February 28  Police, Adjective (Romania, 2009)
Undercover cop Cristi  trails suspected pot dealer Victor  through the decrepit streets of Vaslui (director's hometown), but when he learns that the suspect is just a teen who sometimes gets high with his pals, he refuses to make an arrest. Unfortunately, Cristi's boss  isn't quite as forgiving. The Romanian New Wave rolls on strongly with this complex drama from writer-director Corneliu Porumboiu. Police, Adjective received a FIPRESCI Jury Prize at last year's Cannes Festival and has been named one of the top ten films of the year by critics here and abroad.
In Romanian with English subtitles. 113 minutes.
"So much in this meticulous and moving film is between the lines, and almost nothing is by the book," A.O. Scott, The New York Times
" Police, Adjective may not be the film you're expecting, but it's one that will stay on your mind," Kenneth Turran, Los Angeles Times

April 11   Fish Tank (UK/Scotland, 2009)
Writer/director Andrea Arnold's second film (following her extraordinary debut Red Road screened by us two years ago) is an emotionally stunning coming-of-age story, electrified by the breakthrough performance of its young star Katie Jarvis. Fifteen-year-old Mia is in a constant state of war with her family and the world around her, without any creative outlet for her considerable energies save a secret love of hip-hop dance. When she meets her party-girl mother's charming new boyfriend Connor, she is amazed to find he returns her attention, and believes he might help her start to make sense of her life. A clear-eyed, potent portrait of teenage sexuality and vulnerability, Fish Tank confirms Arnold's status as one of the leading figures of new British cinema. Jury Prize winner at 2009 Cannes Festival, recipient of the British Independent Film Award for Best Film of 2009, and a winner of the Edinburgh and Chicago International Film Festivals. 123 minutes.
"The contradictions of adolescence have rarely been conveyed with such authenticity and force," A.O. Scott, The New York Times.