Leave, Thus Love Me

Madonnas

February 2007 •German

A portrait of Rita, who claims that her mother was never a mother for her. Rita gives birth to her own five children and forces her mother to take the role of a mother.

Mrs Hartley and the Growth Centre

May 1995 •English

When a shy young man arrives on her doorstep, Alice Hartley grabs the chance to escape from her loveless marriage. She and Michael open a Growth Centre with a difference - offering sex, drugs and personalised water births.

Together

August 2000 •Swedish

Elisabeth leaves her abusive and drunken husband Rolf, and goes to live with her brother, Göran. The year is 1975 and Göran lives in a commune called Together. Living in this leftist commune Elisabeth learns that the world can be viewed from different perspectives.

Little Children

October 2006 •English

The lives of two lovelorn spouses from separate marriages, a registered sex offender, and a disgraced ex-police officer intersect as they struggle to resist their vulnerabilities and temptations.

La melodía de lo invisible

January 2025 •Spanish

Fort Saganne

May 1984 •French

In 1911, a willful and determined man from peasant stock named Charles Saganne enlists in the military and is assigned to the Sahara Desert under the aristocratic Colonel Dubreuilh.

Journeys from Berlin/1971

January 1980 •English

An epic meditation on psychoanalysis, the Baader-Meinhof, feminism, and pre-revolutionary Russia.

A Bit Bitter

October 1996 •Korean

A woman leads a tiresome life trying to make ends meet, doing housework, and bring up her children. She tries her best to save money but she feels something is missing inside of her. She cannot communicate with her husband who brings his friends home at night to drink; they all seem to be speaking in incomprehensible gibberish

Mary Anning and the Dinosaur Hunters

June 2024 •English

The film reveals the life, plight and loves of the eminent Mary Anning, an 1800's fossil hunter - navigating her career and research in a male dominated society at a time when women's research was largely unrecognised or plagiarised by men. Predominantly unknown despite her spectacular finds, including Icthyiousauri, a Pterodactyl and Plesiosaurus, and notwithstanding the fact that Darwins' 'Origin of Species' was largely influenced by her work. She is at last becoming the most celebrated paleontologist of all time.

Unmarried Mothers

March 1980 •Chinese

Hsiao-Peng, an unmarried mother is sent to a maternity home for young single mothers. During her time in the maternity home, she slowly overcomes the depressive thoughts and builds strong bonds with Wen-Yueh, Ko-Hsin, and Madam Pai. After moving out the maternity home, Hsiao-Peng lives with Wen-Yueh and Ko-Hsin in an apartment where they continue to be each other’s support. The two main settings of the film, the maternity home and the apartment, build an atypical family model. It is a tender coming-of-age tale where women are empowered with the right to think for themselves.

The Seagull's Laughter

October 2001 •Icelandic

Post-war provincial Iceland: around 1950, Freyja, who'd been a plump teen, returns from America, a widow with a 20-inch waist, seven suitcases of dresses, and a list of who ever wronged or slighted her. She moves in with an aunt and socialist uncle: finding a new husband is high on her agenda, and she's mistrusted by Agga, a pre-teen who's our eyes and ears. The social order and Freyja are more complicated than they seem at first, and so may be her prospects. Class divisions, families ties, pride, the onset of puberty, and the power of Eros sliver the ice.

Evening News

December 1980 •Chinese

Shih-Yen is upset about Ko-Ching prioritizing her career over their marriage and even getting an abortion without his knowledge. To express discontent, Shih-Yen moves in with his mistress. Despite feeling overwhelmed by her messy personal life, Ko-Ching manages to lead her company and delivers a successful fashion show. The film reflects on career women’s struggles between family and work, it also describes the gender role stereotypes in a marriage. Although the film demonstrates clearly women’s difficult role in society, it still chooses to show the possibility of women being independent, capable and charming to refute the status quo of patriarchy.

Outsider Girls

January 2024 •Spanish

Free-spirited university student Rafaela’s carefree life is shaken when she falls pregnant. Desperate to get an abortion in a country where doing so could land her in jail and unable to fund one illegally, her situation shakes her world. But thankfully, she doesn’t face it alone by virtue of her best friend and sidekick, Gabriela. In her directorial debut, Hyland skilfully captures the incongruity of the inseparable duo’s lives as they move between their fuzzy pink apartment and the rough and raw backstreets of Santiago.

Sanda

January 1990 •Romanian

Sanda spends all her time working in a plastic factory, raising her two small children and catering to an indifferent husband, leaving little room for herself. A chance encounter with another man may offer her an escape from her daily chores.

Bitter Taste of Ginger

October 2021 •English

Ginger, a recent widow, takes up autoerotic asphyxiation to work up the nerve to kill her abusive mother-in-law, Ginny.

Born in Flames

April 1983 •English

In near-future New York, ten years after the “social-democratic war of liberation,” diverse groups of women organize a feminist uprising as equality remains unfulfilled.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains

October 1982 •English

Corrine Burns retreats far into plans for her band, The Fabulous Stains, after her mother's death.

Empire of Silver

February 2009 •Chinese

In 1899, Lord Kang must decide which of his three sons will take over his family's Chinese banking empire. When circumstances dictate that he appoint his unreliable youngest son, family bonds are pushed to the limit as father and son clash in a climate of political turmoil. Winner of the Special Jury Award at the 2009 Shanghai International Film Festival.

Recrudescence or (To Kill an Undying Being)

Invalid date •English

‘Recrudescence’ takes place in a gothic, dystopian reality wherein a patriarchal judiciary removes the anger of women within whom it is deemed excessive. This is the case for Audrey, a writer of philosophy. But when Audrey’s husband tries to capitalise on her state, her anger returns in an unusual form...

The Cotton Wool War

December 2020 •Portuguese

Dora is a German-raised teenager visiting her enigmatic Brazilian grandmother for the first time. While trying to return to Germany at all costs, she discovers the incredible history behind the women of her family.