Spotlight: Hard Core: Punk Rock on Film
This week, we’re spotlighting kick-ass films that showcase the rebellious spirit of punk rock music. Whether a conduit for self-discovery or a platform for political protest, this music unites people of all backgrounds through its exhilarating focus on freedom and cultural subversion.
No One Knows About Persian Cats
(کسی از گربههای ایرانی خبر نداره)
Two young Iranian songwriters must find musicians for their underground band while trying to receive visas to perform in Europe.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2009
- Director Bahman Ghobadi
- Cast Negar Shaghaghi, Ashkan Koshanejad, Hamed Behdad, Babak Mirzakhani, Kosh Mirzahi
- Genre Drama
- Available on AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Tubi TV
Punk in London
Exclusive interviews and live concert footage capture the riotous energy of the Great British punk rock explosion of 1977.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- West Germany • 1977
- Director Wolfgang Büld
- Cast Gaye Black, Kevin Rowland, Paul Simonon, John William Weller, Bob Geldof
- Genre Documentary, Music
- Available on Freevee, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, VUDU Free, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel
Hard Core Logo
An off-kilter rock mockumentary that follows punk bank Hard Core Logo on a harrowing reunion tour through Western Canada.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 1996
- Director Bruce McDonald
- Cast Hugh Dillon, Callum Keith Rennie, John Pyper-Ferguson, Bernie Coulson, Julian Richings, Benita Ha
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Music
- Available on Hoopla, Night Flight Plus, Apple TV
Good Vibrations
The joyful story of Terri Hooley, who promoted Belfast punk rock during the Troubles.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Ireland • 2012
- Director Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn
- Cast Richard Dormer, Jodie Whittaker, Karl Johnson, Michael Colgan, Liam Cunningham, Dylan Moran
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on realeyz, The Roku Channel, FILMRISE, Freevee
Sid & Nancy
A biographical portrayal of the destructive relationship between Sid Vicious of The Sex Pistols and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1986
- Director Alex Cox
- Cast Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman, Debby Bishop, Andrew Schofield, Xander Berkeley
- Genre Drama, Music, Romance
- Available on IndieFlix, Plex, Plex Player
We Are Little Zombies
(WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES)
Their parents are dead. They should be sad, but they can’t cry. So they form a kick-ass rock band.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2019
- Director Makoto Nagahisa
- Cast Keita Ninomiya, Satoshi Mizuno, Mondo Okumura, Sena Nakajima, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Youki Kudoh
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, OVID, Night Flight Plus, Kanopy, Peacock Premium, YouTube, Apple TV, Peacock
Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché
The life and times of the late X-Ray Spex singer and iconoclast Poly Styrene.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2021
- Director Paul Sng, Celeste Bell
- Cast Poly Styrene, Celeste Bell, Ruth Negga, Neneh Cherry, Youth, Bruno Aleph Wizard
- Genre Documentary, Music
- Available on DIRECTV, Amazon Video, Showtime, Paramount+ with Showtime, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, Kanopy, , Apple TV, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Paramount+ Amazon Channel, fuboTV
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer
(Показательный процесс: История Pussy Riot)
A group of radical-feminist punk rockers protested Putin's reelection in 2011. Now they are victims of a show trial.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Russia, United Kingdom • 2013
- Director Maxim Pozdorovkin
- Cast Mariya Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Andrey Tolokonnikov, Pussy Riot, Petr Verzilov
- Genre Documentary, Music
- Available on Fandor, FlixFling, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, Freevee
Burst City
(爆裂都市)
Bikers, yakuza, and real-life punk bands gather in a dystopic Tokyo after a nuclear powerplant is set to be constructed.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1982
- Director Gakuryu Ishii
- Cast Michiro Endo, Shigeru Izumiya, Takanori Jinnai, Kou Machida, Shigeru Muroi, Hitomi Tsurukawa
- Genre Action, Music, Science Fiction
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, ARROW, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
24 Hour Party People
In 1976, Tony Wilson sets up Factory Records and brings Manchester's music to the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2002
- Director Michael Winterbottom
- Cast Steve Coogan, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Lennie James, Shirley Henderson, Andy Serkis
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Music
- Available on Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Freevee, Kanopy
Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam
Young American Muslims form their own punk bands and go on tour, exploring the rebellion and subversion of the genre.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2009
- Director Omar Majeed
- Cast Michael Muhammad Knight, Basim Usmani, Shahjehan Khan, Arjun Ray
- Genre Documentary, Music
- Available on Kino Now, Kanopy
We Are the Best!
(Vi är bäst!)
Three girls in 1980s Stockholm decide to form a punk band.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden, Denmark • 2013
- Director Lukas Moodysson
- Cast Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin, Liv LeMoyne, David Dencik, Johan Liljemark, Mattias Wiberg
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Magnolia Selects, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Alamo on Demand, Kanopy
Spotlight: Slow Cinema
In this Spotlight, we’re exploring Slow Cinema, a globe-spanning canon of art house films from a diverse group of filmmakers whose works prioritize long takes, naturalistic sound design, minimal dialogue, and an invitation to introspection.
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
(Bir zamanlar Anadolu'da)
In the rural area around the Anatolian town of Keskin, officials lead a search for a murder victim.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina • 2011
- Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Cast Muhammet Uzuner, Yılmaz Erdoğan, Taner Birsel, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, Fırat Tanış, Ercan Kesal
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Kanopy
The Turin Horse
(A torinói ló)
A horse's refusal to work or eat signals the beginning of the end for a poor farmer and his daughter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hungary, France, Switzerland • 2011
- Director Béla Tarr
- Cast János Derzsi, Erika Bók, Mihály Kormos, Ricsi, Lajos Kovács
- Genre Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Topic, Apple TV, Kanopy
Silent Light
(Stellet Licht)
Johan is a Mennonite who, despite his guilt, is cheating on his wife.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico, France, Netherlands • 2007
- Director Carlos Reygadas
- Cast Cornelio Wall, Miriam Toews, Maria Pankratz, Peter Wall, Jacobo Klassen, Elizabeth Fehr
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Vudu, VUDU Free, Kanopy
Leviathan
(Левиафан)
A universal parable about the individual versus the might of a corrupt state.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Russia • 2014
- Director Andrey Zvyagintsev
- Cast Aleksey Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Roman Madyanov, Anna Ukolova, Aleksey Rozin
- Genre Drama
- Available on Starz, Starz Roku Premium Channel, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, DIRECTV
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
(ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ)
Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Thailand, United Kingdom, France • 2010
- Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul
- Cast Sakda Kaewbuadee, Jenjira Pongpas, Thanapat Saisaymar, Natthakarn Aphaiwonk, Geerasak Kulhong, Wallapa Mongkolprasert, Kanokporn Tongaram
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Alamo on Demand
Police, Adjective
(Polițist, adjectiv)
A cop risks his career and goes undercover to bust a drug ring.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania • 2009
- Director Corneliu Porumboiu
- Cast Dragoș Bucur, Vlad Ivanov, Irina Săulescu, Ion Stoica, Cerasela Trandafir, Marian Ghenea
- Genre Comedy, Crime, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Plex, Plex Player
Court
A sewage worker's suicide prompts the arrest of a folk singer/activist accused of encouraging the suicide with his lyrics.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2015
- Director Chaitanya Tamhane
- Cast Usha Bane, Vivek Gomber, Pradeep Joshi, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Shirish Pawar
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
An Elephant Sitting Still
(大象席地而坐)
In the northern Chinese city of Manzhouli, they say there is an elephant that simply sits and ignores the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China • 2018
- Director Hu Bo
- Cast Zhang Yu, Peng Yuchang, Wang Yu Wen, Congxi Li, Xiang Rong Dong
- Genre Drama
- Available on Fandor, Amazon Video, OVID, Kanopy, Fandor Amazon Channel, Apple TV
Neighboring Sounds
(O Som ao Redor)
Life in a neighbourhood in Recife, Brazil takes an unexpected turn after the arrival of an independent private security firm.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2012
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Cast Maeve Jinkings, Irandhir Santos, Gustavo Jahn, W.J. Solha, Irma Brown, Sebastião Formiga
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, YouTube, Kanopy
Norte, the End of History
(Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan)
In the Philippines, a man is put in jail for a murder he didn't commit.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Philippines • 2013
- Director Lav Diaz
- Cast Sid Lucero, Angeli Bayani, Archie Alemania, Mailes Kanapi, Soliman Cruz, Mae Paner
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Kanopy, YouTube, MUBI Amazon Channel, MUBI
Stray Dogs
(郊遊)
A father and his children wander the margins of modern day Taipei, and spend their nights sleeping in abandoned buildings.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan, France • 2014
- Director Tsai Ming-liang
- Cast Lee Kang-Sheng, Lu Yi-Ching, Chen Shiang-Chyi, Chao-rong Chen, Yang Kuei-Mei
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, Topic, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV, MUBI
Taste of Cherry
(طعم گيلاس)
A middle-aged man, Mr. Badii, seeks someone to bury him after he commits suicide.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran, France • 1997
- Director Abbas Kiarostami
- Cast Homayoun Ershadi, Abdolrahman Bagheri, Afshin Khorshid Bakhtiari, Safar Ali Moradi, Mir Hossein Noori, Ahmad Ansari
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Kanopy
Spotlight: Palm Springs International Film Festival Microsite!
Introducing the Palm Springs International Film Festival Microsite on Telescope! Featuring the Academy Award submissions for Best International Feature that have been programmed in the festival over the past five years. This week we present a few of our favorites, but click here for many more.
Invisible Life
(A Vida Invisível)
Two estranged sisters struggle to make lives for themselves despite the restrictive expectations of 1950s Brazil.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Karim Aïnouz
- Cast Carol Duarte, Julia Stockler, Fernanda Montenegro, Gregório Duvivier, Bárbara Santos, Flávia Gusmão
- Genre Drama
- Available on Freevee, Amazon Prime Video
Pain and Glory
(Dolor y gloria)
Aging film director Salvador Mallo turns to drugs to manage his chronic pain, triggering memories of childhood in rural Spain.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 2019
- Director Pedro Almodóvar
- Cast Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Nora Navas, Julieta Serrano, Penélope Cruz
- Genre Drama
- Available on Starz Apple TV Channel, DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Starz Roku Premium Channel, Starz, YouTube, Starz Amazon Channel, Apple TV
And Then We Danced
(და ჩვენ ვიცეკვეთ)
A dancer on the brink of adulthood falls unwillingly in love with his greatest rival.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden, Georgia • 2019
- Director Levan Akin
- Cast Levan Gelbakhiani, Bachi Valishvili, Ana Javakishvili, Giorgi Tsereteli, Tamar Bukhnikashvili, Anano Makharadze
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, OVID, Kanopy, Tubi TV, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Atlantics
(Atlantique)
When one comes back to claim what was left behind, what are the consequences?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Senegal, Belgium • 2019
- Director Mati Diop
- Cast Ibrahima Traore, Mame Bineta Sane, Aminata Kane
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
I'm Your Man
(Ich bin dein Mensch)
To secure funding for her work, an archeologist signs up to test a robot designed to be her perfect partner.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2021
- Director Maria Schrader
- Cast Maren Eggert, Dan Stevens, Sandra Hüller, Hans Löw, Annika Meier
- Genre Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction
- Available on Hulu, Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Redbox, AMC on Demand, Kanopy
Under the Shadow
After Shideh's building is hit by a missile during the Iran-Iraq War, a superstitious neighbor says the missile was cursed.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Jordan, Qatar • 2016
- Director Babak Anvari
- Cast Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Ray Haratian, Hamid Djavadan, Bijan Daneshmand
- Genre Drama, Horror, Thriller, War
- Available on Amazon Video, Netflix basic with Ads, Hoopla, Vudu, Netflix, Apple TV
Sand Storm
(Sufat Chol)
When Jalila's husband marries a second woman, Jalila and her daughter's worlds are shattered.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Israel, Germany, France • 2016
- Director Elite Zexer
- Cast Lamis Ammar, Ruba Blal, Hitham Omari, Shaden Kanboura, Khadija Al Akel, Jalal Masrwa
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Flee
(Flugt)
Part memoir, part documentary, this animated film recounts the story of a refugee from Afghanistan to Denmark.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Denmark, France, Sweden • 2021
- Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen
- Cast Daniel Karimyar, Fardin Mijdzadeh, Milad Eskandari, Belal Faiz, Elaha Faiz, Zahra Mehrwarz
- Genre Animation, Documentary
- Available on DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV, Hulu
I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians
(Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra ca barbari)
An ambitious young theater director faces censorship when she is hired to create a public art project related to Romania's past.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, Germany, Bulgaria • 2018
- Director Radu Jude
- Cast Ioana Iacob, Alex Bogdan, Alexandru Dabija, Ion Rizea, Claudia Ieremia
- Genre Comedy, Drama, History
- Available on Kanopy, Klassiki
Burning
(버닝)
Jongsu's solitude is interrupted when he runs into a childhood neighbor and her enigmatic friend.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2018
- Director Lee Chang-dong
- Cast Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jun Jong-seo, Kim Soo-kyung, Choi Seung-ho, Moon Sung-keun
- Genre Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Netflix basic with Ads, Hoopla, Vudu, AsianCrush, Alamo on Demand, Kanopy, Netflix, Peacock Premium, YouTube, Pluto TV, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
A Fantastic Woman
(Una mujer fantástica)
My name is Marina Vidal. Do you have any problem with that?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Chile, Germany, Spain • 2017
- Director Sebastián Lelio
- Cast Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Aline Küppenheim, Nicolás Saavedra, Amparo Noguera
- Genre Drama
- Available on Starz Apple TV Channel, DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Alamo on Demand, Starz Roku Premium Channel, Starz, YouTube, Starz Amazon Channel, Apple TV
BPM (Beats per Minute)
(120 battements par minute)
A group of young activists desperately seek a cure for AIDS in 1990s Paris.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2017
- Director Robin Campillo
- Cast Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois, Adèle Haenel, Antoine Reinartz, Félix Maritaud, Ariel Borenstein
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Dekkoo, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, Pluto TV, Plex Player
Border
(Gräns)
Sense something beautiful.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden, Denmark • 2018
- Director Ali Abbasi
- Cast Eva Melander, Eero Milonoff, Sten Ljunggren, Ann Petrén, Rakel Wärmländer, Viktor Åkerblom-Nilsson
- Genre Thriller, Fantasy, Romance, Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Cinemax Amazon Channel, YouTube, Apple TV
Les Misérables
A policeman discovers how deep tensions run among gangs in the Parisian suburbs.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2019
- Director Ladj Ly
- Cast Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djibril Zonga, Steve Tientcheu, Jeanne Balibar
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Freevee, Amazon Prime Video
The Square
How much inhumanity does it take before you access your humanity?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden, Germany, France • 2017
- Director Ruben Östlund
- Cast Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, Terry Notary, Christopher Læssø, Lise Stephenson Engström
- Genre Drama
- Available on Magnolia Selects, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Crackle, Vudu, VUDU Free, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel, FlixFling, Apple TV, DistroTV, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
1982
For 11-year-old Wissam, confessing his love is a lot like the looming invasion of Lebanon: scary, uncertain, and potentially disastrous.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Lebanon, United States, Norway • 2019
- Director Oualid Mouaness
- Cast Nadine Labaki, Mohammad Dali, Ghassan Maalouf, Aliya Khalidi, Rodrigue Sleiman
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on DocAlliance Films, Tubi TV, IndieFlix
Spotlight: Ukraine
This week we present films from and about Ukraine including documentaries and narrative features about key moments in the nation’s recent past and in its relationship to Russia. Servant of the People is a series created by and starring the country’s current president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former comedian.
Maidan
(Майдан)
A revealing documentary about the civil uprising against former Ukranian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2013 into 2014.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine, Netherlands • 2014
- Director Sergey Loznitsa
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, YouTube, Kanopy
Servant of the People
(Слуга народу)
After a viral video of him circulates, a humble teacher becomes president of Ukraine overnight.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine • 2015
- Creator Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Cast Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Stanislav Boklan, Yevgeniy Koshevoy, Natalia Sumska, Victor Saraykin, Elena Kravets
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Chervonyi
(Червоний)
In 1947, Ukrainian commander Chervonyi is captured and put in Stalin's camps, but his fight for freedom rages on.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine • 2017
- Director Zaza Buadze
- Cast Mykola Bereza, Ihor Koltovskyi, Alexandr Mavrits, Oleh Shulha, Lubov Tyshchenko
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Freevee, Amazon Video, Vudu, Tubi TV, Xumo Play
No Obvious Signs
(Явних проявiв немає)
A woman returning from service during the war in Donbas struggles with PTSD and tries to reclaim her normal life.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine • 2018
- Director Alina Gorlova
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on GuideDoc, DocAlliance Films, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Takflix, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Breaking Point: The War for Democracy in Ukraine
This nerve-racking documentary follows the citizens of Ukraine who have given up their lives to fight an insidious Russian invasion.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine, United States • 2017
- Director Mark Jonathan Harris, Oles Sanin
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Pantaflix, Apple TV
Bad Roads
(Погані дороги)
An anthology of four short stories, all set on the roads of Ukraine during the war in the Donbas.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine • 2021
- Director Natalya Vorozhbit
- Cast Ihor Koltovskyi, Andrey Lelyukh, Anna Zhurakovskaya, Yuliya Matrosova, Oksana Cherkashyna
- Genre Drama
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
All Things Ablaze
(Все палає)
What does the violent heart of revolution feel like? Witnessing from the middle of the fire in Ukraine, winter 2013-2014.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine • 2014
- Director Oleksandr Techynskyi, Aleksey Solodunov, Dmitry Stoykov
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Apple TV
The Tribe
(Плем'я)
Love and hate need no translation.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine, Netherlands • 2014
- Director Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi
- Cast Hryhoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova, Rosa Babiy, Oleksandr Dsiadevych, Oleksandr Osadchyi, Yaroslav Biletskiy
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on realeyz, Hoopla, Google Play Movies, Vudu, YouTube, Alamo on Demand, Tubi TV, Peacock, Peacock Premium, Kanopy
The Russian Woodpecker
As his country is gripped by revolution, a Ukrainian victim of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster discovers a dark secret.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States • 2015
- Director Chad Gracia
- Cast Fedor Alexandrovich, Andrei Alexandrovich, Igor Alexandrovich, Natalia Barabovskaya, Andrei Bilyk
- Genre Documentary, History
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kino Now, Plex, YouTube, Apple TV, Plex Player, fuboTV
Donbass
(Донбас)
In the Donbass, war is called peace, propaganda is presented as truth, and hatred is declared to be love.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, Ukraine, France • 2018
- Director Sergey Loznitsa
- Cast Valeriu Andriuță, Irina Plesnyaeva, Evgeny Chistyakov, Georgiy Deliev, Vadim Dubovsky
- Genre Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Film Movement Plus, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom
In Ukraine, student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Ukraine, United States • 2015
- Director Evgeny Afineevsky
- Cast Cissy Jones, Bishop Agapit, Catherine Ashton, Serhii Averchenko, Kristina Berdinskikh, Pavlo Dobryanskyy
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Falling
(Стрімголов)
Two bewildered young Ukrainians meet at a crucial moment of their existence and experience a few days of happiness together.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine • 2017
- Director Marina Stepanska
- Cast Darya Plakhtiy, Andrii Seletskyi, Oleh Mosiichuk, Larysa Rusnak, Christian Boris
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Spotlight: International Women Filmmakers Day
In celebration of International Women's Day, we're going to inaugurate International Women Filmmakers' Day here at Telescope: an opportunity to highlight some of our favorite films by women from the past year.
Beginning
(Დასაწყისი)
Yana is the wife of a Jehovah’s Witness who begins to question her faith — with dramatic and devastating results.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Georgia • 2020
- Director Dea Kulumbegashvili
- Cast Ia Sukhitashvili, Rati Oneli, Kakha Kintsurashvili, Saba Gogichaishvil, Giorgi Tsereteli, Ia Kokiashvili
- Genre Drama
- Available on Vudu, Apple TV, MUBI Amazon Channel, MUBI
Asia
(אסיה)
When Asia’s teenage daughter, Vika, starts experiencing serious health problems, she must learn to finally make peace with motherhood.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Israel • 2021
- Director Ruthy Pribar
- Cast Alena Yiv, Shira Haas, Tamir Mula, Gera Sandler, Eden Halili
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Vudu, Chai Flicks, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Tubi TV
Violation
Two sisters and their husbands gather in a cottage. The horror begins.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2020
- Director Dusty Mancinelli, Madeleine Sims-Fewer
- Cast Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Anna Maguire, Jesse LaVercombe, Obi Abili, Jasmin Geljo
- Genre Drama, Horror, Thriller
- Available on Shudder, Vudu, AMC+
Saint Maud
A Catholic nurse believes God has made her responsible for saving an atheist in her care.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2019
- Director Rose Glass
- Cast Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle, Lily Knight, Lily Frazer, Turlough Convery, Rosie Sansom
- Genre Drama, Horror, Mystery
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, MGM Plus Amazon Channel, YouTube, Apple TV, MGM Plus, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video
Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
(Felkészülés meghatározatlan ideig tartó együttlétre)
Márta, a neurosurgeon, falls in love and goes to Budapest to start a new life with the man who claims has never met her.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hungary • 2020
- Director Lili Horvát
- Cast Natasa Stork, Viktor Bodó, Benett Vilmányi, Andor Lukáts, Zsolt Nagy
- Genre Drama
- Available on OVID, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Kino Now, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
Identifying Features
(Sin señas particulares)
Magdalena sets out on an epic journey in search of her son, who disappeared en route to the US border.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico, Spain • 2020
- Director Fernanda Valadez
- Cast Mercedes Hernández, David Illescas, Juan Jesús Varela
- Genre Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Hoopla, Vudu, Kino Now, YouTube, Apple TV, Max, Max Amazon Channel
Titane
A near-fatal car crash leaves a girl with physical and emotional trauma that shapes her future — and her fetishes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium • 2021
- Director Julia Ducournau
- Cast Vincent Lindon, Agathe Rousselle, Garance Marillier, Laïs Salameh, Mara Cissé, Marin Judas
- Genre Drama, Horror, Thriller
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Kanopy, Apple TV, Hulu
Hive
(Zgjoi)
Fahrije’s husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo: does she wait for his return, or move forward on her own?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Kosovo, Switzerland, Albania • 2021
- Director Blerta Basholli
- Cast Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi, Aurita Agushi, Kumrije Hoxha, Adriana Matoshi, Molike Maxhuni
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Bergman Island
Art imitates life and life imitates art.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2021
- Director Mia Hansen-Løve
- Cast Tim Roth, Vicky Krieps, Mia Wasikowska, Anders Danielsen Lie, Wouter Hendrickx, Gabe Klinger
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Hulu
The Souvenir: Part II
A film student makes a graduation film in the aftermath of a manipulative relationship.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2021
- Director Joanna Hogg
- Cast Honor Swinton Byrne, Richard Ayoade, Tilda Swinton, Charlie Heaton, Joe Alwyn, Harris Dickinson
- Genre Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Showtime, Netflix basic with Ads, Vudu, Paramount+ with Showtime, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, , Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Paramount+ Amazon Channel, fuboTV
The Power of the Dog
In Montana, in 1925, a rancher responds with cruelty when his brother brings home a new wife and her son.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Australia, United States • 2021
- Director Jane Campion
- Cast Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie, Frances Conroy
- Genre Drama, Western
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Slalom
A riveting drama that paints a devastating portrait of the relationship between a teenage ski prodigy and her predatory instructor.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium • 2020
- Director Charlène Favier
- Cast Noée Abita, Jérémie Renier, Marie Denarnaud, Muriel Combeau, Maïra Schmitt, Axel Auriant-Blot
- Genre Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, , Apple TV, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel
Spotlight: Le Mois de la Francophonie!
Nearly 300 million people speak French worldwide, and French is an official language of 29 countries across five continents. This fact, in combination with the outside role that France has played in the history of cinema, has given rise to sizeable and diverse francophone cinema. Vive la Francophonie!
Ghost Town Anthology
(Répertoire des villes disparues)
In an isolated town, population 215, Simon Dubé dies in a car accident under mysterious circumstances. But things only get stranger from there...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2019
- Director Denis Côté
- Cast Robert Naylor, Josée Deschênes, Jean-Michel Anctil, Larissa Corriveau, Diane Lavallée, Rémi Goulet
- Genre Drama, Horror
- Available on No streaming locations found.
The Brand New Testament
(Le tout nouveau testament)
God Exists. He Lives in Brussels with his teenage daughter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, France, Luxembourg • 2015
- Director Jaco Van Dormael
- Cast Pili Groyne, Benoît Poelvoorde, Yolande Moreau, Catherine Deneuve, François Damiens, Serge Larivière
- Genre Drama, Comedy, Fantasy
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Crackle, Hoopla, Vudu, Kanopy, Plex, YouTube, Apple TV, Plex Player, fuboTV
The Kid with a Bike
(Le Gamin au vélo)
Twelve-year-old Cyril has been abandoned by his father and has lost his bike. Can the owner of the local beauty salon help?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, France, Italy • 2011
- Director Jean-Pierre Dardenne
- Cast Cécile de France, Thomas Doret, Jérémie Renier, Fabrizio Rongione, Olivier Gourmet, Egon Di Mateo
- Genre Drama
- Available on AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
A Screaming Man
(Un homme qui crie)
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium, Chad • 2010
- Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
- Cast Youssouf Djaoro, Dioucounda Koma, Emile Abossolo M'bo, Hadje Fatime N'Goua, Djénéba Koné, Marius Yelolo
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on Hoopla, Film Movement Plus, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Player
Sister
(L'enfant d'en haut)
A young boy steals from rich patrons at a posh ski resort to support himself and his irresponsible older sister.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Switzerland • 2012
- Director Ursula Meier
- Cast Kacey Mottet Klein, Léa Seydoux, Martin Compston, Gillian Anderson, Jean-François Stévenin, Yann Trégouët
- Genre Drama
- Available on realeyz, Metrograph, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Kino Now, Kanopy
War Witch
(Rebelle)
Behold, magic is in your soul...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2012
- Director Kim Nguyen
- Cast Rachel Mwanza, Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien, Serge Kanyinda, Mizinga Mwinga, Ralph Prosper, Jean Kabuya
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on Hoopla, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Player
Our Children
(À perdre la raison)
When Murielle falls head over heels for Mounir, a wedding soon follows, but does Murielle know what she's marrying into?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, Luxembourg, France • 2012
- Director Joachim Lafosse
- Cast Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Émilie Dequenne, Stéphane Bissot, Mounia Raoui, Claire Bodson
- Genre Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, YouTube, Tubi TV, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Player
My Life as a Zucchini
(Ma vie de courgette)
A stop-motion tale of loss, friendship, and young love.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Switzerland, France • 2016
- Director Claude Barras
- Cast Gaspard Schlatter, Sixtine Murat, Paulin Jaccoud, Michel Vuillermoz, Raul Ribera
- Genre Animation, Drama, Family
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
The Passion of Augustine
(La passion d'Augustine)
The rise of public education jeopardizes the future of a rural convent school in 1960s Quebec.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2015
- Director Léa Pool
- Cast Céline Bonnier, Lysandre Ménard, Diane Lavallée, Valérie Blais, Pierrette Robitaille, Marie Tifo
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, OVID, VUDU Free, Tubi TV, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Mommy
Love takes many forms.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2014
- Director Xavier Dolan
- Cast Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clément, Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Patrick Huard, Alexandre Goyette, Michèle Lituac
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube
Night of the Kings
(La nuit des rois)
African fairy tale meets stark realism in this powerful prison drama.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire • 2021
- Director Philippe Lacôte
- Cast Koné Bakary, Steve Tientcheu, Digbeu Jean Cyrille, Rasmané Ouédraogo, Issaka Sawadogo, Denis Lavant
- Genre Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV, Hulu, Neonrated
Hissein Habré, A Chadian Tragedy
(Hissein Habré, une tragédie tchadienne)
Victims of the brutal Hissein Habré Regime in Senegal bring their Head of State to trial.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Chad, Senegal, France • 2016
- Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
- Cast Hissène Habré
- Genre Documentary
- Available on OVID
Spotlight: The Heist Film
The heist film's simple premise of a team coming together for a robbery has allowed filmmakers to use the allure of a clever caper – this isn’t your usual smash and grab -- in many different stylistic and cultural contexts. In this Spotlight, we highlight the essential classics and modern reworkings of the genre.
Le Cercle Rouge
(Le Cercle rouge)
No place to hide...nowhere to run...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1970
- Director Jean-Pierre Melville
- Cast Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volonté, Yves Montand, Paul Crauchet, André Ekyan
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube
Sexy Beast
A retired safecracker relaxing with his family in Spain is approached by a former associate with a job offer.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Spain • 2001
- Director Jonathan Glazer
- Cast Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman, Cavan Kendall, Julianne White
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Paramount Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
The Lavender Hill Mob
A bank clerk and a souvenir maker form a criminal team in order to smuggle gold out of the country.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1951
- Director Charles Crichton
- Cast Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sid James, Alfie Bass, Marjorie Fielding, Edie Martin
- Genre Comedy, Crime
- Available on FlixFling, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, DIRECTV, Kino Now, Kanopy
Museo
Based on the largest heist in Mexico's history.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico • 2018
- Director Alonso Ruizpalacios
- Cast Gael García Bernal, Leonardo Ortizgris, Alfredo Castro, Lisa Owen, Leticia Brédice, Ilse Salas
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
The Thieves
(도둑들)
South Korean thieves teams up with a Hong Kong crew to steal a diamond from a heavily-guarded casino.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2012
- Director Choi Dong-hoon
- Cast Kim Yoon-seok, Kim Hye-soo, Lee Jung-jae, Jun Ji-hyun, Simon Yam, Angelica Lee
- Genre Action, Crime
- Available on Hoopla, Kocowa, Hi-YAH, Rakuten Viki, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, FlixFling, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, YouTube Free, Pluto TV, Darkmatter TV, Freevee, Plex, Plex Player
Headhunters
(Hodejegerne)
An accomplished headhunter risks everything to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Norway, Sweden, Denmark • 2011
- Director Morten Tyldum
- Cast Aksel Hennie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Synnøve Macody Lund, Julie R. Ølgaard, Eivind Sander, Baard Owe
- Genre Crime, Thriller
- Available on Hoopla, fuboTV, Magnolia Selects, Max Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, FlixFling, Alamo on Demand
Any Number Can Win
(Mélodie en sous-sol)
A career criminal enlists the help of a former cellmate for a large-scale robbery of a Cannes casino vault.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1963
- Director Henri Verneuil
- Cast Jean Gabin, Alain Delon, Claude Cerval, Viviane Romance, Henri Virlogeux, Jean Carmet
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
Widows
Left with nothing. Capable of anything.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2018
- Director Steve McQueen
- Cast Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry
- Genre Crime, Thriller
- Available on Freevee, DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, FXNow, YouTube, Apple TV, fuboTV
The Italian Job
A comedy caper film featuring a charismatic ex-con, car chases, and chaos galore.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1969
- Director Peter Collinson
- Cast Michael Caine, Noël Coward, Benny Hill, Margaret Blye, Raf Vallone, Tony Beckley
- Genre Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
- Available on , Paramount Plus, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, AMC on Demand, Kanopy
Big Deal on Madonna Street
(I soliti ignoti)
Inept criminals gather a team together to try and dig a tunnel into a pawnshop and rob a safe.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 1958
- Director Mario Monicelli
- Cast Vittorio Gassman, Renato Salvatori, Memmo Carotenuto, Rossana Rory, Carla Gravina, Claudia Cardinale
- Genre Comedy, Crime
- Available on Criterion Channel
Band of Outsiders
(Bande à part)
A misfit trio in love with anti-heroes plan their own heist in one of Godard's most underrated films.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1964
- Director Jean-Luc Godard
- Cast Anna Karina, Claude Brasseur, Sami Frey, Danièle Girard, Louisa Colpeyn, Chantal Darget
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Bob le Flambeur
(Bob le flambeur)
Bob, making a desperate gamble, soon learns that his game is rigged and the cops are onto him.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1956
- Director Jean-Pierre Melville
- Cast Roger Duchesne, Isabelle Corey, Daniel Cauchy, André Garet, Gérard Buhr, Guy Decomble
- Genre Action, Crime, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kino Now, Kanopy
Spotlight: Best International Feature Oscar Submissions Part Two
In part two to our Oscars Spotlight series, we bring you twelve more great films submitted to the 94th Academy Awards for consideration for the Best International Feature Film Award. Moving tales of athletic prowess, gorgeous and unusual documentaries, gripping moral quandaries, fraught family dynamics transfigured by the pandemic—there’s something for everyone in this year’s batch of Oscars hopefuls.
The Falls
(瀑布)
Quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic takes its toll on the relationship of a divorced mother and her teenage daughter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan • 2021
- Director Chung Mong-Hong
- Cast Alyssa Chia, Gingle Wang, Lee-zen Lee, Waa Wei, Yi-Wen Chen, Guan-Ting Liu
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
A Hero
(قهرمان)
A good deed turns a man into a local celebrity, and also raises the suspicions of those closest to him.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Iran • 2021
- Director Asghar Farhadi
- Cast
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video
The Tambour of Retribution
(حد الطار)
Dayel and Shama must hide their relationship while dealing with the religious and cultural traditions of their community.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Saudi Arabia • 2021
- Director Abdulaziz Alshlahei
- Cast Faisal Aldokhei, Adwaa Fahad, Rawya Ahmed
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Sanremo
Two nursing home residents fall in love and then forget who the other is by the time they meet again.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Slovenia, Italy • 2020
- Director Miroslav Mandić
- Cast Sandi Pavlin, Silva Čušin, Boris Cavazza, Barbara Vidovič, Barbara Cerar, Mojca Funkl
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
(Babardeala cu bucluc sau porno balamuc)
A secondary school teacher must face the wrath of her community when her sex tape spreads online.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, Croatia, Czech Republic • 2021
- Director Radu Jude
- Cast Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia, Olimpia Malai, Nicodim Ungureanu, Alexandru Potocean, Andi Vasluianu
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Vudu, Apple TV, Hulu
Dad, I'm Sorry
(Bố Già)
Ba Sang deals with financial troubles and the escapades of his son Woan, who dreams of becoming a YouTube star.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Vietnam • 2021
- Director Trấn Thành, Vũ Ngọc Đãng
- Cast Trấn Thành, Tuấn Trần, Ngân Chi, Ngọc Giàu, Lê Giang, Hoàng Mèo
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Family
- Available on Amazon Video, Amazon Prime Video
Bad Roads
(Погані дороги)
An anthology of four short stories, all set on the roads of Ukraine during the war in the Donbas.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine • 2021
- Director Natalya Vorozhbit
- Cast Ihor Koltovskyi, Andrey Lelyukh, Anna Zhurakovskaya, Yuliya Matrosova, Oksana Cherkashyna
- Genre Drama
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
The Medium
(ร่างทรง)
A documentary team sets out to film the life of the medium Nim, who is possessed by the deity Bayan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Thailand, Korea • 2021
- Director Banjong Pisanthanakun
- Cast Narilya Gulmongkolpech, Sawanee Utoomma, Sirani Yankittikan, Yasaka Chaisorn, Boonsong Nakphoo, Arunee Wattana
- Genre Horror, Thriller
- Available on Microsoft Store, Shudder, Google Play Movies, Vudu, AMC+ Amazon Channel, YouTube, Shudder Amazon Channel, AMC+, Apple TV
The Pit
(Bedre)
10-year-old Markus deals with his troubled homelife and the anger of local villagers after an incident in the forest.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Latvia, Finland • 2020
- Director Dace Pūce
- Cast Aigars Vilims, Damirs Onackis, Luize Birkenberga, Dace Eversa, Indra Burkovska
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Holy Beasts
(La fiera y la fiesta)
A filmmaker faces increasing challenges as she tries, decades later, to complete Dominican filmmaker Jean-Louis Jorge’s unfinished work.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Dominican Republic, Argentina, Mexico • 2019
- Director Israel Cárdenas, Laura Amelia Guzmán
- Cast Geraldine Chaplin, Udo Kier, Jackie Ludueña, Jaime Piña, Luis Ospina, Pau Bertolini
- Genre Drama
- Available on Film Movement Plus
The Metamorphosis of Birds
(A Metamorfose dos Pássaros)
An experimental memoir that follows filmmaker Catarina Vasconcelos' attempt to document and preserve her grandparents life histories and stories.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Portugal • 2021
- Director Catarina Vasconcelos
- Cast Manuel Rosa, João Móra, Ana Vasconcelos, Henrique Vasconcelos, Inês Campos
- Genre Documentary, Drama
- Available on Metrograph
Zero to Hero
(媽媽的神奇小子)
The story of So Wa Wai, the gold medal winning paralympic athlete that had to overcome disability and poverty.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong • 2021
- Director Wan Chi-Man
- Cast Sandra Ng Kwun-Yu, Louis Cheung, Leung Chung Hang, Fung Ho Yeung, Wu Tsz-Tung
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Spotlight: Best International Feature Oscar Submissions Part One
Ninety-three countries submitted a film for consideration for the Best International Feature Film Award as part of the 94th Academy Awards. Here you'll find three of the films that were nominated as well as nine other fine films that weren't.
The Intruder
(El prófugo)
A traumatic experience leaves a young woman with delusions that the characters in her dreams are trying to take over her body.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Argentina • 2021
- Director Natalia Meta
- Cast Érica Rivas, Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Daniel Hendler, Cecilia Roth, Agustín Rittano
- Genre Thriller
- Available on DIRECTV, Max, Max Amazon Channel
Hive
(Zgjoi)
Fahrije’s husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo: does she wait for his return, or move forward on her own?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Kosovo, Switzerland, Albania • 2021
- Director Blerta Basholli
- Cast Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi, Aurita Agushi, Kumrije Hoxha, Adriana Matoshi, Molike Maxhuni
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
The Hand of God
(È stata la mano di Dio)
Based in part on the life of director Paolo Sorrentino, this film tells the story of a fateful encounter with soccer superstar Diego Maradona.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 2021
- Director Paolo Sorrentino
- Cast Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo, Teresa Saponangelo, Luisa Ranieri, Marlon Joubert, Massimiliano Gallo
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Yellow Cat
(Сары мысық)
Inspired by his love of Alain Delon, ex-con Kermek dreams of building a movie theater in the Kazakh mountains.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Kazakhstan, France • 2020
- Director Adilkhan Yerzhanov
- Cast Azamat Nigmanov, Kamila Nugmanova, Sanjar Madi
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
(ལུང་ནག་ན)
A teacher in search of inspiration travels to the most remote school in the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Bhutan, China • 2019
- Director Pawo Choyning Dorji
- Cast Sherab Dorji, Ugyen Norbu Lhendup, Keldon Lhamo Gurung, Pem Zam, Chimi Dem
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Netflix basic with Ads, Hoopla, Vudu, Kanopy, Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV
Titane
A near-fatal car crash leaves a girl with physical and emotional trauma that shapes her future — and her fetishes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium • 2021
- Director Julia Ducournau
- Cast Vincent Lindon, Agathe Rousselle, Garance Marillier, Laïs Salameh, Mara Cissé, Marin Judas
- Genre Drama, Horror, Thriller
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Kanopy, Apple TV, Hulu
Flee
(Flugt)
Part memoir, part documentary, this animated film recounts the story of a refugee from Afghanistan to Denmark.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Denmark, France, Sweden • 2021
- Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen
- Cast Daniel Karimyar, Fardin Mijdzadeh, Milad Eskandari, Belal Faiz, Elaha Faiz, Zahra Mehrwarz
- Genre Animation, Documentary
- Available on DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV, Hulu
Lamb
(Dýrið)
An Icelandic couple takes a human-sheep hybrid as their child, with tragic consequences.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iceland, Sweden, Poland • 2021
- Director Valdimar Jóhannsson
- Cast Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, Ester Bibi
- Genre Drama, Horror, Mystery
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Showtime, DIRECTV, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, , Paramount+ with Showtime, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Luzzu
A struggling fisherman enters the black market to provide for his family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Malta • 2021
- Director Alex Camilleri
- Cast Jesmark Scicluna, Michela Farrugia, David Scicluna, Frida Cauchi
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
I'm Your Man
(Ich bin dein Mensch)
To secure funding for her work, an archeologist signs up to test a robot designed to be her perfect partner.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2021
- Director Maria Schrader
- Cast Maren Eggert, Dan Stevens, Sandra Hüller, Hans Löw, Annika Meier
- Genre Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction
- Available on Hulu, Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Redbox, AMC on Demand, Kanopy
Escape from Mogadishu
(모가디슈)
In the Somali civil war, embassy staff from North and South Korea must come together if they want to make it out of the country alive.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2021
- Director Ryoo Seung-wan
- Cast Kim Yoon-seok, Jo In-sung, Heo Joon-ho, Kim So-jin, Jeong Man-sik, Koo Kyo-hwan
- Genre Action, Drama
- Available on Microsoft Store, Rakuten Viki, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Kanopy, Peacock Premium, YouTube, Apple TV, Peacock
Submersible
(Sumergible)
A handmade narco sub on the verge of sinking becomes a powder keg of fear, desire, and greed.
- ✭ ✭
- Ecuador, Colombia • 2020
- Director Alfredo León León
- Cast Natalia Reyes, Leynar Gomez, José Restrepo, Carlos Valencia
- Genre Thriller
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Apple TV