THE KING (2005)
Gael Garcia Bernal burns up the screen as Elvis, a handsome and charismatic 21-year-old just out of the US navy. When he heads to a sleepy Texas town dreaming of some kind of reconciliation with the father who abandoned him as a child, he finds rejection once more - David (William Hurt) is now a pastor with a new family. But Elvis has befriended David’s teenage daughter Malerie, and soon puts in place the ultimate test of faith. A provocative thriller from the writer of Monster’s Ball and Birth, and the producer of Badlands and American Psycho. Un Certain Regard, Cannes.

A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS (2006)
The true story of a pivotal summer on the hot, sweaty, violent streets of mid-80’s Astoria, Queens – the summer that changed not only writer/director Dito Montiel, but the lives of everyone around him. Torn between his ill father, his domineering friend and protector Antonio, the neighbourhood war and the lustful temptations of youth, Dito struggles against his desire to escape, running away from everything he knows. He finds redemption 15 years later when he returns to Queens and faces the “saints” that have influenced his life. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Shia LaBeouf, Channing Tatum, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri and Rosario Dawson. Sundance/Venice Winner.

THE ITALIAN (2007)
Both a social commentary and an exciting, heart-warming adventure tale, this is one of the highest grossing foreign films in Australia in recent years, grossing over 1 million dollars, and winner of 30 international awards. 6-year-old Vanya is considered lucky in the bleak children’s home where he lives: he will be adopted by a loving Italian couple. Serene life under the Mediterranean sun awaits him, but Vanya longs to find his own mother. Teaching himself to read and stealing his personal file, he flees the orphanage and boards a commuter train heading for the city, stopping at nothing to return to where he came from. Russia’s Oscars entry.

I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN YOU (2007)
A riveting and comprehensive journey into the life and legacy of Simon Wiesenthal. Narrated by Academy Award® winning actress Nicole Kidman, it tells the inspirational story of how a single person, untrained as an investigator, brought to justice many of the most infamous Nazi war criminals responsible for the murder of 6 million Jews. Celebrated by many as the conscience of the Holocaust, this moving and important documentary tribute looks at the sacrifices he made, the criticisms he faced and ultimately the legacy he has left, whilst also revealing the scope of the international political and historical landscape across the last century.

BEAUTIFUL (2008)
Dean O’Flaherty’s audacious debut feature takes the well-established Australian theme of suburbia and completely subverts it, weaving strong American influences into a cinematic hotbed of luscious danger. Daniel is an introverted 14-year-old boy living in Sunshine Hills, a suburb living in the grip of fear following the rumoured abductions of three teenage girls. When his Lolita-esque neighbour Suzy tempts him into taking photographs of some of the neighbours’ nocturnal activities, he begins a journey that takes him from childhood fantasy into the harsh reality of the real world.

THE GROCER’S SON (2008)
It is summer, and 30-year-old Antoine is forced to leave the city to return to his family in Provençe. His father is sick, so he must assume the lifestyle he thought he had shed - driving the family grocery cart from hamlet to hamlet, delivering supplies to the few remaining inhabitants. Accompanied by Claire, a friend from Paris whom he has a secret crush on, Antoine gradually warms up to his experience in the country and his encounters with the villagers, who initially seem stubborn and gruff, but eventually prove to be funny and endearing. Ultimately, this surprise French box-office hit is about the coming-of-age of a man rediscovering life and love in the countryside.

EDEN IS WEST (2009)
Over the course of his long and legendary career, the Greek director Costa-Gavras (“Z”, “Missing”, “Music Box”) has won almost every single major international accolade. At 76, he returns with perhaps his most personal film, the odyssey of Elias, a clandestine traveler seeking a better life. Jumping ship (his origins forever remain untold), he wakes up at a luxury resort and embarks on an extraordinary journey to reach Paris, taking him across a microcosm of contemporary Europe. An epic story for our times, Gavras memorably captures the magical nature of the world Elias finds himself in, but also one in which every experience is full of threat. Berlin, Closing Night.

THE ECLIPSE (2010)
Tony Award-nominated writer/director Conor McPherson's haunting gothic romance set in the soggy waterside town of Cobh. Widower Michael (Tribeca Best Actor winner Ciarán Hinds) has been adjusting to his new role as the sole caretaker of his two young kids, but finds himself increasingly frightened by nightmares starting to spill into his waking hours. When he volunteers as a handler at the local literary festival, chance finds him driving supernatural-fiction writer Lena. But Michael has to compete for her attention with internationally acclaimed author Nicholas (Aidan Quinn), also in town to plug his latest best seller and reclaim the girl he can't get out of his head. All three will be forced to deal with their own ghosts over the course of a defining weekend.

SUMMER CODA (2010)
Having grown up with her mother in Nevada, Heidi (Rachael Taylor) hasn’t spoken to her father since she was seven. She returns to Australia as a young woman seeking closure, and her melancholic violin score catches the attention of handsome orange picker Michael (Alex Dimitriades), who offers her a ride. Both are initially guarded, but an unexpected connection soon blossoms at Michael’s orange grove. Co-starring Susie Porter, Jacki Weaver, Nathan Phillips, Angus Sampson and Cassandra Magrath, Richard Gray’s romantic drama is an Australian film with a unique setting – the stunning orange groves of sun-baked Mildura against the majestic Murray River backdrop.

COPACABANA (2010)
Isabelle Huppert is Babou, a free-spirited single mother living in the North of France with dreams of going to Brazil. When her by-the-book daughter Esmeralda announces that she is getting married, and that she is too ashamed of her own mother to invite her to the wedding, Babou decides to make some changes. She takes a dubious job selling time-share apartments during the off-season at the Belgian seaside, and surprises everyone in this surreal environment by becoming the model employee. But can it last? This bittersweet comedy features a truly memorable performance from screen queen Isabelle Huppert, teamed on screen for the first time with her real-life daughter, Lolita Chammah. Critics’ Week, Cannes.