Once Upon a Time in Diyarbekir

Requiem

February 1982 •Hungarian

When a young boy comes in to see a doctor abourt a red mark on his face, the doctor's wife welcomes him into the consulting room instead. As they talk, she offers him something to eat and then notes that his manner of eating is just like that of her previous husband, who died in prison many years earlier. It turns out that the young man had been his cell mate for a year, and he tells her the story of how her husband died. She then remembers (in flashbacks) how she had helped her first husband rid himself of his sexual repression, and how she had promised him she would marry her current husband if she were widowed. It seems her doctor-husband was a man who could remain untouched through any political climate, and was much admired by her first husband. Now that her memories have been awakened by the young man's account, she ignores the repeated phone calls of her current husband and decides to rid this young man of his own sexual repressions.

Revolver

September 1973 •Italian

An Italian prison official's wife is kidnapped, and the kidnappers demand that a notorious prisoner be released in order for the man to get his wife back. He gets the man released - but then kidnaps him himself, in order to ensure that the man's colleagues don't kill his wife. Enraged, the gang sets out to free their compatriot and kill the man who took him.

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

October 1999 •English

A Black hitman who models after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.

Hang 'em High

April 1968 •English

Marshall Jed Cooper survives a hanging, vowing revenge on the lynch mob that left him dangling. To carry out his oath for vengeance, he returns to his former job as a lawman. Before long, he's caught up with the nine men on his hit list and starts dispensing his own brand of Wild West justice.

Murder in the First

January 1995 •English

A young, inexperienced public defender is assigned to defend an inmate accused of committing murder while behind bars.

Carandiru

March 2003 •Portuguese

When a doctor decides to carry out an AIDS prevention program inside Latin America’s largest prison: the Casa de Detenção de São Paulo - Carandiru, he meets the future victims of one of the darkest days in Brazilian History when the State of São Paulo’s Military Police, with the excuse for law enforcement, shot to death 111 people. Based on real facts and on the book written by Dráuzio Varella.

Drillbit Taylor

February 2008 •English

Dealing with a sociopathic school bully, three high school freshmen hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them, not realizing he is just a homeless beggar and petty thief looking for some easy cash.

Little Voice

November 1998 •English

After the death of her father, Little Voice or LV becomes a virtual recluse, never going out and hardly ever saying a word. She just sits in her bedroom listening to her father's collection of old records of Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and various other famous female singers. But at night time, LV sings, imitating these great singers with surprising accuracy. One night she is overheard by one of her mother's boyfriends, who happens to be a talent agent. He manages to convince her that her talent is special and arranges for her to perform at the local night club, but several problems arise.

My Beautiful Jinjiimaa

March 2003 •Mongolian

My Beautiful Jinjiimaa is an emotional romantic drama in a setting few in the U.S. have ever seen. A deaf woman, Jinjiimaa, is raped by the local party Chairman, and shoots her attacker. Her lifelong friend, lame farmer Sukhee, goes to prison for six years for Jinjimaa’s crime. The film begins with his return, where Sukhee and Jinjiimaa meet—each with a secret.

Kovanaama

January 1954 •Finnish

Lasse Pöysti plays a young reporter named Esko Pekuri who thinks he's got a front-page story. But every article he writes goes in press as minor news. He gets a fantastic idea to impersonate a gangster and write an article about prison life.

Papillon

December 1973 •English

A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.

The Great Escape

July 1963 •English

The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.

We're No Angels

June 1989 •English

Two escaped cons' only prayer to escape is to pass themselves off as priests and pass by the police blockade at the border into the safety of Canada.

We're No Angels

July 1955 •English

Three convicts escape from prison on Devil's Island just before Christmas and arrive at a nearby French colonial town. They go to the store of the Ducotels, the only store that gives supplies on credit. They initially intend to take advantage of them but have a change of heart after they find the family is in financial troubles.

Prisoners

May 2005 •German

In a German town, teacher Irene leads an inconspicuous, boring, lonely life. One day, a man rings at her door and slips in. It's an armed convict from the prison next door, escaped with a leg wound. He now makes her a prisoner in her own home. Almost without a word, as if she secretly enjoys the excitement or just mesmerized, she obeys Vassily, every single command, even sexual services, submissively or after a symbolic struggle. Somehow that seems to change, but can force initiate love?

Kiss of Death

April 1995 •English

Jimmy Kilmartin's an ex-con who's trying to go straight. But he can't say no to a quick driving job because his so-called friend's life is threatened. The job is for Little Junior Brown, a violent and powerful villain. When things go wrong, Jimmy is left to do the time, and his whole life is turned upside-down, but if that wasn't enough, the cops won't leave Jimmy alone when he gets out... They want Little Junior Brown.

Männerpension

January 1996 •German

A support program brings the two Kanckis Gerd and Steinbock into the care of women. There they are supposed to prove that they are capable of integrating into society. Now Gerd stupidly kills a bar owner. This puts an end to their excursion into freedom for the time being.

The Longest Yard

May 2005 •English

Disgraced pro football quarterback Paul Crewe lands in a Texas federal penitentiary, where manipulative Warden Hazen recruits him to advise the institution's football team of prison guards. Crewe suggests a tune-up game which lands him quarterbacking a crew of inmates in a game against the guards. Aided by incarcerated ex-NFL coach and player Nate Scarborough, Crewe and his team must overcome not only the bloodthirstiness of the opposition, but also the corrupt warden trying to fix the game against them.

Honrarás a tus padres

February 1937 •English

The Rat Tamer

July 1995 •English

In this Aussie prison drama directed by Kate Woods, no one can explain why inmate Kevin Jones (Hugh Jackman) arrived at Blackstream Penitentiary with brain damage and horrible bruises on his body -- least of all Kevin. Can a jailhouse psychologist (played by Deborra-Lee Furness) help Kevin regain his memory, or will it take an act of violence to bring out the truth? This "Correlli" TV series pilot "The Rat Tamer" was later released separately on DVD as a feature.