Paolo Virzì • Italy • 2010 • A gentle comedy of life, love, and family.
Bruno, a middle-aged teacher, is stoned out of his mind on a park bench. He’s forgotten his own birthday, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, Sandra, who organized the party. Before he can say no, Bruno’s sister Valeria whisks him to a hospice home—their mother, Anna, is dying. In order to make amends with his mother, Bruno will first have to confront the family history that got them here.
Imbued with the pathos and humor of an aging matriarch who, against all odds, managed to raise two children on her own, The First Beautiful Thing is a gentle comedy of life, love, and family. Paolo Virzì’s ninth feature premiered at São Paulo, Göteborg, and Salerno, winning Best Film. The First Beautiful Thing was nominated for 18 David di Donatello awards, winning Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress, and is a New York Times Critic's Pick.
Jean-Luc Godard • Switzerland • 2018 • Fragments of cinema; art informing reality or vice versa?
Fragments of cinema, canonical and obscure, fill the frame. They appear acid-washed, saturated, disintegratin...
Nadav Lapid • Israel • 2014 Nira meets a young boy and resorts to measures to cultivate his talent.
Middle-aged Nira works in an elementary school. She has a decent relationship with her husband, a l...
Su Rynard • Canada, France, Costa Rica, Germany, Netherlands, Turkey, United States • 2015
An encompassing vision of the lives of songbirds and their integral role in wider ecosystems.
For thousands of years, songbirds...