2000s

Abbas Kiarostami shoots a documentary about the AIDS crisis in Uganda.

A single mother's life is thrown into turmoil after her struggling, rarely-seen younger brother returns to town.

2001 film by Takashi Miike

At a tiny Parisian café, the adorable yet painfully shy Amélie accidentally discovers a gift for helping others. Soon Amelie is spending her days as a matchmaker, guardian angel, and all-around do-gooder. But when she bumps into a handsome stranger, will she find the courage to become the star of her very own love story?

Nine years after Jesse and Celine first met, they encounter each other again on the French leg of Jesse's book tour.

Two quirky, cynical teenaged girls try to figure out what to do with their lives after high school graduation. After they play a prank on an eccentric, middle aged record collector, one of them befriends him, which causes a rift in the girls' friendship.

2003 film directed by Sofia Coppola

Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs -- and it's absolutely impossible to contain.

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.​

Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary --- all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father's fault. "The Royal Tenenbaums" is the story of the family's sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

Two elderly women bear the consequences of a crime involving their respective grandsons. One is the victim, the other is the suspect. Both weak and poor, they laboriously solicit money in the midst of a storm, one for the victim's burial, the other for the suspect's bail bond.

Chris, a former tennis player, looks for work as an instructor. He meets Tom Hewett, a wealthy young man whose sister Chloe falls in love with Chris. But Chris has his eye on Tom's fiancee Nola.

Outlaw Jesse James is rumored to be the 'fastest gun in the West'. An eager recruit into James' notorious gang, Robert Ford eventually grows jealous of the famed outlaw and, when Robert and his brother sense an opportunity to kill James, their murderous action elevates their target to near mythical status.

George, host of a television show focusing on literature, receives videos shot on the sly that feature his family, along with disturbing drawings that are difficult to interpret. He has no idea who has made and sent him the videos. Progressively, the contents of the videos become more personal, indicating that the sender has known George for a long time.

2004 French film by Lucile Hadžihalilović

"Between May 2005 and January 2007 I made 16 trips to the Spiral Jetty, Robert Smithson’s monumental earthwork located on the Great Salt Lake, Utah. casting a glance maps the Jetty back onto its 37-year history. From morning to night, its allusive, shifting appearance may be the result of a passing weather system or simply the changing angle of the sun. Seasonal shifts and changes in water level alter salt crystal growth, the amount of algae in the water, and the presence of wildlife. Sounds may come from a navy jet, wildlife, lapping or splashing water, a visitor’s car radio, converging thunderstorms—or be a total silence..." James Benning

Press Release
RENOWNED DOCUMENTARIAN FREDERICK WISEMAN EXPLORES THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS AT THE HEART OF DEMOCRACY IN STATE LEGISLATURE, PREMIERING JUNE 13 ON PBS
The Rocky Mountain state of Idaho is governed by "citizen" legislators - not career politicians. These lawmakers are, for the most part, farmers and ranchers, business men and women, lawyers, doctors, sales people, loggers, and teachers elected for two-year terms. During the 2004 Idaho state legislative session, these citizen legislators became an integral part of STATE LEGISLATURE, the latest documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Frederick Wiseman.
In his ongoing project to explore contemporary American life as expressed in institutions, Wiseman turned his camera on the legislature to illustrate the way the democratic decision-making process works. In his trademark style, nothing is staged. Wiseman captures the lawmakers as they debate and discuss the concerns of the electorate, on issues that range from violence in schools, mad cow disease and video voyeurism to illegal immigration, secondhand smoke and the deregulation of telephone rates.
In Le Monde, Thomas Sotinel called STATE LEGISLATURE "(an) ode to representative democracy." Variety's review stated, "What emerges is the thoroughness with which the system treats even the most contentious of issues and eccentric of constituents." After a showing at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival, German film critic Ekkehard Knörer wrote, "One stands to gain nothing less than mind-boggling insights into the machinery of American democracy."
STATE LEGISLATURE premieres Wednesday, June 13 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). The film is presented nationwide on PBS by Thirteen/WNET New York, which has been the national presenter of Frederick Wiseman's films throughout his career. Wiseman, a three-time Emmy Award-winning director, has 34 documentary films to his credit, from the controversial Titicut Follies (1967) and High School (1968) to Near Death (1989), Public Housing (1997) and Domestic Violence (2001).
"This film shows the day-to-day aspects of the legislative process, the goal of which is the creation of the laws that govern the civic life depicted in my other films," said Wiseman. "Unlike a textbook description in a political science course of how a bill becomes a law, a film of a legislature can convey in a unique way the actuality of the legislative process, that is, how decisions are made and power is exercised in a democratic society and the constraints and limitations on the application of that power."
While it may not be easy or smooth, the legislative process is the engine that drives American democracy. And in each of America's 50 state capitals, the legislature is the basic democratic institution, where elected representatives make the laws that define the rights and obligations of citizenship. From determining how to fund government agencies to setting the policies of all the services the state provides - from police to prisons to schools - the state legislature defines, regulates and gives shape to civic life.
Present for the entire 2004 session of the Idaho legislature, Wiseman had access to all aspects of the legislative work. The result is a portrait of a complex body that serves essential routine functions in the day-to-day operations of a state and, at the same time, plays a key symbolic role in the American way of life.
Throughout the course of the film, the camera roams the halls and conference rooms of the Idaho state legislature. The film observes legislators discussing bills before they are formally introduced; the committee hearings where the testimony of witnesses and lobbyists for and against the legislation is heard; the debate among legislators to determine whether the bill should go to the floor of the House or Senate for final consideration; and the final debate and vote. The film also captures informal discussions with lobbyists and citizens, as well as press conferences and events held in the state house rotunda.
Sequences illustrate the role of lobbyists, the power of committee chairmen, the use of procedural maneuvers to advance or retard legislation, and debates in committee - some revealing the mundane, even arcane, aspects of the process, and others eliciting remarkably eloquent oratory.
Among the issues discussed by the legislators during the course of the session are: violence in schools; electronic waste; utility costs; teacher salaries; a sex offenders registry; the relationship between church and state, welfare appropriations; liability of companies marketing unhealthy foods; educational policy; mental illness; crime victims' rights; contractor licensing; and public transportation policy.
"For me, the drama lies in the commonness of the issues, in the ordinariness of the people called on to resolve them, and the seriousness with which they accept the responsibility for participating in decisions that affect all aspects of our lives," said Wiseman. "STATE LEGISLATURE is, in my view, a reflection of contemporary American life and both an illustration of and metaphor for the democratic process."
Funding for STATE LEGISLATURE was provided by PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Independent Television Service, National Endowment for the Arts, and The LEF Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
STATE LEGISLATURE was directed and edited by Frederick Wiseman. Photography: John Davey. Sound: Frederick Wiseman.
STATE LEGISLATURE is a co-production for PBS of Idaho Film, Inc. and Thirteen/WNET, in association with the Independent Television Service. Executive producer for Thirteen/WNET is Stephen Segaller. Executive producer for ITVS is Sally Jo Fifer. Tamara E. Robinson is vice president and director of programming for Thirteen/WNET.
STATE LEGISLATURE is a Zipporah Films, Inc. release.

Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other -- to become brothers again like they used to be. Their "spiritual quest", however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray).

In Paris, six people all look for love, despite typically having their romantic aspirations dashed at every turn.