Striving for excellence
main character(s) is/are striving to excel through marked personal sacrifice, dedication and focus
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- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsJodie FosterMatthew McConaugheyTom SkerrittDr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.
- DirectorWilson YipStarsDonnie YenSimon YamSiu-Wong FanDuring the Japanese invasion of China, a wealthy martial artist is forced to leave his home when his city is occupied. With little means of providing for themselves, Ip Man and the remaining members of the city must find a way to survive.
- DirectorStephen DaldryStarsJamie BellJulie WaltersJean HeywoodA talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsBen KingsleyJohn GielgudRohini HattangadiThe life of the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of nonviolent protest.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogKlaus KinskiClaudia CardinaleThe love-hate relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, the deep trust between the director and the actor, and their independently and simultaneously hatched plans to murder one another.
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsRachel WeiszMax MinghellaOscar IsaacA historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hope of pursuing freedom while falling in love with his mistress, the philosophy and mathematics professor Hypatia of Alexandria.
- DirectorDoug AtchisonStarsAngela BassettLaurence FishburneKeke PalmerAkeelah, a young gifted girl, comes from a dysfunctional family and is on the verge of quitting school. She discovers that she has a high aptitude for spellings and enters a spelling bee contest.
- DirectorMick JacksonStarsClaire DanesJulia OrmondDavid StrathairnA biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry.
- DirectorJohn Kent HarrisonStarsAnna PaquinGoran VisnjicMichelle DockeryThe story of Irena Sendler, a social worker who was part of the Polish underground during World War II and was arrested by the Nazis for saving the lives of nearly 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw ghetto.
- DirectorRichard LaGraveneseStarsHilary SwankImelda StauntonPatrick DempseyA young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves and pursue education beyond high school.
- DirectorRamón MenéndezStarsEdward James OlmosEstelle HarrisMark PhelanThe story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus.
- DirectorNila Madhab PandaStarsGulshan GroverHarsh MayarPitobashAn impoverished boy forms an unlikely and unstable friendship with the lonely son of a nobleman.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweEd HarrisJennifer ConnellyA mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
- DirectorRajkumar HiraniStarsAamir KhanMadhavanMona SinghTwo friends are searching for their long lost companion. They revisit their college days and recall the memories of their friend who inspired them to think differently, even as the rest of the world called them "idiots".
- DirectorAshutosh GowarikerStarsAamir KhanRaghubir YadavGracy SinghThe people of a small village in Victorian India stake their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers.
- CreatorBlanche HanalisStarsMelissa GilbertMichael LandonKaren GrassleThe life and adventures of the Ingalls family in the nineteenth century American Midwest.
- CreatorAdam PriceStarsSidse Babett KnudsenBirgitte Hjort SørensenSøren MallingA political drama about a prime minister's rise to power, and how power changes a prime minister.
- DirectorJames KentStarsAlicia VikanderKit HaringtonTaron EgertonA British woman recalls coming of age during World War I - a story of young love, the futility of war, and how to make sense of the darkest times.
- DirectorMatt BrownStarsDev PatelJeremy IronsMalcolm SinclairThe story of the life and academic career of the pioneer Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, and his friendship with his mentor, Professor G.H. Hardy.
- DirectorShimit AminStarsRanbir KapoorPrem ChopraMukesh S. BhattA story of a fresh graduate trying to find a balance between the maddening demands of the 'professional' way, and the way of his heart.
- DirectorMargarethe von TrottaStarsBarbara SukowaHeino FerchHannah HerzsprungThe life story of the multi-talented German nun Hildegard von Bingen. The film portrays an original woman - best known as a composer and religious visionary - whose grand claims often run counter to the patriarchal world around her. The monks and nuns at the convent become a kind of family, offering both confidants and enemies. For example Jutta, struggling with her jealousy of Hildegard's success, and the young Richardis who worships Hildegard both as an intellectual role model and a mother figure.
- DirectorPhilipp StölzlStarsTom PayneStellan SkarsgårdOlivier MartinezIn 11th-century Persia, a surgeon's apprentice disguises himself as a Jew to study at a school that does not admit Christians.
- StarsPark Shin-hyeLee Sung-kyungKim Rae-wonA rebellious young woman encounters a compassionate teacher whose impact motivates her to transform her life, aspiring to become a neurosurgeon.
- StarsLee Sun-kyunIULee Ji-ahA man in his 40s withstands the weight of life. A woman in her 20s goes through different experiences, but also withstands the weight of her life. The man and woman get together to help each other.
- StarsIm Si-wanLee Sung-minKang So-raThis a Drama series about a group of co-workers in their twenties who started their job at a big multinational company. This is a story about their everyday life, about their journey each day at the office.
- StarsJ.Y. ParkBae SuzyKim Soo-hyunThe story of six students at Kirin Art High School who work to achieve their dreams of becoming stars in the Korean music industry. Along the way, they discover the true meaning of friendship, love and life.
- StarsLee Na-youngLee Jong-sukJeong Eu-geneA gifted writer who's the youngest editor-in-chief ever at his publishing company gets enmeshed in the life of a former copywriter desperate for a job.
- StarsJo Jung-SukKong Hyo-jinGo Kyung-pyoGetting ahead in a broadcasting station is tough and the competition is fierce -- but when a news anchor and meteorologist start to fall for each other, things get much more complicated.
- DirectorHyun-Sung MoonStarsHa Ji-WonBae DoonaHan Yeri"As One" is the cinematic retelling of the first ever post-war Unified Korea sports team, hastily formed to participate in the 41st World Table Tennis Championships in 1991. Following the North Korean mid-air bombing of Korean Air Flight 858 in 1987, a Summit was held between North and South Korea to defuse the extreme tension on the peninsula. The summit ended with the agreement to form a unified Korean sports team; and table tennis, being highly visible and world-class in both countries, was chosen as the symbolic unifier. Summarily, the first-ever unified North-South team under the simple aegis "KOREA" was formed to compete in the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan. "As One" recounts these dramatic events where especially two world-class players who had only ever met across the table as die-hard opponents must suddenly become a true partners and teammates in time for the biggest stage of the World Championships. Putting aside their individual ambitions, these women have to summon every ounce of grit and grace to defeat a dominating Chinese team that is vying for its 9th consecutive World Championship title.
- StarsHan Hyo-jooLee So-yeonKim So-yiStory a simple maid that rises high in the royal harem as a consort and, ultimately, mother of the Korean king.
- DirectorA.L. VijayStarsDitya BhandePrabhu DevaAishwarya RajeshA young girl dreams of winning the 'Pride of India Jr.' title in the National dance competition.
- DirectorNiki CaroStarsLiu YifeiDonnie YenGong LiTo keep her ailing father from serving in the Imperial Army, a fearless young woman disguises herself as a man and battles northern invaders in China.
- CreatorDeepesh Sumitra JagdishArunabh KumarShreyansh PandeyStarsNaveen KasturiaShivankit Singh PariharAbhilash ThapliyalIt is the story of the journey of three UPSC (public service competitive exams in India) aspirants and their friendship against all odds.
- CreatorNaoko MatsudaStarsHaru KurokiJoe OdagiriKentarô SakaguchiA woman who used to be a contender for the Olympic Judo Team had to give up on her dream due to an injury. She ends up working at manga magazine when the publishing industry is going through a turbulent time.
- DirectorAlexis CahillBrigitte DrodtloffStarsRoxana LupuDaniel PlierRichard ElfynDevastated by the First World War and plunged into political controversy, Romania's every hope accompanies its queen on her mission to Paris to lobby for international recognition of its great unification at the 1919 peace talks.
- StarsYui AragakiRyô NishikidoHiroko YakushimaruAyukawa Wakaba is full of ambition. She lands a job at an international law firm, but to her disappointment, the first prestigious assignment that is given to her is to babysit the boss' 5 year old daughter, Hinata.
- StarsMoon So-riJeong Jae-yeongLee Sang-YeobIt follows the story of middle-aged office workers struggling to survive in a turbulent workplace.
- StarsTakeru SatohHaruka AyaseYumi AsôAkiko Iwaki is a career woman who works very hard at her job. She gets married to Ryoichi Miyamoto who has a daughter. Akiko must now deal with housework and raising her stepdaughter.
- StarsElçin SanguBaris ArduçSalih BademciWhen Defne's brother gets into debt and is held captive, Defne is forced to accept an offer in exchange for the money. She has to make Omer, a wealthy shoe designer who owns a company, fall in love with her and marry her.
- CreatorScott FrankAllan ScottStarsAnya Taylor-JoyChloe PirrieBill CampOrphaned at the tender age of nine, prodigious introvert Beth Harmon discovers and masters the game of chess in 1960s USA. But child stardom comes at a price.
- StarsBrie LarsonLewis PullmanAja Naomi KingSet in the 1950s, Elizabeth Zott's dream of being a chemist is put on hold when she finds herself pregnant, alone, and fired from her lab.
- DirectorMorten TyldumStarsBenedict CumberbatchKeira KnightleyMatthew GoodeDuring World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.
- CreatorNaoko MatsudaStarsKim SejeongDaniel ChoiHa Do-kwonThe story is about a woman who struggles together with her coworkers to mature into a true webtoon editor after joining the webtoon editorial department.
- DirectorHayato KawaiStarsSuzu HiroseYûki AmamiAyami NakajôLed by a demanding coach, an unlikely squad of small town girls vie for victory in a major US cheer dance championship. Based on true events.
- StarsShun OguriSatomi IshiharaSaki AibuHyuga Toru who run an internet website from his small room and doesn't like to socialize makes a lot of money. He then meets Sawaki Chihiro, a hardworking student who by an unexpected occurrence begins to work for Toru.