
SATTAR
Other movies

NAPOLI - NEW YORK
Director: Gabriele Salvatores
The Italian city of Naples, devastated by World War II, lies in ruins; orphaned children Carmine and Celestina survive life in the rubble-strewn streets by helping each other. Like so many others, they dream of going to America, where Celestina’s sister went two years earlier. One night, they stow away on a ship with an eccentric captain bound for New York, where they join hordes of Italian emigrants hoping for a better life in this strange new country. Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores shoots a rediscovered script by the Italian maestro Federico Fellini and scriptwriter Tullio Pinelli, who wrote it together 80 years ago as young aspiring film-makers before they collaborated on such classics as La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2. A story by Federico Fellini and Tullio Pinelli

TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Palestinian cousins Chatila and Reda have fled a Lebanese refugee camp for Athens. Their sights are set on Germany but, with no money or passports, they are stuck in an underground limbo living off scams and petty crime. For Chatila, who has discovered a ruthless streak, anything is justified – even ripping off their fellow refugees – but Reda hates what he has become, a shame he smothers with drugs, squandering the little money they have. Things look up, however, when they meet Malek: a young boy who says his aunt will send him money to bring him to Italy. Working in a style between documentary and fiction, director Mehdi Fleifel brings home the reality of desperation with poignancy and warmth.

HEAT
Director: Michael Mann
Michael Mann directs one of the greatest police thrillers in movie history. A slow-burn cat and mouse criminal chase masterpiece featuring memorable turns from movie legends Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Taking place in the aftermath of a truck robbery, an obsessive detective (Pacino) hunts down the crew of Neil McCauley (De Niro), a ruthless professional thief, through the Los Angeles labyrinth. Both men are battling their own domestic demons forcing them to take stock of their lives and despite being on opposite sides of the law, their lives have uncanny parallels. The battle between the men ramps up as McCauley’s crew embarks on a new heist. Mann’s tension-inducing reserved approach, the spectacular cinematography and incredible action scenes keeps the suspense levels high throughout.

A SUDDEN CASE OF CHRISTMAS
Director: Peter Chelsom
Ten-year-old Claire loves her family’s annual trip from the US to Italy, where they always spend a snowy Christmas at her beloved grandfather’s hotel in the Dolomite mountains. This year, however, they go in the height of summer; her parents are splitting up and want Lawrence (played by the inimitable Danny de Vito) to explain the situation to her. Claire’s immediate response is to insist that they must have Christmas right away, with all the celebration’s trimmings, even flying in her other set of grandparents for the occasion. She is pinning her hopes on the tradition’s charms to persuade her parents to stay together – a plan that backfires when her grandparents’ marriage also starts to wobble. A charming and entertaining film for all the family to enjoy.