4:30pm Sunday July 14
THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST

Based on the best-selling novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a riveting international thriller. It follows the story of a young Pakistani man, Changez, chasing corporate success on Wall Street, who ultimately finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American Dream, a hostage crisis, and the enduring call of his family's homeland.

In the vein of The Constant Gardener and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy the film is an electrifying film based on the Booker Prize-shortlisted novel by Mohsin Hamid, which was rated one of the books to define the decade by The Guardian and reached # 4 on the New York Times Best Seller List.

The film is directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake, Vanity Fair) and features a powerful cast including Kate Hudson (The Killer Inside Me, Almost Famous), Riz Ahmed (Black Gold, Four Lions), Kiefer Sutherland (24, Melancholia) and Liev Schreiber (Salt, The Manchurian Candidate).

It premiered as OPENING FILM at VENICE and was selected for a SPECIAL GALA at Toronto International Film Festival.

4:30pm Sunday June 30
TABU

The deliriously strange Portuguese film, Tabu, is told in different time periods and different styles. Part of it is conventionally shot, and part of it is surreal.

Director, Miguel Gomes, has deliberately challenged us to accept this view of the past, which is tinged with hallucinatory memories.

There is definite artistry in the way in which the costumes, lighting, and acting all go to cast this strange spell.

It is also very funny in places. Those looking for something out of the ordinary should hack their way through the undergrowth of Hollywood fare to this memorable oddity.

4:30pm Sunday June 23
CHICO AND RITA

'Love is a song you never forget'

From Oscar-winning director Fernando Trueba (BELLE EPOQUE), the Oscar-nominated CHICO & RITA is an epic animated story of love and heartbreak, set against the colour and bustle of Havana, New York, Las Vegas, Hollywood and Paris in the late 1940s and early '50s.

Featuring an original soundtrack by legendary Cuban pianist, bandleader and composer Bebo Valdes, CHICO & RITA features a sublime soundtrack with music by Thelonious Monk, Cole Porter, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Charlie Parker, Chano Pozo and many more.

NOMINATED: Best Animated Film, Academy Awards, 2012

Set in the sultry world of 1930s Cuba, CHICO & RITA is imbued with sexy Central American heat. The soundtrack, rhythmic and jazzy, will get your toes tapping as the perfect precursor before you stroll next door for an apres cinema drink at Bernie's Piano Bar.

4:30pm Sunday May 26
NO

In 1988, Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet, due to international pressure, is forced to call a plebiscite on his presidency. The country will vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to Pinochet extending his rule for another eight years. Opposition leaders for the ‘No’ vote persuade a brash young advertising executive, Rene Saavedra, to spearhead their campaign. Against all odds, with scant resources and while under scrutiny by the despot’s minions, Saavedra and his team devise an audacious plan to win the election and set Chile free.

“Funny and rousing, both intellectually and emotionally”
New York Times

4:30pm Sunday May 12
THE OTHER SON

As he is preparing to join the Israeli army for his national service, Joseph discovers he is not his parents' biological son, and that he was inadvertently switched at birth with Yassin, the son of a Palestinian family from the West Bank.

This revelation turns the lives of these two families upside-down, forcing them to reassess their respective identities, their values and their beliefs.

Awards
Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix winner and Award for Best Director, Tokyo Film Festival 2012

7:30pm Thursday May 9
THE ECONOMICS OF HAPPINESS

4:30pm Sunday Apr 28
WAR WITCH ( aka REBELLE )

WAR WITCH is a life lesson, a story of human resilience

Somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, in a small isolated village, Komona, a twelveyear- old girl, lived peacefully with her parents until the day the rebels came. They pillaged the village, captured Komona and forced her to commit an irreparable act: slay her parents. In the rebels’ camp, the training is merciless: Komona is hungry, scared, and the Rebel Leader, who has no pity for her tears, repeatedly beats her if she cries. She quickly learns to endure, to fight and above all, to survive. During a battle waged against the government’s army, only Komona is spared. The rebels chief sees this as a sign and declares she is the new sorceress. She is soon brought to Great Tiger, the supreme leader of all the rebels, who makes her his war witch.

4:30pm Sunday Apr 14
LE SKYLAB

From Julie Delpy, director of Two Days in Paris, a joyous, passionate tale of a family gathering.

in the summer of 1979 in Brittany, a family gathers to celebrate a very important birthday. It’s a big family, they share a love of good food, good wine, and healthy discussions! We watch the day unfold through the eyes of 10 year old Albertine. Albertine is on the delicate borderline between young girl and teenager, she’s wise, but she’s guarded too. And her family are really something to see in action!

Albertine’s parents are actors from Paris, and they are most insistent that on this night, the Skylab will fall from the sky, and it will either fall in Australia, or Brittany! To be sure of Albertine’s safety, they insist that she sleep inside the house. Throughout the film, we’ll see many more decisions made that look more than a little oddball, but in the hands of director Julie Delpy, the film maintains a sure narrative footing. The cast represents the very best of old and young French talent, and the joie de vivre of the gathering is infectious. It’s a funny, tender and occasionally outrageous look back to the end of the 70s, to childhood, to summer holidays.

7:30pm Saturday Apr 06
MARINA ABRAMOVIC: THE ARTIST IS PRESENT

Director Matthew Akers 109min, MA15+

Marina Abramovic exhibited her very unconventional artwork at MoMA back in 2010. This wildly entertaining documentary follows her as she prepares for the three-month show which included naked men and women in various poses, and even her own self as she sat in a chair while staring into the eyes of individuals who sat directly across from her. To explain any of her artworks wouldn't do them any justice because they're meant to be experienced, especially when it comes to the powerful emotions that others express when simply staring into her eyes. Would explaining or fully understanding her artwork make them more powerful? Probably not. Those unfamiliar with her artwork, in particular, will be amazed at her boldness, honesty, humanity and pureness which initially feels pretentious and just plain bizarre. However, the more you observe her process and learn more about her, the more aware you'll become of her brilliance as an artist......
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7:30pm Friday Apr 05
AI WE WEI: NEVER SORRY
Director Alison Klayman 91min, M

Renowned artist turned dissident activist, Ai Weiwei, has been a thorn in the side of the Chinese government ever since he spoke out against The Beijing Olympics after helping to design the “Birds Nest” National Stadium. A documentary that chronicles his life, art and blistering opposition to propaganda and oppression, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is a fascinating portrait of one of China’s most compelling personalities....
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4:30pm Sunday Mar 24
ELLES

Director Malgoska Szumowska 98min, R18+ Subtitles (France/Poland)

A provocative adults-only drama, ELLES stars the phenominal Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche as a journalist whose life choices are put to the test when she uncovers some discomfortiing home truths while researching an article on student prostitution.

"Binoche gives a tour de force performance" - Jake Wilson, THE AGE

"Superbly acted and beautifully photographed. A film by women about women" - Lynden Barber, ABC LIMELIGHT.

4:30pm Sunday Feb 24
ABOUT ELLY

Director Asghar Farhadi 119min, PG Subtitles (Iran/France)

With the incredible success of A Separation comes the theatrical release in Australia of Iranian director, Asghar Farhadi’s earlier film, About Elly. Creating a tightly woven, transfixing drama around a group of friends whose weekend of matchmaking takes an unexpected turn, Farhadi proves he is an utterly compelling voice in world cinema.

Best Screenplay and Grand Jury Prize, Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2009
Silver Bear, Best Director, Berlin International Film Festival 2009
Best Narrative Feature, Tribeca Film Festival 2009

Superbly acted, morally challenging, packed with legitimate suspense, this is filmmaking of a high order. THE OBSERVER