Two holocaust survivors - one an atheist and the other a devout orthodox Jew - debate the meaning of their experience.

Munich 1942. Sophie Scholl and her German university comrades distribute pamphlets detailing Nazi atrocities. The Gestapo initiates a massive man-hunt to capture them. A glorious tribute to a national heroine. Remarkably, Lena Stolze goes back to the same role to highlight additional aspects of the events - "Five Last Days.

A bush pilot is stranded, lost in the frozen Arctic but he survives with the help of a young Inuit girl who understands the mysteries of the cold North. Anna Piugattuk is a wonder. There are other films that also approach Eskimo life with deep respect, even awe. Those are "Nanook of the North" and "The White Dawn.

The girls upstage the boys in this exciting drama of a pretty Muslim who escapes sex slavery using her intelligence and the unlikely aid of two French women.

Arguably the best animated film ever made. From French Canada we have this short story of a shepherd who plants thousands of acorns in a wasteland and turns the earth into an oasis of milk and honey. Gorgeous artwork inspired at times by Monet, Chagall, and Picasso. The moving narration by Christopher Plummer conveys the experience of a poem in motion.

An understated, yet moving adaptation of the ancient Greek play. King Agamemnon discovers that he must sacrifice his daughter to the Gods in order to obtain a favorable wind to send his battle ships to Troy. He faces the most difficult choice in his life, between love and duty.

A unique film, offbeat actually, about the transitional world of limbo. What will we remember of our earthly existence as we journey onwards to eternal life? Japanese cinema approaches the existential meaning of death with a mixture of humor, realism, and creativity. I also boldly recommend the movie "Departures.

Done in a documentary style, the film is a "hoax", a tongue-in-cheek spoof, about a cinema wizard who allegedly made extraordinary technological innovations in moviemaking during the early 20th century. In film parlance, this type of film is called a "mockumentary." Another must-see film in this genre, awaiting DVD release, is "Max Baer's Last Right Hook.

Thriller or documentary? When the Japanese government decided to accept the Allies' terms for peace, members of the military were secretely plotting to stage a political coup to postpone surrender.

You know Vivaldi (Italy) and Bach (Germany) but what about Jean-Baptiste Lully? He was France's Baroque genius who created musical triumphs for King Louis XIV. Here we have a spectacular recreation of one of his important theatrical productions. If you can find it, sample more of Lully's glorious music in a film on his life called "Le Roi Danse.

The cycle of life around a Scandinavian town church is observed by a family of European falcons - who themselves go through their own cycle. A quiet, meditative film that manages to have spiritual resonance.

A 17 year old delinquent from a penal reformatory uses his talents for survival to help a terrified French family live through the bombardment by the Germans. Other tough stories of "abandoned or stolen children" include "Rabbit Proof Fence (Australia), Il Ladro di Bambini (Italy), Hidden Children (Canada), Ali Zaoua (Morocco), The Wild Child (France), and King of Thieves (Albania)

The gradual disappearance of Old Beijing (and its unique and vibrant corridors and courtyards) is a metaphor for the changing world of one family in 20th century China.