Winner of the Grand Prix award at Cannes 2022 and nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 2023 Academy Awards, Close is an elegant, poetic study of youthful friendship from Belgian writer-director Lukas Dhont.

Back to Black chronicles the life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

Set in Riparbella in Tuscany in the 1980s, Rohrwacher’s film is a captivating story following a down-at-heel, disgraced and lovelorn English archaeologist, Arthur, played by Josh O’Connor, who, while helping local grave robbers to locate ancient tombs, dreams of a reunion with his lost love.

This comedy-drama, directed and co-written by Taika Waititi, although ostensibly about football, is really about celebrating culture, community and teamwork.

Return to Seoul, directed by Davy Chou, is a film that grapples with the forces of nature, nurture and destiny. At the age of twenty-five, Freddie Benoît – born in South Korea, adopted after a year and raised in France – impulsively decides to return to the land of her birth for the first time.

Actor-director Louis Garrel’s heist film is highly entertaining, hitting all the familiar beats of a romantic dark comedy, and enjoyably propelled by its sharp, witty dialogue.

After a particularly harsh winter Brian goes into a deep depression; completely isolated and with no one to talk to, Brian does what any sane person would do when faced with such a melancholic situation. He builds a robot.

The Blue Caftan, set in a traditional tailor’s shop in Salé, is a gentle and finely crafted Moroccan-based drama, directed by Maryam Touzani, who also co-wrote the screenplay.

Set in Korea, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s heart-warming, funny and moving social drama takes its theme from the “baby boxes” set up in Korean churches for new mothers to leave unwanted infants.

New work from talented young film makers, commissioned by Talkies, is premiered at this very special event. The films include fresh veg, taxi drivers, loyalty cards, phone apps and more … intrigued?!

Beautifully filmed and full of emotional impact, Luzzu uses a Maltese fisherman’s story to capture the struggles of a region at a cultural crossroads.

Georgie is just surviving alone on the edge of society, when the arrival of her errant father complicates things further – in a bittersweet debut from director Charlotte Regan.