Mambar Pierrette review – big-hearted parable of women’s resilience in Cameroon
Pierrette is beset with troubles, from a robbery to a house flood and more, but the neorealist drama comes with solidarity and surprising humour
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging
Rasoulof is one of Iran’s leading directors and his film The Seed of the Sacred Fig is due to premiere at Cannes film festival
Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry review – a beguiling tale of midlife love from Georgia
Eka Chavleishvili is superb as an unmarried fortysomething woman whose life is turned upside-down by romance in Elene Naveriani’s handsome drama
Nezouh review – magic realism amid the ruins of Damascus under siege
Soudade Kaadan’s poetic tale of family life in the bombed-out Syrian capital is visually poetic, if a touch too theatrical
Nezouh review – magical realism under shelling during Syria’s civil war
Soudade Kaadan’s second feature is a sweet-natured and beautifully photographed portrait of a grumpy middle-aged guy, his sceptical wife and their teenage daughter
The Animal Kingdom review – Romain Duris leads post-Covid fantasy of virus-triggered mutants
Duris stars as a father protecting his son, who may or may not be mutating, in Thomas Cailley’s well-crafted thriller
There’s Still Tomorrow review – empowering tragicomedy about an abused wife in postwar Rome
This bold, bittersweet tale of spousal violence, directed by and starring Italian national treasure Paola Cortellesi, topped the country’s box office last year
If Only I Could Hibernate review – a teenager faces tough choices in chilly Mongolia
There’s an earthy authenticity to Zoljargal Purevdash’s story of a gifted student from a poor family
If Only I Could Hibernate review – Mongolian maths whiz aims to escape biting cold
A tented district of Ulaanbaatar is the backdrop as a gifted student with a chance to succeed and move away finds himself having to care for his siblings
Lineup announced for UK’s inaugural Muslim international film festival
Featuring stars including Riz Ahmed and Nabhaan Rizwan, the event aims to celebrate the ‘rich tapestry of Muslim experiences via the medium of film’
Close Your Eyes review – melancholy magic as Víctor Erice addresses his own enigmatic legacy
The Spanish director of 1973’s The Spirit of the Beehive returns with only his fourth feature, a beguiling if overlong tale of a missing movie actor
Opponent review – impressive drama about an Iranian refugee in limbo in Sweden
A wrestler and his family flee Iran for Sweden when rumours about his sexuality grow in Milad Alami’s intimate portrait of a man whose life is on hold
The Teachers’ Lounge review – a masterclass in playground politics
A teacher’s intervention in a spate of thefts upsets the balance of her school in Ilker Çatak’s taut, Oscar-nominated drama
Evil Does Not Exist review – slow-burning eco-parable
A proposed glamping site threatens a widower’s tranquil existence in Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s strangely compelling hymn to nature
Io Capitano review – Matteo Garrone’s wrenching migrant drama is unexpectedly beautiful
Seydou Sarr is wonderful as a 16-year-old Senegalese migrant who maintains his empathy and selflessness through a hellish journey to Europe