Fires of Envy

Hounds of Notre Dame

October 1980 •English

It's the winter of 1940. Father Athol Murray - "Pere" to most that know him - is an opinionated, chain-smoking, hard drinking parish priest at Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Saskatchewan. His strong opinions include his disdain for socialism as epitomized by the CCF party in Saskatchewan and the current war which has claimed too many lives including those of former students, needing to raise money to operate the College by whatever means, and not wanting others to emulate his vices - especially not wanting the students and women to smoke - while he blissfully enjoys those vices himself.

Holden

January 1961 •Polish

A rainy-night clash in a boarding-school dorm forces a swaggering teen to confront his insecurities and the price of rebellion.

Daisy Miller

May 1974 •English

Despite mixed emotions, Frederick Winterbourne tries to figure out the bright and bubbly Daisy Miller, only to be helped and hindered by false judgments from their fellow friends.

Counterfeit Kunkoo

January 2018 •Hindi

In a city overflowing with buildings and slums, Smita must find herself a house to rent. She is hard-working, honest and respectful - the ideal tenant - except for one glaring flaw. She is a middle-class Indian woman without a husband. An intimate perspective on the identity of the 'Ideal Indian Female' in urban India of today.

Sanctuary

April 1961 •English

In 1920s rural Mississippi, Nancy Mannigoe, an African-American servant, is placed on death row for the murder of Temple Drake's infant child. Temple, the daughter of the governor, pleads with her father to exonerate Nancy of the charges, explaining that Nancy acted in haste to prevent her from resuming her affair with a roguish Cajun called Candy Man. Details of Temple's sordid past are uncovered as she begs mercy for her faithful servant.

Sable Cicada

June 1938 •Chinese

Diaochan (aka Diau Charn and Sable Cicada), one of the Four Beauties of China, is supposed to be so stunningly lovely that the moon was shamed to hide behind clouds. Despite being the only Beauty among the four who is not a real historical figure but one conjured by storytelling imagination and embellished by public fascination, her story was nonetheless incorporated by author Luo Guangzhong into his popular and influential novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Her tale is one of Machiavellian intrigue, in which she schemes with her godfather Wang Yun to restore moral order to the land, sowing discord between the corrupt Minister Dong Zhuo and his adopted son Lu Bu, a man of martial and military prowess.

The Pedlar

October 1982 •English

The Pedlar is a dramatic film based on the short story by W.D. Valgardson, A Place of One's Own. Tired of the rootless, lonely existence of a travelling merchant, a man searches for a place to settle down, and someone to share his life.

His

January 2020 •Japanese

Shun and Nagisa first meet and fall in love during their first year of high school. While Shun is graduating from university, Nagisa tells him that he doesn't see a future for them. Despite Shun's strong feelings, they go their separate ways. Years later, Shun is now a store owner, living alone in a rural area. Out of the blue, Nagisa arrives with his six-year-old daughter, Sora. Spending time together, Shun realizes he still harbors feelings for Nagisa. Can Nagisa reconcile with his feelings for Shun, which have been there all along?

Oshidori kenkagasa

May 1957 •Japanese

Fortress

October 2019 •Italian

Filmed entirely inside Civitavecchia prison, with the inmates themselves as protagonists and co-authors, Fortezza is the reinterpretation of one of the most important novels of the 1900s: The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati. Three soldiers arrive at a solitary military garrison which no longer serves any defensive function. Here, time is at a standstill and is marked by strict regulations, power dynamics, engrained idleness and habit. Waiting in vain for an enemy that will not arrive, the military officers are consumed by the need to give their stay meaning, and resist the attraction that this place holds for them.

Find the Light

March 2022 •English

A young victimized boy decides to confront his inner demons by drowning himself, and during the process finds purpose and meaning in his life.

Unholy Love

June 1932 •English

An adaptation of Madame Bovary transported to Rye, New York in the 1930's. All characters have been renamed.

Philadelphia

December 1993 •English

Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.

A Chaos of Flowers

October 1988 •Japanese

Set in the Taisho era, which might be regarded as Japan's Hippie Phase, Hana no ran is a story about fashionable people without impulse control. Much of the action centers on a popular woman writer, the real-life poet Akiko Yosano, and her experiences among the literati of early 20th century Japan. Because of her independent, anti-war and often erotic poetry, she was a lightning rod for revolutionaries and other extremists, many of whom were destined to glamorous, yet ultimately pointless, deaths. The closest parallels might be the Byron/Shelley group or the people drawn to the Beat Generation.

The Milagro Beanfield War

March 1988 •English

The accidental breakdown of an irrigation valve launches a hot confrontation between the mainly Latino farmers in a tiny New Mexico town and the real estate developers and politicians determined to acquire their land for a golf resort.

Different Century, Same Shit

February 2020 •Italian

A story about racism, discrimination, and prejudice: in a dystopic future governed by only women, there is a fight between blondies and brunettes. In this society, the blondies are discriminated against because of the color of their hair.

The Man Who Came Back

February 2008 •English

Framed for murder and left for dead, a local legend comes back to make the guilty pay as he seeks revenge on those who killed his family, in this traditional Western about one man who stood against injustice.

The Tormented Beauty

January 1958 •

Guerrilla member Ting Siu-yuen works as a playwright and Lee, the leader of an opera troupe. They conceal their identities in the troupe in order to gather military intelligence. Yuen gradually falls in love with the lead actress Mui Law-heung. Ting is unsettled to learn that County Chief Fong covets Mui. He sneaks into Fong's residence and is astounded by the sight of his old lover Pak Kuen, now Fong's wife. Fong colludes with the military chief in conducting vicious schemes. With Kuen's help, Yuen is able to get the intelligence. But as Heung is not an insider, she reports to the Governor about the illicit relationship between Yuen and Kuen. Kuen backs Yuen to eliminate the conspirators and bring about the union of Yuen and Heung.

Table for Two

January 2012 •English

Julia, a waitress without much going on in her life, accepts a job offer from Milo, a writer in crisis who needs an assistant to talk to. From these conversations on, she begins to perceive that love is where we least expect for.

Regue Chicken

June 2015 •Spanish

Two teenagers, an orphan hen who loves reggaeton music and the son of a champion fighting-cock, will live an adventure in which they will learn to accept themselves, alongside a great lesson in tolerance and nonviolence.