Kate Connor’s award-winning debut Fort McCoy is a wholesome, heartfelt labour of love reflecting the true story of her family’s memories of life at a Wisconsin military base during the Second World War. Frank and Ruby Stirn arrive at the base in May 1944 with their two children and Ruby’s younger sister Anna. Unable to fight in the war, a guilty Frank makes use of his skills as a barber on a base that also serves as a POW camp for interned and often unrepentant Germans. The pressures and challenges for the family are played out in the shadow of an enemy who is rarely seen and seldom understood. A notable cast includes Eric Stoltz as Frank and the multi-talented Kate Connor as Ruby.

British hit Weekend signalled a new era in gay cinema with a universal emotional appeal. In the Family makes good on that promise with a compelling, beautifully modulated tale of love, devotion and family. Writer/director/star Patrick Wang justifies every minute of the film’s marathon running time as he builds a detailed, unerringly authentic personal drama that has earned him comparisons with John Cassavetes and Douglas Sirk. Wang stars as Joey, the partner of schoolteacher Cody (Trevor St John) and joint father of Cody’s six-year-old son Chip (an astonishing Sebastian Brodziak). When Cody dies, his sister uses an old will to claim custody of Chip leaving Joey out in the cold struggling to gain recognition of his part in the boy’s life. The result is captivating and heart-rending. One of the best American independent films of the past year.

Winner of a number of key awards at SXSW this year, Robbie Pickering's debut feature marks him as a filmmaker to watch, and his cast as stars in the making.

A couple travel across country taking on different roles and presenting challenges to strangers.

Two children move into an abandoned house and strive to fend for themselves as everyday life goes on around them.