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January 2019
TAZZEKA (Morocco/France) Showing with PRESTIGE INGREDIENTS
Growing up in the Moroccan village of Tazzeka, Elias learned the secrets of traditional Moroccan cuisine from his grandmother who raised him. Years later, meeting a top Paris chef and a young woman named Salma inspires him to leave home. In Paris, Elias faces unstable work and financial hardship as an undocumented immigrant. But he also finds friendship with Souleymane, who helps revive his passion for cooking. Running Time: 95 min Director: Jean-Philippe Gaud From: France | Morocco Language: Arabic | French…
Find out more »February 2019
RETURN OF THE HERO/LE RETOUR DU HEROS (France/Belgium)
France, 1809 and the dashing Capitaine Charles-Grégoire Neuville has just become engaged to the young Pauline when he is called away to the front. He promises that he will write every day, but he does not. The impressionable Pauline hysterically falls ill with pneumonia. He is, after all, her first love and there is little news from the war front. The doctor warns she will not get better unless she has a will to live. Her sister writes letters on…
Find out more »CHILDREN OF THE LIE /Un Mensonge Oublié (France)
A week before her wedding, Agathe Plichard, a pretty young woman of mixed race, is found drowned in the Creuse river. The police treat the case as an accident but her fiancé, Felix Bricourt, is convinced she was murdered. He decides to investigate by himself, despite the wishes of his family, a wealthy dynasty of the region. Won over by Felix’s resolve, police inspector Carole Levasseur also decides to find out the truth. The murder of an independent journalist changes…
Find out more »March 2019
POINT DEFIANCE (USA) Filmmaker Guests
Filmmaker Guests: Justin Foia, Director/Writer and Timothy Foia, Writer “A bachelor’s beautiful, isolated home becomes a hostile prison when his troubled brother returns from military duty in Afghanistan, forcing them to unearth their violent past before another dark secret is buried.” … Shoreline Entertainment Writer|Director: Justin Foia Writer|Producer: Timothy Foia Genre: Action|Thriller Running Time: 100 minutes Distributor: Shoreline Entertainment Country: USA Language: English Rating: N|R but does include violence and profanity Starring: Derek Phillips (Friday Night Lights), Josh Crotty (Scandal), Sara Butler…
Find out more »HER WORD AGAINST HIS (France)
Laura has a promising career as a young auctioneer, but her life looks set to fall apart when she's the victim of a rape. The rapist is a well-known and respected gallery owner, and the assault takes place after a cocktail party. Laura knows it's unlikely she'll be believed if she files a complaint. But that same night the gallery owner's wife is murdered at home, and the husband is a suspect. Laura can retaliate by not providing him w/an…
Find out more »April 2019
IMPERFECT AGE (Italy)
WEST COAST PREMIERE Camilla is a seventeen year old who has the dream of becoming a dancer, despite her mother's concerns. One day in dance she meets Sara, an aspiring dancer like her, and her life will never be the same. Director: Ulisse Lendaro Writer: Cosimo Calamini Genre: Drama Distributor: Intramovies S.r.l. Running Time: 96 minutes Country: Italy Language: Italian w|English Subtitles Rating: N|R Starring: Ulisse Lendaro, Marina Occhionero, Paola Calliari, Anna Valle, Anita Kravos, Enrico Cavicchioli FESTIVALS: Scottsdale International…
Find out more »ME AGAINST THE WORLD (France)
Unemployed Audrey is not a fighter. She lives alone with her 16 year-old-son, Enzo, a smart young boy in sport studies. One day he finds himself fighting for his life after taking a certain medication. While the doctors refuse to confirm the link between the drug and his condition, Audrey fights to sort right from wrong in a world she knows nothing about, and where she will probably lose more than her battle to reveal the truth… Director(s) : Thierry BINISTI…
Find out more »May 2019
BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHE (USA)
Guest - Dr. Drake Stutesman* Narrated by Jodie Foster, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché is a documentary about the first female filmmaker, exploring the heights of fame and financial success she achieved before she was shut out from the very industry she helped create. Guy-Blaché started her career as a secretary to Léon Gaumont and in 1896, at 23, was inspired to make her own film called La Fée aux Choux (The Cabbage Fairy), one of the first narrative films…
Find out more »DEATH IN THE SOUL (France)
A hideous crime, an even worse truth. Marc Lagnier confesses to the murder of his adored son, but refuses to explain. He's guilty and that's that: no need to look any further for a culprit. Tristan Delmas, an ambitious young lawyer, is appointed to defend Marc against the latter's will. Seeking the truth, Tristan looks into the Lagnier family, revealing dark zones and things unspoken. He also realises his investigation keeps crossing a police search for the murderer of young…
Find out more »June 2019
LEONA (Mexico)
LEONA is an intimate, insightful, and moving film that tells the story of a young Jewish woman from Mexico City who finds herself torn between her family and her forbidden love. Ripe with all the drama and interpersonal conflicts of a Jane Austen novel, watching her negotiate the labyrinth of familial pressure, religious precedent, and her own burgeoning sentiment is both painful and beautiful – there are no easy choices to be made and the viewer travels back and forth…
Find out more »DYING FOR A CHILD (France)
US PREMIERE The body of Florence Varthy, daughter of a well-known entrepreneur, is found dead in her garage. Over the last few months, Florence and her partner, unable to have a child of their own, had faked her pregnancy and arranged for a surrogate mother, which is illegal in France. Their plan was going off without a hitch … until the birth of the baby. Writer(s): Daniel Tonachella, Sarah Levy | Based on Guy Des Cars’s Novel: The Surrogate Mother…
Find out more »July 2019
SIR (India)
Ratna works as domestic live-in help with Ashwin, a man from a wealthy family. Although Ashwin seems to have it all, Ratna can sense that he has given up on his dreams and is somewhat lost… On the other hand, Ratna who seems to have nothing, is full of hope and works determinedly towards her dream. As these two worlds collide and the two individuals connect, the barriers between them seem only more insurmountable… mk2 Films “An intelligent romance within…
Find out more »MY POLISH HONEYMOON (France)
Anna and Adam, a young Parisian couple with Jewish origins, are about to travel to Poland for the first time. Technically speaking this will be their honeymoon. They will attend a ceremony in memory of the Jewish community in the village of Adam's grandfather, which was destroyed 75 years ago. Adam is not really enthusiastic, but sees it as an occasion to spend some quality time with his wife, away from their baby boy. Anna, on the other hand, is…
Find out more »August 2019
THE CITIZEN (Hungary)
In his late fifties Wilson, whose family was killed during an outbreak of civil war in Guinea-Bissau, enters Europe as a political refugee and settles for a sedate life as a security guard in a Budapest shopping center. Wilson's main desire is to acquire Hungarian citizenship. The story follows Wilson as he attempts to find his place in Hungarian society in his daily life, at work, with Mari, a history teacher who helps him study for the citizenship and Shirin,…
Find out more »GASPARD AT THE WEDDING (France/Belgium)
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE Shortly after their chance meeting, Gaspard asks Laura if she will accompany him to his family home and pose as his girlfriend at his father’s second wedding. At this point, viewers will probably assume they’re dealing with a familiar and delightful trope of romantic comedy: the fake couple will become a real one, and everyone will live happily ever after. And while that isn’t altogether false, Antony Cordier’s Gaspard at the Wedding is a far more surprising…
Find out more »September 2019
SINK OR SWIM (France/Belgium)
With buoyant energy, Gilles Lellouche choreographs and directs a stellar ensemble in pursuit of grace and discarded dreams—that is, a group of varyingly coordinated middle-aged men who find an outlet in synchronized swimming. Bertrand (Mathieu Amalric, soulful yet understated) is the newbie to the group, having signed up on a whim to take his mind off of his unemployment and depression. As he gets to know his fellow swimmers, played by Guillaume Canet, Benoît Poelvoorde, Jean-Hugues Anglade, and Philippe Katerine,…
Find out more »DEAR FREDY (Israel)
Co-Sponsor with CINEMA DIVERSE. Please note film will start promptly at 9:30 AM A Heroic Gay Jewish Sportsman Who Ended Up in Auschwitz Fredy Hirsch was born in Germany, a proud Jew and openly gay man he was 19 years old when the Nuremberg Laws were published, he fled from Germany to the Czech Republic which was conquered by the Nazis. He began activities in the Czech Republic as a sports teacher in Jewish youth club, and soon became…
Find out more »October 2019
THE ORCHESTRA CLASS (France)
WEST COAST PREMIERE When violinist Simon Daoud is hired to teach the violin to a class of unruly junior high school students in an immigrant suburb of Paris, his first instinct is to run back to his rarefied world of classical string quartets. His mission to teach these twelve loudmouths to perform the violin parts in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Cheherazade at the Paris Philharmonic at the end of the school year seems beyond impossible. Yet as he gets to know the kids…
Find out more »THE COMING BACK OUT BALL MOVIE (Australia)
CALIFORNIA PREMIERE "THE COMING BACK OUT BALL MOVIE" is an observational feature documentary that follows a group of older LGBTIQ+ people, who have been invited to attend a Ball celebrating their gender and sexual identity. Faced with the complexities of ageing and isolation, these extraordinary people seize each day with determination and humor. In a time that is rapidly changing for the LGBTIQ+ community around the world, we witness some of our cast experiencing acceptance and love for the very…
Find out more »November 2019
LOVE IN SUSPENDERS (Israel)
So it happens that Tammy (Nitza Saul), a 64 year old widow who constantly deals with the memory of her loving late husband, meets Beno (Yehuda Barken), a 70 year old sarcastic lone wolf widower - and the two fall in love. From their first unfortunate encounter, when Tammy hits Beno with her car, Tammy and Beno experience all sorts of emotional, funny struggles. They get closer, break up, get back together and fight again, until ultimately their love wins out. Shlomo Bar-Aba gives…
Find out more »MURER – ANATOMY OF A TRIAL (Austria, Luxembourg)
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE On the basis of original records, MURER – ANATOMY OF A TRIAL reconstructs the 1963 proceedings against Franz Murer, a wealthy Austrian farmer with a sterling reputation, that took place in Graz. This respected local politician and family man was in charge of the Vilnius ghetto from 1941 to 1943, where its residents called him the “Butcher of Vilnius.” Solely 600 of the 80,000 Jews who originally lived there survived Nazi rule. Survivors came from around the…
Find out more »THREE DAYS AND A LIFE / TROIS JOURS ET UNE VIE
THREE DAYS AND A LIFE (TROIS JOURS ET UNE VIE) – 120 min Master crime writer Pierre Lemaitre's own adaptation of his haunting novel. It's Christmas 1999, in a peaceful little village in the Ardennes. The life of a young boy named Antoine will soon be devastated by three tragic events : the death of a dog, the vanishing of a child, and a big ravaging storm. This drama/suspense stars Pablo Pauly, Sandrine Bonnaire, Charles Berling, Margot Bancilhon, Philippe Torreton and Dimitri Storoge. The director, Nicolas Boukhrief…
Find out more »REMI, NOBODY’S BOY / REMI SANS FAMILLE
REMI, NOBODY’S BOY (REMI SANS FAMILLE) – 105 min This is the adaptation of Hector Malot's French novel Sans famille (1878). The adventures of the young Rémi, an orphan, collected by the gentle Madam Barberin. At the age of 10 years, he is snatched from his adoptive mother and entrusted to the signor Vitalis, a mysterious itinerant musician. Has its sides, he will learn the harsh life of acrobat and sing to win his bread. Accompanied by the faithful dog…
Find out more »LITTLE TICKLES / LES CHATOUILLES showing with LITTLE HANDS
LITTLE TICKLES (LES CHATOUILLES) – 103 min Odette is a 8-yr-old girl who loves to dance and draw. Why should she distrust a friend of her parents' who offers to "tickle" her? Once she has become an adult, Odette realizes she was abused, and immerses herself body and soul in her career as a dancer while trying to deal with her past. Nominated for 5 César Awards, winning Best Supporting Actress & Best Adapted Screenplay. Nominated for 3 Globes de Cristal Awards, 2 Lumiere…
Find out more »IN SAFE HANDS / PUPILLE showing with UPSET BODY / CORPS CONTRARIE
IN SAFE HANDS (PUPILLE) – 110 min Jeanne Herry crafts a story stemming from a delicate two-and-a-half-month state of limbo for a newborn child, Théo, who becomes a ward of the state after his mother gives him up for adoption at birth. In Safe Hands choreographs parallel strands of action: the search for potential parents undertaken by the social workers managing Théo’s case (Sandrine Kiberlain and Clotilde Mollet), the care and vigilance required for Théo’s foster father (Gilles Lellouche) to properly nurture him…
Find out more »SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE / DEUX MOI
SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE (DEUX MOI) – 110 min Two lonely neighbors would be perfect for each other if only they could overcome their individual hang-ups and stop substituting computer screens for real connections. She multiplies dates on social networks that lead nowhere while he struggles to meet anyone. Both are victims of this loneliness of big cities, in a hyper connected world where one would think meeting someone would be easier. Two individuals, two different paths. Without knowing it, they take two roads that…
Find out more »AMANDA
AMANDA – 107 min Vincent Lacoste leads Mikhaël Hers’s poignant new feature about trauma and its aftershocks. At first, David (Lacoste) is just beginning to figure out life in his early twenties, helping his sister (Ophélia Kolb) raise her 7-year-old daughter, Amanda (Isaure Multrier), and gently initiating a romance with a pianist (Stacy Martin, Nymphomaniac). This era of placidity is brutally ruptured, and a grief-stricken David must assume new responsibility for Amanda as a potential guardian. With an understated directorial touch, Hers…
Find out more »DEERSKIN / LE DAIM showing with THE VILLA / LES GRACIUSES
DEERSKIN (LE DAIM) – 77 min Georges, 44 years old, and his vintage, fringed, deerskin jacket have a plan. His obsession with his designer deerskin jacket causes him to blow his life savings and turn to crime. French comedy film directed by Quentin Dupieux opened to enthusiastic reviews in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Charismatic Jean Dujardin is hilarious and unhinged, as a psychopath so infatuated with his new jacket that he decides it should be the only one in the world. …
Find out more »December 2019
EMMA PEETERS (Belgium)
Southern California Premiere Emma Peeters will soon be 35 and has yet to accomplish something. After years of hardship in Paris in trying to become an actress, an idea strikes her fancy: bringing her days to an end in a week’s time, on her birthday. In the process Emma meets Alex Bodart, a fanciful funeral home employee who will help her in her reckless endeavor. By dint of hard work to hide their respective feelings, it seems they may succeed…
Find out more »THE INVISIBLE WITNESS (Italy)
Adriano wakes up in a hotel room next to the dead body of his lover, Laura. The door is locked from the inside and there is no evidence of anybody else in the room. Despite he claims his innocence, the man is charged with murder and chooses Virginia Ferrara, a veteran criminal attorney who has never lost a trial, to decide the defensive strategy. The two only have three hours to prepare the case, discredit a key witness who’s accusing…
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