Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) announced the film line-up for its 2013 festival, themed MAGNETIC, scheduled to run from May 31 through June 9 in Brooklyn, New York. The festival will open with Festival alumnus Billy Kent’s HairBrained starring starring Brendan Fraser, Alex Wolff, Julia Garner and Parker Posey. In the film, 14-year old genius/outcast Eli Pettifog (Wolff) is rejected from Harvard, he ends up at Ivy-League wannabe Whittman College. It’s hate at first sight. Eli’s 41-year-old dorm mate Leo (Fraser), a former gambler whose world has imploded, has dropped out of life to enroll in college. This odd duo become unlikely friends.

Opening Night Film:

HairBrained (USA) Dir. Billy Kent – World Premiere
Brooklyn Film Festival alumnus Billy Kent (The Oh In Ohio – BFF 2006 Audience Award) returns with his latest feature film HairBrained, a madcap coming-of-age comedy filmed in New York and starring Brendan Fraser, Alex Wolff, Julia Garner and Parker Posey. When 14-year old genius/outcast Eli Pettifog (Wolff) is rejected from Harvard, he ends up at Ivy-League wannabe Whittman College. It’s hate at first sight. Eli’s 41-year-old dorm mate Leo (Fraser), a former gambler whose world has imploded, has dropped out of life to enroll in college. This odd duo become unlikely friends. 

Closing Night Film:

Cut to Black (USA) Dir. Dan Eberle – World Premiere
BFF 2008 alumnus Dan Eberle (The Local) , writes, produces, directs and stars as a disgraced ex-cop hired by a wealthy former friend to rid his estranged daughter Jessica of a stalker. Shot in lavish black and white tones, Cut to Black is a gorgeous cinematic tribute to classic noir, set against stark, gritty urban modernity. 

Narrative Feature Highlights:

Detonator(USA) Dir. Damon Maulucci & Keir Politz – East Coast Premiere 
Starring Lawrence Levine, Joe Swanberg, Sophia Takal, Ben Fine and Robert Longstreet
A story of revenge and deceit over the course of one long night in Philadelphia when Sully, the former frontman of a prominent Philly punk band, confronts his troubled past. With Brooklyn Film Fest alumns Lawrence Levine and Sophia Takal (2010 Best Feature – Gabi on the Roof in July).

Somewhere Slow(USA) Dir. Jeremy O’Keefe – East Coast Premiere
Jessalyn Gilsig – from ‘Glee’ and ‘Vikings’ – gives a fearless performance as a woman on the 
edge in this intimate, raw and at times funny tale of two unlikely outlaws fleeing from life on a 
road trip through New England.

Flying Blind (UK) Dir. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz – New York Premiere
A passionate post 9/11 love story of an older woman with a younger Muslim man in a world 
where security is paramount and nothing is what it seems. A timely exploration that raises 
questions about the new reality of drone strikes and urban terror plots. 

Sleeping with the Fishes (USA) Dir. Nicole Gomez Fisher – World Premiere
Brooklyn filmmaker Nicole Gomez Fisher tells the story of Alexis Fish (Gina Rodriguez), a 
woman whose life as she once knew it no longer exists. After the death of her cheating husband, 
Alexis returns home to pick up the pieces.

Narrative Feature Line-Up (In Alphabetical Order):

A Wife Alone (USA) Dir. Justin Reichman – World Premiere
Black Out (The Netherlands) Dir. Arne Toonen – East Coast Premiere
Cut to Black (USA) Dir. Dan Eberle – World Premiere
Detonator (USA) Dir. Damon Maulucci & Keir Porlitz – East Coast Premiere
Emmanuel and the Truth About Fishes (USA) Dir. Francesca Gregorini – East Coast Premiere
Giraffes (Jirafas) (Cuba) Dir. Enrique Álvarez – USA Premiere
HairBrained (USA) Dir. Billy Kent – World Premiere
Hank and Asha (USA) Dir. James E. Duff – East Coast Premiere
Sado Tempest (Japan) Dir. John Williams – East Coast Premiere
Sleeping with the Fishes (USA) Dir. Nicole Gomez Fisher – World Premiere
Soft in the Head (USA) Dir. Nathan Silver – New York Premiere
Somewhere Slow (USA) Dir. Jeremy O’Keefe – East Coast Premiere

Documentary Feature Highlights:

Dragon Girls(Germany) Dir. Inigo Westmeier – USA Premiere
Winner, 2013 Hot Docs Best International Feature Dragon Girls tells the story of three Chinese girls training to become martial arts experts far away from their families and homes. Their intense daily regimen takes place at the Shaolin Kung Fu School, located right next to the Shaolin Monastery in central China, where Kung Fu originated.

Mr. Angel (USA) Dir. Dan Hunt – New York Premiere

Buck Angel was born female yet knew he was male on the inside. This intimate documentary follows him for six years, tracing his aspirations to become a porn star. A moving story about universal lessons of acceptance, which also challenges our notions of gender and sexuality. Without Shepherds(Pakistan) Dir. Cary McClelland – New York Premiere A rare and essential glimpse into the turbulent reality of Pakistan today, following six Pakistanis who are navigating different aspects of society, including Imran Khan – a former cricket star who is now competing in the first national election in ten years.

Furever(USA) Dir. Amy Finkel – New York Premiere
Brooklyn filmmaker Amy Finkel explores the growing world of pet memorials, where grieving pet owners engage in taxidermy, cloning, mummification, freeze-drying, and many other methods to keep the memory of their pet alive.

Documentary Line-Up (In Alphabetical Order):

Ben: In the Mind’s Eye (USA) Dir. Iva Radivojevic – New York Premiere
Caffe Capri (USA) Dir. Casimir Nozkowski – World Premiere
Cavedigger (USA) Dir. Jeffrey Karoff – East Coast
Dragon Girls (Germany) Dir. Inigo Westmeier – USA Premiere
Exit Point (Poland) Dir. Jagoda Szelc – USA Premiere
Eternal Amazon (Brazil) Dir. Belisario Franca – USA Premiere
Forbidden Voices (Switzerland) Dir. Barbara Miller – New York Premiere
Furever (USA) Dir. Amy Finkel – New York Premiere
Glass Eyes of Locust Bayou (Canada) Dir. Simon Mercer – USA Premiere
A Hole in the Sky (France) Dir. Antonio Tibaldi & Àlex Lora Cercós – USA Premiere
Miles & War (Germany/Switzerland) Dir. Anne Thoma – USA Premiere
Mr. Angel (USA) Dir. Dan Hunt – New York Premiere
Not For Sale (USA) Dir. Matthew C. Levy – New York Premiere
The Real Motel Life (USA) Dir. Winnie Cheung – World Premiere
Rogalik (Poland) Dir. Pawel Ziemilski – USA Premiere
Scattered (USA) Dir. Lindsay Lindenbaum – USA Premiere
Venom & Fire (USA) Dir. Brandon Faris – USA Premiere
Without Shepherds (Pakistan) Dir. Cary McClelland – New York Premiere