80 Million is set in the autumn of 1981, ten days before the proclamation of martial law in Poland. Three members of the anti-communist movement take out 80 million zlotys from the organization’s bank account, just before it is blocked by the authorities. The money – that is miraculously saved – will then support Solidarity in its opposition to the government. This suspenseful drama recounts an important period of Poland’s history in a universal, original, and optimistic way. It was chosen as Poland's entry for the 2012 Academy Awards.

This beautifully animated film, based on an acclaimed comic book, portrays the friendship between Emilio and Miguel, two elderly men in a retirement home. Recent arrival Emilio – in the early stages of Alzheimer's – is helped by his colleagues to avoid ending up on the feared top floor, the "assisted" floor. Their wild plan infuses their otherwise tedious day-to-day existence with humor and tenderness. Ferreras worked along side Sylvain Chomet on the Oscar-nominated The Illusionist and here he carries the flame forward with his detailed 2D cel animation.

Just completed, NOMMO Productions'  "Legacy" documents in one half hour the more than two decades it took to complete the $40 million structure housing an African American cultural center anchored in downtown Pittsburgh and named for playwright August Wilson, an icon of American theater born in Pittsburgh more than half-a-century ago.  Featuring archival and time-lapse footage, the film "watches" the building's construction as it examines the historical significance of the Center and Wilson's works.  Narration by Charles S. Dutton, a character in many Wilson plays, a score by bassist Dwayne Dolphin, and film of performances and celebrations seamlessly tie together issues of architectural form and function, art and community, and the struggle for survival of a cultural continuum and of the Center that aspires to house and present it.

This spy/love story, set a decade before the fall of the Berlin Wall, is a seductive, slow-burning pleasure. Barbara is a pediatric surgeon transferred for disciplinary reasons from the city to a post in a tiny country hospital. But this community is beset with paranoia and citizen surveillance, like the East Berlin from The Lives of Others. The superb German actress Nina Hoss casts a spell in the lead role. Barbara seems to have an elaborate protective coating, but eventually draws us behind the mask into a world of clandestine plans and secret hopes. Gorgeous film with plenty of twists and political intrigue.

When an astronaut successfully completes a launch into space, he thinks that the hardest part of his mission is over. However, when an unexpected run in with an asteroid field occurs, he is left scrambling to keep both his ship and reality from crashing down around him.

Set in 1979, and after years of exile, 12-year-old Juan and his family come back to Argentina with fake identities. Juan's parents are members of the Montoneros Organization, which is fighting against the ruling Military Junta. His friends at school know him as Ernesto, a name his life depends on him not forgetting. This suspenseful film explores the perils of attachment while leading an undercover life. Featured in both Toronto and Cannes Film Festivals. “A gripping, intensely personal account of a turbulent time ...blends vivid recollection and imaginative recreation. This exceptional first feature not only captures the spirit and passion of the freedom fighters who gave their lives for a cause, but also gives voice to their children, caught in a battle that was not their own yet rising heroically to the challenge.” – TIFF Film Guide.

Each year space is devoted in the festival for a competitive selection of shorts – a program for artists working in film and video that allows them to creatively take risks, break new ground or challenge the viewer. This year we’ve selected 11 shorts from more than 150 submissions from local, national and international artists. The categories are experimental, narrative, animation, and documentary. Prizes will be awarded (donated by Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Kodak) for first, second and third place. (Total program time: 111min, plus intermission) With reception on Fri., Nov. 16. Films include: Libidinis by Rosa Peris & Mercedes Peris | Van Stock by John Howard | Pulling Teeth by Steve Abruzzese & Jennifer Suwak | Dog Bytes by Melissa Martin | 1609 by Michael McKowen | Private Sun by Rami Alayan | Mira’s Night by Elyse Kelly | Letter Die: A Gamut Sibling Mystery by Andy Kelemen & Mike Rubino | Sterling Hallard Bright Drake by Robert Sickels | The Runner by Parker Ellerman | Tanathopsis Clocks by Trevor King. Winners Announced: First Place: Private Sun | Second Place: Pulling Teeth | Third Place: Libidinis

Presented in a restored print for its 50th anniversary, this controversial classic by groundbreaking filmmaker Shirley Clarke, is the first of her films to be restored and re-released. Mistaken for a documentary and considered “obscene” in its day, the film was shut down by the New York City police. The projectionist was arrested, the print impounded, and the producers went to court. The movie adapts an off-Broadway blockbuster play of the same name. Provocative, unapologetic it's about a filmmaker’s doomed attempt to document a group of heroin addicts while they wait together in a seedy apartment for their fix. Clarke, a pioneering woman director, inspired a whole movement of dramatic independent American filmmaking.

El Cap... as in the great 3000 foot cliff “El Capitan” at Yosemite. Not only is this a gorgeous (filmed in HD) profile of the mountain and the national park, it is also a beautiful and compelling story about Western PA native Mike Kozusko, who at 58, tries to become the oldest person to solo-climb the famous cliff. We meet many of the climbers who get to know Mike over the three year quest. A loner by choice and by fate, Mike is welcomed into Yosemite's climbing community of amateurs, speed climbers, international climbing professionals, and by the writer of the El Cap Report – an online blog about climbers at Yosemite. Don't miss this heart-warming documentary.

Starring Elle Fanning, and featuring top-notch supporting actresses Annette Bening and Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, this moody piece about best friends set in 1960s London, just premiered in Toronto. As the Cold War meets the sexual revolution, the friendship of these two teenagers is shattered by ideological differences and personal betrayals. Sally Potter (Orlando) strikes a perfect balance in her central characters, creating very different traits. Fanning, already so impressive in Super 8 and Somewhere, conveys Ginger's entire inner world of conflicting emotions with subtle gestures. And up-and-coming New Zealander Alice Englert (filmmaker Jane Campion's daughter) as Rosa gives a breakout performance. The film exudes what it means to be young, awakening to the world, and susceptible to all the riches and pitfalls it has to offer.

An acclaimed photographer with the eye of a filmmaker, Gregory Crewdson has created some of the most gorgeously haunting pictures in the history of the medium. His meticulously composed, large-scale images are stunning narratives of small-town American life – moviescapes crystallized into a single frame. Staged with crews that rival many feature film productions, it's no surprise that Crewdson takes inspiration from the worlds of Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch and Diane Arbus. His imagery has also infiltrated pop culture, including Six Feet Under ads and Yo La Tengo's album art. This riveting film, shot over a decade, lays bare the artist’s process.

From the director of Why We Fight, comes this penetrating new look at America's war on drugs. It officially began 40 years ago under the leadership of Richard Nixon. Yet today, drugs are cheaper, purer, and more available than ever before. Where did we go wrong? The filmmaker offers a sobering, comprehensive view of a modern drug culture and examines the troubling realities of a broken system. From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, the film reveals profound human rights implications. Heart-wrenching in its humanity, and brilliant in its thesis, it grabs viewers and shakes them to their core.

Since the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967, the Israeli military has imposed laws, established military courts, and developed a system of long-term jurisdiction by an occupying army that is unique in the world. This non-fiction film offers unprecedented testimonies from the military professionals who were the architects of the system. The director positions his seated interviewees at a table on a raised platform in front of a large green screen with projected archival footage of arrests and trials of Palestinian suspects. The engrossing documentary dares to tell this story and to ask questions that have been skirted for decades.

This romantic comedy is set in the city of Warsaw on a snowy Christmas Eve. Like a Polish version of Love Actually, this heartwarming comedy with a few tears in the middle, is about multiple characters finding true love during the holidays. Its young Slovenian director, Mitja Okorn, could not get state funding in his native country for the film, so he went elsewhere – Poland. Now, the delightful film has become Poland's biggest box-office hit of the post-Communist era. Mitja Okorn is scheduled to attend both shows. (2011; 110 min) Presented in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Polish Council.

Legendary artist Lillian Schwartz is best known for her pioneering work with computers and what since has become known as computer-generated art and computer-aided art analysis, including film, video, animation, special effects, graphics, and virtual reality. This presentation is a program of 10 short films, all shown on 16mm, from Ms. Schwartz's early days at Bell Laboratories (circa 1970 –1975) where she experimented with the amalgam of image and sound. Her films can be viewed in 3D, as well (glasses provided). Also included is a short documentary about her called, The Artist and the Computer. The special night includes Q&A sessions with Ms. Schwartz via Skype. (program approx. 90 min) Some films in the program were preserved through the National Film Preservation Foundation's Avant-Garde Masters Grant program funded by The Film Foundation. Image from: Pixillation © 1970 Created By LILLIAN F. SCHWARTZ, additional program code by Ken Knowlton. Commissioned by AT&T.

Presented in a new, restored 35mm print, this rich, lyrical film centers on the lives of four sisters who have taken on their family’s kimono manufacturing business. Shot in rich, vivid colors, and set in the years leading up to the Pacific War, it's a graceful study of a family at a turning point in history – a poignant evocation of changing times and fading customs. The two oldest sisters are married and according to tradition, the rebellious youngest sister cannot wed until the third, who's terribly shy, finds a husband. Don't miss this gorgeous film on the big screen.

Recently featured in Toronto Film Festival's “wavelength” sidebar of experimental art films, it is the gifted director's follow-up to Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. This unique film explores the theme of reincarnation as it shifts between fact and fiction in a calming rhythm of ebb and flow. In a hotel situated along the Mekong River, on the border of Thailand and Laos, a filmmaker rehearses a movie expressing the bonds between a vampire-like mother and daughter.

Eighty percent of women in US prisons today are mothers of school-age children. This unusually compelling documentary is about an issue rarely reported. We follow five mothers incarcerated at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in NY State as they work to “parent” from behind bars. Mothers of Bedford is a deeply moving story about these women, their journey and the staggering power of the mother-child relationship.

Agathe (Isabelle Huppert) is uptight, serious, and impatient. Patrick (Benoît Poelvoorde) is, well, not a Type A personality. She has a good relationship with the Minister of Culture and Arts. He has a good relationship with alcoholic beverages. Agathe only interacts when Patrick out of necessity: their sons are friends, and he’s been hired to renovate their posh apartment in Paris. Slowly Agathe warms up to Patrick’s presence, but they are about as opposite as you can get. These two fine actors make a wonderful comedic duo as they try to meet in the middle with hilarious results.

Nicholas Winton is an Englishman who organized the rescue of 669 Czech and Slovak children just before the outbreak of World War II. Now 102 years old, he did not speak about these events for more than half a century. His exploits would've been forgotten if his wife, 50 years later, hadn't found a suitcase in the attic, full of documents and transport plans. Dozens of Winton's “children” have been found and many have gone on to achieve great things themselves. The filmmaker set out to ensure this little-known story was not lost to time, as well as bringing to light the phenomenon that has emerged since. Winton's courageous acts continue to influence people and motivate them to do good.

This annual matinee with Alloy Orchestra features a new program of silent shorts that's fun for the whole family, and a great introduction to this unique art form. This year's program highlights the work of Buster Keaton and his mentor Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. Keaton worked with Arbuckle for three years and they made 14 films together, including the ones in this program: The Butcher Boy (1917), which is Keaton's first screen appearance; Good Night Nurse! (1918) which involves a trip to the sanatarium; and The Playhouse (1921), where Keaton plays a dozen characters.

Sam and Jen fall in love in their dreams, but must accept the inevitable reality - Jen is dating Sam's brother.

The Film Festival welcomes back Boston’s Alloy Orchestra. For 20 years they've performed their original scores for silent films. Recently they acquired a gorgeous new print of this gem from a Moscow film archive. The film – adapted from the famous parable by Nikolai Gogol – is the story of an impoverished bureaucrat who's teased by the younger clerks about his threadbare overcoat. So he scrimps and saves, and becomes obsessed with buying an elegant new coat that will finally make him feel important. But he does not foresee the misfortune this will bring him. Don't miss this beautifully rendered masterpiece enhanced by Alloy’s exciting live score. (Grigori Kozintsev & Leonid Trauberg; Soviet Union; 1924; 65min) ** Tickets also available at the Regent Square Theater box office.

Local filmmaker Chris Pretska (and Pittsburgh Filmmaker's alum) first met actor Curt Wootton on the set of the 2005 web series Captain Blasto. From there, the two collaborated on Mercury Men, a Pittsburgh-based retro online sci-fi series whose episodes are now playing on the SyFy Network. More recently, Wootton has become famous as Pittsburgh Dad, perfectly capturing the traditional, blue-collar everyman who lives and breaths “the stillers,” goes to Kennywood every year, and partakes in most things Pittsburgh. The one-man online series became an overnight Internet sensation, generating millions of hits. For this event, Pretska and Wootton will screen clips from both series and discuss online film exhibition.

An irreverent, often politically incorrect and ultimately touching film, it plumbs the depths of friendship and marriage. The film follows Tuna and long time friend, Alex, on their quest to go to Richard's wedding in Central Park. The duo meet up with their motley assortment of old friends only to revive old jealousies and debates on politics, religion, and the meaning of success, as the whole party runs the risk of going off the rails in a downpour of rain and emotions. This re-tooling of the wedding-movie genre recalls classic ensemble films of John Sayles but with a slew of young New York DIY indie-film talent.

“...marvelous movie, gorgeous, thoughtful and deeply felt.” - NPR. Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises) and Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead) star in this emotionally raw love story from Cannes Grand Prix winner Jacques Audiard (A Prophet). It's about a broke, homeless, and drifting young dad who scrambles to make a living for himself and his young son and moves to the French Riviera as a back-alley boxer. Taking work as a nightclub bouncer, he crosses paths with Stéphanie, who works as a killer-whale trainer at an amusement park. After she suffers a terrible accident, the unlikely pair falls into a tender, tentative courtship. Oscar buzz is building for this unflinching film and its bold performances. Print courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Winner of “Best First Feature” in the London Film Fest, this tender story begins with Shun Li working in a textile factory near Rome. She's slowly paying off the broker who brought her from China to Italy, while trying to save money to bring her young son over. Transferred to work as a bartender in a pub that's a hangout for local fishermen, one day she meets Bepi, a handsome old Slav immigrant nicknamed "The Poet." A delicate friendship grows between them, but gossip soon threatens their innocent relationship. Variety calls the film “exquisite” and “rapturous.”

Official Swiss entry for Best Picture Oscar, this stunning drama set in the Alps, takes a look at obligation, lies, morals, and stealing from the rich. Simon is a 12-year-old boy who lives with his irresponsible older sister in a small apartment below a luxurious ski resort. Each day Simon ascends the mountains, pilfers ski equipment, and sells it. Left unsupervised, his newfound criminal enterprise and growing attachment to the guests and seasonal workers puts his relationship with his sister in jeopardy. This powerful coming-of-age tale stars Gillian Anderson, and owes a lot to the natural performance of Kacey Mottet Klein as Simon.

One of the most influential chefs in the world, Michel Bras, has decided to hand over his renowned 3-star, Michelin-rated restaurant to his son Sébastien. Filmed in the South of France, home to the Bras family for generations, the filmmaker takes a patient, fly-on-the-wall approach, presenting an absorbing, behind-the-scenes look into this competitive world of creative cuisine. Whether making a fanciful dish, such as milk curd, or everyday condiments like blackberry jelly, taste and presentation carry equal weight. As summer gives way to fall, Michel has trouble letting go. This delicious documentary is as much a celebration of family as it is food.

From renowned animation auteur Michel Ocelot (Kirikou and the Sorceress, Azur & Asmar) comes this breathtaking film from the Berlin Film Fest. He weaves together six exotic fables each unfolding in a unique locale, from Tibet, to medieval Europe, an Aztec kingdom, the African plains, and even the Land of the Dead. In Ocelot’s storytelling, history blends with fairytale as viewers are whisked off to enchanted lands full of dragons, werewolves, captive princesses, sorcerers, and enormous talking bees - and each fable ends with its own ironic twist. Black silhouetted characters are set against exquisitely detailed Day-Glo backgrounds, bursting with color and kaleidoscopic patterns.

Though perhaps better known for The Passion of Joan of Arc, Carl Theodor Dreyer applies that same intensity to the horror genre here. A host of stunning camera and editing tricks create a mood of dreamlike terror. The story concerns an occult student assailed by various supernatural haunts in a village outside Paris. With its roiling fogs, ominous scythes, and foreboding echoes, Vampyr is one of cinema’s great nightmares. Steve Severin has composed and will perform an original score of dark, atmospheric, electronic music. Severin is a London-based composer, bassist and co-founding member of Siouxsie and the Banshees. (Carl Theodor Dreyer, Germany, 1932; 73 min)

A visual and sonic poem of places that are in transition. Allegories spell out notions of war while three sisters, mixed up with nature and distorted, search for a place to rest.

One of Pittsburgh's most successful and prolific filmmakers, Tony Buba began documenting his hometown of Braddock, PA in 1972. He will present a preview of his newest work-in-progress, We Are Alive! The Fight To Save Braddock Hospital, a documentary about the residents of Braddock and the Mon Valley fighting the 10 billion dollar non-profit medical corporate giant (UPMC) to keep their community hospital open. UPMC claimed the hospital was under-utilized, but many believe the hospital was over-utilized by the wrong people: the working poor, or those with no health insurance. Shot from October 2009 to June 2012, Buba uses his cinema verite style to follow the community from disbelief, to anger, to taking it to the streets. We Are Alive! celebrates this fight, the citizens of the Mon Valley, and the grassroots organization Save Our Community Hospitals, who continue to battle for quality healthcare.