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Paulo Sorrentino’s latest unfolds in the waning days of a fictional Italian presidency, where Toni Servillo (reuniting actor and director, who last collaborated in THE GREAT BEAUTY) delivers a quietly magnetic performance as the aging President Mariano De Santis. Known derisively as “Cemento armato” (“reinforced concrete”) for his steely resolve, he now confronts loneliness, grief
Set in 1985 post-war Vietnam, Khang moves to Saigon after securing a position to translate “The Little Prince.” Due to his family connections, Khang’s life under the new regime is secure. But everything changes when he meets Ky Nam, a reserved older widow from the defeated South who carries the weight of unspoken grief. Against
An unexpected box office sensation in Japan, KOKUHO is the long-gestating passion project of director Lee Sang-il, whose previous work is familiar with HIFF audiences like HULA GIRLS and the Japanese remake of UNFORGIVEN. Born from his 15-year fascination with kabuki and the onnagata tradition—men playing women on stage—Lee adapts Shūichi Yoshida’s serialized novel into
Celebrated Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi transforms a simple mishap into a riveting allegory of resistance. What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences, as an everyday collision between two strangers spirals into a dangerous entanglement with bureaucracy, surveillance, and state power. With his characteristic blend of realism and suspense,
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Set in 1952, when Okinawa was still under U.S. occupation, Hero’s Island traces the turbulent lives of four young rebels who once raided American military bases to feed their community. Their charismatic leader On vanished after a daring heist with a “prize” far greater than planned, leaving childhood friends Gusuku, Yamako, and Rei to divergent
FWENDS follows two thirty-somethings adrift in modern Sydney. Em, a junior lawyer, endures an abusive workplace just to afford her sky-high rent, while Jessie, a former stripper and world traveler, wrestles with the void left by a long-term breakup. What begins as a casual reunion unfolds into a spontaneous weekend of city wanderings and late-night