A TALE OF TWO SISTERS

Written and directed by Ji-woon Kim

Su-jeong Lim
Geun-yeong Mun
Jung-ah Yum
Kap-su Kim

Premiere date: June 13, 2003 (South Korea)
R for some violence and disturbing images.

In an isolated lakeside house, two young girls, Su-mi and Su-yeon, return home after a period of hospitalization following the death of their mother. In the meantime, their father Mu-Hyun has married Eun-joo, whom the girls obviously despise. Strange, violent visions begin to disturb Su-mi and she becomes convinced that Eun-joo is keeping a dark secret from the family.

PONETTE

Written and directed by Jacques Doillon

Victoire Thivisol
Delphine Schiltz
Matiaz Bureau Caton

Premiere date: September 10, 1996 (Toronto Film Festival)

Little Ponette is riding in a car with her mother when they're involved in a serious accident; Ponette survives, but her mother does not. Her father initially reacts with anger over his late wife's careless driving, while her Aunt Claire tries to comfort the child by telling her about Jesus and the resurrection. However, none of this does much to reassure Ponette or clarify her confusion about the practical realities and spiritual dilemma posed by death. In time, Ponette and her cousins Matiaz and Delphine are sent off to boarding school, where they have to resolve their confusion and loss on their own.

Venice Film Festival
FIPRESCI Prize
Best Actress - Victoire Thivisol

8½

Screenplay by Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, Federico Fellini, and Brunello Rondi
Directed by Federico Fellini

Marcello Mastroianni
Claudia Cardinale
Anouk Aimee
Sandra Milo

Premiere date: February 14, 1963

Dog-tired movie director Guido Anselmi retreats to thoughts of yesteryear when his producers, his wife and his mistress all pressure him to start making another movie. Director Federico Fellini's 8½ is a semiautobiographical rumination on the joys and rigors of filmmaking - as well as lovers past and present.

National Board of Review
Best Foreign Language Film

5 Academy Award Nominations, 2 Wins
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay
Best Art Direction (B/W)
Best Costume Design (B/W)

4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS

Written and directed by Cristian Mungiu

Anamaria Marinca
Laura Vasiliu
Vlad Ivanov
Alexandru Potocean

Premiere date: May 17, 2007 (Cannes Film Festival)
R

In a country where abortion is outlawed, a young college student, Gabita, finds herself in big trouble. Unsure what to do, she turns to her roommate, Otilia, for help. On the day on which the film takes place, the pair connects with a black market doctor, Bebe, in order to take care of Gabita’s pregnancy - but, of course, it isn’t that simple. The resulting 24 hours reveals a harrowing descent into a world in which the possibility of tragedy lurks around every corner.

Director Mungiu’s decision to film every scene in a hyper-documentary style, with long, unbroken takes, ratchets up the tension to nearly unbearable proportions. Adding even greater drama is his decision to focus on the friend, not the victim. Marinca’s face, filmed in unflinching close-ups, expresses the impossibly complex flood of emotions that nag her throughout the day.

Cannes Film Festival
Palme d'Or
FIPRESCI Prize
Cinema Prize of the French National Education System