Arsenals recomends: Pandora's Box, dir. Yesim Ustaoglu, Turkey, France, Germany, Belgium, 2008 When three 40-something siblings who live in Istanbul get a phone call and hear that their aging mother has disappeared in northeastern Turkey (she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease), they put aside – for a while – all their differences, and they go and search her. However, just like a Pandora box, old tension, animosities and unspoken family stories will resurface.

Arsenals recomends: Nord, dir. Rune Denstad Langlo, Norway, 2009 After coming out of a really bad depression, former pro ski champion Jomar Henriksen now works as a course setter on the slopes. But he does not take his job seriously and he spends most of histime smoking, drinking and messing around. When an old pal visits him, he sees an opportunity to leave his miserable life behind him and start over. Jomar’s friend tells him that he has a son who lives in the northern part of the country.

Arsenals recomends: Lost Persons Area, rež. Caroline Strubbe, Belgium, Hungary, Netherlands, Germany, France, 2009 Bettina and Marcus, a passionate couple, life in a canteen in the middle of a vast field with endless lines of pylons. Marcus, trying to set up his own business, works as a foreman in the maintenance of these power-lines. Bettina, bored and longing for a better life, runs the canteen for the workingmen. Their 9-year-old daughter Tessa, wanders the industrial area, looking for bits and pieces to occupy her mind, skipping school

Arsenals recomends: Katalina Varga, rež. Peter Strickland, Romania, UK, Hungary, 2009 Banished by her husband and her village, Katalin Varga is left with no other choice than to set out on a quest to find the real father of her son, Orbįn. Taking Orbįn with her under another pretence, Katalin travels through the Carpathians where she decides to reopen a sinister chapter from her past and take revenge.

Arsenals recomends: Für ein Augenblick Freiheit, dir.  Arash T. Riahi, Austria, France, 2009 Fast-moving and packed with action, For a Moment Freedom tells of the odyssey of three Iranian/Kurdish groups of refugees: a married couple with a child, two young men with two children, and two men who are friends despite the differences between them. They have all managed to escape from Iran and Iraq, but now they are stuck in the Turkish capital; although freedom is at last almost within their grasp, first they have to

Arsenals recomends: Eastern Plays, dir. Kamen Kalev, Bulgaria, Sweden, 2009 Two brothers who have lost all contact are suddenly brought together when they have opposite roles in a racist beating: while Georgi who’s recently joined a neonazi group participates in the violence, Itso witnesses and rescues the Turkish family. Georgi, now being asked to participate in larger events, starts to question his implication in the movement and Itso wonders if the beautiful Turkish girl he saved could be his ticket

Arsenals recomends: Ander, dir. Roberto Castón, Spain, 2009 Ander is an intimate story which portrays a Basque countryman well into his forties at the turn of the twentieth century. He lives a monotonous life that takes place between his work in a bicycle factory and his peasant duties shared with his sister and their elder mother. His life starts to change when due to an accident he needs to hire a Peruvian helper, José. The newcomer’s presence alters unintentionally the

Arsenals recomends: 35 Rhums, dir. Claire Denis, France, Germany, 2008 Lionel works as a RER (Paris suburban train) driver. He has been raising his daughter Joséphine, as a single parent, and now, she is a young woman. They live side by side, almost like a couple, refusing to commit in outside relationships and get involved with others’ problems. For Lionel, the only personthat counts is his daughter. And reciprocally. But progressively, Lionel starts realizing that time went by, even for them. Maybe

Silence, directorž. Laila Pakalniņa, Latvia, 2009 A film of Laila Pakalnina which has passed a competition between more than 3000 short films to become one of the 9 which were selected for Festival de Cannes Short Films selection.

Nang Mai, director Pen- Ek Ratanaruang, Thailand, 2009 The new film of Arsenal’s favored director. A meditative story about a young couple which reveals the importance of their relationship during a trip to the forest where one of them disappears.