Senses of Cinema - 2009 poll
Slightly more anarchic than other major reviews of the year. Senses of Cinema got the views of 89 different critics on their favourite films of the year. Some went with a lot more picks than others. Many of the films were released in 2008 (or sometimes earlier). I have only selected strict 2009 releases. You can find it here http://sensesofcinema.com/2010/feature-articles/2009-world-poll/
I have tried to only use firm recommendations, so for example, "honorable mentions" lists are not included. Adrian Danks included "Mad Men Series 3" as a movie in his list, but I have chosen not to regard this as a movie.
Not on IMDb:
((((())))) (Leslie Thornton, 2009)
What Happened on 23rd Street in 1901 (Ken Jacobs, 2009)
Who’s Oscillating (Abject Leader, 2009)
For Alexis (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2009)
When Worlds Collude (Fred Worden, 2009)
Honorable Mention and The Citizens (Kevin Jerome Everson, 2009)
+/- [the infinite between 0 and 1] (Ryoji Ikeda, 2009)
Wilhelm Noack oHG (Simon Starling, 2009)
Konglew tee lung jark gai (Bodily Fluid Is So Revolutionary, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, 2009)
See bon tanon (Colours on the Streets, Weerapong Wimuktalop, 2009)
Colour of Our Hearts (Supamok Silarak, 2009)
Little Life (Rungkarn Kaewsuwan, 2009)
6 Days Goodbye Poems of Ophelia (Jo Wonder aka Joanna Woodward, 2009)
Bethlehem (Peggy Ahwesh, 2009)
I have tried to only use firm recommendations, so for example, "honorable mentions" lists are not included. Adrian Danks included "Mad Men Series 3" as a movie in his list, but I have chosen not to regard this as a movie.
Not on IMDb:
((((())))) (Leslie Thornton, 2009)
What Happened on 23rd Street in 1901 (Ken Jacobs, 2009)
Who’s Oscillating (Abject Leader, 2009)
For Alexis (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2009)
When Worlds Collude (Fred Worden, 2009)
Honorable Mention and The Citizens (Kevin Jerome Everson, 2009)
+/- [the infinite between 0 and 1] (Ryoji Ikeda, 2009)
Wilhelm Noack oHG (Simon Starling, 2009)
Konglew tee lung jark gai (Bodily Fluid Is So Revolutionary, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, 2009)
See bon tanon (Colours on the Streets, Weerapong Wimuktalop, 2009)
Colour of Our Hearts (Supamok Silarak, 2009)
Little Life (Rungkarn Kaewsuwan, 2009)
6 Days Goodbye Poems of Ophelia (Jo Wonder aka Joanna Woodward, 2009)
Bethlehem (Peggy Ahwesh, 2009)
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- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsChristian FriedelErnst JacobiLeonie BeneschStrange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. Who is responsible?Nominated by Acquarello, Michael J. Anderson, Geoff Andrew, Raphael Bassan, Pamela Bienzobas, Michelle Carey, Michael da Silva, Chiranjit Goswami, Jim Hemphill, José Sarmiento Hinojosa, Alexander Horwath, Marc Lauria, David Melville, Richard Moore, Bill Mousoulis, Thure Munkholm, Darragh O'Donoghue, John Orr, Berenice Reynaud, Howard Schumann, Mark Spratt, Richard Suchenski, Robert von Dassanowsky
- DirectorHarun FarockiIn Comparison revisits issues explored in the director's 2007 two channel installation Comparison Via a Third. Spanning continents and cultures, the film focuses on the brick in its many contexts, from the collective efforts of a community building a clinic in Burkina Faso, through semi industrialized moldings in India, to industrial production lines in Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland. Through its notable structure and its captivating rhythms, In Comparison presents various methods of labor production, allowing for an assessment that changes with every layer and goes well beyond a simple binary divide.Nominated by Acquarello, Vassily Bourikas, Matthew Flanagan, Daniel Kasman, Gabe Klinger, Rainer Knepperges,Olaf Möller, Andrea Picard, Richard Suchenski, Barabara Wurm
- DirectorRaya MartinStarsSid LuceroTetchie AgbayaniAlessandra De RossiMimicking early silent films, Independencia creates a lush metaphor that plays with cinematic illusions and the cultural and mythical history of the Philippines.Nominated by Acquarello, Miguel Marías, Olaf Möller, Conall Cash, Francis Cruz, Jorge Didaco, and Violeta Kovacsics
- DirectorBenoît JacquotStarsIsabelle HuppertJean-Hugues AngladeXavier BeauvoisVilla Amalia is the story of Ann, a musician, whose life is turned upside down by a kiss. When she sees Thomas kissing another woman, Ann makes a clean break, leaving him and everything else far behind her. Suddenly unsure of everything that seemed so certain, Ann knows only that she must change her life and become someone else to find herself. With her music and the friendship of Georges, who pops out of her distant past, she sets off on a journey that will take her to an island where the Villa Amalia stands.Nominated by Acquarello and Richard Suchenski
- DirectorMaren AdeStarsLars EidingerBirgit MinichmayrHans-Jochen WagnerWhile on a Mediterranean vacation, a seemingly happy boyfriend and girlfriend find their connection to one another tested as they bond with another couple.Nominated by Acquarello, Lynden Barber. Michelle Carey, Jorge Didaco, Alexander Horwarth, Dominik Kamalzadeh, Daniel Kasman, Violeta Kovacsics, Kevin B. Lee, Dennis Lim, Olaf Möller, Andrea Picard, Peter Rist, Richard Suchenski, Barbara Wurm
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsPenélope CruzLluís HomarBlanca PortilloHarry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie.Nominated by Acquarello
- DirectorClaude ChabrolStarsGérard DepardieuClovis CornillacJacques GamblinA well known Parisian inspector becomes involved in an investigation while on holiday.Nominated by Acquarello, Michael Bartlett, Serge Bozon, Christoph Huber, Rainer Knepperges, Miguel Marías
- DirectorManoel de OliveiraStarsRicardo TrêpaCatarina WallensteinDiogo DóriaA young man falls helplessly in love with a mysterious blonde woman who turns his life upside down.Nominated by Acquarello, Michael Campi, Conall Cash, Matthew Clayfield, Wheeler Winston Dixon, Jorge Didaco, Matthew Flanagan, Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, Patrick Friel, Jean-Michel Frodon, Alexander Horwath, Daniel Kasman, Miguel Marías, James Naremore, Andrea Picard, Richard Suchenski and Gerwin Tamsma
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsAndré DussollierSabine AzémaAnne ConsignyA quirky woman who spends her free time as a pilot has her purse stolen; when a mysterious man finds her wallet, they embark on a peculiar romance.Nominated by Acquarello, Geoff Andrew, Pamela Bienzobas, Jean-Michel Frodon, Chiranjit Goswami, Alexander Horwath, Christoph Huber, Dominik Kamalzadeh, Violeta Kovacsics, Dennis Lim, Cyril Neyrat, Volker Pantenburg, David Schwartz and Richard Suchenski
- DirectorCorneliu PorumboiuStarsDragos BucurVlad IvanovIon StoicaA police officer refuses to arrest a young man for offering drugs to his friends.Nominated by Michelle Carey and Michael J. Anderson
- DirectorJacques RivetteStarsJane BirkinSergio CastellittoAndré MarconVittorio stops and helps Kate when her car breaks down on a mountain road. Later they meet again, and Vittorio discovers that Kate is part of a circus that she has just returned to after having been away for many years due to a tragedy that took place there and affected her profoundly.Nominated by Michael J. Anderson
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsGeorge ClooneyMeryl StreepBill MurrayAn urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation.Nominated by Michael J. Anderson
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsIsaach De BankoléAlex DescasJean-François StéveninThe story of a mysterious loner, a stranger in the process of completing a criminal job.Nominated by Michael J. Anderson
- DirectorJane CampionStarsAbbie CornishBen WhishawPaul SchneiderThe three-year romance between 19th-century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne near the end of his life.Nominated by Michael J. Anderson, Geoff Andrew
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsKim Hye-jaWon BinJin GooA mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl's horrific murder.Nominated by Michael J. Anderson, Geoff Andrew
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsMichael StuhlbargRichard KindSari LennickLarry Gopnik, a Midwestern physics teacher, watches his life unravel over multiple sudden incidents. Though seeking meaning and answers amidst his turmoils, he seems to keep sinking.Nominated by Geoff Andrew, Martyn Bamber
- DirectorMarco BellocchioStarsGiovanna MezzogiornoFilippo TimiFausto Russo AlesiThe story of Mussolini's secret lover, Ida Dalser, and their son Albino.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorAdrián BiniezStarsHoracio CamanduleLeonor SvarcasNéstor GuzziniA chronicle of a supermarket security guard's obsession with a late-shift janitor.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorJessica HausnerStarsSylvie TestudLéa SeydouxBruno TodeschiniIn order to escape her isolation, wheelchair-bound Christine makes a life changing journey to Lourdes, the iconic site of pilgrimage in the Pyrenees Mountains.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorRoberto CastónStarsEriz AlberdiJosean BengoetxeaCristhian EsquivelA love story between a Basque farmer and a Peruvian immigrant.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsMatt DamonTony HalePatton OswaltThe U.S. government decides to go after an agro-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president-turned-informant Mark Whitacre.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsSasha GreyChris SantosPhilip EytanA drama set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, and centered on a high-end Manhattan call girl meeting the challenges of her boyfriend, her clients, and her work.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorCatherine BreillatStarsDominique ThomasLola CrétonDaphné BaiwirAn adaptation of the classic tale of a wealthy aristocrat with a blue beard.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorAsli ÖzgeStarsFikret PortakalMurat TokgözUmut IlkerThe stories of three men working at the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul are told by the original characters, in this mosaic depicting real persons exposing their lives and aspirations.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorJacques AudiardStarsTahar RahimNiels ArestrupAdel BencherifA delinquent Muslim man struggles to get by in prison until he is taken under the wing of a powerful mob boss. But his gradual rise through the mob's ranks brings him in conflict with his mentor.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorRadu JudeStarsAndreea BosneagVioleta Haret-PopaVasile MuraruDelia, a young Romanian girl, drives to Bucharest with her parents to collect a prize she won in a contest.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsKim Tae-wooUhm Ji-wonGo Hyun-jungDelightfully comic exploration of the emotional and social geography of an art-house film director.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorKutlug AtamanStarsMetin AlagasGozde AranAhmet Aslan1957. A remote village in Erzincan province, Eastern Turkey. The quest of four villagers to travel to the moon is documented with the use of found black-and-white photos and the aid of a local narrator. And the film curiously becomes an in-depth study of contemporary Turkish culture.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorAndrea ArnoldStarsKatie JarvisMichael FassbenderKierston WareingEverything changes for 15-year-old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend.Nominated by Geoff Andrew
- DirectorJudd ApatowStarsAdam SandlerSeth RogenLeslie MannWhen seasoned comedian George Simmons learns of his terminal, inoperable health condition, his desire to form a genuine friendship causes him to take a relatively green performer under his wing as his opening act.Nominated by Martyn Bamber
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsBrad PittDiane KrugerEli RothIn Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.Nominated by Martyn Bamber, Lynden Barber
- DirectorTom TykwerStarsClive OwenNaomi WattsArmin Mueller-StahlAn Interpol agent attempts to expose a high-profile financial institution's role in an international arms dealing ring.Nominated by Martyn Bamber
- DirectorSpike JonzeStarsMax RecordsCatherine O'HaraForest WhitakerYearning for escape and adventure, a young boy runs away from home and sails to an island filled with creatures that take him in as their king.Nominated by Martyn Bamber
- DirectorLone ScherfigStarsCarey MulliganPeter SarsgaardAlfred MolinaA coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorMia Hansen-LøveStarsLouis-Do de LencquesaingChiara CaselliAlice de LencquesaingA film producer struggles with suicidal despair.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorWarwick ThorntonStarsRowan McNamaraMarissa GibsonMitjili Napanangka GibsonA glue-sniffing boy and his girlfriend escape the government-controlled no-hope Aboriginal community they live in and go to the city, Alice Springs, looking for a better life.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorGlendyn IvinStarsHugo WeavingTom RussellAnita HeghA young boy travels across Australia with his father, who's wanted by the law for committing a violent crime.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorPhil GrabskyStarsEmanuel AxJonathan BissRiccardo ChaillyThe first truly comprehensive feature length cinema documentary ever made about Beethoven. With over 60 live performances.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorRobert ConnollyStarsJane HampsonBea ViegasChristine MartinsWar correspondent Roger East and the young Jose Ramos-Horta travel to East Timor to investigate the murders of the Balibo Five in 1975.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorDuncan JonesStarsSam RockwellKevin SpaceyDominique McElligottAstronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorJames CameronStarsSam WorthingtonZoe SaldanaSigourney WeaverA paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorSam MendesStarsJohn KrasinskiMaya RudolphAllison JanneyA couple expecting their first child travels the U.S. seeking the perfect "family home." They have misadventures and find fresh connections with relatives and old friends who help them discover "home" on their own terms for the first time.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorRiad SattoufStarsVincent LacosteAnthony SonigoAlice TrémolièresComing-of-age tale about an adolescent boy and his efforts to fit in among a varied cast of characters.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorScott HicksStarsClive OwenEmma BoothLaura FraserA sports writer becomes a single parent in tragic circumstances.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorMarc WebbStarsZooey DeschanelJoseph Gordon-LevittGeoffrey ArendAfter being dumped by the girl he believes to be his soulmate, hopeless romantic Tom Hansen reflects on their relationship to try and figure out where things went wrong and how he can win her back.Nominated by Lynden Barber
- DirectorArmando IannucciStarsTom HollanderPeter CapaldiJames GandolfiniA political satire about a group of skeptical American and British operatives attempting to prevent a war between two countries.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsMads MikkelsenMaarten StevensonAlexander MortonForced for some time to be a fighting slave, a pagan warrior escapes his captors with a boy and joins a group of Crusaders on their quest to the Holy Land.
- DirectorFrederick WisemanStarsEmilie CozetteAurélie DupontDorothée GilbertThe film follows the production of seven ballets by the Paris Opera Ballet.
- DirectorAlain CavalierStarsAlain CavalierCatherine DeneuveVanessa WidhoffA video diary shot and recorded by the filmmaker, using little more than his imagination and the happenstance and flow of the everyday, finally layering in a lifetime of memories.
- DirectorLéa FehnerStarsFarida RahouadjReda KatebPauline EtienneA tale of crossed destinies in a prison visiting room.
- DirectorBrillante MendozaStarsAnita LindaRustica CarpioTanya GomezTwo elderly women bear the consequences of a crime involving their respective grandsons. One is the victim, the other is the suspect. Both weak and poor, they laboriously solicit money in the midst of a storm, one for the victim's burial, the other for the suspect's bail bond.
- DirectorClaire DenisStarsIsabelle HuppertChristopher LambertIsaach De BankoléAmidst turmoil and racial conflict in a Francophone African state, a white French woman fights for her coffee crop, her family and ultimately for her life.
- DirectorPanos H. KoutrasStarsMina OrfanouYannis KokiasmenosMinos TheoharisYorgos is released from prison after 14 years of incarceration for a murder he committed. He meets Strella, a young transsexual sex worker. They spend the night together and soon they fall in love. But the past is catching up with Yorgos.
- DirectorUruphong RaksasadStarsPrayad JummaSai JummaSompong JummaFacing seizure of their own lands, two families found themselves farming together on the same field, hoping to get through just another rice-farming season like every year. But no matter how much the world is evolving, how much the country is going through economic, political and social changes, they still cannot grasp that ideology of happiness.
- DirectorPepe DioknoStarsCelso Ad. CastilloFelix RocoDaniel Medrana"Engwkentro" follows two teenage brothers attempting to escape an unnamed city controlled by an iron-fisted mayor. They must first break away from the cycle of crime, while trying to run from rival gang leaders and the state's murderous vigilantes.
- DirectorMing Jin WooStarsErnest ChongKok Keong ChungFei Ling FooThe story of Ah Fei, and his father Ah Kau. Ah Fei is in love with Lily, but she has a boyfriend. Ah Kau is dying, but visits an old lover, Ai Ling. A personal tale of love, longing, and ultimate forgiveness.
- DirectorLiang ZhaoStarsZhang WeiyeXiao YuanIt is a fantastic documentary about Chinese govt's systemic oppression and persecution toward ordinary folk who petition the government.
- DirectorVimukthi JayasundaraStarsThusitha LaknathKaushalaya FernandoLu HuangThe young man fell from the sky. Communication relay burns. Flee from the city and its commotion, return to nature. Become part of another story. That of the legend of the prince. In the hope of a love, hiding behind the hollow in a tree. Nothing magic is improbable. What happened yesterday, may happen again tomorrow.
- DirectorXavier DolanStarsAnne DorvalXavier DolanFrançois ArnaudA semi-autobiographical story about Hubert as a young homosexual at odds with his mother.
- DirectorAndré TéchinéStarsÉmilie DequenneCatherine DeneuveMichel BlancA drama centered on a young woman who claims she was the target of an anti-Semetic attack and the subsequent media sensation it creates.
- DirectorArnaud LarrieuJean-Marie LarrieuStarsMathieu AmalricCatherine FrotKarin ViardRobinson, appropriately named as we will soon discover, is on vacation in Biarritz with his wife. What follows is the story behind the loss of his arm, a story that becomes increasingly bizarre and eventually apocalyptic, leading us down a narrative path of labyrinthine complexity. The resulting film is an extraordinary feat of imagination and daring, set against the backdrop of a world on the verge of destruction.
- DirectorHippolyte GirardotNobuhiro SuwaStarsNoë SampyArielle MoutelTsuyu ShimizuYuki and Nina try in order to get her parents back together; however, after failed attempts running away seems like the only solution.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsChristian BaleJohnny DeppChristian StolteThe Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.
- DirectorHenry SelickStarsDakota FanningTeri HatcherJohn HodgmanWandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, an 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.
- DirectorAlejandro Fernández AlmendrasStarsAlejandra YañezClemira AguayoCornelio VillagránA Chilean family deals with the new values in a quickly changing world.
- DirectorSebastián LelioStarsManuela MartelliDiego RuizAlicia RodríguezA young couple are shocked to find a teen runaway collapsed in their abandoned rural home. Unable to leave her alone, they allow her to join them on a strange night as they recover a few family items, and try to come to terms with their individual situations.
- DirectorAdam ElliotStarsToni CollettePhilip Seymour HoffmanEric BanaIn 1976 Melbourne, a lonely 8-year-old girl strikes up a correspondence with an unlikely pen pal: a severely obese 44-year-old New Yorker with Asperger's syndrome.
- DirectorZelimir ZilnikStarsPera CehovRade CurcinSlobodan DjoricA satire on transition in Serbia. After the bankruptcy of a Vojvodinian factory, workers are protesting against the management. An anarcho-syndical group joins them to help in it's own way. Can the corrupt management really be beaten?
- DirectorBen RussellThe present configuration of the series closes with the wildest Trypp yet. In Suriname, South America, a man enters a residence and emerges wearing a flamboyant mask with a group of others, each wearing unique masks. A single Steadicam shot follows these unearthly and wizened figures as they slowly hobble through the village, until the procession enters into the center of the village where a celebration is taking place. Suddenly the doddering caravan breaks out into a jungle boogie like persons possessed. Based on the start of the shot, we know that this trance dance is all staged for the camera but yet it is also clearly happening. We know we've seen a documentary of some kind... but a document of what? All that becomes clear is that within documentary, reality becomes image and reality becomes choreography.
- DirectorFatih AkinWolfgang BeckerSylke EndersStarsAdriana AltarasRegine AndratschkeBernhard Baron BonebergThirteen German directors present short films exploring the state of their country.Segment "Ramses" by Romuald Karmakar
- DirectorJason ByrneA film about a cargo ship's journey on its way to becoming a phantom.
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsGeorge ClooneyVera FarmigaAnna KendrickRyan's job is to travel around the country firing off people. When his boss hires Natalie, who proposes firing people via video conference, he tries to convince her that her method is a mistake.
- DirectorGreg MottolaStarsJesse EisenbergKristen StewartRyan ReynoldsIn the summer of 1987, a college graduate takes a 'nowhere' job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.
- DirectorLynn SheltonStarsMark DuplassJoshua LeonardAlycia DelmoreTwo guys take their bromance to another level when they participate in an art film project.
- DirectorRuben FleischerStarsJesse EisenbergEmma StoneWoody HarrelsonA shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting bruiser in search of the last Twinkie and a pair of sisters striving to get to an amusement park join forces in a trek across a zombie-filled America.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsAlison LohmanJustin LongRuth LivierA loan officer who evicts an old woman from her home finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse. Desperate, she turns to a seer to try and save her soul, while evil forces work to push her to a breaking point.
- DirectorAlain GuiraudieStarsLudovic BerthillotHafsia HerziPierre LaurArmand, a man who sells farm machines in the country, is a popular middle-aged homosexual. Just as he was getting sick of life, he falls in love with a young girl called, Curlie, and goes on the run from her parents and the police.
- DirectorHarmony KorineStarsRachel KorineBrian KotzurTravis NicholsonFollows the lives of a small group of sociopathic elderly people in Nashville, Tennessee.
- DirectorTi WestStarsJocelin DonahueTom NoonanMary WoronovIn 1983, financially struggling college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret, putting her life in mortal danger.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsNicolas CageEva MendesRussell M. HaeuserTerence McDonagh is a drug- and gambling-addled detective in post-Katrina New Orleans investigating the killing of five Senegalese immigrants.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsWillem DafoeCharlotte GainsbourgStorm Acheche SahlstrømA grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage, but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.
- DirectorPete DocterBob PetersonStarsEdward AsnerJordan NagaiJohn Ratzenberger78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsChristopher PlummerLily ColeHeath LedgerHaving made a deal with the Devil himself for immortality many millennia ago, the now decrepit mystic Doctor Parnassus fights for the freedom of his only daughter's soul.
- DirectorNeill BlomkampStarsSharlto CopleyDavid JamesJason CopeViolence ensues after an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth finds a kindred spirit in a government agent exposed to their biotechnology.Nominated by Neil Young
- DirectorRohan SpongExamines the outcomes for four trans-gender school teachers who transition from male to female in North American high schools.
- DirectorSarah WattStarsPortia BradleyJonathan SegatSacha HorlerA tender story from Australia highlights the realistic ups and downs of an Australian family in the year following a parent's emergency medical procedure.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsTaraneh AlidoostiGolshifteh FarahaniShahab HosseiniThe mysterious disappearance of a kindergarten teacher during a picnic in the north of Iran is followed by a series of misadventures for her fellow travelers.
- DirectorChuan LuStarsYe LiuWei FanHideo NakaizumiIn 1937, Japan occupied Nanjing, the Chinese capital. There was a battle and subsequent atrocities against the inhabitants, especially those who took refuge in the International Security Zone.
- DirectorHaibin DuThe "Great Sichuan Earthquake" took place at 14:28 on May 12, 2008. 10 days after: Scenes not seen on official/TV, "survival" is the keyword. Ordinary people are salvaging destroyed pig farms in the mountains, recuperating cents-worth scrapped metals, or pillaging victims' homes. Behind the highly-mediatized official visits, inconsolable grief of families searching for loved ones. Throughout, a vagabond in tattered clothes wanders among the ruins, observing tragic scenes. A monk and a Taoist visionary suggest: "the earthquake is the consequence of Earth-Gods no longer worshipped." 210 days after: Harsh winter, villagers preparing for Lunar New Year, the vagabond and family are detailing grievances about the ill-handling of rebuilding schemes and relief funds. Gearing up for a high official's visit, comes a thorough clean-up of the villages and tent-resettlement for refugees. Promise made for all to live in houses in winter seems tough to keep. Fake parts in the community transformer brought electricity blackout for New Year's Eve reunion dinners. New Year Day starts as never-ending parade of tourists buying DVDs of the most horrific scenes, souvenir albums of corpses being pulled out of the ruins, and photos taken in front of Beichuan, the town most severely hit, where over 70,000 people perished in seconds.
- DirectorDenis CôtéStarsAnne CarrierJean-Paul ColmorÉtienne GrutmanAn introverted man runs a "car cemetery" where people come to find parts for old vehicles.
- DirectorVadim JendreykoStarsSvetlana GeierAnna GötteHannelore HagenFirst her father ends up in one of Stalin's prison camps, then young Svetlana herself experiences the German invasion. In order to survive she learns German at home in Kiev. She is good and gets work as a translator before ending up in a German camp in 1943. Now, 65 years later, she is a renowned translator who in her twilight years has translated the great works of Dostoevsky. For the first time in all these years, she returns to Kiev together with her granddaughter.
- DirectorChris Chan Fui ChongStarsZahiril AdzimAmerul AffendiHariry JalilKaraoke juxtaposes a young man's idealism with the reality of a changing Malaysia through karaoke videos.
- DirectorJoão Pedro RodriguesStarsChandra MalatitchJohn Jesus RomãoIvo BarrosoA transgender woman tries to erase any past history of herself as a male. Struggling with a young male lover and a problematic son.
- DirectorPedro CostaStarsJeanne BalibarRodolphe BurgerHervé LoosIntimate portrait of the French actress/singer Jeanne Balibar.
- DirectorMatías PiñeiroStarsRomina PaulaMaría VillarJulia Martínez RubioHelena invites several friends to her house for a weekend and plans to humiliate Joaquin for the actions of his ancestors.
- DirectorRomuald KarmakarStarsRicardo VillalobosA look at the life and work of Chilean DJ Ricardo Villalobos.
- DirectorLav DiazStarsWilly FernandezJoel FerrerLois GoffFerding, Santos and Willy only drink in despair. One day, a Canadian woman's visit changes everything.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsJung Yu-miOn impulse, a young woman drives from Seoul to see her best friend, but also meets up with her older professor, and then a former lover. Drinks ensue, and surprises are revealed for all four characters. Hong packs a lot into a 31 minute film.