Take Note

Head Under Water

September 2007 •German

Something terrible is about to happen in a small town in Germany. Nobody knows the reason why, except one person: Rico Bartsch. The 15-year old grammar school pupil, an absolute outsider, is in love with the most beautiful girl at his school. What in the beginning is a longing that can never be fulfilled will come true at the end of the story. Beautiful Regine will beg for Rico’s love. Until then several inhabitants of the town will die an unnatural death...

I Am My Own Woman

October 1992 •German

The life story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who survived the Nazi reign as a trans woman and helped start the German gay liberation movement. Documentary with some dramatized scenes. Two actors play the young and middle aged Charlotte and she plays herself in the later years.

This Boy's Life

April 1993 •English

When a son and mother move to Seattle in hopes for a better life, the mother meets a seemingly polite man. Things go south when the man turns out to be abusive, endangering their lives. As the mother struggles to maintain hope in an impossible situation, the son has plans to escape.

Khadak

August 2006 •Mongolian

Set in the frozen steppes of Mongolia, a young nomad is confronted with his destiny after animals fall victim to a plague which threatens to eradicate nomadism.

We Die Alone

August 2020 •English

A chance encounter dangerously intertwines the lives of three people with differing perspectives on love.

Automatic

October 2019 •Greek

Two young women convince each other they are under threat after accidentally photographing what they believe to be a concealed automatic rifle. Shot in drawn-out, static takes, Emma Doxiadi’s comical mystery comments on Greece’s ongoing refugee crisis in real time, pointing squarely at foolish knee-jerk reactions.

Fish Out of Water

July 2008 •

Fish Out of Water manages to unfurl its light-hearted tale of young man and the sea, without a word of dialogue. Avoiding the morning traffic jams, our man (Nick Dunbar) finds peace by rowing each day to work in the city. But when a seductive blonde unexpectedly enters the picture, he finds his morning boat ride heading in unexpected directions. Directed by Lala Rolls (Land of My Ancestors), Fish Out of Water was invited to play in the 2005 NZ Film Festival, plus another 10 overseas fests. Victoria Kelly composes the brass and banjo-inflected soundtrack.

Chickenshit

October 2023 •English

At the height of summer, two rowdy young boys spend the afternoon tearing through the countryside. But when they come across an electric fence a competitive game sparks something unexpected between them.

Never.

September 2021 •English

A business meeting dives into the socio-political when a truly human moment moves the group to speak their hidden truths.

Bodyshop

April 2023 •English

A ghost soldier bids farewell to his mother then possesses bodies worldwide to meddle in unfaithful relationships in Taiwan, Japan, Spain and Thailand. In Hong Kong he encounters his soulmate amid protests and they take refuge in a garage.

Unspoken

September 1997 •English

A triptych of youth-oriented stories set in a small New Brunswick town. Follow Jeff and Kristine into the woods for a night of forbidden passion that ends in tragedy...Meet Jennifer, a tough-talking teen who winds up in a compromising situation when she shoplifts in a record store...Celebrate football hero Brian Mair's farewell at a feverish all-night house party where everyone is out to score and nothing is what it seems.

Carrie

November 2002 •English

An awkward, telekinetic teenage girl's lonely life is dominated by relentless bullying at school and an oppressive religious fanatic mother at home. When her tormentors pull a humiliating prank at the senior prom, she unleashes a horrifying chaos on everyone, leaving nothing but destruction in her wake.

Like Stars on Earth

December 2007 •Hindi

Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate. Colours, fish, dogs, and kites don't seem important to the adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks, and neatness. Ishaan cannot seem to get anything right in class; he is then sent to boarding school, where his life changes forever.

While the Unicorn Is Watching Me

June 2014 •

On a chilly Sunday morning, a man awakens to the mischievous stare of a unicorn that seems to have come straight out of his dreams. Carried along by an early morning sensuality, his fantasies transform his lonely apartment into a garden of delights, in which this young creature can freely reap the fruits of his desires.

Amor, amor, amor

December 2018 •Spanish

Three women meet at the emergency room of a hospital at dawn with a common link: the three have just lost their partners in a traffic accident.

Bad Faith

March 2019 •Catalan

A family spending their holiday at the Costa Brava. The older brother's belief system will be disrupted when an act of kindness results in a little tragedy. This will lead him into a routine where refusing to make decisions could lead to greater tragedies.

Love in the Time of Cholera

October 2007 •English

In Colombia just after the Great War, an old man falls from a ladder; dying, he professes great love for his wife. After the funeral, a man calls on the widow - she dismisses him angrily. Flash back more than 50 years to the day Florentino Ariza, a telegraph boy, falls in love with Fermina Daza, the daughter of a mule trader.

Der Edelweißkönig

September 1957 •German

According to Plan

June 2007 •German

It's mom's birthday and her three daughters want to throw a big party. But everything turns out differently. It's not just because the divorced dad arrives a few days early and brings his much-too-young new girlfriend with him, or because the birthday girl has to stage the end of the world with her village theater group.

Yesterday

September 2004 •Zulu

After falling ill, Yesterday learns that she is HIV positive. With her husband in denial and young daughter to tend to, Yesterday's one goal is to live long enough to see her child go to school.