When Babette, a beautiful and mysterious French refugee (Stéphane Audran), arrives in a remote Danish town, the tight-knit, puritanical community begrudgingly lets her in, providing her with shelter and work. But, after the town patriarch passes away and Babette insists on preparing a feast in his honour, a magical world of sensory revelations is thrown open to the villagers, changing their lives forever. This tale of everyday passion – of the human capacity to create and to love – is a mouthwatering ode to the glory of life from one of cinema’s true originals.

A small-town drama of culinary redemption, which opened the prestigious Un Certain Regard section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Struggling street food vendor Sentaro finds himself confronted with Tokue, an odd but sympathetic elderly lady looking for work. When he reluctantly accepts, it’s not long before Tokue proves to have an extraordinary gift when it comes to making “an” – the sweet red bean paste filling used in his dorayaki pancakes – which starts a relationship that is about much more than just street food. Director Naomi Kawase focuses on people at the periphery of Japanese society and investigates their place in the flow of life itself.

A star-studded extravaganza (Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, Vanessa Redgrave, Maggie Smith, John Mills, Dirk Bogarde etc etc) about World War I based on the stage musical of the same name, portraying the “Game of War”, and focusing mainly on the members of the Smith family who enlist to fight at the front. Much of the action in the movie revolves around the words of the marching songs of the soldiers, and many scenes portray some of the more famous (and infamous) incidents of the war, including the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and the Christmas meeting between British and German soldiers in no-man’s-land. Prescient, timeless and still relevant today.

Ibrahim, Manar, Suleiman and Altayeb, four veteran members of the Sudanese Film Club, embark on a journey in which they aim to revive an old cinema in the city of Omdurman to bring cinema-going culture back to their country. In the crisis-ridden country, the four friends encounter insurmountable resistance in the face of decades of Islamist censorship and inefficient bureaucracy. Following its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, Talking about Trees received numerous awards at film festivals worldwide including the Variety MENA Talent Award at the El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt. On ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ (the review-aggregation website) the film has an approval rating of 100%.

In Frank Capra’s acclaimed romantic comedy, spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) impetuously marries the scheming King Westley, leading her tycoon father (Walter Connolly) to spirit her away on his yacht. After jumping ship, Ellie falls in with cynical newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable), who offers to help her reunite with her new husband in exchange for an exclusive story. But during their travels, the reporter finds himself falling for the feisty young heiress. Capturing its stars and director at their finest, It Happened One Night remains unsurpassed by the countless romantic comedies it has inspired.

Eve, a young chambermaid working long, laborious shifts in one of the most luxurious hotels in Mexico City enrolls in the hotel’s adult education program to help improve her life. When things don’t result as planned, Eve transforms her lonely existence and newfound courage into the necessary strength to face a life outside the shimmering hotel. Avilés’ impressive debut profits from a spare script and nuanced direction, while Gabriela Cartol’s breakout performance brings charisma and warmth to Eve. With its dry humour and sly observations about class, privilege and exploitation, The Chambermaid is a confident, compelling and deeply resonant piece of film-making.

A charming and intimate portrait of a single-class primary school in rural France and its inspirational teacher. Ranging in age from four to ten, the small handful of pupils are taught by the remarkable and wise Georges Lopez, whose patient and enlightened methods highlight a genuine affection for his young charges. Offering a touching and absorbing look at the heart of a village community, director Nicolas Philibert’s film was a surprise cinema hit which was warmly received by critics and won numerous awards including a BAFTA and a European Film Award.

A biographical sports drama film based on the Invercargill, New Zealand, speed bike racer Burt Munro and his highly modified 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle. Munro set numerous land speed records for motorcycles with engines less than 1,000 cc at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in the late 1950s and into the 1960s. The film stars Anthony Hopkins who has said in interviews that Burt Munro was one of the easiest roles that he has ever played in his career; simply because Munro’s view on life was very similar to his own. A warm and endearing portrayal of an age-defying thrill seeker.

Set in San Francisco, James Stewart plays an acrophobic detective hired to trail a friend’s suicidal wife (Kim Novak). After he successfully rescues her from a leap into the Bay, he finds himself becoming enthralled with the beautiful troubled woman who is not what she seems.  One of cinemas’s most chilling romantic endeavours with a fascinating myriad of haunting camera angles shot among some of San Francisco’s renowned landmarks. A brilliant but cynical view of human obsession.

In a remote Icelandic farming valley, two brothers – a hard-drinking Icelandic farmer (Theodór Júlíusson) and his estranged brother (Sigurður Sigurjónsson) – who haven’t spoken in 40 years have to come together in order to save what’s dearest to them – their sheep. Blackly comic and very rewarding.