In the middle of a cold winter night, a mournful sound echoes through the darkness of the Irish countryside. Farmer Dan Reilly (John Lynch) waits as one of his cattle is about to give birth. The noise of her labour resonates through the barn. The animal’s agony weighs heavily on Dan’s mind, as he has reluctantly allowed a bio-tech corporation to run tests on his livestock in return for financial aid for his debt-ridden ranch.
Camped in a nearby field are Mary (Ruth Negga) and Jamie (Sean Harris, who played Joy Division’s Ian Curtis in 24 Hour Party People and also starred in last year’s Festival selection Creep). The young couple is running away, hoping to get to London for a fresh start. After giving them a surly warning to get off his land, Dan backpedals and asks them for assistance with the troublesome birth. In the dank straw, the warm breath of new life appears on the cold air - and the group is plunged into a blind panic at the realization that something has gone horribly wrong.
Public location - Private acts - Moments of intimacy, crisis and transformation in an Edwardian ladies public lavatory. Ladies come and go, insignificant objects are left behind. All is silently witnessed by the attendant who carefully preserves these small discarded fragments of women's hidden lives.
Jake longs to play football with the older boys in his street. When he inadvertently ends up with the ball, Jake discovers that friendship can come at a price.
Ben, a sensitve and small 11-year-old, faces bullying at school and neglect at home. His mother can barely cope with her own problems and is completely insensitive to those of her son. Ben becomes deeply traumatised when an associate of his mother's locks him in an isolated warehouse overnight in an attempt to force her to work. Driven beyond endurance by the harsh adult world he lives in, the child finds a chilling resolution to his problems.
Jed and Chloe, in their early 20s, live a very simple life in the city. They love each other, find happiness in the smallest things and plan to get married.
One day the death of Chloe's cat triggers an inconsolable sadness and deep confusion for both Jed and Chloe. Chloe's tears keep her home but Jed begins a fruitless search for the meaning of life, hoping he can bring back Chole's smile. Alone at night he sees a tramp, Max, on TV whom he believes may hold the key. Jed visits him in the city dump. The awkward duo start a journey that unexpectedly brings new hope to both men and Chloe.
Steve describes how whenever he thought of Saddam Hussein he thought that he was contributing to the conflict in the Gulf. Walking, talking, eating, and drinking - all these actions had to be completed in the absence of an intrusive thought about Saddam, otherwise he would have to repeat the action again and again and again. A rare glimps into the struggle for those faced with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
A 19th century adventure, River Queen is the story of a young woman's search for identity and love; a woman torn between the two worlds of white colonial New Zealand and native Maori culture.
Reality mixes with fantasy in a short film about a young Asian male called Ali. Lonely and isolated, he struggles to integrate into a Western culture while holding down a security job at night. Ali imagines escaping from his mundane life through a fanatsy girlfriend.
The Libertine tells the true story of the Earl of Rochester (Johnny Depp), friend and confidant of King Charles II (John Malkovich), who delights in tweaking the noses of London’s royals with his merciless cynicism. His rebellious escapades and sexual liaisons inspire awe amongst men, until an affair with the beautiful young actress Lizzie (Samantha Morton) proves to be his undoing.
'The Magic Roundabout' lies in ruins; the evil ice sorcerer Zeebadee is on the loose and the fate of the enchanted land hangs in the balance. As a frosty mist sweeps the earth, four unlikely heroes Brian, Ermintrude, Dylan and Dougal step forward to challenge the chill. They must recover three magical diamonds to reverse the onset of winter and return Zeebadee to his prison beneath the ground. Easy, you may say - If you're not a snail, a cow, a rabbit or a dog.
Across the furnaces of a fiery volcano, through the hidden dangers of a jungle temple, over the snow-capped mountains of the icy wilderness, our sub-zero heroes must voyage and survive. The destiny of the world rests on their shoulders. Only through teamwork, friendship and exceptional bravery will they deliver the enchanted land from a frozen fate.
Alice Holbrock is happily married to Sam. It’s Valentine’s Eve and as part of a drunken bet with her sister, Alice sends Sam an anonymous Valentine’s card to see if he hides it. Unfortunately for Sam, he conceals it far too well, which infuriates Alice. Egged on by her cynical sister Felicity and with the unknowing help of Archie, Sam’s best friend, what starts off as a silly prank escalates to phone sex, a clandestine meeting and ultimately the revelation that her husband already has a mistress. Alice has to decide whether to fight for her marriage or leave him. She decides to fight – but where will it all end? How far would you go to test your man? How far would you go to keep him?
