During the Millenium Summit held by the United Nations in September 2000, the 189 Heads of States and governments present signed the Millenium Declaration which lead to the creation of the 8 Millenium Development Objectives (such as eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, global partnership for development) which were to be put into action by 2015. Eight directors have used their work to evoke the vital importance of a collective effort to carry out this campaign. 8 is the final result. In Tiya’s Dream by in Ethiopia, a small country school, children have a lesson on the Millennium Development Goals. In The Letter by throughout the activities in a normal day the will remember that education is the only way to be free. In How Can It Be? a woman living in Brooklyn with a husband and a som chooses to leave her sheltered life and follow her sacred values. against the harrowing facts of infant mortality. In The Story of Panshin Beka a pregnant woman living in Amazonia heads to the city with her relatives without any money. In SIDA a man is infected HIV in a hospital in Burkina Faso. The Water Diary depicts the worst drought in history in Australia. Ans finally Person to Person takes place at the G8 summit in Germany, June 2007.

«Have you ever wondered ‘What is the meaning of life? Why do we exist?’ The answer to this vexing question is now within your reach! You’ll find it in a small yet amazing booklet, which will explain, in easy to follow, simple terms your reason for being! The booklet, printed on the finest paper, contains illuminating, exquisite color pictures, and could be yours for a mere $9.99.» This is the ad that alters the life of the unemployed, 28 year old who still lives at home, Dave Peck. In his struggle to share his find with the world, Dave’s surreal path crosses with those of his unusual neighbors: an old man and his disgruntled guardian angel, a magician in debt, a bewitching woman who likes her men extra smooth, a brokenhearted man who befriends a group of hard partying two inch tall students, and a little boy who sets his piggy bank free. Their stories are woven together, examining the postmodern meaning of hope. «$9.99» is a stop motion puppet animation film, based on the short stories of Etgar Keret, one of the leading voices in Israeli contemporary literature.

In the past, Adela was a radio celebrity in Manila and today she lives with great dignity in a shantytown of the city. Her life has deteriorated along with the environment that surrounds her: the polluted river that runs through the city, the landfill close to the shacks, and refuse everywhere. But Adela does not forego her small comforts and wants for nothing. She also tries to remain on friendly terms with her neighbors, cooking delicious noodles. She is about to be eighty and for once she would like to gather together her children and grandchildren to celebrate.

Athens–Istanbul is the route followed quite by chance, by the character of the film, a mature man, who after his recent divorce from his wife of many years and on the verge of depression, sets off on a journey in his car without a real purpose. Initially his final destination appears to be Thessaloniki, on the pretext of visiting his sick father. But quite unexpectedly, however, events on the National Road force him to play a key role in an adventure, which will culminate, after many stops and detours, in Istanbul.

Paris, at the end of the 19th century. Four friends are leading a life full of privation, yet buoyed by good spirits in a drafty garret: the writer Rodolfo, the painter Marcello, the musician Schaunard and the philosopher Colline. It is Christmas, and they decide to celebrate in their favorite pub, the Café Momus, as is the custom in the Latin Quarter. Rodolfo stays behind to finish an article. There is a knock at the door; their neighbor Mimi, whose candle has gone out, asks for fire. Rodolfo is fascinated by her. It is love at first sight! Overwhelmed by their emotions, neither of them suspects that Mimi’s fatal illness will soon be separating them again...

Young and arrogant Hollywood talent agent, Josh Ross is sent reluctantly to Guatemala to find two-time Oscar winner and retired actor Jack Palladin. Josh’s disregard for the ‘old’ actor mirrors his disdain for the local community whose help he desperately needs in his search for Palladin. What he hopes will be a quick but lucrative deal propels him on an unexpected journey – Josh, as well as Palladin and his expatriate friends, must confront the pasts they had forsaken.

This is the story of a family in which the father is a wise, rich man, the eldest son is a well-off businessman, the youngest is still searching for himself, and the middle son is the prodigal. That is, prodigal according to those who think they are the only right-minded people, who judge and accuse others in cold blood. The prodigal son, after running away from his father’s home, has been flitting about, trying to find some purpose in his life, just like his namesake. But he has not succeeded: he has been defeated; years have been lost and opportunities missed. And now he is trying one more time to start again but his relatives and neighbors will not give him a second chance.

Marta presents a brilliant thesis in philosophy only to find closed doors and a long series of «we’ll call you» interviews when she goes looking for her first job. Just when she is desperately in need of money and totally discouraged, a lonely little girl in the subway «chooses» her to be her baby sitter. The child’s struggling single-mother introduces Marta into the world of call centers where anyone can get a part-time job. The profound and sensitive Marta is suddenly plunged into a shocking new universe in her nerve-racking job at the multinational call center. A noisy mad world where nothing seems to exist outside the vast room where girls armed with headsets, computers and telephones must get appointments for salesmen to sell, sell, sell, fast, fast, fast. To get the adrenaline going, there are morning aerobic warm-ups led by their lady supervisor, SMS wake-up calls even at home, and the terror of being watched and mercilessly fired in true «Big Brother» style at the first slip.

Carole, a celebrity neglected by her husband, falls for FranÇois, a young photographer. They become lovers. They move to a hotel for two weeks to continue the photo sessions, occasionally returning to the star’s apartment. Returning from a business trip the husband surprises them, and the lovers have to end their relationship. Carole gradually drifts into madness and commits suicide. One year later, a few hours before his wedding, FranÇois has a vision. It’s Carole, calling him from the other world…

Mert and Selin live two lives, one at daytime and one at night, imprisoned in a monotonous everyday life, where they each in their own way are observers of the world around them. Mert uses his days to photograph incidental passers-by, while Selin is a withdrawn businesswoman. But slowly the outside world crowds in on them, first when someone breaks into their apartment while they sleep and later when they decide to take the important step of entering the

Somewhere in the Spanish town Santiago (a man in his 30s) roams aimlessly and lonely through the streets looking for ground under his feet. He has just left his family after his wife has thrown him out and the judge has decided that he cannot see his children for now. Santiago tries to put his life back together again from this unfortunate situation. He has got a job in a friend’s bar, but is given the sack. This is the beginning of the worst time in his life, forcing him to face his reality and the responsibility of doing something about it or dying. Little by little, his life falls totally apart. And there comes a moment when his only way out seems to be the highest bridge in the city...

The father of four unruly boys, a soldier finds himself and his family temporarily stationed in the Golan Heights in 1958, as Egypt and Syria attempt to establish the ‘United Arab Republic’. Idling away the days in the middle of nowhere, the boys play in an abandoned tank and compete in official sports days, existing happily near the front line. But as the unit moves behind enemy lines, the family is relocated further into Syria, it takes them into a heart of darkness.

The heroine, a woman called Anne-Marie decides to leave her boyfriend Alex. He wants to live a true married life, and that’s not really what Anne-Marie desires for herself, not mentioning the fact that she now believes she doesn’t love him anymore. Alex understands she wants to keep her freedom and set her free. They have an almost perfect break-up and separate peacefully, continuing to see each other as good friends. However, when Anne-Marie gets to know that another woman has come into the life of her ex-lover, she becomes insanely jealous.

The project Nachrichten aus der ideologischen Antike: Marx – Eisenstein – Das Kapital focuses on a lunatic plan envisaged by the great Russian director, Sergei Eisenstein, that of course never got off the ground. In 1927 he had the idea of filming Das Kapital in the vein of Karl Marx and intended to do it by adhering to the literary methods used by James Joyce in his book Ulysses. “A plan with the whack of a battleship”, as Kluge pertinently remarks. Following this idea, German director and author found his own cinematic approach to the book and the result has now been released as Nachrichten aus der ideologischen

A beautiful young woman decides to change course in her life after several philosophical conversations with a taxi driver. She loses her boyfriend, picks up a psychiatrist in a bar and ends up in a sexual experiment that gets out of hand, looking for the ultimate orgasm.

In 1850, Robert Schumann, his wife Clara and their five children settle down in Duesseldorf where he has accepted a position as musical director. For the resourceful musician, who is considered more as one of the world’s greatest composer than a conductor, it turns to be a bad decision. Nor is it a happy period for Clara, who is reduced to the role of housewife instead of acclaimed concert pianist performing throughout Europe to sold-out halls. That is, until she meets young, brilliant Johannes Brahms. Clara and Johannes fall for one another. Robert, who is sick and suffering from severe depression, attempts to drown himself in the river Rhine on Carnival Monday. His life is saved and he commits himself to a sanatorium. When Robert dies two years later, all the obstacles seem to have disappeared for the lovers. Clara, however, refuses to marry again. But she will go on playing Robert’s and Johannes’ music in the world’s concert halls, expressing her feelings for him and for the moments of darkness they both experienced.

Martial is a 15-year old teenager that settles with his mother in a tiny fl at after his father left home to live with another woman. Feeling secluded in his new school, Martial does not blend with the other students. Infantilized by his mother, who does not know how to help him, he doesn’t want either to be the witness of his father new love aff air. Isolated and vulnerable, he starts to get closer to a couple of marginalized black twin sisters. But it is just the start of a risky adventure for Martial.

William, a drug addict, tries to reconnect his ties with people close to him. Slowly, as night falls, he learns that there is no one left to trust, not even his own self. Philip, who works as a bodyguard for a mayor’s son, thinks his boss considers him family. After a shooting incident, he discovers his real worth to his boss. As he struggles to hide, he is slowly being consumed by the claws of darkness lurking the city.

This is the story of the parents, Lukas and Grace, whose 14 year-old daughter, Lisa, has been missing for five years. No clear reason, no goodbye; she simply disappeared without trace. During those five years, the couple seem to have returned to some kind of normality, until Benjamin, a former friend of Lisa’s, pays them a visit and a series of strange situations ensues. Gradually, Lisa creeps back into their minds and into their lives, whether they like it or not.

Boris and Sandra meet and fall in love immediately and passionately. Their passion is so intense that it helps them fight their love’s best enemy: dependency. Boris is drug-dependent, Sandra is Borisdependent. Bound, addicted to one another, reclusive but alive, they try, by necessity, to live their love in a closed circuit. This experience leads them to discover that they each possess an unsuspected strength and humanity.

Based upon the play by Anthony Neilson. It is 1931, the pre-war in Europe, the economy is in crisis and society struggling in chaos. A young ambitious lawyer Justus Wehner gets his first big case - the defence attorney for brutal serial killer Peter Kurten. Wehner is certain that Kurten suffers from a serious mental disorder and to prove this, he decides to sink deep into Kurten’s past motivations and psyche. Suddenly Kurten’s beloved wife Marie arrives who still doesn’t believe her husband could be a violent murderer. Kurten and Marie slowly begin to manipulate Wehner into participating in a final crime. Wehner will have to fight for victory in a difficult case and for his own soul.

It’s 1938, Benito Mussolini is the fascist ruler of Italy, and Michele is a high school teacher living in Bologna. Michele and his wife Delia have a teenage daughter Giovanna, and Giovanna is the most important thing in Michele’s life - so much so that Delia often finds herself wishing her husband was as devoted to her as he is to their child. As much as Michele indulges her, Giovanna is an unstable and disturbed young woman, and one day in a fit of anger Giovanna murders one of her friends. Sergio, Michele and Delia’s next door neighbor, is a police officer who uses his authority to help his friends, and he’s fond enough of Delia to see that her family is well cared for, but Giovanna’s crime is too severe for him to be able to help, and while the courts spare the girl’s life, she’s sent to a mental hospital where she receives only the most minimal care. Michele stands by Giovanna and tends to her in the hospital, leaving Delia at home to look after their home with the help of Sergio.

The action takes in 1936 in a working-class neighborhood in the north-east of Paris. It’s here that three out-of-work theater professionals decide to take over the music hall where they were employed only a few months before, determined to put on a hit show. But the public which is nervous because of the pre-war crisis doesn’t appreciate their repertoire. That is why the troupe decides to make something unexpected and gives a chance of a life to young beauty Douce – she has to sing from the stage her favorite song…

Alex is a driver and henchman for brothel owner Konecny. He is having a secret affair with one of the girls working at the brothel – Tamara from the Ukraine. Their love for each other is not the only bond – they are both determined to escape their current wretched situation. In order to find the money they need, Alex decides to rob a bank in a small country town. But Tamara senses danger and is vehemently against his plan. Only when Alex assures her that his gun is not loaded and that she can wait for him in the car, does she agree. Having cased the bank in advance, the raid itself is a pushover – just as Alex expected. But when he approaches the car he sees Tamara talking to a policeman named Robert. Alex pulls out his gun and forces Robert to the ground. Tamara and Alex drive off. Robert fires at them as they move away, hitting Tamara. She dies. Alex’ whole world collapses. Leaving Tamara’s body in a clearing in the forest, a forlorn Alex sets off alone. One thing he doesn’t leave behind is his desperation and his hatred of the man responsible for Tamara’s death.

According to a newspaper article, more than 25.000 Cubans maintain they are the heirs to an unclaimed multi-million dollar fortune held in the coffers of a British bank. In a small town in Cuba, the news explodes like a firecracker: all those with the family name of Castiñeiras will receive a juicy inheritance which some nuns deposited in a bank in England in the 18th century. All the people with that family name begin proceedings to get their part, but as one can imagine, many obstacles arise along the way. Bernardito is the leader of this crazy treasure hunt...

A story about the dark side of suburban paradise and the loss of innocence, centers on two deeply troubled, dysfunctional families during the late 1970s. Scott Bartlett is a typical 15-year-old boy growing up in Long Island. His suburban existence is primarily marked by a nerdy interest in Star Wars, fending off bullies at high school, his longtime crush on neighbor/best friend Adrianna Bragg, and navigating the dysfunctional terrain of his parents’ rocky marriage-all against the paranoid backdrop of a Lyme disease outbreak, which has freaked out Scott’s high-strung mother, Brenda, and has already claimed Adrianna’s father, Charlie, as a victim. With Charlie out of work due to his illness, Adrianna’s mother, Melissa, takes a job working for Scott’s father, Mickey, a successful real-estate developer, and soon embarks on a messy affair.

To be the first to climb the famous, notorious Eiger North Face – that is the dream of many mountain climbers from all over Europe in the summer of 1936. The two ace climbers from Germany, Toni Kurz and Andi Hinterstoisser, also can’t think of anything else. They’re convinced that they can make it, even though many attempts to scale the «Murder Wall» have ended fatally. While preparing themselves at the foot of the North Face, Toni and Andi unexpectedly run into journalist Luise, Toni’s early love. All goes well at first, and both rope teams make good headway. From the terrace of the Grand Hotel at the foot of the Eiger, they are being observed by a rapt crowd of onlookers and the world press – including Luise. But then Austrian climber Willy is hit on the head by falling rocks, the weather shifts, and the four Alpinists are forced to turn back. It looks as if the mountain is going to win again.

Anna is a charismatic poet living in Reykjavik with her two sons. But since it’s hard making a living as an artist on Iceland, her main source of income is selling marijuana. One day she decides to sell her business and emigrate. Unfortunately her successor is low on cash but promises to pay her in 48 hours. Two days that propel Anna through numerous family adventures, bringing together customers, friends and relatives for a goodbye party in her kitchen.

Bosnia, 1997. War ended two years ago but the country is still deeply scarred by events. The tiny village of Slavno is inhabited by just four women, four girls, a boy, two old ladies and an old man. Their families have all been murdered; their bodies were never found. The people who live in Slavno today are survivors. In order to cope with their painful past the women of Slavno have created a world of dreams in which the dead are not forgotten but omnipresent – theirs is an imaginary world which to them is every bit as genuine as the real world. The first snow falls, and their remote village is in danger of being cut off from the rest of the world. One day, two businesspeople turn up unexpectedly in Slavno. All at once, the inhabitants’ strategy of ignoring reality as a means of survival begins to go awry. The businesspeople are prepared to give the inhabitants a lot of money if they agree to leave their village.

With a name that’s spit out like a curse, it’s hardly surprising that Kaifeck should harbor a dark secret or two, as photographer Marc soon finds out. Having stumbled onto the remote town with his son, Marc is obsessed by the tale of a gruesome multiple murder on a nearby farm back in 1922. It’s a topic that everyone in the village seems to want to forget, and which even the talkative young innkeeper Juliana diligently avoids. At night, however, mysterious things begin to happen to Marc, an uncanny interweaving of visions and reality that draws him ever deeper into the secret of the murders. The more he pieces together, the more the townspeople close ranks against the stranger. Marc’s only ally is Juliana, who takes a great risk in helping the «intruder». Not only Marc and Juliana are in danger, but also Marc’s son. The situation escalates on a pagan holiday in which the townspeople dress as devils and demand a human sacrifice...

Gábor Farkas is a conman by profession. He ensnares plain-looking, lonely women with acts of love and then cheats them out of their savings. One day he becomes tired of his small-time swindles and craves a real challenge. He meets Hanna, a rich and beautiful ballerina who is trying to return to the stage after an absence from it caused by an accident. Gábor has to use every trick up his sleeve in order to make the girl take him seriously: he acquires a luxury apartment, a sports car, a medical degree and even an entire hospital to impress her. But his lies are so complicated that he gets entangled in his own ropes and in the end is no longer even sure what he wants to achieve.

Based upon the classic novel by Theodor Fontane. At her parents’ urging, Effi Briest, a free-spirited 17-year-old girl, marries Baron von Innstetten, nearly 20 years her senior - and a former admirer of Effi’s mother. The arranged marriage spells the beginning of a monotonous existence for Effi far away from her hometown: Innstetten is entirely preoccupied with his political career and the sleepy artist town of Kessin on the Baltic Sea shore offers little excitement. Until Major Crampas arrives, one of Innstetten’s military comrades and a charming womanizer. Effi starts a passionate affair with him and finally discovers what love is. But it comes at a steep price: the affair proves fatal for Crampas. Effi, on the other hand deals with the consequences of her decisions and embarks on a new chapter in her life...