The Box of Life

Held for Ransom

August 2019 •Danish

HELD FOR RANSOM tells the true story of Danish photojournalist Daniel Rye who was held hostage for 398 days in Syria by the terror organization ISIS along with several other foreign nationals including the American journalist, James Foley. The film follows Daniel’s struggle to survive in captivity, his friendship with James, and the nightmare of the Rye family back home in Denmark as they try to do everything in their power to save their son. At the center of this crisis, we find hostage negotiator, Arthur, who plays a pivotal role in securing Daniel’s release.

The Taste of Apples Is Red

September 2022 •Arabic

In the Druze mountain villages between Syria and Israel, Kamel, a respected sheik, must make an impossible decision between family and duty when his estranged brother returns to the Golan Heights after 47 years in exile.

Goat and Mother

June 2022 •Spanish

In the midst of the civil war of 1948 in Costa Rica, after the disappearance of her parents, a young girl finds shelter in the arms of a creature that lives close to her home.

Blindfolded

March 1999 •Finnish

Two 9-year-old boys, Jontti and Länki, grow up in a Finnish seaside town in the 1960s. Länki's biggest dream is to run away on a ship to the sea where his father is rumoured to have died. Jontti too must discover that his father is not what he appears to be. When his dad moves away with another woman, Jontti is determined to win him back.

Hearts in Atlantis

September 2001 •English

A widowed mother and her son change when a mysterious stranger enters their lives.

Elders

June 2019 •English

Two Elders feel that their grandson is old enough to start learning important lessons about his Country. But is he ready for the challenge?

The Lulus

January 2023 •French

August 1914. While the German army is gaining ground in the North of France, four boys aged 10 to 15, LUcien, LUcas, LUigi and LUdwig are left behind during the evacuation of their orphanage. Without the protection of Abbé Turpin and the schoolteacher Leutellier, the Lulus are now stranded on their own behind the enemy front line. Soon joined by LUce, a pretty young girl separated from her parents, they decide to reach the neutral country of Switzerland by all means possible... they embark on an adventure for which nothing and no one has prepared them!

The Night

July 2023 •Spanish

Luisa and her sister Estela will play hide and seek during a particular night. They both have suffered an important loss in their family, the mourning and grief will be present inside their house all night long.

A Quiet Death

October 1986 •Greek

Martha is unhappy with her life as it is at the moment, and among other issues, she has decided to give up her writing career. Along with that decision comes a need to get away from her husband and from her psychiatrist, with whom she has had more than just a doctor-patient relationship. As Martha travels through a deserted city landscape in a storm, the external world reflects something of her inner turmoil. Flashbacks are interspersed throughout the film to enhance the suspense of Martha's inner and outer journey.

La niña tatuada

September 2024 •Spanish

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.

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

September 2006 •English

Dito Montiel, a successful author, receives a call from his long-suffering mother, asking him to return home and visit his ailing father. Dito recalls his childhood growing up in a violent neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., with friends Antonio, Giuseppe, Nerf and Mike.

July

January 1988 •Kazakh

One hot summer afternoon, two boys try to earn the cash for a movie in this beautiful evocation of the landscape of childhood.

The Tree of Life

May 2011 •English

The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.

Dreamcatcher

March 2003 •English

Four boyhood pals perform a heroic act and are changed by the powers they gain in return. Years later, on a hunting trip in the Maine woods, they're overtaken by a vicious blizzard that harbors an ominous presence. Challenged to stop an alien force, the friends must first prevent the slaughter of innocent civilians by a military vigilante ... and then overcome a threat to the bond that unites the four of them.

The Left Hand

October 2023 •French

Young Maxime’s mother starts worrying about him when his 2nd grade teacher declares him “abnormal”. After a distressing visit to the hospital, she decides to confront the teacher, only to see the whole situation in a new light when the most trivial misunderstanding occurs. A short movie about gender, especially when it's projected on others.

Small Change

March 1976 •French

Various experiences of childhood are seen in several sequences that take place in the small town of Thiers, France. Vignettes include a boy's awakening interest in girls, couples double-dating at the movies, brothers giving their friend a haircut, a boy dealing with an abusive home life, a baby and a cat sitting by an open window, a child telling a dirty joke, and a boy who develops a crush on his friend's mother.

The Boys

November 1962 •Finnish

When Continuation War started in Summer 1941, German soldiers arrived to Oulu. With their charm they conquered women and town boys. Finnish boys communicated with them on many levels: had trades, worked as interpreters, rotated business, spied on German love adventures and fought with each other about the favor of soldiers. In autumn 1944, the war was ending. Germans left Oulu by leaving behind fragile relationships, bastard kids and unfinished businesses. The most shocking of all was the faith of young Jake...

Mirror

March 1975 •Russian

A dying man in his forties recalls his childhood, his mother, the war and personal moments that tell of and juxtapose pivotal moments in Soviet history with daily life.

The Year of the Radio

March 2022 •Spanish

Mexico in the 90s. Alex, a 7 year-old boy and his little siblings are left in the care of senile Aunt Lola while their mother works as a host on a radio station. Alex misses his mother and along with his siblings, they listen to his mother’s show every night, building strange imaginary worlds through the stories they hear, the news, the radio soap operas and the religious influence of his great-aunt.