In the French seaport of Lorient, there's a trend at school for the girls to get pregnant.

A magnetic central performance by Carlos Álvarez-Nóvoa (Solas) grounds this remarkable film about loss and memory by Spanish director Alberto Morais.

A rare glimpse into the forgotten land of Inner Mongolia and its unique sounds revitalised by the band AnDa Union, whose global concerts and eventual homecoming we follow.

A selection of international festival picks, and some brand-new British productions. Jayne Pilling

An absorbing and suspenseful drama about an Albanian family caught in a blood feud.

A dynamic and moving study of love in the 21st century from the director of The Constant Gardener.

Kim Kyung-Mook's sparky indie feature crosscuts between the lives of two young men, one an illegal immigrant from North Korea stuck in dead-end jobs, the other the kept boy of a married businessman stifling in a swanky apartment.

Powerful desires are awoken between two young riders who compete both inside and out of the arena.

Seven short stories concerning rural living: from the rain-soaked Scottish islands to the farmlands of the remote Hungarian Great Plains, from the harsh heat of the Iranian desert to the cut-off backwoods of rural America. Philip Ilson

A young, Bengali, wannabe rapper slides into drugs and porn to escape reality and discover his dream.

Evocative documentary about a ghost town in Death Valley, California, with a scant population of just 35.

A wryly hilarious, subtly subversive coming-of-age yarn which takes a cue from Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Rediscovered silent melodrama based on a notorious contemporary murder case, directed by reliable Hollywood veteran Clarence Brown and starring Louise Dresser.

Horror meets social observation in this understated debut feature from Brazilian filmmakers Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra.

A trio of contrasting short films made through the Africa First mentoring scheme: an important initiative that seeks to identify emerging talent from Africa.

Martin Šulík's groundbreaking portrait of Roma life in present-day Slovakia focuses on a young boy whose father has suffered a violent death.

Chantal Akerman heads east, with a very distinctive take on the Joseph Conrad novel about two men fighting over the future of a half-Malaysian woman.

Two sisters are divided and united by the old family farm. One has given her life to the cows, the other only wished she could escape them.

An original story of friendship, love and survival - and finding humour in the most unlikely places.

An original story of friendship, love and survival - and finding humour in the most unlikely places.

A compelling documentary charting the adventures of a trio of teenager cardboard collectors on the outskirts of the Argentine city of Córdoba.

Powerful drama of a Sicilian fishing family on the island of Linosa, whose lives are disrupted by the arrival of African refugees, who they save from drowning.

Marina Goldovskaya's highly affecting tribute to Russian journalist, Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered in 2006 after her disturbing reports from Chechnya.

An aged Indian couple decide to sacrifice everything to make a once in a life-time Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca.

A fresh and poignant view of the passions, disappointments and challenges of old age.