Film Under the Stars 2021

In order to help bring Nazis to justice, U.S. government agent T.R. Devlin (Grant) recruits Alicia Huberman (Bergman), the American daughter of a convicted German war criminal, as a spy. As they begin to fall for one another, Alicia is instructed to win the affections of Alexander Sebastian (Rains), a Nazi hiding out in Brazil.

When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honour Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated when they find themselves unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other. 

Martin and three of his friends, all weary high school teachers, embark on an experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the workday. If Churchill won WW2 in a heavy daze of alcohol, who knows what a few drops might do for them and their students?

Anthony is in his eighties, lives alone in his London apartment and categorically refuses the nurses his daughter is trying to arrange for him. Yet help is becoming a necessity as she can no longer make daily visits and he is losing his grip on reality as his memory is fading.

Helmut Newton’s controversial photos of—often nude—women always raised the question: did he empower his subjects or treat them merely as sexual objects? Gero von Boehm decided to ask the female stars of his iconic images.

Rifkin’s Festival centres on a married American couple who go to the San Sebastián Film Festival and get caught up in the magic of the event, the beauty and charm of the Basque town and the fantasy of movies. She has an affair with a young up-and-coming French movie director, and he falls in love with a beautiful doctor…

Sweat recounts three days in the life of fitness influencer Sylwia Zając, whose presence on social media has made her a celebrity. Although she has hundreds of thousands of followers, is surrounded by loyal employees and admired by acquaintances, she is looking for true intimacy.

Carsten is a celebrity chef who works his magic in the kitchen. Maggie is an anthropologist with a speciality in meals. Together they form the latest invincible duo on the Danish gourmet scene. They love each other, have two wonderful children and own one of the most hyped food temples in Copenhagen. They want it all and have it all. Almost. The prestigious Michelin-star is yet to be secured and the couple are willing to sacrifice everything to achieve their dream.

In a provincial suburb, three neighbours are overtaken by new technologies and social media. They decide to fight back against the Big Tech companies. A resolutely analogue and wonderfully ridiculous satire about the digital promised land. 

M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) unveils a chilling, mysterious new thriller about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly … reducing their entire lives into a single day.

Starting with her one-person school strike for climate action outside the Swedish Parliament, Grossman follows Greta Thunberg—a shy student with Asperger’s—in her rise to prominence and her galvanising global impact as she sparks school strikes around the world. The film culminates with her extraordinary wind-powered voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York City.

Amidst a worldwide pandemic that causes sudden amnesia, Aris finds himself enrolled in a recovery programme designed to help patients build new identities. Prescribed daily tasks to create new memories and document them on camera, Aris slides back into ordinary life, meeting Anna… Enigmatic, larded with deadpan humour, this multi-awarded directorial debut had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The Assistant follows one day in the life of Jane who has landed her dream job as an assistant to a powerful film mogul. As Jane follows her daily routine, she grows increasingly aware of the abuse that insidiously colours every aspect of her work day. This gripping debut is a searing indictment of a system that perpetuates workplace harassment.

Julio and Ana have been together for over 15 years. Daily conflicts are the norm. Their upstairs neighbours, Salva and Laura, are a slightly younger couple they welcomed with open arms when they moved into the building, but the constant moaning and groaning coming from their apartment has become a source of argument for Julio and Ana. One day, Ana decides to invite them over…

When 16-year-old Alexis capsizes off the coast of Normandy, 18-year-old David heroically saves him. Alexis has just met the friend of his dreams. But will the dream last for more than one summer? With the tunes of The Cure, Bananarama and Rod Stewart, François Ozon takes us back to the days of his youth with a tale of friendship and first love.

Deep in the forests of Piedmont, Italy, a handful of men, 70 or 80 years young, hunt for the rare and expensive white Alba truffle. They’re guided by a secret culture and training passed down through generations, as well as by the noses of their cherished and expertly trained dogs.

Following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, Fern packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. The third feature by Chloé Zhao, Nomadland features real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West.

Set in Arkansas during the 1980s, Minari tells the story of a Korean-American family in search of the American Dream. Jacob Yi—husband and father of two—wants to start his own farm. But then the one-of-a-kind grandmother who has just flown in from Korea moves in… Oscar for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role and Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Picture. 

John Petersen lives with his partner Eric and their adopted daughter in Southern California. His father Willis is a farmer whose attitudes and behaviour belong to a far more traditional era. When Willis travels to Los Angeles for an indefinite stay with John’s family, the two very different worlds collide. Directorial debut by Viggo Mortensen.

Leo is an Italian who lives in Slovenia, and Vučko is a Bosnian who came to Slovenia as a child refugee. When the bank refuses to give them a mortgage for a restaurant refurbishment, they decide to accept an offer from Gianni. They are tasked to steal his truck so he can collect the insurance money. To their shock, they discover they have taken the wrong truck, one loaded with refugees…

Alsace, the 1960s. Running a household and bending to conjugal duty is what Paulette Van Der Beck ardently teaches in her “housekeeping school” for girls. Her certainties are shaken when she finds herself widowed and ruined. But then her first love reappears. What if the good wife became a free woman? The spirit of May ’68 is certainly in the air… A comedy with Juliette Binoche in the lead.

When a family become concerned about their mother’s well-being in a retirement home, private investigator Romulo hires the 83-year-old Sergio to become a resident and a mole inside the home. While gathering intelligence, the charming senior soon becomes close to several residents and realises the truth beneath the surface is not what anyone had suspected.

Sixteen-year-old Youri has lived all his life in the Gagarine Cité, a vast red-brick housing project on the outskirts of Paris. From the heights of his apartment, he dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when plans to demolish his community’s home are leaked, Youri joins the resistance. With his friends he embarks on a mission to save Gagarine, transforming the estate into his own starship.

Annette tells the story of Henry, a stand-up comedian with a fierce sense of humour and Ann, a singer of international renown. The birth of their first child, Annette, a mysterious girl with an exceptional destiny, will change their lives. Opening film of the Cannes Film Festival.