VIMOOZ

  • 2015 Anchorage International Film Festival Lineup; Opens with “Eadweard”

    Eadweard , Kyle Rideout The 2015 Anchorage International Film Festival revealed the lineup of independent films from around the world to screen December 4-13, 2015 at the BearTooth Theatrepub, Alaska Experience Theater, Anchorage Museum and the Snow Goose Performing Arts Theatre. The festival will begin with the Opening Night screening of “Eadweard,” at the BearTooth Theatrepub, 8 PM on Friday, Dec. 4. Eadweard is the story of a world-famous, turn-of-the-century photographer, Eadweard Muybridge, later to be known as the “Godfather of Cinema.” This psychological thriller follows Muybridge from his work in Alaska shortly after its purchase from Russia. The story portrays an unconventional photographer as he seeks to capture life in “motion,” developing the first body of stop-motion photography–over 100,000 images depicting animals and humans in motion, and nude and deformed subjects. Director Kyle Rideout will be in attendance for the Opening Night screening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VAds0GH_8E Among the many cinematic highlights anticipated for this festival are some collaborative screenings including the Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association (AMIPA) debut of a rare, thought-to-be-lost, early Sci-Fi film from 1929 called “High Treason,” which has been in the restoration process for ten years, from Alaska to the Library of Congress. Also on the docket is an Indie Lens Pop-up series documentary from Alaska Public Media, “Autism in Love”, screening at Anchorage Museum, directly after the annual “Family Day” program, offered for free to the public. 2015 FILM SELECTIONS: Narrative Feature Selections at AIFF 2015 are: And The Circus Leaves Town (d. Mete Sozer, Turkey) Creditors (d. Ben Cura, United Kingdom) Death on a Rock (d. Scott Ballard, United States) Diablo (d. Lawrence Roeck, Canada) Eadweard (d. Kyle Rideout, Canada) Jasmine (d. Dax Phelan, Hong Kong) Living With the Dead (d. Rebekah Nelson, United States) Magic Utopia ( d. Shoji Toyama, Shuichi Tan, Japan) Midori in Hawaii (d. John Hill, United States) Orphans & Kingdoms (d. Paolo Rotondo, New Zealand) Status:single (d. Pavel Ruminov, Russian Federation) The David Dance (d. Aprill Winney, United States) The Descendants (d. Yaser Talebi, Islamic Republic of Iran) The Incredible Adventures of Jojo (and his annoying little sister Avila) (d. Ann-Marie Schmidt, Brian Schmidt, United States They Look Like People (d. Perry Blackshear, United States) Under Construction (d. Rubaiyat Hossain, Bangladesh) When the Ocean Met the Sky (d. Phillip Thomas, Canada) Documentary selections at AIFF 2015 are: A Courtship (d. Amy Kohn, United States) A Journey to Namie (d. Sulfikar Amir, Singapore) Above & Below (d. Nicolas Steiner, Switzerland) Bihttoš (d. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Canada) Children of the Arctic (d. Nick Brandestini, Switzerland) Circus Without Borders (d. Susan Gray, Linda Matchan, United States) Code: Debugging the Gender Gap (d. Robin Hauser Reynolds, United States) Dance of the People (d. Marc Menish, United States) Free Custom Poetry (d. Cory Wilson, United States) From This Day Forward (d. Sharon Shattuck, United States) Harry & Snowman (d. Ron Davis, United States) Janey Makes a Play (d. Jared Callahan, United States) Keeping Country (d. Andrew Quinn, Australia) Knit Me Some Happiness (d. Sofia Olins, United Kingdom) Lost & Found (d. Nicolina Lanni, Canada) Love Between the Covers (d. Laurie Kahn, Australia, United States) Madina’s Dream (d. Andrew Berends, United States) Man in the Can (d. Noessa Higa, United States) No Greater Love (d. Justin Roberts, United States) Riding My Way Back (d. Robin Fryday, Peter Rosenbaum, United States) Right Footed (d. Nick Spark, United States) Stink! (d. Jon J. Whelan, United States) Superjednostka (d. Teresa Czepiec, Poland) The Brainwashing of My Dad (Work in Progress screening)(d. Jen Senko, United States) The House is Innocent (d. Nicholas Coles, United States) To Scale (d. Alex Gorosh, United States) Vanishing Sail (d.Alexis Andrews, Antigua & Barbuda) Very Semi-Serious (d. Leah Wolchok, United States) War of Lies (d. Matthias Bittner, Germany) Short Film Selections at AIFF 2015 are: 20 Meters of Love in Montmartre (d. Pierre Gaffié, France) Adolescence (d. Daniel Milan, Mexico) Birthday (d. Chris King, United States) Hirsit (d. Selcen Yilamzoglu, Turkey) Joe Will Die (d. David Janove, United States) Merry X-mas (d. Boman Modine, United States) Mike (d. Petros Silvestros, United Kingdom) Moving On (d. Mike Spear, Marcia Fields, United States) My Heart (d. Yser Talebi, Islamic Republic of Iran) Nkosi Coiffure (d. Frederike Migom, Belgium) One-Minute Time Machine (d. Devon Avery, United States) Scary Larry (d. Greg Ivan Smith, United States) The Bravest, The Boldest (d. Moon Molson, United States) The Call (d. Zamo Mkhwanazi, South Africa) The Poem of a Memory (d. Christhian Andrews, United States) The Red Thunder (d. Alvaro Ron, United States) The Story of a Rainy Night (d. Mehdi Fard Ghaderi, Iran) Unleaded (d. Luke Davies, United Kingdom) Winter (d. Lina Roessler, Canada) Zawadi (d. Richard Card, Kenya) Animation Chhaya (d. Debanjan Nandy, United Kingdom) Golden Shot (d. Gokalp Gonen, Turkey) In the forest (d. Li Xia, United States) Mr. McBob (d. Pierre Schantz, United States) Olilo (d. Ao Li, United States) Ripple (d. Conner Griffith, United States) Rosso Papavero (d. Martin Smetana, Slovakia) Scaredy Bat (d. Greg Perkins, United States) Sleepy Steve (d. Meghann Artes, United States) Switch Man (d. Hsun-Chun Chuang , Shao-Kuei Tong, Taiwan) The Apple Tree (d. Scott Storm, United States) The Looking Planet (d. Eric Law Anderson, United States) The Present (d. Jacob Frey, Germany) Untitled (d. Sean McCarthy, United States) wHole (d. Verena Klinger, Robert Banning, Germany) Made In Alaska 3022 Ft. (d. Max Romey, United States) Degrees North (Switzerland) 52 min. Easy Money (d. Zayn Roohi, United States) Heart of Alaska (d. Bjørn Olson, United States) Hunting in Wartime (d. Samantha Farinella, United States) I Follow Rivers (d. Ellie Schmidt, United States) Pushing Out Daisy (d. Allison Week, United States) Seahorse (d. Kamell Allaway, United States) Storis: The Galloping Ghost of the Alaska Coast (d. Damon Stuebner, United States) The Muse (d. Christopher Gage Tucker, United States) The Ruthless Rhymer (d. Quinton Oliver Smith, United States) Through the Wires (d. Greg Chaney, United States) We Are All Related Here (d. Brian McDermott, United States)

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  • AFI FEST 2015 Reveals Films in New Auteurs and American Independent Lineup, Include FIELD NIGGAS, JAMES WHITE, IXCANUL

    FUNNY BUNNY, Alison Bagnall The 29th AFI FEST taking place November 5 to 12, 2015 in the heart of Hollywood, revealed 20 more films on the lineup – the films that will be featured in the New Auteurs and American Independent programs during AFI FEST 2015. The American Independents section represents the best of independent filmmaking this year includes 9 films; and the New Auteurs section includes 11 first and second-time narrative feature film directors from around the world, whose films will be eligible for the Grand Jury Prize. NEW AUTEURS DESDE ALLÁ (FROM AFAR) by Lorenzo Vigas DESDE ALLÁ – When a middle-aged man is assaulted and robbed by a young criminal, an unlikely relationship develops. DIR Lorenzo Vigas. SCR Lorenzo Vigas. CAST Alfredo Castro and Luis Silva. Venezuela/Mexico. U.S. Premiere DISORDER – Matthias Schoenaerts plays an ex-soldier who becomes locked in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with ski-masked home invaders at a wealthy estate. DIR Alice Winocour. SCR Alice Winocour. CAST Matthias Schoenaerts, Diane Kruger, Paul Hamy, Zaïd Errougui-Demonsant, Percy Kemp, Victor Pontecorvo, Mickaël Daubert, Franck Torrecillas, Chems Eddine, Philippe Haddad, Jean-Louis Coulloc’h. France/Belgium EVOLUTION – On an island inhabited only by women and boys, a 10-year-old receiving strange medical treatment investigates the horrific things the women do at night. DIR Lucile Hadžihalilović. SCR Lucile Hadžihalilović, Alanté Kavaïté, Geoff Cox. CAST Max Brebant, Roxane Duran, Julie-Marie Parmentier. France THE GULLS (CHAIKI) – In winter near the Caspian Sea, a fisherman’s wife becomes free of her suppressed domestic existence after a life-altering event. DIR Ella Manzheeva. SCR Ella Manzheeva. CAST Evgeniya Mandzhieva, Sergey Adianov, Evgeny Sangadzhiev, Lyubov Ubushieva, Dmitry Mukeyev. Russian Federation. North American Premiere IXCANUL IXCANUL – A young Mayan woman becomes pregnant outside of an impending arranged marriage, throwing her and her family’s future into dire uncertainty. DIR Jayro Bustamante. SCR Jayro Bustamante. CAST María Mercedes Coroy, María Telón, Manuel Antún, Justo Lorenzo, Marvin Coroy. Guatemala/France LAND AND SHADE (LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA) – An aging farmer returns to rural Colombia where the family and land he long ago abandoned have been devastated by industrial progress. DIR César Augusto Acevedo. SCR César Augusto Acevedo. CAST Haimer Leal, Hilda Ruiz, Edison Raigosa, Marleyda Soto, José Felipe Cárdenas, Edison Raigosa. Colombia/France/Netherlands/Chile/Brazil. U.S. Premiere Mediterranea by Jonas Carpignano MEDITERRANEA – In this timely film, a migrant from Burkina Faso makes a perilous journey from North Africa to Europe. DIR Jonas Carpignano. SCR Jonas Carpignano. CAST Koudous Seihon, Alassane Sy, Adam Gnegne, Davide Schipilliti. Italy/France/USA/Germany MOUNTAIN – To escape her troubles at home, a young Orthodox Jewish woman falls in with a nocturnal community of prostitutes and drug dealers in the ancient cemetery atop Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives. DIR Yaelle Kayam. SCR Yaelle Kayam. CAST Shani Klein, Avshalom Pollak, Haitham Ibrahem Omari. Israel/Denmark. U.S. Premiere MUSTANG – Five Turkish sisters must fight back against harsh societal restrictions when a seemingly innocent act is blown out of proportion. DIR Deniz Gamze Ergüven. SCR Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Alice Winocour. CAST Günes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscan, Ilayda Akdogan, Ayberk Pekcan. France/Germany/Turkey Alba Rohrwacher in a scene from Laura Bispuri's SWORN VIRGIN, playing at the 58th San Francisco International Film Festival, April 23- May 7, 2015. SWORN VIRGIN (VERGINE GIURATA) – A young Albanian woman bucks her destiny by appealing to an ancient regional law allowing her to live free as a man if she takes an oath of eternal virginity. DIR Laura Bispuri. SCR Francesca Manieri, Laura Bispuri. CAST Alba Rohrwacher, Flonja Kodheli, Lars Eidinger, Luan Jaha, Bruno Shllaku, Ilire Celaj, Drenica Selimaj, Dajana Selimaj, Emily Ferratello. Italy/Switzerland/Germany/Albania/Republic of Kosovo UNTIL I LOSE MY BREATH – A Turkish teenager dreams of leaving her abusive home and moving in with her father, a long-distance truck driver. DIR Emine Emel Balcı. SCR Emine Emel Balcı. CAST Esme Madra, Rıza Akın, Sema Keçik, Gizem Denizci, Ece Yüksel, Uğur Uzunel, Yavuz Pekman, Pinar Gök, Yavuz Özata. Turkey/Germany. North American Premiere AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS BOB AND THE TREES – A middle-aged logger gambles his personal and professional livelihood on harvesting an unyielding piece of land. DIR Diego Ongaro. SCR Diego Ongaro, Courtney Maum, Sasha Statman-Weil. CAST Bob Tarasuk, Matt Gallagher, Polly MacIntyre, Richard Bradley, Winthrop Barrett. USA FIELD NIGGAS – Khalik Allah’s stylized documentary chronicles summer nights spent at the intersection of 125th Street and Lexington Avenue in Harlem. DIR Khalik Allah. USA FUNNY BUNNY – A trio of people look to make meaningful connections in this sweet natured comedy. DIR Alison Bagnall. SCR Alison Bagnall. CAST Kentucker Audley, Joslyn Jensen, Olly Alexander, Louis Cancelmi, Josephine Decker, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Grace Gonglewski, Caridad de la Luz, Nicholas Webber. USA (pictured in main image above) H. – Two different Helens of Troy live parallel lives in this brilliantly unnerving apocalyptic vision. DIR Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia. SCR Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia. CAST Robin Bartlett, Rebecca Dayan, Will Janowitz, Julian Gamble, Roger Robinson. USA/Argentina JAMES WHITE movie JAMES WHITE – A young New Yorker is forced to take control of his self-destructive lifestyle as he navigates his mother’s fight with a serious illness. DIR Josh Mond. SCR Josh Mond. CAST Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Makenzie Leigh, Ron Livingston. USA KRISHA – Estranged relative Krisha shows up to a family Thanksgiving to make amends, but as the day unfolds she can’t escape her dark past. DIR Trey Edward Shults. SCR Trey Edward Shults. CAST Krisha Fairchild, Robyn Fairchild, Bill Wise, Trey Edward Shults, Chris Doubek, Olivia Grace Applegate, Alex Dobrenko, Chase Joliet. USA MEN GO TO BATTLE – In this indie American period piece, two farming brothers in 1861 are torn apart by the encroaching Civil War. DIR Zachary Treitz. SCR Kate Lyn Sheil, Zachary Treitz. CAST David Maloney, Timothy Morton, Kate Lyn Sheil, Rachel Korine. USA SONGS MY BROTHERS TAUGHT ME SONGS MY BROTHERS TAUGHT ME – A brother and sister living on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation cope with the loss of their father in very different ways. DIR Chloé Zhao. SCR Chloé Zhao. CAST John Reddy, Jashaun St. John, Irene Bedard, Eleonore Hendricks, Taysha Fuller, Cat Clifford. USA STINKING HEAVEN – When a new member arrives at a home for sober living, a self-destructive spiral begins. DIR Nathan Silver. SCR Nathan Silver, Jack Dunphy. CAST Deragh Campbell, Keith Poulson, Hannah Gross, Eléonore Hendricks, Tallie Medel, Henri Douvry, Jason Giampietro, Jason Grisell, Eileen Kearney, Larry Novak. USA

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  • ‘Straight’ John Refuses to Marry Transexual Martine Until She Gets a Real Vagina in Trans Documentary TRANSFIXED | TRAILER

     TRANSFIXED, Alon Kol, documentary Alon Kol’s feature documentary TRANSFIXED will be presented within the FOCUS section at the Festival du nouveau cinema in Montreal, Canada, on October 14th and Octber 17th. In the film Martine Stonehouse and John Gelmon are middle-aged underdogs, living with Asperger Syndrome. Despite their social limitations, both dream of getting married, but straight-identifying John refuses to tie the knot until transsexual Martine gets a real vagina. Will Martine and John find together the happiness that they deserve? Transfixed will be released in Canada in early 2016. Throughout his life, Martine Stonehouse fought for his rights as transgender. His spouse John Gelmone, Asperger’s syndrome and Tourette’s unconditional support. But the two can not consummate their love Martine must undergo the final sex change operation. Although the director Alon Kol had enough material to trace the route of the activist awarded the Pride Award of Toronto in 2012, he chose instead to present the difficult Martine path toward its complete transformation into a woman. A difficult road since even if it is surrounded by friends that show him gratitude and affection, his weight problem, highlighted by several experts, represents a dangerous obstacle to his surgery and his health. Without compromise or complacency documentary Kol enters the intimacy of this woman and reveals a fragile but an unrivaled determination. Forget the prestige Caitlin Jenner; the portrait offers the filmmaker is that of a woman whose daily lives are much more modest and the economic situation certainly more precarious, but the narrative is no less upsetting. While the transgender community is recognized as never before, Martine Stonehouse itself as a heroine to be welcomed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJrLhGOwqsI

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  • Ole Giæver Writes, Directs, and Stars in Norwegian Film OUT OF NATURE | TRAILER

    OUT OF NATURE Ole Giæver writes, directs, and stars in OUT OF NATURE, this unique and endearing depiction of middle age and first-world anxieties. Martin (Giæver) is clearly out of place both in his office and at home with his wife and son. As he embarks on a trek, searching for solace in the stunning Norwegian wilderness, he can’t seem to find peace; his incessant stream of thoughts are endlessly commenting and fantasizing about disturbing “what ifs”: what if he got a divorce? What if his wife died? What if he were a cripple? Immersed in the breathtaking beauty of the Norwegian mountains with a stream-of-consciousness narrative that swings toward the witty and likable, OUT OF NATURE is a comically contemplative film about dissatisfaction, the desire for change, and trying to find solace in solitude. Out of Nature is the second feature film from director Ole Giæver (The Mountain), “I wanted to make a film which alternates between being inside a man, gaining access to his innermost thoughts, daydreams and fantasies; and watching him, without him being aware that he is being watched. The vision of the film is to get closer to the core, the essence of what is recognizable and universal in all people.” Out of Nature won the Europa Cinemas Label as best European film in the Panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival, and Ole Giaever, was selected by Variety as one of its “10 Europeans to Watch.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgjGCOJpxBM OUT OF NATURE is being presented as part of the Northwest Film Center’s New Scandinavian Cinema series, running October 23 through November 1 at Northwest Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium Portland Art Museum-1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland Oregon.

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  • 2015 Hawaii International Film Festival Lineup, Opens with Lee Joo-ick’s THE THRONE

    Lee Joo-ick’s THE THRONE Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF), celebrating its 35th anniversary, will take place from November 12 through November 22, primarily all on the island of Oahu.  HIFF kicks off with South Korea’s official entry to the Oscar Foreign Language category with award winning director Lee Joo-ick’s THE THRONE. The story at the center of this lush historical drama is the struggle between the long-ruling King Yeongjo (Song Kang-ho from SNOWPIERCER) and his son, Sado (Yoo Ah-in) and the real life incident of the king’s decision to lock up his son in a wooden barrel — in which the royal heir died after eight days. CAROL Starring Cate Blanchett Set in 1950s New York, two women from very different backgrounds (Rooney Mara as a young shop clerk and Cate Blanchett as a sophisticated, but unhappy housewife) find themselves in the throes of love in CAROL, the Festival’s Centerpiece Film. World premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, where Mara won Best Actress, the Todd Haynes drama will assuredly generate awards buzz this season. Mabel Cheung’s A TALE OF THREE CITIES The 2015 Hawaii International Film Festival closes with a romantic drama based on real events, the U.S. premiere of Mabel Cheung’s A TALE OF THREE CITIES, an epic period drama about individuals overwhelmed by the times, their trajectories shaped by rapidly changing circumstances beyond their control. Lau Ching-wan and Tang Wei (LUST, CAUTION) play ill-fated lovebirds who meet during the backdrop of the final days leading into WWII. The film is based on the epic love story of Jackie Chan’s parents. NARRATIVE FEATURE NOMINEES: HONOR THY FATHER (Philippines) Director: Erik Matti Kaye and Edgar is a pair of married white-collar swindlers, who have cashed in on promoting an investment scheme to their friends and fellow Pentecostal parishioners. But when they run afoul of their latest victims, their devout investors turn on them. When the tension erupts into violence, Edgar decides to seek the aid of his criminally inclined family. THE KIDS (Taiwan) Director: Sunny Yu Bao-Li has just started 8th grade when he comes to the rescue of Jia-Jia, an older girl he immediately falls in love with, and soon enough they are in a relationship. When Jia-Jia becomes pregnant, Bao-Li drops out of school to support his new family and become the breadwinner, sometimes by any means necessary. But when he discovers that his mother has gambled away all of their savings, the young family heads toward a path of self-destruction. MADONNA (South Korea) Director: Shin Su-won Nurse’s aide Hae-rim and Doctor Hyuk-gyu are ordered to keep hospital CEO Chul-ho on life support and wait for a donor match. On one of her daily rounds, Hae-rim discovers a comatose patient named Mi-Na who, miraculously, is a match. The CEO’s cold-blooded son makes a deal with Hae-rim to go find Mi-Na’s family and bribe them to sign the consent form. Through her search, Hae-rim unravels Mi-Na’s tragic life and a dark secret that reflects her own past. MIDORI IN HAWAII (USA) Director: John Hill Midori is a struggling wedding photographer living in Hawaii. When Seiko and Kyo-chan, Midori’s judgmental sister and brother in-law visit from Japan, Midori’s small world is thrown off balance. As the sisters travel the Big Island together, old grudges and long forgotten psychological scars begin to resurface. The tension builds until the true reason for Seiko’s visit is finally revealed, forcing Midori to choose between family responsibilities or continuing to pursue her dream. PALI ROAD (USA) Director: Jonathan Lim PALI ROAD directed by Jonathan Lim A young doctor wakes up from a car accident and discovers she is married to another man and living a life she can’t remember. Her search for the truth to her past life will lead her to question everyone around her and her entire existence. Shot entirely in Hawaii and starring Chinese superstar Michelle Chen, TWILIGHT’s Jackson Rathbone and Sung Kang (FAST FIVE), PALI ROAD is a story for the search for true love between two worlds. A US-China co-production shot entirely on location in Hawaii. ROBBERY (Hong Kong) Director: Fire Lee A twenty-something punk fancies himself a total player, but the best job he can find is overnight clerk at a convenience store. The other clerk is a cute chick and you’re thinking “rom com,” but then there’s a robbery, a gangster, a shoot-out and a night they won’t forget, if they survive it! An anarcho-absurdist blood-soaked grand guignol indie flick with attitude to burn, this is the perfect high paced youth movie from Hong Kong. DOCUMENTARY FEATURE NOMINEES: AMERICAN EPIC (USA) Director: Bernard MacMahon AMERICAN EPIC is the extraordinary story of 1920s record companies that toured America with a recording machine, to capture the emerging and diverse music known as American roots. The filmmakers retrace this journey today, to rediscover the families whose music was recorded long ago; music that would lead to the development of Hopi, Hawaiian slack key, Tejano, Cajun and Delta Blues. These seminal musicians are revealed through previously unseen film footage, unpublished photographs, and exclusive interviews. CROCODILE GENNADIY (USA) Director: Steve Hoover Gennadiy calls himself ‘Pastor Crocodile.’ He’s known throughout Ukraine for his years working to rehabilitate drug-addicted kids. But he’s also a vigilante who uses any force necessary to carry out his moral vision. Gennadiy believes he has made Mariupol a better place, but now, the violence in Ukraine threatens everything. HEBEI TAIPEI (Taiwan) Director: Li Nien Hsiu Born in China, drifting from place to place since childhood, Li Chung-Hsiao has survived war and poverty. War robbed him of him returning to his hometown and his dreams are filled with only scenes of violence in the streets of his youth. With these memories as a guide, his daughter sets out to retrace his tumultuous life. This is the dramatic memoir of a foul-mouthed, insolent, yet somehow lovable man. IN FOOTBALL WE TRUST (USA) Director(s): Tony Vainuku, Erika Cohn A contemporary American story, IN FOOTBALL WE TRUST transports viewers deep inside the tightly-knit and complex Polynesian community in Salt Lake City, Utah, one of the chief sources for the modern influx of Pacific Islander NFLers. With unprecedented access and shot over a four-year time period, the film intimately portrays four young Polynesian men striving to overcome gang violence and near poverty through the promise of American football. REMAKE REMIX RIP-OFF (Turkey) Director: Cem Kaya Turkey in the 1960s and 70s was one of the world’s biggest film producers even though its industry was vastly unknown internationally. In order to keep up with demand, screenwriters and directors were copying scripts and remaking movies from across the globe. Name any Western hit film; there is a Turkish version to it, from THE WIZARD OF OZ to STAR TREK. What they lacked in equipment and budget they compensated for with sheer zeal and excessive use of manpower. THE SEVENTH FIRE (USA) Director: Jack Pettibone Riccobono When Rob Brown, a Native American gang leader on a remote Minnesota reservation, is sentenced to prison for a fifth time, he must confront his role in bringing violent drug culture into his beloved Ojibwe community. As Rob reckons with his past, his seventeen-year-old protégé, Kevin, dreams of the future – becoming the biggest drug dealer on the reservation. Terrence Malick presents this haunting and visually arresting nonfiction film about the gang crisis in Indian Country. “There’s a wealth of award winning and critically acclaimed films that we are honored to present across a broad cross-section of our festival program, especially in our European Spotlight, Awards Buzz, and Gala Presentations.” says Anna Page, HIFF’s Associate Director of Programming. “As a film festival close to the end of the calendar year, we are fortunate to present the very best films from Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Toronto.” Awards favorites and the most acclaimed films from the film festival circuit include the following: 45 YEARS (UK) Director: Andrew Haigh Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay turn in award winning performances as a couple in trouble. There is just one week until Kate Mercer’s forty-fifth wedding anniversary and planning for the party is going well, until a letter arrives for her husband. The body of his first love has been discovered, frozen and preserved in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps. Jealousy and what ifs plague the couple. By the time the party is upon them, there may not be a marriage left to celebrate. DHEEPAN (UK) Director: Jacques Audiard Dheepan Dheepan is a Sri Lankan Tamil warrior who flees to France, along with a young woman and little girl, as they pose as a family (this allows easier asylum). Soon, the makeshift family is sent to live in a housing block outside Paris, where Dheepan earns a job as the local caretaker. But violence continues to follow him when he realizes the block is territory for a drug gang. Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes. JAFAR PANAHI’S TAXI (Iran) Director: Jafar Panahi Taxi passengers express their views and opinions as filmmaker Jafar Panahi (currently under house arrest and charged for conspiring to create anti-Islamic propaganda) drives through the streets of Tehran. Thus the stage is set for a series of deft seriocomic episodes that bring Panahi (who exudes a warm presence) into contact with a diverse cross-section of Tehran society, all captured from the fixed p.o.v. of the taxi’s dash-cam. KRISHA (USA) Director: Trey Edward Schultz After years of absence, Krisha (played to the hilt by former Hawaii resident Krisha Fairchild) reunites with her family for a holiday gathering. She sees it as an opportunity to fix her past mistakes, cook the family turkey, and prove to her loved ones that she has changed for the better. Only Krisha’s delirium takes her family on a dizzying holiday that no one will forget. The film won both the Grand Jury and Audience Awards at SXSW this year. MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (China) Director: Jia Zhang-ke Jia Zhang-ke’s latest is an epic tale about Tao and the men who come in and out of her life. We begin in 1999, where Tao finds herself pursued by two young men. We jump to 2014, where Tao is a divorcee and trying to come to make peace with the fact that her young son may be better off with his rich father, who intends to immigrate to Australia. We end in 2025, centering on Tao’s now college-age son. MUSTANG (France, Germany, Turkey) Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven Early summer. In a village in northern Turkey, Lale and her four sisters are walking home from school, playing innocently with some boys. The immorality of their play sets off a scandal that has unexpected consequences. The family home is progressively transformed into a prison; instruction in homemaking replaces school and marriages start being arranged. The five sisters who share a common passion for freedom, find ways of getting around the constraints imposed on them. RIGHT NOW WRONG THEN (South Korea) Director: Hong Sang-soo The delightful new film from Festival favorite Hong Sang-soo (IN ANOTHER COUNTRY) presents two variations on a potentially fateful romantic encounter between a filmmaker and a painter, tracing each to its own very distinct outcome. The film won the Golden Leopard at this year’s Locarno Film Festival. SON OF SAUL (Hungary) Director: László Nemes Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes, and one of the most talked about films of the year, SON OF SAUL is an excoriating look at evil in Auschwitz. During World War II, a Jewish worker (Géza Röhrig) at the Auschwitz concentration camp tries to find a rabbi to give a child a proper burial. Grim and unyielding, this explosive film is also Hungary’s official entry to the Academy Awards. YELLOW FLOWERS ON THE GREEN GRASS (Vietnam) Director: Victor Vu A coming of age story set in the Vietnamese countryside during the late 1980s — Thieu and Tuong are brothers that share a strong bond. Unbeknownst to Tuong, Thieu is constantly jealous of his younger brother’s personal and academic achievements. This leads to an act of violence, which leaves Tuong paralyzed and bedridden. In coming to terms with his own conscience, Thieu attempts to redeem himself and discovers the true meaning of brotherhood. YOUTH (Italy, France, Switzerland, UK) Director: Paulo Sorrentino Oscar winning actor Michael Caine plays Fred, an acclaimed composer and conductor, who brings along his daughter (Rachel Weisz) and best friend Mick (Harvey Keitel), a renowned filmmaker on holiday. While Mick scrambles to finish the screenplay for what he imagines will be his last important film, Fred has no intention of resuming his musical career. The two men reflect on their past, each finding that some of the most important experiences can come later in life. The Festival is celebrating the life and legacy of one of the greatest directors of all time and the maestro of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The HITCHCOCK SPOTLIGHT presented by the Vilcek Foundation will encompass a 70th anniversary presentation of SPELLBOUND starring Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. After the screening, there will be an extended Q&A session with the late director’s granddaughters, Tere Carubba and Mary Stone, who will discuss their grandfather’s familial legacy and a personal and intimate perspective on one of the most famous film directors of the 20th century, who defined cinema. In addition, HIFF will present the Hawaii premiere of Kent Jones’ documentaryHITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. “In honor of the contributions that so many immigrants have made to American cinema over the years, HIFF 2015 will spotlight one of the most influential immigrant filmmakers, Alfred Hitchcock,” says Robert Lambeth, HIFF’s Executive Director. This spotlight is a special sidebar of the New American Filmmakers program presented by the Vilcek Foundation, which highlights the contributions of gifted immigrant filmmakers to contemporary American cinema. HIFF is proud to once again partner with the Vilcek Foundation to present the 9th annual New American Filmmakers program. SPELLBOUND (1945) w/ Tere Carubba and Mary Stone (Hitchcock’s granddaughters) Director: Alfred Hitchcock In this special 70th anniversary screening, SPELLBOUND tells the story of a psychiatrist protects the identity of an amnesia patient accused of murder while attempting to recover his memory. HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT (2015) Director: Kent Jones Hitchcock/Truffaut Kent Jones In 1962, Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut locked themselves away in Hollywood for a week to excavate the secrets behind the mise-en-scène in cinema. Based on the original recordings of this meeting—used to produce the mythical book “Hitchcock/Truffaut”—this film illustrates the greatest cinema lesson of all time. Director Kent Jones also interviews the top filmmakers working today as they discuss how this seminal book influences their work.

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  • Thriller PALI ROAD Starring Michelle Chen to World Premiere at Hawaii International Film Festival | TRAILER

    PALI ROAD directed by Jonathan Lim The mystery thriller, PALI ROAD directed by Jonathan Lim, will make its world premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) on November 16, 2015 with an encore screening on November 21, 2015. The film has been nominated for the prestigious Halekulani Golden Orchid Award, which is bestowed upon the narrative and documentary films that best express artistic and technical excellence and promote cross-cultural understanding. PALI ROAD stars Chinese superstar Michelle Chen, TWILIGHT’s Jackson Rathbone, Sung Kang (FAST FIVE, FAST & FURIOUS) and Hawaii’s own Henry Ian Cusick (The 100, Lost). PALI ROAD is a mesmerizing and chilling journey into the mystery of the human psyche and the power of love. Lily (Chen), a young doctor, wakes up from a car accident to discover she is now married to her boyfriend’s affluent rival, Dr. Mitch Kayne (Kang), has a five-year-old-son, and an established life she has no recollection of. Everyone around her, including her parents, deny that her boyfriend, Neil (Rathbone), ever existed, sending her on a desperate search for the truth. Determined to reclaim a life everyone insists is nothing more than an illusion, Lily eventually begins to doubt her own sanity. Struggling to overcome her seemingly hopeless situation, Lily endures a series of unexplainable and haunting incidents while bravely making her way to an ultimate mind-bending truth about the power of true love. Shot entirely in Hawaii PALI ROAD is a story about the search for true love between two different worlds. Her search for the truth to her past life will lead her to question everyone around her and her entire existence. PALI ROAD (aka Highway 61) is an idyllic, winding road through some of the most enchanting parts of Oahu and maintains an important if not infamous place in Hawaiian history. Being at the center of many of Oahu’s supernatural activities, it is said the road is haunted and various mysterious figures can be seen wandering the area at all hours. Numerous otherworldly sightings have been confirmed along Pali Road, both by longtime residents of the area as well as tourists who come from all over the world to visit the region. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-voJPKBpFM

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  • THE PROGRAM is Closing Night Film of 2015 Austin Film Festival

    Stephen Frears’s THE PROGRAM The Program has been selected as the Closing Night film of the 2015 Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference (AFF). From Academy Award ®-nominated director Stephen Frears (The Queen, Philomena), comes the true story of the meteoric rise and fall of one of the most celebrated and controversial men in recent history: Lance Armstrong, the world-renowned Tour de France champion. Written by John Hodge (Trainspotting), The Program features Ben Foster, Chris O’Dowd, Guillaume Canet, Dustin Hoffman, and Jesse Plemons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXfp859pcM0 The Festival revealed new marquee titles, including Love the Coopers and The 33, rounding out the slate amongst previously announced films including Carol, Brooklyn, Miss You Already, The Adderall Diaries, By Sidney Lumet, Go With Me, I Saw the Light, Last Days in the Desert, Man Up, Mojave, Remember, Youth, the 2015 Opening Night Film, Legend, and Centerpiece Selection, the world premiere of Burning Bodhi. Written by Steven Rogers and directed by Jessie Nelson, Love the Coopers stars Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Diane Keaton, Jake Lacy, and Anthony Mackie, and follows the Cooper clan as four generations of extended family come together for the annual Christmas Eve celebration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEZWaK74NHU The 33 stars Antonio Banderas and Juliette Binoche in a dramatic thriller based on the true story of the 33 Chilean miners who were buried alive by the catastrophic explosion and collapse of a century-old gold and copper mine for 69 days in 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOoIBOYqHyw AFF’s Extraordinary Contribution to Film – Actor award recipient, Chris Cooper, will present a retrospective screening of Lone Star, written and directed by John Sayles. The full retrospective series at the Festival will play host to John Singleton presenting Boyz n the Hood, Gary Ross presenting Pleasantville, Angelo Pizzo presenting Rudy, Charles Burnett presenting The Southerner, and Phil Rosenthal and Leon Vitali presenting a Halloween screening of The Shining.

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  • ROOM and WHERE TO INVADE NEXT Win Audience Awards at 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival

    ROOM, directed by Lenny Abrahamson and starring Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, William H. Macy and Joan Allen ROOM (pictured above) and WHERE TO INVADE NEXT were honored with the Audience Awards for Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature, respectively at the just wrapped 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival. ALL-AMERICAN FAMILY won the audience award for best short film. Adapted from the bestselling novel by author and screenwriter Emma Donoghue, ROOM directed by Lenny Abrahamson, follows Jack (Jacob Tremblay) and his Ma (Brie Larson), who live in a small, locked room. Having never left Room, Jack believes that only the things in the room are real and that everything he sees on TV is make-believe. Right after his fifth birthday, Ma reveals the secret that has kept them confined to the room all these years. A harrowing journey of discovery ensues, and Jack has to come to terms with the fact that there’s more to the world outside Room. Where To Invade Next, Michael Moore In an unexpected twist, Michael Moore’s (BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, FAHRENHEIT 9/11, ROGER & ME) latest project, WHERE TO INVADE NEXT, does not refer to American imperialism, but rather to Moore himself. Armed with a camera and a flag, the Oscar®-winning documentarian “invades” a slew of European countries in an attempt to learn more about their successful practices and programs. From Norwegian prisons to female-run Icelandic banks, to Italian employee benefits, Moore travels around the world with the intention of bringing these progressive philosophies back to the States. The festival ran from October 8th through October 12th and played over 134 films from around the world. HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2015 WINNERS: HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature sponsored by The Wall Street Journal Rams, directed by Grimur Hákonarson Honorable Mention for Narrative Feature Embrace of the Serpent, directed by Ciro Guerra HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature sponsored by ID Films Missing People, directed by David Shapiro Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature Chuck Norris Vs. Communism, directed by Ilinca Calugareanu HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Short Film sponsored by The Wall Street Journal Over, directed by Jörn Threlfall Honorable Mention for Narrative Short Film Patriot, directed by Eva Riley HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Film sponsored by ID Films Last Day of Freedom, directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones, Nomi Talisman Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice The Uncondemned, directed by Michele Mitchell, Nick Louvel Tangerine Entertainment Juice Fund Award Suffragette, directed by Sarah Gavron Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant When I Live My Life Over Again, directed by Robert Edwards The 2015 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution The Uncondemned, directed by Michele Mitchell, Nick Louvel The Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award: Dedicated to Those Who Suffer in Silence The Champions, directed by Darcy Dennett

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  • San Francisco Film Society Launches Doc Stories, Opens With New York Times Op-Docs

    New York Times Op-Docs The San Francisco Film Society is launching a new documentary film series, Doc Stories, with the inaugural edition taking place November 5 to 8, 2015. Alongside the feature film selections, 2015 Doc Stories will also include a number of programs of short films, which will explore the importance of the form to contemporary journalism and the realities of online content consumption. The Opening Night will feature New York Times Op-Docs, and the Closing Night will feature Heart of a Dog directed by Laurie Anderson. 2015 Doc Stories Lineup New York Times Op-Docs OPENING NIGHT Filmmakers in conversation with Op-Docs series producer Kathleen Lingo The New York Times, perhaps the world’s most influential and important media company, has been creating short-form content since 2011 and has also been especially supportive of Bay Area filmmakers. This program runs the gamut from Pentecostal preachers to klezmer-playing Holocaust survivors and celebrates this exceptional fusion of groundbreaking journalism and inspirational documentary filmmaking. (70 min) Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom Evgeny Afineevsky (Ukraine/USA/UK 2015, 102 min) Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky This on-the-ground document of the Ukrainian civic uprising that resulted in the departure of President Viktor Yanukovych melds startling footage of events as they unfold with subsequent testimonials from witnesses and participants to create a visceral portrait of historic events and some of the individuals who made up a popular movement. Director Evgeny Afineevsky skillfully manages multiple perspectives and stories to create a coherent and vital rendering of history unfolding moment to moment. Song of Lahore Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (USA/Pakistan 2015, 82 min) Director and special guests in person Pakistan’s Sachel Studios was founded in 2004 in an attempt to preserve and revive centuries-old musical traditions that faced extinction after the imposition of Sharia law in the ’70s and more current Taliban pressure discouraging musical performance. When a video of the group’s version of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” performed on traditional Pakistani instruments goes viral online, they get a chance to gain the kind of acclaim that Lahore’s musicians once enjoyed. What Happened, Miss Simone? Liz Garbus (USA 2014, 102 min) Director and special guest in person After its glorious reception at SFIFF58, the Film Society offers another opportunity to see this extraordinary documentary on the big screen. A full biography filled with candid conversations, interviews, letters and performances, this film is the definitive take on Nina Simone’s life. Paying special attention to her career-jeopardizing choices during the Civil Rights movement and her insistence on justice and unflinching when presenting her surprising weaknesses, What Happened, Miss Simone? is a fitting portrait of an inimitable and powerful artist. Cartel Land Matthew Heineman (USA/Mexico 2015, 100 min) Director and special guests in person This bold film gives extraordinary access to dangerous and sometimes deadly skirmishes in the Mexico-US drug wars, following vigilante groups on either side of the border as they empower themselves to take action against drug cartels that they feel are endangering their everyday lives. A vivid and sometimes brutal portrait of citizens motivated to take the law into their own hands, Cartel Land reveals fault lines and grey areas in every aspect of the conflict. A Conversation with Davis Guggenheim Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim will participate in an intimate onstage conversation about his documentary work and current film, He Named Me Malala, an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai and her fight for the rights of girls around the world. Guggenheim has directed some of the most successful documentaries of the last decade and this will be a rare opportunity to hear about his approach to his craft, and thoughts about the documentary form. (70 min) Field of Vision Series co-founder AJ Schnack in person Launched in late September, Field of Vision is a new film unit committed to artistically thoughtful documentaries, rooted in investigative journalism. Created by Oscar winner Laura Poitras (Citizenfour), AJ Schnack (Caucus) and Charlotte Cook, Field of Vision will pair filmmakers with developing and ongoing stories around the globe. Join co-creator AJ Schnack for a selection of original films from the inaugural season and a conversation about the series’ creation and the current state of short-form documentary. (TRT 90 min) Janis: Little Girl Blue Amy Berg (USA 2015, 106 min) Director and special guests in person JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE Most of us are familiar with the iconic Janis Joplin, troubled wild child of the San Francisco music scene of the ’60s who died tragically of an overdose at the age of 27. Amy Berg goes beyond the legend to present an intimate portrait of a complicated artist, weaving archival material-some of it never seen before-with compelling interviews and Joplin’s reflective letters to friends and family, read with a bright sweetness by Chan Marshall (Cat Power). Profiles in Courage: Short Documentaries from HBO Filmmakers in person Ebola in Liberia, LGBT rights in Cuba, a brave Nepalese couple seeking to regain their eyesight. HBO has long been the acknowledged leader in the documentary world, and never more so than now. These inspiring short films-all strong contenders for the Academy’s short list for short documentary films-show the unique global perspective and entertaining storytelling style that make HBO such an important contributor to film culture. (TRT 93 min) Thank You for Playing David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall (USA 2015, 82 min) Co-directors in person When video game developer Ryan Green’s very young son Joel is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, he turns to what he knows best to combat his family’s emotional upheaval-he creates a game. With great emotional power, co-directors David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall create an intimate space for their heart-rending documentary that demonstrates how art and technology can help process grief and combat the various dragons everyone must try to slay. Hitchcock/Truffaut Kent Jones (France/USA 2015, 80 min) Director in person Hitchcock/Truffaut Kent Jones One of cinema’s most influential books is brought vividly to life in Kent Jones’s enjoyable and expertly constructed documentary that illuminates the careers of and relationship between two of cinema’s greats, Alfred Hitchcock and François Truffaut. Featuring audio recordings of the interview between the two masters, gorgeous film clips and interviews with directors such as Wes Anderson, David Fincher, Olivier Assayas and Martin Scorsese, this is essential viewing for any lover of cinema. Heart of a Dog CLOSING NIGHT Laurie Anderson (USA 2015, 75 min) Director in person Laurie Anderson’s playful essay film is nominally a tribute to her rat terrier, Lolabelle. In her inimitable way, Anderson takes this canine paean as her center and folds in a world of moving, funny and salient ideas about life, death, love, truth, memory, Buddhism and our four-legged soul mates. Skillfully weaving personal memories with inspired connections to current events and philosophy, Anderson creates a funny and moving meditation for dog lovers and other humans.

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  • Meryl Streep will be Jury President of 66th Berlin International Film Festival

    Meryl Streep Three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep will be the Jury President of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival taking place February 11 to 21, 2016. ”Meryl Streep is one of the most creative and multifaceted film artists. To mark our enthusiasm for her extraordinary talent we awarded her the Honorary Golden Bear in 2012 for her lifetime achievement. I am very happy that she is returning to Berlin and with her artistic experience will take on the chairmanship of the International Jury”, says Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick. Meryl Streep has appeared in over 40 films and is considered one of the world’s most talented and versatile actresses. She has been a guest at the Berlin International Film Festival on a number of occasions: in 1999, she was awarded the Berlinale Camera, and in 2003, together with Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman she shared the Silver Bear award for their performances in The Hours. In 2006, she could again be seen in the Berlinale Competition in Robert Altman’s ensemble comedy A Prairie Home Companion.  In 2012, the Berlinale dedicated a homage to Meryl Streep and awarded her the Honorary Golden Bear for her lifetime achievement. “It is a thrill to return to the festival under any circumstances, but it is with great relish and anticipation I look forward to jury duty. The responsibility is somewhat daunting, as I have never been President of anything before, and I hope I can come up to the precedent set by the distinguished juries of preceding years. Grateful for the honor”, says Meryl Streep with regard to her jury presidency.

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  • 2015 DOC NYC Complete Lineup; Secretary Hillary Clinton to Attend Closing Night World Premiere of ONCE AND FOR ALL

    Once and For All, directed by Michael Epstein and Dyllan McGee The 2015 DOC NYC documentary festival, running November 12 to 19, will include over 200 films and events.  Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton will be in attendance for the Closing Night world premiere of AOL’s MAKERS’ Once and For All, directed by Michael Epstein and Dyllan McGee, about the 1995 Beijing Women’s Conference where then-First Lady Clinton gave a historic address on women’s rights. Director Amy Berg will present her Janis Joplin portrait, Janis: Little Girl Blue, for the festival’s Centerpiece on November 15. These two gala screenings join the previously announced Opening Night film Miss Sharon Jones!, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple. 27 films world premiering at the festival include The Anthropologist, profiling Margaret Mead and Susie Crate; Bluespace, an exploration of water on Earth and Mars; The Sunshine Makers, on psychedelic drug makers; Thank You For Your Service, on veterans coping with PTSD; and the first two episodes of Making a Murderer, a 10-part Netflix series about a high-stakes criminal case in America’s heartland. Among the 15 U.S. premieres are The Fear of 13, on a prisoner’s gripping story; Frackman, on an Australian activist; Lucha Mexico, on Mexican wrestlers; Noma: My Perfect Storm, on the acclaimed Nordic restaurant; and Speed Sisters, on Arab women race car drivers. DOC NYC will welcome over 200 filmmakers and special guests in attendance for Q&As after most screenings. Among the notable visitors expected to appear in person are filmmaker Martin Scorsese for Hitchcock/Truffaut; comedian Gilbert Gottfried for Can We Take a Joke?; poet Sonia Sanchez for BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez; actress Mary Louise Wilson for She’s the Best Thing In It; actor Omar Epps for Daddy Don’t Go; former NSA technical director Bill Binney for A Good American; avant-garde filmmaker and choreographer Yvonne Rainer for Feelings Are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer; and renowned chefs Georges Perrier and Nicholas Elmi for King Georges. The following is a breakdown of programming by section: GALAS Opening Night – MISS SHARON JONES! Dir: Barbara Kopple, US Premiere Two-time Oscar winner Barbara Kopple follows soul queen Sharon Jones in a year of adversity. In person: Barbara Kopple, subjects Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings Centerpiece – JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE Dir: Amy Berg, NYC Premiere Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us from Evil) profiles the rock legend Janis Joplin. FilmRise. In person: Amy Berg Closing Night – ONCE AND FOR ALL Dirs: Michael Epstein, Dyllan McGee, World Premiere The story of the 1995 Beijing Women’s Conference, a watershed event in the global struggle for women’s rights. AOL’s MAKERS. In person: Michael Epstein, Dyllan McGee, subject Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton SPECIAL EVENTS AN ART THAT NATURE MAKES: THE WORK OF ROSAMOND PURCELL Dir: Molly Bernstein, World Premiere Photographer Rosamond Purcell finds unexpected beauty in the overlooked, discarded and decayed. In person: Molly Bernstein, subject Rosamond Purcell. (Preceded by the short film A PASSION OF GOLD AND FIRE, dir: Sebastien Pins, on the retiring head of an apiary school.) HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT Dir: Kent Jones Martin Scorsese, David Fincher and others discuss the influence of Hitchcock and Truffaut’s famous book. Cohen Media Group. In person: Kent Jones, subject Martin Scorsese KEYNOTE: A CONVERSATION WITH JON ALPERT & SHEILA NEVINS Filmmaker Jon Alpert and HBO Documentary Films head Sheila Nevins give a keynote conversation in conjunction with the world premiere of Alpert’s short film MARIELA CASTRO’S MARCH: CUBA’S LGBT REVOLUTION profiling the Cuban Congresswoman who is a tireless champion of LGBT rights in Cuba. HBO Documentary Films. MAKING A MURDERER Dirs: Laura Ricciardi, Moira Demos, World Premiere A sneak peek at the first two episodes of a riveting ten-part true crime docu-series. Netflix. In person: Laura Ricciardi, Moira Demos TROUBLEMAKERS: THE STORY OF LAND ART Dir: James Crump A group of NYC-based artists abandoned gallery spaces to embrace the expanse of the American Southwest. First Run Features. In person: James Crump, MOCA Director Philippe Vergne + A SURPRISE SCREENING OF A SOON-TO-BE-ANNOUNCED WORLD PREMIERE VIEWFINDERS COMPETITION (distinct directorial visions) THE ANTHROPOLOGIST Dirs: Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, Jeremy Newberger, World Premiere Parallel stories of two female anthropologists: trailblazer Margaret Mead and contemporary Susie Crate. In person: Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, Jeremy Newberger, subjects Mary Catherine Bateson, Susie Crate, Katie Yegorov-Crate BARGE Dir: Ben Powell, NYC Premiere A portrait of characters working on a Mississippi barge headed to New Orleans. In person: Ben Powell BLUESPACE Dir: Ian Cheney, World Premiere An expedition to two planets: Earth, with its rising seas, and Mars, with the promise of colonization. In person: Ian Cheney A GOOD AMERICAN Dir: Friedrich Moser, North American Premiere A profile of Bill Binney, who went from a NSA insider to a critic of government surveillance. In person: Friedrich Moser, subjects Bill Binney, Kirk Wiebe, Tom Drake I AM SUN MU Dir: Adam Sjöberg, US Premiere After defecting from North Korea, a former propaganda artist applies his craft to satirical political pop art. In person: Adam Sjöberg A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES: PEACEKEEPERS Dirs: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Geeta Gandbhir, US Premiere Three Bangladeshi policewomen serve with the UN peacekeeping mission in post-earthquake Haiti. In person: Geeta Gandbhir MOTLEY’S LAW Dir: Nicole Horanyi, NYC Premiere The only Western lawyer licensed to work in Afghanistan’s courts, Kimberley Motley finds herself at a crossroads. In person: Nicole Horanyi, subject Kimberley Motley NEWMAN Dir: Jon Fox, NYC Premiere A maverick inventor battles against the scientific establishment over a miraculous energy-producing machine. In person: Jon Fox P.S. JERUSALEM Dir: Danae Elon, US Premiere Chronicling three years in Jerusalem with her family, Danae Elon uncovers the city’s tensions. In person: Danae Elon THE SUNSHINE MAKERS Dir: Cosmo Feilding-Mellen, World Premiere A real-life Breaking Bad for the psychedelic set about the unlikely duo at the heart of 1960s drug counterculture. In person: Cosmo Feilding Mellen METROPOLIS COMPETITION (NYC stories) CLASS DIVIDE Dir: Marc Levin, NYC Premiere A look at NYC’s gentrification and growing inequality at the Chelsea intersection of 10th Avenue and 26th Street. HBO Documentary Films. In person: Marc Levin DADDY DON’T GO Dir: Emily Abt, World Premiere Four diverse, disadvantaged NYC fathers struggle to beat the odds and defy the deadbeat dad stereotype. In person: Emily Abt, all subjects THE JAZZ LOFT ACCORDING TO W. EUGENE SMITH Dir: Sara Fishko, NYC Premiere In 1957-65, a former LIFE Magazine photojournalist captured legendary jazz musicians in a Sixth Avenue loft. In person: Sara Fishko LEFT ON PURPOSE Dir: Justin Schein, Co-Dir David Mehlman, NYC Premiere What begins as a portrait of the life of an antiwar radical instead threatens to become an account of his suicide. In person: Justin Schein, David Mehlman THE LOST ARCADE Dir: Kurt Vincent, World Premiere Gentrification threatens the last arcade in NYC, as well as the diverse community that calls it a second home. In person: Kurt Vincent MIRIAM: HOME DELIVERY Dir: Juliet Jordan, World Premiere A profile of a NYC homebirth midwife and her diverse clientele. In person: Juliet Jordan, subject Miriam Schwarzschild MISSING PEOPLE Dir: David Shapiro, NYC Premiere A NYC gallerist, haunted by the unsolved murder of her brother, becomes obsessed with a New Orleans painter. In person: David Shapiro OXD: ONE EXTRAORDINARY DAY Dir: Craig Lowy, World Premiere Elizabeth Streb’s Brooklyn-based Extreme Action Company trains for a breathtaking spectacle in London. In person: Craig Lowy, subject Elizabeth Streb, dancers from the Streb Extreme Action Company TESTED Dir: Curtis Chin, World Premiere Attending NYC’s elite public schools can set students up for the future, but first they have to get in. In person: Curtis Chin. (Preceded by the short film WHY WE STAY, dir: Crystal Kayiza, co-dirs: Pete Quandt, Leroy Farrell, on a South Bronx community fighting gentrification.) TREE MAN Dirs: Jon Reiner, Brad Rothschild, NYC Premiere A Quebecois family man spends five weeks on the streets of NYC selling Christmas trees. In person: Jon Reiner, Brad Rothschild AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES (a spectrum of domestic topics) ABOVE AND BELOW Dir: Nicolas Steiner, NYC Premiere An exploration of outsiders who live in abandoned military bunkers and storm drains in the American West. Oscilloscope Laboratories. In person: Nicolas Steiner AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MICHELLE MAREN Dirs: Michel Negroponte, Michelle Maren, US Premiere An acclaimed filmmaker and his troubled subject craft a captivating portrait of a woman enslaved by past traumas. In person: Michel Negroponte, Michelle Maren DEEP RUN Dir: Hillevi Loven, NYC Premiere Can an affable young transgender man live openly with his true love in the Bible Belt? In person: Hillevi Loven, subject Cole Ray Davis THE FEAR OF 13 Dir: David Sington, North American Premiere A death row prisoner behind bars for more then 20 years reveals the shocking truth behind his case. In person: David Sington LOVE BETWEEN THE COVERS Dir: Laurie Kahn, NYC Premiere A look at the vast community around romance fiction, demonstrating why love stories are no trivial matter. In person: Laurie Kahn A NEW HIGH Dirs: Samuel Miron, Stephen Scott Scarpulla, NYC Premiere A group of Seattle addicts attempt to climb Mount Rainier to conquer their demons. In person: Samuel Miron, Stephen Scott Scarpulla SKY LINE Dirs: Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Jonny Leahan, World Premiere Egos collide as a group of scientists and entrepreneurs attempt to realize a science-fiction fantasy. FilmBuff. In person: Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Jonny Leahan THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE Dir: Tom Donahue, World Premiere The stories of several struggling veterans reveal the mental health crisis in the military. In person: Tom Donahue, subjects Kenneth Toone, Dr. Mark Russell, William Rodriguez, Phil Straub, General Loree Sutton, Jake Clark WILHEMINA’S WAR Dir: June Cross, World Premiere An African-American grandmother in the deep South cares for her HIV+ family members. In person: June Cross. (Preceded by the short film OPEN YOUR EYES, dir: Irene Taylor Brodsky, on a blind elderly couple in Nepal.) INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES (a spectrum of global topics) ALL RISE Dirs: Jay Shapiro, Jeffrey Saunders, World Premiere International law students face off in the world’s most prestigious simulated court competition, the Jessup. In person: Jay Shapiro, Jeffrey Saunders, subjects Areej Alragabi, Tomer Tregor THE BABUSHKAS OF CHERNOBYL Dirs: Holly Morris, Anne Bogart, NYC Premiere A profile of elderly women who subsist on their beloved but toxic land in Chernobyl’s radioactive exclusion zone. In person: Holly Morris BOLSHOI BABYLON Dirs: Nick Read, co-dir. Mark Franchetti, NYC Premiere Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet weathers the fallout from the notorious 2013 acid attack on the company’s director Sergei Filin. HBO Documentary Films. In person: Nick Read, Mark Franchetti KINGDOM OF SHADOWS Dir: Bernardo Ruiz A compelling investigation into the human costs of the Mexican drug war on both sides of the border. Participant Media. In person: Bernardo Ruiz ON THE RIM OF THE SKY Dir: Hongjie Xu, US Premiere An isolated Chinese village school becomes a battleground between generations, ideologies and egos. TOCANDO LA LUZ Dir: Jennifer Redfearn, NYC Premiere Three women, united by blindness and a desire for independence, pursue their dreams in modern Cuba. In person: Jennifer Redfearn. (Preceded by the short film THE 100 YEARS SHOW, dir: Alison Klayman, on Cuban-born NYC artist Carmen Herrera.) BEHIND THE SCENES (on films and filmmaking) CLAUDE LANZMANN: SPECTRES OF THE SHOAH Dir: Adam Benzine, NYC Premiere For the first time on camera, the 89-year-old auteur behind Shoah reflects on the challenges he faced to realize his vision. HBO Documentary Films. In person: Adam Benzine, subjects Richard Brody, Stuart Liebman. (Preceded by the short film DREAMING AGAINST THE WORLD, dirs: Timothy Sternberg, Francisco Bello, on Chinese artist Mu Xin.) THE DYING OF THE LIGHT Dir: Peter Flynn, World Premiere A bittersweet ode to the vanishing craft of film projection and a celebration of the men and women in the booth. In person: Peter Flynn HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY Dir: Daniel Raim, North American Premiere A love story and tribute to the unsung talents behind a staggering number of cinema classics. In person: Daniel Raim RAIDERS!: THE STORY OF THE GREATEST FAN FILM EVER MADE Dirs: Jeremy Coon, Tim Skousen, NYC Premiere Three pre-teens set out to pay tribute to their favorite film; it become an obsession lasting three decades. Drafthouse Films. In person: Jeremy Coon,Tim Skousen REEL IN THE CLOSET Dir: Stu Maddux, NYC Premiere An excavation of the hidden history of LGBT lives through a treasure trove of rare home movies. In person: Stu Maddux. (Preceded by the short film ED & PAULINE, dirs: Christian Bruno, Natalija Vekic, on Pauline Kael and Ed Landberg’s art house cinema.) WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED Dir: Gillian Armstrong, NYC Premiere In Hollywood’s golden age, costume designer Orry-Kelly thrived, but also kept secrets as a gay man. In person: subject Ann Roth CENTERSTAGE (on performers) CAN WE TAKE A JOKE? Dir: Ted Balaker, World Premiere A thought-provoking exploration of outrage culture through the lens of stand-up comedy. In person: Ted Balaker, subjects Greg Lukianoff, Karith Foster, Gilbert Gottfried FEELINGS ARE FACTS: THE LIFE OF YVONNE RAINER Dir: Jack Walsh, NYC Premiere A long-overdue portrait of iconoclast dancer, choreographer and filmmaker Yvonne Rainer. In person: Jack Walsh, subject Yvonne Rainer THE RED UMBRELLA DIARIES Dir: David Kornfield, NYC Premiere Seven diverse sex workers tell their tales at NYC’s Joe’s Pub. In person: producer Audacia Ray SHE’S THE BEST THING IN IT Dir: Ron Nyswaner, NYC Premiere Tony-winning character actor Mary Louise Wilson finds few opportunities on the stage, so turns to teaching. In person: Ron Nyswaner, subject Mary Louise Wilson DOC EAT DOC (on food) CITY OF GOLD Dir: Laura Gabbert, NYC Premiere This portrait of Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold reveals hidden culinary gems of Los Angeles. Sundance Selects. In person: Laura Gabbert, subject Jonathan Gold FOR GRACE Dirs: Kevin Pang, Mark Helenowski, NYC Premiere Recognized with two Michelin stars, chef Curtis Duffy sets grand plans for his new Chicago restaurant, Grace. FilmBuff. In person: Kevin Pang KING GEORGES Dir: Erika Frankel At Philadelphia’s famed French restaurant Le Bec Fin, chef Georges Perrier struggles to stay in business. In person: Erika Frankel, subjects Georges Perrier, Nicholas Elmi THE MISSING INGREDIENT Dir: Michael Sparaga, World Premiere A portrait of two NY restaurants, exploring what it means to be an institution. In person: Michael Sparaga, subjects Charles Devigne, Michael Miele, Salvatore Doria NOMA: MY PERFECT STORM Dir: Pierre Deschamps, North American Premiere When the Nordic restaurant Noma loses the title of the world’s best restaurant, its talented chef seeks redemption. Magnolia Pictures. DOCS REDUX (a showcase of classic revivals) GIMME SHELTER (1970) Dirs: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin 45th anniversary screening, in memory of Al Maysles. A portrait of the Rolling Stones becomes a disturbing record of a notorious concert. HIGH ON CRACK STREET: LOST LIVES IN LOWELL (1995) Dirs: Jon Alpert, Maryann DeLeo, Richard Farrell 20th anniversary screening. The documentary that inspired The Fighter focuses on three addicts. In person: Jon Alpert SISTERS IN LAW (2005) Dir: Kim Longinotto 10th anniversary screening. Two fierce and feisty women challenge tradition in Cameroon through their legal work. In person: Kim Longinotto FIGHT THE POWER (on activists) BADDDDD SONIA SANCHEZ Dirs: Barbara Attie, Janet Goldwater, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, NYC Premiere A crucial figure in the Black Arts Movement harnesses her gift for words to fuse art and activism over six decades. California Newsreel. In person: Barbara Attie, Janet Goldwater, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, subject Sonia Sanchez THE C WORD Dir: Meghan O’Hara, NYC Premiere Oscar-nominated producer Megan O’Hara (Sicko) questions the establishment wisdom around cancer. In person: Meghan O’Hara CIRCLE OF POISON Dirs: Evan Mascagni, Shannon Post, World Premiere A pointed exposé on the global trade in banned pesticides and their impact on health. In person: Evan Mascagni, Shannon Post FRACKMAN Dir: Richard Todd, Co-Dir Jonathon Stack, US Premiere Funny and outspoken Aussie everyman Dayne Pratzky becomes an accidental activist against fracking. In person: Richard Todd, Jonathon Stack, subject Dayne Pratzky THE INVADERS Dir: Prichard Smith, World Premiere Filling in a lost chapter of civil rights history, a look at the generation of radicals that emerged in Memphis in 1967. In person: Prichard Smith (Preceded by the short film EMORY DOUGLAS: THE ART OF THE BLACK PANTHERS, dirs: Dan Covert, Andre Andreev aka “Dress Code,” on art used as a revolutionary weapon.) NO MÁS BÉBES Dir: Renee Tajima-Peña, NYC Premiere A young lawyer fights the medical establishment on behalf of Latina immigrants sterilized without their consent. In person: Renee Tajima-Peña JOCK DOCS (on sports) BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY Dir: Jerome Thelia, NYC Premiere A far-ranging exploration of the universal appeal of play as realized in the ubiquity and versatility of the ball. In person: Jerome Thélia. (Preceded by the short film THE BAD BOY OF BOWLING, dir: Bryan Storkel, on bowling sensation Peter Weber.) GAME FACE Dir: Michiel Thomas, NYC Premiere A transgender Mixed Martial Artist and a gay college basketball player struggle with living openly in the public eye. In person: Michiel Thomas THE GREAT ALONE Dir: Greg Kohs, NYC Premiere Lance Mackey braves the Arctic wilderness for another chance at glory through the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. In person: Greg Kohs, subjects Lance Mackey, sled dog Amp THE LEGEND OF SWEE’ PEA Dir: Benjamin May, World Premiere NYC playground basketball legend Lloyd “Swee’ Pea” Daniels was a top college recruit until a drug bust. In person: Benjamin May LUCHA MEXICO Dirs: Alex Hammond, Ian Markiewicz, US Premiere An entertaining look at Mexico’s Lucha Libre, where masked wrestlers wage a battle between good and evil. In person: Alex Hammond, Ian Markiewicz, subjects Shocker, Jon Strongman SPEED SISTERS Dir: Amber Fares, US Premiere The Middle East’s first all-female Arab race car team overcomes checkpoints and expectations to become role models. In person: Amber Fares, subject Noor Daoud MODERN FAMILY (on diverse relations) ALWAYS TOGETHER Dir: Eva Tomanová, US Premiere A former computer scientist raises his family in the Czech countryside with no modern conveniences or schooling. FROM THIS DAY FORWARD Dir: Sharon Shattuck, NYC Premiere The filmmaker seeks to understand how her parents remained together after her father transitioned to a woman. In person: Sharon Shattuck GAYBY BABY Dir: Maya Newell, NYC Premiere This touching film reveals both the challenges of same-sex parenting and its commonalities with every family. In person: producer Charlotte Mars THE MELTING FAMILY Dir: Nicole Groton, World Premiere This candidly personal film chronicles how one nuclear family grew through seven divorces and remarriages. In person: Nicole Groton OLD FRIENDS Dir: Peter Odabashian, World Premiere An intimate reflection on friendship demonstrates the power of an intentional community. In person: Peter Odabashian, subjects Esther Cohen, Bruce Kitzmeyer, Anne Newman Bacal, Betty Odabashian WITH OR WITHOUT YOU Dir: Hyuckjee Park, North American Premiere Long-widowed from the husband they shared, two women continue to live together decades later. SONIC CINEMA (on music) 13 MILLION VOICES Dir: Janelle Gueits, NYC Premiere Young Cubans and Cuban Americans forge ties against backdrop of Havana’s Peace Without Borders concert. In person: Janelle Gueits HUSTLERS CONVENTION Dir: Mike Todd A rap cousin of Searching for Sugar Man, the film seeks the artist behind the 1973 album Hustlers Convention. In person: Mike Todd I GO BACK HOME – JIMMY SCOTT Dir: Yoon-ha Chang, World Premiere The angelic-voiced jazz singer Jimmy Scott lived in obscurity for decades before making a comeback. In person: Yoon-ha Chang, subject Ralf Kemper MAD TIGER Dirs: Jonathan Yi, Michael Haertlein, World Premiere Meet Peelander-Z and you might just start to believe the Japanese art-punk band’s claims of interstellar origins. In person: Jonathan Yi, Michael Haertlein, subjects Kengo Hioki (Yellow), Kotaro Tsukada (Red) SYL JOHNSON: ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS Dir: Rob Hatch-Miller, NYC Premiere Soul singer Syl Johnson never achieved the success he longed for until hip hop opened up new opportunities. In person: Rob Hatch-Miller THEORY OF OBSCURITY: A FILM ABOUT THE RESIDENTS Dir: Don Hardy, NYC Premiere A profile of the band the Residents, who have maintained anonymity for 40 years behind giant eyeball masks. Film Movement. In person: Don Hardy THE WILD LIFE (on animals) THE CHAMPIONS Dir: Darcy Dennett, NYC Premiere An inspiring chronicle of the efforts to rescue and rehabilitate Michael Vick’s pit bulls. In person: Darcy Dennett HARRY & SNOWMAN Dir: Ron Davis, NYC Premiere Dutch immigrant Harry deLeyer saves a horse from the glue factory and finds a show-jumping champion. In person: Ron Davis HUNTWATCH Dir: Brant Backlund, World Premiere An activist crusades against the cruelty of seal hunting while bringing us closer to the delightful creatures. In person: Brant Backlund TIGER TIGER Dir: George Butler, NYC Premiere One of the world’s top big cat biologists tracks tigers on the dangerous border of India and Bangladesh. In person: George Butler SHORTS PROGRAMS (thematic collections of short documentaries) SHORTS: CONCRETE KINGDOM City life. Lenny and the Rat (dir: Jason Hutt); S – The Musical Shuttle (dirs: Alina Abouelenin, Benjamin Bergmann); Man Under (dir: Paul Stone); Mac Premo – stuffmaker (dir: Bas Berkhout); Super-Unit(s) (dir: Teresa Czepiec). In person: Paul Stone, Jason Hutt, Bas Berkhout, Alina Abouelenin, Benjamin Bergmann SHORTS: EXPRESSIONS Artists and their art. Sideshow of the Absurd (dirs: Tina DiFeliciantonio, Jane C. Wagner); Cindy Sherman: “Untitled Film Stills” (dir: Douglas Sloan); Colors of Life (dir: Goro Ushijima); Artspeak (dir: Bill Claps); Bernice (dir: Kristina Sorge). In person: Tina DiFeliciantonio, Jane C. Wagner, Douglas Sloan, Bill Claps SHORTS: A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS Stories for the whole family. Cone Phones (dir: Heidi Gelover); Little Hero (dirs: Marcus McDougald, Jennifer Medvin); Made of Clay (dir: Fayssal Bin Sahli); AlieNation (dir: Laura Lehmus); Curt (dir: Brendan Hearne); Teen Press (dir: T.C. Johnstone). In person: Heidi Gelover, Jennifer Medvin, Brendan Hearne, T.C. Johnstone SHORTS: FROM THERE TO HERE Experiences in the melting pot. Satellite Baby (dir: Jenny Schweitzer); Resident Alien (dir: Naiara Eizaguirre-Paulos); The Absentees (dir: Tanya Daud); Not So Namaste (dirs: Rita Baghdadi, Jeremiah Hammerling); Marathon (dirs: Theo Rigby, Kate McLean); Going Back Home (dir: Tim O’Donnell); Looking at Time (dir: Brandon Lavoie). In person: Jenny Schweitzer, Rita Baghdadi, Jeremiah Hammerling, Theo Rigby, Kate McLean, Tim O’Donnell, Brandon Lavoie SHORTS: LARGER THAN LIFE Portraits of everyday characters. Tiger Hood (dir: Christopher André Marks); Pink Boy (dir: Eric Rockey); The Reinvention of Normal (dir: Liam Saint-Pierre); Dunk Tank Clowns (dir: Daniel McGuire); Rothman (dir: Nader Sadre); Heavy Fog Tonight (dir: Nathan Reich). In person: Christopher André Marks, Eric Rockey, Liam Saint-Pierre, Daniel McGuire, Nader Sadre, Nathan Reich SHORTS: PASSPORT Take a trip around the world. Boxeadora (dir: Meg Smaker); Worlds on Edge (dirs: Thiago B. Mendonça, Renata Jardim); End of the World (dir: Monika Pawluczuk); Hyena Boys (dir: Tarryn Crossman). In person: Meg Smaker, Thiago B. Mendonça, Monika Pawluczuk, Tarryn Crossman SHORTS: POINTS OF VIEW Tales of yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Clock of the Long Now (dirs: Jimmy Goldblum, Adam Weber); The Typist (dir: Kristine Stolakis); German Shepherd (dir: Nils Bergendal); The 414s (dir: Michael T. Vollmann); Back (dirs: Jenna Belhumeur, Elena Boffetta); I Was Here First (dirs: Katherin Machalek, Adam Golub); The Surrender (dir: Stephen Maing). In person: Jimmy Goldblum, Adam Weber, Kristine Stolakis, Jenna Belhumeur, Elena Boffetta, Katherin Machalek, Adam Golub, Stephen Maing SHORT: PUSHING THE BOUNDS True innovation. What Lies Beneath the Sky (dir: Vladimir de Fontenay); Morgan Green Shaves Her Head Backwards (dir: Morgan Green); María 95 (dir: Josh Polon); Zone Blanche (dir: Gaëlle Cintré); Confessions (dir: Paul Erskine); Le Mur et l’Eau (dir: Alice Fargier). In person: Vladimir de Fontenay, Morgan Green, Josh Polon, Gaëlle Cintré, Paul Erskine

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  • 2015 Dubai International Film Festival Announces First Selection of Short Films in Muhr Competition

    ‘Waves ’98’ directed by Lebanese Ely Dagher The 2015 Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) Muhr Short Category will premiere 15 short films from the region’s best and brightest directors. The entrants that will be battling it out for this year’s prestigious ‘Muhr Awards’ include; the highly acclaimed animated short film ‘Waves ’98’ directed by Lebanese Ely Dagher, (pictured above) which won the Palme d’Or for Short Film at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The film explores the filmmaker’s current relationship with his homeland, disillusioned with his life in the suburbs of segregated Beirut, Omar’s unusual discovery lures him into the depth of the city. Immersed into a world that is so close yet so isolated from his reality, he finds himself struggling to keep his attachments, his sense of home. The dramatic world premiere ‘The Wheel’, directed by Egyptian Menna Ekram, depicts the daily lives of a struggling couple working in a circus. The couple, Hayat and Ali, hopes that the start of a new routine, fraught with danger and reliant on an unwavering trust, might re-ignite what once got them together. Established theatre, film and television actress, Ibtissem Guerda, returns to the Festival with the world premiere of her captivating short ‘The Veil of Jealousy’. The short follows Amine, a young and devout Muslim, who is very much in love with his wife Enora. However, when Enora makes a new friend the mood changes as jealousy and doubt begin to manifest in Amine and he questions who it is that is hiding under the Burqa? Egyptian director Shady El-Hamus prepares to take audiences at DIFF on an emotional journey in the world premiere of ‘Fairuz’, a short-film centred around Yousef, played by Mohammad Bakri, a man in his mid-60’s struggling with the harsh realities of life. The film begins on the wedding day of his only child, Fairuz, where it is revealed that she plans to move abroad with her new husband. Distraught and unable to accept the news Yousef flees the wedding and undergoes an introspective journey through a series of unexpected events. World premiere ‘The Right Path’, from Lebanese directors Fouad Alaywan and Ovidio El Hout, follows in the footsteps of Zacharia and his family in a matter of life and death. Zacharia, a proud Lebanese Muslim prides himself on defending his country from extremists, but with his family’s safety at risk he must choose the right path to take in order to keep his family safe and defend his country. Director Alaeddin Abou Taleb is welcomed to DIFF with his world premiere, ‘Diaspora’, an uplifting story that conveys the life-changing transformation of one wheelchair-bound man. The story depicts the life of a man who spends many years wasting away in his apartment in downtown Tunisia, subsisting via social media, until one day everything changes. On this day, the man is surprised by a job advertisement that gives him the motivation to turn his life around. ‘Kaleidoscope’ is the encapsulating biopic by Syrian artist and filmmaker Ammar Al-Beik, which marks the short’s world premiere at DIFF 2015. The feature plays out a night in his life as professional photojournalist covering the ongoing war that rages in Aleppo. The film begins as Ammar and a former mistress, Marie, return home together to spend the night; here the film focuses on the emotions of the pair as their thoughts turn to more pressing matters. The 12th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival will run from December 9 to 16, 2015.

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