The World's Applause

La ragazza dei lillà

August 1986 •Italian

An honest and idealistic archaeologist, to find the legendary burial of an Etruscan king, collides with the interests of a group of "grave robbers". Larth is a passionate archaeologist of the Etruscan civilization, on the trail of a famous royal tomb. Vasco is a hotelier in the area which is enriched by plundering the graves and selling their treasures. Tania is the beautiful, thirteen year old, niece of Vasco (played by 18 yr old Brigitta Boccoli ) that disturbs the mature scholar Larth by attempting to seduce his wife Leonora. There is treasure, thievery, murder and seduction. Oh, and a red car.

A Romance of Old Baghdad

March 1922 •English

In nineteenth century Mesopotamia a series of romantic enganglements ensue.

The Paper

March 1994 •English

Henry Hackett is the workaholic editor of a New York City tabloid. He loves his job, but the long hours and low pay are leading to discontent. Also, publisher Bernie White faces financial straits, and has hatchet-man Alicia Clark—Henry's nemesis—impose unpopular cutbacks.

Me and Orson Welles

September 2008 •English

New York, 1937. A teenager hired to star in Orson Welles' production of Julius Caesar becomes attracted to a career-driven production assistant.

Siew Lup

February 2017 •Chinese

Mia, an ex-prostitute, is trapped in a loveless marriage with the abusive Quan (Sunny Pang, who also stars in Headshot in this year’s Festival lineup), a butcher who runs a roast meat shop. When she meets sensitive funeral director Wu, their passion for one another escalates into an affair. But the path to true love is fraught with jealousy, forcing someone to make a deadly move.

The Last Supper

September 1995 •English

A group of idealistic, but frustrated, liberals succumb to the temptation of murdering rightwing pundits for their political beliefs.

The Salton Sea

February 2002 •English

After the murder of his beloved wife, a man in search of redemption is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. On his journey, he befriends slacker Jimmy "The Finn", becomes involved in rescuing his neighbor Colette from her own demons, and gets entangled in a web of deceit full of unexpected twists and turns.

Cobra Verde

December 1987 •German

A fearsome 19th century bandit, Cobra Verde cuts a swath through Brazil until he arrives at the sugar plantation of Don Octávio Countinho. Not knowing that his new guest is the notorious bandit and impressed by his ruthless ways, Don Octávio hires Cobra Verde to oversee his slaves. But when Cobra Verde impregnates Don Octávio’s three daughters, the incensed plantation owner exiles the outlaw to Africa where he is expected to reopen the slave trade. Following his trans-Atlantic journey, Cobra Verde exploits tribal conflicts to commandeer an abandoned fortress and whips an army of naked warriors into a frenzied bloodlust as he vies for survival.

Fist of Fury

March 1972 •Chinese

Chen Chen returns to his former school in Shanghai when he learns that his beloved instructor has been murdered. While investigating the man's death, Chen discovers that a rival Japanese school is operating a drug smuggling ring. To avenge his master’s death, Chen takes on both Chinese and Japanese assassins… and even a towering Russian.

Twilight

December 1917 •Russian

The Fankony Cafe

June 1927 •Russian

King of the Underworld

July 1952 •English

A sinister crook is implicated in blackmail, greed for emeralds, a secret formula and murder. Thee episodes from a 1952 British television series called "Inspector Morley, Late of Scotland Yard, Investigates" were joined together and released theatrically.

The Haunted Bedroom

December 1919 •English

Betsy Thorne (Bennett) travels to investigate a missing man where she overhears a conversation between the sheriff and an imported detective that reporters are barred from the house and grounds where the mystery has taken place. She comes across a maid sent to the house from Richmond, and so frightens her that she gains a chance to act in her place. During the first night at the house she is terrified when she sees a ghostly figure come from the grand organ. The house is roused by her screams as she flees the room, and she is forbidden from going back there by the sister of the missing man. During the following night she is locked in her room during a thunderstorm, and while escaping through a window sees the ghostly figure again in the family graveyard. She makes an investigation which starts from a particular chord played at the grand organ. They find that certain keys cause a secret door in the organ to open, revealing a secret passage to a family tomb.

Alleluia

November 2014 •French

Michel, a murderous womanizer, meets introverted Gloria online and treats her to a whirlwind one-night-stand. Offering herself as an accomplice in his seductive crimes, the unhinged lovers embark on a deadly odyssey amplified by wild sex, unbridled jealousy, and passionate forays into the dark arts. This smart and gory shocker breathes new life into the lovesick horror genre to serve up a chilling tale of white-hot desperation and terrifying devotion.

The Hero of Submarine D-2

March 1916 •English

Lieutenant Commander Colton, U.S.N., is in love with Caroline Austen, daughter of a prominent political power in Washington. Colton has a rival in James Archer, a journalist of prominence, unscrupulous and secretly in league with the Ruanian Ambassador, who is endeavoring to obtain for his country inside information as to the United States naval resources.

The Ruling Power

October 1915 •English

Mr. Williams, a stern father and man of wealth, disinherits his son Hugh, for marrying Rose, a seamstress. Twenty years later, although Sose is practically supporting her sick husband, their little store is taken from them and they are obliged to move, with Martha, their daughter, to the tenement district.

White Nights

January 2019 •English

A chance encounter backstage: Broken glass and a shared cigarette bring two strangers together. Three nights in which they learn to overcome social hierarchies and unrequited love. A short film inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel “White Nights”.

He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not

March 2002 •French

A talented art student named Angélique is passionately in love with Dr. Loïc Le Garrec, a handsome married man whom she believes will leave his wife. When he eventually decides to stay in his marriage, it causes Angélique to spiral. However, as the story shifts from Angélique's perspective to Loïc's, the surprising truth about their relationship is revealed.

Instinct

June 1999 •English

In a prison for the criminally insane, deranged anthropologist Ethan Powell is set to be examined by a bright young psychiatrist, Theo Caulder. Driven by ambition and a hunger for the truth, Caulder will eventually risk everything—even put his very life on the line—in a harrowing attempt to understand the bizarre actions of this madman.

Old Shoes

April 1925 •English

A widowed woman marries her husband's brother, who soon proves to be a tyrant stepfather to his adopted son.