The Clan (El Clan)(2015)

  • Louisiana International Film Festival Announces Official 2016 Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_9382" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Born to be Blue. Robert Budreau BORN TO BE BLUE[/caption] The 2016 Louisiana International Film Festival (LIFF) announce its lineup of feature films, including Ethan Hawke as troubled jazz legend Chet Baker in BORN TO BE BLUE. The 2016 Louisiana International Film Festival slate of international and USA-made films includes the world premiere of earthquake relief documentary SEVEN DAYS IN NEPAL from executive producer D.A. Pennebaker (the legendary filmmaker of Don’t Look Back, Monterrey Pop and The War Room fame), Ethan Hawke as troubled jazz legend Chet Baker in BORN TO BE BLUE, and THE WRONG LIGHT about a filmmakers’ journey to document a non-profit in Thailand dedicated to helping victims of sex trafficking among others. In addition, this year’s festival boasts a brand new category: Southern Perspectives. Southern Perspectives is a regionally-focused slate that will include nearly a dozen movies telling a wide range a narratives from the American South—from the erosion of small town culture with BOGALUSA CHARM, to AFTER THE SPILL, a documentary exposing the details of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. LIFF 2016 also is proud to showcase an impressive Women and Film category that includes 17 titles about women or directed by women, including Anne Fonteyne’s post-war Warsaw doctor drama THE INNOCENTS and Barbara Kopple’s MISS SHARON JONES!—the rousing music documentary following soul singer Sharon Jones’ battle with cancer and preparations for a world tour. A complete schedule of screenings will be released soon. Confirmed feature titles are listed in alphabetical order as follows.

    FEATURE FILMS – LIFF 2016

    The Adderall Diaries (USA) 105 min. James Franco heads a cast that includes Ed Harris, Christian Slater and Amber Heard in this heady thriller based on the bestselling memoir by Stephen Elliott. Burdened with writer’s block and an escalating drug problem, Elliott becomes obsessed with a high-profile murder case that unleashes childhood memories of his cruel and distant father. When Daddy suddenly appears with his own story to tell, fact and fiction merge in an amphetamine-induced haze. After The Spill (USA) 62 min. Five years after Katrina devastated the coast of Louisiana, the BP operated Deepwater Horizon exploded and spilling 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Melissa Leo narrates this in-depth look at the worst ecological disaster in North American history, the effect of the spill and Big Oil’s production operations on the Louisiana coast. L’Attesa (Italy|France) 100 min. Juliette Binoche is simply magnificent as a Sicilian woman so grief-stricken by the sudden death of her son that she tells his new girlfriend (Lou de Laâge) – who has travelled from Paris to meet him – that he is delayed on business. And so ‘the wait’ (l’attesa) begins, and the lie becomes a ticking bomb. Marked by striking images and painterly lighting, L’Attesa is an intense psychological drama. Baskin (Turkey) 97 min. A backup squad of Turkish police called to a desolate mansion stumble upon a squalid and blood-soaked den of satanic ritual. Winner of the ‘Best Director’ award at Fantastic Fest, Baskin was hailed as “a meticulously crafted baroque puzzle box… a film to dread, a film that slips deep into the psyche and uncovers the topography of hidden nightmares.” Bogalusa Charm (USA) 83 min. WORLD PREMIERE. ‘Charming’ is not a word easily applied to Bogalusa, Louisiana with its smelly paper mill, closed up shops and aging population. However, one business is still going strong: a charm school that transforms local girls into ladies. Native son Steve Richardson portrays this dot on the map with affection, insight, and sadness while addressing a bigger American malaise: the erosion of small town life. Born to Be Blue (USA|Canada|UK) 97 min. Ethan Hawke turns in a soulful, sexy, and often funny performance – for which he learned to play the trumpet – as Jazz legend Chet Baker whose battle with addiction was as famous as his music. Set in 60s California with flashbacks to 50s New York, the film focuses on Baker’s search for redemption while juggling a new girlfriend, a movie offer and plans for a comeback at jazz mecca Birdland. Boy and the World (Brazil) 80 min. No dialogue is required to tell the beguiling story of a small boy who follows his father from their idyllic farm to an overpopulated city where he discovers an alien industrial and automated world. A soundscape of pan-flute, samba, and Brazilian hip-hop mixes with whirling carnival colors and exploding fireworks in this dazzling and completely original Oscar-nominated animated feature. Chevalier (Greece) 99 min. A female director casts a witty, sardonic eye on men and their competitive drive in this highly original film. Six men on a luxury yacht invent a series of surreal games complete with oblique rules and a point system. As the stakes heighten, comparisons are made, measurements taken, songs butchered, blood tested. Friends will become rivals and rivals will do anything to win. Community (UK) 78 min. Do packs of feral working class teenagers, high on super addictive weed, really roam the Drayman Housing Estate in Essex? The cops stay clear, but when 2 filmmakers arrive to debunk the myth, they soon find themselves on the menu! Bloody and brutal, Jason Ford’s shocker is a bold example of the new wave of hoodie-horror films to come out of the UK. [caption id="attachment_9801" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Dheepan Dheepan[/caption] Dheepan (France) 115 min. Winner of the 2015 Cannes Palme d’Or, this gritty film tells the story of Dheepan, a refugee from Sri Lanka and a former Tamil Tiger, who concocts a fake family to gain passage to France. But his violent past still haunts him. Slow-burning tension punctuated by explosions of violence mark Jacques Audiard’s timely, passionate film about a driven man caught in a unique moral dilemma. El Clan (Argentina) 110 min. Alejandro, a teen rugby star manipulated into helping his family profit from a series of meticulously planned abductions, discovers that the father he reveres is a cold-blooded killer. Produced by Pedro Amoldovar and based on the real-life exploits of the notorious Puccios, El Clan uses upbeat 80s pop as an ironic comment on the cynicism and immorality of the waning Argentinian dictatorship. Embrace of the Serpent (Columbia) 125 min. This Oscar nominee from Columbia, set in the Amazon jungle and inspired by the journals of two German explorers, follows a shaman and his unlikely travel companions in search of a rare psychedelic, medicinal herb. First-time director Ciro Guerra employs stunning black and white widescreen cinematography to take us deep into the heart of darkness… merging two parallel stories, 40 years apart, into a hallucinatory finale. The Fits (USA) 72 min. Director Anna Rose Holmer celebrates the physicality and fluidity of adolescence in her infectious character study of Toni, an African American tomboy who boxes at the same gym where a dance drill team practices. Toni yearns to join the tight-knit tribe of older girls but when mysterious fits of shaking and fainting strike the troupe, her desire for acceptance becomes complicated. Giving Birth in America (US) 46 min. Maternal health nonprofit Every Mother Counts presents a new three-part, short documentary series, “Giving Birth in America,” to examine some of the key reasons that the U.S. is falling so far behind in maternal healthcare. Each short film follows pregnant women and their healthcare providers in Florida, Montana and New York in the days leading up to delivery. Together, they navigate challenges of race, poverty, chronic illness, overuse of medical interventions and other inequalities that impact maternal health outcomes in America. Special Guest Christy Turlington Burns in attendance for Q&A. Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words (Sweden) 114 min. Three-time Oscar-winner Ingrid Bergman was a creative woman and loving mother who forged a career that few actresses do: from Swedish ingénue to Hollywood star, from exile in Italy with director Roberto Rossellini to cherished international stage and screen legend. Bergman’s own home movies, newsreels, and recollections by daughters Isabella and Pia combine to paint a nuanced portrait of a gifted, intelligent and sometimes conflicted individual. The Innocents (France|Poland) 115 min. In this dramatic, nuanced film set in post-war Warsaw, a Red Cross doctor who is summoned to a convent to deliver a baby in the middle of the night, discovers a pious, cloistered community brutalized by Soviet soldiers. Rising star Lou de Laâge (L’Attesa) gives a great performance as an idealistic young woman who puts herself in danger to guard a shameful secret. Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? (USA) 97 min. Small town Texas is rocked by an epic battle of the sexes when the local women band together to withhold sex until their men rid the town of guns. With a cast that includes Andrea Anders, Cloris Leachman and John Heard, this raunchy comedy/satire that won the audience award at the recent Sedona Film Festival tackles one of the hot-button issues of modern society. Ixcanul (Guatemala) 93 min. Eking out an existence on the remote slopes of a volcano (Ixcanul), a teenager admits to her loving mother that she is pregnant by the local dreamboat who has departed for America. Impoverished and unable to speak Spanish, the family embarks on a perilous journey to the big city to save the life of the child. A debut feature and winner of 13 international festival prizes, Ixcanul is a universal human tale. Lit Lo And Behold, Reveries of the Connected World (USA) 98 min. The droll, tech-phobic Werner Herzog – who has travelled to Antarctica and up the Amazon to document mankind’s dreams and fears – now explores the Internet’s unknown impact on human interaction, pro and con. Tracking its origins from a classroom at UCLA, thru its present day ‘dark side’, into a future world of robot cars and intergalactic tourism, the film is both scary and thrilling in its implications. Lost & Found (USA) 90 min. Two brothers forced to spend the summer on an island in Canada embark on a treasure hunt when they discover a map left behind by their eccentric wealthy grandfather who has mysteriously vanished. Pitting their wits against a ruthless land developer and two thugs, the boys uncover more than treasure and learn that the bonds of family are the most valuable riches of all. Marguerite (France) 127 min. Catherine Frot, Best Actress winner at this year’s Césars, is divine as a woman who dreams the impossible dream and possesses the innocence, madness and wealth to pursue it. Marguerite’s passion is opera and her delusion – fueled by the sycophants who swill champagne in her castle outside Paris – is that she sings beautifully. Ironically, this delightful comedy about sour notes is awash in gorgeous music, and features sumptuous 1920s clothes and décor. The Mayor: Life of Riley (USA) 66 min. The massacre of nine African Americans by a white supremacist on June 17, 2015 in Charleston, S. C. was a “worst nightmare” for Joseph P. Riley Jr, an Irish Catholic Democrat and the city’s mayor for an incredible 40 years. From the Civil Rights era forward, Riley was a visionary, fighting for inclusion in the face of divisiveness and for the restoration of once shabby Charleston to its former architectural glory. [caption id="attachment_9499" align="aligncenter" width="1500"]Sharon Jones MISS SHARON JONES![/caption] Miss Sharon Jones! (USA) 93 min. A cinema verité portrait of soul singer Sharon Jones as she battles cancer, develops a new album, and readies for a world tour. The film, bursting with funk and soul music, features toe-tapping excerpts of Jones’s performances with the Dap-Kings. Whether she is breaking barriers in the music business or beating disease, Jones is a fighter and a survivor, and Kopple’s rousing tribute celebrates the singer as an effusive life force 5 Missing People (USA) 76 min. Missing People is a nonfiction mystery about Martina Batan, a prominent New York art dealer, who investigates her brother’s long unsolved murder while obsessively collecting and researching the violent work and life of an outsider artist from New Orleans. As Martina struggles to process her discoveries, the inevitable collision of these parallel narratives leads to a chain of dramatic events. My Father, Die (USA) 102 min. Deaf and mute since having his hearing knocked out at the age of 12, Asher – played by action star Joe Anderson (Hercules, The Grey) – has been training to avenge himself on Ivan, the man that killed his older brother 21 years earlier. And now that his nemesis is out of prison, he gets his chance. But Asher’s target also happens to be his father. No Greater Love (USA) 92 min. The place is mountainous Kunar Province, Afghanistan, infamous for jihad, guerrilla warfare, and suicide bombers; and the soldier armed with the camera, not a gun, is Chaplain Justin Roberts. In this heartstopping and heart-wrenching documentary, distinguished by extraordinary combat footage, Roberts follows his comrades in the legendary ‘No Slack’ battalion from battlefield to home front where many veterans face other enemies: PTSD, depression and loneliness. Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (USA) 91 min. A warm portrait of the father of hit shows like All in the Family, Maud and The Jeffersons. Now a spry 92, Lear reflects on his role as the first television producer to use the genre of American sitcom to address serious subjects – racism, feminism, and homosexuality. In the words of Robert Redford he “brought humanity, edge, humor and vulnerability into the mainstream.” The Ones Below (UK) 87 min. Affluent professionals Kate and Justin are expecting their first baby, as are sexy Teresa and domineering Jon, the mysterious new couple in the downstairs flat. Suppressing her fears about motherhood, Kate bonds with her extroverted neighbor until an awkward dinner party turns tragic and a burgeoning friendship implodes. A dash of Polanski and Haneke season this eerie, stylish debut feature by acclaimed UK theater director David Farr. Presenting Princess Shaw (Israel) 80 min. Samantha Montgomery, 38, lives alone in one of New Orleans’ toughest neighborhoods working as a caregiver for the elderly. But at night she transforms into Princess Shaw, belting out original songs at local clubs and posting homemade a cappella clips on YouTube. Completely unaware that a secret admirer – an Israeli musician living on a kibbutz outside Tel Aviv – will change her life forever. Raiders! (USA) 106 min. The 35th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark would not be complete without this true story of two 11- year-old Mississippi kids who in 1982 remade the Hollywood blockbuster scene by scene with a Super 8mm camera. After 7 turbulent years that tested their resolve and strained their friendship, there was one scene left un-filmed. Thirty-three years later, the ‘boys’ reunite to realize their childhood dream. Rams (Iceland) 93 min. Brothers Gummi and Kiddi have been estranged for years, living separate lives on neighboring sheep farms in rural Iceland. When a fatal disease suddenly infects Kiddi’s herd, he schemes to save the breed while this isolated community comes to grips with its own economic extinction. A wry, charmingly deadpan and poignant comedy, Rams is the recipient of 17 international festival awards. Search Engines (USA) 98 min. This imaginative satire focuses on man’s relationship to his cell phone and suggests that technology can lead us astray from meaning, purpose and love. It’s Thanksgiving, and family and friends have just gathered to celebrate togetherness. But when cell phone reception mysteriously goes dead throughout the house, 6 each character is thrown into crisis: marriages are tested, values questioned, and futures hang in the balance. Seven Days in Nepal (USA) 62 min. WORLD PREMIERE. On April 2015, just before noon in Nepal, an earthquake took everything the Bajagain family possessed: house, farm, cattle, happiness. This cinema verité documentary takes us into the devastation with New Orleans contractor Michael Fanasci, a Katrina survivor, and Minoj Ghimire, a Nepali student from Missouri, who bring much-needed building materials – and hope – to a devastated family. Sidemen: Long Road to Glory (USA) 78 min. An intimate look at the lives and legacies of piano player Pinetop Perkins, drummer Willie Smith, and guitarist Hubert Sumlin, all of whom were Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf sidemen. This rousing film depicts these artists’ thru their last interviews and their final live performances together and features additional music and personal insights from blues and rock stars inspired by these legendary sidemen. Songs My Brothers Taught Me (USA) 98 min. Two siblings coping with the loss of their father forms the heart of Chloé Zhao’s stunning directorial debut set among the Lakota people of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In her directorial debut, Zhao sketches a complex, sensitive portrait of a community connected not only thru a rich cultural heritage but also by deep inner conflicts that manifest themselves in destructive ways. [caption id="attachment_11673" align="aligncenter" width="900"]Sunset Song Terence Davies Sunset Song[/caption] Sunset Song (UK) 135 min. Master director Terence Davies brings an epic sweep and grandeur to this saga of a young woman who comes of age in rugged north Scotland and sees her family beset by tragedy and the ravages of WWI.Though burdened with a stern father and an alcoholic husband, Chris endures. A woman with a passion for life, she draws strength from the ancient land and looks to the future. Tickled (New Zealand) 92 min. After stumbling upon a bizarre “competitive endurance tickling” video online, wherein young men are paid to be tied up and tickled, reporter David Farrier reaches out to Jane O’Brien Media… only to be threatened with extreme legal action. Not one to be bullied, he digs deeper, uncovering a vast empire of secret identities and criminal activity. “Tense and increasingly weird… painful and funny and deeply sad.” – Screen Daily Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt (Israel) 125 min. This no-holds documentary provides a rare insight into the philosopher, author and outspoken intellectual Hannah Arendt who incited anger, praise, devotion, and scorn up to and beyond her death in 1975. A German Jew who fled Europe for New York in 1941, Arendt coined the phrase “the banality of evil” to describe how someone as seemingly insignificant as Eichmann could be responsible for the Holocaust. The Wrong Light (USA) 77 min. Setting out to document a non-profit in Thailand dedicated to helping victims of sex trafficking, two idealistic filmmakers uncover a shocking truth: none of the ‘saved’ girls were victims of the sex trade; and Mickey, its charismatic leader, is perpetrating a scam to extort money from wealthy Westerners. This just completed film is an illuminating expose of an insidious industry dubbed ‘poverty porn.’

     

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  • Santa Barbara International Film Festival Lineup, Fest to Open With US Premiere of THE LITTLE PRINCE

    THE LITTLE PRINCE, directed by Mark Osborne

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  • 40 Submissions for Best Foreign Language Film to Compete for FIPRESCI Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival

    A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden), Director: Roy Andersson The 27th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), scheduled January 1-11, 2016, announced the films selected to compete for the FIPRESCI Award in the Awards Buzz section. The Festival will screen 40 of the 80 official submissions to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Foreign Language Film. Additional film programs will be announced in the upcoming weeks. The Awards Buzz section is selected by Festival programmers as the strongest entries in this year’s Academy Awards® race. A special jury of international film critics will review these films to present the FIPRESCI Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, as well as Best Actor and Best Actress in this category. The following 40 films are selected to screen (in alphabetical order by country): Bota (Albania), Directors: Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci https://vimeo.com/122133505 The Clan (Argentina), Director: Pablo Trapero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gnQab2Qq14 The Brand New Testament (Belgium), Director: Jaco Van Dormael Our Everyday Life (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Director: Ines Tanovic The Second Mother (Brazil), Director: Anna Muylaert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOrbWcObwR4 The Judgment (Bulgaria), Director: Stephan Komandarev https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCAYsrl37s Felix and Meira (Canada), Director: Maxime Giroux https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8CeBCNrwvU The Club (Chile), Director: Pablo Larraín https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8c2DYoF7lA Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia), Director: Ciro Guerra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS73P3hZvPA The High Sun (Croatia), Director: Dalibor Matanic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PqrRvNMcU8 Home Care (Czech Republic), Director: Slávek Horák https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdP5dEndQkI A War (Denmark), Director: Tobias Lindholm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkE5ZrPzs0 1944 (Estonia), Director: Elmo Nüganen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6A4nLqOW6s Lamb (Ethiopia), Director: Yared Zeleke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKh2M2ooD3w The Fencer (Finland), Director: Klaus Härö https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShMAkhyC6bY Mustang (France), Director: Deniz Gamze Erguven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5nyY8E6CPg Labyrinth of Lies (Germany), Director: Giulio Ricciarelli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xU0Ywoww70 Ixcanul (Guatemala), Director: Jayro Bustamante https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMP0Z21zqU Son of Saul (Hungary), Director: László Nemes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOHDtPZmYj8 Rams (Iceland), Director: Grimur Hákonarson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWOFWaltGRw Viva (Ireland), Director: Paddy Breathnach Baba Joon (Israel), Director: Yuval Delshad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQLOlq1PfQs 100 Yen Love (Japan), Director: Masaharu Take https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwF-VZMEoFc Theeb (Jordan), Director: Naji Abu Nowar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqUbMKf8c60 Babai (Kosovo), Director: Visar Morina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXnmJBVtFBY Heavenly Nomadic (Kyrgyzstan), Director: Mirlan Abdykalykov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5lJD36SBvo 600 Miles (Mexico), Director: Gabriel Ripstein https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGINGaYOlGs The Paradise Suite (Netherlands), Director: Joost van Ginkel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wezLXi_1Xpg The Wave (Norway), Director: Roar Uthaug https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIj4v8TfnyU Moor (Pakistan), Director: Jami Mahmood 11 Minutes (Poland), Director: Jerzy Skolimowski https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IlSOg1-6Tk Arabian Nights: Volume 2 – The Desolate One (Portugal), Director: Miguel Gomes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i59kera1ayM Aferim! (Romania), Director: Radu Jude https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc Enclave (Serbia), Director: Goran Radovanovic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dddfro-Vt9M Flowers (Spain), Directors: Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L33oXnK75w A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden), Director: Roy Andersson (pictured in main image above) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk Iraqi Odyssey (Switzerland), Director: Samir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs2IMlv7rY The Assassin (Taiwan), Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqNyl72eBw How to Win at Checkers (Every Time) (Thailand), Director: Josh Kim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfXh86HUpAA Sivas (Turkey), Director: Kaan Müjdeci https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWeZ0bZz12M

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  • “Carol” “Remember” Added to Gala Program of 2015 Los Cabos International Film Festival

    Remember, Atom Egoyan, Christopher Plummer Carol directed by Todd Haynes, and Remember by the Canadian director, Atom Egoyan, (pictured above) have been added to the Galas Program of the upcoming 2015 Los Cabos International Film Festival; in addition 3 films have been confirmed to the World Highlights program. The Festival will hold the Gala Screening of Carol as a Latin American Premiere. This film had its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival where Rooney Mara won the award for Best Actress. Atom Egoyan’s Remember will have its Mexican premiere at Los Cabos Film Festival. This film was part of Venice Film Festival’s competition, and won the Vittorio Veneto Award. Featuring an extraordinary performance by Christopher Plummer, who plays a sick widower who leaves his nursing home to take vengeance on the Nazi commander who killed his family 70 years earlier, Remember shines a spotlight on Canadian talent celebrated in the Festival. The Festival presents its World Highlights program, a carefully chosen selection of films from different parts of the world, with a curatorship focused on the works that have been acclaimed at the world’s most important film festivals: The films in this program are: 45 YEARS Director: Andrew Haigh (Gladiator, Weekend) Starring: Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling Premiered and won the Silver Bear at Berlinale. UK THE CLAN (Premiere in Mexico) Director: Pablo Trapero (Carancho, Elefante Blanco, Leonera) Cast: Antonia Bengoechea, Gastón Cocchiarale and Guillermo Francella Premiered and won the Silver Lion at Venice Film Festival. Argentina THE CLUB (Premiere in Mexico) Director: Pablo Larraín (No, Tony Manero, Post Mortem) Cast: Roberto Farías, Antonia Zegers and Alfredo Castro Premiered and won the Jury Prize at Berlinale. Chile

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  • AFI FEST 2015 Reveals the Last Batch of Films – Films in World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema’s Legacy programs

    A MONSTER WITH A THOUSAND HEADS AFI FEST 2015 announced the films that will screen in the World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema’s Legacy programs. AFI FEST will take place November 5–12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award® consideration. WORLD CINEMA SELECTIONS (29 Titles) The World Cinema section showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year. Radu Jude, AFERIM! AFERIM! – This Romanian Western is an odyssey through the landscape of feudal Eastern Europe, following a father and son on a mission to find a gypsy. DIR Radu Jude. SCR Radu Jude, Florin Lazarescu. CAST Teodor Corban, Mihai Comanoiu, Cuzin Toma, Alexandru Dabija, Alexandru Bindea, Luminița Gheorghiu, Victor Rebengiuc, Alberto Dinache, Mihaela Sîrbu. Romania/Bulgaria/Czech Republic BLOOD OF MY BLOOD (SANGUE DEL MIO SANGUE) – In this dual narrative, lust plays out in a 17th-century convent and a modern-day count lives a bizarre life within those same walls. DIR Marco Bellocchio. SCR Marco Bellocchio. CAST Roberto Herlitzka, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, Lidiya Liberman, Fausto Russo Alesi, Alba Rohrwacher, Federica Fracassi, Alberto Cracco, Bruno Cariello, Toni Bertorelli, Filippo Timi, Elena Bellocchio, Ivan Franek, Patrizia Bettini, Sebastiano Filocamo, Alberto Bellocchio. Italy/France/Switzerland. U.S. Premiere Chevalier Athina Rachel Tsangari CHEVALIER – In this wonderfully absurdist farce, six men at sea play a strange game that measures every aspect of who they are. DIR Athina Rachel Tsangari. SCR Athina Rachel Tsangari, Efthimis Filippou. CAST Yorgos Kentros, Panos Koronis, Vangelis Mourikis, Makis Papadimitriou, Yorgos Pirpassopoulos, Sakis Rouvas, Yiannis Drakopoulos, Nikos Orfanos, Kostas Philippoglou. Greece CHRONIC – Tim Roth stars as an end-of-life caregiver who struggles with the intense relationships he develops with his patients. DIR Michel Franco. SCR Michel Franco. CAST Tim Roth, Robin Bartlett, Michael Cristofer, Sarah Sutherland, Nailea Norvind, Rachel Pickup, David Dastmalchian, Bitsie Tulloch. Mexico/France THE CLAN (EL CLAN) – Argentina’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® follows the vicious crime saga of the notorious Puccio family. DIR Pablo Trapero. SCR Pablo Trapero. CAST Guillermo Francella, Peter Lanzani, Lili Popovich, Gastón Cocchiarale, Giselle Motta, Franco Masini, Antonia Bengoechea, Stefania Koessl. Argentina/Spain THE CLUB (EL CLUB) – At a bucolic seaside home for aging priests, the arrival of a new member unearths long-buried secrets about the Catholic Church. DIR Pablo Larraín. SCR Guillermo Calderón, Daniel Villalobos, Pablo Larraín. CAST Alfredo Castro, Roberto Farías, Antonia Zegers, Jaime Vadell, Alejandro Goic. Chile Dheepan DHEEPAN – In this 2015 Cannes Palme d’Or winner, a refugee concocts a fake family to gain passage to France — but his violent past still haunts him. DIR Jacques Audiard. SCR Noé Debré, Thomas Bidegain, Jacques Audiard. CAST Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Kalieaswari Srinivasan, Claudine Vinasithamby, Vincent Rottiers, Marc Zinga. France EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (EL ABRAZO DE LA SERPIENTE) – This hypnotic epic follows the journey of a shaman and a German explorer in the Colombian Amazon. DIR Ciro Guerra. SCR Ciro Guerra, Jacques Toulemonde Vidal. CAST Jan Bijvoet, Brionne Davis, Nilbio Torres, Antonio Bolívar, Yauenkü Miguee. Colombia/Venezuela/Argentina FREE IN DEED – When a young mother brings her special-needs son to a local storefront church for healing, a Pentecostal minister is forced to confront his own demons. DIR Jake Mahaffy. SCR Jake Mahaffy. CAST David Harewood, Edwina Findley, RaJay Chandler, Preston Shannon, Prophetess Libra, Helen Bowman, Zoe Lewis, Kathy Smith. USA/New Zealand. North American Premiere IN THE SHADOW OF WOMEN (L’OMBRE DES FEMMES) – Master French filmmaker Philippe Garrel returns with this gentle, profound tale of a Parisian couple dealing with mutual infidelity. DIR Philippe Garrel. SCR Jean-Claude Carrière, Caroline Deruas, Arlette Langmann, Philippe Garrel. CAST Clotilde Courau, Stanislas Merhar, Lena Paugam, Vimala Pons, Antoinette Moya, Jean Pommier, Thérèse Quentin, Mounir Margoum, Louis Garrel. France/Switzerland Nicholas Hytner’s THE LADY IN THE VAN THE LADY IN THE VAN – Maggie Smith stars as a cantankerous yet eloquent homeless woman who sets up residence on the curb outside the home of a single writer. DIR Nicholas Hytner. SCR Alan Bennett. CAST Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Frances De La Tour, Roger Allam. UK LANDFILL HARMONIC – In a landfill community in Paraguay, inhabitants turn trash into unique instruments for a world-touring orchestra of young musicians. DIR Brad Allgood, Graham Townsley. USA A MONSTER WITH A THOUSAND HEADS – (pictured in main image above)A Mexican woman with a cancer-stricken husband embarks on a series of increasingly violent confrontations with uncaring insurance stakeholders and bureaucrats. DIR Rodrigo Plá. SCR Laura Santullo. CAST Jana Raluy, Sebastián Aguirre Boëda, Hugo Albores, Nora Huerta, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Emilio Echeverria, Ilya Cazés, Noé Hernández, Verónica Falcón. Mexico. North American Premiere MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART – Jia Zhang-ke’s tender, melancholic epic follows a capitalist Chinese family over a quarter-century of intense change. DIR Jia Zhang-ke. SCR Jia Zhang-ke. CAST Zhao Tao, Zhang Yi, Liang Jin Dong, Dong Zijian, Sylvia Chang, Han Sanming. China/France/Japan EL MOVIMIENTO – In this stark black-and-white vision of anarchy, groups of armed men belonging to “The Movement” cause havoc on a war-scarred landscape. DIR Benjamín Naishtat. SCR Benjamin Naishtat. CAST Pablo Cedrón, Marcelo Pompei, Francisco Lumerman, Céline Latil, Alberto Suarez, Agustin Rittano. Argentina. U.S. Premiere MY GOLDEN DAYS – Upon a man’s arrival home after years away abroad, he reflects on his youth, spent with little parental guidance, and ultimately a turbulent love affair. DIR Arnaud Desplechin. SCR Arnaud Desplechin, Julie Peyr. CAST Quentin Dolmaire, Lou Roy-Lecollinet, Mathieu Amalric, Dinara Drukarova. France NAHID – A poor Iranian mother enters a “temporary marriage” with a well-off hotelier — with devastating results. DIR Ida Panahandeh. SCR Ida Panahandeh, Arsalan Amiri. CAST Sareh Bayat, Pejman Bazeghi, Navid Mohammad Zadeh, Milad Hossein Pour, Pouria Rahimi, Nasrin Babaei. Iran NEON BULL (BOI NEON) – A young cowboy working the Brazilian rodeo circuit dreams of becoming a famous fashion designer. DIR Gabriel Mascaro. SCR Gabriel Mascaro. CAST Juliano Cazarré, Aline Santana, Carlos Pessoa, Maeve Jinkings. Brazil/Uruguay/Netherlands NO HOME MOVIE – The late Chantal Akerman’s sweet, melancholic ode to her mother, an Auschwitz survivor, is about home and the wild places beyond it. DIR Chantal Akerman. SCR Chantal Akerman. Belgium OUR LITTLE SISTER (UMIMACHI DIARY) – At a family patriarch’s funeral, three sisters make the impulsive decision to invite their much younger half-sister to live with them in the city. DIR Hirokazu Kore-eda. SCR Hirokazu Kore-eda. CAST Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirose. Japan PARADISE – In this powerful film, shot guerrilla-style on the streets of Tehran, a violent act throws the life of a 25-year-old woman into turmoil. DIR Sina Ataeian Dena. SCR Sina Ataeian Dena. CAST Dorna Dibaj, Fateme Naghavi, Fariba Kamran, Nahid Moslemi, Roya Afshar. Iran/Germany RAMS, Director: Grímur Hákonarson RAMS (HRUTAR) – Two estranged brothers in rural Iceland must come together when a fatal outbreak strikes their sheep herds. DIR Grímur Hákonarson. SCR Grímur Hákonarson. CAST Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Theodór Júlíusson, Charlotte Bøving. Iceland RIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN (JIGEUMEUN MATGO GEUTTAENEUN TEULLIDA)– In Hong Sang-soo’s latest, a director spends 24 hours with an attractive artist. This story then repeats itself midway through the film, but with important variations. DIR Hong Sang-soo. SCR Hong Sang-soo. CAST Jung Jae-young, Kim Min-hee. South Korea SON OF SAUL (SAUL FIA) – This sparse yet resonant film, set in Auschwitz near the end of World War II, follows an internee on a mission to give a young boy a proper burial. DIR László Nemes. SCR László Nemes, Clara Royer. CAST Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnar, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont, Sándor Zsotér, Marcin Czarnik, Jerzy Walczak, Uwe Lauer, Christian Harting, Kamil Dobrowlski, Amitai Kedar, István Pion, Juli Jakab, Levente Orbán. Hungary SWEET BEAN (AN) – In this heartwarming yet subtle tale, an aging Japanese woman brings surprise success to a small bakery with her special homemade recipe. DIR Naomi Kawase. SCR Naomi Kawase. CAST Nagase Masatoshi, Kiki Kirin, Uchida Kyara. Japan TALE OF TALES (IL RACCONTO DEI RACCONTI) – From the director of GOMORRAH, this collection of three ancient fairy tales features a star-studded cast set against the backdrop of Italy’s greatest wonders. DIR Matteo Garrone. SCR Edoardo Albinati, Ugo Chiti, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso. CAST Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones, Shirley Henderson, Hayley Carmichael, Bebe Cave, Stacy Martin, Christian Lees, Jonah Lees, Guillaume Delaunay, Alba Rohrwacher, Massimo Ceccherini, John C. Reilly. Italy THE TREASURE (COMOARA) – A financially struggling family man enters into a crackpot plan to find buried treasure in this masterfully deadpan comedy. DIR Corneliu Porumboiu. SCR Corneliu Porumboiu. CAST Cuzin Toma, Adrian Purcarescu, Corneliu Cozmei, Cristina Toma, Nicodim Toma. France/Romania A WAR – When a routine mission in Afghanistan turns ugly, a company commander must make an impossible decision to save his men. DIR Tobias Lindholm. SCR Tobias Lindholm. CAST Pilou Asbæk, Tuva Novotny, Dar Salim, Søren Malling, Charlotte Munck, Dulfi Al-Jabouri. Denmark. U.S. Premiere THE WHITE KNIGHTS (LES CHEVALIERS BLANCS) – This drama from Joachim Lafosse centers on the 2007 Zoé’s Ark scandal, when a French NGO illegally trafficked orphans out of war-torn Africa. DIR Joachim Lafosse. SCR Joachim Lafosse, Bulle Decarpentries, Thomas Van Zuylen. CAST Vincent Lindon, Valérie Donzelli, Reda Kateb, Louise Bourgoin, Rougalta Bintou Saleh. France/Belgium MIDNIGHT SELECTIONS (3 Titles) These dark and macabre films from around the world will grip audiences with terror. Baskin, Can Evrenol BASKIN – A squad of Turkish policemen become entrapped in the basement of a cult of Devil-worshipping amputees. DIR Can Evrenol. SCR Can Evrenol, Cem Ozuduru, Ogulcan Eren Akay, Ercin Sadikoglu. CAST Gorkem Kasal, Ergun Kuyucu, Muharrem Bayrak, Mehmet Fatih Dokgoz, Sabahattin Yakut, Mehmet Cerrahoglu. Turkey DER NACHTMAHR – A teenage girl who experiences severe nightmares makes a meaningful connection with a strange creature that has been haunting her. DIR AKIZ. SCR AKIZ. CAST Carolyn Genzkow, Kim Gordon, Julika Jenkins, Arnd Klawitter, Wilson Gonzalez Ochsenknecht, Alexander Scheer, Sina Tkotsch. Germany SOUTHBOUND – In this refreshing take on the horror anthology, a series of characters encounter sinister forces on an isolated desert road. DIR Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Patrick Horvath, Radio Silence. SCR Roxanne Benjamin, Susan Burke, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, Dallas Hallam, Patrick Horvath. CAST Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Kristina Pesic, Fabianne Therese, Nathalie Love, Hannah Marks, Dana Gould, Susan Burke, Davey Johnson, Anessa Ramsey, Mather Zickel, Fabianne Therese Karla Droege, Zoe Cooper, Roxanne Benjamin, Justin Welborn, David Yow, Tipper Newton, Matt Peters, Maria Olsen, Tyler Tuione, Kate Beahan, Gerald Downey, Hassie Harrison, Larry Fessenden. USA BREAKTHROUGH SELECTIONS (5 Titles) The Breakthrough section is dedicated to the true discoveries of the programming process. It exists as a platform for artists at a crucial stage in their career to share their innovative work with enthusiastic audiences. THE LIAR – In this tightly wound thriller, beautiful, immaculately dressed Ah-young attempts to fool everyone into believing that she has it all. She doesn’t. DIR Kim Dong-myung. SCR Kim Dong-myung. CAST Kim Kkobbi, Chun Sin-hwan, Lee Sun-hee, Le Da-hae, Jang Seo-ee, Shin Yeon-suk, Kwon Nam-hee, Han Jin-hee. Korea MA – Director Celia Rowlson-Hall uses her background as a choreographer to create MA, a modern-day retelling of Mother Mary’s pilgrimage. DIR Celia Rowlson-Hall. SCR Celia Rowlson-Hall. CAST Celia Rowlson-Hall, Andrew Pastides, Amy Seimetz, Matt Lauria, Peter Vack. USA. U.S. Premiere THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF PÉROLA (A MISTERIOSA MORTE DE PÉROLA) – A young student, living alone in an old apartment, begins to lose herself in loneliness until reality merges with dreams. DIR Guto Parente. SCR Guto Parente. CAST Ticiana Augusto Lima, Guto Parente. Brazil/France. North American Premiere NECKTIE YOUTH – Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, this bristling debut looks at a group of millennials, all peripherally related to a wealthy white teen who commits suicide. DIR Sibs Shongwe-La Mer. SCR Sibs Shongwe-La Mer. CAST Bonko Khoza, Sibs Shongwe-La Mer, Colleen Balchin, Kamogelo Moloi, Emma Tollman, Jonathan Young, Kelly Bates, Ricci-Lee Kalish, Giovanna Winetzki. Netherlands/South Africa THOSE WHO FEEL THE FIRE BURNING – This poetic experimental documentary captures with raw force the modern migrant experience in Europe, as seen through the eyes of a deceased shipwreck victim. DIR Morgan Knibbe. SCR Morgan Knibbe. Netherlands CINEMA’S LEGACY SELECTIONS (5 Titles) Now in its third year, Cinema’s Legacy is AFI FEST’s celebration of motion picture history, and a special opportunity to screen both classic films and films about the history of cinema. FLYING DOWN TO RIO (1933) – Dolores Del Río, the glamorous face of AFI FEST 2015, stars in this pre-Code musical with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and fabulous song-and-dance routines. DIR Thornton Freeland. SCR Cyril Hume, H.W. Hanemann, Erwin Gelsey. CAST Dolores Del Rio, Gene Raymond, Raul Roulien, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Blanche Frederici, Franklin Pangborn, Eric Blore. USA THE FORBIDDEN ROOM – Winnipeg filmmakers Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson search the human subconscious in this cinematic head-trip. DIR Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson. SCR Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Robert Kotyk. CAST Roy Dupuis, Clara Furey, Louis Negin, Mathieu Amalric, Geraldine Chaplin, Amira Casar, Charlotte Rampling, Karine Vanasse, Jacques Nolot, Udo Kier. Canada Hitchcock/Truffaut Kent Jones HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT – For one week in 1962, French New Wave auteur François Truffaut interviewed the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. DIR Kent Jones. SCR Kent Jones, Serge Toubiana. CAST Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Arnaud Desplechin, Wes Anderson, James Gray, Richard Linklater, Olivier Assayas, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Peter Bogdanovich, Paul Schrader. France/USA SAFETY LAST! (1923) – In Harold Lloyd’s brilliant and most famous film, the great silent comedian plays a small-town bumpkin in the big city who plans a breathless publicity stunt to attract attention for the department store where he works. DIR Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor. SCR Hal Roach, Sam Taylor, Tim Whelan. CAST Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Bill Strother, Noah Young, Wescott Clarke. USA SEMBENE! – In this intimate documentary, the work of Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène is spotlighted, showing why he came to be known as the Father of African Cinema. DIR Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman. Senegal/USA SHORTS SELECTIONS (53 Titles) BAD AT DANCING – A perpetual third wheel and awkward outsider inserts herself into her roommate’s relationship. DIR Joanna Arnow. SCR Joanna Arnow. CAST Eleanore Pienta, Keith Poulson, Joanna Arnow. USA BLOOD BELOW THE SKIN – Three teenage girls from different social circles form unexpected bonds when they discover the secrets that lie below the skin. DIR Jennifer Reeder. SCR Jennifer Reeder. CAST Jennifer Estlin, Kelsey Ashby-Middleton, Morgan Reesh, Tj Jagodowsky, Marissa Castillo. USA BOYS (POJKARNA) – At a home for wayward boys, Markus prepares for a very important appointment. DIR Isabella Carbonell. SCR Isabella Carbonell, Babak Najafi. CAST Sebastian Hiort af Ornäs, Marcus Lindgren, Rainer Gerdes. Sweden BUS NUT – The 1955 Montgomery bus boycott is articulated as an educational video on school bus safety. DIR Akosua Adoma Owusu. CAST MaameYaa Boafo. USA COLOR NEUTRAL – A color explosion sparkles, bubbles and fractures in this handcrafted 16mm short from film artist Jennifer Reeves. DIR Jennifer Reeves. USA DRAGSTRIP – A moment or two before the race. DIR Daniel Claridge, Pacho Velez. USA E.T.E.R.N.I.T – A Tunisian immigrant working in asbestos removal must make a radical choice in the name of his family. DIR Giovanni Aloi. SCR Nicolo Galbiati. CAST Ali Salhi, Serena Grandi, Alessandro Castiglloni, Mohamed Omar Abd Rabou, Youssef Tarek, Stefano Piumi, Alessandro Palumbo, Andrea Pompa, Roberta Madeo. France EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY (ALLES WIRD GUT) – A divorced father picks up his eight-year-old daughter. It seems like every second weekend, but something isn’t right. DIR Patrick Vollrath. SCR Patrick Vollrath. CAST Simon Schwarz, Julia Pointner. Germany/Austria THE EXQUISITE CORPUS – Based on various erotic films and advertising rushes, myriad fragments are melted into a single sensuous, humorous, gruesome and ecstatic dream. DIR Peter Tscherkassky. Austria FRANKENSTEIN’S BRIDE (LA NOVIA DE FRANKENSTEIN) – At her summer job, Ivana learns it’s easy to create a circle of lies, fiction and love when you’re bored. DIR Francisco Lezama, Agostina Gálvez. SCR Francisco Lezama, Agostina Gálvez. CAST Miel Bargman, Renzo Cozza, Claudia Cantero, Mariel Fernández, Jair Jesús Toledo. Argentina FUCKKKYOUUU – A lonely girl finds love and rejection with her past self in this alluring collaboration with Flying Lotus. DIR Eddie Alcazar. SCR Eddie Alcazar. CAST Jesse Sullivan, Charles Baker. USA GRAND FINALE – The end of a Fourth of July evening in Detroit. DIR Kevin Jerome Everson. USA GROUP B – A rally car driver mounts a comeback after a long and troubled absence. DIR Nick Rowland. SCR Joe Murtagh. CAST Richard Madden, Michael Smiley, Dominic Wolf, Andrei Alen, Matthew Jure, Stephen Bent, Alexander Cambell. UK HALF WET – A man with large pores tries to escape the realization that he’s slowly evaporating. DIR Sophie Koko Gate. UK I REMEMBER NOTHING – An epileptic seizure told in five phases. DIR Zia Anger. SCR Zia Anger. CAST Audrey Turner, Eve Alpert, India Menuez, Adinah Dancyger, Lola Kirke. USA LANCASTER, CA – A portrait of love in the California desert. DIR Mike Ott. SCR Cory Zacharia. CAST Cory Zacharia, John Brotherton. USA THE LITTLE DEPUTY – Trevor tries to have his photo taken with his father. DIR Trevor Anderson. SCR Trevor Anderson. CAST Trevor Anderson, Luke Oswald, Rob Chaulk, Trevor Schmidt, Lynn Anderson. Canada MAMAN(S) – Eight-year-old Aida and her family are thrown into chaos when her father returns from Senegal with a new wife. DIR Maïmouna Doucouré. SCR Maïmouna Doucouré. CAST Sokhna Diallo, Maimouna Gueye, Azize Diabate, Mareme N’dlaye, Eriq Ebouaney, Maissa Toumoutou, Aida Diallo, Khemissa Zarouel. France MANOMAN – Beware what lies within. DIR Simon Cartwright. SCR Simon Cartwright. CAST Gordon Pearson. UK MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION INTERVIEWS THE REAGANS – The President nails an interview. Featuring: The First Lady and surprise guest. DIR Pacho Velez. USA MYNARSKI DEATH PLUMMET (MYNARSKI CHUTE MORTELLE) – A handmade historical micro-epic and psychedelic photochemical war picture about self-sacrifice, immortality and jellyfish. DIR Matthew Rankin. SCR Matthew Rankin. CAST Alek Rzeszowski, Robert Vilar, Annie St-Pierre, Louis Negin. Canada OBJECT – A hypnotic underwater search from the point of view of the rescue team, the diver and the people waiting on shore. DIR Paulina Skibińska. SCR Paulina Skibińska. Poland OF THE UNKNOWN – In Hong Kong, millionaires and the working poor live side by side. DIR Eva Weber. UK/Hong Kong PALM ROT – An old Florida fumigator comes face to face with a mysterious threat. DIR Ryan Gillis. SCR Ryan Gillis. CAST Greg Tonner. USA PATTERN FOR SURVIVAL – A key ingredient in any survival situation is the mental attitude of the individuals involved. DIR Kelly Sears. USA THE PETER CASSIDY PROJECT – In 1972, a reporter and his team attempt to discover the truth behind an infamous director and the controversial advertisements he directed in the late ’60s. DIR Noah Lee. SCR Noah Lee. CAST Peter Falls, Lewis Pullman, Eden Brolin. USA PINK GRAPEFRUIT – A young married couple, two single friends and a long weekend in Palm Springs. DIR Michael Mohan. SCR Chris Levitus, Michael Mohan. CAST Wendy McColm, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Nora Kirkpatrick, Matt Peters. USA POSTINDUSTRIAL – Eleven floors of thoughts held tight by iron brackets. DIR Boris Pramatarov. Bulgaria PYROMANCE – A lonely pyrotechnician finds an unlikely spark on the eve of the 4th of July fireworks show. DIR John de Menil. SCR John de Menil. CAST Paul McCarthy Boyington, Anna Khaja, Brantley Black, Karen Strassman. USA RATE ME – A portrait of a teen escort comes to life via online user reviews. DIR Fyzal Boulifa. SCR Fyzal Boulifa. CAST Zehra Zorba. UK THE RETURN OF ERKIN – A man just released from a long-term prison discovers that his former life has vanished, never to return. DIR Maria Guskova. SCR Maria Guskova. CAST Kahramonjon Mamasaliyev. Russia REVIEW – A young woman recounts a story to a group of friends who listen with rapt attention, but the tale sounds very familiar. DIR Dustin Guy Defa. USA RONALD REAGAN LIGHTS THE LIGHTS – The President conducts a delicate task. DIR Pacho Velez. USA RONALD REAGAN PARDONS A TURKEY – The President makes a tough call. DIR Pacho Velez. USA SEA CHILD – A young girl on the verge of womanhood is consumed by nightmares. DIR Minha Kim. SCR Islay Bell-Webb. CAST Rachel Park. UK SERENITY – Everyone remembers their first time. Everyone has regrets. DIR Jack Dunphy. SCR Jack Dunphy. CAST Jack Dunphy. USA SHARE – The victim of an unspeakable act gone viral returns to high school. DIR Pippa Bianco. SCR Pippa Bianco. CAST Taissa Farmiga, Keir Gilchrist, Madisen Beaty, Andre Royo. USA THE SUN LIKE A BIG DARK ANIMAL (EL SOL COMO UN GRAN ANIMAL OSCURO) – Even computers need love. DIR Ronnie Rivera, Christina Felisgrau. SCR Bernardo Britto, Ronnie Rivera. CAST Agustina Woodgate. USA SWIMMING IN YOUR SKIN AGAIN – A film about motherhood, banality, Miami, the water, the divine feminine and how to sing in church in a way that calls forth your own adulthood. DIR Terence Nance. SCR Terence Nance. CAST Norvis, Jr., Hadassah Amani, Genoa O’Brien, Vickie Lynn Washington-Nance. USA TAKE WHAT YOU CAN CARRY – When a young woman living abroad receives a letter from home, it’s what she needs to fuse her transient self with the person she’s always known herself to be. DIR Matthew Porterfield. SCR Matthew Porterfield. CAST Hannah Gross, Jean-Christophe Folly, Angela Schanelec, Gob Squad. USA TEETH – That which is neglected, is lost. DIR Tom Brown, Daniel Gray. SCR Tom Brown, Daniel Gray. CAST Richard E. Grant. UK/Hungary/USA THE FACE OF UKRAINE: CASTING OKSANA BAIUL – Adorned in pink sequins, little girls from war-torn Ukraine audition to play the role of Olympic champion figure skater Oksana Baiul. DIR Kitty Green. SCR Kitty Green. Ukraine/Australia TRACKS – An amateur skateboarder is left to care for his girlfriend’s young daughter on the day of a championship tournament. DIR Logan Sandler. SCR Logan Sandler, Carly Stone. CAST Keith Stanfield, Lana Schwartz, Dominique Razon. USA TUESDAY (SALI) – An ordinary school day for a teenage girl in Istanbul. DIR Ziya Demirel. SCR Ziya Demirel, Buket Coşkuner. CAST Melis Balaban. Turkey/France TWELVE TALES TOLD – The dream factory folds in on itself. DIR Lurf Johann. Austria TWO FILMS ABOUT LONELINESS – A split screen separates two distinct worlds that are closer than they appear. DIR William Bishop-Stephens, Christopher Eales. SCR William Bishop-Stephens, Christopher Eales. CAST Tim Key, Detlef Bierstedt. UK UNDER THE SUN (RI GUANG ZHI XIA) – An attempted act of kindness sets two families on an irrevocable collision course from which there is no return. DIR Qiu Yang. SCR Qiu Yang. CAST Zhu Ping, Sun Zhongwei, Bai Lihong, Gong Weiming. Australia/China VICTOR XX – In a small seaside town, a young person makes a personal discovery when they experiment with their gender. DIR Ian Garrido. SCR Ian Garrido. CAST Alba Martínez, Shei Benzidour, Yolanda Cruz. Spain VOLTA (BOATA) – Nina is told she is just going for a walk. DIR Stella Kyriakopoulos. SCR Stella Kyriakopoulos. CAST Marissa Triandafyllidou, Katerina Douka, Giorgos Valais. Greece WAVES ’98 – Omar is lured into the depths of segregated Beirut. Isolated from reality, he struggles to keep his sense of home. DIR Ely Dagher. SCR Ely Dagher. CAST Elie Bassila. Lebanon/Qatar WORLD OF TOMORROW – A little girl is taken on a mind-bending tour of the distant future in the latest opus from Don Hertzfeldt. DIR Don Hertzfeldt. SCR Don Hertzfeldt. CAST Julia Pott, Winona Mae. USA YELLOW FIEBER – Athens was covered in a strange yellow dust. No one expected what was about to happen. DIR Konstantina Kotzamani. SCR Konstantina Kotzamani. CAST Mamadou Diallo, Eytuchia Stefanidou. Greece YOLO – Filmed in the remains of Soweto’s historic Sans Souci Cinema (1948-1998), YOLO is a makeshift structuralist mash-up created in collaboration with the Eat My Dust youth collective. DIR Ben Russell. USA/South Africa

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  • Complete List of Films + Trailers for 81 Countries in Competition for 2015 Foreign Language Film Oscar

    SAND DOLLARS Eighty-one countries have submitted films for consideration in the 2015 Foreign Language Film Oscar category for the 88th Academy Awards®. Paraguay is a first-time entrant. The 2015 submissions are: Afghanistan, “Utopia,” Hassan Nazer, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZhbfzrKWLw Albania, “Bota,” Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci, directors; https://vimeo.com/122133505 Algeria, “Twilight of Shadows,” Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina, director; Argentina, “The Clan,” Pablo Trapero, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWia2xcELuI Australia, “Arrows of the Thunder Dragon,” Greg Sneddon, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TSHuWQjixA Austria, “Goodnight Mommy,” Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u3GCfr0U94 Bangladesh, “Jalal’s Story,” Abu Shahed Emon, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cu0vvLRKsI Belgium, “The Brand New Testament,” Jaco Van Dormael, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9jEA8uzHwQ Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Our Everyday Story,” Ines Tanović, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO6fH-cZpzA Brazil, “The Second Mother,” Anna Muylaert, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNjwuQcvGms Bulgaria, “The Judgment,” Stephan Komandarev, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCAYsrl37s Cambodia, “The Last Reel,” Sotho Kulikar, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1XmFpUAVvw Canada, “Félix and Meira,” Maxime Giroux, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HFbAjkmeYQ Chile, “The Club,” Pablo Larraín, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8c2DYoF7lA China, “Go Away Mr. Tumor,” Han Yan, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65UUtHBHJZM Colombia, “Embrace of the Serpent,” Ciro Guerra, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS73P3hZvPA Costa Rica, “Imprisoned,” Esteban Ramírez, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFcdWPoxEzo Croatia, “The High Sun,” Dalibor Matanić, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcWDMgipJ78 Czech Republic, “Home Care,” Slavek Horak, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdP5dEndQkI Denmark, “A War,” Tobias Lindholm, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkE5ZrPzs0 Dominican Republic, “Sand Dollars,” Laura Amelia Guzmán, Israel Cárdenas, directors; (pictured above) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HeEPnn7ioE Estonia, “1944,” Elmo Nüganen, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ni6KeO-AY Ethiopia, “Lamb,” Yared Zeleke, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKh2M2ooD3w Finland, “The Fencer,” Klaus Härö, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocTDfePRAOg France, “Mustang,” Deniz Gamze Ergüven, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud2yfvjdKRU Georgia, “Moira,” Levan Tutberidze, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myW9KtGw8sA Germany, “Labyrinth of Lies,” Giulio Ricciarelli, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xU0Ywoww70 Greece, “Xenia,” Panos H. Koutras, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaZ3mOod9hk Guatemala, “Ixcanul,” Jayro Bustamante, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMP0Z21zqU Hong Kong, “To the Fore,” Dante Lam, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_4N1DoFbg Hungary, “Son of Saul,” László Nemes, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDP3TZilWHc Iceland, “Rams,” Grímur Hákonarson, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWOFWaltGRw India, “Court,” Chaitanya Tamhane, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sc8z7zav9A Iran, “Muhammad: The Messenger of God,” Majid Majidi, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95HoUxTWGi0 Iraq, “Memories on Stone,” Shawkat Amin Korki, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuBFjhUo5C8 Ireland, “Viva,” Paddy Breathnach, director; Israel, “Baba Joon,” Yuval Delshad, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQLOlq1PfQs Italy, “Don’t Be Bad,” Claudio Caligari, director; Ivory Coast, “Run,” Philippe Lacôte, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SDrpfbnKUk Japan, “100 Yen Love,” Masaharu Take, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwF-VZMEoFc Jordan, “Theeb,” Naji Abu Nowar, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqUbMKf8c60 Kazakhstan, “Stranger,” Yermek Tursunov, director; Kosovo, “Babai,” Visar Morina, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXnmJBVtFBY Kyrgyzstan, “Heavenly Nomadic,” Mirlan Abdykalykov, director; Latvia, “Modris,” Juris Kursietis, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWCxsRlW8Bg Lebanon, “Void,” Naji Bechara, Jad Beyrouthy, Zeina Makki, Tarek Korkomaz, Christelle Ighniades, Maria Abdel Karim, Salim Haber, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_ryTnlrB_s Lithuania, “The Summer of Sangaile,” Alanté Kavaïté, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoijP-cGzfE Luxembourg, “Baby (A)lone,” Donato Rotunno, director; Macedonia, “Honey Night,” Ivo Trajkov, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdaM3dbsgNo Malaysia, “Men Who Save the World,” Liew Seng Tat, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DoUf5jSq_s Mexico, “600 Miles,” Gabriel Ripstein, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGINGaYOlGs Montenegro, “You Carry Me,” Ivona Juka, director; Morocco, “Aida,” Driss Mrini, director; Nepal, “Talakjung vs Tulke,” Basnet Nischal, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl-JXV0JTzw Netherlands, “The Paradise Suite,” Joost van Ginkel, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBxz3h3uhos Norway, “The Wave,” Roar Uthaug, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIr90-aG26Y Pakistan, “Moor,” Jami, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUgbkOedFOY Palestine, “The Wanted 18,” Amer Shomali, Paul Cowan, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekhTuZpMw54 Paraguay, “Cloudy Times,” Arami Ullón, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSekF0ANW5o Peru, “NN,” Héctor Gálvez, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZalPtyQSMus Philippines, “Heneral Luna,” Jerrold Tarog, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_T1ykhy3Fg Poland, “11 Minutes,” Jerzy Skolimowski, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IlSOg1-6Tk Portugal, “Arabian Nights – Volume 2, The Desolate One,” Miguel Gomes, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i59kera1ayM Romania, “Aferim!” Radu Jude, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc Russia, “Sunstroke,” Nikita Mikhalkov, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WypoUHTWH8 Serbia, “Enclave,” Goran Radovanović, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dddfro-Vt9M Singapore, “7 Letters,” Royston Tan, Kelvin Tong, Eric Khoo, Jack Neo, Tan Pin Pin,Boo Junfeng, K. Rajagopal, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI_Tp92v_OA Slovakia, “Goat,” Ivan Ostrochovský, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOs0PTCC07A Slovenia, “The Tree,” Sonja Prosenc, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQlBmcyyVzg South Africa, “The Two of Us,” Ernest Nkosi, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv0y8n0Pu0E South Korea, “The Throne,” Lee Joon-ik, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmsD3wvvGP8 Spain, “Flowers,” Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L33oXnK75w Sweden, “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence,” Roy Andersson, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk Switzerland, “Iraqi Odyssey,” Samir, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs2IMlv7rY Taiwan, “The Assassin,” Hou Hsiao-hsien, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqNyl72eBw Thailand, “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time),” Josh Kim, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfXh86HUpAA Turkey, “Sivas,” Kaan Müjdeci, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWeZ0bZz12M United Kingdom, “Under Milk Wood,” Kevin Allen, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqHAwLeJzhU Uruguay, “A Moonless Night,” Germán Tejeira, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV9N_SNC8DQ Venezuela, “Gone with the River,” Mario Crespo, director; https://vimeo.com/117647793 Vietnam, “Jackpot,” Dustin Nguyen, director. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9NEbqrL9jw The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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  • Award Winners of 2015 Venice International Film Festival, Lorenzo Vigas’ FROM AFAR Wins Golden Lion for Best Film | TRAILER

    DESDE ALLÁ (FROM AFAR) by Lorenzo Vigas DESDE ALLÁ (FROM AFAR) by Lorenzo Vigas is the winner of the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. In the film, wealthy middle-aged Armando lures young men to his home with money. He doesn’t want to touch, only watch from a strict distance. He also follows an elderly businessman with whom he seems to have had a traumatic relationship. Armando’s first encounter with street thug Elder is violent, but this doesn’t discourage the lonely man’s fascination with the tough handsome teenager. Financial interest keeps Elder visiting him regularly and an unexpected intimacy emerges. But Armando’s haunted past looms large, and Elder commits the ultimate act of affection on Armando’s behalf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGxY3tu9mDg Official Awards of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival Golden Lion for Best Film to: DESDE ALLÁ (FROM AFAR) by Lorenzo Vigas (Venezuela, Mexico) Silver Lion for Best Director to: Pablo Trapero for the film EL CLAN (Argentina, Spain) Grand Jury Prize to: ANOMALISA by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson (USA) Coppa Volpi for Best Actress: Valeria Golino in the film PER AMOR VOSTRO by Giuseppe Gaudino (Italy) Coppa Volpi for Best Actor: Fabrice Luchini in the film L’HERMINE by Christian Vincent (France) Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor to: Abraham Attah in the film BEASTS OF NO NATION by Cary Joji Fukunaga (USA) Award for Best Screenplay to: Christian Vincent for the film L’HERMINE by Christian Vincent (France) Special Jury Prize to: ABLUKA (FRENZY) by Emin Alper (Turkey, France, Qatar) LION OF THE FUTURE – “LUIGI DE LAURENTIIS” VENICE AWARD FOR A DEBUT FILM Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film Jury at the 72nd Venice Film Festival, chaired by Saverio Costanzo and comprised of Charles Burnett, Roger Garcia, Natacha Laurent and Daniela Michel, has decided to award: Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film to: THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER by Brady Corbet (United Kingdom, Hungary) (ORIZZONTI) as well as a prize of 100,000 USD, donated by Filmauro di Aurelio e Luigi De Laurentiis to be divided equally between director and producer ORIZZONTI AWARDS The Orizzonti Jury of the 72nd Venice Film Festival, chaired by Jonathan Demme and composed of Anita Caprioli, Fruit Chan, Alix Delaporte and Paz Vega having viewed the 34 films in competition has decided to award: the Orizzonti Award for Best Film to: FREE IN DEED by Jake Mahaffy (USA, New Zealand) the Orizzonti Award for Best Director to: Brady Corbet for THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER by Brady Corbet (United Kingdom, Hungary) the Special Orizzonti Jury Prize to: BOI NEON (NEON BULL) by Gabriel Mascaro (Brazil, Uruguay, The Netherlands) the Special Orizzonti Award for Best Actor to: Dominique Lebornein the film TEMPÊTE by Samuel Collardey the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film to: BELLADONNA by Dubravka Turic (Croatia) the Venice Short Film Nomination for the European Film Awards 2015 to: E.T.E.R.N.I.T. by Giovanni Aloi (France) VENEZIA CLASSICI AWARDS The Venezia Classici Jury, chaired by Francesco Patierno composed of 25 students of Cinema History, chosen in particular from the teachers of 12 Italian Dams university programmes and from the Venice University of Ca’ Foscari, has decided to award: the Venezia Classici Award for Best Documentary on Cinema to: THE 1000 EYES OF DR. MADDIN by Yves Montmayeur (France) the Venezia Classici Award for Best Restored Film to: SALÒ O LE 120 GIORNATE DI SODOMA by Pier Paolo Pasolini (1975, Italy, France) Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement 2015 to: Bertrand Tavernier Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to The Filmmaker Award 2015 to: Brian De Palma Persol Tribute Visionary Talent Award 2015 to: Jonathan Demme L’oréal Paris per il Cinema Award to: Valentina Corti

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  • 12 Bold + Unique Films In Inaugural Platform Lineup of 40th Toronto International Film Festival

    Neon Bull (Boi Neon), Gabriel Mascaro The 40th Toronto International Film Festival revealed the inaugural lineup for Platform, the new juried program that champions director’s cinema from around the world. “We created this new program as a way to sharpen our focus on artistically ambitious cinema in our 40th year and we are thrilled to be able to put the spotlight on these 12 brilliant filmmakers this September,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. “They are major creative forces: the next generation of masters whose personal vision will captivate audiences, industry members and media from around the world.” “Each of the filmmakers in the program fearlessly transforms a wide range of compelling realities through their unique visual and narrative styles, and they do so with incredible command and precision,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. “From a stark coming-of-age story, a retro-futuristic science-fiction and a lyrical post-western to an abduction thriller, a raw documentary and hard-hitting and topical dramas, this lineup reflects the diversity of international directors’ cinema today.” Platform films will screen from Thursday, September 10 to Thursday, September 17. Each film will have its first screening for public, press and industry at the Visa Screening Room at the Elgin Theatre. An international jury composed of acclaimed filmmakers Jia Zhang-ke, Claire Denis and Agnieszka Holland will award the Toronto Platform Prize ($25,000 CAD) to the best film in the program, which will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on September 20, 2015. Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story) Eva Husson, France World Premiere Biarritz. Sixteen-year-old George, a beautiful high-school student, falls in love with Alex. To get his attention, she initiates a group game with Alex, Nikita, Laetitia and Gabriel during which they will discover, test, and push the limits of their sexuality. Through scandals, love and the breakdown of their value systems, each of them manages this intense period in radically different ways. Starring Daisy Broom, Fred Hotier, Lorenzo Lefebvre, Marilyn Lima, and Finnegan Oldfield. The Clan (El Clan) Pablo Trapero, Argentina/Spain North American Premiere The Clan (El Clan) Pablo Trapero, Within a typical family home in the traditional neighborhood of San Isidro, a sinister clan makes its living off kidnapping and murder. Arquímedes, the patriarch, heads and plans the operations. Alejandro, his eldest son, is a star rugby player who gives into his father’s will and identifies possible candidates for kidnapping. To a greater or lesser extent, the members of the family are accomplices in this dreadful venture as they live off the benefits yielded by the large ransoms paid by the families of their victims. Based on the true story of the Puccio family, this film full of suspense and intrigue takes place in the context of the final years of the Argentine military dictatorship and incipient return to democracy. Starring Guillermo Francella and Peter Lanzani. French Blood (Un Français) Diastème, France International Premiere This is the story of a Frenchman, born in 1965 on the outskirts of Paris. The story of a skinhead, who hates Arabs, Jews, blacks, communists and gays. An anger that will take 30 years to die out. A bastard, who will take 30 years to become someone else. And he will never forgive himself for it. Starring Alban Lenoir, Paul Hamy, Samuel Jouy and Patrick Pineau. Full Contact David Verbeek, Netherlands/Croatia World Premiere A contemporary tale of a man who accidentally bombed a school through a remotely operated drone plane. Modern warfare keeps Ivan safe and disconnected from his prey. But after this incident, this disconnectedness starts to apply to everything in his life. He is unable to process his overwhelming feelings of guilt, but needs to open up to his new love Cindy. Only by facing his victims can he rediscover his humanity and find a new purpose in life. Starring Grégoire Colin, Lizzie Brocheré and Slimane Dazi. High-Rise Ben Wheatley, United Kingdom World Premiere High-Rise Ben Wheatley 1975. Two miles west of London, Dr. Laing moves into his new apartment seeking soulless anonymity, only to find that the building’s residents have no intention of leaving him alone. Resigned to the complex social dynamics unfolding around him, Laing bites the bullet and becomes neighborly. As he struggles to establish his position, Laing’s good manners and sanity disintegrate along with the building. The lights go out and the elevators fail but the party goes on. People are the problem. Booze is the currency. Sex is the panacea. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans and Elisabeth Moss. HURT Alan Zweig, Canada World Premiere Steve Fonyo is a one-legged cancer survivor who completed a cross-Canada run raising $13 million in 1985. The next 30 years were straight downhill: petty theft, larceny and drug addiction. The run has nothing to do with the life of this one-time hero, and everything to do with it. Starring Steve Fonyo. Land of Mine (Under Sandet / Unter dem Sand) Martin Zandvliet, Denmark/Germany World Premiere A story never told before. WWII has ended. A group of German POWs captured by the Danish army, boys rather than men, are forced into a new kind of service under the command of a brusque Danish Sergeant. Risking life and limbs, the boys discover that the war is far from over. Starring Roland Møller, Louis Hofmann, Joel Basman, Emil Buschow, Oskar Buschow and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard. Looking for Grace Sue Brooks, Australia North American Premiere Grace, 16, runs away from home. Her parents, Dan and Denise, head off on the road across the Western Australian wheat belt with a retired detective, Norris, to try and get her back. But life unravels faster than they can put it back together. Grace, Dan and Denise learn that life is confusing and arbitrary, but wonderful. Starring Richard Roxburgh, Radha Mitchell, Odessa Young and Terry Norris. Neon Bull (Boi Neon) (pictured above) Gabriel Mascaro, Brazil/Uruguay/Netherlands North American Premiere Iremar and his makeshift family travel through Northeast Brazil taking care of bulls at the Vaquejadas, a Brazilian rodeo. But the region’s booming clothing industry has stirred new ambitions and filled Iremar’s mind with dreams of pattern-cutting and exquisite fabrics. Starring Juliano Cazarré, Aline Santana, Carlos Pessoa and Maeve Jinkings. The Promised Land (Hui Dao Bei Ai De Mei Yi Tian) He Ping, China World Premiere Ai Ling, growing up in a small town, loses her fiancé Jiang He in Beijing. After returning to her hometown with a broken heart, she has to face all the complications life and love have in store for her. Starring Jiajia Wang, Yi Zhang, and Zhiwen Wang. Sky Fabienne Berthaud, France/Germany World Premiere Romy is on holiday in the USA with her French husband, but the journey quickly turns into a settling of old scores for this worn out couple. After a huge argument, Romy decides to break free. She cuts her ties to a stable and secure life that has become alienating and escapes to the unknown. Drifting through a noisy Las Vegas to the wondrous high desert, she goes on with her solitary journey, abandoning herself to her sole intuitions and making it up as she goes. Liberated, she will cross paths with a charismatic and solitary man, with whom she’ll share an inconceivable but pure love. Starring Diane Kruger, Norman Reedus, Gilles Lellouche, Lena Dunham and Q’orianka Kilcher. The White Knights (Les Chevaliers Blancs) Joachim Lafosse, France/Belgium World Premiere Critically acclaimed Joachim Lafosse brings to the screen the Zoe’s Ark controversy which made headlines in 2007: a story about the limits of the right of interference. Jacques Arnault, head of Sud Secours NGO, is planning a high impact operation: he and his team are going to exfiltrate 300 orphans, victims of Chadian civil war and bring them to French adoption applicants. Françoise Dubois, a journalist, is invited to come along with them and handle the media coverage for this operation. Completely immersed in the brutal reality of a country at war, the NGO members start losing their convictions and are faced with the limits of humanitarian intervention. Starring Vincent Lindon, Valérie Donzelli, Reda Kateb, Louise Bourgoin and Rougalta Bintou Saleh. The 40th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10 to 20, 2015.

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