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Cowboy Del Amor
USA, 2005, 88 min.
This exquisite documentary follows self-proclaimed "cowboy cupid" Ivan Thompson as he plays matchmaker to American bachelors looking for Mexican brides. Academy Award nominated director Michèle Ohayon (Colors Straight Up) deftly turns what could have been a kitschy portrayal into a complex, m... more
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Don’t Tell
Italy, 2005, 121 min.
Sabina is a young woman who discovers some dark secrets from her childhood buried deep inside her mind. Her pregnancy opens a door on this hidden past that she cannot close again. Best Actress, Venice Film Festival.... more
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Dreamship Surprise - Period 1
Germany, 2005, 88 min.
An irreverent spoof of the sci-fi genre from Star Trek to Star Wars set in the year 2304, when Martian colonies wage war upon the Earth. Our only hope against total annihilation is the prissy crew of the Dreamship Surprise. Unfortunately, they're better suited for the Miss Waikiki beac... more
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A Driver for Vera
Russia, 2005, 115 min.
Spectacular, crowd-pleasing Russian comedy-drama, from the Oscar®-nominated maker of The Thief. In 1962, on the Black Sea coast of Crimea, a secret power struggle between the army and KGB forms the backdrop to a torrid love triangle... more
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A Christmas Gift
Italy, 1986, 102 min.
A parable on friendship and the power of money. Four friends gather on Christmas Eve for a poker game organized to rip off a rich industrialist who is supposed to be easy prey. But the night turns out different than planned, and in the end those who came to overcome leave defeated.... more
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El Perro Negro
Netherlands, 2005, 86 min.
Fusing images, fragments, and voices with the beautiful music of Tibor Szemzõ, Péter Forgács delivers a remarkable essay about the personal drama and historical turbulence of life in Spain, before and during the Spanish Civil War. ... more
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Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
USA, 2005, 111 min.
Alex Gibney's soberly entertaining documentary is an excellent example of how reality so often trumps fiction. The film exposes the voracious culture of greed, the web of corporate collusion, and the blatant loopholes of government's corporate policy that enabled the America's largest bankruptcy.... more
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Estamira
Brazil, 2005, 116 min.
Estamira, a 63-year-old schizophrenic, has toiled for over two decades at the waste disposal site in Rio de Janeiro. This sensitive documentary deals with the global problem of human waste and the subterfuges that the mind creates in order to overcome a reality sometimes too arduous to endure. Best ... more
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Fateless
Hungary, 2005, 141 min.
Adapted by Nobel laureate Imré Kertesz from his 1975 autobiographical novel, Fateless dares to aestheticize the concentration camp experience in a more provocative manner than -- in many critics' opinions -- Schindler's List. Cinematographer Lajos Koltai's directorial debut follows young Gyor... more
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Favela Rising
USA, 2005, 79 min.
This lively musical documentary charts the transformational effects of AfroReggae music in one favela shantytown in Rio de Janeiro, offering a portrait of the power of music to remake a troubled community into a place of celebration and hope.... more
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Five Days in September
Canada, 2005, 73 min.
Winner - Audience Awards, Best Documentary
An intimate and exciting look at the inner workings of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as it launches a new season with charismatic maestro Peter Oundjiian. Director Barbara Willis Sweete captures soloists Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, Emanuel Ax, and t... more
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Fuego
Argentina, 1969, 91 min.
John Waters' latest project is a new series for television called "John Waters presents Films That Will Corrupt You." In Fuego he's struck gold! Argentinian auteur Armando Bo has crafted a film so sublimely outrageous it rivals anything in Waters' oeuvre! John Waters will be on hand to introd... more
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George Michael - A Different Story
United Kingdom, 2005, 101 min.
The extremely private George Michael candidly shares his life and career in this riveting documentary. Michael leads us through his professional and private highs and lows, from pop fame with Wham! to solo superstardom. Featuring performance footage and interviews including Elton John, Mariah Carey,... more
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Gie
Indonesia, 2005, 148 min.
Gie chronicles the life and times of Indonesian political activist Soe Hok Gie (1942-69) as he divides his time between intellectual endeavors, mountain climbing, and political activism in opposition to the Soekarno regime of the late-1960s. ... more
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Gimme Kudos
China, 2005, 101 min.
With strong dialogue and subtle performances, this ironic comedy of manners follows Gu, who desperately seeks public kudos for his supposed act of heroism. The film gently peels the mask from modern China, revealing the firm grip of bureaucratic and social traditions despite the advances of the last... more
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Graduation Party
Italy, 1985, 97 min.
A graduation party thrown by a quiet confectioner for the daughter of his secret beloved turns into a disaster, full of envy and nasty actions. But the film made from the event shows a different version, where a fake feeling of joy takes the place of wicked reality... more
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Hard Candy
USA, 2005, 104 min.
The spine-chilling exploration of sexual politics, vengeance and justice in Hard Candy is bound to inspire controversy. Yet Ellen Page's performance as 14-year-old Hayley Stark is so compelling that one cannot bear to turn away as she becomes involved with a 32-year-old fashion photographer w... more
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Heading South
France, 2005, 106 min.
French filmmaker Laurent Cantet (Time Out/) returns with another devastating look at the psychological fears and desires reflected in a commercial trade, in this case prostitution in 1970s Haiti, where three middle-aged women compete for the possession of a local gigolo.... more
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The House With The Laughing Windows
Italy, 1976, 111 min.
Director Avati took a step into thriller territory in this early work. A gothic chiller, it revolves around the restoration of a painting depicting the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian. The art historian discovers evidence that the painter may have been involved in satanic rites and human sacrifice.... more
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Iberia
Spain, 2005, 100 min.
In his latest tribute film, celebrated filmmaker Carlos Saura engages Spain's most celebrated actors, dancers and singers to interpret Isaac Albéniz's “Iberia” suite on its one hundredth anniversary. The freshness and spontaneity is heightened by Saura's focus on the evolution of the piece from init... more
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Imagine Me and You
United Kingdom, 2005, 94 min.
Imagine a romantic-comedy in the vein of Four Weddings and a Funeral, and then substitute Piper Perabo for Hugh Grant and Lena Headley for Andie McDowell/Julia Roberts… This debut feature is a witty lesbian take -- full of classically English one-liners and comic set pieces -- on the middle-c... more
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Inlaws & Outlaws
USA, 2005, 106 min.
Unconventional couples, both gay and straight, from the Pacific Northwest share their views on marriage and the possibility for long-term relationships. The result is a revelatory illustration of how individuality and independence can be the most important ingredients in any romantic match.... more
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Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas)
France, 2005, 111 min.
Based on the true story of how, on Christmas Eve during World War I, German, Scottish and French soldiers declared a truce for one day and shared sentiments about the meaning of the season, this life-affirming tale is both profoundly moving and, at its core, a scorching condemnation of the idiocy of... more
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Lady Vengeance
South Korea, 2005, 113 min.
Flamboyant Korean director Park Chan-wook's latest (part three in the "vengeance trilogy" that includes Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Old Boy) follows a woman who, wrongly imprisoned for murder for 13 years, seeks redress in the most violently spectacular of ways. A stunningly cinemat... more
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L’Enfant
Belgium, 2005, 101 min.
Bruno is 20 and a thief. His girlfriend Sonia is 18, and has just given birth to Jimmy, their child. Ill equipped to handle this new responsibility, Bruno undertakes a horrific act, which itself begets other drastic, life-changing crises. Winner Palme d’Or (Best Film), Cannes Film Festival.... more
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The Long Weekend
USA, 2005, 92 min.
Jackass meets American Pie in this irreverent comedy about two very different brothers. Overworked and undersexed advertising exec Ed Waxman must come up with a brilliant advertising campaign in 48 hours or risk being fired. His playboy brother is determined to get Ed laid, thus settin... more
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Lost and Found
Brazil, 2005, 101 min.
José Joffily, best known for his rugged New York melodrama, Two Lost Souls in a Dirty Night, now tackles the underworld of Copacabana with this dark thriller based on the novel by Alfredo Garcia-Roza. It offers mystery, crime, dirty money, betrayals and an unexpected ending.... more
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Love + Hate
United Kingdom, 2005, 84 min.
Winner - New Voices/New Visions Award
A modern Romeo and Juliet love story set across racial divides in a northern British town, Love + Hate finds Naseema and Adam wrestling with their undeniable mutual attraction. The young couple embark on a passionate journey of self-discovery. B... more
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Lovelorn
Turkey, 2005, 139 min.
Winner - Meltem Cumbul, FIPRESCI Award, Best Actress
Idealist schoolteacher Nazim retires and returns home to Istanbul, after a 15-year term in a poor, forgotten Kurdish-Alevite village in eastern Turkey. Politely ignored by his children who secretly despise him since he chose ideal... more
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Mahaleo
Madagascar, 2005, 103 min.
Mahaleo is the name of Madagascar's most popular musical group. Their music provides an entry point for depicting the almost mythic island of Madagascar and its rich oral tradition. The sublime soundtrack, combines anthem-like calls to action, rocking rants of anger and despair, and beautiful ballad... more
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Manderlay
Denmark, 2005, 140 min.
The second in Lars von Trier's controversial USA trilogy picks up where Dogville left off. Grace (now played by Bryce Dallas Howard) arrives at a Southern plantation where, more than 70 years after abolition, slavery is still in effect. A shocking, pointed and unforgettable interpretation of ... more
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The March of the Penguins
France, 2005, 85 min.
Capturing the magnificent environment of a penguin's life, this has all the classic elements of an epic: insurmountable odds, conquering heroes, loving couples, and radiant beauty. Enduring the Antarctic winter for 13 months, with never-before shot underwater footage, Luc Jacquet triumphantly convey... more
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Moonrise
USA, 1948, 91 min.
An angst-ridden Southern boy kills his lifelong persecutor and buries the body. A persistent sheriff and his own tortured conscience hound him. Director Borzage brings a poetic visual style to this rural noir drama, one of the most brilliant -- and under-appreciated -- films of the 1940s. Noir autho... more
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Mother of Mine
Finland, 2005, 112 min.
Winner - Audience Awards, Best Narrative Feature
A momentous event in Finnish history is recounted in this heart-wrenching film. During World War II, ten-year-old Eero is one of eighty thousand children sent to Sweden for their protection. Alienated from his foster family and unfamiliar wi... more
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Mrs. Harris
USA, 2005, 96 min.
The tragic true-life story of Jean Harris, the brittle girls school headmistress, who murdered her lover, Scarsdale Diet guru Dr. Herbert Tarnower in the 1980s, receives a multi-toned treatment by playwright Phyllis Nagy in her first feature. The film brims with memorable star cameos.... more
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Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont
United Kingdom, 2005, 109 min.
Winner - Audience Awards, Best Narrative Feature
This sweet, beguiling story about the unlikely friendship between an elderly widow (Joan Plowright) and a dashing young writer (Rupert Friend), who meet quite by chance in contemporary London and come to share an enchanting and unexpectedly ... more
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News From Afar
Mexico, 2005, 121 min.
This impressively crafted and moving first feature tells the story of a young man who sets off from a small village in the Mexican highlands to Mexico City in hope of saving his mother and father from marginalization and poverty. A visceral and emotional debut that marks the filmmaker as one to watc... more
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Nordeste
Argentina, 2005, 105 min.
This arresting debut feature and Cannes favorite follows Hélène (Carole Bouquet) a successful, 40-something French businesswoman who desperately wants to adopt a child from Argentina. She meets a loving mother struggling to support herself, her 13 year-old son and soon to-be-born baby. Subsequently,... more
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Not Here to be Loved
France, 2005, 94 min.
Jean-Claude, a 50-year-old bailiff, long ago abandoned the idea that life could give him pleasure. One day he dares to push open the doors to a tango school and finds Françoise. Music and dance awaken his desires and provide the couple with a spiritual meeting place in this touching May-December rom... more
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Paheli
India, 2005, 141 min.
Drawn from a classic folk tale where a ghost falls in love with a beautiful girl and substitutes for the husband who leaves on his own wedding night, this exuberant and colorful film is set in the exotic Rajasthan of vibrant dances and camel races.... more
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Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea - Revisited
USA, 2005, 72 min.
Squatters, nudists, retirees, and barflies all speak their piece about the resort/mistake/ecological nightmare that is the man-made lake in the Southern California desert that they call home.... more
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The Porcelain Doll
Hungary, 2005, 76 min.
Based on three stories by the Hungarian fabulist Ervin Lázár, The Porcelain Doll unfolds at Star Farm, a supernatural place that exists in and out of time. It's a world with its own laws where the most impossible happenings make perfect sense to the inhabitants. Best Director, Best Film, Buda... more
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The Promise / aka Master Of The Crimson Armor
China, 2005, 98 min.
Chen Kaige, one of China's most acclaimed filmmakers, tries his hand at the kind of digitally-enhanced fantasy established by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). A valiant slave falls in love with a beautiful princess and epic chaos ensues.... more
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Pursuit of Equality
USA, 2005, 82 min.
Geoff Callan and Mike Shaw's documentary looks behind the scenes at San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom's 2004 decision to allow gay couples to marry. The elation, the controversy, the court's decision to shut things down, Bush, Schwarzenegger, Rosie O'Donnell -- they're all here in this thoroughly eng... more
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The Ruins
Slovenia, 2005, 101 min.
Using a theater company's production of a play to reveal intricacies of character, The Ruins creates engrossing drama with performance, camerawork and tone. Director and master manipulator Herman tries to use his intimate knowledge of his actors and collaborators in order to insure the play'... more
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Say Good Morning to Dad
Bolivia, 2005, 111 min.
On October 9th, 1967, the revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara was killed by Bolivian soldiers. "Dí Buen Día a Papá" is both the code phrase used to order Che's execution and the Spanish title of this fascinating film. It depicts the lives of three women from Che's death to the exhumation of his rema... more
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A School Outing
Italy, 1983, 91 min.
Two high-school teachers take their students for an outing in the mountains. The youngsters flirt with each other, and the older teacher confesses his love for his younger colleague. However, a scandal breaks out when it's discovered that she's had a fling with one of her students.... more
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Sex and Philosophy
Tajikistan, 2005, 106 min.
On his 40th birthday, a handsome choreographer invites his four lovers to a dance class that he teaches. As he evokes memories of how each affair evolved and diminished, he realizes that the more the contemporary world has become sexually oriented the farther it has moved away from love…... more
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Shakespeare Behind Bars
USA, 2005, 93 min.
Take Shakespeare's final play, The Tempest, cast it with a group of inmates who are part of an innovative rehabilitation program at Kentucky's Luther Lucket prison, and watch the sparks fly. This revelatory film about a group of hard-timers coming to grips with their past actions in the course of pr... more
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Shyamol Chhaya
Bangladesh, 2005, 111 min.
Here's the story of a fateful boat journey during Bangladesh's 1971 war of liberation. As the Pakistani military attacked, a group of helpless people moved towards the liberated zone. They were terribly frightened, but they had dreams of Shyamol Chhaya -- the land of peace. Will they be able to reac... more
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