The Burden

Your Son and Brother

April 1966 •Russian

Based on short stories by Vasiliy Shukshin. About the life and people of the modern Soviet village. Old Yermolai lived all his life in one village. He has four sons, each with their own problems. The youngest foolishly ended up in jail and, three months before his release, greatly missing his family, escaped.

The Land

January 1952 •Turkish

The film deals with the harsh realities of village life and the problems of landholding The film, in an almost documentary style.

A Love in Germany

October 1983 •German

In May of 1983, a man turns 49 and, with his 17-year old son, journeys to the village in Baden that he left 40 years before. He wants to discover what happened then, the truth about an affair his mother had with a young Polish prisoner of war, how the authorities came to learn of it, the lovers' arrest, and the aftermath. While his son takes Polaroid photographs, he retraces the steps of his childhood and interviews those who should remember. The story is disclosed in flashbacks that focus on the lovers (Paulina and Stanislaus), on a jealous and conniving neighbor, and on Mayer, the local SS commander who wants to find a way out of inevitable consequences.

Sevgili Oğlum

September 1977 •Turkish

The Inheritors

June 1998 •German

In a small farming valley in Austria in the beginning of the 20th century a tyrannical farmer is found dead, and all the farmhands are relieved to be free of their tyrant. But the farmer was childless, so suddenly they all inherit the farm together. Now conflicts begin, as nobody is the boss and nobody has to obey.

Sommersby

February 1993 •English

Set in the South just after the US Civil War, Laurel Sommersby is just managing to work the farm without her husband, believed killed in battle. By all accounts, Jack Sommersby was not a pleasant man, thus when he suddenly returns, Laurel has mixed emotions. It appears that Jack has changed a great deal, leading some people to believe that this is not actually Jack but an imposter. Laurel herself is unsure, but willing to take the man into her home, and perhaps later into her heart.

In My Father's Den

June 2004 •English

War journalist Paul Prior returns to his New Zealand hometown after his father’s death, rekindling strained relationships with his brother and memories of a troubled past. He befriends Celia, a curious and aspiring writer, who shares a fascination with his world. When Celia mysteriously disappears, Paul becomes the prime suspect, forcing him to confront buried secrets and uncover the dark truths of his family and community.

Luna Papa

September 1999 •Russian

The unborn child of Mamlakat is telling her story. She is 17, beautiful and vivacious, and dreaming secretly of becoming an actress. She lives with her father and brother in a small village in Central Asia. One night she is seduced by an actor from a travelling troupe, who poses as a friend of Tom Cruise, and gets her pregnant. She tries to abort, but her father and brother become determined to find the seducer, setting in motion a cascade of comic adventures.

Local Hero

February 1983 •English

An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.

Dogville

May 2003 •English

A woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town, she learns that their support has a price.

Silent Light

October 2007 •German

Johan and his family are Mennonites from the north of Mexico. Against the law of God and Man, Johan falls in love with another woman.

Antonia's Line

September 1995 •Dutch

After World War II, Antonia and her daughter, Danielle, go back to their Dutch hometown, where Antonia's late mother has bestowed a small farm upon her. There, Antonia settles down and joins a tightly-knit but unusual community. Those around her include quirky friend Crooked Finger, would-be suitor Bas and, eventually for Antonia, a granddaughter and great-granddaughter who help create a strong family of empowered women.

Brother of Sleep

September 1995 •German

In the beginning of the 19th century, Johannes Elias Alder is born in a small village in the Austrian mountains. While growing up he is considered strange by the other villagers and discovers his love of music, especially rebuilding and playing the organ at the village church. After experiencing an "acoustic wonder", his eye color changes and he can hear even the most subtle sounds.

A Village Affair

April 1995 •English

An apparently happy wife in an English village has a relationship with a local aristocrat's daughter.

Bhalwan Singh

October 2017 •Panjabi

Bhalwan Singh is desperate to stand against the British Empire, but he is not sure how to do it. Whilst he tries hard, all his efforts go in vain and he even fails to impress the girl of his dreams. Slowly, Bhalwan Singh and his friend, Dittu decide to take things into their own hands and kidnap a British architect. Soon, things start to fall in place for the duo in the most funny way and Bhalwan gets noticed that he yearns for.

Whistle Down the Wind

July 1961 •English

When an injured wife-murderer takes refuge on a remote Lancashire farm, the farmer’s three children mistakenly believe him to be the Second Coming of Christ.

Il retuorn

April 1986 •Romansh

Simon, a prison guard at St. Mau, loses the trust of his inmates after a tragic accident during a routine chase. Years later, haunted by his damaged reputation, he falls into self-destructive habits in a desperate bid to reclaim his lost esteem. Unexpectedly, he reunites with Lena in a dangerous, abandoned site, forcing him to confront his past mistakes.

Little Forest: Summer/Autumn

August 2014 •Japanese

Fleeing heartbreak in the big city, Ichiko returns to Komori, her rural hometown. She battles summer's rain and humidity, bakes her own bread, grows hothouse tomatoes and tills the fields. During autumn, the time for pickling and preserving fish and sweet potatoes, Ichiko begins reaping rice and recalls her departure five years before.

Out of the Woods

April 2017 •Serbian

60 year old woman leaves urban life and goes to live in a village to take care of her grandchildren whose parents now live in America. There she faces lots of financial hardships as the family doesn't send any money, and tries her best to provide all for their happier childhood.

Little Forest: Winter/Spring

January 2015 •Japanese

Ichiko bakes a cake for an end-of-year party with her friends. In the depths of winter, making mochi and curry keeps the people of Komori warm. Later, spring brings thoughts of her absent mother as well as rice planting and sakura, and she begins to think of leaving Komori behind again.