WILLIAM TELL

United Kingdom | 2024 | 132

Legendary crossbow marksman William Tell gets an epic drama that goes beyond the apple on his son's head. In 1307, the power-hungry Austrian Hapsburgs encroach on peaceful Switzerland. Tell (masterfully played by Claes Bang, also at the festival in <i>Bonjour Tristesse</i>) realizes what matters most: his family and preserving his country's independence for future generations.

QUISLING – THE FINAL DAYS

Norway | 2024 | 141

Both a bold historical drama and a penetrating psychological study of a delusional authoritarian, the latest from director Erik Poppe (<i>The King’s Choice</i>, PSIFF 2016) revisits Germany’s occupation of Norway and its aftermath through the story of wartime puppet leader and Nazi collaborator Vidkun Quisling.

ARMAND

Norway | 2024 | 117

Winner of the 2024 Cannes Best First Feature award, this complex yarn, directed by the grandson of Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann, centers on the parents of two kindergartners and their fraught interactions with school authorities after 6-year-old Armand is accused of sexual abuse.

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Congratulations to the <i>Armand</i> team on making the shortlist for Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards!

WHEN FALL IS COMING

France | 2024 | 103

The versatile and prolific filmmaker François Ozon channels a touch of Claude Chabrol in this taut drama exploring generational tensions and the art of rule-breaking. Hélène Vincent and Josiane Balasko shine as old friends who share both an unconventional past and difficulties with their children.

LOVE ME

USA | 2024 | 92

In a post-apocalyptic landscape devoid of human life, a meet-cute occurs between a buoy and a satellite. Through the online devices left by humanity, they begin a romance that blurs the lines of their AI hardwiring. Featuring Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun, this bold directorial debut is a wry, genre-defying exploration of modern connection.

AUCTION

France | 2024 | 91

While investigating a painting owned by a working-class family from the provinces, a hotshot Parisian art broker quickly realizes it's a genuine Egon Schiele masterpiece looted by the Nazis in 1939. This thrilling drama is filled with deceit, surprises, and double dealings.

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN

Italy/Israel | 2024 | 108

In this gripping adaptation of Azar Nafisi’s memoir, a fearless professor secretly gathers seven of her most dedicated female students to discuss forbidden Western classics after fundamentalists seize control of their country. Their solidarity helps them navigate life-altering choices in a repressive society. Winner of the Audience Award and the Special Jury Award for the Female Cast at the 2024 Rome Film Festival.

MY LATE SUMMER

Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2024 | 98

In this entertaining and poignant dramedy, a feisty woman travels to a remote Croatian island seeking answers about her past. As her mission takes longer than expected, the charming locale, quirky locals, and an unexpected romance reshape her views about her identity and ambitions.

MISERICORDIA

France/Spain/Portugal | 2024 | 102

The director of <i>Stranger by the Lake</i> concocts a sly brew of sex, religion, and murder in a provincial French village where the return of a polyamorous former local sets off a macabre chain of erotic events as unpredictable as it is perversely funny.

ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER

Spain | 1999 | 101

Pedro Almodóvar's vibrant Oscar®-winning melodrama follows nurse Manuela (Cecilia Roth) in the aftermath of her teenage son's tragic loss. While searching for the boy's long-lost father in Barcelona, she forms a surrogate family that includes a pregnant nun (Penélope Cruz), a celebrated stage star (Marisa Paredes) and a transgender sex worker (Antonia San Juan).

Dinner Inspired by: SHELF LIFE

VERMIGLIO

Italy | 2024 | 119

The arrival of a young army deserter from the South during the final year of World War II sends ripples through a remote mountain community, profoundly impacting the extended family of a local school teacher in this intimate drama that garnered multiple awards at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.

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Congratulations to the <i>Vermiglio</i> team on making the shortlist for Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards!

SCHINDLER SPACE ARCHITECT

USA | 2024 | 93

Dive into the life and work of the great modernist architect R.M. Schindler, who broke from the International Style (Richard Neutra was his bitter rival; Frank Lloyd Wright a difficult mentor) and introduced the California concept of indoor/outdoor living. Narrated by Meryl Streep and Udo Kier.

I’M YOUR VENUS

USA | 2024 | 85

Venus Xtravaganza, the 23-year-old star of the iconic voguing documentary <i>Paris is Burning</i> (1990), was murdered before its release. Now, in this moving celebration of her life and legacy, her three New Jersey brothers team up with her ballroom family to reopen the unsolved case.

HOW TO MAKE MILLIONS BEFORE GRANDMA DIES

Thailand | 2024 | 125

A lazy college dropout quits his job to care for his grandmother, hoping to inherit her fortune. This deeply affecting portrait offers an honest look at a family grappling with clashing values and dynamics as they face the impending loss of their matriarch.

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Congratulations to the <i>How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies</i> team on making the shortlist for Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards!

BUSHIDO

Japan | 2024 | 129

Combining the classic themes of samurai films with modern questions of honor and morality, beloved filmmaker Kazuya Shiraishi's Edo-period drama follows a wandering ronin as he faces betrayal and revenge, all building to a pulse-pounding finale.

A HOUSE IS NOT A DISCO

USA | 2024 | 91

Fire Island Pines is often described as a gay paradise. This wide-ranging, seductive documentary offers a probing look at the men who live, work, and party there, examining its storied past, hedonistic flair, ecologically imperiled future, and the clash between different generations of gay men.

FROM GROUND ZERO

Palestine | 2024 | 115

Featuring the collective work of 22 filmmakers, this omnibus offers a view of life in Gaza during the ongoing war with Israel. Showcasing unique perspectives – from non-fiction and narrative to animation and experimental forms – this collaborative effort yields an expansive and powerful result.

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Congratulations to the <i>From Ground Zero</i> team on making the shortlist for Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards!

THE LAST SHOWGIRL

USA | 2024 | 85

<i>The Last Showgirl</i>, a poignant film of resilience, rhinestones and feathers, stars Pamela Anderson as Shelly, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. Directed by Gia Coppola, <i>The Last Showgirl</i> co-stars Oscar®, SAG® Award and Golden Globe® winner Jamie Lee Curtis as Shelly’s best friend, who brings her own unique interpretation and brilliance to the story, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka and Billie Lourd.

THE HUNGARIAN DRESSMAKER

Slovakia, Czechia | 2024 | 129

Set in the nationalistic, Nazi-allied wartime Slovak state, this powerfully visual tale follows Marika, a widowed dressmaker from the Hungarian minority, who loses her job in Bratislava. Back in her late husband’s village home, she hides a young Jewish boy.

MISTRESS DISPELLER

China/USA | 2024 | 94

In China, a mistress dispeller is a woman hired to break up extramarital affairs. In this intimately observed story, a suspicious wife hires the dispeller, Wang Zhenxi, who befriends both her husband and his younger mistress under fictitious pretexts, craftily working to restore her client's marriage.

TATAMI

Georgia/Israel/Iran | 2023 | 103

Co-directed by the Iran-born Cannes Best Actress winner from <i>Holy Spider</i> (PSIFF 2023) and the Israel-born filmmaker behind <i>Golda</i> (PSIFF 2024), this tension-filled sports drama follows an Iranian judo champion who defies her country’s orders to forfeit a match, leading to dire consequences for her and her coach.

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Congratulations to the <i>Tatami</i> team on receiving the Young Cineastes Award at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival!

BLACK DOG

China | 2024 | 110

Returning after ten years away, Lang finds his hometown partially abandoned and overrun by wild dogs. Hired to clear the area of strays before the 2008 Olympics, he forms a bond with a black dog that mirrors his own loneliness.

THERE’S STILL TOMORROW

Italy/USA | 2023 | 118

A box office phenomenon in its native Italy, this surprising, humorous, and empowering musical melodrama follows an industrious working-class woman in post-WWII Rome as she rises above domestic violence to forge a brighter future for her daughter.

THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE

Denmark | 2024 | 115

Gritty realism meets bold expressionist design in this true-crime drama set in WWI-era Copenhagen, following a factory worker, fired after becoming pregnant by her boss, who finds succor with a woman running an underground adoption agency for unwanted babies.

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Note: Filmmaker Magnus von Horn is one of <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/variety-10-directors-to-watch-2025-1236213938/" target="_blank">Variety's 10 Directors to Watch for 2025</a>!

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Congratulations to the <i>The Girl with the Needle</i> team on making the shortlist for Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards!

A NICE INDIAN BOY

USA/Canada | 2023 | 99

In this hilarious rom-com, Naveen (Karan Soni) introduces his white fiancé Jay (Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff) to his conservative Indian parents, who must reconcile their traditional values with their son’s love while planning the perfect traditional Indian wedding to honor two gay men.

A NICE INDIAN BOY

USA/Canada | 2023 | 99

In this hilarious rom-com, Naveen (Karan Soni) introduces his white fiancé Jay (Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff) to his conservative Indian parents, who must reconcile their traditional values with their son’s love while planning the perfect traditional Indian wedding to honor two gay men.

CHECKPOINT ZOO

USA/Ukraine | 2024 | 109

The heroic efforts of zookeepers and volunteers to rescue 5,000 animals under Russian bombardment from the Feldman Ecopark in Ukraine during the early days of the war are recounted in this edge-of-your-seat document. It is both a harrowing and uplifting testament to courage under fire.

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Congratulations to the <i>Checkpoint Zoo</i> team on receiving the Desert Views Award at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival!

JANIS IAN: BREAKING SILENCE

USA | 2024 | 114

The tumultuous journey of beloved singer-songwriter Janis Ian – who found fame as a teenager with her boundary-breaking song “Society’s Child” – unfolds in this saga of an artist who triumphed over homophobia, a misogynistic music industry, debilitating health issues, and a gun-toting lover.

HOMEGROWN

USA | 2024 | 110

Startlingly intimate, this verité immersion into the lives of three fervent Trump supporters culminates at the January 6 insurrection. Illuminating, unsettling, and surprising, this purely observational document lays bare its swaggering subjects and the movement challenging the foundations of American democracy.

DRIVER

USA | 2024 | 90

Hit the open road with Desiree Wood as she rallies her fellow women long-haul truck drivers to battle a predatory, misogynistic industry. These hard-bitten, freedom-loving drivers offer wonderful company in this artfully shot film.

HIS OWN WAY - THE CINEMA OF AVI NESHER

Israel | 2024 | 118

This fascinating look at Israeli cinema celebrates the work of filmmaker Avi Nesher, whose American education and unconventional methods made him a maverick. Captivating clips and interviews create an incisive portrait of an enduring artist who always felt like an outsider.

THREE KILOMETERS TO THE END OF THE WORLD

Romania | 2024 | 105

In a conservative village on the Danube Delta, a brutal attack on a closeted gay teen sparks a moral panic, exposing the hypocrisy and corruption lurking beneath this seemingly tranquil rural community. Winner of multiple awards, including the Queer Palm at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

United Kingdom/Palestine/France/Greece/Netherlands/Germany/Qatar/Saudi Arabia | 2024 | 105

Winner of the SACD Prize at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, this gritty social-realist drama – with shades of <i>Midnight Cowboy</i> – follows two desperate Palestinian cousins stranded in Athens, far from their families and their dream of opening a café in Germany.

LA SUPREMA

Colombia | 2023 | 84

In a forgotten Colombian town, a teenage girl dreams of becoming a boxer. When she learns her uncle will be fighting for the world title on live television, she and her community do whatever it takes to watch the event and win their own existential battle against obscurity.

ODD FISH

Iceland/Finland/Czech Republic | 2024 | 104

In this endearing dramedy, two childhood friends receive an opportunity to keep their seafood restaurant in the picturesque Westfjords open year-round. When one comes out as a trans woman, their long-standing friendship is tested, revealing new perspectives on life and identity.

TO KILL A MONGOLIAN HORSE

Malaysia/Hong Kong/South Korea/Japan/Saudi Arabia/Thailand/USA | 2024 | 97

As a centuries-old way of life fades in Mongolia, a herdsman leads a dual existence – tending his ranch by day and performing horse tricks for audiences by night. This intimate, award-winning drama is inspired by lead actor Saina’s real-life journey between the horse show world and his own personal challenges.

Oscar Buzz: ShortFest!

Get a taste of ShortFest, our annual short film festival that screens 300+ films from around the globe every June. This special block features a collection of the Oscar® shortlisted films chasing gold – a testament to the brilliance and creativity of bite-sized entertainment. The films may be short, but their impact lingers long after the credits roll.

JULIE KEEPS QUIET

Belgium | 2024 | 97

As the star player at an elite tennis club, high-schooler Julie’s life revolves around the game she loves. When her coach is suspended following an investigation, the players are urged to speak up. Julie, however, chooses to stay silent.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar | 2024 | 123

Told in four chapters, this lively, naturalistic, award-winning drama follows a family of Palestinian citizens of Israel in Haifa. Through his characters, Oscar®-nominated director Scandar Copti (<i>Ajami</i>) explores deep divides between genders and ethnicities while exposing the traditions and values that shape their lives. Best Film, Thessaloniki.

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Congratulations to the <i>Happy Holidays</i> team on receiving the Bridging the Borders Award Special Mention at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival!

SANTOSH

United Kingdom | 2024 | 120

After inheriting her late husband's position as a police constable, Santosh (Shahana Goswami) is drawn into a high-profile case where police corruption makes justice elusive for the lower classes. Thankfully, she finds guidance from the magnetic feminist Inspector Sharma (Sunita Rajwar).

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Congratulations to the <i>Santosh</i> team on making the shortlist for Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards!

ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL

Zambia/United Kingdom/Ireland | 2024 | 99

Piercing and enigmatic, this tale of patriarchy and betrayal follows a young woman as she witnesses an increasingly disconcerting grieving process following her uncle's death. The loss triggers a reckoning with generational trauma for a family more inclined to ignore the past than confront it.

MANAS

Brazil/Portugal | 2024 | 101

Set in a remote corner of Brazil largely untouched by the modern world, this earnest and moving drama centers on 13-year-old Marcielle, who yearns to escape her hostile home and a village that has resisted change for generations.

BUN TIKKI

India | 2024 | 123

Sanu is a child learning to navigate the challenges of identity and belonging as he struggles to fit into society's norms and build a loving relationship with his father. Meanwhile, his grandmother, harboring secrets of her own, teaches him to embrace his uniqueness.

TOKITO: THE 540-DAY JOURNEY OF A CULINARY MAVERICK

Japan | 2024 | 84

Michelin-starred chef Yoshinori Ishii and his team set out to transform a historic Japanese inn into the premier Tokyo destination for a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience, incorporating all aspects of traditional Japanese cuisine.

IGUALADA

Colombia/Mexico/USA | 2024 | 81

This intimate portrait chronicles the life of Francia Márquez, an Afro-Colombian political leader and activist who, through her presidential campaign, transformed the derogatory term "Igualada" into a symbol of defiance, and inspired a nation to envision a more equitable future.

SHELF LIFE

USA/Japan/Switzerland/Georgia/England/Egypt/Spain/Wales | 2024 | 76

Take a quirky, globe-trotting journey through the world of cheese, and explore the craft of aging and its surprising parallels to human life. Eclectic – and eccentric – cheesemakers and mongers reflect on mortality and the art of perfection in this philosophical culinary delight.

MY SWEET LAND

Jordan/USA/France/Ireland | 2024 | 86

Through an intimate, child's-eye view of war, 11-year-old Vrej, raised in an Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan, faces upheaval as conflict erupts. Forced to flee with his family, he wonders if he'll ever play in the fields of his "sweet land" again.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

United Kingdom/USA | 2024 | 93

This jaw-dropping true crime documentary thriller begins with the online harassment of a journalist in 2019. As the threats grow more ominous and bizarre, the FBI enters the scene, and this wild yarn broadens to expose a conspiracy with chilling implications for us all.

LILLY

USA | 2024 | 108

Patricia Clarkson shines in this rousing profile of courage as Lilly Ledbetter, the Alabama Goodyear factory worker whose tireless fight for women’s equal pay went all the way to the Supreme Court. Like <i>Norma Rae</i> and <i>Erin Brockovich</i>, Lilly packs a sweet punch for justice.

EMILIA PÉREZ

France | 2023 | 132

Fearsome cartel leader Emilia hires Rita, an unappreciated lawyer, to help fake her death so that Emilia can live authentically as her true self in Jacques Audiard's audacious musical crime drama featuring original songs and choreography.

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Congratulations to the <i>Emilia Pérez</i> team on making the shortlist for Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards!