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Sacred Heart (Cuore Sacro)

(Drama / Dir: Ferzan Ozpetek / With Andrea di Stefano, Barbora Bobulova / Italy 2005 / 116 mins / Cert 15)

Irene is a workaholic property developer who takes on a restoration project that will force her to explore her past; the last person to live in the building was her mother whom she barely remembers. Irene's world begins to collapse as the building and her mother's life increasingly fascinate her.

Sacrifice


(Andrei Tarkovsky / Fr, Sw / 1986 / 142 mins + 97 mins / col / Swedish with English subtitles / Cert PG)

Tarkovsky's final film, a visionary masterpiece, unfolds in the hours before a nuclear holocaust. Alexander, a retired actor, is celebrating his birthday with family and friends when a crackly TV announcement warns of imminent nuclear catastrophe. Alexander makes a promise to God that he will sacrifice all he holds dear, if the disaster can be averted. The next day dawns and, as if in a dream, everything is restored to normality. But Alexander must now keep his vow...

 Still from 'Sacrifice'.

Satan (Sheitan)

(Horror / Dir: Kim Chapiron / With Olivier Barthelemy, Roxane Mesquida, Vincent Cassel / France 2007 / 88 mins / Cert 18)

On Christmas Eve three young men meet two beautiful women who invite join them for a weekend in the country. The first evening with their strange host Joseph, what begins innocently as Christmas dinner turns into disturbing conversations about sex, satanic possession and evil. As the weekend progresses, Joseph's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic and the young friends fear that all hell is about to break loose.

Sawdust And Tinsel (Gycklarnas Afton)

(Drama / Dir: Ingmar Bergman / With Åke Grönberg, Harriet Andersson, Hasse Ekman / Sweden 1953 / 88 mins / Cert 15)

Albert, the owner of a small and tawdry circus, arrives at a small town where he visits his wife whom he left for the circus many years previous. She refuses to reconcile whilst Albert's lover, Anne, upset at his rejection of her, has a humiliating affair. Jealousy leads Albert to unsuccessfully attempt suicide, and as the circus leaves town, the ill-fated couple find themselves reluctantly and miserably committed to each other.

Scar, The

(Krzysztof Kieslowski / Po / 1976 / 106 mins / col / Polish with English subtitles / Cert 18)

In the impoverished Polish town of Olecko, Stefan Bendarz is put in charge of a large chemical plant, which is being built against the wishes of the local populace. Although it will improve the town's economic prospects and provide badly needed new jobs, the factory will also mean the destruction of many homes and adversely affect the environment. Despite his best efforts to convince the townspeople of the benefits, Bendarz has difficulty reconciling the gulf between his good intentions and reality.

Seachd - The Inaccessable Pinnacle

(Drama / Dir: Simon Miller / With Angus Peter Campbell, Padruig Morrison, Coll macDonald / UK 2007 / 90 mins / Cert PG)

The first ever Scottish Gaelic film released theatrically. A young man cannot stop his boyhood quest for the truth - the truth behind the death of his parent and the truth behind his Grandfather's ancient, incredible, fearful stories. A quest that leads him to one of Scotland's most treacherous mountains, The Inaccessible Pinnacle. Tha fear air a bhith, o òige, air tòir na fìrinne - an fhìrinn mu bhàs a phàrantan agus na th' air cùlaibh sgeulachdan aosmhor, annasach, eagalach a sheanar. Tha a cheumannan gan stiùireadh gu tè de na stùcan as iargalta, marbhtach ann an Alba: Am Binnean Do-ruigsinn.

Secret, Le

(Virginie Wagon / Fr / 2000 / 109 mins / col / French with English subtitles / Cert 18)

An erotic uplifting tale of a woman's self-discovery. Marie is thirty-five years old, has been married to Francois for 12 years and has a two-year old son. François would like another child but Marie is not sure she wants one, although she doesn't know why. She then meets the enigmatic Bill, a 50 year-old African American and a passionate affair develops…

Secret Ballot

(Babak Payami / Ir, It, Ca, Ne, Sw / 2001 / 105 mins / col / Farsi with English subtitles / Cert U)

It is Election Day in a remote part of Iran. A young soldier escorts the female electoral officer, in charge of the mobile electoral seat and voting on the islands, as she obstinately collects votes from the island's polling stations. The two get to know each other while a series of absurd events occur during the day. "Secret Ballot is a funny, touching road movie… celebrates the beneficial possibilities of democracy." Philip French, THE OBSERVER

Seven Samurai

(Akira Kurosawa / Jp / 1954 / 190 mins / b&w / Japanese with English subtitles / Cert PG)

Kurosawa's masterful eastern Western, set in seventeenth century Japan, brings together seven warriors to defend an unprotected village from bandits. Toshiro Mifune is memorable as the would-be samurai and Takashi Shimura is the ageing, charismatic samurai leader. As skilled in its delineation of character as in its brutal action sequences, the film has been recycled in many forms, most notably in The Magnificent Seven (1960).

The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Inseglet)

(Drama / Dir: Ingmar Bergman / With Max Von Sydow, Inga Landgré, Bengt Ekerot / Sweden 1957 / 92 mins / Cert PG)

Set in the Middle Ages at the time of the Black Death, The Seventh Seal remains a powerful allegory for man's search for the meaning of life. The battle-wearied knight Antonius Block returns from the Crusades, disillusioned by his experiences. When Death appears, he challenges him to a game of chess to determine his fate. As the game progresses, it takes its toll on the troupe he's protecting, and with the threat of imminent destruction, the fate of the entire community is at stake. This 50th anniversary edition has been digitally remastered.

Sex is Comedy

(Catherine Breillat / Fr / 2002 / 89 mins / col / French with English subtitles / Cert 18)

Breillat investigates and attempts to under-stand what happens on a shoot when scenes involving physical intimacy arise. How can something as intimate as the sexual act be captured on film? How can psychological and logical reality, along with the 'show' aspect of the act, be set aside, so that one is just left with the body?

Short Film about Killing, A

Still from 'A Short Film About Killing'. (Krzysztof Kieslowski / Po / 1988 / 83 mins / col / Polish with English subtitles / Cert 15)

A disaffected young man murders a taxi driver and is put on trial by the state.

Though defended by an idealistic lawyer, he is finally sentenced to death by hanging for his crime. Disturbing, thought provoking and graphically filmed in harrowing detail, A Short Film about Killing won numerous awards including the Jury Price at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.

Short Film About Love A

(Krzysztof Kieslowski / Po / 1988 / 83 mins / col / Polish with English subtitles / Cert 15)

A young man falls in love with an older woman who lives across the courtyard in the same Warsaw apartment block. He watches her and her succession of lovers until she becomes aware of his spying and confronts him with a sexual invitation. Featuring a superb score by Zbigniew Preisner, Kieslowski's interpretation of 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery' affectingly explores the themes of love and voyeurism.

Sick

(Kirby Dick / US / 1977 / 86 mins / col / Cert 18)

Bob Flanagan was an American performance artist, stand-up comic, poet, and a lifelong sufferer of cystic fibrosis. He was also a masochist, who found that his S/M experiences helped him manage the pain of his illness. Kirby Dick's internationally acclaimed, award-winning film follows Bob and wife Sheree through the last years of Flanagan's life. It is a deeply moving, often hilarious profile of a unique artist, giving an insight into Flanagan's warmth, courage, and especially his sense of humour. "If you see only one movie this year about a twisted, cuddly, courageous, fatally diseased, self-mutilating love slave, make sure that movie is SICK" Time Magazine

Silent Light (Stellet Licht)

(Drama / Dir Carlos Reygadas / With Cornelio Wall Fehr, Miriam Toews, Maria Pankratz / Mexico-France-Netherlands 2006 / 136 mins / Cert 15)

Silent Light is set against the pastoral backdrop of the North Mexican Mennonite community. The film tells the story of Johan, a married man who against the laws of his faith and traditional beliefs, falls in love with another woman, thus facing an internal dilemma, whether to betray his wife, the woman he once loved and disrupt the apparent stability of the community or sacrifice his true love and future happiness.

Singer, The (Quand J'étais Chanteur)

(Drama / Dir: Xavier Giannoli / With Gérard Depardieu, Cécile De France / France 2007 / 112 mins / Cert TBC)

The Singer is the charming story of an aging dance hall singer, portrayed with exquisite observation by Gérard Depardieu, who gets a new lease on life when he meets bubbly estate agent and single mother Marion (Cécile De France). Director Zavier Giannoli keeps the tone light whilst also exploring the characters and their humble small-town milieu with great insight and comprehension.

Sketches Of Frank Gehry

(Documentary / Dir: Sydney Pollack / With Frank Gehry, Michael Eisner, Bob Geldof / USA 2005 / 83 mins / Cert 12A)

Frank Gehry and Sydney Pollack are two of the best-known names in their respective fields of architecture and filmmaking, and as it turns out, they are also good friends. Pollack doesn't pretend to understand architecture, he just knows what he likes and in an effort to better understand Gehry's architecture, the legendary director delves into his friend's childhood and passions, even talking to his 94-year-old therapist.

Sleeping Dogs

(Comedy / Dir: Bob Goldthwait / With Melinda Page Hamilton, Bryce Johnson, Geoff Pierson / USA 2006 / 86 mins / Cert 18)

Amy's life is going great until her golden-boy fiancé suggests they tell each other their darkest secrets. She finally relents and makes the mistake of confessing a past sex act involving her pooch. This leads to complications in her relationship, and also with her family and friends as the story leaks out. Her perfect life begins to fall apart.

Society

(Horror / Dir: Brian Yuzna / With Billy Warlock, Devin DeVasquez / USA 1989 / 95 mins / Cert 18)

For most people, growing up in such lavish surroundings of Beverly Hills would be the stuff of dreams, but for Billy Whitney, a senior at the Beverly Hills Academy, that dream is fast becoming a nightmare. Suspicious and paranoid about the behaviour of those around him, Billy becomes increasingly unsure of the kinds of activities his friends and family are involved in. As the evidence of strange sexual goings-on appears to become more convincing, Billy's belief that his entire social set is somehow plotting against him gets stronger and stronger. Soon his worst fears will be realised, as he prepares to gatecrash the most shocking and perversely surreal socialite gathering from hell... It's a matter of good breeding. Really.

Solaris

(Andrei Tarkovsky / USSR / 1972 / 80 mins + 89 mins / col & b&w / Russian with English subtitles / Cert PG)

One of the most distinguished Sci-Fi films ever made, Solaris is a moving and unsettling vision of memory and humanity which transcends the normal conventions of its genre. "An extraordinary film of great sensitivity and lyrical power… engrossing and gravely beautiful" NEWSWEEK

Solas

(Benito Zambrano / Sp / 1998 / 97 mins / col / Spanish with English subtitles / Cert 15)

This moving, heartfelt drama about the uneasy relationship between a mother and daughter boasts superb performances and has won widespread critical acclaim and 14 international awards. "A little gem… this is, simply, a lovely film" UNCUT

Someone Else

(Comedy / Dir: Col Spector / With Susan Lynch, Stephen Mangan / UK 2006 / 78 mins / Cert TBC)

Thirty-something photographer David has for some time been happily dating Lisa, but increasingly he's dreaming of Nina, a tempestuous free spirit who seems to represent everything his loving, stable girlfriend is not. So what is a man to do? A funny, sad and honest look at the male gender's seemingly infinite capacity for self-deception.

The Son

(Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne / Be, Fr / 2002 / 104 mins / col / French with English subtitles)

From the directors of the Palme d'Or winning Rosetta, a subtle and disquieting film about a working class man whose life has been devastated by tragedy, offering an enigmatic and morally complex study of human emotions. "Among the finest, most important filmmakers around today… humane and profoundly moving" TIME OUT

South

(Frank Hurley / GB / 1919 / 80 mins / b&w & col / silent with original music by Neil Brand)

The gripping film record of Sir Ernest Shackleton's heroic but ill-starred attempt to cross Antarctica in 1914-16.

Springtime in a Small Town

(Tian Zhuangzhuang / Cn / 2002 / 114 mins / col / Mandarin with English subtitles / Cert PG)

Springtime, 1946, less than a year since the Japanese withdrew from China. Yuwen is a young woman, bored and frustrated living in a small town. Her husband, Dai Liyan, has fallen ill with tubercolosis and they now sleep in separate rooms. One day, a college friend of her husband's, a doctor, Zhang Zhichen, visits them. Yuwen and Zhichen are mutually attracted, but Liyan tries to commit suicide when he recognises their feelings. Zhichen saves his life and leaves, but things have changed in the Dai household... "A great director's remake is a Chinese masterpiece… genius" James Christopher - THE TIMES

 Still from 'Springtime in a Small Town'.

Stalker

(Andrei Tarkovsky / USSR / 1979 / Disc 1: 63 mins, Disc 2: 92 mins / b& w & col / Russian with English subtitles / Cert PG)

Hauntingly exploring man's dreams and desires, and the consequences of realising them, Stalker has been described as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time. "Never less than epic… the most impressive of Tarkovsky's films" MONTHLY FILM BULETIN

Still Life

(Dir: Jia Zhangke / With Zhao Tao, Han Sanming / China 2006 / 109 mins / Cert PG) - from 29th September 2008

Winner of the 2006 Venice Film Festival, Still Life is the vivid and absorbing tale of two individuals struggling to keep up with the dizzying pace of change in 21st century China. Set against the spectacular landscape of the Three Gorges region along the Yangtze River, it intertwines the stories of Han Sanming, a coal miner, and Shen Hong, a nurse, both searching for their missing partners in Fengjie, a town currently undergoing demolition and soon to disappear forever in the flooding caused by the controversial Three Gorges Dam.

Stray Dog

(Akira Kurosawa / Jp / 1949 / 117 mins / b&w / Japanese with English subtitles / Cert PG)

A masterful mix of film noir and police thriller set on the sweltering mean streets of Occupied Tokyo. When rookie detective Murakami (Toshiro Mifune) has his pistol stolen from his pocket while on a bus, his frantic attempts to track down the thief lead him to an illegal weapons market in the Tokyo underworld. But the gun has already passed from the pickpocket to a young gangster, and Murakami's gun is identified as the weapon in the shooting of a woman. Murakami, overwhelmed with remorse, turns for help to his older and more experienced senior, Sato (a superb performance by Takashi Shimura). The race is on to find the shooter before he can strike again …

Suzhou River

(Lou Ye / Cn, Ge / 2000 / 83 mins / col / Mandarin with English subtitles / Cert 15)

The Suzhou River is one of the main waterways in Shanghai and serves as the backdrop for this excellent drama about two complex relationships from one of China's top current filmmakers, paying homage to Hitchcock's Vertigo. "Beautifully acted and masterfully controlled..." Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Švankmajer, Jan: The Complete Short Films

(Dir: Jan Švankmajer / Czech Republic 1964-1992 / total 313 mins / Cert 15)

The most comprehensive DVD collection ever assembled of all 26 short films by the legendary Czech Surrealist filmmaker-animator Jan Švankmajer, recently released by the BFI. Technically and conceptually astonishing in their own right, these films are also as remarkable for their philosophical consistency as for their frequently mind-boggling imagery.

Syndromes And A Century (Sang Sattawat)

(Available from 30 June 2008) (Dir: Apichatpong Weerasethakul / With: Nantarat Sawaddikul, Jaruchai Iamaram, Nu Nimsomboon, Sophon Pukanok / Thailand-Austria-France 2006 / 105 mins / Cert 15)

Syndromes and a Century establishes young Thai film-maker Apichatpong Weerasethakul as one of the most exciting talents in world cinema today. This, his fifth feature, is a spellbinding Buddhist meditation on the mysteries of love and attraction, the workings of memory, and the ways in which happiness is triggered. Mesmerisingly beautiful to look at, it is also laced with wonderful absurd humour. Apichatpong's new film has been highly acclaimed at international festivals and released in cinemas around the world, but remains unseen in Thailand itself following a demand from local censors for several cuts in the film.

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Tale Of Two Sisters , A(Janghwa, Hongryun)

(Available from 14 April 2008) (Horror / Dir: Ji-Woon Kim / With Soo-Jung Im, Jeong-Ah Yeom / Korea 2003 / 110 mins / Cert 15)

Two sisters are released from a mental institution and return home. But relationships with their stepmother lead to increasingly disturbed behaviour that threatens to destroy their lives. Korea's smash-hit psychological thriller from Kim Ji-Woon echoes early De Palma with stylish chills. UK brothers Charles and Thomas Guard direct the 2008 remake.

Tango Lesson, The

(Sally Potter / GB, Fr, Ar, Ge, Jp / 1997 / 102 mins / English, French & Spanish language with some subtitles / col / Cert PG)

The director of the joyful Orlando here directs and stars in a breathtaking dance movie set in Paris, albeit with a perceptive insight into the nature of male female relationships and the cultural differences between the characters. "Sally Potter has revived the Hollywood musical... Wonderfully uplifting... A delight" Alexander Walker, EVENING STANDARD

 Still from 'Tango Lesson'.

Taste of Cherry

(Abbas Kiarostami / Ir / 1997 / 99 mins / col / Cert PG) (VHS & 16mm only)

A prosperous fifty-year old man drives around Tehran trying to find someone who will kill him himself. Acclaimed Iranian director Kirostami invites us to witness an intimate and philosophical discourse on the moral and ethical issues of suicide. "A sublime spiritual parable about life's possibilities" New York Times

Taxidermia

(Black Comedy / Dir: György Pálfi / With Csaba Czene, Gergõ Trócsányi, Marc Bischoff / Hungary 2006 / 90 mins / Cert 18)

Taxidermia is a hilariously sick story of three generations of grotesque men. The orderly hare-lipped grandfather Vendel has a son, Kalman, with the wife of his boss, who kills Vendel out of jealousy. Kalman becomes a very corpulent speed-eater, whose like-minded wife Gizi bears the light-weight child Lajos, who grows into a skinny taxidermist.

Temenos

(Nina Davino / GB / 1998 / 75 mins / col / Cert PG)

Temenos explores the phenomenon of visionary experience. The film visits locations where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared, including Lourdes, Fatima and Medjugorje in Croat-occupied Bosnia where the visions continue. Nina Danino films the landscapes that have witnessed these transcendental appearances, imbuing them with a sense of the sacred.

La Terra Trema

(Visconti / It / 1948 / 155 mins / b&w / Italian with English subtitles / Cert U)

An epic account of a Sicilian fishing community and the disasters encountered by a family who lose their boat in a storm. Although acted by non-professionals and avowedly Marxist, Visconti's inherent romanticism wins through in the monumental beauty of the images and operatic handling of character.

Terror's Advocate (L' Avocat De La Terreur)

(Available from August 2008) (Documentary / Dir: Barbet Schroeder / France 2007 / 132 mins / Cert tbc)

Communist, anti-colonialist, right-wing extremist? What convictions guide the moral mind of Jacques Vergès? Barbet Schroeder takes us down history's darkest paths in his attempt to illuminate the mystery behind this enigmatic figure. As a young lawyer during the Algerian war, Vergès espoused the anti-colonialist cause and defended Djamila Bouhired, 'la Pasionaria', who bore her country's hopes for freedom on her shoulders and was sentenced to death for planting bombs in cafés. He obtained her release, married her and had two children with her. Then suddenly, at the height of an illustrious career, Vergès disappeared without trace for eight years. He re-emerged from his mysterious absence, taking on the defense of terrorists of all kinds, from Magdalena Kopp and Anis Naccache to Carlos the Jackal. He represented Historical monsters such as Nazi lieutenant Klaus Barbie. From the lawyer's inflammatory and provocative cases to his controversial terrorist links, Barbet Schroeder follows the winding trail left by this 'devil's advocate', as he forges his unique path in law and politics.

Theorem

(Dir: Pier Paolo Pasolini / With Terence Stamp, Silvana Mangano, Massimo Girotti / Italy 1968 / 98 mins / Cert 15)

A wealthy Italian bourgeois family faces collapse after each of its members is seduced in turn by a mysterious Christ or Devil like stranger (Terence Stamp). This enigmatic fable is used by Pasolini to explore family dynamics and in particular the subversive power of homosexuality.

This Girl's Life

(Drama / Dir: Ash / With Juliette Marquis, James Woods, Kip Pardue / USA 2003 / 104 mins / Cert 18)

This intriguing drama examines in frank details what contemporary women expect of relationships and career fulfilment. Moon dictates her own career path in the notoriously male-dominated sex industry whilst at home we see her tenderly caring for her father who has Parkinson's disease. As she tests moral and societal boundaries, Moon's world begins to unravel and she is forced to deal with the ramifications of the choices she's made.
Still from 'Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train'.

Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train

(Patrice Chéreau / Fr / 1998 / 120 mins / col / French with English subtitles / Cert 15)

The dying wish of Parisian painter Jean-Baptiste Emmerich is to be buried in Limoges cemetary: "Those who love me can take the train". A motley collection of the people Emmerich has touched in his life - lovers, friends, relatives and casual acquaintances - is united in a sad, wild and marvellous journey. But the heartbreaks, rivalries and jealousies all simmer to the surface and, over the course of the journey, funeral and wake, will come to some sort of resolution. An eclectic soundtrack (Massive Attack to Mahler) superb cinematography and vivid performances from an exceptional cast combine superbly in Patrice Chéreau's (La Reine Margot) endearing film, winner of 3 Cesars. "An amazing feat of filmmaking" THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Three Colours Blue

Kiezlowski, Fr/Sw/Pl, 1993, 100 mins, col, Cert 15 (also available on 16mm)

First of the trilogy exploring the French Revolutionary ideals of freedom, equality and fraternity, Blue, starring Juliet Binoche, won the Golden Lion, Best Cinematography and Best Actress awards at the 1993 Venice Film Festival.

Three Colours White

Krzysztof Kiezlowski / Fr, Sw, Pl / 1994 / 95 mins / col / Cert 15 (also available on 16mm)

The second in the Three Colours Trilogy, White is a very funny and ironic black comedy. "Compulsively watchable… it is outstanding" Mark Armory, The Observer

Three Colours Red

Krzysztof Kiezlowski / Fr, Sw, Pl / 1994 / 95 mins / col / Cert 15 (also available on 16mm)

Final part of the trilogy, Red follows the friendship between a retired judge and a young model before eventually revealing the destinies of the characters from all three parts of the trilogy.

Throne of Blood

(Akira Kurosawa / Jp / 1957 / 104 mins / b&w / Japanese with English subtitles / Cert PG)

Kurosawa's transposition of Shakespeare's Macbeth to sixteenth century Japan is immensely successful in capturing the spirit of the original. A truly remarkable film combining beauty and terror to produce a mood of haunting power, Throne of Blood also shows Kurosawa's familiar mastery of atmosphere, action, and the savagery of war. "...possibly the finest Shakespearean adaptation ever committed to the screen." THE GUARDIAN

Throw Of Dice, A (Prapancha Pash)

(Dir: Franz Osten / With Himansu Rai, Seeta Devi, Charu Roy / Recorded score by Nithin Saehney and the London Symphony Orchestra/ India-Germany-UK 1929 / 74 mins / Cert U)

This spectacular silent epic, based on an episode from the Mahabharata is the tale of two neighbouring kings, both addicted to gambling and in love with the same woman, Sunita, the daughter of a hermit. Described by composer Nitin Sawhney as "a cross between Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille and an early Bollywood movie", this German-Indian co-production was shot on location in Rajasthan, featuring thousand of extras and an array of elephants and tigers. The BFI's new digital restoration features Nitin Sawhney's ravishing score which effortlessly blends delicate vocals, Indian flute, acoustic guitar and tabla percussion with the sounds of a symphony orchestra.

Time Regained

Still from 'Time Regained'. (Raoul Ruiz / Fr / 1999 / 158 mins / col / French with English subtitles / Cert 18)

Respected Chilean filmmaker Raoul Ruiz directs arguably the most successful and ambitious adaptation of Marcel Proust's literary masterpiece 'Remembrance of Things Past', which will entrance both those familiar and new to the novel. Nearing the end of his days, the bed-ridden Marcel reminisces about his life, recalling past experiences and encounters... "A great work... A cine-literary miracle" Alexander Walker, EVENING STANDARD

To Have And To Hold

(Thriller / Dir: John Hillcoat / With Rachel Griffiths, Tcheky Karyo / Australia 1996 / 99 mins / Cert 18)

When Jack's wife dies mysteriously, he takes a trip to Melbourne. There he meets Kate - the very likeness of his dead wife. Jack romances Kate and successfully persuades her to come and live with him in the jungle. However, after a blissful beginning, it isn't long before Jack's obsession with his dead wife takes over, and Kate soon fears that her life in paradise has become a hell on earth. Intense performances and an atmospheric soundtrack by Nick Cave make this an unforgettable thriller.

To Sleep with Anger

(Charles Burnett / US / 1990 / 98 mins / col / Cert 12)

Charles Burnett, one of America's most highly regarded independent filmmakers, wrote and directed this domestic drama about a black middle-class family living in South Central Los Angeles. Family tensions are already simmering when Harry (Danny Glover) arrives to visit his old friends. He exudes an easy charm, knows secrets past and present and is soon installed in the heart of the family. However, as his stay lengthens, so does he begin to case an ever more malevolent spell, provoking turmoil, setting son against son, reviving past hatreds, and inflicting a mysterious illness.

Topo, El

(Western / Dir: Alejandro Jodorowsky / With Alejandro Jodorowsky, Brontis Jodorowsky, Mara Lorenzio / Mexico 1970 / 120 mins / Cert 18)

With El Topo, Jodorowsky gave birth to the countercultural phenomenon of the Midnight Movie and carved out a place in history as one of cinema's most unique and visionary directors. This bizarre, ultra-violent Western features a brutal, black-clad gunslinger who, accompanied by his young son, sets off on a murderous mission to challenge four Zen masters of gunfighting.

Tristana

Luis Buñuel / Fr, It, Sp / 1970 / 95 mins / col / Spanish with English subtitles / Cert PG

Tristana (Catherine Deneuve), an orphan, is left to the care of the elderly Don Lope (Fernando Rey). His paternal love soon turns into something more passionate and, to escape his possessiveness, Tristana runs away with a young painter. Later, she falls ill and returns to Don Lope and sets out to destroy him.

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Under The Bombs (Sous Les Bombes)

(Available from July 2008) (Drama / Dir: Philippe Aractingi / With Georges Khabbaz, Nada Abou Farhat / Lebanon 2007 / 99 mins / Cert 15)

Zeina is a Lebanese woman in the middle of a divorce. In order to spare her son, Karim, she sends him to stay with her sister in a little village in the South of Lebanon. One week later, the war breaks out in Lebanon. Terribly worried, she wants to follow him but only one taxi-driver, Toni, agrees to take her. Setting off in the car, Zeina and Toni are far from sharing the same political views but they drive south together, into a landscape once again devastated by bombs. Most of the bridges have been bombed and the taxi is forced to take back roads. When they finally reach the house of Zeina's sister, they realize they are too late: it has been hit, and only a pile of rubble remains. Zeina's sister is dead. Ali, a kid from the village, comes forward to tell them that her son Karim is ok. But when Tony and Zeina finally arrive, exhausted, they realise that Ali, the kid from Kherbet Selem, has made a terrible mistake: he has confused Karim with another boy, Tarek. His face devastated with sorrow, Tony watches as Zeina desperately hugs the child to her as if he were her son, her own flesh and blood.

Va savoir

(Jacques Rivette / Fr, It, Ge / 2001 / 148 mins / col / French with English subtitles / Cert PG)

Jacques Rivette's delightfully bittersweet and highly entertaining comedy follows the romantic escapades of actress Camille, who returns to Paris to star in a play directed by her Italian lover. "Thoroughly delightful metropolitan comedy… Don't miss it" Peter Bradshaw, THE GUARDIAN

Verhoeven Collection

: 5-Disc Boxset (Available from 26 May 2008) (Dir: Paul Verhoeven / Netherlands 1971-1983)

The collection includes five career-defining films from the Dutch master before he took on Hollywood blockbusters. All films are digitally remastered with commentaries by the director himself.

Ville est tranquille, La

(Robert Guédiguian / Fr / 2000 / 127 mins / col / French with English subtitles / Cert 18)

Beautifully observed, uncompromisingly honest and always engrossing, Guédiguian, returning to his hometown Marseille, skilfully interweaves the stories of several different characters, following their everyday struggles to survive life in the teeming cultural melting pot of the city. "Engrossing… one of the finest French filmmakers around" THE TIMES

Violín El

(Drama / Dir: Francisco Vargas / With Ángel Tavira, Gerardo Taracena, Dagoberto Gama Mexico / 98 mins / Cert TBC)

Elderly Don Plutarco, his son Genaro and grandson Lucio are humble rural musicians who also support the campesina peasant guerilla movement's armed efforts. When the military seizes their village, the inhabitants flee, leaving ammunition behind. Playing on his appearance as a harmless violin player to secure the trust of the vain captain (who fancies himself as a musician), old Don Plutarco has a plan to recover the ammunition through charm and steely nerves. Beautifully shot in black and white, El Violín is anchored on the amazing performance by Tavira (an actual violinist) and Gama as the captain. Through its juxtaposition of gorgeous images and shocking violence, the film evokes the struggle between peasants and government, duty and pleasure.

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Wages of Fear, The

(Henri-Georges Clouzot / Fr, It / 1953 / 147 mins / b&w / French with English subtitles)

Four down and outs in French colonial Latin America decide to drive a load of nitro-glycerine through the jungle in order to raise some cash; the motive is greed and the results are as black a vision of human infidelity as any since Othello. Winner of the grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival and an undisputed triumph of French Cinema, The Wages of Fear set Clouzot among the great French directors such as Truffaut and Godard. Fuelled by stunning photography and appropriately taut editing, The Wages of Fear offers on one level pure cinematic adventure, whilst also succeeding as an eye opening peek at a crazed world driven by machismo, lust, competitiveness and greed.

Waiting for Happiness

(Abderrrahmane Sissako / Fr, Mauritainia / 2002 / 93 mins / col / French & Hasianya with subtitles / Cert U)

Still from 'Waiting for Happiness'.At the edge of the vast Mauritanian desert lies the small coastal town of Nouadhibou. There, seventeen year-old Abdallah is visiting his mother before emigrating to Europe. The melancholic young man finds himself a stranger in his own country; unable to speak the local language, he shies away from village customs and festivities and is less interested in traditional dress than the latest European fashions.

Water Drops on Burning Rocks

(Ozon / Fr / 2000 / 82 mins / col / French with English subtitles / Cert 18)

This biting comedy focusing on the shifting power in sexual relationships is based on a previously unproduced play by revered German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Twenty-year old Franz is seduced by the much older Leopold and the two move in together. However, Leopold's bullying causes Franz to decide to return to his former girlfriend, a plan foiled when in turn Leopold seduces her too. With the unexpected arrival of Leopold's former lover Vera, a male to female transsexual who is still hopelessy bessotted with him, events begin to get out of control.

When A Woman Ascends The Stairs (Onna Ga Kaidan O Agaru Toki)

(Dir: Mikio Naruse / With Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Reiko Dan / Japan 1960 / 111 mins / Cert PG)

Hideko Takamine, plays Keiko, a young widow who works as a hostess in Tokyo's neon-lit Ginza district. Every night she ascends the stairs of a sleazy whisky bar and forces herself to drink, joke and flirt with wealthy businessmen. At the age of thirty, however, Keiko has reached 'the turning point in a woman's life' and faces a stark choice - either to re-marry or to open a bar of her own.

Whirlpool

(Otto Preminger / US / 1949 / 93 mins / b&w / Cert PG)

In this intriguing blend of film noir and women's picture, Gene Tierney is the well-dressed wife of a successful psychoanalyst, played with chilling remoteness by Richard Conte. When arrested for shoplifting, she is saved from inevitable scandal by the intervention of a suave but slightly sinister hypnotist (José Ferrer). However, the salvation proves deceptive and she soon finds herself caught up in a web of blackmail and murder.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

(Otto Preminger / US / 1950 / 91 mins / b&w / Cert 12)

Dana Andrews stars as Mark Dixon, a corrupt cop, in this gritty noir thriller shot on the rain-slicked streets of New York. Already in trouble for his brutal methods, alienated from his colleagues, he pursues a gang leader with vindictive zeal and accidentally kills a possible murder suspect. His guilt deepens when he falls in love with the dead man's wife (played with beguiling beauty by Gene Tierney) and her father, an innocent cab driver, finds himself accused of the murder. Dixon finds ultimate redemption - at a price.

Wild Tigers I Have Known

(Drama / Dir: Cam Archer / With Malcolm Stumpf, Patrick White, Fairuza Balk / USA 2006 / 82 mins / Cert 18)

A visually stunning coming-of age story shot through with fantasy, as a teenager deals with his newfound sexuality. Logan is 13 years old, and a dreamer. Soft spoken and isolated, he has a crush on an older and infinitely cooler boy, Rodeo Walker. As Logan and Rodeo strike up a mismatched friendship, the kind that only works on walks deep into the forest when no one else is around, Logan's infatuation with Rodeo inspires him to create a new persona named Leah. Leah and Rodeo grow close through whispered late-night phone calls, and when Leah agrees to meet Rodeo face to face it is Logan who must finally prove that he can ask for what he so achingly wants.

Witnesses, The (Les Témoins)

(Drama / Dir: André Téchiné / With Michel Blanc, Emmanuelle Béart, Sami Bouajila, Julie Depardieu / France 2007 / 114 mins / Cert 15)

Manu arrives in Paris, where he shares a cheap hotel room with his sister Julie. He strikes up a joyous, chaste friendship with Adrien, a wealthy doctor in his early fifties who opens Manu's eyes to a different way of life. On a trip to the seaside, Adrien introduces Manu to Sarah and Mehdi, a young couple who have just had their first child. An unplanned love affair upsets the ordered tranquility of their individual destinies. Each of them becomes a protagonist in, and witness to, a contemporary tragedy, where those who survive may emerge stronger, but not undamaged.

Woman In Winter, A

(Drama / Dir: Richard Jobson / With Jamie Sives, Jason Flemying, Susan Lynch / UK 2007 / 100 mins / Cert 15)

Set in Edinburgh, Michael is a local astronomer caught up in experiments to break down the barriers between space and time and enjoying an obsessive love affair with enigmatic French Photographer Caroline. However, Michael's experiments are gradually turning everything into a claustrophobic dreamscape where all sense of reality has been lost and he struggles to discern whether he, or Caroline, truly exists.

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Yojimbo

(Akira Kurosawa / Jp / 1961 / 207 mins / b&w / Japanese with English subtitles / Cert PG)

Social disorder seen as comedy. A masterless samurai strolls into town and gets half of the baddies to obliterate the other half. Exhilarating, surprising, kinetic, and very funny, the picture gives us a very human hero, who in Kurosawa's words is "different from us. He's able to stand squarely in the middle and stop the fight." "A masterful, beautifully composed, witty movie..." HALLIWELL'S FILM GUIDE

You, The Living (Du Levande)

(Available from July 2008) (Dir: Roy Andersson / With Elisabet Helander, Jugge Nohall, Jan Wikblad / Sweden 2007 / 93 mins / Cert 15)

A succession of fifty tragic-comic vignettes from modern life, You, the Living is about the human being, about her greatness and her miserableness, her joy and sorrow, her self-confidence and anxiety. A being at whom we want to laugh and also cry for. It is simply a tragic comedy or a comic tragedy about us.' - Roy Andersson "Be pleased then, you the living, in your delightfully warmed bed, before Lethe´s ice-cold wave will lick your escaping foot" - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Römische Elegien

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Zatoichi

(Takeshi Kitano / Ja / 2003 / 111 mins / col / Japanese with English subtitles / Cert 18)

Zatoichi is a blind wanderer who makes a living by gambling and giving massages in 19th Century Japan. But behind his humble facade, Zatoichi is a master swordsman, gifted with a lightning-fast draw and strokes of breathtaking precision. In a gambling joint, Zatoichi and his trustworthy young friend Shinkichi meet up with a couple of geishas. As dangerous as they are beautiful, Okinu and her sister Osei have come to town to avenge their parents' murder. With his legendary cane sword at his side, Zatoichi's path is destined for many violent showdowns...

A Zed and Two Noughts

(Peter Greenaway / GB, Ne / 1985 / 112 mins / col / Cert 15)

An extraordinary tale of obsession in which the zoologist twin husbands of two women killed in a car crash start an affair with the amputee survivor. This provocative, funny and stylish film, with a score by Michael Nyman, is also a tribute to Vermeer and an exploration of the trauma of loss, man's relationship with animals and the attraction of lists.

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Important guidelines for booking films

Please confirm all telephone bookings in writing, stating essential details such as correct despatch and invoice addresses, and the correct format of the film. If you do not receive a booking confirmation from us, the film may not have been booked; please check all your bookings carefully, well in advance of the playdate.

To hire any of these films or for further information, please contact Andrew Youdell in the Bookings department:

Telephone: 020 7957 8938

Email: bookings.films@bfi.org.uk