The Sinister Illusion (2024)

The Hearts of Age

A colonial scene in the U.S. An old lady sits astride a bell while a man in blackface, wig, and livery pulls the bell rope. From an upper door emerges an old man, dressed as a dandy, who tips his hat to the woman as he walks down stairs grinning. Others leave the same door and walk down the same stairs: a shabby man, a cop, and, several times, the same dandy. The man in blackface hangs himself; the dandy continues to smile. A bell tolls, a grave beckons. In the dark, the dandy plays the piano. Is he Death? The Hearts of Age is the first film made by Orson Welles. The film is an eight-minute short, which he co-directed with William Vance in 1934. The film stars Welles' first wife, Virginia Nicholson, as well as Welles himself. He made the film while attending the Todd School for Boys, in Woodstock, Illinois, at the age of 19.

Million Dollar Madness

This comedy about the "sanity" of those in an asylum focuses on popular Israeli comic Seffi Rivlin, who plays a bank manager who discovers that the inmates of a mental institution are running a counterfeiting operation from the basement of their hospital. Actors exaggerate their portrayals of the patients, and the plot zooms off in several directions at once

Holidays

A girl with two brothers rides a car in the winter Crimea - it's good to understand with whom she should be and what she should be.

The Milky Way

Michael plots a bloody revenge when he discovers that his best friend and girl friend are having an affair.

Janma Janma

Janma Janma is a Nepali film that delves into love, dreams, and the cycle of life. The story follows Amar and Praya, a couple deeply in love. Praya is haunted by recurring dreams of someone trying to kill her, which leave her anxious and fearful. Amar, along with her parents, reassures her that the dreams aren’t real and encourages her to move forward. Praya eventually finds a new beginning, embracing a fresh life. However, she discovers that her old friends didn’t get the same chance at renewal. She shares this realization with Amar, urging him to cherish love and life. The story concludes with Amar reflecting on her words, highlighting the fleeting yet profound beauty of existence. Janma Janma is directed by Sital Nepal and written by Yubraj Lama. It weaves an emotional narrative of second chances, dreams, and the power of love to overcome life’s uncertainties.

Fun

Hillary and Bonnie meet one morning by the side of the road. They become fast friends, share their secrets, and, on a rising wave of frenzy, later that afternoon, murder an old woman. They did it, they say later, for fun.

Wrath of Souls

A neighborhood is plagued by mysterious tragedies when a young man becomes the conduit for an unknown spirit, the "Aiyai," which lures victims to their chilling fates.

The Masked Prosecutor

Two cops, one young and tough, the other nearing retirement, are after a ruthless vigilante who kidnaps and tortures acquitted criminals.

Dum

Satya (Silambarasan) is the son of a police constable. He gets into fights and ends up in jail where his own father gets him out on bail. While he is returning home from a party drunk, a group of college students beat him up. That is when Suchitra (Rakshitha) comes and takes him to the hospital and gives blood. She is the daughter of a police commissioner. Later, Satya falls in love with Suchitra. That leads to several problems which are faced bravely by Satya in the later part of the film. Finally, all goes well, and Satya also receives the letter confirming his selection for IPS.

Willie Nelson at Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits proudly welcomes back a longtime friend, American music icon Willie Nelson, in a career-spanning hour as he performs a mix of his universally-known hits and new classics from his timeless catalog.

The Phantom Submarine

On the night before he sails in search of the steamship Arcadia's sunken gold, Paul Sinclair (Bruce Bennett)meets Madeliene Nielson (Anita Louise) in a San Francisco nightclub. On the second day at sea, Madeliene turns up as a stowaway. While diving and searching for the sunken gold, off the Phillipines, Paul discovers that a foreign-country submarine has been laying mines in order to completely cut off the Phillipines from American protection.

Leila Diniz

The life of Brazilian actress Leila Diniz.

This Is England

Edward R. Murrow narrates Humphrey Jennings' short documentary about life in England during wartime.

Conspiracy

American Steve Kendall, a freighter's radio officer, discovers seaman Carlson sending an unauthorized message ashore as the ship approaches his war-poised homeland. Carlson is shot in cold blood when he jumps ship and Kendall, implicated in the espionage, swims ashore to avoid arrest. A woman he meets at the dock hides him in her apartment, where he learns Carlson was her brother, and they both work in a sabotage ring. Nedra is a singer at Tio's Cafe, and she approaches Tio for help when both the saboteurs and the secret police try to capture Steve.

Blue Summer

A couple of dudes pack a van full of beer and go on a road trip in search of sexual adventures. They get that and more.

Tweestrijd

Plot unavailable

Gotas

Marta is a teenager whose parents died two years ago. One night, while she is alone at home, she will discover the truth about the pain she feels inside.

Aqua - Live at Tivoli

Concert with Aqua recorded in Tivoli, Copenhagen, Denmark

The Blue Drum

A woman mourning her father's passing is tormented by memories of a mother she never knew. A presence reveals secrets hidden within her family home.

Blue Weekend

Set on a night out, UK rock band Wolf Alice decided to bring the music of their album Blue Weekend to life with this film.

Josh's Suicide

Josh doesn't like the way things go at home and decides to quit and get out. Later, his wife gets what purports to be his farewell letter, which is intended to lead her to believe he has committed suicide. He, however, goes to New York to have a good time, and he does, "by gosh." The wife, believing herself a widow, makes a trip to New York with her admirer. Well, you may guess the rest.

Knife Skills

Edwin’s Restaurant is determined to become one of America’s top French restaurants, with a staff unlike any other in the country. Brandon Edwin Chrostowski prepares to open his Cleveland, Ohio fine dining establishment with a staff composed nearly entirely of recently released prisoners in search of an opportunity to get their lives back on track. They sign up for a classical French food boot camp to learn the ins and outs of fine wine, sauces, and more.

Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill

The life of painter, dancer and poet Mark Turbyfill, seen in his 70th year, is evoked through Markopoulos’ unique form of cinematic portraiture.

The Dead Ones

Markopoulos’ first attempt at making a 35mm feature film, clearly inspired by the cinema of Jean Cocteau, was left unfinished and the materials were lost for many years.

Fires of Kuwait

After Saddam Hussein had the Kuwait Oil wells lit up, teams from all over the world fought those fires for months. They had to save the oil resources, as well as reduce air pollution. The different teams developed different techniques of extinguishing the fires. Man's emergency creativity can be seen at it's best.

Insomnia

Detectives Jonas and Erik are called to the midnight sun country of northern Norway to investigate a recent homicide, but their plan to arrest the killer goes awry, and Jonas mistakenly shoots Erik. The suspect escapes, and a frightened Jonas pins Erik's death on the fugitive. Jonas continues to pursue the killer as he seeks to protect himself; however, his mounting guilt and the omnipresent sun plague him with an insomnia that affects his sanity.

La Chienne

Cashier Maurice Legrand is married to Adele, a terror. By chance, he meets Lucienne, "Lulu", and make her his mistress. He thinks he finally met love, but Lulu is nothing but a streetwalker, in love with Dede, her pimp. She only accepts Legrand to satisfy Dede's needs of money.

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy

Stranded in Egypt, Bud and Lou find themselves in the buried tomb of a living mummy.

Detective Conan: The Phantom of Baker Street

Noah's Ark, the latest innovation in VR technology, is set for a showcase to Japan's privileged children. However, their carefree fun is cut short when a company employee is found murdered, with his dying message pointing to a clue hidden within the Ark. Along with the Detective Boys and Ran Mouri, Conan Edogawa enters Noah's Ark to solve this mystery and ensure the perpetrator is caught.

Moroshka

A mere sight of a gray wolf terrifies the entire village. There’s just one little girl who can empathize with the wolf and even make friends with him.

Laurita

Laura and her mother are spending their vacation on the seashore, in Sao Paulo, at a middle-class beach house. Laura's adolescent body is changing but not in harmony with her coming of age. She's less bothered by that than the situation the two of them find themselves in.

The Boston Strangler

Boston is being terrorized by a series of seemingly random murders of women. Based on the true story, the film follows the investigators path through several leads before introducing the Strangler as a character. It is seen almost exclusively from the point of view of the investigators who have very few clues to build a case upon.

A lie within a lie

(Mounir Wagdy) A reckless reckless young man residing in Cairo with a friend like him, overburdened by debts despite the 100 pounds his uncle sends him every month. He deliberately tricks and lies to extort money from his uncle, telling him a lie that he married a girl of large families, and his debts grow. He is confined to a movable room on the roof of a large building that uses his address in his correspondence with his uncle and sent to his uncle that his wife was placed to ask for help. Uncle rejoices and comes with his sister to see the child and Munir falls into the evil of his deeds!

A woman's heart

Khairiya is a wealthy girl engaged to her cousin Amin Al-Thara as well. Her family loses this wealth and the girl loses her fiancé, who refused to be paired with a bankrupt girl. She is shocked by charity when she finds her fiancé with another girl and another rich daughter. The family lives the life of the strugglers and the girl recognizes Fayez and is connected with him emotionally, which makes the whole family object to him to put his origin, despite his success in achieving wealth, but marry him because of the patience and ambition and already above the star of her husband and enriched return rich as she was, but her family still intervenes between them and do not agree On this marriage of the social difference between them, a sermon is being made on your brother of a charity of the sister of Fayez's sister.

Infinito

Silence is absolute and time dilates as we lose ourselves in an unpredictable space among non-existent places.

Goodbye Blue Sky

Long after the end of the world, five strangers sharing an abandoned desert motel are forced to decide between love and survival.

Bicycle Thieves

Unemployed Antonio is elated when he finally finds work hanging posters around war-torn Rome. However on his first day, his bicycle—essential to his work—gets stolen. His job is doomed unless he can find the thief. With the help of his son, Antonio combs the city, becoming desperate for justice.

L'Avventura

Claudia and Anna join Anna's lover, Sandro, on a boat trip to a remote volcanic island. When Anna goes missing, a search is launched. In the meantime, Sandro and Claudia become involved in a romance despite Anna's disappearance, though the relationship suffers from guilt and tension.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

A petty thief posing as an actor is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl and a detective who's been training him for his upcoming role...

Synecdoche, New York

A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.

Hustle

The body of teenager Gloria Hollinger is found dead on a Los Angeles beach, and Lt. Phil Gaines is in charge of the investigation. Gaines learns that the girl, a stripper and prostitute, committed suicide, but he ignores the connection between her and a powerful mob lawyer, Leo Sellers. Hollinger's father, however, is not satisfied with Gaines's results, and attempts to investigate the case on his own.

Ashes and Diamonds

A young academy soldier, Maciek Chelmicki, is ordered to shoot the secretary of the KW PPR. A coincidence causes him to kill someone else. Meeting face to face with his victim, he gets a shock. He faces the necessity of repeating the assassination. He meets Krystyna, a girl working as a barmaid in the restaurant of the "Monopol" hotel. His affection for her makes him even more aware of the senselessness of killing at the end of the war. Loyalty to the oath he took, and thus the obligation to obey the order, tips the scales.

Hell

In the course of one afternoon, Raphael's paradise turns into a spiral of guilt and paranoia.

The Fugitive

Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble escapes from the law in an attempt to find the real killer and clear his name.

Hiroshima Mon Amour

The deep conversation between a Japanese architect and a French actress forms the basis of this celebrated French film, considered one of the vanguard productions of the French New Wave. Set in Hiroshima after the end of World War II, the couple -- lovers turned friends -- recount, over many hours, previous romances and life experiences. The two intertwine their stories about the past with pondering the devastation wrought by the atomic bomb dropped on the city.

Three Mirrors Creature's Flashes of Flesh

In the aftermath of an emotional shock, a ruthless high-class manager faces her own abyss, becomes pervaded by a sensory spirit and undertakes a purifying voyage.

Invincible

The Shadow Men are immortal beings of darkness and destruction. One such Shadow Man, Os (Zane), is confronted by the White Warrior, a being of light, and given the chance to change his ways or die. After the White Warrior bests Os in combat, she opens his heart to the power of love, and charges him to find the warriors who are the representation of the five elements and will save the world.

Madame Tutli-Putli

Madame Tutli-Putli boards the Night Train, weighed down with all her earthly possessions and the ghosts of her past. She travels alone, facing both the kindness and menace of strangers. As day descends into dark, she finds herself caught up in a desperate metaphysical adventure.

Pre-Drink

Alexe is a young trans woman, and Carl a gay man. Best friends since forever, an evening spent together destabilizes Alexe, when both decide to have sex together for the first time.

The Gate Nothing Is Coming

After fleeing a secret society, Sarah and Tim are attacked by a group of sadistic voyeurs who meet a worse fate at the hands of a mysterious monster known as The Gate.

The Golden Wedding

A grandfather recalls how he and his wife met and fell in love during the Second Italian War of Independence.

Truck Driver

In a boarding school, Raidel is witness to the abuse suffered by his schoolmate Randy.

Impossibility Defense

At a certain park, there is a mysterious man, who has red eyes and a black suit, that people can go to and request him to kill someone. His assassinations can never be blamed on him because he takes no illegal action. His strength is in the power of suggestion and the arrangement of events. He accepts these requests, all the while privately mocking the foolishness of those whose unwise wishes he grants.

Everything Will Be OK

A series of dark and troubling events forces Bill to reckon with the meaning of his life… or lack thereof.

Genre

In Don Hertzfeldt's second student film, a hapless cartoon character is dragged through a spectrum of cinematic situations by his frustrated animator.

Rejected

A hilarious collection of animated television commercials that were rejected because of their creator's failing grip on sanity.

Mihai and Cristina

Teenager Mihai decides one night to pay a visit to Cristina, one of his classmates that he is madly in love with. On the way, he goes through a series of adventures that change him irreversibly.

Who Leads

One couple's new intense connection is questioned in the midst of the disintegration of another couple; who leads when four men come together?

The Freaking Family

Suddenly, a nuclear bomb drops onto a peaceful family.

Till Human Voices Wake Us

Inspired by the Celtic myths of the Selkies - seals in water and enchanting maidens on land - who storm Manhattan when one of their kind falls for a man drowning under the Brooklyn Bridge.

Zelos

Maria, a competitive woman in her late 30's orders a clone from North Korea under the pretense of getting some help around the house so she can spend more time with her husband and two kids, but mostly to compete with her flawless friend Ari.

Mama's Boy

A modern take on the Indian legend Mahabharata.

The Colour Wheel Session

The Fantasia-inspired session features live performances of Life Is Yours, 2001 (Summer Sky), 2AM & Looking High from FOALS' 2022 album 'Life Is Yours'.

Beau

Beau, an emerging artist is about to unveil her latest installation. Her lover Paloma, is a devoted supporter. Her final breakthrough hinges on the success of this piece and soon this pressure causes a rife in the two women's relationship.

Naduja

Khurshid Pasha lost his daughter Nadia in Sudan fifteen years ago. He fled to Egypt with his secretary Murad. He advised him to search for her while he was on his deathbed. Murad intends to search for Nadia so that the wealth does not go to relatives. Murad and his followers travel to the jungle and finally find her, but the rest of the family are looking for her in order to kidnap her.