The Tribeca Film Festival announced their out of competition slate today. Highlights include world premieres of Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience (he showed a rough cut at Sundance), Cheryl Hines's Serious Moonlight, penned by her Waitress co-star and director Adrienne Shelley, a new Ti West horror, The House of the Devil, and the directorial debut of Eric Bana, Love the Beast. Full list of titles are below. The festival will run April 22 - May 3.

Encounters

Blank City, directed by Celine Danhier. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Celine Danhier’s kinetic doc mirrors the urgent, anything-goes energy of her subject: the DIY independent film movement that emerged in tandem with punk rock in late ‘70s downtown New York. New interviews with a impressive array of artists including Amos Poe, Bette Gordon, Debbie Harry, Eric Mitchell, Jim Jarmusch, Lydia Lunch, Steve Buscemi, John Lurie, and Nick Zedd flow into clips from landmark No Wave films, and the still-thrilling music of the era floods the soundtrack.

City Island, directed and written by Raymond De Felitta. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. Vinnie just bailed out his illegitimate son from jail, his daughter’s moonlighting as a stripper, his son’s got a weighty fetish, and mom’s eye is wandering… the Rizzos might get along a lot better if they weren’t keeping so many secrets. Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Emily Mortimer, and Alan Arkin star in this smart and poignant dysfunctional-family comedy, set in unassuming City Island.

Don McKay, directed and written by Jake Goldberger. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. Don McKay (Thomas Haden Church) should have followed the old cliche, “You can’t go home again.” After 25 years, he returns for the first time to his hometown at the out-of-the-blue bidding of his cancer-stricken ex-girlfriend (Elisabeth Shue). But a lot of time has passed, and an old secret crashes into new ones in this pitch-black comedy, also featuring Melissa Leo.

An Englishman in New York, directed by Richard Laxton, written by Brian Fillis. (UK) - North American Premiere, Narrative. John Hurt astounds as he revisits the role that made him a star (in 1975’s The Naked Civil Servant): real-life writer, actor, and gay icon Quentin Crisp. This smart, sensitive drama, marked by Hurt’s bravura handling of Crisp’s razor-tongued wit, focuses on the flamboyant 72-year-old star’s move to New York in 1981, and the fallout from a reckless comment about the burgeoning AIDS epidemic. Features Cynthia Nixon, Jonathan Tucker, and Swoosie Kurtz. Executive Producers are Joey Attawia, Susie Field and James Burstall. A Leopardrama Film for ITV1.

The Good Guy, directed and written by Julio DePietro. (US) - World Premiere, Narrative. Tommy Fielding (Scott Porter) is a rising young star on Wall Street who has it all: good looks, good friends, and a budding romance that could finally be the real thing. But when a seemingly hapless co-worker (Bryan Greenberg) befriends his new girlfriend (Alexis Bledel), Tommy becomes the unwitting agent of his own downfall—or so it seems. Set in modern, ultra-hip New York City, “The Good Guy” is a fun, fresh take on love and trust, friendship and betrayal.

Lost Son of Havana, directed and written by Jonathan Hock. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Cuban pitcher Luis Tiant never anticipated spending a half-century in exile. Torn between his career and his homeland, he went on to become one of baseball’s best, heating up the mound for (among others) the Red Sox and Yankees. Director Jonathan Hock follows Tiant on his return to Cuba for the first time, capturing an inspiring and profound portrait of one of the game’s greatest heroes. Part of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

Love the Beast, directed by Eric Bana. (Australia) - International Premiere, Documentary. Eric Bana’s directorial debut is a love story. The object of the actor’s affection? A Ford XB Falcon Coupe, his “beast,” the car he’s had since he was 15. Tracing Bana’s lifelong obsession with cars to his participation in the ultimate auto race—the five-day Targa Tasmania—this impassioned doc is fueled by family, friendship, and the bonds that form through a common passion. Part of the ESPN/Tribeca Film Festival.

Serious Moonlight, directed by Cheryl Hines, written by Adrienne Shelly. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. High-powered attorney Louise (Meg Ryan) arrives at her country nest for a little R and R only to discover that her husband (Timothy Hutton) has been cheating on her with the hotter and younger Sarah (Kristen Bell). Enraged, she derails their plan to go to Paris by duct-taping him to a toilet. Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) skillfully directs Adrienne Shelly’s (Waitress) wry and often hilarious script.

Soundtrack for a Revolution, directed and written by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. A timeless film about the American civil rights movement told through the soul-stirring music that birthed and fortified the fight from picket lines and mass meetings to paddy wagons and jail cells. This powerful doc, crafted by Oscar(R) winner Guttentag and Sturman (Nanking), pairs modern renditions of freedom songs by Wyclef Jean, John Legend, Joss Stone, The Roots, and others with a retelling of this important moment in history.

Tell-Tale, directed by Michael Cuesta, written by Dave Callaham. (UK, USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. Inspired by the classic Edgar Allan Poe horror story, Michael Cuesta’s (L.I.E., Twelve and Holding) chilling tale follows Terry (Josh Lucas), a single father whose recently transplanted heart leads him on a frantic search to find the donor’s killer before he meets a similar fate. This unsettling psychological thriller features Lena Headey, Brian Cox and Dallas Roberts.

Wonderful World, directed and written by Josh Goldin. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. Matthew Broderick is Ben Singer, the world’s most negative man. When his roommate, Ibou, falls ill, Ben is forced to host his Senegalese sister, Khadi (Sanaa Lathan). What starts as an awkward living arrangement soon turns into something more, and Ben’s usual self-destructive nature gives way as he begins to find inspiration in the most unlikely of places.


Spotlight

Black Dynamite, directed by Scott Sanders, written by Michael Jai White, Byron Minns, and Sanders. (USA) - New York Premiere, Narrative. All you suckas gather round. This glorious ‘70s blaxploitation throwback is fist-full of chase scenes, gunfights, kung fu, pimps, and hos. In this satire, Michael Jai White plays Black Dynamite, the smoothest, baddest mother to ever pick up a pair of nunchucks. When the CIA gives back his license to kill, Black Dynamite makes it his mission to keep smack out of orphanages at any cost in this hysterical comedy. Can you dig it? A Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group (SPWAG) release.

Departures (Okuribito), directed by Yojiro Takita, written by Kundo Koyama. (Japan) - New York Premiere, Narrative. Winner of the Academy Award(R) for best foreign language film, Departures is the eccentric, lushly scored, movingly funny tale of a cellist who returns to his picturesque rural hometown with his adoring wife following the breakup of his Tokyo orchestra. A cryptic want ad for work in “Departures” leads him into an unexpected but strangely rewarding new job as an undertaker. In Japanese with English subtitles. A Regent Releasing release.

Easy Virtue, directed by Stephan Elliott, written by Sheridan Jobbins and Elliott. (UK) - USA Premiere, Narrative. Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, Jessica Biel, and Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian) star in the comical tale of a young Englishman who brings his glamorous American bride home to meet his stuffy British parents. Based on the Noel Coward play. Always sublime, Scott Thomas scored nominations from the British Independent Film Awards and the London Critics Circle. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

Fear Me Not (Deb Du Frygter), directed by Kristian Levring, written by Anders Thomas Jensen and Levring. (Denmark) - New York Premiere, Narrative. In this intensely chilling psychological thriller, a run-down middle-aged workaholic (Ulrich Thomsen) enrolls in a clinical trial for a new antidepressant without telling his family. When the trial is abandoned because of dangerous side effects, he continues to take the medication, triggering a hellish descent into madness. In Danish with English subtitles. An IFC Films release.

The Girlfriend Experience, directed by Steven Soderbergh, written by Brian Koppelman, David Levien. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. Director Steven Soderbergh follows five days in the life of a $2,000-an-hour Manhattan call girl (adult film star Sasha Grey) who thinks she has her life totally under control. She even has a devoted boyfriend who accepts her lifestyle. But when you’re in the business of meeting people, you never know who you’re going to meet. A Magnolia Pictures release.

In the Loop, directed by Armando Iannucci, written by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche and Iannucci. (UK) - New York Premiere, Narrative. A fiery political satire that would be frightening if it weren’t so funny, In the Loop expands on director/co-writer Iannucci’s BAFTA-winning BBC satire The Thick of It. With allies the US and Britain secretly on the road to war with a hostile nation, a timid British cabinet member’s (Tom Hollander) vague public comments about the prospect of an invasion create a firestorm of controversy. The terrific ensemble cast also includes James Gandolfini and Steve Coogan. An IFC Films release.

Moon, directed by Duncan Jones, written by Nathan Parker, story by Duncan Jones. (UK) - New York Premiere, Narrative. A thoughtful character study wrapped in a hi-tech sci-fi flick, Moon stars Sam Rockwell as the sole operator of a lunar mining base, living with only a computer robot (voiced by Kevin Spacey) to keep him company. Three years living on the surface of the moon, far from the touch of his wife and young daughter, has taken its toll—he’s starting to hallucinate, touching off a thrilling chain of events that will shake his sense of identity to the core. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

Rudo y cursi, directed and written by Carlos Cuaron. (USA, Mexico) - New York Premiere, Narrative. Stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna and producers Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy), and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel), through their groundbreaking new company Cha Cha Cha, present a splendid, riotous film about a pair of thickheaded stepbrothers whose rivalry takes them from their jobs on a small-town banana ranch to star spots on opposing soccer teams. In Spanish with English subtitles. Part of the ESPN/Tribeca Sports Film Festival. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

Soul Power, directed by Jeff Levy-Hinte. (USA) - New York Premiere, Documentary. Kinshasa, 1974. As Ali and Foreman fought their legendary “Rumble in the Jungle,” an equally epic music festival united the hottest African American and native African soul musicians for an electrifying display of ethnic empowerment. Cameramen charted everything from the life on the streets to the haps backstage, but the footage sat unedited… until now. In English and French with English subtitles. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

Still Walking (Aruitemo Aruitemo), directed and written by Hirokazu Kore-eda. (Japan) - New York Premiere, Narrative. Years of tension kept barely below the surface threaten to run over when two middle-aged children visit their elderly parents on the 15th anniversary of their older brother’s accidental death. Patient, real-time pacing and a delightfully muted wit from the curmudgeonly old-timers highlight acclaimed director Kore-eda’s (Nobody Knows) domestic drama. In Japanese with English subtitles. An IFC Films release.


Showcase

All About Actresses (Le bal des actrices), directed and written by Maiwenn. (France) - US Premiere, Narrative. Maiwenn sets out to resolve her tortured actress identity by making a faux-documentary around a bevy of famous French actresses—only to transform into the treacherous position of the director, falling in love with her subjects and subjected to their starlet-driven wrath. Indulging in the interior insecurities of divas and has-beens, she blurs reality through real-world-like footage and fantastical musical sequences. In French with English subtitles.

Antoine, directed and written by Laura Bari. (Canada) - US Premiere, Documentary. Antoine was born 100 days premature and became blind from the effects of his incubator. Now five years old, he uses a mini boom microphone to discover and capture the sounds around him. Through this visually striking portrait, expertly crafted by Laura Bari, we share both the everyday and imaginary worlds Antoine lives in and learn how he overcomes adversity by creating his own alternative universe of beauty. In French with English subtitles.

Dazzle (Oogverblindend), directed by Cyrus Frisch. (Netherlands) - North American Premiere, Narrative. Cyrus Frisch, the enfant terrible of Dutch cinema, returns to the Festival with his latest feature that challenges classic modes of storytelling. A fragile, long-distance telephone relationship develops between a younger woman (played by Georgina Verban, a Dutch soap opera star), and an older gentleman (played by Rutger Hauer, star of Blade Runner).

FILM IST. a girl & a gun, directed and written by Gustav Deutsch. (Austria) - North American Premiere, Narrative. Gustav Deutsch, the maestro of found footage filmmaking, excavates silent movies from archives worldwide (including the Kinsey Institute) to weave together a stunning vision of the natural and mythological order of the universe, love between the sexes, and weapons of mass destruction. Recommended for adults only.

Fish Eyes (Yu Yan), directed and written by Zheng Wei. (South Korea, China) - North American Premiere, Narrative. Set during the 2008 Olympics on the outskirts of Beijing, first-time filmmaker Zheng Wei’s beautiful and poetic portrait of modern China tells a simple but poignant story about a father, son, and mysterious young woman that subtly explores the physical and psychological tensions that exist in a land where emerging capitalism and accelerating modernization are rapidly overtaking traditional values. In Mandarin with English subtitles.

Masquerades (Mascarades), directed by Lyes Salem, written by Nathalie Saugeon and Salem - (France, Algeria) - North American Premiere, Narrative. Mounir desperately puts on some big-shot swagger for his small Algerian village by spinning a fantastical fib that involves his narcoleptic sister Rym’s engagement to a European business mogul. As things unravel into a tangled mess of jealousy and irrepressible desire, surprising alliances form that fundamentally shift the way of life for his entire community. In Arabic with English subtitles.

My Dear Enemy (Meotjin haru), directed by Yoon-ki Lee, written by Eun-yeong Park (South Korea) - New York Premiere, Narrative. Lee Yoon-Ki’s (This Charming Girl) deadpan comedy trails a pair of former lovers—he’s a romantic and she’s a realist—who bump into each other one year down the road. She wants back a hunk of cash she lent him, so they spend the day winding through downtown Seoul on a hilarious mission to collect his old debts. In Korean with English subtitles.

Pandora’s Box (Pandoranin Kutusu), directed by Yesim Ustaoglu, written by Sema Kaygusuz and Ustaoglu. (Turkey, France, Germany, Belgium) - New York Premiere, Narrative. Yesim Ustaoglu’s (Journey to the Sun) latest is a gorgeous, expertly developed cross-generational dramedy. When an aging matriarch (90-year-old Tsilla Chelton) starts showing signs of dementia, her dysfunctional family in Istanbul must navigate a minefield of unresolved issues to care for her. Sun took the top prize and Chelton was named best actress at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. In Turkish with English subtitles.

Rachel, directed by Simone Bitton. (France, Belgium) - North American Premiere, Documentary. An insightful and provocative exploration into the complexities of political solidarity, Rachel is the story of Rachel Corrie, a 22-year-old American member of the International Solidarity Movement, who died trying to prevent an Israeli army bulldozer from destroying Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip in 2003. Director Simone Bitton interweaves excerpts from Corrie’s diary with interviews with activists and Israeli army personnel. In English, Arabic, Hebrew with English subtitles.

Salt of this Sea (Milh hadha al-bahr), directed and written by Annemarie Jacir. (Palestine) - New York Premiere, Narrative. Brooklyn-raised Soraya (spoken-word artist Suheir Hammad) travels to Palestine to retrieve her grandfather’s savings, frozen in a Jaffa bank account after his 1948 exile. Frustrated by unwieldy official policies, she sets out with friend/love interest Emad on a road trip for poetic justice into Israel—after which there is no return. In English, Arabic with English subtitles.


Restored/Rediscovered

Making the Boys in the Band, directed by William Friedkin (The Boys in the Band) and Crayton Robey (Making the Boys), written by Mart Crowley (The Boys in the Band). (USA) In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, we are pleased to present two programs celebrating the seminal film The Boys in the Band, a cultural watershed that still resonates today. Join us for a free screening of the 1970 film—directed by William Friedkin and written by Mart Crowley, based on his groundbreaking play that debuted one year before Stonewall. (The Boys in the Band print courtesy of CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)

Inherit the Wind, directed by Stanley Kramer, written by Nedrick Young, Harold Jacob Smith. (USA, 1960). Nearly a half-century ago, an all-star cast (including Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, and Gene Kelly) and director brought this fictionalized version of the infamous 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial to the big screen. Join us as we revisit this modern classic in recognition of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday as well as the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal (and to some, still controversial) On the Origin of Species. Sponsored by Alfred P Sloan Foundation.

Variety, directed by Bette Gordon, written by Kathy Acker. (USA, 1984). In Bette Gordon’s newly restored, pioneering indie narrative about voyeurism from a female perspective, a young woman (Sandy McLeod) works as a ticket taker in a porn theater, and her curiosity leads her to shadow a male patron. This film features an unparalleled collaborative team of downtown artists from the early 1980s, including composer John Lurie, cinematographer Tom DeCillo, writer Kathy Acker, photographer Nan Goldin, and actor Spalding Gray. Variety was shot on location in New York City at the now bygone landmarks of the Variety Theatre, Fulton Fish Market, and Yankee Stadium, as well as an edgier incarnation of Times Square.


Midnight

Cropsey, directed by Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio, written by Zeman. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Urban legends—we either dismiss them or accept that they have some grain of truth. Directors Zeman and Brancaccio attempt to uncover one such urban myth as they investigate five missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearance in Staten Island during their youth. Will this terrifying journey resolve what has haunted them since childhood?

The House of the Devil, directed and written by Ti West. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. Set in the early ‘80s on the night of a lunar eclipse (and all the more shocking for being “based on true unexplained events”), this simmering retro suspense thriller centers on a cash-strapped college girl who answers a babysitting ad only to gradually unravel the horrifying secret behind why she was truly hired. Featuring Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, and Greta Gerwig.

Hysterical Psycho, directed and written by Dan Fogler. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. In this side-splitting horror send-up, a theater troupe takes a trip to a country cabin, but its nearby lake is full of lunar radiation, and one of the troupe members is straight-up crazy. Put them together and you get one psycho thespian! Full of bloody, fun-filled kills, a deaf-mute chick, and some big boobs, Hysterical Psycho is a helluva trip.

Midgets vs. Mascots, directed by Ron Carlson, co-written by Kevin Andourian. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. Two teams risk life, limb, and maybe jail time while pushing the boundaries of decency to score the fortune of a deceased little person, a former mascot turned porn mogul. Outrageous outcasts and out-of-control antics abound in this bawdy Jackass-meets-Road Rules mockumentary, a cautionary tale in which milk does not do a body good and that features the long-awaited big-screen comeback of Gary Coleman.

Newsmakers (Goryachie novosti), directed by Anders Banke, written by Sam Klebanov and Aleksandr Lungin. (Russia, Sweden) - World Premiere, Narrative. In this fast-paced remake of Johnnie To’s Breaking News, the public confidence of the police force is compromised after they botch catching a gang of robbers and it gets captured on camera. In retaliation, the police chief and PR director decide to create a live reality show with a search-and-destroy operation against the gang they let get away. This crime thriller is loaded with loud gunfights and action that takes the term “media war” to a whole new level. In Russian with English subtitles.

Paintball, directed by Daniel Benmayor, written by Mario Schoendorff. (Spain) - World Premiere, Narrative. Eight strangers convene in a remote forest for an expensive experts-only paintball retreat. They enter the game at full throttle, but already something’s not right. The rules have changed and more is at stake than they expected. This frenetic thriller is akin to a live-action videogame, but getting to Level 10 doesn’t seem to guarantee anything. In English.

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, directed by Julien Nitzberg. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Shoot-outs, robberies, gas-huffing, drug dealing, pill popping, murders, and tap dancing—what do these all have in common? The White Family. From Executive producers Spike Jonze, Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine comes a shocking portrait of Boone County, West Virginian’s most notorious and surly family. Nitzberg spends a year with multiple generations of the White family in this outlandish doc featuring the family’s dancing muse, Jesco White (star of the cult classic documentary Dancing Outlaw). Also with Hank Williams III.

Labels: Festival Ambassador

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 3/11/2009 12:44:00 PM Comments (0)

Monday, March 9, 2009

TRIBECA ANNOUNCES WORLD NARRATIVE/DOC COMPETITION & DISCOVERY SLATE 

With a mix of the economic wowes and losing sponsors like Target and GM, this year's Tribeca Film Festival will have a slimmer line up with 86 features and 46 shorts. Announced today were the Discovery, World Narrative competition (which includes the world premiere of the Polish brother's Stay Cool) and, what I feel is the strongest section at Tribeca, the Documentary competition slate (the world premiere of Kirby Dick's Outrage). Full list is below. The festival will run April 22 - May 3.


World Narrative Feature Competition

About Elly (Darbareye Elly), directed and written by Asghar Farhadi. (Iran) - North American Premiere. A group of old college pals reunites for a weekend adventure on the sea, but compounding lies and deception quickly lead to catastrophe. Everyone hopes Sepideh’s new friend Elly will hit it off with Ahmad, newly divorced from his German wife and in search of an Iranian bride, but Elly disappears on the second day, plunging the group into a complex mystery. Asghar Farhadi took the Best Director prize at Berlin. In Persian with English subtitles.

Accidents Happen, directed by Andrew Lancaster, written by Brian Carbee. (Australia) - World Premiere. There are dysfunctional families… and then there are the Conways. After a family tragedy, 15-year-old Billy Conway has become the de facto glue between his bitter mom (Geena Davis), distant brother, and stoic dad. But when Billy starts to act out, everything changes for him and his family in this visually stunning, bittersweet drama.

The Eclipse, directed and written by Conor McPherson. (Ireland) - World Premiere. Award-winning screenwriter and Tony-nominated playwright McPherson crafts an exquisite atmospheric drama about a widower (Ciaran Hinds, Munich) who sees and hears strange things in his house. His life converges with a beautiful author of supernatural fiction (Iben Hjejle, High Fidelity) and a full-of-himself pop novelist (Aidan Quinn) at an international literary festival that will alter their lives in surprising ways.

The Exploding Girl, directed and written by Bradley Rust Gray. (USA) - North American Premiere. A tender performance by Zoe Kazan is the centerpiece of this delicate, beautifully shot character study. Cherubic college student Ivy is back home in Brooklyn for spring break with her longtime platonic guy pal Al in tow. As her relationship with her boyfriend slowly disintegrates via cell phone, Al’s friendship is cast in a new light.

The Fish Child (El nino pez), directed and written by Lucia Puenzo. (Argentina, Spain, France) - North American Premiere. Likened to a bold Argentine Thelma and Louise, Lucia Puenzo’s follow-up to her Cannes winner XXY wraps a passionate love story in the arms of a pulsating thriller. When an upper-class Argentine falls for her family’s sultry Paraguayan maid, the two make plans to run away together, but their hope for escape is derailed when shocking secrets become unveiled. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Handsome Harry, directed by Bette Gordon, written by Nicholas T. Proferes. (USA) - World Premiere. Harry (Jamey Sheridan), a divorced father and former sailor, lives a simple life in his small town. But when his dying best friend sparks Harrys drive to confront his past, buried secrets resurface and force him to deal with painful memories. This unique and eloquent film also features Aidan Quinn, John Savage, and Campbell Scott.

Here and There (Tamo i ovde), directed and written by Darko Lungulov. (Serbia) - World Premiere. Miserable middle-aged musician Robert suddenly finds himself homeless and in need of quick cash. He accepts an offer from a young, enterprising Serbian immigrant named Branko: Travel to Belgrade, marry Branko’s girlfriend, and bring her back to the US. But while on the trip, Robert meets Branko’s mother, discovers that happiness comes when least expected, and begins to question whether money or love would be the true cure to his ills. In English and Serbian with English subtitles.

North (Nord), directed by Rune Denstad Langlo, written by Erlend Loe. (Norway) - North American Premiere. A road movie without a road, North is a wry comedy about a former ski champion recovering from a mental breakdown and on a journey to start anew. Having just learned he has a five-year-old son, he hops on his snowmobile with some moonshine, bound for ex-girlfriend’s home in Norway’s Far North. His oddball encounters along the way make this fresh and original debut both tender and amusing. In Norwegian with English subtitles.

Queen To Play (Joueuse) - directed and written by Caroline Bottaro. (France, Germany) - World Premiere. Sandrine Bonnaire plays an inquisitive hotel maid captivated by a vacationing couple (Jennifer Beals, Francis Renaud) playing chess. Thus begins her obsession with mastering the game and transforming her uninspired life. An American expat (Kevin Kline) mentors her in the game that alters both their lives in this delightful feel-good French import. In French with English subtitles.

Seven Minutes in Heaven (Sheva Dakot Be’gan Eden), directed and written by Omri Givon. (Israel) - International Premiere. A young woman struggles to reconstruct her memory of the events immediately following the Jerusalem bus bombing that took the life of her boyfriend and left her back badly scarred. Part memory play, part love story, and part metaphysical thriller, this startling debut feature announces Givon as a forceful storyteller and exciting new voice in international cinema. In Hebrew with English subtitles.

Stay Cool, directed by Michael Polish, written by Mark Polish. (USA) - World Premiere. Henry McCarthey (Mark Polish) returns home to give the commencement speech at his high school. But even after almost 20 years, it’s as if he never left - he again wants the girl, gets suspended by the principal, and is grounded by his parents. This charming comedy, featuring Winona Ryder and Hilary Duff, reminds us that time certainly does fly and old flames are hard to put out.

Vegas: Based on a True Story, directed by Amir Naderi, written by Susan Brennan, Bliss Esposito, Charlie Lake Keaton and Naderi. (USA) - North American Premiere. Returning to the Festival, acclaimed director Amir Naderi applies his inimitable cinematic style to Vegas. The film takes place away from the glittering strip of luxury mega casinos, but the judgment-clouding greed of Sin City is just as pervasive on the desert outskirts of town, where an otherwise happy family is thrown into turmoil after learning of a forgotten fortune that may be buried beneath their scrubby little home.


World Documentary Feature Competition

The Burning Season, directed by Cathy Henkel. (Australia) - International Premiere. TFF award winner Henkel returns with this powerful portrait of three lives affected by deliberately lit fires raging across Indonesia. Destroying pristine rainforest, endangering wildlife, and contributing to climate change, these fires only benefit the lucrative palm oil industry. Following a carbon-trading entrepreneur, an orangutan rescuer, and a palm oil farmer, this doc inspirationally shows those caught at the intersection of big business and conservation. Hugh Jackman narrates. In English, Indonesian with English subtitles.

Defamation (Hashmatsa), directed by Yoav Shamir. (Denmark, Austria, USA, Israel) - North American Premiere. Is anti-Semitism an extant threat on the verge of coalescing into a second Holocaust? Or is it a scare tactic used by right-wing Zionists to discredit their critics? Speaking with the head of the Anti-Defamation League, controversial author Norman Finkelstein, and others, Shamir sets out to discover the realities of anti-Semitism today. His findings are both shocking and wryly funny. In English, Hebrew, Russian with English subtitles.

Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi, directed by Ian Olds. (USA) - North American Premiere. In 2007, the Taliban kidnapped 24-year-old Ajmal Naqshbandi and an Italian journalist. Naqshbandi was one of Afghanistan’s best “fixers”—someone hired by foreign journalists to facilitate, translate, and gain access for their stories. This gripping, tragic story is a behind-the-scenes look into the dangerous and unseen world that happens before we get the news. In English, Dari, Pashto, Italian with English subtitles.

Garapa, directed by Jose Padilha. (Brazil) - North American Premiere. Director Jose Padilha follows up his Golden Bear-winning Elite Squad with this austere, unflinching examination of the realities of chronic hunger for three Brazilian families. At once intimate and universal, Padilha’s hauntingly visual film humanizes the enormity of the global hunger crisis. In Portuguese with English subtitles.

Only When I Dance, directed by Beadie Finzi. (Brazil, UK) - World Premiere. Two teenage ballet dancers from the working-class favelas of Rio are determined to dance their way to a better life, but to do so they must grow up against harsh prejudice, doubt, and some of the best dancers in the world. This inspiring doc trails their path to beat the odds and follow their dream of making it in the elite world of professional ballet. In Portuguese with English subtitles.

Outrage, directed by Kirby Dick. (USA) - World Premiere. Academy Award(R) nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated) delivers a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to. Outrage boldly reveals the hidden lives of some of our nation’s most powerful policymakers, details the harm they’ve inflicted on millions of Americans, and examines the media’s complicity in keeping their secrets. A Magnolia Pictures Release.

Partly Private, directed by Danae Elon. (Canada) - World Premiere. To cut or not to cut? Pregnant with a baby boy, director Danae Elon and her husband face “a big choice about his little penis.” From New York to London, Istanbul to Israel, Elon travels the world in a shockingly funny, sometimes cringe-inducing (they show it, fellas) effort to understand the controversial ritual of male circumcision.

Racing Dreams, directed by Marshall Curry. (USA) - World Premiere. What Little League is to baseball, go-karting is to auto racing. Oscar(R)-nominated director Marshall Curry (Street Fight) follows the exhilarating and emotional journeys of three top racers competing for the national championship. Three adolescents and their families must discover if they have the talent and dedication—and sponsorship dollars—to one day become NASCAR superstars. Part of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

Shadow Billionaire, directed by Alexis Manya Spraic. (USA) - World Premiere. When DHL founder Larry Hillblom disappeared following a 1995 plane crash off his Micronesian island home, dozens of would-be heirs from the Philippines came out of the woodwork to lay claim to his mega fortune. Within the framework of the fantastic legal battle, Spraic’s debut doc slowly uncovers the stranger-than-fiction life of this eccentric billionaire.

Team Qatar, directed by Liz Mermin. (UK) - World Premiere. Equal parts competition movie and cultural examination, “Team Qatar” follows the first Qatari national debate team and their springy English coach as they train in Doha, London, and New York in preparation for the world championship in DC. Will this vibrant multicultural team handle the pressure and succeed on the world stage? Part of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

Transcendent Man, directed by Barry Ptolemy. (USA) - World Premiere. Some hail him as a modern-day Nostradamus, others dismiss him as a crackpot. Futurist and famed inventor Ray Kurzweil is the preeminent theorist on the pending fusion of humans and super-intelligent machines as the next phase of evolution, a “singularity” he predicts will occur within 30 years. This fascinating (and at times terrifying) doc explores the personal ideals behind his controversial ideas.

Yodok Stories, directed by Andrzej Fidyk. (Norway, Poland) - North American Premiere. Exposing subject matter notoriously shrouded in secrecy, this uplifting and sobering doc chronicles a group of North Korean concentration camp escapees and their contributions to a powerful musical based on their experiences. Blending interviews and scenes from the controversial stage show, director Andrzej Fidyk explores the atrocities they faced as prisoners—and the challenges they face while trying to express them through art. In English, Korean with English subtitles.


Discovery

American Casino, directed by Leslie Cockburn. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Politicians and the media like to talk about the relationship between Wall Street and Main Street, but investigative journalist Leslie Cockburn’s debut feature gets to the guts of the matter, visiting defectors from Bear Stearns and Standard & Poor’s and other high-level players in the subprime mortgage gamble and, on the flipside, visiting the working-class Americans who were the unwitting chips on the table.

Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB, directed by Mandy Stein. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Fueled by vintage performances by the likes of Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Television, Bad Brains, and The Ramones, this doc charts the history and far-reaching influence of iconic downtown club CBGB and its fight for survival against the Bowery homeless shelter that sought to shut it down. Sonic Youth, Debbie Harry, Ice-T, Fab 5 Freddy, and others share their passion for the anything-goes spirit of the club and its founder, Hilly Kristal.

Con Artist, directed by Michael Sladek. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. One of the biggest names in the East Village art scene of the ‘80s, “business artist” Mark Kostabi gleefully made a fortune signing and selling artworks painted by a revolving stable of hired hands. This punk-fueled docu-comedy looks back at Kostabi’s ultimately self-destructive skewering of the celebrity art world, and gets as close as one can to a man who’s been called “the black hole of irony.”

Entre nos, directed and written by Gloria La Morte and Paola Mendoza. (USA, Colombia) - World Premiere, Narrative. Adoring mother Mariana (talented codirector Paola Mendoza) has toted her two children from Colombia to New York to indulge her husband’s whim. But when he abruptly abandons the family, she’ll have to rely on her own imagination and courage—and that of her remarkable kids (breakthroughs Sebastian Villada and Laura Montana)—to survive insurmountable odds during their first summer in the United States. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, directed and written by Damien Chazelle. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. First-time director Damien Chazelle infuses his black-and-white, verite-style relationship drama with all that jazzy romance of an old-Hollywood musical. Backed by a grand, alternately rollicking and melancholy score, Guy and Madeline tracks a pair of young lovers in Boston after they separate, search for new romance, and perhaps find their way back to each other.

A Matter of Size (Sipur Gadol), directed by Erez Tadmor and Sharon Maymon, written by Danny Cohen-Solal and Maymon. (Israel) - World Premiere, Narrative. In this touching, lighthearted comedy, an overweight, underemployed chef and three close friends abandon their weight-loss group to pursue an activity for which girth is a virtue: sumo wrestling. While training, they discover the soul of sumo, realizing that—fat or thin—love and success will only come from being true to themselves. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Part of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

My Last Five Girlfriends, directed and written by Julian Kemp. (UK) - World Premiere, Narrative. Based on the international best seller On Love by Alain de Botton, this delightful romantic comedy explores with delicious wit and whimsy just how modern urban relationships go wrong. Surveying the wreckage of his last five relationships, thirtysomething Duncan (Brendan Patricks) concludes that love is a battleground where only the fittest survive.

Off and Running, directed by Nicole Opper, written by Avery Klein-Cloud and Opper. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. With white Jewish lesbians for parents and two adopted brothers—one mixed-race and one Korean—Brooklyn teen Avery grew up in a unique and loving household. Even so, she can’t quell her curiosity about her biological African-American roots and decides to contact her birth mother. This choice propels Avery into her own complicated exploration of race, identity, and family that threatens to distance her from the parents she’s always known.

Original, directed and written by Alexander Brondsted and Antonio Tublen. (Denmark) - World Premiere, Narrative. In this fresh and colorful lovable loser tale, Henry has spent most of his life trying to blend in. When his seemingly normal life turns upside down, his friend convinces him to move to Spain and open a restaurant. But before he can break free of the mundane, he gets sidelined caring for his mentally unstable mother, running into a lost-soul feminist who does performance art in a strip club, and a big bag of steroids. In English, Swedish, Danish with English subtitles.

P-Star Rising, directed by Gabriel Noble. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. In the early ‘80s, Jesse Diaz was a rising star in the hip-hop world. Now a broke single father in Harlem with two children to support, Jesse finds a shot at redemption in his nine-year-old daughter Priscilla Star, a precocious and immensely talented rapper. Director Gabriel Noble follows four years of father-daughter ups and downs as they navigate the grit and the glamour of the music biz.

Playground, directed by Libby Spears. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Executive produced by George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Steven Soderbergh, this astonishing doc travels to the dark heart of one of the world’s most sinister industries—the child sex trade. Beginning her journey infiltrating brothels in South Korea and Thailand, director Libby Spears soon discovers that the United States is a major player in the human trafficking racket and turns her attention to the homeland. Featuring original artwork by Yoshitomo Nara.

The Swimsuit Issue (Allt flyter), directed by Mans Herngren, written by Jane Magnusson, Brian Cordray and Herngren. (Sweden) - International Premiere, Narrative. What begins as a joke turns into a new shot at glory for a group of over-the-hill athletes who decide to form Sweden’s only all-male synchronized swimming team. The less they’re taken seriously, the more determined they are to win the world championship in this fun, feel-good comedy about friendship and family. In Swedish with English subtitles. Part of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

TiMER, directed and written by Jac Schaeffer. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. Finding true love is easier than ever thanks to a bio-technological implant called the TiMER, which counts down to the exact time people meet their soul mates. Love-starved Oona (Emma Caulfield, TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is pushing 30, but her TiMER hasn’t even started counting down yet. What’s worse, she’s falling for a guy (John Patrick Amedori, Gossip Girl) who is set to meet his true love in four months. Newcomer Jac Schaeffer crafts a smart romantic comedy that leaves behind the burning question… would you want to know?

Which Way Home, directed by Rebecca Cammisa. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. In this unprecedented, revelatory doc, director Rebecca Cammisa (Sister Helen) follows three unaccompanied children on a harrowing odyssey away from their homes in Latin America and through Mexico with one mighty shepherding hope: to reach the United States, where they can either reunite with their own families who made the journey before them, or create new lives for themselves.

Labels: Festival Ambassador

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 3/09/2009 01:49:00 PM Comments (0)