DIR: Paul Cox
Australia 2008 98min 4K Digital
Irina has left her native Russia in order to support her mother and daughter but becomes involved in prostitution as a means towards a better life. Gloria is a televangelist with a thriving church franchise and believes her marriage to Barry is a match made in heaven. But the good Lord is Gloria’s real partner and Barry craves human warmth, intimacy and love. As Barry starts to confide and trust in Irina, Gloria moves closer to her own destiny. The Lord giveth and He taketh. Amen. Stars Wendy Hughes, Bruce Myles, Barry Humphries and Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell.

DIR: John Crowley
UK 2008 95min 35mm
Clarence, a proud, acerbic magician reluctantly enters a family-run retirement home in a seaside English town. An unlikely friendship develops between Clarence and the afterlife-obsessed young son of the home's overwhelmed owners. This charming story about growing up and growing old, and the unpredictable adventures that happen along the way, brings rich, life-affirming humour and touching honesty to its portrait of different lives colliding under one roof. Stars Michael Caine in one of the finest performances of his career.

DIR: Phyllida Lloyd
UK/US/Germany 2008 108mins 35mm
A young bride to be discovers that any of three men could be her real father and secretly invites each one to her wedding to be held on the same colourful Greek island they all last saw her mother twenty years earlier. Adapted from the hit stage musical, the magic of ABBA’s timeless songs propels this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship. Stars Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Stellen Skarsgård and Colin Firth.

Followed by I Heard it on Facebook forum with Bettina Hamilton.

DIR: Alfred Hitchcock
US  1959 136mins 35mm
New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill is kidnapped by a gang of spies led by Philip Vandamm, who mistakenly believe Thornhill is CIA agent George Kaplan. Thornhill escapes, but he must find the real Kaplan in order to clear his name of murder. Pursuing Kaplan to Chicago as a fugitive from justice, Thornhill is helped by the beautiful Eve Kendall. Featuring one incredible set piece after another, Hitchcock’s classic adventure thriller stars Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know… forum with Shane McNeil.

DIR: P.J. Hogan
Australia 1992 106mins 35mm
Frumpy, misguided Muriel Heslop single-mindedly pursues her lifelong quest for a glitzy fairy-tale wedding. With visions of nuptials dancing in her head to the tune of ABBA’s Dancing Queen, this lonely misfit ditches her pathetic life and plastic friends in the gaudy coastal suburbs of Porpoise Spit for big-city dreams in Sydney. But the road to the altar takes many surprising twists and turns - and Muriel is about to learn the lesson of a lifetime and the value of true friendship. Stars Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Matt Day and Bill Hunter.

DIR: Eran Riklis
Israel/Germany/France 2008 106mins 35mm
Salma, a Palestinian widow, stands up for herself when her new neighbour, the Israeli Defense Minister, moves opposite her lemon grove on the green line border and orders half her trees chopped down for security reasons. Together with a young Palestinian lawyer, she goes all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court to save her trees, livelihood and her own identity. This sweet and sour comedy-drama about the chaos that permeates the ongoing struggle in the Middle East upholds the vibe of our own Aussie classic The Castle.

DIR: Clint Eastwood
US 2008 116mins 35mm
Widowed Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski clings to his prejudices as the world around him changes rapidly. When neighbour Thao, a shy teenager of the South East Asian Hmong people, half-heartedly attempts to steal Walt’s prized Gran Torino car, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Initially mistrustful of each other, Kowalski soon finds himself a new family and takes steps to protect Thao’s family from the gangs that infest their neighbourhood. Clint Eastwood bristles with curmudgeonly fury in a fitting epitaph to a remarkable career.

DIR: Michael Curtiz
US 1945 111mins 35mm
Seething sexual undercurrents surface often in this film-noir classic about a self-sacrificing mother and her ungrateful daughter. A mortally wounded man murmurs the name "Mildred" as he collapses and dies, leading police to believe that the murderer is successful restaurant owner Mildred Pierce. Under interrogation Mildred confesses to the crime, relating her life story from her humble beginnings. Adapted from the novel by James M. Cain, author of Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. Joan Crawford won an Oscar for her powerhouse performance in the title role.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know… forum with Shane McNeil.

DIR: Craig Gillespie
US  2007 106mins 35mm
Awkwardly shy Lars Lindstrom, finally brings home the girl of his dreams to the family home to meet his brother and sister-in-law. The only problem is that his new girlfriend isn’t real - she's a life-sized doll ordered off the Internet with whom the well-intentioned Lars seeks a deep, meaningful relationship. His sister-in-law is worried for him, his brother thinks he's nuts, but ultimately the entire town goes along with Lars’ delusion in support of the sweet natured boy that they've always loved. Stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Mortimer.

Dir: Bent Hamer
Norway/Germany/France 2007 90mins 35mm
Good-natured train driver Odd Horten attempts to adapt to retirement after years of service and devotion to a reassuringly structured routine. The moment the train leaves the station without O’Horten aboard, he realizes that the path ahead no longer comes with timetables and well-known stations. As O’Horten learns to face his fears, he inadvertently gets into several tricky situations in this hilarious deadpan comedy filled with warmth and a deep affection for the eccentric characters that populate a sometimes daunting world.

Dir: Bharat Nalluri
UK/US 2008 92mins 35mm
As war threatens London, destitute governess Miss Pettigrew steals a job from her employment agency intended for another person. Presenting herself at the door of ambitious nightclub singer Delysia Lafosse, straight-laced Pettigrew discovers that she has been hired as social secretary, not a nanny, and promptly tries to sort out Delysia’s complicated (and sometimes literal) affairs. Swept up into the world of glamour and high society Pettigrew rises to the occasion in this fun romp echoing the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 40s. Stars Frances McDormand and Amy Adams.

DIR: Nicolas Roeg
Australia/UK 1971 95mins 35mm
Two city children stranded in the extreme isolation of the outback encounter an adolescent aboriginal boy undertaking a coming of age ritual while on walkabout. Unable to speak each other’s language, their new friend helps them survive in a harsh, almost hallucinogenic landscape teaming with life and mystery. Over several days the travelers learn how communicate without using words, observing the similarities and differences between each other’s culture. Stars David Gulpilil, Jenny Agutter and John Meillon.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know… forum with Shane McNeil.

DIR: Stephen Walker
UK 2007 109mins 35mm
Rock ‘n’ Roll will never die! The Young@Heart senior citizens chorus has delighted audiences worldwide with their covers of songs by everyone from The Clash to Coldplay. This documentary focuses on their final weeks of rehearsal as they struggle with the lyrics and unfamiliar melodies of seven new songs for a one-night-only concert in their hometown. A funny and unexpectedly moving testament to the simple things these seniors value; old friendships, new challenges and a little time in the spotlight.

DIR: Garth Jennings
UK/France/Germany 2007 96mins 35mm
Will, lonely and without a father figure, is the eldest son of a Plymouth Brethren family protected from exposure to music and television. While tormented by troublemaking rat-bag Lee Carter, Will is inadvertently exposed to Rambo, star of action movie First Blood and his imagination takes off. Will teams up with Lee to videotape a remake, catching the attention of an outrageously stylish French exchange student and quickly becoming a school phenomenon. A heartwarming story about the powers of imagination, the importance of friendship and the wild creativity behind filmmaking.

DIR: Stefan Ruzowitzky
Austria/Germany 2007 98mins 35mm
Imprisoned in a German concentration camp, bohemian Jew Salomon Sorowitsch agrees to assist the Nazis in the biggest currency counterfeiting scam of all time to help finance the war. Self-preservation initially guides Sorowitsch’s actions, but his motives are complicated by a growing concern for his fellow prisoners, his awareness of their role in the war against the Nazis and his own professional pride in forging the United States dollar. Winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2008.

DIR: Woody Allen
US 1983 79mins 35mm
A comical fictional documentary about the life of human chameleon Leonard Zelig, non-descript a man whose intense desire to fit in gives him the uncanny ability to look and act like whoever is around him. Before Forrest Gump, Zelig stands alongside a huge cast of 20th Century luminaries including Al Capone, Charlie Chaplin, Josephine Baker, Woodrow Wilson, Babe Ruth and Adolph Hitler, among others, in real newsreel footage. Stars Woody Allen and Mia Farrow.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know… forum with Shane McNeil.

The Media Rescource Centre’s South Australian Screen Awards recognise and reward excellence in short filmmaking. Presented here is a selection of the very best nominees and award winners from 2009. Showcasing drama, comedy, documentary and animation, get a glimpse of the future leaders in the SA film industry.