Festival, Jury Prize Batumi International ArtHouse Fil Festival, Ukrainian Film Critics’ Awards Synopsis In Eastern Ukraine, society begins to degrade as the effects of propaganda and manipulation begin to surface in this post-truth era. Divided into 13 segments, ‘Donbass’ recounts the corrosive nature of the conflict pitting Ukrainian nationalists against supporters of Russia’s proxy Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine. Crew Director & Screenplay Sergey Loznitsa Producer Steven Markovitz DoP Oleg Mutu Editing Danielius Kokanauskis Cast Valeriu Andriuta Natalya Buzko https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIbvlwbq_CQ    

Awards/Festivals Silver Bear Berlin International Film Festival Director : Aleksey German / Paraguay, Germany, Uruguay, Brazil, Norway/2018/Colour/126’/Russian,Spanish,Finnish Director Aleksey German Screenplay Aleksey German and Yulia Tupikina Producer Dariusz Jablonski, Violetta Kaminska, Miroslav Mogorovich, Isabella Wojcik DoP Lucasz Zal Editor Daria Gladysheva, Segey Ivanov Cast Milan Maric,  Danila Kozlovsky, Helena Sujecka, Artur Beschastny In 1971 Leningrad, Russian-Jewish Sergei Dovlatov is a young writer whose manuscripts are routinely rejected by the official media, while other writers have been forced into exile for their views. Sergei wants to stay in the country with his family and write about the reality he sees, in spite of the fact that his texts will not be published under the Brezhnev regime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0rfXj9nfXE

Awards/Festivals Berlin International FF, Shanghai International FF Director : Pooya Badkoobeh / Iran/2018/Colour/95’/Iranian Director PooyaBadkoobeh Screenplay Hamid Rajabi Producer RouhollahBaradari, Samira BaradariDoPAshkanAshkani Editor SepidehAbdolvahab Music ShahabParanj Cast NegarMoghaddam, YasnaMirtahmasb, Ali Mostaffa, ShabnamMoghadami Golsa, an alienated teen from a middle-class family in Tehran, goes on a thrill-seeking game with her privileged and amoral friends. Out of boredom they decide to rob a grocery store in the suburbs of Karaj. After doing so, they forget to remove the security camera footage from the crime scene which could incriminate them. Golsa sets off to retrieve the camera and hides it in the dressage stable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m_SPROaHIs

Awards/Festivals Venice IFF, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Athens IFF, European Film Awards Director : Samuel Maoz / Israel,Switzerland,Germany,France/2018/Colour/108’/German,Hebrew,Arabic Director and Screenplay Samuel Maoz Producer Eitan Mansuri DoP Giora Bejach Editor Arik Lahav Leibovich,Guy Nemesh Music Ophir Leibovitch,Amit Poznanky Cast Lior Ashkenazi,Sarah Adler Michael and Dafna Feldmann, an affluent Tel Aviv couple, learn that their son, Jonathan, a soldier, has died in the line of duty. The Israeli military authorities refuse to inform the distraught parents where and how Jonathan died, or if his body had been recovered. Several hours later, they are notified almost matter-of-factly that there has been a mix-up, and that it was some other Jonathan Feldman who has been killed. An angry Michael demands that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) allow Jonathan to return home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrBEDEmUceM

Director : Philippe Lesange /Canada/2018/Colour/129’/French   Awards/Festivals Locarno International Film Festival Montreal Festival of New Cinema Director and Screenplay Philippe Lesange Producer Galilé Marion-GauvinDoP Nicolas Canniccironi Editor Mathieu Bouchard-Malo Sound Design Philippe Lavigne Cast Noée Abita, Paul Ahmarani, Marc Beaupré, Emilie Bierre Guillaume goes to a boarding school for boys where he is secretly in love with his best friend Nicolas, his first love. Charlotte is a stage further ahead in her life, as she is in her first serious relationship. In an enchanting summer camp, Felix is in love with Beatrice. At a time when others are conforming, they stand their ground and assert their right to love and be free. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8jT49PoasA

Director : Yang Mingming / 117 min / China/2018/Colour/117’/Chinese Awards/Festivals Berlin International Flim Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival Director and Screenplay Yang Mingming Producer Yang Chao DoPShenXiaomin Editor Yang Mingming Sound Design Fang Tao Cast NaiAn, Yang Mingming, Zhang Xianmin, Li Qinqin Wu, a screenwriter and her mother have many things in common even though they’d never like to admit. They both are seemingly accustomed to discontent and disappointment in both personal and professional fronts. They share close bonds where emotional outbursts are momentary that are followed mostly by resounding comfort. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7oKR_TLYm4

Director : Claire Denis / Germany, France, UK, Poland, USA/2018/Colour/110’/English Awards/Festivals Toronto International FF FIPRESCI Prize-San Sebastian International FF Director Claire Denis Screenplay Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau, Geoff Cox, Nick Laird Producer Pandora Film Productions, Alcatraz Films, The Apocalypse Film Company, Madants DOP  Yorick Le Saux, Tomasz Naumiuk Editor Guy Lecorne Cast Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin   Deep space. Monte and his daughter Willow live together aboard a spacecraft, in complete isolation. A man whose strict self-discipline is a shield against desire, Monte fathered her against his will. His sperm was used to inseminate the young woman who gave birth to her. They were members of a crew of prisoners – death row inmates. Guinea pigs sent on a mission. Now only Monte and Willow remain. Through his daughter, he experiences the birth of an all-powerful love. Together, father and daughter approach their destination – the black hole in which time and space cease to exist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WI49OA3BjU

Director : Tinatin Kajrishvili / Georgia, Sweden/2018/Colour/105’/Georgian Awards/Festivals Berlin International Flim Festival Director TinatinKajrishvili Screenplay David Chubinishvili Producer LashaKhavashi, David HerdiesDoP and Editor IrakliAkhalkatsi Music George Khalvashi sound Design Ted Krotkiewski, Thomas Jaeger Cast George Bochoroshvili, IaSukhiltashvili, JanoIzoria, SosoGogochaishvili A married couple, Giorgi and Ana seeks estrangement from the wedlock and separates without attracting the attention of others. The post-separation life seems gloomy and endless which Giorgi couldn’t get used to. He isolates himself from outside world due to the devastating feeling of rejection from his lover. The end turns out to be unexpected for both of them, leaving Ana in rue and void. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCIiR5qJXmA

Director : Sang-soo Hong / South Korea/2018/Black and White/96’/ Korean Director Screenplay and Producer Sang-soo Hong  DOP Hyung-ku Kim Editor Son Yeon-ji Cast Ki Joo-bong, Kim Min-hee, Song Seon-mi, Kwon Hae-hyo, Yu Jun-sang A poet invites his sons to join him at a hotel for a reunion. The hotel also hosts a newly single woman and her friend. The poet is drawn to the beautiful girls and cannot resist the temptation to discover more. Their lives intersect, connect and disconnect and potentially become a metaphor for modern life.  

Awards/Festivals Hamburg Film Festival Director : Suba Sivakumaran / Sri Lanka, UK/2018/Colour/100'/ Tamil, Sinhalese Director, Screenplay and Producer Suba Sivakumaran DoP Kalinga Deshapriya Vithanage Editor Nse Asuquo Music Forest Christenson Sound Design Phil Lee Cast Steve De La Zilwa, Dharshan Dharmaraj, Bimal Jayakodi Two Sri Lankan villages - one Tamil and other Sinhala, have been at war with each other for decades. When, on both sides, villagers become infertile, they receive a message from the gods. A Sinhala man and a Tamil woman are to be sent to an isolated place where they will find the secret to renew life. But only one of them will return. In the Forest of the Dead, Asoka and Ahalya will have to confront the secrets of their villages and their personal pasts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Erbb0KBNM

Awards/Festivals Berlin International Film Festival   Director : Kim Ki-duk / South Korea/2018/ Colour/ 122’/Korean Director, Screenplay, Producer, & Editor Kim Ki-duk DOP Lee Jeong-in Cast Mina Fujii, Jang Keun-suk , Ahn Sung-ki , Lee Sung-jae People from all sorts of backgrounds set sail on a warship. They get drunk on alcohol, drugs and sex. Later, everyone grows tired and falls asleep, while the ship enters an unknown space enveloped in fog. In the morning, the people wake up to find the ship floating in the air. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQEp1Q-7OmM

Awards/Festivals Toronto IFF, Hamburg FF, Crystal Globe, Label Europa Cinemas, Karlovy Vary IFF, Bergen IFF Director : Radu Jude / Romania, Germany, Bulgaria, France, Czech Republic/2018/ Color/140’/Romanian   Director and  Screenplay Radu Jude Producer Ada Solomon DOP Marius Panduru Editor Catalin Cristutiu Editing Catalin Cristutiu Cast Ioana Iacob, Alex Bogdan, Alexandru Dabija   A young artist is planning to reconstruct a historical event from 1941, during which the Romanian Administration Army carried out an ethnic massacre on the Eastern Front. She will soon come up against unexpected, ridiculous difficulties, as both the actors in the show and the representatives of the town have rather strong opinions not only about what happened in reality but also about how that reality should be staged and presented to the masses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VJSRtrhdTg  

Awards/Festivals Berlin International Film Festival Director : Thomas Stuber / Germany/2018/Colour/125’/German Director Thomas Stuber Screenplay Thomas Stuber and Clemens Meyer Producer Jochen Laube, Fabian Maubach DoP Peter Matjasko Editor Kaya Inan Cast Sandra Hüller,Peter Kurth, Franz Rogowski, Henning Peker Cast Franz Rogowski, Peter Kurth, Sandra Hüller After the shy and reclusive Christian loses his job, he starts to work for a wholesale market. Bruno from the Beverage aisle takes him under his wing and quickly becomes a fatherly friend to him. He shows him the ropes and patiently teaches him how to operate the forklift. In the aisles he meets "Sweets"-Marion. He is instantly smitten by her mysterious charm. The coffee machine becomes their regular meeting point and the two start to get to know each other. Though Marion is married his feelings for her remains strong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFmtr-2xfrU

Director : Ivan I. Tverdovskiy / Russia/2018/Colour/95’/ Russian Director, Screenplay and Editor Ivan I. Tverdovsky Producer Natalya Mokritskaya DoP Denis Alarcon Ramirez Cast Anna Slyusareva, Pavel Chinaryov, Vilma Kutaviciute, Danil Steklov Young Oksana puts her newly born baby in a baby box. Sixteen years later she steals him from a children’s home, intent on making amends for her maternal neglect, and uses him to earn money in a corrupt legal system  

Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival Director : Yann Gonzalez / France, Mexico, Switzerland/2018/Colour/110’/French Director Yann Gonzalez Screenplay Yann Gonzalez, Cristiano Mangione Producer Charles Gillibert DoP Simon Beaufils Editor Raphaël Lefèvre Music M83 Sound Design Jean-Barthelemy Cast Vanessa Paradis, Kate Moran, Nicolas Maury, Jonathan Genet In 1979, Anne, a producer of gay porn, sets out to make her most ambitious film. But her effort goes futile when her actors are picked off, one by one, by a mysterious killer. As the murders go on and the police prove ineffectual, Anne sets a trap for the killer by arranging a casting call for her next film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaN6pDGjDmo

Awards/Festivals Berlin International Film Festival Director : Ioana Uricaru /Romania, Canada, Germany, Swweden/2018/Colour/88’/English   Director Ioana Uricaru Screenplay Ioana Uricaru, Tatiana Ionascu Producer: Cristian Mungiu, Eike Goreczka, Christoph Kukula, Yanick Létourneau, sean Wheelan DoP Friede Clausz Editor Mircea Olteanu Music Olivier Alary Sound Design Kai Tebbel Cast Mãlina Manovici, Dylan smith, Steve Bacic, Milan Hurduc Mara, a 30 year old Romanian woman who works as a caretaker in US on a temporary visa, marries Daniel, an American; just before Mara’s visa expire. Her son Dragos arrives at US and everything is perfect until she applies for a green card. Mara then faces many abuses on each level of the power hierarchy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GEg1Oi3Ems  

Awards/Festivals Toronto International Film Festival, Venice Horizons Award Venice Film Festival, Golden Gateway Award Mumbai Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Stockholm Film Festival, Thessaloniki Film Festival Director : Phuttiphong Aroonpheng / Thailand, France, China/2018/ Colour/ 105’/Thai Director Puttiphong Aroonpheng  Producer Mai Meksawan, Jakrawal Nilthamrong, Chatchai Chaiyon, Philippe Avril | DoP Nawarophaat Rungphiboonsophit | Editing Lee Chatameitikool, Harin Paesongthai | Music Christine Ott, Mathieu Gabry | Cast Wanlop Rungkamjad, Aphisit Hama, Rasmee Wayrana Near a coastal village of Thailand, by the sea where thousands of Rohingya refugees have drowned, a local fisherman finds an injured man lying unconscious in the forest. He rescues the stranger, who does not speak a word, offers him friendship and names him Thongchai. But when the fisherman suddenly disappears at sea, Thongchai slowly begins to take over his friend’s life- his house, his job and his ex-wife. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noAl_ON576A

Awards/Festivals Asia Pacific Screen Awards Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Director : Garth Davis / USA,UK, Australia/2018/Colour/120’/English   Director Garth Davis Screenplay Helen Edmundson, Philippa Goslett  Producer Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Liz Watts DoP Greig Fraser Editor Alexandre de Franceschi, Melanie Oliver Music Hildur Gudnadottir, Johann Johannson Sound Design Robert Mackenzie Cast Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Chiwetel Ejiofer A young woman leaves her small fishing village and traditional family to follow Jesus of Nazareth. It’s the story of the biblical character Mary Magdalene, from a female perspective. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi46nLoIo6E

Awards/Festivals Toronto International Film Festival Director : Mia Hansen-Løve / France, Germany/2018/Colour/107'/ French, English Director and Screenplay Mia Hansen-Løve Producer Philippe Martin, David Thion DoP Hélène Louvart Editor Marion Monnier Music Raphael Hamburger Sound Design Vincent Vatoux Cast Suzan Anbeh, Roman Kolinka, Judith Chemla Gabriel, a French war reporter who was taken to hostage in Syria, being freed, first spends his days in Paris. Gabriel shows no interest in being stuck in the same place after his traumatic time in a warzone. Instead, he chooses to be on the move. He heads to his childhood home in Goa in order to both escape and find himself in the process. There, he meets Maya, the young daughter of Gabriel’s Godfather, who runs an eco-friendly hotel, becomes friends straightaway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEMpFt_v-fM

Awards/Festivals Venice Film Festival Director : Garin Nugroho / Indonesia/2018/Colour/105’/Indonesian, Javanese Director and Screenplay Garin Nugruho Producer Michy Gustavia, Matthew Jordan DoP Gay Hian Teoh Editor Greg Araya Music Mondo Gascaro Cast Muhammad Khan,Raditya Evandra,Rianto,Sujiwo Tejo In Central Java Juno, a teenager abandoned by his father, joins a dance centre where men assume feminine appearances. His innocence is quickly shattered when the group’s tyrannical old guru offers a graphic explanation of the sexual roots at the heart of the art form, and then forces the boy to take a peek at his wife's genitalia, which he describes pompously as the "hole of life." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fM7N6UlBZM

Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival Director : Hannes Baumgartner / France, Switzerland/2018/Colour/110’/French Director Hannes Baumgartner Screenplay Hannes Baumgartner, Stefan Staub Producer Stefan Eichenberger, Ivan Madeo DoP Gaetan Varone Editor Christof Schertenleib Sound Design Maurizius Staerkle-Drux Cast Markus Amrein, Saladin Dellers, Annina Euling, Max Hubacher A well-known top athlete, Jonas Widmer, becomes a serial offender over time, owing to his past. The Swiss marathon runner is looking for a way to overcome his tragic past and as a result becomes more and more trapped in a double life.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6M5AX4y6D4

Awards/Festivals Tokyo International Film Festival Director : Zaza Khalvashi /Georgia, Lithuania/2017/Colour/91’/Georgian Director and Screenplay Zaza Khalvashi Producer Ieva Norviliene, Sulkhan Turmanidze DoP Giorgi Shvelidze Editor Levan Kukhashvili Cast Aleko Abashidze ,Ednar Bolkvadze, Ramaz Bolkvadze,Mariska Diasamidze Ali's family has inherited a mission to take care of a local healing water and curing sick fellow villagers with it. Three sons are skeptical and only the young daughter Namme stays as the guardian of family traditions. In parallel, a hydro power station is being constructed locally and environmental changes are at stakes. One day the spring water starts to disappear. Father remembers the old tradition: the water will not return unless sacrifice is made. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfzEv4QxHZQ

Awards/Festivals Venice International Film Festival Toronto International Film Festival Director : Olivier Assayas / France/2018/colour/108’/French   Director and Screenplay Olivier Assayas Producer Charles Gillibert, Sylvie Barthet, Oliver Pere DoP Yorick Le Saux Editor Simon Jacquet Cast Guilaume Canet, Juliette Binoche, Vincent Macaigne, Nora Hamzawi A literary editor Alain refuses to publish Léonard's novel for the first time. Alain's company hires young woman Laure to adapt to the digital age. Alain sleeps with Laure. Alain's wife Selena is an actress. She has been having an affair with Léonard for years. Léonard's wife Valérie is a left-wing political consultant. She does not have much interest in her husband's circumstances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCNswYMJPY8

Awards/Festivals Toronto International Film Festival Director : Daniel Sandu / Romania, Germany, Bulgaria, France, Czech Republic/2018/Colour/144’/Romanian Director and Screenplay Daniel Sandu Producer Loana Draghici, ada Solomon DoP George Dascalescu Editor Mircea Oiteanu Cast Stefan Iancu, Vlad Ivanov, Toto Dumitrescu, Cristian Bota A 14 year old boy, Gabriel, enters a theological seminary where he faces a system based on corruption. Also a father Vlad fosters an atmosphere of fear among the students. Together with two other boys he starts breaking all the rules, leading to a conflict with the seminary administration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uc7TJNk3hU

Awards/Festivals San Sebastian FF, Venice IFF, Sao Polo IFF Director : Carlos Reygadas Barguín / Mexico,France,Germany,Denmark,Sweden/2018/Colour/173’/Spanish Director and Screenplay Carlos Reygadas Barguín Producer Jaime Romandía DoP Adrian Durazo,Diego García Sound Design Javier Umpierrez Cast Carlos Reygadas,Phil Burgers,Natalia López A family lives in the Mexican countryside raising fighting bulls. Esther is in charge of running the ranch, while her husband Juan, a world-renowned poet, raises and selects the beasts. When Esther becomes infatuated with a horse trainer named Phil, the couple struggles to stride through the emotional crisis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCc0pX8Vjss

Director : Lúcia Murat / Portugal, Argentina, Brazil/2018/colour/110’/Portuguese Director Lucia Murat Screenplay Raphael Montes, Lucis Murat Producer Goncalo Galvao Teles, Luis Galvao, Andres Longares, Joana Nin, Felicitas Raffo DoP Guillermo Nieto Editor Grace Mair Tavares Cast Grace Passo, Joana De Verona, Marco Antonio Caponi, Alex Brazil Gloria is a woman from Rio De Janeiro who tries to move on with her life despite the traumas caused by an abusive father and a drug dealer brother. She starts therapy with Camila, a young Portuguese psychoanalyst. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO_vxXCWeLw

  Director : João Botelho / Portugal/2017/Colour/108'/ Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Latin, Indonesian Director João Botelho Screenplay João Botelho, Fernão Mendes Pinto(Novel) Producer Alexandre Oliveira DoP Luís Branquinho, João Ribeiro Editor João Braz Music Daniel Bernardes, Luís Bragança GilSound Design Francisco Veloso Cast Catarina Wallenstein, Jani Zhao, Maya Booth Fernão Mendes Pinto comes from a region in the interior of Portugal to venture to the capital where his uncle left him as a servant to a noble. In his mid-twenties, Fernão ventures into the sea looking for his brothers. The movie goes back and forth in time, telling of Fernão’s adventures and misadventures in a span of twenty-one years and also delves into his battle to prove his stories once he got back to Portugal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlIOB7X88CY

Awards/Festivals Rotterdam International FF, Hong Kong International FF, Sundance FF, Sao Paulo International FF Director : Babis Makridis /Greece, Poland/2018/Colour/97’/Greek Director Babis Makridis Screenplay Efthymis Filippou, Babis Makridis Producer Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Amanda Livanou, Beata Rzezniczek, Klaudia Smieja DoP Konstantinos Koukoulios Editor Yannis Chalkiadakis Cast Evdoxia Androulidaki, Georgina Chryskioti, Yannis Drakopoulos, Makis Papadimitriou The story of a man who feels happy only when he is gloomy, a man addicted to sadness. Seeking sympathy, he is willing to do everything to evoke it from others.This is the story of a man in a world not cruel enough for him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj-skgdrZ5g

Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival, Silver Q-Hugo Chicago International Film Festival, Durban International Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Sao Paulo InternationalFilm Festival, Valladolid International Film Festival, Warsaw International Film Festival Director : Wanuri Kahiu / 83 min / Kenya | South Africa | Germany | Netherlands | France | Norway | Lebanon Director Wanuri Kahju Screenplay Wanuri Kahju, Jena Cato Bass Producer Steven Markovitz DoP Christopher Wessels Edit Isabelle Dedieu Cast Samantha Mugatsia, Sheila Munyiva “Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives,” but Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M_-ucSaFpU

Awards/Festivals Locarno Festival, London Film Festival, Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Stockholm Film Festival Director : Richard Billingham / 108 min / UK Locarno Festival, London Film Festival, Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Stockholm Film Festival, In the outskirts of Birmingham among the marginalised society, the Billingham family performs extreme rituals and break social taboos as they muddle through a life decided by factors beyond their control. At times shocking and laced with an unsettling humour, three episodes unfold as a powerful evocation of experience of growing up in a Black Country council flat.  It focuses Richard and his younger brother Jason and their parents Ray and Liz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9kSbxwIiUg  

Awards/Festivals Toronto IFF, IFF Rotterdam, Sansebastian IFF Director : Benjamin Naishtat / 109 min / Argentina | Brazil | France | Netherlands | Germany Synopsis In the mid of 1970s, a strange man arrives in a quiet provincial city. In a restaurant, without any apparent reason, he starts insulting Claudio, a renowned lawyer. The community supports the lawyer and the stranger is humiliated and thrown out of the place. Later that night the stranger, who is determined to wreak a terrible vengeance, intercepts Claudio and his wife Susana. The lawyer then takes a path of no return involving death, secrets and silences. Crew Director and Screenplay Benjamin Producer:  Emmanuel Chaumet, Federico Eibuszyc, Rachel Daisy Ellis, Barbara Sarasola-Day, Marleen Slot, Ingmar Trost, Dan Wechsler, Jamal Zeinal Zade Nishtat DoP Pedro Sotero Editor: Anders Quaranta Music Vincent Van Warmerdam Cast Dario Grandinetti, Andrea Frigerio, Alfredo Castro, Diego Cremonesi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKdTPuCgqkU

  Director : Jamshid Mahmoudi / 89 min / Afghanistan | Iran Synopsis Azim, an afghan refugee, who works at the municipality at night, lives in Tehran along with his family. Being the head of entire family and as the eldest brother, he arranges for his brother Faroogh, and his family along with their mother to be smuggled into Germany. But at the last moments Faroogh, shamefully makes his decision known to Azim that he's not going to take their mother who is very attached to her grandchildren. Crew Director  Screenplay and Editor Jamshid Mahmoudi Producer Navid Mahmoudi DoP Koohyar Kalari Music Sahand Mehdizadeh Sound Design Mehdi Saleh Kermani Cast Mohsen Tanabandeh,Mojtaba Pirzadeh, Mojtaba Pirzadeh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW7ptD1gB8Q

Awards/Festivals Venice FF, Bosphourous FF   Director : Bassam Jarbawi / 108 min / Palestine, USA, Qatar Synopsis After fifteen years in prison, Ziad, considered by all as a hero, is strenuously trying to adapt to modern Palestinian life. He is unable to distinguish reality from hallucination and forces himself to go back to where it all began. Crew Director and Screenplay Bassam Jarbawi Producer Bassam Jarbawi,Yasmine Qaddumi,Shrihari Sathe DoP David McFarland Editor Bassam Jarbawi,Christopher Radcliff Music Jon Natchez Cast Ziad Bakri, Areen Omari,Jameel Khoury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWA9HA8Yk0g

Awards/Festivals Toronto International Film Festival Director : Jahmil X.T. Qubeka / 118 min / South Africa | Germany Synopsis In the Great Karoo region of South Africa, a bandit, John Kepe, steals livestock and resources from white farmers in order to empower his oppressed communities in rural areas. General Botha, a World War II veteran goes on an epic manhunt to capture Kepe through the mountains. Evading all the attempts made to capture him over a decade, John Kepe emerges both as an enigma to his pursuers and a mythological symbol of resistance. Crew Director and Screenplay Jamil X.T. Qubeka Producer Layla Swart DoP Jonathan Kovel Editor Layla Swart Sound Design Barry Donnelly Cast Ezra Mabengeza, Kandyse McClure, Peter Kurth, Antoniette Louw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrLepWsV1EQ

Awards/Festivals Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival Toronto International Film Festival Director : Hirokazu Koreeda / 121 min / Japan   Synopsis Osamu, a middle-aged man and his son, Shota, shoplifts in a grocery store, a routine they are well accustomed to. They do it to survive, but there also seems to be a connection between the two of them in the process of their act. One cold night, on their way home, they find a 4-year-old girl in the balcony, being abandoned by her family. They take the girl home and informally adopt her. Crew Director and Screenplay Hirokazu Koreeda Producer Kaoru Matsuzaki, Hijiri Taguchi, Akihiko Yose DoP Ryûto Kondô Editor Hirokazu Koreeda Music Haruomi Hosono Sound Design Kazuhiko Tomita Cast Kirin Kiki, Lily Franky, Moemi Katayama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9382rwoMiRc

Awards/Festivals Golden Leopard Locarno International Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival Director Virgil Vernier  / France/2018/colour/98’/French Synopsis Sophia Antipolis: a technopole on the French Riviera, a place where dreams should come true. But fear and despair lurk beneath the surface. Under a deceitful sun, five lives map out the haunting story of a young woman: Sophia. Through the investigation of the murder of a minor, the film traces a new anthropological map examining how evil is nurtured in the Sophia Antipolis technology park. Crew Director Virgil Vernier Producer Jean-Christophe Reymond DoP Tom Harari Simon Roca Editor Charlotte Cherici Sound Design Simon Apostolou Music James Ferraro Cast Dewy Kunetz, Sandra Poitoux, Hugues Njiba-Mukuna, Bruck, Lilith Grasmug https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmoCiodReh0

Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival Chicago International Film Festival Director : Christophe Honoré / 132 min / France Synopsis Jacques is a writer living in Paris. He hasn’t turned 40 but believes that the best in life is yet to come. Arthur is a student living in Brittany. He reads and smiles a lot and refuses to think that everything in life might not be possible. Jacques and Arthur gets close like a lovely dream and a sad story. Crew Director and Screenplay Christophe Honore Producer Philippe Martin, David Thion DoP Remy Chevrin Editor Chantal Hymans Cast Vincent Lacoste, Pierre Deladonchamps, Denis Padalydes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRF290gedLs

Awards/Festivals Toronto IFF, Roberto Rosselini prize Pingayo Tiger Hidden Dragon IFF, NETPAC and Fipresci awards Eurasian Film Festival Astana Director : Elizaveta Stishova / 101 min / Russia | Kyrgyzstan  Synopsis Karabas is a difficult man: a hard-gambling, hard-drinking, childish guy who always prioritise himself first in his family. When his first wife, Zhipara, calls to tell him she has found their long-lost son, Uluk, Karabas rushes to her, much to the dismay of his much younger, pregnant second wife Turganbyubyu. Soon the new family dynamics are stretched past their limits, and Karabas is caught between the two women bearing his sons: one re-born and one yet to come. Crew Director Elizaveta Satishova Screenplay Alisa Khmelnitskaya Producer Elena Yatsura DoP Tudor Vladimir Panduru Editor Karolina Maciejewska Cast Daniel Daiyerbekov, Perizat Ermanbetova, Asset Imangaliev, Turgunay Erkinbekova https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IKq6J606m4

Awards/ Festivals Toronto IFF, Reykjavik IFF Director : Marija Kavtaradze / 91 min / Lithuania Synopsis A young research psychologist, accepts to transport her two of her patients to a seaside psychiatric unit. She gets caught in between the inner struggles of Paulis, a bipolar patient and the introvert Juste. The long journey brings them closer, and they navigate the survival process together. Crew Director and Screenplay Marija Kavtaradze Producer Marija Razgute DoP Laurynas Breisa, Vytautas Katkus Editor Domas Petronis Music Domas Strupinsakas Sound Design Julius Grigelionis Cast Indre Patkauskaite, Paulius Markevicius, Gelmine Glemzaite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-xPLEtf02Q  

Awards/Festivals Venice International FF Toronto International FF, London FF Director : László Nemes / 142 min / Hungary | France / Synopsis 1913, Budapest, in the heart of Europe. The young Irisz Leiter arrives in the Hungarian capital with high hopes to work as a milliner at the legendary hat store that belonged to her late parents. She is nonetheless sent away by the new owner, Oszkár Brill. While preparations are under way at the Leiter hat store, to host guests of uttermost importance, a man abruptly comes to Irisz, looking for a certain Kálmán Leiter. Refusing to leave the city, the young woman follows Kálmán's tracks, her only link to a lost past. Crew Director Laszalo Nemes Screenplay Laszalo Nemes, Clara Royer, Matthieu Taponier Producer: Gábor Sipos, Gábor Rajna, Barnabás Hutlassa DoP Matyas Erdely Editor Matthieu Taponier Music Laszlo Melis Cast Juli Jakab, Vlad Ivanov, Marcin Czarnik, Evelin Dobos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKAZINs-xas

Awards/Festivals Venice FF, Tokyo IFF Director : Sameh Zoabi / 96 min / France | Israel | Belgium Synopsis Salam, an inexperienced young Palestinian man, becomes a writer on a popular soap opera after a chance meeting with an Israeli soldier. His creative career is on the rise - until the soldier and the show's financial backers disagree about how the show should end, and Salam is caught in the middle. Crew Director Sameh Zoabi Screenplay Dan Kleinman,Sameh Zoabi Producer Amir Harel,Bernard Michaux,Miléna Poylo,Gilles Sacuto DoP Laurent Brunet Editor Catherine Schwartz Music André Dziezuk Cast Kais Nashif,Lubna Azabal,Yaniv Biton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE_gT_zrzXQ

Awards/Festivals Golden Anchor Award Venice Film Festival Director : Mahmut Fazil Coskun / 94 min / Turkey | Bulgaria Synopsis The night long journey of the four soldiers discharged from the army. They were in charge of the Istanbul phase of a coup that took place in May 1963 in Ankara. As the four soldiers believe that a strong announcement is a vital part of a successful coup and to attract the people, they plan to read a version of the original coup announcement that will be read in Ankara. However, there is one thing that they do not take into account: the invisible power of the civilian life. Crew Director Mahmut Fazil Coskun Screenplay Mahmut Fazil Coskun, Ercan Kesal Producer Halil Kardas DoP Krum Rodriguez Editor Cicek Kahraman Cast Ali Seckiner Alici, Tarhan Karagoz , Murat Kilic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hPWgdcA0bU

Director : Xavier Giannoli / 144 min / France | Belgium | Jordan  Synopsis Jacques, a journalist in a French regional newspaper, is recruited to lead a committee to explore the legitimacy of an apparition in a small French village. Upon his arrival, he meets Anna who claims to have personally witnessed an apparition of Virgin Mary. He then works to uncover the mystery. Crew Director Xavier Giannoli Screenplay Xavier Giannoli, Jacques Fieschi, Marcia Romano Producer Olivier Delbosc DoP Eric Gautier Editor Cyril Nakache Cast Vincent Lindon, Galatéa Bellugi, Patrick d’Assumçao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFPhg-XG0u8

Awards/Festivals Toronto International FF Lion of the future award Venice International FF London FF Director : Soudade Kaadan / 94 min / Syria | France | Lebanon | Qatar Synopsis It is winter in Damascus (Syria). Sana is leaving alone with her son (8 years old), her husband is working in Saudi Arabia. There is no more gas to cook neither to warm the house. Sana takes a day off to find a gas cylinder. From then begins a trip in the surroundings of Damas where she is going to be brutally confronted to the war effects. Crew Director and Screenplay Soudade kaadan Producer Amira Kaadan DoP Eric Devin Editor Pierre Deschamps, Soudade Kaadan Music Kinan Azmeh Cast Sawsan Arshid, Reham Al Kassar, Samer Ismael, Oweiss Moukhallalti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iti6SQC_GT0  

Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival, Montreal Festival of New Cinema Director : Adilkhan Yerzhanov / 100 min / Kazakhstan | France Synopsis After her father's untimely death, Saltanat is forced to trade her idyllic countryside life for the cruel city. She has to find money to pay off the large family debt that her father left behind, in order to save her mother from jail. Her childhood friend Kuandyk who is penniless but admires her, follows Saltanat just to make sure his sweetheart is safe. Saltanat's uncle introduces her to a possible groom, who promises to pay off her family's debts. But Saltanat's hopes are dashed, when she discovers that the men in this city don't keep their word. Crew Director Adilkhan Yerzhanov Producer Serik Abishev Olga Khlasheva Screenplay Roelof Jan Minneboo and Adilkhan Yerzhanov DoP Aydar Sharipov Editor Yedige Nessipbekov Music Nurassyl Nuridin Cast Sultan Abzalov, Tulemis Alishev, Dinara Baktybaeva https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymFSv0N2Oe4

Awards/Festivals Berlin international film festival, Sydney International Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival Director : Marcelo Martinessi / 98 min / Paraguay | Germany | Uruguay | Brazil | Norway | France Synopsis Chela and Chiquita, both descended from wealthy families in Asunción, Paraguay, have been together for over 30 years. But recently their financial situation has worsened and they begin selling off their inherited possessions. But when their debts lead to Chiquita being imprisoned on fraud charges, Chela is forced to face a new reality. Driving for the first time in years, she begins to provide a local taxi service to a group of elderly wealthy ladies. Crew Director and Screenplay Marcelo Martinessi Producer Marcelo Martinessi, Sebastián Peña Escobar DoP Luis Amando Arteaga Editor Fernando Epstein Cast Ana Brun, Margarita Irun, Anna Ivanova https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdVyVnNp0og

Awards/Festivals Hamburg Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival Director : Lars von Trier / 155 min / Denmark | France | Germany | Sweden Synopsis USA in the 1970s. The movie follows the highly intelligent Jack over a span of 12 years and introduces the murders that define Jack's development as a serial killer. The movie tells the story from Jack’s perspective. He postulates each murder is an artwork in itself. As the inevitable police intervention draws nearer, he is takes greater risks to create the ultimate artwork. Crew Director Lars von Trier Screenplay Lars von Trier, Jenle Hallund Producer Louise Vesth DOP Manuel Alberto Claro Editor Jacob Secher Schulsinger, Molly Malene Stensgaard Cast Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WI49OA3BjU

Director : Jean-Luc Godard / 84 min / Switzerland | France synopsis The Image Book weaves many fragments, crashing together bits of music, old movie clips, sado-porn and video footage of terrorist murders to let us see and hear each one anew. While it evades any traditional emotional experiences, it has a tragic undercurrent, as it confirms widespread perceptions of Godard as a hopeless solitary man. Crew Director and Screenplay Jean-Luc Godard Producer Fabrice Aragno, Mitra Farahani DoP Fabrice Aragno Editor Jean-Luc Godard Cast Dimitri Basil, Buster Keaton, Jean-Luc Godard (Voice) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcXn1LRyNq8

Awards/Festivals Haifa International Film Festival Director : Martin Sulík / 113 min / Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria  Synopsis 80-year-old Ali Ungar comes across a book by a former paramilitary officer describing his wartime activities in Slovakia. Ali realizes that his parents were executed by this officer. He sets out to take revenge but finds instead his 70-year-old son, Georg, a retired teacher. The two old men, in everything opposite, embark on a journey to meet surviving witnesses of the wartime tragedy. Crew Director Martin Sulík Screenplay Marek Lescák, Martin Sulík Producer Rudolf Biermann, Martin Sulík, Bruno Wagner DoP Martin Strba Editor Olga Kaufmanová Music Vladimír Godár Sound Design David Titera Cast Jirí Menzel, Peter Simonischek, Zuzana Mauréry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_VaO7972XU  

Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival, Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Stockholm Film, Sarajevo Film Festival Director : Ognien Glavonić, debut / 98 min / Serbia | France | Croatia | Iran | Qatar Synopsis Vlada works as a truck driver during the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999. Tasked with transporting a mysterious load from Kosovo to Belgrade, he drives through unfamiliar territory, trying to make his way in a country scarred by the war. He knows that once the job is over, he will need to return home and face the consequences of his actions. Crew Director and Screenplay Ognjen Glavonic Producer Sophie Erbs, Ognjen Glavonic, Stefan Ivancic, Dragana Jovovic DoP Tatjana Krstevski Editor Jelena Maksimovic Cast Leon Lucev, Pavle Cemerikic, Tamara Krcunovic, Ivan Lucev https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM9gXCoZU-E

Director : Paolo Zucca / 105 min / Italy, Albania, Argentina Synopsis An unbeliaveble news spreads around all intelligence agencies in the world – A man living in Serdinia is the real owner of the moon. All governments in the world began to claim their rights on the moon. They decide to despatch a Sardinia born secret agent into the island. He is getting private lessons to learn what it is to be a Serdinian. Crew Director Paolo Zucca Screenplay Paolo Zucca, Barabara Alberti, Geppi Cucciari Producers Amendo Pagani, Nicola Giuliano, Daniel Burman, Genc Permeti DoP  Ramiro Civita Editor Sarah Mc Teigue Music Andrea Guerra Cast Jacopo Cullin, Stefano Fresi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d9tXJe_3Vw  

Director : Sulev Keedus / 141 min / Estonia | Lithuania Synopsis The film consists of three chapters. The Manslayer takes place more than a hundred years ago. The leading character Maara is a young bride who is about to start her life in her new family. The Virgin, set in the spring of 1949, tells the story of a young woman called Elina, who has been deported from Ingria into Estonia during the previous war. The Shadow moves in the present, along the border of real life and fantasy. The main character, Luna Lee, has decided to flee from home. Crew Director Sulev Keedus Screenplay Sulev Keedus, Madis Koiv Producer Kaie-Ene Rääk DoP Eric Pollumaa, Ivar Taim Editor Kaie-Ene Raak Music Martynas Bialobzeskis Cast Rea Lest, Evald Aavik, Andrus Albrecht https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MenRHOShysQ

Awards/ Festivals Rotterdam IFF, Titanic Budapest FF Director : Muayad Alayan / 127 min / Palestine Synopsis Sarah, an Israeli from West Jerusalem, embark on an illicit affair with Saleem, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem. Their affair can tear apart their unsuspecting families. When a risky late night tryst goes awry and threatens to expose them, the two of them look on helplessly as their frantic efforts to salvage themselves further escalate things. The film depicts how life n the holy city dictates a dangerous response to a common social drama that can happen anywhere in the world. Crew Director Muayad Alayan Screenplay Rami Alayan Producer Muayad Alayan, Rami Alayan DoP Sebastian Bock Editor Sameer Qumsiyeh Music Frank Gelat, Charlie Rishmawi, Tarek Abu Salameh S ound Design Giannis Giannakopoulos Cast Maisa Abd Elhadi, Mohammed Eid, Kamel El Basha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r913j8rbkT8

Awards/Festivals Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival Director : Emir Baigazin / 108 min / Kazakhstan | Poland | Norway / Synopsis Aslan, the eldest son of a farmer in Kazakh village is entrusted to look after his four brothers and assigns tasks for them in their farm chores. He takes them to a nearby river for a swim for moments of deep respite and happiness. Their lives take an unexpected turn when Kanat, an estranged cousin, unexpectedly arrives at the village and the mundane life of the family begins to fall apart for good. Crew Director, Screenplay, producer, DoP and Editor Emir Baigazin Music Justyna Banaszczyk Sound Design Filip Krzemien Cast Zhalgas Klanov, Zhasulan Userbayev, Ruslan Userbayev, Eric Tazabekov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy1bOtewFPk

Awards/Festivals Silver lion for Best Director Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival   Director : Jacques Audiard / 121 min / France, Belgium, Romania, Spain Synopsis The story follows Eli and Charlie Sisters, two hitmen brothers hired by a wealthy man known only as the Commodore, who assigns them to kill a man named Hermann Warm. The Commodore claims that Warm stole from him and left town. Eli comments that he finds it hard to believe that someone could steal from a dangerous man like the Commodore, but Charlie defends their employer. Warm is being tracked by John Morris, a scout also employed by Commodore. Morris finds Warm traveling by wagon train south to California with the Gold Rush and befriends him. Crew Director Jacques Audiard Screenplay Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain Producer Pascal Caucheteux, Gregoire Sorlat, Michel Merkt, Michael De Luca, Allion Dickey, John C. Reilly DoP Benoit Debie Editor Juliette Welfling Music Alexandre Desplat Cast John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaCGqfn_qzs  

Awards/Festivals Toronto International Film Festival Director : Ash Mayfair / 96 min / Vietnam Synopsis In the 19^th century Vietnam, a fourteen year old May gets married as the third wife of a wealthy landowner, Hung. As per primary aim in the wealthy setting is to bear a son, her mind wanders in search of a real goal in life but realizes that her options are minimal. Crew Director and Screenplay Ash Mayfair Producer Ash Mayfair, Thi Bich Ngoc Tran DoP Chananun Chotrungroj Editor Julie Béziau Music An Ton That Sound Design Edouard Morin, Romen Dymny Cast Long Le Vu, Mai Thu Huong Maya, Nguyen Phuong Tra My, Lam Thanh My https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTh4uTFWPeg

Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival Director : Nuri Bilge Ceylan / 188 min / Turkey | Republic of Macedonia | France | Germany | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria | Sweden Synopsis Sinan is passionate about literature and has always wanted to be a writer. Returning to the village where he was born, he pours his heart and soul to scrape together the money he needs to publish his works, but his father’s debts catch up with him. Crew Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan Screenplay Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Ebru Ceylan, Akinaksu, Produced Zeynep Ozbatur DoP Gokhan Tiryaki Editor Nuri Bilge Ceylan Cast Aydin Dogu Demirkol, Murat Cemcir, Bennu Yildirimlar, Hazar Erguclu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5AXuJA8czQ

Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival Director : Romain Gavras / 94 min / France Synopsis A mild mannered Francois, who lives with his domineering mother Danny, wants to get rich, in hope of an honest living by doing business. But in order to raise enough money to finance his business, he agrees to oversee a major drug deal in Spain. But nothing goes as expected; the deal turns into chaos and goes out of control. Crew Director Romain Gavras Screenplay Karim Boukercha, Noé Debré, Romain Gavra Producer Charles-Marie Anthonioz, Mourad Belkeddar, Jean Duhamel, Nicolas Lhermitte, Vincent Mazel, Hugo Sélignac DoP André Chemetoff Editor Benjamin Weill Music Sebastian Akchoté, Jamie XX Sound design Arnaud Lavaleix Cast Karim Leklou, Isabelle Adjani, Vincent Cassel, Oulaya Amamra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRFwJS7pu80  

Awards/Festivals Best Director Locarno IFF, Toronto IFF, Chicago IFF, Hamburg FF, London FF Director : Dominga Sotomayor Castillo / 110 min / Chile | Brazil | Argentina | Netherlands | Qatar Synopsis The year 1990 was when Chile transitioned to democracy, but all of that seems a world away for 16-year-old Sofia, who lives far off the grid in a mountain. The film takes place during the hot days between Christmas and New Year’s Day and interlaces the troubling realities of the adult world and the elemental forces of nature which intrudes Sofia’s teenage life. Crew Director and Screenplay Dominga Sotomayor Castillo Producer Rodrigo Teixeira, Dominga Sotomayor Castillo DOP Inti Briones Editor Catalina Marín Duarte Cast Demian Hernández, Antar Machado, Magdalena Tótoro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeKTP516Iuc  

Awards/Festivals Berlin IFF, Buenos Aires IFF, Chicago IFF Director : Christian Petzold / 101 min / Germany | France / / 2018 Synopsis When a man flees France after the Nazi invasion, he assumes the identity of a dead author whose papers he possesses. Stuck in Marseilles, he meets a young woman desperate to find her missing husband - the very man he's impersonating. Crew Director Christian Petzold Producer Jaime Romandía Screenplay Christian Petzold,Anna Seghers DoP Hans Fromm Editor Bettina Böhler Music Stefan Will Sound Design Dominik Schleier Cast Franz Rogowski,Paula Beer,Godehard Giese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7ni5_s62OE

Awards/Festivals Ghent International Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival Director : Naomi Kawase / 109 min / France | Japan Synopsis Jeanne leaves for Japan, in search of a mysterious rare herb that appears only once every 997 years. During this trip, she meets Tomo, a forest ranger, who accompanies her on her quest and guides her on the traces of her past. Crew Director & Writer Naomi Kawase Producer Naomi Kawase, Marianne Slot DoP Arata Dodo, Yasuhiro Ota Editing Francois Gedigier, Yoichi Shibuya Cast Juliette Binoche, Masatoshi Nagase, Takanori Iwata https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ltOgWAnA2A

Awards/ Festivals Athens IFF, Golden Apricot Yerevan IFF, Karlovy Vary IFF, Odessa IFF, Split International Festival of New Film, Sao Paulo IFF, Ukranian Film Critics Awards, Vallodolid IFF Director : Roman Bondarchuk / 104 min / Germany, Ukraine Synopsis Lukas, an interpreter for an OSCE military checkpoint, gets stranded in a remote Ukranian Steppe town. He encounters a series of mis happenings, and ends up waiting for rescue. But the life with a local community called Vovo, he confronts a world beyond his imagination. Falling in love with Marushka, the hosts’ daughter, his contempt for provincial life slowly melts away and sets him on a quest for happiness. Crew Director Roman Bondarchuk Screenplay Dar’ya Averchenko, Roman Bondarchuk, Alla Tyutyunnik Producer Michel Merkt, Olena Yershova, Tanja Georgieva, Dar’ya Averchenko DoP Vadim Ilkov Editor Mykola Bazarkin, Heike Parplies Music Anton Baibakov Sound Design Julius Grigelionis Cast Serhiy Stepansky, Viktor Zhdonov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adsb5N_N3eM  

Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival, Montreal Festival of New Cinema Director : Benedikt Erlingsson / 101 min / Iceland | France | Ukraine Synopsis Halla, a choir conductor, wants to disrupt the operations of a Rio Tinto aluminium plant in the highlands of Iceland. She repeatedly damages pylons and wires to cut their power supply. One day, a long-forgotten application to adopt an orphan child from Ukraine is approved. At the same time, the government ramps up police and propaganda efforts in order to catch and discredit her. Crew Director Benedict Erlingsson Screnplay Benedict Erlingsson and Ólafur Egilsson Producer Benedikt Erlingsson, Marianne Slot DoP Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson Editor David Alexander Corno Music Davíð Þór Jónsson Cast Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, Jóhann Sigurðarson, Juan Camillo Roman Estrada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFxz4oNfBV0

Awards/Festivals Toronto International Film Festival Director : Michal Aviad / 93 min / Israel Synopsis Orna makes a significant career change as an assistant to a major Israeli developer Benny. There she has to face inappropriate sexual advancements from Benny for giving her a promotion. However, she has to stick with the job as she is the sole breadwinner of her family and a long struggle follows. Crew Director Michal Aviad Screenplay Michal aviad, Sharon Azulay Eyal, Michal Vinik Producer Leon Edery, Moshe Nili Feller Sound Design Aviv Aldems Cast Liron Ben-Shlush, Menashe Noy, Oshri Cohen, sarah Markowitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMzldI-aCtM  

Awards/Festivals Cannes Film Festival Director : A.B. Shawky / 97 min / Egypt | USA | Austria Synopsis Bashay is a man who has recovered from leprosy but is left with extensive scarring. He earns by scavenging for sellable items from the local garbage dump. With the company of an orphan boy, he sets off to find his family, to reconnect with them, and perhaps to confront them about the way his father abandoned him. Crew Director and Screenplay A.B. Shawky Producer Dina Emam DoP Federico Cesca Editor Erin Greenwell Music Omar Fadel Sound Design Dario Forzato Cast Rady Gamal, Ahmed Abdelhafiz, Shahira Fahmy, Osama Abdallah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jO6pmjHs3U

Awards/Festivals Hamburg FF, San Sebastian IFF Director : Icíar Bollaín / 104 min / Spain | Cuba | UK | Germany / 2018 Synopsis Yuli is the nickname of Carlos Acosta, given by his father, Pedro. Yuli flees all kinds of discipline and education. Knowing the talents of Yuli, Pedro forces him to attend Cuba’s National Dance School. After initial reluctance, Yuli ends up being captivated by the world of dance. He emerges as one of the best dancers of his generation, breaking taboos, becoming the first black artist to dance Romeo in the Royal Ballet in London. Crew Director Iciar Bollain Screenplay Paul Laverty Producer Andrea Calderwood, Juan Gordon DoP Alex Catalan Editor Nacho Ruiz Capillas Music Alberto Iglesias Sound Design Eva valino Cast Carlos Acosta, Santiago Alfonso, Carlos Enrique Almirante https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAzbNQZya9o