Sundance Film Festival 2008: World Cinema Dramatic Lineup

There were 983 submissions from 15 countries in this category and apart from a couple of names, I know not one of the final selections below.

WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION

“Absurdistan” (Germany), directed by Veit Helmer, written by Helmer, Zaza Buadze, Gordan Mihic and Ahmet Golbol, about a sex strike by village women that threatens a young couple's first night together.

“Blue Eyelids” (Mexico), directed by Ernesto Contreras, about the ramifications of a single woman's winning of a beach trip for two.

“Captain Abu Raed” (Jordan), directed and written by Amin Matalqa, concerning an aging airport janitor who relates tall tales to local kids who think he's a pilot.

“The Drummer” (Hong Kong), directed and written by Kenneth Bi, the story of a young man who matures from reckless gangster to serious grownup due to the influence of Zen drumming.

“Elite Squad” (Brazil), directed by Jose Padilha (“Bus 174”) and written by Braulio Mantovani and Padilha, which focuses on a special crime unit's war against drug dealers in the run-up to the Pope's visit to Rio. A Weinstein Co. release.

“I Always Wanted to Be a Gangster” (France), directed and written by Samuel Benchetrit, which consists of four episodes in which aspiring hoods discover whether they're up to a life of crime. With Sergi Lopez and Jean Rochefort. (Picture above)

“Just Another Love Story” (Denmark), directed and written by Ole Bornedal (“Nightwatch”), about the unanticipated effects on a family man after an auto accident causes a young woman to suffer from amnesia.

“King of Ping Pong” (Sweden), directed and written by Jens Jonsson, which pivots on an acrimonious relationship between two young brothers.

“Megane” (Glasses) (Japan), directed and written by Naoko Ogigami, a Zen comedy depicting a life-change occasioned by a vacation at an odd beach community.

“Mermaid” (Russia), directed and written by Anna Melikyan, about a girl whose ability to make wishes come true hits reality when she goes to Moscow as a young woman.

“Perro Come Perro” (Dog Eat Dog) (Colombia), directed by Carlos Moreno and written by Alonso Torres and Moreno, a crime drama about two hoods who sign their own death warrants when they bungle a job.

“Riprendimi” (Good Morning Heartache) (Italy), directed by Anna Negri and written by Negri and Giovanna Mori, centered on a married couple with a baby who are breaking up while a documentary is being made about them.

“Strangers” (Israel), directed and written by Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv, which depicts a love affair between an Israeli man and a Palestinian woman during the World Cup finals in Germany.

“Under the Bombs” (Lebanon), directed by Philippe Aractingi and written by Aractingi and Michel Leviant, about a woman who engages a taxi driver to drive her through areas just bombed by Israel in 2006 in search of her sister and son.

“The Wave” (Germany), directed by Dennis Gansel and written by Gansel and Peter Thorwarth, a look at the unintended consequences of a high school teacher's experiment to demonstrate what life is like under a dictatorship.

“The Wind and the Water” (Panama), directed and written by a collective, concerning two very different encounters between an indigenous teenage boy new to Panama City and an alluring girl from a wealthy family.