A Prophet
A 19-year-old Arab of North African origin (Tahar Rahim) is sentenced to six years in a French prison for what appears to be violence against the police, but when the inmates discover his powers of prophecy he becomes a mafia kingpin.
in French with English subtitles
A Very Long Engagement
Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie) directed this story of a young woman Audrey Tatou and her relentless, moving and sometimes comic search for her fiance, who disappeared after he went off to fight in WWI. It's subtle commentary on the horrors of war, the stupidity of politics, and the tenacity of the human spirit. In French w/subtitles
Amelie
This fresh funny tour-de-force is set in Paris in 1997 during the period surrounding the fatal crash of Princess Diana. It makes a star out of the delightful Audrey Tautou who plays a cafe waitress in Montmartre and it's bound to captivate and enchant you. In French with English subtitles.
Amores Perros
The most exciting film-maker to come along in a decade has made a marvelous adult motion picture, and in Mexico City of all places. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Bad Education
Pedro Almodóvar's fascinating new film is about a young film director in Madrid, looking for a story for his next film when his doorbell rings and there's his old school friend Gael Garcia Bernal, looking for work as an actor, and just happening to have a script based on their childhood experiences. In Spanish w/English subtitles
Black Book
A gripping espionage thriller about a young Jewish woman named Rachel (Carice van Houten) who joins the Dutch resistance and becomes embroiled in secret Nazi schemes and murderous conspiracies in the last months of World War II. Many of the Dutch characters turn out to be as mercenary and vile as the Nazis.
The film is in Dutch, German and Hebrew, all with English subtitles but much of it is in English.
Bon Voyage Isabelle Adjani and Gérard Depardieu star in a delightful French farce that's also an exciting mystery/thriller. It's set in turbulant 1940's southern France on the eve of the German occupation. in French w/English subtitles
Broken Embraces
Harry Caine (Lluís Homar), is a blind writer who reaches a moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years ago. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie featuring the love of his life - Lena (Penélope Cruz).
in Spanish w/English subtitles
Caché (Hidden) Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche play a bourgeois Parisian couple who live in a comfortable home with their teenage son, but when an anonymous videotape turns up on their doorstep, showing their house under surveillance from across the street, their ordinary life begins to spiral out of control.
City of God
A film about the world’s most notorious slum: Rio's "City of God" - a place where combat photographers and police fear to go, and residents are lucky if they live to the age of 20. In Portuguese with English subtitles.
Coco Before Chanel
The story of the formative years of "Coco" Chanel (Audrey Tautou), who began her life as headstrong orphan, and through an extraordinary journey became the legendary couturier who embodied the modern woman and became a timeless symbol of success, freedom and style.
Days of Glory
This powerful historical epic pays tribute to the heroism of a group of African/Arab volunteers in World War II fighting for the liberation of France, a country they had never before seen and for which they were willing to risk their lives.
in French w/English subtitles.
District B13
This futuristic action thriller set in Paris in 2010 in a district without rules or laws, where gangs reign as absolute masters, and he who does not die first wins a reprieve, while awaiting his turn. In French w/English subtitles.
Downfall
The film focuses on the final days of the Third Reich, and the horrifying epic of Hitler and his people during his twelve years in power and how it was reflected in those last twelve days in the bunker. It stars Bruno Ganz in an amazing performance as the Führer. In German w/English subtitles.
Duck Season
This slice-of-life comedy takes place over the course of one day in a Mexico City apartment. Two bored teenagers who plan a day of unsupervised fun playing videogames, drinking Cokes, but when a slightly older female neighbor arrives to bake a cake, and then the pizza man arrives things don't quite go according to plan.
Good Bye Lenin!
A proud socialist mother falls into a coma in October, 1989 in East Germany just before the Berlin wall comes down. Her son's determined not to let her know of the change when she awakens as it could cause her death due to her weak heart. It's a delightful charmer. in German w/English subtitles
Hero
With the assasination attempt of the first emperor of China as a backdrop, this amazing martial arts film attempts to explore and develop a better understanding of the Chinese concept of a hero. It's dazzlingly beautiful. in Mandarin with English subtitles
House of Flying Daggers
The Tang Dynasty, one of the most enlightened empires in Chinese history was declining in the 9th Century. The Emperor is incompetent and the government is corrupt. Unrest is spreading, and rebel armies are forming in protest. The largest, and most prestigious of them is the House of Flying Daggers where action, passion and silk brocade abounds.
I've Loved You So Long
This powerful story of familial struggles and redemption follows a shell-shocked Juliette (Kristin Scott-Thomas), who returns to live with her much younger sister Lea (Elsa Zylberstein) after being convicted of murdering her six-year-old son and imprisoned for 15 years.
in French w/English subtitles
L'Auberge Espagnole
A straight laced French student moves into an apartment in Barcelona with a bunch of other young people from all over Europe. Together, they find friendship and learn to speak the international language of love.
La Vie En Rose
Detailing the troubled life of Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard), who's abandoned by her mother, grew up in her grandmother’s brothel and later her father’s circus. Singing on the streets of Paris as a teen, she is discovered by club owner Louis Leplée (Gérard Depardieu). Her powerful voice takes her all over the globe, but it can’t save her from a lifetime of pain and suffering.
In French w/English subtitles.
Letters From Iwo Jima Ken Watanabe ("The Last Samurai") stars as the impressive former chief of the Imperial Guard sent to prepare Iwo Jima for the anticipated American assault in 1945. He orders the construction of miles of tunnels and caves from which his 20,000 men can most advantageously battle the arriving Americans, and they do. This is, without a doubt, one of the finest war films ever made. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Look at Me
This wonderfully witty French comedy-drama, was written, directed and stars Agnes Jaoui. It is the story of people who know exactly what they'd do if they were somebody else, but can't handle being themselves very well, and they're struggling to find out exactly who they are. In French w/English subtitles.
Love Me If You Dare
This French romantic allegory follows the increasingly destructive games of one-upmanship that two childhood friends play on each other through their lives. It starts in fluffy, candy-colored friendship and becomes ever darker as they grow older. in French with English subtitles
Lust, Caution
in 1938 Shanghai, Wang is a shy young teenage who's been left in China by her father, who has escaped to England. As a college freshman she meets fellow students in a drama society. As the theater troupe's new leading lady, Wang (Wei Tang) realizes that she has found her calling, and she's enlisted to carry out an ambitious plan to assassinate a top Japanese collaborator, Mr. Yee (Tony Leung). Each student has a part to play; Wang will gain Yee's trust by befriending his wife (Joan Chen) and then draw the man into an affair, setting him up to be killed.
In Mandarin w/English subtitles
Malèna
For the first time in two years (since "Life is Beautiful") Italy has exported a winner and for the first time in over thiry years another great Italian beauty. In Italian with English subtitles.
Maria Full of Grace
Maria is a poor, pregnant Colombian teenager with a rebellious streak. Her all-female family relies on her as their principle breadwinner. To get some easy money she quits her job, dumps her boyfriend, and becomes a drug mule; flying to New York City with nearly a kilogram of heroin pellets in her stomach. in Spanish with English subtitles
Mongol
The dramatic and harrowing early years of Genghis Khan, who was born in 1162. It follows him from his perilous childhood to the battle that sealed his destiny. This is a multidimensional portrait of the future conqueror, revealing him not as an evil villain, but as an inspiring, fearless and visionary leader who would go on to conquer half the known world.
One of the Oscar nominees for Best Foreign Film of 2007.
Monsieur Ibrahim
Omar Sharif stars in this appealing coming-of-age story about a lonely teenage Jewish boy and an elderly Muslim grocer in Paris in the 60's.
My Brother is an Only Child
A charming comedy-drama about a pair of Italian brothers (Elio Germano and Riccardo Scamarcio), one a Communist and one a Fascist, who come of age and become rivals in a small Italian town in the '60s and '70s.
in Italian with English subtitles.
No Man's Land
This marvelous little film about the war between Bosnia and Herzegovina may be one of the finest anti-war films ever made. It's bright, it's funny, it's all very real, and it's terrifying. If you dare to see it, you'll never forget it. It's also the Academy Awarding-winning best foreign film of 2001.
Nowhere in Africa
An adaptation of Stefanie Zweig's true tale of a Jewish family who flees the Nazis to a remote farm in Africa. Beautifully filmed on location in Kenya, it's filled with many touching moments and won the Academy Award as best foreign language film of the year.
Osama
This is the first film shot in Afghanistan after the Taliban's fall. It is powerful, harsh, and shocking film about what it was like for a woman to exist under their oppressive inhumanity. in Pashtu with English subtitles
Pan's Labyrinth
Ofelia is a dreamy 12-year-old living in fascist Spain in 1944 with her mother and stepfather; an army officer whose job is to get rid of anti-Fascist rebels. In her loneliness, Ofelia creates a world filled with fantastical creatures and secret stories. With post-war repression at its height, Ofelia deals with the real world by falling into an intense fairy tale that is both frightening, magical and completely spellbinding.
Paradise Now
Barely scraping by as auto mechanics, two young Palestinians have become fed up with their poverty and the perceived political agenda against them. When offered a chance to immortalize themselves in a suicide attack, they ultimately agree, and are sent to prepare for the bombing.
Persepolis
This is an animated coming-of-age story of a precocious and outspoken young Iranian girl during the Islamic Revolution. It tells the humorous yet poignant story of her survival during that turbulent period and deals with adolescence, politics, and family. It is an exhilarating yet heartbreaking portrait of a life and a nation in crisis.
Talk to Her
Pedro Almodóvar's (All About My Mother) most sensitive, daring, and brilliant film yet, constructed of layer upon layer of understanding, intelligence and drama. It's about two men and how they relate to women, especially when facing tragedy. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Tell No One
In this French thriller, a pediatrician Alexandre Beck (Francois Cluzet) misses his beloved wife Margot (Marie-Jose Croze), who was brutally murdered eight years ago and he was the prime suspect. One day Dr. Beck receives an ominous email from an anonymous source. It contains a live video image of Alex's thought-to-be dead wife.
in French w/English subtitles
The Band's Visit
In this delightful Israeli comedy, a brass band comprised of members of the Egyptian police force go to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselves lost in one of the most politically volatile regions of the world. The only reason this charming film's not up for an Oscar in the foreign language category is because too much of its dialogue is spoken in English.
The Barbarian Invasions
A Canadian comedy/drama about those bothersome forces that unsettle a family's life. It is both the tale of a father and son's rediscovery and the portrait of a man surveying his broad, lusty life looking for meaning as he faces death. In French with English subtitles.
The Best of Youth
Spanning four decades, from the chaotic 1960s to the present, this passionate epic follows two Italian brothers through some of the most tumultuous events of recent Italian history.
The Circle
Telling the terrifying story of discrimination against seven women, this is just the latest in a series of unforgettable cinematic masterpieces to come out of Iran. In Farci w/ English subtitles.
The Class
In this exhilerating drama, the teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays himself, as the French teacher of a class of racially mixed teenage students in a tough Paris suburb.
in French with English subtitles. The Class was nominated as Best Foreign Language Film of 2008.
The Counterfeiters
Set in a Nazi concentration camp, this true story centers on history's largest counterfeiting operation, where the prisoners had to choose between aiding the Third Reich in their money-making scheme or face certain death.
Winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
in German w/English subtitles
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The remarkable true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body. The only muscles he can move on his own were those in his left eyelid. Using his eye to blink out his memoir, he eloquently describes his interior world and imagines stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind. This visually astonishing and profoundly moving drama was directed by Julian Schnabel.
The Dreamers
An attractive cast of unknowns in Bernardo Bertolucci’s erotic drama about three young students who are drawn together through their passion for film. It takes place during the student riots in Paris in 1968.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Luftslottet som sprängdes)
Lisbeth is recovering in a hospital and awaiting trial for three murders when she is released. Mikael must prove her innocence. Meanwhile, Lisbeth is plotting her own revenge against the people who put her in this terrible situation.
in Swedish w/English subtitles
The Italian
The compelling story of a six-year old who runs away from the depressing Russian orphanage, where he’s in line for black-market adoption by an Italian couple, in search for the mother who unceremoniously abandoned him there years before. It soon turns into an open-road journey og a boy searching for his place in the world. In Russian with English subtitles
The Lives of Others
The story of the gradual disillusionment of a highly skilled officer who works for the Stasi, East Germany's all-powerful secret police. His mission is to spy on a celebrated writer and his actress sweetheart. It is a story of how the state was able to control the lives of its citizens, both through surveillance and its ingenious ability to recruit and persuade even loved ones to spy on each other from 1945 to the breaking down of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
2006 Academy Award winner as Best Foreign Language Film In German w/English subtitles
The Man on the Train
Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday star in this elegantly witty and wistful little French film about two men past their prime who cross each other's paths. In French with English subtitles.
The Motorcycle Diaries
Travelling on a beaten up motorcycle, we follow a young medical student Gael Garcia Bernal and his best friend as they set out to travel through most of South America on a journey of self-discovery that's a revealing insight into the development of the man who would become the revolutionary "Che" Guevara.
The Orphanage
In this psychological thriller, a woman (Belén Rueda) returns to live in the house where she was raised, and discovers dark secrets hidden within. With her husband (Fernando Cayo), she decides to transform it into an orphanage and soon, her son, Simón (Roger Príncep), and his invisible friends play fantasy games which quickly become something more disturbing.
in Spanish w/English subtitles
The Sea Inside
A remarkable and unforgettable performance by Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls) in this gripping drama about dying with dignity after spending more than a quarter of a century as a quadriplegic, confined to a bed. Winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film.
The Secret In Their Eyes
This is the Academy Award winning Best Foreign Film of 2009. It is a a multi-layered and poignant thriller interweaving the personal lives of a state prosecution investigator and a judge, with a manhunt spanning twenty-five years.
in Spanish w/English subtitles
The Skin I Live In
A brilliant plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas), haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.
in Spanish w/English subtitles
The Wind That Shakes the Barley Cillian Murphy plays an IRA recruit with a medical background in the years leading up to the Irish Civil War of 1920. Driven by a deep sense of duty and a love for his country he abandons his career as a doctor and joins his brother (Padraic Delaney), becoming a reluctant convert to the rebellion in the IRA's dangerous and violent attempt to drive the British from their land.
Tsotsi
Six days in the life of a young gang leader who steals a woman's car—unaware, in his panic, that her baby is in the back seat. Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg townships, this Academy Award™ winning Best Foreign Film based on Athol Fugard's novel is ultimately a story of hope and the triumph of love over rage.
Volver Pedro Almodóvar has made a lively comedy/drama about women struggling to survive. It stars Penélope Cruz as you've never seen her before, and a wonderful cast including Carmen Maura in a film that is suspenseful, clever, buoyant, lighthearted, and always emotionally resonant. In Spanish w/English subtitles.
Y Tu Mama Tambien
This unforgettable little film has a quiet rage unlike any sexual awakening teen film in a very long time. Both sardonic and intoxicating, it follows three horny young people as they roam the squalid Mexican countryside in search of self-discovery, sex and adventure. In Spanish with English subtitles.
