Always look on the bright side of life. Cinema is made to trouble, inspire, give a way out. But it is also there during a difficult time, when all you need is relaxation and optimism. Gwyneth Paltrow, Fatih Akin, Meryl Streep, Agnès Varda and many others promise to make you feel good.

Feelgood

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Aki Kaurismäki, the great poet of minimalism and melancholy, returns with his twentieth feature film, creating another unforgettable anthem for all those forgotten by the society. This film rightfully received the Jury Prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

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Two lonely people meet by chance one night in Helsinki and try to find the first, unique and absolute love of their lives. Their path to this goal is hindered by the man's alcoholism, lost phone numbers, not knowing each other's name or address, and life's general tendency to put obstacles in the way of those seeking happiness.

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Jury Prize | Cannes Film Festival | 2023
FIPRESCI Prize | San Sebastian Film Festival | 2023

Fallen Leaves

Ryan Gosling as Ken years before the Barbie phenomenon, in this charming gem of 2000s independent American cinema that receved an Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay.

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A kind-hearted but socially awkward young man develops a romantic relationship with the girl of his dreams. Problem is, that he ordered her from the internet, and she happens to be a sex doll.

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Nomination for Best Original Screenplay | Oscars | 2008
Nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Ryan Gosling) | Golden Globes | 2008

Lars and the Real Girl

With a career that had already taken off thanks to Iron Man, Jon Favreau briefly left Marvel superheroes for street food in a sweet reimagining of the life of a chef who stops worrying about Michelin stars in search of simple and earthy pleasures.

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A chef who loses his restaurant in Los Angeles returns to Miami and creates a fast food restaurant in a trailer. In an attempt to regain his creativity he crosses the country while trying to reconnect with his ex-wife.

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Audience Award | Tribeca Film Festival | 2014

Chef

Meryl Streep wins the 20th (!) Oscar nomination for the role of the discordant soprano singer, Florence Foster Jenkins, in a feelgood biographical comedy by the film director of “High Fidelity”, “The Queen” and “Dangerous Liaisons”. Starring with her, Hugh Grant.

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The cosmic New Yorker Florence Foster Jenkins thinks she's the nightingale of the opera, when in fact she cannot sing at all. Her husband and agent, St. Claire Bayfield, a fallen English aristocrat and actor, sustains this illusion. When Florence decides to give a concert to the legendary Carnegie Hall in 1944, St. Claire realizes that he has to face the greatest challenge of his life.

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Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Meryl Streep) | Oscars | 2017
Nominated for Best Achievement in Costume Design | Oscars | 2017

Florence Foster Jenkins

The tropes of rom-coms, coming-of-age movies and buddy comedies are passed through the lens of a sports story in one of the most entertaining comedies of the '00s, the era when Beckham was at his peak. A huge hit that became a benchmark, it introduced us to the then up-and-coming Keira Knightley.

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Jess, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not allowed to play organised football, even though she is 18 years old. When she plays for fun one day, her impressive skills do not go unnoticed by Jules, who persuades Jess to play for her semi-professional team. She begins to use elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.

Bend it Like Beckham

"At our closest point, we were just 0.01 centimeters away from each other." Wong Kar Wai delivers a filmic nuclear bomb of emotion about lost love, memory, loss, and the places where we move in our cities. With Tony Leung, Faye Wong and "California Dreaming".

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Every day, officer 223 buys a can of pineapple with the expiration date May 1st, symbolizing the day he will finally get over his lost love. At the same time he cannot take his eyes off a mysterious woman with a blonde wig, not knowing that she is a drug dealer. Officer 663 is consumed by grief because of a break up. But when his ex leaves a set of keys for his apartment in a neighbouring café, a waitress will use them to enter his house and brighten up his life.

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Official Selection | Locarno International Film Festival | 1994
Best Picture | Hong Kong Film Awards | 1995
Best Director | Hong Kong Film Awards | 1995
Best Actor (Tony Leung) | Hong Kong Film Awards | 1995
Best Actress (Faye Wong) | Stockholm Film Festival | 1994

Chungking Express

The resourceful spirit of the Greek immigrant in Germany magically mixes with soul music in an inventive and, often, hilarious escapist film by Fatih Akin, in the funniest and most optimistic moment of his career.

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Zinos is a restaurant owner in Hamburg who can’t seem to catch a break: he’s hurt his back and can’t move, his old clients are abandoning him, and his girlfriend, Nadine, has left him to get a job in Shanghai. Fueled by desperation, he revamps the restaurant to bring in new crowds and does not hesitate to go to China to find Nadine. Except, in order to leave, he has to place the business in the hands of his brother, a choice that may be a recipe for disaster.

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Official Selection | Venice Film Festival | 2009
Special Jury Prize | Venice Film Festival | 2009
Young Cinema Award Best Film | Venice Film Festival | 2009
Art Cinema Award | Hamburg Film Festival | 2009

Soul Kitchen

Cesc Gay ("Truman") adapts his delightful play for the big screen and sets the table of a civilised dinner party with all the neuroses and agonies of modern couples, in a funny and sexy way.

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Julio and Ana are a couple that mostly just fights. One night, Ana decides to invite their upstairs neighbours, Salva and Lora, despite the fact Julio doesn't like them for multiple reasons, one of them being the fact they are often very loud when they have sex. As the night progresses, many secrets for the two couples will come to surface.

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Best Supporting Actor Award (Alberto San Juan) | Goya Awards | 2021

The People Upstairs

Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, Rust and Bone, Dheepan) in collaboration with Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) redefine the romantic comedy in a fresh and erotic black and white portrait of youth in Paris, based on Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel.

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Paris, 13th District today – an area also known as “Les Olympiades” because of its eight tallest towers are named after cities that have hosted the Olympic Games. Emilie meets Camille, who is attracted to Nora, who crosses the path of Amber. Three girls and a boy redefine what modern love is.

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Soundtrack Award | Cannes Film Festival | 2021

Paris, 13th District

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The first film from Nicolas Bedos, director of the audience favourite "Belle Epoque", is an equally subversive and witty approach to the French comedy genre, with sparkling dialogue and excellent performances.

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It's 1971, and Sarah meets Victor for the first time. She falls passionately in love with both him and his work. All the easy and the difficult, the good and the bad things that they lived together pass before her eyes again today, as if she were reliving an entire life with him.

Mr & Mrs Adelman

Dreams do not have age restrictions, on the contrary, those who strive to realize them put age distinctions set by modern societies aside. A comedy that screams "it's never too late" with a fine cast of actors ready to give it their all.

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In a retirement community, two daring women (Diane Keaton and Jacki Weaver) decide to start a cheerleading squad, regaining their zest for life and proving that it's never too late for new beginnings!

Poms

Set in divided Nicosia, a full-blooded comedy that satirizes the absurdity that has become part of the daily life of its residents, without attempting to resolve the Cyprus dispute. Adam Bousdoukos (“Soul Kitchen”), in the lead role, oozes cool and is a delight to watch.

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The film’s protagonist is 43-year-old Yannis, a washed-up musician, whose life isn’t exactly going as planned. His girlfriend has left him and his “lenders” are becoming increasingly aggressive. He plans to leave as soon as possible, with his beloved dog, Jimi. But, when Jimi runs away to the “Turkish” side of the island, Yannis has to deal with European legislation that prohibits animal crossing between the two areas.

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Best International Film | Tribeca Film Festival | 2018
Special Mention - International Competition | Thessaloniki Film Festival | 2018
Best Screenplay | Hellenic Film Academy Awards | 2019

Smuggling Hendrix

Art and con become the same in this existential buddy movie taking place in the exciting world of art galleries and the ways with which they trade with the public. From the director of “The Distinguished Citizen”.

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Arturo is an unscrupulous art dealer and Renzo is a socially-awkward painter and Arturo’s longtime friend. Willing to risk it all, they develop an extreme and ludicrous plan to save themselves.

My Masterpiece

Middle-aged people confused by a revealing book whose resemblance to real people and situations is more than coincidental, in a delightfully bittersweet French situation comedy by director Eric Lavaine.

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Beatrice and her family are celebrating the release of her book, where she talks about her husband’s accident that changed their lives. Frederic has lost his eyesight and cannot help but say everything he is thinking thus becoming an unpredictable person, yet still funny and charming. The book, a true ode to life, will stir tensions because friends and family will recognize themselves, and truths will come to light with a plethora of consequences.

No Filter

A humorous, earnest connection of the dispute between Israel and Palestine with modern soap opera, the elements of which simultaneously divide and unite the two nations as the story unfolds. Winner of the Acting Award in Venice.

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Salaam, a 30-year-old Palestinian, living in Jerusalem, travels to Ramala every day for the shooting of the popular soap opera “Tel Aviv on Fire”. At the Israeli army checkpoint he meets Assi, whose wife is a huge fan of the show. In order to impress her, Assi tries to get involved in the script-writing process and Salaam soon realized that Assi’s ideas may get him a promotion to screenwriter. His career skyrockets until Assi and the producers disagree about the ending.

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Best Actor (Kais Nashif) - Orizzonti | Venice Film Festival | 2018
Interfilm Award for Best Film | Venice International Film Festival

Tel Aviv on Fire

Aka “Parasite” set in Peru. Families that are so proper they seem to have popped right out of a telenovela, hit some hard times and debase themselves in the eyes of their staff, in this biting social satire about class inequalities in the small Latin American country.

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Two sisters work as house keepers in neighboring houses owned by upper class Peruvian families. They are both considered to be part of the family, or so it seems. On a day when the city is rocked by violent protests, a birthday party brings the two families together and a well-kept secret comes to life, upheaving the fake world they’ve been living in.

The Best Families

A film within a film? An actual life veiled under the pretense of fiction? A middle-age crisis? Canet’s deeply self-deprecating and enjoyable comedy turns the camera on himself, with terrifically fun (and somewhat psychoanalytic) results.

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For the 43-year-old Guillaume Canet, life doesn't get any better. He has a job he loves, a happy family and he’s famous. But during the shoot of his new film, his young co-star informs him that he is not considered cool by the new generation. Everything collapses; his quiet private life with Marion Cotillard, his horses and their country house are neither interesting nor sexy. Guillaume realizes he has to take drastic measures to transform his image; but his loved ones disapprove of his choices.

Rock'n Roll

In a vast metropolis full of antitheses, love could be hiding where you least expect. This ingenious rom-com from Argentina lives and breathes where the others merely begin, justifying why it’s been worshipped by audiences. Winner of the Golden Athena at the Athens International Film Festival.

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Mariana and Martin live on the same block in Buenos Aires. They pass by each other daily, shop at the same stores, swim at the same pool but have never met. Martin rarely leaves his apartment after his breakup, while Mariana works as an architect and feels incapable of any serious commitment, since coming out of a 4-year relationship.

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Golden Athena | Athens International Film Festival | 2011

Sidewalls

A romantic comedy unlike any other you’ve ever seen. The great Claire Denis directs Juliette Binoche in a one-woman-show, in the role of a divorced artist decisively looking for true love.

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A divorced Parisian artist hasn’t given up on the idea of finding true love. Even though the gap between what she wants and the actual men who show up in her life keeps growing, they all have something unique, even if it's not what she's looking for. Hope, expectations and disappointment come and go, but despite various misfortunes, her efforts continue.

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SACD Prize- Directors' Fortnight | Cannes Film Festival | 2017

Let the Sunshine in

A huge commercial success in Argentina from the director of The Heist of the Century, this fun family comedy unravels a new everyday chaos for a father of not one or two, but four kids!

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Victor and Vera, an ordinary couple, are married for 20 years and have four kids. Victor, totally absorbed by work, doesn’t concern himself with family life and always does what he pleases with his time. Facing her husband’s indifference and feeling exhausted by the hundreds of everyday errants, poor Vera decides to take a break. So she goes on vacation. Victor and the kids are now in big trouble. And as the days go by without mom, things really get out of hand.

Ten Days Without Mom

"The Intouchables," with its willingness to satirize anything and its almost brutal honesty, is a masterfully written film featuring a magical acting duo. One of the funniest, most sincere, and moving films you’ll ever see.

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After being confined to a wheelchair due to an accident with a parachute, a billionaire aristocrat chooses the most unexpected candidate as his assistant: a young, recent ex-convict from the poor neighborhoods of the Paris suburbs. Two different worlds collide and, despite their dissimilarities, a true friendship develops.

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Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film | Golden Globe | 2013
Audience Award | Sarajevo Film Festival | 2012

The Intouchables

Laughter and tears alternate in this relatable and disarmingly bittersweet comedy that portrays a triumphant life journey that confirms and transcends the truth behind any cliche about "special abilities".

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Three young people with different disabilities decide to take a daring road trip with a jaded nurse driver to Montreal, Canada, to visit an asylum that specializes in physically challenged clients.

Come As You Are

Ritesh Batra, director of the audience-favorite, "The Lunchbox" returns with yet another bittersweet comedy about unexpected love and the modern face of India, full of tradition and contradiction.

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A struggling street photographer in Mumbai, pressured to marry by his grandmother, convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancée. The pair develop a connection that transforms them in ways they could not expect.

Photograph

Real superheroes don't wear capes. They go beyond their limits, giving us lessons of human willpower and positivism. A real story and genuine account of endurance from the Basque Country.

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A young man living a great life discovers that he suffers from multiple sclerosis and will soon not be able to walk. He has two options: to let the disease take control of his body or fight. He decides to take part in a notoriously difficult triathlon race and, with the help of an unexpected ally, he learns to overcome the limitations of his illness.

100 Meters

The director of "Serial Bad Weddings" welcomes those who want to see a hilarious French comedy with a social conscience, which criticizes and, at the same time, plays around with stereotypes about social classes and philanthropy.

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A well-known intellectual leftist advocates the need to offer asylum to those who need it. When the host of a TV show corners him about the existing Roma Gypsy problem, he takes on a challenge: to open his house and play host to a Roma family.