Aba Jan

Desert Dancer

2014 · ★ 6.9

Inspirational true story of Iranian dancer Afshin Ghaffarian, who risked his life for his dream to become a dancer despite a nationwide dancing ban.

Turtles Can Fly

2004 · ★ 7.7

Turtles Can Fly tells the story of a group of young children near the Turkey-Iraq border. They clean up mines and wait for the Saddam regime to fall.

The History Boys

2006 · ★ 6.6

The story of an unruly class of bright, funny history students at a Yorkshire grammar school in pursuit of an undergraduate place at Oxford or Cambridge. Bounced between their maverick English master, a young and shrewd teacher hired to up their test scores, a grossly out-numbered history teacher, and a headmaster obsessed with results, the boys attempt to pass.

Death of Yazdgerd

1982 · ★ 7.8

A poetic imagining of the circumstances leading to the death of Yazdgerd III, the last of the Sassanid kings of Iran. His death in 651, during the Arab invasions that brought Islam to this Zoroastrian realm, remains mysterious: his corpse is discovered in a mill, but the cause of death—and the whereabouts of his remains—are unknown.

Poverty

2009 · ★ 6

A haughty acclaimed newly married fashion designer named Iraj is shown the door by his boss after the boss's son arrives at Iran to take over his father's company. Iraj reluctant to promulgate the loss of his job, starts using his savings, trying to conceal the truth from his naive wife. Having squandered all the money he had on trivial matters, he tells his wife about being axed & that's when the tables turn on him.

Citizen X

1995 · ★ 7.2

Based on the true story of a Russian serial killer who, over many years, claimed victim to over 50 people. His victims were mostly under the age of 17. In what was then a communists state, the police investigations were hampered by bureaucracy, incompetence and those in power. The story is told from the viewpoint of the detective in charge of the case.

Miracle at St. Anna

2008 · ★ 6.1

Miracle at St. Anna chronicles the story of four American soldiers who are members of the all-black 92nd "Buffalo Soldier" Division stationed in Tuscany, Italy during World War II.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

1988 · ★ 6

A successful Australian writer discovers he has cancer and returns home to Melbourne to be with his estranged wife and daughter.

Deathwatch

2002 · ★ 5.7

In the brutal trench fighting of the First World War, a British Infantry Company is separated from their regiment after a fierce battle. Attempting to return to their lines, the British soldiers discover what appears to be a bombed out German trench, abandoned except for a few dazed German soldiers. After killing most of the Germans, and taking one prisoner, the British company fortifies to hold the trench until reinforcements can arrive. Soon, however, strange things being to happen as a sense of evil descends on the trench and the British begin turn on each other.

The Smell of the Soil, The Scent of the Rose-Water

This social Iranian drama, directed by Flora Sam, centers on an old man named Yousef who resides in Kashan. He lives with his daughter, Samira, and his young grandson, Amir Ali. The main conflict arises when Yousef faces the difficult situation of being forced to leave his home. Despite the pressure and the necessity of the move, Yousef is deeply attached to his current house and strongly resists the idea of leaving at all. The film explores the emotional turmoil and challenges faced by the old man and his family as they deal with this impending displacement.

Red Cliff

2008 · ★ 7.1

In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance.

Brooklyn Rules

2007 · ★ 5.8

Brooklyn, 1985. With the mob world as a backdrop, three life-long friends struggle with questions of love, loss and loyalty.