Palm Springs International Film Festival 2020
Corpus Christi Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi and Portrait Of A Lady On Fire
Advocate (Country: Israel, Canada, Switzerland; Year: 2019; Director: Rachel Leah Jones, Philippe Bellaïche)
Biographical documentary about Lea Tsemel who defends Palestinians: from feminists to fundamentalists, from non-violent demonstrators to armed militants.
And Then We Danced (Country: Sweden, Georgia; Year: 2019; Director: Levan Akin; Writer: Levan Akin; Stars: Ana Javakishvili, Giorgi Tsereteli, Tamar Bukhnikashvili, Marika Gogichaishvili, Kakha Gogidze, Levan Gabrava, Ana Makharadze, Nino Gabisonia, Mate Khidasheli, Aleko Begalishvili, Nia Gvatua, Lucas Hesling, Ketie Danelia, Giorgi Aladashvili, Soso Abramishvili)
A dancer falls in love with his fiercest rival.
Antigone (Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Sophie Deraspe; Writer: Sophie Deraspe; Stars: Nahéma Ricci, Rawad El-Zein, Antoine DesRochers, Sebastien Beaulac, Nour Belkhiria, Hakim Brahimi, Lise Castonguay, Eric Clark, Jean-Sébastien Courchesne, Paul Doucet, Benoît Gouin, Rachida Oussaada, Nahéma Ricci, Rawad El-Zein, Antoine DesRochers)
In helping her brother escape from prison, Antigone defies the authorities: the police, the judiciary, the penal system and the father of her friend Haemon. Brilliant and, until now, blameless, the teenage girl feels the grip of power tightening around her.
Atlantics (Atlantique, Atlantics: A Ghost Love Story) (Country: Senegal; Year: 2019; Director: Mati Diop; Writer: Mati Diop, Olivier Demangel; Stars: Mame Bineta Sane, Amadou Mbow, Traore, Nicole Sougou, Aminata Kane, Coumba Dieng, Ibrahima Mbaye, Diankou Sembene, Abdou Balde, Babacar Sylla, Arame Fall Faye, Ya Arame Mousse Sene, Babacar Samba, Astou N'Diaye, Khouda Fall)
Love and loss in Dakar are given a supernatural twist.
Bacurau (Nighthawk) (Country: Brazil; Year: 2019; Director: Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho; Writer: Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho; Stars: Udo Kier, Sônia Braga, Jonny Mars, Chris Doubek, Bárbara Colen, Alli Willow, Thomas Aquino, Silvero Pereira, Márcio Fecher, Val Junior, Karine Teles, Suzy Lopes, Brian Townes, Antonio Saboia)
Villagers sold as human prey defend themselves from hunters using a psychotropic drug.
Monos Monos
Monos and Let There Be Light
Beanpole (Dylda) (Country: Russia; Year: 2019; Director: Kantemir Balagov; Writer: Kantemir Balagov; Stars: Viktoria Miroshnichenko, Vasilisa Perelygina, Timofey Glazkov, Andrei Bykov)
Two young women search for meaning and hope in the struggle to rebuild their lives amongst the ruins of Leningrad after the Second World War.
Bombshell (Country: US, Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Jay Roach; Writer: Charles Randolph; Stars: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Allison Janney, Malcolm McDowell)
A group of women take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network.
Booksmart (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Olivia Wilde; Writer: Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman; Stars: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, Victoria Ruesga, Mason Gooding, Skyler Gisondo, Diana Silvers, Molly Gordon, Billie Lourd, Eduardo Franco, Nico Hiraga, Austin Crute)
Two studious high school BFFs decide to seize a last chance to party before graduation.
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind (Country: UK; Year: 2019; Director: Chiwetel Ejiofor; Writer: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Bryan Mealer, based on the true story of William Kamkwamba; Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Maxwell Simba, Lily Banda, Noma Dumezweni, Aissa Maiga, Joseph Marcell)
Against all the odds, a 13-year-old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine.
The Chambermaid (La Camarista) (Country: Mexico, US; Year: 2018; Director: Lila Avilés; Writer: Lila Avilés, Juan Carlos Marquéz; Stars: Gabriela Cartol, Teresa Sánchez, Gabriela Cartol, Teresa Sánchez)
Character study of a maid in a Mexican hotel.
Beanpole Beanpole
Beanpole and Advocate
Changing The Game (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Michael Barnett; Writer: Michael Barnett, Michelle Mahaffie)
Transgender high school athletes from across the US compete at the top of their fields, while also challenging the boundaries and perceptions of fairness and discrimination.
Clemency (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Chinonye Chukwu; Writer: Chinonye Chukwu; Stars: Alfre Woodard, Richard Schiff, Aldis Hodge, LaMonica Garrett, Wendell Pierce, Noshir Dalal, Vernee Watson, Michael O'Neill, Danielle Brooks, Dennis Haskins, Debbie Pollack, Michelle C. Bonilla, Richard Gunn, Jed Bernard, Anahi Bustillos)
Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill.
Corpus Christi (Country: Poland; Year: 2019; Director: Jan Komasa; Writer: Mateusz Pacewicz; Stars: Bartosz Bielenia, Aleksandra Konieczna, Eliza Rycembel, Tomasz Zietek, Barbara Kurzaj, Leszek Lichota, Zdzislaw Wardejn, Lukasz Simlat, Anna Biernacik, Lidia Bogacz, Malwina Brych, Bogdan Brzyski, Juliusz Chrzastowski, Radoslaw Ciucias, Mateusz Czwartosz)
Daniel who experiences a spiritual transformation in a Youth Detention Centre. The crime he commits prevents him from applying to the seminary... but Daniel has no intention of giving up his dream.
The Disappearance Of My Mother (Country: Italy; Year: 2019; Director: Beniamino Barrese; Stars: Benedetta Barzini, Lauren Hutton, Beniamino Barrese)
An ageing fashion model strives to escape the world of images and disappear for good, but her son's determination to make a final film about her sparks an unexpected collaboration and confrontation with the camera's gaze.
La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life) (Country: Italy/France; Year: 1960; Director: Federico Fellini; Writer: Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, Brunello Rondi; Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Yvonne Furneaux, Anita Ekberg, Magali Noël, Alain Cuny, Annibale Ninchi, Lex Barker, Walter Santesso, Valeria Ciangottini, Riccardo Garrone, Ida Galli)
A gossip writer's view of Rome's jet set at the hedonistic dawn of the cynical Sixties.
The Truth The Truth
The Truth and And Then We Danced
First Love (Hatsukoi) (Country: Japan, UK; Year: 2019; Director: Takashi Miike; Writer: Masaru Nakamura; Stars: Masataka Kubota, Nao Omori, Shota Sometani, Sakurako Konishi, Becky, Jun Murakami, Sansei Shiomi, Seiyo Uchino)
Set over one night in Tokyo, we follow Leo, a young boxer down on his luck as he meets his ‘first love’ Monica, a call girl and an addict but still an innocent. Little does Leo know, Monica is unwittingly caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme, and the two are pursued through the night by a corrupt cop, a yakuza, his nemesis, and a female assassin sent by the Chinese Triads.
Free Color (Country: US, France, Venezuela; Year: 2020; Director: Alberto Arvelo; Writer: Leonardo Henríquez; Stars: Edgar Ramírez, Seamus Blackley, Mari Carmen Ramírez)
A documentary about the Kinetic-Optic artist Carlos Cruz-Diez and his mission to free colour from shape.
Gay Chorus Deep South (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: David Charles; Writer: David Charles, Jeff Seymann Gilbert; Stars: Tim Seelig)
To confront a resurgence of anti-LGBTQ laws, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus embarks on an unprecedented bus tour through the Deep South, celebrating music, challenging intolerance, and confronting their own dark coming out stories.
Gaza (Country: Ireland; Year: 2019; Director: Garry Keane)
Gaza brings us into a unique place beyond the reach of television news reports to reveal a world rich with eloquent and resilient characters, offering us a cinematic and enriching portrait of a people attempting to lead meaningful lives against the rubble of perennial conflict.
Harriet (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Kasi Lemmons; Writer: Gregory Allen Howard, Kasi Lemmons, Gregory Allen Howard; Stars: Jennifer Nettles, Joe Alwyn, Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monáe, Tim Guinee, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Clarke Peters, Leslie Odom Jr., Vondie Curtis-Hall, Deborah Ayorinde, Claire Bronson, Tory Kittles, Omar J Dorsey, Mitchell Hoog, Shiquita James)
The story of freedom fighter Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into an American hero.
La Dolce Vita La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita and Changing The Game
Honeyland (Country: Republic of Macedonia; Year: 2019; Director: Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov)
When nomadic beekeepers break Honeyland's basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees), the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and restore natural balance.
Hustlers (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Lorene Scafaria; Writer: Lorene Scafaria, based on the magazine article by Jessica Pressler; Stars: Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Mette Towley, Wai Ching Ho, Emma Batiz, Vanessa Aspillaga, Big Jay Oakerson, Trace Lysette, Marcy Richardson, Keke Palmer, Mercedes Ruehl, Lili Reinhart, Gerald Earl Gillum, Cardi B)
A group of strippers hatch a plan to fleece their clientele.
Jojo Rabbit (Country: Germany, US; Year: 2019; Director: Taika Waititi; Writer: Taika Waititi, based on the novel Caging Skies by Christine Leunens; Stars: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Taika Waititi, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, Stephen Merchant, Sitara Attaie, Luke Brandon Field, Victoria Hogan, Brian Caspe, James McVan, Judith Georgi, Bethany Adams)
Satire following a lonely boy and his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler, whose nationalistic views are challenged when he discovers his mum is hiding a young Jewish girl.
The Kingmaker (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Lauren Greenfield; Writer: Lauren Greenfield; Stars: Imelda Marcos)
Documentary about the Marcos family and Imelda's continued influence on politics in the Philippines.
Lara (Country: Germany; Year: 2019; Director: Jan-Ole Gerster; Writer: Blaz Kutin; Stars: Tom Schilling, Corinna Harfouch, Hildegard Schroedter, Susanne Bredehöft, Steffen Jürgens, Tina Pfurr, Stephan Taubert)
Lara has just turned 60; it’s a very special day that will culminate in a career-defining piano concert given by her son. Viktor remains elusive, however, and his mother’s repeated attempts to get through to him come to nothing.
Proxima Proxima
Proxima and The Perfect Candidate
Let There Be Light (Nech je svetlo) (Country: Slovakia, Czech Republic; Year: 2019; Director: Marko Škop; Writer: Frantisek Krähenbiel, Zuzana Liová, Marko Škop; Stars: Andreas Nickl, Dieter Fischer, Ingrid Timková, Csongor Kassai, Lubomír Paulovic, Zuzana Konecná, Daniel Fischer, Michal Kinik, Anikó Varga, Katarina Kormanakova, Milan Ondrík, Frantisek Beles, Jakub Kuka, Juliane Werner, Maximilian Dusanic)
A Slovakian man, who works in Germany, returns home for Christmas to discover some brutal truths about his eldest son.
Marriage Story (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Noah Baumbach; Writer: Noah Baumbach; Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Adam Driver, Ray Liotta, Merritt Wever, Mark O'Brien, Alan Alda, Julie Hagerty, Kyle Bornheimer, Mickey Sumner, Ayden Mayeri, Matthew Maher, Brooke Bloom, Azhy Robertson, Mary Hollis Inboden)
A couple find themselves in a messier divorce than they imagined.
Martin Eden (Country: Italy, France, Germany; Year: 2019; Director: Pietro Marcello; Writer: Maurizio Braucci, Pietro Marcello, based on the novel by Jack London; Stars: Luca Marinelli, Carlo Cecchi, Jessica Cressy, Vincenzo Nemolato, Marco Leonardi, Denise Sardisco, Carmen Pommella, Autilia Ranieri, Savino Paparella, Elisabetta Valgoi, Pietro Ragusa, Giustiniano Alpi, Dario Iubatti, Anna Patierno, Vincenza Modica)
A man struggles to better his circumstances, motivated by his love for a woman from a bourgeois family.
Les Misérables (Country: France; Year: 2019; Director: Ladj Ly; Writer: Ladj Ly, Giordano Gederlini, Alexis Menenti; Stars: Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djibril Zonga)
A man joins an anti-crime brigade and rapidly discovers the tensions between the various neighbourhood groups.
Monos (Country: Colombia, Argentina, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Uruguay; Year: 2019; Director: Alejandro Landes; Writer: Alexis Dos Santos, Alejandro Landes, Alejandro Landes; Stars: Julianne Nicholson, Moises Arias, Jorge Román, Laura Castrillón, Wilson Salazar, Sofia Buenaventura, Deibi Rueda, Karen Quintero, Julian Giraldo, Paul Cubides, Sneider Castro, Julianne Nicholson, Moises Arias, Jorge Román, Laura Castrillón)
On a faraway mountaintop, eight kids with guns watch over a hostage and a conscripted milk cow.
Second Star On The Right Second Star On The Right
Second Star On The Right and The Kingmaker
Motherless Brooklyn (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Edward Norton; Writer: Jonathan Lethem, Edward Norton; Stars: Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Ethan Suplee, Michael Kenneth Williams, Willem Dafoe, Bobby Cannavale, Leslie Mann, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Fisher Stevens, Dallas Roberts, Cherry Jones, Josh Pais, Robert Wisdom, Doris McCarthy)
A lonely private detective with Tourette's attempts to solve his friend's murder.
Oleg (Country: Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium; Year: 2019; Director: Juris Kursietis; Writer: Liga Celma-Kursiete, Juris Kursietis, Kaspars Odins; Stars: Valentin Novopolskij, Dawid Ogrodnik, Anna Próchniak, Guna Zarina, Adam Szyszkowski, Toussaint Colombani, Ronald Beurms, Marcos Adamantiadis, Valentin Novopolskij, Dawid Ogrodnik, Anna Próchniak, Guna Zarina, Adam Szyszkowski, Toussaint Colombani, Ronald Beurms)
A migrant to Belgium loses his job and finds himself in trouble thanks to his non-citizen status.
Oliver Sacks: His Own Life (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Ric Burns)
Documentary about the life of the neurologist.
Ordinary Love (Country: UK; Year: 2019; Director: Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn; Writer: Owen McCafferty; Stars: Liam Neeson, Lesley Manville, David Wilmot, Amit Shah, Melanie Clark Pullen, Lalor Roddy, Maggie Cronin, Geraldine McAlinden, Vivien Monory, Desmond Edwards, Esh Alladi, Stella McCusker, Matthew Sharpe, Fo Cullen, Mary Lindsay)
A long-married couple have to face dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis.
The Painted Bird (Country: Czech Republic, Ukraine, Slovakia; Year: 2019; Director: Václav Marhoul; Writer: Jerzy Kosinski, Václav Marhoul, Václav Marhoul; Stars: Stellan Skarsgård, Harvey Keitel, Barry Pepper, Julian Sands, Udo Kier, Aleksey Kravchenko, Tim Kalkhof, Jitka Cvancarová, Pavel Kríz, Petr Vanek, Lech Dyblik, Petr Kotlar, Radim Fiala, Milan Simácek, Filip Kankovský)
A lone Jewish boy has to fend for himself in Nazi-occupied eastern Europe.
Lara Lara
Lara and Bombshell
Pain And Glory (Dolor Y Gloria) (Country: Spain; Year: 2019; Director: Pedro Almodóvar; Writer: Pedro Almodóvar; Stars: Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Raúl Arévalo, Nora Navas, Cecilia Roth)
A film director reflects on the choices he's made in life as past and present come crashing down around him.
Papicha (Country: France; Year: 2019; Director: Mounia Meddour; Writer: Fadette Drouard, Mounia Meddour; Stars: Lyna Khoudri, Shirine Boutella, Amira Hilda Douaouda, Yasin Houicha, Zahra Manel Doumandji, Marwan Zeghbib, Aida Ghechoud, Meriem Medjkrane, Samir El Hakim, Amine Mentseur, Khaled Benaïssa, Abderrahmane Boudia, Malek Ghellamat, Lina Boudraa, Slimane Bourdous)
A student becomes determined to stage a fashion show despite religious opposition.
Parasite (Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Bong Joon Ho; Writer: Bong Joon Ho, Jin-won Han; Stars: Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Cho, Woo-sik Choi, So-dam Park, Lee Jeong-eun, Jang Hye-jin, Park Myeong-hoon, Ji-so Jung, Hyun-jun Jung, Keun-rok Park, Yi-Seo Jung, Jae-myeong Jo, Ik-han Jung, Kyu-baek Kim)
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
Paris Stalingrad (Country: France; Year: 2019; Director: Hind Meddeb, Thim Naccache; Writer: Hind Meddeb, Thim Naccache)
Consideration of a community of refugees living in the Stalingrad district of Paris.
Patrick (De Patrick) (Country: Belgium; Year: 2019; Director: Tim Mielants; Writer: Tim Mielants, Benjamin Sprengers; Stars: Jemaine Clement, Kevin Janssens, Hannah Hoekstra, Jan Bijvoet, Bouli Lanners, Pierre Bokma, Jean-Benoît Ugeux, Frank Vercruyssen, Katelijne Damen, Peter Gorissen, Tine Van den Wyngaert, Josse De Pauw, Janne Desmet, Ariane Van Vliet, Louis van der Waal)
Patrick lives with his parents on a naturist campsite. When his dad dies and he finds himself in charge he has other things on his mind... namely a quest for his lost hammer.
The Swallows Of Kabul The Swallows Of Kabul
The Swallows Of Kabul and Two Of Us
Pelican Blood (Pelikanblut) (Country: Germany, Bulgaria; Year: 2019; Director: Katrin Gebbe; Writer: Katrin Gebbe; Stars: Nina Hoss, Yana Marinova, Daniela Holtz, Sebastian Rudolph, Murathan Muslu, Samia Muriel Chancrin, Sophie Pfennigstorf, Katerina Lipovska, Dimitar Banenkin, Katinka Auberger, Christoph Jacobi, Adelia-Constance Ocleppo, Ryan Rafferr, Justine Hirschfeld, Nina Hoss)
The desperate struggle of a mother for her emotionally injured adoptive daughter leads to an extreme decision.
The Perfect Candidate (Country: Saudi Arabia, Germany; Year: 2019; Director: Haifaa Al-Mansour; Writer: Haifaa Al-Mansour, Brad Niemann; Stars: Mila Al Zahrani, Nora Al Awadh, Dae Al Hilali, Mila Al Zahrani, Nora Al Awadh, Dae Al Hilali)
A young female Saudi doctor decides to run for election.
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (Portrait De La Jeune Fille En Feu) (Country: France; Year: 2019; Director: Céline Sciamma; Writer: Céline Sciamma; Stars: Valeria Golino, Adèle Haenel, Noémie Merlant, Luàna Bajrami, Cécile Morel)
On an isolated island in Bretagne at the end of the 18th century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
Proxima (Country: France, Germany; Year: 2019; Director: Alice Winocour; Writer: Jean-Stéphane Bron, Alice Winocour; Stars: Eva Green, Zélie Boulant-Lemesle, Matt Dillon, Aleksey Fateev, Lars Eidinger, Sandra Hüller)
A female astronaut finds the demands of work take their toll on her single-mum relationship with her young daughter.
Queen Of Hearts (Country: Denmark, Sweden; Year: 2019; Director: May el-Toukhy; Writer: Maren Louise Käehne, May el-Toukhy; Stars: Trine Dyrholm, Gustav Lindh, Magnus Krepper, Frederikke Dahl Hansen, Diem Camille Gbogou, Preben Kristensen, Mads Wille, Elias Budde Christensen, Marie Dalsgaard, Ella Solgaard, Peter Khouri, Stine Gyldenkerne, Liv Esmår Dannemann, Silja Esmår Dannemann, Trine Dyrholm)
A woman jeopardises her career and her family when she seduces her teenage stepson and is forced to make an irreversible decision with fatal consequences.
Atlantics Atlantics
Atlantics and Honeyland
Red Penguins (Country: US, Germany, Russia; Year: 2019; Director: Gabe Polsky; Writer: Gabe Polsky; Stars: Howard Baldwin, Viktor Tikhonov, Steven Warshaw, Howard Baldwin, Viktor Tikhonov, Steven Warshaw)
The story of what happened when Americans bought a Russian ice hockey team.
Retablo (Country: Peru, Germany, Norway; Year: 2017; Director: Alvaro Delgado Aparicio; Writer: Alvaro Delgado Aparicio, Héctor Gálvez; Stars: Junior Bejar, Magaly Solier, Amiel Cayo, Claudia Solís)
A teenage boy finds his world turned upside down when he learns a secret about his beloved father.
Rewind (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Sasha Joseph Neulinger)
An unflinching personal narrative that reconstructs the unthinkable story of director Sasha Joseph Neulinger’s boyhood and bravely exposes the dynamics of abuse passed through generations.
Romantic Comedy (Country: UK; Year: 2019; Director: Elizabeth Sankey; Writer: Elizabeth Sankey; Stars: Jessica Barden, Cameron Cook, Anne T Donahue)
Musician and writer Elizabeth Sankey investigates the past, present and future of romantic comedies, assisted by a chorus of critics, actors and filmmakers.
Rounds (Country: Bulgaria, Serbia; Year: 2019; Director: Stephan Komandarev; Writer: Stephan Komandarev, Simeon Ventsislavov; Stars: Aleksandar Aleksiev, Ivan Barnev, Assen Blatechki, Stefan Denolyubov, Stoyan Doychev, Gerasim Georgiev, Anastasia Ingilizova, Irini Jambonas, Pavel Popandov, Nikolai Urumov, Vasil Vasilev-Zueka, Aleksandar Aleksiev, Ivan Barnev, Assen Blatechki, Stefan Denolyubov)
Sofia, November 9th, 2019. Night. As the country prepares to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the regime change in Bulgaria, three police patrol cars roam the streets of the sleeping city.
System Crasher System Crasher
System Crasher and Patrick
Second Star On The Right (Segunda Estrella A La Derecha) (Year: 2019; Director: Ruth Caudeli; Writer: Ruth Caudeli, Silvia Varón; Stars: Silvia Varón, Ximena Rodríguez, Alejandra Lara, Tatiana Rentería, Diana Wiswell, Andrés Jiménez, Lorena Castellanos, Justin Vahala Gina Medina)
Unexpected unemployment and a friend's wedding force a thirtysomething woman to confront her dissatisfaction with her life.
Sequin In A Blue Room (Country: Australia; Year: 2019; Director: Samuel Van Grinsven; Writer: Samuel Van Grinsven; Stars: Anthony Brandon Wong, Conor Leach, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Samuel Barrie), Official Site
When a teenager's thrill-seeking leads to a memorable encounter at an anonymous sex party, he resolves to track down the mystery guy - even if he has to rely on a menacing former hook-up to help him.
Song Without A Name (Canción Sin Nombre) (Country: Peru, United States; Year: 2019; Director: Melina León; Writer: Melina León, Michael J White; Stars: Pamela Mendoza, Tommy Párraga, Lucio Rojas, Maykol Hernández, Ruth Armas, Pamela Mendoza, Tommy Párraga, Lucio Rojas, Maykol Hernández, Ruth Armas)
Peru, at the height of the political crisis of the 1980s. Georgina is a young woman from the Andes whose newborn daughter is stolen at a fake health clinic. Her desperate search for the child leads her to the headquarters of a major newspaper, where she meets Pedro Campos, a lonely journalist who takes on the investigation.
South Mountain (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Hilary Brougher; Writer: Hilary Brougher; Stars: Talia Balsam, Scott Cohen, Midori Francis)
When her husband reveals that another woman has just given birth to his child, an unhappy woman tries to deal with her conflicting emotions through a friendship with a younger man.
So Long, My Son (Country: China; Year: 2019; Director: Xiaoshuai Wang; Writer: Mei Ah, Xiaoshuai Wang; Stars: Liya Ai, Jiang Du, Zhao-Yan Guo-Zhang, Jingjing Li, Xi Qi, Jingchun Wang, Roy Wang, Cheng Xu, Mei Yong, Liya Ai, Jiang Du, Zhao-Yan Guo-Zhang, Jingjing Li, Xi Qi, Jingchun Wang)
Family saga set against the period that followed the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Free Color Free Color
Free Color and Booksmart
Straight Up (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: James Sweeney; Stars: Betsy Brandt, James Sweeney, Katie Findlay, Randall Park)
A young man who has always identified as gay but has lots of insecurities around sex decides to try dating women to see if it suits him better.
The Swallows Of Kabul (Les Hirondelles De Kaboul) (Country: France; Year: 2019; Director: Zabou Breitman, Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec; Writer: Zabou Breitman, based on the book by Yasmina Khadra; Stars: Hiam Abbass, Zita Hanrot, Swann Arlaud, Simon Abkarian)
Summer 1998 - Kabul under Taliban rule. Zunaira and Mohsen are young and in love. Despite the daily violence and misery, they hope for a better future. One day, a foolish gesture causes life to take an irrevocable turn.
Synchronic (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead; Writer: Justin Benson; Stars: Jamie Dornan, Anthony Mackie, Katie Aselton, Ally Ioannides, Bill Oberst Jr., Betsy Holt, Aaron Groben, Shane Brady, Martin Bats Bradford, Devyn A. Tyler, Natasha Tina Liu, Lawrence Turner, Kate Adair, Carl Palmer, Rhonda Johnson Dents)
A pair of paramedics find their friendship put to the test after a series of deaths are linked to a drug.
System Crasher (Systemsprenger) (Country: Germany; Year: 2019; Director: Nora Fingscheidt; Writer: Nora Fingscheidt; Stars: Helena Zengel, Albrecht Schuch, Gabriela Maria Schmeide, Lisa Hagmeister, Melanie Straub, Victoria Trauttmansdorff, Maryam Zaree, Tedros Teclebrhan, Matthias Brenner, Louis von Klipstein, Barbara Philipp, Amelle Schwerk, Sashiko Hara, Fine Belger, Imke Büchel)
Nine-year-old Benni radically defies every rule. But this feared ‘system crasher’s’ only desire is to stop living in a residential home and go back to her mother.
Talking About Trees (Country: France, Sudan, Chad; Year: 2019; Director: Suhaib Gasmelbari; Writer: Suhaib Gasmelbari; Stars: Suleiman Ibrahim, Ibrahim Shaddad, Suleiman Ibrahim, Ibrahim Shaddad)
In an attempt to revive an old cinema in Sudan, four friends encounter insurmountable resistance.
Les Misérables Les Misérables
Les Misérables and Motherless Brooklyn
Tel Aviv On Fire (Country: Luxembourg, Belgium, Israel, France; Year: 2018; Director: Sameh Zoabi; Writer: Dan Kleinman, Sameh Zoabi; Stars: Kais Nashif, Lubna Azabal, Yaniv Biton, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Nadim Sawalha, Salim Dau, Yousef 'Joe' Sweid, Amer Hlehel, Laëtitia Eïdo, Ashraf Farah, Ula Tabari, Shifi Aloni, Yazan Doubal, Negweny El Assal, Kais Nashif)
Salam, an inexperienced young Palestinian man, becomes a writer on a popular soap opera after a chance meeting with an Israeli soldier, but trouble brews when soldier and the show's backers disagree about how the it should end.
This Is Not A Movie (Country: Canada, Germany; Year: 2019; Director: Yung Chang; Writer: Yung Chang, Nelofer Pazira; Stars: Robert Fisk, Amira Hass, Nirmeen Hazineh, Sulieman Khatib, Antony Loewenstein, Robert Fisk, Amira Hass, Nirmeen Hazineh, Sulieman Khatib, Antony Loewenstein)
Profiles of Middle East journalist Robert Fisk.
The Traitor (Il Traditore) (Country: Italy, France, Brazil, Germany; Year: 2019; Director: Marco Bellocchio; Writer: Marco Bellocchio, Valia Santella; Stars: Pierfrancesco Favino, Luigi Lo Cascio, Maria Fernanda Cândido)
The real life of Tommaso Buscetta the so called 'boss of the two worlds' and the first mafia informant in Sicily in the Eighties.
The Truth (La Verite) (Country: France, Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda; Writer: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Léa Le Dimna; Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke, Clémentine Grenier, Manon Clavel, Jackie Berroyer, Ludivigne Sagnier.)
A reunion between a French cinema star and her daughter descends into confrontation.
Truth And Justice (Country: Estonia; Year: 2019; Director: Tanel Toom; Writer: Anton Hansen Tammsaare, Tanel Toom; Stars: Maiken Schmidt, Priit Võigemast, Risto Vaidla, Ester Kuntu, Priit Loog, Loora-Eliise Kaarelson, Marika Vaarik, Mikk Kaasik, Indrek Sammul, Maria Koff, Ott Raidmets, Laura Kukk, Ott Aardam, Simeoni Sundja, Mikk Oad)
In 1870 Estonia, a young couple find it hard to establish a new life.
Jojo Rabbit Jojo Rabbit
Jojo Rabbit and Parasite
Tu Me Manques (Country: Bolivia, US; Year: 2019; Director: Rodrigo Bello; Writer: Rodrigo Bello; Stars: Fernando Barbosa, Oscar Martinez, Rossy de Palma)
Following his son Gabriel’s death, Jorge travels from conservative Bolivia to New York City to confront Gabriel’s boyfriend Sebastian. While the two battle over Jorge’s inability to accept his son, Sebastian channels his grief into a bold new play in honour of his lost love.
Two Of Us (Country: France, Luxembourg, Belgium; Year: 2019; Director: Filippo Meneghetti; Writer: Filippo Meneghetti, Malysone Bovorasmy, Florence Vignon; Stars: Barbara Sukowa, Martine Chevallier, Léa Drucker, Jérôme Varanfrain, Muriel Bénazéraf, Augustin Reynes)
Two retired women, who have been in a secret relationship for decades, find their relationship turned upside down when the truth begins to come out.
Varda by Agnès (Varda par Agnès) (Country: France; Year: 2019; Director: Agnès Varda; Writer: Agnès Varda)
A masterclass from the French filmmaker.
The Vast Of Night (Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Andrew Patterson; Writer: James Montague, Craig W Sanger; Stars: Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz, Gail Cronauer, Bruce Davis, Cheyenne Barton, Gregory Peyton, Mallorie Rodak, Mollie Milligan, Ingrid Fease, Brandon Stewart, Kirk Griffith, Nika Sage McKenna, Brett Brock, Pam Dougherty, Lynn Blackburn)
A late night radio presenter and a switchboard operator begin to suspect something odd is happening in their small town.
Verdict (Country: Philippines; Year: 2019; Director: Raymund Ribay Gutierrez; Writer: Raymund Ribay Gutierrez; Stars: Kristoffer King, Max Eigenmann, Jordhen Suan, Rene Durian, Kristoffer King, Max Eigenmann, Jordhen Suan, Rene Durian)
No plot details are available.
Red Penguins Red Penguins
Red Penguins and Sequin In A Blue Room
Weathering With You (Tenki No Ko) (Country: Japan; Year: 2019; Director: Makoto Shinkai; Writer: Makoto Shinkai; Stars: Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Chieko Baishô, Kana Hanazawa, Sei Hiraizumi, Tsubasa Honda, Kana Ichinose, Yûki Kaji, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryohei Kimura, Sakura Kiryu, Ryô Narita, Shun Oguri, Ayane Sakura)
A boy falls in love with a girl who can control the weather.
The Whistlers (La Gomera, The Passenger) (Country: Romania, France, Germany; Year: 2019; Director: Corneliu Porumboiu; Writer: Corneliu Porumboiu; Stars: Vlad Ivanov, Catrinel Marlon, Rodica Lazar)
Film noir sees a corrupt cop learn a whistling language to beat detection while trying to double-cross the mob.
A White, White Day (Hvítur, Hvítur Dagur) (Country: Iceland, Denmark; Year: 2019; Director: Hlynur Palmason; Writer: Hlynur Palmason; Stars: Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Sara Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir, Björn Ingi Hilmarsson, Elma Stefania Agustsdottir, Haraldur Stefansson, Laufey Elíasdóttir, Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Arnmundur Ernst Björnsson, Þór Hrafnsson Tulinius, Sverrir Þór Sverrisson)
An off-duty police chief begins to suspect a local man to have had an affair with his wife, who has recently died in a car accident. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth accumulates and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones.
Zero Impunity (Country: Luxembourg, France; Year: 2019; Director: Nicolas Blies, Stéphane Hueber-Blies, Denis Lambert)
Hybrid documentary exploring the use of rape and sexual violence in global conflict.
News

59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground

More news and features

Playing Now

Eye For Film continues to support festivals both locally and across the world. At the moment, we're covering:

Abertoir

DOC NYC
New York's celebration of factual film

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
One of the largest film gatherings in northern Europe

French Film Festival
The UK's longest running celebration of Francophone cinema

London Korean Film Festival

In the Archive


Archive of festival coverage.

Daily diary and reviews from 2005-2018.

Coverage of the lynchpin German festival.