“Hotel Hibiscus” is a unique cinematic gem crafted by the visionary hands of esteemed director, Yuji Nakae, who is renowned for his subtle yet profound depictions of life in the Ryukyu Islands. Nakae’s “Nabbie’s Love” has been celebrated for their deep cultural immersion and vivid character sketches, and “Hotel Hibiscus” is no exception. Released in 2002, the film transports viewers to the languid tropical paradise of Okinawa, skillfully amalgamating a cocktail of comedy, drama, and the vibrancy of island life.Read More »
2001-2010
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Yûji Nakae – Hoteru haibisukasu AKA Hotel Hibiscus (2002)
2001-2010ComedyDramaJapanYûji Nakae -
Nikos Panayotopoulos – Delivery (2004)
Nikos Panayotopoulos2001-2010DramaGreeceYoung man arrives in Athens to seek his fortune. Vainly.Read More »
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Hal Hartley – The Sisters of Mercy (2004)
Hal Hartley2001-2010DramaShort FilmUSAHal Hartley reveals the tireless experimentation, curiousity and playfulness that lies behind his many feature films in his this short film, The Sisters of Mercy, starring Parker Posey and Sabrina Lloyd.Read More »
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Asli Özge – Köprüdekiler AKA Men on the Bridge (2009)
Asli Özge2001-2010ArthouseDramaTurkeyMEN ON THE BRIDGE – KÖPRÜDEKİLER by Berlin director Asli Özge won Best Film at the Istanbul, London and Adana film festivals. The film premiered internationally in Locarno and Toronto. Caught between tradition and modernity, Europe and Asia, the lives of the three main figures stagnate in the permanent traffic jam of the Bosporus bridge.Read More »
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Ulli Lommel – B.T.K. Killer (2005)
Ulli Lommel2001-2010CrimeDramaUSAThe B.T.K. killer harasses a news reporter with threatening letters as he ponders about the murders he committed 30 years ago.Read More »
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Isabelle Broué – Tout le plaisir est pour moi AKA The Pleasure Is All Mine (2004)
Isabelle Broué2001-2010ComedyDramaFranceAfter lecturing her sister on the evils of fake orgasms, Louise, a self-obsessed twenty-something, gets her come-uppance the next morning when she discovers that she has “lost her clitoris”, a misfortune she doesn’t hesitate to communicate, loudly and explicitly, to anyone who’ll listen.
It’s a shame that so many of the characters and situations in this movie, from the gay best-friend to the sex guru with his herbs to the celibate neighbour to the old ladies discussing orgasms, feel like a parade of comedy stereotypes. The falseness and banality of these sketch-like scenes conflict awkwardly with the pseudo-documentary discussions of female sexuality that the director inserts with great earnestness throughout the film.Read More »
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Mark Cairns – Das Leben geht weiter AKA Life Goes On (2002)
2001-2010DocumentaryGermanyMark CairnsWarThe absurd and often surrealistic story of the last propaganda film of the Third Reich.Read More »
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Masaki Iwana – Vermilion Souls (2007)
2001-2010ArthouseDramaJapanMasaki IwanaSet in Tokyo seven years after the end of WWII, this surreal story revolves around the dreams and realities of a young boy who strays into a strange mansion while out chasing fliers dropped by a small aeroplane. Confined inside are four adults suffering from an incurable disease (‘porphyria’, which the author avoids specifying by name in the screenplay) which prevents them from having exposure to the sun.Read More »
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Peter Stein/Peter Schönhofer/Thomas Grimm – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Faust (2001)
2001-2010ClassicsGermanyPerformancePeter SchönhoferPeter SteinThomas GrimmFaust I und II. By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Arena Treptow, Berlin. 16/17 December 2000.
It took Peter Stein more than ten years to realize his life-long dream of staging both parts of Goethe’s tragedy in an unabridged version. He finally succeeded in raising sufficient funds to hire an ensemble and, most importantly, to engage Bruno Ganz for the part of Faust. They had worked together before; early in both their careers Ganz played Tasso in Stein’s famous production at the Bremen Municipal Theatre in 1969 and Peer Gynt and the Prince of Homburg at the Berliner Schaubühne in 1971 and 1974 respectively. However, even though casting was settled, a series of disasters still seemed to haunt the production. Read More »