There is an amazing selection of films to choose from when devising your programme. Following up on my annotated list of titles that are coming soon to the BFFS booking scheme, these are the ones that have recently been added, apart from the MPLC and Park Circus lists.

The only ones I haven’t listed here are the classic Sherlock Holmes titles, starring Basil Rathbone, about which Bryony recently write a useful piece on the BFFS Booking Scheme blog.

There are some really cracking titles here, and some intriguing, little-known ones that deserve a wider audience. As I’ve been going through them all, I’m left with an overwhelming sense that programming next year is going to be very hard…

• 2 Days in New York, Julie Delpy, Ger/Fra/Bel 2012: Could be one for our light and funny strand, perhaps?
• About Elly, Asghar Farhadi, Iran 2009: Earlier film from the director of A Separation
• Alois Nebel, Tomás Lunák, Cze/Ger 2011: Amazing-looking animation based on a graphic novel. Check out the trailer
• American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein, David Ridgen/Nicolas Rossier, US/Can/Pal/Isr/Leb 2009: Doc critiquing Israeli policy
• Angel & Tony, Alix Delaporte, France 2010: Award-winning drama set in a Normandy fishing village
• Beauty, Oliver Hermanus, S.Afr/Fra/Ger 2011: “Ferociously powerful” South African drama, says Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian
• Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo, Jessica Oreck, USA/Jap 2009: Unusual, strange and fascinating documentary about Japanese insect obsession
• Beijing Taxi, Miao Wang, Chi/US 2010: Interesting doc focussing on three drivers in China, which didn’t get a UK release
• Being Elmo, Constance Marks, US 2011: Lovely doc about the puppeteer behind Elmo in Sesame Street
• Big Boys Gone Bananas!*, Fredrik Gertten, Sweden 2011: Doc about taking on a large international food company
• Bombay Beach, Alma Har’el, US/Isr 2011: Interesting doc: “By turns fascinating, heartbreaking, exhilarating and laugh-out loud funny, Bombay Beach is an extraordinary and breathtakingly original film that demands to be seen. Unmissable.”
• Bonsai, Cristian Jimenez, Chi/Arg/Por/Fra 2011: Intriguing. Check out the review in Slant magazine, for instance
• Cairo Station, Youssef Chahine, Egypt 1958: We screened it this season, inspired by Mark Cousins’ recommendation of it in The Story of Film. One of the greats of world cinema
• Call Me Kuchu, Katherine Fairfax Wright/Malika Zouhali-Worrall, US 2012: A big hit at the last London Film Festival
• Carancho, Pablo Trapero, Argentina 2010: Modern, brutal noir with lots of great reviews, including from Peter Bradshaw
• Circumstance, Maryam Keshavarz, Fra/US/Ira 2011: Provocative film from an Iranian director who is worth looking out for
• The Conformist, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ita/Fra/Ger 1970: Bertolucci’s dazzling masterpiece. One of the greatest films of the era
• The Cost of Love, Carl Medland, UK 2011: British first feature set in Greenwich
• Dark Horse, Todd Solondz, US 2011: Latest black comedy from the director of Welcome to the Dollhouse
• Even the Rain, Icíar Bollaín, Spain 2010: Our popular opening film this season, with an audience score of 93.9
• Glastonbury The Movie in Flashback, Robin Mahoney, UK 2012: A new film made from the footage from the 1993 festival. Another one for my putative music-themed weekend
• Heavenly Creatures, Peter Jackson, NZ/Ger 1994: I remember liking Peter (Lord of the Rings) Jackson’s film starring Kate Winslet, when it came out. Would be interesting to see it again
• The Hunt, Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark 2012: I saw it at LFF, and it’s already on our long list for next season. See also the BFFS blog
• In Love with Alma Cogan, Tony Britten, UK 2011: Previewed at last year’s BFFS conference, and also on our ong list for next season
• The Insatiable Moon, Rosemary Riddell, New Zealand 2011: “a moving, original movie that deserves to be seen” Empire
• Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet, Jesse Vile, UK 2012: An amazing-sounding doc about an amazing musician
• Khodorkovsky, Cyril Tuschi, Germany 2011: “a commanding insight into Putin’s Russia” Guardian
• The King of Devil’s Island, Marius Holst, Norway 2010: Interesting-sounding historical drama from Norway
• Last Shop Standing, Pip Piper, UK 2012: Great doc about independent record shop, and a companion piece to Sound it Out. We really should have a music-themed weekend…
• The Last Summer of La Boyita, Julia Solomonoff, Arg/Spa/Fra 2009: Coming of age film produced by Pedro Almodovar
• Laurence Anyways, Xavier Dolan, Canada 2012: Winner of the Queer Palm, and Un Certain Regard – Best Actress (Suzanne Clément) at the 2012 Cannes festival. See also Bryony’s piece on the BFFS Booking Scheme blog
• Marina Abramovic the Artist is Present, Matthew Akers, US 2012: Acclaimed doc on American performance artist
• No, Pablo Larrain, Chi/Fra/US 2012: Fabulous film, and one which I think will be our opener for next season
• North Sea Texas, Bavo Defurne, Belgium 2011: One that’s been picking up a small clutch of awards
• Planet of Snail, Yi Seung-jun, Fin/S.Kor/Jap 2011: “An absolute gem” says Mark Kermode. Sounds like a remarkable documentary that’s worth checking out
• Poetry, Lee Chang-Dong, S.Korea 2010: Wonderful film which we screened last season and got a score of 87.8
• The Punk Syndrome, Jukka Kärkkäinen/Jani-Petteri Passi, Fin/Nor/Swe 2012: Doc about a punk band the members of which all have learning difficulties
• The Queen of Versailles, Lauren Greenfield, US 2012: Highly-praised doc about fabulously wealthy couple who come unstuck in the financial crash
• Revenge of the Electric Car, Chris Paine, US 2011: Even the Wall Street Journal calls it “fascinating”…
• The Singing Ringing Tree, Francesco Stefani, East Germany 1957: Classic children’s film, also the subject of a Radio 4 programme
• The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Robert Guédiguian, France 2011: No connection with the 1952 film of the same name; I saw it at LFF and it is perfect for a film society programme
• Swandown, Andrew Kotting, UK 2012: Delightfully mad, as Andrew Kotting and Iain Sinclair take a swan pedalo from the Sussex coast to London. This film makes me want to fill our venue with rubber ducks
• Tabloid, Errol Morris, US 2010: “this documentary is a vivid picture of 1970s Fleet Street culture” Guardian
• Tempest, Rob Curry/Anthony Fletcher, UK 2012: Young people discover Shakespeare against a backdrop of the London riots
• The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, Leanne Pooley, N. Zealand 2009: “a lovely film. Heartwarming without being schmaltzy, funny and biting without being mean-spirited or slapstick and politically rousing without being the least bit po-faced” Eye for Film
• Tortoise in Love, Guy Browning, UK 2012: Fun and charming British romcom
• Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt, Michal Goldman, Egypt/US 1996: Doc about one of the great singers of the Arab world “She had the musicality of Ella Fitzgerald, the public presence of Eleanor Roosevelt and the audience of Elvis Presley.”
• Undefeated, Dan Lindsay/T.J. Martin, US 2011: Inspiring doc about an American football team that turns around its performance
• The Women on the 6th Floor, Philippe Le Guay, France 2010: Charming French comedy