Stephen Frears

On the Croatian island of Vis, a diverse group discusses their future, reflecting on the decline of storytelling and listening cultures. Fishermen, youth, intellectuals, and others, gather in cinematic dialogue, shaping the collective protagonist. Their debates on growth versus environmental protection connect past, present, and future, bridging local and global perspectives.

The extraordinary true story of an unexpected friendship in the later years of Queen Victoria's remarkable rule. When Abdul Karim, a young clerk, travels from India to participate in the Queen's Golden Jubilee, he is surprised to find favor with the Queen herself. As the Queen questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance with a loyalty to one another that her household and inner circle all attempt to destroy. As the friendship deepens, the Queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes and joyfully reclaims her humanity.

Irregular migrants Okwe and Senay work at a posh London hotel and live in constant fear of deportation. One night Okwe stumbles across evidence of a bizarre murder, setting off a series of events that could lead to disaster or freedom. Okwe is an irregular Nigerian immigrant leading a hard life and struggling to survive in London's underground. He works as a hotel receptionist by night and, as he has a medical degree, he practices some medicine during the day, in a very odd way. Besides that he must constantly escape from Immigration officers. One day Okwe discovers that an illegal scheme of surgeries is being lead by Juan, his boss at the hotel. Juan comes up with a tempting proposal: if Okwe agrees to perform the illegal surgeries he makes a lot of money and gets legal citizenship in the U.K. Can Okwe keep his moral values intact?

Two cowboys have their friendship tested when they fall for the same girl. An intimate story of the enduring bond of friendship between two hard-living men, set against a sweeping backdrop: the American West, post-World War II, in its twilight. Pete and Big Boy are masters of the prairie, but ultimately face trickier terrain: the human heart. —Anonymous

A housemaid falls in love with Dr. Henry Jekyll and his darkly mysterious counterpart, Mr. Edward Hyde. Somewhere in England in the nineteenth century. A pretty housemaid works in a nice house, which is Dr. Henry Jekyll's (John Malkovich's) house. Mary Reilly (Julia Roberts) think she found her best job, because she is poor and the doctor is well-known and rich. This movie tells the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" story as a woman sees the two men, one of them is good and the other is evil. And she loves them. —Kornel Osvart <kornelo@alphanet.hu> In the nineteen century, in London, dedicated housemaid Mary Reilly (Julia Roberts) is part of the staff under the command of the butler Mr. Poole (George Cole), who works for Dr. Henry Jekyll (John Malkovich). Mary is a traumatized woman that was abused by her father when she was a child, and is very devoted to Dr. Jekyll. One day, he gathers Mr. Poole and the servants in a room and tells them that his assistant Mr. Edward Hyde will be working in his laboratory with free access to the house. Mary Reilly and her mates are unsuccessful to see the mysterious Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll trusts on Mary Reilly and she helps him, delivering letters to the notorious Mrs. Farraday (Glenn Close), who owns a brothel, to clean the mess that Mr. Hyde makes in the city. Mary Reilly is seduced by the educated Dr. Jekyll and by the reckless and violent Mr. Hyde. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Mary Reilly (Julia Roberts) is a lonely servant in the home of Dr. Henry Jekyll (John Malkovich), devoted to her position and her master. Slowly, a gradual friendship between Mary and the doctor begins, as well as a growing attraction. However, Mary's quiet presence is thrown upside down when she meets Henry Jekyll's assistant, the handsome but enigmatic Edward Hyde. Although initially repelled, Mary soon finds herself drawn towards his passionate nature. But Edward Hyde is not all he seems. —Psyche-8 <whistlingfish@hotmail.com>

A small-time criminal rescues passengers from a crashed airliner only to see another man take credit. Bernie LaPlante is having a rough time. He's divorced, his ex-wife hates him, and has custody of their son. The cops are setting a trap for him, then to top it all, he loses a shoe while rescuing passengers of a plane crash. Being a thief who is down on his luck, he takes advantage of the rescue, but then someone else claims credit for it. —Rob Hartill Bernie LaPlante is an amoral man and a hustler. He is facing criminal charges. His wife decides to limit his access to their son because he doesn't keep his promises. While on his way to his son's birthday, a plane crashes, and he is nearby. He goes on board to steal what he can but in the process saves some people, one of them being television reporter Gale Gayley. She doesn't get a good look at him but someone gets a photo of him which isn't clear. She then mounts a campaign to find him which includes a reward of a million dollars. Before hearing of this, Bernie tells his experience to John Bubber. He also says that he doesn't want any recognition. Bernie's trial is taking place and he, upon hearing of the million dollars, thinks that he hit the mother lode but before he can claim it, John does, and Bernie is sent to jail. John then grows close to Gale. Bernie, who stole her purse, sells what's in it, and when word of this reaches her, she thinks he is holding this over John, and all sorts of chaos ensues. —rcs0411@yahoo.com

A British private eye's relatives confuse his case. Ginley (Albert Finney) is a nightclub bingo caller eager for a career change. On his thirty-first birthday, he advertises himself as a private eye in the newspaper. He dons a trench coat, and begins engaging others in rapid-fire dialogue as if he were Humphrey Bogart, or some Dashiell Hammett creation. Soon after, Ginley is phoned by a fat man, who gives him a package containing a gun, a photograph, and a large sum of money. Eventually Ginley is investigating a case involving smuggling of weapons as well as drugs. Ginley also finds himself at odds with his unsupportive brother, who offers Ginley payment to break off his investigations. Eventually Ginley learns of his brother-in-law's involvement in the crimes at hand. Ginley faces a series of daunting tasks: solving the crimes, bringing justice to the smugglers (and a murderer), as well as maintaining his safety and sanity in the process.