Dystopias, FictionSpecial recommendation

Amanece, que no es poco

Amanece, que no es poco (1989) Director: José Luis Cuerda Actors: José Sazatornil, Carmen de Lirio, Francisco Martínez Runtime: 110 min A very intelligent Spanish surrealist comedy from the late 1980s that simply can’t be retold. Surrealism distorts reality to breaking point, to the absurd and impossible, and puts us ...
Read More →
Based on actual eventsSecond half of the 20th century (1945-1990)

Stonewall

Stonewall (1995) Director: Nigel Finch Actors: Guillermo Díaz, Frederick Weller, Brendan Corbalis Runtime: 99 min In the early morning hours of 28 June 1969 in front of the New York bar Stonewall there was a violent confrontation between police and a large number of gays, lesbians, transvestites… This movie follows ...
Read More →
Contemporary period (after 1990)

Now & Later

Now & Later (2009) Director: Philippe Diaz Actors: Shari Solanis, Keller Wortham Runtime: 99 min At the very beginning we are welcomed with Wilhelm Reich‘s quote: “A sexually repressed society will resort to violence.” He is an international trader – a speculator who grew up in a typical American family ...
Read More →
DocumentariesSpecial recommendation

Counter-Intelligence

Counter-Intelligence (2013) Director: Scott Noble Runtime: around 330 min Exceptional five-part documentary series which aims to show through in-depth analysis how the current world order, dominated by the USA as an imperial power, is maintained primarily by (public or concealed) organized violence of huge proportions and the threat of violence, ...
Read More →
Second half of the 20th century (1945-1990)Special recommendation

Convoy

Convoy (1978) Director: Sam Peckinpah Actors: Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine Runtime: 110 min After the incident with the police in Arizona, a group of truck drivers flee across the state border to New Mexico, where they are joined by a large number of colleagues in support and solidarity. ...
Read More →
Based on actual eventsFirst half of the 20th century (1900-1945)Special recommendation

Rebellion in Patagonia

La Patagonia rebelde (1974) Director: Héctor Olivera Actors: Héctor Alterio, Luis Brandoni, José Soriano Runtime: 110 min Rebellion in Patagonia is a name given to the turmoil during 1920 and 1921 in the province of Santa Cruz in Patagonia, a region at the southern tip of South America. The export ...
Read More →
Based on actual eventsSecond half of the 20th century (1945-1990)Special recommendation

The Strawberry Statement

The Strawberry Statement (1970) Director: Stuart Hagmann Actors: Bruce Davison, Kim Darby, Bud Cort Runtime: 109 min Students are rebelling against the war in Vietnam, against co-operation of their university with corporations from the military-industrial complex, but also against the university’s appropriation of a playground in the poor African-American neighbourhood. ...
Read More →
Documentaries

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) Director: Banksy Runtime: 87 min Thierry Guetta (born in Paris, lives in L.A) was for many years obsessed with video cameras and documenting every moment in his life, until he discovered street art which became his new obsession. Or maybe the whole thing was ...
Read More →
Based on actual eventsContemporary period (after 1990)

Wasted Youth

Wasted Youth (2011) Directors: Argyris Papadimitropoulos, Jan Vogel Actors: Haris Markou, Ieronymos Kaletsanos, Arthouros Kiviliov Runtime: 122 min Two parallel stories are developed in the course of one day in the streets of Athens, capital of Greece, which is deeply shaken by the world financial crisis and the economic collapse ...
Read More →
Based on actual eventsSecond half of the 20th century (1945-1990)Special recommendation

The Confession

L’aveu (1970) Director: Costa-Gavras Actors: Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Gabriele Ferzetti Runtime: 139 min The split between Tito and Stalin (1948), in the late 1940s and early 1950s, was followed by show trials of prominent Communists all over Eastern Europe and the wave of Stalinist purges in which tens of ...
Read More →
DocumentariesSpecial recommendation

Afrique 50

Afrique 50 (1950) Director: René Vautier Runtime: 17 min René Vautier went to West Africa to make a documentary for the French League of Schooling, but when he arrived there he was appalled by the colonial exploitation, brutal crimes of the French army and poverty people lived in. Although upon ...
Read More →
Second half of the 20th century (1945-1990)

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972) Director: Luis Buñuel Actors: Fernando Rey, Paul Frankeur, Delphine Seyrig Runtime: 102 min The movie follows a group of friends from upper middle class and their consistently interrupted attempts to have a meal together. They are experts on expensive food and drinks, know ...
Read More →
Documentaries

Erasing David

Erasing David (2009) Directors: David Bond, Melinda McDougall Runtime: 76 min British director David Bond decides to disappear, to “go underground”, and hires top private investigators to find him within 30 days. On the first day of the pursuit he leaves the country and takes the opportunity to do interviews ...
Read More →
Contemporary period (after 1990)

Fresh

Fresh (1994) Director: Boaz Yakin Actors: Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson Runtime: 114 min Michael is 12 years old, growing up in a poor housing project, selling drugs on the streets of New York before and after school. He periodically plays chess with his father, who is a ...
Read More →
Pre-20th century

The Promised Land

Ziemia obiecana (1975) Director: Andrzej Wajda Actors: Daniel Olbrychski, Wojciech Pszoniak, Andrzej Seweryn Runtime: 138 min Three young friends, a Pole, a German, and a Jew, decide to join forces and open a textile factory. Due to lack of money, they have to cope in various ways, at any cost, ...
Read More →
Contemporary period (after 1990)

Everything Is Illuminated

Everything Is Illuminated (2005) Director: Liev Schreiber Actors: Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, Boris Leskin Runtime: 106 min A young Jewish American decides to travel to Ukraine to find out more about his grandfather, one of the very few from his village who survived the Holocaust and saw the end of ...
Read More →
DocumentariesSpecial recommendation

The Sorrow and the Pity

Le chagrin et la pitié (1969) Director: Marcel Ophüls Runtime: 251 min This two-part documentary analyzes the occupation of France in World War II through the example of a city with a population of approximately 100,000 people. The spirit of the time is quite well conveyed with the use of ...
Read More →
Based on actual eventsSecond half of the 20th century (1945-1990)Special recommendation

Night of the Pencils

La noche de los lápices (1986) Director: Héctor Olivera Actors: Alejo García Pintos, Vita Escardó, Pablo Novak Runtime: 105 min During the reign of the military junta in Argentina (1976-1983, a period now known as “The Dirty War“), between 17,000 and 30,000 people “disappeared”. In fact they were kidnapped by ...
Read More →
First half of the 20th century (1900-1945)

The Victors

The Victors (1963) Director: Carl Foreman Actors: Vince Edwards, Albert Finney, George Hamilton Runtime: 150 min (175?) This movie follows a group of American soldiers through different European battlefields in World War II: Italy, France, Belgium, Germany. It is composed of several short stories that share the same theme and ...
Read More →
Contemporary period (after 1990)

Slacker

Slacker (1991) Director: Richard Linklater Actors: Louis Black, Abra Moore, Kim Krizan Runtime: 105 min This movie follows the everyday life of inhabitants of the U.S. City of Austin, the capital of Texas. It takes place in a single day and the story is linear and does not stay with ...
Read More →