Perhaps the most influential period in cinema history was the Italian neo-realism period of the late 40s and director Vittorio De Sica was one of the prime reasons for this important period of film-making. "The Bicycle Thieves" is a film about a poor man whose only means for a job is his bicycle, which gets stolen. The film follows him and his young boy throughout war-ravaged Rome in search of the stolen bike. The trip involves some of the most brilliant vignettes in film history; the church, th find out more...

In 1998 Marco Pantani, the most flamboyant and popular cyclist of his era, won both the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, a titanic feat of physical and mental endurance that no rider has repeated since. He was a hero to millions, the saviour of professional cycling following the doping scandals which threatened to destroy the sport. However, less than six years later, aged just 34, he died alone, in a cheap Italian hotel room.

This film is not just about cycling but an emotional expl find out more...

It's the early 50s in Argentina and two middle class medical students decide to make a journey across their largely unknown continent. While on this eight month travel one of the men begins his own journey from privileged ignorance to iconic revolutionary, the birth of Che Guevara has begun. The Motorcycle Diaries is a breathtakingly beautiful film, beginning as a whimsical, idiosyncratic and often humorous adventure and gradually expanding into a powerful and deeply moving drama. find out more...

A beautifully shot dramatisation of an elderly New Zealander's attempt to realise his dream. Charming, eccentric obsessive Burt Munro has spent years re-building an old 1920 Indian motorcycle into what he hopes will break the 1967 land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats, but Burt's odyssey takes him through a series of human encounters on the road to Utah which broaden his horizons beyond that of the salt flats. While Hopkins' New Zealand accent may leave something to be desired find out more...