Set in the downtrodden area of East-End London, PURE is a story about innocence and one family’s struggle to survive.  Ten-year-old Paul (Harry Eden) becomes the caretaker of his family – mother Mel (Molly Parker) and youngest brother Lee (Vinni Hunter) - following the death of his father.  The movie follows his desperate attempts to protect the loving bond of mother and son and save Mel from her drug addiction to heroin.  Worn out by constant abuse from his mother and the continued threat of the local drug dealer, Paul seeks out the affection of Louise (Keira Knightley), a young pregnant waitress.  This is a love story about the unyielding devotion of a young boy who against the odds believes he can save his mother but comes to understand that only Mel can do this for herself. 

This screening is prior to the film's opening in NY & LA
Distributed by New Yorker Films

Spanish Director Iciar Bollain tackles the harsh reality of domestic violence in Spain in this gritty drama, focusing on a woman’s personal battle between love and fear, as well as raising interesting questions about the wider cultural picture of a patriarchal society.  Scooping seven Goya awards (Spain's equivalent of the Oscars), Bollain's dramatic portrayal of Pilar, played brilliantly by Laia Marull, as a woman trapped in a relationship with an insecure and aggressive husband, Antonio, (Luis Tosar), owes more than a nod to the films of Ken Loach, in particular Nil By Mouth.  Interestingly, Bollain has actually written a book about the famous British director and is married to his friend and collaborator, Paul Laverty. 

Q&A following the screening, with Director-Writer-Producer James Hill

Set in San Diego, The StreetSweeper is a snapshot of a few days in the life of a street sweeper operator named Enzo, who is played to perfection by veteran song-and-dance man, Paul Michael. Enzo is an elderly gentleman approaching retirement who is loved by all for his simple approach to life, coupled with a seemingly inexhaustible commitment to helping those around him reach inside themselves to become all they can be.  An opera singer in his youth, Enzo still loves to sing and does so in an engaging, robust style from the time he's shaving in the morning until lying on his bed at night.  Even during work hours, Enzo is known for traversing his downtown San Diego sweeper route in a battered Elgin Eagle with a horn speaker attached to the roof of the cab blaring -- what else...  invigorating opera tunes at upwards of 100dBA!  Although clearly down in his fortunes, Enzo lives a simple, exuberant life, reminiscent of Chauncey the gardener in the classic movie gem, Being There.  He has been pouring his life's savings into the dream of his lifetime, covering the Harvard schooling costs of his son, Joey, played with conviction by Michael Cavalieri. 

Plot twists concerning the return of Joey and his girlfriend bring audiences through a range of emotions, from disdain to empathy and to tears.  This is a movie which warms the heart, portrays brightness of spirit, and conveys a clear message of goodness and vitality, if ultimately tempered by the grim realities for those caught in the backwaters of twenty-first century life.

Hawaii, Oslo is the story of a handful of desperate people whose paths cross on the hottest day of the year in Oslo.  A Norwegian CRASH minus the racial strife and with the slightest touch of magical realism.  Frode and Milla have their first child, but learn he will not live long without an expensive operation they cannot afford.  Bobbie-Pop is a faded singer who tries to commit suicide.  Leon is an institutionalized mental patient, who hopes to keep a 10-year-old date on his birthday with his teenage sweetheart.  Leon`s brother, Trygve, gets a weekend leave from prison to be with Leon on his birthday, but plans on using the furlough to escape.  Overseeing Leon and protecting him is his guardian angel Vidar, Leon`s best buddy at the institution, who sees things no one else can see, and who may be able to save everyone - except himself…. and the wondrously well-plotted story goes on and on.  It's a grand achievement, with lots of familiar faces (Jan Gunnar Røise and Petronella Barker among them) for devotees of Scandinavian cinema.

Special Guests in attendance for Q&A Session following the screening
Christopher Jaymes, Producer/Director/Writer/Editor
Eric Michael Cole, Co-Producer/Co-Editor
Pat Healy, Actor

In Memory of My Father is comedy depicting the-death of three brothers' father, a retired film producer, once legendary, now decrepit.  As the siblings host their father's wake (which quickly evolves into a traditionally self-obsessed Hollywood party) their struggles, and failings, to be different from their selfish father are exposed.  A brutally honest film, spotlighting a generation of children lacking the tools necessary to carry out emotionally-based actions in an adult-like manner.  Dad, (a Robert Evans type), has been living out his final days in his Hollywood Hills mansion.  Lost in his self-obsession, he has come to believe that his death will have historical importance, and warrants documentation. He bribes his son to assemble a crew and chronicle his death.

Press Screening for "Palm Springs Native American Film Festival"

Kevin McMahon's fascinating and multi-award winning documentary begins with a highly mysterious event:  A loan Chicago museum curator recounts hearing the voices of children coming directly from the artifacts in one of her Native American art collections in the middle of the night.
While McMahon¹s emotional new documentary is a ghost story of sorts, it emerges as a rather soaring, triumphant meditation on the awakening of two collective but very different historical consciousnesses: the Haida people
and their grasp on their own culture and contemporary Western museum personnel and the importance of repatriation.  McMahon¹s film alternates effortlessly between the journey of the Haida people to reclaim their culture by bringing the skeletal remains of their ancestors home and the self-liberating act of a sensitive group of Chicago based museum workers who realize that the historical artifacts in their collections must be returned to their rightful owners.
McMahon¹s impressive document of this unique collaboration is ultimately a breathtaking study in reconciliation where respect for an ancient culture brings a final peace to a Native heartland and to the consciousness of its people.

GOODNIGHT IRENE - Three Seminole patients share some laughs and poignant truths as they wait for treatment at the local Indian hospital.

Opens in present-day Beijing with a disastrous encounter between delivery boy Dabing (Xia Yu, who won the Best Actor prize in Venice for In the Heat of the Sun) and Ling Ling (Qi Zhongyang). Dabing is the one with a bump on his head, but Ling Ling's the one who ends up in hospital, receiving overdue treatment for a life that has left her dazed, confused and hurt. He visits her home to keep her fish fed and starts reading her diary. It tells a story that shocks him in ways he could never have expected, but it also reminds him of his own childhood passion for the movies. Those were the days before television, when movies were the only real mass medium and when audiences breathed and dreamed as one.

Rallia, a young woman raised in Switzerland, returns to her birthplace in the mountainous region of Algeria, hoping to find her biological mother, Keltoum.  Her short hair and westernized demeanor mark her as a stranger from the moment she steps off the bus.  Rallia finds her way to her ancestral home and her grandfather, who tells her that her mother works far away in a luxury resort but returns on weekends.  Waiting in vain each week for her mother's visit, Ralli immerses herself in village life, adopting traditional dress, helping her half-mad aunt with family chores, and struggling with her dual cultural heritage in a strictly patriarchal society.  Eventually, Rallia and her aunt embark on a journey to the city to find Keltoum.  With stunning desert landscapes and a rich musical soundtrack, this road movie is inflected both with the rhythms of North African life and the emotions of western melodrama. 

"Cylia Malki gives an uncanny performance in the moving central role."
—Piers Handling,  Toronto Film Festival.

Filmmaker Guest, Daniel Gamburg, in attendance for Q&A following the films.

1) ALL SOUL'S DAY  (13:00) - Abstract/Drama - Written & Directed by Laura Storm
There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.  All Soul's Day begins on Alice's sixth birthday, the first since her death.  Her mother is so devastated by grief and guilt that Alice's spirit has lingered to comfort her.  When her mother drives away, Alice is free for a time to explore on her own.  She finds a cellar in her backyard and meets a clown, sent to guide her while her soul is still in an in-between stage.  While her mother drives aimlessly through the countryside, Alice has a wonderful time playing with the clown.  Still, her mother's grief pulls her back through a super 8 projector that invades the magical world that the clown creates for her. 
2) CELAMY  (18:45) - Drama - Directed by Julie Anne Meerschwam
The story is the rise and fall of a friendship between a little girl and her imaginary friend.  Lengthy Festival & Awards List
3) DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE  (21:00) - Comedy/Romance - Directed by D.C. Douglas 
"As if speed dating wasn’t wild and wacky enough, and a little weird too, "Duck, Duck, Goose!" creates a manic, over-the-top illustration of what can happen when you’ve decided to utilize this fast food dating process.  And "Duck, Duck, Goose"” doesn't skimp on the laughs, either. From moment one, you understand that you’re watching the work of a comedically talented cast and crew. The jokes are rapid fire and always hit their mark, a lot of that success having to do with the cast seemingly having so much fun with the material. Having a little trouble with your love life? I prescribe a little "Duck, Duck, Goose!" to help pick you up out of the gutter”  … Eric Campos
4) MOTEL   (8:00) - Humor - by Thor Freudenthal. 
"There’s Always Room for One More..."  Thor's short premiered at Sundance and won best short at the Aspen Comedy Festival.  Thor recently closed a deal with Alcon Entertainment with Sid Gannis producing THE CEO written by Thor and his writing partner Deborah Pearl.  Think POLTERGEIST set in the office workplace.  Thor’s theatrical debut will be DEAD EVER AFTER written by Thor and Deborah for Europacorp with Luc Besson producing.  Sometimes the strangest stories are the most affecting.  In Thor Freudenthal's MOTEL, a guy happens upon an abandoned motel with every amenity--but there's a catch.  Has he found a roadside oasis? 
5) SPIN   (8:00) - Comedy/Fantasy - by Jamin Winans
A mysterious DJ is sent to a busy street corner to fix a chain reaction of bad events.  Can the power of music overcome fate?  Put the needle on the record and find out!  Director:  Jamin Winans - Producer:  Joe Sekiya - Writer:  Jamin Winans  Complete Cast:  Cesar Bejarano, Mike Saleeb, Jeffrey Richardson, Kerry Knuppe, Jamey Geston, Pooch, Troy Garner, Alan Shackelford, Gale Grove, Brandon Carrillo, Hayz II, Raymond Andrew Bailey, Megan Heffernan and Brian Taylor.
6) TSIPA AND VOLF  (20:00) – Documentary by Daniel Gamburg - Filmmaker Guest 
Mr.Gamburg’s first feature, I.P.O., was released in 2003 TSIPA AND VOLF is a short film about how love cannot be erased by illness and time. Through its subjects, the film emphasizes how the past exists in the present.  It captures the tragicomic nature of a 50-year relationship based on survival and commitment.  Two elderly Jewish emigres from Latvia, now living in San Francisco, reminisce about a rich community lost to the horrors of World War II.  Tsipa's and Volf's candid interviews with their grandson explore the fragile nature of memory, the strength of their commitment and devotion to one another.  When Volf is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Tsipa's love becomes unshakable.  She repeats throughout the film––love is conscience and commitment.  Director's Statement: My aim is to express life's ineffable moments, to capture the connective tissue of the human condition––preserving one's identity and its relationship to other people and places in history.
7) WARD 13  (14:30) - Animation, Horror, Action, Comedy - Directed by Peter Cornwell.
What price would you put on your health?  Ben is about to find out... WARD 13's newest admission faces medical attention of an unwanted kind — and no apples will keep these doctors away.  After a car accident, Ben wakes up in hospital. Not knowing where he is or what is going on, he starts exploring the corridors...only to find that the staff doesn't have his health in mind!  The hapless patient must pull himself together and do everything he can to escape.  It's an action/horror/comedy — ending with the wheelchair chase from hell.  Peter's short was on the Oscar shortlist this past year.  The short got him a deal with Sam Raimi; now he's currently developing his first feature with Sam
8) WINDOW  (16:00) - Drama, Directed by Varda Hardy.   
Academy Award Winner Louis Gossett Jr. and Robert Peters give moving performances as two ailing veterans.  Once a commanding officer, Ralph Stanley (Gossett) desperate and angry, will do anything to get the bed by the window.  WINDOW is an official selection of The Los Angeles International Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Malibu International Film Festival, The Method Fest, Temecula International Film Festival, Reel Women Film Festival, Harlem Film Festival, Park City Music in Film Festival, Dam Short Film Festival, San Francisco Women's Film Festival, Women in Film International Film Festival, Film Independent Cinelounge, Pacific Palisades Film Festival, and SAG INDIE special screening Short Mondays Film Festival.

Filmmaker Guests: Lisa France, Director/Writer and Luis Moro, Actor/Writer

First American feature film made in Cuba since Fidel Castro’s revolution.  While mourning the love he left behind, Tomas (Kamar De Los Reyes), a successful young Manhattanite, is driven to contemplate suicide amid hallucinatory sleepless nights.  Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Alberto (Luis Moro) is so at peace with himself that he basks in his simple existence.  The common denominator between them is Cuba, where a young girl (Daisy McCrackin) links these two disparate souls.

Li Shaohong’s film tells a harrowing story of love and betrayal - the story of a young Chinese woman whose new life in the big city turns sour rather quickly.  This film has been lauded by critics and audiences all over the world, and even received the Founder’s Award for Best Narrative Feature at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival.  Gathering ‘Audience Favorite’ awards, it is no surprise that the film has attracted the notice of the international film community, but more recently it has been capturing the attention of young people around the United States as part of the Global Film Initiative and Global Lens 2006 Education Program.

RUNAWAY is an intelligent Hitchcockian, psychological  thriller which follows the story of two brothers as they run from a tortured past toward a self-created future.  If you were abused by your father as a child, how would you prevent your younger brother from becoming his next victim?  That's the bewildering dilemma that befalls 21-year-old Michael Adler (Aaron Stanford seen in the films THE HILLS HAVE EYES and X-MEN 3), the protagonist of RUNAWAY.  Fleeing his home with his young brother Dylan (Zack Savage) in tow, Michael holes up in a trailer park-like motel in the middle of nowhere. He supports them both by working as a gas station/convenience store worker and plants the seeds of a future life by befriending his boss, Mo (Peter Gerety), and his flirtatious coworker, Carly (Robin Tunney seen in T.V. series PRISON BREAK).  But this second chance comes at a heartbreaking price. The duo's tortured existence takes a suspenseful turn when Michael continues to call the one remaining link to his past: his therapist (Terry Kinney).

Special Guest:  Andrew Neiderman, screenwriter (The Devil's Advocate)

July 22, 2006

Special Guest:  John Daniel Gavin – lead actor, producer, screenwriter, director

Johnny Montana’s frustrated and trapped in blue-collar Brooklyn with his aging parents, unemployed brother … and no get-out plan.  The one bright star in his sky is Laura, a girl who believes in him but whose disapproving brother keeps them apart .  Johnny wants to be "A somebody", even appropriating the name of his hero, Joe Montana.  Luck lands Johnny a break and he gets an upscale job as a doorman in a fancy Manhattan apartment building.  Soon he is selling his soul to the world where money trumps all.  Johnny stands at a crossroads.  "Love....or Money?"  He must choose.

Advance Screening - Invite

July 27, 2006

Directed by Patrick Stettner (“The Business of Strangers”), THE NIGHT LISTENER is a psychological thriller based on the international bestselling novel by Armistead Maupin. The story revolves around a celebrated writer and popular late-night radio show host, Gabriel Noone (Robin Williams), who develops an intense phone relationship with a young listener named Pete (Rory Culkin) and his adopted mother (Toni Collette) just as his own domestic life is undergoing drastic changes. When troubling questions arise regarding the boy's identity, it causes Gabriel's ordered existence to spin wildly out of control as he sets out on a harrowing journey to find the truth.

The film also stars Sandra Oh (“Sideways” and “Grey’s Anatomy”) and Bobby Cannavale (“The Station Agent” and “Will & Grace”), and is produced by Robert Kessel, Jeffrey Sharp, John Hart and Jill Footlick.

One-Time Screening

August 5, 2006

In a village near Iran’s border with Turkey, a young woman with two children faces a difficult choice when her husband dies.  Instead of agreeing to marry her brother-in-law, as required by traditional law, she chooses to support her family by re-opening her late husband’s restaurant. 

Distributed by Global Film Initiative 2006.  Filmed in Iran. 
Distributor:  The Global Film Initiative - Kambozia Partovi
Runtime: 105 Minutes
Language:  Greek, Persian, Turkish With English Sub-Titles  Genre:   Drama

Coachella Valley Premiere

August 19, 2006

A handsome, successful fashion photographer (Melvil Poupaud) learns that he has a malignant brain tumor that will soon kill him.  Hiding his diagnosis, he alienates his family and his young boyfriend, but during a short stay with his grandmother (Jeanne Moreau), his vulnerability is met with a big heart and sound advice.  A chance encounter with a roadside café waitress (Valéria Bruni-Tedeschi) results in an unusual bargain that provides a happy, playful dimension to the proceedings.  Director François Ozon (Swimming Pool, 8 Women, 5 X 2) has made a film that is at once ironically funny and emotionally gripping.  This is Ozon's second installment of his trilogy about loss and mourning which he began with "Under The Sand."
2005 Official Selection, Cannes Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival
In French w/English subtitles  Run Time:   85 minutes

Coachella Valley Premiere


September 9, 2006

This is a film about big dreams and everyday rituals, humiliating defeats and little triumphs, and the inexplicable optimism – some might call it delusion – that keeps us going.

"Robert Margolis --who writes, directs and stars-- takes a stingingly critical look at the self-delusions of a struggling New York thespian, playing the character himself and using his own name.  The low budget indie mockumentary follows him through a heartrending series of failed auditions, tantalizing hopes, and humiliating, botched opportunities.  Margolis is desperate for the break that will catapult him into stardom - and he may actually have the talent to deserve it.  The film's bitterly funny dialogue, plus Margolis' naivete, bullheaded determination, and total lack of responsibility, all add up to a package reminiscent of Robert De Niro's psychotic stand up from “The King of Comedy."   ... The Onion, New York, USA

“…Margolis wears his heart on his frayed sleeve in his unwavering belief that he was born to act.  Brilliant, audacious indie, a collaboration between Margolis and Swiss director Frank Matter, has snagged awards wherever it has played and deserves a theatrical shot.”    … Variety, Los Angeles

THREE DAYS OF RAIN is based on the short stories of celebrated Russian writer, Anton Chekov with a great cast that includes Peter Falk, Blythe Danner, Don Meredith, Erick Avari and Lyle Lovett.   Michael Meredith has woven together a half-dozen portraits of contemporary lives-on-the-edge during a three day rainstorm in Cleveland, Ohio.  The soundtrack features the smooth jazz of Bob Belden.  The film had a festival run which included stops at Berlin, Tribecca, Method Fest, Montreal and Moscow Film Festivals.

“"Three Days of Rain" belongs to the now-familiar genre of overlapping tales of urban desperation staked out by Robert Altman in "Short Cuts" and seen most recently in Paul Haggis's "Crash"...Above all an actor's movie....Falk, revisiting Cassavetes territory, is a charmer with exactly the right amount of vulnerbility below the bluster....Written and directed with great delicacy by young Mr. Meredith....A thoughtful film about isolation and seperation"
- Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

The story is set on the campus of a university in Tokyo.  Students from the literature department’s “film workshop” are about to start shooting their movie “The Bored Murderer”, part of their course curriculum.  Everyone is in a rush to prepare for the shoot, but the lead actor drops out suddenly, and the team is forced to search for a replacement at the last minute.  Matsukawa, the director, and Hisada, the first assistant, and other members of the team have their own personal problems with life and love, and the story unfolds “just like in the movies”.  Matsukawa’s shallow attitude to his girlfriend, Yukari, and the behavior of the mysterious Ikeda, who is to play the lead role of the schoolboy murderer, add to the confusion of the whole situation.  As for the one-time director, now lecturer, professor Nakajo, he is also harboring desires for the female student Rei, whilst hiding behind his calm, supportive exterior.  Rei, in turn, has a completely different agenda. Everything comes to a head in an unexpected and tumultuous climax.

“Ferociously witty and hypnotically alert” 
FilmCritic.com  -  “Meticulously choreographed”  The IFC Blog

Special Guest:  Danielle Lurie from In The Morning

In this daring short drama which is based on a true story, a young woman is brutally attacked, and the responsibility of restoring her family's lost honor is left in the hands of her younger brother: a 13 year-old boy.  Lurie’s film is a revelation: highlighting a disturbing phenomenon that is increasingly common, frequently unreported and rarely punished.  Poetic, haunting and beautifully crafted, IN THE MORNING captures the dramatic confluence of events, social, cultural and political.  Lurie’s dramatic, poignant and compelling piece brings much needed attention to what has become an urgent and global human rights issue.

"COMPELLING” Abigail Sims, Los Angeles Commission on Assaults against Women; “Recommended” Educational Media Reviews Online
AWARDS:  Nashville Film Festival - Best Short Narrative, Beverly Hills Film Festival - Best Short, Jackson Hole Film Festival - Best Short, Cleveland International Film Festival - Humanitarian Award

In Iran, capital punishment is carried out according to Islamic law, which gives the family of the victim ownership of the offender’s life.  Day Break - based on a compilation of true stories and shot inside Tehran's century-old prison - revolves around the imminent execution of Mansour, a man found guilty of murder.  When the family of the victim repeatedly fails to show up on the appointed day, Mansour’s execution is postponed again and again.  Stuck inside the purgatory of his own mind, he waits as time passes on without him, caught between life and death, retribution and forgiveness.

“Works like a ticking time bomb” - Variety.com
"A hard hitting, thought provoking drama"  – International Herald Tribune
"Deeply affecting" - The L Magazine

November 11, 2006

Special Guest:  Katherine Brooks

Simone Bradley (Diane Gaidry), is Saint Theresa's prized young poetry teacher who finds peace and security within the boarding school's walls.  Surrounded by a lush atmosphere with little conflict, Simone has settled into a life of comfort and purpose educating her young female students.  Annabelle (Erin Kelly), is a charismatic and enchanting new student who quickly draws attention for her rebellious behavior.  Fearing Annabelle will influence the other students, rigid Headmistress (Ilene Graff), instructs Simone to keep an eye on Annabelle and get her under control.  Simone, however, quickly learns that the real challenge is not Annabelle's behavior but the attraction budding between the two.  As Annabelle pursues her teacher, she unleashes the passion that has been locked deep inside Simone, who must decide whether or not to enter into an affair that could cost her everything.  Inspired by the 1931 German classic, MAEDCHEN IN UNIFORM, director Katharine Brooks's “Loving Annabelle” gives a modern telling of the “forbidden love” story that continues to be controversial to this day.

Festivals 2006:  Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival, Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, CT (Connecticut) Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Vancouver Queer Film & Video Festival, Gay Orlando Film Festival, Cinequest-San Jose Film Festival

Writer/Director: Katherine Brooks
Starring: Diane Gaidry, Erin Kelly, Ilene Graff, Kevin McCarthy, Michelle Horn
and Marla Maples

Drama
English
Run Time:  78 min.
Rating:  NR
Official Website w/trailer

In the summer of 1942, Paris butcher and caterer Edmond Batignole (Gérard Jugnot) works hard and lives with his henpecking wife Micheline (Alexia Portal), daughter Marguerite (Michele Garcia) and her fiancé Pierre-Jean Lamour (Jean-Paul Rouve), who admires the Germans. Batignole inadvertently and unknowingly is partly responsible for the deportation of his Jewish neighbor’s family, but when their young son Simon (Jules Sitruk) escapes and appears at his doorstep, he feels compelled to hide him and help him escape.  This heart-warming and bittersweet story set in war-torn Paris tells the tale of a butcher who becomes an unlikely hero.  Jugnot plays Batignole as an everyman type -- never exactly hateful, never exactly admirable -- a man who is busy keeping his head down until forced to do otherwise.

“Moving, at times funny, at times sad, this film comes highly recommended.”  Hoopla.nu
“Hero's tale, superbly told.”  Jam!Movies