All Recommendations
Sansho the Bailiff
In medieval Japan, a woman and her children journey to find the family's patriarch, who was exiled years before.
The Life of Oharu
In Edo Period Japan, a noblewoman's banishment for her love affair with a lowly page signals the beginning of her inexorable fall.
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum
In late 19th century Tokyo, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adopted son of a legendary actor, himself an actor specializing in female roles, discovers that he is only praised for his acting due to his status as his father's heir. Devastated by this, he turns to Otoku, a servant of his family, for comfort, and they fall in love. Kikunosuke becomes determined to leave home and develop as an actor on his own merits, and Otoku faithfully follows him.
Christmas in July
An office clerk loves entering contests in the hopes of someday winning a fortune and marrying the girl he loves. His latest attempt is the Maxford House Coffee Slogan Contest. As a joke, some of his co-workers put together a fake telegram which says that he won the $25,000 grand prize.
Death in the Garden
In a remote Amazon jungle village, a group of angry diamond prospectors revolt when the local government undertakes a violent crackdown.
A Geisha
Eiko seeks out Miyoharu, a geisha, and asks to be her apprentice. When she is ready to receive clients, both women want the right to refuse certain men.
Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?
About three monks in a remote monastery; an aging master, a small orphan and a young man who left his city life to seek Enlightenment.
Japan's Longest Day
Following the detonation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese military and the government clash over the demand from the Allies for unconditional surrender. Minister of the Army Anami leads the military officers who propose to fight on, even to the death of every Japanese citizen. Emperor Hirohito, however, joins with his ministers in asking the unthinkable, the peaceful surrender of Japan. When the military plots a coup to overthrow the Emperor's civilian government, Anami must face the choice between his desires and loyalty to his Emperor.
Himiko
The myth of the Sun Goddess who founded Japanese society is seen through the lens of a modern view of history.
Uprooted
A magic axe and ecological vengeance.
Lap Rouge
The camera pursues the life of two Dutch brothers, Herman and Egbert over the course of several months. Their mother wanted to disassociate herself from the petty bourgeois atmosphere in Holland during the fifties. In 1959 she took her two boys and left for Marnhac, a deserted village in southern France. After living in France for the the next 35 years both brothers have become almost fully alienated from society. They don't have the courage to leave their very aged and dominant mother. Written by Kurzfilmtage - international short film festival Oberhausen
I Want to Be a Shellfish
On a post-war peaceful day in Japan, Toyomatsu Shimizu, a barber as well as a good father and husband, is suddenly arrested by the Prefectural Police as a war criminal and sued for murder.
Fighting Through the Night
An unconventional activist epic, filmed in Greece over several years among the many refugees and amidst some of the mass demonstrations that have rocked the country. The film is at once an essay, guerrilla journalism and poetic portrait. It tackles the socio-political upheavals of a country that stands alone in bringing down the western neoliberal model.
Gate of Hell
Japan, 1159. Moritō, a brave samurai, performs a heroic act by rescuing the lovely Kesa during a violent uprising. Moritō falls in love with her, but becomes distraught when he finds out that she is married.
The Naked Spur
A bounty hunter trying to bring a murderer to justice is forced to accept the help of two less-than-trustworthy strangers.
The Naked Island
A family of four are the sole inhabitants of a small island, where they struggle each day to irrigate their crops.
Loves of a Blonde
Andula, an innocent Czech girl from a factory town, is desperately in search of love. She believes she's found it when she beds Milda, a charming young musician visiting from Prague. Milda, however, is only looking for a casual encounter, and leaves town assuming he'll never see Andula again. But when Andula doesn't hear from him, she packs up and heads to Prague, to the surprise of Milda and his parents.
Castle of Blood
When a cynical journalist accepts a wager that he won't survive the night in a haunted castle, it unlocks an odyssey of sexual torment, undead vengeance, and a dark seductress who surrenders the gravest of pleasures.
The River
Director Jean Renoir’s entrancing first color feature—shot entirely on location in India—is a visual tour de force. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the film eloquently contrasts the growing pains of three young women with the immutability of the Bengal river around which their daily lives unfold. Enriched by Renoir’s subtle understanding and appreciation for India and its people, The River gracefully explores the fragile connections between transitory emotions and everlasting creation.
Street of Shame
The lives of five prostitutes employed at a Japanese brothel while the nation is debating the passage of an anti-prostitution law.