This testament to the transformative power of cinema depicts a mute sound designer as he gathers hard-earned materials for his transcendent art. (Plays with Gimme Truth!)

A modern photographer helps Tibetan nomads get with the times. (Plays in Kith & Kin)

In the vast immensity of nighttime, a vast, vulnerable population dial their despair. (Plays with Killing Time)

A dazzling, straight-shooting feminist declaration from pop icon Beyoncé and Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. (Plays with Actress)

The last gap of industrialism, as seen at a fiery furnace where Steinway piano frames are made. (Plays with Demonstration)

Steals stolen moments at a Helsinki railroad station (Plays in Kith & Kin)

An epic Odyssey by a father intending to get his three kids to school on time. (Plays in Kith & Kin)

An old proverb states: “Vodka is our enemy, so we’ll utterly consume it!” While the demon water sends most Russian men early to their graves, some continue to chase its salutary effects, as seen in the stylish short. (Plays in Kingdom, If I Can)

An otherworldly, single-shot portal into the mechanisms undergirding Hollywood, with a cameo by Gene Hackman. (Plays with The Joycean Society)

This landmark film about life in a leper column has been credited for touching off the Iranian New Wave. (Plays with The Apple)

A stunning look at what remains after a mother leaves her family behind. (Plays in Kith & Kin)

Takes us on an engrossing forensic journey into the disappearance of a loner, as seen through a series of spycams. (Plays in Vanishing Point)

A down-to-earth sci-fi about a woman at a crossroads. (Plays in Kith & Kin)

Behold the icon! A village awaits an annually recurring appearance, which has defined a region. (Plays with Miraculous Tales)

The found evidence of a courageous life on the high seas. We witness a French woman leave all that she knows in search of adventure on her beloved sailboat, the Stella Matutina. (Plays in Vanishing Point)

Distant skiers on a snowy mountain show man’s place in the overwhelming, awesome landscape. (Plays in Kingdom, If I Can)

An older sister sets off on a poetic exploration of love and loss. (Plays in Vanishing Point)

An uneasy symbiosis between two very different groups prevails in as local porters work with Hasidic Jews making pilgrimage to a town near Kiev, where the founder of their sect is buried. Before the singing-and-dancing exaltation can commence, some more basic arrangements must be negotiated. (Plays in Kingdom, If I Can)

Demonstrates once and for all that marital bliss is a set of warm revolvers. (Plays in Kith & Kin)

Close by the glitzy Strip is an underbelly filled with aspiring crooners, repo men and cat-loving aqueduct denizens. (Plays with A Thousand Suns)