Film Festivals 1996
This year's line-up was dotted with award winners including Todd Solondz's Sundance winner "Welcome to the Dollhouse", Best Foriegn Film at the Academy Awards, "Antonia's Line" and winner of Cannes Best Director Award, "La Haine". Other stand-outs were Lars Von Trier's minor masterpiece "Breaking the Waves" and the Coen Brothers' "Fargo". Ken Loach didn't disappoint with "Land and Freedom" while Mike Leigh made his most accessible film yet with "Secrets and Lies". Kathryn Bigelow, director of 'Point Break', broke out with her stylish and visually stunning "Strange Days" (pictured).
The Flower Of My Secret (1995)
7.1/10
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Imanol Arias, Juan Echanove, Marisa Paredes, Rossy de Palma
Leo is a middle-aged woman (Marisa Paredes) whose seemingly great life is slipping away. Her husband is about to leave her, she must care for her crot... Read more
French Twist (1995)
6.4/10
Director: Josiane Balasko
Starring: Victoria Abril, Josiane Balasko, Alain Chabat
A wonderful farce about a dancer-turned-housewife who decides to teach her philandering husband a lesson by inviting her new lover, a lesbian disc joc... Read more
Gabbeh (1995)
7.1/10
Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Starring: Shaghayegh Djodat, Hossein Moharami, Abbas Sayahi
A nomadic tribe in south-east Iran, on the verge of extinction and renowned for weaving gabbeh's, is the setting for this idyllic tale of the love bet... Read more
The Horseman On The Roof (1995)
7.1/10
Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Olivier Martinez, Pierre Arditi
Rousing and romantic costume drama, set in 1830s France, from director/co-scripter Jean-Paul Rappeneau follows two strangers, a handsome horseman and... Read more
The Incredibly True Adventures Of Two Girls In Love (1995)
Director: Maria Maggenti
Starring: Nicole Parker, Maggie Moore, Laurel Holloman
This romantic comedy deals with the blossoming love between two high school senior girls; Randy (Laurel Holloman) an underprivileged lesbian outcast a... Read more
Kicking and Screaming (1995)
7/10
Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Josh Hamilton, Eric Stoltz, Olivia D'abo
Another we-just-graduated-from-college-what-do-we-do-now film centering on a group of young men and their life and death crises concerning relationshi... Read more
Nelly and Mr Arnaud (1995)
Director: Claude Sautet
Starring: Emmanuelle Beart, Michel Serrault, Claire Nadeau
Almost a follow-up to director Claude Sautet's 'A Heart in Winter'. A subtle, beautifully acted story of a 25 year old woman in debt and stuck in a n... Read more
Shanghai Triad (1995)
7.2/10
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Gong Li, Li Baotian, Li Xuejian, Sun Chun
Zhang Yimou's absorbing tale of the Chinese underworld in the 1930s, focusing on a boy who's hired to be the silent servant of a pampered nightclub qu... Read more
Flamenco (1995)
7.4/10
Director: Carlos Saura
Carlos Saura's ('Carmen', 'Blood Wedding') love letter to the Flamenco explores the music and movement of this most passionate dance form. With close... Read more
Antonia's Line (Copy) (1995)
7.4/10
Director: Marleen Gorris
Starring: Willeke van Ammelrooy, Els Dottermans, Jan Decleir
Marleen Gorris' winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film centres on an elderly woman who recalls her life in a small Dutch village on the day... Read more