Persepolis, the animated adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s acclaimed graphic novel, remains a timeless exploration of identity, resilience, and freedom. The story traces the director’s coming-of-age during the Iranian Revolution, offering a deeply personal yet universally resonant tale of a young girl finding her way amid political unrest, cultural conflict, and personal growth. Its striking black-and-white imagery powerfully captures the duality of hope and despair in a world of rapidly shifting realities. Today, Persepolis feels more relevant than ever, as movements like Woman, Life, Freedom amplify the voices of those fighting for equality and human rights in Iran and beyond. The film is both a moving reflection on history and a call for solidarity with those who resist oppression—reminding us, through its deeply human lens, of the strength of individual voices in shaping change.

Luis Buñuel’s 1972 classic The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a satirical and absurdist take on the hypocrisy and social conventions of the bourgeoisie. The film follows a group of well-to-do friends who constantly try to dine out, but are interrupted each time by bizarre and inexplicable events. Buñuel uses these comic disruptions to expose the superficiality of their existence and their struggle to maintain a prefabricated social facade. The story is set in a dreamlike atmosphere, where the boundaries between reality and delusion are blurred and the characters are trapped in their own illusions of sophistication and elegance.

Through surrealism and black humor, Buñuel offers sharp criticism of class differences, the naivete of the bourgeoisie and their inability to face the absurdity of their own existence. The lack of logic and the repeated failure of their attempts at a meal are a metaphor for the emptiness of their pursuit of status and desire for a world they themselves cannot understand. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a masterpiece of cinematic resistance, in which Buñuel brilliantly unmasks the apparent civility of the bourgeoisie while challenging the audience to reflect on the absurdity of their own social conventions.

Luis Buñuel’s classic Belle De Jour is a surreal and erotic daydream that explores desire, fetishism and social norms. The story follows Séverine Serizy (a courageous role by Catherine Deneuve), a Parisian housewife whose porcelain perfection hides a cracked inner self. Séverine begins spending her afternoons secretly in a brothel, where she indulges her sexual desires. Buñuel blends fantasy and reality in this burst of cinematic transgression, addressing both the desires of the characters and those of the viewer. The film offers a gently absurdist critique of the social mores and class divisions of the 1960s.

Deneuve delivers an iconic portrayal of Séverine, a woman who feels trapped in her marriage and seeks her liberation in a surreal quest for fetishistic pleasure. Her understated charisma hides the complexity of her character, making the film a profound study of oppression, liberation and identity. Buñuel’s masterful use of symbolism and surreal images makes Belle de Jour both a provocative and timeless exploration of the human psyche and one of his greatest hits.

Pioneer of the New German Cinema, Wim Wenders (Wings Of Desire) brought his keen eye for landscape to the American Southwest with Paris, Texas, a deeply moving character study penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard. Set to a now-iconic score by Ry Coorder, Paris, Texas follows mysterious loner Travis (a haunting turn by Harry Dean Stanton, whose face is a landscape in itself) as he attempts to reconnect with his young son, who lives with his brother (Dean Stockwell) in Los Angeles, and his missing wife (Nastassja Kinski). From this seemingly simple premise, Wenders and Shepard create a gripping look at unwritten codes of masculinity and the myth of the American family, as well as an exquisite visual exploration of a vast, crumbling world of canyons and neon (shot through the idiosyncratic lens of Dutch master cinematographer Robby Müller). Paris, Texas won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival exactly 40 years ago and is widely regarded as one of the greatest classics of contemporary cinema.

Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) values his anonymity highly. When he and his partner Stan (John Cazale) are hired by a mysterious client (Robert Duvall), who calls himself “the Director,” to follow a young couple, Harry deduces that the woman is the Director’s wife and the man is an employee with whom she is having an affair. Harry becomes convinced that the Director plans to murder the couple, and, haunted by guilt over a previous assignment where the information he provided resulted in the loss of lives, he begins his own investigation to prevent the murder.

The Conversation is a gripping psychological thriller, characterized by typical ’70s paranoia, inventive editing and sound design, and is widely considered one of Coppola’s best films.

Deception. Fraud. Illusion. In F For Fake, a free-form quasi-documentary by Orson Welles, the legendary filmmaker (and self-proclaimed charlatan) once again tackles the central concern of his career: the thin lines between illusion and truth, art and forgery. As a precursor to the modern “video essay” and the so-called “mockumentary,” the term “documentary” doesn’t quite do justice to this wonderfully erudite and witty mix of archival footage, home video, magic tricks, and fake news. Beginning with portraits of the world-famous art forger Elmyr de Hory and his equally cunning biographer Clifford Irving, Welles embarks on a dizzying journey that critiques and celebrates forgeries and fraudsters of all kinds—not least of all, Welles himself.

F For Fake is charming and inventive; an inspired cinematic experiment and a clever exploration of the undeniable duplicity of cinema.

Director Carol Reed outdid himself with this noir-like thriller set against the backdrop of war-torn post-World War II Europe. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton), a naive writer of pulp westerns, arrives in shadowy postwar Vienna to meet his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to discover that Lime has died in a suspicious accident. Martins meets a British military policeman (Trevor Howard) and Lime’s girlfriend (Alida Valli), and as he hears conflicting stories about the circumstances of Lime’s death, he is forced to reconsider both his relationship with his friend Harry and his own worldview.

The Third Man is a flawless production, from Graham Greene’s witty and unsettling screenplay to Robert Krasker’s evocative cinematography and Anton Karas’ unforgettable zither score. Despite his minimal screen time, Orson Welles steals the show in an iconic role as the amoral Harry Lime. In honor of its 75th anniversary, The Third Man has been beautifully restored in 4K for the first time, showcasing the brilliance of this beloved classic, which has been repeatedly voted ‘the greatest British film of all time’ by the British Film Institute.