While all of us here at Way Too Indie love to cover the bigger film fests in the world (including Cannes, TIFF, Berlin and SXSW, to name a few), we have love for the smaller fests too. The spotlight may be smaller, but in many cases it can shine just as bright, profiling films and/or specific areas of modern day cinema that might otherwise get unjustly ignored. This is why a festival like the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival (from now on we’ll call it MISAFF for short) feels vital in a lot of ways. It may only look small in comparison with the bigger players, but over four days they offer plenty of premieres and screenings of festival favourites. We’ve curated a small preview of some films playing at MISAFF, which happens just outside of Toronto in Mississauga from August 6th to 9th. To find out more and buy tickets, please visit www.misaff.com.

Court

Earlier this year WTI writer Zach Shevich reviewed Court, saying that it’s “an impressively complex debut, particularly from a 28-year-old filmmaker,” and he’s right on the money. Chaitanya Tamhane’s film deals with a court case that should be thrown out due to its frivolousness, but within the Indian legal system it goes on endlessly. Tamhane’s debut is undeniably aimed at the heart of his own country’s failing systems, but there’s a universal appeal thanks to his precise direction and focus on the inefficiency of corrupt bureaucracy. Court premiered last year the Venice Film Festival in the Horizons section where it won Best Film, and since then it’s been racking up awards around the world. Anyone interested in attending tonight’s opening night gala should also know that director Chaitanya Tamhane will be attending the screening. [C.J.]

Timbuktu

Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu should be a film anyone into indie or arthouse knows about by now. Ever since its premiere at Cannes in 2014, it’s gone on to gross over $1 million in the US (a rarity for African cinema), sweep France’s César Awards, and even earn itself a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. Sissako’s film, which looks at the absurdity and horror of a town taken over by Islamic extremists, has clearly struck a nerve with audiences, and for that alone it needs to be seen. Back at Cannes, WTI writer Nik Grozdanovic reviewed Timbuktu, saying it has “more than a handful of moments when the vulnerability of human life is captured with deft precision.” Sissako has a keen eye for bringing out the humanity in his stories, but his gorgeous visuals makes Timbuktu the kind of film that demands to be seen on the big screen. [C.J.]

Monsoon

We won’t lie: we weren’t exactly too keen on Sturla Gunnarsson’s Monsoon. But regardless, audiences have been a big fan of Gunnarsson’s documentary on the massive yearly event that brings both life and death to India. It was chosen by TIFF as one of Canada’s Top 10 Films of 2014, and it wound up winning the People’s Choice Award for the best film out of the top ten as voted by audience members. And despite our criticisms, there’s one aspect of Monsoon everyone can agree on: it’s a visual treat. Gunnarsson shot his film with 4K digital cameras, and it captures the monsoon’s large scale powers in crisp detail. Anyone interested in learning more about monsoon season should definitely try to catch this one. [C.J.]

Umrika

Umrika (which is the closing night gala for the fest), translated into English as America, is the place where you can find “Hollywood,” “The White House,” and those “statues with lots of people,” as spoken with adamant enthusiasm by Ramakant (Suraj Sharma, The Life of Pi). However, Umrika itself is in much need of Sharma’s commanding presence and magnitude to avoid becoming an utterly obsequious film.

The hazy grain of the film’s visuals (shot on Super 16) is immediately engaging, capturing the affection of a rural village community which provides some pleasurable moments in the first act. As Udai (Prateik Babbar) leaves the village, his younger brother Ramakant (Sharma) watches while their mother (Smita Tambe) cries. The mother becomes the driving force for her two sons and their subsequent actions; they all have a desire to conquer the mystical and marvelous land of America, but it is Udai who takes the lead first. He eventually returns letters, stamped in pop culture images (look out for Arnie’s biceps), to provide a physical presence for his mother’s angst. Eventually, Ramakant finds out a revealing piece of information that will leave a lasting impact on his own family.

The film, set in the 70s and 80s, is stuffed with irony and funny cultural comparisons (“everything there is bigger… even the people”), but such laughable remarks get thrown in amidst a fundamentally serious story. As Ramakant comes of age, he finds himself deep in the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, and as exciting as it sounds the film also hits a wall, focusing on the plot capers of working-class Mumbai rather than Ramakant’s home village and the search for Udai. The film’s emotional core gets lost as a result, appearing only as glossy surface dramatics. The film itself never actually reaches America, but it does end on a simultaneously satisfying and troublesome note; it suggests that all could be well, but the plot dynamics may suffer in the process. [Charlie]

What else?

We’re a bit bummed that we couldn’t see a lot of what else MISAFF is offering, but we can’t help sharing what we’re looking forward to. We really want to see Afia Nathaniel’s Dukhtar, a drama about a mother protecting her daughter that looks very intense. And over in the documentary section we’re happy to have another chance to see Speed Sisters, a documentary about an all-female race car team in the Middle East that we missed at Hot Docs earlier this year. It had a lot of positive buzz at that fest, so it’s definitely worth checking out! To find out more about these films, and if you (hopefully) want to buy some tickets, visit www.misaff.com.

As you are likely aware, legendary actor Christopher Lee passed away at the age of 93. As a fan of both horror films and giant blockbuster franchises, he was one of my favorites. Perhaps it was the types of films he was most recognized for, but he’s one of the most under-appreciated, underrated stars of the screen. This is made even more apparent by the utter lack of his films available to stream. I was all set to blow out a number of streaming recommendations starring Lee… until I looked to see which of his 281 credits were on Netflix. You’re basically stuck with his small role in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, a 2013 film called Night Train to Lisbon, family comedy A Feast at Midnight, 1970’s adventure film Caravans, apparent knock-off The Tale of the Mummy, and The Bloody Judge (which, OK, I’m intrigued). Not exactly a showcase of his best work—Netflix doesn’t even throw us a bone with delightfully campy The Howling II: My Sister Is a Werewolf. So, instead of the perfect Christopher Lee streaming weekend, here are some other recommendations new to the usual streaming suspects.

Netflix

Orange Is the New Black (Season 3)

Netflix’s best original series to date is back with 13 new episodes from Litchfield Penitentiary. Like most quality television, we left off the season with many changing dynamics. Piper and Alex are on dicier terms then ever. Daya and Bennett’s relationship is starting to crumble. Red has hit rock bottom. Vee’s escape is bound to have serious repercussions on the remaining inmates. The emotional and dramatic stakes couldn’t be much higher for the start of season 3, which is sure to provide more shakeups, new characters, and more insight to the characters we already love. Orange Is the New Black was quick to becoming one of the best dramas AND comedies on television, and I doubt that’s going to change. If you somehow haven’t caught up, all three seasons are now streaming on Netflix.

Other titles new to Netflix this week:
The Cobbler (Thomas McCarthy, 2014)
Happy Valley (Amir Bar-Lev, 2014)
Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy, 2014)
Primer (Shane Carruth, 2004)
Rosewater (Jon Stewart, 2014)

Amazon Prime

The Island of Dr. Moreau (John Frankenheimer & Richard Stanley, 1996)

If you’ve been watching Orphan Black, you’ll know that H.G. Wells’s influential science fiction novel has played an integral part. There are probably better excuses to watch John Frankenheimer’s (slash Richard Stanley’s) trouble 1996 adaptation, but I’m going to run with that. When the film was released it was heavily panned and it’s reputation hasn’t exactly grown over time—but can we still hold out on a critical subculture rediscovery? The Island of Dr. Moreau is undoubtedly a messy film, but it is also weird enough be noticed. Featuring one of Marlon Brando’s last performances, well after he had reached his tipping point, the larger than life icon (and quite large at this point, too) has to be seen to be believed. You also have ultra-serious, ultra-crazy Val Kilmer. It killed the career of one director who was replaced by a well respected filmmaker trying to make a comeback. Oh, and half-human half-animal hybrid monsters. The cinematic car crash that became The Island of Dr. Moreau is well documented, but maybe worthy another look.

Other titles new to Amazon Prime this week:
Life of Crime (Daniel Schechter, 2013)
Murder of a Cat (Gillian Greene, 2014)
The Paper Chase (James Bridges, 1973)
Repo: The Genetic Opera (Darren Lynn Bousman, 2008)
Words and Pictures (Fred Schepisi, 2013)

Fandor

Alive Inside (Michael Rossato-Bennett, 2014)

Fandor has built its reputation on providing foreign and classic films with their partnership with the Criterion Collection, but this week I want to highlight some recent films that are new to the streaming service. Alive Inside is a emotionally captivating, under-seen doc from last year about a non-profit’s attempt to bring music to those who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Based on recent medical studies, music has shown to spark memory and reestablish identity, albeit briefly. In the film, a number of retirement home residents take part in the organization’s outreach, and the results are stunning. To see, time after time, men and women recapture something from their past from something so simple is extraordinary. Alive Inside shows the power of music as clearly as any film ever has, thus showing the great power of documentary film. Reading a study on this topic would be enlightening, but there is nothing like seeing the eyes of these individuals yourself.

Other titles new to Fandor this week:
The Builder (Rick Alverson, 2010)
A Common Enemy (Jaime Otero Romani, 2013)
Concerning Violence (Göran Olsson, 2014)
Harmony and Me (Bob Byington, 2009)
Farewell, Herr Schwarz (Yael Reuveny, 2014)

Video On-Demand

Hungry Hearts (Saverio Costanzo, 2014)

Starring Adam Driver and Alba Rohrwacher, Hungry Hearts is a psychological drama about a young couple’s emotional strain following the birth of their first child. Having a child is obviously one of the most wonderful moments in a parent’s life, but it is also one of the most stressful. Not only is there now a small thing that is set to dominate your life, each individual choice you make when raising this child could have incredible consequences. Hungry Hearts plays with this inherent suspense quite well with brilliant performances from its up-and-coming leads. When we reviewed the film earlier this month, we said it is “a harrowing and hard to watch film, but the sincerity of its performances and the tantalizing and rather unexplored content it delves into, make for the sort of film that is impossible to turn away from.” Hungry Hearts is available on VOD at the same time as its theatrical release.

Other titles new to VOD this week:
The DUFF (Ari Sandel, 2015)
Madame Bovery (Sophie Barthes, 2014)
Red Army (Gabe Polsky, 2014)
Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako, 2014)
The Yes Men Are Revolting (Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno & Laura Nix, 2014)

Abrehmadinne Sissako’s Timbuktu entered as one of the exclusive (and meager) 18 films in the festival’s main competition slot with a muted response from the press. While most sites were buzzing about the possibility of a Paul Thomas Anderson, Terrence Malick, David Cronenberg or Mike Leigh, hardly anyone mentioned Sissako. Surely this has something to do with the lack of attention the whole African continent gets when it comes to movies (and, I fear, other art as well) so even if Timbuktu was a bad film, which it isn’t, the fact that it will be getting attention from the world’s biggest media outlets is its own reward. Whether it will get any traction after Cannes, however, is a different matter because for that the movie’s interior qualities need to support the weightiness of its outer shell. Sadly, they don’t.

The film is a fragmented look at life under jihadist rule in Timbuktu, a city in Mali bordering the Saharan Desert. Some of the reoccurring characters include a herdsman and his small family living on the outskirts of the city walls, a mean-spirited fisherman, and a Jihadi soldier who provides much of the film’s comedy (surely a risky move by Sissako.) The thin narrative threads are woven around these people, whose lives intersect in one way or another, as the rule of law from the very strict Jihad perspective is enforced (music is placed on the same sinful level as cigarettes, and if you’re heard playing it you get a public lashing, the count of which is determined by Jihadi council) while religion commands absolutely everything. Without giving too much away, some of the conflicts that arise include the herdsman confronting the fisherman over an accident involving a cow, the Jihadi soldier teaching a young recruit how to act with conviction in front of the camera, and various instances of locals standing up to their oppressors, usually left to suffer the consequences.

Sissako’s previous film, Bamako, was also set in Mali but in a much more intimate setting of a backyard. This time around, what’s patently clear is the leap taken toward something more cinematic than his previous effort, with artful cinematography and an emotive score especially more prominent. Yet even with Bamako’s lack of conventional feature film ingredients, it’s a more compelling story than Timbuktu. The latter spreads its wings by using humor (a scene featuring an impassioned discussion about war is revealed to be a fanatical debate on football) and takes advantage of the barren setting to create some momentous visuals, yet still remains a film so heavily steeped in politics and religion that it only works as a piece of historical source material, and not the kind of artistic expression most of us look for in movies. Moments of creativity or traditional storytelling feel either out of place, or hit the nail on the head with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

As important as it is in a political, moral, and historical sense, Timbuktu ultimately fails to be a stirring piece of art. The acting and the screenplay almost feel like alien concepts, as both seem too heavily reliant on the film’s message. If we were to judge films on their political importance, and the ethical dilemmas proposed by their hefty messages, Timbuktu would most likely be a big contender for the Palme D’Or. As an example of cinematic storytelling, it’s a reminder that Sissako’s talents rest with more intimate, and less self-absorbed, material. Regardless of this, Timbuktu has some inspired visuals, and more than a handful of moments when the vulnerability of human life is captured with deft precision, as it clings to the rough edges of a complex religious system, and slowly tears your heart out.

Our review for Timbuktu was originally published on May 14, 2014 during the Cannes Film Festival.

Closing weekend of the Mill Valley Film Festival just proves the authority of this small festival. It’s rare for a film festival to have such a high percentage of excellent films. No wonder its gained a reputation as a finely curated festival with its tastes squarely in line with mass audience appeal, not to mention the Academy. Surrounded by the beauty of Marin County, and with the emphasis always fixed on the art and not a hectic or saturated film lineup, Mill Valley provides one of the best festival experiences a modern movie lover can have. It’s been an excellent 11 days and the last two days left us especially satisfied.

Part-Time Bad Guy

[Ananda]

With film leads Wes Bentley and Jason Isaacs on hand to support him, first time director Saar Klein happily introduced his film After the Fall Saturday night, immediately telling the audience he wanted them to feel they could laugh, even if it seemed uncomfortable. An award-winning editor, Saar has worked most especially with Terrence Malick with whom he edited The Thin Red Line and The New World. If nothing else, Saar at least picked up on Malick’s sense of quiet storytelling, and his film uses the technique expertly.

The tale of an insurance adjustor, Bill Scanlon (Wes Bentley), who has recently been laid off, the film begins with Bill continuing his daily routine in order to avoid disclosing to his wife (Vinessa Shaw) that their situation has changed. Exhausting all his contacts, Bill tries with no success to find himself another job. At a particularly low moment he takes his pistol, wanders off into the desert and contemplates just what he’s capable of. Driven by thirst he wanders into a nearby model home, stumbling upon an adulterous couple using the house’s accommodations. They mistake his gun in hand as a stickup and offer all their money. Driven to new lows, Bill takes it, willingly. Thus Bill’s entrance into the quick cash life of petty crime, and as the bills pile up, he risks more and more to steal his way into keeping his family afloat.

As an especially upright man in every other aspect of his life, it’s not surprising Bill befriends a local down and out detective (Jason Isaacs), despite the threat this poses to his new career. But Bill’s downfall may just be that he isn’t actually a bad guy. Klein’s morally ambiguous tale is appealing for much the same reasons Breaking Bad sucks viewers in, and it even takes place in Albuquerque as well. But whereas Walter White honed his criminal craft, Bill is always at odds with his new profession, and at every moment at war with himself. Bentley handles the complexity with ease, his face reflecting Bill’s innocence, but always with an undercurrent of tension, ready to snap. Isaacs as Detective McTiernan is more of a stretch, but Klein pulls it all together into an intriguing and compelling film.

In The Way Of Beauty

[Ananda]

As if bringing us the raw and transcendent Dallas Buyers Club last year didn’t prove his worth enough, Jean-Marc Vallée presents another stirring biopic. Based on Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, the film Wild recounts Strayed’s journey to face her demons by walking 1,100 miles on one of the longest trails in America, up California to Washington. Buying herself REI equipment she doesn’t know how to use, and loading up an enormous hiking pack, Cheryl (mesmerizingly played by Reese Witherspoon) slowly sets out along a path in the Mojave desert with no clear ambition other than to try and find where she went wrong in life. Still in grief at the loss of her mother (portrayed in memories by Laura Dern in scene-stealing loveliness) and having recently divorced her husband after cheating on him multiple times and fallen in with heroin users, Cheryl’s final fall to the bottom was an unplanned pregnancy and subsequent abortion.

Cheryl’s distrust of men is everywhere throughout the film, instilled in her by an abusive alcoholic father, and perpetuated by the occasionally skeezy man  she runs into as a single woman on a reclusive trail. Some of her more harrowing moments have less to do with the wild and more to do with the people she comes across. With a subtle and highly effective narrative running throughout the film, the words of the book are used excellently to showcase the transformation happening within Cheryl during her journey. As she learns to forgive herself. As she learns to let go of her anger at the universe for taking her mother so early. As she finds strength and manages never to give up despite having permission to do so.

While there is clearly plenty of beautiful landscape to look at throughout the film, Vallée’s camera focus always includes Cheryl. It’s her connection to the world she’s trudging through that allows viewers to experience her realizations with her. With exquisite cinematography by Yves Bélanger and a perfectly paced screenplay by Nick Hornby, this film may just win as my favorite of the festival. And I’m not alone in my thinking. The California Film Institute awarded the unparalleled Laura Dern with the Mill Valley Award for her performance in Wild, presented to her by Andrew Stanton, Pixar legend extraordinaire. Her passion for the film was eloquently stated in her acceptance of the award, and I’d be surprised not to hear her name circulating among award buzz in the next few months.

Hope Endures In the Desert Sun

[Bernard]

After watching Abderrahmane Sissako’s stunning ensemble piece Timbuktu, the general feeling people walking out of the theater was one of deflation. “I’m going to need a pick-me-up after that one!” I heard someone say. The film, set in the harsh desert landscape of the titular North African city, does admittedly end on a tragic note. The impression that endures, however, is of the beautiful relationships and quiet moments shared by the characters before the film’s dark finale. C’est la vie.

The film’s handful of stories are more parallel than interwoven, overlapping at key moments. The larger theme of the picture is the contentious, often violent dynamic between the oppressive Muslim jihadists patrolling the streets with their weapons and the indomitable citizens who refuse to compromise their humanity, often paying the highest price for their transgressions.

These are sweet people: We see a loving family of three, living a quiet life under the Sahara stars, herding cattle during the day; a group of musicians, playing their instruments quietly so as not to alert nearby jihadists. Despite their innocuous lifestyles, their oppressors always loom, ready to descend: A young woman is forced to marry a jihadist man, despite her mother’s refusal; a woman fishmonger is taken into custody after refusing to wear gloves. Their fighting spirit is inspiring, and Sissako does African cinema proud.

Unless you’ve managed to live without the internet since April 16th, the question “How do you feel about the Cannes lineup this year?” must have surfed its way to – or from- you by now. Yes, cinephiles around the world have been slowly digesting Thierry Fremaux’s announcement from April 17th, and Way Too Indie is no exception. As this years man in the field, my excitement is only contained by perpetual bouts of anxiousness as I mentally prepare for the invasion my body and mind will succumb to in three weeks time. 19 films competing for the main prize, 19 films competing in the smaller, edgier, and often times more revelatory Un Certain Regard section, 2 films in the Out Of Competition slot, 3 Midnight Screenings, and 5 Special Screenings (Cannes slang for Documentary.)

That’s 48 movies, and with Fremaux confirming that two or three more will be added in the coming weeks, that’ll make just about 50 or so films in the Official Selection. That’s not even including the Cannes affiliated Director’s Fortnight and Critic’s Week! What I would give to be able to see them all! But that’s not going to be possible, so once every film gets announced, and the schedules are out, I’ll have a better idea of what I’ll be able to catch.

In the meantime, you’d do well to bookmark this page because for the coming weeks this is going to be a PR mecca for everything Cannes related. We will have trailers, images, interview links and anything else we grab our hands on. You’re encouraged to use the comments section and let us know if we’ve missed anything!

IN COMPETITION

Clouds Of Sils Maria

Director Olivier Assayas

Saint Laurent

Director Bertrand Bonello

Winter Sleep

Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Maps To The Stars

Director David Cronenberg

Complex look at Hollywood and what it reveals about Western culture.

Two Days, One Night

Directors Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne

The film follows Sandra, a young woman assisted by her husband, who has only one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so that she can keep her job.

Mommy

Director Xavier Dolan

A widowed single mother, raising her violent son alone, finds new hope when a mysterious neighbor inserts herself into their household.

The Captive

Director Atom Egoyan

A father tries to track down his kidnapped daughter.

Goodbye To Language

Director Jean-Luc Godard

The Search

Director Michel Hazanavicius

A woman who works for a non-governmental organization (NGO) forms a special relationship with a young boy in war-torn Chechnya.

The Homesman

Director Tommy Lee Jones

A claim jumper and a pioneer woman team up to escort three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa.

Still The Water

Director Naomi Kawase

Mr. Turner

Director Mike Leigh

A look at the life of British artist J.M.W Turner.

Jimmy’s Hall

Director Ken Loach

Political activist Jimmy Gralton is deported from Ireland during the country’s ‘Red Scare’ of the 1930s.

Foxcatcher

Director Bennett Miller

The story of Olympic Wrestling Champion Mark Schultz and how paranoid schizophrenic John duPont killed his brother, Olympic Champion Dave Schultz.

Le Meraviglie

Director Alice Rohrwacher

Timbuktu

Director Abderrahmane Sissako

Wild Tales

Director Damian Szifronr

Leviathan

Director Andrey Zvyagintsev

UN CERTAIN REGARD

Party Girl

Director Marie Amachoukeli

An aging nightclub hostess decides to settle down and get married.

Jauja

Director Lisandro Alonso

A father and daughter journey from Denmark to an unknown desert that exists in a realm beyond the confines of civilization.

poster via IndieWire

Le Chambre Bleue

Director Mathieu Almaric

Incompresa

Director Asia Argento

Titli

Director Kanu Behl

A young man in Delhi tries to break free from his controlling brothers.

Eleanor Rigby

Director Ned Benson

A New York couple’s relationship.

Bird People

Director Pascale Ferran

An American arrives in Paris, checks into a hotel, turns off his cell phone and starts his life anew.

Lost River

Director Ryan Gosling

A single mother is swept into a dark underworld, while her teenage son discovers a road that leads him to a secret underwater town.

Amour Fou

Director Jessica Hausner

Charlie’s Country

Director Rolf De Heer

Snow in Paradise

Director Andrew Hulme

Hard-hitting character study that’s based on the real story of one man’s journey to control his violence through religion. It takes us from the blood soaked East End of London to the world of the Islamic whirling dervishes.

A Girl At My Door

Director July Jung

Xenia

Director Panos Koutras

Strangers in their own birthplace, 16-year-old Danny and 18-year-old Odysseus cross the entire country in search of their Greek father, after their Albanian mother passes away.

Run

Director Philippe Lacote

Run escapes… He just killed the Prime Minister of his country. In order to do so, he had to act as if he was a crazy man, wandering through the city. His life comes back by flashes; his childhood with Tourou when his dream was to become a rain miracle-worker, his adventures with Gladys the eater, and his past as a young member of militia, in the heart of the politic and military conflict in Ivory Coast. All those lives, Run didn’t choose them. Everytime, he felt in by running from another life. That’s the reason why his name’s Run.

Turist

Director Ruben Ostlund

Hermosa Juventud

Director Jaime Rosales

Fantasia

Director Chao Wang

The Salt Of The Earth

Directors Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Away From His Absence

Director Keren Yedaya

The film plans to follow the incestuous relationship between a 60-year-old man and his 22-year-old daughter who live together in a small apartment in Israel. The film will deal with difficult moral and political issues. It faces questions such as how and why an evolving, adult woman is still having sex with her father — a man whom, despite raping her at an early age, she claims to be in love with.

White God

Director Kornel Mundruczo

OUT OF COMPETITION

Grace Of Monaco

Director Olivier Dahan

The story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly’s crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco’s Prince Rainier III and France’s Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960s.

How To Train Your Dragon 2

Director Dean DeBlois

It’s been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island’s new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.

Coming Home

Director Zhang Yimou

A Chinese man is forced into marriage and flees to America, but when he returns home, he is sent to a labor camp.

In The Name Of My Daughter

Director André Téchiné

The real life story behind the disappearance of Agnes Les Roux

MIDNIGHTERS

The Rover

Director David Michôd

A loner tracks the gang who stole his car from a desolate town in the Australian outback with the forced assistance of a wounded guy left behind in the wake of the theft.

The Salvation

Director Kristian Levring

In 1870s America, a peaceful American settler kills his family’s murderer which unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone.

The Target

Director Chang

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Maidan

Director Sergei Loznitsa

A look at the 2013 and 2014 civil unrest in the Ukrainian capital’s central square.

Red Army

Director Gabe Polsky

Following the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, RED ARMY tells the story of the nation’s famed Red Army hockey team through the eyes of its captain Slava Fetisov. Whether he was pitted against enemies in the political arena or on the ice, Fetisov’s story provides a rare glimpse behind the Iron Curtain of the 1970s and ’80s by mirroring the social and political forces at work in the world around him. While helping pave the way for his nation to cross over into the next century, this one man demonstrated how sports could not only be an avenue for creative expression in a world determined to suppress it, but also be something so inextricably intertwined with a nation’s cultural and political identity.

Bridges of Sarajevo

Director Aida Begic, Leonardo di Costanzo & more

The Bridges of Sarajevo is a cinematic contribution to the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WWI. The film is a collaboration of well known European directors, who all contribute one short to the feature film.

Cartoonists, Foot Soldiers of Democracy

Director Stéphanie Valloatto

The Ardor

Director Pablo Fendrik

An Argentinian western revenge tale starring juror Gael Garcia Bernal.

Geronimo

Director Tony Gatlif

A story about social conflict between Turks and gypsies as seen through the eyes of a teacher.

The Owners

Director Adlikahn Yerzhanov

Two brothers struggling to hold on to their ancestral home while their sister and mother lose their breath and mind, respectively.

Of Men And War

Director Laurent Becue-Renard