The Philippines' Brillante Mendoza (Kinatay) again focuses on the cynicism and corruption rampant among police and city authorities in this tough, realistic slice of life.

Ma' Rosa, (brilliantly played by Jaclyn Jose) runs a tiny convenience store to support her four children. It is back-breaking labor but not sufficient to meet the family's needs, so she sells illegal drugs on the side. After a police raid, Ma' Rosa and her husband Hector are encouraged to avoid jail by handing over their supplier along with a substantial private settlement. Desperate, their children implore friends and relatives to help raise the bribe, and so we see how corruption feeds on poverty and ripples across a community.

"A fierce and pessimistic satire, in which Ma' Rosa is a sort of Mother Courage, doing what it takes to survive... Ma' Rosa is made with control and clarity, a narrative purpose despite an apparently aimless docu-style, and a clear sense of jeopardy... It's a cold, hard look at what being poor actually means, and how few options there are for escape." Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Winner: Best Actress, Cannes