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The Albanian
Germany, 2010, 104 min.
An Albanian illegal immigrant in Berlin tries to earn the dowry demanded by the family of his pregnant beloved back home in this social-issues drama. Winner, Best Actor, Special Jury Prize, Moscow Film Festival.... more
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All That I Love
Poland, 2009, 95 min.
In this warm and energetic film, four small town teenagers form a punk rock band. Their transition from boys to men takes place during the 1981 political turmoil and rise of the Solidarity movement. The emergence of censorship and repression forces them to face the ruthless reality of the communist ... more
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Beyond
Sweden, 2010, 94 min.
Acclaimed actress Pernilla August makes her directing/writing debut with this compassionate look at a woman who fought all her life to let go of her grief over her dark childhood as the daughter of bitter, hard-drinking Finnish immigrants. Winner, Audience Award, Critic’s Week Venice Film Festival; ... more
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Black Bread
Spain, 2010, 108 min.
A ten-year-old boy confronts an adult world of lies, myths, wicked crimes and painful revelations in post-Civil War Catalonia. Be advised the film contains a scene that may offend those with a heightened sensitivity regarding cruelty to animals, though no animals were harmed during the shooting of t... more
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Ceremony
USA, 2010, 89 min.
What to do when the woman of your dreams is about to get married to another guy? According to Sam (Michael Angarano), the “solution” is to crash the wedding… Winkler’s irreverent comedy features some very funny one-liners as well as the welcome return of Uma Thurman.... more
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Dusk
Netherlands, 2010, 89 min.
Loosely inspired by a crime that sent shockwaves through the Netherlands, Dusk offers a haunting search to discover why 15-year-old Jessie is murdered by her closest friends. A story of jealousy, insecurity and peer pressure gradually unfolds in an overlapping, a-chronological structure.... more
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An Earthy Paradise for the Eyes
Czech Republic, 2010, 114 min.
This wry comedy chronicles the adventures of a Czech mother and her two daughters in the wake of the 1968 Russian invasion. It captures the euphoria of the liberalized Prague Spring that Soviet tanks were dispatched to repress as well as the solidarity in absurdity that persisted in the dark days fo... more
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Fifty - Nothing
USA, 2010, 82 min.
With 50th birthdays looming, Adam and Jon decide to ditch their worries in Los Angeles for a weekend of battery recharging in Palm Springs. Johnston’s wry comedy deals with the concerns of aging boomers—loves lost, careers stalled, parents needing care—with an ironic wit.... more
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The First Beautiful Thing
Italy, 2010, 120 min.
A family comedy with strong emotions but free of sentimentalism. Bruno returns to his rural hometown to visit his dying mother with whom he has a love/hate relationship because of her unconventional behavior. Winner, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Donatello Awards.... more
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The First Movie
United Kingdom, 2009, 76 min.
A lyrical journey into the hearts and minds of the children of a small Kurdish village in northern Iraq, Mark Cousins’ celebrated film The First Movie shows his infectious passion for cinema inspiring the village children to create their own images and stories that transcend adversity. ... more
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Goethe
Germany, 2010, 102 min.
A lovingly made biography of the early years of Germany’s literary genius, when his romantic travails served as inspiration for his classic writings. A fine lead performance, sparkling cinematography, and gorgeous costumes and sets make this an engaging story of star-crossed love.... more
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The Hedgehog
France, 2010, 98 min.
Disenchanted with life’s hypocrisies, 11-year-old Paloma plans to end it all on her next birthday. But while filming her gilded Parisian apartment building, she discovers that some of its inhabitants are not who she believed them to be. An unlikely trio of friendships develops and hopes bloom in Mon... more
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Honey
Turkey, 2009, 108 min.
The third part of the director’s reverse-order trilogy, Honey depicts his partly autobiographical hero Yusuf as a six-year-old child growing up as an only child in the heavily wooded mountains of Rize province, northeast Turkey. Winner, Best Film, Berlin Film Festival.... more
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If I want to Whistle, I Whistle
Romania, 2010, 94 min.
An 18-year-old about to be released from a juvenile detention center is pushed over the edge when his deadbeat mom reappears with plans to take his beloved younger brother to Italy. Winner, Silver Bear, Berlin Film Festival; Best Romanian Film, Transylvania Film Festival.... more
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Life, Above All
South Africa, 2010, 106 min.
Featuring a completely winning central performance from the young Khomotso Manyaka as an intelligent and willful girl coming of age in South Africa during the AIDS epidemic, Oliver Schmitz’s powerful drama offers a message of hope for that beleaguered nation.... more
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Lou
Australia, 2010, 86 min.
A tender story about the relationship between 11-year-old Lou and her grandfather. Not long after Lou's father walks out of her life, her irascible and befuddled grandfather Doyle crashes in. When Doyle comes to stay, Lou discovers, against all her expectations, the healing power of love.... more
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Louder Than A Bomb
USA, 2010, 99 min.
Winner of audience awards at major U.S. film festivals, Louder Than a Bomb tells the story of the world's largest youth poetry slam competition held annually in Chicago. The vividly drawn, richly complex cast of characters makes this gripping documentary one of the most inspirational films of the ye... more
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The Matchmaker
Israel, 2010, 117 min.
A magical coming-of-age drama in which a teenage boy learns a message of love and tolerance from a Holocaust survivor in 1968 Haifa. Both the leading actor and actress nabbed Israeli Academy Awards for their poignant performances.... more
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Monga
Taiwan, 2010, 140 min.
A box-office hit and Taiwanese twist on the epic gangster film, Monga depicts the troubled lives of five boys coming of age in the 1980s. When a new recruit is invited join a gang, he discovers an irresistible world of friendship and brotherhood until outside forces threaten their turf.... more
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Mozart’s Sister
France, 2010, 115 min.
A treat for classical music lovers and cinephiles alike, this lively, fascinating costume drama rescues Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s talented older sister Nannerl from the dustbins of history. Beginning in 1763, it follows the Mozart family’s exhausting life on the road, traveling by coach from one roy... more
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My So-Called Enemy
USA, 2010, 89 min.
When six Palestinian and Israeli teenagers travel to the United States to participate in a women's leadership program called Building Bridges for Peace, they find the experience complicates the next seven years of their lives. An ideal companion piece to Precious Life. Winner, Best Conflict and Reso... more
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The Myth of the American Sleepover
USA, 2010, 93 min.
Four young people navigate the suburban wonderland of metro-Detroit looking for love and adventure on the last weekend of summer. This discovery from the 2010 Cannes Film Festival is a surprisingly original and subtle antidote to Hollywood teen movies.... more
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Norman
USA, 2010, 97 min.
Nothing seems to be going right for Norman, a wisecracking teenager who excels at rubbing people the wrong way. But what if he had only three months to live? A casual white lie leads to a web of deception that proves painful to untangle in this witty, poignant coming-of-age film about love and loss.... more
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Out For the Long Run
USA, 2010, 78 min.
Being a gay athlete in high school or college is still a very difficult road to travel. Bloom takes his camera into the campus locker room to record the stories of a new generation of courageous young people as they battle stereotypes and homophobia by speaking out.
... more
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Oxygen
Belgium, 2010, 98 min.
Centering on a teen with cystic fibrosis, Oxygen skirts disease-of-the-week cliché to deliver a touching portrait of youth facing mortality far too soon. Winner, Grand Prix of the Americas, Montreal Film Festival, Variety New Talent Award, Zurich Film Festival, Alice in the Cities Award, Rome Film F... more
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The Poll Diaries
Germany, 2010, 134 min.
On the eve of World War I, a 14-year-old German girl returns to her home on the Baltic coast, a place uneasily shared by Germans, Russians and Estonians. While her morbid scientist father controls the family with a cruel hand, the passionate teen secretly nurses a wounded Estonian anarchist back to ... more
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Simple Simon
Sweden, 2010, 82 min.
A colorful comedy reminiscent of art house favorite Elling. Eighteen-year-old Simon has Asperger’s syndrome. He likes space, science and circles but can‘t understand feelings. When his brother breaks up with his girlfriend, Simon develops a scientifically perfect plan for finding a new one.... more
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Son of Babylon
Iraq, 2010, 91 min.
In the chaotic aftermath of the fall of Saddam Hussein, a young Kurdish boy and his grandmother set out in search of his father, arrested and missing since the Gulf War. Against the backdrop of the U.S. occupation, they make their way through a country in ruins, from prison to mosque to mass grave. ... more
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Soul Boy
Kenya, 2010, 60 min.
A gentle coming-of-age story encompassing the diverse worlds of the Kenyan capital, combining traditional beliefs and contemporary problems into a narrative that's part fairy tale, part teaching tool.... more
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Udaan
India, 2010, 134 min.
This coming-of-age story about a teenager who returns from boarding school to a father he has not seen in eight years and a half brother he did not know existed, received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.... more
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