The Shell Seekers

On Secret Service

December 1933 •English

Greta Nissen stars as an Italian noblewoman living a dangerous double life as a spy. A remake of the celebrated German thriller Spione am Werk. Co-starring noted German actor Karl Ludwig Diehl and American matinee idol Don Alvarado. The film takes place in Vienna, 1912. When an Austrian staff officer is implicated by association with a known Italian spy he goes on the run. Three years later - as the Great War gets into full swing - he returns and begs the Austrian Secret Service to allow him to clear his name from suspicion.

…ja Helena soittaa

December 1951 •Finnish

Lasse Pöysti's directorial debut film. And Helena Plays On (1951) is based on Aino Räsänen's second novel of the same name in the Helena series. When the Winter War breaks out, Arttu (Jussi Jurkka), the son of Helena (Irma Seikkula) and Jari Junkkeri (Erkki Viljos), go to the front. Arttu proposes to his girlfriend Elina (Leena Häkinen), but the world events come in between. When he is not heard of at the end of the war, the relatives begin to believe that Arttu is dead - everybody else but not Helena.

Mājup ar uzvaru

June 1948 •Latvian

Riphagen the Untouchable

September 2016 •Dutch

Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1944, during World War II. Andries Riphagen, a powerful underworld boss, has made his fortune by putting his many criminal talents at the service of the Nazi occupiers. But the long battle is about to end and the freedom fighters, who have been persecuted and murdered for years, are abandoning their hideouts to mercilessly hunt down those who have collaborated with the killers.

The Evening Star

December 1996 •English

Continuing the story of Aurora Greenway in her latter years. After the death of her daughter, Aurora struggled to keep her family together, but has one grandson in jail, a rebellious granddaughter, and another grandson living just above the poverty line.

Villain

May 1971 •English

In 1970s London, Scotland Yard orchestrates the downfall of mob boss Vic Dakin after he crosses the line by blackmailing Members of Parliament.

National Theatre Live: War Horse

February 2014 •English

Based on Michael Morpurgo's novel and adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford, War Horse takes audiences on an extraordinary journey from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France.

Viimeinen vieras

March 1941 •Finnish

Inspector Puosu investigates the murder of smuggler Nelly with journalist Harn. Doubts are directed at wholesaler Antti Rajapalo, whose innocence is believed only by Rajapalo's secretary Ane Arvila.

Koshtana

January 1976 •

TV adaptation of the Bora Stankovic drama, the most staged play in the history of Serbian theatre. Set in the southern Serbian town of Vranje, it is a tragedy about a Gypsy singing girl destined to marry but not for love. The old man Mitke loves her beauty and singing, but doesn't love her as a woman. Her talent and free spirit reminds him of his youth, young age and all he had to sacrifice for loveless marriage and unhappiness in order to fit into conventions.

The Black Watch

May 1929 •English

Captain Donald King is sent to India to carry out a secret mission while the Black Watch, his regiment, leaves for France at the outbreak of the First World War.

Love & Gelato

June 2022 •English

Lina is about to graduate high school and has her sights set on her future at MIT. But when her mom gets sick, she encourages Lina to follow in her footsteps and have “the summer of a lifetime” in Rome. Using her mom’s old diary as a guide, she explores the romantic and magical city, where she just might find love... and gelato, of course.

Waiting in the Dark

September 2006 •Japanese

A precarious loner sneaks into a blind woman's home and begins living there without her noticing. Meanwhile, the woman mourns her recently deceased father and struggles to remain connected to the world.

Summer of 85

July 2020 •French

What do you dream of when you're 16-years-old and in a seaside resort in Normandy in the 1980s? A best friend? A lifelong teen pact? Scooting off on adventures on a boat or a motorbike? Living life at breakneck speed? No. You dream of death. Because you can't get a bigger kick than dying. And that's why you save it till the very end. The summer holidays are just beginning, and this story recounts how Alexis grew into himself.

Synnin puumerkki

September 1942 •Finnish

Maria, who lives in Hermann, Helsinki, takes in a baby abandoned on the steps of a bar. Mean neighbors call the foundling, named Stiina, a municipal orphan, which makes the girl ashamed of her background. Malicious gossip, constant poverty, and misfortune strengthen her spirit. Stiina grows up to be a brave and fair woman.

Kartanon naiset

December 1944 •Finnish

The film tells the story of the women of Larsvik Manor, especially the young lady of the house Barbi during World War II.

Give It All

October 2024 •Japanese

A high-school girl, Etsuko, just spends her days without any aims or purpose, until one day, Riina, a transfer student, asks her help to set up a boat club. Although Etsuko reluctantly accepts after hearing Riina speak passionately about her dream, she gradually starts to embrace the club after spending time with her teammates.

Lady J

September 2018 •French

When a romance between a widow and a notorious libertine takes an unexpected turn, Mademoiselle de Joncquières becomes instrumental to one lover’s plans for revenge.

Totuus on armoton

March 1963 •Finnish

A man sets out to prove his right against a District Court in a small town. The locals are not willing to accept anything but their own truth of the matter.

Bygones

January 1987 •Dutch

A film about the laborious and lengthy process of becoming old; the deterioration, dementia and eventual death of elderly parents. This is seen and experienced through the eyes of their daughter, the writer Inez Dullemen.

Ratavartijan kaunis Inkeri

October 1950 •Finnish

Train driver Ilmari Perttula falls in love with Inkeri, the young wife of his elderly friend, railway guard Iikka Junkkari. Meanwhile, Martta, the daughter of a colleague, pursues Ilmari. Over time, Iikka becomes aware of the relationship between Inkeri and Ilmari.