XConfessions 34[2023]

Laughter and Grief by the White Sea(ru)

Laughter and Grief by the White Sea is a 1987 Soviet traditionally animated feature film directed by Leonid Nosyrev made at the Soyuzmultfilm studio. The film is a celebration of the culture of the Russian Pomors who live around the White Sea.

Paris Je T'aime(fr)

Olivier Assayas, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and Alfonso Cuaron are among the 20 distinguished directors who contribute to this collection of 18 stories, each exploring a different aspect of Parisian life. The colourful characters in this drama include a pair of mimes, a husband trying to chose between his wife and his lover, and a married man who turns to a prostitute for advice.

Sexual Tension: Violetas(es)

What are the rules that determine how attraction and desire are set free? Glances, unexpected smiles, confiding in unknown women. Long cherished fantasies, intimate friendships and unexpected meetings. In Volume 2 of the Sexual Tension diptych, Marco Berger and Marcelo Mónaco take us on a journey through the twists and turns of female seduction: two guests of a hostel become roommates (and more); a keen shop assistant helps a woman uncertain about what dress to buy; the outset of a great passion between two girls during a picnic, even though one of them has a boyfriend. In the film we also find a conversation about Woody Allen between a waitress and a woman, which goes too far; and two high-class escorts who discover that they are attracted to each other, when they are in bed with a client. The film finally shows what could happen, but never did happen, and will probably never happen, to two thirty-year-old women. Maybe it would be better not to have sex with people we love. Sex ...

Camellia(ko)

A man searching for his missing ex-girlfriend uncovers the dark secret behind an organization selling romantic virtual reality experiences. A film director looking for artistic inspiration runs into a strange woman who may or may not be a ghost. An assassin and a target for in love with each other but the assassin must complete the assignment.

Vestige(ko)

Part I : A middle-aged woman gets off a bus at Muju Terminal. She passes through the town and walks into a forest. She starts to search for the vestiges of her life from beyond the grave. Part II : A young woman, Minjae, returns to her hometown of Muju and starts to work at the county office. Her mother is displeased that her daughter has returned to the hometown. One day, Minjae’s friend from college, Kyungyoon, who hadn’t been in touch for a while, comes to see her.

On the Edge(en)

A compendium of three short science-fiction films, each with a decidedly feminist slant.

Bubny(cs)

Secret Diary of Fanny(it)

Written and directed by Sergio Pastore in 1969. Il diario proibito di Fanny is an anthology film starring Giovanna Lenzi as four different women, all named Fanny. The film touches upon all the hot-button issues of 1968: illegal immigrants from the Eastern bloc, the Prague Spring, the Italian star cult and even abortion.

Boys On Film 1: Hard Love(en)

Created by gay directors and actors, Boys On Film features numerous award-winning shorts that deal with all aspects of gay life. Volume 1: Hard Love contains nine complete films: Hong Khaou's "Summer" starring Peter Peralta and Jay Brown; Michael Simon's "Gay Zombie" starring Brad Bilanin, Ryan Carlberg, and Robin McDonald; Jason Bushman's "Serene Hunter" starring Eric Debets, Flannan Obé, and Jonathan Blanc; Timothy Smith's "Le Weekend" starring Omar and Fernando Peres; Jean Baptiste Erreca's "Cowboy Forever" featuring Govinda Machado de Figueiredo and Jones Carlos Fialho de Araújo; Damien Rea's "Scarred" starring Chris Anderson, David Durham, and Lara Cazalet; Tim Hunter's "Packed Lunch" featuring Kevyn Boemia, Chris Sayers, and Steven Quigg; John Winter's "Mirror Mirror" starring Roy Billing; and Maxwell Barber's "VGL-Hung!" starring Marcus Proctor, Jeff Chandler, and Ashley Ryder.

Art Through Our Eyes(ms)

As an omnibus of short films, Art Through Our Eyes is inspired by the art collection found at the National Gallery Singapore. Each of the five directors – Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Brillante Mendoza, Eric Khoo, Ho Yuhang and Joko Anwar – handpicked a masterpiece from the 19th and 20th century as inspiration for their short films.

Boys On Film 19: No Ordinary Boy(en)

As Boys On Film reaches the end of its teenage years, we take a look at those unique boys who go one step further, who excite, invigorate, and always impress, who break boundaries, shape their worlds and are more than what they appear. Volume 19: No Ordinary Boy includes ten complete films: Scott T. Hinson's "Michael Joseph Jason John" also starring Eric Robledo; Abhishek Verma's animated "The Fish Curry"; Ben Allen's "Blood Out Of A Stone" starring Alex Austin and Oisín Stack; David Färdmar's "No More We" starring Jonathan Andersson and Björn Elgerd; Jannik Splidsboel's "Between Here & Now" starring Francesco Martino and Peder Bille; Amrou Al-Kadhi's "Run(a)way Arab" also starring Ahd and Omar Labek; Dean Loxton's "Meatoo" starring Calum Speed and Warren Rusher; Jake Graf's "Dusk" starring Elliott Sailors, Sue Moore, and Duncan James; Leon Lopez's "Jermaine & Elsie" starring Marji Campi and Ashley Campbell; and Marco Alessi's "Four Quartets" with Laurie Kynaston.

The Bible: In the Beginning...(en)

Covering only the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis, vignettes include: Adam and Eve frolicking in the Garden of Eden until their indulgence in the forbidden fruit sees them driven out; Cain murdering his brother Abel; Noah building an ark to preserve the animals of the world from the coming flood; and Abraham making a covenant with God.

Tales of Manhattan(en)

Ten screenwriters collaborated on this series of tales concerning the effect a tailcoat cursed by its tailor has on those who wear it. The video release features a W.C. Fields segment not included in the original theatrical release.

In Corpore(en)

Four couples deal with love and lust, commitment and infidelity, and the pressures of relationship expectations. Filmed in Melbourne, Berlin, Malta, and New York, In Corpore tackles the consequences faced when one chooses to either suppress or give into the inner desires of body and soul.

Caro diario(it)

Nanni Moretti recalls in his diary three slice of life stories characterized by a sharply ironic look: in the first one he wanders through a deserted Rome, in the second he visits a reclusive friend on an island, and in the last he has to grapple with an unknown illness.

O. Henry's Full House(en)

Five O. Henry stories, each separate. The primary one from the critics' acclaim was "The Cop and the Anthem". Soapy tells fellow bum Horace that he is going to get arrested so he can spend the winter in a nice jail cell. He fails. He can't even accost a woman; she turns out to be a streetwalker. The other stories are "The Clarion Call", "The Last Leaf", "The Ransom of Red Chief", and "The Gift of the Magi".

Tajemství pouze služební(cs)

German Angst(de)

Horror anthology consisting of three episodes directed by Jörg Buttgereit, Andreas Marschall and Michal Kosakowski.

Tokyo!(ja)

Three distinct tales unfold in the bustling city of Tokyo. Merde, a bizarre sewer-dweller, emerges from a manhole and begins terrorizing pedestrians. After his arrest, he stands trial and lashes out at a hostile courtroom. A man who has resigned himself to a life of solitude reconsiders after meeting a charming pizza delivery woman. And finally, a happy young couple find themselves undergoing a series of frightening metamorphoses.

New York Stories(en)

Get ready for a wildly diverse, star-studded trilogy about life in the big city. One of the most-talked about films in years, New York Stories features the creative collaboration of three of America's most popular directors, Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola, and Woody Allen.