A Dog’s Perfect Christmas

The Albatross

January 1998 •English

A ship sets sail on an epic voyage through malignant natural and supernatural elements from which one man alone survives. An adaptation of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner illustrated by19th Century wood engravings which are animated by scratching directly into the surface of color filmstock. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner with its message of ecological redemption has a curiously contemporary resonance, but it is at the level of the mythic that the poem has lasting relevance; for this epic tale of extraordinary events simply mirrors the struggle that each human being faces on their own in his or her life. -VDB

Man on Fire

September 1987 •English

Creasy, a traumatized ex-CIA agent, gets a job as a bodyguard for Samantha, the twelve-year-old daughter of a wealthy Italian family living in a swanky villa on the shores of Lake Como.

The Captive

September 2000 •French

Ariane and Simon met down by the water. Simon has managed to prize Ariane away from her friends, a bunch of free and arrogant girls, and move her into his place, with her own room at the end of the hall and her own bathroom next to his. He has taken on Andrée, one of the girls from the bunch by the water, to watch over Ariane, escort her wherever she goes and report back to him on everything she does. Andrée becomes Ariane’s accomplice. She’ll tell lies for her, and with her, and most likely they’ll make love together when the mood takes them.

America America

December 1963 •English

A young Anatolian Greek, entrusted with his family's fortune, loses it en route to Istanbul and dreams of going to America.

Never Let Me Go

March 1953 •English

An American reporter falls in love with a Russian ballet dancer.

Jane Eyre

January 1996 •English

After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meet the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Mr. Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Mr. Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?

Red Wine of Victory

May 1990 •Russian

The last days of the Great Patriotic War take place in a military hospital.

The Devil's Hairpin

October 1957 •English

Cocky car racer Nick Jargin has retired since he nearly caused the death of his brother at a hairpin bend on a circuit. He now holds a trendy café who keeps him busy full time until one day, Tony Boari, a new champion racer, challenges him.

Solaris

October 1968 •Russian

Kris Kelvin joins the space station orbiting the planet Solaris, only to find its two crew members plagued by "phantoms," creations of Solaris. Kelvin is soon confronted with his own phantom, taking the shape of his dead wife Hari.

Sherlock: Case of Evil

October 2002 •English

Early in his crime-solving career, Sherlock Holmes attempts to prevent Moriarty from cornering the heroin market.

Soccer Fans

March 1961 •Slovak

Three soccer fans are determined to do literally anything to get to the soccer match between Czechoslovakia and the famous representation team of Brazil. Reaching their goal to see the dream match live cannot he precluded neither by a sudden work task nor family obligations. However, there is one more obstacle in their way: for some time, their enthusiastic behavior during soccer matches has been monitored by the police. This time, it will not be easy for them to get to the stadium.

Romeo, Julie a tma

May 1998 •Czech

The new television adaptation of Jan Otčenášek's famous novella of the same name tells the story of the love between a teenage boy and a Jewish girl in the midst of war during the Heydrich terror. Ester seeks refuge, which Vojta provides her with, knowing the risk to his life. From this moment on, the situation of the protagonists of the story becomes a kind of existential island where fundamental human values—love, death, loyalty, and betrayal—are tested. This experience marks the main character of the story for life. This intimate drama, directed by Karel Smyczek with remarkable artistic means, is effective in its urgency and has timeless validity. The screenplay is the work of experienced author Petr Zikmund.

Pacientka dr. Hegla

August 1940 •Czech

Pharmacist Janota's daughter, Karla, is about to get married to wealthy lawyer Jaroslav Kříž. On the day of the wedding, however, instead of the ceremony, she will have an appendectomy. After the successful procedure, the weakened Karla also develops severe pneumonia and even has a heart attack. Fortunately, she is under the care of Prague's best surgeon, MUDr. Hegl, who saves the young woman from certain death. Karla falls in love with the attractive doctor and begins seeing him. Hegl's resigned wife suffers silently from her husband's affairs in order to preserve the family. Karla's fiancé, on the other hand, cannot cope with the situation and commits suicide. When Karla becomes pregnant with Hegl, the doctor turns away from her. After all, he already has a new "patient". The girl is nevertheless determined to keep the child...

Ideál septimy

September 1938 •Czech

Jindřich Tůma, a partner in the gas mask shop "Asana", has a very energetic wife who promotes a vegetarian diet. The real soul of the company is Ing. Ivan Kareš, who also leads civil defense exercises. On the street, during a practice air raid warning, he sternly reprimands a girl who did not go to shelter. It is Věrka, the Tůma's niece, who comes from the countryside to finish her studies in Prague. Věrka enters the seventh grade and soon shares the enthusiasm of her classmates for an unknown composer whose pseudonym is Michal Marhan. Ing. Kareš gives a lecture on civil defense in the seventh grade and so meets Věrka again. Kareš tries to convince the girls of the necessity of more concrete life ideals. At the premiere of Marhan's operetta "Píseň o štěstí" it turns out that Kareš is the composer. The girls give him a standing ovation. Ivan ignores Věrka, with whom he has recently had a falling out. The stubborn girl therefore leaves for home...

Jindra, the Countess Ostrovín

January 1934 •Czech

Safe Passage

December 1994 •English

Recently estranged from her husband, and mother of seven sons, Mag Singer stands poised to pursue a whole new way of life. But when one of her children is involved in an explosion while on duty in the Middle East, Mag must rexamine everything she cherishes.

A Sunday in Kigali

March 2006 •French

In April 1994, the middle-aged Canadian journalist Bernard Valcourt is making a documentary in Kigali about AIDS. He secretly falls in love for the Tutsi waitress of his hotel Gentille, who is younger than him, in a period of violent racial conflicts. When the genocide of the Tutsis by the Hutus in Rwanda begins, Bernard does not succeed in escaping with Gentille to Canada. When the genocide finishes in July 1994, Bernard returns to the chaotic Kigali seeking out Gentille in the middle of destruction and dead bodies.

Love's Unfolding Dream

December 2007 •English

Centers on Missy's adopted daughter Belinda Tyler as she follows her dream. Belinda wants to be a doctor, but this time period does not look kindly on women with careers, especially one in the medical field. But Belinda is a strong-minded woman and deeply wants a career as a doctor. She manages to prove her abilities while assisting the local doctor and caring for an old woman who recently experienced a stroke. Belinda nurses her back to health and helps her regain the use of her arm again. Belinda also meets the nephew of their deceased neighbor. Drew comes to town to get his uncle's farm in shape to sell. After that he intends on returning to New York to join his father's law practice. He has no desire to stay in this small, unsophisticated town. But after meeting Belinda he has second thoughts. Belinda also feels something for Drew, but she is conflicted because she wants to be a doctor...

Song for a Raggy Boy

January 2003 •English

William Franklin is a teacher who was born in Ireland and moved to the United States only to repatriate in 1939 after his leftist political views cause him to lose his job. Franklin becomes the first non-cleric instructor at St. Jude's, a school for wayward boys run by Brother John, who is a firm believer in strong discipline.

Lady of Burlesque

May 1943 •English

After one member of their group is murdered, the performers at a burlesque house must work together to find out who the killer is before they strike again.