Pennsylvania-born filmmaker Ephraim Asili has been exploring different facets of the African diaspora-and his own place within it-for nearly a decade. His feature-length debut, THE INHERITANCE, is a vibrant, engaging ensemble work that takes place almost entirely within the walls of a West Philadelphia house where a community of young people have come together to form a collective of Black artists and activists.

Based on Agustina Bessa-Luís' acclaimed novel, itself inspired by a true story that occurred in the 19th century, Manoel de Oliveira's FRANCISCA recounts the life of a young man, a son of an English officer, who lets himself become a prisoner of love resulting in fatalism and disgrace. With its gorgeous cinematography, gloomy interiors, and show-stopping gala set-pieces, FRANCISCA is one of the legendary director's crowning achievements.

Never before released in the US, Paulo Rocha's debut feature THE GREEN YEARS, gloriously shot in black and white, is an extraordinary and haunting coming-of-age tale. Nineteen-year-old Julio heads to Lisbon from the provinces and gets a job as a shoemaker for his uncle Raul. But when he meets Ilda, a confident young housemaid who becomes a regular shop visitor, the two begin a tentative romance until the realities of the outside world come crashing through. Winner of Best First Film at the 1964 **Locarno Film Festival**.

Paulo Rocha's haunting second feature, CHANGE OF LIFE, is a beautifully-told story of a young man who returns from abroad to his small fishing village to discover that much has changed. Inspired by his work with Manoel de Oliveira, Rocha "cast" the local villagers as themselves, interspersed with experienced actors led by the great Isabel Ruth who would go on to become an Oliveira regular and an iconic presence in Pedro Costa's Ossos. The poetry of the local vernacular is captured in the textured dialogue written by fellow Portuguese filmmaker Antonio Reis, who met Rocha through Oliveira. The film was a critical and commercial success upon release, though it would effectively be the last film Rocha made for nearly two decades.

Peggy is on the path for a perfect career, home, and family, but when a tragedy shatters those plans she spins away from her husband and career and gradually transforms into a spiritual seeker, quietly threatening the closest relationships around her. With his debut feature, award-winning writer/director Paul Harrill reveals a unique directorial sensibility and delivers a refreshing story of human transformation. Named a New York Times Critics' Pick and called "a work of...simple, unforgettable beauty" (RogerEbert.com), Something, Anything features Ashley Shelton in a stirring performance as Peggy, a seemingly typical Southern newlywed.