Group Viewing Guides · All Nations · Scripture Trove

343 group viewing guides with films, books, discussion questions and Scripture, organised by theme.

343 guides, organised by theme.

Loneliness and broken ties

How relationships slowly unravel. Useful when a group includes people living alone or grieving a loss, or people who have known each other for years yet rarely speak deeply.

• Muen Shakai — A Society Without Social Ties（Japan · NHK investigative reporting team · Watch together）
  Luke 15:4–6 — the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes “after the one that was lost, until he found it.”
• Lilting（United Kingdom · Hong Khaou · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ephesians 2:14 — “For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,”
• Adolescence（United Kingdom · Writers Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham; director Philip Barantini · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 139:1–4 — “Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me. ... For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, Yahweh, you know it altogether.”
• Aloners（South Korea · Hong Sung-eun · Watch together）
  1 Kings 19:5–7 — When Elijah wanted to die, God first let him sleep and gave him bread and water: “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” Only afterward did God speak.
• The Farewell（United States · Lulu Wang · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 90:12 — ‘So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’
• Samson & Delilah（Australia · Warwick Thornton · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 Kings 19:4–8 — God first gives the exhausted Elijah food and rest, then strengthens him for the road ahead.
• I'm No Longer Here（Mexico · Fernando Frías · Watch together）
  Ephesians 2:19 — “So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”
• Tempestad（Mexico · Tatiana Huezo · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 18:1–8 — The widow persists in seeking justice from an unjust judge. “Won't God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night?”
• Indian Horse（Canada · Richard Wagamese · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 56:8 — “You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your bottle. Aren't they in your book?”
• Monsieur Lazhar（Canada · Philippe Falardeau; based on a play by Évelyne de la Chenelière · Leader previews before deciding）
  2 Corinthians 1:3–4 — God “comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction.”
• Anne of Green Gables（Canada · L. M. Montgomery · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 1:5 — God “predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire.”
• The Seventh Seal（Sweden · Ingmar Bergman · Watch together）
  Mark 9:24—“Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, ‘I believe. Help my unbelief!’”
• A Man Called Ove（Sweden · Fredrik Backman · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Galatians 6:2, 5—“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”; “For each man will bear his own burden.”
• Hunt for the Wilderpeople（New Zealand · Taika Waititi · Watch together）
  Psalm 68:5–6: God is father to the fatherless and sets the lonely in families; the community must share this care.
• Boy（New Zealand · Taika Waititi · Watch together）
  Psalm 27:10: “When my father and my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will take me up.” This does not despise family; it denies human failure the last word.
• Eternity（Peru · Óscar Catacora · Watch together）
  First Timothy 5:4 tells children and grandchildren to show piety at home; the community must also hold what families cannot.
• Once Upon a Time in Anatolia（Türkiye · Nuri Bilge Ceylan · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 18:17: “He who pleads his cause first seems right—until another comes and questions him.”
• Eternity and a Day（Greece · Theo Angelopoulos · Watch in two sessions）
  Psalm 90:12 — ‘So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’
• Apples（Greece · Christos Nikou · Watch together）
  Romans 12:15 — ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.’ Accompaniment comes before pressure to recover.
• Hunger（Norway · Knut Hamsun · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  James 2:15–16—Saying “Go in peace” without giving the body what it needs is not help.
• The Worst Person in the World（Norway · Joachim Trier · Discuss without screening）
  Psalm 90:12—“So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
• Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors（Ukraine · Sergei Parajanov · Watch together）
  Romans 12:15: “Weep with those who weep.” Presence comes before setting a deadline for grief.
• Desolation（Chile · Gabriela Mistral · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 13—“How long, Yahweh?” can itself become a prayer to God.
• A Fantastic Woman（Chile · Sebastián Lelio · Discuss without screening）
  James 3:9–10—With the tongue “we curse men, who are made in the image of God. Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing.”
• Rosetta（Belgium · Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne · Leader previews before deciding）
  Deuteronomy 24:15 — “In his day you shall give him his wages, neither shall the sun go down on it”; a laborer's urgency is not a character defect.
• Close（Belgium · Lukas Dhont · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 11:35 — “Jesus wept.” Grief does not deny the hope of resurrection.
• The Hunt（Denmark · Thomas Vinterberg · Leader previews before deciding）
  Deuteronomy 19:15 — “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.” Rigorous verification is not indifference; it protects everyone.
• Another Round（Denmark · Thomas Vinterberg · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 23:29–30 — “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?” “Those who stay long at the wine; those who go to seek out mixed wine.” Scripture sees the consequences and calls for honest care.
• The Flower Valley（Denmark · Niviaq Korneliussen · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 13:2 — “How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart every day?” Scripture allows pain to speak fully and does not hurry it into a testimony.
• Beyond the Hills（Romania · Cristian Mungiu · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 10:34 — the Samaritan “bound up his wounds ... and took care of him.” Spiritual compassion does not reject concrete treatment.
• Alba（Ecuador · Ana Cristina Barragán · Watch together）
  Psalm 68:5 — “A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.” A spiritual family protects vulnerable people first.
• The Blind Owl（Iran · Sadegh Hedayat · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 88 does not brighten suddenly at the end, yet still brings darkness before God.
• Taste of Cherry（Iran · Abbas Kiarostami · Leader previews before deciding）
  In 1 Kings 19:4–8, when Elijah asks to die, God first lets him sleep and eat and sends an angel to provide for him, then speaks to him personally at Horeb.
• Caramel（Lebanon · Nadine Labaki · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 8:2–11 shows Jesus rejecting condemnation as public spectacle without treating transformed life as unimportant.
• Closely Watched Trains（Czechia · Jiří Menzel · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 places the seasons of daily life and war within the same finite human life.
• Beshkempir（Kyrgyzstan · Aktan Arym Kubat · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 139:13–16 — A person's life is known by God, and its worth is not determined by rumor.
• The Blue Caftan（Morocco · Maryam Touzani · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 1:14 — “The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Pastoral care must not separate grace from truth.
• Calendar（Armenia · Atom Egoyan · Watch together）
  Philippians 2:3–4: counting others better than ourselves means practically caring for their concerns, not making them the background to our growth.
• Gaza Mon Amour（Palestine · Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser · Watch together）
  Ecclesiastes 9:7–10: receive food, love, and labour under death's shadow; ordinary joy does not betray those who suffer.
• The Band's Visit（Israel (modern state) · Eran Kolirin · Watch together）
  Hebrews 13:1–3: continue in love, welcome strangers, and remember prisoners and sufferers; hospitality and justice belong together.
• Angels of the Universe（Iceland · Einar Már Guðmundsson · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 Kings 19:5 — He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat!”

Poverty, class, and how we see people

James 2's warning against partiality takes shape in a dismissive glance, an application form, or a decision about who receives help. Read these before planning a mercy ministry.

• I, Daniel Blake（United Kingdom · Ken Loach · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 25:35–40 — “because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
• Parasite（South Korea · Bong Joon Ho · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 2:1–4 — “My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality. ... haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”
• Twelve Years a Slave（United States · Solomon Northup · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Galatians 3:28 — ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’
• American Factory（United States · Steven Bognar · Julia Reichert · Watch in two sessions）
  James 5:4 — ‘Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.’
• Ilo Ilo（Singapore · Anthony Chen · Watch together）
  Philemon 16 — ‘no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother.’
• The Rainbow Troops（Indonesia · Andrea Hirata · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 13:31–33 — the mustard seed “indeed is smaller than all seeds,” and the yeast is “hid in three measures of meal.” God’s Kingdom can begin in a form that seems too small to matter.
• Three Seasons（Vietnam · Tony Bui · Watch together）
  1 Corinthians 12:22–24 — “No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety; whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part,”
• City of God（Brazil · Fernando Meirelles · Kátia Lund · Discuss without screening）
  Isaiah 58:10 — “and if you pour out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will rise in darkness, and your obscurity will be as the noonday;”
• Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)（Nigeria · Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri · Leader previews before deciding）
  Leviticus 19:34 — ‘The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself.’
• Smaller and Smaller Circles（Philippines · F. H. Batacan · Discuss without screening）
  James 1:27 — ‘Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.’
• Himala（Philippines · Ishmael Bernal · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 John 4:1 — ‘Don't believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.’
• Sunday Beauty Queen（Philippines · Baby Ruth Villarama · Watch together）
  Deuteronomy 24:14 — ‘You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the foreigners who are in your land within your gates.’
• Les Misérables（France · Victor Hugo · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 2:8–10 — ‘for by grace you have been saved through faith’; we are also ‘created in Christ Jesus for good works.’
• La Haine（France · Mathieu Kassovitz · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 1:20 — ‘for the anger of man doesn't produce the righteousness of God.’
• The Castle（Australia · Rob Sitch · Watch together）
  Leviticus 25:23 — “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and live as foreigners with me.”
• Samson & Delilah（Australia · Warwick Thornton · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 Kings 19:4–8 — God first gives the exhausted Elijah food and rest, then strengthens him for the road ahead.
• The Yacoubian Building（Egypt · Alaa Al Aswany · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  James 2:1–4 — “Don't hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality.”
• Tsotsi（South Africa · Gavin Hood; based on the novel by Athol Fugard · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 19:8 — “If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.” Repentance enters concrete restitution.
• Yesterday（South Africa · Darrell Roodt · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 9:1–3 — The disciples ask who sinned; Jesus refuses to turn the man's condition into a simple moral cause.
• Bicycle Thieves（Italy · Vittorio De Sica · Watch together）
  James 2:15–16—'If a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled”; and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?'
• Eat Sleep Die（Sweden · Gabriela Pichler · Watch together）
  James 2:15–16—“If a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you tells them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled’; and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?”
• The Doll（Poland · Bolesław Prus · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  James 2:1–4—“Don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality,” seating someone in fine clothing in a good place while telling a poor person to stand.
• Tulpan（Kazakhstan · Sergey Dvortsevoy · Watch together）
  Psalm 104:10–23: people, animals, water, and labour depend together on the Creator; land is not empty scenery for romantic use.
• The Owners（Kazakhstan · Adilkhan Yerzhanov · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 2:1–2: seizing fields, houses, and inheritance does not become just through procedure or connections.
• Nairobi Half Life（Kenya · David Tosh Gitonga · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 19:8–10: repentance includes concrete restitution and begins after a socially condemned person is seen again.
• Song Without a Name（Peru · Melina León · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 calls us to speak for the voiceless and ensure the person's own voice is translated accurately.
• The Village in the Jungle（Sri Lanka · Leonard Woolf · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 18:13: “He who answers before he hears, that is folly and shame to him.” Sympathy cannot replace listening and interpretation.
• Alcarràs（Spain · Carla Simón · Watch together）
  Micah 4:4 — “But they will sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and no one will make them afraid.” Peace includes a stable life free from fear.
• A River Called Titas（Bangladesh · Ritwik Ghatak · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 — “Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy.” Go further by bringing overlooked people themselves into the decisions.
• Made in Bangladesh（Bangladesh · Rubaiyat Hossain · Watch together）
  James 5:4 — “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.”
• The Burial of Kojo（Ghana · Blitz Bazawule · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 10:14 — “But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless.” Seeing should lead to practical protection.
• Azali（Ghana · Kwabena Gyansah · Discuss without screening）
  Matthew 18:5–6 — “Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,” while causing a little one to stumble brings severe judgment. Adults therefore bear a stricter duty of protection.
• The Strategy of the Snail（Colombia · Sergio Cabrera · Watch together）
  Isaiah 10:1–2 — “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees; to deprive the needy from justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights.” A procedure can be legal and still take rights from those in need.
• The Kings of the World（Colombia · Laura Mora · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 4:4 — “But they will sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and no one will make them afraid.” Land should bring safety rather than renewed persecution.
• Max Havelaar（Netherlands · Multatuli (Eduard Douwes Dekker) · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  James 5:4—“Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out”; distance does not silence responsibility.
• Hunger（Norway · Knut Hamsun · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  James 2:15–16—Saying “Go in peace” without giving the body what it needs is not help.
• Moth Smoke（Pakistan · Mohsin Hamid · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 18:17—“He who pleads his cause first seems right; until another comes and questions him.”
• Queen of Katwe（Uganda · Mira Nair · Watch together）
  1 Corinthians 12:22—“Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.”
• Who Killed Captain Alex?（Uganda · Nabwana I.G.G. · Leader previews before deciding）
  Exodus 35:35—God “filled them with wisdom of heart” for every kind of craftsmanship and skillful work; creativity belongs to ordinary artisans too.
• Machuca（Chile · Andrés Wood · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 2:1–4—Seating people according to clothing makes a community partial and “judges with evil thoughts.”
• Rosetta（Belgium · Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne · Leader previews before deciding）
  Deuteronomy 24:15 — “In his day you shall give him his wages, neither shall the sun go down on it”; a laborer's urgency is not a character defect.
• The Moromete Family（Romania · Marin Preda · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 15:22 — “Where there is no counsel, plans fail”; family authority also needs to hear those who share its burdens.
• Karnali Blues（Nepal · Buddhisagar · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 103:14 — “For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.” Mercy allows limited people to be remembered truthfully.
• The Black Hen（Nepal · Min Bahadur Bham · Watch together）
  Galatians 3:28 — “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Church procedures must make this truth visible.
• Huasipungo（Ecuador · Jorge Icaza · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 5:4 — “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out.” Devotion cannot conceal land and wages.
• The Queen of Water（Ecuador · Maria Virginia Farinango and Laura Resau · Leader previews before deciding）
  Mark 9:37 — “Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me.” Welcome is not possession, but protection of the child’s life and future.
• Children of Heaven（Iran · Majid Majidi · Watch together）
  James 2:1–6 teaches that differences in clothing must not determine who receives respect in the community.
• Capernaum（Lebanon · Nadine Labaki · Discuss without screening）
  Mark 10:13–16 places children blocked by adults at the centre of the community around Jesus.
• Shum Bola（Uzbekistan · Gʻafur Gʻulom · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Mark 10:13–16 shows Jesus allowing children whom adults obstruct to come to him.
• The Light Thief（Kyrgyzstan · Aktan Arym Kubat · Watch together）
  Exodus 18:17–23 — Moses cannot carry every responsibility alone; he needs a structure that shares work and judgment.
• Money Has Four Legs（Myanmar · Maung Sun · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ephesians 4:25—“Putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor.” Truth-telling also needs freedom from retaliation.
• The Road to Mandalay（Myanmar · Midi Z · Leader previews before deciding）
  Deuteronomy 24:14—“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy,” whether a citizen or a foreigner in the land.
• Rice People（Cambodia · Rithy Panh · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 2:15–16—If someone does not give what the body needs but says, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” what good is it?
• White Building（Cambodia · Kavich Neang · Watch together）
  Micah 2:2—“They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away.” Faith requires seeing dispossession within development.
• Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets（Morocco · Nabil Ayouch · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 68:5 — “A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.” The church’s response should be protection and justice, not possession of someone else’s story.
• Horses of God（Morocco · Nabil Ayouch · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 10:10 — “The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” The life Christ gives is not proved by sacrificing other people.
• For Bread Alone（Morocco · Mohamed Choukri · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 58:7 — “Isn’t it to distribute your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh?” True devotion responds first to bodily need and to the oppressed.
• Viva Riva!（Democratic Republic of the Congo · Djo Tunda Wa Munga · Discuss without screening）
  Micah 6:8 — “He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Public morality must not rebuke only the vulnerable.
• Kinshasa Symphony（Democratic Republic of the Congo · Claus Wischmann and Martin Baer · Watch together）
  Exodus 35 remembers artisans endowed with wisdom. Works offered to God likewise require skill, materials, and labour that receives respect.
• Chronicle of the Years of Fire（Algeria · Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina · Watch in two sessions）
  Micah 2:2: “They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away.” Justice for land enters households and history.
• The Poor Man's Son（Algeria · Mouloud Feraoun · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  James 2:5: “Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith?”
• Behavior（Cuba · Ernesto Daranas · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 18:5—“Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me.”
• Masters of the Dew（Haiti · Jacques Roumain · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 58:11 — “You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters don’t fail.” The promise also calls people to practise justice.
• Murder in Pacot（Haiti · Raoul Peck · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 6:8 — ‘He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?’ Mercy must be examined by justice and power.
• Ajami（Israel (modern state) · Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 18:17: “He who pleads his cause first seems right— until another comes and questions him.” Power helps determine who becomes the first report.
• Eve Out of Her Ruins（Mauritius · Ananda Devi · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 8:10–11 — “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”

Power, concealment, and telling the truth

The line between protecting a church's reputation and covering up sin. These are the hardest guides to read, and the ones leaders should read first.

• The Judgment（Thailand · Chart Korbjitti · Discuss without screening）
  James 3:5–6 — “See how a small fire can spread to a large forest! And the tongue is a fire.”
• Silenced（South Korea · Hwang Dong-hyuk · Discuss without screening）
  Ephesians 5:11–13 — “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.”
• Twelve Years a Slave（United States · Solomon Northup · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Galatians 3:28 — ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’
• Difret（Ethiopia · Zeresenay Berhane Mehari · Discuss without screening）
  Isaiah 1:17 — “Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow.”
• The Act of Killing（Indonesia · Joshua Oppenheimer · Discuss without screening）
  Romans 2:14–15 — ‘the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying with them’; read alongside Ephesians 5:11: ‘Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.’
• Letters and Papers from Prison（Germany · Dietrich Bonhoeffer · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Philippians 1:20–21 — “according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
• Things Fall Apart（Nigeria · Chinua Achebe · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 1:14 — ‘The Word became flesh and lived among us’ and was ‘full of grace and truth.’
• Purple Hibiscus（Nigeria · Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  1 Timothy 3:5 — “but if a man doesn’t know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the assembly of God?”
• Half of a Yellow Sun（Nigeria · Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 12:15 — ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.’
• Noli Me Tángere（Philippines · José Rizal · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 23:4 — ‘For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.’
• Dekada '70（Philippines · Lualhati Bautista · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 5:25 — “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it.”
• Smaller and Smaller Circles（Philippines · F. H. Batacan · Discuss without screening）
  James 1:27 — ‘Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.’
• Himala（Philippines · Ishmael Bernal · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 John 4:1 — ‘Don't believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.’
• Les Misérables（France · Victor Hugo · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 2:8–10 — ‘for by grace you have been saved through faith’; we are also ‘created in Christ Jesus for good works.’
• La Haine（France · Mathieu Kassovitz · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 1:20 — ‘for the anger of man doesn't produce the righteousness of God.’
• The Class（France · Laurent Cantet · Watch together）
  James 3:1 — ‘Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.’
• Au revoir les enfants（France · Louis Malle · Watch together）
  Matthew 25:35 — ‘I was a stranger and you took me in.’
• The Castle（Australia · Rob Sitch · Watch together）
  Leviticus 25:23 — “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and live as foreigners with me.”
• Rabbit-Proof Fence（Australia · Phillip Noyce; based on the book by Doris Pilkington Garimara · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 18:5–6 — “Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.”
• Lucky Miles（Australia · Michael James Rowland · Leader previews before deciding）
  Hebrews 13:2 — “Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
• Pedro Páramo（Mexico · Juan Rulfo · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ecclesiastes 8:9 — “There is a time in which one man has power over another to his hurt.”
• Roma（Mexico · Alfonso Cuarón · Leader previews before deciding）
  Philippians 2:4 — “Each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.”
• Prayers for the Stolen（Mexico · Tatiana Huezo · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 2:13–15 — Joseph “took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt,” fleeing Herod's attempt to destroy him.
• Tempestad（Mexico · Tatiana Huezo · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 18:1–8 — The widow persists in seeking justice from an unjust judge. “Won't God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night?”
• The Cairo Trilogy（Egypt · Naguib Mahfouz · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Mark 10:42–45 — “Whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever of you wants to become first among you, shall be bondservant of all.”
• The Square（Egypt · Jehane Noujaim · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 — “Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy.”
• Clash（Egypt · Mohamed Diab · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 1:19–20 — “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man doesn't produce the righteousness of God.”
• The Yacoubian Building（Egypt · Alaa Al Aswany · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  James 2:1–4 — “Don't hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality.”
• Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner（Canada · Zacharias Kunuk; screenplay by Paul Apak Angilirq · Watch in two sessions）
  Acts 17:26–27 — “He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings.”
• Indian Horse（Canada · Richard Wagamese · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 56:8 — “You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your bottle. Aren't they in your book?”
• Cry, the Beloved Country（South Africa · Alan Paton · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Micah 6:8 — “What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
• Nothing But the Truth（South Africa · John Kani · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 4:25 — “Putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.”
• Tsotsi（South Africa · Gavin Hood; based on the novel by Athol Fugard · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 19:8 — “If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.” Repentance enters concrete restitution.
• The Leopard（Italy · Luchino Visconti; based on the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa · Watch in two sessions）
  Mark 10:42–45—'They who are recognized as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you.'
• My Brilliant Friend（Italy · Elena Ferrante · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  1 Corinthians 12:22–23—'Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor.'
• The Wonders（Italy · Alice Rohrwacher · Watch together）
  Colossians 2:20–23—'Don’t handle, nor taste, nor touch'—ordinances that 'appear like wisdom' but 'aren’t of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.'
• Adua（Italy · Igiaba Scego · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 2:14–18—Christ 'made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,' reconciling both to God in one body through the cross.
• The Emigrants（Sweden · Vilhelm Moberg · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Hebrews 13:2—“Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
• The Seventh Seal（Sweden · Ingmar Bergman · Watch together）
  Mark 9:24—“Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, ‘I believe. Help my unbelief!’”
• Sámi Blood（Sweden · Amanda Kernell · Watch together）
  Luke 19:8—“If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.”
• The Doll（Poland · Bolesław Prus · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  James 2:1–4—“Don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality,” seating someone in fine clothing in a good place while telling a poor person to stand.
• Ashes and Diamonds（Poland · Andrzej Wajda · Watch together）
  Romans 12:18–19—“If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. Don’t seek revenge yourselves.”
• Ida（Poland · Paweł Pawlikowski · Watch together）
  Romans 11:18—“Don’t boast over the branches. But if you boast, it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you.”
• Corpus Christi（Poland · Jan Komasa · Watch together）
  Ezekiel 34:4—“You haven’t strengthened the diseased. You haven’t healed that which was sick. You haven’t bound up that which was broken.”
• Green Border（Poland · Agnieszka Holland · Watch together）
  Matthew 25:35—“I was a stranger, and you took me in.”
• The Path of Abai（Kazakhstan · Mukhtar Auezov · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Mark 7:8–13: human tradition cannot claim religious immunity when it cancels responsibility to God and neighbour.
• Kyz Zhibek（Kazakhstan · Sultan-Akhmet Khodzhikov · Watch in two sessions）
  Song of Songs 8:6–7: love cannot be bought with possessions, and its strength never licenses control, possession, or revenge.
• The Owners（Kazakhstan · Adilkhan Yerzhanov · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 2:1–2: seizing fields, houses, and inheritance does not become just through procedure or connections.
• Whale Rider（New Zealand · Niki Caro · Watch together）
  Acts 2:17–18: God's Spirit comes upon sons and daughters, young and old, male and female servants; a community must not decide beforehand who may speak.
• The Piano（New Zealand · Jane Campion · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 calls us to speak for those without a public voice—and to learn to hear people who do not communicate through speech.
• A Grain of Wheat（Kenya · Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 12:24: a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies to bear much fruit; power must not use sacrifice to glorify itself.
• Nairobi Half Life（Kenya · David Tosh Gitonga · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 19:8–10: repentance includes concrete restitution and begins after a socially condemned person is seen again.
• The First Grader（Kenya · Justin Chadwick · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 4:7 calls wisdom the principal thing. The dignity of learning does not expire through age, poverty, or past injury.
• Out of Africa（Kenya · Sydney Pollack · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 2:1–2 condemns those with power who covet and seize fields. Beautiful visions cannot cleanse unjust land relationships.
• Song Without a Name（Peru · Melina León · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 calls us to speak for the voiceless and ensure the person's own voice is translated accurately.
• Deep Rivers（Peru · José María Arguedas · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 137:4 asks, “How can we sing Yahweh’s song in a foreign land?” Dominant education must not belittle the relationship of language, place, and worship.
• The Official Story（Argentina · Luis Puenzo · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 8:32: “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” That freedom may first break security maintained by lies.
• Argentina, 1985（Argentina · Santiago Mitre · Watch in two sessions）
  Micah 6:8 joins justice, mercy, and humble walking; none cancels another.
• Wild Tales（Argentina · Damián Szifron · Discuss without screening）
  Romans 12:19–21 says not to avenge ourselves but overcome evil with good; the community must still take evil seriously.
• The Secret in Their Eyes（Argentina · Juan José Campanella · Leader previews before deciding）
  Deuteronomy 16:19–20 forbids distorted justice and bribery. Judicial failure does not make vigilantism righteous.
• The Eternaut（Argentina · Héctor G. Oesterheld / Francisco Solano López · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  First Corinthians 12:21–22 says the body cannot dismiss its apparently weaker members; crisis tests whether a community believes it.
• The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida（Sri Lanka · Shehan Karunatilaka · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 10:14: “But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand.” The unclaimed dead have not gone unseen.
• The Forsaken Land（Sri Lanka · Vimukthi Jayasundara · Leader previews before deciding）
  Jeremiah 6:14: “They have healed also the hurt of my people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace.”
• The Village in the Jungle（Sri Lanka · Leonard Woolf · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 18:13: “He who answers before he hears, that is folly and shame to him.” Sympathy cannot replace listening and interpretation.
• Once Upon a Time in Anatolia（Türkiye · Nuri Bilge Ceylan · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 18:17: “He who pleads his cause first seems right—until another comes and questions him.”
• Mustang（Türkiye · Deniz Gamze Ergüven · Discuss without screening）
  Matthew 18:6: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble” faces grave judgment; family authority must never conceal harm to a child.
• The Road（Türkiye · Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören · Leader previews before deciding）
  Galatians 5:13: “You, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants to one another.”
• Snow（Türkiye · Orhan Pamuk · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  2 Corinthians 4:2: “But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by the manifestation of the truth.” Faith does not manipulate conscience.
• The Spirit of the Beehive（Spain · Víctor Erice · Watch together）
  Ephesians 4:25 — “Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.” Speaking in an age-appropriate way is not the same as continuing to conceal the truth.
• Parallel Mothers（Spain · Pedro Almodóvar · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 19:8 — Zacchaeus said, “If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.” Repentance enters the work of restitution; acknowledging facts is not the end of repair.
• The Silence of Others（Spain · Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 — “Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy.”
• The Shadow of the Wind（Spain · Carlos Ruiz Zafón · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ecclesiastes 12:14 — “For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.” Archives are not the final judgement, but they can resist deliberate amnesia.
• Dogtooth（Greece · Yorgos Lanthimos · Discuss without screening）
  Acts 17:11 — ‘Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.’
• Xenia（Greece · Panos H. Koutras · Leader previews before deciding）
  Leviticus 19:34 — ‘The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.’
• The Cave of the Yellow Dog（Mongolia · Byambasuren Davaa · Watch together）
  Ephesians 6:4 — ‘You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.’
• City of Wind（Mongolia · Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 Peter 3:15–16 — ‘Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear, having a good conscience.’
• The Clay Bird（Bangladesh · Tareque Masud · Watch together）
  James 2:15–16 — “And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you tells them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled’; and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?”
• Television（Bangladesh · Mostofa Sarwar Farooki · Watch together）
  1 Corinthians 6:12 — “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are expedient. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be brought under the power of anything.”
• Made in Bangladesh（Bangladesh · Rubaiyat Hossain · Watch together）
  James 5:4 — “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.”
• Heritage Africa（Ghana · Kwaw Ansah · Watch together）
  Romans 12:2 — “Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Renewal includes refusing to despise ourselves or our neighbours through the eyes of the powerful.
• Sankofa（Ghana · Haile Gerima · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 4:18–19 — Christ proclaims “release to the captives” and deliverance for those who are crushed. The church must therefore stand with the enslaved.
• The Strategy of the Snail（Colombia · Sergio Cabrera · Watch together）
  Isaiah 10:1–2 — “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees; to deprive the needy from justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights.” A procedure can be legal and still take rights from those in need.
• Embrace of the Serpent（Colombia · Ciro Guerra · Watch in two sessions）
  Matthew 7:12 — “Therefore, whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them.” Good intentions do not exempt cross-cultural work from consent.
• One Hundred Years of Solitude（Colombia · Gabriel García Márquez · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Deuteronomy 8:11 — “Beware lest you forget Yahweh your God.” Biblical remembrance includes grace and also failures in the wilderness.
• Max Havelaar（Netherlands · Multatuli (Eduard Douwes Dekker) · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  James 5:4—“Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out”; distance does not silence responsibility.
• The Assault（Netherlands · Harry Mulisch · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 18:17—“He who pleads his cause first seems right— until another comes and questions him.” Inquiry is not coldness but respect for truth.
• Character（Netherlands · Mike van Diem · Leader previews before deciding）
  Colossians 3:21—“Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.” Authority is responsible for a person's growth.
• Antonia's Line（Netherlands · Marleen Gorris · Leader previews before deciding）
  Mark 3:35—“For whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister, and mother.” Spiritual family enlarges responsibility; it does not remove boundaries.
• The Diary of Anne Frank（Netherlands · Anne Frank · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 31:8—“Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.” Remembrance does not rewrite the dead; it refuses their erasure.
• Pathfinder（Norway · Nils Gaup · Leader previews before deciding）
  Revelation 7:9—A multitude “out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages” stands before the throne, without difference being erased.
• The Other Side of Sunday（Norway · Berit Nesheim · Watch together）
  Colossians 3:21—“Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.”
• Kobzar（Ukraine · Taras Shevchenko · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Acts 2:6–11: “everyone heard them speaking in his own language,” declaring “the mighty works of God.”
• The Orphanage（Ukraine · Serhiy Zhadan · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 24:11–12 commands, “Rescue those who are being led away to death!” Pretending not to know does not remove responsibility.
• The Earth Is Blue as an Orange（Ukraine · Iryna Tsilyk · Watch together）
  Psalm 137: captives can preserve their song, and they may also ask, “How can we sing Yahweh’s song in a foreign land?”
• Klondike（Ukraine · Maryna Er Gorbach · Leader previews before deciding）
  Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed.” Peace cannot bypass protection.
• Moth Smoke（Pakistan · Mohsin Hamid · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 18:17—“He who pleads his cause first seems right; until another comes and questions him.”
• A Case of Exploding Mangoes（Pakistan · Mohammed Hanif · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  1 Samuel 8:10–18—A king “will take your sons,” “your fields,” and servants for his own work; power's taking must be named clearly.
• Silent Waters（Pakistan · Sabiha Sumar · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 56:8—“You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your bottle.” A story suppressed by people has not disappeared before God.
• The Wandering Falcon（Pakistan · Jamil Ahmad · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Deuteronomy 10:18–19—God “loves the foreigner, in giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the foreigner.”
• Joyland（Pakistan · Saim Sadiq · Discuss without screening）
  John 1:14—“The Word became flesh, and lived among us,” “full of grace and truth.” Neither grace nor truth can be cancelled.
• Song of Lawino（Uganda · Okot p’Bitek · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Revelation 7:9—Every nation, tribe, people, and language remains recognizable before the throne; unity is not purchased with a single culture.
• Abyssinian Chronicles（Uganda · Moses Isegawa · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 6:4—“You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
• The House of the Spirits（Chile · Isabel Allende · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 5:11—“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.”
• Machuca（Chile · Andrés Wood · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 2:1–4—Seating people according to clothing makes a community partial and “judges with evil thoughts.”
• No（Chile · Pablo Larraín · Watch together）
  2 Corinthians 4:2—“We have renounced the hidden things of shame,” neither handling God's word deceitfully but manifesting the truth.
• A Fantastic Woman（Chile · Sebastián Lelio · Discuss without screening）
  James 3:9–10—With the tongue “we curse men, who are made in the image of God. Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing.”
• The Sorrow of Belgium（Belgium · Hugo Claus · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 5:20 — “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil”; familiar moral words can also be repackaged.
• On Black Sisters' Street（Belgium · Chika Unigwe · Leader previews before deciding）
  Genesis 16:13 — Hagar called Yahweh “You are a God who sees”; an exploited person is not background in someone else's story.
• Tori and Lokita（Belgium · Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne · Leader previews before deciding）
  Deuteronomy 10:18 — “He executes justice for the fatherless and widow and loves the foreigner”; that love takes form in food, clothing, and the protection of justice.
• The Copenhagen Trilogy（Denmark · Tove Ditlevsen · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 7:19 — “For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice.” This does not abandon responsibility; it refuses to describe bondage too simply.
• The Hunt（Denmark · Thomas Vinterberg · Leader previews before deciding）
  Deuteronomy 19:15 — “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.” Rigorous verification is not indifference; it protects everyone.
• 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days（Romania · Cristian Mungiu · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 23:4 — “For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.” Moral demands cannot evade the duty of care.
• Beyond the Hills（Romania · Cristian Mungiu · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 10:34 — the Samaritan “bound up his wounds ... and took care of him.” Spiritual compassion does not reject concrete treatment.
• Collective（Romania · Alexander Nanau · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ephesians 5:13 — “But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light.” Public truth is the beginning of repair, not betrayal of a community.
• Palpasa Café（Nepal · Narayan Wagle · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 — “Open your mouth for the mute ... Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy.” Advocacy must begin by hearing people themselves.
• Seto Dharti（Nepal · Amar Neupane · Leader previews before deciding）
  Mark 12:40 — those “who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers ... will receive greater condemnation.” Religion cannot sustain respectability through a widow's sacrifice.
• White Sun（Nepal · Deepak Rauniyar · Watch together）
  James 2:1 — “My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with partiality.” The command extends to seating, tables, burial grounds, and the carrying of a coffin.
• The Black Hen（Nepal · Min Bahadur Bham · Watch together）
  Galatians 3:28 — “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Church procedures must make this truth visible.
• Paradise（Tanzania · Abdulrazak Gurnah · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Philemon 16 — “no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.” The gospel changes relationships of power as well.
• Afterlives（Tanzania · Abdulrazak Gurnah · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 10:14 — “But you do see trouble and grief.” God's seeing calls a community not to erase victims.
• Binti（Tanzania · Seko Shamte · Watch together）
  Luke 10:39 — “She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word.” Women are disciples before they are roles serving others.
• Tug of War（Tanzania · Amil Shivji · Watch together）
  Acts 5:29 — “We must obey God rather than men.” This is a boundary for conscience, never a shortcut to power for anyone.
• Tanzania Transit（Tanzania · Jeroen van Velzen · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 1:19 — “So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;” Public witness begins as a discipline of listening.
• Huasipungo（Ecuador · Jorge Icaza · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 5:4 — “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out.” Devotion cannot conceal land and wages.
• The Queen of Water（Ecuador · Maria Virginia Farinango and Laura Resau · Leader previews before deciding）
  Mark 9:37 — “Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me.” Welcome is not possession, but protection of the child’s life and future.
• Ratas, Ratones, Rateros（Ecuador · Sebastián Cordero · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 19:8 — Zacchaeus said, “If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.” Being welcomed and taking responsibility for harm must go together.
• How Much Further（Ecuador · Tania Hermida · Watch together）
  Luke 10:33 — “But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion.” Truly seeing another person changes the planned route.
• A Separation（Iran · Asghar Farhadi · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 18:17 — “He who pleads his cause first seems right— until another comes and questions him.”
• West Beirut（Lebanon · Ziad Doueiri · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ephesians 2:14–18 says Christ breaks down the dividing wall, not by erasing harm but by ending the rule of hostility.
• Capernaum（Lebanon · Nadine Labaki · Discuss without screening）
  Mark 10:13–16 places children blocked by adults at the centre of the community around Jesus.
• The Insult（Lebanon · Ziad Doueiri · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 6:8 — acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God must happen together.
• Bygone Days（Uzbekistan · Abdulla Qodiriy · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 19:4–6 teaches that the marriage union cannot be governed arbitrarily by third-party interests.
• Night and Day（Uzbekistan · Abdulhamid Choʻlpon · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Micah 6:8 shows that justice, mercy, and humble walking with God cannot be pulled apart by national slogans.
• 2000 Songs of Farida（Uzbekistan · Yolqin Tuychiyev · Leader previews before deciding）
  Genesis 16:1–13 shows a family arrangement harming Hagar, while God sees her after she is driven away.
• The Good Soldier Švejk（Czechia · Jaroslav Hašek · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Acts 5:29 says that obeying God rather than people requires conscience and a willingness to bear consequences.
• Closely Watched Trains（Czechia · Jiří Menzel · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 places the seasons of daily life and war within the same finite human life.
• The Power of the Powerless（Czechia · Václav Havel · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 4:25 calls believers to put away falsehood and speak truth with neighbours because they are members of one another.
• Jamilia（Kyrgyzstan · Chingiz Aitmatov · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 4:7–26 — Jesus speaks the truth about relationships without turning the woman into an object of public shame.
• The White Ship（Kyrgyzstan · Chingiz Aitmatov · Discuss without screening）
  Matthew 18:6 — Jesus treats the responsibility for causing a little one to stumble with the utmost seriousness.
• The Light Thief（Kyrgyzstan · Aktan Arym Kubat · Watch together）
  Exodus 18:17–23 — Moses cannot carry every responsibility alone; he needs a structure that shares work and judgment.
• Ten Thousand Years in a Lifetime（Papua New Guinea · Albert Maori Kiki · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Acts 17:26–28 — Every nation shares one origin, and all seek God within the times and boundaries he has appointed.
• The Crocodile（Papua New Guinea · Vincent Eri · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 9:1–3 — Jesus refuses to assign simple blame for suffering to the victim or the victim's family.
• Tukana: Who Is Responsible?（Papua New Guinea · Albert Toro and Chris Owen · Watch together）
  Luke 14:28–30 — Counting the cost before building does not mean that a person who fails should be publicly mocked.
• Mister Pip（Papua New Guinea · Lloyd Jones · Discuss without screening）
  Nehemiah 8:8 — The meaning is explained clearly so that the people understand what is being read.
• Money Has Four Legs（Myanmar · Maung Sun · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ephesians 4:25—“Putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor.” Truth-telling also needs freedom from retaliation.
• The Glass Palace（Myanmar · Amitav Ghosh · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Mark 8:36—“For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?”
• The Missing Picture（Cambodia · Rithy Panh · Watch in two sessions）
  Psalm 56:8—“You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your bottle. Aren’t they in your book?” Remembrance does not require the wounded to perform.
• White Building（Cambodia · Kavich Neang · Watch together）
  Micah 2:2—“They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away.” Faith requires seeing dispossession within development.
• Turtles Can Fly（Iraq · Bahman Ghobadi · Discuss without screening）
  Mark 9:37: “Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me.” Receiving begins with protection, not use.
• Ahlaam（Iraq · Mohamed Al-Daradji · Leader previews before deciding）
  First Thessalonians 5:14: “Support the weak; be patient toward all.” Support includes appropriate professional care.
• Frankenstein in Baghdad（Iraq · Ahmed Saadawi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 12:19: “Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved.” Leaving vengeance to God does not cancel public justice or verification of facts.
• Theeb（Jordan · Naji Abu Nowar · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 18:10: “See that you don’t despise one of these little ones.” Protecting children from adult risks is a community responsibility.
• Captain Abu Raed（Jordan · Amin Matalqa · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 31:8: “Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.” Speaking must be joined to safety, evidence, and professional protection.
• Inshallah a Boy（Jordan · Amjad Al Rasheed · Leader previews before deciding）
  Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow.”
• Pillars of Salt（Jordan · Fadia Faqir · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Genesis 16:13: Hagar calls the Lord “a God who sees.” The experience of the outcast is not swallowed by the patriarch's narrative.
• Horses of God（Morocco · Nabil Ayouch · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 10:10 — “The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” The life Christ gives is not proved by sacrificing other people.
• Year of the Elephant（Morocco · Leila Abouzeid · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 16 remembers many women who were fellow workers. Church history should preserve more than the names of prominent men.
• Viva Riva!（Democratic Republic of the Congo · Djo Tunda Wa Munga · Discuss without screening）
  Micah 6:8 — “He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Public morality must not rebuke only the vulnerable.
• Downstream to Kinshasa（Democratic Republic of the Congo · Dieudo Hamadi · Watch together）
  The widow in Luke 18 persistently demands justice from the judge. A long-running claim does not show an unwillingness to move on; it is perseverance in seeking justice.
• Tram 83（Democratic Republic of the Congo · Fiston Mwanza Mujila · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Habakkuk 2:6 — “Woe to him who increases that which is not his, and who enriches himself by extortion!” Every act of accumulation must ask who bears the cost.
• The Poisonwood Bible（Democratic Republic of the Congo · Barbara Kingsolver · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Philippians 2:6–7 — Christ, “existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.” Cross-cultural ministry cannot prove faithfulness through control.
• Leviathan（Russia · Andrey Zvyagintsev · Leader previews before deciding）
  Job 19:7: “I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard. I cry for help, but there is no justice.” Scripture does not erase the sufferer's protest.
• Beanpole（Russia · Kantemir Balagov · Discuss without screening）
  Isaiah 42:3: “He won’t break a bruised reed.” Gentleness includes refusing to seize control of another person's pace of recovery.
• One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich（Russia · Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Hebrews 13:3: “Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them.”
• The Brothers Karamazov（Russia · Fyodor Dostoevsky · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 18:6 gives a severe warning against causing “one of these little ones” to stumble. Spiritual explanation must never weaken the duty to protect.
• Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes（Russia · Guzel Yakhina · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Micah 2:2: “They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away.” Dispossession is not abstract history; it is a household losing its inheritance.
• The Perfect Candidate（Saudi Arabia · Haifaa al-Mansour · Watch together）
  Proverbs 31:8: “Open your mouth for the mute.” Public speech should bring neglected needs into decisions.
• The Dove's Necklace（Saudi Arabia · Raja Alem · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed.” Sacred language cannot replace justice.
• The Cave（Syria · Feras Fayyad · Discuss without screening）
  Luke 10:34 says the neighbour “bound up his wounds” and “took care of him.” Mercy enters sustained care rather than merely witnessing trauma.
• The Shell（Syria · Mustafa Khalifa · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 10:18 speaks of judging “the fatherless and the oppressed” so that earthly humanity may terrify no more.
• The Crossing（Syria · Samar Yazbek · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Deuteronomy 19:15 says that “at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.” Verification need not mean distrusting a survivor; it helps truth stand in public.
• The Battle of Algiers（Algeria · Gillo Pontecorvo · Leader previews before deciding）
  Isaiah 10:1: “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees.” Systems themselves stand under God's judgement.
• Chronicle of the Years of Fire（Algeria · Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina · Watch in two sessions）
  Micah 2:2: “They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away.” Justice for land enters households and history.
• Papicha（Algeria · Mounia Meddour · Discuss without screening）
  First Samuel 16:7: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.” Clothing cannot replace judgement about people and power.
• Memories of Underdevelopment（Cuba · Tomás Gutiérrez Alea · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 7:3—“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye?”
• Lucía（Cuba · Humberto Solás · Watch in two sessions）
  Ephesians 5:21—“Subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.”
• Strawberry and Chocolate（Cuba · Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 1:19—“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”
• Masters of the Dew（Haiti · Jacques Roumain · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 58:11 — “You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters don’t fail.” The promise also calls people to practise justice.
• Breath, Eyes, Memory（Haiti · Edwidge Danticat · Discuss without screening）
  1 Corinthians 6:19 — ‘Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.’ This is no licence for another person to control a body, but a ground for dignity and protection.
• Murder in Pacot（Haiti · Raoul Peck · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 6:8 — ‘He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?’ Mercy must be examined by justice and power.
• Osama（Afghanistan · Siddiq Barmak · Discuss without screening）
  Mark 10:14: Jesus said, “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.” The Lord receives children as people to welcome, not tools to sacrifice.
• A Letter to the President（Afghanistan · Roya Sadat · Leader previews before deciding）
  Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed.” Justice requires institutions and action.
• The Kite Runner（Afghanistan · Khaled Hosseini · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Luke 19:8: Zacchaeus puts repentance into restitution and repayment, rather than leaving it as a feeling of guilt.
• A Thousand Splendid Suns（Afghanistan · Khaled Hosseini · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 82:3: “Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.”
• The Breadwinner（Afghanistan · Nora Twomey, adapted from Deborah Ellis · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 31:8: “Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.” Speaking up also includes hearing people speak for themselves.
• You Will Die at Twenty（Sudan · Amjad Abu Alala · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 10:10: “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” Christ gives life rather than controlling the future through fear.
• Goodbye Julia（Sudan · Mohamed Kordofani · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 3:8: “Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!” Repentance requires truth and visible change.
• Season of Migration to the North（Sudan · Tayeb Salih · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Genesis 1:27: “God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.” No person is another's cultural prop.
• Khartoum（Sudan · Basil Dearden · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 18:17: “He who pleads his cause first seems right— until another comes and questions him.” An epic is only the first party to speak.
• We and Our Mountains（Armenia · Henrik Malyan, adapted from Hrant Matevosyan · Watch together）
  Matthew 18:15–17: correction within relationships follows a graduated process whose aim is to regain a brother, without concealing facts.
• Amerikatsi（Armenia · Michael A. Goorjian · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 Corinthians 12:25–26: members care for one another and suffer together without being required to have the same circumstances or voice.
• Blue Mountains, or Unbelievable Story（Georgia · Eldar Shengelaia; screenplay by Rezo Cheishvili · Watch together）
  James 1:22–25: hearing without doing deceives us; faithfulness lets truth enter decisions and deadlines.
• My Happy Family（Georgia · Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross · Watch together）
  Galatians 6:2, 5: carry one another's burdens and each bear responsibility; common life must not make one person's care an unlimited resource.
• Georgia: In the Mountains of Poetry（Georgia · Peter Nasmyth · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 18:17: “He who pleads his cause first seems right— until another comes and questions him.” An experienced observer is still not the last voice.
• The Time That Remains（Palestine · Elia Suleiman · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 78:4–8: tell God's works to the next generation while honestly remembering human rebellion; shared memory must not preserve glory alone.
• 200 Meters（Palestine · Ameen Nayfeh · Leader previews before deciding）
  Isaiah 58:6–7: devotion enters unjust bonds, concrete freedom, food, and shelter rather than stopping at sympathy.
• The Gatekeepers（Palestine · Dror Moreh · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 82:3–4: rulers are judged on defending the weak and rescuing them from the wicked; security power is never exempt from God's examination.
• Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem（Israel (modern state) · Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 6:8: act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly; preserving a marriage cannot separate these three.
• Ajami（Israel (modern state) · Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 18:17: “He who pleads his cause first seems right— until another comes and questions him.” Power helps determine who becomes the first report.
• Minor Detail（Israel (modern state) · Adania Shibli · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 10:14–18: God sees trouble, hears the afflicted, and brings justice for the fatherless and oppressed; omitted lives remain within his sight.
• The Accusation（North Korea · Bandi (pen name) · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ecclesiastes 4:1—“Behold, the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.”
• Celestial Bodies（Oman · Jokha Alharthi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Philemon 1:16 — no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
• The House at Sugar Beach（Liberia · Helene Cooper · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Luke 12:48 — To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.
• The Return（Libya · Hisham Matar · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 10:14 — “But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand.”
• Nour, 1947（Madagascar · Jean-Luc Raharimanana · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Jeremiah 31:15 — “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children.”
• Eve Out of Her Ruins（Mauritius · Ananda Devi · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 8:10–11 — “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”
• Niketche: A Story of Polygamy（Mozambique · Paulina Chiziane · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 5:21 — subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.
• Chronicle in Stone（Albania · Ismail Kadare · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 12:18 — If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.
• The Unknown Soldier（Finland · Väinö Linna · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 5:9 — Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
• Small Things Like These（Ireland · Claire Keegan · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 31:8 — Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.
• The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis（Portugal · José Saramago · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 5:11 — Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.
• The Door（Hungary · Magda Szabó · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  1 Corinthians 13:5 — doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;
• The Visit（Switzerland · Friedrich Dürrenmatt · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Micah 6:8 — He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
• The Madwoman of Gandoca（Costa Rica · Anacristina Rossi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Genesis 2:15 — Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

Hard questions at home: elders, children, and care

Caring for an elder near death, children under pressure to excel, and paid carers living in the household. These are practical questions about schedules, money, and sleepless nights.

• Adolescence（United Kingdom · Writers Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham; director Philip Barantini · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 139:1–4 — “Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me. ... For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, Yahweh, you know it altogether.”
• How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies（Thailand · Pat Boonnitipat · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 Timothy 5:4 — “But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them learn first to show piety towards their own family, and to repay their parents, for this is acceptable in the sight of God.”
• The Farewell（United States · Lulu Wang · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 90:12 — ‘So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’
• Ilo Ilo（Singapore · Anthony Chen · Watch together）
  Philemon 16 — ‘no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother.’
• The Journey（Malaysia · Chiu Keng Guan · Watch together）
  Ephesians 6:1–4 — ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord,’ followed by ‘You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.’ **Both sides receive a command, while we often preach only the first half.**
• The Rainbow Troops（Indonesia · Andrea Hirata · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 13:31–33 — the mustard seed “indeed is smaller than all seeds,” and the yeast is “hid in three measures of meal.” God’s Kingdom can begin in a form that seems too small to matter.
• Check the Store Next Door（Indonesia · Written, directed, and starring Ernest Prakasa · Watch together）
  Luke 15:25–32 — the elder son returned from the field, heard music and dancing, and became angry and would not go in.
• 3 Idiots（India · Rajkumar Hirani · Watch in two sessions）
  Matthew 10:29–31 — “Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father’s will, but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.”
• Purple Hibiscus（Nigeria · Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  1 Timothy 3:5 — “but if a man doesn’t know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the assembly of God?”
• Dekada '70（Philippines · Lualhati Bautista · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 5:25 — “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it.”
• Sunday Beauty Queen（Philippines · Baby Ruth Villarama · Watch together）
  Deuteronomy 24:14 — ‘You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the foreigners who are in your land within your gates.’
• Rabbit-Proof Fence（Australia · Phillip Noyce; based on the book by Doris Pilkington Garimara · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 18:5–6 — “Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.”
• The Sapphires（Australia · Wayne Blair; screenplay by Tony Briggs · Watch together）
  Psalm 137:4 — “How can we sing Yahweh's song in a foreign land?”
• Roma（Mexico · Alfonso Cuarón · Leader previews before deciding）
  Philippians 2:4 — “Each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.”
• Prayers for the Stolen（Mexico · Tatiana Huezo · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 2:13–15 — Joseph “took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt,” fleeing Herod's attempt to destroy him.
• The Cairo Trilogy（Egypt · Naguib Mahfouz · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Mark 10:42–45 — “Whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever of you wants to become first among you, shall be bondservant of all.”
• Excuse My French（Egypt · Amr Salama · Watch together）
  Galatians 3:28 — “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
• Double Happiness（Canada · Mina Shum · Watch together）
  Ephesians 6:1–4 — “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right… You fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
• Anne of Green Gables（Canada · L. M. Montgomery · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 1:5 — God “predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire.”
• Cry, the Beloved Country（South Africa · Alan Paton · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Micah 6:8 — “What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
• Nothing But the Truth（South Africa · John Kani · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 4:25 — “Putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.”
• Yesterday（South Africa · Darrell Roodt · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 9:1–3 — The disciples ask who sinned; Jesus refuses to turn the man's condition into a simple moral cause.
• Material（South Africa · Craig Freimond; cowritten by Riaad Moosa · Watch together）
  1 Corinthians 12:4–7 — “There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit… But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.”
• Bicycle Thieves（Italy · Vittorio De Sica · Watch together）
  James 2:15–16—'If a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled”; and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?'
• The Leopard（Italy · Luchino Visconti; based on the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa · Watch in two sessions）
  Mark 10:42–45—'They who are recognized as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you.'
• My Brilliant Friend（Italy · Elena Ferrante · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  1 Corinthians 12:22–23—'Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor.'
• The Wonders（Italy · Alice Rohrwacher · Watch together）
  Colossians 2:20–23—'Don’t handle, nor taste, nor touch'—ordinances that 'appear like wisdom' but 'aren’t of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.'
• A Man Called Ove（Sweden · Fredrik Backman · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Galatians 6:2, 5—“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”; “For each man will bear his own burden.”
• Corpus Christi（Poland · Jan Komasa · Watch together）
  Ezekiel 34:4—“You haven’t strengthened the diseased. You haven’t healed that which was sick. You haven’t bound up that which was broken.”
• The Path of Abai（Kazakhstan · Mukhtar Auezov · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Mark 7:8–13: human tradition cannot claim religious immunity when it cancels responsibility to God and neighbour.
• Kyz Zhibek（Kazakhstan · Sultan-Akhmet Khodzhikov · Watch in two sessions）
  Song of Songs 8:6–7: love cannot be bought with possessions, and its strength never licenses control, possession, or revenge.
• Tulpan（Kazakhstan · Sergey Dvortsevoy · Watch together）
  Psalm 104:10–23: people, animals, water, and labour depend together on the Creator; land is not empty scenery for romantic use.
• Whale Rider（New Zealand · Niki Caro · Watch together）
  Acts 2:17–18: God's Spirit comes upon sons and daughters, young and old, male and female servants; a community must not decide beforehand who may speak.
• Once Were Warriors（New Zealand · Lee Tamahori · Discuss without screening）
  Ephesians 5:11: “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.” Protecting survivors does not destroy a family.
• Hunt for the Wilderpeople（New Zealand · Taika Waititi · Watch together）
  Psalm 68:5–6: God is father to the fatherless and sets the lonely in families; the community must share this care.
• Boy（New Zealand · Taika Waititi · Watch together）
  Psalm 27:10: “When my father and my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will take me up.” This does not despise family; it denies human failure the last word.
• Supa Modo（Kenya · Likarion Wainaina · Watch together）
  Mark 10:14: “Allow the little children to come to me!” Children have voices; they are not merely adult ministry objects.
• Retablo（Peru · Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 1:14: grace and truth come together in Christ and cannot be split into indulgence and violence.
• Eternity（Peru · Óscar Catacora · Watch together）
  First Timothy 5:4 tells children and grandchildren to show piety at home; the community must also hold what families cannot.
• The Official Story（Argentina · Luis Puenzo · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 8:32: “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” That freedom may first break security maintained by lies.
• Funny Boy（Sri Lanka · Shyam Selvadurai · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 42:3: “He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a dimly burning wick.” Pastoral care must not turn vulnerable people into exhibits for proving a position.
• Dheepan（Sri Lanka · Jacques Audiard · Leader previews before deciding）
  Leviticus 19:34: “The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself.” Incomplete identity papers do not cancel human dignity.
• Mustang（Türkiye · Deniz Gamze Ergüven · Discuss without screening）
  Matthew 18:6: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble” faces grave judgment; family authority must never conceal harm to a child.
• The Road（Türkiye · Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören · Leader previews before deciding）
  Galatians 5:13: “You, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants to one another.”
• The Spirit of the Beehive（Spain · Víctor Erice · Watch together）
  Ephesians 4:25 — “Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.” Speaking in an age-appropriate way is not the same as continuing to conceal the truth.
• Parallel Mothers（Spain · Pedro Almodóvar · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 19:8 — Zacchaeus said, “If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.” Repentance enters the work of restitution; acknowledging facts is not the end of repair.
• Alcarràs（Spain · Carla Simón · Watch together）
  Micah 4:4 — “But they will sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and no one will make them afraid.” Peace includes a stable life free from fear.
• The Shadow of the Wind（Spain · Carlos Ruiz Zafón · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ecclesiastes 12:14 — “For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.” Archives are not the final judgement, but they can resist deliberate amnesia.
• A Touch of Spice（Greece · Tassos Boulmetis · Watch together）
  Deuteronomy 10:18–19 — “He does execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the foreigner, in giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the foreigner; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”
• Dogtooth（Greece · Yorgos Lanthimos · Discuss without screening）
  Acts 17:11 — ‘Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.’
• Apples（Greece · Christos Nikou · Watch together）
  Romans 12:15 — ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.’ Accompaniment comes before pressure to recover.
• The Story of the Weeping Camel（Mongolia · Byambasuren Davaa / Luigi Falorni · Watch together）
  Isaiah 42:3 — ‘He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice.’ Care protects vulnerability before adding commands.
• The Cave of the Yellow Dog（Mongolia · Byambasuren Davaa · Watch together）
  Ephesians 6:4 — ‘You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.’
• Veins of the World（Mongolia · Byambasuren Davaa · Watch together）
  Numbers 35:33 — “So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land.” Justice for the land cannot be separated from human life.
• The Sales Girl（Mongolia · Sengedorj Janchivdorj · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 Corinthians 6:19–20 — ‘Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ Respecting the body includes refusing both to commodify people and to control them through shame.
• A River Called Titas（Bangladesh · Ritwik Ghatak · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 — “Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy.” Go further by bringing overlooked people themselves into the decisions.
• The Clay Bird（Bangladesh · Tareque Masud · Watch together）
  James 2:15–16 — “And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you tells them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled’; and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?”
• A Golden Age（Bangladesh · Tahmima Anam · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 12:13 — “contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality.” Hospitality also requires people to share its risks and labour.
• The Burial of Kojo（Ghana · Blitz Bazawule · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 10:14 — “But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless.” Seeing should lead to practical protection.
• Azali（Ghana · Kwabena Gyansah · Discuss without screening）
  Matthew 18:5–6 — “Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,” while causing a little one to stumble brings severe judgment. Adults therefore bear a stricter duty of protection.
• Homegoing（Ghana · Yaa Gyasi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 58:12 speaks of the “Repairer of the Breach” and “Restorer of Paths with Dwellings.” Repair does not hide the breach; it rebuilds inhabitable life in truth.
• The Colors of the Mountain（Colombia · Carlos César Arbeláez · Leader previews before deciding）
  Mark 10:14 — Jesus said, “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.” Welcoming children includes protecting them from being used in adults’ wars.
• The Kings of the World（Colombia · Laura Mora · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 4:4 — “But they will sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and no one will make them afraid.” Land should bring safety rather than renewed persecution.
• One Hundred Years of Solitude（Colombia · Gabriel García Márquez · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Deuteronomy 8:11 — “Beware lest you forget Yahweh your God.” Biblical remembrance includes grace and also failures in the wilderness.
• The Assault（Netherlands · Harry Mulisch · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 18:17—“He who pleads his cause first seems right— until another comes and questions him.” Inquiry is not coldness but respect for truth.
• Character（Netherlands · Mike van Diem · Leader previews before deciding）
  Colossians 3:21—“Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.” Authority is responsible for a person's growth.
• Antonia's Line（Netherlands · Marleen Gorris · Leader previews before deciding）
  Mark 3:35—“For whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister, and mother.” Spiritual family enlarges responsibility; it does not remove boundaries.
• Kristin Lavransdatter（Norway · Sigrid Undset · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Galatians 6:7–10—“Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”; doing good and harvest both take time, and grace does not deny real consequences.
• The Other Side of Sunday（Norway · Berit Nesheim · Watch together）
  Colossians 3:21—“Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.”
• The Worst Person in the World（Norway · Joachim Trier · Discuss without screening）
  Psalm 90:12—“So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
• The Orphanage（Ukraine · Serhiy Zhadan · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 24:11–12 commands, “Rescue those who are being led away to death!” Pretending not to know does not remove responsibility.
• The Earth Is Blue as an Orange（Ukraine · Iryna Tsilyk · Watch together）
  Psalm 137: captives can preserve their song, and they may also ask, “How can we sing Yahweh’s song in a foreign land?”
• Klondike（Ukraine · Maryna Er Gorbach · Leader previews before deciding）
  Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed.” Peace cannot bypass protection.
• Silent Waters（Pakistan · Sabiha Sumar · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 56:8—“You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your bottle.” A story suppressed by people has not disappeared before God.
• Joyland（Pakistan · Saim Sadiq · Discuss without screening）
  John 1:14—“The Word became flesh, and lived among us,” “full of grace and truth.” Neither grace nor truth can be cancelled.
• Abyssinian Chronicles（Uganda · Moses Isegawa · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 6:4—“You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
• Kintu（Uganda · Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 9:1–3—When asked whether a man or his parents sinned so that he was born blind, Jesus answers, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents.”
• Queen of Katwe（Uganda · Mira Nair · Watch together）
  1 Corinthians 12:22—“Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.”
• Desolation（Chile · Gabriela Mistral · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 13—“How long, Yahweh?” can itself become a prayer to God.
• The House of the Spirits（Chile · Isabel Allende · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 5:11—“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.”
• The Sorrow of Belgium（Belgium · Hugo Claus · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 5:20 — “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil”; familiar moral words can also be repackaged.
• Close（Belgium · Lukas Dhont · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 11:35 — “Jesus wept.” Grief does not deny the hope of resurrection.
• The Copenhagen Trilogy（Denmark · Tove Ditlevsen · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 7:19 — “For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice.” This does not abandon responsibility; it refuses to describe bondage too simply.
• Another Round（Denmark · Thomas Vinterberg · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 23:29–30 — “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?” “Those who stay long at the wine; those who go to seek out mixed wine.” Scripture sees the consequences and calls for honest care.
• The Moromete Family（Romania · Marin Preda · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 15:22 — “Where there is no counsel, plans fail”; family authority also needs to hear those who share its burdens.
• Karnali Blues（Nepal · Buddhisagar · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 103:14 — “For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.” Mercy allows limited people to be remembered truthfully.
• Seto Dharti（Nepal · Amar Neupane · Leader previews before deciding）
  Mark 12:40 — those “who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers ... will receive greater condemnation.” Religion cannot sustain respectability through a widow's sacrifice.
• Binti（Tanzania · Seko Shamte · Watch together）
  Luke 10:39 — “She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word.” Women are disciples before they are roles serving others.
• Ratas, Ratones, Rateros（Ecuador · Sebastián Cordero · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 19:8 — Zacchaeus said, “If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.” Being welcomed and taking responsibility for harm must go together.
• Alba（Ecuador · Ana Cristina Barragán · Watch together）
  Psalm 68:5 — “A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.” A spiritual family protects vulnerable people first.
• Persepolis（Iran · Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud · Leader previews before deciding）
  Jeremiah 29:4–7 calls people taken into exile to plant and seek peace in a strange city.
• Children of Heaven（Iran · Majid Majidi · Watch together）
  James 2:1–6 teaches that differences in clothing must not determine who receives respect in the community.
• A Separation（Iran · Asghar Farhadi · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 18:17 — “He who pleads his cause first seems right— until another comes and questions him.”
• The Prophet（Lebanon · Kahlil Gibran · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Acts 17:22–31 shows Paul affirming his hearers’ search for God while speaking clearly about creation, repentance, and resurrection.
• Caramel（Lebanon · Nadine Labaki · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 8:2–11 shows Jesus rejecting condemnation as public spectacle without treating transformed life as unimportant.
• Capernaum（Lebanon · Nadine Labaki · Discuss without screening）
  Mark 10:13–16 places children blocked by adults at the centre of the community around Jesus.
• Bygone Days（Uzbekistan · Abdulla Qodiriy · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 19:4–6 teaches that the marriage union cannot be governed arbitrarily by third-party interests.
• Night and Day（Uzbekistan · Abdulhamid Choʻlpon · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Micah 6:8 shows that justice, mercy, and humble walking with God cannot be pulled apart by national slogans.
• Shum Bola（Uzbekistan · Gʻafur Gʻulom · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Mark 10:13–16 shows Jesus allowing children whom adults obstruct to come to him.
• You Are Not an Orphan（Uzbekistan · Shuhrat Abbosov · Watch together）
  James 1:27 joins care for orphans and widows in distress with keeping oneself unstained from the world.
• 2000 Songs of Farida（Uzbekistan · Yolqin Tuychiyev · Leader previews before deciding）
  Genesis 16:1–13 shows a family arrangement harming Hagar, while God sees her after she is driven away.
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being（Czechia · Milan Kundera · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Galatians 6:2 and 6:5 hold together carrying one another’s burdens and each person carrying their own load.
• Kolya（Czechia · Jan Svěrák · Watch together）
  Matthew 18:5 says that receiving one little child in Jesus’ name is receiving him.
• Jamilia（Kyrgyzstan · Chingiz Aitmatov · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 4:7–26 — Jesus speaks the truth about relationships without turning the woman into an object of public shame.
• The White Ship（Kyrgyzstan · Chingiz Aitmatov · Discuss without screening）
  Matthew 18:6 — Jesus treats the responsibility for causing a little one to stumble with the utmost seriousness.
• Beshkempir（Kyrgyzstan · Aktan Arym Kubat · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 139:13–16 — A person's life is known by God, and its worth is not determined by rumor.
• Heavenly Nomadic（Kyrgyzstan · Mirlan Abdykalykov · Watch together）
  Ruth 1:16–18 — Staying and migrating are not abstract virtues; they are commitments made within relationships and the realities of livelihood.
• My Mother Calls Me Yaltep（Papua New Guinea · Ignatius Kilage · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Acts 2:6–11 — The people hear God's mighty works being declared in their own languages.
• Tukana: Who Is Responsible?（Papua New Guinea · Albert Toro and Chris Owen · Watch together）
  Luke 14:28–30 — Counting the cost before building does not mean that a person who fails should be publicly mocked.
• Rice People（Cambodia · Rithy Panh · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 2:15–16—If someone does not give what the body needs but says, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” what good is it?
• In the Life of Music（Cambodia · Caylee So and Sok Visal · Watch together）
  Romans 12:15—“Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.” Presence comes before explanation.
• First They Killed My Father（Cambodia · Loung Ung · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 18:6—Jesus gives a severe warning about causing a little one to stumble; protecting children takes priority over institutional reputation.
• Son of Babylon（Iraq · Mohamed Al-Daradji · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 15: seeking someone lost does not tell a family to give up; it recognises that each name is irreplaceable.
• The Corpse Washer（Iraq · Sinan Antoon · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 19:40: “They took Jesus’ body, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices,” according to burial custom. Resurrection hope does not belittle bodies or the work of mourning.
• Captain Abu Raed（Jordan · Amin Matalqa · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 31:8: “Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.” Speaking must be joined to safety, evidence, and professional protection.
• Inshallah a Boy（Jordan · Amjad Al Rasheed · Leader previews before deciding）
  Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow.”
• Pillars of Salt（Jordan · Fadia Faqir · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Genesis 16:13: Hagar calls the Lord “a God who sees.” The experience of the outcast is not swallowed by the patriarch's narrative.
• Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets（Morocco · Nabil Ayouch · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 68:5 — “A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.” The church’s response should be protection and justice, not possession of someone else’s story.
• The Blue Caftan（Morocco · Maryam Touzani · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 1:14 — “The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Pastoral care must not separate grace from truth.
• Year of the Elephant（Morocco · Leila Abouzeid · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 16 remembers many women who were fellow workers. Church history should preserve more than the names of prominent men.
• Leviathan（Russia · Andrey Zvyagintsev · Leader previews before deciding）
  Job 19:7: “I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard. I cry for help, but there is no justice.” Scripture does not erase the sufferer's protest.
• Beanpole（Russia · Kantemir Balagov · Discuss without screening）
  Isaiah 42:3: “He won’t break a bruised reed.” Gentleness includes refusing to seize control of another person's pace of recovery.
• The Brothers Karamazov（Russia · Fyodor Dostoevsky · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 18:6 gives a severe warning against causing “one of these little ones” to stumble. Spiritual explanation must never weaken the duty to protect.
• Wadjda（Saudi Arabia · Haifaa al-Mansour · Watch together）
  Mark 10:14: Jesus said, “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them.” Children approach him as people in their own right, not merely as adult issues.
• The Perfect Candidate（Saudi Arabia · Haifaa al-Mansour · Watch together）
  Proverbs 31:8: “Open your mouth for the mute.” Public speech should bring neglected needs into decisions.
• Barakah Meets Barakah（Saudi Arabia · Mahmoud Sabbagh · Leader previews before deciding）
  First Corinthians 13:5 says love “doesn’t seek its own way.” Curiosity, too, must submit to another person's safety.
• Girls of Riyadh（Saudi Arabia · Rajaa Alsanea · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 11:13: “One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret.”
• The Day I Lost My Shadow（Syria · Soudade Kaadan · Leader previews before deciding）
  First Kings 17: God sees a widow's daily flour and oil, and the fear she carries as a caregiver.
• The Dark Side of Love（Syria · Rafik Schami · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ezekiel 18:20: “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father.” Intergenerational responsibility must never become intergenerational condemnation.
• The Poor Man's Son（Algeria · Mouloud Feraoun · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  James 2:5: “Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith?”
• Lucía（Cuba · Humberto Solás · Watch in two sessions）
  Ephesians 5:21—“Subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.”
• Behavior（Cuba · Ernesto Daranas · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 18:5—“Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me.”
• Dreaming in Cuban（Cuba · Cristina García · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Genesis 33—Jacob and Esau meet with an embrace, while retaining boundaries and taking different roads.
• Breath, Eyes, Memory（Haiti · Edwidge Danticat · Discuss without screening）
  1 Corinthians 6:19 — ‘Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.’ This is no licence for another person to control a body, but a ground for dignity and protection.
• Freda（Haiti · Gessica Généus · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ruth 1 — migration, staying, and return all occur amid famine, kinship, and real choices.
• Osama（Afghanistan · Siddiq Barmak · Discuss without screening）
  Mark 10:14: Jesus said, “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.” The Lord receives children as people to welcome, not tools to sacrifice.
• A Thousand Splendid Suns（Afghanistan · Khaled Hosseini · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 82:3: “Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.”
• The Breadwinner（Afghanistan · Nora Twomey, adapted from Deborah Ellis · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 31:8: “Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.” Speaking up also includes hearing people speak for themselves.
• You Will Die at Twenty（Sudan · Amjad Abu Alala · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 10:10: “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” Christ gives life rather than controlling the future through fear.
• Goodbye Julia（Sudan · Mohamed Kordofani · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 3:8: “Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!” Repentance requires truth and visible change.
• We and Our Mountains（Armenia · Henrik Malyan, adapted from Hrant Matevosyan · Watch together）
  Matthew 18:15–17: correction within relationships follows a graduated process whose aim is to regain a brother, without concealing facts.
• The Cut（Armenia · Fatih Akin, co-written with Mardik Martin · Discuss without screening）
  Romans 12:15–18: weep with those who weep and, as far as possible, live at peace with all; peace does not require victims to surrender facts.
• My Happy Family（Georgia · Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross · Watch together）
  Galatians 6:2, 5: carry one another's burdens and each bear responsibility; common life must not make one person's care an unlimited resource.
• The Eighth Life (for Brilka)（Georgia · Nino Haratischvili · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Exodus 20:5–6: sin has generational consequences, yet family curse cannot seal off God's loving kindness; responsibility and grace both need concrete expression.
• 200 Meters（Palestine · Ameen Nayfeh · Leader previews before deciding）
  Isaiah 58:6–7: devotion enters unjust bonds, concrete freedom, food, and shelter rather than stopping at sympathy.
• Salt Houses（Palestine · Hala Alyan · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 90:1: the Lord is our dwelling place through all generations; this hope sustains migration without making earthly houses and justice unimportant.
• Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem（Israel (modern state) · Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 6:8: act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly; preserving a marriage cannot separate these three.
• Promises（Israel (modern state) · Justine Shapiro, B. Z. Goldberg, and Carlos Bolado · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 18:5–7: welcome little ones and do not cause them to stumble; children are not props for adult positions.
• The Bamboo Stalk（Kuwait · Saud Alsanousi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 2:19 — “So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God,”
• Celestial Bodies（Oman · Jokha Alharthi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Philemon 1:16 — no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
• Sea Shadow（United Arab Emirates · Nawaf Al-Janahi · Watch together）
  John 1:14 — “The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
• Niketche: A Story of Polygamy（Mozambique · Paulina Chiziane · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 5:21 — subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.
• Angels of the Universe（Iceland · Einar Már Guðmundsson · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 Kings 19:5 — He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat!”
• Small Things Like These（Ireland · Claire Keegan · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 31:8 — Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.
• The Door（Hungary · Magda Szabó · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  1 Corinthians 13:5 — doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;

The cost of faith and our hesitation

Martyrs had doubts too, though we tend to edit them out when we tell their stories. These guides make room to learn from their hesitation.

• Silence（Japan · Endō Shūsaku · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Luke 22:54–62 — Peter denies the Lord three times; “The Lord turned and looked at Peter.”
• Secret Sunshine（South Korea · Lee Chang-dong · Watch in two sessions）
  Jonah 4:1–4 — After God spared Nineveh, “it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.” He asked to die, but God did not condemn the thought; he asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?” and continued speaking with him.
• Difret（Ethiopia · Zeresenay Berhane Mehari · Discuss without screening）
  Isaiah 1:17 — “Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow.”
• The Act of Killing（Indonesia · Joshua Oppenheimer · Discuss without screening）
  Romans 2:14–15 — ‘the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying with them’; read alongside Ephesians 5:11: ‘Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.’
• Letters and Papers from Prison（Germany · Dietrich Bonhoeffer · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Philippians 1:20–21 — “according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
• City of God（Brazil · Fernando Meirelles · Kátia Lund · Discuss without screening）
  Isaiah 58:10 — “and if you pour out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will rise in darkness, and your obscurity will be as the noonday;”
• Half of a Yellow Sun（Nigeria · Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 12:15 — ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.’
• Au revoir les enfants（France · Louis Malle · Watch together）
  Matthew 25:35 — ‘I was a stranger and you took me in.’
• Of Gods and Men（France · Xavier Beauvois · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 10:11 — ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’
• Pedro Páramo（Mexico · Juan Rulfo · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ecclesiastes 8:9 — “There is a time in which one man has power over another to his hurt.”
• The Square（Egypt · Jehane Noujaim · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 — “Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy.”
• A Gift to Stalin（Kazakhstan · Rustem Abdrashev · Leader previews before deciding）
  Leviticus 19:33–34: the foreign resident is not a charity project, but someone to love and protect as native-born.
• Once Were Warriors（New Zealand · Lee Tamahori · Discuss without screening）
  Ephesians 5:11: “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.” Protecting survivors does not destroy a family.
• A Grain of Wheat（Kenya · Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 12:24: a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies to bear much fruit; power must not use sacrifice to glorify itself.
• Supa Modo（Kenya · Likarion Wainaina · Watch together）
  Mark 10:14: “Allow the little children to come to me!” Children have voices; they are not merely adult ministry objects.
• The First Grader（Kenya · Justin Chadwick · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 4:7 calls wisdom the principal thing. The dignity of learning does not expire through age, poverty, or past injury.
• The Milk of Sorrow（Peru · Claudia Llosa · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 56:8 says God counts wanderings and gathers tears in his bottle; trauma is not proof of deficient faith.
• Retablo（Peru · Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 1:14: grace and truth come together in Christ and cannot be split into indulgence and violence.
• Argentina, 1985（Argentina · Santiago Mitre · Watch in two sessions）
  Micah 6:8 joins justice, mercy, and humble walking; none cancels another.
• Wild Tales（Argentina · Damián Szifron · Discuss without screening）
  Romans 12:19–21 says not to avenge ourselves but overcome evil with good; the community must still take evil seriously.
• The Secret in Their Eyes（Argentina · Juan José Campanella · Leader previews before deciding）
  Deuteronomy 16:19–20 forbids distorted justice and bribery. Judicial failure does not make vigilantism righteous.
• The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida（Sri Lanka · Shehan Karunatilaka · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 10:14: “But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand.” The unclaimed dead have not gone unseen.
• The Forsaken Land（Sri Lanka · Vimukthi Jayasundara · Leader previews before deciding）
  Jeremiah 6:14: “They have healed also the hurt of my people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace.”
• The Cut（Türkiye · Fatih Akin · Discuss without screening）
  Psalm 9:12: “He who avenges blood remembers them. He doesn’t forget the cry of the afflicted.”
• The Silence of Others（Spain · Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar · Watch in two sessions）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 — “Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy.”
• Veins of the World（Mongolia · Byambasuren Davaa · Watch together）
  Numbers 35:33 — “So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land.” Justice for the land cannot be separated from human life.
• A Golden Age（Bangladesh · Tahmima Anam · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 12:13 — “contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality.” Hospitality also requires people to share its risks and labour.
• The Colors of the Mountain（Colombia · Carlos César Arbeláez · Leader previews before deciding）
  Mark 10:14 — Jesus said, “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.” Welcoming children includes protecting them from being used in adults’ wars.
• The Diary of Anne Frank（Netherlands · Anne Frank · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 31:8—“Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.” Remembrance does not rewrite the dead; it refuses their erasure.
• Kristin Lavransdatter（Norway · Sigrid Undset · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Galatians 6:7–10—“Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”; doing good and harvest both take time, and grace does not deny real consequences.
• On Black Sisters' Street（Belgium · Chika Unigwe · Leader previews before deciding）
  Genesis 16:13 — Hagar called Yahweh “You are a God who sees”; an exploited person is not background in someone else's story.
• Tori and Lokita（Belgium · Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne · Leader previews before deciding）
  Deuteronomy 10:18 — “He executes justice for the fatherless and widow and loves the foreigner”; that love takes form in food, clothing, and the protection of justice.
• Babette's Feast（Denmark · Gabriel Axel (adapted from a story by Karen Blixen) · Watch together）
  Luke 24:30–31 — Jesus broke the bread and gave it to the disciples; “Their eyes were opened and they recognized him; then he vanished out of their sight.” A table can become a place where eyes are opened.
• Forest of the Hanged（Romania · Liviu Rebreanu · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Acts 5:29 — “We must obey God rather than men.” This is conscience's final boundary before power.
• 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days（Romania · Cristian Mungiu · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 23:4 — “For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.” Moral demands cannot evade the duty of care.
• Collective（Romania · Alexander Nanau · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ephesians 5:13 — “But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light.” Public truth is the beginning of repair, not betrayal of a community.
• Palpasa Café（Nepal · Narayan Wagle · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 — “Open your mouth for the mute ... Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy.” Advocacy must begin by hearing people themselves.
• Paradise（Tanzania · Abdulrazak Gurnah · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Philemon 16 — “no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.” The gospel changes relationships of power as well.
• Afterlives（Tanzania · Abdulrazak Gurnah · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 10:14 — “But you do see trouble and grief.” God's seeing calls a community not to erase victims.
• You Are Not an Orphan（Uzbekistan · Shuhrat Abbosov · Watch together）
  James 1:27 joins care for orphans and widows in distress with keeping oneself unstained from the world.
• The Power of the Powerless（Czechia · Václav Havel · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 4:25 calls believers to put away falsehood and speak truth with neighbours because they are members of one another.
• The Crocodile（Papua New Guinea · Vincent Eri · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 9:1–3 — Jesus refuses to assign simple blame for suffering to the victim or the victim's family.
• The Monk（Myanmar · The Maw Naing · Watch together）
  Mark 10:21—“Jesus looking at him loved him,” and a true call reached what the man found hardest to release.
• From the Land of Green Ghosts（Myanmar · Pascal Khoo Thwe · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 137—“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion.” Exiles' memory contains lament, anger, and a home that cannot be quickly made whole.
• The Missing Picture（Cambodia · Rithy Panh · Watch in two sessions）
  Psalm 56:8—“You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your bottle. Aren’t they in your book?” Remembrance does not require the wounded to perform.
• First They Killed My Father（Cambodia · Loung Ung · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 18:6—Jesus gives a severe warning about causing a little one to stumble; protecting children takes priority over institutional reputation.
• Son of Babylon（Iraq · Mohamed Al-Daradji · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 15: seeking someone lost does not tell a family to give up; it recognises that each name is irreplaceable.
• Turtles Can Fly（Iraq · Bahman Ghobadi · Discuss without screening）
  Mark 9:37: “Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me.” Receiving begins with protection, not use.
• Ahlaam（Iraq · Mohamed Al-Daradji · Leader previews before deciding）
  First Thessalonians 5:14: “Support the weak; be patient toward all.” Support includes appropriate professional care.
• Frankenstein in Baghdad（Iraq · Ahmed Saadawi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 12:19: “Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved.” Leaving vengeance to God does not cancel public justice or verification of facts.
• The Corpse Washer（Iraq · Sinan Antoon · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 19:40: “They took Jesus’ body, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices,” according to burial custom. Resurrection hope does not belittle bodies or the work of mourning.
• Theeb（Jordan · Naji Abu Nowar · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 18:10: “See that you don’t despise one of these little ones.” Protecting children from adult risks is a community responsibility.
• Farha（Jordan · Darin J. Sallam · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 18:13: “He who gives answer before he hears, that is folly and shame to him.” Memories of conflict require patient listening and verification.
• For Bread Alone（Morocco · Mohamed Choukri · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 58:7 — “Isn’t it to distribute your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh?” True devotion responds first to bodily need and to the oppressed.
• Downstream to Kinshasa（Democratic Republic of the Congo · Dieudo Hamadi · Watch together）
  The widow in Luke 18 persistently demands justice from the judge. A long-running claim does not show an unwillingness to move on; it is perseverance in seeking justice.
• One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich（Russia · Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Hebrews 13:3: “Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them.”
• The Day I Lost My Shadow（Syria · Soudade Kaadan · Leader previews before deciding）
  First Kings 17: God sees a widow's daily flour and oil, and the fear she carries as a caregiver.
• The Cave（Syria · Feras Fayyad · Discuss without screening）
  Luke 10:34 says the neighbour “bound up his wounds” and “took care of him.” Mercy enters sustained care rather than merely witnessing trauma.
• The Shell（Syria · Mustafa Khalifa · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 10:18 speaks of judging “the fatherless and the oppressed” so that earthly humanity may terrify no more.
• The Battle of Algiers（Algeria · Gillo Pontecorvo · Leader previews before deciding）
  Isaiah 10:1: “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees.” Systems themselves stand under God's judgement.
• Of Gods and Men（Algeria · Xavier Beauvois · Leader previews before deciding）
  Philippians 1:22: “If I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose.” Cost is not a command for someone else to romanticise.
• Ayiti Mon Amour（Haiti · Guetty Felin · Watch together）
  Psalm 126:5 — ‘Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.’ Hope keeps both tears and human labour.
• A Letter to the President（Afghanistan · Roya Sadat · Leader previews before deciding）
  Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed.” Justice requires institutions and action.
• Talking About Trees（Sudan · Suhaib Gasmelbari · Watch together）
  Ecclesiastes 4:9: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.” Shared work also keeps memory from disappearing with one person.
• Khartoum（Sudan · Basil Dearden · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 18:17: “He who pleads his cause first seems right— until another comes and questions him.” An epic is only the first party to speak.
• The Color of Pomegranates（Armenia · Sergei Parajanov · Leader previews before deciding）
  Exodus 35:30–35: God-given wisdom also enters design, materials, and craft; artistic service is not an inferior appendage to words from a pulpit.
• The Cut（Armenia · Fatih Akin, co-written with Mardik Martin · Discuss without screening）
  Romans 12:15–18: weep with those who weep and, as far as possible, live at peace with all; peace does not require victims to surrender facts.
• Blue Mountains, or Unbelievable Story（Georgia · Eldar Shengelaia; screenplay by Rezo Cheishvili · Watch together）
  James 1:22–25: hearing without doing deceives us; faithfulness lets truth enter decisions and deadlines.
• Corn Island（Georgia · George Ovashvili · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 24:1: “The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell in it.” Human borders and property are never absolute sovereignty.
• The Gatekeepers（Palestine · Dror Moreh · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 82:3–4: rulers are judged on defending the weak and rescuing them from the wicked; security power is never exempt from God's examination.
• Minor Detail（Israel (modern state) · Adania Shibli · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 10:14–18: God sees trouble, hears the afflicted, and brings justice for the fatherless and oppressed; omitted lives remain within his sight.
• The Accusation（North Korea · Bandi (pen name) · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ecclesiastes 4:1—“Behold, the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.”
• The Return（Libya · Hisham Matar · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 10:14 — “But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand.”
• Nour, 1947（Madagascar · Jean-Luc Raharimanana · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Jeremiah 31:15 — “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children.”
• Chronicle in Stone（Albania · Ismail Kadare · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Romans 12:18 — If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.
• The Unknown Soldier（Finland · Väinö Linna · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 5:9 — Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
• The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis（Portugal · José Saramago · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 5:11 — Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.
• The Visit（Switzerland · Friedrich Dürrenmatt · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Micah 6:8 — He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
• The Madwoman of Gandoca（Costa Rica · Anacristina Rossi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Genesis 2:15 — Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

Between two worlds

Migration, bilingual life, the second generation, and encounters with a very different worldview. Useful for bilingual churches and groups with first-generation migrants.

• Lilting（United Kingdom · Hong Khaou · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ephesians 2:14 — “For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,”
• Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives（Thailand · Apichatpong Weerasethakul · Leader previews before deciding）
  Hebrews 9:27–28 — “it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,”
• Minari（South Korea · Lee Isaac Chung · Watch together）
  1 Corinthians 3:6–7 — “I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase.”
• American Factory（United States · Steven Bognar · Julia Reichert · Watch in two sessions）
  James 5:4 — ‘Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.’
• The Farewell（United States · Lulu Wang · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 90:12 — ‘So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’
• The Story of Southern Islet（Malaysia · Chong Keat Aun · Leader previews before deciding）
  Colossians 2:15 — ‘Having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it’; read with Ephesians 6:12 — ‘For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood.’
• The Journey（Malaysia · Chiu Keng Guan · Watch together）
  Ephesians 6:1–4 — ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord,’ followed by ‘You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.’ **Both sides receive a command, while we often preach only the first half.**
• Check the Store Next Door（Indonesia · Written, directed, and starring Ernest Prakasa · Watch together）
  Luke 15:25–32 — the elder son returned from the field, heard music and dancing, and became angry and would not go in.
• Three Seasons（Vietnam · Tony Bui · Watch together）
  1 Corinthians 12:22–24 — “No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety; whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part,”
• Things Fall Apart（Nigeria · Chinua Achebe · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 1:14 — ‘The Word became flesh and lived among us’ and was ‘full of grace and truth.’
• Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)（Nigeria · Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri · Leader previews before deciding）
  Leviticus 19:34 — ‘The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself.’
• Noli Me Tángere（Philippines · José Rizal · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Matthew 23:4 — ‘For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.’
• Sunday Beauty Queen（Philippines · Baby Ruth Villarama · Watch together）
  Deuteronomy 24:14 — ‘You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the foreigners who are in your land within your gates.’
• The Class（France · Laurent Cantet · Watch together）
  James 3:1 — ‘Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.’
• Of Gods and Men（France · Xavier Beauvois · Leader previews before deciding）
  John 10:11 — ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’
• The Sapphires（Australia · Wayne Blair; screenplay by Tony Briggs · Watch together）
  Psalm 137:4 — “How can we sing Yahweh's song in a foreign land?”
• Lucky Miles（Australia · Michael James Rowland · Leader previews before deciding）
  Hebrews 13:2 — “Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
• I'm No Longer Here（Mexico · Fernando Frías · Watch together）
  Ephesians 2:19 — “So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”
• Excuse My French（Egypt · Amr Salama · Watch together）
  Galatians 3:28 — “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
• Clash（Egypt · Mohamed Diab · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 1:19–20 — “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man doesn't produce the righteousness of God.”
• Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner（Canada · Zacharias Kunuk; screenplay by Paul Apak Angilirq · Watch in two sessions）
  Acts 17:26–27 — “He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings.”
• Double Happiness（Canada · Mina Shum · Watch together）
  Ephesians 6:1–4 — “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right… You fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
• Monsieur Lazhar（Canada · Philippe Falardeau; based on a play by Évelyne de la Chenelière · Leader previews before deciding）
  2 Corinthians 1:3–4 — God “comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction.”
• Material（South Africa · Craig Freimond; cowritten by Riaad Moosa · Watch together）
  1 Corinthians 12:4–7 — “There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit… But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.”
• Adua（Italy · Igiaba Scego · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 2:14–18—Christ 'made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,' reconciling both to God in one body through the cross.
• The Emigrants（Sweden · Vilhelm Moberg · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Hebrews 13:2—“Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
• Eat Sleep Die（Sweden · Gabriela Pichler · Watch together）
  James 2:15–16—“If a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you tells them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled’; and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?”
• Sámi Blood（Sweden · Amanda Kernell · Watch together）
  Luke 19:8—“If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.”
• Ashes and Diamonds（Poland · Andrzej Wajda · Watch together）
  Romans 12:18–19—“If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. Don’t seek revenge yourselves.”
• Ida（Poland · Paweł Pawlikowski · Watch together）
  Romans 11:18—“Don’t boast over the branches. But if you boast, it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you.”
• Green Border（Poland · Agnieszka Holland · Watch together）
  Matthew 25:35—“I was a stranger, and you took me in.”
• A Gift to Stalin（Kazakhstan · Rustem Abdrashev · Leader previews before deciding）
  Leviticus 19:33–34: the foreign resident is not a charity project, but someone to love and protect as native-born.
• The Piano（New Zealand · Jane Campion · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 31:8–9 calls us to speak for those without a public voice—and to learn to hear people who do not communicate through speech.
• Out of Africa（Kenya · Sydney Pollack · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 2:1–2 condemns those with power who covet and seize fields. Beautiful visions cannot cleanse unjust land relationships.
• The Milk of Sorrow（Peru · Claudia Llosa · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 56:8 says God counts wanderings and gathers tears in his bottle; trauma is not proof of deficient faith.
• Deep Rivers（Peru · José María Arguedas · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 137:4 asks, “How can we sing Yahweh’s song in a foreign land?” Dominant education must not belittle the relationship of language, place, and worship.
• The Eternaut（Argentina · Héctor G. Oesterheld / Francisco Solano López · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  First Corinthians 12:21–22 says the body cannot dismiss its apparently weaker members; crisis tests whether a community believes it.
• Funny Boy（Sri Lanka · Shyam Selvadurai · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 42:3: “He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a dimly burning wick.” Pastoral care must not turn vulnerable people into exhibits for proving a position.
• Dheepan（Sri Lanka · Jacques Audiard · Leader previews before deciding）
  Leviticus 19:34: “The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself.” Incomplete identity papers do not cancel human dignity.
• The Cut（Türkiye · Fatih Akin · Discuss without screening）
  Psalm 9:12: “He who avenges blood remembers them. He doesn’t forget the cry of the afflicted.”
• Snow（Türkiye · Orhan Pamuk · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  2 Corinthians 4:2: “But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by the manifestation of the truth.” Faith does not manipulate conscience.
• Eternity and a Day（Greece · Theo Angelopoulos · Watch in two sessions）
  Psalm 90:12 — ‘So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’
• A Touch of Spice（Greece · Tassos Boulmetis · Watch together）
  Deuteronomy 10:18–19 — “He does execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the foreigner, in giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the foreigner; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”
• Xenia（Greece · Panos H. Koutras · Leader previews before deciding）
  Leviticus 19:34 — ‘The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.’
• The Story of the Weeping Camel（Mongolia · Byambasuren Davaa / Luigi Falorni · Watch together）
  Isaiah 42:3 — ‘He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice.’ Care protects vulnerability before adding commands.
• City of Wind（Mongolia · Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 Peter 3:15–16 — ‘Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear, having a good conscience.’
• The Sales Girl（Mongolia · Sengedorj Janchivdorj · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 Corinthians 6:19–20 — ‘Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ Respecting the body includes refusing both to commodify people and to control them through shame.
• Television（Bangladesh · Mostofa Sarwar Farooki · Watch together）
  1 Corinthians 6:12 — “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are expedient. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be brought under the power of anything.”
• Heritage Africa（Ghana · Kwaw Ansah · Watch together）
  Romans 12:2 — “Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Renewal includes refusing to despise ourselves or our neighbours through the eyes of the powerful.
• Sankofa（Ghana · Haile Gerima · Leader previews before deciding）
  Luke 4:18–19 — Christ proclaims “release to the captives” and deliverance for those who are crushed. The church must therefore stand with the enslaved.
• Homegoing（Ghana · Yaa Gyasi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 58:12 speaks of the “Repairer of the Breach” and “Restorer of Paths with Dwellings.” Repair does not hide the breach; it rebuilds inhabitable life in truth.
• Embrace of the Serpent（Colombia · Ciro Guerra · Watch in two sessions）
  Matthew 7:12 — “Therefore, whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them.” Good intentions do not exempt cross-cultural work from consent.
• Pathfinder（Norway · Nils Gaup · Leader previews before deciding）
  Revelation 7:9—A multitude “out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages” stands before the throne, without difference being erased.
• Kobzar（Ukraine · Taras Shevchenko · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Acts 2:6–11: “everyone heard them speaking in his own language,” declaring “the mighty works of God.”
• Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors（Ukraine · Sergei Parajanov · Watch together）
  Romans 12:15: “Weep with those who weep.” Presence comes before setting a deadline for grief.
• The Wandering Falcon（Pakistan · Jamil Ahmad · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Deuteronomy 10:18–19—God “loves the foreigner, in giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the foreigner.”
• Song of Lawino（Uganda · Okot p’Bitek · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Revelation 7:9—Every nation, tribe, people, and language remains recognizable before the throne; unity is not purchased with a single culture.
• Kintu（Uganda · Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  John 9:1–3—When asked whether a man or his parents sinned so that he was born blind, Jesus answers, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents.”
• Who Killed Captain Alex?（Uganda · Nabwana I.G.G. · Leader previews before deciding）
  Exodus 35:35—God “filled them with wisdom of heart” for every kind of craftsmanship and skillful work; creativity belongs to ordinary artisans too.
• Babette's Feast（Denmark · Gabriel Axel (adapted from a story by Karen Blixen) · Watch together）
  Luke 24:30–31 — Jesus broke the bread and gave it to the disciples; “Their eyes were opened and they recognized him; then he vanished out of their sight.” A table can become a place where eyes are opened.
• The Flower Valley（Denmark · Niviaq Korneliussen · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 13:2 — “How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart every day?” Scripture allows pain to speak fully and does not hurry it into a testimony.
• Forest of the Hanged（Romania · Liviu Rebreanu · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Acts 5:29 — “We must obey God rather than men.” This is conscience's final boundary before power.
• White Sun（Nepal · Deepak Rauniyar · Watch together）
  James 2:1 — “My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with partiality.” The command extends to seating, tables, burial grounds, and the carrying of a coffin.
• Tug of War（Tanzania · Amil Shivji · Watch together）
  Acts 5:29 — “We must obey God rather than men.” This is a boundary for conscience, never a shortcut to power for anyone.
• Tanzania Transit（Tanzania · Jeroen van Velzen · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 1:19 — “So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;” Public witness begins as a discipline of listening.
• How Much Further（Ecuador · Tania Hermida · Watch together）
  Luke 10:33 — “But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion.” Truly seeing another person changes the planned route.
• Persepolis（Iran · Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud · Leader previews before deciding）
  Jeremiah 29:4–7 calls people taken into exile to plant and seek peace in a strange city.
• The Prophet（Lebanon · Kahlil Gibran · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Acts 17:22–31 shows Paul affirming his hearers’ search for God while speaking clearly about creation, repentance, and resurrection.
• West Beirut（Lebanon · Ziad Doueiri · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ephesians 2:14–18 says Christ breaks down the dividing wall, not by erasing harm but by ending the rule of hostility.
• The Insult（Lebanon · Ziad Doueiri · Leader previews before deciding）
  Micah 6:8 — acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God must happen together.
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being（Czechia · Milan Kundera · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Galatians 6:2 and 6:5 hold together carrying one another’s burdens and each person carrying their own load.
• Kolya（Czechia · Jan Svěrák · Watch together）
  Matthew 18:5 says that receiving one little child in Jesus’ name is receiving him.
• Heavenly Nomadic（Kyrgyzstan · Mirlan Abdykalykov · Watch together）
  Ruth 1:16–18 — Staying and migrating are not abstract virtues; they are commitments made within relationships and the realities of livelihood.
• Ten Thousand Years in a Lifetime（Papua New Guinea · Albert Maori Kiki · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Acts 17:26–28 — Every nation shares one origin, and all seek God within the times and boundaries he has appointed.
• My Mother Calls Me Yaltep（Papua New Guinea · Ignatius Kilage · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Acts 2:6–11 — The people hear God's mighty works being declared in their own languages.
• Mister Pip（Papua New Guinea · Lloyd Jones · Discuss without screening）
  Nehemiah 8:8 — The meaning is explained clearly so that the people understand what is being read.
• The Monk（Myanmar · The Maw Naing · Watch together）
  Mark 10:21—“Jesus looking at him loved him,” and a true call reached what the man found hardest to release.
• The Road to Mandalay（Myanmar · Midi Z · Leader previews before deciding）
  Deuteronomy 24:14—“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy,” whether a citizen or a foreigner in the land.
• From the Land of Green Ghosts（Myanmar · Pascal Khoo Thwe · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 137—“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion.” Exiles' memory contains lament, anger, and a home that cannot be quickly made whole.
• The Glass Palace（Myanmar · Amitav Ghosh · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Mark 8:36—“For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?”
• In the Life of Music（Cambodia · Caylee So and Sok Visal · Watch together）
  Romans 12:15—“Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.” Presence comes before explanation.
• Farha（Jordan · Darin J. Sallam · Leader previews before deciding）
  Proverbs 18:13: “He who gives answer before he hears, that is folly and shame to him.” Memories of conflict require patient listening and verification.
• Kinshasa Symphony（Democratic Republic of the Congo · Claus Wischmann and Martin Baer · Watch together）
  Exodus 35 remembers artisans endowed with wisdom. Works offered to God likewise require skill, materials, and labour that receives respect.
• Tram 83（Democratic Republic of the Congo · Fiston Mwanza Mujila · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Habakkuk 2:6 — “Woe to him who increases that which is not his, and who enriches himself by extortion!” Every act of accumulation must ask who bears the cost.
• The Poisonwood Bible（Democratic Republic of the Congo · Barbara Kingsolver · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Philippians 2:6–7 — Christ, “existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.” Cross-cultural ministry cannot prove faithfulness through control.
• Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes（Russia · Guzel Yakhina · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Micah 2:2: “They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away.” Dispossession is not abstract history; it is a household losing its inheritance.
• Wadjda（Saudi Arabia · Haifaa al-Mansour · Watch together）
  Mark 10:14: Jesus said, “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them.” Children approach him as people in their own right, not merely as adult issues.
• Barakah Meets Barakah（Saudi Arabia · Mahmoud Sabbagh · Leader previews before deciding）
  First Corinthians 13:5 says love “doesn’t seek its own way.” Curiosity, too, must submit to another person's safety.
• Girls of Riyadh（Saudi Arabia · Rajaa Alsanea · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 11:13: “One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret.”
• The Dove's Necklace（Saudi Arabia · Raja Alem · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed.” Sacred language cannot replace justice.
• The Crossing（Syria · Samar Yazbek · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Deuteronomy 19:15 says that “at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.” Verification need not mean distrusting a survivor; it helps truth stand in public.
• The Dark Side of Love（Syria · Rafik Schami · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ezekiel 18:20: “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father.” Intergenerational responsibility must never become intergenerational condemnation.
• Papicha（Algeria · Mounia Meddour · Discuss without screening）
  First Samuel 16:7: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.” Clothing cannot replace judgement about people and power.
• Of Gods and Men（Algeria · Xavier Beauvois · Leader previews before deciding）
  Philippians 1:22: “If I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose.” Cost is not a command for someone else to romanticise.
• Memories of Underdevelopment（Cuba · Tomás Gutiérrez Alea · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 7:3—“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye?”
• Strawberry and Chocolate（Cuba · Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío · Leader previews before deciding）
  James 1:19—“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”
• Dreaming in Cuban（Cuba · Cristina García · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Genesis 33—Jacob and Esau meet with an embrace, while retaining boundaries and taking different roads.
• Freda（Haiti · Gessica Généus · Leader previews before deciding）
  Ruth 1 — migration, staying, and return all occur amid famine, kinship, and real choices.
• Ayiti Mon Amour（Haiti · Guetty Felin · Watch together）
  Psalm 126:5 — ‘Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.’ Hope keeps both tears and human labour.
• The Kite Runner（Afghanistan · Khaled Hosseini · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Luke 19:8: Zacchaeus puts repentance into restitution and repayment, rather than leaving it as a feeling of guilt.
• Talking About Trees（Sudan · Suhaib Gasmelbari · Watch together）
  Ecclesiastes 4:9: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.” Shared work also keeps memory from disappearing with one person.
• Season of Migration to the North（Sudan · Tayeb Salih · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Genesis 1:27: “God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.” No person is another's cultural prop.
• The Color of Pomegranates（Armenia · Sergei Parajanov · Leader previews before deciding）
  Exodus 35:30–35: God-given wisdom also enters design, materials, and craft; artistic service is not an inferior appendage to words from a pulpit.
• Calendar（Armenia · Atom Egoyan · Watch together）
  Philippians 2:3–4: counting others better than ourselves means practically caring for their concerns, not making them the background to our growth.
• Amerikatsi（Armenia · Michael A. Goorjian · Leader previews before deciding）
  1 Corinthians 12:25–26: members care for one another and suffer together without being required to have the same circumstances or voice.
• Corn Island（Georgia · George Ovashvili · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 24:1: “The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell in it.” Human borders and property are never absolute sovereignty.
• The Eighth Life (for Brilka)（Georgia · Nino Haratischvili · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Exodus 20:5–6: sin has generational consequences, yet family curse cannot seal off God's loving kindness; responsibility and grace both need concrete expression.
• Georgia: In the Mountains of Poetry（Georgia · Peter Nasmyth · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Proverbs 18:17: “He who pleads his cause first seems right— until another comes and questions him.” An experienced observer is still not the last voice.
• The Time That Remains（Palestine · Elia Suleiman · Leader previews before deciding）
  Psalm 78:4–8: tell God's works to the next generation while honestly remembering human rebellion; shared memory must not preserve glory alone.
• Gaza Mon Amour（Palestine · Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser · Watch together）
  Ecclesiastes 9:7–10: receive food, love, and labour under death's shadow; ordinary joy does not betray those who suffer.
• Salt Houses（Palestine · Hala Alyan · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Psalm 90:1: the Lord is our dwelling place through all generations; this hope sustains migration without making earthly houses and justice unimportant.
• The Band's Visit（Israel (modern state) · Eran Kolirin · Watch together）
  Hebrews 13:1–3: continue in love, welcome strangers, and remember prisoners and sufferers; hospitality and justice belong together.
• Promises（Israel (modern state) · Justine Shapiro, B. Z. Goldberg, and Carlos Bolado · Leader previews before deciding）
  Matthew 18:5–7: welcome little ones and do not cause them to stumble; children are not props for adult positions.
• The Bamboo Stalk（Kuwait · Saud Alsanousi · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Ephesians 2:19 — “So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God,”
• Sea Shadow（United Arab Emirates · Nawaf Al-Janahi · Watch together）
  John 1:14 — “The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
• The House at Sugar Beach（Liberia · Helene Cooper · Read excerpts, then discuss）
  Luke 12:48 — To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.