36th Seattle International Film Festival (2010)

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We are honored to support SIFF.

Greetings from the governor

I am delighted to welcome you to the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). Congratulations to the entire SIFF family on 36 extraordinary years of cinema!

At 25 days, SIFF is the largest film festival in the United States and offers more than 400 feature films and shorts from more than 60 countries. Attracting many visitors from around the world, attendance continues to reach unprecedented numbers, growing each and every year.

I congratulate SIFF on the growth and success of SIFF Cinema, its state-of-the-art theater in McCaw Hall, which provides a year-round screening facility at Seattle Center. This exciting partnership between the City of Seattle and SIFF is establishing Seattle Center as a hub for the arts.

Festival organizers and volunteers have worked hard to bring this annual cross-cultural event to the people of the Pacific Northwest and all of our visitors. This celebration of the international language of film can only serve to enlighten us and enhance the diversity of our people.

Thank you all for being a part of this year’s Festival, and please accept my best wishes for a successful event.

Sincerely,

Christine O. Gregoire Governor of Washington

Greetings from the mayor

On behalf of the City of Seattle, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 36th Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). The city is excited to sponsor this renowned celebration of film.

The Festival is the result of countless hours of work by a multitude of organizers, volunteers, staff, filmmakers, and sponsors. Together they are an outstanding example of the passion of Seattle’s film community and the power of people joining to work together on a great idea.

The results are extraordinary. The Seattle International Film Festival is now the largest film festival in the country.

SIFF’s mission is to create experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world. It is through the art of cinema that we foster a community that is more informed, aware, and alive. That is why I encourage you to take advantage of all that the Festival has to offer—from films and musical performances to speakers’ panels and forums—and to engage and support SIFF’s efforts year-round.

Welcome to SIFF. Enjoy the show!

Sincerely,

Michael McGinn Mayor of Seattle

good news festival- goers,

Sunl I ght cau S e S cancer & SIFF B I ngo IS B ack.

hoW to PlaY:

Clip out bingo cards.

Distribute to fellow filmgoers.

Mark squares as you spot film gems.

Emerge from festival victorious/limp.

SIFF BINGO SIFF SIFF BINGO SIFF

nonlinear plotline

talky sci-fi

hand-held camcorder

runaway teen

speedo budget under $5k violence played for laughs dialog-driven action film

non-arousing nudity

unheard of country of origin

full-frontal man bits homicidal clown

lovable serial killer

vague ending

first-time actors post apocalypse

sign language rap battle terrifying children’s film

unreadable subtitles

same-sex sex vérité

unshaven armpits (female)

rainforest

shadow government

graphic birthing scene nazis plot boom mic in the shot endless tracking shot mental illness steve buscemi

conjoined leading men

harpist biopic dubai ennui

the year: 2087

big star at scale pay made me cry ... hard

beret

transexual leading (wo)man

uncomfortable humor

amputee protagonist

aprildecember romance

SIFF BINGO SIFF

pretentious montage set to pop song enviro-doc bald shirtless fat man

english subtitled english

tarantino wannabe child soldiers bollywood homage parker posey

shakespeare re-imagining

dimly lit vancouver, bc as u.s. city orphans obscure pop-culture reference ethan hawke

film within a film within a film new french new wave

loose adaptation dutch tilt snarky ingénue amateur auteur noam chomsky continuity error against-type casting rust-belt farce anime

sorta pornographic

too much exposition

SIFF BINGO SIFF

ironic 80s soundtrack gag reflex triggered

former child star as villain

meta-musical based on a true story large mustaches

creepy child albino

intellectual banter

not enough exposition

suicide unintentional humor

celebrity exec. producer

oddly mainstream heavy drinking lovable serial killer

futuristic southern gothic aborigines annoyingly “quirky” expats swords & sandals

wise old female impersonator symbolic fire

well-read heroin addicts non-arab terrorist noirish

Greetings from the mayor of everett

On behalf of the City of Everett, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to the 36th Seattle International Film Festival, especially as we celebrate its debut this year in Everett.

The City of Everett is proud to be a host city for the largest film festival in the United States. Congratulations to all the filmmakers who have been selected to be a part of this exciting celebration of film.

Everett has been home to several people in the movie business including Max Miller (screenwriter), Seton Miller (producer, Academy Award®-winning screenwriter), Nancy Coleman (actress), Robert Osborne (actor), and Patrick Duffy (actor).

SIFF 2010 continues a long and rich history of quality entertainment in the Puget Sound region. Now our community can enjoy all that SIFF has to offer right here in Everett.

We appreciate all the filmmakers, sponsors, event organizers, volunteers, and staff who worked so diligently to bring the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival to us all.

Many thanks to all who are here. Now please sit back, relax, and enjoy all that hard work!

Sincerely,

Ray Stephanson Mayor of Everett

Greetings from the mayor of kirkland

On behalf of the City of Kirkland, I would like to welcome the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) to our city and to the Kirkland Performance Center for the second year. We are very excited about hosting this event, and how convenient to have such great films right at our doorstep in our wonderful performance center!

We also hope that film-goers take advantage of other Kirkland offerings while they are here. Our downtown, with its great boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and awardwinning Heathman Hotel, is uniquely situated on beautiful Lake Washington. Visitors can enjoy sensational views along waterfront parks and trails dotted with Kirkland’s extensive public art collection. For more information on Kirkland opportunities, please visit ExploreKirkland.com.

Hooray for SIFF!

Joan McBride

Mayor

of Kirkland

welcome to the festival

Our passionate and enthusiastic audiences have always provided the fuel for the Seattle International Film Festival, a strong testament to the fact that Seattle filmgoers see more films per capita than any other city in the US. Surely it can’t just be the rain…

While technology increasingly provides new ways to link us together, it is rewarding to see that audiences still thrive on the opportunity to discover extraordinary films together, as a community. And against the tide of newfangled ways to see films on the small screen through digital delivery mechanisms, we’ve steadily broken records and seen our average attendance double at our year-round SIFF Cinema venue, at Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall.

For this 36th edition of the Festival, and with the hopes of satisfying the appetite of our longtime supporters, we have expanded our footprint in Seattle and ventured outside our namesake boundaries to Kirkland on the Eastside, up north to Everett, and across Elliott Bay to West Seattle. We’ve forged new partnerships to showcase all forms of the cinematic experience, including special presentations in 3D and IMAX. Live, film-accompanying presentations will include a performance by the band the Maldives, Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields, and by pianist Donald Sosin. We’ve even added a special sing-along event, and a live documentary presentation!

Selecting 250 features and 100-plus shorts from thousands of entries is no small task. We work diligently to showcase films we are passionate about, in categories that will speak to everyone: provocative documentaries, the latest cinema from around the world and from right here in the Northwest, amazing short films, works from emerging directors, family films, music films, and, this year’s special focus, Spanish cinema.

From our laugh-out-loud Opening Night selection to our spy thriller Centerpiece Gala, and to the rousing, western folktale romp as our Closing Night selection, I encourage you to get outside yourself and go inside film—you never know what, or who, you’ll discover.

Carl Spence, SIFF Artistic Director

Dear Friends,

We all have memorable film experiences, from the first scary movie that made you sleep with the lights on to one that opened your eyes to a part of the world that you never knew existed. Perhaps it involves a movie you saw on a first date or sharing a childhood favorite with your child— delighting in the joy of discovery you see in their eyes.

Over the years, I have had the honor of hearing many of your favorite film experiences, and sharing some of mine with you. Film is a powerful art form, and yet it’s the experiences we have with film that truly transform our lives. At SIFF we don’t just present extraordinary film—we create experiences that allow us to discover these films together. We believe that, through these memorable and transformative events, SIFF helps to foster a community that is more informed, aware, and alive.

Our community clearly shares these values, as so many individuals and organizations contribute generously to SIFF’s programs. Thanks to this generosity, we were able to offer more than a thousand different experiences throughout the year, reaching over 200,000 attendees—that equals or exceeds the population of many cities here in the Northwest.

If this is your first year at the Festival or your 36th, if you plan on seeing one film or 100, I am delighted you joined us, and I hope you come away with a few more memorable film experiences!

Deborah Person, SIFF Managing Director

Welcome from the board of SIFF

Welcome to the 36th Seattle International Film Festival!

On behalf of the Board of Directors and SIFF staff, I’d like to thank our sponsors, filmmakers, volunteers, and especially our audiences for their support of the Seattle International Film Festival.

SIFF’s mission is to create experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world. It is through the art of cinema that we foster a community that is more informed, aware, and alive. With special events, educational programs, discussion groups, filmmaker panels, and celebrity appearances, this year’s programming is richer and more diverse than ever.

Over the past few years, SIFF has been fundraising to renovate the Alki Room at the Seattle Center as the future home of the SIFF Film Center. I’m proud to announce that we have made great strides towards this achievement, and we hope to break ground in the near future. The development of the SIFF Film Center, coupled with the opening of SIFF Cinema, will allow SIFF to:

• Expand our rich year-round programming, providing more opportunities to learn from and enjoy the art of film.

• Establish first-class educational programs for the community. SIFF’s educational programs only grow in importance as economic pressures threaten many arts programs.

• Ensure that SIFF and the programs we offer thrive for decades to come, extending these experiences to future generations.

We are truly blessed to have SIFF as part of our cultural landscape. SIFF has had a profound influence on Seattle culture over the years and I, for one, am truly proud and humbled to be a part of it. The Festival is a special time in Seattle. It continues to evolve with screenings on the Eastside, and this year we are proud to welcome screenings to the city of Everett.

I am so thankful for your participation in SIFF, and encourage you to both enjoy and pace yourself as you plan your film schedule.

Best wishes to everyone for a great Festival.

Sincerely,

Craig Friedson President, SIFF Board of Directors

Craig Friedson President

A. Michael Adams

Co-Vice President

Keith Simanton

Co-Vice President

Carl Tostevin

Treasurer

Brian LaMacchia Secretary

Kraig L. Marini Baker

John W. Comerford

Christopher Conrad

Sharon Conner

Barnaby Dorfman

Rich Fassio

Gary Grina

Keith M. Henrickson

Scott Lipsky

Darryl Macdonald

Ian G. J. MacNeil

Mary Metastasio

Richard Meyer

Charlie Nordstrom

Billy O’Neil

Bill Predmore

Michelle Quisenberry

Lance Rosen

Edwin Weihe

Sara Woolsey

Board Emeriti

Dan Ireland

Deborah Person

Tom Skerritt

Rick Stevenson

Dale & Leslie Chihuly applaud SIFF and offer their congratulations and appreciation for 36 years of excellence in film.

Please

at www.chihuly.com for

Sunset Boat

visit the Chihuly website Chatsworth, Derbyshire, England

2006, 6 1/2 x 23 x 9 1/2' information about upcoming

Photo by Terry Rishel Chihuly shows and exhibitions.

PREMIER SPONSORS

PRESENTING SPONSORS

PRODUCING SPONSORS

PARTNER SPONSORS

INSTITUTIONAL SPONSORS

MEDIA SPONSORS

Mingle

Festival pass or ticket stub for discounts

rotating food and drink specials!

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS

BUSINESS SPONSORS

Boom Noodle

The Broadway Grill

Dilettante Chocolates

The Essential Baking Company

Facility, Inc.

Flying Fish

Hollywood Lighting

Il Fornaio

Inn at the Market

HOSPITALITY SPONSORS

Lark & Licorous

Lisa Dupar Catering/Dupar & Co.

The Maxwell Hotel

Osteria La Spiga

Pagliacci Pizza

Pan Pacific Seattle Hotel

Patrick Love Photography

Pedersen’s Rentals

Poppy

Pravda Studios

Rover’s Restaurant

Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar

Seven Salon

The Signature

The Space Needle Corporation

Verite Coffee/Cupcake Royale

Wolfgang Puck (at Benaroya Hall)

Consulate General of France, San Francisco

Quebec Government Office in LA

SAGIndie

Screen Actors Guild

Seattle University’s BA in Film Studies

Art Institute of Seattle

Instituto Cervantes, University of Washington

ProChile Los Angeles

ShadowCatcher Entertainment

Center for Western European Studies

Consulate General of Israel

Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Consulate of Mexico

Junglecity Network

Royal Norwegian Consulate General Women In Film/Seattle

Canadian Studies Center/Jackson School

Consulate General of Belgium

Consulate General of Canada

Consulate General of the Republic of Korea

Ellison Center, University of Washington

Kirkland Cultural Council

Seattle—Kobe Sister City Association

Seattle—Perugia Sister City Association

MEDIA PARTNERS

Reykjavik-Seattle Sister City Association

Seattle Christchurch (New Zealand) Sister City Association

Seattle Composers Alliance

Seattle Film Institute

Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington (TACAWA)

TheFilmSchool

Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival

Seattle Center

FrancePress

Projektleitung USA—German Films

Bumbershoot: Seattle’s Music & Arts Festival

yelp.com

1050AM KKNW

Moving Pictures Magazine

Radio Variedades

Venice Magazine

KNHC 89.5 FM

Robinson Newspapers

Fusion Radio

IFP/New York

Pacific Publishing Company

AllpakTrojan

WHERE Seattle

International Examiner

Laurel Graphics

Choice Organic Teas

Dragonfish Restaurant

Finamore Limoncello

Great Northwest Soup Company

Hands On Location Massage

Heavy Restaurant Group

GSBA

KBCS 91.3 Community Radio

Alliance Packaging

Windward Communication Group

Washington Graphics LLC

Three Imaginary Girls

HOSPITALITY PARTNERS

Honest Tea

Icelandic Glacial Water

Ivar’s & Kidd Valley Restaurants

Kallaloo

Les Boulangers Associes (LBA)

Long Provincial Vietnamese Restaurant

Mission

Music Man

Organic Table

Piecora’s NY Pizza

Ponti Seafood Grill

Popchips

Rosebud

Salumi

BUSINESS PARTNERS

mf Magazine

DList Magazine

Seattle’s Child

South Lake Union Guide

Art Access

ARCADE Magazine

Advantage Graphics

Serafina Osteria and Enoteca

Sonrisa Modern Mex

Washington Restaurant Group (Sip)

Wild Ginger

Zatz A Better Bagel

1-800-RID-OF-IT Keeney’s Office Plus

Michael Wiese Productions

Reel Picture

Standard Parking

Expand. Establish. Ensure.

THE SIFF FILM CENTER will allow us to EXPAND our rich year-round programming, providing more opportunities to learn from and enjoy the art of film; ESTABLISH first-class educational programs for the community – SIFF’s educational programs only grow in importance as economic pressures threaten many arts programs; and ENSURE that SIFF and the programs we offer thrive for decades to come, extending these experiences to future generations.

THANK YOU to our more than 1,000 generous donors who are helping to create the SIFF Film Center, coming to the Alki Room at Seattle Center in 2011!

HONORARY ADVISORY CABINET

Sherman Alexie, Author and Film Producer

Virginia Anderson, Former President, Safeco Insurance Foundation

Bill Arnold, Former Movie Critic, Seattle Post Intelligencer

Peter Boal, Artistic Director, Pacific Northwest Ballet

Dale & Leslie Chihuly, Artist / Executive VP, Chihuly LLP

Christopher Conrad, Owner, Conrad & Company

Dave Dederer, Presidents of the United States of America & VP Business Development, Melodeo Inc.

Jack Faris, Former President of the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association

Paul Feavel, SIFF Supporter

Jon Garrans, Founding Partner, Strand Releasing

Alison Harris, Former SIFF Board Member

Marcus Hu, Founding Partner, Strand Releasing

Dan Ireland, Film Director and Co-Founder of the Seattle International Film Festival

John Jeffcoat, Director and Screenwriter

James Keblas, Director, Seattle Mayor’s Office of Film + Music

Sir Ben Kingsley, Actor

Michael & Barbara Malone, Principal, Hunters Capital / Trustee, Seattle Art Museum

Norm Langill, Founding Member of One Reel and Executive Producer of Bumbershoot

Ang Lee, Director

Darryl Macdonald, Co-Founder of the Seattle International Film Festival

Greg Nickels, Former Mayor, City of Seattle

Mina Person, Community Philanthropist

Jonathan Poneman, Co-Founder Sub Pop Records

Alan Rudolph, Director and Screenwriter

Peter Sarsgaard, Actor

Lynn Shelton, Filmmaker

Tom Skerritt, Actor and SIFF Board Member Emeritus

David Skinner, Film Producer and Owner of Shadowcatcher Entertainment

Johnathan Sundstrom, Seattle Chef and Restauranteur

James F. Tune, President, ArtsFund

LEADERSHIP GIFTS

City of Seattle, King County 4Culture, Norcliffe Foundation, Deborah Person, Mina Person, Seattle Foundation, Shadowcatcher Entertainment, Sony Electronics, Carl Tostevin

MAJOR GIFTS

A. Michael Adams, Kraig L. & Laura Marini-Baker, John Comerford, Sharon Conner, Rich Fassio, Craig Friedson, Gary Grina, Brian LaMacchia, Ian & Laura MacNeil, Ben Margoles, McRae Theater Equipment, Mary Metastasio, Richie Meyer & Susan Harmon, Charlie & Debbie Nordstrom, Deborah & Jeff Parsons, Jean & Rich Patton, Bill Predmore, Lance Rosen, Carlo & Eulalie Scandiuzzi, Bob & Kathy Spence, Carl Spence, Lea Sund, Sara & Ted Woolsey

COMMUNITY GIFTS

Bowline Foundation, Erica Cowan, John Daise, Christopher Floyd, Barbara Gordon & Michael Sebring, Chris Gorley, Mike & Paula Hlastala, Donna & Mike James, Scott Lipsky, Lowell Press, Kim McIver & John Davis, Lou Rowan, Claudia Schwab, Kumar Shahani, Keith Simanton, Margaret Spence, Mike Weidemann

Donors listed made their contribution prior to April 16, 2010 at a minimum gift level of $1,000.

IndIvIdual donors

Donations made to the Annual Fund for dates ranging from May 2009 –March 2010.

$1,000 AND UP

Veronica Barnes

Bhavesh Doshi

Mark & Andrea Frabotta

Stu & Sandy Jacobson

Brian LaMacchia

Frederick Schwab

Paul Sturm & Flora Ling

$500 - $999

Kari Lucas

Christopher Newell

Jeff & Deborah Parsons

David Rind

Kathryn Spence

Jeffrey Stolz

Lea Sund

William A. Wichgers

$250 - $499

Tom Bayley

Mina Person

Leela Sasaki

Nancy Shriver

Russell Spence

Patricia Thorpe

Alan Veigel

$100 - $249

Rosalyn Arntzen

Rick Bodlaender

Ricardo Ceja

Christopher & Janet Conrad

Woody Davidson

Gary Davis

Robin Dearling

Nancy Guppy

Shelley Hall

Michael Lockman

Ian Marks

Kelli Mason & Jeff Bleitz

Eric Ovestrud

Richard & Jean Patton

Donna Poppe

Meredith Potochnic

Brian Smith

Heidi Stephens

Stewart Stern

Miles Takahashi

Carmella Vizza

Kathy Wehle & Thersa Haynie

Douglas K. Wyatt

$10 - $99

Kystal Abbott

Peter Abrahamsen

Raymond Achen

Claudia Allan

Bill Austin

Matt Ballou

Tom Bertucci

Jeff Blake

Simon Butler

Dale P. Callison

Cathy Carlson

Lisanne Chastain

Elizabeth Coady

Charles Bryan Colson

Donald Coney

Deb Dahrling

Kyle Daley

Jonis Davis

James Del Alcazar

Anthony Diaz

Trude Donovan

Ellen Downey

Helena Dworakowski

Abby Enelow

Clarity Euster

Dana Feder

Kathy Fleming

Steve Forster

Phyllis Friedman

Craig Friedson

Brad Fringer

Javier Garcia

Corliss Gooch

Anke Gray

Tom Grismer

Julie Grosnick

Laurell Haapanen

Lori Handschin

Lyle Hoover

Julie Hungar

Sara Intriligator

Thomas Johnson

Gail Kaminishi

Leslie Katsman

Kim Kelly

Tim Killeen

Robert Kipps

K.L. Ko

Judy Koven

Bryan Krische

Joline Lear

Megan Lee

Linda Leste

Stu Levy

Wen Liu

Mark Lucht

Jerry Luiten

Paula Lustbader

Chris Marks

Debra K. Matthews

McCarthy

Ruth McCormick

Stephen Mellander & Daniel Herda

Roger Mellem

Tammi Miller

Dana Miller

Jacquelyn Miller

Catherine Moore

Benjamin Nason

David B. Nielsen

Brian & Mary O’Donnell

Tim O’Connor

Kevin O’Neill

Katie Parker

Amy Poisson

Carmel Pope

Richard Poulin

Teresa Rafael

Ted Ralph

Houri Ramo

Joel Riehl

Marian Robertson

Aubrey Scheffel

Lynn Schwendiman

Linda Scoccia

Michael Scott

Jane Sheridan

Robert Simpson

Rachel Speaks

Jef St. De Lore

Dale Stammen

Sylvia Sterne

Gordon Strand

Thomas Taylor

Bill Thorness

Havens Tipps

Laurie Utterback

Sophie Vander

We would like to thank each and every one of the wonderful individuals who support SIFF annually through membership and individual donations. We could not do what we do without your continued support.

Renee C. O’Donnell, Individual Giving Officer

Walter Wallace

Carolyn Wedekind

Candy Wells

Charles Wheeler

Raymond Wlodkowski

Howard Wu

Donna Young

Marta Zekan

Christian Zobel

MeMbershIp

Current as of March 11, 2010

PLATINUM LIFETIME

Anonymous (3)

William Affleck-Asch

Nicole Beaudoin

tika bordelon & xo larimer

Lisa Brummel & Celeste Keaton

Cartmell Holdings, LLC

Christopher Conrad

Erika Cowan

Kenneth Dale

John Davis & Kim McIver

Anita & Jack Dingrani

Dwight Gaut

Elva Gonzalez

Bruce Hawley

Bryan Hendrickson

Paula & Mike Hlastala

Doug Ing

Brian LaMacchia

Darlene Lewis

Michael Lockman

Jon Luker III

Brian & Bridget O’Neill

Jeff & Deborah Parsons

Deborah Person

Mina Person

Mary Rainwater

Steve Schonberger

Nancy Shriver

Heidi Stephens

Lea Sund

Liza, Mark, & Krista Taylor

Dennis & Peggy Willingham

LIFETIME

Anonymous (3)

Russell Bennett

Mrs. Robert R. Braun, Jr.

BeBe Burns

Virginia Callison Dolan

Paul Canniff

Ricardo Ceja

Deb Clark

John W. Comerford

Alice Cunningham & Blair Osborn

Mark & Andrea Frabotta

Carrie Gorringe

Steve Kelley

Diana Knauf

June Krumpotick

Jerry Luiten

Stephen McCandless

Stephen Mellander & Daniel Herda

Judith Mercer

Mary Metastasio

Elizabeth Mitchell

Walter Moore

David Nyberg

Tom O’Brien & Marion Cloutier

June Peters

Kevin Phaup

Dan Poliak

Meredith Potochnic

Jessica Prince & David Wilborn

Robin Reynolds Wilt

Daniel Roben

Leela Sasaki

Rosie Saunders

Tom Skerritt & Julie Tokashiki

Jane Suzick

Sylvester Thomas III

Richard Wasserman

Joe Welinske

Annie Wilson

Bagley & Virginia Wright

PREMIERE

Richie Meyer & Susan Harmon

PRODUCER

Kraig L. & Laura Marini-Baker

Christopher Newell

DIRECTOR

John Daise

Gary & Annie Grina

Blue Resnick

ADVOCATE

Chris Brucia

Lynn Dissinger

Elizabeth Davidson & Clark Hodder

Michael Hampton

Donna & Michael James

Ian & Margaret Marks

Monica Mendoza

Brian & Laurel Smith

PATRON

Susan Allen

Jerome Arbes & Anne Knight

Allison & John Bauman

Corinne Campbell

Sharon & Darrel Conner

Mary Corrales-Diaz

Harvey & Nancy Dean

Donna & Robert Dughi

Clarity Euster

Paul Feavel

Miguel Garcia Vicente

Catherine Greutert

Tom Kofler

Mary Lonien & Sandra Smith

Allison Milliman

Phil Morley

Alex Nachman

Jenny Neill

Edward Nelson & Julie Pickering

PATRON

Jean &

Dave

Sandy Smith

Bob

Nan & Neal Sullins

Paul Sureddin

Margaret

Thomas Zimmermann

Anonymous (2)

Gary

A.

Ginger Ahn

Gabriel

Maggie Alhadeff

Kimberly

Marilyn Alterman

Doug

Rosalyn Arntzen

Julia Bahner

Mary

Avi

Dean

Celia Boyce

Mike

Aaron Bregel

Joshua Briskey

Sara Broetje

David

Dave

Ilya

Peter

Todd

Alyce

Julie Ketter

Thomas &

Daria

Paul

Frank

Lawrence

Matt

Jeff

Paula Lustbader

Eva Marczinko

Michelle Mauro

Sharon McCallum

Sally

Sarah Meardon Julia Meinershagen Melody Melodia

John Miles

Jacquelyn Miller

David Moore

Jacquelyn Moore

Timothy Moran & Marjorie Walter

James & Joanna Morgan

Nojan Moshiri & Rachel Hunter

Jamie Mosman & Paul Rice

Paul Muesegades

Donna Murphy

James Murphy

Nick Nelson

Monica Neumann

Beth Niznik

Luther Norman

Robert Norton

Margaret Lynn Nowelati

Mark O’Kelly

Bruce Oberg & Annette Toutonghi

Tim O’Conner & Jeffrey Stolz

June Ogawa

Jason Olsan

Cecille Orquieza

Sue Oskowski

Lisa & Mark Palmatier

Joan Parish

Barbara Perry

Lisa Peters

V. Ellen Phillips & Iris Taboh

Alina Polishchuk

Donna Poppe

Grant Potter

Bill Predmore

Marj Press

Matthew Putnam

Job Ramirez & Miles Takahashi

Michael Ramsey

Chas Redmond

Catherine Reed

Melisa & Craig Reese

Harry Reinert & Cecillia Paul

Ross Reynolds

Leah Richmond

David Rind

Maria Ripley

Linda Roberts

Kathy Robertson

Francesca Rogers

Doug & Casey Rosenberg

Hitomi Ross

Lynn Rosskamp & Wilhem Fitzpatrick

Deborah Rustin

Ron & Sandy Ryder

Susan Saks

Cass Salzwedel

Jeffrey Sanders

Donna Sandstrom

Susanna Sant’Anna

Robyn Satsuma

Carlo Scandiuzzi

Robyn Scaringi

Paula Schachtel

Chuck Schafer

Linda Scoccia

Susan Segalla

Sara Selfe

Bill & Babs Selig

Mehal Shah

Barry Shaw & Rabih AbouJaoudé

Jason Sherrett

Pamela Silimperi

Tharan Silvers

Zachary Smith

Don Sneesby & Alejundro Sanchez

Mary Sobczyk

Eric Sorlien

Rachel Speaks

Russell Spence

Lindsey Staruch

Kenny Stein

Kristin Stone

Sharon Streams

Cindy Sutton

Dorothy Talbot

Roger Tapp

Michael Taylor-Judd

Margo Terman

Bill Thorness

Havens Tipps

Carol Tobin

Sarah Tollefson

Rick Treston

Tim Tribble

Philip Tse

Gary Tucci

Kim Turner

Alan & Laura Veigel

Jeff Waddingham

Jessica Wagoner

Carl Wagoner

Eva Wahl

Lenore Waldron

Walter Wallace

Ardee & Jerry Warshal

Carolyn Wedekind

Brian Weiss & Telved Devlet

Dennis & Joan West

Diane Westergaard

Pat White

William A. & Nicole Wichgers

Maxine Williams & Kimberly Allen

Elizabeth Williams

Joy Williams

Margaret Williamson & Alexandra Calero

Sarah & Ray Willis

Ray Winninger

Scott Woelfel

Peter Wong

Sara & Ted Woolsey

Kyoko Wright

Karin Zaugg Black

Christian & Joyce Zobel

SIFF THANKS THE 1,547 ENTHUSIAST MEMBERS

DESTINATION. EVENTS.

You provide the venue and we’ll bring Wolfgang’s world-class a la minute catering to you! Whether in the convenience of your office, or staged in the landmark Benaroya Hall, our mission at Wolfgang Puck Catering is constant: we are dedicated to the unequivocal celebration of life through exceptional food, exceptional company and, of course, exceptional service.

Directors:

Shari Springer Berman

Robert Pulcini

Producers: Anthony Bregman

Stephanie Davis

Screenwriters: Robert Pulcini

Jonathan Ames

Shari Springer Berman based on the novel by Jonathan Ames

Cinematographer: Terry Stacey

Editor: Robert Pulcini

Music: Klaus Badelt

Cast: Paul Dano

Kevin Kline

Katie Holmes

John C. Reilly

Alicia Goranson

Running Time: 108 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Wild Bunch

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Selected Filmography: The Nanny Diaries (2007) American Splendor (2003)

The Young and the Dead (2000)

Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen’s (1997)

The Extra Man

Ever-so-proper Louis Ives (Paul Dano) is a lonely dreamer who imagines himself the protagonist of a modern F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. He moves to Manhattan to pursue a writing career and rents a room in the tiny apartment of playwright Henry Harrison (Kevin Kline), a wildly eccentric social entrepreneur who happens to work evenings as an “extra man”—an escort for wealthy widows. The unexpected bond of the two men creates the hilarious heart of the film; its pathos comes from their realization that within the other’s idealistic fantasy persona lurks his own litany of insecurities. Academy Award®-nominated co-directors/ screenwriters Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (American Splendor, The Nanny Diaries) manifest the edgy spirit and droll dialogue of the celebrated Jonathan Ames novel with a perfectly balanced blend of warmth, intellect, and humanity. Paul Dano and Kevin Kline (perhaps even surpassing his memorable Academy Award® performance in A Fish Called Wanda) are sublime in their portrayals of the two gentlemen about town, each imbuing their edge-of-the-envelope characters with depth and empathetic distinction. Also appearing are Katie Holmes as Louis’ sweet co-worker and unrequited love interest (whose wardrobe Louis secretly desires…), and John C. Reilly as Henry’s mysterious (and very hairy) downstairs neighbor. The Extra Man is a magical, multi-dimensional comedy—sophisticated, elegant, goofy, and ultimately satisfying.

Director: Aaron Schneider

Producers: Dean Zanuck

David Gundlach

Screenwriters: Chris Provenzano

C. Gaby Mitchell

Cinematographer: David Boyd

Editor: Aaron Schneider

Music: Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

Cast: Robert Duvall

Bill Murray

Lucas Black

Sissy Spacek

Gerald McRaney

Bill Cobbs

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: K5 International

Print Source: Sony Pictures Classics

Film Website: sonyclassics.com/getlow

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

For years, townsfolk have been terrified of backwoods recluse Felix Bush (Robert Duvall). Rumors abound of his unspeakable actions—cold-blooded killings, dealings with the Devil, even strange supernatural powers. Then, one day Felix rides into town with a shotgun and a wad of cash saying he wants to buy a funeral. It’s not your usual funeral Felix wants. On the contrary, he wants a “living funeral,” in which anyone who has ever heard a story about him will come to tell it, while he takes it all in. Sensing a big payday in the offing, fast-talking funeral home owner Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) enlists his young apprentice, Buddy Robinson, to win over Felix’s business. Buddy is no stranger to Felix’s reputation, but what he discovers behind Felix’s surreal plan is a very real, long-held secret. In his first feature film, Academy Award®-winner Aaron Schneider crafts an audaciously witty film that explores the tension between the grandeur of folk tales and the quiet poignancy of a real life laid bare of rumor and legend.

Director: Christian Carion

Producer: Christophe Rossignon

Screenwriter: Eric Raynaud based on the book “Bonjour Farewell” by Serguei Kostine

Cinematographer: Walther Vanden Ende

Editor: Andréa Sedlackova

Music: Clint Mansell

Cast: Guillaume Canet

Emir Kusturica

Willem Dafoe

Fred Ward

Running Time: 113 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Pathé

Print Source: NeoClassics Films

Film Website: laffairefarewell-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography: Joyeux Noël (2005)

The Girl From Paris (2001)

Moscow, 1981. KGB spy Sergei Grigoriev has decided to leak documents to the West that would compromise his own country. Pierre Froment is a French engineer working in Moscow. He has no connection to espionage, until his boss draws him into a delicate game. Grigoriev will pass the documents to Froment, who will relay them to French intelligence. Divulging proof of how deeply the KGB has infiltrated the West, Sergei hopes to precipitate an American reaction, and with it the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Cold War seems like a lifetime ago, but Farewell brilliantly revives a critical episode from that era. Director Christian Carion follows his Academy Award®-nominated hit, Joyeux Noël, with another tale that chronicles sweeping conflicts between nations in humanizing detail. He handles the high-stakes narrative with deft skill, shifting from chambers of power where François Mitterand and Ronald Reagan confer with advisers, to the groundlevel maneuvers that put everything at risk for Froment and Grigoriev. Although there are scenes of tense drama, this is a not a car-chase spy thriller. Instead, Farewell probes the impact of the spy-versus-spy atmosphere on these two men and their families.

Director: Bruce Beresford

Producer: Jane Scott

Screenwriter: Jan Sardi

Cinematographer: Peter James

Editor: Mark Warner

Music: Christopher Gordon Cast: Bruce Greenwood

Kyle MacLachlan

Joan Chen

Chi Cao

Amanda Schull

Running Time: 117 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Celluloid Dreams

Print Source: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Film Website: maoslastdancermovie.com

Selected Filmography: The Contract (2006)

Evelyn (2002)

Double Jeopardy (1999)

Paradise Road (1997)

Last Dance (1996)

Black Robe (1991)

Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

Her Alibi (1989)

Crimes of the Heart (1986)

Mao’s Last Dancer

AUSTRALIA 2009

China-born ballet star Li Cunxin gets lush biopic treatment in the inspirational story of his extraordinary journey from poverty to international stardom. Chronicling the artist’s life from his grueling apprenticeship as a classical dancer in communist China to the glory of creative freedom in America, Academy Award®nominated director Bruce Beresford captures the intoxicating effects of first love and celebrity, the pain of exile, and ultimately, the triumph of individual endeavor over ideology. As an 11-year-old in 1972, Li was plucked from his backwater Shandong classroom by talent scouts and offered a place at Madame Mao’s legendary Beijing Dance Academy. After becoming the Academy’s top dancer, he earns a place as a cultural exchange student at the Houston Ballet. There, a brief bout of culture shock gives way to an abiding love for his host country’s freedoms, as well as an attraction to a local ballerina. When Li refuses to return home at the end of his exchange, the resulting dramatic standoff makes headlines around the world. Mao’s Last Dancer features some of the most viscerally potent dance ever captured in a fiction film, as the adult Li (Chi Cao), a principal dancer with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, brilliantly leaps, soars, and spins.

Film Noir cuisine coloré

No character has led the evolution of Seattle’s cuisine like The Chef in the Hat. For more than 20 years at his Madison Valley restaurant, Rover’s, Thierry Rautureau has cast vivid flavors and premium local ingredients in his culinary works of art. The next act in his award-filled career has just begun with his second restaurant, Luc.

Proud supporter of the Seattle International Film Festival

Director: Geoffrey Enthoven

Producers:

Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem

Dries Phylpo

Screenwriters: Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem

Chris Craps

Cinematographer: Gerd Schelfhout

Editor: Philippe Ravoet

Music: Stef Caers

Pascal Garnier

Cast: Marilou Mermans

Lea Couzin

Lut Tomsin

Lucas van den Eynden

Jan van Looveren

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Dutch and French, with English subtitles

Print Source: NeoClassics Films

Film Website: theoverthehillband.com

Selected Filmography: Happy Together (2008) The Only One (2006)

Children of Love (2001)

The Over the Hill Band

Recently widowed 70-year-old Claire is at a loss about what to do with her life. More than 50 years ago, she sang in the rock’n’roll band Sisters of Love with her classmates Magda and Lutgard. She talks to her gal pals and suggests a musical reunion. She even tries to convince her down-on-his-luck musician son Sid to manage them. Sid ultimately agrees to direct the “girls,” but on the condition that they bring their repertoire up to date with his music, and that they enter an upcoming talent contest. Watching the oldsters get back in touch with their inner vixens during a series of rehearsals is pure pleasure. Playing like a combination of Calendar Girls and Young at Heart, this charming comic drama is a coming-of-old-age story about a classy woman who rediscovers life and love when it’s almost too late. In the tradition of sassy social comedies from Belgium, The Over the Hill Band is destined to be an audience favorite.

Director: Casper Andreas

Producers: Casper Andreas

Jesse Archer

Screenwriter: Jesse Archer

Cinematographer: Timothy Naylor

Editor: Craig Cobb

Music: Mark Unthank Cast:

Mindy Cohn

Jesse Archer

Samuel Whitten

Casper Andreas

Kim Allen

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Embrem Entertainment

Selected Filmography: Big Gay Musical (2009) Between Love and Goodbye (2008)

A Four Letter Word (2007) Slutty Summer (2004)

Tendencies

A complex, subversive woman, Violet (Mindy Cohn, a long way from “The Facts of Life”) acts as queen mother or “fruit fly” for her gay friends, offering gossip and support, but she wouldn’t mind a little romance for herself. By way of comfort, co-worker Riley reminds her that “you’re surrounded by men who love you,” so he and his novelist partner, Markus (director Casper Andreas), volunteer to find her a “fag stag,” a heterosexual who prefers the company of homosexuals, though her roommate, Luke (writer Jesse Archer, reprising his role from A Four Letter Word ), suspects that they’re an urban legend. While Violet goes on a series of blind dates, Riley struggles with Markus’ desire to adopt a child; party planner Luke tries to win back stylist Darian; and HIV-positive go-go boy Zeus looks for a love of his own. When her dates don’t pan out, Violet turns to house model Salome who offers advice from the perspective of an impossibly gorgeous woman. During the course of this sparkling comedy, Violet learns that true love was standing right in front of her all along. Independent gay film favorite Casper Andreas’ romantic comedy will tickle your funny bone as the characters weave their own tapestry of love, life, and friendship.

Edward Norton Tribute

He’s intense and undeniably charismatic. At once terrifying and innocently comforting. In any other hands his roles as the psychologically disturbed and menaces of society would be villains. Yet somehow Edward Norton manages to make evil just complex enough that it’s (dare we say?) sympathetic. The Maryland native and Yale graduate possesses that certain quality of brilliance that allows him to charm and beguile in one scene, then force a cringe of anguish in the next.

After years of waiting tables and performing in off-off-Broadway productions, Norton landed his first big gig as the young Southern boy inching toward insanity and accused of murder in Primal Fear (1996), co-starring Richard Gere. Norton’s success and critical acclaim were instant, and he was nominated for a Golden Globe and Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor for the role.

Portraying a reformed white supremacist requires a subtlety and intelligence possessed by few, yet these qualities exude effortlessly from Norton. His role in American History X (1998) earned him his second Academy Award® nomination, this time for Best Actor. The psychological insight portrayed in the film is astounding as Norton seamlessly switches between powerful, terrifying racist to enlightened, kind reformer.

Cult classic Fight Club (1999) solidified Norton as an A-list Hollywood actor. Based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel and co-starring Brad Pitt, the film centers on a lonely, disturbed professional who creates a violent underground organization to help others release their frustrations and aggressions. The insanity and loneliness and delirium of his unnamed character are present in Norton’s nuanced performance throughout, reminding us of what great acting looks like.

In the past decade, Norton has played a wholesome purple rhino (Death to Smoochy), an American millionaire (Frida), a convicted drug dealer in his last 24 hours of freedom (25th Hour), a turn-of-the-century magician (The Illusionist), Bruce Banner (The Incredible Hulk), a British doctor in China (The Painted Veil), and a lonesome cowboy (Down in the Valley).

Edward Norton has worked with such Hollywood heavy-hitters as Woody Allen, Matt Damon, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, Anthony Hopkins, Spike Lee, Naomi Watts, Colin Farrell, and Susan Sarandon. About working with Norton, Naomi Watts said, “I think that there’s no question that Edward is going to challenge every director that he works with. But if the director is smart, he will always listen to Edward’s ideas, because 99 percent of the time they’re brilliant.” He has worked as director (Keeping the Faith, 2000), producer, and started his own production company, Class 5 films. He has also contributed to several charitable and social causes including the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities, Enterprise Community Partners, Solar Neighbors Program, Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, Middle East Peacemakers Fund, Signature Theater Company, and Friends of the High Line.

Norton’s insights into the human psyche, his intelligent approach to filmmaking, and his fearlessness in choosing roles place him on a level few actors have visited. In a word, his work is art. And it’s the kind of art that keeps us up at night, yearning for more like it.

Edward Norton Filmography

Leaves of Grass (2009)

The Invention of Lying (2009)

Pride and Glory (2008)

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

The Painted Veil (2006)

The Illusionist (2006)

Down in the Valley (2005)

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

The Italian Job (2003)

25th Hour (2002)

Red Dragon (2002)

Frida (2002)

Death to Smoochy (2002)

The Score (2001)

Keeping the Faith (2000)

Fight Club (1999)

American History X (1998)

Rounders (1998)

Everyone Says I Love You (1996)

The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

Primal Fear (1996)

Leaves of Grass

USA 2009

Put down the Walt Whitman—the “leaves of grass” in this film have more to do with wacky weed than with organic poetry. It’s a tale at least as old as Shakespeare: two identical twin brothers, one goes down the straight and narrow path, the other takes a walk on the wild side. Here, veteran actor and part-time chameleon Edward Norton puts a modern, comic spin on this classic set-up, playing both halves of the same coin in this Southern-fried farce from writerdirector-actor Tim Blake Nelson (Eye of God, Grand Jury Prize for Best New American film, SIFF 1997). Norton plays Bill Kinkaid, a straight-laced philosophy professor at an Ivy League school who is lured back to his hometown in Oklahoma by news of a family tragedy. When he arrives, he quickly learns that his seedier (literally) pot-dealing brother Brady (also Norton) is in trouble with the local crime boss, who is out to collect an outstanding debt. Though the two brothers could not be farther apart in temperament, Bill gets drawn into a scheme to not only rescue Brady from the mob but also rediscover his long-neglected family ties, and maybe find a little romance along the way. A year after Sam Rockwell wowed SIFF audiences with his split-personality performance in the sci-fit hit Moon, Norton gives two great performances that make the audience completely forget he is actually playing both roles. With a mix of cornpone slapstick and erudite wit, Leaves of Grass is a comedy with a brain.

Director: Tim Blake Nelson

Producers: Tim Blake Nelson

Edward Norton

Bill Migliore

John Langley

Elie Cohn

Kristina Dubin

Screenwriter: Tim Blake Nelson

Cinematographer: Roberto Schaefer

Editor: Michelle Botticelli

Music: Jeff Danna

Cast: Edward Norton

Susan Sarandon

Keri Russell

Richard Dreyfuss

Tim Blake Nelson

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Nu Image

Print Source: D2 Films

Selected Filmography: The Grey Zone (2001) O (2001)

Eye of God (1997)

USA 2002

Can you change your whole life in one day? In Spike Lee’s (SIFF 2009 Tribute) adaptation of David Benioff’s compelling novel, convicted drug dealer Monty (Edward Norton) spends his final day of freedom with friends and family in New york City. Terrified about his dangerous journey ahead, he seeks comfort and advice from his closest friends, his girlfriend, and his disconsolate father. Norton is heartbreaking as guilty, yet harmless, Monty. As he rants against the city that graced him with success and disappointed him with failure, channeling the powerful rage of post-9/11 America, Monty looks to place culpability beyond himself: blame minorities, blame the wealthy, blame religion. Ultimately, however, Monty must take responsibility for the fact that he took advantage of the weaknesses of others for his personal gain. Lee chooses to highlight the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, often showing images of Ground Zero, while Terence Blanchard’s haunting soundtrack beautifully accents the evocative film. The strong script and excellent performances would allow the story to stand on its own, but Lee’s film is something more; it exists as a symbolic gesture to the terror and confusion surrounding our collective life-altering event.

Director:

Spike Lee

Producers:

Spike Lee

Julia Chasman

Jon Kilik

Tobey Maguire

Screenwriter: David Benioff

Cinematographer:

Rodrigo Prieto

Editor:

Barry Alexander Brown

Music: Terence Blanchard

American History X Fight Club

USA 1998

Tony Kaye’s intense directorial debut was a groundbreaking and controversial drama, shining a stark light into the dark corners of racism within a family. The charismatic leader of a group of young white supremacists, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), lands in prison for a brutal hate crime. Through his own profound personal conversion of conscience he realizes he must save his younger brother (Edward Furlong) from the same fate. While his roles in The People vs. Larry Flynt and Primal Fear alerted the critics to this young rising star, the filmic transformation of Derek Vinyard from a vicious, brutal, and altogether terrifying neoNazi to a remorseful, caring, family man is what solidified Norton’s place among the great leading men of this generation and earned him his first Academy-Award® nomination for Best Actor.

Director:

Tony Kaye

Producer: John Morrissey

Screenwriter: David McKenna

Cinematographer: Tony Kaye

Editor: Jerry Greenberg

Alan Heim

Music: Anne Dudley

Cast: Edward Norton Philip Seymour Hoffman

Rosario Dawson

Barry Pepper

Anna Paquin

Brian Cox

Running Time: 135 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: Buena Vista Pictures

Selected Filmography: Passing Strange (2009)

Do the Right Thing (1989)

She’s Gotta Have It (1986)

Cast: Edward Norton

Edward Furlong

Beverly D’Angelo

Avery Brooks

Running Time: 119 minutes

Print Source: New Line Cinema

Selected Filmography: Black Water Transit (2009) Lake of Fire (2006) Snowblind (2002)

USA/GERMANy 1999

The rules of fight club: 1. you don’t talk about fight club. 2. you don’t talk about fight club. Suffering from insomnia, addicted to support groups, defined by possessions, Fight Club’s unnamed protagonist (Edward Norton) is lost. But when he meets the mysterious and charismatic sociopath Tyler (Brad Pitt), an odd direction begins to take shape. The two men bond over their hatred for consumerism and soon form Fight Club, a secret underground organization that allows men to express their deep aggressions and hostilities through violence. This cult classic, based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, gives audiences a new chance to submerge themselves in the protagonist’s twisted mind, and ponder what is important and what isn’t. Grainy, jarring, and aggressive, Fight Club will make you question your own reality and challenge your inner frustrations to throw down the glove and come out fighting.

Director: David Fincher

Producers: Ross Grayson Bell

Cean Chaffin

Art Linson

Screenwriter: Jim Uhls, based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk

Cinematographer: Jeff Cronenweth

Editor: James Haygood

Music: Dust Brothers

Cast: Edward Norton

Brad Pitt

Helena Bonham Carter

Meat Loaf

Running Time: 139 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: Twentieth Century Fox

Selected Filmography: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Zodiac (2007)

Panic Room (2001)

Se7en (1995)

Alien 3 (1992)

Director: Mark Lewis

Producer: Mark Lewis

Screenwriter: Mark Lewis

Cinematographers: Kathryn Milliss

Toby Oliver

Paul Nichola

Editor: Robert DeMaio

Music: Martin Armiger

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: 3D

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: Participant Media Film Website: canetoadstheconquest.com

Selected Filmography: The Natural History of the Chicken (2000) Rat (1998)

The Wonderful World of Dogs (1990)

Cane Toads: An Unnatural History (1988)

Cane Toads: The Conquest –in 3D

The rise of the seemingly unstoppable cane toad is the subject of Mark Lewis’ follow-up to his 1988 documentary smash hit Cane Toads: An Unnatural History, which first brought the exponentially escalating pest to international attention. Introduced into Australia in the 1930s, in a woefully ill-considered attempt to control the sugar cane beetle, the terrifyingly fertile amphibian, a South American native, has reached an alleged population of 1.5 billion. Fears for the effects of its venom on the indigenous wildlife has made it public enemy number one in large parts of the country. Watch ’em writhe, hop, croak, procreate. See ’em gassed, speared, poisoned, frozen (“the road trip to Alaska”). yes, friends…many, many toads died in the making of this movie, yet there is remarkably little gore. This cautionary tale of ecological hubris is laced with a laconic antipodean humor dryer than Darwin dust, but the film’s trump card is the astonishing 3D production values that have earned it the affectionate epithet Ava-Toad. Interestingly, the format seems optimal for films about the world around us, though it is questionable whether many will be delivered with tongue so firmly lodged in cheek.

ALASKA AIRLINES IS A PROUD SUPPORTER OF SIFF AND ALL THE DRAMA IT BRINGS.

Directors: Jay Duplass

Mark Duplass

Producer: Michael Costigan

Screenwriters: Jay Duplass

Mark Duplass

Cinematographer: Jas Shelton

Editor: Jay Deuby

Music: Michael Andrews

Cast: John C. Reilly

Marisa Tomei

Jonah Hill

Catherine Keener

Matt Walsh

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Fox Searchlight

Print Source: Fox Searchlight

Film Website: foxsearchlight.com/cyrus

Selected Filmography: The Do-Deca-Pentathlon (2009) Baghead (2008)

The Puffy Chair (2005)

Still single seven years after the breakup of his marriage, John has all but given up on romance. But at the urging of Jamie, his ex-wife and best friend, he grudgingly agrees to join her and her fiancé at a party. To his and everyone else’s surprise, John actually manages to meet someone: the gorgeous and spirited Molly. Their relationship takes off quickly but Molly is oddly reluctant to take it beyond John’s house. Perplexed, he follows her home and discovers the other man in Molly’s life: her 21-year-old son Cyrus. Before long, the two are locked in a battle of wits for the woman they both love and it appears only one man will be left standing when it’s over. Aptly dubbed “Duplasses for the masses” by Variety, this insightful and funny look at love and family in contemporary Los Angeles is the latest from iconoclastic filmmaking brothers Jay and Mark Duplass. Using the innovative improvisational techniques that have earned them critical accolades and a devoted following, the directors enter the mainstream with a touching, original story that blends humor and heartbreak, much like life itself.

Fresh Perspectives

You never fail to deliver. Our attorneys are proud to support the Seattle International Film Festival and your commitment to bringing people together through film.

Director: Randal Kleiser

Producers: Robert Stigwood

Allan Carr

Screenwriters: Bronte Woodard adapted by Allan Carr based on the original musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Cinematographer: Bill Butler

Editor: John F. Burnett

Cast: John Travolta

Olivia Newton-John

Stockard Channing

Jeff Conaway

Didi Conn

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Paramount Pictures

Selected Filmography: Shadow of Doubt (1998)

Honey I Blew Up the Kids (1992)

Big Top Pee-Wee (1988)

The Blue Lagoon (1980)

Grease Sing-along

“I got chills. They’re multiplyin,’ and I’m losin’ control ‘cause the power you’re supplyin,’ it’s electrifyin’!” Back in those golden oldies days, when poodle skirts were hip and drag car racing was sexy, bad boy Danny and uptight Sandy find passion one magical summer, proclaiming their love to each other before going their separate ways. But when Sandy is inexplicably transferred to Danny’s school that fall the two must navigate their romance in the real world of high school egos, old flames, and peer pressures. Complete with catchy tunes and zippy choreography, Grease takes us back to the romance of the 1950s, when making out under the dock and staying out past ten o’clock meant true love. Rydell High’s most famous graduating class is going back to school in this newly restored print of the highest-grossing musical of all time. Join Danny and Sandy with your own crew of T-Birds and Pink Ladies for a carnival ride back to those amazing summer nights.

Directors: Rob Epstein

Jeffrey Friedman

Producers: Rob Epstein

Jeffrey Friedman

Elizabeth Redleaf

Christine K. Walker

Screenwriters: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman

Cinematographer: Edward Lachman

Editor: Jake Pushinsky

Music: Carter Burwell

Cast: James Franco

David Strathairn

Jon Hamm

Mary-Louise Parker

Jeff Daniels

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: The Match Factory

Print Source: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Selected Filmography: Paragraph 175 (2000)

The Celluloid Closet (1995)

Common Threads:

Stories from the Quilt (1989)

James Franco is Allen Ginsberg, poet laureate of the Beat generation, in this celebration of the work that captured a cultural moment and defined a literary scene. Academy-Award®-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Celluloid Closet, The Times of Harvey Milk) blend narrative, documentary, and animation to achieve a kaleidoscopic portrait of the man and his art. A recreation of the very first reading of “Howl” to a beatnik crowd at San Francisco’s Six Gallery in 1955 is juxtaposed with a simulated interview with the poet; brief dramatizations of Ginsberg’s life and loves are interspersed with scenes from the landmark obscenity trial that followed the publication of the poem. Dialogue taken verbatim from court recordings, as well as transcripts of an interview Ginsberg gave to Life magazine provide insight into his time in a mental institution, his struggles with his homosexuality, and his determination to live and write with vital honesty. Throughout the film, hallucinogenic animated sequences by former Ginsberg illustrator Eric Drooker give brilliant visual life to the poem that pushed the boundaries of art to become one of the great poetic achievements in American literary history.

Director: Ding Sheng

Producers: Solon So Zhang Zhe

Screenwriters: Ding Sheng Jackie Chan

Cinematographer: Zhao Xiaoding

Editor: Ding Sheng

Music: Xiao Ke

Cast: Jackie Chan

Wang Leehom

Steve Yoo

Lin Peng

Du Yu Ming

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

Print Source: Jackie and JJ Productions Ltd.

Selected Filmography: Da Jing Xiao Guai (2001)

Little Big Soldier

HONG KONG/CHINA 2010 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Since his breakthrough stateside film Rumble in the Bronx, Jackie Chan has vastly expanded his repertoire of films. Not only did he conquer Hollywood, he continues to make films in his native Hong Kong. His newest import, Little Big Soldier, begins on a bloody battlefield during the “Warring States” era—the brutal period before unification under the Qin Dynasty. With both sides nearly decimated in the clash, two survivors remain: a young, wounded general and an older soldier (Jackie Chan) from the opposing side. The soldier takes the general hostage and begins to drag him back to his homeland in hopes that the reward he’ll receive for his captive will finally allow him to retire from military service. Of course, getting the general there is much more difficult than the soldier imagines. Hotly pursued by Prince Wen and his personal guard, the pair encounters a variety of opportunistic rogues, peasants, and swindlers, all of whom test our mismatched heroes’ fighting acumen. A comedic road-trip recalling such films as 48 Hrs. and Midnight Run, Little Big Soldier is filled with Chan’s trademark fusion of slapstick comedy and astounding martial arts action.

Chef Don Curtiss invites to you celebrate in style at the Volterra Drawing Room.

Directors: Sam Green

Dave Cerf

Producers: Sam Green

Carrie Lozano

Jasmine Dellal

Editor: Sam Green

Dave Cerf

Music: Catherine McCrae

Dennis Cronin

T. Griffin

Dave Cerf

Running Time: 65 minutes

Presentation

Format: Digital

Print Source: Sam Green Film Film Website: utopiainfourmovements.com

Selected Filmography: Dave Cerf: A Trip Down Market (2005)

Sam Green: The Weather Underground (2002)

Utopia in Four Movements

Created and presented live by the brilliant visuals and sound team Sam Green and Dave Cerf, Utopia In Four Movements is a stirring, mind-engaging experience and a documentary like no other. The subject under investigation is unified idealism, utopia’s root source, and its foundering status in today’s culture as we stand on the precipice of the 21st century. Designed as individual and interchangeable components that illustrate the utopian concept—a history of peace-inspired Esperanto, a meditation on the world’s largest shopping mall, the undying optimism of an American exile, a World’s Fair time capsule buried more than 70 years ago—each asks us to attempt to explain what has happened to that former and near-universal sense of hopefulness. Green (Academy Award®-nominee, The Weather Underground ) narrates and cues the cinematic visuals, while Cerf performs the accompanying soundtrack, offering the audience a unique, immediate, and almost improvisational performance. The poetic blend of archival and original film footage, combined with solicited audience response and interaction, returns us to the original intent of cinema—that of collective human experience. Throughout the film/performance, we are also confronted with visuals of our own utopian-negating actions, those cautionary historic corruptions bubbling up throughout the last century, which have led us to the ephemeral border between hope and despair. Which will we choose? asks this documentary in a myriad of brilliant and conceptual ways…By the very nature of that question, this provocative and amazing in-the-moment experience extends its ultimate message: that our own pursuit of the realized dream can only emerge from a conspired communal creativity—humanity’s universal language of hope.

Director: Davis Guggenheim

Producer: Lesley Chilcott

Screenwriters: Davis Guggenheim

Billy Kimball

Cinematographers: Erich Roland

Bob Richman

Editors: Greg Finton

Jay Cassidy

Kim Roberts

Music: Christopher Beck

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: Paramount Pictures

Film Website: waitingforsuperman.com

Selected Filmography: It Might Get Loud (2008) Gracie (2007)

An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

Waiting for Superman

In Waiting For Superman, Academy Award®-winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim tackles another inconvenient truth: the failure of the public education system in the wealthiest country in the world. The film pulls no punches in its investigation of everything from the problem of poor test scores to low graduation rates by surveying “drop-out factories” and “academic sinkholes” around the country. But it also explores some of the innovative approaches taken by education reformers and charter schools that are producing surprising results. Waiting For Superman features several outspoken leaders in the field of education, including philanthropist Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone; and Michelle Rhee, chancellor of the Washington, D.C. Public Schools. But just so we never lose sight of what’s really at stake, Guggenheim also follows five young students, Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily, and their families’ desperate efforts to find them quality education.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2010 (Audience Award – US Documentary)

Sponsored by the Excellent Schools Now Coalition. To learn more about us, please visit www.excellentschoolsnow.org.

Director: Anthony Geffen

Producers: Claudia Perkins

Anthony Geffen

Screenwriter: Mark Halliley

Cinematographers: Chris Openshaw

Ken Sauls

Editor: Peter Miller

Music: Joel Douek

Featuring the Voices of: Hugh Dancy Ralph Fiennes

Liam Neeson

Natasha Richardson

Alan Rickman

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: IMAX

Print Source: National Geographic Cinema Film Website: thewildestdream.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Wildest Dream – in IMAX

In 1924, George Mallory perished during his pilgrimage to scale the most treacherous peak on earth, Mount Everest. The Wildest Dream follows mountaineer Conrad Anker, the man who found Mallory’s frozen remains 75 years after Mallory’s death, as he attempts to explore the mystery of whether Mallory may have succeeded in his assault on Everest. Climbing with the same equipment and clothing as Mallory, Anker battles exhaustion, altitude sickness, and the threat of frostbite. His ultimate goal is to free-climb the fatal “Second Step,” as Mallory would have, a final test in proving that Mallory may have indeed reached the apex of earthbound human exploration before any other. Portrayed with captivating cinematography, this riveting work delves into the puzzling conflict shared by elite mountaineers and explorers: Do we climb Everest to conquer the mountain or to conquer ourselves? In preparing to make the ultimate sacrifice Mallory says, “We shall go, and if it is a one-way ticket, so be it.”

Pacific Science Center is pleased to partner with SIFF to present  The Wildest Dream , distributed by National Geographic Entertainment, at this year’s Festival. This is the first IMAX film to play at the Festival, and given Seattle’s mountaineering tradition, it is appropriate that it is the story of George Mallory, the man who said that he wanted to climb Everest “because it is there.” The Wildest Dream opens at Pacific Science Center on August 6. For more information, visit pacificsciencecenter.org

Director: Sylvain Chomet

Producers: Didier Brunner

Viviane Vanfleteren

Screenwriter: Sylvain Chomet

Editors: Dominique Brune

Chantal Colibert Brunner

Dominique Lefever

Music: Benoit Charest

Running Time: 78 minutes

Presentation Format: DVD, in French, with English subtitles

Print Source: Sony Pictures Classics

Selected Filmography: The Illusionist (2010)

Cinema: World Short Films (2008)

Paris je t’aime (2006)

La vieille dame et les pigeons (1998)

les triplettes de belleville

The Triplets of Belleville FRANCE 2003

When The Triplets of Belleville first swept onto the public stage in 2003, it was a quirky, critically acclaimed upstart. Seven years later this animated gem, nominated for two Academy Awards® in 2004, has become an indelible classic in the hearts and minds of music lovers, bicycle enthusiasts, and film buffs alike. Set to a splendidly retro soundtrack inspired by French jazz of the ’30s and ’40s, this gloriously eccentric feature proves that music truly does transcend the language barrier. The bizarre story focuses on a young man named Champion, his grandmother, Madame Souza, his endearingly pathetic dog, Bruno, and Champion’s aspiration to win the Tour de France. When two mysterious men in black kidnap Champion, his grandmother’s desperate quest to rescue him leads her to the metropolis of Belleville. It is here that Madame Souza meets and enlists the aid of the triplets of the title, a renowned trio of aging female vaudeville singers whose curious and hilarious approach to life is exactly what Champion’s rescue operation calls for. Beautifully animated backdrops contrast with grotesquely drawn characters to create an endlessly entertaining visual adventure. Following in the grand tradition of Jacques Tati, the film relies heavily on sight gags and uses very little dialogue to tell the story. Rather, the Academy Award®-nominated soundtrack speaks loquaciously throughout the story, adding the sparkling top note to this delightfully peculiar experience.

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Ambiente: New Spanish Cinema

In the past decade, Spain has become one of the most prolific countries in Western Europe in its production of film. With the generous support of the Spanish community, SIFF is proud to recognize this achievement by presenting 27 films (18 features and nine shorts) representing the best in contemporary Spanish cinema.

Daniel Monzón’s political thriller Cell 211 swept this year’s Goyas (the Spanish Academy Awards®), winning eight awards including Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Film. SIFF favorite Julio Medem (Winner of the Golden Space Needle for Sex and Lucía) is back with Room in Rome, the erotic adventure of two women who meet by chance and spend a life-changing night together in the Eternal City. Agora, by Alejandro Amenábar (director of the Academy Award ®winning The Sea Inside), stars Rachel Weisz in a rousing historical epic set in 4th-century Egypt. Veteran auteur Ventura Pons is back with Drifting, the story of a woman recently returned from working as a nurse on the front lines of an area of conflict in Africa. First-time directors Antonio Naharro and Álvaro Pastor present Me Too, a moving portrait of a young man with Down Syndrome who falls in love, starring Lola Dueñas (Volver) who won the Goya Award for Best Actress as well as the Best Actress award at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Carlitos and the Chance of a Lifetime, directed by Jesús Del Cerro, tells the story of a young boy who loves playing soccer and getting into trouble. And Three Days with the Family chronicles a young woman’s return home for her grandfather’s funeral; director Mar Coll won the Goya Award for Best New Director.

Ambiente translates to “ambience or atmosphere.” Let these films immerse you in the sights, sounds, and culture of contemporary Spain.

Spanish Films in Other Festival Sections:

Ambiente (Short Films) page 175

Carlitos and the Chance of a Lifetime (Films4Families)

director: Jesús Del Cerro, 2009, page 91

Three Days with the Family (New Directors Showcase)

director: Mar Coll, 2009, page 129

Director: Daniel Monzón

Producers: Emma Lustres

Borja Pena

Juan Gordon

Álvaro Agustín

Screenwriters: Jorge Guerricaechevarría

Daniel Monzón based on the book by Francisco Pérez Gandul

Cinematographer: Carles Gusi

Editor: Cristina Pastor

Music: Roque Baños

Cast: Luis Tosar

Alberto Ammann

Antonio Resines

Marta Etura

Carlos Bardem

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Films Distribution

Print Source: IFC Films

Selected Filmography: The Kovak Box (2006)

The Biggest Robbery Never Told (2002)

Heart of the Warrior (2000)

For those cinephiles captivated by Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet, do not miss Cell 211. Newly-hired prison guard Juan Oliver arrives a day before his official start date in hopes of making a good impression. Touring the facility, Juan falls victim to a minor accident, which renders him unconscious. His fellow guards place him in cell 211 to recover, but shortly afterward the inmates from the high-security cellblock, under the leadership of the ruthless Malamadre, break free and seize control of the prison. After regaining consciousness, Juan realizes the perilousness of his situation and poses as a new inmate. Soon finding himself in Malamadre’s inner circle, Juan’s every word and action are closely scrutinized by the latter’s top lieutenants—Tachuela and the unhinged Releches. But when Malamadre discovers that three members of a militant Basque separatist organization are inmates, his attempt to use them as bargaining chips sets off a chaotic sequence of events both within and far beyond the prison’s walls. The big winner at this year’s Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards®), Cell 211 shrewdly weaves strands of political commentary into the fabric of an intriguing, suspenseful thriller.

Awards:

Goya Awards 2010 (Best Film, Director, Actor, and Adapted Screenplay)

SPAIN 2009

The lives of three art school students of differing talents and degrees of ambition converge in this 1980s-set drama. The story begins when María José and her boyfriend, Marcos, join Jaime in his Madrid flat. Knowing that his friend suffers from performance anxiety, Jaime decides to seduce María José, on whom he’s had his eye for some time. Marcos has the height and the sensitivity, but is a self-described “vulture,” Jaime has the technique and the swagger— though he confesses that he could never attract a woman like María José on his own. Afterward, the couple wonders if they made a mistake, but Jaime convinces them that a three-way relationship is the way to go. Marcos has less to gain, since neither he nor Jaime share an attraction to men, but it’s their collective jealousies and insecurities that present the greatest challenge. In its outlines, Ruiz’s film recalls Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers. Known in Spain as Paper Castles, 3Some is just as explicit, but more understated (and less politicized) in its exploration of a love triangle. An appealing young cast makes the scenario believable, sympathetic, and more than just a little sexy.

Director: Salvador Garcia Ruiz

Producer: Gerardo Herrero

Screenwriter: Enrique Urbizu

based on the novel by Almudena Grandes

Cinematographer: Teo Delgado

Editor: Berta Frias

Music: Pascal Gaigne

Cast: Adriana Ugarte Biel Duran

Nilo Mur

Cristian Magaloni Álvaro Aguila

Lola Marceli

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Latido Films

Print Source: IFC Films

Selected Filmography: Voices in the Night (2003) The Other Side (2000) Mensaka (1998)

Agora

SPAIN/USA 2009

Epic in scope yet serious in intent, Agora once again illustrates the confident direction that has graced Alejandro Amenábar’s hugely successful features. This time he transports us to turbulent 4th-century Egypt when pagan forces are starting to beat down the bastions of Christian Roman civilization. Against this tumultuous backdrop, Hypatia (Rachel Weisz gives yet another impeccable performance), the celebrated mathematician, is living the life of a closeted intellectual in the hallowed confines of the celebrated library of Alexandria. But Hypatia’s life has drama all its own; she is at the center of a love triangle with her pupil Orestes and her slave Davus. Matters come to a head when conflicting religious loyalties result in a massacre of the city’s Christians. Visually stunning and with a great feel of authenticity, Agora brings this little known historical period to vivid cinematic life.

Awards:

Goya Awards 2010 (Best Cinematography)

US PREMIERE

Director: Alejandro Amenábar

Producers: Fernando Bovaira

Alvaro Augustin

Screenwriters: Alejandro Amenábar

Mateo Gil

Cinematographer: Xavi Giménez

Editor:

Nacho Ruiz Capillas

Music: Dario Marianelli

Cast: Rachel Weisz

Max Minghella

Oscar Isaac

Ashraf Barhom

Michael Lonsdale

Running Time: 126 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales:

Focus Features

International

Print Source: Newmarket Films

Film Website: agorathemovie.com

Selected Filmography: The Sea Inside (2004)

The Others (2001)

Open Your Eyes (1999)

Thesis (1996)

nacidas para sufrir Born to

Suffer

2010

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

A gentle, bittersweet dramatic comedy of female solidarity and subterfuge set in rural Spain, Born

To Suffer centers on 72-year-old Flora (magnificently played by Petra Martinez), wily and fox-like in both appearance and disposition. Flora’s sister has just died, and her three ungrateful nieces, whom she raised—Mariana, Mari Carmen, and nun Marta—gather like vultures with the idea of sending her to the nursing home where Marta works. Flora is having none of it and heads off with her faithful housekeeper, Purita, to change her will. Flora stipulates the nieces can have the house only on the condition that Purita stays with her until her death. To guarantee this—and to the horror of all—Flora, in the film’s boldest stroke, marries Purita. The film skillfully raises issues such as the stifling dynamics of family relationships in traditional communities, and the power of marriage. As Pedro Almodóvar has shown, the lives of women in Spain’s pueblos, where the menfolk are either dead or on the sidelines, is a rich source of material.

Director: Miguel Albaladejo

Producers: Gerardo Herrero

Mariela Besuivesky

Javier Lopez Blanco

Screenwriter: Miguel Albaladejo

Cinematographer: Kiko de la Rica

Editor:

Pablo Blanco

Cast: Adriana Ozores

Petra Martinez

Alfonsa Rosso

Malena Alterio

Running Time: 112 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Latido Films

Print Source: Latido Films

Film Website: nacidasparasufrir.com

Selected Filmography: My Quick Way Out (2006)

Bear Cub (2004) Rancour (2002

Ten Days Without Love (2001)

los condenados

The Damned

SPAIN 2009

Martín, a former revolutionary in Argentina, has been living in exile in Spain for more than 30 years. One day, out of the blue, he receives a call from Raúl, an old comrade, inviting him to participate in an excavation in the Tucumán forest in search of the remains of their companion, Ezequiel, who disappeared after a skirmish with the army. There he meets other former fighters and their families, including Ezequiel’s wife and mother. At night they sit around looking at old photos and sharing memories; during the day the work of the dig goes on. Individually and together they relive their experiences in an effort to come to terms with the past. For some, their way of understanding the world has changed greatly over the years; others remain frozen in time. It isn’t long before old tensions surface, and with them, suspicions, accusations, and questions of loyalty. The Damned is a story with resonance across the continent and through the decades, from Catalan director Isaki Lacuesta, one of recent Spanish cinema’s most acclaimed talents.

Awards:

San Sebastian Film Festival 2009 (FIPRESCI Prize)

Director: Isaki Lacuesta

Producer: Xavier Atance

Screenwriters: Isaki Lacuesta

Isabel Campo

Cinematographer: Diego Dussuel

Editor:

Domi Parra

Music:

Gerard Gil

Cast: Daniel Fanego

Arturo Goetz

Leonor Manso

Maria Fiorentino

Juana Hidalgo

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

Print Source: Benecé Produccions SL

Selected Filmography: The Legend of Time (2006)

Cravan vs. Cravan (2002)

SPAIN

victoriaren dantza

The Dancer and the Thief

a la deriva Drifting

In the years following the repressive reign of Augusto Pinochet in Chile, a general amnesty program has released famous safe-cracker Nicolás and 20-year-old small-time crook Ángel from prison. All Nicolás wants to do is go legit and reunite with his estranged wife and son, but discovers that they have both moved on with their lives without him. With few other options for the aging Nicolás, he is pulled deep into Ángel’s plan to pull off one last heist to steal a fortune amassed by some of Pinochet’s former henchmen. Ángel complicates matters by falling in love with the beautiful young Victoria, an unstable ballet dancer left mute by a mysterious past trauma. The story, based on a novel by Chilean author Antonio Skármeta, who also wrote the source novel for the Academy Award®-winning film Il Postino, uses the troubled past of its characters to reflect the deep psychological wounds left behind by the Pinochet regime. In his first non-documentary film in seven years, director Fernando Trueba adds a whimsical touch to the narrative, playfully merging melodramatic elements with crime-genre pulp and political thriller undertones to create an exciting, romantic tale of urban street life re-emerging after dictatorship.

Awards: Official Academy Award® Submission 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Director:

Fernando Trueba

Producers: Fernando Trueba

Jessica Berman

Screenwriters: Fernando Trueba

Jonás Trueba

Antonio Skármeta

Cinematographer: Julian Ledesma

Editor:

Carmen Frias

Cast:

Ricardo Darín

Abel Ayala

Miranda Bodenhöfer

Ariadna Gil

Running Time: 127 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

6 Sales Alto de Las Cabañas

Print Source:

6 Sales Alto de Las Cabañas

Selected Filmography:

Miracle of Candeal (2004)

The Shangai Spell (2002)

La nina de tus ojos (1998)

Two Much (1995)

Belle Epoque (1992)

Year of Enlightment (1986)

Rock Salt (1984)

Opera Prima (1980)

Drifting marks the third collaboration between Catalan auteur Ventura Pons and novelist LluísAnton Baulenas, and the third film in a trilogy, which also includes Anita Takes A Chance and Idiot Love. Anna has been in Africa working as a nurse for a non-governmental organization on the front lines of a violent conflict. But when she returns to Spain, she finds that her inability to process the experience upends her old life. She leaves her husband Ricard and moves into a borrowed camper van, refusing to tell anyone where’s she’s going. While working as a security guard —at an exclusive clinic, she meets a troubled young man. He is unable to walk and refuses to reveal his identity, but the two are immediately drawn to one another. They begin a powerfully sexual and deeply codependent relationship as they struggle to get free of their respective demons. Pons’ reputation as an actor’s director shines true here; Drifting is driven by the performance of Maria Molins (earning her a Gaudi nomination for the role).

Director: Ventura Pons

Producer: Maite Fontanet

Screenwriter: Ventura Pons

based on the play by Lluís-Anton Baulenas

Cinematographer: Joan Minguell

Editor: Pere Abadal

Music:

Carles Cases

Cast: Maria Molins

Roger Coma

Fernando Guillen

Boris Izaguirre

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Latido Films

Print Source: Latido Films

Film Website: venturapons.com

Selected Filmography: Forasters (2009)

Barcelona (2007)

Life on the Edge (2007)

Wounded Animals (2006)

Idiot Love (2003)

Food of Love (2002)

Beloved/Friend (1998)

Caresses (1997)

Actresses (1996)

Ocana, an Intermittent

Portrait (1978)

SPAIN 2009

SPAIN 2010 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

el mal ajeno

For the Good of Others

SPAIN 2010 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

A breathlessly-paced medical drama with supernatural overtones, For the Good of Others is also a contemporary morality tale. Our hero, Diego, is a doctor so used to dealing with critical situations that he has become immune to the suffering of others. He has distanced himself from his work, his wife Pilar, and his duties as a father. During a highly-charged confrontation with the lover of a patient who has overdosed, Diego is threatened with a gun. Hours later, he remembers nothing but the sound of a firearm going off and the strange sensation of having been hit by more than a bullet, but there’s no wound on him. When his patients begin to emerge from comas and their cancers start to go into remission, Diego comes to believe he can heal the sick with the touch of his hands. However, he soon discovers that his gift comes at enormous cost and he must make an irrevocable decision that affects both his own life and the lives of those he loves. Unfolding mostly in an ultra-modern emergency room, the often-hyperactive camerawork and the chilly, blue tones of the hospital are fitting for a film about emotional alienation. Produced by Alejandro Amenábar (Agora, The Others), the film reflects his interest in the psychological and phantasmagorical.

Garbo: The Spy

Director: Oskar Santos

Producers: Alejandro Amenábar

Álvaro Augustin

Fernando Bovaira

Screenwriter: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo

Cinematographer: Josu Inchaustegui

Editor: Carlos Agullo

Music: Fernando Velázquez

Cast: Eduardo Noriega

Belén Rueda

Angie Cepeda

Cristina Plazas

Clara Lago

Marcel Borrás

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Filmax International

Print Source: Filmax International

Film Website: elmalajeno.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Garbo: The Spy offers a fascinating account of an extraordinary Spanish double agent during World War II who helped change the course of history. Director Edmon Roch utilizes a dazzling mixture of feature film, archival footage, interviews, and music that beautifully underscores the film’s theme of the shifting border between truth and falsehood. The former manager of a chicken farm, Catalan Juan Pujol lived in hiding during much of the Spanish Civil War, which gave him quite a distaste for fascism. In 1940, he offered his services to the British as a spy against the Nazis but was initially rejected. Instead, he set himself up as a German doubleagent. Pujol wrote thousands of pages of information (some true, some false), which he sent to the Nazis. The passion, detail, and sincerity of his letters were enough to persuade the Germans that he was the real deal. The peak of his career came in 1944, when he succeeded in diverting German defense forces to Calais while the Allied landings were taking place in Normandy, thus averting considerable bloodshed. After this, Garbo retired by faking his own death.

Awards:

Goya Award 2010 (Best Documentary Film)

Gaudi Award 2010 (Best Documentary, Best Screenplay)

Director: Edmon Roch

Producers: Edmon Roch

Sandra Hermida

Belén Bernuy

Screenwriters: Edmon Roch

Isaki Lacuesta

Maria Hervera

Cinematographers: Bet Rourich

Gabriel Guerra

Joachin Bergamin

Editor: Alexander Adams

Music: Fernando Velazquez

Running Time: 89 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in English, Spanish, Catalan, and German, with English

subtitles

Print Source: Ikiru Films

Film Website: garbothemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SPAIN 2009

Gordos

Me Too

Five people struggling with their weight meet in the safe haven of group therapy. A seemingly ordinary setting provides insight into the hidden fears of those at odds with a society that is obsessed with appearances. The portly protagonists include Enrique, a TV presenter for a weight-loss product who has broken his contract by becoming obese; sexually frustrated Sofía, wife of intensely religious Alex; businesswoman Leonor, whose weight has gone up while her boyfriend has been away; and middleaged forensic scientist Andrés, who’s married to Beatriz, with two problem kids. The skinny therapist, Abel, discovers his own growing revulsion for any corpulence, which puts his pregnant wife, Paula, at something of a disadvantage. Director Daniel Sánchez Arévalo’s humorous and observational exploration of human behavior mixes satire, absurd comedy, and even subtle drama. This complex, multilayered film, bolstered by a remarkable ensemble cast and precise editing by David Pinillos and Nacho Ruiz Capilla, brings us a witty, distinctive, and touching tale.

Awards:

Goya Awards 2010 (Best Supporting Actor)

Director: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo

Producers: José Antonio Félez

Antón Reixa

Screenwriter: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo

Cinematographer: Juan Carlos Gómez

Editors:

David Pinillos

Nacho Ruiz Capillas

Music: Pascal Gaigne

Cast: Antonio de la Torre

Roberto Enríquez

Verónica Sánchez

Raúl Arévalo

Leticia Herrero

Fernando Albizu

Running Time: 115 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Imagina International Sales

Print Source: Imagina International Sales

Film Website: gordoslapelicula.com

Selected Filmography: DarkBlueAlmostBlack (2006)

Arriving with a raft of film festival prizes already to its credit, the inspiration for Me Too is Pablo Pineda, the actor who plays Daniel, its central character. In real life he is the first person with Down Syndrome in Europe to be awarded a university degree. In the film he plays a college graduate, clued up on art, able to speak English, and not a bad cook either. On his first day at work in a social services admin office, he is smitten with his colleague, Nuria. Outwardly feisty but inwardly insecure and vulnerable, she has been looking for love in all the wrong places. Sadly, no one ever felt the need to teach Daniel about sex so he has no frame of reference for his new feelings. As it becomes clear that Nuria is developing feelings of her own for him, Daniel’s otherwise enlightened friends and family are surprisingly negative about the turn of events, unable to deal with the notion that Daniel might become sexually active. Álvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro’s excellent screenplay is sensitive and affectionately humorous, but the film does not shy away from tough questions, such as why people with Down Syndrome are always infantilized and desexualized, and who is completely normal anyway, and is greatly enriched by two memorable performances from Pineda and Lola Dueñas (The Sea Inside) as Nuria.

Awards:

Goya Awards 2010 (Best Actress, Original Song)

San Sebastian International Film Festival 2009 (Best Actor, Actress)

Rotterdam International Film Festival 2010 (Audience Award)

Directors: Álvaro Pastor

Antonio Naharro

Producers: Manuel Gómez

Cardeña

Julio Medem

Koldo Zuazua

Screenwriters: Álvaro Pastor

Antonio Naharro

Cinematographer: Alfonso Postigo

Editor: Nino Martínez Sosa

Music: Guille Milkyway

Cast: Lola Dueñas

Pablo Pineda

Isabel García Lorca

Pedro Álvarez Osorio

Antonio Naharro

Running Time: 103 minutes

Presentation

Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Match Factory

Print Source: Olive Films

Film Website: yotambienlapelicula. com

Selected

Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SPAIN 2009

SPAIN 2009

1/8 h

1/2 v

1/8 h

dieta mediterránea

Mediterranean Diet

habitación en roma Room in Rome

SPAIN 2010 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Sofía is an impulsive and intelligent young woman who has been raised in the kitchen and dining room of her parents’ restaurant. At 15, she falls in love with two men. Unable to decide between them, she takes one as her husband and the other as her lover. While this love triangle seems doomed to disaster, Sofía, her seemingly perfect husband Toni, and her lover-mentor Frank, prefer happiness and make this extraordinary arrangement work, giving us a clever reflection on commitment, marriage, and the definition of family. Catalan writer-director Joaquín Oristrell cooks up a delectable romantic comedy with Mediterranean Diet, which pays homage to Truffaut’s Jules and Jim as well as Billy Wilder’s Sabrina. With an earthy backdrop of Mediterranean cuisine, Sophia is a woman who lives by her own rules in this history of sexual, gastronomic, and commercial ménage à trois.

Director: Joaquín Oristrell

Producers: Marta Esteban

Gerardo Herrero

Screenwriters: Joaquín Oristrell

Yolanda García Serrano

Cinematographer: Albert Pascual

Editor:

Aixalà Domi Parra

Music: Salvador Niebla

Jose Mas “Kitflus”

Cast: Olivia Molina

Paco Leon

Alfonso Bassave

Carmen Balagué

Roberto Álvarez

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Messidor Films

Print Source: Messidor Films

Selected Filmography: Nobody is Perfect (2006)

Unconscious (2004)

Director Julio Médem, winner of the 2002 Best Director Golden Space Needle Award for Sex and Lucía, returns with another steamy, incisive contemplation of life, sex, and romance. One early summer’s evening, Alba meets Natasha on the streets of Rome, as they spend their last day in the Eternal City. Alba invites Natasha to her hotel room where they embark on a 12-hour intimate, passionate, physical journey that will mark their bodies and souls forever. The couple discusses past sexual exploits and relationships while also sharing their trepidations about what lies in their immediate futures. Come morning, the sunrise illuminates more than just their hotel room window as the lovers have revealed deep secrets they’ve never shared before, emboldened by the belief that they will never meet again. In this sapphic remake of the Chilean film In Bed (SIFF 2006), Médem combines the original’s lyrical eroticism with his own visual panache to craft a sensual exploration of love’s fickle caprice.

Director: Julio Médem

Producers: Julio Médem

Alvaro Longoria

Screenwriter: Julio Médem

Cinematographer: Alex Catalan

Editor: Julio Médem

Music: Jocelyn Pook

Cast: Elena Anaya

Natasha Yarovenko

Enrico Lo Verso

Running Time: 108 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Wild Bunch

Print Source: IFC Films

Selected Filmography: Chaotic Ana (2007)

Sex and Lucia (2001)

Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998)

Earth (1996)

Red Squirrel (1993)

Vacas (1992)

SPAIN 2009

Stigmata V.O.S.

A hauntingly beautiful and lyrical tale, Adán Aliaga’s debut feature is a thoughtful journey into the intertwining realms of faith and character. The story is adapted from Lorenzo Mattotti and Claudio Piersanti’s graphic novel, and told through a hulking gentle giant of a man, Bruno (played by Spanish shotput champion Manuel Martinez), whose sad life is on a downward spiral. He wakes up one morning bleeding from mysterious wounds on his hands, which he regards as a purely physical mystery, but which others see as divine signature. Hounded, Bruno flees the city and wanders through the countryside until he finds a traveling fair and falls in love. The stigmata disappear as his life regains some semblance of balance, but a sad turn of events replaces the wounds. Part of the seductive allure of Stigmata is its quietness; Aliaga reveals Bruno’s confusion, pain, and eventual transformation through superbly acted physical expression, rather than words, and a deeply referenced Christian mysticism that unfolds throughout the film. A soulful didgeridoo score enhances the sumptuous imagery, filmed in moody, high contrast black and white. Ultimately, Bruno’s journey is one of universal ideas, which lead us to our own, larger than life questions—of love, expectation, and redemption.

Director:

Adán Aliaga

Producers:

Juanjo Gimenez

Miguel Molina

Xose Zapata

Ignacio Benedetti

Screenwriter: Adán Aliaga

Cinematographer: Pere Pueyo

Editor:

Aurora Sulli

Music: Vincent Barriere

Cast: Manuel Martinez

Marieta Orozco

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish and Catalan, with English subtitles

International Sales: Doc & Film International

Print Source: Doc & Film International

Film Website: estigmas.info

Selected Filmography: My Grandmother’s House (2005)

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage. But when half of a foursome of friends decides to have a baby together, despite their purely platonic relationship, convention is disrupted and complications ensue. Woody Allen once expounded that successful couples are a matter of luck. Based on the play by Carol Lopez and starring the same stage actors, Cesc Gay’s charming romantic comedy, V.O.S., explores the limitations, strengths, and fictions of that luck. Secret longing, hushed feelings, and inevitable romance make this delightful film reminiscent of Allen’s beloved romantic comedies. V.O.S.—the acronym for “original version, subtitled”—is a typical designation for art films in Spain, where almost all films are dubbed into Spanish. Yet the art here refers more to artifice. Are the players actual, real-life couples, or contrivances for a screenplay being written by one of the characters? Crews, lights, references to American entertainment, and artificial precipitation all make themselves obvious, furthering the narrative’s insistence on the unreality of Hollywood love. Cesc Gay takes us into the grey area between living and acting to look at what makes up a romantic comedy, creating a fine romantic comedy in the process. The question is: will there be or won’t there be a happy ending?

Director: Cesc Gay

Producer: Marta Esteban

Screenwriter: Cesc Gay

Cinematographer: Andreu Rebés

Editor: Frank Guttiérrez

Music: Joan Diaz

Cast: Ágata Roca

Vicenta Ndongo

Andrés Herrera

Paul Berrondo

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Catalan and Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Filmax International

Print Source: Filmax International

Film Website: vosfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Ficció (2006)

In the City (2003)

Nico and Dani (2000) Hotel Room (1998)

SPAIN 2009

SPAIN 2009

Woman Without Piano

The day starts out like any other for Rosa (Carmen Machi), the wife of a taxi driver, but as night falls, the constraints of her mundane and unchanging routine begin to chafe. Once her husband is asleep, she dons a somewhat outrageous black wig, picks up her suitcase, and steps out into the night with little thought except the overwhelming need to escape from herself. Through Machi’s beautifully nuanced performance, we follow Rosa in her nighttime wanderings through the streets of Madrid. There she finds companionship in the unlikely form of a Polish immigrant (Jan Budar), who has run afoul of the law. This quietly comic film from Javier Rebollo won him the Best Director Award at the San Sebastian Film festival and is rich with observational notes about the absurdities of the bureaucracy to which we submit daily. Despite her silent desperation, Rosa continues to hope and is not ready to give up on herself.

Awards:

AFI 2009 (New Lights Competition)

San Sebastian Film Festival 2009 (Best Director)

Director: Javier Rebollo

Producers: Stefan Schmitz

Damian París

Jerome Vidal

Screenwriters: Lola Mayo

Javier Rebollo

Cinematographer: Santiago Racaj

Editor: Ángel Hernández Zoido

Cast: Carmen Machi

Pep Ricart

Jan Budar

Nadia de Santiago

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: RTVE

Print Source: Avalon P.C.

Film Website: lamujersinpiano.com

Selected Filmography: Lola (2007)

SPAIN 2009

la mujer sin piano

Secret Festival

Free your mind…but keep your mouth

shut

NOTE: The following document was found among the belongings of a John Doe, deceased; his real identity has yet to be determined. For your safety, selected words and phrases have been redacted.

To: Keith Gilroy Stevens Executive Director, Cinematic Intelligence Agency

From: Nick Fury Field Agent

Subject: SIFF Secret Festival

Greetings Director Stevens. Since 1983, SIFF has held a festival within a festival for its audiences. The exact contents of this “Secret Festival” are never disclosed. I have spent the past three months attempting to uncover what films have played, but an exhaustive search has revealed only a minuscule amount of intelligence. Previous films include: an adorably cute FILM NOIR starring French Chartreux kittens; an ultra-rare screening of London after Midnight, a film once believed to have been lost; and LOST IN NEVERLAND, a documentary that nominally premiered at the Palm Springs Film Festival Unfortunately, all of the above information is based on conjecture; no first-hand accounts are available. All Secret Festival attendees sign Oaths of Silence before acquiring their passes. Advanced “information coercion techniques” have been attempted to corroborate these findings but, so far, such methods have yet to yield satisfactory results.

As you can plainly see, the matter requires further investigation. Please wire $45 ($43 for SIFF Members) so I may covertly obtain a Secret Festival Pass. After attending the four Secret Festival screenings, held at the Egyptian Theatre on Sunday mornings throughout SIFF, I will be able to fully report on their clandestine cinematic activities.

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back.

So what will you decide, SIFF-goer?

emerging masters

Powerful voices that rise above the background din. Stylish renditions that provoke and delight. Unique perspectives on universal themes. Each year the Seattle International Film Festival is proud to select a handful of directors destined to leave an impressive mark on cinema.

With past emerging masters like Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Thirst), Jeremy Podeswa (Fugitive Pieces, “The Tudors”), and Olivier Dahan (La Vie en rose), the category has truly been a breeding ground for what’s next in the world of cinema.

This year our three honorees bring three very distinct worldviews to the screen— on life, war, politics, sexuality, and the fragile emotional bonds of family. With daring and perilous honesty, Mohamed Al-Daradji (Iraq) exquisitely crafts both hardnosed and humanistic tales of the Iraqi people during the ongoing war in Son of Babylon and Ahlaam. Valery Todorovsky (Russia) explores the jubilantly defiant artist and original “hipsters” during Soviet rule, and the empowering uncertainty of those caught in its last gasping breaths (Hipsters, Land of the Deaf). Ana Kokkinos (Australia) forces us to confront society’s often sheltered and shunned issues with our upbringings in vividly condensed and clamoring time capsules (Head On, Blessed).Take note, as SIFF 2010’s Emerging Masters are sure to be at the forefront of the next round of fresh filmic ecstasy.

IRAQ Mohamed Al-Daradji

Son of Babylon (2010), Ahlaam (2006)

Mohamed Al-Daradji was born in Baghdad in 1978 and studied Fine Art in Iraq, and then continued his education at the Film and Television Academy in Hilversum, the Netherlands. He completed his education with a Master’s degree in cinematography directing from Northern Film School in Leeds, United Kingdom. Al-Daradji made his first feature film, Ahlaam in Iraq in 2006, shortly after the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime. The film was honored at several film festivals, including the Bangladesh International Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, and the Cairo International Film Festival. Al-Daradji recently completed his first feature length documentary film, Iraq: War, Love, God, and Madness. His current feature film, Son of Babylon, was shot entirely in Iraq, despite its obvious dangers, and features an entirely Iraqi crew and a cast of non-professional actors.

AUStRALIA Ana Kokkinos

Blessed (2009), Head On (1998)

Ana Kokkinos was born in 1958 in Melbourne, Australia, and worked as a lawyer for seven years before beginning her post-graduate work at Victorian College of Arts’ School of Film and Television in 1991. Her screenwriting and directorial debuts occurred in 1994 with the critically acclaimed short feature, Only the Brave. Her feature film debut was the controversial, angst-ridden Head On (1998). The film was honored with several awards, including Best First Feature Director at the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, the International Film Award at the Los Angeles Outfest Film Festival, and the Australian Writers’ Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Her next film, The Book of Revelations, was nominated in three major categories at the 2006 AFI Awards. Her latest film, Blessed, based on the award-winning play, “Who’s Afraid of the Working Class,” premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival, was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, and was chosen as the Opening Night film for the 2009 AFI Awards Screenings in Melbourne and Sydney.

RUSSIA Valery Todorovsky

Hipsters (2009), Land of the Deaf (1997)

Born in 1962 in Odessa, director, screenwriter, and producer Valery Todorovsky followed in his father’s filmmaking footsteps. He graduated from the Department of Scriptwriting and Film History at the Film Institute VGIK in 1984 and has gone on to write scripts for 14 films. His directorial debut was with Mortuary Car in 1989, which won the Grand Prix at Mannheim in 1990. Other directorial credits include Love (1991), Katya Ismailova (1994), Land of the Deaf (1997), The Lover (2002), My Stepbrother Frankenstein (2004), Vice (2007), and 2009’s Hipsters The latter film won in four categories at the Awards of the Russian Academy of Motion Picture Arts (Russia’s Academy Awards®), including Best Film and Best Screenplay. Additionally, it won the Black Pearl Award for Best Narrative Film at the Middle East International Film Festival.

Enjoy

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600

Mohamed Al-Daradji

Ahlaam

IRAq/UNITED KINGDOM/NETHERLANDS 2006

Ahlaam, a young Iraqi girl, is confined to an asylum after her husband-to-be is arrested by Sadaam Hussein’s forces on their wedding day. When an explosion forcibly frees her from captivity, she wanders the chaotic streets in her bridal gown, attracting attention from gangs of looters, opportunists, and panicked soldiers on both sides. While her physical and mental conditions worsen, an idealistic doctor from the asylum and a shell-shocked former soldier conduct a desperate search, as Baghdad falls around them. The story behind the scenes of writerdirector-cameraman Mohamed Al-Daradji’s debut feature would make for a compelling movie in itself: working without pay and constantly drawing fire, Al-Daradji and members of the crew were repeatedly kidnapped and finally lined up to be shot by insurgents before being rescued (and subsequently interrogated) by American forces. That this film, or any film, was able to be produced under such conditions is remarkable. That the results are, by turn, mature, heartrending, devastating, and ultimately optimistic seems borderline miraculous. Ahlaam is a visually stunning, blisteringly acted film that doesn’t shy away from the harsh brutality of war, but also somehow manages to convey the basic humanity of a people pushed past breaking.

Director: Mohamed Al-Daradji

Producers: Mohamed Al-Daradji

Iraq Al-Rafdlen

Atea Al-Daradji

Screenwriter: Mohamed Al-Daradji

Cinematographer: Mohamed Al-Daradji

Editors:

Ghassan Abdul

Ian Watson

Music: Naseer Shamma

Cast: Aseel Adil

Bashir Al-Majid

Mohamed Hashim

Kaheel Khalid

Mortadha Saadi

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Arabic, with English subtitles

Print Source: Human Film

Film Website: humanfilm.co.uk

Selected Filmography: Son of Babylon (2010) War, Love and the God of Madness (2008)

Son of Babylon

IRAq 2010

In the chaotic aftermath of the fall of Saddam Hussein, Ahmed (a marvelous Yasser Talib), a young Kurdish boy, and his grandmother set out in search of his father (her son), arrested and missing since the Gulf War. Against the backdrop of the U.S. occupation, they make their way through a country in ruins, from prison to mosque to mass grave. Despite daunting obstacles—Ahmed is responsible for all communication as his grandmother speaks no Arabic—they persevere, and along the way they meet many others on similar journeys. One such acquaintance is Musa, a former member of Saddam’s Republican Guard, trying to come to terms with his participation in the brutal regime. In Son of Babylon, Mohamed Al-Daradji has crafted a beautiful and melancholy testament to the suffering of millions, as well as a deeply humane vision of a people in search of the way forward.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2010 (Peace Film Award, Amnesty International Film Prize – ex aequo)

Director: Mohamed Al-Daradji

Producers: Isabelle Stead

Atia Al-Daradji

Mohamed Al-Daradji

Dimitri de Clercq

Screenwriters: Jennifer Norridge

Mohamed Al-Daradji

Mithal Ghazi

Cinematographers: Mohamed Al-Daradji

Duraid Al-Munajim

Editors: Pascale Chavance

Mohamed Jabarah

Music:

Kad Achouri

Cast: Yasser Talib

Shazda Hussein

Bashir Al-Majid

Running Time: 91 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales: Roissy Films

Print Source: Human Film

Film website: humanfilm.co.uk

Selected Filmography: War, Love and the God of Madness (2008) Ahlaam (2006)

Ana Kokkinos

Head On

AUSTRALIA 1998

Based on the book “Loaded” by Christos Tsiolkas, Head On is a headlong rush through 24 hours in the life of a restless young man who is struggling to find himself amid the conflicts of his heritage, his sexuality, and his familiy’s expectations. Its star, Alex Dimitriades (The Heartbreak Kid), won the Australian Film Critics Award for Best Actor with his brilliant performance in the central role of Ari, a handsome 19-year-old with an enormous appetite for sex, drugs, and personal freedom. Ari lives with his traditional Greek parents in presentday Melbourne, a city where ethnic tensions run hot under a seemingly benign surface. He openly rejects his parent’s traditional values, and especially his father’s attempts to control his activities. An added complication is that he is expected to look out for his younger sister Alex, who is secretly having an affair with a Lebanese youth. In the course of this particular day, Alex’s worlds will collide, as he throws himself into a hedonistic binge of drug taking, club hopping, and sex while family matters, societal convention and the local police are all lined up on a collision course to meet him ‘head on.’ The film’s frank depictions of Ari’s sexual exploits caused controversy in Australia, where the film won accolades for both Dimitriades’ brilliant performance in the central role and director Ana Kokkinos’ vivid exploration of the ethnic hatred underlying contemporary Australian society.

Awards: Australian Film Critics Awards 1999 (Best Actor) Outfest 1999 (Grand Jury Award) Frameline 1999 (Best First Feature)

Director: Ana Kokkinos

Producer: Jane Scott

Screenwriters: Andrew Bovell

Mira Robertson

Ana Kokkinos based on the book

“Loaded” by Christos Tsiolkas

Cinematographer: Jaems Grant

Editor: Jill Bilcock

Music: Ollie Olsen

Cast: Alex Dimitriades

Paul Capsis

Julian Garner

Tony Nikolakopoulos

Elena Mandalis

Running Time:

104 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in English and Greek, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

Southern Star Film Sales Australia

Print Source: Strand Releasing

Selected Filmography: Blessed (2009)

The Book of Revelation (2006)

Only the Brave (1994)

Blessed AUSTRALIA 2009

The often-fraught bond between mothers and their children provides the focus of Blessed Set in a blue-collar Melbourne suburb over the course of 24 hours, intersecting stories are divided into two parts, the first told from the viewpoint of the troubled offspring and the second through the weary eyes of their struggling moms. Sharp-tongued Katrina and Trisha cut school and get caught shoplifting. Trisha’s gay brother, Roo, lives on the street, but when he finds himself in a porn film he realizes he’s not so tough after all. Unfairly accused of stealing his mother’s money, angry Daniel attempts a real theft with unexpected results. Orton and Stacey flee their beloved, but irresponsible, mother in order to survive. James is the most lost of all —a young Aboriginal man with no place in the white or the black world. Director Ana Kokkinos gathers the crème-de-la-crème of Aussie actors to play the mothers, with Frances O’Connor, Miranda Otto, and Deborra-Lee Furness as particular standouts.

Awards: San Sebastian Film Festival 2009 (Best Screenplay)

Director: Ana Kokkinos

Producer: Al Clark

Screenwriters: Andrew Bovell

Melissa Reeves

Patricia Cornelius

Christos Tsiolkas

Cinematographer: Geoff Burton

Editor: Jill Bilcock

Music: Cezary Skubiszewski

Cast: Frances O’Connor

Miranda Otto

Deborra-Lee Furness

Victoria Haralabidou

Sophie Lowe

Running Time: 115 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Bankside Films

Print Source: Bankside Films

Film Website: bankside-films.com/ blessed

Selected Filmography: The Book of Revelation (2006)

Head On (1998)

Only the Brave (1994)

Valery Todorovsky

strana gluchich

Land of the Deaf

RUSSIA 1998

Winner of SIFF’s 1998 New Directors Showcase

Competition, Land of the Deaf is a poetic narrative that embodies Moscow in the 1990s based on the novella To Have and To Belong, by Renata Litvinova. The plot is basic—Yaya (Dina Korzun) works in a nightclub. Rita (Chulpan Khamatova, in her first film role) is running from the men who detain her boyfriend, Alyosha, because of his gambling debts. Yaya distrusts men after being abused by them her entire life, and Rita wants to save Alyosha. The girls hide out a few days together in a Moscow sculptor’s studio where Yaya teaches Rita sign language and they dream about starting a new life together in a “land of the deaf” where no one is cruel. In a rich, post-glasnost Moscow atmosphere, director Todorovsky creates poignant testimonials to the power of love and survival in the capital city’s chaos. “Moscow is more than just a city,” he says. “It’s an entire country… a melting pot where kindness and evil, the terrifying and beautiful, crime and inspiration all mix.” A rare chance to see the first works of three talented contemporary Russian women artists: scriptwriter and actress Renata Litvinova (It Doesn’t Hurt Me), Dina Korzun (Cold Souls), and Chulpan Khamatova (Luna Papa).

Awards: Seattle International Film Festival 1998 (New Directors Showcase Award)

Director: Valery Todorovsky

Producer: Sergey Livnev

Screenwriters: Yuri Korotkov

Valery Todorovsky based on the novella

“To Have and To Belong” by Renata Litvinova

Cinematographer: Yuri Schaygardanov

Editor: Natalia Kucherenko

Music: Aleksey Aygi

Cast: Chulpan Khamatova

Dina Korzun

Maxim Suhanov

Nikita Tyunin

Alexander Yacko

Alexey Gorbunov

Running Time: 115 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Celluloid Dreams

Print Source: Red Arrow Company

Selected Filmography: Hipsters (2009)

Vice (2007)

My Stepbrother Frankenstein (2004) The Lover (2002) Mortuary Car (1990)

Hipsters

RUSSIA 2009

Moscow, 1955. Most of the younger generation are happy to fall in line with the country’s imposed Soviet ideology and criminalization of expressive modes of art and dress. But in the city’s swingin’ secret juke joints, the threads are splashy, the cleavage is out, and the pompadours scrape the sky. The hatred of all the grimfaced comrades in Russia isn’t going to stop these young “hipsters” from showing their true colors. Mel has been blindly marching along with the “squares” until the night he meets the beautiful and brazen Polly. Soon Mel is buying bright suits off the black market, taking up the outlawed saxophone, and learning how to shake his hips. But will Polly believe that Mel truly has the boogie-woogie spirit in his soul? A tender love story wrapped in an infectiously fun musical, Hipsters is also a fitting reminder that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. The level of detail in the art direction and costuming is staggering. Shimmering cinematography and exaggerated lighting, especially in the always-delightful musical numbers, give Hipsters a super-stylized feel without being garish or detracting from the earnestness of its be-yourself message.

Awards: Chicago International Film Festival 2009 (Best Art Direction)

Director: Valery Todorovsky

Producers: Leonid Yarmolnik

Vadim Goryainov

Leonid Lebedev

Valery Todorovsky

Screenwriter: Yuri Korotkov based on his novel “Boogie Bones”

Cinematographer: Roman Vasyanov

Editor: Alexey Bobrov

Music: Konstantin Meladze

Cast: Oksana Akinshina

Anton Shagin

Evgenia Khirivskaya

Maksim Matveev

Igor Voynarovsky

Running Time: 125 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Central Partnership

Print Source: Red Arrow Company

Film Website: stilyagifilm.ru

Selected Filmography: Vice (2007)

My Stepbrother Frankenstein (2004)

The Lover (2002)

Land of the Deaf (1998) Mortuary Car (1990)

THE ACADEMY RECOGNIZES EXCELLENCE. SO DO WE.

Here’s to this year’s OSCAR® nominees that brought their stories to life with the unmistakable look of film. KODAK Film.

Movies. Celebration. Friends.

Become a SIFF Member today and see more movies than you ever thought you could! Members receive invitations to exclusive free screenings throughout the year, substantial discounts on tickets and passes at the Seattle International Film Festival and SIFF Cinema, free popcorn, and many other perks.

Delight in knowing your support will enable SIFF to fulfill its mission to create experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world.

Young people have lots to say it’s time for us to listen

That’s why Adobe Youth Voices, a global youth media initiative from the Adobe Foundation, is inspiring young people to create with purpose, and collaborating with the Seattle Film Festival to bring dynamic voice and fresh perspectives to youth-produced films.

Visit us at www.youthvoices.adobe.com www.facebook.com/adobeyouthvoices or on Twitter @adobeyv.

Short films by Adobe Youth Voices young people will be screened throughout the festival.

Check the program guide for show times.

Futurewave feature films

SIFF FutureWave: expanding Cinema Through education offers youth and educators a direct link both to the Festival and the local filmmaking community.

Encompassing two complimentary activities: movie watching and movie making, FutureWave includes compelling, relevant films, and meaningful workshops for youth. Together, these components advance SIFF’s leadership role in providing an extensive forum for multifaceted and creative exchange. These expanded opportunities give aspiring young cineastes access to some of the best filmmakers the world has to offer.

FutureWave programs include: classroom visits by filmmakers, special student screenings, study guides, post-film discussions, digital technology workshops, the SuperFly filmmaking weekend, the FutureWave Shorts program showing films created by young filmmakers under 18, and the Festival Forums.

Our FutureWave feature program invites teen film-lovers to the cinema for nine films that exemplify thrilling global cinema and have been selected specifically with them in mind. This year’s selections include breakdancing, teen romantic challenges, horror, and inspiration to engage a world outside of oneself. These films are guaranteed to be a delight for all (teen or otherwise).

Following last year’s success, SIFF has selected the 2010 FutureWave Youth Jury comprised of five teens from across the Seattle area. These youth will view all nine of the FutureWave features and award their favorite film with the Youth Jury Award for Best FutureWave Feature.

The 2010 FUTUReWAVe YoUTh JURY IS CoMPRISeD oF:

Haley Budigan, 9th Grade, Holy Names Academy

Amelia Elizalde, 10th Grade, Ballard High School

Manuel Segura, 10th Grade, West Seattle High School

Addison Woolsey, 10th Grade, Bellevue High School

Charlotte Ziob, 11th Grade, Inglemoor High School

Bilal’s Stand (USA 2010)

Directed by Sultan Sharrief

Recommended for 13 and up. See page 203

The French Kissers (France 2009)

Directed by Riad Sattouf

Recommended for youth 15 and up. Contains frank sexual dialogue. See page 244

I Kissed A Vampire (USA 2010)

Directed by Chris Sean Nolan

Recommended for youth 10 and up. See page 207

RegeneRATIon (USA 2010)

Directed by Phillip Montgomery

Recommended for youth 13 and up. See page 195

Samson & Delilah (Australia 2009)

Directed by Warwick Thornton

Recommended for youth 15 and up. Contains drug use and mature themes. See page 266

Senior Prom (USA 2010)

Directed by Nicholas Terry

Recommended for youth 10 and up. See page 139

The Trotsky (Canada (Québec) 2009)

Directed by Jacob Tierney

Recommended for youth 13 and up. See page 269

Turn It Loose (United Kingdom 2009)

Directed by Alastair Siddons

Recommended for youth 13 and up. See page 199

Under The Mountain (new Zealand 2009)

Directed by Jonathan King

Recommended for youth 13 and up. See page 270

–Best of CitySearch–

“Best Pizza Seattle 2008”

“Best Restaurants 2009” Seattle Magazine

Futurewave shorts

SIFF is proud to present FutureWave Shorts 2010, a program of new films created by filmmakers 18 years old and younger whose talents celebrate the creative possibilities of the art form.

These inspiring original short films represent some of the best short filmmaking from around the world. Also included in the program will be the J. Michael Award winner from The Seattle Times Three-Minute Masterpiece digital film contest.

The WaveMaker Award for Excellence in Youth Filmmaking will be presented to a film chosen in recognition of its artistic and technical achievement.

SIFF is excited to announce the addition of the SIFF FutureWave Online Audience Award, powered by local film distributor IndieFlix. Audiences around the world can log in for free to indieflix.com/siff2010, watch the FutureWave Short films, and vote for their favorites. The winner will be announced at the FutureWave Shorts program on June 5, 2010 and will be presented with the SIFF FutureWave Online Audience Award and a distribution offer from IndieFlix.

SIFF FutureWave continues its exciting partnership with Longhouse Media to present the SuperFly Filmmaking Workshop for Youth. The SuperFly short films will open the FutureWave Shorts program. Cinema lovers of all ages will enjoy this very special film event that gives voice to the future of filmmaking.

Alisha

USA 2009, 12 minutes, director: Daniel Citron

Alisha, an overweight teenage girl, struggles to deal with her body image issues and her challenging relationship with her father.

At the Core

USA 2009, 4 minutes, directors: Students at Aki Kurose Middle School

Seattle youth explain their core values in skateboarding and snowboarding that apply to the rest of life.

Celina’s Story

USA 2010, 6 minutes, director: Celina Chudwick

Celina shares the challenges of living with abusive parents and her kaleidoscopic path toward happiness.

Checkpoint of humanity

Canada 2008, 4 minutes, directors: Chloe Clark, Zain Masri, Owen Quanstrom, and Tamir Assouline

An Israeli and a Palestinian meet at a checkpoint and experience the humanity within each other.

h oo

USA 2010, 1 minute, director: Jake Strickland

A colorful experimental film opens the mind to new creative horizons.

I Just Am Who I Am

USA 2010, 3 minutes, director: Megan Baxter

Beth is a teacher, mother, and a member of the deaf community.

Immersion emergence

United Kingdom 2009, 5 minutes, directors: Students at Titus Salt School

Sohni and Mahiwal’s classic tale of doomed love is told in creative cutout animation.

The Lion at home

United Kingdom, 2009, 5 minutes, directors: Students at Bricknell Primary School

A lion cub falls out of a painting and finds himself on a journey through the other paintings in the museum collection.

The Little Things

USA 2009, 4 minutes, directors: Students at West Seattle Elementary School

Seattle students break down the little things you can do to relieve the stress of our modern world.

Montag

USA 2010, 3 minutes, director: Reid Hildebrand

A seeing-eye dog who is frustrated by his job learns a valuable lesson from his dark past.

omer

USA 2009, 6 minutes, director: Emma Strebel

A unique portrait of an eccentric street performer on the streets of San Francisco.

one Man’s Walk

United Kingdom 2009, 2 minutes, directors: Nick Mitchell, Kenneth Mitchell, Ben Varley, Finlay Fuller, Erin Full, and Sukbil Kaur

A young man walks down the street, slowly revealing himself through his philosophies and images.

Pictograms

USA 2010, 1 minutes, director: Brigit Baker

Chinese calligraphy creatively reveals its translation through animation.

Remember

USA 2010, 4 minutes, director: Scott Calvert

The students of Anacortes High School celebrate their school with a complicated and exuberant music video.

Shawn harris: Personal Trainer

USA 2009, 4 minutes, directors: Tyler Silver and Simon Turkel

A young personal trainer shares how far he has pushed himself in pursuit of his dream.

Tristan und Isolde

by Richard Wagner

New Production

July 31 – August 21, 2010

Lucia di Lammermoor

by Gaetano Donizetti

New Production

The Barber of Seville

2010/11 Season Now on Sale!

This breathtaking, transcendent monument to unparalleled passion will hold you spellbound and enthrall your senses. Opulent orchestrations and a climax of cosmic joy await those who drink in Wagner’s enchanted potion and surrender to opera’s ultimate love story.

October 16 – 30, 2010

by Gioachino Rossini

January 15 – 29, 2011

Don Quixote

by Jules Massenet

Seattle Opera Premiere

February 26 – March 12, 2011

The Magic Flute

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

May 7 – 21, 2011

A wicked Scottish nobleman drives his sister to madness and murder in this thrilling romantic tragedy. Donizetti’s most popular work features attractive melodies, a stirring sextet, rousing choruses, notable duets, and the most famous mad scene in opera.

Arguably the funniest of all comic operas, Rossini’s delightful romp kicks off with an instantly recognizable overture, gains speed with a non-stop parade of knockabout tricks fit for a Bugs Bunny cartoon, and concludes with an “all is forgiven” finale bubbling over with joy.

One of literature’s most iconic characters takes the Seattle Opera stage for the very first time in this lyrical adaptation of Cervantes’ classic novel. French Romantic master Jules Massenet blends humor and pathos in this touching ode to true love, gallantry, and friendship.

The genius of Mozart shines bright in this masterful blend of myth, magic, and an extraordinary variety of wonderful music. Delivering the life-affirming message: love conquers all, this enchanting fantasy is one of the most imaginative entertainments ever created.

Photo © Rozarii Lynch, Seattle Opera, Giulio Cesare, 2007

Futurewave superfly

SIFF FutureWave: Expanding Cinema Through Education empowers youth to work collaboratively, communicate ideas, develop potential, and take positive action in their communities. This mission is embodied in the SuperFly Filmmaking Workshop, a partnership with Longhouse Media, based within a Pacific northwest native American community (this year at the Lummi nation). In this program, young filmmakers are asked to collaboratively comment on their world using multimedia and digital tools.

Beginning on June 3, 50 young filmmakers from around the country will convene in Seattle to participate in SuperFly 2010, the fifth annual 36-hour filmmaking workshop, organized by Longhouse Media. Divided into five teams, the filmmakers are provided with an original script crafted by Peter Bratt, the director of the award winning film La Mission. (Bratt, honored for his artistic genius with a 2000 Rockefeller Foundation Film/Video/Multimedia Fellowship, is poised to become one of the twenty-first century’s major filmmakers.) This year’s script is a reflective piece, exploring the theme “Inside Out.” Each team will have less than two days to storyboard, shoot, and edit their films, which will then premiere four hours after completion at SIFF’s FutureWave Shorts screening on June 5.

Previous SuperFly films (based on scripts by Sherman Alexie, Sterlin Harjo, and Princess Lucaj) have played at festivals around the country, inspiring other communities to use digital media for education and social activism. SuperFly has caught the attention of many youth media organizations and national media centers, including the Smithsonian Museum’s media initiatives, Sundance programmers, and National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival.

Join us for the SuperFly 2010 premiere as we celebrate the fifth Anniversary of this unique program.

Becoming a thought leader in arts learning doesn’t just happen.

Americans of all ages deserve to experience the power of the arts.

It usually takes a few seconds to download.

Two RAND studies, Cultivating Demand for the Arts and Revitalizing Arts Education , offer strategies and insights to help bring the arts to more people. Cultivating Demand urges renewed attention to helping all Americans develop the seeing and hearing skills that make encounters with art more rewarding. Revitalizing Arts Education describes how six of America’s urban areas have worked to expand access to arts learning by creating collaborative networks. Find out more by downloading these reports free of charge. And while you’re there, check out other useful publications at The Wallace Foundation’s online Knowledge Center.

To download these free reports, please go to wallacefoundation.org

siff in the schools

School Screenings

SIFF FutureWave: expanding Cinema Through education

Students from elementary to high school attend award-winning films from around the world.

Filmmakers visit classrooms across artistic and academic disciplines to share their knowledge of filmmaking and cross-cultural understanding with students around Puget Sound.

expanded content and weekend hours give technically-minded film enthusiasts more hands-on training at our Digital Media Lab.

Films are carefully selected by the SIFF programming team to reach a broad range of learning levels and interests for students and teachers all the way from elementary through high school. Content areas include foreign films produced in countries whose languages are taught in schools as well as motion pictures that enhance learning in classrooms for world cultures, civics, science, nature, and the arts. School Screenings are offered free of charge and transportation is provided when possible for schools in need.

Filmmaker Visits

SIFF welcomes more than 100 international filmmakers to the Festival each year. Whenever possible, SIFF FutureWave invites these artists into classrooms and community organizations around Puget Sound to share their real-world experience. These visits are integrated into a multitude of school subjects and provide professional role models for every age group. In all cases, students get a first-hand opportunity to talk directly with filmmakers who will meet with students, sometimes offering constructive suggestions on student projects, using their expertise as a catalyst for discussion, or bringing clips from their film to the school for a candid Q&A.

Filmmakers Forums and Digital Media Lab

Students of all ages may attend free workshops through SIFF’s Filmmaker Forums and Digital Media Lab. These classes give students “hands-on” experience with computers and filmmaking as well as skill building in story construction, film scoring/audio, and editing. There is plenty of time to work with instructors, ask questions, and become more immersed in the world of filmmaking through panel discussions with industry professionals. See page 141 for class times and course descriptions.

For more information or to participate in these programs, please contact Educational Programs Coordinator Dustin Kaspar at 206.464.5830 or via email at dustin.kaspar@siff.net.

films4families

Join SIFF each weekend throughout the Festival for extraordinary matinee experiences of both new international and American films created for children and the young at heart.

Films4Families is a celebration of the whole family coming together to share the movie-going experience. We are proud to present our outstanding 2010 line-up featuring some of the best children’s films from around the world, showcasing both features and short films in live action and animation. For some of these features, Seattle families will be among the first audiences to enjoy these creative treasures. Don’t miss them.

New this year, the SIFF Films4Families Youth Jury is comprised of five elementary and middle school youth who will watch all of the features. They will determine their favorite and crown the winner with the Youth Jury Award for Best Films4Families Feature at the Golden Space Needle Awards on June 13.

ThE 2010 FILmS4FAmILIES YoUTh JUrY IS ComPrISEd oF:

Esmé DeCoster, 4th Grade, Valley School

Noah Foster-Koth, 7th Grade, Eckstein Middle School

Taiga Hinckley, 7th Grade, Eckstein Middle School

Michael Jonah Hlastala, 6th Grade, Villa Academy

Callum Prinster, 4th Grade, Lafayette Elementary School

Carlitos and the Chance of a Lifetime (Spain 2009)

Directed by Jesús Del Cerro

In Spanish with English Subtitles. Recommended for all ages.

Eleanor’s Secret (France 2009)

Directed by Dominique Monfery

In English. Recommended for all ages.

The Family Picture Show

All ages short film program featuring 12 films from around the world.

From Time To Time (United Kingdom 2009)

Directed by Julian Fellowes

In English. Recommended for ages 5 and older for ghostly presences and some intense sequences.

Princess Lillifee (Germany 2009)

Directed by Alan Simpson, Ansgar Niebuhr, and Zhijian Xu

In English. Recommended for all ages.

Turtle: The Incredible Journey (United Kingdom 2009)

Directed by Nick Stringer

In English. Recommended for all ages.

White Lion (South Africa 2009)

Directed by Michael Swan

In English. Recommended for ages 5 and older for footage of lions hunting and feeding which may be challenging for sensitive youth.

carlitos y el campo de los suenos

Carlitos and the Chance of a Lifetime

SPAIN 2009

carlitos has a talent for playing soccer and getting into trouble. When the nasty director of his orphanage, Hipolito, forbids carlitos from attending the Spanish national junior soccer team tryouts, he is heartbroken. Undeterred by the bitter director, carlitos steals away during a field trip and not only gets his chance to try out, but he also realizes his dream of making the national team. Now, with the help of his friends and Diego, an orphanage employee who happens to be the team soccer coach, carlitos must maintain good grades and keep his daily training a secret. Carlitos and the Chance of a Lifetime brims with energy throughout, employing all manner of zany antics to aid carlitos in evading Hipolito, including a sequence in which the kids plan a Mission:Impossible scenario to get carlitos outside of the orphanage’s perimeter fence. Featuring effervescent performances from its young cast and building with intensity to a goosebump-filled finale, Carlitos will set your dreams en route to the nearest soccer ball. recommended for all ages.

director: Jesús Del Cerro

Producers: Emilio Aragón

Santiago de la Rica

Tadeo Villalba hijo

Screenwriters: Manuel Feijóo

Beatriz Cruz

Cinematographer: Adolfo Hernandez

Editor: Juan Carlos Sanavia

music: Emilio Aragón

running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Imagina International Sales

Print Source: Imagina International Sales

Selected Filmography: Contra Timp 2 (2009) Ho Ho Ho (2009)

Eleanor’s Secret

FRANcE 2009

Academy-Award®-nominated French animator Dominique Monfery celebrates the joy of reading in his imaginative new English-language feature. Seven-year-old Nat can’t read, making his inheritance of Aunt Eleanor’s collection of books immensely disappointing. Though he loved having Eleanor read to him, his disinterest in the physical books prompts his parents to sell the collection. Once sold, Nat discovers that the library contained only first editions and even more, that the fictional characters come to life. If the books leave the library, the characters will fade into oblivion and leave the world without stories forever. After he is magically shrunken to the size of the storybook characters, Nat joins Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and other classic literary friends in a race against time to return the books to the library. Unfortunately, even if the books get back to the library, Nat is the only one who can read a secret incantation that will save his tiny friends. With its creative narrative using literary icons, colorful animation, and an uplifting musical score, Eleanor’s Secret will quickly win the hearts and imaginations of avid readers and film lovers alike. recommended for all ages.

director: Dominique Monfery

Producer: Clement Calvet

Screenwriters: Anik Le Ray

Alexandre Reverend

Cinematographer: Rebecca Dautremer

Editor: Cedric Chauveau

music: Christophe Heral

running Time: 76 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, dubbed in English

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Print Source: Films Distribution

Film Website: kerity-lefilm.com

Filmography: Debut Feature Film

kerity : la maison des contes

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The Family Picture Show

Burning Stage

South Korea 2009, 4 minutes, director:

Sun-woo Yang

Droplets of water bring Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake to dazzling life.

Cherry on The Cake

United Kingdom 2009, 8 minutes, director: hye Bin Lee

Cherry’s family is too caught up to pay attention to her. She feels small and begins to shrink accordingly. Will she disappear?

Furtissimo

USA 2009, 3 minutes, director: Jacob Cementina

Fluffy the Cat wants to sing opera and his jazzy neighbors want to jam. Perhaps there’s a compromise?

Kevin The Superhero

denmark 2009, 9 minutes, directors: Catherine Kunze, Jacob Wellendorf

Chloe and Thea visit their six-year-old friend Kevin who dreams of becoming a superhero.

The Legend of Geb and Nut

United Kingdom 2009, 5 minutes, director: Laura ratta, North American Premiere

This Egyptian myth vibrantly relates the story of Geb the Earth God and Nut the Goddess of the Sky.

ormie

Canada 2009, 4 minutes, director: rob Silvestri

A determined pig will find any means to get to that jar of cookies.

Pigeon: Impossible

USA 2009, 7 minutes,

director: Lucas martell

Rookie secret agent Walter finds trouble when a curious pigeon gets inside his nuclear briefcase.

Puffer Girl

USA 2009, 5 minutes, director: Joan Gratz

The perplexing adventures of a puffer fish who pushes the boundaries of her world.

Puppy’s Super delicious Valentines day Biscuits

USA 2009, 3 minutes, director: Annie Poon Puppy’s going to bake something sweet for Valentine’s Day.

El Salon mexico

USA 2009, 13 minutes, director: Paul Glickman

A fantasy animation breathes musical life into the customs of old Mexico.

Soar

Canada 2009, 3 minutes,

director: Akbar Nazemi

Once caged, a bird is aided to freedom by his feathered friends.

Three Times me

USA 2009, 4 minutes,

director: Wendy J.N. Lee

A little girl hiding under the dinner table imagines growing up in three pairs of shoes that have caught her attention.

Whistleless

denmark 2009, 5 minutes, director: Siri melchior, US Premiere Within the sounds of the world around him, a young bird struggles to find his voice.

From Time To Time

UNITED KINGDOM 2009

When young Tolly visits his grandmother’s mansion during World War II, he discovers an ability to see his ancestors’ ghosts. Tolly (perfectly played by Alex Etel from Millions) shares his ancestral sightings with his grandmother (Maggie Smith) who identifies each of the occupants from the past 150 years. Soon Tolly finds himself traveling through time to the early 1800s where the other youth can sometimes see him as well. Becoming more than just a passive observer, Tolly learns of a jewel heist that uncovers an antique secret and threatens to upset the balance of history. Julian Fellowes (Academy Award®-winner for Gosford Park) wrote and directed this stirring adaptation of the 1954 British classic “The chimneys of Green Knowe.” Delicately weaving the historical and WWII storylines, Fellowes builds the film to a thrilling climax and an unexpectedly poignant denouement. From Time To Time is a rare treat for audiences with an eye for intelligent family fare, evading expectation while keeping its foot entrenched in the history of quality British cinema. recommended for ages 5 and older for ghostly presences and some intense sequences.

director: Julian Fellowes

Producers: Julian Fellowes

Paul Kingsley

Liz Trubridge

Screenwriter: Julian Fellowes based on the book by Lucy M. Boston

Cinematographer: Alan Almond

Editor: John Wilson

music: Ilan Eshkeri

Cast: Maggie Smith

Timothy Spall

Alex Etel

running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: Ealing Studios

Selected Filmography: Separate Lies (2005)

Specially programmed for the young and the young at heart, this international blend of animated and live-action shorts will enchant and invigorate the entire family. (73 minutes)

Princess Lillifee

2009

Join the adventures of Princess Lillifee, a fairy tale princess who rules over the kingdom of Pinkovia. Accompanied by her pet pig, Pupsi, life is all glitter and full plates of pancakes. Each fairy in the kingdom has a unique power and recently, some of them have been abusing those powers, making the Farmer Pixies and Fisher Elves very unhappy. Princess Lillifee is so frustrated by the conflict that her bad thoughts replace her glittery happy powers with black, unhappy moths. To regain her powers she will have to learn to think positively and convince all of the fairies to put aside their differences in order to show the townspeople they can live together in happiness. Based on a series of books that have been published in more than 20 countries, this English-language feature is a treasure for children who revel in fantasy worlds. Filled with fun songs, vibrantly colorful animation, and universal lessons about positive thinking and working together, Princess Lillifee will make everyone leave the theater smiling. recommended for all ages.

directors: Alan Simpson

Ansgar Niebuhr

Zhijian Xu

Producers: Thomas Bodenstein

Hubert Weiland

Screenwriters: Mark Slater

Gabriele M. Walther

Editors: Michael Krotky

Sascha Wolff-Tager

music: Wolfgang Simm

running Time: 70 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, dubbed in English

International Sales: Beta Cinema

Print Source: Beta Cinema

Film Website: prinzessin-lillifeederfilm.de

Selected Filmography: Alan Simpson’s Heidi (2005)

Turtle: The Incredible Journey

UNITED KINGDOM/AUSTRIA/GERMANY 2009

Welcome to the story of a young loggerhead turtle as she departs on one of the most amazing journeys in the natural world. The film opens with tremendous suspense as young turtles dig themselves out of the sand, evade predators, and race for the safety of the open water. The turtle swims instinctively for several days until she finds a floating sea plant that will camouflage her as she grows. Turtle: The Incredible Journey is the 25-year true story of the remarkable adventure that follows. The young turtle experiences the exquisite beauty of the oceans—from interacting with pods of humpback whales in the Gulf Stream to witnessing the vibrant celebration of aquatic life in the Azores. Far more than just a travelogue of extraordinary visuals, director Nick Stringer sensibly weaves issues like water pollution and commercial fishing into the narrative, demonstrating how they affect our undersea friends. Featuring voiceover narration by Miranda Richardson, Turtle is an incredible journey through the circle of life that will be a treasured experience for one and all. recommended for all ages.

director: Nick Stringer

Producers: Sarah Cunliffe

Mike Downey

Sam Taylor

Screenwriter: Melanie Finn

Cinematographer: Rory McGuinness

Editors: Richard Wilkinson

Sean Barton

music: Henning Lohner

Narrated by: Miranda Richardson

running Time: 81 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Sola Media GmbH

Print Source: Sola Media GmbH

Film Website: saveourseas.com/ turtlefilm

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

prinzessin lillifee

GERMANY

White Lion

SOUTH AFRIcA 2009 NORTH AMERIcAN PREMIERE

Gathered around a campfire, a Shangaan elder spins an epic tale of tribal history, captivating young listeners from the start with the birth of a white lion named Letsatsi. Letsatsi’s rare coloring sets him apart from the other lions, making him an outcast among his lion pride and a target for predators. For the Shangaan people, a white lion is legendary, a messenger from the Gods. After saving Letsatsi from a hungry hyena, a young Shangaan named Gisani discovers his destiny to protect this rare creature at all costs. As Letsatsi matures, he needs to survive on his own, learning from other lions on his way across the South African plains and into the realm of the most dangerous predator: a human trophy hunter. Shot on location 50 miles outside Johannesburg, South Africa. White Lion is aweinspiring in its lush scenery and intimacy with its wild subjects. Young audiences will love the beautiful, wild animals and dramatic suspense, while older audiences will find the depth of a unique coming-of-age story that is creatively told with an appreciation for the natural world. recommended for ages 5 and older. Some footage may be challenging for sensitive youth.

P RE c EDED BY:

A request From Earth

India, 2007, 2 minutes director: Vinod Blessina dhanaraj

Adobe Youth Voices, Christel House India Learning Centre Students from India animate the impact of pollution and how to make the earth healthier.

director: Michael Swan

Producer: Kevin Richardson

Screenwriters: Janet van Eeden

Ivan Millborrow

Cinematographer: Michael Swan

Editor: Bridgette Fahey Goldsmith

music: Philip Miller

Cast: Thabo Malema

John Kani

Jamie Bartlett

running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Showcase Entertainment

Film Website: whitelionthemovie.com

Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Face the music

Listen up: there will be reunions, rhythm, rising and roaring, rocking and rolling.

This edition of our Face the Music series may be as close as you’ll ever get to seeing legendary, rocksteady musicians reunite to belt out “The Tide is High,” or to getting inside the minds of iconic greats like classical pianist Glenn Gould or The Magnetic Fields’ front man Stephin Merritt. Take a quick trip through musical history, from decades of Brazilian bossa nova and baile funk to the roots of reggae in 1960s Jamaica, from 200 years of gospel music in the deep delta South to ’80s New Wave in Britain, and beyond. You’ll discover that music can often be a family affair—whether as twin lesbian yodelers or the bandmate you claim as kin after 20 years of bickering, yet beautiful, collaboration. It will make you dance, whether in interpretive moves on stage with David Byrne, or in the church pew, hand-clapping and foot-stomping with Mahalia Jackson. These music films are infectious, but as Jamaican singer Judy Mowatt once said, you’ll be healed, because “music touches where a doctor never goes: to the soul.”

Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields Performs 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea USA 1916

Prolific tunesmith Stephin Merritt, of The Magnetic Fields, brings this gorgeous 1916 classic to life with his new, original score in live accompaniment to the film’s new 35mm print. Billed as “the first submarine photoplay ever filmed,” this pioneering adaptation of Jules Verne’s 1869 novel makes a perfect muse for notoriously wry singer-songwriter Merritt, who will be joined by an ensemble, including organist David Hegarty, and frequent Merritt collaborator and author Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) on the accordion. On an expedition to find and destroy a mysterious sea monster, marine biologist Professor Arronax and his brave crew find much more than they bargained for. After the menacing sea creature dashes their ship to bits, the men are brought aboard Captain Nemo’s übersubmarine, the Nautilus, a new type of sea vessel built in secret. The enigmatic Nemo, who patrols the depths of the sea in self-imposed exile, takes Arronax and the crew on an epic underwater adventure. The film’s grand beauty and wondrous sense of adventure come embellished by a backstory for Nemo, as ludicrously campy as it is revealing of the era’s sensibilities.

With his unique gift for memorable melodies, lovelorn lyrics, and inventive musical stylings that blend classic Tin Pan Alley with postmodern grooves, Merritt has distinguished himself as one of contemporary pop’s most beloved and influential artists.

Co-produced with STG Presents

Director: Stuart Paton

Producer: Carl Laemmle

Screenwriter: based on the book of the same name by Jules Verne

Cinematographer: Eugene Gaudio

Cast: Lois Alexander

Curtis Benton

Wallace Clarke

Howard Crampton

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, silent, with English intertitles

Print Source: Universal Pictures

Selected Filmography: The Alamo: Shrine of Texas Liberty (1938)

Fangs of Destiny (1927)

The Night Hawk (1924) Man to Man (1922)

The Hope Diamond Mystery (1921)

The Fatal Sign (1920)

Terror of the Range (1919)

Border Raiders (1918)

The Gray Ghost (1917)

The Voice on the Wire (1917)

The Mark of Cain (1916)

The House of Fear (1915)

Director: Lynn F. Reynolds

Screenwriter: Edfrid A. Bingham based on the novel by Zane Grey

Cinematographer: Daniel Clark Cast: Tom Mix

Beatrice Burnham

Arthur Morrison

Seesel Ann Johnson

Warner Oland

Running Time: 56 minutes

Print Source: Fox Film Corporation

Selected Filmography: The Man in the Saddle (1926)

The Rainbow Trail (1925) Sky High (1922)

Bullet Proof (1920)

The Brute Breaker (1919)

The Maldives Perform Riders of the Purple Sage

Adapted from the sensational novel by Zane Grey (1911), this 1925 silent film is a consistently actionpacked Western featuring quick-draw cowboys, numerous outlaws and villains, a cattle stampede, and an avalanche. Tom Mix plays easterner Jim Carson who reinvents himself as cowboy Jim Lassiter when he learns that his sister Millie and niece Bess have been kidnapped by dastardly lawyer Lew Walters and his cronies. Lassiter devotes himself to hunting the fiends down, and after several years on the trail, he comes across Walter’s three henchmen in a frontier saloon and kills them all in a gun duel. With the help of ranch owner Miss Jane Withersteen, Lassiter learns that Millie is dead but continues his quest to catch up with the wicked Lew Walters and rescue Bess from whatever fate may have befallen her.

The Maldives front man Jason Dodson explains, “There’s a band from the late ’60s called ‘New Riders Of The Purple Sage’ that Mayor McGinn compared us to at his inauguration, which was a big influence on our selection!”

The Maldives have been breaking hearts and melting faces with their Northwestern brand of country rock since 2006. Their music is made of blue jeans and brown beards, pedal steel and porch swings, fiddle tunes and moonshine. They have graced the stages of Sasquatch!, Bumbershoot, SXSW, and most recently played a sold-out three-night stint at the legendary Tractor Tavern in support of their second full-length album “Listen to the Thunder,” released in 2009 on Mt. Fuji Records. They live in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.

Beyond Ipanema

BRAZIL 2009

For decades, music has been the prime cultural export of Brazil—not something that can be said about just any country. From samba and bossa nova to tropicalia and baile funk (as recently documented in SIFF’s 2009 film Favela On Blast), Brazilian music has made waves globally since the 1940s when Hollywood went bananas for Carmen Miranda and her fruity hat. After Miranda hit the stage, Astrud Gilbero’s breezy hit, “The Girl from Ipanema,” launched a bossa nova craze that infiltrated suburban cocktail hours all over America in the 1950s. And, more recently, a renewed interest in tropicalia hit the indie rock sphere, from inspiring Beck’s album “Mutations” to the reunion of Os Mutantes at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2006, playing to a crowd of thousands of dancing hipsters. Beyond Ipanema features interviews with musicians like David Byrne, Caetano Veloso and M.I.A. for a thorough, stylish, and breezy exploration of Brazilian music and the waves it’s made in global culture.

Director: Guto Barra

Producers: Guto Barra

Beco Dranoff

Cinematographer: Artur Ratton Kumer

Editors: Guto Barra

Link Hara

Music: Flavio Lemelle

Featuring: David Byrne

Gilberto Gil

Caetano Veloso

Devendra Banhart

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in English and Portugese, with English subtitles

Print Source: FiGa Films

Film Website: beyondipanema.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould

CANADA 2009

Given that Glenn Gould was one of the most closely chronicled cultural icons of the last century, directors Michèle Hozer and Peter Raymont have done an astonishing job in turning up fresh footage to illustrate the life of the enigmatic pianist. Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould reveals how Gould’s carefully crafted public persona—with which Gould himself had initially concurred—began to weigh heavily on the shoulders of the outwardly flamboyant young artist until he withdrew to the sanctuary of the recording studio. Charming home movie snippets, accompanied by commentary from childhood friends, show the young Gould goofing off for the camera, clearly unfazed by early recognition of his Olympian talent. Additionally, a series of close collaborators recount key moments from Gould’s later life, when he had become little more than a dysfunctional mass of neuroses and a slave to his personal eccentricities, despite having found personal happiness and a family life with the painter Cornelia Foss. Three decades after his death, Gould’s legend continues to enthrall and he remains one of the best selling classical artists of all time. Hozer and Raymont’s documentary is a justly respectful and comprehensive testament to a sadly brief but endlessly fascinating life.

Directors: Michèle Hozer

Peter Raymont

Producer: Peter Raymont

Cinematographer: Walter Corbett

Editor: Michèle Hozer

Music: Glenn Gould

Featuring: Glenn Gould

Vladimir Ashkenazy

Petula Clark

Running Time: 106 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Films Transit International

Print Source: Films Transit International

Film Website: glenngouldmovie.com

Selected Filmography

Hozer: A Promise to the

Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman (2007)

Raymont: Shake Hands

With the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire (2004)

The World Stopped Watching (2003)

The World Is Watching (1988)

After spending hours in the dark, navigate the city with wheretraveler.com. Check out Seattle’s best dining, shopping, entertainment and attractions online or on any smartphone. ©2010

Rejoice and Shout

Ride, Rise, Roar

USA 2010

Using vintage photos, probing interviews, and clips from hundreds of hours of rare film and audio recordings, Rejoice and Shout honors and celebrates the musical history of AfricanAmerican Christianity. In his most ambitious project to date, director Don McGlynn takes on the entire 200-year evolution of gospel music in black America. Going back to its earliest roots in the 19th century, when plantation owners forced slaves to convert to Christianity, McGlynn connects the dots that led to today’s soul and R&B music—as Claude Jeter’s falsetto voice begat Al Green, so the Dixie Hummingbirds led to groups such as Temptations. The film also shows how gospel was, and still remains, so much more than mere pop music to the AfricanAmerican community; how it helped sustain the spirits during the darkest hours of repression during slavery, the Jim Crow era, and the civil rights movement. Filled with hard-to-find performances and recordings by Mahalia Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Wards, James Cleveland, the Staple Singers, the Blind Boys of Alabama, and many others, Rejoice and Shout is a must-see, not just for gospel aficionados but for anyone who appreciates the inspirational power of music.

Director: Don McGlynn

Producer: Joe Lauro

Cinematographers: John Polsen

Steve Wacks

Editor: Frank Axelsen

Featuring: Smokey Robinson

Andrae Crouch

Mavis Staples

Ira Tucker

Marie Knight

Willa Ward

Ira Tucker Jr.

Running Time: 115 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Selected Filmography: The Howlin’ Wolf Story (2003)

Louis Prima: The Wildest! (1999)

Charles Mingus: Triumph of the Underdog (1998)

Art Pepper: Notes from a Jazz Survivor (1982)

In 2009, ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne wrapped a tour promoting his first musical collaboration with Brian Eno in almost 30 years. This concert film blends exhilarating performances with intimate interviews detailing the creative collaboration behind the show. Byrne brought on a team of choreographers, dancers, and technicians to create a compelling tour mixing modern dance with the songs. Rehearsal footage and interviews with key players shed light on the creative process behind the tour from the choreography of each step to their choice of songs, which include a mix of new tunes and old favorites like “Once in a Lifetime” and “Burning Down the House.” Shot with multiple cameras throughout the 2008 and 2009 “Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno” tour, director David Hillman Curtis’ debut film captures the infectious energy behind Byrne’s stage show with a particular intimacy while exploring the challenges of mixing modern dance with popular music. Sexy and transfixing, Ride, Rise, Roar is a testament to Byrne’s lasting power as an influential and innovative musician.

Director: David Hillman Curtis

Producer: Will Schluter

Cinematographer: Ben Wolf

Editor: David Hillman Curtis

Music: David Byrne

Brian Eno

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Ravel Films

Film Website: rideriseroar.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

USA 2009

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Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae

CANADA (qUéBEC) 2010

More than 40 years ago in Jamaica, an influential musical genre was born: rocksteady. The child of ska and parent of reggae, rocksteady’s rhythm was more relaxed than ska, having been conceived when Alton Ellis once asked his bandmates to “slow it down.” In Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae, the remaining musicians of Jamaica’s Golden Age of music reunite in Kingston to record an album of their influential hits like “The Tide is High,” “Tougher than Tough,” and “Rivers of Babylon.” The film takes us on a journey through the genre’s short-lived glory days, when not only the music, but the cultural and social climate of Jamaica as well, was in flux. The destination is a present-day reunion in the studio with Marcia Griffiths, Hopeton Lewis, Ken Boothe, Stranger Cole, and others. Many of them still actively tour and perform, while others haven’t seen each other in years. Director Stascha Bader mixes musical performances with archival footage and interviews with the musicians telling the stories behind the songs’ socially conscious lyrics and soulful vocals. Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae is the story of an era, a time when things were indeed a bit more calm and easy.

Director: Stascha Bader

Producers: Betty Palik

Valentin Greutert

Screenwriter: Stascha Bader

Cinematographer: Piotr Jaxa

Editors: Teresa De Luca

Mathieu Grondin

Featuring: Stranger Cole

Marcia Griffiths

Derrick Morgan

Ken Boothe

Judy Mowatt

Hopeton Lewis

Leroy Sibbles

Dawn Penn

U-Roy

The Tamlins

Rita Marley

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales:

MK2 International

Print Source: Muse Entertainment

Film Website: rocksteadyrootsofreggae. com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll

UNITED KINGDOM 2010

A blistering turn by Andy Serkis as foul-mouthed, iconic, proto-punk rocker Ian Dury elevates Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll to instant classic status as one of the best rock biopics ever. Just when the shadow of his slimy Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy seemed likely to hover over his subsequent career, Serkis leans on three years of intensive research to deliver an incandescent performance. Director Mat Whitecross presents an entirely schmaltz-free portrait of the profane, lyrical genius Dury as a thoroughly disreputable, but endlessly fascinating, character attempting to juggle the demands of family, fame and mounting alcoholism, but always ending up putting his own needs first. The refusal to sugarcoat Dury’s shortcomings is impressive: we may be asked to empathize with the film’s class-obsessed, emotionally and physically challenged hero, but we are never expected to forgive the excesses of his indiscriminate viciousness, unleashed even on his sensitive young son Baxter. Unrestrained and scattershot Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is a glorious celebration of the unpredictable highs and lows of a singular career, swinging breathlessly from ecstatic concert scene to childhood flashback to domestic trauma and back again, often all in the short space of a single thumping anthem, delivered with astonishing accuracy by Serkis in Dury’s trademark baritone growl. All together now…

Director: Mat Whitecross

Producer: Damian Jones

Screenwriter: Paul Viragh

Cinematographers: Christopher Ross

Brian Tufano

Editor: Peter Christellis

Music: Chaz Jankel

Cast: Andy Serkis

Naomie Harris

Ray Winstone

Olivia Williams

Noel Clarke

Toby Jones

MacKenzie Crook

Running Time: 115 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

International Sales: Metropolis International Sales

Print Source: Tribeca Films

Film Website: sex-drugs-rock-roll-thefilm. com

Selected Filmography: The Shock Doctrine (2009) The Road to Guantanamo (2006)

Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields

USA 2010

A melodica. A Moog. A musical saw. Stephin Merritt’s apartment is brimming with instruments in every corner and closet. Known as “the Cole Porter of his generation,” Merritt has been whipping out indie pop masterpieces for the past 20 years with his band The Magnetic Fields. They’ve been going strong since the late 1980s when Merritt met bandmate Claudia Gonson during their high school years in Boston. Their bitterly happy, bubblegum epics—the three-volume “69 Love Songs” set being the best known—are classic works to their fans who come in all ages. In a bit of background, we learn Merritt rides his bike to the theater for a little cinematic escape when not writing his ironic, bittersweet lyrics in dimly-lit, disco-thumping gay bars. And that he has a Chihuahua named Irving Berlin. Strange Powers, shot over the course of ten years, not only traces Gonson and Merritt’s colorful and long-lasting relationship, but also documents Merritt’s creative process behind the songs. Director team Fix and O’Hara present a captivating look at this misanthropic genius, and his 20-year partnership with Gonson, from which has come one of the most captivating bodies of work in the American Songbook.

Directors:

Kerthy Fix

Gail O’Hara

Producers: Alan Oxman

Kerthy Fix

Gail O’Hara

Cinematographer: Paul Kloss

Editor:

Sarah Devorkin

Featuring: Stephin Merritt

Claudia Gonson

Sarah Silverman

John Woo

Sam Davol

Daniel Handler

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Kerthy Fix

Film Website: strangepowersfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls

NEW ZEALAND 2009

Pride of New Zealand, the Topp Twins, Jools and Lynda were once merely farm girls in love with riding horses. Soon, their energetic talent, political savvy and concern, harmonizing vocals and melodies, and campy Kiwi theatrics were bound to find an audience outside their home on the range. A hit TV show followed, an international tour was next, and soon, Jools and Lynda were lassoing their messages of love and equality to issues as broad as apartheid and nuclear disarmament. The passage of a successful homosexual reform bill in New Zealand’s Parliament certainly deserves a big nod to the tireless efforts of the Topps. With great affection and admiration, director Leanne Pooley reveals the true heart of this inseparable sibling duo through charming home movie footage and seriously funny interviews. Woven among the exuberant hilarity is an amazing musical showcase of the Topp acoustic country songs (they were inducted into New Zealand’s Music Hall of Fame in 2008), beautiful double vocal harmonies, and yes indeedy, some mighty masterful mellifluent yodeling. Now that’s entertainment.

Awards:

Toronto International Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award)

Director: Leanne Pooley

Producer: Arani Cuthbert

Screenwriters: Leanne Pooley

Jools Topp

Lynda Topp

Cinematographers: Leon Narbey

Wayne Vinten

Editor: Tim Woodhouse

Music: Lynda Topp

Jools Topp

Running Time: 84 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: Diva Productions Ltd.

International Sales: New Zealand Film Commission

Film Website: topptwins.com

Selected Filmography: The Promise (2005) Haunting Douglas (2003)

Amer Centurion

Belgium/France 2009

in the ’30s and ’40s, the crime and detective fiction found in the american pulps gave rise to Hollywood’s golden era of film noir. Similarly, the italian crime fiction of the ’60s—lurid, highly eroticized thrillers published as cheap paperbacks with trademark yellow, or giallo, covers—influenced their own generation of films known for their lush color palettes, voyeurism, and elaborate murder sequences. now, co-directors Bruno Forzani and Hélène cattet have crafted a stylishly sensual tribute to the italian giallo crime-thriller genre with their feature debut. divided into three distinct parts, the film focuses on the defining moments in its heroine ana’s life: the death of her grandfather when she was a child, a fateful shopping trip with her mother during adolescence, and an adult ana returning home in order to prepare her parent’s decrepit estate for sale. employing nearly every story trope, visual cue, and, in some instances, even vintage musical scores lifted directly from previous giallo films, Forzani and cattet create a feverishly oneiric thriller that rises above mere homage to possess an ethereal allure all its own.

Directors:

Hélène Cattet

Bruno Forzani

Producers: Francois Cognard

Eve Commenge

Screenwriters: Hélène Cattet

Bruno Forzani

Cinematographer: Manu Dacosse

Editor: Bernard Beets

Music: Bernard Beets

Cast: Bianca Maria D’Amato

Marie Bos

Charlotte Eugene Guibbaud

Cassandra Forét

Harry Cleven

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Coach 14

Print Source: Olive Films

Film Website: amer-film.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

united Kingdom 2010

roman Britain, a d. 117. the roman empire stretches from egypt to Spain as the only civilizing force in an otherwise barbarian world. But in northern Britain, the relentless onslaught of conquest has ground to a halt in the face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy: the savage and terrifying Picts. Quintus dias, sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a roman frontier fort, escapes his captors only to encounter general Virilus’ legendary ninth legion, marching north under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the earth and destroy their leader, gorlacon. But when the legion is nearly decimated in an ambush and Virilus taken captive, Quintus faces a desperate struggle to keep his small platoon of survivors alive. enduring the harsh Scottish wilds, they must evade their remorseless Pict pursuers, led by vengeance-filled etain, in their attempt to rescue their general and return to the safety of the roman frontier. director neil marshall transforms what could have been an all-too-traditional sword-and-sandal epic into a brutal, bloodthirsty survival thriller filled with exhilaratingly savage action.

Director: Neil Marshall

Producers: Christian Colson

Robert Jones

Screenwriter: Neil Marshall

Cinematographer: Sam McCurdy

Editor:

Chris Gill

Music: Ilan Eshkeri

Cast: Michael Fassbender

Olga Kurylenko

Dominic West

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Pathé

Print Source: Magnet Releasing

Selected Filmography: Doomsday (2008)

The Descent (2005) Dog Soldiers (2002)

Dream Home

George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead

canada/uSa 2009

You really have no idea how truly terrifying the housing crisis can get until you see Dream Home When she was a child, cheng lai-Sheung could see Hong Kong’s famed Victoria Harbor from her apartment. But then a huge residential project rose up, obscuring her view. Vowing to save up enough money for her family to move into a new apartment with a magnificent sea view, cheng will do anything—from working two fulltime jobs to stealing customer data and selling it to other companies—to achieve her dream. even after making a fearful, life-changing decision, the result of which is a large insurance payout, she still can’t scrape up enough money to keep up with the ever-skyrocketing values of Hong Kong’s real estate market. cheng’s dream home seems forever out of reach, until she has the psychotic epiphany that to get what she wants, she must take matters into her own murderous hands. including massive amounts of blood, plenty of extreme gore, and explicit sex, Dream Home skillfully takes recent events to their grotesque conclusion as director Pang Ho-cheung transmutes recent, commonplace anxieties into pure, lasting terror.

Director: Pang Ho-Cheung

Producers: Conroy Chan

Josie Ho

Subi Liang

Screenwriters: Pang Ho-Cheung

Derek Tsang

Jimmy Wan

Cinematographer: Yu Lik Wai

Editor:

Wenders Li

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Cantonese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Fortissimo Films

Print Source: Fortissimo Films

Selected Filmography: Love in a Puff (2010)

Trivial Matters (2007)

Exodus (2007) Isabella (2006)

A.V. (2005)

Beyond Our Ken (2004)

Men Suddenly in Black (2003)

You Shoot, I Shoot (2001)

While horror films with zombies existed before Night of the Living Dead, george a romero forever changed the genre, infusing it with equal parts of gore, gruesomeness, and social commentary. Since his landmark debut, romero has continually revisited the shambling undead, each subsequent film exploring the darker aspects of human nature, a trend he continues in his newest “dead” film. as the film begins, a band of soldiers searching for a refuge from the chaos learn about Plum island from a teenaged survivor. making their way to this promised sanctuary, they discover the island is home to two families. the o’Flynns seek to exterminate any and all revenants with extreme, brain-splattering prejudice. meanwhile, the rival muldoon family looks after their undead relatives, training them to perform simple tasks in a grotesque parody of domesticity until a cure can be found. as tensions rise between the two clans, the soldiers find themselves trapped between the zombie apocalypse off the island’s shores, and the all-too-human one around them. although subtly exploring themes of kinship, mortality, and bereavement, Survival of the Dead never fails in delivering a heavy dose of romero’s gutwrenching carnage.

Director: George A. Romero

Producer: Paula Devonshire

Screenwriter: George A. Romero

Cinematographer: Adam Swica

Editor: Michael Doherty

Music:

Robert Carli

Cast: Alan Van Sprang

Kenneth Welsh

Devon Bostick

Kathleen Munroe

Richard Fitzpatrick

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Voltage Pictures

Print Source: Magnet Releasing

Selected Filmography:

Diary of the Dead (2007)

Land of the Dead (2005)

Monkey Shines (1988)

Day of the Dead (1985)

Creepshow (1982)

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Hong Kong 2010

RoboGeisha

JaPan 2009

Poor Yoshie! She scrubs the floors, cleans house, and otherwise lives in the shadow of her older sister Kikue, the most beautiful girl in the village and a fast-rising star at the local geisha house. Yet Yoshie’s chance to shine comes when she draws the attention of Hikaru Kageno, the young scion of the Kageno iron corporation. little do Yoshie or Kikue suspect that Kageno iron’s real purpose is turning out cyberneticenhanced geisha assassins in a bid for world conquest. abducted by Hikaru and forced to become his newest recruits, the sisters soon gleefully elevate their own sibling rivalry into an extreme body-modification arms race to see who can win Hikaru’s approval first, while facing their own existential dilemma: “am i robot or am i geisha?” director noboru iguchi’s latest film contains all his hallmarks: outrageous special effects, grotesquely hilarious gore, and weapons hidden where they really should not be hidden. unapologetically kitschy, RoboGeisha is a kinetic, madcap revenge-fantasy that never tires of trying to outdo its own effervescent silliness.

Director: Noboru Iguchi

Producers: Takeichi Honda

Hirofumi Ogoshi

Satoshi Arashi

Screenwriter: Noboru Iguchi

Cinematographer: Yasutaka Nagano

Music: Yasuhiko Fukuda

Cast: Aya Kiguchi

Manabu Harada

Hirtomi Hasebe

Running Time: 101 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales: T.O. Entertainment

Print Source: FUNimation

Film Website: robogeisha.com

Selected Filmography: The Machine Girl (2008)

Cat-Eyed Boy (2006) Manji (2006)

Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives

uSa 2010

long live the grindhouse! the golden temple to exploitation films is alive and well in Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives emma grashun, rachel Slurr, t ipper Sommore, Pinky la’trimm, and Bubbles cliquot are featured dancers at a dallas club who all like to hit the local bar for drinks and a little fun after their shifts end. one night, emma meets chuey, who persuades her to bring rachel and Bubbles out to meet two of his friends. Bad idea. the three thuggish brutes turn on the girls, and the night takes a savagely violent twist. after regaining consciousness, our violated vixens turn into deadly divas. With a newfound confidence, some brazen courage, and a few oddball friends, they slice and dice their way to vengeance. in his homage to the exploitation films of the ’70s and ’80s, director israel luna has created a new and unique genre: transploitation. loaded with titillating dialogue, bodacious bods, and extreme violence, this controversial revenge fantasy proves that it takes more than balls to get even.

Director: Israel Luna

Producers: Toni Miller

Whitney Blake

Screenwriter: Israel Luna

Cinematographer: Jamie Moreno

Editor:

Israel Luna

Cast:

Erica Andrews

Kelexis Davenport

Jenna Skyy

Krystal Summers

Willam Belli

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source: La Luna Entertainment

Film Website: tickedofftrannies.com

Selected Filmography: Fright Flick (2009)

R.U. Invited? (2006)

The Deadbeat Club (2004)

Is Anybody There? (2002)

Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil

uSa 2010

ah, spring break, when a college student’s fancy turns to beer, sex, and the great outdoors. allison and her friends head into the West Virginia backwoods to scratch just that itch. that’s where they meet tucker and dale, a pair of hillbillies who have found the perfect “fixer-upper” cabin, right next to the kids’ campsite. However, remodeling is never easy, particularly when your neighbors stereotype you as stupid, drunken, inbred maniacs (really, only the first two apply). But when the grizzly pair accidentally interrupt a late night skinny-dip—fortunately enough for allison whom they also happen to save from drowning— her friends jump to all the wrong conclusions. as misunderstanding piles upon misunderstanding, frat-boy chad leads the charge to rescue her. unfortunately, in their haste to vanquish evil, our hapless college students manage to dispatch themselves with alarming speed, and in the most ineptly grotesque ways possible, all over tucker’s brand new property. director eli craig gleefully appropriates every backwoods horror cliché, then delightfully subverts each one to create an ingeniously hysterical horror-comedy.

Director: Eli Craig

Producers: Thomas Augsberger

Deepak Nayar

Roseanne Milliken

Albert Klychak

Screenwriters: Eli Craig

Morgan Jurgenson

Cinematographer: David Geddes

Editor: Bridget Durnford

Cast: Tyler Labine

Alan Tudyk

Katrina Bowden

Jesse Moss

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

International Sales:

Voltage Pictures

Print Source: Eden Rock Media

Film Website: tuckeranddale.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Wild Hunt

canada (QuéBec) 2009

erik magnusson lives at home with his ill father, while his older brother, Bjorn, spends most of his life fantasizing he is a Viking chieftain (and possessor of thor’s mighty hammer, mjolnir) in a live-action role-playing community. once a member himself, erik now ridicules his brother’s near total immersion in his fictional character. But when erik’s girlfriend, evelyn, feels trapped by their relationship, she escapes into the same fantasy world. With help from his brother, erik undertakes his own quest to find evelyn, now a captive of Bjorn’s chief rival, King mortagh, and to convince her to come home. However, erik’s unwillingness to take the fantasy seriously soon infuriates the other, more dedicated players. meanwhile, mortagh prepares to unleash the full fury of the wild hunt on Bjorn and his allies, which sets fantasy and reality on a collision course. in his feature film debut, director alexandre Franchi performs an audacious act of cinematic alchemy, in which a geek-fueled fantasy transmutes into a tension-filled clash where self-obsession threatens to annihilate any vestige of the real world.

Awards:

Slamdance Film Festival 2010 (Audience Award)

Toronto International Film Festival 2009 (Best Canadian First Feature)

Director: Alexandre Franchi

Producers: Alexandre Franchi

Karen Murphy

Screenwriters: Mark A. Kupa

Alexandre Franchi

Cinematographer: Claudine Sauve

Editors:

Stephen Philipson

Arthur Tranowski

Music:

Gabriel Scotti

Vincent Hanni

Cast: Mark A. Krupa

Ricky Mabe

Tiio Horn

Trevor Hayes

Nicolas Wright

Terry Simpson

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: Cirus Communications

Film Website: wildhuntfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

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new directors showcase

Of all the incredible cinematic experiences to be had at SIFF, one of the most exciting is the discovery of new talent.

Each year, filmmakers of exceptional promise from around the world are featured in the New Directors Showcase. Festival programmers select 12 films remarkable for their original concept, striking style, and overall excellence. To be eligible for consideration, the films must be the director’s first or second feature, and must be without US distribution at the time of their selection. The New Directors Showcase jury will choose the winning filmmaker on the Festival’s final weekend.

The winner will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards brunch and will receive a cash prize of $2,500.

Jury

Marcus Hu

Marcus Hu is co-President and co-founder of Strand Releasing, which has distributed the films of Gregg Araki, François Ozon, Fatih Akin, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Terence Davies to name a few. In 2009 Strand Releasing celebrated its 20th Anniversary at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, and at SIFF. Hu is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Michael Kananack

With some 18 years experience, Michael Kananack has been in the film industry for most of his adult life. After studying filmmaking at NYU Film School, he went on to work in production for over 25 features including Scent of a Woman and Godfather III. In 1992, he joined the international film sales company AKA Movies and began his career in selling films to the world marketplace. While at AKA Movies, Michael helped negotiate the theatrical sale of numerous feature films. Currently at US Theatrical Distributor NeoClassics Films, he has identified and acquired several award-winning films for US Distribution including The Black Balloon and Farewell. Michael also participated in the New Visions/New Voices Jury in Palm Springs Film Festival ’09.

Christian Vesper

Vesper earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley. He began his career as a lawyer on Wall Street before heading to the business and legal departments of October Films, USA Films, and iFilm. Following his work as the liaison between iFilm founders and the film industry, Vesper served as the director of programming at HBO. Currently, he acts as the senior vice president of acquisitions and programming for IFC and Sundance Channels. His responsibilities there include overseeing the acquisition of television series, feature films, and documentaries for both networks as well as negotiating studio output and library deals. During his tenure, Vesper has been involved in the acquisition of more than 200 titles for IFC and Sundance Channel.

un ange à la mer

Angel at Sea

BElGIUM/CANADA 2009

life is charmed for 12-year-old louis in this debut feature from Belgian writer-director Frédéric Dumont, who tells the compelling story solely from a child’s perspective. Sumptuous camerawork evokes images of an idyllic and carefree childhood: the sea just outside the family’s front door; Quentin, louis’ older brother and companion; and soccer games with friends. His beloved father, Bruno, an overworked European bureaucrat, is severely depressed and cannot hide it from his family. One evening he shares his deepest, darkest secret with louis, shattering, in an instant, the boy’s innocence and the world as he once loved it. With a thematic twist on father-son relationships, the film focuses on the newfound emotional depths louis discovers as he bears the burden of responsibilities he never could have imagined. Through subtle shifts, the film visually evolves toward the impressionistic, conveying louis’ and his brother’s struggle to cope and understand through symbols revealed in their once safe and sheltering surroundings. The nuanced lens work and superb all-around performances invite us, beguilingly, into this interior world.

Awards:

Karlovy Vary 2009 (Grand Jury Prize)

Director:

Frédéric Dumont

Producers: Stéphane Lhoest

Barbara Shrier

Screenwriter: Frédéric Dumont

Cinematographer:

Virginie Saint Martin

Editor:

Glenn Berman

Music:

Luc Sicard

Cast:

Olivier Gourmet

Anne Consigny

Martin Nissen

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

E1 Films International

Print Source: E1 Films International

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

ahasin wetei

Between Two Worlds

SRI lANKA 2009

Director Vimukthi Jayasundara returns to his homeland, Sri lanka, and its ferocious 26-year civil war––also the subject of his acclaimed debut, The Forsaken Land. Four years later, the fighting has ceased but the stark reminders of war are not easily erased in a country where witnessing horror was part of everyday life. In a narrative told through striking atmospheric images, a man washes up on shore and makes his way to a city beset by violence. Here he rescues a foreign woman, and together they literally head for the hills. But instead of providing refuge, the countryside slowly reveals hidden dangers. Shooting in widescreen compositions that showcase Sri lanka’s sublime lushness, Jayasundara magically conjures up images that turn the initially enigmatic into the unsettling. The film’s contemplative moments are interspersed with stark flashes of violence that serve to shock and disturb, never allowing us to forget the trauma of the civil war. While Between Two Worlds never sets out to explain the conflict, the film does illuminate it through Jayasundara’s masterful use of symbolism and his ability to invoke empathy.

Director: Vimukthi Jayasundara

Producers: Michel Klein

Philippe Avril

Screenwriter: Vimukthi Jayasundara

Cinematographer: Channa Deshapriya

Editor: Gisèle Rapp-Meichler

Music: Lackshman Joseph de Saram

Cast: Thusitha Laknath

Kaushalya Fernando

Huang Lu

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Sinhalese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Memento Films

International

Print Source: Memento Films

International

Selected Filmography: The Forsaken Land (2005)

Cargo

SWITzERlAND 2009

Following the planet’s complete ecological collapse, most of Earth’s population lives in orbit on overcrowded, disease-ridden space stations. Their only hope for escape is Rhea, a paradisiacal planet five light years from Earth that is prohibitively expensive to reach. laura Portman, a young doctor, joins the crew of the cargo ship Kassandra on its four-year journey to Station 42 in hopes of earning enough money to join her sister Arianne on Rhea. Once the ship’s journey begins, each crewmember monitors the ship for an eight-month period while their comrades remain in stasis. With only four months left until they reach their destination, laura is mid-way through her duty shift when she uncovers evidence there may be a stowaway on board. She awakens her crewmates, and together they inspect the cargo hold. But when the ship’s captain dies in an accident, the remaining crewmembers discover there may be a deeper mystery at play. Combining intricately impressive visuals with an intelligent, suspenseful plot, director Ivan Engler proves you don’t need a huge budget, or a tribe of blue CGI aliens, to make brilliant science fiction.

Director: Ivan Engler

Producer: Marcel Wolfisberg

Screenwriters: Arnold Bucher

Ivan Engler

Patrick Steinmann

Johnny Hartmann

Thilo Röscheisen

Cinematographer: Ralph Baetschmann

Editors: Ivan Engler

Timo Fritsche

Bastian Ahrens

Music: Frederik Strömberg

Cast:

Martin Rapold

Anna Katharina

Schwabroh

Pierre Semmler

Regula Grauwiller

Claude-Oliver Rudolph

Running Time: 118 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in German, with English subtitles

Print Source: Atlantis Pictures Ltd.

Film Website: cargoderfilm.ch

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Crossing Hennessy

loy is a 40-something underachiever. Still hung-up on his ex-girlfriend, he lives with his mother and helps run the family’s air-conditioner dealership on Hong Kong’s iconic Hennessy Road. Further down the street, Oi-lin works in her aunt and uncle’s shop where she sells toilets and other bathroom fixtures, all the while waiting for her boyfriend Xu to be released from prison. Desperate to see her son married soon, loy’s mother arranges for him to go on a blind date with Oi-lin—a meeting both dread. When the two eventually meet for Dim Sum dinner with their families, they both try to sabotage the evening. However, despite the well-planned disastrous results, the pair soon develops a friendship based as much on their common affinity for crime novels as their separate, yet equally complicated, love affairs. The flirtatious undercurrent between them begins to swell and threatens to sweep away all their carefully constructed plans. In just her second feature, director Ivy Ho devises an endearingly fresh, romantic comedy wherein the colorful streets and shops of Hong Kong provide a scintillating backdrop for amorous dalliance.

Director: Ivy Ho

Producers: Yee Chung Man

Cary Cheng

Cheung Hong Tat

Screenwriter: Ivy Ho

Cinematographer: Poon Hang Sang

Editor:

Kong Chi Leung

Music: Anthony Chue

Cast: Jacky Cheung

Tang Wei

Paw Hee Ching

Andy On

Maggie Ho Yee Cheung

Danny Lee

Mimi Chu

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Cantonese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Distribution Workshop (HK) Ltd.

Print Source: Distribution Workshop (HK) Ltd.

Selected Filmography: Claustrophobia (2008)

yue man xuan ni shi

HONG KONG 2010 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

ONE BLOCK NORTH of the Convention Center

on the corner of 8th Avenue and Pine Street, in the Paramount Hotel.

MONDAYS

Happy Hour 3pm-Close (All Diners)

TUESDAYS

Noodle Night - $10 Noodle Dishes

WEDNESDAYS

Girlfriends Night Out 6pm-9pm

SUNDAYS

Sushi Sake Cinema Sundays

SEATTLE’S LARGEST SAKE SELECTION!

• Unique Asian Cuisine from China, Japan, Thailand and more

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night Dining - 7 days a week

• Daily Happy Hour 3pm-6pm & 9pm-1am

• Private dining room & meeting space

• Full Bar

722 Pine St. Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 467-7777

www. dragonfishcafe .com

SIFF0310Ad.indd 1

chaque jour est une fête

Every Day is a Holiday

lEBANON/GERMANY/FRANCE 2009

In this evocative, dream-like piece, a bus loaded with women is heading to a far-flung men’s prison in the heart of the lebanese hinterland, in an arid, deserted, rural area. Suddenly a bullet from an invisible sniper strikes the driver and the passengers are stranded in disarray. Three stick together and go looking for another ride; the first, and youngest, is going to meet her newlywed husband; the second, high-heeled and spiteful, is carrying divorce papers she wants her husband to sign; and the third, anxious and awkward, is carrying a gun for her husband, a guard at the prison, who forgot it at home. Visually captivating, Dima El-Horr’s directorial debut is a bold allegorical fancy that captures and conveys the atmosphere of disquietude and discomfort in contemporary postwar lebanon. Catastrophe seems to loom somewhere in the film’s open landscape, which is rife with eeriness, replete with a scorching sun, barren rocks, planes flying dangerously low, a road suddenly littered with dead chicken, and unusual characters whose terse interactions offset tensions of class and culture. Mixing real politics and stark absurdity, El-Horr announces herself as a major new voice in Middle Eastern cinema.

Director: Dima El-Horr

Producer: Thierry Lenouvel

Screenwriters: Dima El-Horr

Rabih Mroué

Cinematographer: Dominique Gentil

Editor: Jacques Comets

Cast: Hiam Abbass

Manal Khader

Raïa Haidar

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French and Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales: UMedia

Print Source: UMedia

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Father’s Acre

HUNGARY 2009 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

An ex-convict father and his rebellious son wear the burden of their past through their drawn expressions as they battle out their oedipal turmoil in rural Hungary. The father returns home from prison to find little more than his son’s hatred. In the son’s eyes, his father’s abandonment caused his mother’s death. It doesn’t help matters when the father takes up with his late wife’s sister Agi (who the son finds attractive); it nearly drives the son to patricide. Father and son test each other’s limits and push each other to their breaking points while they attempt to transform a raw piece of land by planting a vineyard. At times, through the rhythm of work, they nearly see eye to eye. The fertile Hungarian landscape serves as the backdrop for this family conflict and is reminiscent of SIFF’s 2005 Emerging Master Attila Janisch’s landscapes in the film

After the Day Before (in fact, writer-director Viktor Ozkar Nagy is his student). Nagy uses a lack of dialogue and powerful images to breed a deliberate ambiguity that leaves the father-son interactions open to interpretation and drives the film’s constant tension forward.

Supported in part by:douging.com

Director: Viktor Oszkar Nagy

Producer: Péter Miskolczi

Screenwriter: Viktor Oszkar Nagy

Cinematographer: Tamás Dobos

Editor: Viktor Oszkar Nagy

Music: Péter Ágai

Cast: Tamás Ravasz

János Derzsi

Andrea Nagy

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Hungarian, with English subtitles

Print Source: Magyar Filmunio

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

schwerkraft

Gravity

GERMANY 2009

Maximilian Erlenwein’s first feature, Gravity, is a powerful, character-driven drama and subversive comedy in the style of the Coen Brothers that charts the downward spiral of Frederik, a single, thirty-something bank clerk who makes good money, wears nice suits, drives an expensive car, and lives in a luxurious apartment. In other words, he’s a perfectly believable modernday character. Frederik’s life changes in an instant, however, when a stressed-out customer blows his brains out in front of him. The event shocks him into an early mid-life crisis—he hates his job, still obsesses about a long lost love, and acknowledges that his life is actually boring. When he meets Vince, an old-time friend and ex-con, Frederik takes a high-speed journey into violence and crime, with out-of-control results. An entertaining action movie with a sharp-edged script and a splattering of humor, Gravity pulls us into the psyche of a sympathetic desperado, intensely portrayed by Fabian Hinrichs, who, in trying to find meaning in his life, may have lost his way.

US PREMIERE

Director:

Maximilian Erlenwein

Producers: Valeska Bochow

Alexander Bickenbach

Manual Bickenbach

Screenwriter: Maximilian Erlenwein

Cinematographer: The Chau Ngo

Editor: Gergana Voigt

Music:

Jakob Ilja

Cast: Fabian Hinrichs

Juergen Vogel

Nora von Waldstaetten

Jule Boewe

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales: Telepool GmbH

Print Source: Frisbee Films

Film Website: schwerkraft-derfilm.de

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

2009 NORTH AMERICAN PERMIERE

In this provocative and hallucinatory autobiographical film, a nameless hero tells us his story of trading the strange world of the military for his own insanity. The Sebastopol streets of the dizzying perestroika days of the ’80s and ’90s were much more exciting than the 12-year-old’s traditional family lifestyle. Hanging out in front of the mental hospital with a local “savior” called Rom the Crazed, the neighborhood’s depraved icon who snorts mountains of cocaine and gives away drugs to his friends, our hero succumbs to addiction. Only a few years later, the now 18-year-old man signs himself into the same mental hospital in order to avoid being drafted into the army. Once there, life becomes even more peculiar… A pure genre film, I Am could be the Russian reaction to One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, with a little Bronson thrown in. Director Igor Voloshin used his own life story to create this highly stylized ribald tale of decadence.

Director: Igor Voloshin

Producers: Maxim Korolev

Anna Mikhalkova

Screenwriter: Igor Voloshin

Cinematographer: Dimitrii Iashonkov

Editor: Tatyana Kuzmichyova

Cast: Artur Smolyaniov

Andrei Khabarov

Oksana Akinshina

Aleksey Gorbunov

Pyotr Zaychenko

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Russian, with English subtitles

Print Source:

VVP Alians

Selected Filmography: Nirvana (2008)

RUSSIA

The Reverse

POlAND 2009

A darkly comic story about three women, set in both the present and in 1950s Warsaw. The main character is Sabina, a quiet, shy woman who has just turned 30. Unfortunately, she lacks a man in her life. Her mother (Polish icon Krystyna Janda) tries at all costs to find her daughter some good potential husband candidates. Meanwhile, Sabina’s grandmother, an eccentric lady with a sharp tongue from whom no secret can be concealed, tries to control the situation. Successive admirers arrive at the pre-war tenement where the women live, but Sabina finds none of them attractive. One day, in dramatic circumstances, Sabina meets Bronislaw, a young man with the good looks of a peasant movie star. He’s vulgar, yet Sabina becomes passionate about him. Bronislaw’s presence launches a series of surprising events that will forever change the lives of three ladies.

Awards:

Gdynia Film Festival 2009 (Best Film, Producer, Actress, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Music, Makeup) Official Academy Award® Submission 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Director: Borys Lankosz

Producer: Jerzy Kapuscinski

Screenwriter: Andrzej Bart

Cinematographer: Marcin Koszalka

Editor: Wlodzimierz Pawlik

Music:

Wojciech Anuszczyk

Cast: Agata Buzek

Krystyna Janda

Anna Polony

Marcin Dorocinski

Adam Woronowicz

Running Time: 101 minutes

Presentation Format: Digital Cinema, in Polish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Syrena Films

Print Source: Studio Kilowe KADR

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Sentimental Engine Slayer

USA 2010

Twenty-something Barlam is obsessed by the divorce of his parents and is possibly involved in an incestuous relationship with his junkie sister. A complete social maladroit and the source of much amusement to his scorn-filled homeboys, he becomes embroiled in a murky world of hookers and addicts, unhinged and unable to distinguish between the fantasy and reality of the film’s near-future setting. This hugely entertaining, highly kinetic mash-up is the brainchild of the enormously productive music phenomenon Omar Rodriguez lopez, best known from the prog-rock band The Mars Volta. In this, his debut feature, the prodigiously talented lopez is also responsible for the screenplay, production design, and, naturally, the music. Not content with that, he allows himself the lead role as the seriously messed-up Barlam. Set in lopez’ hometown of El Paso, Texas, and deliberately bilingual to emphasize American’s polyglot nature, Barlam’s somewhat overdue transition from boy to man is a coming of age exploration of the need for self-expression in the face of the life’s pernicious banality. loaded with kitsch Mexican Catholic iconography and a knockout soundtrack, The Sentimental Engine Slayer has one harboring hopes that its creator might turn out to be just as prolific in film has he has proved to be in music.

Director: Omar Rodriguez Lopez

Producer: Omar Rodriguez Lopez

Screenwriter: Omar Rodriguez Lopez

Cinematographer: Michael Rizzi

Editor: Adam Thomson

Music:

Omar Rodriguez Lopez

Cast: Omar Rodriguez Lopez

Tatiana Velazquez

Nomar Rizo

Kim Stodel

Rikardo Rodriguez Lopez

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in English and Spanish, with English

subtitles

Print Source: Rodriguez Lopez Productions

Film Website: rodriguezlopezproductions. com/TSES

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Three Days With the Family

Turistas

CHIlE 2009

léa returns home to Catalonia to attend her grandfather’s funeral. A melancholic and confused 21-year-old girl, she’s unsure of herself, her future, and especially how to deal with the emotionally detached family she hasn’t seen since she left to study in France. Though her parents are separated, her mother Joelle reappears after a long absence to keep up appearances and drinks her way through the affair. Her reticent father, Josep Maria, reminds léa that adulthood only brings more loneliness. As the family spends more time together, deepseeded emotions bubble to the surface and the patriarch’s descendents are forced to deal with problems that are always implicit, but never fully revealed. Three days with her family is trying for léa, but turns out to be exactly what she needs for catharsis and self-realization. Director Mar Coll’s evocative debut brings to life realistic characters and situations, with detail to every nuance and a graceful, subtle touch.

Awards: Goya Awards 2010 (Best New Director)

Malaga Film Festival 2009 (Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress)

Director: Mar Coll

Producers: Lita Roig

Sergi Casamitjana

Aintza Serra

Screenwriters: Mar Coll

Valentina Viso

Cinematographer: Neus Ollé

Editor: Elena Ruiz

Music: Maikmaier

Cast: Nausicaa Bonnín

Eduard Fernández

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu

Ramón Fontserè

Francesc Orella

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: Beta, in Catalán, with English subtitles

International Sales: Escándalo Films

Print Slource: Escándalo Films

Film Website: tresdiasamblafamilia.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

At 37 years old, Carla has started to question her life. She’s confused as to where she sees her marriage going, which leads to an argument with her husband while on vacation. It ends with him driving off with their jet ski in tow, leaving her on the side of the road with her luggage and nothing else. She doesn’t turn around and go home, nor does she try to catch up with him. Instead, she takes this as an opportunity for a journey of selfdiscovery. She meets a Norwegian backpacker and ends up at the beautiful Siete Tazas nature reserve. Chilean director Alicia Scherson’s beautifully told second film moves in unexpected directions. Her background in biology no doubt informs the gorgeous cinematography, including exquisite close-ups of the natural world, but also leads to an organic story structure that allows other characters to develop along with Carla. Grounding it all is a stunning central performance by Aline Kuppenheim as Carla, which gives weight to a movie that could have just floated away.

Director: Alicia Scherson

Producer: Macarena Lopez

Screenwriter: Alicia Scherson

Cinematographer: Ricardo de Angelis

Editor: Soledad Salfate

Music: Philippe Boisier

Cast: Aline Kuppenheim

Marcelo Alonso

Diego Noguera

Pablo Ausensi

Viviana Herrera

Sofia Geldrez

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Latino Fusion

Print Source: Latino Fusion

Film Website: turistaslapelicula.cl

Selected Filmography: Play (2005)

tres dias amb la familia

SPAIN 2009

northwest connections

Discovering a treasure trove of cinema in our own backyard.

SIFF is international in scope, but it has never forgotten its roots in the fertile Pacific Northwest film community. Each year, the Puget Sound region makes its presence felt at SIFF, whether as a moody location, a source of inspiration for local filmmakers, or even as a character in its own right.

In the spirit of his 2006 documentary, Walking to Werner, director Linas Phillips is back on the road (and on screen) with Bass Ackwards, as he sets off on a comic cross-country trip in a converted VW microbus. Native Seattleite Nicholas Gyeney offers The Penitent Man, a psychological thriller with a sci-fi twist that was shot in several Puget Sound locations. Teenager Nicholas Terry, a student at Seattle’s Mountlake Terrace High School, gives SIFF audiences a taste of his up-and-coming talent with Senior Prom, a “mockumentary” inspired by Best in Show Perfect 10, by Seattle-area husband-and-wife directing team Kris and Lindy Boustedt, tells the story of two former teenage outcasts who aim to get a little redemption at their 10th high school reunion. Other Northwest-themed films include documentaries about local artists Dale Chihuly and Ginny Ruffner; a look back at Seattle’s almost forgotten contributions to the soul music scene; and the inspiring journey of former Washington Governor Booth Gardner, who has dedicated his remaining years to championing the Death with Dignity cause.

SIFF is proud to once again showcase the work of these directors and celebrate the rich heritage of cinema in the Northwest.

Amplified Seattle

USA 2010

WORLD PREMIERE

In Seattle, the City of Music, you can find musicians rehearsing and performing at almost every hour of the day, in bars and basements, and even in the Metro buses, all over the city. In this collection of short documentaries, director John Jeffcoat (Outsourced, winner of the SIFF 2007 Golden Space Needle Audience Award for Best Film) intimately portrays 13 Seattle bands ranging from alt-country to hip-hop and punk rock to electronica. Jeffcoat shot the Amplified Seattle docs as complementary pieces to the second season of MTV’s popular online web-series, $5 Cover: Seattle, directed by Lynn Shelton (Humpday). These portraits delve into the real soul of the works and the process behind them—deep into the bedroom closets and kitchens where songs are written and recorded, and revealing the background stories that helped shape the sounds of groups like Champagne Champagne, Thee Emergency, the Light, the Spits, and more. These gorgeously shot powerful portraits make you feel like you’re right there, live, with these creators of the new Seattle sound.

Director:

John Jeffcoat

Producer:

John Jeffcoat

Cinematographers:

John Jeffcoat

Ryan McMackin

Steven Utaski

Matteo Bava

Editors:

John Jeffcoat

Chris Ophoven

Steven Utaski

Doug Arney

Running Time: 60 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Strangelife Productions

Selected Filmography: Outsourced (2006)

Bass Ackwards

USA 2010

In his first narrative feature, actor-director Linas Phillips takes his previous fascination with the films of Werner Herzog and embellishes them with touches of Linklater, Cassavetes, and his own low-key, quirky charm to create a unique and lyrical road movie. Kicked off of his friend’s couch and reeling from a disastrous affair with a married woman, Phillips (the actor) decides to leave Seattle to return to his family home in Boston. Driving a neglected 1976 Volkswagen van he happened to “discover,” he heads out of town––more to get away from things than towards something in particular. But Phillips (the director) knows that a road movie is always more about where the trip takes you than why you went there in the first place. And the chance meetings Linas (the character) has along his route progress from humor to danger, and to the occasional affecting moment of grace. As with all of Phillips’ films, Bass Ackwards blurs the line between fiction and reality. Linas and cinematographer Sean Porter did indeed drive cross-country in the van, and that hunched, lurching vehicle is emblematic both of their creative process and the constant resiliency of the human spirit.

P RECEDED B y:

Betty

USA 2010, 14 minutes Director: Heather Ayres

World premiere

A rebellious woman in a mental hospital experiences the strange path that illuminates her current state in life.

Director: Linas Phillips

Producer: Thomas Woodrow

Screenwriter: Linas Phillips

Cinematographer: Sean Porter

Editors: Linas Phillips

Brett Jutkiewicz

Music: Lori Goldston

Tara Jane O’Neil

Cast: Linas Philips

Davie-Blue

Jim Fletcher

Paul Lazar

Running Time: 103 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Film Website: bassackwardsfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Great Speeches From A Dying World (2007) Walking to Werner (2006)

Chihuly Fire & Light

USA 2010 WORLD PREMIERE

At once organic and otherworldly, pure and complicated, Dale Chihuly’s glass works brilliantly combine the simplicity of their medium with the extraordinary innovation of their artist. A Tacoma native, Chihuly elevated glassblowing to a high art form, allowing it to serve as a vehicle for large-scale self-expression, rather than mere mantelpiece craft. His works are internationally displayed; from the Tacoma Art Museum and Museum of Glass to Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory, from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to Venice and Murano, these exquisite sculptures capture a unique image of the natural world while maintaining a strong element of fantasy. In Chihuly Fire & Light, the artist explores the use of neon lights to accompany his already vibrant glass pieces. The film also highlights the collaborative qualities of Chihuly’s creative process. He entrusts hundreds of talented glassblowers to execute his vision. This, ironically, is part of his trademark: the use of the collective to form something singular. Appealing to long-time fans and first-time viewers alike, Chihuly Fire & Light is an integral part of Seattle and its prominent art scene.

Director: Mark McDonnell

Producer: Mark McDonnell

Cinematographer: Peter West

Editors: Peter West

John Campbell

Music: John Campbell

Running Time: 58 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Portland Press

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Dear Lemon Lima,

USA 2009

Vanessa is a lonely, 13-year-old yup’ik (Western Eskimo) girl with a lively imagination and a mad crush on the pretentious 14-year-old Philip Georgey, who recently dumped her to spend the summer in Paris. Somehow winning a previous minority scholarship to the swanky academy he attends in Fairbanks, Alaska, she finds she has bitten off more than she can chew when she is lumped together with the cruelly named FUBARs (“f’d-up beyond all recognition”) and is condescended to by the socially acceptable Philip. Pouring her heart out in daily missives to her imaginary friend Lemon Lima, Vanessa coaches the rag-tag Team FUBAR for the school’s infamous Snowstorm Survivor competition, believing this is the way to win back Philip’s heart. But, as Vanessa and her teammates overcome an initial tragedy and together learn the meaning of love, friendship, and community, her priorities start to change. Shot in a palette of bright pastels, and with winning performances from its two young leads, Dear Lemon Lima, displays a light touch in delineating a world where teenagers inhabit a realm and speak a language of their own, and posits the notion that life is about coming together to celebrate our common traits and differences.

Director:

Suzi Yoonessi

Producers: Melissa Lee

Jonako Donley

Screenwriter:

Suzi Yoonessi

Cinematographer: Sarah Levy

Editors:

Mara Farrington

Matthew Linnell

Music:

Sasha Gordon

Cast: Melissa Leo

Savanah Wiltfong

Shayne Topp

Beth Grant

Elaine Hendrix

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM, in Spanish, English, and American

Sign Language, with English subtitles

International Sales: Visit Films

Print Source: Visit Films

Film Website: dearlemonlimamovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner

Morning

USA 2010

Considered one of the most popular US governors in the modern age, Booth Gardner— Washington State’s governor from 1985 to 1993—surprised many by refusing to seek re-election for a third term. A year after his retirement, Gardner was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that progressively impairs the sufferer’s speech, motor skills, and cognitive abilities. Beginning in 2006, Gardner spearheaded the campaign for Washington’s Death With Dignity Act, Initiative 1000. The Last Campaign tracks Gardner and the campaign over the final six weeks leading up to the 2008 election, following the debates the campaign provokes, as well as the toll that it takes on Gardner’s health. The irony that Parkinson’s would not be covered by Initiative 1000 is not lost on Gardner, nor does that fact blunt the initiative’s urgency for him. Because ultimately, The Last Campaign succeeds most in how it shows the increasing difficulty that Gardner and other sufferers have trying to advocate for themselves, and in how it quietly places its central question of choice on both sufferers and healthy alike.

Awards: Academy Award® nominee 2009 (Best Short Documentary)

Director: Daniel Junge

Producers: Henry Ansbacher Davis Coombe

Cinematographer: Davis Coombe

Editor: Davis Coombe

Music: Gunnard Doboze

Running Time: 37 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Just Media

Selected Filmography: No Strings (2008)

They Killed Sister Dorothy (2008)

Iron Ladies of Liberia (2007)

Chiefs (2002)

WORLD PREMIERE

Joseph Mitacek’s uncompromising debut feature, Morning, tells the story of a young married couple and their attempts to deal with an unthinkable tragedy. Michael and Sara Hade aren’t exactly the picture of wedded bliss. They fight, Michael drinks, they fight some more, they make up, and then they do it all over again. Not only does this take a toll on their relationship, but it also makes life tough for their young son. When Michael’s drinking (and Sara’s infidelity) lead to their son’s untimely and tragic death, they are both forced to confront their demons and decide how to get their lives back on track. Shot in and around Seattle, Mitacek takes full advantage of the city’s locations to highlight the inner turmoil in his character’s lives. Full of gritty realism and well-tuned performances, Morning doesn’t pull any punches, but also doesn’t wallow in the self-loathing of Michael and Sara in the tragic aftermath of their son’s death. A fine example of character-focused independent drama, Morning establishes Mitacek as someone to watch.

Director: Joseph Mitacek

Producers: Joseph Mitacek

Sascha Ciezata

Screenwriter: Joseph Mitacek

Cinematographer: Damon Dulas

Editor: Joseph Mitacek

Music: Peter Murray

Cast: Andrew Ramaglia

Emily Cline

Walter Dalton

Deb Craig

Ryan Cooper

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: St Andrews Films

Film Website: morningthefilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Penitent Man

USA 2010

In Nicholas Gyeney’s clever brainteaser, a man claims to hail from the future and has traveled back in time to set things right. After an unsettling opening in which flames engulf the city, then disappear, the director introduces Seattle psychologist Jason Pyatt and his wife, Evie, who are expecting their first child (they live in a part of Capitol Hill sure to be familiar to many locals).

Jason has been seeing Mr. Darnell for a year. One afternoon, he informs the doctor that he can travel through time, and that he’ll soon be taking his leave, intimating that something bad is about to go down. Jason isn’t sure whether to believe him or not, but becomes intrigued by the idea of time travel. In his off hours, he socializes with Ovid, a teacher rendered partially sighted in a school explosion. Mr. Darnell’s strange disclosure will end up affecting him, too. As with Primer and Timecrimes, Gyeney eschews special effects to spin a speculative fiction in which everyone’s telling the truth, but nothing is quite what it seems. As Mr. Darnell cautions Jason, “Perception is such a powerful thing.”

Director:

Nicholas Gyeney

Producers:

Nicholas Gyeney

David Ranney

Kristina Steiner

Trevor Tillman

Screenwriters:

Nicholas Gyeney

Trevor Tillman

Cinematographer: Michael Boydstun

Editor:

Jacob Bearchum

Music:

Daniel Bernstein

Cast:

Lance Henriksen

Lathrop Walker

Andrew Keegan

Melissa Roberts

Adrien Gamache

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source:

Mirror Images LTD.

Selected Filmography: The Falling (2006)

Perfect 10

Mara Andersson has a great life. She’s recently lost a lot of weight, owns her own successful business, and is married to a fabulous man. When a former classmate cajoles her into attending their ten-year high school reunion, Mara learns that Danny, her first unrequited love, will be in attendance. Throwing common sense to the wind, Mara lies to her husband and sets off to the reunion with her best friend Libby in tow. Writer-directors Lindy and Kris Boustedt have crafted an absorbing film that combines the nostalgia and fear of class reunions into an off-beat dramatic comedy. Mara, drawn from a semi-autobiographical experience, is a character that everyone can relate to: she’s a beautiful plus-size woman who has endured public ridicule and wants nothing more than to see her high school fantasy play out to her desired conclusion. As at any high school reunion, expectations are meant to be broken, and all four lead characters find themselves fastened in a knot from which honesty is the only way out. Shot on location across Washington State, Perfect 10 features fearless acting performances and a narrative of twisting complexity that will have audiences talking long after the credits roll.

P RECEDED B y: 3 Minute Masterpieces Winner

Directors: Lindy Boustedt

Kris Boustedt

Producers: Lindy Boustedt

Kris Boustedt

Screenwriters: Lindy Boustedt

Kris Boustedt

Cinematographer: Kris Boustedt

Editor: Karl Gustavson

Music: Christi O’Donnell

Cast: Karie Gonia

Morgan Elizabeth

Aaron Heinzen

Thomas J. Brown

Gavin Sakae Mclean

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: First Sight Productions

Film Website: perfect10themovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

USA 2010

WORLD PREMIERE

Senior Prom

The Untitled Ginny Ruffner Project

Drawing inspiration from improvised ensemble mockumentaries like Best In Show and Waiting For Guffman, Senior Prom captures the absurdity and perceived depth of commitment in high school relationships with youthful creativity. Seventeenyear-old director Nicholas Terry guided his fellow improvisational actors at Mountlake Terrace High School to cultivate the stereotypical romantic situations throughout their high school experience and plant them firmly in the seminal social event of prom. Senior Prom follows ten characters in a variety of intertwined comedic narratives: Shawn and Shelley have dated for eight years and want prom to be everything they have imagined since the fourth grade; Zach is “relationship challenged” but finds any hilariously awkward way to ask Lynsey to the dance; Miles volunteers for the prom-planning committee just to be close to Brittany and soon finds himself over-committed. The exuberant young cast elevates over-dramatic young love into laughout-loud situations, but director Terry digs deeper and unearths a commentary on high school that is refreshingly wise beyond his years. Senior Prom is a celebration of the growing quality of youth filmmaking and announces an impressive new talent blossoming in the Seattle area.

P RECEDED B y:

At the Core

USA 2009, 4 minutes

Directors: Uriel Reynisa and Anthony Hun

Adobe Youth Voices, Aki Kurose Middle School, Seattle, WA Seattle students explain their core values in skateboarding and snowboarding that apply to the rest of life.

Director:

Nicholas Terry

Producer: Matthew Terry

Screenwriter: Nicholas Terry

Cinematographer: Nicholas Terry

Editor: Nicholas Terry

Music: Nicholas Terry

Cast: Michael Ward

Alan Garcia

Alix Deenin

Jessica Weight

Max Watson

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Dashboard Films

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Seattle artist Ginny Ruffner can’t be summed up in one word, but the most commonly used term is “inspiring.” This conscious cliché is in keeping with Ruffner’s own rejection of irony, pretension, and the high and lowbrow dichotomy. Choosing lamp working as her initial artistic medium, Ruffner revolutionized popular and critical opinions about this formally “kitsch” platform for her unique and globally acclaimed art form. Adding to Ruffner’s extraordinary story is her astounding recovery from a near-fatal car accident in 1991. As an established artist at the age of 39, she was hit by an uninsured teenage driver, leaving her in a coma for five weeks and confined to a hospital for five months. Doctors were convinced that she would never walk or talk again, but true to her indomitable spirit, Ginny Ruffner transformed a potentially tragic accident into a career of even more imaginative creations. From pop-up books, to room-sized installation pieces, to public works, Ruffner’s art has blossomed and continues to expand. The Untitled Ginny Ruffner Project marks ShadowCatcher Entertainment’s first feature-length documentary, and one sure to challenge you to see the world from a new and unexpected perspective.

Director:

Karen Stanton

Producers: Tom Gorai

David Skinner

Joel Nelson

Editor:

Cindy Sangster

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

ShadowCatcher

Entertainment

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

USA 2010

WORLD PREMIERE

USA 2010

WORLD PREMIERE

Wheedle’s Groove

USA 2009

Before Nirvana was grunge, before Sir Mix-ALot’s baby had back, the Emerald City was home to a flourishing funk and soul scene. In the ’60s and ’70s, groups such as Black On White Affair; Cold, Bold, and Together; and Cookin’ Bag commanded up to $1500/night (in ’70s dollars). Director Jennifer Maas takes us on a trip into this recently rediscovered era in local music. With Producer DJ Mr. Supreme as her guide, Maas unearths a treasure-trove of archival audio and video recordings by these artists, and discovers that—like Supreme’s 45s—many of them have settled in quietly all around us. She weaves intriguing interviews with the artists together with industry observations and commiserations from six decades of the accepted Seattle music royalty—Mark Arm, Ben Gibbard, Quincy Jones, and Sir Mix-A-Lot, to name a few—to put both eras in perspective. Wheedle’s Groove not only paints a vibrant picture of Soul in Seattle and the many people who made it happen, but it also stands as a testament to the potential for individual collectors to rediscover and recover important landmarks in music history for us all.

Awards:

Indie Memphis 2009 (Audience Award)

Director:

Jennifer Maas

Producers:

Jennifer Maas

Michelle Witten

Matt Sullivan

Cinematographer: Ben Kasulke

Editor:

Michelle Witten

Featuring:

Quincy Jones

Kenny G

Benjamin Gibbard

Mark Arm

Ben Shepherd

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Evil Bunny Films Film Website: wheedlesgroovemovie. com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SIFF 2010 FIlm

FeStIval

Shoutout

Thank you, fellow local film festivals, for your support and collaborative efforts.

Cinema K: Children’s Film Festival & Local Sightings Film Festival nwfilmforum.org

Independent South Asian Film Festival isaff.tasveer.org

Irish Reels Film Festival irishreels.org

Langston Hughes African American Film Festival langstonblackfilmfest.org

Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival mifff.org

National Film Festival for Talented Youth nffty.org

Nordic Lights Film Festival nordicmuseum.org

1 Reel Film Festival at Bumbershoot bumbershoot.org

Port Townsend Film Festival ptfilmfest.com

Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival empsfm.org

Seattle Jewish Film Festival seattlejewishfilmfestival.org

Seattle International Latino Film Festival cineseattle.org

Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival seattlequeerfilm.org

Seattle Polish Film Festival polishfilms.org

Skateboard Film Festival theskateboardfilmfestival.com

festival forums

Filmmakers Forums and digital media lab

June 5 and 6 alki room at seattle Center

Welcome to the Filmmakers Forums and digital media Lab. it is a place for filmmaking enthusiasts, both young and old, to come together for panels and classes that range from screenwriting and film financing to postproduction audio and dVd encoding. Class instructors and panelists are industry professionals from around the country. iris Professional Services and the mac Store are stocking the alki room (soon to be the SiFF Film Center) with computer workstations. these nine unique offerings will fill the weekend with opportunities for filmmakers and interested film audience to expand their knowledge of the intricacies of filmmaking. Come for one or stay for them all. the classes are free but ticketed reservations are available through the SiFF Box office. Computer seating will be limited, but extra seating will be available.

Course offerings run the gamut from beginning to intermediate use of computer applications, but all are encouraged to come and be a part of these exciting classes and panels.

Film industry Panels and Classes

music and sound: Getting the Best audio for your Film

Saturday June 5 10:00am (110 minuteS)

Join us for a panel discussion with professional film composers and audio engineers. you will learn all about realistically budgeting for music, finding and contracting a great composer, figuring out the musical tone of a film, placing and licensing songs, and recording and mixing: dialogue, score, sound design, and foley from the home studio to 5.1 surround.

Presented by the Seattle Composers alliance. Please check online for confirmed panelists.

Character arc:  Fact and Fiction

Saturday June 5 noon (110 minuteS)

realistic characters grow and develop in stories, but not all characters are transformed. using examples from current and classic films, we will explore five fundamental character dramatics that hold the key to understanding the essence of “character arc.”  Learn how to make them work for you in your own stories.

instructor: Chris Huntley, an academy award®-winning software developer, Vice President of Write Brothers inc., and co-creator of dramatica, an acclaimed theory of story and the basis of the popular Writer’s dreamKit and dramatica Pro software.

For the love of money

Saturday June 5 2:00Pm (110 minuteS)

the world of film finance is rapidly changing.  the worldwide credit crunch has made investors wary and competition for independent film financing is fierce. From independent filmmakers with micro-budgets to studio execs packaging franchise movies, everyone is asking the same thing: where do we find the $$$$? Join us for an in-depth discussion and learn how some of the industry’s most high profile and successful financiers, independent producers, and agents secure the most important facet of filmmaking: the money.

Presented by Washington Filmworks and the Seattle office of Film + music. Please check online for confirmed panelists.

festival forums

digital media lab

June 6 alki room at seattle Center

introduction to Final Cut Pro

Sunday June 6 10:00am (50 minuteS)

in 1999, Final Cut Pro created a paradigm shift in the worlds of video and film post-production and has since gone on to become one of the most popular non-linear editors. this session provides an overview of video formats and standards, a primer of post-production basics, and a walk-through of the Final Cut Pro essentials. no video experience is necessary.

instructor: Kris Boustedt, Filmmaker ( Perfect 10 ), Creative director at First Sight Productions, and associate Faculty at Shoreline Community College.

Final Cut Pro: Beyond the Basics

Sunday June 6 11:00am (50 minuteS)

Final Cut Pro is obviously built for cutting and reorganizing footage, but its power extends so much further! this session focuses on more advanced topics such as image and audio manipulation, compositing and integration with other software platforms.

instructor: Kris Boustedt

editing 101: more than Just Pushing Buttons

Sunday June 6 noon (110 minuteS)

it has been said that a film is made three times: when it’s written, when it’s filmed, and when it’s edited. in fact, Quentin tarantino calls the editing process the “final rewrite.” in this session, we survey the historical development, artistry, and technique of editing, going beyond the software to discover the craft of editing.

instructor: Kris Boustedt

Character and Plot essentials

Sunday June 6 2:00Pm (50 minuteS)

explore the eight essential Questions of Character and Plot. does your main character change his essential nature or stay the course? How do characters grow? What brings your story to a climax? does your story end in tragedy, triumph, or somewhere in between? Find out the answer to these questions and more.

instructor: Chris Huntley

dVd authoring with dVd studio Pro

Sunday June 6 3:00Pm (50 minuteS)

dVd Studio Pro integrates seamlessly with Final Cut Pro for a complete dVd delivery workflow. this session introduces the foundations of dVd technology like disc structure and mPeG encoding, and shows you how to create content with Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, and Compressor. then we delve into dVd Studio Pro to learn about compression, menu design, programming, and dVd-rom material.

instructor: Kris Boustedt

encoding

Sunday June 6 4:00Pm (50 minuteS)

With hundreds of combinations of codecs (“compressor/decompressor”), finding the best option for your film can be painful. in this lecture, we cover some of the different encoding methods for web and other digital outlets to help make your film look its best. if you need to export your films digitally and want to tear your hair out over terms like FLV, H.264, Prores, Sorenson, mPeG-2, etc., this session is for you.

instructor: Kris Boustedt

festival forums

talking Pictures

SiFF audiences know that their experience with a film doesn’t end when the credits roll. talking Pictures offers an engaging, provocative, and entertaining post-screening forum for opinions, ideas, and understanding through lively debate. Join our talking Pictures speakers—experts, cultural players, advocates, and critics—as they lead a stimulating discussion on some of the most thought-provoking and challenging films in the Festival.

Saturday may 29 7:00Pm SiFF Cinema

Brownstones to red dirt (sierra leone/usa 2010)

directed by dave Lamattina and Chad n. Walker

See page 185

tHurSday June 3 7:00Pm HarVard exit stolen (australia 2009)

directed by Violeta ayala and dan Fallshaw

See page 197

Saturday June 5 1:00Pm SiFF Cinema

Waiting for superman (usa 2010)

directed by davis Guggenheim

See page 54

Saturday June 5 4:00Pm SiFF Cinema

the last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (usa 2009)

directed by daniel Junge

See page 135

Panelists are tBd. Check online for panelist announcement updates.

Tacoma Film Festival

Films from all over the world with a Northwest focus sponsored by The Grand Cinema www.tacomafilmfestival.com

THE FILM FOUNDATION

20 Years/20 Films

This year, to mark its 20th Anniversary, The Film Foundation, with the support of American Express, will showcase 20 films representing the diverse selection of titles restored by the foundation since 1990. As one of six participating U.S. festivals, SIFF is proud to present four recently restored masterpieces from this program:

Drums Along the Mohawk

Directed by John Ford (1939)

The River

Directed by Jean Renoir (1951)

Senso

Directed by Luchino Visconti (1954)

Shadows

Directed by John Cassavetes (1959)

About The Film Foundation: Established in 1990 by Martin Scorsese, The Film Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history by providing substantial annual support for preservation and restoration projects at major film archives. Since its inception, the foundation has been instrumental in raising awareness of the urgent need for film preservation and has helped to save nearly 545 films.

films

Celebrating the landmark films that continue to shape our cinematic future.

The mark of a great film is not merely its ability to surprise us with daring cinematography and fresh dialogue upon first viewing. The true classics are those that continue to provoke emotional responses decades later—that show us new dimensions in the narrative every time it is screened. Once again, SIFF has lined up a series of archival screenings that are sure to stir fond memories of Hollywood’s classic past, yet still seem as relevant now as the day they were made.

Seattle Celebrates Bernstein is the theme of a first-ever city-wide consortium, and SIFF is delighted to screen three cinema classics scored by the great maestro. If you’ve never seen West Side Story (1961) on the big screen—with Bernstein’s challenging score and Jerome Robbins’ still-daring choreography—well, then you haven’t really seen it. Bernstein also provided the score for Elia Kazan’s dramatic masterpiece, On The Waterfront (1954), hallmarked by Marlon Brando’s unforgettable longshoreman with a conscience. And there’s the jaunty On The Town (1949), whose three incorrigible sailors find misadventures aplenty (via Jerome Robbins’ fancy footwork keeping step with Bernstein’s catchy score) while on leave in New York City.

Our archival silent tribute—A Spray of Plum Blossoms, directed by Bu Wancang (China, 1931)—is a comedy of manners based on Shakespeare’s “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Pianist Donald Sosin will provide live accompaniment. This year’s archival documentary, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno, is the intriguing story of one of the greatest films never made, by renowned film restorer, Serge Bromberg. We’re also pleased to present Mother Joan of the Angels (1961) and Night Train (1959)—by the great Polish director Jerzy Kawalerowicz, who broke new ground with his almost-taboo subjects and stunningly stylized visuals. And film historian and award-winning documentary filmmaker, James Forsher, returns to discuss the fascinating topic, “How Sex Sold Hollywood,” illustrated by a wide variety of clips and short films.

Don’t miss the chance to enjoy a few of these amazing and timeless works of art—some of which may not be seen again on the big screen for another generation.

A Guide to SIFF Online and Social Media

You can find SIFF in many places during SIFF 2010. Venues span from downtown Seattle to Kirkland to Everett…but did you know you can also find SIFF online and the iPhone?

www.siff.net

Official information hub. Films, trailers, venues, parties, transportation aids, and everything you need to navigate the Festival. Not sure what films to see? Check out the SIFFter to sift through films based on your filtered preferences.

www.siff.net

Your Festival doesn’t have to stop just because the theaters are closed. Your source for all video content captured at the Festival from parties to filmmaker interviews and Q&A sessions.

iSIFF for the iPhone

Find films, view trailers, get updates, and buy tickets from your iPhone! Free download at the iTunes App Store.

Facebook

www.facebook.com/SIFFNews

A great way to meet fellow film fans and SIFF enthusiasts. Enter to win contests for free tickets!

Twitter

www.twitter.com/SIFFNews

Get immediate Festival updates, interact with SIFF programmers and staff, and engage with other Festival fans.

www.flickr.com/photos/siff/sets

Official photo stream featuring parties, guests, Q&As, events… and maybe even YOU!

www.youtube.com/SIFFNews

Video highlights from SIFF 2010.

Director: Bu Wancang

Producer: Luo Mingyou

Screenwriter: Huang Yicuo

Cinematographer: Huang Shaofen

Cast:

Ruan Ling-yu

Jin Yan

Wang Cilong

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Silent, with English intertitles

Print Source: China Film Archive

Selected Filmography: Dream of the Red Chamber (1945)

Eternity (1942)

The Family (1941)

Mulan Joins the Army (1939)

Love and Duty (1931)

Peach Blossom Weeps Tears of Blood (1931)

A Couple in Name Only (1927)

A Spray of Plum Blossoms

One of the most prolific Chinese directors of the silent era, Bu Wancang based this film on William Shakespeare’s “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” setting the action in China circa 1930 and casting China’s favorite on-screen couple. Instead of the lovers they usually portrayed, here Ruan Ling-yu—the exquisite Goddess of Shanghai who was to take her own life four years later—and Jin Yan, called China’s Valentino, appear as brother and sister. Like any Shakespeare comedy, A Spray of Plum Blossoms is replete with starcrossed lovers, mistaken identity, and a satisfying happy ending. But by situating the play in the milieu of the ’30s Chinese army, the “gentlemen” of Shakespeare’s title are the film’s officers, the duke is a warlord, and his daughter’s ladies-in-waiting are military police. Director Bu Wancang (an admirer of Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith) combines social commentary and splendid character detail—including a wonderful drag act by a character named Fatty Zhu—in this comedy of manners that shines a light on a venerable culture before its Great Leap Forward. The extraordinarily talented Donald Sosin will accompany the film live on piano with his new original composition.

Supported in part by: Richie Meyer and Susan Harmon

Bernstein on Film

This spring an unprecedented consortium of 19 leading Seattle arts organizations will come together to celebrate the life and music of Leonard Bernstein. This unique, first-of-its-kind citywide arts festival will honor the legendary American composer and showcase our region’s world class performing arts community through four months of concerts, theatrical performances, lectures, film screenings, and special events. From now through June, our city will resound with the glorious music and spectacular sights of Seattle Celebrates Bernstein—and we invite you to join the celebration!

For more details about all of the Bernstein festivities, go to seattlecelebratesbernstein.org

On the Waterfront

USA 1954

Winner of eight Academy Awards®, On the Waterfront is the stuff great melodramas are made of. Union boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) runs the waterfront with his right-hand man, Charley Malloy (Rod Steiger). Everybody knows that Friendly is behind a number of murders, but no one will testify against him. Charley’s brother Terry (Marlon Brando), a slowwitted ex-prizefighter, is used to lure one potential informant to his death. But under pressure from the Waterfront Crime Commission, the dead man’s family, and his own budding conscience, Terry begins to lean toward testifying. For years, Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller had planned to make a waterfront movie, with the working title of The Hook. But Miller walked away amid Columbia Pictures’ pressure to make it into an anti-communism picture, and Kazan decided to name names for the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Kazan teamed up with Budd Schulberg to complete the picture as a thinly veiled defense of Kazan’s decision to testify. Ultimately, you can deplore the politics but not the product: gorgeously shot by Boris Kaufman, it uses Hoboken, New Jersey’s docks, tenements, cargo holds, back alleys, and rooftops to immerse you in the raw, oppressive world of the dockworkers, allowing Terry’s brutal, final victory to feel revolutionary.

Director: Elia Kazan

Producer: Sam Spiegel

Screenwriters: Malcolm Johnson

Budd Schulberg

Cinematographer: Boris Kaufman

Editor: Gene Milford

Music:

Leonard Bernstein

Cast: Marlon Brando

Karl Malden

Lee J. Cobb

Rod Steiger

Running Time:

108 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Sony Pictures Repertory

Selected Filmography:

The Last Tycoon (1976)

The Visitors (1972)

The Arrangement (1969)

America America (1963)

Splendor in the Grass (1961)

Wild River (1960)

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

Baby Doll (1956)

East of Eden (1955)

Man on a Tightrope (1953)

A Streetcar Named Desire (1952)

Viva Zapata! (1952)

Panic in the Streets (1950)

Pinky (1949)

Gentleman’s Agreement (1948)

The Sea of Grass (1947)

Boomerang! (1947)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

On the Town

West Side Story

Three sailors—Gabey (Gene Kelly), Chip (Frank Sinatra), and Ozzie (Jules Munshin)—embark on a whirlwind 24-hour shore leave in New York City. After Gabey falls in love with a poster of “Miss Turnstiles,” their search for her leads them into adventures all over the city. First-time directors Kelly and Stanley Donen took this simple premise and used it to transform the movie musical by creating the first musical film shot on location. Kelly had already revolutionized movie musicals twice as a choreographer: first by dancing with himself in Cover Girl (1944), then by dancing with cartoon mouse Jerry (of Tom & Jerry) in Anchors Aweigh (1945). But here— in his directorial debut—he created the first of his three masterworks (followed by Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris), based on Jerome Robbins’ stage musical, Fancy Free, with songs by Leonard Bernstein, with whom he would team up again in 1961 for West Side Story. The movie was an instant success and won the Academy Award® for Best Music and Scoring of a Musical Picture in 1949.

Directors: Stanley Donen

Gene Kelly

Producer: Arthur Freed

Screenwriters: Adolph Green

Betty Comden from the musical play by Comden and Green based on an idea by Jerome Robbins

Cinematographer: Harold Rosson

Editor: Ralph E. Winters

Music: Leonard Bernstein

Roger Edens

Lennie Hayton

Cast: Gene Kelly

Frank Sinatra

Jules Munshin

Betty Garrett

Ann Miller

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: Warner Brothers

Selected Filmography: Blame It on Rio (1984)

Lucky Lady (1975)

The Little Prince (1974)

Arabesque (1966)

Charade (1963)

Damn Yankees! (1958)

The Pajama Game (1957)

Funny Face (1957)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way… and when it’s a classic like West Side Story, it’s a must to see on the big screen with brilliant sound and dazzling picture! Directors Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise update “Romeo and Juliet” to mid-century Manhattan where gangs square off on the mean streets of New York City’s Upper West Side. Eight years in the making, West Side Story combines four major talents that were not known for playing well with others: composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim, writer Arthur Laurentis, and choreographer Robbins. But it all comes together here: Robbins’ athletic choreography combines with Bernstein’s grand score to capture the melodrama of youth, while Laurents’ script and Sondheim’s tough, satiric lyrics nail the angry voice of inner-city youth. Winner of 10 Academy Awards®, West Side Story ties together the inspired location shooting of On The Town with the soaring, operatic drama of On The Waterfront to create one of the best film adaptations of a musical ever created.

Directors: Robert Wise

Jerome Robbins

Producer: Robert Wise

Screenwriter: Ernest Lehman

Cinematographer: Daniel L. Fapp

Editor: Thomas Stanford

Music: Leonard Bernstein

Cast: Natalie Wood

Richard Beymer

Russ Tamblyn

Rita Moreno

George Chakiris

Running Time: 152 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

Selected Filmography: Rooftops (1989)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Audrey Rose (1977)

The Hindenburg (1975)

The Andromeda Strain (1971)

The Sound of Music (1965)

The Haunting (1963)

I Want to Live! (1958)

Run Silent Run Deep (1958)

Until They Sail (1957)

Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)

Helen of Troy (1956)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

The House on Telegraph Hill (1951)

The Body Snatcher (1945)

The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

USA 1961

USA 1949

Drums Along the Mohawk

USA 1939

No one captured the Old West on film better than John Ford. His iconic images of vast plains and rugged landscapes still inspire storytellers grappling with themes of frontier justice and the Indian wars of the late 19th century. But here, Ford reaches farther back in history and farther east—to 1770s upstate New York. Drums Along the Mohawk is the story of Gil Martin (Henry Fonda) and his wife Lana (Claudette Colbert) who move from civilization to a remote cabin in the Mohawk Valley, where their idyllic homestead life is buffeted by the bellicose times. With the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the settlers face hostility from the British and their Indian allies. When Gil and Lana’s farm is burned to the ground, they take refuge with a wealthy widow (Edna May Oliver), but the horror of war continues to impinge. Ford’s portrayal of Native Americans became more nuanced in later films, but here Indians (and their British instigators) are pure evil. Considering it was made in 1939, Ford’s impassioned plea for a strong military may have had less to do with RevolutionaryEra America than the contemporary Nazi threat. History aside, Ford’s first color film contains some of the most beautifully composed scenes on celluloid.

Restored by the Academy Film Archive in cooperation with Twentieth Century Fox, with funding provided by The Film Foundation.

The River

FRANCE 1951

Director: John Ford

Producer: Darryl F. Zanuck

Screenwriters: Lamar Trotti

Sonya Levien based on a novel by Walter D. Edmonds

Cinematographers: Bert Glennon

Ray Rennahan

Editor: Robert Simpson

Music: Alfred Newman

Cast: Claudette Colbert

Henry Fonda

Edna May Oliver

Eddie Collins

John Carradine

Running Time: 103 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: Academy Film Archive

Selected Filmography: How the West Was Won (1962)

The Man Who Shot Liberty

Valance (1962)

The Searchers (1956)

Mister Roberts (1955)

The Quiet Man (1952)

Rio Grande (1950)

Fort Apache (1948)

December 7th (1943)

The Battle of Midway (1942)

How Green Was My Valley (1941)

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

The Long Voyage Home (1940)

Stagecoach (1939)

The Informer (1935)

Arrowsmith (1931)

The River “is one of the two most beautiful color films ever made,” Martin Scorsese says. Indeed, the chance to see this glorious film on the big screen is an opportunity not to be missed. Director Jean Renoir, one of the great masters of cinema, is the son of Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and inherited his father’s eye for arresting imagery and vivid color. It’s also the first Technicolor film made in India, and young filmmaker Satyajit Ray served as assistant director. Set in 1946, the narrative is simple—a story of first love seen through the eyes of Harriet, a young British girl whose upper-class family lives near the banks of the Ganges. Harriet falls in love with an American soldier, Captain John, who’s come to live in India after losing a leg in World War II. Though Harriet’s passion for Captain John is an anchor for the plot, Renoir’s true aim is to express the universal nature of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. In his loving attention to emotional and physical detail, he succeeds brilliantly.

Restored by the Academy Film Archive, in association with the BFI and Janus Films, with funding provided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and The Film Foundation.

Director: Jean Renoir

Producer: Kenneth McEldowney

Screenwriters: Rumer Godden

Jean Renoir

Cinematographer: Claude Renoir

Editor:

George Gale

Music:

M.A. Partha Sarathy

Cast: Nora Swinburne

Esmond Knight

Arthur Shields

Suprova Mukerjee

Thomas E. Breen

Patricia Walters

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source:

Academy Film Archive

Selected Filmography:

The Elusive Corporal (1962)

Picnic on the Grass (1959)

Le testament du Dr. Cordelier (1959)

Elena and her Men (1956)

The Woman on the Beach (1947)

The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946)

The Amazing

Mrs. Holliday (1943)

Rules of the Game (1939)

La bete humaine (1938)

La marseillaise (1938)

Grand Illusion (1937)

Le crime de Monsieur

Lange (1936)

La vie est à nous (1936)

Madame Bovary (1934)

Peterson

llP

And more than fifty years with the same name.

Accounting, auditing, comprehensive tax services, business valuations, provided for closely held and publicly-traded companies, individuals and nonprofits.

We aim to understand your business so well that our advice becomes indispensable. Please contact Ray Holmdahl to see how we may assist your business needs at (206) 382-7707 or by email at rayh@pscpa.com.

Senso

Shadows

USA 1959

Italian director Luchino Visconti is known for his sumptuous portrayals of historical moments as they are played out against the backdrop of individual lives—and the moral decline of the aristocracy. His is an operatic vision, and it is fitting that Senso’s dazzling opening sequence takes place at Venice’s La Fenice, where a performance of “Il Trovatore” is interrupted by Italian Nationalists protesting Austrian troops in the audience. It’s the spring of 1866, the last days of the Austrian occupation of Italy. La contessa Livia Serpieri (Alida Valli) is caught in the commotion at the opera house where she meets Austrian Lieutenant Franz Mahler (Farley Granger), and falls desperately in love. They start a clandestine affair—the wealthy, married woman and the profligate younger man. Despite the fact that Franz is responsible for sending her nationalist cousin into exile, and is obviously using her for her money and connections, Livia is completely consumed by her passion for the dashing enemy. Senso’s beautifully photographed, luxurious sets and stunning locations add to the historical sweep of this masterpiece of passion and betrayal.

Restored by Studiocanal, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia/Cineteca Nazionale, and Cineteca di Bologna/ L’Immogine Ritrovata. Funding provided by GUCCI, The Film Foundation, and Comitato Italia 150.

Director: Luchino Visconti

Producer: Domenico Forges

Davanzati

Screenwriters: Luchino Visconti

Suso Cecchi D’Amico based on a novella by Camillo Boito

Cinematographers: Aldo Graziati

Robert Krasker

Editor: Mario Serandrei

Cast: Alida Valli

Farley Granger

Heinz Moog

Massimo Girotti

Running Time: 118 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Italian, with English subtitles

Print Source: Cineteca di Bologna

Selected Filmography: L’Innocente (1976)

Conversation Piece (1974)

Ludwig (1973)

Death in Venice (1971)

The Damned (1969)

The Witches (1967)

The Stranger (1967)

Sandra (1965)

The Leopard (1963)

Boccaccio ’70 (1962)

Rocco and His Brothers (1961)

White Nights (1957)

Siamo Donne (1953)

La Terra Trema (1948)

Ossessione (1943)

John Cassavetes’ directorial debut bristles with the raw energy and edgy, improvisational performances that would characterize his later work and earn him recognition as the founding father of American independent cinema. Shadows revolves around the New York City jazz scene of the late 1950s, and the lives of three African American siblings who live together in Manhattan. The oldest (Hugh Hurd) is an unsuccessful nightclub singer who is obviously black, while the younger brother (Ben Carruthers) and sister (Lelia Goldoni) are light-skinned enough to pass for white. Ben (the characters have the same name as the actors) is a rootless, charismatic young man who spends his days hanging out on the streets with friends. Lelia is a dreamer—she wants something more out of life but she’s uncertain what. At the emotional center of the film, Lelia falls in love with a white man (Tony Ray) who doesn’t know she’s black, and rejects her after meeting her family. Cassavetes is interested in themes of racial identity and exclusion, but the narrative arc is less important than the warmth and feeling that well up in these largely improvised performances. A superb soundtrack by Charles Mingus sets the moody tone.

Preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive with funding from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and The Film Foundation.

Director: John Cassavetes

Producers: Maurice McEndree

Nikos Papatakis

Screenwriter: John Cassavetes

Cinematographer: Erich Kollmar

Editors: John Cassavetes

Maurice McEndree

Len Appelson

Music: Shafi Hadi

Charles Mingus

Cast: Hugh Hurd

Lelia Goldoni

Ben Carruthers

Anthony Ray

Dennis Sallas

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: UCLA Film and Television

Archive

Selected Filmography: Big Trouble (1986)

Love Streams (1984)

Gloria (1980)

Opening Night (1977)

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)

A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)

Husbands (1970)

Faces (1968)

A Child is Waiting (1963)

Too Late Blues (1962)

ITALY 1954

How Sex Sold Hollywood

Join film historian James Forsher for this curated program of scandalous archival shorts.

As long as movies have entertained the public, sex has been part of the formula that has helped studios bring the public to the theater. Over two hours, we will look at a wide assemblage of film clips exploring the battle of the birds and bees from three different genres:

Hollywood Sex uses clips from motion pictures, trailers, film shorts, and cartoons, tracing how the film industry evolved in its portrayal of gender relations going as far back as 1893.

Weird Sex explores films exposing the “strange” views of men and women’s relationships in films. Films will include the portrayal of transvestites in the 1950s as well as cutting-edge animators creating “funny porno” films in the 1920s.

Finally, Patriotic Sex focuses on World War II, with films instructing women to do their patriotic duty and to keep their fighting men happy.

How Sex Sold Hollywood is a nostalgic look at the sexy and sometimes slimy world of human passion on the silver screen.

James Forsher, PhD, is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with over 100 nationally aired shows to his credit. He is also an Associate Professor in Communication at Seattle University teaching film studies and digital media. For more information visit forsherproductions.com.

l ’ enfer de henri - georges clouzot

Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno

FRANCE 2009

Renowned film restorer Serge Bromberg, who previously brought back to life neglected works by the likes of George Méliès, Jean Vigo, and Marcel Carné, recounts the troubled history of one of the greatest films never made. In 1964, at the height of his fame after suspenseful classics The Wages of Fear and Diabolique, Henri-Georges Clouzot set out to direct the story of a husband suffering pathological jealousy over his young bride’s supposed affairs. Promised an unlimited budget and with a high-power cast headed by the radiant 26-year-old Romy Schneider, Clouzot spent months experimenting with camera tests, seeking to create an innovative film language based on the sonic and visual art of the period. Rumors soon got out that something incredible was afoot, but three weeks into production disaster struck; the director suffered a heart attack and the film was shut down. The footage remained unseen for forty years until, lucky for us, a chance remark from Clouzot’s widow set the indefatigable Bromberg on the trail. The result is a remarkable insight into the creative process, and a tragic story of life imitating art as Clouzot’s mania spun out of control. Bromberg and co-director Ruxandra Medrea Annonier have dredged up absolutely stunning footage that leave one practically slavering over what might have been in a tour de force that is essential viewing for all lovers of film history.

Awards: César Award 2010 (Best Documentary)

Directors:

Serge Bromberg

Ruxandra Medrea

Annonier

Producer:

Serge Bromberg

Screenwriter: Serge Bromberg

Cinematographers: Irina Lubtchansky

Jérome Krumenacker

Editor: Janice Jones

Music: Bruno Alexlu

Featuring: Romy Schneider

Serge Reggiani

Bérénice Bejo

Jacques Gamblin

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: MK2 International

Print Source: Flicker Alley

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Jerzy Kawalerowicz

matka joanna od aniolów

Mother Joan of the Angels

POLAND 1961

A gaunt priest, Father Joseph Suryn, arrives at the inn of a small village ready to do battle… with nuns possessed by devils. He is the fifth priest assigned by the church to solve the problem at the nearby cloistered order of Ursuline nuns. The film’s rich and shocking images dance and scream across the screen as Father Joseph and Mother Joan talk about love and how best to love God. Father Joseph tries to exorcise Mother Joan’s demons, but his compassion and attraction to her tortures him to the point that he seeks the advice from the local rabbi. A Bergmanesque black and white film set in a 17th-century French town, Kawalerowicz’s astounding thriller was shot in a waste dump (the inn, monastery, and church are all sets) providing the unsettling background of what he called his “anti-dogma film.” Based on the true story of an outbreak of mass hysteria in 17th-century France, as were Aldous Huxley’s The Devils of London and Ken Russell’s The Devils, the film was banned by the Catholic Church when it was first released. Mother Joan of the Angels is a stunning account of religious madness, sexual and societal repression, and fanaticism. Recently restored through the KinoRP project, which is reconstructing prominent Polish films damaged by time and the elements.

Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz

Screenwriters: Jerzy Kawalerowicz

Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz

Tadeusz Konwicki

Cinematographer: Jerzy Wójcik

Editor: Wieslawa Otacka

Music:

Adam Walacinski

Cast:

Lucyna Winnicka

Mieczyslaw Voit

Anna Ciepielewska

Maria Chwalibóg

Kazimierz Fabisiak

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: Digital Cinema, in Polish, with English subtitles

Print Source: Studio Kilowe KADR

Selected Filmography: Quo Vadis (2001)

The Inn (1983)

Death of a President (1978)

Pharaoh (1966)

Night Train (1959)

Shadow (1956)

Night Train

POLAND 1959

In this Hitchcockian mystery-thriller, a murderer, a blond, a rejected lover, a priest, a lawyer’s wife, a doctor, and a Holocaust survivor ride an overnight train to the Baltic seaside. A man wearing sunglasses boards the train, claims he has lost his ticket, and wants to buy the entire train compartment for himself. When he enters the compartment, he finds a beautiful blond leaning near the widow. Rather than make a fuss with the tough lady conductor, the man agrees to share the compartment. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the train car takes its toll. Director Kawalerowicz calls this film a “psychological portrait of hunger and desire” and focuses on the characters revealing what they’d rather keep hidden. Night Train can also be read as an allegory of life in post-Stalinist Poland where a loss of identity, lack of privacy, and feelings of abandonment were endemic to a radically changing society. The film’s jazz score, inspired by Artie Shaw’s “Moonglow,” makes great use of female vocals and vibraphones as it heightens the tension and mystery of this atmospheric noir film. Digitally reconstructed through the Polish KinoRP project.

Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz

Screenwriters: Jerzy Kawalerowicz

Jerzy Lutowski

Cinematographer: Jan Laskowski

Editor: Wieslawa Otocka

Cast: Lucyna Winnicka

Leon Miemczyk

Teresa Szmigielówna

Zbigniew Cybulski

Helena Dabrowska

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format: Digital Cinema, in Polish, with English subtitles

Print Source: Studio Kilowe KADR

Selected Filmography:

Quo Vadis (2001)

The Inn (1983)

Death of a President (1978)

Pharaoh (1966)

Mother Joan of the Angels (1961)

Shadow (1956)

alternate cinema

When you tell your friend about the last movie you saw at SIFF, you generally talk about the plot, the story, or the narrative. It’s not so easy when it comes to Alternate Cinema. These movies exist beyond narrative. They tell their stories with images, poetry, and ideas, much more than with plot.

This year’s Alternate Cinema films run the gamut from documentary to essay to narrative… and nothing is as it seems. The most traditional documentary in form has the least traditional content. Chuck Workman’s Visionaries: Jonas Mekas and the (Mostly) American AvantGarde Cinema works as a history of avant-garde cinema. If he ever makes a sequel, he might include the directors of our Alternate Cinema Shorts, a great collection of films and videos that push the boundaries of form and content.

When it comes to feature narratives and documentaries, our films fit somewhere in between. Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo is more an essay than a documentary about beetle collecting in Tokyo, while General Orders No. 9 is an epic meditation on the evolution of the American South. Then there’s Double Take, a thriller about Cold War paranoia starring—thanks to a combination of archival footage and professional doubles—none other than the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock.

This year’s batch of Alternate Cinema films are playful, thought-provoking, fun, interesting, and definitely something to see.

alternate short films

Beyond

Austria 2008, 7 minutes, director: Annja Krautgasser

The camera moves across arcs and sparks of light, until the film eventually reveals itself

From peaceful meditations to a hurricane of visual stimuli, our short film package, Alternative Waves, will wash over you with sounds, images, and ideas that reach far beyond narrative. (90 minutes)

Cruising the Urban Inferno From the 4th Floor

USA/Canada 2009, 4 minutes, director: Bridget Irish

A string of images captures life outside the 4th floor window of a hotel in Vancouver.

Digital Intermediated Swimming

South Korea 2009, 5 minutes, director: Hyung suk Lee, North American Premiere

Strands of film float in a developing solution like water weeds.

Earth of Delightful Gardening

Netherlands 2009, 6 minutes, director: Ralph McKay

Like a walk through a celluloid garden of cutout flowers and layers of plant images.

Fences

Netherlands 2009, 6 minutes, director: José Vonk

This old-fashioned flicker film is funny and full of flashes.

A Meditation in Color and Light

USA 2010, 7 minutes, director: Jon Behrens, World Premiere

Stalwart Seattle filmmaker Jon Behrens returns with this optically-printed extravaganza.

Night Mayor

Canada 2009, 14 minutes, director: Guy Maddin

Guy Maddin’s dream-like documentary about a fictional Bosnian inventor who harvests imagery using the power of the Aurora Borealis.

Nothing to Fear but Nothing Itself

USA 2009, 5 minutes, director: Salise Hughes, World Premiere

Local filmmaker Salise Hughes paints out the threats from old footage of “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

Austria 2009, 3 minutes, director: Johann Lurf, North American Premiere

Single frames are grabbed from a variety of films, creating an abstract cascade of often-recognizable images.

State of Flux - Wave#1/Wave #2/Wave #3

Austria 2009, 11 minutes, director: Rainier Gamsjager, North American Premiere

Waves of water get absorbed into digital imagery in this cleansing series of shorts.

Triumph of the Wild

Netherlands 2009, 6 minutes, director: Martha Colburn

Martha Colurn returns to Seattle’s screens with this animation of hunted animals taking revenge on the hunters.

Tusslemuscle

USA 2009, 5 minutes, director: Steve Cossman

An explosion of flowers culled from more than 7,000 View-Master cells.

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

USA 2009

In this country, beetles are foreign-looking armored things to be feared, avoided, stepped on, or otherwise destroyed. In Japan, it’s just the opposite. Beetles are collected and respected, to the point where a single specimen recently sold for $90,000. Live beetles are even sold in vending machines. First-time filmmaker Jessica Oreck explores Japan’s fascination in a way that combines both science and art. Eschewing talking heads for more poetic inspiration, she captures the beetle obsession from the inside out using images, interviews, poetic musings, literary quotations, video games, and a boy who wants to buy a new beetle for his collection. As the movie progresses, we start to see the world from the insect’s point of view, and what a beautiful world it is.Traffic cops at night mirror the lightning bugs behind them. Crowds walking down the street with umbrellas are protected from the rain by hard shells of fabric. It’s a fascinating bug’s-eye view of a fascinating culture.

Director: Jessica Oreck

Producer: Jessica Oreck

Screenwriter: Jessica Oreck

Cinematographer: Sean Price Williams

Editors: Theo Angell

Jessica Oreck

Music: J.C. Morrison

Running Time: 91 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta

Print Source: Argot Pictures

Film Website: beetlequeen.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Double Take

BELGIUM/GErMANy/NETHErLANdS 2009

There’s an old saying about doppelgangers: if you meet your double you should kill him before he kills you. In Double Take, Alfred Hitchcock stars with his double in a paranoid thriller set during the height of the Cold War. Their story runs parallel to that of richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev, the U.S. and the U.S.S.r., and the fate of the world. Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez found his star by combining clips of Hitchcock from film and television with new footage of a professional Hitchcock double. The result is playful and fascinating digestion of Cold War paranoia and archival footage that dishes over the commercialization of fear both in the movies and in real life. Keep in mind, however, that this is much more than an assemblage of kitschy archival footage. There is a story here, and Hitchcock is the star. It’s all based on the Jorge Luis Borges short story “August 25, 1983,” in which the author meets an older version of himself. you need to watch until the end to find out if murder is the MacGuffin.

Director: Johan Grimonprez

Producer: Emmy Oost

Johan Grimonprez

Screenwriters: Johan Grimonprez

Tom McCarthy

Editors: Dieter Diependaele

Tyler Hubby

Music: Christian Halten

Cast: Ron Burrage

Mark Perry

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales:

UMedia

Print Source: Kino/Lorber

Selected Filmography: Looking for Alfred (2005)

Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y (1997)

General Orders No. 9

Visionaries: Jonas Mekas and the (Mostly) American Avant-Garde Cinema

USA 2009

Combining impressionistic imagery with historical maps, General Orders No. 9 is an epic meditation on the evolution of the American South. deer trails transform into Native American trails and then county roads. At the center of each county is the courthouse. With a pace as languid as a hot summer day, the movie evokes a world of rivers, tribes, and beasts—a rural paradise that is slow to change. But progress is inevitable. Just as we’re lulled into the beautiful greenery and rural reminiscences, the interstate cuts a scar through the landscape and knocks the developing cities out of whack. Above all, the film is about the surrender of rural to urban, and the inevitability of progress. The movie’s title comes from General robert E. Lee’s “General Orders No. 9,” his farewell address to his army of Northern Virginia. Lee wrote of yielding to the Union’s overwhelming numbers and resources. With award-winning cinematography and a bittersweet poetry, director robert Persons creates an artful exploration of geography as an extension of culture.

Awards: Slamdance Film Festival 2010 (Best Cinematography)

Director: Robert Persons

Producer: Phil Walker

Screenwriter: Robert Persons

Cinematographer: Robert Persons

Editor: Phil Walker

Music: Chris Hoke

Running Time: 72 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: New Rose Window, Inc.

Film Website: generalordersno9.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Acclaimed documentarian Chuck Workman raids the vaults for this tribute to curator Jonas Mekas and the Anthology Film Archives. Instead of a conventional voice-over, Workman uses rare clips, archival footage, and interviews to tell the story. Along with directors Kenneth Anger, Ken Jacobs, and robert downey, he speaks with film programmers and critics who provide both history and context. In the process, he credits genre-exploding Europeans, from dziga Vertov to derek Jarman, who inspired (and took inspiration from) the New American Cinema. By the 1950s, Mekas was screening Jacobs, Andy Warhol and others. To appreciate their efforts, he explains, “One just has to permit that reality that is on the screen to work on you.” downey, the father of robert downey Jr., feels grateful to Mekas for supporting “stuff that was a little different.” If it isn’t obvious at first, a pattern starts to emerge: those who work in the experimental realm see filmmaking as a calling and no one expects to make any money from it. To avantgarde neophytes, Workman’s labor of love will provide a valuable education, and initiates are likely to view it as a celebration of an underappreciated art form.

Director: Chuck Workman

Producer: Chuck Workman

Cinematographers: Kevin Cloutier

John Sharaf

Miguelangel Aponte

Editor: Chuck Workman

Music: Gustav Holst

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Calliope Films

Selected Filmography: In Search of Kennedy (2008)

A Kiss at Kerouac’s Grave (2004)

A House on a Hill (2003)

The Source (1999)

Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol (1990)

Stoogemania (1986)

Cuba Crossing (1980) The Money (1976)

USA 2009

golden space needle awards

Make Your Voice Heard!

Thousands of film entries. 400 selections. 25 days of Festival. One prestigious award: The Golden Space Needle Audience Award. The best part? It’s your choice! Who will be honored for quirky comedic genius or gut-wrenching dramatic acting? Is there a film that continues to haunt you? Which director awed you with a groundbreaking vision? you decide who deserves that esteemed statue.

For the past 25 years, the Seattle International Film Festival has celebrated its most popular films and filmmakers with the Golden Space Needle Audience Award. Created to recognize audience members’ favorite cinematic pieces, awards are bestowed upon the Festival’s Best Feature Film, documentary Film, director, Actor, Actress, and Short Film. Often these winners go on to add Academy Awards® and Golden Globes to their mantelpieces.

Want to make your voice heard? For Best Film or documentary Feature, just take a ballot from an usher as you enter the theater. Once the film is over, tear your ballot at the appropriate grade (from 1 to 5), and return your completed ballot to an usher as you leave the venue. Ballots for each film are tallied throughout the Festival. Each venue will also have blank ballots next to the ballot boxes; complete these to vote for Best director, Actor, or Actress. Simply write your choice for the winner in each of the categories and place your completed ballot in the box. Winners will be announced on June 13. Thank you for participating!

Golden Space Needle Award Prizes

The winners of the Golden Space Needle Award for Best Short Film will receive a brand-new Mac computer fully loaded with the latest in filmmaking software from Iris Professional Services and The Mac Store as well as $1,000 of motion picture film from Kodak. Winners will be announced June 13.

SIFF 2009 Golden Space Needle Audience Award Winners

Best Film

Black Dynamite, directed by Scott Sanders (USA 2009)

Best Documentary

The Cove, directed by Louie Psihoyos (USA 2009)

Best Director

Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (USA 2008)

Best Actor

Sam rockwell for Moon (United Kingdom 2009)

Best Actress

yolande Moreau for Séraphine (France/Belgium 2008)

Best Short Film

Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death, directed by Nick Park (United Kingdom 2008)

Lena Sharpe Award for Best Film by a Woman Director

Sweet Crude, directed by Sandy Cioffi (USA 2008)

short films

The short form, whether written or filmed, is a varied, protean form–the only rule is brevity. Other than that, the filmmaker is only limited by technique, imagination, and maybe his pocketbook: gothic horror can mix with family drama, a farmland pastoral can turn into cyberpunk fantasy, or a recipe’s missing ingredient could unleash a streamof-conscious exploration of memory. It is the form’s sheer adaptability that continually draws filmmakers to practice it. When successful, the short film practitioner creates a unique and singular impression upon the audience, not easily forgotten though only fleetingly seen.

With SIFF now an Academy Award®qualifying festival, ShortsFest draws not only filmmakers from around the country, but also an increasingly large contingent of international filmmakers, many of whom journey to Seattle to present their films.

Every short film at the Seattle International Film Festival is eligible for both the Golden Space Needle Audience Award and Jury Award. The Golden Space Needle prizewinner will be determined by audience balloting, and will receive the latest Mac loaded with filmmaking software from Iris Professional Services and The Mac Store, and $1,000 of motion picture film from Kodak.

Our Shorts Competition jurors will choose winners in the Narrative, Animation, and Documentary categories. Each jury winner will receive $1,000. The Narrative and Animation winners may also qualify to enter the Short Films category of the Academy Awards®

Jury

SJ Chiro

SJ Chiro graduated from Bennington College with a degree in theater and French literature. In Seattle she has worked extensively with Annex Theatre where she acted, directed, and championed new work, eventually becoming Artistic Director. Work in the theater naturally lead to work in film. Her 2006 short film, Little Red Riding Hood, has been shown at festivals internationally, garnering awards for Best Live Action Short at Cinema K (Seattle’s Children’s Film Festival) and Best Cinematography at the San Francisco Woman’s Film Festival. Her 2008 Hitchcockian sci-fi film, Third Days Child, screened at SIFF 2008 and was named one of the top 20 short films of the Festival. It also played at the One Reel Film Festival, the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films 2008, and the EMP|SFM Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival, among others. Her most recent work, A Water Tale, an environmental fairy tale commissioned by Seattle Public Utilities, is currently screening at festivals both nationally and internationally. SJ is in pre-production on a new short based on a short story by Keri Healey, Howard From Ohio, scheduled to shoot July 2010.

Chris Swenson

Seattle native Chris Swenson is the Film Program Coordinator at the Seattle Office of Film + Music. He began his 13-year film career in 1994 after five years as an independent record label owner and band manager. He has worked on feature, corporate, and commercial productions across the country. His film credits include Production Designer for David Russo’s The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle and John Jeffcoat’s Outsourced (Seattle locations), and Art Director for Homeland and Man Maid. He is a member of the UW Film and Artist Trust EDGE.

Karen Toering

A native of Gary, Indiana, and graduate of Purdue, University School of Communication, Karen Toering is the Program Director of Seattle’s Langston Hughes African American Film Festival as well as a grant-writing consultant for non-profit arts, cultural, and social justice organizations. In addition to a variety of film and media-based shenanigans, her professional background includes the management and development of community-based television facilities and media arts centers in Indiana, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Washington.

ShortsFest Opening Night

SIFF’s annual celebration of the short subject kicks off with a dynamically varied program examining the breezy joy and tremendous complexity found in the best short films. 89 minutes

Ana’s Playground

USA, 2009, 20 minutes, director: Eric D. Howell

A children’s soccer game becomes unexpectedly dangerous when their ball flies out of reach.

The Armoire

Canada, 2009, 22 minutes, director: Jamie Travis

Two boys play hide and seek…but one can’t be found.

Birthday

Sweden/Poland, 2010, 18 minutes, director: Jenifer Malmqvist

Sara wants to surprise her wife Katarina on her 40th birthday, unaware there’s a surprise also in store for her.

Glenn Owen Dodds

Australia, 2009, 16 minutes, director: Frazer Bailey

On his way to the bus, Michael Radcliffe ends up waiting in line to meet God— the meaning of life revealed in a five-minute sit-down.

I Saw U

USA, 2010, 9 minutes, directors: Maile Martinez, Lane Stroud, US Premiere

A light-hearted look at the real stories behind several “I Saw U” ads placed in The Stranger

Santa, the Fascist Years

USA, 2009, 4 minutes, director: Bill Plympton

Finally, Santa’s activities during the 1940s come to light.

Straight From NPR

Personal art, tea, immigration, and inflatable bozos are spotlighted in this collection of thoughtful stories from around the world. 83 minutes

The Battle of the Bozos

USA, 2009, 19 minutes, director: Bradley Glenn

An inflatable Bozo incites a stand-off between adjacent office buildings.

Cultures of Resistance: Battle for the Xingu

Brazil/USA, 2009, 12 minutes, director: Iara Lee

The Brazilian government finds itself in hot water when it tries to build a hydroelectric dam on an indigenous Amazon tributary.

Fair Lawn

Turkey/USA, 2009, 14 minutes, director: Esra Saydam

Jose, a Guatemalan day laborer, faces the reality that justice can sometimes be cast aside.

Forty Foot

Ireland, 2009, 10 minutes, directors: Leticia Agudo, Aoibheann O’Sullivan

At Forty Foot, the locals come to swim every morning.

Green Sea

Argentina, 2009, 14 minutes, director: Ignacio Busquier, US Premiere

The small moments and routine details of growing green gold, the tea of the zone of Campo Viera and Obera in Misiones, Argentina.

Unreserved: The Work of Louie Gong

USA, 2009, 14 minutes, director: Tracy Rector

An intimate portrait of artist Louie Gong and his stylish collision of Native Coast Salish art and Vans skate shoes.

Animation For Adults

Possibilities are endless in this animated universe, from beat poet cats to action figurines who come to life. 74 minutes

0 (Zero)

Canada, 2009, 5 minutes, director: Jace Kim, US Premiere

A revenge-driven swordsman finally confronts his father’s rival.

The Astronomer’s Sun United Kingdom, 2010, 6 minutes, directors: Simon Cartwright, Jessica Cope, North American Premiere

In the dark atmosphere of his observatory, a young man tries to follow his father’s steps.

The Bellows March

USA, 2009, 5 minutes, director: Eric Dyer Concertina-soldiers march, dance, and intertwine with each other in a colorful kaleidoscope of motion.

Dried Up

USA, 2009, 7 minutes, director:

Isaiah Powers

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Free

USA/South Africa, 2010, 1 minute, directors: Scott Macklin, Angelika Macklin, World Premiere

Speak freely and the words will come to life.

Kings

USA, 2010, 5 minutes, director: Barbara Mones, World Premiere War is a lot more than a game of cards.

The Little Dragon France, 2009, 9 minutes, director: Bruno Collet

The dragon spirit is reincarnated in rubber toy form, breaking free after being trapped in a box for 35 years.

Man and Cat

Australia, 2009, 6 minutes, director: Adam Marr

Ever wish you could switch places with your cat?

Nanu

Canada, 2009, 3 minutes, director: Alex Donald, US Premiere

Fox vs. narwhal on the arctic ice caps.

Santa, the Fascist Years

USA, 2009, 4 minutes, director: Bill Plympton

Finally, Santa’s activities during the 1940s come to light.

Wings and Oars

Latvia, 2009, 6 minutes, director: Vladimir Leschiov

A pilot looks back over his life on a journey from an airstrip to an abandoned boat house.

Wisdom Teeth

USA, 2010, 5 minutes, director: Don Hertzfeldt

The unnecessary new cartoon that genius animator Don Hertzfeldt drew between more important things.

The Wonder Hospital USA, 2010, 12 minutes, director: Beomsik Shimbe Shim

A surreal journey through a mysterious hospital that alters the perception of physical beauties.

We Shall Overcome

Five films about overcoming the odds—now with ninjas! 84 minutes

Bro

United Kingdom, 2009, 18 minutes, director: Chris Dundon

Even when he’s watching after his disabled brother, Simon is in search of a normal life.

The Hirosaki Players

USA, 2009, 19 minutes, director: Jeff Sousa

On a tense opening night, a playwright struggles with his father, a legendary Japanese actor, over control of the play and their relationship.

Russel Fish: The Sausage and Eggs Incident

USA, 2009, 9 minutes, director: Terence Heuston

Russel Fish must pass the Presidential Physical Fitness Test or lose his chance to attend Harvard.

Snake Fever

USA, 2009, 13 minutes, director: Wendy Greene

Rattlesnake hunting in the tiny rural town of Waynoka, Oklahoma isn’t just a way to keep residents and their valuable cattle from getting bitten, or just a sport— it’s a way to keep the old West from being forgotten.

The Tunnel

South Africa, 2010, 25 minutes, director: Jenna Bass

A little girl uses stories to help explain (and escape) what happened to her father during Zimbabwe’s 1980s massacres.

Northwest Connections Put ’Em Up

A contract good until death, decades old cases, bullies, and war—keep your pistols close! 79 minutes

Night Blind

USA, 2010, 15 minutes, director: Robert Parks, World Premiere

Sheriff Jack Carter struggles with the secrets he uncovers while working to solve the murder of the local reverend.

Patrol

USA, 2009, 21 minutes, director: John Ford

A divorced dad impersonates a cop to impress his young son.

The Six Dollar Fifty Man

New Zealand, 2009, 15 minutes, directors: Mark Albiston, Louis Sutherland

Eight-year-old Andy is forced out of his make-believe world to deal with playground bullies.

The Terms

United Kingdom, 2009, 12 minutes, director: Jason LaMotte

A twisted pact between a father and son plays out to its logically perverse end.

War

Italy, 2009, 16 minutes, director: Paolo Sassanelli

In 1946 post-war Italy, there are still no signs of peace.

From heroic documentary to hitmen, with a lotto win gone wrong for good measure, these Northwest filmmakers cover a lot of ground. 80 minutes

Rise N’ Shine - A Hero’s Journey

USA, 2009, 11 minutes, directors: Rohit Agarwal, Timothy McCormack

This is a true tale of a child-hero with a lion’s heart and of a visionary caregiver who serendipitously join forces to overcome death, disease, and discrimination.

Shuffle

USA, 2010, 18 minutes, director: Garrett Bennett, World Premiere

A hitman with a change of heart must play one last hand of poker with the mob boss who raised him.

The Thomas Beale Cipher

USA, 2010, 9 minutes, director: Andrew Allen, World Premiere

An animated train trip follows the mysterious unsolved cipher of the Thomas Beale treasures.

White Lines and the Fever: The Death of DJ Junebug

USA, 2010, 25 minutes, director: Travis Senger

Recalling the Bronx in 1983 and the hottest hip-hop club in the City, the story of Junebug’s double-life as a DJ and drug dealer is disclosed.

Your Lucky Day

USA, 2009, 17 minutes, director: Dan Brown

A megaball drawing sends a convenience store spiraling out of control.

Ambiente

From new imaginary friends to old family recipes, come sample the freshest new flavors in Spanish short film. 87 minutes

5 Memories

Spain/Mexico, 2009, 12 minutes, directors: Oriana Alcaine, Alejandra

Marquez

1. Onions, 2. Tomatoes, 3. Celery, 4. Fish, 5...What’s the fifth ingredient?

Head or Tails

Spain/Mexico, 2009, 11 minutes, director: Jacobo Echeverria

Two teenagers roam Madrid flipping a coin to decide who will perform the next prank.

Imaginary Friend Practical Manual (abbreviated)

Spain, 2009, 19 minutes, director: Ciro Altabas

Captain Kiloton has been Fernando’s imaginary friend for 18 years, but the appearance of an old classmate threatens his record run.

The Last Moments of Leopoldo Berenguer

Spain/USA, 2009, 10 minutes, director: Jaime Dezcallar

Every man is king in his own life.

The Mishap

Spain, 2009, 10 minutes, director: David Canovas

An insurance sales agent visits her client to finalize a contract.

The Same Old Story

Spain, 2009, 10 minutes, director: Jose Luis Montesinos

A man does everything in his power to get his wife back and put an end to his crisis.

Say Me

Spain, 2009, 15 minutes, director: Mateo Gil

How can you mend a broken heart?

Pandemonium Boulevard

And then, quite suddenly, all hell broke loose. 87 minutes

Culebra

USA, 2009, 15 minutes, director: Sean Carter

In an underground tunnel beneath the U.S.-Mexican border, a woman stumbles into an unimagined danger.

Epilogue

Hungary, 2010, 14 minutes, director: Balázs Lóth, North American Premiere Traumatic memories haunt a bedridden man.

How I Survived the Zombie Apocalypse

USA, 2009, 11 minutes, director: Christian Cantamessa

It’s difficult being a single mom, particularly during a zombie onslaught.

In the Dark

USA, 2010, 8 minutes, director: Ed Brubaker, World Premiere

When practicing the fine art of murder, be sure to follow each and every step.

Massacrator

Canada, 2009, 4 minutes, director: Pierre Ayotte

The ultimate B-movie experience—love, death, a motorcycle chase, kung-fu, and Elvis.

Off Season

USA/United Kingdom, 2009, 14 minutes, director: Jonathan Van Tulleken

On a winter’s night, a burglar makes a frightening discovery in a shuttered summer cottage.

Sinkhole

USA, 2009, 14 minutes, director: Eric Scherbarth

A salesman makes an irresistible offer to an elderly man for his blighted property…but what lies beneath?

Those Who Cry Alone

Spain, 2009, 7 minutes, director: David Gonzalez Rudiez

Every night, Grandma tells stories to the children.

The Family Picture Show

Specially programmed for the young and the young at heart, this international blend of animated and live-action shorts will enchant and invigorate the entire family. 73 minutes

Burning Stage

South Korea, 2009, 4 minutes, director: Sun-woo Yang

Droplets of water bring Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake to dazzling life.

Cherry On The Cake

United Kingdom, 2009, 8 minutes, director: Hye Bin Lee

Cherry’s family is too caught up to pay attention to her. She feels small and begins to shrink accordingly. Will she disappear?

Furtissimo

USA, 2009, 3 minutes, director: Jacob Cementina

Fluffy the Cat wants to sing opera and his jazzy neighbors want to jam. Perhaps there’s a compromise?

Kevin The Superhero

Denmark, 2009, 9 minutes, directors: Catherine Kunze, Jacob Wellendorf Chloe and Thea visit their six-year-old friend Kevin who dreams of becoming a superhero.

The Legend of Geb and Nut

United Kingdom, 2009, 5 minutes, director: Laura Ratta, North American Premiere

This Egyptian myth vibrantly relates the story of Geb the Earth God and Nut the Goddess of the Sky.

Ormie

Canada, 2009, 4 minutes, director: Rob Silvestri

A determined pig will find any means to get to that jar of cookies.

Pigeon: Impossible

USA, 2009, 7 minutes,

director: Lucas Martell

Rookie secret agent Walter finds trouble when a curious pigeon gets inside his nuclear briefcase.

Puffer Girl

USA, 2009, 5 minutes, director: Joan Gratz

The perplexing adventures of a puffer fish who pushes the boundaries of her world.

Puppy’s Super Delicious Valentines Day Biscuits

USA, 2009, 3 minutes, director: Annie Poon

Puppy’s going to bake something sweet for Valentine’s Day.

El Salon Mexico

USA, 2009, 13 minutes, director: Paul Glickman

A fantasy animation breathes musical life into the customs of old Mexico.

Soar

Canada, 2009, 3 minutes, director: Akbar Nazemi

Once caged, a bird is aided to freedom by his feathered friends.

Three Times Me

USA, 2009, 4 minutes, director: Wendy J.N. Lee

A little girl hiding under the dinner table imagines growing up in three pairs of shoes that have caught her attention.

Whistleless

Denmark, 2009, 5 minutes, director: Siri Melchior, US Premiere

Within the sounds of the world around him, a young bird struggles to find his voice.

Into the Dreamtime

Is this real life? Is it just fantasy? 83 mintues

At Home with the Jedi

Scotland, 2009, 10 minutes, director: RF Simpson, North American Premiere

Meet the founders of the UK’s Church of Jediism, whose galactic ambition reaches far beyond their small town existence.

E-pigs

Slovenia/Serbia/Montenegro, 2009, 15 minutes, director: Petar Pasic

A husband and wife in a tiny village are shocked when their favorite pig gives birth to cyborg piglets.

The History of Aviation

France/Hungary, 2009, 18 minutes, director: Balint Kenyeres

During a family holiday at a gorgeous seaside getaway, a girl wanders off and observes a mysterious event.

Junko’s Shamisen

Canada, 2009, 11 minutes, director: Solomon Friedman

A young Japanese orphan exacts poetic justice on a malevolent samurai lord.

My Invisible Friend

Spain, 2010, 15 minutes, director: Pablo Larcuen

An overweight boy is so shy that he needs the help of an invisible friend to express his personality.

Not So Still Life

USA, 2010, 5 minutes, director: Mark O’Connell, World Premiere Northwest splendor stars in this intriguing visual piece.

The Poodle Trainer

USA, 2009, 9 minutes, director: Vance Malone

Irina reveals her transcendent relationship with her dogs and her lifetime of working in the world of the circus.

Playing Doctor Cupid’s Arrows

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. 89 minutes

Adelaide USA, 2009, 12 minutes, director: Liliana Greenfield-Sanders

What will happen when EMT-wannabe Brad meets hypochondriac Adelaide?

Committed

Iceland, 2009, 20 minutes, director: Isold Uggadottir

Eva and Vidar take their relationship to the next level only to find there’s no call center for how to live happily ever after.

The Crush

Ireland, 2009, 15 minutes, director: Michael Creagh

When eight-year-old Ardal Travis becomes besotted with his teacher, he challenges her boyfriend to a duel—to the death.

Dishonesty

USA, 2010, 15 minutes, director: Timothy Watkins, World Premiere

A couple finds themselves trapped in a corrosive web of their own lies.

Game of Glass

Germany, 2009, 10 minutes, director: Sabrina Sarabi, US Premiere

Ignored because of her wheelchair, Maike longs to catch Sven’s eye.

Public Relations

USA, 2009, 17 minutes, director: Gianna Sobol

Sometimes the worst people bring the best people together.

Pull out that mix tape you made for your middle school classmate and relive the days of young love, lust, and experimentation. First aid kits provided. 81 minutes

Little Accidents

USA, 2009, 18 minutes, director: Sara Colangelo

A desperate young factory worker recruits her mentally disabled ex-boyfriend to steal a pregnancy test for her.

Megaheavy

Denmark, 2009, 19 minutes, director: Fenar Ahmad, North American Premiere

Introverted, heavy-metal loving Jolly’s world is turned upside-down when her neighbor’s son arrives on the island for a visit.

Mutually Assured Desire

USA, 2009, 6 minutes, director: Andrew Hellesen

Will the last woman and man on earth be able to ensure the future existence of mankind?

My Last Day on Earth

Canada, 2010, 8 minutes, director: Jacques Thelemaque

A perfect day, a night at the carnival, a moment of transformation…

Night Stand

USA, 2010, 11 minutes, director: Nathan Williams, World Premiere

A young woman finds herself in a war of antics with the other woman sleeping in her boyfriend’s bed.

Siemiany

Belgium, 2009, 19 minutes, director: Philip James McGoldrick, North American Premiere

Two boys meet every summer in a country village where their friendship takes on a new intimacy.

From Boys to Men

From Thailand to a heated back alley chase, 1950s Queens to modern-day fairy tales and fantasies, gay life in all its twists. 80 minutes

Bedfellows

USA, 2010, 16 minutes, director: Pierre Stefanos

When Bobby meets Jonathan at the bar where he got his heart broken, can a one-night stand end up a fairy tale?

Chased

USA, 2009, 17 minutes, director: Branden Blinn

A narrow escape from local thugs stirs two high school jocks to something far beyond the football field.

The Feast of Stephen

USA, 2010, 4 minutes, director: James Franco

A young man watches a group of teenagers playing basketball. Suddenly the four lads chase him and start terrorizing him. Or so it seems.

Pasajero

Spain, 2009, 13 minutes, director: Miguel Gabaldon

Two very different kinds of dances.

Play Name

Thailand/USA, 2010, 12 minutes, director: Dave Snyder, World Premiere

Two young gay men from opposite ends of the earth form a fragile connection, and may be hiding their true intentions.

The Queen

USA, 2009, 8 minutes, director: Christina Choe

When the prom queen drops by at his parent’s dry cleaners, Bobby has his own prom night to remember.

Queen

USA, 2009, 10 minutes, director: Eduardo A. Garcia

Everyone’s looking for action in this crude comedy about three queens and three rough-trade men who party hard, gossip about Brando, and dance to Cab Calloway in a slummy, downtown apartment in Jersey City.

3-Minute Masterpieces Winner

How hard could it be to make a three-minute film? We challenged you to find out. Plays before Perfect 10, page 138

3rd Street Times

USA, 2009, 3 minutes, directors: Inita Johnson and Michela Howard

Adobe Youth Voices, Independence High School, San Francisco, CA

A multi-generational celebration of family and culture.

Plays before Bilal’s Stand, page 203

All I’m Left With

USA, 2009, 3 minutes, director: Nicole Elyse Wong

Adobe Youth Voices, Independence High School, San Francisco, CA

A young woman captures her sadness about the loss of her mother while affirming our need to live for each day.

Plays before Hidden Diary, page 247

Anorexia

USA, 2009, 4 minutes, director: Ryanne Zertuche

Adobe Youth Voices, Lincoln High School, San Jose, CA Youth creatively explore the realities of anorexia with animation. Plays before The French Kissers, page 244

At The Core

USA, 2009, 4 minutes, directors: Uriel Reynisa and Anthony Hun

Adobe Youth Voices, Aki Kurose Middle School, Seattle, WA Seattle students explain their core values in skateboarding and snowboarding that apply to the rest of life.

Plays before Senior Prom, page 139

Betty World Premiere

USA, 2010, 14 minutes, director: Heather Ayres

A rebellious woman in a mental hospital experiences the strange path that illuminates her current state in life.

Plays before Bass Ackwards, page 132

Free Running With Calligraphy

United Kingdom, 2009, 3 minutes, director: Charles Kelley

Adobe Youth Voices, Offscreened, London Free runners express scripted words with their flowing motion. Plays before K-20: The Fiend with 20 Faces, page 250

Human Colours

Brazil, 2009, 3 minutes, director: Jose Vinicius

Reis Gouveia

Adobe Youth Voices

A Brazilian teen shares his perspective on how our diverse world is similar to the spectrum of colors. Plays before Imani, page 249

Identity

USA, 2009, 3 minutes, directors: Youth at the Adobe Youth Voices Summit 2009

A diverse group of students share their personality and musical talents. Plays before Nowhere Boy, page 258

The Little Things

USA, 2009, 4 minutes, directors: Students at West Seattle Elementary School

Adobe Youth Voices, Seattle, WA

Seattle students break down the little things you can do to relieve the stress of our modern world. Plays before Alamar, page 224

More Than Me

USA, 2009, 5 minutes, director: Alejandro Flores

Adobe Youth Voices, San Jose, CA

A young man sees dance as his legacy and shares how he positively influences others in his community. Plays before Turn It Loose, page 199

My Life Changing Event

USA, 2009, 3 minutes, director: Ruben Banegas

Adobe Youth Voices, Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula, Redwood City, CA

Youth see first hand how gang violence affects the world around them. Plays before Marwencol, page 190

Peter in Radioland

Scotland, 2009, 10 minutes, director: Johanna Wagner Struggling to adapt to life in a digital world, 63-year-old Peter remains in his analogue memories. Plays before Plug & Pray, page 194

SIFF is pleased to once again partner with The Seattle Times for the fourth annual 3-Minute Masterpiece contest. Each year we challenge filmmakers around Seattle to create short, family-friendly films that last no longer than a mere three minutes. This year we’ve added a twist: the films must be shot with a cell phone rather than video camera. Editing may be done on a computer, and any number of subjects and themes may be explored.

There are several opportunities for awards and recognition for contest participants. Filmmakers under 18 are eligible for the J. Michael Rima Award, celebrating young Seattle directors. The winner of this award will have his or her film featured during the Festival’s FutureWave Shorts Program. Other winning films will be featured on The Seattle Times’ website as well as at the Festival. The grand-prize winner will also receive one Full Series pass to this year’s Festival.

Poverty

New Zealand, 2009, 4 minutes, director: Ofoi Taumoelau

Adobe Youth Voices, Intel Computer Clubhouse Wealth is not defined by material things. Plays before This Way of Life, page 198

Price Check

USA, 2008, 2 minutes, director: Phred Swain-Sugarman

Adobe Youth Voices, Bay Area Video Coalition, San Francisco, CA

A young girl learns the real cost of her bottled water. Plays before Queen of the Sun, page 194

A Request From Earth

India, 2007, 2 minutes, director: Vinod Blessina Dhanaraj

Adobe Youth Voices, Christel House India Learning Centre

Students from India animate the impact of pollution and how to make the earth healthier. Plays before White Lion, page 97

Routes (Roots)

United Kingdom, 2009, 4 minutes, directors: Youth at Offscreened

Adobe Youth Voices, Offscreened, London

A cinematic celebration of familial roots as their paths spread out from India. Plays before Khargosh, page 252

Story of Survival

USA, 2008, 5 minutes, director: Taylor White

Adobe Youth Voices, Bay Area Video Coalition, San Francisco, CA

A cinematic poem to lost soldiers and friends. Plays before Restrepo, page 195

Volta

Canada, 2009, 13 minutes, director: Ryan Mullins

The closed Volta cinema represents nostalgia and opportunity within rural Ghana. Plays before Stolen, page 197

2009 Winners

GRAND-PRIZE WINNER:

Ben Kadie for Sparks in the Night

J. MICHAEL RIMA WINNERS:

Duncan Dickerson and Christopher Headland for Robot Student

OTHER WINNERS:

Two Forks, by Susan Burns

Cirque d’Swine, by Glynis Bawden and Sophia Marchetti

ECR PSA, by Bryan Campbell

Interstice, by Martin Fossum

After You, by Dave Kellman

Gordon Date Lifter, by Robin Mervin

3 Minutes of Movie Masterpieces, by Timothy Watkins and Charles Forsgren

Documentary Features

Merging reality and creativity into works of cinematic art.

Documentary filmmaking is often described as the attempt to put reality on screen. in truth, though, these films are so much more... though the subjects are real people, events, and places, their stories are inevitably shaped by the imaginations and personalities of the filmmakers. in the hands of a talented director, the result is often a work of art more magical and emotionally gripping than any fictional film can hope to achieve, as siFF audiences saw last year with the Academy Award-winner feature The Cove, by louie psihoyos.

this year, more than 50 outstanding documentary features will be shown at siFF, bringing you up-close to a broad spectrum of the world’s cultures and personalities.

As always, we offer a selection of engaging biographical portraits of celebrities, including comedian Joan rivers, Andy warhol protégé Candy Darling, hugh hefner, author w illiam s. Burroughs, and feminist pioneer and journalist ruth Gruber. Contributing to the renaissance of provocative political documentaries are: reed Cowan and steven Greenstreet’s 8: The Mormon Proposition, exposing the financial backing of referenda banning same-sex marriage; American Faust: From Condi to Neo-Condi, sebastian Doggart’s examination of the rise to power of the enigmatic Condoleezza rice; and estonia’s Disco and Atomic War, revealing how the soviet union was ultimately defeated not by missiles but by western culture.

perhaps the greatest gifts that documentaries give us are the glimpses into the unheralded, yet remarkable, lives of people quietly facing adversity. Jeff malmberg’s Marwencol introduces us to an artist who copes with lingering brain trauma by creating a fantastically detailed model of a world war ii-era town. This Way of Life, from New Zealand, follows the Karena family as they struggle to maintain their ranch in the rugged ruahine mountains. And taggart siegel’s Queen of the Sun is at once a celebration of honeybees for their contributions to civilization and a clarion call to action as bee colonies continue to collapse around the world.

DOCUMeNTARIeS IN OTHeR FeSTIVAL SeCTIONS

Amplified Seattle (Northwest CoNNeCtioNs)

USA 2010 (60 minutes)

director: John Jeffcoat

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (AlterNAte CiNemA)

USA 2009 (91 minutes)

director: Jessica oreck

Beyond Ipanema (FACe the musiC)

Brazil/USA 2009 (90 minutes)

director: Guto Barra

Cane Toads: The Conquest–in 3D (speCiAl preseNtAtioNs)

USA/Australia 2010 (90 minutes)

director: mark lewis

Chihuly Fire & Light (Northwest CoNNeCtioNs)

USA 2010 (58 minutes)

director: mark mcDonnell

Garbo: The Spy (AmBieNte)

Spain 2009 (86 minutes)

director: edmon roch

General Orders No. 9 (AlterNAte CiNemA)

USA 2009 (72 minutes)

director: robert persons

Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould (FACe the musiC)

Canada 2009 (109 minutes)

directors: michèle hozer, peter raymont

Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno (ArChivAl preseNtAtioNs)

France 2009 (94 minutes)

director: serge Bromberg

The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (Northwest CoNNeCtioNs) USA 2009 (37 minutes)

director: Daniel Junge

Rejoice and Shout (FACe the musiC)

USA 2009 (115 minutes)

director: Don mcGlynn

Ride, Rise, Roar (FACe the musiC)

USA 2010 (87 minutes)

director: David hillman Curtis

Rocksteady:

The Roots of Reggae (FACe the musiC)

Canada 2010 (98 minutes)

director: stascha Bader

Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields (FACe the musiC)

USA 2010 (89 minutes)

directors: Kerthy Fix, Gail o’hara

The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (FACe the musiC)

New Zealand 2009 (84 minutes)

director: leanne pooley

Turtle: The Incredible Journey (Films4FAmilies)

United Kingdom/Austria/Germany 2009 (81 minutes), director: Nick stringer

The Untitled Ginny Ruffner Project (Northwest CoNNeCtioNs)

USA 2010 (96 minutes)

director: Karen stanton

Utopia in Four Movements (speCiAl preseNtAtioNs)

USA 2010 (75 minutes)

directors: sam Green, Dave Cerf

Visionaries: Jonas Mekas and the (Mostly) American Avant-Garde Cinema (AlterNAte CiNemA)

USA 2009 (93 minutes)

director: Chuck workman

Waiting for Superman

(speCiAl preseNtAtioNs)

USA 2010 (102 minutes)

director: Davis Guggenheim

Wheedle’s Groove

(Northwest CoNNeCtioNs)

USA 2009 (95 minutes)

director: Jennifer maas

The Wildest Dream, in IMAX

(speCiAl preseNtAtioNs)

USA 2010 (94 minutes)

director: Anthony Geffen

Documentary Competition

Jury

unscripted and uncut, the world around us is an ever-ready resource of unexpected, informative, and altogether exciting storytelling. Documentary filmmakers have, for years, brought these untold stories to life and introduced us to a vast number of fascinating topics we may have never known existed—let alone known were so fascinating. From the secret lives of illustrious faces to hardnosed exposés on the latest headlines… From the mundane, yet somehow extraordinary, lives of everyday folks to mind-expanding investigations of the flora and fauna that surround us…documentary film has something for everyone. siFF is proud to present the nine documentaries in this year’s competition, which explore everything from the life and times of a crafty world war ii double agent and a philosophical, foulmouthed comedy legend, to a wildly nomadic family who’s truly living off the land. this year’s films are sure to stimulate your senses, emotions, and, most of all, your imagination, through an amazing spectrum of visionary lenses.

Patrick Baroch

patrick Baroch is a graduate of New York university’s t isch school for the Arts. he has worked in film distribution at the Classics divisions of orion pictures and sony pictures, promoting such films as Howards End, Indochine, and Slacker. During his 15 years in seattle, patrick has worked in a number of industries as an event producer, social media consultant, and project manager. patrick was a member of the programming committee for the seattle lesbian & Gay Film Festival from 1999 through 2002. in 2006 he directed four feature-length multi-camera modern dance performance videos. his short documentaries have appeared on Current tv. Currently, patrick is working with Community Cinema presented by the independent television service, which he began in 2005.

Michael Lumpkin

michael lumpkin currently serves as the executive Director for the international Documentary Association, a position he began in 2009. prior to his work with the iDA, lumpkin worked for over 20 years with Frameline, an international media arts organization that presents the san Francisco international lGBt Film Festival as well as operates Frameline Distribution. lumpkin also co-produced the highly acclaimed documentary, The Celluloid Closet he adds siFF to the growing list of festivals he has juried for, which includes the Berlin international Film Festival and the sundance Film Festival.

MJ Peckos

mJ peckos has many years of experience in all phases of marketing and distribution in both the commercial and specialized film sector, including theatrical marketing, distribution, acquisitions, home video marketing, television licensing, and non-theatrical sales. she is president of Dada Films as well as president of mitropoulus Films, handling the marketing and distribution of such films as The Maid, White Wedding, The Price of Sugar, and Ballast she has been the sales representative for American Violet, Alien Trespass, War Child, and the Jury award-winning documentary Accelerating America peckos also consults for several companies including the little Film Company, uncommon productions, eros entertainment, and Distrimax. she is a member of the Academy of motion picture Arts & sciences.

American: The Bill Hicks Story

United Kingdom 2009

Directed by matt harlock and paul thomas

Blood Relation

Israel 2009

Directed by Noa Ben-hagai

Garbo: The Spy

Spain 2009

Directed by edmon roch

Marwencol USA 2010

Directed by Jeff malmberg

Paris Return

Israel 2009

Directed by Yossi Aviram

Plug & Pray

Germany 2009

Directed by Jens schanze

Queen of the

Sun

USA 2010

Directed by taggart siegel

Rouge Ciel

France 2009

Directed by Bruno Decharme

This Way of Life

New Zealand 2009

Directed by tom Burstyn

8: The Mormon Proposition

usA 2009

when California voters narrowly approved proposition 8, the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, people from across the country questioned how this could have happened. while the public was aware that the Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day saints was a huge supporter of the measure, 8: The Mormon Proposition reveals how the mormon Church spent decades orchestrating a political movement to stop gay rights. mormon leaders rallied their congregations to contribute huge sums of money, influence, and personal time to sway public opinion and policy, much of this through secret memos and cover organizations. Directors reed Cowan, a former mormon missionary, and steven Greenstreet have created an illuminating documentary, which plays out like a tense political thriller, slowly unraveling the full extent of the mormon involvement in proposition 8. it also highlights the very human face of this continuing struggle, following a California gay couple, spencer Jones and tyler Barric—who happens to be a direct descendant of early mormon Church leader Frederick Granger w illiams. Narrated by Milk screenwriter Dustin lance Black, 8: The Mormon Proposition explores and questions the increasingly destructive role of organized religion in politics.

Directors:

Reed Cowan

Steven Greenstreet

Producers: Bruce Bastian

Reed Cowan

Emily Pearson

Steven Greenstreet

Christopher Volz

Screenwriter: Reed Cowan

Cinematographer: Christopher Reece Volz

editor: Brian Bayerl

Music: Nicholas Greer

Narrated by: Dustin Lance Black

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

International Sales:

Hunting Lane Films

Print Source: Red Flag Releasing

Film Website: mormonproposition.com

Selected Filmography: The Other Side of the Lens (2008)

Ahead of Time

usA 2009

An affecting portrait of an inspiring woman, the fine documentary Ahead of Time situates journalist, author, and humanitarian ruth Gruber in the historical record. Born in Brooklyn in 1911, Gruber showed her moxie early on, completing graduate studies in Germany to become the world’s youngest phD at the age of 20. As a foreign correspondent and photographer for outlets including the New York Post and Life Magazine, she provided groundbreaking coverage from the soviet Arctic, middle east, and Nuremberg trials. Never just a journalist, she worked for the roosevelt administration in Alaska in 1941, and escorted 1,000 holocaust refugees from Naples to New York in a 1944 secret wartime mission. later, her eyewitness dispatches on the plight of the passengers from the exodus in1947 helped arouse the conscience of the world. w ith her love of adventure, fearlessness, and powerful intellect, ruth defied tradition in an extraordinary career that has spanned more than seven decades. Debuting director Bob richman (a noted indie cameraman) wisely lets his lively, articulate nonagenarian subject narrate her life story through interviews and lectures. the blend of archival materials and contemporary footage show why ruth Gruber, now 98 years old, is still renowned for her vitality and humor.

Director: Bob Richman

Producer: Zeva Oelbaum

Cinematographer: Bob Richman

editor: Sabine Krayenbuehl

Music: Ted Reichman

Featuring: Ruth Gruber

Harold M. Ickes

Ike Aronowitz

Tom Segev

Eli Wallach

Running Time: 73 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in Hebrew and English, with English subtitles

Print Source: Honey Do LLC

Film Website: ruthgruberthemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

American Faust: From Condi to Neo-Condi

KiNGDom 2010

the first retrospective film on the Bush Administration, American Faust presents the life of Condoleezza rice as a fascinating version of the American Dream, a rise as spectacular as that of Barack obama, but far darker. At the age of ten, rice told her father during a trip to the white house: “one day i’ll be in that house.” the film follows that step-by-step quest for power, from her roots in racially explosive Birmingham, through her rising influence in both political and academic circles, to her positions in the George w. Bush white house Cabinet. the Fifth Amendment states that no person “shall be compelled…to be a witness against himself,” but the court of public opinion is another matter. And while the film’s new and archival interviews— both pro and con—comprise a who’s who of washington insiders (including both presidents Bush, Brent scowcroft, and henry Kissinger) as well as a variety of rice’s professors and biographers, the film’s most dominant and defining voice is rice’s herself. By doing so, filmmaker sebastian Doggart creates a titularly Faustian case of a woman whose pursuit of power has both destroyed her values and hurled America into a perilous new direction.

Director: Sebastian Doggart

Producers: Sebastian Doggart

Diana DeCilio

Screenwriter: Sebastian Doggart

Cinematographer: Matthew Woolf

editor: Diana DeCilio

Music: Cheryl Eberhar

Gary Lucas

Featuring: Condoleezza Rice

George W. Bush

Lawrence Wilkerson

Oprah Winfrey

Sean Penn

Running Time: 76 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: American Princess LLC

Film Website: americanfaust.com

Selected Filmography: Courting Condi (2008)

American: The Bill Hicks Story

uNiteD

KiNGDom 2009

outlaw. philosopher. Genius. Bill hicks was always something more than a comedian, using his hilarious, observational style to reveal the dangerous hypocrisies of organized religion, unchecked government, and modern media. By the time of his untimely death in 1994, he had become one of the most iconic and probing voices in modern American culture. to fully capture his complex life, British filmmakers matt harlock and paul thomas push documentary storytelling in bold new directions. hicks left a largely unseen legacy––not just performance footage and home movies, but also his own personal video projects and hundreds of archival and location photos. harlock and thomas layer these disparate elements together to create animated, period recreations of the environments of hicks life. original locations, from his houston home, to the Austin comedy club where he first attracted attention, to the spellbinding theatre auditoriums where he played his most famous concerts, are all meticulously recreated in stunning three-dimensional photorealism. the filmmakers weave these visuals together from more than 120 hours of new, in-depth interviews of hicks’ family and closest friends, recounting the twists and turns of his life to tell the story of an artist who was so funny, so fearless, so right.

Directors: Matt Harlock

Paul Thomas

Producers: Paul Thomas

Matt Harlock

Screenwriters: Matt Harlock

Paul Thomas

Cinematographer: Paul Thomas

editor: Paul Thomas

Music:

Mark Daniels

Sugarman Music

Featuring: Mary Hicks

Steve Hicks

Kevin Booth

Dwight Slade

David Johndrow

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Halflife Films

Film Website: americanthemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

usA/uNiteD

Beautiful Darling: The Life and Times of Candy Darling, Andy Warhol Superstar

usA 2010

Just when it seems there can’t possibly be any more “superstars” to be dredged up from the wellspring of 1960s New York’s legendary Factory, along comes James rasin with the tale of the dazzling life and brief times of Brooklyn boy James slattery, aka Candy Darling—who possibly came closer to legitimate stardom than any of the procession of freaks and misfits unleashed by Andy warhol on an unsuspecting world. photographed by robert mapplethorpe and Cecil Beaton, sung about by lou reed and cast in a play by tennessee w illiams, Candy achieved the hedonist maxim of dying young and leaving a good-looking corpse (according to paul morrissey, she was the only warhol acolyte who was truly beautiful), expiring at the tragically young age of 29 from leukemia. the film is based largely on the reminiscences of Candy’s longtime companion, Jeremiah Newton, and underpinned by moving extracts from her diaries read by Chloë sevigny. interviews old and new with fellow transsexuals and warhol alumni Jackie Curtis and holly woodlawn, among others, flesh out this surprisingly tender account of Candy’s self-reinvention as a stunning blonde whose comet fizzled out prematurely—but not before her audacious lifestyle made her an underground icon in a decade of enduring allure even to this day.

Director: James Rasin

Producers: Jeremiah Newton

Gill Holland

Elisabeth Bentley

Screenwriter: James Rasin

Cinematographer: Martina Radwan

editor: Zac Stuart-Pontier

Music: Gerald Busby

Louis Durra

Featuring: Candy Darling

Fran Lebowitz

Paul Morrissey

John Waters

Andy Warhol

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Beautiful Darling LLC

Film Website: beautifuldarling.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

kirvat dam

Blood Relation

isrAel 2009

North AmeriCAN premiere

identity, family, and ethnicity blur in surprising ways in Noa Ben-hagai’s Blood Relation Ben-hagai discovered letters from her greataunt pnina and learned that in the 1940s, 14-year-old pnina disappeared near her family home in what is now israel. while initially the family didn’t know what happened to her, pnina’s letters revealed that she married an Arab and had children with him—though it is never completely clear if this was by choice or not—and now lives in a refugee camp as an Arab. the letters also contained pnina’s desperate pleas for contact from her family. w ith the help of her uncle, a retired colonel in israeli intelligence, Ben-hagai tracks down the unknown family in the palestinian territories, and uncovers a singular history of the israeli-palestinian divide. As the families reunite, their divergent positions and rights as israelis and palestinians place an immediate strain on their relationship. skillfully weaving archival footage and photos together with family interviews and scenes from various meetings of this Jewish-Arab clan over the course of three years, Blood Relation provides a uniquely personal example of the complexities of israeli-palestinian reconciliation.

Director: Noa Ben-Hagai

Producers: Edna Kowarsky

Elinor Kowarsky

Cinematographer: Rani Einav

editor: Erez Laufer

Music:

Florencia Di Concilio

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta, in Hebrew and Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales: Eden Productions

Print Source: Eden Productions

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Brownstones to Red Dirt

sierrA leoNe/usA 2010

“we can change the world…and make it a better place.” this statement, spoken with undeterred commitment by 10-year-old Destiny from the Bed-stuy projects in Brooklyn, is the product of her sixth grade class’ pen pal exchange with orphans from the brutal aftermath of sierra leone’s civil war. this stirringly emotional new documentary moves beyond the simple passage of letters and student awareness of other cultures to effectively watching these students on both sides of the Atlantic develop an awareness of their shared struggles and a passion for engaging their desire to make an impact on the world. when emanuel, a 14-year-old sierra leone boy, says “when i get older i want to help some of these children who are suffering from the war,” the students in Bed-stuy rise to their aid. these children of lower economic means rally to support their new friends with a fervor that will ignite inspiration in any viewer and serves as irrefutable evidence that no child’s future is predestined.

Directors: Dave LaMattina

Chad N. Walker

Producers: Dave LaMattina

Chad N. Walker

Screenwriter: Dave LaMattina

Cinematographer: Chad N. Walker editor: Chad N. Walker

Music: Josh Johnson

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Copper Pot Productions

Film Website: brownstonestoreddirt.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Countdown to Zero

usA 2010

w ith climate change, overpopulation, global hunger, and a slew of other imminent worldwide disasters at our doorstep, it’s easy to forget about the one catastrophe that could deem the rest futile: nuclear annihilation. lucy walker’s startling look at the evolution of atomic fears and reasons for international disarmament brings the issue back to the forefront of political conversation. Accident, miscalculation, or madness: threemore-likely-than-you’d-like-to-believe reasons for the detonation of nuclear materials. unfortunately, walker’s investigations into security measures, detection, and the politics of nuclear proliferation don’t offer much reassurance regarding any of these possibilities. images of unassuming metropolitan areas don’t put us at ease either. ultimately, though, Countdown to Zero is about activism and resistance to the absurdly dangerous existence of atomic weaponry. w ith suggestions of how to encourage the dismantling of the world’s nukes, walker effectively encourages humanity to fight for its right to exist in a world without a doomsday clock nearing zero.

Director: Lucy Walker

Producer: Lawrence Bender

Cinematographers: Robert Chappell

Gary Clarke

Bryan Donnell

Nick Higgins

editors:

Brad Fuller

Brian Johnson

Music:

Peter Golub

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source:

Magnolia Pictures

Selected Filmography:

Waste Land (2010)

Blindsight (2006)

Devil’s Playground (2002)

disko ja tuu - masoda

Disco and Atomic War

estoNiA/FiNlAND

2010

A playfully kitsch and exquisitely ironic documentary, Disco and Atomic War blends dramatic reconstructions and interviews with intriguing archival footage. though life was drab in soviet estonia, little Jaak’s family didn’t have it too bad. they watched western tv programs like “Dallas,” soft porn like Emmanuelle, blockbusters like Star Wars, and footage of disco dance music that drifted over the iron Curtain via airwaves from a super-tall Finnish broadcast tower not more than 50 miles away. Despite their best efforts, none of the more than 1,000 russian signal jammers could keep those pesky, subversive airwaves away. soon, the rooftops of tallinn were crowded with homemade antennas, which the authorities quickly ordered citizen militias to cut down. Jaak’s father, an electronics engineer, even started up his own secret business of inserting decoders into estonian and russian tv sets. Disco and Atomic War tells the story of a strange kind of information war, where the totalitarian regime went head-to-head with western pop Culture and learned that no one really cared about lenin or marx. instead, the estonian public wanted to know exactly who shot J.r

Director: Jaak Kilmi

Producer: Kiur Aarma

Screenwriters: Jaak Kilmi

Kiur Aarma

Cinematographer: Manfred Vainokivi

editor: Lauri Laasik

Music:

Ardo Varres

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta, in Estonian, Finnish, Russian, and English, with English subtitles

International Sales: Autlook Filmsales

Print Source: Icarus Films

Selected Filmography: The Art of Selling (2006)

Revolution of Pigs (2004)

Elav joud (2003)

Gerrymandering

usA 2010

Just in time for the nation’s 2010 census, firsttime director Jeff reichert tackles the thorny, confusing, and surprisingly compelling issue of redistricting in state and national governments. the practice of “gerrymandering,” or the carving out of voting districts to favor a particular candidate, is practically as old as the united states. As a result, both Democrats and republicans have wielded gerrymandering as a weapon to ensuring that the vast majority of political contests at all levels are practically foregone conclusions. today, computer software aids the process by carving out ever-more contorted district maps of scattered neighborhoods to concentrate voters in certain districts and carve up the opponent’s territory. Going beyond the demographic facts, reichert breathes life into the issue by telling the personal stories of ordinary citizens disenfranchised by gerrymandering tactics and following a California referendum campaign to outlaw the practice. Gerrymandering is that rare political documentary that will get you riled up about injustice without forcing you to take partisan sides. As the film warns, census data being collected now will help redraw district maps yet again in 2011. Do you know which way your district map will be stretched?

Director: Jeff Reichert

Producers: Dan O’Meara

Jeff Reichert

Chris Romano

Screenwriter: Jeff Reichert

Cinematographer: Gary Keith Griffin

editor: Sam Pollard

Featuring: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Gray Davis

Howard Dean

Ben Barnes

Pete Wilson

Ed Rollins

Running Time: 81 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Green Film Company

Film Website: gerrymanderingmovie. com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel

CANADA 2009

laying waste to the abiding image of media mogul hugh hefner as a bumbling satyr with a pneumatic blonde on each arm and furnisher of masturbatory material for 16-year-old boys, Academy Award®-winning director Brigitte Berman reveals a complex figure whose influence in the second half of the last century reached far beyond the field of sexual politics with which his name is invariably linked. hefner’s meteoric rise to notoriety and wealth through a few astute business decisions that resulted in the wildfire success of the famed playboy magazine and clubs is well documented. less known is the total color blindness hefner displayed when it came to race, playing interracial acts in his chain of playboy clubs and swiftly buying back franchises in cities where prevailing legislature forbade them. he also lent hefty support to female rights campaigns that were influential in such groundbreaking legislature as roe v. wade, belying his widespread reputation as a mere smut peddler. employing a wealth of material from hefner’s own archive, including his forward-thinking tv series from the 1950s, Berman ropes in a galaxy of contributors—from movie stars to Dr. ruth—to celebrate not only the pleasure-promoting bon vivant, but also the deep-thinking intellectual who helped turn the stifling mores of post-mcCarthy America inside out.

Director: Brigitte Berman

Producers: Victor Solnicki

Brigitte Berman

Peter Raymont

Cinematographer: John Westheuser

editors: Brigitte Berman

Richard Vandentillaart

Music: James Mark Stewart

Featuring: Hugh Hefner

Gene Simmons

Mike Wallace

Reverend Jesse Jackson

Tony Curtis

Running Time: 124 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Metaphor Films

Selected Filmography: Testing the Limits (1998)

The Circle Game (1994)

Artie Shaw: Time is All

You’ve Got (1985)

Bix: Ain’t None of Them

Play Like Him Yet (1981)

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

usA 2010

A fine complement to Julian schnabel’s excellent 1996 biopic, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child is tamra Davis’ homage to her late friend, whose phenomenal talent burned much too bright much too soon. including footage she shot when she was part of Basquiat’s bohemian circle of acquaintances, the film chronicles his unassailable rise from the wild frontiers of New York’s lower east side to international stardom, to the point where his cult status overshadowed the art that made him famous in the first place. packed with interviews with art cognoscenti and hipsters, and words from the charismatic Basquiat himself, the film delves into the misconceptions with which he was confronted as a successful black artist and iconoclast, and presents valuable insight into his post-success state of mind. Never maudlin, despite a sense of Davis’ heartfelt regret at Basquiat’s early demise, the film wisely avoids becoming bogged down in biographical detail, and does much to open up the mystique of both the artist and the man. Additionally, it contains many little-seen examples of his vibrant work, so at odds with the minimalist conceptual art so prevalent at the time. All in all, this is a definitive study of an artist of whom much is known but still so little understood.

Director: Tamra Davis

Producers: Lilly Bright

Stanley F. Buchthal

David Koh

Alexis Manya Spraic

Cinematographers: Tamra Davis

Harry Geller

David Koh

editor: Alexis Manya Spraic

Music: J. Ralph Adam Horovitz

Mike Diamond

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Arthouse Films

Film Website: jean-michelbasquiatthe radiantchild.com

Selected Filmography: Crossroads (2002) Half Baked (1998) Billy Madison (1995) CB4 (1993)

taking a break from the social-justice themes of their prior documentaries (The Devil Came on Horseback, The Trials of Darryl Hunt), the latest from co-directors ricki stern and Annie sundberg chronicles the private dramas of irreverent, legendary comedian and pop icon Joan rivers as she fights tooth and nail to keep her American dream alive. A trailblazer for today’s female comics, the 76-year-old rivers remains as driven, hard-working, and career-focused as ever. Aptly subtitled “A piece of work,” the film mixes hilarious stand-up footage with candid behind-the-scenes views of how much effort it takes to stay on top. Although it includes brief glimpses of rivers’ formative successes—notably on “the tonight show,” where Johnny Carson decreed on-air that she’d be a star, leading to umpteen guest and guest-host appearances—the documentary’s focus is on current everyday operations. rivers is acutely aware of her status in the entertainment food chain at any moment in time. suffering a relative lull at the film’s start, she’ll “do anything” to keep working, whether it’s performing club gigs or at suburban midwest halls, or hawking jewelry on QvC. Beyond the lady herself, major interviewees include her loyal staff, and her daughter melissa, with whom she has a complex but close relationship.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2010 (Best Editing)

Directors: Ricki Stern

Annie Sundberg

Producers: Ricki Stern

Seth Keal

Annie Sundberg

Screenwriter: Ricki Stern

Cinematographers: Guy Mossman

Charles Miller

editor: Penelope Falk

Music: Paul Brill

Running Time: 84 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: IFC Films

Film Website: breakthrufilms.org

Selected Filmography: The End of America (2008)

The Devil Came on Horseback (2007)

The Trials of Darryl Hunt (2006)

In My Corner (1998)

usA 2010

Last Train Home

ChiNA/CANADA (QuéBeC) 2009

every year the New Year celebrations in China all but bring the country’s economic activity to a standstill, as more than 130 million migrant workers set off to spend the vacation with their family. though the trip is often made with great difficulty due to the huge distances and scarcity of affordable tickets, for many, it will be the only chance they will have all year to see their loved ones. Director lixin Fan opts to show the effects of mass migration and enforced absence through a study of the individual rather than the mass phenomenon, focusing on Changhua and sugin Zhang, who undertake a two-day journey back to their rural village and the children they left behind as infants. their dearest wish is to earn enough money to allow the children a good education, but teenage daughter Qin, resentful of her parents’ absence, has other ideas and drops out of school, leading to a deeply painful confrontation with her father. in this starkly honest and extremely moving film—with its surprisingly open access to the family—the physical distance the workers are forced to travel is a metaphor for the fraught divisions in China in its ascendance as a world economic power, not only between the rural past and the industrial future, but also between the generations, with their different values.

Awards: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2009 (Grand Jury Prize)

Marwencol

usA 2010

Director: Lixin Fan

Producers: Mila Aung-Thwin

Daniel Cross

Cinematographer: Lixin Fan

editor: Lixin Fan

Music:

Oliver Alary

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Mandarian, with English subtitles

Print Source: Zeitgeist Films

Film Website: last-train.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

At first glance, the series of perfectly-composed photographs of tough Gi Joe dolls inhabiting a scale version of a war-torn town look like they are straight out of a world war ii movie. You might expect Marwencol to be some sort of commentary on modern military conflicts, but the photos create stories that are surprisingly sincere. when you learn more about the artist you find out why. in 2000, five men beat mark hogancamp into a coma outside a bar. During his recovery he created the town of marwencol in his backyard. Not only does the project help him recover his hand-eye coordination, but it also helps him process the psychic wounds from his attack. the characters of the dolls are based on friends and family, and his photographs follow the town’s relationship dramas like movie storyboards. hogancamp lives in two realities: one in which he can’t remember 38 years of living, and another where he lives in a small Belgian town during the war. when a New York art gallery wants to show his work, the question becomes whether both realities can survive.

Awards:

SXSW 2010 (Grand Jury Prize)

USA 2009,

Director: Jeff Malmberg

Producers: Jeff Malmberg

Tom Putnam

Matt Radecki

Chris Shellen

Kevin Walsh

Cinematographer: Jeff Malmberg

editor: Jeff Malmberg

Music: Jay Clarke

Running Time: 82 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Open Face Media

Film Website: marwencol.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Mount St. elias

AustriA/usA 2009

Known in tlingit as the “mountain Behind icy Bay,” Alaska’s mount st. elias is a peak rarely tackled. rising 18,000 feet above the earth, it is notorious for its brutal storms and dangerous proximity to the ocean. in 2007, in spite of this danger—or rather, because of it—Austrians

Axel Naglich and peter ressmann, American Jon Johnston, and their film team set off for the Yukon-Alaska border, determined to reach the crag’s remarkable summit and to ski their way back down to achieve the longest vertical descent in history. the first cinematic presentation from Austrian sports director Gerald salmina, Mount St. Elias documents this incredible expedition into the atmosphere, capturing the sublime beauty and the merciless extremes of the Alaskan wilderness. Breathtaking aerial shots and helmet cameras place audiences right alongside the skiers as they challenge nature and put their abilities to the test, trekking the fine line between bravery and madness.

Director: Gerald Salmina

Producer: Gerald Salmina

Cinematographers: Gerald Salmina

Günter Göberl

editor: Gerald Salmina

Music: Matt Reardon

Ludwig Heili

Andreas Frei

Featuring: Axel Naglich

Peter Ressmann

Jon Johnston

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in English and German, with English subtitles

Print Source: Planet Watch Film Film Website: mountstelias.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Mugabe and the White African

NAmiBiA/uNiteD KiNGDom 2009

lurking beneath every frame of lucy Bailey and Andrew thompson’s riveting documentary is a palpable sense of fear, something many in robert mugabe’s Zimbabwe feel on a daily basis, especially the film’s protagonist mike Campbell and his family. As white farmers forced to deal with the consequences of mugabe’s pernicious “land reform” pronouncement (made in 2000), an edict that saw many farmers abandon their farms due to intimidation and physical violence, Campbell and his clan decide to fight, an astonishing act of bravery knowing full well the threats they face. the only documentary feature that has come out of Zimbabwe in recent years––and much of the footage shot covertly––Mugabe and the White African is perhaps our only real glimpse of what it’s like to live inside mugabe’s Zimbabwe.

Awards: Official Academy Award® Shortlist 2009 (Documentary Film)

Directors: Lucy Bailey

Andrew Thompson

Producers: Elizabeth Morgan

Hemlock

David Pearson

Cinematographer: Andrew Thompson

editor: Tim Lovell

Music:

Jonny Pilcher

Featuring: Ben Freeth

Mike Campbell

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta

International Sales: HanWay Films

Print Source:

First Run Features

Film Website: mugabeandthewhiteafrican.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Oath

Paris Return

isrAel 2009

in her first installation of a planned trilogy on post9/11 America, director laura poitras ( My Country My Country, 2006 nominee for an Academy Award®), introduced us to an iraqi doctor who was worried sick about his country. in her second film, The Oath, she provides an intricately constructed work about two former al-Qaeda employees. Abu Jandal, osama bin laden’s chief bodyguard, is now driving a cab in Yemen, and his brother-in-law salim hamdan, bin laden’s personal driver, was a Guantanamo Bay prisoner charged with war crimes and found guilty of supporting terrorism, now serving the rest of his sentence in Yemen. Filmed in Yemen over a two-year period, The Oath interweaves the lives of these two men and takes us deep inside the world of al-Qaeda. Director poitras understands human complexities and behavior and strives to depict individuals, not stereotypes. who are these men and what does it mean to pledge an oath? shading the complexities of her subjects in the manner of great novelists, poitras delivers an intimate portrait that precludes easy conclusions as it questions the methods of America’s war on terror with uncommon eloquence.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2010 (Best Cinematography)

Director: Laura Poitras

Producer: Laura Poitras

Cinematographers: Kirsten Johnson

Laura Poitras

editor: Jonathan Oppenheim

Music: Osvaldo Golijov

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in English and Arabic, with English subtitles

Print Source: Zeitgeist Films

Film Website: theoathmovie.com

Selected Filmography: My Country, My Country (2006)

Flag Wars (2003)

North AmeriCAN premiere

there are issue-based documentaries, and ones that capture the nuances of everyday life. Paris Return is a heartfelt example of the latter. Grumpy reuven has been living with optimistic pierluigi in paris for decades. they met when they were both studying architecture, and have been together ever since. Now retired, reuven wants to return home to israel for his final days, but he has a home in paris with pierluigi that he doesn’t want to leave. ten years younger than his partner, pierluigi boosts reuven’s spirits with his love and support. After more than three decades together, they bicker like an old married couple, and they come across like two characters from a play. But Paris Return is about more than just reuven and pierluigi’s lives. it’s a character-driven and intimate look at a couple that is both funny and poignant. even more, this portrait of a bickering couple, filmed with humor and finesse by a family member, is about life, home, and how the language of love is spoken with gestures more than words.

Director: Yossi Aviram

Producer: Itay Kentor

Cinematographer: Yossi Aviram

editor: Sari Ezouz

Featuring: Reoven Vardi

Pierluigi Rotili

Running Time: 71 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in French and Hebrew, with English subtitles

Print Source: Belfilms

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

usA 2010

Plug & Pray

GermANY 2009

the creation of artificial intelligence was a fantastical idea that captured the minds of scientists (and science fiction writers) from the very start of the computer age. But the breathtaking pace of technology has moved us ever closer to making it a reality. what is the future of A.i., and where could it potentially lead us? Jens schanze’s Plug & Pray is an engrossing journey into the preternatural, and sometimes grotesque, future of advanced computer life. we are invited into the laboratories and minds of technological experts from around the world as they make bold visions come true: the creation of machines that are equal to their human creators. But then there is Joseph weizenbaum, a pioneer of artificial intelligence and creator of the eliza speech program. playful and sardonic, he critically questions the scientific faith in technological supremacy and the notion of “plug and play.” An enlightening foray into A.i land, Plug & Pray doesn’t only explore the world in which computer science, robotics, neuroscience, and psychology merge, but the philosophical questions that we must explore along the way. “You plug it in and it all works,” weizenbaum notes. “or sometimes it doesn’t.”

BY:

p re C e D e D

Peter In Radioland

Scotland 2009, 10 minutes Director: Johanna Wagner

Struggling

Queen of the Sun

usA 2010

Director:

Jens Schanze

Producers: Jens Schanze

Judith Malek-Mahdavi

Screenwriter: Jens Schanze

Cinematographer: Boerres Weiffenbach

editors:

Jens Schanze

Jorg Hommer

Music:

Rainer Bartesch

Featuring:

Joseph Weizenbaum

Raymond Kurzweil

Hiroshi Ishiguro

Giorgio Metta

Joel Moses

Neil Gershenfeld

Joe Wuensche

Minoru Asada

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in German, Italian, Japanese, and English, with English

subtitles

Print Source:

Mascha Film

Selected Filmography: Otzenrath (2007) Winterkinder (2005)

the eagerly anticipated new work from ecoconscious director taggart siegel celebrates bees from a perspective of reverence and renewal. Queen of the Sun creatively explores the global honeybee crisis as a catalyst for change. Bees are a barometer of the health of the world and with the current Colony Collapse Disorder, the buzzing insects are in a state of emergency. the bond between humans and bees, once a sacred partnership, has become a profit-driven exploitation. Queen of the Sun highlights unsung heroes from past and present who are dedicated to the survival of bees: from poets and philosophers to scientists and shamans, from political activists to biodynamic beekeepers. A central presence is rudolf steiner, the spiritual scientist who founded biodynamic agriculture and waldorf education. in 1923, he predicted that the continued practice of artificial queen bee-breeding would bring about the demise of the honeybee. Now, pesticides, herbicides, and genetically engineered plants exacerbate the problem, and the current bee crisis confirms steiner’s dire predictions. on a pilgrimage across continents and centuries, the unusual characters in siegel’s fascinating documentary propose solutions for regeneration that lie in a renewal of agriculture and a culture that is in balance with nature.

Director: Taggart Siegel

Producers: Taggart Siegel

Jon Betz

Cinematographer: Taggart Siegel

Music: Jami Sieber

Featuring: Michael Pollan

Vandana Shiva Gunther Hauk

Running Time: 82 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in Italian and English, with English subtitles

Print Source: Collective Eye, Inc.

Film Website: queenofthesun.com

Selected Filmography: The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2005)

Shadow of the Pepper Tree (1995)

Wild Blue Moon (1992) Blue Collar & Buddha (1986)

North AmeriCAN premiere

ReGeNeRATION

Restrepo

usA 2010

“No matter what we do, is it really going to make a difference?” this corrosive statement becomes the core of ReGENERATION, a new documentary that succeeds as a lightning rod for social change through thought and action. strongly calling out the apathy of the current generation of youth and young adults, the film presents a cross section of perspectives from a society fed more through corporate media than truth. unique commentary on the problems facing our society are explored through an inspired collective of musicians, a 20-something conservative family, and a group of five suburban high school students looking for their place in the world. As the powerful evidence of our reliance on technology, disconnection with nature, excessive consumption, and loss of history add up, our country’s leading scholars (including howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky), social activists (Amy Goodman), and media personalities (mos Def and talib Kweli) stimulate the discussion with their wisdom and personal reflections. As engaging as it is insightful, ReGENERATION stands to be heard and energizes the audience to join its march to a world of passionate action. Recommended for youth 13 and up.

Director: Phillip Montgomery

Producers: Matt DeRoss

Ryan Gosling

Joel Goulder

Jeremy Goulder

Screenwriter: Phillip Montgomery

Cinematographer: Kevin Krupitzer

editors: Brian Dickett

Phillip Montgomery

Music: STS9

Narrated by: Ryan Gosling

Featuring: Noam Chomsky

Howard Zinn

Mos Def

Talib Kweli

Amy Goodman

Running Time: 81 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source:

Anonymous Content

Film Website: regenerationmovie.com

From sebastian Junger (author of “the perfect storm”) and t im hetherington comes this searing portrait of the present-day combat experience. Between 2007 and 2008, the directors made ten trips to Afghanistan’s Korengal valley, a six-mile region near the pakistan border, at that time the focal point of the fighting between u.s. forces and the taliban. there they dug in with the soldiers of the second platoon over the course of their 15-month deployment at an outpost named in honor of a fallen comrade, pFC Juan restrepo. w ith unprecedented access, they chronicled the camaraderie, the tedium, and the deadly firefights that are the stuff of daily life; the result is this profoundly experiential film. After-the-fact interviews with the soldiers provide context and insight into what can be a disorienting experience for the viewer, as well as for the soldiers themselves. A nonfiction companion piece to Academy Award®-winning film The Hurt Locker

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2010 (Grand Jury Prize – Documentary)

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film p re C e D e D BY:

Story of Survival

USA 2008, 5 minutes Director: Taylor White

Adobe Youth Voices, Bay Area Video Coalition, San Francisco, CA A cinematic poem to lost soldiers and friends.

Directors: Sebastian Junger

Tim Hetherington

Producers: Sebastian Junger

Tim Hetherington

Cinematographers: Sebastian Junger

Tim Hetherington

editor: Michael Levine

Featuring: The Men of Battle Company

2nd of the 503rd Infantry Regiment

173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

International Sales: United Talent Agency

Print Source: National Geographic Cinema Ventures

Film Website: restrepothemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

usA 2010 worlD premiere

Rouge Ciel

2009

Rouge Ciel takes us on a kaleidoscopic journey through the world of the Art Brut or “outsider Art” movement. Art Brut is a term coined by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the conventional dictates of the art world, focusing often on works by insane asylum inmates. while over time “outsider Art” evolved to include works by self-taught, but (supposedly) clinically sane artists, Rouge Ciel focuses on the fever dreams of these impaired iconoclasts from around the globe. in America, Asperger’s syndrome sufferer George w idener learned to use his amazing memory and numerological obsessions to create unique contemporary art. French engraver Fernand Desmoulin draws without light, allowing “spirits“ to guide his hand. Czech Zdenek Kosek sits looking through his window for weeks, without food or sleep, recording all the sounds and movements around him. his fear: that if he stops, the world would cease to exist. using an animated history of the Art Brut movement as a loose structure, Rouge Ciel features artwork from around the world—ranging from henry Darger to Gabriel Joachim Dos santos—and combines interviews with artists, curators and collectors to showcase these creators of a wholly new visual vocabulary.

Director: Bruno Decharme

Producer: Barbara Safarova

Screenwriter: Bruno Decharme

Cinematographer: Bruno Decharme

editor: Adela Spaljova

Music: Alain Mouysset

Cast: Zdenek Kosek

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in French, with English subtitles

Print Source: Systeme B

Film Website: systemeb.eu

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Saturday Night

usA 2010

in a constant sleep-deprived haze, and intensely motivated, the writers and actors of “saturday Night live” live and breathe the fog of comedy. Actor James Franco’s documentary debut, an NYu film school project turned featurelength documentary, Saturday Night gives a privileged behind-the-scenes glance into this bizarre world. From the monday night pitch, to tuesday’s 24-hour writing session, to readings and rehearsals up until they go on air, the making of sNl is rigorous and grueling. Yet cast members and writers seem content to sleep on the floor, fight for airtime, and do it all over again the following week. Because of his friendship with several cast members, Franco was allowed to infiltrate a week of sNl-making in December 2008. host John malkovich adds even more offbeat humor to the film. Saturday Night satisfies viewers’ curiosities about the process and certain off-screen personalities of the sNl world, and highlights the teamwork and unfailing dedication of sNl creators, forcing us all to be a bit more appreciative of its unwavering presence.

Director: James Franco

Producer: Vince Jolivette

Cinematographer: Pedro Gomez Milan

editor: Ian Olds

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: James/Levy Management

Selected Filmography: Good Time Max (2007)

The Ape (2005)

Fool’s Gold (2005)

FrANCe

Secrets of the Tribe

Stolen

AustrAliA 2009

Director José padilha’s (Bus 174, Elite Squad) eye-opening new documentary centers on the popular field of Yanomami indian studies, but they aren’t the tribe in question. the secrets being exposed are those of the tribe of intellectuals and academics who have built their reputations and careers by studying the Yanomami. Anthropologists descended on the remote tribe beginning in the 1960s, believing them to be the perfect example of a pure, untouched, primitive society. But the career-making opportunities that the research provided quickly led to decades of petty squabbles, which escalate from accusations of academic fraud to shocking allegations of medical, ethical, and sexual transgressions.

As the severity of the accusations increases, padilha skillfully interweaves archival footage and ever-increasing amounts of testimony from the Yanomami themselves to confirm or debunk the anthropologists’ statements. using this clever technique to reveal the anthropologists’ egos and inconsistencies, Secrets of the Tribe challenges the viewer to question the subjectivity and colonial nature of indigenous research without offering any easy answers.

Director: José Padilha

Producers: Mike Chamberlain

Carol Nahra

Marcus Prado

Cinematographer: Lula Carvalho

editor: Felipe Lacerda

Music: João Nabuco

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in Portuguese, with English subtitles

Print Source: Stampede Limited

Selected Filmography: Garapa (2009)

Elite Squad (2008) Bus 174 (2002)

violeta Ayala and Dan Fallshaw thought they were making a feel-good documentary about family reunions in western sahara, a former spanish colony in North Africa much disputed by its neighbors, notably morocco. But the Australian-based filmmakers stumbled on something altogether more politically pungent and found themselves at the center of a huge international controversy. in 2007, while monitoring the sahwari people who have been stranded in refugee camps, some for decades, they were intrigued by the oddly servile attitude of Fetim sellami, a 30-year-old black woman, to the much older Deido, a white Arab who claimed to be Fetim’s grandmother. to their shock, they uncovered a complex network of relationships amounting to nothing less than modern day slavery. the filmmakers’ continued questioning led to hostility from their hosts, to the point where they buried their tapes in the sand and fled. the second half of the film plays like a spy thriller as they retrieve the tapes and resolve to expose the scandal. undercut by the retraction of the main witnesses’ accusations and facing prosecution by several international authorities, they manage to bring the story to the u.N. high Commission for refugees, and to world attention. suspenseful, scary, and displaying personal bravery by Ayala and Fallshaw, this exceptional film is a searing testimony to man’s continued inhumanity to man.

Awards: Pan African Film Festival 2010 (Best Documentary)

BY: Volta

Canada/Ghana 2009, 13 minutes Director: Ryan Mullins

The closed Volta cinema represents nostalgia and opportunity within rural Ghana.

Directors: Violeta Ayala

Dan Fallshaw

Producers: Tom Zubrycki

Deborah Dickson

Screenwriter: Violeta Ayala

Cinematographers: Dan Fallshaw

Violeta Ayala

editor: Dan Fallshaw

Music: John McDowell

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation

Format:

HDCAM, in English, Spanish, and Hassanyia, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Film Sales Company

Print Source: United Notions Film Film Website: thetruthaboutstolen. com

Selected

Filmography: Debut Feature Film

BrAZil 2010

This Way of Life

The Tillman Story

usA 2010

the stunning vistas of New Zealand’s ruahine mountains serve as the backdrop for directorcinematographer tom Burstyn’s beautifully etched documentary portrait of a horse-breeding family seemingly out of step with modernity. peter Karena and his wife Colleen live almost wild, raising their horses, scrambling to find decent shelter, and bringing up their six children—who live the kind of adventurous life most kids would kill for—in accordance with their own desires for ultimate freedom. however, peter’s father has different ideas and the clash between the two patriarchs threatens to have profound consequences for the whole Karena clan. Director Burstyn captures the near atavistic appeal of the Karenas’ lifestyle while not turning away from the hardships they face—a near tragic accident on a mountain trek drives home the possible repercussions the family must face in their desire to banish the modern from their lives. is it all worth it? the Karena family would most definitely say yes.

Awards: Berlin International Film Festival 2010 (Special Mention-Generation Jury)

BY:

p re C e D e D

Poverty

New Zealand 2009, 4 minutes Director: Ofoi Taumoelau

Adobe Youth Voices, Intel Computer Clubhouse Wealth is not defined by material things.

Director: Tom Burstyn

Producer: Barbara Sumner Burstyn

Screenwriter: Barbara Sumner Burstyn

Cinematographer: Tom Burstyn

editor: Cushla Dillon

Music: Joel Haines

Running Time: 84 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

International Sales: Cloud South Films

Print Source: Cloud South Films

Film Website: thiswayoflifemovie.com

Selected Filmography: One Man, One Cow, One Planet (2007)

pat t illman has become a modern mythological figure of American patriotism. leaving his successful career as a professional football player, t illman volunteered for the Army rangers in 2002 and became a symbol for unflinching civic duty. his death in 2004 was heralded as heroic and selfless; he ostensibly died protecting his fellow soldiers and American civilians. But as director Amir Bar-lev’s documentary demonstrates, t illman, though heroic, was also victim to the media’s propaganda and false information. Because of the investigations of his grieving mother, Dannie, the truth about t illman’s death has surfaced. Fiction: t illman was killed in action in Afghanistan following the rescue of dozens of his fellow soldiers from an enemy ambush. Fact: he was killed by friendly fire by members of his own unit as they shot indiscriminately at t illman, believing him to be a guerilla fighter. the grave discrepancy between fact and fiction furthers growing suspicions of American media involvement in covering up the atrocities of the Bush administration, Gulf war generals, and former secretary of Defense Donald rumsfeld. As the film unfolds, the realities of t illman’s service and death prove to be much more profound and important than any manufactured image of the unwavering American hero.

Director: Amir Bar-Lev

Producer: John Battsek

Screenwriter: Mark Monroe

Cinematographers: Sean Kirby

Igor Martinovic

editor: Joshua Altman

Music: Philip Sheppard

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: The Weinstein Co.

Selected Filmography: My Kid Could Paint That (2007) Fighter (2000)

New ZeAlAND 2009

Turn It Loose

uNiteD KiNGDom/FrANCe 2009 North AmeriCAN premiere

An abandoned power station in soweto, south Africa, pulses with the electricity of the world’s best breakdancers, each battling for the title of world Champion. Breakdancing has become a global phenomenon, evolving over 30 years into an extraordinary non-contact form of combat that effectively blends martial arts and gymnastics. Director Alastair siddons swings the narrative from the competition at BC one in soweto to the streets of senegal, Algeria, America, Brazil, France, and Japan. the story is told through the eyes of six competitors, allowing the audience access to the psychological terrain of the competition and the kinetic frenzy of breakdancing. the subjects range from previous world Champion hong 10 from Korea, who is feeling the pressure to repeat his domination a second year, to Ben J from senegal, making his first appearance in the tournament. By exploring personal stories, like Ben J’s promise to represent senegal to his fellow street dancers, these b-boys grace the film with a gravitas that makes it impossible to ignore the suspense as one dancer faces off against another. siddons films the dancing as a hyper-real experience, capturing the breakneck pace while elongating extraordinary moments that showcase the b-boys’ youthful skills. Recommended for youth 13 and up.

BY:

p re C e D e D

More Than Me

USA, 2009, 5 minutes Director: Alejandro Flores

Youth Voices, San Jose, CA

The Two Horses of Genghis Khan

GermANY 2009

Director: Alastair Siddons

Producer: Josh Pitt

Cinematographers: Petra Graf

Neil Harvey

editor: Paul Carlin

Music:

Dan Jones

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in English, Wolof, Japanese, Arabic, and French, with English subtitles

International Sales: MK2 International

Print Source: MK2 International

Film Website: turnitloosemovie.com

Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Award-winning filmmaker Byambasuren Davaa (The Story of the Weeping Camel, siFF 2004) continues her loyal and loving survey of her mongolian homeland in this fascinating story of the search for a lost song of Genghis Khan. urna Chahar-tugchi is a mongolian vocalist born into a family of livestock farmers of the ordos district of inner mongolia, who studied classical music in shanghai and now performs professionally, combining classical and traditional mongolian music. the film tells the story of her promise to repair her grandmother’s beloved horse-head violin that was destroyed during the Cultural revolution and find the song that is partially inscribed on the violin’s neck. this song, “Chingisiyn hoyor zagal” (“the two horses of Genghis Khan”), originated in the middle Ages and is a unique piece of mongolian music. it is a “long song,” considered by uNesCo to be an object of world cultural heritage, and the specific singing technique makes it possible to sing on horseback for hours. traveling across the steppes with urna we meet musicians, shamans, a violin maker, and ordinary urban and rural mongolians who, each in their own way, yield up precious secrets.

Director: Byambasuren Davaa

Producers: Beatrix Wesle

Byambasuren Davaa

Screenwriter: Byambasuren Davaa

Cinematographer: Martijn van Broekhuizen

editor: Jana Musik

Music: Dagvan Ganpurev

Featuring: Urna Chahar-Tugchi Hicheenjui

Chimed Dolgor

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Mongolian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Atrix Films GmbH

Print Source: Atrix Films GmbH

Selected Filmography: The Cave of the Yellow Dog (2005)

The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003)

Adobe

A young man sees dance as his legacy and shares how he positively influences others in his community.

Waste Land

uNiteD KiNGDom/BrAZil 2010

Audience Award winner at both the sundance and Berlin international Film Festivals in 2010, Waste Land is a touching, edgy, essential documentary that encompasses art, the environment, social issues, and stories of ordinary lives. New York artist vik munoz, renowned for his photographs of portraits made from an assortment of materials—his most famous being the “sugar children”—returns to his native Brazil to undertake a new project in the Jardim Gramacho, the world’s largest landfill, outside of rio de Janeiro. Director lucy walker follows munoz and captures an intimate story as he discovers an eclectic and impoverished population of garbage pickers, “catadores,” who spend their days collecting recyclables from the dump. he hires some of them for his newest photographic project—creating their images on a huge scale from bits of recycled materials and then photographing them from above. walker uses time-lapse shots to depict the amazing garbage “mosaics” as they’re created by the catadores. what unfolds is a story of dignity and remarkable creativity, told through three individuals whose lives are transformed by art and their own personal contributions in the making of it. walker’s film balances hope and reality, and in this case, at least, one man’s trash ends up being many others’ treasure.

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2010 (Audience Award - International Documentary) Berlin International Film Festival 2010 (Panorama Audience Award)

Director: Lucy Walker

Producers: Angus Aynsley

Hank Levine

Cinematographer: Dudu Miranda

editor: Pedro Kos

Music: Moby

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in Portuguese and English, with English subtitles

International Sales: E1 Films International

Print Source: Arthouse Films

Film Website: wastelandmovie.com

Selected Filmography: Countdown to Zero (2010)

Blindsight (2006)

Devil’s Playground (2002)

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within

usA 2009

understatement: w illiam s. Burroughs was a fascinating man. the legendary beat author of “Naked lunch” and “Junkie” and countless other works was a pioneer of the gay liberation movement and an influential phrase-maker to many filmmakers (“Blade runner” was a Burroughs phrase) and musicians (see: the soft machine). he deconstructed labels. he refused to be marginalized. he struggled with addiction and the killing of his own wife. when young filmmaker Yony leyser set out to make a film about the troubled legend’s life, little did he know how much support he would receive from all of Burroughs’ former comrades. patti smith and thurston moore (sonic Youth) contributed the soundtrack for no charge and old colleagues and confidants like John waters, David Cronenberg, laurie Anderson, and Gus van sant stepped up for revelatory interviews. leyser combines these interviews with never before seen footage of the author to provide one of the most thorough explorations of Burroughs’ life ever compiled. Not only is this the first and only posthumous documentary about this legendary figure, but it achieves greatness by puncturing the surface of Burroughs’ troubled world and shows us a sensitive figure seeking happiness just like the rest of us.

Director: Yony Leyser

Producers: Yony Leyser

Carmine Cervi

Ilko Davidov

editor: Ilko Davidov

Music: Patti Smith

Thurston Moore

Lee Ranaldo with the Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar

Devin McNulty

Jesse Smith

Featuring: John Waters

Patti Smith

Laurie Anderson

Sonic Youth

Gus Van Sant

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: BulletProof Film Inc.

Film Website: burroughsthemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

New American Cinema

The International Federation of Film Critics

Festivals offer a most exciting opportunity to become acquainted with world cinema. As film critics, it is our interest and often our pleasure to support, in particular, national cinema in all its forms and diversity, considering it an important part of national culture and identity.

FIPRESCI does this by writing about cinema and by awarding the best of them the “Prize of the International Critics” (FIPRESCI Prize). This prize is established at international film festivals, and its aim is to promote film-art and particularly to encourage new and young cinema.

FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics, has been in existence for more than 65 years. The basic purpose of the organization, which now has members in over 60 countries around the world, is to support cinema as an art and as an outstanding and autonomous means of expression.

It is with pleasure that we welcome a FIPRESCI jury to Seattle to select their choice for the best new American film currently without US distribution.

A selection of independent films that reveal and reflect the intricate weave of the American cultural web.

Fulfilling our mission to promote high-quality cinema from emerging filmmakers and encourage distribution, SIFF presents this selection of independent American films that showcases the country’s deep pool of directing talent. From unflinching tales of life on the street and rapidfire comedies to a high-school vampire musical fantasia (yes, really), the character-driven films in this series continue the American tradition of pushing the boundaries of cinematic storytelling. This year’s selections are truly as wide-ranging, multi-faceted, and complex as the broad American landscape. Fourteen films will compete for the FIPRESCI Prize and will be awarded a Circle of Trust Film Subscription, courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories.

(*indicates FIPRESCI Award consideration)

*Bilal’s Stand (2010)

Directed by Sultan Sharrief

*Cherry (2010)

Directed by Quinn Saunders

Cyrus (2010)

Directed by Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass

*The Dry Land (2010)

Directed by Ryan Piers Williams

*Every Day (2010)

Directed by Richard Levine

*The Family Tree (2010)

Directed by Vivi Friedman

*The Freebie (2010)

Directed by Katie Aselton

Holy Rollers (2010)

Directed by Kevin Tyler Asch

*I Kissed a Vampire (2010)

Directed by Chris Sean Nolan

Life During Wartime (2009)

Directed by Todd Solondz

*A Little Help (2010)

Directed by Michael J. Weithorn

*Meet Monica Velour (2010)

Directed by Keith Bearden

*Miss Nobody (2010)

Directed by Tim Cox

*Monogamy (2010)

Directed by Dana Adam Shapiro

*Night Catches Us (2010)

Directed by Tanya Hamilton

The Owls (2010)

Directed by Cheryl Dunye

*Skateland (2010)

Directed by Anthony Burns

*Some Days Are Better Than Others (2010)

Directed by Matt McCormick

Winter’s Bone (2010)

Directed by Debra Granik

Bilal’s Stand

USA 2010

Detroit teen Bilal is the smartest and most responsible kid in his large family, making it a given that once he graduates high school, he will run the family taxi stand. When he is unexpectedly accepted to the University of Michigan, Bilal finds that it is too late in the year to apply for most scholarships, leaving only one unlikely option: win the upcoming ice sculpting tournament. While his classmates doubt his ability in an art form in which he has no experience, his family presents a different challenge. They believe that by going to college he is abandoning his familial duties, selling out, and leaving them all behind. Based on a true story, 25-yearold Sultan Sharrief’s debut feature allows the audience into a world that most can’t normally access. Sharrief believes that most of the world’s problems stem from issues of perception. His film shatters expectations by exploring a touching, real-world tale that is inspiring and universal. Made for a fraction of most film budgets, Bilal’s Stand is the kind of movie that reminds you that movies can (and do) matter. Recommended for youth 13 and up.

P RECEDED B y: 3rd Street Times USA 2009, 3 minutes

Directors: Inita Johnson and Michela Howard Adobe Youth Voices, Independence High School, San Francisco, CA A multi-generational celebration of family and culture.

Cherry

USA 2010

Director: Sultan Sharrief

Producers: Sultan Sharrief

Mark Hickner

Terri Sarris

Claudette Stern

Screenwriter: Sultan Sharrief

Cinematographer: Mike Williamson

Editor: Sultan Sharrief

Music: Kevin DeKimpe

Cast: Julian Gant

Danny Mooney

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

International Sales: Circus Road Films

Print Source: Circus Road Films

Film Website: bilalsstand.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Aaron is a bright but sheltered college freshman whose domineering mother has insisted that he enter the engineering program at an Ivy League college. But his heart belongs to his sketchbook, and one afternoon Aaron ditches engineering for a live drawing class. There he meets Linda, a 34-year-old free spirit who has returned to school in an effort to straighten out her messy life. She invites Aaron home, where he is surprised to meet Beth, Linda’s foul-mouthed and punky 14-year-old daughter. After a seductive round of salsa dancing, emotional chaos ensues: Aaron is smitten with Linda, Beth has a crush on Aaron, and Linda may be engaged to a police officer. This is clearly an equation that will not work. Writer-director Jeffrey Fine’s semi-autobiographical story is both charmingly earnest and filled with moments of raunchy humor––much of it supplied by Derrick Comedy’s D.C. Pierson as Aaron’s libidinous roommate. But Cherry isn’t only about a bizarre love triangle. It is a story of families, both real and surrogate—sometimes even the most complex problems can have the most straightforward solutions.

Director: Jeffrey Fine

Producers: Sam Kitt

Matthew Fine

Screenwriter: Jeffrey Fine

Cinematographer: Marvin V. Rush

Editor: Cindy Parisotto

Music: Bobby Johnston

Cast: Kyle Gallner

Laura Allen

Brittany Robertson

Esai Morales

D.C. Pierson

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Fresh Shrimp Productions

Film Website: cherrythemovie.com

Selected Filmography: No Easy Way (1996) Sandman (1992)

The Dry Land

Every Day

USA 2010

Fresh from a tour of duty in Iraq, James returns to his small, West Texas hometown, where he is reunited with his wife Sara (America Ferrera), his mother Martha (Melissa Leo), and best friend Michael. However, even with their support, James finds it difficult to settle back into civilian life. The cramped trailer he shares with Sara, his new job at the local meat packing plant, and his inability to remember the deadly truck explosion that sent him home, all contribute to his violent outbursts due to post-traumatic stress disorder. In search of solace, he seeks out his former Army buddy, Raymond, who accompanies him on a trip to Walter Reed Medical Center to visit an injured comrade. Throughout their journey together, the men reveal the strikingly different ways in which they each cope with their ordeal. Featuring superb performances from Ferrera, Leo, and newcomer Ryan O’Nan as James, director Ryan Piers Williams’ debut feature is a harrowing, deeply felt exploration of war’s homefront ravages and the soldiers’ personal paths to redemption.

Director: Ryan Piers Williams

Producers: Heather Rae

Sergio Aguero

America Ferrera

Screenwriter: Ryan Piers Williams

Cinematographer: Gavin Kelly

Editor: Sabine Hoffman

Music: Dean Parks

Cast: America Ferrera

Melissa Leo

Ryan O’Nan

Wilmer Valderrama

Ethan Suplee

Jason Ritter

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish and English, with English subtitles

Print Source: Appaloosa Pictures

Film Website: thedrylandmovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

With his life at a crossroads, Ned (Liev Schreiber) wonders where all his ordinary days are headed. He is unsatisfied with his job writing scripts for a salaciously controversial TV show. His marriage to Jeannie (Helen Hunt) is rocky, a situation that is only made worse when his verbally abusive father-in-law (played with appealing gruffness by Brian Dennehy) has to move in with the family after an illness. And even though Ned is a devoted father, his children are proving hard to understand: his 15-year-old insists that he is gay and his 11-year-old is filled with morbid curiosity. First-time director Richard Levine graduated from the pioneering television series “Nip/ Tuck” and has assembled a truly eclectic cast, including Carla Gugino as a sexy, cosmopolitan co-worker and Eddie Izzard as a hot-tempered television producer. Delicately mixing comedy and drama, Every Day is about just that, an uncompromising yet droll story of a man and his family dealing with life’s transformations.

Director: Richard Levine

Producers: Matt Leutwyler

Miranda Bailey

Screenwriter: Richard Levine

Cinematographer: Nancy Schreiber

Editors:

Pam Wise

Leo Trombetta

Music: Jeanine Tesori

Cast: Liev Schreiber

Helen Hunt

Brian Dennehy

Carla Gugino

Eddie Izzard

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source: Ambush Entertainment

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Family Tree

USA 2010

WORLD PREMIERE

Vivi Friedman’s The Family Tree is a winning farce with a heart of coal. With pitch black humor and a lacerating wit that spares no one, it’s a refreshing antidote to much of the saccharine, family-friendly fare that is currently clogging the multiplexes. When Bunnie Burnett’s (Hope Davis) extramarital role-playing sex games go a bit too far, she winds up in the hospital with absolutely no idea how she got there—or who these people that call themselves her family might be. Her husband, Jack (Dermot Mulroney), does what he can to keep things together, but it’s going to take a lot of help from friends and neighbors to overcome the special brand of dysfunction that the Burnetts have managed to achieve over the years. With sharp dialogue and a knack for getting the tone of a scene just right, Vivi Friedman has crafted a darkly humorous exploration of family values and the various methods that we collectively use to drag them through the mud.

Director:

Vivi Friedman

Producers:

Allan Jones

J. Todd Harris

Kathy Weiss

Mark Lisson

Screenwriter: Mark Lisson

Cinematographer: Joplin Wu

Editors:

Seth Flaum

Justine Halliday

Music:

Tuomas Kantelinen

Cast:

Dermot Mulroney

Hope Davis

Chi McBride

Keith Carradine

Rachel Leigh Cook

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Driving Lessons Productions, LLC

Selected Filmography: Certainly Not a Fairytale (2003)

The Freebie

Darren and Annie are a seemingly happy couple. They have plenty of friends, enjoy stimulating conversation, and still laugh at each other’s jokes after years of marriage. Their love life, however, is another story. While many married couples tend to cool off in the bedroom after a few years, Darren and Annie are horrified to realize that neither can remember the last time they had sex. In an effort to add some zip to their relationship, they decide to give each other a “freebie,” a single night to do whatever they please with a complete stranger—no strings attached, no guilt. After they agree on this pact, both begin to have second thoughts. Is this really the best way to deal with their problems? Can they even go through with it? In her debut feature, director and star Katie Aselton balances intelligent, realistic dialogue with a brilliant comic touch as the characters wrestle with awkward situations they’ve created for themselves. Aselton— the wife of actor Mark Duplass, who explored similar territory in last year’s SIFF hit Humpday takes an honest and comic look at the nature of modern intimacy and explores the flexibility of today’s relationships.

Director: Katie Aselton

Producer: Adele Romanski

Screenwriter: Katie Aselton

Cinematographer: Benjamin Kasulke

Editor:

Nat Sanders

Music:

Julian Wass

Cast: Dax Shepard

Katie Aselton

Bellamy Young

Sean Nelson

Frankie Shaw

Bellamy Young

Running Time: 78 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Freebie, LLC

International Sales:

Submarine Entertainment

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

USA 2010

Holy Rollers

I Kissed a Vampire

2010

Sam Gold (Jesse Eisenberg, Zombieland) is a 20-year-old Brooklyn Hasid working for his father while he prepares to become a rabbi and marry the daughter of a local family. Frustrated by his father’s poor business sense and ambivalent about his future, he is an easy target for yosef, his best friend’s brother. yosef is a recruiter for an Israeli drug dealer, Jackie, who uses Orthodox Jews to smuggle ecstasy from Europe into the United States. It’s not long before Sam is immersed in the drug trade; he also finds himself attracted to Jackie’s girlfriend, Rachel, and experiencing the lure of the secular world. At the same time, he’s given up his religious studies and begun to drift away from his family and community. When his father kicks him out of the house, Sam faces a difficult choice between two very different paths. Based on news accounts of actual events, Holy Rollers marks the feature film debut of director Kevin Tyler Asch.

Director: Kevin Tyler Asch

Producers: Danny A. Abeckaser

Tory Tunnell

Per Melita

Jen Gatien

Screenwriter: Antonio Macia

Cinematographer: Ben Kutchins

Editor: Suzanne Spangler

Music: M.J. Mynarski

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg

Justin Bartha

Danny A. Abeckaser

Ari Graynor

Jason Fuchs

Running Time: 89 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Cinetic Media

Print Source: First Independent Pictures Film Website: holyrollersfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

WORLD PREMIERE

Blend one part Twilight, two parts “Glee,” and a pinch of High School Musical and you’ve got I Kissed a Vampire, an electric new musical featuring Lucas Grabeel and Drew Seeley. Opening with “Want It in the Worst Way,” a new anthem for vampirism, the film portrays the struggles of balancing an affinity for sucking blood with the hiccups of a first relationship. On a recent camping trip, Dylan is bitten by a bat and wakes up with extended incisors and an appetite for O-Positive. This transformation poses problems for his budding romance with Sarah (Seattle native Adrian Slade). Complicating matters further, Dylan must also deal with his alluring vampire mentor, Trey, who glamorizes the seductive world of the living dead. Trey takes a liking to Sarah, and soon Dylan is in a race against time. He has to save Sarah and reverse his vampiric transformation before it’s too late. Evolving from its origins as a web series, I Kissed a Vampire earns its place on the big screen with a magnetic young cast and 17 bloodthirsty musical numbers. Recommended for youth 10 and up.

Directors: Chris Sean Nolan

Producers: Laurie Nolan

Mike Slade

Screenwriters: Chris Sean Nolan

Laurie Nolan

Cinematographer: Christopher Gosch

Editor:

David Bekoff

Music:

Frankie Blue

Chris Sean Nolan

Cast: Lucas Grabeel

Drew Seeley

Adrian Slade

Amy Paffrath

Sally Slade

Running Time: 118 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source: Circus Road Films

Film Website: ikissedavampire.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

USA

USA 2010

Life During Wartime

USA 2009

Todd Solondz is back with Life During Wartime, his sixth feature and a sequel of sorts to his crowd-pleasing 1998 effort, Happiness. Solondz once again follows the joyless Jordan sisters (played by new actors this time around) as they attempt to navigate life and love in sunny Miami. Consisting of a series of loosely connected vignettes and brimming with Solondz’s signature deadpan humor, Life During Wartime skirts the uncomfortable line between pathos and tragedy, all the while maintaining a pitch-perfect tone that never alienates the audience (but still manages to keep them safely at arm’s length). Solondz is most definitely an acquired taste, but Life During Wartime may just be the film that introduces his work to a wider audience. More accessible than both Storytelling and Palindromes and featuring stellar performances from Allison Janney (Juno), Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman), and Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club), Solondz has crafted an ironic exploration into the dark heart of America at its most vulnerable: when it thinks nobody is watching.

Awards: Venice Film Festival 2009 (Best Screenplay)

Director: Todd Solondz

Producers: Christine Kunewa Walker

Derrick Tseng

Screenwriter: Todd Solondz

Cinematographer: Ed Lachman

Editor: Kevin Messman

Cast: Paul Reubens

Allison Janney

Ciaran Hinds

Ally Sheedy

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Fortissimo Films

Print Source: IFC Films

Selected Filmography: Palindromes (2004)

Storytelling (2001)

Happiness (1998)

Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)

A Little Help

WORLD PREMIERE

Life is a mess for Laura (Jenna Fischer from “The Office”), a dental hygienist living on Long Island in the aftermath of 9/11. After her cheating husband, Bob, has a heart attack and dies, her overbearing family steps in to help. First they insist that she sue the doctor responsible (a questionable choice since Bob lied about his health to conceal his infidelity). Next they want her to enroll her son, Dennis, in a fancy private school. But when Dennis arrives at his new school, his classmates aren’t particularly welcoming—until he tells them that his father was a firefighter who died on 9/11. As these untruths start to take on a life of their own, Laura must find a way to extricate herself, support her son, and regain control of her life. Michael J. Weithorn, creator of “King of Queens,” makes his feature directorial debut with this off-beat, warm-hearted tale about taking a clear-eyed look at the past in order to better envision the future.

Director: Michael J. Weithorn

Producers:

Dena Hysell

Joe Gressis

Michael J. Weithorn

Screenwriter: Michael J. Weithorn

Cinematographer: Thomas Harting

Editor:

Joe Gressis

Cast:

Jenna Fischer

Chris O’Donnell

Rob Benedict

Arden Myrin

Daniel Yelsky

Running Time:

105 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Secret Handshake

Entertainment

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

USA 2010

Se a ttle’s Hottest Music

C89.5 congratulates SIFF on its 36th year screening the best of independent films.

Meet Monica Velour

Miss Nobody

Keith Bearden’s endearingly offbeat debut feature is the kind of character-driven comedy that could become a sleeper hit of the Festival. Kim Cattrall (“Sex and the City”) plays the titular character, a down-on-her-luck former porn star struggling to raise her daughter while coming to terms with the dead-end life she has created for herself. Enter Tobe, an awkward high-schooler and avid collector of Monica’s career ephemera, who attempts to woo Monica while simultaneously trying to “save” her from her trailer park existence. Unfortunately, Tobe creates more problems than he solves and soon finds himself at odds with the very object of his desire. Displaying a true affection for his underdog characters, Bearden (The Raftsman’s Razor) creates a quirky universe in which his story develops in unexpected ways that keep the audience engaged until the final, bittersweet conclusion. Like Little Miss Sunshine and Napoleon Dynamite before it, Meet Monica Velour is a winning independent comedy that delivers bigtime laughs without losing sight of the small details that make them possible.

Director: Keith Bearden

Producers: Jordan Horowitz

Gary Gilbert

Screenwriter: Keith Bearden

Cinematographer: Masanobu Takayanagi

Editor: Naomi Geraghty

Music: Andrew Hollander

Cast: Kim Cattrall

Dustin Ingram

Brian Dennehy

Keith David

Jee Young Han

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Gilbert Films

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Director Tim Cox creates a nicely blackened blend of Heathers and 9 to 5 in this murder-with-mirth story of a sweet, mild-mannered secretary who accidentally learns a valuable lesson: the best way to get ahead in a cutthroat executive world is to cut a few throats. As a shy, sweet child, Sarah Jane McKinney believed St. George (heroic slayer of dragons) would lead her to her knight in shining armor. Now a twenty-something—and still knightless—secretary at Judge Pharmaceuticals, she sets her sights on a promotion. When a junior executive position opens up, Sarah Jane promptly submits her “embellished” CV and finds herself one rung higher on the executive ladder… until Milo Beeber steals her promotion and demotes her back to secretary. When Sarah Jane repulses Beeber’s lecherous advances a bit too forcefully, leading to an unfortunate incident, she finally gets her promotion. Soon, bodies are piling up behind file cabinets and Sarah Jane is headed for corporate glory. However, just as she hits her murderous stride, St. George delivers homicide detective Bill Malloy, leaving Sarah Jane with the twin challenges of drawing Malloy’s amorous attentions while concealing her extracurricular business activities from his professional scrutiny. Will this delightfully twisted, black-humored fairy tale have a happy ending?

Director: Tim Cox

Producers: J. Todd Harris

Kathy Weiss

Allan Jones

Screenwriter: Douglas Steinberg

Cinematographer: Mateo Londono

Editor:

Chris Peterson

Music: John Dickson

Cast: Leslie Bibb

Adam Goldberg

Missi Pyle

Kathy Baker

Brandon Routh

Vivica A. Fox

Eddie Jemison

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source: Miss Nobody Productions, LLC

Film Website: missnobody.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

USA 2010 WORLD PREMIERE

USA 2010

Monogamy

USA 2010

Theo is a New york City photographer happily engaged to Nat. They reside in a chic Brooklyn apartment and seem to be on the path to a lifetime of wedded bliss. Bored with his job, Theo decides to create “Gumshoot,” a side project that he hopes will give him the opportunity to get to the heart of what makes people tick. To do so, he stalks paying clients with his camera, capturing all of their messy humanity in artful 8x10s. When he is hired to “gumshoot” a mysterious woman, Theo’s pursuit quickly turns into an unhealthy obsession that threatens to capsize his engagement and pull him ever deeper into a web of criminal depravity. The debut narrative feature from Academy Award®-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro (Murderball), Monogamy explores the fine line between love and obsession by expertly blending elements of a psychological thriller with character-driven drama to create a truly unique, wholly original hybrid. Dark and uncompromising, with excellent performances, Monogamy is a movie not easily forgotten.

Director:

Dana Adam Shapiro

Producers: Jeff Mandel

Randy Manis

Tom Heller

Dana Adam Shapiro

Screenwriters: Dana Adam Shapiro

Evan Wiener

Cinematographer: Doug Emmett

Editor: Mollie Goldstein

Music: Jamie Saft

Cast: Rashida Jones

Chris Messina

Meital Dohan

Ivan Martin

Zak Orth

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Final Frame

Selected Filmography: Murderball (2005)

Night Catches Us

USA 2010

Set in Philadelphia during the summer of 1976, Tanya Hamilton’s debut feature Night Catches Us successfully captures the seething tensions of a city and its people as they attempt to reconcile their tumultuous past with a hopeful future. Seamlessly incorporating archival footage, Hamilton creates a compelling narrative that follows two former Black Panthers, Marcus (Anthony Mackie) and Patty (Kerry Washington), and their attempt to come to terms with the choices each has made. As old conflicts bubble to the surface, Marcus soon realizes that he must address each in turn before he will be able to set aside the past and focus on what the future holds in store. Featuring a retro-soul score by The Roots and a script of uncommon intelligence, Hamilton’s Night Catches Us is required viewing for anyone looking to place the events of today in a relevant historical context. Of special note are the heartfelt performances from a topnotch cast, including newcomer Jamara Griffin, whose portrayal of Patty’s 10-year-old daughter provides the lens through which much of the action is so thoughtfully observed.

Director:

Tanya Hamilton

Producers:

Sean Costello

Jason Orans

Ron Simons

Screenwriter: Tanya Hamilton

Cinematographer: David Tumblety

Editors:

John Chimples

Affonso Gonçalves

Music:

The Roots

Cast: Anthony Mackie

Kerry Washington

Jamie Hector

Ron Simons

Wendell Pierce

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales: The Film Sales Company

Print Source: Gigantic Pictures

Film Website: nightcatchesus.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Owls

USA 2010

Veteran filmmaker Cheryl Dunye’s experimental thriller The Owls toys with the conventions of narrative filmmaking to create a truly original cinematic experience. Dunye uses flashback, split-screen, still photos, and assorted documentary-style techniques to tell the story of four middle-aged lesbians who attempt to cover up the murder of a much younger friend. As the film unfolds, Dunye blends meta-commentary into the mix as the actors reflect upon the predicaments of their respective characters, eventually revealing just as much about the narrative as it does about the struggle for acceptance faced by each of the female actresses. Written, directed, produced by, and starring Cheryl Dunye (The Watermelon Woman, Stranger Inside), The Owls marks the debut film from The Parliament Film Collective, an association of lesbian and queer activist-artists whose work unflinchingly documents the messy corners and unlit hallways that constitute the whole of our humanity. Working in Dunye’s signature hybrid style (the “Dunyementary”), The Owls explores gender, sexuality, and identity like few other movies to date.

Director:

Cheryl Dunye

Producers:

Candi Guterres

Ernesto M. Foronda

Alexandra Juhasz

August Einardsdottir

Cheryl Dunye

Screenwriters:

Cheryl Dunye

Sarah Schulman

Cinematographer: Alison Kelly

Editor:

Augusta Einarsdottir

Music:

Ysan

Cast:

Guinevere Turner

Lisa Gornick

V.S. Brodie

Cheryl Dunye

Running Time: 67 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: The Film Collaborative

Film Website: theowlsmovie.com

Selected Filmography: Stranger Inside (2001)

The Watermelon

Woman (1996)

Strange Weather (1993)

Skateland

USA 2010

It’s 1983, and directionless, non-committal Ritchie can’t seem to get it together. Stuck as the manager of a decaying Texas skating rink, home of the fading roller skating fad, the 19-year-old is incapable of making a decision. His friends, family, and love interest encourage Ritchie to quit the dead-end job and go to college, but his disinterest in his future is mirrored by the culture’s indifference to the roller rink. Though initially preoccupied with parties and friends, a tragedy hits close to home and forces him out of his self-induced trance. Skateland’s success is a tribute to the cast of up-and-coming young actors and their depictions of the challenges and surprises of becoming an adult. With a collective resume including “Gossip Girl,” “The O.C.,” and The Twilight Saga, young audiences should recognize a few talented faces. Adults, however, will enjoy a trip down memory lane through the film’s excellent visual and aural depiction of the early ’80s.

Director:

Anthony Burns

Producers:

Anthony Burns

Brandon Freeman

Heath Freeman

Screenwriters:

Anthony Burns

Brandon Freeman

Heath Freeman

Cinematographer: Peter Simonite

Editor: Robert Hoffman

Music: Michael Penn

Cast: Shiloh Fernandez

A.J. Buckley

Ashley Greene

Brett Cullen

Ellen Hollman

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: CAA

Print Source: Zipline Entertainment LLC

Film Website: freemanfilm.com/ skateland

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Some Days Are Better Than Others

Winter’s Bone

USA 2010

The stories of four Portland-based characters are woven together through their common search for human connection. Katrina is a twenty-something animal shelter worker who uses homemade reality-TV audition video diaries to deal with a recent heartbreak. Temp worker, Eli, spends half his day driving around an elderly man. Otis is an eccentric filmmaker and inventor hoping to be recognized for his innate brilliance, and Camille, a thrift store attendant crippled by social anxiety, spends her days sorting through the discards of other people’s lives. In his gentlypaced debut feature, director Matt McCormick excavates these characters with warmth and care. The film showcases the acting debut of The Shins’ front man James Mercer and features Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein. Shot and set in overcast Portland, Oregon, Some Days Are Better Than Others is a lyrical look at things lost and found, the struggles of communicating, the longing to connect, and the lessons in learning what matters most.

Director: Matt McCormick

Producers: David Cress

Neil Kopp

Screenwriter: Matt McCormick

Cinematographer: Greg Schmitt

Editor: Chris Jones

Music: Matthew Cooper

Matt McCormick

Cast: Carrie Brownstein

James Mercer

Renee Roman Nose

David Wodehouse

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Rodeo Films Company

Film Website: somedaysthemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

A shining example of regional independent filmmaking at its finest, Winter’s Bone follows 17-year-old Ree (Jennifer Lawrence) as she searches the Missouri Ozarks for her methcooking, bail-jumping father. Faced with losing the family home if unsuccessful, Ree sets out on a journey that will ultimately reveal secrets long hidden in the wooded mountains of her birth. Intelligent and resourceful, Ree soon begins to attract the attention of relatives who don’t want her father found. When members of her own extended family eventually turn against her, Ree is forced to team up with Teardrop, her estranged uncle (“Deadwood’s” John Hawkes), to pick through the lies, half-truths, and buried secrets of her Ozark kin. Featuring naturalistic performances and a stellar script (based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell), Granik’s film creates a sense of place that transports the audience and holds us in its thrall from the opening sequence to the unsettling conclusion. Winter’s Bone is a revelation and an unparalleled experience that easily distinguishes it as one of the most remarkable films of the year.

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2010 (Grand Jury Prize-Narrative, Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award)

Berlin International Film Festival 2010 (C.I.C.A.E. Prize)

Director: Debra Granik

Producers: Anne Rosellini

Alix Madigan Yorkin

Screenwriters: Debra Granik

Anne Rosellini based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell

Cinematographer: Michael McDonough

Editor:

Affonso Gonçalves

Music: Dickon Hinchliffe

Cast:

Jennifer Lawrence

John Hawkes

Lauren Sweetser

Kevin Breznahan

Isaiah Stone

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales:

Submarine Entertainment

Print Source:

Roadside Attractions

Film Website: wintersbonefilm.com

Selected Filmography: Down to the Bone (2004)

USA 2010

ScreeninGs in Everett

It’s wonderful to be able to expand our SIFF community, and we thank the City of Everett for its support in hosting us this year— a historic first!

We have an outstanding selection of films for this year’s Festival, and we’re thrilled to screen 25 of them at the Everett Performing Arts Center. We hope you’ll take this great opportunity to view some of the finest new works in cinema, from our own backyard and around the world.

OPENING NIGHT: THURSDAy, MAy 27

Mao’s Last Dancer see p. 35

Australia 2009

FILMS

The Army of Crime (France 2009) see p. 226

Between Two Worlds

(Sri Lanka 2009) see p. 122

Castaway on the Moon (South Korea 2009) see p. 233

Chihuly Fire & Light (USA 2010) see p. 133

City of Life and Death (China 2009) see p. 235

The Concert

(France 2009) see p. 236

Diamond 13

(France 2009) see p. 238

Farewell

(France 2009) see p. 33

From Time To Time

(United Kingdom 2009) see p. 93

Garbo: The Spy (Spain 2009) see p. 65

I Am Love (Italy 2009) see p. 248

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (USA 2010) see p. 189

Leaving (France 2009) see p. 252

Mediterranean Diet (Spain 2009) see p. 69

The Milk of Sorrow (Peru 2009) see p. 256

Mount St. Elias (Austria 2009) see p. 191

Night Catches Us (USA 2010) see p. 213

Peepli Live (India 2010) see p. 260

Please, Please Me! (France 2009) see p. 262

Ride, Rise, Roar (USA 2010) see p. 105

The Trotsky (Canada (Québec) 2009) see p. 269

The Two Horses of Genghis Khan (Germany 2009) see p. 199

Waste Land (United Kingdom 2010) see p. 200

Wheedle’s Groove (USA 2009) see p. 140

ScreeninGs in kirkland

SIFF is delighted to include Kirkland in its expanding community again this year, and we thank the City for its continued support.

We have an outstanding selection of films for this year’s Festival, and we’re thrilled to screen 31 of them at the Kirkland Performance Center. Please join us for this wonderful opportunity to view some of the finest new works in world cinema.

OPENING NIGHT: THURSDAy, JUNE 3

The Over the Hill Band see p. 37

Belgium 2009

FILMS

Angel at Sea (Belgium 2009) see p. 122

Au Revoir Taipei (Taiwan 2010) see p. 227

Beyond Ipanema (Brazil 2009) see p. 103

Born to Suffer (Spain 2010) see p. 63

Bran Nue Dae (Australia 2009) see p. 231

Bride Flight

(Netherlands 2009) see p. 231

Cargo

(Switzerland 2009) see p. 123

Carlitos and the Chance of a Lifetime (Spain 2009) see p. 91

Disco and Atomic War (Estonia 2009) see p. 187

Eleanor’s Secret (France 2009) see p. 91

Every Day

(USA 2010) see p. 205

Father and Guns (Canada (Québec) 2010) see p. 241

For the Good of Others (Spain 2010) see p. 65

From Time To Time (United Kingdom 2009) see p. 93

Hipsters

(Russia 2009) see p. 79

I Miss You

(Mexico 2009) see p. 250

K-20: The Fiend with 20 Faces

(Japan 2009) see p. 250

Khargosh

(India 2009) see p. 252

Ondine

(Ireland 2009) see p. 259

An Ordinary Execution (France 2010) see p. 259

Plug & Pray (Germany 2009) see p. 194

Princess Lillifee (Germany 2009) see p. 95

Protektor

(Czech Republic 2009) see p. 263

Reykjavik-Rotterdam (Iceland 2009) see p. 264

Skateland

(USA 2010) see p. 214

Tsar

(Russia 2009) see p. 269

Turn It Loose

(United Kingdom 2009) see p. 199

The Untitled Ginny Ruffner Project (USA 2010) see p. 139

The Wedding Cake (France 2010) see p. 272

White Wedding (South Africa 2009) see p. 273)

Contemporary world cinema

SIFF’s largest program is your round-the-world ticket.

If SIFF were a journey (and it is!), then Contemporary World Cinema is the ultimate GPS— dissolving physical borders and transcending cultural boundaries to deliver us, visually, to the most remote corners of our planet and, emotionally, into the lives of the people who inhabit them. As always, we are honored to present an amazing selection of the world’s latest and greatest films—nearly 100 this year—from both cinematic masters and first-time filmmakers. Collectively, their work covers the geographical map, offering the chance to “visit” more than 40 countries that span the continents. And within these locales, a visionary lens unravels the lives of characters who represent the fascinating spectrum of humanity: A Mongolian nomad’s son who longs to define his own future… An American woman in Cairo tempted by forbidden passion… A family in Croatia who learns wisdom from a donkey… A young couple taking a road trip to the altar in South Africa… And the stories go on. The collection comprises dramatic family sagas that sprawl across generations and period pieces that spotlight political uprisings. There are tales of toiling villagers and greedy kings, of angstridden couples and ego-driven actresses. There are intimate portraits of wives and lovers, mothers and daughters, siblings and friends, enemies and partners in crime. And what they have to tell us about their own search for self-identity and validation, their quandaries and predicaments, their small hopes and outlandish dreams, are the stuff that define us as the human race. Ultimately, this year’s Contemporary World Cinema films offer the grandest of all possible journeys—both into who we are and who we might be if….

The Actresses

kûki ningyô

Air Doll

JAPAn 2009

A magazine plans to create an end-of-year sensation by having all of Korea’s most glamorous actresses together in one photograph for the first time. Why has no one tried this brilliant, sure-to-be-a-sensation idea before? Imagine: three generations of screen goddesses, each with their egos and insecurities, together in one studio at the same time. Herein lies the premise of The Actresses. Director E. J-Yong’s delicious mockumentary in which top Korean stars play not themselves, but their professional personas. From the beginning, the actresses try to one-up each other, either by making a grand entrance, or simply getting the best dress. As logistical complications mount, the endless waiting gets to crew and stars alike. Knowledge of Korean film and gossip isn’t essential to appreciate this film: the other actresses are more than happy to fill you in. Peppered with industry in-jokes and behind-the-scenes thrills, the film toys with the boundaries between fiction and reality. A skilled and sensitive director of women, E.J-Yong teases out their rivalries, insecurities, and jealousies to present a humanizing look both at artists trapped in their celebrity, and at the essential ways in which they cling to it.

Director: E. J-Yong

Producer: Michael McMahon

Screenwriters: Youn Yuh-jung

Lee Mi-suk

Ko Hyun-jung

Choi Ji-woo

Kim Min-hee

Kim Ok-vin

Cinematographer: Hong Kyung-pyo

Editors: Hahm Sung-won Ko Amo

Music:

Jang Young-gyu

Lee Byung-hoon

Cast: Youn Yuh-jung

Ko Hyun-jung

Choi Ji-woo

Kim Ok-vin

Kim Min-hee

Lee Mi-suk

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales: Showbox

Print Source: Showbox

Selected Filmography: Dasepo Naughty Girls (2006)

Untold Scandal (2003)

Soon Ae Boh (2000)

Jungsa (1998)

A beguilingly bizarre modern fairy tale examines the intrinsic beauty of life through the lens of innocence. Every evening, the retiring, lonely, middle-aged Hideo chats with his companion, nozomi. He bathes her and makes love to her before turning in for the night. nothing out of the ordinary—except nozomi is an inflatable doll. One day, after he has left for work, she slowly twitches to life and ventures into the outside world, observing her surroundings in wide-eyed wonder, talking to and mimicking everyone she meets, and trying to relate her own ephemeral existence to the “emptiness-inside” feelings the humans seem to manifest. Creating a parallel life away from the apartment, she takes a job in a video store and falls hopelessly in love with Junichi, the video store clerk. But a real-life turn of events make her question whether this new existence is actually feasible. Based on a 20-page manga, Air Doll is a potent blend of fantasy and reality lyrically translated into film. Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda continues his pursuit of themes that arise from the collision between so-called real life and the artifice of film.

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Producers: Toshiro Uratani

Hirokazu Kore-eda

Screenwriter: Hirokazu Kore-eda based on the comic

“Gouda’s Philosophical

Discourse the Pneumatic Figure of a Girl” by Yoshiie Gouda

Cinematographer: Pin Bing Lee

Editor: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Music:

World’s End Girlfriend

Cast:

Du-na Bae

Arata

Itsuji Itao

Jô Odagiri

Sumiko Fuji

Running Time: 116 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Fortissimo Films

Print Source: Palisades Tartan

Film Website: kuuki-ningyo.com

Selected Filmography:

Still Walking (2008)

Hana (2006)

Nobody Knows (2004)

Distance (2001)

Afterlife (1998)

Maborosi (1995)

yeobaewoodle

SOUTH KOrEA 2010

Alamar

MExICO 2009

Debut filmmaker Pedro Gonzalez-rubio treats the eyes and soul to a breathtaking vision of life at tropical waters’ edge through the bonding of a father and his young son. Jorge grew up in Mexico and has been separated from his wife roberta for several years. She longs to return to her roots in rome and is taking their five-year-old son with her. Intent to impart his Mayan heritage to his son, Jorge is given several weeks to take natan to the Chinchorro reef on the Mexican coast. At first, the boy finds this new way of life uncomfortable, getting seasick on the boat and working constantly, but his father eventually eases him into the rhythms of a fisherman’s life. As day-to-day existence carries on, the relationship between man and nature is subtly revealed and the boy learns to live in harmony with the natural world. While Alamar is a fictional narrative, the film effectively blurs documentary and fiction as the main actors play themselves and the director delicately captures the serenity of life at a realistic pace. natan’s emotional journey leaves him and the audience with an experience that will remain long after the film comes to a close.

Awards:

Rotterdam International Film Festival 2010 (Tiger Award)

Miami International Film Festival 2010 (Grand Jury Prize)

Pr ECEDED BY:

The Little Things

USA 2009, 4 minutes

Directors: Students at West Seattle Elementary School Adobe Youth Voices, Seattle, WA Seattle students break down the little things you can do to relieve the stress of our modern world.

wszystho io hochau All That I Love

Director:

Pedro González-Rubio

Producers:

Pedro González-Rubio

Jaime Romandia

Screenwriter: Pedro González-Rubio

Cinematographer: Pedro González-Rubio

Editor:

Pedro González-Rubio

Cast:

Jorge Machado

Natan Machado Palombini

Nestor Marin

Roberta Palombini

Running Time: 73 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in Spanish and Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: MK2 International

Print Source: Film Movement

Selected Filmography: Black Bull (2005)

Flying in the face of 1981’s political turmoil in a scenic, seaside Polish industrial town behind the Iron Curtain, four teenage boys choose to embrace music in their punk rock band, ATIl (All That I love). Practicing in an abandoned, beat-up bus, their music expresses a frustration with society and a desire to taste freedom, which makes it tough for them to get a gig while their town struggles with martial law. Janek, a sensitive idealist and son of a navy captain, takes music lessons and is in love with his schoolmate Basia, the girl-next-door. Everything is fine between them until the Solidarity strike gets underway. Basia’s father is part of the strike, while Jacek’s father has to enforce the law. As the strike wears on, it affects every person in the town. Each neighbor knows where the other neighbor stands, and it becomes impossible to separate the personal from the political. The emergence of censorship and repression forces Janek and his friends to face the realities and limitations of their small town as the boys learn what it means to be men.

Director: Jacek Borcuch

Producers: Jan Dworak

Kamila Polit

Screenwriter: Jacek Borcuch

Cinematographer: Michel Englert

Editors: Agnieszka Glinska

Krysztof Szpetmanski

Music: Daniel Bloom

Cast: Meteusz Koscinkiewicz

Olga Frysz

Andrej Chyra

Anna Radwau

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Polish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Wide Management

Print Source: Wide Management

Film Website: allthatilove.pl

Selected Filmography: Tulips (2004) Cauliflower (1999)

POlAnD 2009

Altiplano

BElGIUM/nETHErlAnDS/GErMAnY 2009

Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth confirm the promise of their startlingly original debut feature Khadak, for which they won the lion of the Future award at the 2006 Venice Film Festival. Altiplano opens with Max, an eye surgeon working in a clinic in the High Andes of Peru where inhabitants of a nearby village have fallen sick due to pollution from a local mine. Ignorant of the true source of the malady, the superstitious villagers turn their rage on Max and his colleagues, and, in the ensuing riot, Max is killed. His wife Grace, a disillusioned war photographer, sets out on a journey of mourning to the place of Max’s death. Meanwhile, Saturnina, a young woman from the village whose fiancé has died from the contamination, learns the sinister truth about its true cause and takes drastic measures to protest against the endless violations towards her people and her land, to her own great cost. The destinies of Grace and Saturnina mysteriously merge in this lyrical and probing film about our divided but inextricably linked world.

Directors:

Peter Brosens

Jessica Woodworth

Producers:

Peter Brosens

Jessica Woodworth

Diana Elbaum

Sébastien Delloye

Leontine Petit

Joost de Vries

Doris Hepp

Screenwriters: Peter Brosens

Jessica Woodworth

Cinematographer: Francisco Gózon

Editor: Nico Leunen

Music: Michel Schöpping

Cast:

Magaly Solier

Jasmin Tabatabai

Olivier Gourmet

Behi Djanati Ataï

Edgar Condori

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, Quechua, French, and Farsi, with English subtitles

International Sales: Meridiana Films

Print Source:

First Run Features

Film Website: altiplano.info

Selected Filmography: Khadak (2006)

The Army of Crime

FrAnCE 2009

Based on actual events, and rarely told on screen, The Army of Crime is the story of 22 men and one woman who made up an unusual cell of the French resistance during World War II. Anti-fascist refugees from Spain, Italy, Hungary, Poland, and other countries, most of them Jews and communists, were led by the Armenian poet Missak Manouchian, who managed to turn a ragtag group of saboteurs and killers into an organized, disciplined, and effective fighting force. Working on a small scale and with lesser-known actors (with the exception of Virginie ledoyen, who plays Manouchian’s wife) director robert Guédiguian avoids some of the more familiar conventions of the genre to achieve an effect that is fresh, authentic, and original. The son of an Armenian father and a German mother, he has also created an affecting tribute to a group of outsiders who, in the face of relentless anti-Semitism and xenophobia (which ultimately brought them down), fought for the France they knew as the home of the rights of man.

Director:

Robert Guédiguian

Producer:

Dominique Barneaud

Screenwriters:

Robert Guédiguian

Serge Le Péron

Gilles Taurand

Cinematographer: Pierre Milon

Editor:

Bernard Sasia

Music:

Alexandre Desplat

Cast:

Virginie Ledoyen

Simon Abkarian

Robinson Stevenin

Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet

Araine Ascaride

Running Time: 139 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Studio Canal

Print Source: Kino/Lorber

Film Website: larmeeducrime-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Lady Jane (2008)

Armenia (2006)

Charge! (2000)

The Town is Quiet (2000)

The Athlete

ETHIOPIA/GErMAnY/USA 2009

Marathoner Abebe Bikila, the first black African to win an Olympic gold, ran his gold medal race barefoot. Impressive, sure, but Bikila’s story becomes truly remarkable following an accident that leaves him unable to walk. From Bikila’s early Olympic triumphs that made him a national hero, to the aftermath of the accident, Bikala’s determination never wavers. The Athlete is a well-crafted character study couched in a compelling sport biopic. In Bikila’s struggles to redefine his life after the accident, the film thoughtfully considers the meaning of the drive to compete. Switching between archival footage of the real Abebe Bikila and breathtaking scenes starring Ethiopian rasselas lakew, the film’s visual metaphors cement this film in the runner’s movie pantheon. This well-acted and strikingly photographed true story will come as a welcomed tribute to those who know Bikila’s story and as an unforgettable introduction to those who do not.

Awards: Rotterdam International Film Festival 2010 (Lions Award)

Directors: Davey Frankel

Rasselas Lakew

Producers: Davey Frankel

Rasselas Lakew

Screenwriters: Davey Frankel

Rasselas Lakew

Mikael Aemrio Awake

Cinematographers: Philipp Pfeifer

Rodney Taylor

Toby Moore

Radoslav Spassov

Editors: Davey Frankel

Matt Mayer

Music: Christian Meyer

Cast: Rasselas Lakew

Dag Malmberg

Ruta Gedmintas

Abba Waka Dessalegn

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM in English and Amharic, with English subtitles

Print Source: AV Patchbay, LLC

Film Website: theathletefilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

sham moh

At the End of Daybreak

MAlAYSIA/SOUTH KOrEA 2009

In this beautifully shot, noir-like tale of an adolescent girl’s illicit relationship with a complicated young man, circumstances spin far beyond the protagonists’ control. Tuck Chai, 23, is in a relationship with 15-year-old Ying. Ying’s mother flips out when she discovers birth control pills in her daughter’s room, demanding cash from Tuck Chai and his mother—even though Ying’s family is well off, while Tuck and his mom struggle to make ends meet—in exchange for not filing a statutory rape complaint. When Tuck’s down-onher-luck mother manages to scrape the money together, Ying’s parents take it but renege on the deal, setting in motion an unexpected chain of events driven by their casual greed and their daughter’s moral emptiness. Writer-director Ho Yuhang’s accomplished visuals, full of sophisticated connecting devices and handsome pans, captures that feeling of dread inherent in noir when innocence mixes with greed to create inexorable disaster.

US PrEMIErE

Director: Ho Yuhang

Producer: Lorna Tee

Screenwriter: Ho Yuhang

Cinematographer: Teoh Gay Hian

Editor: Mindy Wong

Music: Pete Teo

Cast: Chui Tien You

Wai Ying Hung

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Cantonese and Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Golden Scene

Print Source: Golden Scene

Selected Filmography: Rain Dogs (2006) Min (2003)

Au Revoir Taipei

TAIWAn/USA/GErMAnY 2010

In his debut film, California-raised Arvin Chen ditches the prevailing cinematic image of Taipei as a city of disaffected youth, instead invoking a lively metropolis full of human warmth populated by endearing oddballs. When his girlfriend, Faye, moves to Paris, Kai dreams of following her and, when not forced to work in his parents’ backstreet noodle shop, spends his time dabbling in the French section of a large bookstore. After Faye calls off the relationship, Kai plans to fly to Paris to win her back, and a lowlife connection from the neighborhood fortuitously offers him an air ticket in return for “courier services.” This precipitates a turbulent night during which a bunch of hapless crooks kidnaps Kai’s best friend, and Kai starts to have second thoughts about Paris when another love interest, much closer to home, rears her pretty head. Chen directs with a finely-tuned balance of slapstick and romance, suspense and comedy to produce a hugely enjoyable film in which everyone concerned undergoes some kind of catharsis as they crisscross the bustling streets of one of Asia’s most exciting cities.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2010 (Netpac Prize)

Director: Arvin Chen

Producers: In-Ah Lee

Wei-Jan Liu

Wim Wenders

Meileen Choo

Screenwriter: Arvin Chen

Cinematographer: Michael Fimognari

Editor: Justin Guerrieri

Music: Wen Hsu

Cast: Jack Yao

Amber Kuo

Joseph Chang

Lawrence Ko

Frankie Gao

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Mandarin and Taiwanese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Beta Cinema

Print Source: Beta Cinema

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Spring Is In the Pair!

SIFFter

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“Rachel”

el traspatio

Backyard

MExICO 2009

As this chilling thriller opens, we find a woman’s body—strangled and roasted black by the desert sun. In the border town of Juárez, Mexico, thousands of women have met this same fate since the mid-’90s. But a ray of hope shines with the arrival of no-nonsense Captain Blanca Bravo. Shaken by the savage acts of femicide, she follows a trail that leads her to a former sex offender who has restyled himself as a successful businessman. She had better find her man fast, though, because fresh-faced Juanita has just arrived in Juárez looking for a better life. The director of Academy Award®-nominated The Crime of Father Amaro teams up with Mexico’s critically acclaimed playwright Sabina Berman to tackle the tragic and often ignored reality of Juárez. Berman smartly divides her screenplay between two vastly different female characters—as Blanca becomes increasingly aware of the virulence of the sex crimes, Juanita naively shops the city for boyfriends. Ana de la reguera is especially powerful as a woman whose longing to save other women sometimes overwhelms her judgment as a police officer.

Awards: Official Academy Award® Submission 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Bakal Boys

PHIlIPPInES 2009

Director: Carlos Carrera

Producer: Isabelle Tardan

Screenwriter: Sabina Berman

Cinematographer: Martin Boege

Editor: Oscar Figueroa

Music:

Fernando Corona

Cast:

Ana de la Reguera

Asur Zágada

Marco Pérez

Ivan Cortes

Jimmy Smits

Running Time: 122 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: IMCINE

Print Source: Maya Releasing

Selected Filmography: The Crime of Father Amaro (2002)

Benjamin’s Mother (1991)

Monster ships line the polluted waters of Manila Bay as the figures of little boys swim around and between the towering hulks. The small boys are metal divers who search the deep, murky waters with little more than a few household items, like rubber gloves, spatulas, and makeshift flippers, to protect them. The metal scavengers live in Baseco, one of Manila’s worst slums. The boys try to be disciplined and keep track of each other. Still, their dangerous occupation in the relatively open and rough waters of Manila Bay is not child’s play. One day, the boys find a treasure on the sea floor—a large anchor submerged in the mud. Together, the boys laboriously raise it to the surface, but while celebrating their victory, Utoy notices that Bungal is not with them. For the next few days Utoy and Bungal’s grandmother search the neighborhood and the breakwater where he was last seen. Grieving the loss of his friend, Utoy starts to hear the seductive sound of a mermaid calling him to sea. Dubbed a “socio-realistic” drama, Bakal Boys’ director ralston Jover captures some of the Philippines’ roughest locations and enters their hidden lives without patronizing or sentimentalizing. Part documentary, part fiction, this astounding film illuminates the plight of children forced to act and think as adults.

Awards:

Vancouver International Film Festival 2009 (Dragons and Tigers

Special Mention)

Thessaloniki Film Festival 2009 (Special Mention)

Director: Ralston Jover

Producers: Albert P. Almendralejo

Bessie Badilla

Screenwriters: Henry Burgos

Ralston Jover

Cinematographer: Ruben H. Dela Cruz

Editors: Kats Serraon

Charliebebs Gohetia

Music: Teresa Barrozo

Cast: Meljon Guinto

Vincent Olano

Edgardo Olano Jr.

Simon Ibarra

Cherry Malvar

Gina Pareno

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta, in Tagalog, with English subtitles

International Sales: Ignatius Films Canada

Print Source: Ignatius Films Canada

Film Website: bakalboysmovie.com

Selected Filmography: Marlon, Blind Boy (2008)

il grande sogno

The Big Dream

ITAlY/FrAnCE 2009

In the tradition of The Best of Youth, this look at a generation is inspired by director Michele Placido’s memories of his time as a policeman, when he emigrated from the South as an aspiring theater actor. The setting is 1968 and young, rather naïve Puglia-born nicola gets swept up in the winds of change that were blowing through rome. Sent by his superiors to infiltrate the occupied university, nicola falls in love with a Catholic girl, laura, who is involved in the student movement. He ends up abandoning his uniform to study drama. laura is in love with a studentworker and leader of the movement, libero, but nicola’s simplicity, passion, and energy move her heart. Meanwhile, around them, a momentous revolution, full of pacifism and emancipation, is waning. The Piazza Fontana bombing is just around the corner, the years of terrorism are fast approaching. Full of dazzling cinematography, The Big Dream gives contemporary youth an idea about the origins of the freedom they sometimes take for granted today.

Director:

Michele Placido

Producers: Pietro Valsecchi

Camilla Nesbitt

Screenwriters:

Doriana Leondeff

Angelo Pasquini

Michele Placido

Cinematographer: Arnaldo Catinari

Editor:

Consuelo Catucci

Music:

Nicola Piovani

Cast: Riccardo Scamarcio

Luca Argentero

Jasmine Trinca

Laura Morante

Running Time: 101 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Print Source:

Films Distribution

Selected Filmography: Romanzo criminale (2005)

Ovunque sei (2004)

A Journey Called Love (2002)

shi

Bodyguards and Assassins

HOnG KOnG/CHInA 2009

1906—legendary revolutionary leader Sun

Wen is set to arrive for secret Hong Kong talks with leaders of the local resistance movement. But when the Qing Dynasty’s corrupt Empress Dowager Cixi discovers his clandestine plans, she deploys a group of assassins under the leadership of Yan xiaoguo to the British Imperial city with orders to execute Sun. Events conspire to complicate Yan’s plan, particularly when he makes the ill-advised move to kidnap the China Daily’s chief editor Chen Shaobai. In the wake of this act, the newspaper’s owner, Wang xueqi, begins to assemble a disparate group of men to serve as bodyguards for Sun upon his arrival. With this escort, Sun must negotiate the tangled Hong Kong back alleys where Yan’s forces lie in ambush. Director Teddy Chen carefully builds the suspense throughout the film’s first half in order to deliver a cathartic burst of action filled with operatic grandeur. Featuring many of the biggest stars in Asian cinema, Bodyguards and Assassins is an epic tour de force.

Director:

Teddy Chen

Producers: Peter Chan

Jianxin Huang

Screenwriters: Tin Nam Chun

Junli Guo

Bing Wu

James Yuen

Cinematographer: Arthur Wong

Editor: Fabrizio Pistone

Music: Kwong Wing Chan

Peter Kam

Cast: Donnie Yen

Tony Leung Ka Fai

Leon Lai

Nicholas Tse

Running Time: 138 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Mandarin and Cantonese, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

We Distribution

Print Source: We Distribution

Film Website: bodyguardsandassassins.com

Selected Filmography:

Wait ‘Til You’re

Older (2005)

The Accidental Spy (2001)

Purple Storm (1999)

Downtown Torpedoes (1997)

Twenty Something (1994)

Bran Nue Dae

AUSTrAlIA 2009

The old pearling port of Broome in remote Western Australia provides the setting, and the year is 1969. With his evangelical mother pointing him toward the priesthood, Willie, a 16-year-old Aboriginal boy, is packed off to Catholic boarding school in Perth, but soon runs away protesting its strict ways. With Father Benedictus in hot pursuit, he heads for home and back to rosie, the love of his life. Along the way he acquires a hodge-podge medley of traveling companions, including rascally hobo Uncle Tadpole and a couple of hippie tourists. Underneath the film’s road movie and romantic comedy veneer is a story about identity and culture, and how each person needs to navigate those stony shores in their own way. Photographed by Academy Award®-winner Andrew lesnie (The Fellowship of the Ring), the film showcases both the stunning Australian landscapes and the compelling visage of Willie as he tries to maintain his emotional footing amid the surrounding chaos of life. Featuring a cast that includes both acclaimed and emerging Australian actors and musicians, director rachel Perkins shepherds Australia’s delightful 1990 stage musical to the screen in this cheery, crowd-pleasing adaptation.

Awards: Melbourne International Film Feature 2009 (Audience Award)

Bride Flight

nETHErlAnDS 2009

Director: Rachel Perkins

Producers: Robyn Kershaw

Graeme Issac

Screenwriters: Reg Cribb

Rachel Perkins

Jimmy Chi

Cinematographer: Andrew Lesnie

Editor: Rochelle Oshlack

Music: Cezary Skubiszewski

Cast: Rocky McKenzie

Jessica Mauboy

Ernie Dingo

Missy Higgins

Geoffrey Rush

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Bankside Films

Print Source: Bankside Films

Film Website: bndthemovie.com

Selected Filmography: One Night the Moon (2001) Radiance (1998)

A sweeping melodrama loosely based on the lives of three young women who traveled on the KlM flight that won the 1953 great air race from london to Christchurch, new Zealand. Dubbed the “Bride Flight,” many of its passengers were young Dutch women on their way to join their already-settled fiancés. Shy country girl Ada, sensible Marjorie, and sophisticated fashion designer Esther are from different backgrounds and have different motivations for emigrating but quickly become friends as they adjust to their new lives with all the usual heartaches and drama. Fifty years later, at the funeral of another fellow “Bride Flight” passenger, Frank, they learn just how intertwined their lives have really been. Flitting lightly between past and present, director Ben Sombogaart (Twin Sisters) skillfully keeps the nostalgia factor well clear of soap opera in this absorbing tale of female bonding over decades in which past and present are inextricably linked.

Director: Ben Sombogaart

Producers: Hanneke Niens

Anton Smit

Screenwriter:

Marieke van der Pol

Cinematographer: Piotr Kukla

Editor:

Herman P. Koerts

Music:

Jeannot Sanavia

Cast: Rutger Hauer Karina Smulders

Elise Schaap

Anna Drijver

Waldemar Torenstra

Running Time: 130 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Dutch, with English subtitles

International Sales: Beta Cinema

Print Source: Music Box Films

Film Website: brideflight.nl/bride

Selected Filmography: Crusade in Jeans (2006) Twin Sisters (2002)

The Boy Who Stopped Talking (1996)

broderskab Brotherhood

DEnMArK 2009

Former Danish servicemen lars and Jimmy are thrown together while training in a neo-nazi group that organizes attacks on Muslims and homosexuals. Their relationship moves from hostility through grudging admiration to friendship and finally passion. It’s a love lived in secret until the group’s racist and violent rules end up forcing the pair to face the inevitable quandary: to betray their ideological “brothers” or betray their own feelings. Whatever the choice, it will lead to violence in one way or another, whether physical or mental. It is a tribute to the sensitivity of the script and the bravura of nicolo Donato’s direction that the neo-nazi theme never feels exploitative. The film subtly makes points about political and amorous violence and tenderness while still confronting the ugliness of the racial and gay hatred espoused by its protagonists. With galvanizing performances from Thure lindhardt and David Dencik as the two leads, Brotherhood is further evidence of the wealth of talent coming from Denmark in the last few years.

Awards: Rome International Film Festival 2009 (Grand Jury Prize)

Director: Nicolo Donato

Producer:

Per Holst

Screenwriters: Rasmus Birch

Nicolo Donato

Cinematographer: Laust Trier-Mørk

Editor: Bodil Kjærhauge

Music:

Simon Brenting

Jesper Mechlenburg

Cast: Thure Lindhardt

David Dencik

Nicolas Bro

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Danish, with English subtitles

International Sales: TrustNordisk

Print Source: Olive Films

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Bus Palladium

FrAnCE 2010

nOrTH AMErICAn PrEMIErE

Actor-screenwriter Christopher Thompson’s directorial debut fills the screen with sexy French rockers, feuding friends, drugs, and plenty of shaggy hair. named for the famous Parisian rock dive, Bus Palladium tells the story of four close friends who form a rock band in the mid-’80s, appropriately named lust, and learn to navigate the ups and downs of musical success. The foursome peacefully enjoys their high road to stardom, complete with rooftop poetry proclamations, affairs, and Super 8 documentation. That is, of course, until the arrival of laura, a tempting new fixture in the rock world. Jealousy, competition, and duels ensue, complicating friendships and pending fame alike. The soundtrack features tunes from the Stones, Blondie, and Bowie. Dazzling and charming, with irresistible style, Bus Palladium will put you smack in the middle of that ’80s heyday heaven and keep you rockin’ in your seat.

Director: Christopher Thompson

Producers:

Cyril Colbeau-Justin

Jean-Baptiste Dupont

Screenwriters: Christopher Thompson

Thierry Klifa

Cinematographer: Rémy Chevrin

Editor: Emmanuelle Youchnovsy

Music: Yarol Poupand

Cast: Marc-André Grondin

Arthur Dupont

Élisa Sednaoui

Géraldine Pailhas

François Civil

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Other Angle Pictures

Print Source: Other Angle Pictures

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Cairo Time

CAnADA 2009

They just don’t make them like this any more. ruba nadda’s supremely romantic Cairo Time is a definite contender for the year’s best example of less is more. Magazine editor Juliette (Patricia Clarkson), bored with her work, flies to Cairo to join her diplomat husband, Mark, who is unfortunately delayed on a mission in Palestine. By no means a shrinking violet, Juliette is nevertheless daunted at the thought of exploring this teeming, bewildering megapolis on her own, so is grateful for the company of Mark’s charming, elegant friend, Tareq, who becomes her guide to the sights, sounds and customs of Egypt. An empathy develops between the two, which builds up incrementally to the classic shouldwe-or-shouldn’t-we dilemma as they struggle with their individual loyalties to the absent Mark. Patricia Clarkson adds to her magnificent repertoire of middle-class, middle-aged women following Far From Heaven and Married Life. This delicious confection skillfully holds the narrative tension within the sheer sumptuousness of its setting. It’s indeed a rare talent that can film in the shadow of the Pyramids without being over-shadowed, and for achieving this, director nadda is to be resoundingly applauded.

Awards: Toronto International Film Festival 2009 (Best Canadian Feature Film)

Director: Ruba Nadda

Producers: Daniel Iron

David Collins

Screenwriter: Ruba Nadda

Cinematographer: Luc Montpellier

Editor: Teresa Hannigan

Music: Niall Byrne

Cast: Patricia Clarkson

Alexander Siddig

Tom McCamus

Elena Anaya

Amina Annabi

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: E1 Films International

Print Source: IFC Films

Selected Filmography: Sabah (2005)

Unsettled (2001)

I Always Come to You (2000)

Castaway on the Moon

SOUTH KOrEA 2009

Kim Seong-geun has just been dumped by his girlfriend and is drowning in debt. Hoping to end it all, he jumps off a bridge into the Han river but ends up washed up on a small island at its center. The cityscape is still in sight but too far to swim, especially as he never learned how. Kim tries several times to attract the attention of passing tourist boats, but soon resigns to life in the wild. Across the river in one of the many highrises facing the beach lives a young woman who hasn’t left her room in three years and whose only contact with the human world is through computer screen or camera lens. Peering out through her telescope, she finds a gigantic message from Kim scrawled in the sand: “Hello.” This simple message sparks a series of primitive communication between the two social castaways, evolving into a fascinating, offbeat love story loaded with surprises. Addressing issues of urban alienation and modern communication with sensitivity and wit, director lee Hey-jun’s whimsical tragicomedy is a love story sure to capture the heart of the misfit and romantic in all of us.

Director: Lee Hey-jun

Producer: Kim Mooryoung

Screenwriter: Lee Hey-jun

Cinematographer: Kim Byung-seo

Editor: Nam Na-young

Music: Kim Hong-jip

Cast: Jung Jae-young

Jung Rye-won

Running Time: 116 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales: CJ Entertainment

Print Source:

CJ Entertainment

Selected Filmography: Like a Virgin (2006)

nankyoku ryôrinin

The Chef of South Polar

The Children of Diyarbakir

An Antarctic research station is possibly the last place anyone would expect to encounter seriously fine dining, but nevertheless this is what’s on the menu in Shuichi Okita’s delicious adaptation of Jun nishimura’s autobiographical novel. lobster, foie gras, you name it—nothing is too luxurious for Chef nishimura to dish up to the eight man crew of the Dome Fuji Station research base in the frozen no-man’s land where not even a virus can survive, let alone a human. As the men carry out the mundane tasks of their communal isolation interrupted by occasional playful forays into the stunning exterior wilderness, they develop bizarre cravings or dress eccentrically and start to pine for home. Okita wisely concentrates the action around the much-anticipated meal times, with nishimura as a kind of surrogate mother to the disparate team members, seeking to constantly divert them from going stir crazy. Taking a low key, elliptical approach to the story, and told from nishimura’s point of view with flashbacks to his muchmissed wife and young daughter, The Chef of South Polar is a delightful, quirky blend of daily observation and elegantly simple aesthetics and a mouth-watering addition to the food movie genre. Don’t, on any account, come hungry.

Director:

Shuichi Okita

Producer: Toshikazu Nishigaya

Screenwriters:

Shuichi Okita

Jun Nishimura

Cinematographer: Akiko Ashizawa

Cast:

Masato Sakai

Kengo Kora

Takashi Ukaji

Kosuke Toyohara

Running Time: 125 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Tokyo Theatres Co., Ltd.

Print Source: Tokyo Theatres Co., Ltd.

Film Website: nankyoku-ryori.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Ten-year-old Gulistan and her younger brother Firat live happily with their parents in Diyarbakir, the heart of Turkish Kurdistan, until tragedy strikes. One night the siblings witness paramilitary gunmen shoot down their mother and political-journalist father. Traumatized and orphaned, Gulistan, Firat, and their infant sister remain at home in the care of their politically-active Aunt Yekbun who attempts to arrange for her and the children to settle in Sweden. But before Yekbun can complete the process, she disappears without a trace. Patiently awaiting the return of their aunt, Gulistan and Firat try as best they can to care for their baby sister, but as days turn into weeks, the money that she left behind them runs out. Alone on the streets of Diyarbakir, they scrounge for food and a place to sleep, discovering that other children also share their fate. Gulistan strikes up a friendship with part-time prostitute Dilara, whom she accompanies on hotel calls, serving as a cover to help the young woman avoid trouble. One day, Gulistan is shocked to recognize one of Dilara’s clients as the murderer of her parents. remembering their mother’s folk tales, Gulistan devises a nonviolent way for the children of Diyarbakir to get their revenge.

Director: Miraz Bezar

Producer: Miraz Bezar

Screenwriter: Miraz Bezar

Cinematographer: Isabelle Casez

Editor: Miraz Bezar

Cast: Senay Orak

Muhammed Al Hakan Karsak

Berivan Ayaz

Fahriye Celik

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Turkish, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Match Factory

Print Source: The Match Factory

Filmography: Debut Feature Film

TUrKEY/GErMAnY 2009 nOrTH AMErICAn PrEMIErE

JAPAn 2010

nanjing nanjing

City of Life and Death

CHInA 2009

In 1937, the Japanese Army occupied the former Chinese capital and commenced the horribly violent period that has become known as the rape of nanking. While there have been many treatments of the event, City of Life and Death represents the first big-budget fiction film by the Chinese to deal with this seminal event in their modern history. Shot in black and white, with a gripping visual style that effortlessly glides between the intimate and the spectacular, director lu Chuan crafts a multi-character drama that, for the most part, refuses to caricature the Japanese as monsters. Instead, he makes a naïve, young Japanese soldier our guide, as neo-realist set pieces of bombed-out buildings alternate with the individual struggles of the desperate Chinese. lyrical and harrowing by turns, lu’s film serves as an important and wholly engrossing corrective to Western audiences’ incomplete understanding of this tragedy. That he manages to do this with such artistry and visual command makes the experience unforgettable.

Awards:

San Sebastian Film Festival 2009 (Best Film, Best Cinematography)

Director: Lu Chuan

Producer: Han Sanping

Screenwriter: Lu Chuan

Cinematographer: Cao Yu

Editor: Teng Yun

Music: Liu Tong

Cast: Liu Ye

Nakaizumi Hideo

Running Time: 129 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Media Asia Distribution

Print Source: Media Asia Distribution

Selected Filmography: Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (2004)

The Missing Gun (2002)

cosa voglio di più Come Undone

ITAlY/SWITZErlAnD 2010 nOrTH AMErICAn PrEMIErE

An adulterous affair between two office workers threatens to implode their boring, stationary lives in director Silvio Soldini’s (Days and Clouds, Bread and Tulips) latest insightful relationship film. Anna, a mild-mannered employee at an insurance firm, has a stable, uncomplicated marriage to Alessio, her boorish and clueless husband. Her sister’s recent childbirth and the constant hints from her husband have put pressure on her to have a child. Meanwhile, she has begun flirting with Domenico, a sexy, mysterious co-worker. Their flirtation soon escalates into a secret liaison as they begin meeting in a seedy motel every week. It is not too long before their clandestine relationship is discovered and they must make a choice between their families or each other. Using a true-to-life documentary style, Soldini has crafted a poignant film that tempers the unbridled passion of an illicit affair with the anxiety and dread of leading a double life.

Director: Silvio Soldini

Producer: Lionello Cerri

Screenwriters: Doriana Leondeff

Angelo Carbone

Silvio Soldini

Cinematographer: Ramiro Civita

Editor: Carlotta Cristiani

Music: Giovanni Venosta

Cast: Pierfrancesco Favino

Alba Rohrwacher

Giuseppe Battiston

Teresa Saponangelo

Fabio Troiano

Running Time: 126 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Pyramide International

Print Source: Film Movement

Film Website: pyramidefilms.com

Selected Filmography: Days and Clouds (2007)

Agatha and the Storm (2004)

Burning the Wind (2002)

Bread and Tulips (2000)

The Acrobat (1997)

A Soul Split in Two (1993)

The Peaceful Air of the West (1990)

le concert

The Concert

FrAnCE/rUSSIA 2009

In 1980 Brezhnev-era russia, Andrei Filipov lost his position as conductor of the Bolshoi Orchestra because of his refusal to fire the orchestra’s Jewish musicians. now, 25 years later, he works as a janitor at the Bolshoi concert hall. It is this job that allows him to intercept a fax requesting the Bolshoi Orchestra’s talents at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. Andrei seizes the opportunity to feign his way into a comeback and, organizing his rag-tag ensemble of old musician buddies, he accepts the Paris invitation under the guise of the current orchestra. Along the way, he will reunite with a young, beautiful violin virtuoso played by acclaimed actress Mélanie laurent (Inglourious Basterds) who holds the key to his past and to his future. Though tensions between East and West are apparent, sometimes even prominent, throughout the film, director radu Mihaileanu (acclaimed writer/director of Live and Become) deftly treats them with humor and a fable-like exaggeration. The strength of the story lies in its ability to treat these old wounds with a comedic tenderness, and audiences everywhere are sure to agree: the finale played out against the orchestra’s rendition of Tchaikovsky’s technically challenging “Violin Concerto in D major” is pure harmony.

Director:

Radu Mihaileanu

Producer:

Alain Attal

Screenwriters: Radu Mihaileanu

Matthew Robbins

Alain-Michel Blanc

Cinematographer: Laurent Dailland

Editor:

Ludovic Troch

Music:

Armand Amar

Cast: Mélanie Laurent

Aleksei Guskov

François Berléand

Miou-Miou

Jacqueline Bisset

Running Time: 119 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French and Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales: EuropaCorp

Print Source: The Weinstein Co.

Film Website: weinsteinco.com/#/film/ the_concert

Selected Filmography:

Live and Become (2004)

Les Pygmées

de Carlo (2002)

Train of Life (1998)

Betrayal (1993)

el vuelco del cangrejo Crab Trap

COlOMBIA/FrAnCE 2009

Set in the Afro-Colombian community of la Barra on Colombia’s Pacific coast, the moody, poetic Crab Trap tells the story of a young man trying to flee his past, and the clash between a remote village and modernity, represented by two intruding foreigners. Daniel, a white man, arrives in the village looking for a boat to leave the country. He intends to stay for only a few days, but due to a strange shortage of fish, the fishermen have sailed far out to sea in hopes of finding new resources, making Daniel’s search for an available boat more difficult. Meanwhile, El Paisa, another white man, has been harassing the black inhabitants of the village with loudspeakers, pumping dance music all day in an effort to drive them out so he can build a resort. The longtime residents have roots that pre-date legal niceties, but Paisa has legal papers. The two outsiders call the village’s local leader’s purpose and power into question while the film explores the nuances of social and racial relations.

Awards: Berlin International Film Festival 2010 (FIPRESCI Prize)

Director: Oscar Ruiz Navia

Producers: Diana Bustamante

Guillaume de Seille

Oscar Ruiz Navia

Gerylee Polanco

Screenwriter: Oscar Ruiz Navia

Cinematographers: Sofia Oggioni Hatty

Andres Pineda

Editor: Felipe Guerrero

Music: Gualajo

Cast: Rodrigo Vélez

Arnobio Salazar Rivas

Jaime Andrés Castaño

Karent Hinestroza

Yisela Álvarez

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: M-appeal

Print Source:

Outsider Pictures

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Crayfish

BUlGArIA 2009

Doka and Bonza are best friends doing what they can to survive in the anarchic economy of post-communist Bulgaria. They find odd jobs here and there, but otherwise they go fishing or hang out together with Bonza’s pregnant wife, Malina. When each is offered a seemingly easy way to make some quick money, they jump at the chance. What they don’t know is that they have been hired by rival mafia bosses who want to eliminate the competition. Matanov and Tsonchev are former Party bigwigs who have used their old clout and connections to succeed the new era privatization. Contenders in the sale of an ironworks in Sinistra, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to seal the deal. In this richly humane parable about the new economic realities facing both the country and half the continent, Bulgarian veteran director Ivan Cherkelov assesses the cost that small fish often pay when swimming with the sharks.

Director: Ivan Cherkelov

Producer: Rossitsa Valkanova

Screenwriter: Ivan Cherkelov

Cinematographer: Rali Ralchev

Editor: Zoritsa Kotseva

Cast: Filip Avramov

Valeri Yordanov

Slava Doycheva

Rangel Vulchanov

Nikolai Urumov

Running Time: 108 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Bulgarian, with English subtitles

Print Source: KLAS Film

Film Website: raci.klasfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Christmas Tree Upside

Down (2006) Stakleni Topcheta (2000)

Glass Marbles (1999)

Thundering Stones (1995)

Scraps of Love (1988)

djavolja varos

Devil’s Town

SErBIA 2009

A stylish black comedy about life in contemporary Belgrade that satirizes the moral malaise clouding Serbia, Devil’s Town is savagely funny yet frightening, plausible but absurd––a scorching exposé of the national character. With a host of top actors playing city dwellers whose lives intersect on a hot summer day while the country’s tennis stars compete in an important tournament, the cleverly structured film features multiple crisscrossing plotlines involving parents and children. The story starts and ends with tennis-crazy Jelena, the penniless daughter of a cleaning lady, who puts up with humiliation and abuse from haughty Ivana, the daughter of her mother’s nouveau-riche employer, simply to get a racket and a chance to play. Meanwhile, subsequent encounters continue the tennis motif and up the ante for bad behavior. As debuting writerdirector Vladimir Paskaljevic’s tightly constructed script playfully connects the dramatis personae in unexpected ways, it also challenges viewers’ first impressions.

Director: Vladimir Paskaljevic

Producer: Milan Tomi

Screenwriter: Vladimir Paskaljevic

Cinematographer: Milan Spasi

Editor: Petar Putnikovic

Cast:

Lazar Ristovski

Marija Zeljkovic

Mina Colic

Slavko Stimac

Jana Milic

Running Time: 82 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Serbian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Nova Film

Print Source: Film Europe

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

ratzi

diamant 13

Diamond 13

FrAnCE 2009

In this dark, gritty policier, Gerard Depardieu stars as Mat, a detective working the night shift in the city’s major crimes squad. One night he receives a phone call from his old colleague Franck, a narcotics detective who turns a tidy profit by busting drug dealers and then trafficking their product at cut-rate prices. Dying from lung cancer, Franck asks for Mat’s help in one last crooked score, stealing a shipment of cocaine worth one million euros from the local drug lord. Tempted, Mat still refuses his friend, only to run into trouble of his own making when his cavalier approach to a hostage situation, which unfortunately involves a politician’s wife, turns deadly. Mat ends up suspended, while shortly afterward Franck’s body is discovered. Under heavy scrutiny from his ex-wife (played with vixenish cunning by Asia Argento), an Internal Affairs liaison investigating both his case and Franck’s murky dealings, Mat must fight against being dragged down in a conspiratorial undertow. Based on a novel by a former police officer, Diamond 13 is an unflinchingly authentic, neo-noir crime story.

US PrEMIErE

Director:

Gilles Béat

Producers: Charles Gillibert

Marin Karmitz

Nathanaël Karmitz

Patrick Quinet

Claude Waringo

Screenwriters:

Gilles Béat

Olivier Marchal

Hugues Pagan

Cinematographer: Bernard Malaisy

Editor:

Thierry Faber

Music:

Frédéric Vercheval

Cast:

Gerard Depardieu

Asia Argento

Aissa Maiga

Olivier Marchal

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

MK2 International

Print Source:

MK2 International

Film Website: diamant13-lefilm.

mk2.com

Selected Filmography: Le vent de la Toussaint (1991) Dancing Machine (1990)

Les longs manteaux (1986) Barbarous Street (1984)

kenjac Donkey

CrOATIA/BOSnIA-HErZOGOVInA/UnITED KInGDOM/SErBIA 2009

Set in the sweltering summer of 1995, Croatian army forces carry out operations that essentially end the war in Croatia. Surly Boro drives his irritated wife Jasna and their six-year-old son from Zagreb to the remote Herzegovinian village where he was born. The opening moments establish the couple’s troubled relationship as impatient Boro recklessly passes slow-moving army vehicles, throwing Jasna into a panic. When the dysfunctional family arrives in Drinovci, it quickly becomes clear where Boro’s uncommunicative, patriarchal attitudes come from. After Boro and Jasna have a terrible fight, Boro’s more emotionally evolved brother, Pero, a wheelchair-bound refugee from Sarajevo, tries to help Boro patch things up. But, playing on the film’s title, an actual donkey ends up playing a role as peacemaker. In Croatian and Bosnian, as in English, the title has a double meaning— not only a donkey, but also a foolish, stubborn man. This gentle fable shows how one such donkey can become a better husband and father.

Awards:

Official Academy Award® Submission 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Director: Antonio Nuić

Producer: Boris T. Matić

Screenwriter: Antonio Nuić

Cinematographer: Mirko Pivčević

Editor: Marin Juranić

Music: Srdan Gulić

Cast: Nebojša Glogovac

Nataša Janjić Ljubomir Kiki Kapor

Tonko Lonza

Emir Hadžihafizbegović

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Croatian and Bosnian, with English subtitles

Print Source: Propeler Film

Film Website: donkeyfilm.com

Selected Filmography: All For Free (2006)

Down Terrace

The Eagle Hunter’s Son

SWEDEn/GErMAnY 2009

“It’s just a film about work really,” says director Ben Wheatley of this gleefully transparent homage to “The Sopranos,”—“work that happens to be crime.” Meet Bill and Karl, father and son and career petty criminals, just released from jail for a crime kept deliberately vague. As they sit around smoking, drinking, jamming on their guitars, and planning revenge on the snitch who ratted them out, Karl’s girlfriend turns up, heavily pregnant by heaven-only-knows-who. This new development does nothing to ease an already fraught family life as Karl starts to chafe against Bill’s preaching and philosophizing, and soon even Mom is mixing it up as they make plans for the future of the ailing family business. Violence naturally ensues as inter-generational strife rears its ugly head from beneath the family’s ostensible façade of unity, and the body count starts to rise. laced with deadpan irony (hard man Bill is a keen folk singer), Down Terrace swiftly kicks genre clichés to the curb and breathes new life into the ailing British gangster movie through a clever mix of social realism, black humor and occasional slapstick. But at its secret heart, debut director Wheatley and his longtime co-writer robin Hill (here playing Karl) have fashioned a meditation on the nature of fatherhood and the ties that bind…that is, until they messily unravel.

Director: Ben Wheatley

Producer: Andrew Starke

Screenwriters: Ben Wheatley

Robin Hill

Cinematographer: Laurie Rose

Editor: Robin Hill

Cast: Robert Hill

Robin Hill

Julia Deakin

Sara Dee

Running Time: 89 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Magnet Releasing

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Filmed against the sweeping landscapes of the remote Mongolian mountains on the border with Kazakhstan, this story of self-discovery introduces us to Bazarbai, a 12-year-old nomadic boy who dreams of joining his brother in the city of Ulan Batar to make his fortune. His father, however, has other plans: to teach his son the trade of eagle hunting, a generations-long family tradition. Bazarbai does indeed travel to the city, carrying his father’s aging eagle with him. When the bird is taken from him, the boy realizes his strong bond, not only with the bird but also to his family. A metaphor for his own life’s path, Bazarbai’s journey leads him through dangers and temptations to finally accept responsibilities he must claim as his own. Therein he also discovers his own path and the possibilities that lie in wait. Heartwarming and thoughtful, the cinematography of this exotic story plays a crucial role, as we are dazzled and moved by spectacular scenes of soaring eagles in their native habitat.

Director:

René Bo Hansen

Producers:

Staffan Julén

Hannes Stromberg

Per Forsgren

Screenwriters: René Bo Hansen

Staffan Julén

Stefan Karlsson

Cinematographer: Dixie Schmiedle

Editors: Peter Pryzgodda

Andre Alvares

Music: Sebastian Pille

Steffen Kaltschmidt

Cast: Bazarbai Matei

Serikbai Khulan

Mardan Matei

Asilbek Badelkhan

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Kazakh and Mongolian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Bavaria Film International

Print Source: Bavaria Film International

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

UnITED KInGDOM 2009

Eastern Plays

BUlGArIA 2009

Two disconnected brothers are suddenly reunited when they play opposing roles in a raciallymotivated beating: Georgi, who’s recently joined a neo-nazi gang, participates in the violence, while Itso, an artist who takes methadone and struggles with addiction, witnesses the act and rescues the victims. Itso develops a fresh outlook on his life’s possibilities as he uncovers feelings for one of the rescued victims. Georgi, on the other hand, begins to question his loyalties when he’s asked to participate in more gang violence. Only by coming together will the two brothers find what they want out of life. A large number of the film’s cast are non-professional actors, including the male lead Christo Christov, a Bob Dylan look-alike who radiates cool. Unfortunately, after filming Eastern Plays, Christov died, depriving us of a promising new talent. The film uses not only Christov’s actual apartment, but also his drawings and the woodcarving workshop where he really worked. First-time director Kamen Kalev delivers a skillful contemplation of people’s quest for family and meaning in life.

Awards:

Tokyo International Film Festival 2009 (Grand Jury Prize, Best Actor, Best Director)

Angers International Film Festival 2010 (Grand Jury PrizeEuropean Feature)

Director:

Kamen Kalev

Producers:

Kamen Kalev

Stefan Piryov

Fredrik Zander

Screenwriter: Kamen Kalev

Cinematographer: Julian Atanassov

Editors:

Kamen Kalev

Stefan Piryov

Johannes Pinter

Music: Jean-Paul Wall

Cast:

Christo Christov

Ovanes Torosian

Saadet Isil Akso

Nikolina Yancheva

Ivan Nalbantov

Hatice Aslan

Krasimira Demireva

Kerem Atabeyoglu

Running Time:

83 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Bulgarian, with English subtitles

Print Source: Memento Films

International

International Sales: Memento Films

International Film Website: easternplays.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Excited

CAnADA 2009

Vancouver iconoclast Bruce Sweeney dishes up a smart, dramatic comedy that impishly bills itself as a “relationship movie about premature ejaculation,” although the emphasis is more on relationship than on premature. Cam Cronin is excellent as the under-romanced Kevin, a successful business owner with a decidedly mediocre love life. Until, that is, his dysfunctional brother introduces him to the lovely Hayaam, who immediately starts changing Kevin’s routines and attitudes—not to mention his performance in bed. Full of dryly funny, perfectly understated dialogue and spot-on turns from all involved, Excited may also be the first Canadian film to make a golf course the setting for some great exchanges (Canadians love their golf). The result is an original and completely involving take on contemporary male anxieties that mixes, in equal measure, the pithy and the profane to great effect.

Director: Bruce Sweeney

Producers: Bruce Sweeney

Catherine Middleton

Screenwriter: Bruce Sweeney

Cinematographer: David Pelletier

Editor: Rafi Spivak

Music: James Jandrisch

Cast: Cam Cronin

Laara Sadiq

Paul Skrudland

Gabrielle Rose

Agam Darshi

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: Slewfoot Productions, Inc.

Selected Filmography: American Venus (2007)

Last Wedding (2001)

Dirty (1998)

Live Bait (1995)

Farsan

SWEDEn 2010 nOrTH AMErICAn PrEMIErE

SIFF audience favorite Josef Fares, director of Jalla! Jalla! and Kopps, returns with another sublime, heart-warming comedy. Aziz, a middle-eastern immigrant living in Sweden, is good looking, a brilliant cook, and expecting to become a grandfather for the first time. life is good, or at least better than for his co-workers: Juan has his way with the local women but worries excessively about his aging labrador Dino, while Jörgen, the boss’s son, fears his wife might be flirting (or worse) with the contractor who is remodeling their house. However, for Aziz, all is not as it seems. His son and daughterin-law, unable to conceive naturally, have faked their pregnancy as they wait to adopt a child. In order to divert his attention from their ruse, the couple suggests the long-widowed Aziz start dating again. Ambivalent at first, Aziz soon jubilantly plunges into the local singles’ scene, receiving plenty of assistance from Juan and Jörgen. Just as in his previous comedies, Fares skillfully balances oddball, sometimes even absurdist, humor with the bittersweet truths of everyday life.

Director: Josef Fares

Producer: Anna Anthony

Screenwriters: Josef Fares

Torkel Petersson

Cinematographer: Linus Eklund

Editors:

Michal Leszcylowski

John Hellberg

Music:

Per Egland

Cast: Jan Fares

Torkel Petersson

Hamadi Khemiri

Nina Zanjani

Juan Rodriguez

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Swedish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Trust Nordisk

Print Source: Swedish Film Institute

Selected Filmography:

Kopps (2003)

Jalla! Jalla! (2000)

Father and Guns

CAnADA (QUÉBEC) 2010

Jacques and Mark laroche are father and son cops with a dysfunctional relationship on and off the beat. When a dangerous local biker gang known as “The Blood Machine” kidnaps a fellow officer from their Montreal crime squad, the pair are thrown together on an undercover mission that turns into a wild comedic caper. The assignment: to trail the gang’s defense lawyer Charles Bérubé and his depressive oddball offspring on a woodland bonding retreat for troubled fathers and sons. By befriending Bérubé they hope to uncover information about the gang’s operations and locate the kidnapped officer, but hilarity ensues as the incognito pair partakes in various excruciating self-help exercises (including mud wrestling and group hugging sessions) and even discover some home truths about their relationship along the way. Michel Côté and louis-José Houde (both popular French-Canadian actors and comedians) turn in pitch-perfect performances here as the unlikely father-son duo, with excellent support from rémy Girard as Bérubé and Caroline Dhavernas as Mark’s ex-girlfriend Geneviève. Émile Gaudreault’s stylish direction creates a delightfully adept blend of suspense and laugh-out-loud farce.

Director: Émile Gaudreault

Producers:

Denise Robert

Daniel Louis

Screenwriters: Émile Gaudreault

Ian Lauzon

Cinematographer: Bruce Chun

Editor:

Jean-François Bergeron

Music: FM Le Sieur

Cast: Michel Côté

Louis-José Houde

Rémy Girard

Caroline Dhavernas

Robin Aubert

Running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: FunFilm Distribution Inc.

Print Source: FunFilm Distribution Inc.

Selected Filmography: Surviving My Mother (2007)

Mambo Italiano (2003) Wedding Night (2001)

le père de mes enfants

Father of My Children

FrAnCE 2009

The travails of film producers and their families are paid tender homage in Father of My Children, an insightful, mature, and accomplished second feature by French director Mia Hansen-løve. Inspired by the life and tragic death of revered producer Humbert Balsan, the film not only has brains to spare and considerable savvy about the business of film, it’s also guaranteed not to leave a dry eye in the house. Paris-based indie film producer Grégoire Canvel is the sort of incurable workaholic who’s always glued to his cell phone—even on weekends—to the growing frustration of his loving wife, Sylvia, and the neglect of his three daughters, Clemence, Valentine, and Billie. When his company verges on financial collapse, he is driven to an act of desperation. not able to stand by any longer, Sylvia and her daughters step into center stage as they cope with their tragedy and its repercussions. As much a snapshot of an ailing industry as it is a portrait of bereavement, Hansen-løve’s concern for independent cinema, and her awareness of the difficulty of financing and making art in economically strained times, are evident throughout.

Awards: Cannes Film Festival 2009 (Un Certain Regard Special Prize)

Director: Mia Hansen-Løve

Producers: Philippe Martin

David Thion

Screenwriter: Mia Hansen-Løve

Cinematographer: Pascal Auffray

Editor:

Marion Monnier

Cast: Louis-Do De Lencquesaing

Chiara Caselli

Alice De Lencquesaing

Alice Gautier

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Les Films du Losange

Print Source: IFC FIlms

Selected Filmography: All is Forgiven (2007)

felicia inainte de toate

First of All, Felicia

rOMAnIA/FrAnCE/CrOATIA/BElGIUM 2009

Despite having left romania for the netherlands where she married, had a son, divorced, and established her career, Felicia (a mesmerizing Ozana Oancea) faithfully returns home every year to visit her aging parents. On the final day of one such visit, as she prepares to head home, her overbearing mother fusses and pesters while her gravely ill father worries that he might not live to see his daughter again. Her sister, who is supposed to take her to the airport, is fighting with her husband and fails to show up. Felicia and her mother get a cab, but traffic is bad and she misses her flight, meaning that she won’t get home in time to pick up her son from camp. none of these experiences are remarkable in their own right, but in the hands of directors razvan radulescu and Melissa de raaf, they become a perfect stand-in for life with its myriad minor frustrations and negotiations. Felicia is not just stranded at the airport, she is caught somewhere between Eastern and Western Europe, between childhood and parenthood, and between home and away.

Directors:

Razvan Radulescu

Melissa de Raaf

Producer:

Ada Solomon

Screenwriters: Melissa de Raaf

Razvan Radulescu

Cinematographer: Tudor Lucaciu

Editor:

Dana Bunescu

Cast: Ozana Oancea

Vasile Mentzel

Ileana Cernat

Adina Lucaciu

Serban Georgevici

Running Time: 120 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Romanian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

The Match Factory

Print Source: The Match Factory

Film Website: feliciafilmul.ro

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

listicky Foxes

SlOVAK rEPUBlIC/IrElAnD 2009

Unfolding in Dublin and centered on Eastern European women involved with Irish men, Foxes could be the dark backstory to the Academy Award®-winning Irish film Once. It’s a characterdriven drama focused on sisterly love, competition, and betrayal. Alžběta, 23, and Tina, 27, are from a small Slovakian village. Alžběta is desperate to find a man and create a new home for herself in Ireland. Her older sister Tina is engaged to Irishman Steve and wants to help her out, but Alžběta categorically refuses her assistance. It appears that Alžběta is jealous of her sister’s better life and her engagement to Steve. From the beginning, there is a sense something dark and unsaid exists between the two sisters…something that creates tension and prevents them from getting closer. From their perspective, men are the only things that offer happiness and a good life. The only possibility for the sisters to get out of this spiral is to face their common past, an incident about which no one has spoken since it happened. Dublin is used as a universal example of a big, contemporary European city, full of culture clashes, immigrants, national stereotypes, and other economic-political issues.

Director:

Mira Fornay

Producer: Viktor Schwarcz

Screenwriter: Mira Fornay

Cinematographer: Tomás Sysel

Editor: Hedvika Hansalová

Cast:

Réka Derzsi

Rita Banczi

Aaron Monaghan

Running Time: 83 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Slovakian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Slovak Film Institute

Print Source: Slovak Film Institute

Film Website: listicky.cz

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

les beaux gosses

The French Kissers

FrAnCE 2009

Sex is always on Herve and Camel’s overheated minds—from provocatively shaped bananas to the hot high school principal, and everything in between. Both boys’ exploding libidos are pining for the opposite sex, but they can’t seem to muster the courage to actually talk to a girl. One day Herve is inexplicably targeted by one of the prettiest girls in school and they begin their uncoordinated dance toward intimacy. For Herve, the ultimate choice must be made between embracing his first potential girlfriend and his unstoppable tube-sock libido. While French comic-book-writer-turned-director riad Sattouf clearly owes much to Judd Apatow’s new breed of teen sex comedy, The French Kissers is not content to stick to a screw-to-succeed scenario. Adolescence is traditionally seen with nostalgia as a period where boys can be both sexually immature and proud of it. Sattouf upstages that expectation by lampooning the boys’ simple-minded notion that they will be transformed into playboys once they achieve their first kiss. A runaway hit in France, The French Kissers will make you laugh, cry, and cringe with recognition at the embarrassing lives of these acne-prone 14-year-olds.

Awards: César Awards 2009 (Best First Work)

Pr ECEDED BY: Anorexia

USA 2009, 4 minutes Director: Ryanne Zertuche

Adobe Youth Voices, Lincoln High School, San Jose, CA Youth creatively explore the realities of anorexia with animation.

Director: Riad Sattouf

Producer: Anne-Dominique

Toussaint

Screenwriters: Marc Syrigas

Riad Sattouf

Cinematographer: Dominique Colin

Editor:

Virginie Bruant

Cast:

Vincent Lacoste

Anthony Sonigo

Alice Trémolière

Julie Scheibling

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Other Angle PIctures

Print Source: Other Angle PIctures

Film Website: thefrenchkissers.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

From Beginning to End

Going South

Gorgeous men and beautiful vistas dominate this lovingly shot look at an illicit affair. Half-brothers Francisco and Thomás share a comfortable life in rio with their mother Julieta and father Alexandre. like most kids, they play, they fight, and they make up. Julieta, however, wonders if they might be too close. On a visit to Buenos Aires, Francisco’s father, Pedro, wonders the same thing, telling Julieta he suspects their relationship is too “intimate,” but she predicts they’ll grow out of it. Fifteen years pass, and the brothers are on their own. However, what may have been innocent when they were children has now grown into something more serious. When Thomás, a swimmer, gets the chance to train for the Olympics in russia, calling for a threeyear separation, it’s an offer too good to refuse. Alone for the first time, Francisco explores new avenues, but old habits are hard to break, especially for one who’s never known anything different. Director Aluizio Abranches refrains from judgment, taking as his guide Julieta’s statement: “That’s the way it is in life. Everything has two sides.”

Director: Aluizio Abranches

Producers: Fernando Libonati

Aluizio Abranches

Marco Nanini

Screenwriter: Aluizio Abranches

Cinematographer: Ueli Steiger

Editor:

Fabio S. Limma

Music: André Abujamra

Cast: Júlia Lemmertz

Fábio Assunção

Jean Pierre Noher

João Gabriel Vasconcelos

Rafael Cardoso

Gabriel Kaufmann

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Portuguese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Wide Management

Print Source: TLA Releasing

Film Website: docomecoaofim.com.br

Selected Filmography: The Three Marias (2002) A Glass of Rage (1999)

FrAnCE 2009

Sébastien lifshitz, in his first film since Wild Side (SIFF new Directors Showcase Jury Award, 2004) has turned his hand to that genre staple, the road movie. Sammy is heading south in his battered old Ford. To avert boredom, he picks up a couple of hitchhikers, léa and Mathieu, who are brother and sister. As they roll along through the breathtaking landscape of southern France, the two of them develop the hots for him and start to erode Sammy’s somewhat taciturn façade as they compete for his attention. When léa, who is pregnant and frequently erratic, doesn’t get her own way, she invites Jeremie into the group and transfers her affections to him. As usual, lifshitz has filled his screen with gorgeous young things, who frolic in the shimmering summer light and work up a highly charged erotic atmosphere. But Sammy is—as in all good road movies—on a serious mission, and when he hits the Spanish border, he ditches his companions and continues on alone to a meeting that he hopes will help heal deep psychological scars left by a tragedy from his childhood. Strong on mood and very easy on the eye, Going South is sure to please lifshitz’ existing fans and win him many new ones.

Director: Sébastien Lifshitz

Producers: Alexandra Henochsberg

Judith Nora

Grégory Gajos

Arthur Hallereau

Screenwriters: Sébastien Lifshitz

Stephane Bouquet

Cinematographer: Claire Mathon

Editor:

Stéphanie Mahet

Music:

John Parish

Marie Modiano

Jocelyn Pook

Cast:

Yannick Renier

Léa Seydoux

Nicole Garcia

Théo Frilet

Pierre Périer

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

MK2 International

Print Source:

MK2 International

Selected Filmography: Wild Side (2004)

Come Undone (2000)

Open Bodies (1998) do

BrAZIl 2010

nOrTH AMErICAn PrEMIErE

The Hedgehog

Henry of Navarre

With a magical blend of gravity and levity, director Mona Achache deftly brings Muriel Barbery’s widely-loved novel and its two intriguing and delightfully complicated characters to life. lover of art and philosophy, 11-year-old Paloma (a precocious Garance le Guillemic) is disenchanted with the hypocrisy she perceives in her immediate world and pledges to end her life before she herself falls victim to it—and by the date of her next birthday. With 165 days to go she commits to documenting her environment with her father’s High-8 camera. Through this unique lens, and with Paloma’s caustic, and often hilarious commentary as the soundtrack, we enter the cosmos of her upper-crust Parisian apartment building and, as third-party sleuths, glimpse the interior lives of the characters who inhabit it— in particular, grumpy, frumpy concierge, renée Michel (the marvelous comedienne, Josiane Balasko). When Paloma’s camera reveals an extensive secret library in renée’s back room, and that the usually gruff matron reads Tolstoy to her cat, Paloma begins to understand that there are allies to be found beneath the prickliest of exteriors. And, when she notices that the new tenant, elegant widower Kakuro (Togo Igawa, Memoirs of a Geisha), is paying courtly attention to reneé, Paloma sees a new mission ahead of her. As the unlikely friendship between this disparate trio deepens, Paloma’s own coming of age becomes a much less pessimistic prospect.

Awards:

Cairo International Film Festival 2009 (FIPRESCI Prize)

Director:

Mona Achache

Producers:

Anne-Dominique Toussaint

Romain Le Grand

Tarek Ben Ammar

Screenwriter: Mona Achache

Cinematographer: Patrick Blossier

Editor:

Julia Gregory

Music:

Gabriel Yared

Cast: Josiane Balasko

Garance Le Guillemic

Togo Igawa

Anne Brochet

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Pathé International

Print Source:

Pathé International

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Based on two novels by Heinrich Mann (brother of Thomas), this rollicking biopic of Henry of navarre––later the much-loved King Henry IV of France––celebrates a life whose defining act was declaring religious freedom for all in 1598 after years of Catholic/Protestant strife. Treacherously summoned to Paris to marry Marguerite, daughter of the dowager queen Catherine de Medici and sister to three French kings, Henry discovers that the real reason for the marriage is not to unite the two warring sects, but to lure unsuspecting Protestants into the city where they are infamously massacred on St. Bartholomew’s Day. After a lifetime on the battlefield, Henry––played by the ruggedly handsome Julien Boisselier––is ill-equipped for the fripperies and etiquette of court life as exemplified in the person of Marguerite’s effeminate brother, D’Anjou (a splendidly over-the-top David Streisow). He finds himself facing endless intrigues and betrayals before he eventually succeeds to the French throne, from which he attempts to forge a state founded on humanist principles. rattling briskly along, the film has enough sex and intrigue to hold our rapt attention. Plus, battle scenes of remarkable immediacy, mercifully devoid of the current vogue for CGI blood spatters, fully justify the widescreen presentation.

Director: Jo Baier

Producers: Regina Ziegler

Christian Charrett

Veit Heiduschka

Joan Antoni Gonzales

Ralf Schmitz

Antonio Exacoustos

Screenwriter: Cooky Ziegler

Cinematographer: Gernot Roll

Editors: Alexander Berner

Claus Wehlisch

Music: Henry Jackman

Hans Zimmer

Cast: Julien Boisselier

Joachim Krol

Roger Casamajor

Andreas Schmidt

David Streisow

Running Time: 155 minutes

Presentation Format: Digital Cinema, in French and German, with English subtitles

International Sales: Bavaria Film International

Print Source: Bavaria Film International

Film Website: bavaria-film-international.de

Selected Filmography: Wildfeuer (1991)

GErMAnY/FrAnCE/SPAIn/AUSTrIA 2009 US PrEMIErE

FrAnCE 2009

meres et filles

Hidden Diary

FrAnCE/CAnADA 2009

When Audrey, a kitchen appliance designer living in Canada, discovers she is pregnant, she heads home to her native France. Upon arrival she receives a chilly reception from her mother, Martine (Catherine Deneuve), prompting her to move into her grandparents’ old house. There, she discovers an old diary that belonged to her grandmother louise, who left her husband and young children and never returned. As Audrey reads from the diary, scenes from louise’s life as a housewife in the 1950s start to unfold before the younger woman’s eyes, providing insight into her own life, her relationship with her mother, and the similarities among the three generations of women. The film’s powerhouse cast is led by Deneuve, who gives a layered performance as both mother and daughter. The third film from director Julie lopes-Curval, Hidden Diary combines the setting of lopes-Curval’s Camera d’Or-winning first film, Seaside, with the familial focus of her second, You and Me.

Pr ECEDED BY:

All I’m Left With USA 2009, 3 minutes Director: Nicole Elyse Wong

Adobe Youth Voices, Independence High School, San Francisco, CA

Director: Julie Lopes-Curval

Producers: Alain Benguigui

Thomas Verhaeghe

Screenwriters: Julie Lopes-Curval

Sophie Hiet

Cinematographer: Philippe Guilbert

Editor: Anne Weil

Music: Patrick Watson

Cast: Catherine Deneuve

Marina Hands

Marie-Josée Croze

Michel Duchaussoy

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: BAC Films

Print Source: BAC Films

Selected Filmography: You and Me (2006) Seaside (2002)

le refuge

Hideaway

FrAnCE 2009

Hideaway begins in a beautiful, empty apartment in Paris where young lovers Mousse and louis have been passing their days and nights in a heroin haze. One morning, louis’s mother, who owns the apartment, arrives to show it to a prospective tenant only to find that the pair has overdosed. louis dies, but Mousse survives and learns that she is pregnant. Upon her recovery, her mother-in-law encourages her to have an abortion. Despite all advice to the contrary, Mousse flees to a house by the sea, where, some months later, louis’s gay brother, Paul, joins her. The fraught dynamics between the two give rise to an unusual relationship as Mousse’s pregnancy progresses. Director François Ozon has produced another masterful character study that heightens tension with each passing scene, never taking the easy out, eschewing easy sympathy for the ambiguous and the complex.

Awards:

San Sebastian Film Festival 2009 (Special Jury Prize)

Director: François Ozon

Producers: Claudie Ossard

Chris Bozzli

Screenwriters: François Ozon

Mathieu Hippeau

Cinematographer: Mathias Raaflaub

Editor:

Muriel Breton

Music:

Louis-Ronan Choisy

Cast: Isabelle Carré

Louis-Ronan Choisy

Pierre Louis-Calixte

Melvil Poupaud

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Le Pacte

Print Source: Strand Releasing

Film Website: therefuge-themovie.com

Selected Filmography: Ricky (2009)

Angel (2007)

Time to Leave (2005)

5x2 (2004)

Swimming Pool (2003)

8 Women (2002)

Under the Sand (2001) Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2000)

Les amants criminels (1999)

Sitcom (1998)

A young woman captures her sadness about the loss of her mother while affirming our need to live for each day.

Huacho

CHIlE/FrAnCE 2009

Chile’s southern rural population lives a hardscrabble life, yet the hopes and dreams of three generations of a family struggling to survive add a poignant balance to the daily monotony. Huacho translates to “bastard,” yet its more nuanced meaning, “abandoned,” reveals the anachronisms portrayed in Alejandro Fernandez Almendras’ first feature. The lovely non-professional cast lends an almost documentary-like feel to the film, which highlights the discrepancies between their own time-honored traditions and modern Chilean life. We are privy to the dayto-day lives of simple peasants—a grandmother who makes goat cheese to sell along the roadside; her husband, his pride diminished because he can no longer work the fields; their single daughter trying to preserve both her sense of self and perform her family duties; and her son seeking to find his own place in an economically harsh and socially biased country. What stands out in each of them is an incredible resilience, a secret skill, or a dream that offers solace from their arduous daily lives. This is a family that understands bare necessity but thrives from the ultimate hopes and happiness that reside within.

Director:

Alejandro Fernandez

Almendras

Producers:

Bruno Bettati

Elise Jalladeau

Screenwriter:

Alejandro Fernandez

Almendras

Cinematographer: Inti Briones

Editors:

Sebastien de Sainte Croix

Alejandro Fernandez

Almendras

Cast:

Clemira Aguayo

Alejandra Yáñez

Cornelio Villagrán

Manuel Hernández

Wilson Valdebenito

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Print Source:

Films Distribution

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

io sono l ’ amore I Am Love

ITAlY 2009

An exquisite Visconti-esque saga of dynastic ambition, luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love is an artistic triumph, both in its conception and execution. Set largely in the opulent Milanese mansion of the powerful recchi family, it opens with a birthday celebration for the patriarch, Edoardo Sr., who built the family’s textile fortunes from nothing. Over lunch, he announces his plans for the family succession, passing over his son Tancredi in favor of his handsome grandson Edoardo Jr., whose aristocratic bearing is no guarantee of commercial aptitude. Thus begins a series of events where the fabric binding the family together subtly starts to fray, and their business falls prey to outside forces, removing the wellspring of their wealth and comfort. The romantic heart of the film is Emma (Tilda Swinton), Tancredi’s russian-born wife whose own inner turmoil leads to choices of great consequence. And the other female leads––daughters, wives, and housekeepers––converge and diverge brilliantly in this grand tragedy that sees the brave new world muscling in on the old established order. The minute attention to detail in this lavish production, accompanied by superb musical choices, make I Am Love a notto-be-missed sensory feast.

Director:

Luca Guadagnino

Producers: Massimiliano Violante

Francesco Melzi d’Eril

Marco Morabito

Luca Guadagnino

Tilda Swinton

Alessandro Usai

Screenwriters: Barbara Alberti

Ivan Cotroneo

Walter Fasano

Luca Guadagnino

Cinematographer: Yorick Le Saux

Editor:

Walter Fasano

Music:

John Adams

Cast: Tilda Swinton

Gabriele Ferzetti

Flavio Parenti

Alba Rohrwacher

Marisa Berenson

Running Time: 120 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Italian and Russian, with English

Subtitles

International Sales: The Works International

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Film Website: iamlovemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Melissa P. (2005)

Cuoco Contadino (2004)

The Protagonists (1999)

I Killed My Mother

Canada (qUébeC) 2009

written when he was just 17 years old and directed when he was 21, Xavier dolan’s hilarious, corrosive, and ultimately touching drama captured a trio of prizes at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. dolan himself plays young Hubert, a gay teen with a precocious mind and a tongue as sharp as a stiletto, whose seeming contempt for his mother knows no boundaries. equally put off by his mother’s taste for kitsch, her compulsive shopping sprees, and even her table manners, Hubert misses no chance to excoriate her for what he sees as unforgivable faults. She, in turn, gives as good as she gets, using every verbal and behavioral trick in the parents’ handbook to manipulate him and induce guilt and shame. when she finally sends him off to a boarding school, their relationship appears irreversibly damaged. dolan’s surprisingly sure directorial hand, combined with his equally witty and wounding script, marks this as one of the most impressive debuts of the year.

Awards:

Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2009 (Prix Regards Jeunes, Art Cinema Award, and SACD Prize)

Official Academy Award® Submission 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Director: Xavier Dolan

Producers: Carole Mondello

Daniel Morin

Screenwriter: Xavier Dolan

Cinematographer: Stéphanie Weber-Biron

Editor: Hélène Girard

Music: Nicholas S. L’Herbier

Cast: Anne Dorval Xavier Dolan

Suzanne Clément

François Arnaud

Patricia Tulasne

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Rezo

Print Source: Here Films

Film Website: ikilledmymother.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Uganda/Sweden/Canada 2010 nORTH aMeRICan PReMIeRe

Imani vibrantly captures three vignettes of life in modern day Uganda: a child soldier returning to the parents who could not protect him, a woman fighting to get her wrongly accused sister out of jail, and a youth dance troop leader struggling to simply get through a hometown performance. These seemingly disparate stories slowly fuse into a profound singular narrative as the characters reveal themselves to be uniformly off balance in their own lives and the world around them. Caroline Kamya’s fast and confident directing effortlessly makes the most of the beautiful Ugandan setting. w ith a rich and varied soundtrack, and the restless energy of the dancers it follows, Imani sprints by at the pace of a far less substantial film. Kamya’s unadorned approach to her characters and the film’s straightforward and unflinching script provide an intimate exploration of characters who will likely remain far from resolution for some time to come.

Director: Caroline Kamya

Producer: Caroline Kamya

Screenwriter: Agnes Nasozi Kamya

Cinematographer: Andrew Coppin

Editor: Caroline Kamya

Music: Ragnar Grippe

Cast: Rehema Nanfuka

Philip Buyi

Stephen Ocen

Running Time: 82 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in Acholi, Luganda, and English, with English subtitles

Print Source: Ivad Productions

Film Website: imanimovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

P R e C eded by: Human Colours

Brazil 2009, 3 minutes Director: Jose Vinicius Reis Gouveia

Adobe Youth Voices

A Brazilian teen shares his perspective on how our diverse world is similar to the spectrum of colors.

te extrano

I Miss You

MeXICO 2010

Influenced by real life events, director Fabián Hofman weaves a nostalgic and moving account of two brothers coming of age against the tumultuous period of a ruthless dictatorship in 1970s argentina. Fifteen-year-old high-school student Javier looks up to older brother adrian, who leads a small band of young political dissidents while also serving in the army. everyone always asks about adrian, and even their grandmother, in the early stages of alzheimer’s, confuses Javier with her favorite grandson. Following the military takeover, their parents brace themselves for difficult times, hoping that a low profile will get the family through the coming difficulties. when adrian vanishes without any trace, Javier is sent away to safety to live with relatives in Mexico. In his struggle to make sense of his brother’s disappearance, Javier clings to the details of adrian’s life and his heroic might-have-been dreams, fighting to balance jealousy with admiration, grappling with the guilt that he should not have been the one left to face an unknown future.

alberta anaya’s artistic camera work creates a rich visual tonality as it gradually relinquishes its early handheld agitation for calmer, steadier scenes—much as Javier comes to recognize his own interior uniqueness and a sense of belonging in a world that might never belong to him.

US PReMIeRe

Director:

Fabián Hofman

Producers:

Fabián Hofman

Crisitian Pauls

Eduardo Yedlin

Screenwriter:

Diana Cardozo

Cinematographer: Alberto Anaya

Editor:

Miguel Schverdfinger

Music:

Hermanos Rincón

Cast: Fermin Volcoff

Martin Slipak

Luis Ziembrowski

Susana Pampin

Alvaro Gtuerrero

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Latino Fusion

Print Source: Latino Fusion

Film Website: es.latinofusion.com

Selected Filmography: Pachito Rex (2001)

k - 20: kaijin niju menso den

K-20: The Fiend with 20 Faces

Japan, 1949. Having averted world war II by signing treaties with the United States and the United Kingdom, the country is now in the midst of a technological golden age while being ruled by an aristocratic elite. and yet, all is not well, as a mysterious masked thief known only as K-20 steals priceless objects from the ruling class. Police inspector Kogoro akechi relentlessly pursues the fiend at every turn but has yet to capture him. enter circus acrobat Hekichi endo, framed by K-20 after his most daring heist to date—the theft of a device designed by nicola Tesla capable of harnessing and transmitting vast electrical power without the use of cables. Having narrowly escaped from prison and unable to return to his beloved circus, endo realizes his only hope for clearing his name is to assume K-20’s identity in order to draw the bandit out of hiding. w ith the aid of the city’s thieves’ guild, high society princess yoko Hashiba, and her fiancé Inspector Kogoro, endo embarks on his swashbuckling quest for absolution. Filled with plenty of two-fisted thrills and steampunk set pieces, K-20: The Fiend with 20 Faces is pure pulp-adventure fun.

Director: Shimako Sato

Producers: Shuji Abe

Seiji Okuda

Screenwriter: Shimako Sato

Cinematographer: Kozo Shibasaki

Editor: Ryuji Miyajima

Cast: Takeshi Kaneshiro

Toru Nakamura

Takako Matsu

Running Time: 137 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Japanese, with English subtitles

Print Source: Viz Pictures

Film Website: k-20.jp

Selected Filmography: Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness (1995)

Take of a Vampire (1992)

JaPan 2009

Kanikosen

Katalin Varga

HUngaRy/UnITed KIngdOM/ROManIa 2009

In the early 20th century, a Japanese crabcanning ship sails into Russian waters. The two countries are at war and the crew fears attack from the enemy as much as it fears its own tyrannical captain and corporate bosses who mercilessly exploit the men. as the crew (the proletariat) struggles to endure the miserable conditions on board, sailor Shinjo convinces his mates that they need to defend themselves against the established order of power. a probing look into Japanese socio-political mores, Sabu’s Kanikosen is the adaptation of a left-wing novel written in 1929. Recently translated into the manga genre of graphic fiction, the story has enjoyed a huge revival in Japanese literature among young people. Famous in his native land for somewhat kooky, albeit dark, comedies, Sabu’s attention to Japanese culture has resulted in a work of cinematic art. when Shinjo suggests mass suicide, Sabu finds a way to turn the scene into slapstick, and when a Russian ship––complete with vodka-swilling crew— rescues Shinjo and a shipmate from the sea, the director gifts us with a zany visual surprise. The impressive cast and disciplined directorial work makes the re-telling of Kanikosen a new and boldly realized achievement.

Director: Sabu

Producers: Yosushi Utagawa

Ryosuke Mameoka

Keigo Tanabe

Screenwriter: Sabu

based on the novel “Kanikosen” by Takiji Kobayashi

Cinematographer: Takashi Komatsu

Editor: Naoya Bando

Music: Takashi Mori

Cast: Ryuhei Matsuda

Hidetoshi Nishijima

Kengo Kora

Hirofumi Arai

Tokio Emoto

Running Time: 109 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Finecut Co.

Print Source: Finecut Co.

Selected Filmography:

Dead Run (2005)

Hold Up Down (2005)

Hard Luck Hero (2003)

Blessing Bell (2002)

Drive (2002)

Monday (1999)

Unlucky Monkey (1998)

Postman Blues (1997)

Non-Stop (1996)

Katalin lives with her husband and son, Orbán, in a small Transylvanian village—until the day her husband finds out that she was raped shortly before their marriage, and that Orbán, their 10-year-old son, is not his biological child. when he throws them out of the house, Katalin tells Orbán that they’re going to visit her sick mother, but to her friend she says, “I need to pay some men a surprise visit.” Thus begins Katalin’s journey through the Carpathian Mountains in search of the man who attacked and raped her a decade ago. when she eventually finds him, a farmer living quietly with his wife, he doesn’t recognize her. He and his wife invite her and her son to stay, and events unfold in ways that seem both surprising and inevitable. This remarkable first film from director Peter Strickland, featuring a harrowing performance by Hilda Péter, is a timeless story of revenge and its cyclical violence with the supernatural beauty of a dark fairy tale.

Awards:

European Film Awards 2009 (Best First Feature)

Santa Barbara Film Festival 2010 (Eastern Bloc Award)

Director: Peter Strickland

Producers: Peter Strickland

Tudor Giurgiu

Oana Giurgiu

Screenwriter: Peter Strickland

Cinematographer: Mark Gyori

Editor:

Mátyáf Fekete

Music: Steven Stapleton

Geoff Cox

Cast: Hilda Péter

Norbert Tankó

Tibor Pálfy

Sebastian Marina

Running Time: 82 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Hungarian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Memento Films

International

Print Source:

Memento Films

International

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

JaPan 2009

Khargosh

IndIa 2009

Sparse in dialogue but rich in visuals, Khargosh centers around a small-town boy in a remote Indian village who accidentally enters into the adult adventure of love. Ten-year-old bantu loves to be with his older friend avneesh as they fly kites and explore the local bazaar. One day he sees avneesh near a particular girl, his “death” as avneesh calls her. young bantu, thinking that’s really her name, becomes the go-between messenger for the budding relationship, delivering love letters and arranging rendezvous. yet somehow he’s always missing something. eventually he stumbles into situations he can’t even begin to understand. director Paresh Kamdar combines both the real and imaginary world into the unforgettable images and sounds of the mysterious awakenings of love through the eyes of a child. It is a delicate portrait of what it means to grow up.

Director: Paresh Kamdar

Producer: Rishi Chandra

Screenwriter: Priyamvad

Cinematographer: Vivek Shah

Editor: Paresh Kamdar

Music:

Ved Nair

Cast: Arhan Wilson

Gauri

Sumit Sharma

Garima Shrivastav

Chittaranjan Giri

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Hindi, with English subtitles

Print Source: Rishi Chalchitra Pvt. Ltd.

Film Website: khargosh.net

Selected Filmography: Tunnu Ki Tina (1997)

Leaving

FRanCe 2009

Suzanne lives in the south of France with her husband Samuel, a doctor, and two teenaged children. Steeped in mid-life ennui, Suzanne decides to take up her former profession as a physiotherapist. Samuel agrees to allow an unused annex in their home to be remodeled into a consulting room, and hires Ivan, a Spanish ex-convict illegally working in the country, to do the job. at first, Ivan responds cautiously to Suzanne’s attentions, but then an accident brings the pair intimately close. Swept up in an intense, passionate affair, Suzanne finds an ecstatic happiness long lacking from her seemingly idyllic life. However, when she makes the momentous decision to leave her husband and children for Ivan, Suzanne’s life grows wearyingly complicated as Samuel undertakes a callous plan of blackmail and revenge. director Catherine Corsini specializes in films with complex female protagonists, and combined with Kristin Scott Thomas’s elegant performance, their collaboration invests Leaving with a tense, captivating energy that whips the audience through its tempestuous narrative.

US PReMIeRe

Director: Catherine Corsini

Producer: Fabienne Vonier

Screenwriters: Catherine Corsini

Gaelle Macé

Cinematographer: Agnes Godard

Editor: Simon Jacquet

Cast: Kristin Scott Thomas

Sergi Lopez

Yvan Attal

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation

Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Pyramide International

Print Source: IFC Films

Selected Filmography: Ambitious (2006)

The Very Merry Widows (2003)

The New Eve (1999)

eded by:

P R e C

Routes (Roots)

United Kingdom 2009, 4 minutes

Director: Youth at Offscreened

Adobe Youth Voices, Offscreened, London

A cinematic celebration of familial roots as their paths spread out from India.

el cuarto de leo

Leo’s Room

URUgUay/aRgenTIna 2009

leo is a likeable, albeit indecisive, 20-something graduate student in a quandary. after he and his girlfriend break up over his impotence, he retreats to a rented room and cruises the Internet for gay alternatives. a chance reunion with a childhood sweetheart prompts him to examine the ways that he’s been deceiving himself and those around him. Though apprehensive about his newfound sexuality, leo meets with nothing but acceptance. His mother hopes that he meets a nice boy—and he does. Seba is attractive, kind, and comfortable with himself. but will it be enough to get leo to come out of the closet and out of his room? In this impressive debut by Uruguayan writer-director enrique buchichio, a scenario that might sound familiar is given new life through complex, fully-realized characters who feel original and fresh.

Leo’s Room is co-presented by the Global Film Initiative and is part of the Global Lens 2010 film series. For more information, visit www.globalfilm.org.

Director: Enrique Buchichio

Producer: Natacha López

Screenwriter: Enrique Buchichio

Cinematographer: Pedro Luque

Editors: Guillermo Casanova Julián Goyoaga

Music: Sebastián Kramer

Cast: Martín Rodríguez Cecilia Cosero Gerardo Begerez

Mirella Pascual

Rafael Soliwoda

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Wide Management

Print Source: Global Film Initiative

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Letters to Father Jacob

FInland/Sweden 2009

lush Finnish landscapes and a glorious piano score envelop this life vignette of a pardoned prisoner who reluctantly takes a job at an old parsonage caring for blind Father Jacob. The old man’s joy is receiving letters from members of his flock asking for his help. and while leila’s primary job is to read the letters, she finds the idea of the Father responding to them pointless. at the same time that leila makes the decision to leave the parsonage, the Father’s letters stop arriving and the events that unfold loop their two lives together in unexpectedly meaningful ways. The two actors chosen by masterful Finnish director, Klaus Härö, perform a quietly redemptive duet on screen that alternates between harmony and dissonance. Through the film’s elegant simplicity we are reminded that sometimes strength comes from faith and frailty, and, as the roles of the helper and the helped are reversed, redemption emerges from the depths of self-forgiveness.

Awards:

Official Academy Award® Submission 2009 (Foreign Language Film)

Santa Barbara Film Festival 2010 (Best International Film)

Director: Klaus Härö

Producers: Risto Salomaa

Lasse Saariene

Screenwriter: Klaus Härö

Cinematographer: Tuomoi Hutri

Editor:

Samu Heikkilä

Music:

Dani Strömbäck

Cast:

Kaarina Hazard

Heikki Nousianien

Jukka Keinonen

Esko Roine

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Finnish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Film Sharks International

Print Source: Olive Films

Selected Filmography:

The New Man (2007)

Mother of Mine (2005)

As If I Didn’t Exist (2002)

jal aljido motamyunseo

Like You Know It All

mine vaganti

Loose Cannons

ITaly 2010

director Hong Sang-soo’s most overtly funny film to date, Like You Know It All continues his obsession with stories about film directors and the women they attempt to seduce. Ku (Kim Tae-woo) has never had a hit film, yet is something of a critic’s darling both at home and abroad. Invited to serve on a film festival jury, he soon discovers that love of movies is much lower on the scale of requirements than the ability to drink all night and put up with the droning of superficial critics. an encounter with an old friend and his wife leads to a series of blackly comic events that ends badly for Ku, a pattern that is repeated a few days later with even more humiliating results when he is teaching a film class in another part of the country. Hong’s delight in taking pot shots at the film business is palpable, though his true target is the hypocrisy and cowardice of his protagonist. Since Ku is clearly Hong’s alter-ego, it only adds to the fun with Hong showing no mercy as he chisels away at his delusions. Ku’s relations with women are a kind of high-wire act that teeters between the flirtatious and the combative, while the rest of the talky, liquor-fueled characters exchange savage home truths with admirable lack of banality in this hugely enjoyable film à clef.

Director:

Hong Sang-soo

Producers: Honglee Yeon-jeong

Kim Kyoung-hee

Screenwriter: Hong Sang-soo

Cinematographer: Kim Hoon-kwang

Editor:

Hahm Sung-won

Music:

Jeong Yong-jin

Cast: Kim Tae-woo

Ko Hyun-jung

Uhm Ji-won

Running Time: 126 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales: Finecut Co.

Print Source: Finecut Co.

Selected Filmography: Night and Day (2008)

Women on the Beach (2006)

A Tale of Cinema (2005)

Woman is the Future of Man (2004)

Turning Gate (2002)

Virgin Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors (2000)

The Power of Kangwon Province (1998)

The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well (1996)

SIFF favorite, Turkish-Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek (Facing Windows, golden Space needle award, SIFF 2004) screens again in Seattle with his new comedy, Loose Cannons, a film about family disruption, love, and liberty. Tommaso (emerging star Riccardo Scamarcio, also in The Big Dream at SIFF 2010) is the youngest son of the Cantones, a large, traditional southern Italian family operating a pasta-making business since the 1960s. On a trip home from Rome, where he studies literature and lives with his boyfriend, Tommaso decides to tell his parents the truth about himself. but when he is finally ready to come out in front of the entire family, his older brother antonio ruins his plans. Set in the lecce, the beautiful baroque town the Italians call the “Florence of the South,” this film marks a real change in Ozpetek’s filmmaking and writing. He abandons his usual melodramatic atmospheres and enters the genre of comedy, developing perfectly portrayed characters, from charming Tommaso to the drunk/nymphomaniac aunt and Tommaso’s gay Roman friends. In the end, all of them, it turns out, are nothing but loose cannons.

Director: Ferzan Ozpetek

Producer: Domenico Procacci

Screenwriters: Ferzan Ozpetek

Ivan Cotroneo

Cinematographer: Maurizio Calvesi

Editor: Patrizio Marone

Music: Pasquale Catalano

Cast: Riccardo Scamarcio

Nicole Grimaudo

Alessandro Preziosi

Ennio Fantastichini

Lunetta Savino

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Italian, with English subtitles

Print Source: Fandango Portobello

International Sales: Fandango Portobello

Film Website: minevaganti.net

Selected Filmography: A Perfect Day (2008)

Saturn in Opposition (2007)

Sacred Heart (2005)

Facing Windows (2003)

The Ignorant Fairies (2001)

Harem Suare (1999)

Steam: The Turkish Bath (1997)

SOUTH KORea 2009

Love in a Puff

aMeRICan PReMIeRe

Since 2007, the Hong Kong health authorities have implemented an anti-smoking law that bans people from smoking in all indoor areas, including offices, restaurants, bars, and karaoke lounges. Office smokers now have to take their cigarette breaks on the streets outside, which has led to groups of smokers from the same building bonding together in cliques known as “hot pot packs.” Here, in an alley packed with loudmouth co-workers spreading the daily gossip, the aptly-named Chimney, a mildmannered advertising executive in his twenties, meets misfit, cosmetics salesgirl Springer. an awkward flirtation ensues amidst their afternoon nicotine rush. but as their mutual infatuation intensifies, the couple moves farther and farther away from the rest of the “hot pot pack” into their own private alley, where their chatting turns from the trivial gossip of their bizarre coworkers to conversations of unexpected emotional depth. director Pang Ho-Cheung fashions a charming romantic comedy that brilliantly charts a couple’s ascent from casual acquaintance into intimacy.

Director: Pang Ho-Cheung

Producer: Subi Lang

Screenwriters: Pang Ho-Cheung

Heiward Mak

Cinematographer: Jason Kwan

Editor: Wenders Li

Music:

Alan Wong

Janet Yung

Cast: Miriam Yeung

Shawn Yue

Running Time: 103 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Cantonese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Media Asia Distribution

Print Source: Media Asia Distribution

Film Website: mediaasia.com/ loveinapuff

Selected Filmography: Dream Home (2010) Trivial Matters (2007) Isabella (2006)

A.V. (2005)

Beyond Our Ken (2004)

Men Suddenly in Black (2003)

You Shoot, I Shoot (2001)

Micmacs

FRanCe 2009

In his newest film, French visionary Jean-Pierre Jeunet returns full circle to the surreal-comic stylings of his debut, Delicatessen. Orphaned at a young age when his father is killed by a land mine, bazil grows up to become a video store clerk. but one night, while miming the action of The Big Sleep, he is struck by a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting. bazil awakens from his coma to discover his doctors have decided, by a coin flip, not to remove the bullet from his skull. Homeless, jobless, and faced with the real possibility of dropping dead at any moment, our hero falls in with an ingenious salvage artist and his underground troop of misfits, the micmacs. In true comedy of humours fashion, bazil’s new comrades each have their own eccentric specialty: contortionist elastic girl, math whiz Calculator, and buster (Jeunet favorite dominique Pinon)—a seemingly indestructible human cannonball. w ith their aid, bazil sets out to take revenge upon the two arms merchants who made the bullet now lodged in his skull. Fusing his unique visual style with the slapstick sensibilities of vintage buster Keaton, Jeunet once again creates a hallucinatory and endlessly inventive comedy.

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Producers: Frederic Brillion

Gilles LeGrand

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Screenwriters: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Guillaume Laurant

Cinematographer: Tetsuo Nagata

Editor: Herve Schneid

Music:

Raphael Beau

Cast: Jamel Debbouze

Dany Boon

Dominique Pinon

Andre Dussollier

Jean-Pierre Marielle

Yolande Moreau

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: TF1 International

Print Source: Sony Pictures Classics

Film Website: micmacs-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography: A Very Long Engagement (2004)

Amélie (2001)

Alien: Resurrection (1997) City of Lost Children (1995)

Delicatessen (1991)

HOng KOng 2010

nORTH

The Milk of Sorrow

Haunting, powerful, and respectfully omitting graphic detail, Claudia llosa addresses the unspeakable crimes against women by Shining Path terrorists in the Peruvian andes. Told through the daily life of a simple maid, Fausta, the film takes its theme from the psychological belief that a mother’s sorrow is passed to her children through her milk. In effect, the violence continues to affect a second generation of women. Though the war is long over, Fausta continues to battle and confront the fears that robbed her of her childhood and her sense of physical self. llosa was inspired to script her story after reading “entre Prójimos” by Harvard anthropologist Kimberly Theidon, who documented the political violence that took place from 1980 to 1992 through compelling testimonials. Fausta, in her simple ways, becomes the embodiment and metaphor of hope for all these women and their collective fear-based trauma.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (Golden Bear, FIPRESCI Prize) Academy Award® Nominee 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Director:

Claudia Llosa

Producers:

Antonion Chavarrias

Jose Maria Morales

Screenwriter: Claudia Llosa

Cinematographer: Natasha Braier

Editor:

Frank Gutierrez

Music:

Selma Mutal

Cast:

Magaly Solier

Susi Sánchez

Efraín Solis

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Quechua, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Match Factory

Print Source: Olive Films

Selected Filmography: Madeinusa (2006)

jao nok krajok

Mundane History

THaIland 2009

Cinematic aesthetics brand the audacious first feature by Thai indie director anocha Suwichakornpong. Ostensibly the simple story of an embittered invalid adjusting to his new nurse, what transpires is nothing less than a meditation on the relationship of man to the universe. when ake is paralyzed from the waist down in an accident, his remote, authoritarian father hires Pun, a male nurse. but ake, deeply cynical and resentful of his father, barely tolerates Pun. However, as the monotonous rituals of ake’s daily care are played out, something moves him into taking the first tentative steps to rediscovering his former love of life. Suwichakornpong uses a sequence of bravura scenes to convey ake’s state of mind, culminating in a magnificent extended sequence of an actual birth. This is not art for art’s sake, as beneath the film’s placid surface lie themes of class, patriarchy, mortality, evolution, and the cosmic scheme of things. The inertia of the narrative is brilliantly contrasted with an energetic score; at the same time, its prosaic content contrasts with the epic nature of the philosophical question being asked: can one exist in an eternal present, with no reference to past or future? The resulting dissonant film language raises great expectations for Suwichakornpong’s future work.

Awards: Rotterdam International Film Festival 2010 (Tiger Award)

Director: Anocha Suwichakornpong

Producers: Soros Sukhum

Anocha Suwichakornpong

Screenwriter: Anocha Suwichakornpong

Cinematographer: Ming Kai Leung

Editor: Lee Chatametikool

Music: The Photo Sticker

Machine

Furniture

Cast: Phakpoom Surapongsanuruk

Arkaney Cherkham

Paramej Noieam

Anchana Ponpitakthepkij

Running Time: 82 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Thai, with English subtitles

Print Source: Electric Eel Films

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

PeRU/SPaIn 2009

Music on Hold

My Year Without Sex

aUSTRalIa 2009

ezequiel is a recently divorced, down-on-his-luck film composer struggling to come up with the perfect score for a new film, something he needs to complete in order to keep up on his finances. Put on hold while calling his bank, he is struck by the Muzak that blesses his ears; it’s the unlikely answer to all of his tribulations. The search for the source of the jingle leads him to Paula, the bank teller who put him on hold, and who, as it turns out, has a comparable set of baggage.

Pregnant and abandoned by the baby’s father, Paula is dreading a visit from her mother who is anxiously awaiting a first introduction to her non-existent, future son-in-law and the birth of her grandchild. ezequiel’s visit has most unfortunate timing. as Paula’s mother arrives at the bank, she instinctively grabs ezequiel and introduces him as her suitor. argentinean Hernán a goldfrid’s directorial debut spirals into a fresh and quirky take on how relationships can bloom out of the most unlikely, and unruly, of situations.

Director: Hernán A. Golfrid

Producers: Diego Dubcovsky

Daniel Burman

Screenwriters: Patricio Vega

Julieta Steinberg

Cinematographer: Lucio Bonelli

Editors: Luis Barros

Alejandro Brodersohn

Music: Guillermo Guareschi

Cast: Diego Peretti

Natalia Oreiro

Norma Aleandro

Running Time: 106 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

Print Source: Outsider Pictures

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

From the writer-director of the award-winning Look Both Ways, My Year Without Sex is an endearing and humorous love story about all of life’s big questions, and even more of the small ones. after busy thirty-something, Melbourne mom natalie suffers a surprise brain aneurysm, her doctor advises “no orgasms for the time being.” So, over one messy year, and divided into 13 “chapters”––one for each month depicted in the film––natalie and her appealing radio technician husband Ross manage the stresses, strains, and delights of their full, chaotic life. Two children, nits, housework, faith, football, job insecurity, and more nits, leave them wondering whether they will ever have sex again. The director’s gift for giving wise and witty voice to fears so often left unspoken is at its best as the issue simmers beneath the everyday activities of trouble-prone family holidays, birthday parties, and financial worries over Christmas. The performances are uniformly tops. Horler doesn’t put a foot wrong as the woman forced to take stock of just about everything, and day nails the male angle as a nice guy straining under the pressure of added responsibilities and his own insecurities.

Director: Sarah Watt

Producer: Bridget Ikin

Screenwriter: Sarah Watt

Cinematographer: Graeme Wood

Editor: Denise Haratzis Ase

Cast: Sacha Horler

Matt Day

Portia Bradley

Jonathan Segat

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: The Works International

Print Source: Strand Releasing

Film Website: myyearwithoutsex.com

Selected Filmography: Look Both Ways (2005)

musica en espera

aRgenTIna 2009

norteado

Northless

MeXICO/SPaIn 2009

Fresh, affecting, and slyly humorous, Rigoberto Perezcano’s debut feature is the account of one man’s dogged determination to win a better life for himself and his family. andres hails from Oaxaca in the mountains of southern Mexico. like many before him, he engages an unscrupulous, people-trafficking ‘coyote’ to get him across the U.S. border, but he’s inevitably conned and left stranded and cashless in the teeming limbo of Tijuana. befriended by convenience store owners ela and Cata, who take him under their wing, andres shares his deepest feelings about the pain of broken bonds that are the inevitable result of economic migration. Things get complicated as he is drawn into potentially explosive triangles both with ela, the store’s owner, and her would-be squeeze, asensio, and with ela and Cata, who is ela’s young employee. In this character-driven gem Perezcano reveals a wonderful sensitivity in conveying the emotional divide between those who leave and those who stay. boldly eschewing the use of dialogue in many scenes, he employs telling detail to relate the desperate, and often futile, waiting game confronting those in search of the american dream but succeeds in making a serious point even as his gentle use of black humor makes us smile.

Nowhere Boy

UnITed KIngdOM 2009

Director:

Rigoberto Perezcano

Producer:

Edgar San Juan

Screenwriters:

Edgar San Juan

Rigoberto Perezcano

Cinematographer:

Alejandro Cantú

Editor:

Miguel Schverdfinger

Music:

Debussy

Cornelio Reyna

Los Relampagos del Norte

Cast:

Harold Torres

Sonia Couoh

Alicia Laguna

Luis Cárdenas

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Latino Fusion

Print Source: IMCINE

Film Website: norteado.com.mx

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

This highly entertaining and witty feature debut from artist Sam Taylor-wood covers the formative years of music icon John lennon. aged 15, hungry for experience, and desperate to throw off the shackles of his uptight, respectable aunt Mimi, who has raised him since the age of five, John meets his mother—the erratic, alluring Julia—after many years apart. They form an instant bond, which leads to friction between the two women. The increasingly troubled John starts to escape into music and forms a band with a local lad by the name of Paul McCartney. Just as things start to warm up for him, tragedy strikes and once more John removes Julia from his life. nineteen-year-old aaron Johnson gives a doubly remarkable performance, first since he is quite believable in the role despite little physical resemblance, but mainly for holding his own against two fine actresses, Kristin Scott Thomas and anne-Marie duff as, respectively, Mimi and Julia. naturally music plays a significant part and the color palette deliberately reflects the drab 1950s setting of the story. Taylor-wood delivers not so much a biopic but rather an affecting movie about coming of age and leaving home, and about the radical changes in british life since the Second world war.

Director:

Sam Taylor-Wood

Producers: Robert Bernstein

Kevin Loader

Douglas Rae

Screenwriter: Matt Greenhalgh

Cinematographer: Seamus McGarvey

Editor:

Lisa Gunning

Music:

Alison Goldfrapp

Will Gregory

Cast: Kristin Scott Thomas

Aaron Johnson

Anne-Marie Duff

Thomas Sangster

David Morrissey

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Icon Film Distribution

Print Source: The Weinstein Co.

Film Website: nowhereboy.co.uk

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

2009

A

Ondine

IReland/USa 2009

For all his flirting with mega-stardom, Colin Farrell has always been a fine character actor, perhaps best evidenced in the role of nervy hitman, Ray, In Bruges (2008). In neil Jordan’s affable Ondine, he gives another impressively unstarry performance as the fisherman Syracuse, an embittered, semi-alcoholic loner alienated from his former wife and daughter, annie, whose fragile health has her confined to a wheelchair. when his catch of the day nets the mysterious halfdead Ondine, he revives, cares for, and starts to fall in love with her. annie, who is a dreamer and believes in folklore, is convinced that Ondine is a selkie—a mythical creature reputed to be half woman, half seal. wherever the truth lies, Syracuse is in no hurry to throw Ondine back, and under her spell Syracuse and annie’s relationship is magically transformed. Suddenly their drab existence is full of hope and possibilities. Jordan’s beautifully wrought re-imagining of the dreary life of the working man, ably assisted by Christopher doyle’s ravishing cinematography, is imbued with a palpable sense of the rhythms of Irish life. newcomer alicja bachleda also shines as the ethereal Ondine in this charming mixture of small-town comedy and fantasy in which a final slap of cold, salty spray only adds to the poignancy of the daydream.

Director:

Neil Jordan

Producers: Ben Browning

Neil Jordan

James Flynn

Screenwriter: Neil Jordan

Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle

Editor:

Tony Lawson

Music: Kjartan Sveinsson

Cast: Colin Farrell

Alicja Bachleda

Stephen Rea

Alison Barry

Running Time: 111 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Paramount Vantage

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Selected Filmography:

The Brave One (2007)

Breakfast on Pluto (2005)

The Good Thief (2002)

Not I (2000)

The End of the Affair (1999)

In Dreams (1999)

The Butcher Boy (1997)

Michael Collins (1996)

Interview with a Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

The Crying Game (1992)

The Miracle (1991)

We’re No Angels (1989)

High Spirits (1988)

Mona Lisa (1986)

Angel (1982)

An Ordinary Execution

FRanCe 2010

based on his own hugely successful novel of the same name, Marc dugain’s debut feature, An Ordinary Execution, describes an imagined encounter between the aging Joseph Stalin and a young doctor with extraordinary healing abilities, brought in to treat the escalating physical woes of his old age after his own doctor has been “purged.” The apprehension of the young woman, anna, as she enters the menacing milieu of the old tyrant is palpable, with her having to put up with his daily ranting and ramblings, which subtly start to reveal his warped philosophy of terror. His innately suspicious nature, unable to tolerate her having loyalties elsewhere, leads to her husband being thrown into jail, while anna is helpless inside the Kremlin attempting to ease Stalin’s aches and pains. The film adds further fuel to the fire of speculation about how Stalin (played here by one of France’s national treasures, andré dussolier, in a piece of inspired casting) actually died, but at heart it is a piercing insight into the mind of a dictator. brilliantly shot to reflect the grimness of oppression, and filled with tension and mystery, An Ordinary Execution is a compelling addition to the canon of examinations of police states.

Director: Marc Dugain

Producers: Jean-Louis Livi

Julie Salvador

Screenwriter: Marc Dugain

Cinematographer: Yves Angelo

Editor: Fabrice Rouaud

Cast: André Dussollier

Marina Hands

Edouard Baer

Denis Podalydes

Tom Novembre

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Studio Canal

Print Source:

Tamasa Distribution

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Patagonia

UnITed KIngdOM/ wORld PReMIeRe aRgenTIna/waleS 2010

In the midst of the stunning mountain ranges of Patagonia is an almost mythical community of welsh natives, born of settlers who landed there in the late 1800s. w ith his fine film, Patagonia, director Marc evans (Snow Cake) incorporates the culture and countryside of both countries to tell the tales of two women searching for resolution. In Cardiff, gwen and her husband Rhys have felt significant strain on their relationship since they have been unable to conceive a child. when Rhys is sent on a photographic project to Patagonia, gwen sees a chance to repair their relationship with a bit of adventurous escapism. In Patagonia, elderly argentinean native Cerys is starting a secret pilgrimage to the welsh countryside that was once the home of her long lost mother. Her somewhat nervous nephew, alejandro, is along as chaperone and unexpectedly discovers a possible future of his own with a seductive welsh girl (pop singer duffy). Though their paths never cross, the journeys are analogous: gwen’s quest for meaning in her family’s future leads to unwelcome adventure, while Cerys’ search for the truth about her heritage produces no easy answers. Together, their stories make Patagonia a film of intimate moments that play out against the sweeping panoramic landscapes.

Director:

Marc Evans

Producers:

Rebekah Gilbertson

Flora Fernandez-Marengo

Screenwriters:

Laurance Coriat

Marc Evans

Cinematographer: Robbie Ryan

Editor:

Mali Evans

Music:

Joseph Loduca

Cast:

Duffy

Matthew Rhys

Marta Luboj

Namuel Preez Biscayart

Ma Roberts

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, Welsh, English, and Polish, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Little Film Company

Print Source: The Little Film Company

Selected Filmography: In Prison My Whole Life (2008)

Snow Cake (2006)

My Little Eye (2002)

Beautiful Mistake (2000)

Resurrection Man (1998) House of America (1997)

IndIa 2010

anusha Rizvi’s debut feature audaciously takes as its central subject the tragic rash of farmer suicides that has plagued India for the past decade and turns it into a fleet footed, incisive, and very funny satire about the social absurdities afflicting the country. natha and budhia, about to lose their precious land over an unpaid government loan, turn to a callous local politician who suggests the easiest way out would be to kill themselves to benefit from a program that gives support to the families of deceased farmers. when word gets out that natha is seriously considering this, the media arrives en masse to get the scoop, and local politicians, on the eve of an election, try and shanghai the press for their own venal ends. as the pressure mounts on the embattled natha, egged on by his nagging wife and harpie of a mother-in-law, the less than admirable motives of all who cross his path start to emerge. Produced by bollywood superstar aamir Khan, the film’s avowedly commercial approach— deftly tailored to western tastes—succeeds in shedding light on a serious social problem with infinitely more impact than any number of sober documentaries might have achieved. Frank Capra himself could hardly have done the subject any more justice, which is praise indeed.

Director: Anusha Rizvi

Producers: Aamir Khan

Kiran Rao

Screenwriter: Anusha Rizvi

Cinematographer: Shanker Raman

Editor:

Hemanti Sarkar

Music: Mathias Duplessy

Cast: Omkar Das

Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Raghubir

Shalini Vatsa

Farrukh Jaffer

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Hindi, with English subtitles

Print Source: UTV Net

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Perrier’s Bounty

IReland 2009

Michael McCrea has had a really bad night. He owes a pretty sum of cash to dublin gangster darren Perrier, who just sent two of his cronies to collect. Unfortunately, Michael is dead broke. desperate to get Perrier’s money, he ends up performing a late night burglary with two unsavory characters from the local pool hall. The following morning Perrier’s cronies return, only this time one of them accidentally ends up dead, courtesy of his recently “dumped” and suicidal best friend brenda. Further complicating matters is the arrival of Michael’s estranged father Jim (Jim broadbent in a hilariously daft performance), who reveals he will die if he falls asleep, which necessitates him regularly consuming large spoonfuls of coffee grounds to stay awake. now with a bounty on their heads, Michael, brenda, and Jim have 24 hours to get Perrier’s money while evading the police and every low-life in the dublin underworld. director Ian Fitzgibbon adroitly blends gritty suspense with guinnessblack comedy to create a snappy, wisecracking crime-caper in the tradition of Layer Cake and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Director: Ian FitzGibbon

Producers: Alan Moloney

Stephen Woolley

Elizabeth Karlsen

Screenwriter: Mark O’Rowe

Cinematographer: Seamus Deasey

Editor:

Tony Cranstoun

Cast: Cillian Murphy

Jodie Whittaker

Jim Broadbent

Brendan Gleeson

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: HanWay Films

Print Source: IFC Films

Selected Filmography: A Film with Me in It (2008)

Spin the Bottle (2003)

Petya on the Way to Heaven

Petya on the Way to Heaven is a tragic-comic re-telling of the story “Ivan the dunce.” In the 1950s, in a snow-covered northern Soviet town, a handsome, mentally-challenged young man named Petya lives with his mother. He is an earnest boy who volunteers as the town’s traffic cop and takes his job seriously as he directs traffic, requests special licenses, and fills out official reports. He even wears a formal militiaman’s uniform with a real holster, though he doesn’t have a gun. The town is fond of him and pays little attention to his harmless encroachment of power. Overall, the village is prospering despite the usual boredom of country living. nearby, prisoners are constructing a penal labor camp. when a few prisoners escape, Petya, together with soldiers and guards, set out for the chase. Petya on the Way to Heaven is a rich slice of rural Russian life, yet behind the picturesque country idyll lurks a sinister psychology, a kind of lack of attention and social opportunism that contributes to the film’s conclusion.

Awards: Moscow International Film Festival 2009 (Best Film)

Director: Nikolai Dostal

Producer: Fyodor Popov

Screenwriter: Mikhail Kuraev

Cinematographer: Alisher Khamidkhodzhaev

Editor: Nikolai Dostal

Music: Alekey Shelygin

Cast: Egor Pavlov

Roman Madyanov

Alexander Korshudv

Svetlana TimofeevaLeutnovskaya

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Stella Studio

Print Source: Stella Studio

Selected Filmography: Kolya-the Rolling Stone (2005)

Policemen and Thieves (1998)

The Small Giant of Big Sex (1992)

Cloud-Paradise (1991) I’m Alright (1989)

Shura and Prosvirnyak (1987)

Man with an Accordion (1985)

The Cold Snap and Snow is Expected (1982)

RUSSIa 2009

fais - moi plaisir !

Please, Please Me!

FRanCe 2009

love, sex, and desire get a run for their money in this outrageous, racy slapstick set against the sweet strain of romantic angst in the latest French comedy from writer-director-actor emmanuel Mouret (Shall We Kiss? SIFF 2009). w ith stylings compared to that of woody allen and Harold lloyd, Mouret combines just the right amount of visual gags, wacky background music, and witty dialogue to entice and satisfy the audience. exhausted by working night shifts as a nurse, ariane has little patience for her nutty boyfriend Jean-Jacques, (played by Mouret), and his fantasies about other women. To cure his wandering eye, and perhaps even save their relationship, she suggests that he follows through with an affair. little do they know that the object of his affection is the daughter of the French president. The comedy of errors begins to roll as Jean-Jacques does his best to go all the way with his amour. Channeling a bit of Mr. bean, Mouret plays it cool with deadpan reactions and a near-catastrophic sense of politeness despite being the target of some hilarious obstacles. The film’s offbeat theatricality and dimwitted sincerity are irresistible as Mouret delves into the treacherous terrain of surviving as a “modern couple.”

Director:

Emmanuel Mouret

Producer:

Frédéric Niedermayer

Screenwriter:

Emmanuel Mouret

Cinematographer:

Laurent Desmet

Editor:

Martial Salomon

Music:

Stéphane Reichart

Cast:

Emmanuel Mouret

Judith Godreche

Deborah Francois

Frederique Bel

Dany Brillant

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Pyramide International

Print Source: Pyramide International

Selected Filmography: Shall We Kiss? (2007)

Change of Address (2006) Venus and Fleur (2004)

lei wangzi

Prince of Tears

a sumptuously made drama that looks back to 1950s Taiwan—when anti-communist feeling was at an all-time high and harboring even a soupçon of sympathy for Mao could get you shot or thrown off a cliff. yonfan’s latest painterly work is exquisite in its use of cinematography, set design, and cast. after their mother and father are arrested for treason, a suspiciously taciturn government bureaucrat “Uncle ding” and a classmate’s beautiful mother, whose ties to the family remain mysterious, look after two young sisters as the dreamy, almost fairy talelike narrative unfolds. The innocence of the two young girls clashes with the hard realities of adult life in an increasingly paranoid Taiwan as yonfan masterly weaves together the various plot strands into a sweeping tapestry of a bygone era. If that weren’t enough, yonfan throws in some unexpected plot twists for good measure, making Prince of Tears one of the most satisfying period pieces of the year.

Awards: Official Academy Award® Submission 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Director: Yonfan

Producer: Fruit Chan

Screenwriter: Yonfan

Cinematographer: Ting-Chang Chin

Editors: Chi-Leung Kong

Derek Hui

Music: Yat-Yiu Yu

Cast: Fan Chih-wei

Terri Kwan

Joseph Chang

Zhu Xuan

Kenneth Tsang

Running Time: 122 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

Print Source: Fortissimo Films

International Sales: Fortissimo Films

Film Website: princeoftears.com

Selected Filmography: Color Blossoms (2004)

Peony Pavilion (2001)

Bishonen (1998)

Last Romance (1988)

The Story of Rose (1985)

HOng KOng/TaIwan 2009

Protektor

CzeCH RePUblIC 2009

notable for its fresh approach and unusual art direction, this fateful love story is set in Prague during the late 1930s and subsequent nazi occupation. It focuses on radio journalist emil, who is deeply in love with his glamorous movie star wife Hana, a Jew. when the “Protectorate of bohemia and Moravia” is established, Hana’s career is cut short and emil’s radio station put under german control. emil chooses to collaborate with the occupiers in order to survive and protect his wife. Ironically, this choice threatens to destroy the very thing he’s trying to protect: Hana. as the restrictions on Jews are systematically increased, Hana becomes increasingly depressed. emil forbids her to go out, even to the movies. Meanwhile, as a man-abouttown, emil starts enjoying his celebrity and the company of other women. but restless Hana meets a subversive movie projectionist, and with him flouts laws banning her from cinemas, cafes, and other public places. Ultimately, the assassination of Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich provides a twist that once again strengthens emil and Hana’s bond.

Director:

Marek Najbrt

Producers: Milan Kuchynka

Pavel Strnad

Screenwriters: Robert Geisler

Benjamin Tucek

Marek Najbrt

Cinematographer: Miloslav Holman

Editor: Pavel Hrdlicka

Music:

Midi Lidi

Cast: Jana Plodková

Marek Daniel

Klára Meliškova

Tomáš Mecháček

Richard Stanke

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Czech, with English subtitles

Print Source: Negativ Film Productions

Film Website: protektor-film.cz

Selected Filmography: Champions (2004)

FRanCe 2009

belgian-born lucas belvaux has thrilled SIFF audiences in the past, most notably with his acclaimed Trilogy (SIFF 2002). This time he delivers a cracking policier, based on the 1978 kidnapping of wealthy French industrialist baron empain. yvan attal plays Stanislas graff, head of a huge industrial conglomerate and special adviser to the French president. On the eve of a trip to China, he is kidnapped in a street hold-up of breathtaking efficiency. The ruthless captors demand 50 million euros for his release, and send grisly proof that they mean business if it is not forthcoming. while they play a high stakes game of cat and mouse with the police, the board of graff’s company weigh up what he is really worth to them. when it comes out that graff is not the devoted family man he plays in public but has a mistress and massive gambling debts, a media frenzy is ignited, support for graff falls away, and his future starts to look bleak even if he is released from the tough confinement where he is held chained and continually threatened. Rapt, which was extremely well received on its French release, is not only a first rate thriller, but also a study of the hubris of the rich and powerful. degenerating physically and mentally before our very eyes, attal is outstanding as a man crushed not by his ordeal, but by his exposure in media glare that follows the discovery of his hypocrisy.

Director: Lucas Belvaux

Producers: Patrick Sobelman

Diana Elbaum

Screenwriter: Lucas Belvaux

Cinematographer: Pierre Milon

Editor: Danielle Anezin

Cast: Yvan Attal

Anne Consigny

André Marcon

Françoise Fabian

Alex Descas

Michel Voita

Running Time: 125 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Print Source:

Films Distribution

Film Website: rapt-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

The Right of the Weakest (2006)

After the Life (2002)

An Amazing Couple (2002)

On the Run (2002)

det enda rationella

A Rational Solution

Sweden/FInland/geRMany/ITaly 2009

Two-thirds belly-laugh comedy to one-third precisely observed tragedy, Jörgen bergmark’s unique concoction is a rare thing—a smart, funny film made for adults that focuses on the passion between middle-aged protagonists. Mill worker erland and his wife May volunteer as marriage counselors in their small community. One evening, erland’s best friend convinces his wife Karin (the always wonderful Pernilla august) to attend one of the counseling sessions. Two things happen: May and Karin hit it off surprisingly well, but it’s the spark between Karin and erland that soon has all of their worlds turned upsidedown. The “rational solution,” as suggested by erland, only makes things more topsyturvy. buoyed by four sterling performances— lassgard and august are particularly priceless as a couple trying to negotiate their newfound lust—and a nuanced script by bergmark and Jens Jonsson, A Rational Solution is a crowdpleaser with both a brain and a soul.

Director:

Jörgen Bergmark

Producers:

Jörgen Bergmark

Helena Danielsson

Screenwriters:

Jörgen Bergmark

Jens Jonsson

Cinematographer: Anders Bohman

Editor: Mattias Morheden

Music:

Nathan Larson

Cast: Rolf Lassgard

Pernilla August

Stina Ekblad

Claes Ljungmark

Magnus Roosman

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Swedish, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Match Factory

Print Source: The Match Factory

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Reykjavik-Rotterdam

ICeland 2009

Kristófer (baltasar Kormákur) is an ex-con working as a security guard to support wife Íris and their two sons (played by Kormákur’s actual sons). Things look bleak as they are behind on their rent and the landlord wants to sell the apartment. when Íris’ brother, who’s smuggling booze through a shipping freighter, begs for help, Kristófer grudgingly agrees to bail him out. The guys must return to Rotterdam to buy more product. Their trip is funded by Steingrímur, Íris’ previous boyfriend and Kristófer’s former partner in crime, who is a little too willing to send his old friend away and take care of Íris while her husband is gone. Meanwhile, back on the same freighter where he was arrested years ago, Kristófer must face the captain who, understandably, doesn’t trust him; the local police who know he’s back on board; and a psychopathic dutch criminal. This tight thriller is being remade as a vehicle for Mark walhberg under the direction of current star baltasar Kormákur.

Awards:

Icelandic Film & TV Awards 2008 (Best Director, Script, Editing, Score, Sound Design)

Official Academy Award® Submission 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Director: Oskar Jonasson

Producers: Baltasar Kormákur

Agnes Johansen

Dick Rijneke

Mildred van Leeuwaarden

Screenwriters: Arnaldur Indridason

Oskar Jonasson

Cinematographer: Bergstein Björgulfsson

Editor:

Elisabet Ronalsdsdottir

Music: Bardi Johannsson

Cast: Baltasar Kormákur

Ingvar E. Sigurdsson

Running Time: 83 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Dutch, with English subtitles

International Sales: NonStop Sales AB

Print Source: Icelandic Film Centre

Selected Filmography: Pearls and Swine (1997)

Remote Control (1992)

SEATTLE REYKJAVIK

SISTER CITY ASSOCIATION

The Robber

aUSTRIa/geRMany 2009 nORTH aMeRICan PReMIeRe

Johann Rettenberger is constantly preoccupied by his unlikely twin obsessions, running marathons and robbing banks. His meticulous training for the former, which has made him something of a minor celebrity locally, keeps him in fine fettle for the latter and the possibility that he might just have to beat it, but fast. Just out of jail for an unspecified crime, and warned by his probation officer to stay on the straight and narrow, he hardly pauses for breath before conducting a series of audacious heists. but even such a single-minded character needs love and affection, and in between robberies he lives quietly in Vienna with his girlfriend, erika. when the need for a regular fix of excitement becomes too strong to resist, he starts to become careless. erika uncovers his nefarious shenanigans and helps to get him arrested. Totally driven, however, he escapes and carries on with his brazen offending. adapted from the eponymous novel by Martin Prinz based on actual crimes committed in austria, The Robber is an insightful psychological portrait of someone with no goal: an endorphin junkie, Johann keeps on running because what he seeks is a pure and permanent state of motion. His flight forces him to press on and on, with no intention of ever arriving.

Director: Benjamin Heisenberg

Producers: Nikolaus Geyrhalter

Markus Glaser

Michael Kitzberger

Wolfgang Widerhofer

Peter Heilrath

Screenwriters: Benjamin Heisenberg

Martin Prinz

Cinematographer: Reinhold Vorschneider

Editors: Andrea Wagner

Benjamin Heisenberg

Music: Lorenz Dangel

Cast: Andreas Lust

Franziska Weisz

Markus Schleinzer

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Print Source:

Films Distribution

Film Website: derraeuber.at

Selected Filmography: Sleeper (2005) At the Lake (2001)

Run If You Can

an independent tragicomedy, Run If You Can is the debut feature for director brüggemann who, along with his sister, also wrote the compelling screenplay. Forced to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, ben is deeply desperate, despite his humor and vivaciousness. when he meets Christian, his new assistant, ben treats him like every other helper he’s had. Things suddenly change when Christian meets annika, “the cello player” whom ben has been observing from his window for years. The three become close friends, putting annika in the middle of an emotional, and somehow dangerous, ménagea-trois while conquering annika is nothing very serious for career-focused Christian, ben’s love for annika reminds him of his past and forces him to face his most remote fears. a characterdriven story, Run If You Can owes much of its power to the actors’ performances, especially Robert gwisdek’s outstanding interpretation of ben.

Director: Dietrich Brüggemann

Producers: Ralph Schwingel

Sabine Holtgreve

Screenwriters: Dietrich Brüggemann

Anna Brüggemann

Cinematographer: Alexander Sass

Editor:

Vincent Assmann

Cast: Robert Gwisdek

Anna Brüggemann

Jacob Matschenz

Franziska Wiesz

Running Time: 112 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in German, with English subtitles

Print Source: Wuste Film

Film Website: wuestefilm-ost.de

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

geRMany 2010 nORTH aMeRICan PReMIeRe

Samson & Delilah

aUSTRalIa 2009

One of the year’s most cinematically satisfying films, this unconventional love story of two aboriginal teens from a dusty settlement in the Central australian desert is full of fascinating ethnographic detail, gentle humor, and breathtaking cinematography, with the director himself behind the camera. every shot imparts plot and character information with simplicity and intelligence. The eclectic music choices have as much narrative significance as the minimal dialogue. The gripping performances by the young leads, neither of them professional actors, further the feeling of authenticity. Rake-thin Samson, 15, wakes up in his bleak shanty room and immediately starts sniffing gasoline. across the dusty track, 16-year-old delilah wakes to care for her elderly grandmother, with whom she patiently works on large dot-paintings. The teens’ daily routine changes when they steal the community car to travel to alice Springs. Sleeping rough under a noisy road bridge, they exist by shoplifting and share their shelter with a loquacious alcoholic. Things go from bad to worse, but talented aboriginal writer-director warwick Thornton conceives an ending that’s upbeat and true to the characters. Recommended for youth 15 and up. Contains drug use and mature themes.

Awards:

Cannes Film Festival 2009 (Camera d’Or)

Official Academy Award® Submission 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Inside Films Awards 2009 (Best Film, Director, Actor, Actress, Script, and Music)

Skeletons

UnITed KIngdOM 2009

Director:

Warwick Thornton

Producer: Kath Shelper

Screenwriter:

Warwick Thornton

Cinematographer: Warwick Thornton

Editor:

Roland Gallois

Cast:

Rowan McNamara

Marissa Gibson

Scott Thornton

Mitjili Gibson

Running Time: 101 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in English and Warlpiri, with English subtitles

International Sales: Elle Driver

Print Source: Cactus Three

Film Website: samsonanddelilah.com.au

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Scandalous affairs? Financial improprieties? embarrassing relatives? For any compromising secrets from your past that you’d rather not let see the light of day, you might wish to consult Veridical—a company that specializes in extracting skeletons from closets. davis and bennett are two Veridical practitioners who travel around the country to perform “the Procedure” and clean up and sort out the private lives of their clients. not that it’s always easy; one occupational hazard is the temptation to succumb to “glow-chasing,” or the illegal use of the Procedure to return to favorite personal memories. another is a kind of intense exposure to the past that can cause the viewer to “go bulgarian.” but when the two men meet a client, who is trying to solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearance, their personal involvement threatens their professional future. and really, that would be a shame, because who couldn’t use the services of such a professional—part philosopher, part exterminator, part therapist, part detective—every once a while?

Director: Nick Whitfield

Producers: Tracy Brimm

Kate Myers

Paul Welsh

Screenwriter: Nick Whitfield

Cinematographer: Zac Nicholson

Editor:

Rachel Tunnard

Music: Simon Whitfield

Cast: Ed Gaughan

Andrew Buckley

Jason Isaacs

Tuppence Middleton

Paprika Steen

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in English and Bulgarian, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Forward Films

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Soul Kitchen

zona sur

Southern District

bOlIVIa 2009

after his excellent, hard-hitting dramas Head-On and The Edge of Heaven, Fatih akin has decided to throw a party and you’re all invited. but to start with, things are a bit grim at the Hamburg warehouse diner run by luckless zinos: business is bad, his girlfriend’s leaving for China, he’s put his back out and, worst of all, a new tax collector is making his life miserable. zinos hits on the audacious plan of luring the local chef du jour, Shayn (the intense birol Ünel from Head-On), to turn the restaurant around. The grumpy regulars aren’t impressed with Shayn’s eclectic concoctions, but soon a whole new clientele is seduced (possibly by the Peruvian tree-bark aphrodisiac in the dessert), including the tax collector. Things never go so well for zinos for long, however, and soon his jailbird brother Illias (Moritz bleibtreu, enjoying himself immensely) starts to drag in the local lowlife and an unscrupulous property developer tries to get his hands on the warehouse. Set to an irresistible soul-funk soundtrack, the infectious mayhem careens towards a fizzy finale, making Soul Kitchen one of the unquestionable feel-good movies of the year.

Awards: Venice Film Festival 2009 (Special Jury Prize)

Director: Fatih Akin

Producers: Fatih Akin

Klaus Maeck

Screenwriters: Fatih Akin

Adam Bousdoukos

Cinematographer: Rainer Klausmann

Editor: Andrew Bird

Cast: Adam Bousdoukos

Moritz Bleibtreu

Birol Ünel

Anna Bederke

Lucas Gregorowicz

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in German and Greek, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Match Factory

Print Source: IFC Films

Film Website: soul-kitchen-film.com

Selected Filmography: The Edge of Heaven (2007)

Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005)

Head-On (2004)

Solino (2002)

In July (2000)

In the posh Southern district of la Paz, a large house and garden are home to a family and its aymaran servants. Carola has three spoiled children, teenagers Patricio, bernarda, and the younger andrés. w ilson is the cook as well as a type of valet to Carola and nanny to andres, and Marcelina is the gardener. The film documents the lives—collective and individual—of these characters over the course of several days. but what makes this upstairs-downstairs tale unusual is that it is set against the backdrop of the larger social upheaval taking place in bolivia, which just re-elected its first aymaran president. The ensemble of mostly non-actors gives remarkably natural performances while director Juan Carlos Valdivia uses a revolving camera— the film consists of 57 circular sequence shots— to create an observational effect that is at once detached and deeply involving.

Awards:

Official Academy Award® Submission 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Sundance Film Festival 2010 (Best Director-World Cinema, Screenwriting Award-World Cinema)

Director: Juan Carlos Valdivia

Producer: Gabriela Maire

Screenwriter: Juan Carlos Valdivia

Cinematographer: Paul de Lumen

Editor: Ivan Layme

Music:

Cergio Prudencio

Cast: Ninón del Castillo

Pascual Loayza

Nicolás Fernández

Juan Pablo Koria

Mariana Vargas

Running Time: 109 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish and Aymara, with English

subtitles

Print Source: Shoreline Entertainment

Film Website: zonasurfilm.com

Selected Filmography: El ultimo evangelio (2008)

American Visa (2005)

Jonah and the Pink Whale (1995)

geRMany 2009

The String

FRanCe/belgIUM/TUnISIa 2010

Malik, a 30-year-old gay man, has been living and working as an architect in France but returns to Tunisia after the death of his father. Upon his return, he is faced with confronting his anxiety about his mother’s discovery of his homosexuality—recurring flashbacks of his formidable father, abdelaziz, don’t help either. The anxiety gives him a peculiar complex: he has panic attacks in which he gets tangled up in a piece of string that is attached to his body. but everything changes when Malik begins a relationship with the family’s sexy handyman, bilal. Those changes only multiply when Malik’s best friend decides to have a baby with her girlfriend. In examining the tensions between French-raised arabs and their more conservative fellow countrymen, first-time director Mehdi ben attia has created an insightful and engaging portrait of gay life in Tunisia.

Director:

Mehdi Ben Attia

Producers:

Anne-Cecile Berthomeau

Fares Ladjimi

Edouard Mauriat

Screenwriters: Mehdi Ben Attia

Olivier Laneurie

Cinematographer: Sofian El Fani

Editor:

Chantal Hymans

Music:

Karol Beffa

Cast:

Claudia Cardinale

Salim Kechiouche

Antonin Stahly

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French and Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales: Pyramide International

Print Source: TLA Releasing

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Tehroun

IRan/FRanCe 2009

Filmed with a skeleton crew a few months before the Iranian elections and subsequent demonstrations, nader T. Homayoun’s searing feature debut exposes a side of life in the Islamic Republic that few westerners see, and that the guardian Council no doubt wishes they wouldn’t. Combining social drama, crime thriller, and black comedy, it tells the story of Ibrahim—a professional beggar who loses his rented childprop. when Ibrahim leaves his village and family to try his luck in Tehran he winds up begging on the streets, his pleas made more effective by the sickly baby he holds in his arms. The baby is courtesy of a local gang lord that Ibrahim pays in installments. However, in this urban jungle, where everything can be bought or sold, his dream rapidly turns into a nightmare when a prostitute steals the child. To make matters worse, Ibrahim’s heavily pregnant wife arrives from the countryside and quickly cottons on to her husband’s dire plight. w ith his life threatened by the gang lord, Ibrahim is forced to go deep into the slums of the city.

Awards:

Venice Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award)

Angers International Film Festival 2010 (Grand Juzy Prize-French Feature)

Director: Nader T. Homayoun

Producers: Nader T. Homayoun

Jean-Philippe Gaud

Caroline Bonmarchand

Screenwriters: Nader T. Homayoun

Jean-Philippe Gaud

Mehdi Boustani

Cinematographer: Rémi Mazet

Editor: Jean-Philippe Gaud

Music: Christophe Julien

Stéphane Le Bellec

Cast:

Ali Ebdali

Sara Bahrami

Farzin Modades

Missagh Zareh

Shahrzad Kamal Zadeh

Running Time:

95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Farsi, with English subtitles

International Sales: Memento Films

International

Print Source: Memento Films

International

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Trotsky

Canada (qUébeC) 2009

a privileged Montreal teen believes he’s the reincarnation of Russian revolutionary leon Trotsky and acts accordingly in this high-concept teen comedy from Canadian writer-director Jacob Tierney (Twist). both cartoonish and cerebral, The Trotsky is studded with in-jokes referencing multi-cultural life in “la belle Ville” and film history. Sharing his radical hero’s birth name, leon bronstein keeps a bright red checklist in his bedroom that outlines his destiny. It includes “get exiled (twice), marry an older woman (preferably named alexandra), and get assassinated (hopefully somewhere warm).” after leon organizes a hunger strike at his father’s garment factory, his capitalist père cuts off funds for private school. enrolling at a public lycée for his senior year, leon brings new meaning to the words “student union” and a social justice theme for the school prom. while fighting fascism as embodied by detention-dispensing Mrs. davis and dictatorial principal berkhoff, leon must also battle student apathy among his peers who’ve never heard of collective action. as his antics get him in trouble with the law, he meets retired activist-turneddisillusioned Mcgill professor, Frank, and his gorgeous former student, alexandra, who is the requisite nine years older than him. Recommended for youth 13 and up.

Awards: Tokyo International Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award)

Director: Jacob Tierney

Producer: Kevin Tierney

Screenwriter: Jacob Tierney

Cinematographer: Guy Dufaux

Editor: Arthur Tarnowski

Cast:

Jay Baruchel

Geneviève Bujold

Anne-Marie Cadieux

Colm Feore

Emily Hampshire

Michael Murphy

Saul Rubinek

Domini Blythe

Running Time: 113 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Tribeca Films

Selected Filmography: Twist (2003)

Tsar

RUSSIa 2009

Russia in the 1560s is in the grip of chaos. Ivan the Terrible believes he’s on a holy mission and that his orders come straight from god. He demands absolute power over his people and will destroy anyone who opposes him. In an attempt to keep a close leash on things, Ivan appoints old friend and scholar, Filipp, to be the Metropolitan of all Russia (head of the Orthodox Church). Russian power and influence expands, as does the great fear that Ivan holds over his people. Filipp’s honesty places him at odds with the Tsar as he dares to question the Tsar’s authority, going so far as to ask Ivan to renounce his policies of terror: public executions, torture, and land confiscation. at the centre of Tsar is the clash between two powerful men, an ideal acting vehicle for two of Russia’s seminal actors, Pyotr Mamonov (Taxi Blues, The Island), as Tsar Ivan, and Oleg yankovsky (Nostalghia, The Lover) as Filipp. This was yankovsky’s 71st and final film role; he died in May 2009. Tsar does not purport to be a historical overview of Ivan’s reign, but focuses instead on internal struggles closer to the throne—issues of duty, friendship, loyalty, power, paranoia, fanaticism, and madness.

Director: Pavel Lungin

Producer: Pavel Lungin

Screenwriters: Alexey Ivanov

Pavel Lungin

Cinematographer: Tom Stern

Editor: Albina Antipenko

Music: Yuri Krassavin

Cast: Piotr Mamonov

Oleg Yankovsky

Ramilia Iskander

Running Time: 123 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Rezo

Print Source: Sasha Shapiro

Selected Filmography: The Island (2006)

Roots (2005)

Tycoon (2002)

The Wedding (2000)

Line of Life (1996)

Luna Park (1992)

Taxi Blues (1990)

väärät juuret

Twisted Roots

FInland 2009

nORTH aMeRICan PReMIeRe

Saara Saarela’s striking yet sensitive feature debut is a fine example of the great nordic tradition of films about the burden of tradition and heritage. when all the members of the Kuura family happen to find themselves under the same roof for the first time in years during a particularly harsh winter, patriarch Mikko decides it’s time to come clean to his children about a hereditary disease he suffers from. Sakari, Mikko’s son from his first marriage, has recently returned from self-imposed exile abroad where he works as a doctor, resisting pressure to join the family business. Teenage daughter Pihla is also anxious to spread her wings and move out to live with friends. as these two are forced to face the possibility they may have inherited the delinquent genes, they start to understand the repressed fears of their parent that affected their past. The need to know one’s roots even starts to afflict Mikko’s imaginative eight-year-old adopted daughter, lumi, who comes up with a novel way to get back to her native China. Cleverly using the fragile winter light to heighten the emotions of the piece, director Sareela has assembled a first rate cast to populate this hugely empathetic family drama, with Milka ahlroth outstanding as the ailing paterfamilias.

Director:

Saara Saarela

Producers:

Liisa Penttilä

Tomas Eskilsson

Screenwriters:

Selja Ahava-Foster

Saara Saarela

Cinematographer: Rauno Ronkainen

Editor:

Harri Ylönen

Music: Marko Nyberg

Cast: Milka Ahlroth

Pertti Sveholm

Niko Saarela

Silva Robbins

Viena Saaristo

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Finnish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Edith Film

Print Source: Finnish Film Foundation

Film Website: väärätjuuret.fi

Selected Filmography: Stripping (2002)

Slow at Heart (2000)

Under the Mountain

new zealand 2009

Teenagers Rachel and Theo are no ordinary twins. They share the ability to communicate telepathically, which has always made them very close. However, when their mother dies suddenly and they are shipped off to auckland to live with their cousin Ricky’s family, that bond begins to strain. Soon, Rachel becomes intrigued by the abandoned w ilberforce house across the lake and, despite Ricky’s warnings, she convinces Theo to come with her to poke around. what they find is disturbing on a very deep level, and once they cross paths with the curious Mr. Jones (Sam neill), the twins come to realize that something truly creepy is going on. beneath auckland’s many volcanoes slumber malevolent beasties, guardians of an ancient evil, that will soon awaken and destroy the world. The twins must rekindle the unique powers they once shared if they are to destroy the monsters. based on Maurice gee’s much loved and bestselling 1979 novel, and backed by some stunning new zealand cinematography, special effects from weta workshop, and Sam neill’s general bad-assery, Under The Mountain is clearly intended for a young (at heart) movie fan who doesn’t mind a little family-friendliness mixed in with his magical adventures, mystical strangers, and massive monsters. Recommended for youth 13 and up.

Director:

Jonathan King

Producers: Richard Fletcher

Jonathan King

Matthew Grainger

Screenwriters: Matthew Grainger

Jonathan King

Cinematographer: Richard Bluck

Editor: Chris Plummer

Music:

Victoria Kelly

Cast: Sam Neill

Thomas Cameron

Sophie McBride

Oliver Driver

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: New Zealand Film

Commission

Print Source:

Lightning Entertainment

Selected Filmography: Black Sheep (2007)

Upperdog

nORway 2009

Miguel is a fisherman in a small Peruvian seaside village. He and his wife Mariela are active in the local church and happily expecting their first child. but Miguel is also in love with Santiago, an urban transplant who first came to the village to paint. Santiago shares his feelings but resents Miguel’s insistence that they keep their relationship a secret. In a terrible swimming accident, Santiago drowns, trapping his spirit on earth until his body can be found. In some ways, this new situation suits Miguel perfectly: Santiago is invisible to everyone but him, making their relationship that much easier to conceal. but Santiago is miserable in his in-between state, and as rumors of the relationship surface, Miguel is forced to choose between saving face in his community and doing right by his lover. both love story and ghost story, this magical realist tale from Javier Fuentes-león won the audience award in the world Cinema dramatic competition at Sundance.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2010 (Audience Award - World Cinema) San Sebastian Film Festival 2009 (Sebastian Award)

Director: Javier Fuentes-León

Producers: Rodrigo Guerrero

Javier Fuentes-León

Screenwriter: Javier Fuentes-León

Cinematographer: Mauricio Vidal

Editors: Roberto Benavides

Javier Fuentes-León

Music: Selma Mutal

Cast: Cristian Mercado

Manolo Cardona

Tatiana Astengo

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Shoreline Entertainment

Print Source: New American Vision

Film Website: contracorrientelapelicula. com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

In this lively drama-comedy, director Sara Johnsen explores issues of class, fate, love, and war in modern norway. Half-siblings yanne and axel were adopted by different families as children and subsequently raised in vastly dissimilar social circles. axel, son of wealthy, indulgent uppercrusters is snobbish, handsome, and a misogynist. yanne, reserved and earnest, was brought up by a single middleclass mother. both siblings become involved with Maria. womanizer that he is, axel takes this feisty Polish maid as his lover when he discovers her cleaning his parents’ immense home. Maria’s second job as a waitress affords her the opportunity to befriend her co-worker, yanne. It is Maria who eventually puts the puzzle together and introduces the long-lost family members— which does not go quite as expected. The effectiveness of Upperdog lies in its broad thematic elements and elegant flair, which presents both a heartwarming and thought provoking tale, and a glimpse of life in today’s norway.

Awards: Nordic Film Festival Rouen 2010 (Grand Jury Prize)

Director: Sara Johnsen

Producers: Christian Fredrik Martin

Asle Vatn

Screenwriter: Sara Johnsen

Cinematographer: John Andreas Andersen

Editor: Zaklina Stojcevska

Cast:

Agnieszka Grochowska

Bang Chau

Hermann Sabado

Mads Sjøbård Pettersen

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Norwegian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Svensk Filmindustri AB

Print Source: Norwegian Film Institute

Selected Filmography: Kissed By Winter (2005)

PeRU 2010

Vortex

lITHUanIa 2009

a fine adaptation of Viktoras Radzevicius’ 2003 novel, Vortex recounts the history of the generation that lived through lithuania’s gloomy Soviet period through the simple, achingly real story of good-hearted country boy, Juzik. although his father was killed returning from world war I and a teenage best friend drowned in another accident, Juzik nonetheless reaches adulthood with his innocence and good faith intact. after military service, he works in a corrupt quarry on the baltic coast, where he becomes involved with two self-destructive women: boozing, promiscuous Klara and insecure, much-victimized Maska. Ultimately Vortex is a film about human destiny and a man broken by the Soviet system whose fate has remained unnoticed. w ith its austere black-and-white beauty, deliberate pace and tender solemnity, Vortex stands alongside works from a great period in world cinema.

Director:

Gytis Luksas

Producers:

Kestutis Petrulis

Arunas Stoskus

Screenwriter:

Gytis Lukšas

Cinematographer:

Viktoras Radzevicius

Editor:

Ricardas Matacius

Music:

Vivaldi

Cast:

Giedrius Kiela

Oksana Borbat

Jevgenija Varencia

Running Time: 140 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Lithuanian and Russian, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Studija 2

Selected Filmography: Divine Light (2005)

Vzglyad zmiya (1990)

Angliyskiy vals (1982)

Vasara baigiasi rudeni (1981)

pièce montée

The Wedding Cake

FRanCe 2010 nORTH aMeRICan PReMIeRe

when Vincent and bérengère decide to get married, they do so in the high style of the haute bourgeoisie, from the chateau to the catering, which features a pièce montée—a towering cake, precariously assembled from cream puffs and caramel. On a beautiful spring day, the respective families of the bride and groom arrive in their elegant clothes and their luxury cars. The mother of the bride’s concern with appearances even extends to covering up an unsightly martyr at the church where the ceremony is to be held. but not everything is comme il faut, as becomes apparent when the crusty local priest rushes through the rites and chases the wedding party from the church. what is his problem? bérengère’s grandmother knows, and when she tells, it sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to bring down a family façade cultivated over decades. based on blandine le Callet’s eponymous debut hit novel, this confection from director denys granier-deferre (15 years after his previous big-screen foray) uses the prism of each guests’ points of view to reveal everyone’s shortcomings and the hypocrisy of the event.

Director: Denys Granier-Deferre

Producers: Xavier Rigault

Marc-Antoine Robert

Screenwriter: Jérôme Soubeyrand

Cinematographer: Aurélien Devaux

Editor: Sophie Cornu-Abela

Music:

Olivier Bernet

Cast: Jean-Pierre Marielle

Jérémie Renier

Clémence Poésy

Danielle Darrieux

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Films Distribution

Print Source: Films Distribution

Film Website: diaphana.fr

Selected Filmography: Coma (1994)

Blanc de Chine (1988)

Reveillon chez Bob (1984)

Que les gors salaires levent le doigt! (1982)

When We Leave

White Wedding

SOUTH aFRICa 2009

what would you sacrifice to maintain your dignity? Trapped in an unhappy marriage in Istanbul, Umay flees back to her family in berlin with her five-year-old son, Cem. although she explains the horrors of her marriage to her family, they insist that she return to her husband. while she and her family are german citizens, they are also of Turkish descent, and her return pits them against the traditions of the Turkish immigrant community. when the family decides to restore their reputation by returning Cem to his father, Umay escapes from under their roof to establish a new life for herself. but her desire for her family’s approval, and their desire for traditional acceptability, places them in unavoidable conflict. directed with both a cool eye and an escalating sense of dread, first-time director Feo aladag skillfully explores the identity conflicts of many second-generation immigrants and their dual obligations. and her stellar cast, led by a virtuoso performance by Sibel Kekilli (Fatih akin’s Head-On, SIFF 2008), brilliantly portray a family whose love for each other places them at odds with their dreams.

Director: Feo Aladag

Producers: Feo Aladag

Zuli Aladag

Screenwriter: Feo Aladag

Cinematographer: Judith Kaufmann

Editor: Andrea Mertens

Music:

Max Richter

Stephane Moucha

Cast: Sibel Kekilli

Florian Lukas

Derya Alabora

Settar Tanriogen

Running Time: 119 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in German and Turkish, with English subtitles

Print Source: Independent Artists Filmproduktion

Film Website: diefremde.de

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Take a sweet South african road trip through the hills and valleys of love, friendship, and postapartheid culture clashes. Upscale black couple elvis and ayanda are about to get married. elvis just needs to get from Johannesburg to Cape Town for the event. Meanwhile, ayanda attempts to fend off both her mother’s efforts to turn her small, white wedding into a traditional village celebration and also the advances of a suave ex-boyfriend. after a rocky start involving a missed bus, a jealous girlfriend, and a vandalized car, elvis and best man Tumi finally hit the road and make their way south. en route, they share the ride with Rose, a young english woman who is running from her marriage. Can elvis’ belief in the power of love thaw Rose’s cold cynicism? Can Rose’s candor and generosity change Tumi’s womanizing ways? Can ayanda really wait for them to arrive? Seasoned TV director Jann Turner makes the most of her first foray into theatrical features, keeping the laidback humor and easygoing conversation flowing effortlessly. aiming for universal appeal, White Wedding balances the bigotry and classism of South africa’s history with a multicultural cast of characters who relate to each other without a trace of self-consciousness.

Awards: Official Academy Award® Submission 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film) Mill Valley Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award)

Director: Jann Turner

Producers: Kenneth Nkosi

Rapulana Seiphemo

Jann Turner

Screenwriters: Jann Turner

Kenneth Nkosi

Rapulana Seiphemo

Cinematographer: Willie Nel

Editors:

Tanja Hagen

Adam Broer

Music: Joel Assaizky

Cast: Kenneth Nkosi

Rapulana Seiphemo

Zandile Msutwana

Jodie Whittaker

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta, in French, Afrikaans, English, and Zulu, with English subtitles

Print Source: Mitropoulos Films

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

geRMany/TURKey 2009

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, Carl Spence MANAGING DIRECTOR, Deborah Person

FESTIvAL

FOUNDERS,

Darryl Macdonald and Dan Ireland

PROGRAMMING

Programming Manager

Beth Barrett

Programming Coordinator

Clare Canzoneri

Feature Programmers

Maryna Ajaja

Justine Barda

Beth Barrett

Clare Canzoneri

Dan Doody

Ruth Hayler

Dustin Kaspar

Helen Loveridge

Clinton McClung

Anita Monga

Paula Nechak

Dale Nash

Stan Shields

Carl Spence

Andy Spletzer

Carlo Tateo

Brad Wilke

Programming Interns

Alexa Dosne

Megan Leonard

Gaetano Maiorino

Carlo Tateo

Programming Advisors

Roger Garcia

Dan Ireland

Caroline Libresco

Darryl Macdonald

Short Film Programmers

Beth Barrett

Clare Canzoneri

Dan Doody

Erica Erfman

Dustin Kaspar

Anita Monga

Stan Shields

Carlo Tateo

EDUCATION AND FORUMS

Educational Programs Coordinator

Dustin Kaspar

FutureWave Festival Assistant

Scott Jackman

Youth Jury Coordinator

Sarah Haskell

Education Grants

Jessica Jean Wetzstein

Allison Shirk

FutureWave Curriculum Consultants

Bonnie Beaudoin

SJ Chiro

Kim McGillivray

Sara Peddicord

Youth Advisory Panel

Ballard High School Media Students

Center School Media Students

Franklin High School Media Students

GUEST RELATIONS

Guest Relations Manager

Rhonda Sable

Guest Relations Coordinator

Carey Christie

Travel Coordinator

Rose Boyle

Jennifer Schmithorst

Guest Suite Coordinator

Sonya Adams

Guest Relations Interns

Rachael Baltrusis

Vasilis Fotopoulos

Cynthia Jonas

Amanda Palmer-Schafer

Martha Street

Nathania tenWolde

Silvia vanVegschel

DE v ELOPMENT AND INDI v IDUAL GI v ING

Director of Development

Nancy Kennedy

Corporate Sponsorship Manager

Sue Guthrie

Individual Giving Officer

Renee C. O’Donnell

Events Manager

Virginia McFadin

Development Coordinator

Christine Exline

Special Events Coordinator

Erin West

Special Events Assistant

Hilary Wang

Platinum Plus Concierge

Serena Evers

Development Interns

Sophie Ngeth

Erin Wheeler

Vera Petukhova

Special Events Intern

Kimberly Latham

Development Consultants

Main Consulting, Bonnie Main, Capital Campaign

Liza Comtois, Grants

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Director of Marketing and Communications

Jessica Toon

Senior Publicist

Cal Ledbetter

Publicist

Britt Curtis

SIFF Cinema Publicist

Kelly Byke

Press Screenings Coordinator

Melanie Christian

Publicity Interns

Quinn Barker

Anjani Joshi

Eileen Kim

Marketing Coordinator

Aubrey Scheffel

Marketing and Outreach Assistants

Michelle Fan

Liz Pfriem

Marketing and Outreach Interns

Emily Alben

Helen Olsen

Lauren White

Publications Design Manager

Steve Meyer

Publications Managing Editor

Lisa Terry McKeown

Publications Editor

Rodica Woodbury

Publications Coordinator

Laura Brewer

Publications Interns

Samantha Collins

Renata Gutierrez

Casey Routh

Taylor Scaggs

Writers

Maryna Ajaja

Justine Barda

Beth Barrett

Nik Blahunka

Laura Brewer

Clare Canzoneri

Dan Doody

Patrick Dominguez

Erica Erfman

Kathy Fennessy

Renata Gutierrez

Dustin Kaspar

Helen Loveridge

Clinton McClung

Lisa Terry McKeown

Anita Monga

Casey Routh

Taylor Scaggs

Stan Shields

Carl Spence

Andy Spletzer

Carlo Tateo

Brad Wilke

Rodica Woodbury

Randy Woods

Andy Wright

Festival Media Producer

Les Sterling

SIFFtv Crew

Lainy Bagwell

Cassidy Dimon

Katie Gregg

Smith Harrison, The Vox Office

Brad Hutchinson

Wes Johnson

Sunbreak Studios

SIFFtv video Editor

Katherine Gregg

SIFFtv Production Assistant

Robyn Scaringi

Photographers

Henrik Brameus

Kathy Bugajsky

Dan Hawkins

Canh Nguyen

Hank Roberto

Les Sterling

Mark Thomas

Mark Zimmerman

GALA E v ENTS

Facility Inc. Producer

Kate Harrison OPERATIONS

Director of Operations

Holden Payne

Festival Operations Coordinator

Iris Urban

Information Systems Manager

Kristine Towne

SIFF Cinema Manager

Randy Allmon

SIFF Cinema Staff

Jody Cole

Aaron Park

Dawn Roscoe

Joseph Steininger

Mark Tomas

Financial Administrator

Catherine Muth

Bookkeeping Assistant

Roy Seliber

Production Manager

Amy Poisson

Print Traffic Coordintor

Charlotte Franklin

Print Traffic Assistant Coordinator

Lainy Bagwell

Print Traffic Drivers

Langford Griffing

Theater Operations Coordinator

Dana Feder

volunteer and HR Coordinator

Monica Hinckley

Administrative Interns

Alexandra Whitman

Noah Lee-Engel

Front Office volunteers

Jeff Cavanaugh

Jennifer Conn

Amanda Erven

Kristy Hogue

Jeff Mangialardi

Richelle Mehlhaff

Terri Miles

Lia Nigro

Vera Petukhova

Krishanu Ray

Eric Sorlien

Dyer VanDevere

Box Office Manager

Jody Cole

Box Office Assistant

Joel Kvernmo

venue Managers:

Lia Cooley

Philip Del Costello

Karla Rodriguez

Lily Singer

AD v ERTISING AGENCY

WongDoody

PUBLISHING SERv ICES

Encore Media Group

Paul Heppner

Ana Alvira

Kristi Atwood

Deborah Choat

Robin Kessler

Brian Naubert

Susan Peterson

Jonathan Shipley

Encore Media Group

Advertising Sales

Mike Hathaway

Sherri Jarvey

Rose Monahan

Brenda Senderoff

Lenore Waldron

Denise Wong

Thank you to all of last year’s volunteers (listed below). Last year, 746 volunteers filled 6,512 shifts for a total of 16,902 hours of hard work. We also wish to thank the hundreds of dedicated volunteers that will help make SIFF 2010 a success!

Victoria Abcede

Roldy Ablao II

Shirley Abreu

Amber Adams

Hermes Adrada

Marie Agnese

Zachary Agustin

Ben Ahrens

Marc Ahrens

Andy Akada

Martin Allen

Hilda Allum

Carli Anderson

Elena Anderson

Lulu Anderson

Junko Aoki

Megumi Arai

Catherine Arnold

James Arnold

Olga Aronov

Marta Asa

Michelle Atkins

Keith Auer

Katherine Auger

Emily Ausema

Michelle Avery

Saira Awan

Allyson Bagg

Jean Baker

Mary Baker

Anand Balasubrahmanyan

Edward Balderama

Dominique Barni

Laila Barr

Carino Barragan

Camille Barrera

Keely Barthold

Scot Bastian

Matt Beach

Renee Beardsley

Brittany Beaujean

Ward Beishline

Pina Belgrano

Carina Beneventi

Tom Bennett

Anita Bermann

Tom Bertucci

Victoria Beschenbossel

Sarah Bickford

Andrew Birchall

Seth Birnbaum

Sabine Bischofberger

Nadine Bivins

Thomas Blair

Breeana Blalock

Stephanie Blum

Spencer Bollen

Josh Boris

Maxwell Bourasaw

Eric Braga

Henrik Brameus

Kim Bridwell

Jill Briggs

Jasen Britcher

Jim Broadus

Brian Brown

Maureen Brown

Tephra Brune

Elizabeth Bruning

Kathy Bugajsky

Ena Bulanova

Shirley Bunney

Kristine Burbano

Sean Burkhardt

Scott Burkhart

Lucy Burnett

Danielle Burt

Alexander Bustamante

Gisella Bustillos

Jeff Butler

Brian Bystrom

Mysie Cairns

Michael Calac

Johnathan Calavitta

Jennifer Calvin

Charles Cange

Kelly Cassady

Juan Castillo

Martin Catudio

Jeffrey Cavanaugh

Samad Chakour

Michael Chan

Helen Chance

Katherine Chapman

Moniece Charlton

Amanda Chase

David Chaw

Parm Cheema

Wei-Yu Chen

Ginny Cheng

Tien Cheung

Candace Chin

Jim Chin

Leelay Chiou

Kiran Chitluri

Alexandria Cho

Mun-Seok Cho

Eunyoung Choi

Yun Jung Choi

Kim Chrapliwy

Leslie Chui

Liane Claassen

Topher Click

Derrick Clifford

Linda Clifton

Garrett Cline

Kate Cobb

Claire Collins

Evan Conroy

Daron Cook

David Cook

K. Louise Cook

Pat Cooke

Tim Coons

Sharon Cooper

Elise Cope

Robert Corcoran

Rachel Corwin

Stephanie Cosgrove

Paul Croft

Gretchen Crossley

Jordan Crouch

Laurie Curtis

Erika Custer

Babak Dabagh

Sarah Dabagh

Jaci Dahlvang

Pamela Dales

Matt Daniels

Richard Darbonne

Elora Das

Ginger Daub

Mark Davidek

Edward Davidson

Hilary Davidson

Kamie Davidson

Lorna Davis

Mindi Davis

Laurie Dawson

Victoria De Capua

Zachary De Gorgue

Jerry De Guzman

Luisa De Paula Collova

Sean De Tore

Jonathan Dean

Shireen Deboo

Susan Decker

Tiffany Defarbus

Yann Defarbus

Marissa Deleon

Lucia Delgado Del Arco

Morgane Desaint Jores

Dustin Deville

John Dickson

Rose Dienhart

Jason Dietzel

Brianna Divine

Kathleen Vanderaa

Michael Dobbie

Laurel Dodge

Patrice Doerr

Tracy Doherty

Yuko Doi

Stephanie Dore

Alison Doyle

Michael Draper

Janine Drebin

Owen Duckett

Pam (Eddy) Dughi

Rebecca Dugopolski

Tanya Dumas

Kristine Duncan

Terrance Duong

Joanne Dyer

Tony Eans

Jason Eckelman

Colin Elias

Tracy Elledge

Ian Elliott

Richard Ellison

Lon Elmer

Rachel Emadi

Del Engen

Caroline Ernst

Amanda Erven

Laura Escalona-Flores

Marcus Eshtiaghy

Susan Evani

Marilyn Evans

Kerri Everly

Mike Ewanciw

Veronica Fadok

Marek Falk

Zhizhen ”Vicky” Fang

Digene Farrar

Pam Farrel

Marilyn Fassbind

Renee Fentress

Annaliese Fidgeon

Joel Fisher

Lauren Fitzgerald

Regina Fletcher

Brian Ford

Vasilis Fotopoulos

Jan Foucault

Violet Fox

Federico Franco

Matt Frank

Isabelle Franklin

Alene Freidenrich

Jasen Frelot

Gabriel Frieland

Hiroki Fukagawa

Nick Fulwiler

Sam Gable

Barbara Gagnat

Catiya Gainor

Amaira Gallagher

Megan Gann

Arianne Garden Vazquez

Conner Garrison

Jessica Gartner

Greg Gartrell

Salem Garvey

Thomas Gates

Julie Gauntt

Antonio Gebran

Sarah Gilbert

Laurie Gogic

Alleson Goldfinger

Judy Goldin

Hunter Goncavles

John Gonzalez

Cory Gooch

Amanda Goodsell

Greg Gorrasi

Kutira Graham

Krista Greene

Morgan Greenseth

Yvonne Greenwood

Alan Grenon

Cathy Greutert

Austin Gross

Thomas Guenther

Joshua Guerci

Asha Gunabalan

Sandy Gutting

Danielle Guyer

Jennifer Hageman

Helen Haile

Quinn Hairston

Cathie Hamilton

Jenn Hamilton

Lisa Hammond

Stephanie Hampshire

Poppi Handy

Robert Hanson

Rebekah Harding

Jelte Harnmeijer

Dan Hawkins

Amy Heather

Ellen Hecht

Catherine Heffron

Katie Henderson

Chris Hernandez

Karene Hill

Ronnie Hill

Avriel Hillman

Elise Hirschi

Carolyn Hitter

Jim Hitter

William Ho

Kristy Hogue

Roberta Hom

Laura Hoover

Misuzu Horikiri

Colin Howells

Vivi Hsu

Jeff Huang

Brenda Humphrey

Franklin Huston

Nycole Hyatt

Miho Isogai

Robert Iwanik

Karlyne Iwata

Jesse Jacobson

Bertha Jaeger

Judith Jagsich

Kara Jakobs

Paula Jean

Johnny Jeans

Gua Jeong

Betty Johanna

Angie Johnson

Lynda Johnson

Todd Johnson

Alex Johnston

Cynthia Jonas

Dennis Jones

Dorothy Jones

Guy Jones

Lisa Jones

Marissa Jones

Katie Judge

Jean Jung

Kevin K

Joe Kadushin

Jennifer Kaiser

Jeremy Kallman

Kae Kamiya

Sarah Kanter

Isaac Kareiva

Mackenzie Karr

Cassidy Katims

Lydia Katzel

Risa Kawai

Cassady Kelly

Harriet Kemp

Noah Kercher

Denise Kester

Julie Ketter

Noe Khalfa

Tauseef Kidwai

James Kim

Jihee Kim

Kayley Kim

Min Kim

Sunny Kim

Cassandra Kincaid

Roselle Kingsbury

William Kirby

Kim Kirk

Mizue Kishida

Denise Kivlen

Elizabeth Klein

Jeanne Kliewer

David Knight

Lisa Knight

Hyeah Ko

Anna Konishi

Sara Kopczynski

Johanna Kopp

Jake Kossef

Janine Kowack

David Krafchick

Paul Kragt

Mikki Kressbach

Marian Krewson

Grace Kuan

Alexa Kunitsugu

Jaimie Laitinen

Raymond Lam

Ross Lambert

Alex Lane

Rachel Lanera

Tony Lanera

Heidi Lang

Warren Large

Collette Lastant

Nina Lavrinenko

Ngoc Le

David Lee

George Lee

Grace Lee

Julien Lee

Margot Lee

Mike Lee

Ryan Lee

Sunyoung Lee

Doniel Leemans

Carrie Lehenbauer

Jennifer Lekisch

Wainstein Leonard

Emily Levine

S. Levitt

Aaron Lewis

David Lewis

Agnes Li

Nathan Lim

Richelle Little

Chesare Livelo

Vicki Lo

Casey Loinstead

Clarisse Loiseau

Debbie Louie

Michelle Low

Jenny Luke

Bri Lum

Helene Lustan

Kelly Lyles

Aurelie Machefert

Celine Machefert

Cynthia Mackle

Sheena Maire

Shoko Majims

Andrew Malakoff

Jeff Mangialardi

Patrick Mangum

Melody Marcelja

Kelly Martin

Melanie Masson

Takuya Matsuda

Michelle Mauro

Kyle May

Christine Maynard

Ruth McCormick

Sheena Mccray

Caitlyn Mcgehee

Columba Mcglynn

Ed Mcgovern

Carla McLean

Amber Mcmillan

Bill McQuaid

Caitlin Mcspadden

Jhoy E. Meade

Richelle Mehlhaff

Valeria Melechko

Leila Mende

Leah Menzer

Jordan Merfeld

Lindsey Meyer

Amy Mikel

Alicia Milar

Terri Miles

Carol Miller

George Miller

Liz Miller

Sean Miller

Toby Miller

Ella Miltner

Rachel Mina

Troy Mink

Ray Misra

Todd Mitchell

Ishita Mitra

Diana Mohan Babu

Le Mojica

Kassandra Montano

Douglas Mora

Linda Moran

Enrique Moreno

Laine Mullen

Scott Mus

Mallory Musser

Isaac Myers

Mark Nakagawa

Kyle Naye

John Ned

Doug Nellis

Monica Nelson

Azelea Nera

Lida Nesterenko

Chelsea Nesvig

Shannon Newsum

George Ngo

Canh Nguyen

Lia Nigro

Elizabeth Nixon

Luther Norman

Theresa Nuqui

Carrie O’Brien

Sam O’Hara

Hannah O’Rear

Judith Ochs

James Oconnor

Yvonne Ogden-Eldress

Kinsley Ogunmola

Peju Ogunyemi

Yumi Okubo-Shuman

Chris Olson

Jeanne Olson

Sandi Olson

Varissara Ophaswongse

Quetzal Orozco Mccormick

Chisato Osanai

Jennifer Osborne

Merri Ann Osborne

Kari Oversvee

Pinar Ozhal

Fedra Pacheco

Greg Palmer

Mickey Pang

Al Jiggs Paredes

Daniella Pawl

Eleana Pawl

Greg Pearce

Robert Pearson

Justin Peavey

Kara Peck

Robert Perez

Sally Perez

Urania Perez

Misha Perry

Veronika Peterkova

Betta Peterson

Spring Song Petta

Vera Petukhova

Virginia Philbrook

Brant Pincelli

Temma Pistrang

Riche Poland

Josephine Pompey

Carmel Pope

Natasa Popovic Castillo

Nathaniel Porter

Peter Postovoit

Steffany Powell

Justin Price

Gerbielyn Prieto

John Prucich

Taite Pryor

Aaron Pultz

Syed Quadri

Kalen Quam

Laura Quan

Allison Quemere

Lauren Quist

Eric Rahill

Riley Raker

Richard Ralph

Kristen Ramaley

Ileana Ramirez

Jessica Ramirez

Maureen Rase

Krishanu Ray

Lacee Red

Lisa Redmond

Renny Reep

Joseph Rengstorf

Juliana Restrepo

Aida Reyes Aguirre

Kassidi Rhinehart

Sophia Richards

Jeff Richmond

Bobby Righi

Maya Riser-Kositsky

Tanzania Roach

Margaret Robbins

Frank Roberto

Colleen Robertson

Kathy Robertson

Ben Robinson

Marilyn Robinson

Michelle Robles

Nathalie Robles

Kris Rockas

Galia Rodriguez Hornedo

Vicki Roe

Luke Roehl

Britt Rognes

Marcus Roman

Jorge Romero

Jiawei Rong

Adam Rosand

Mavis Rosell

Avram Rosenbaum

Arielle Rosenberg

Donald Ross

Anfisa Rovinsky

Amber Rowland

Arlene Rubin

Deborah Rustin

Jackie Rye

Dick Ryno

Rosie Sabaric

Leslie Saber

Carol Sackeyfio

Tomas Sadilek

Kathy Saelee

Lucy Salterbach

Saunatina Sanchez

Lara Sandygren

Annie Sanicki

Cazandra Santos

Susan Saucedo

Russell Savage

Kathy Savory

Jacob Schear

Martin Schilde

Brendan Schlagel

Maura Schlagel

Andrew Schlosser

Brittaney Schunzel

Aaron Scott

Nicole Scott

Samantha Scott

Victoria Scroggins

Art Segal

Mikeal Segotta

Ayse Senturk

Wayne Severson

Pat Shaffer

Mehal Shah

Pamela Shahtaji

Sherry Shanabarger

Matt Shannon

Whitney Sharpe

Omar Shaukat

Amelia Shaw

Bob Shea

Courtney Sheehan

Andrea Shephard

Sayaka Shiau

Sarah Shifley

Mayuko Shimizu

Rachel Shimp

Hilbert Shin

Hye Young Shin

Sarah Shin

Daniel Silbaugh

Paul Simons

Joshua Simpson

Judy Slyne

Alan Smith

Paige Smith

Fransisca Soerjono

Maina Soh

Krista Sommar-Thorne

Sunmi Song

Eric Sorlien

Megan Spielbusch

Bronwyn Sprague

Jerri Starbuck

Joseph Steininger

Jan Stern

Joy Sternoff-Meyers

Nicholas Stevens

Danny Steyer

Daniel Stiefel

Natalie Stien

Gretta Stimson

Helen Stimson

Kim Stockbridge

William Strong

Ginny Struchen

Deb Stuckman

T.j. Stutman

Catherine Sullivan

Kristin Summers

Sang Min Sung

Cindy Sutton

Hannah Swan

Leah Swearinger

Leila Swier

Terri Swier

Douglas Szeto

Nanae Takeuchi

Diane Tchakirides

Connor Tee

Cynthia Temple

Emily Testa

Mazohra Thami

Bonnie Thomas

Melissa Thomas

Michael Thomas

Emily Thompson

Bill Thorness

Susie Thorness

Katherine Thornton

Rani Thykkuttathil

Sonja Tompkins

Anna Tonkonogui

Beth Touschner

Sophie Tremblay

Andy Tribolini

Mari Tsukamoto

Abubacarr Tunkara

Alisa Tyrrill

Oksana Udovitska

Abi Vafu

Jake Vandervloed

Dyer Vandevere

Beth Varner

Christina Vasilev

Darren Vickers

Gerry Vitello

An Vo

Jeffrey Waddingham

John Vermeulen

Sabina Walker

Shawn Walker

Joyu Wang

Lauren Wastal

Lashon Watson

Melissa Webb

Mark Weber

Ryan Wellman

Connie Wellnitz

Karen Wennerstrom

Jill Weseman

Melissa Westbrook

Vivienne Western

Leah Wheeler

Daniel White

John Whitfield

Philip Whitford

Alexandra Whitman

Darcy Whittier

Dante Wilkins

Carrie Williams

Blair Williamson

La-Tonia Willis

Avalon Willows

Amber Wilson

Mandy Wilson

Sarah Winsor

Robyn Wirkes

Johnny Wokas

Tana Wong

Justin Wood

Emily Woodbury

Rodica Woodbury

Ann Woodmansee

Emily Woods

Sabree Kathy Woodward

Marlis Worthington

Philip Wu

Nancy Xu

Wei Xu

Xin Xu

Sasha Yanak

Margie Ye

Vicky Yin-Randall

Polly Yorioka

Tonya Yorke

Keith Yoshida

Elisa Young

Patrick Young

Lulu Yu

Fumiko Yuyama

Chester Zeller

Susannah Zeveloff

David Zimmermann

Mark Zimmermann

Djordje Zlatanovic

Acknowledgments

Eva Gonzalez Abad

Richard Abramowitz

Ben Abrens

Michael Ahrens

Valeri Ajaja

Kristi Alires

Justin Allan

Paul Allen

Kathleen Allen

David Allen

Jody Allen Patton

Mark Allender

Stanley Alleyne

Gunnar Almer

Oscar Alonzo

Angela Anable

Eli Anderson

Mary Jane Anderson

Kevin Anderson

Scilla Andreen

Siri Angeles

Henry Ansbacher

Viviana Araneda

Ed Arentz

Jennifer Arndt-Johns

Lisa Arnold

Holly Arsenault

Farhad Arshad

Thomas Augsberger

Debbie Augustavo

PoChu AuYeung

Yossi Aviram

Violeta Ayala

Mary Bacarella

Luke Baranouskas

Wouter Barendrecht

Charlotte Barilleaux

Michael Barker

Patrick Baroch

Nathan F. Barr

Dave Barrett

Carol Barton

Nathanial Baruch

Mary Bass

Gina Batali

Susie Bauer

Daniel Baur

Claire Beach

Bill Beattie

Dena Beatty

Shannon Beaty

Lynn Beck

Scott Bedno

Bob Bellar

Denise Bennett

Adam Bentley

Laurence Berbon

Ingrid Berkhout

Debbi Berlin

Brigitte Berman

Tom Bernard

Bob Berney

Jeanne Berney

Elise Berst-Perkins

Ivan Bertoux

Levent Besik

Cheree Best

Jon Betz

Zuzana Bielikova

Aleksandra Biernacka

Paul Bigman

Leah Bledsoe

Rick Bodlaender

Virginia Bogert

Tabetha Bolen

Pietro Borghesi

Josselyn Bossennec

Marie Boudier

Kris Boustedt

Lindy Boustedt

Becky Boutch

Deb Bowen

Eamonn Bowles

Josh Braun

Jeff Brein

Dinah Brein-McClellan

Nathan Brend

Anna Brenner

Carolyn Brewer

Tim Brewer

Tracy Brimm

Matt Brodlie

Brad and Amy Brotherton

Molly Brown

Dan Brown

J.D. Brown

Jim Browne

Andrea Buckmeier

Paul Buerk

Ariane Buhl

Luke Burbank

Meghann Burns

Jessica Bursi

Barbara Sumner Burstyn

John Busey

Karin Butler

Alfredo Calvino

Greg Campbell

Carri Campbell

Beth Canzoneri

Nate Carson

Brian Carter

David Casey

Gisela Cass

David Castro

Jeff Cavanaugh

Raymond Cha

Michael Chamberlain

Ginger Chan

Rishi Chandra

Moniece Charlton

Florence Charmasson

Nicolas Chartier

Chantal Chauzy

Nanxi Cheng

Randal Chicoine

Dale and Leslie Chihuly

Deb Choat

Margaret Chodos-Irvine

Hwa-Seon Choi

Ramy Choi

Brian Cicero

Ann Ciecko

Carl Clifton

Howard Cohen

Kristen Cole

Taylor Coleman

Susan Coliton

Yohann Comte

Liza Comtois

Rebeca Conget

Sharon Conner

Daron Cook

Linda Coomas

Elizabeth Coppinger

Saroj Corr

Patrice Courtaban

Matt Cowal

Rita Cressman

Geert Criel

Martin Culbert

Matt Cunningham

Don Curtiss

Eric d’Arbeloff

Santhosh Daniel

Jamie Daniels

Dmitry Davidenko

Jeff Davis

Hilary Davis

Johan de Faria

Denis de la Roca

Elizabeth de los Monteros

Aurora Dennis

Nikkole Denson-Randolph

Matt Dentler

Matt DeRoss

Emmanuelle Dessureault

Esther Devos

Lokesh Dhar

Matt Diamond

Rob Diamond

Alejandro Diaz

Barbara Dickinson

David Dinerstein

Thania Dimitrakopoulou

Sebastian Doggart

Judy Doherty

Jenni Domingo

Molly Dore

Brian Douglass

Tamara Dover

Don Driftmier

Kathleen Drumm

Clément Duboin

Lisa Dupar

Allison Dvaladze

JoJo Dye

Abby Dylan

Klaus Eder

Jessica Edwards

Caroline Eichenlaub

Ken Eisen

Ramsey El-Moslimany

Delphine Eon

Udy Epstein

Ceil Erickson

Lisa Escobar

Luis Fernando Esteban

Marta Esteban

Dax Estorninos

Nadine Fabbi

Fouad Fallah

Ron Farris

Rich Fassio

Eric Faulkner

David Fenkel

Jason Ferguson

Alejandra Fernandez

Bret Fetzer

Cara Figgins

Jeffrey Fine

Phil Finger

Sandro Fiorin

Kerthy Fix

Carmen Flores

David Flynn

Mira Fornay

James Forsher

Jesica Foss

Alan Franey

Davey Frankel

Félize Frappier

Karen Fried

Michael Friedman

Neil Friedman

Shannon Frizzell

Marina Fuentes

Christine Gagliardo

Christian Gaines

Chris Galbraith

Laura García Ortega

Jannat Gargi

Amélie Garin-Davet

Dwight Gaut

Jason Gearhart

Anthony Geist

Jon Gerrans

Nancy Gerstman

Darrien Michele Gipson

Yanick Godbout

John and Feral Gokcen

Dan Goldberg

Jesse Goldman

Irene Gomez

Mark Gooder

Lee Grambush

Lynette C. Grandy

Darcy Gray

Hank Green

Sam Green

Alan Grenon

Mike Grigone

Gary Grina

Dorotheé Grosjean

Candy Gruber

Lissa Gruman

Mike Guay

Hylnur Gudjonsson

Marie-Therese Guirgis

Nicholas Gyeney

Jody Hall

Jason Hallquest

Christina Hammer

Josh Hamon

Justyna Han

Jeff Hannibal

Greg Hara

Matt Harlock

Jesse Harris

Ben Harrison

Kate Harrison

Angie Harrison

Brian Hartman

Ruth Hayler

Jody Haynes

Julie Healey

Sandra Hebron

Kim Heeren

Ariana Hellerman

Matt Henderson

Paul Heppner

Deanna Hernandez

Deborah Hersch

Jonathan Hertzberg

Andrew Herwitz

Dan Hiatt

Cheryll Hidalgo

Zack Hilfman

Karene Hill

Melissa Hines

Andrea Hock

Mark Hoffman

Llysa Holland

Sabine Holtgreve

Diana Holzberg

Michelle Hooper

Phoebe Hopkins

Bert Hopkins

Vini Horiuchi

Nancy Horiuchi

Jordan Horowitz

Kathy Horsfall

Freddie Horstmann

Jonathan Houser

Kim Houston

John Howie

Marcus Hu

Paul Hudson

Julie Huffman

Chris Huntley

Kevin Hyder

Dena Hysell

Vicki Infinito

Baylen Jackson

Rachel Jacobsen

John Jacobsen

Mike James

Donna James

Eun Jang

Barbara Javitz

John Jeffcoat

Marni Jenkins

Cayden Jewell

Lars Johnson

Uli Johnson

Susan Johnson

Allan Jones

Marilyn Joslyn

Wojciech Kabarowski

Leslie Ann Kam

Caroline Kamya

Michael Kananack

Jerzy Kapuscinski

William Kaspar

Krysanne Katsoolis

Erin Katz

Roger Kaufmann

Douglas Kawasaki

James Keblas

Jim Kelly

Pete Kerchinsky

Michael Killoren

Heejeon Kim

Laura Kim

Sonya Kim

Yunjeong Kim

George Kindl

Marion Klotz

John Kochman

Dianne Koehnen

Marion Koltai-Levine

Jen Koogler

Nikki Korn

Tyler Kornelis

Maxim Korolev

Jeremy Kotin

Stefan Kovalenko

Stephanie Kranz

Andrea Krause

Donald Krim

Peter Krystad

Winnie Kwan

Josh LaBelle

Josh Lackey

Eric Lagesse

Dave LaMattina

Claudia Landsberger

Ferdinand Lapuz

Kathi Lasek

Anne Laurent

Matt Lawrence

Cleo Ledbetter

Haryong Lee

Ken Lee

Ashley Lee

Katherine Lee

Rob Lehmann

Heather Levine

Miles Levy

Amy Lewin

Yony Leyser

Bryan Lhuillier

Anna Li

Caroline Libresco

Maggie Liebsack

Marit Ligthart

Amy Lillard Dee

Jiyoon Lim

Ross Lincoff

Aida LiPera

Robbie Little

Andrew Litzky

Mark Livingston

Bryan Livingston

Peter Lloyd

Nancy Locke

Steven Loeb

Susan Long-Walsh

Sarah Loritz

Vanessa Lotoux

Patrick Love

Helen Loveridge

Kari Lucas

Michael Lumpkin

Tony Ly

Jennifer Maas

Sanam Madjedi

Chiho Maeta

Bonnie Main

Kim Malek

Kevin Mallon

Jeff Malmberg

Barbara and Mike Malone

Dave Mandapat

Laura Mapp

Paul Marchant

Della Maricich

Dominic Maricich

Maile Martinez

Ida Martins

Ronald Masnik

Patty Mathieu

Linda McBlaine

Denee McCloud

Tay McCutchan

Jim McDonald

Brian McFadin

Stephanie McGregor

Chris McMullen

Shelley McNulty

Miles McRae

David McRae

Jasmin McSweeney

Stephen Mellander

Michael Merlob

Mary Metastasio

Kristie Metcalf

Richie Meyer

Callie Meyer

Betty and Bill Meyer

Virginia Meyer

Charlotte Mickie

Marta Mikkelsen

Mike Miles

Vincent Miller

Rob Miller

Christopher Miller

Jonathan Miller

Toni Miller

Bradley Mills

Joseph Mitacek

Iris Mohr

George Mollas

Barbara Mones

James Mongrain

Lucy Montaya

Antonietta Monteleone

Catherine Montouchet

Stacey Mooradian

Eric Moore

Kate Moore

Anita Morales

Don Morgan

Andrew Morgan

Roger Morris

Peter Morse

Star Moser

Elena Mosholova

Dean Mozian

Steffi Mrosk

Christophe Musitelli

Camille Neel

Russell Nelson

Kim Nesselquist

Jeremiah Newton

Cindy Nguyen

Tam Nguyen

Ryan Niman

Arleigh Nish

Katherine Ashley Nixa

Courtney Noble

T.C. Nuckles

Sarah Nuttall

Jef Nuyts

Dennis O’Connor

Jessica Obrist

Zeva Oelbaum

Liz Ogilvie

Cheryl Oliver

Billy and Piper O’Neill

Takumi Ono

Stine Oppegaard

Jason Orans

Samantha Orr

Guillermina Ortega

Tom Ortenberg

Emily Osborne

Daniela Österle

Courtney Ott

Shan Ottey

Erin Owens

Inigo Oyarzabal

Betty Palik

Gary Palmucci

Hengameh Panahi

Kini Parente

Katie Parker

Kim Pasion

Joy Patman

MJ Peckos

Cathy Pellow

Paco Pena

Elisabeth Perlié

Roberto Perrina

Mina Person

Robert Persons

Brandon Peters

Susan Peterson

Andy Peterson

Vera Petukhova

Larry Phillips

Linas Phillips

Michael Piaker

Aaron Piland

Silvia Pinterova

Temma Pistrang

Jason Plourde

Josephine Pompey

Fedor Popov

Peter Postovoit

D. Manuel Pradas Romaní

Tom Prassis

Bill Predmore

Larry Price

Rebecca Price

Celeste Primeau

Chris Principio

Jaana Puskala

Marisela Quijano

Michelle Quisenberry

Yelena Rachitsky

Julia Radke

Julie Ralph

Ana Isabel Ramiro

Gonzalez

Pascale Ramonda

Lindsay Randall

Stephen Raphael

Yassir Rasan

Charlie Rathbun

Chris Ratliff

Christal Ratliff

Thierry Rautureau

Orly Ravid

Tracy Rector

Zac Reeder

Jeff Reichert

Mark Reinhart

Darin Reynaud Knapp

Jennifer Reynolds

Glen Reynolds

Annie Richards

Morris Richards

Paul Richer

Scott Rickard

Aaron Ridinour

William G. Riley

Josh Roberts

Edmon Roch

Jeanette Rodriguez

Adele Romanski

Rena Ronson

Steve Rosen

Jessica Rosner

Adam Roston

Peter Rothen

Emily Rothschild

Camille Rousselet

Gary Rubin

Guido Rud

Goda Rupeikaite

Pete Rush

Morris Ruskin

Rick Russell

Chris Russo

Emily Russo

Estty Sade

Barbara Safarova

Miguel Salinas

Terrence Sanchez

Jemma Sands

Ilda Santiago

Simon De Santiago

Areizaga

Jared Sapolin

Andrea Scarson

Nancy Schafer

Jens Schanze

Will Schluter

Lydia Schmidt

Laurence Schonberg

Carla Schricker

Jana Scopis

Dick Seeby

Weiman Seid

Massimo Seidel

Roberto Serralles

Beatriz Setuain

Denise Severson

Neta Shacham

Pat Shaffer

Justin Shank

Phil Shekleton

Kathryn Shields

Winnie Shiu

Scott Shooman

Sandy Shropshire

Tamara Shumate

Taggert Siegel

Alicia Siffrein-Blanc

Patrik Sigmundt

Arnfridur Sigurdardottir

Annie Silverstein

Ron Simms

Shelley Sink

Ghida Sinno

Andrew Skilbred

David Skinner

Wolfram Skowrennek

Dana Smith

Mary Smith

Krista Sommar-Thorne

Lynn Souikni

Claudia Souza

Deanne Sowter

Adam Spielberg

Isabelle Stead

Ryan Steckly

Manlin Sterner

Robert Stevens

Richard Stevenson

Kate Stevenson

Chris Stewart

Dan Stiefel

Dan Story

Norma Jean Straw

Soros Sukham

Oleg Sulkin

Johnathan Sundstrom

Julie Sussett

Bruce Sweeney

Jasmin Sweeney

Lyn Tangen

Ruby Tarabochia

Gene Tasche

Ruthann Taylor

Pat Tennant

Gareth Tennant

Nadja Tennstedt

Matthew Terry

Medwin Textor

Carol Thomas

Charlotte Thorp

Kyle Thorpe

Troy Thrall

Sabrina Tinsley

Valery Todorovsky

Erez Toker

Jeff Tolbert

Mark Tomas

Katarina Tomkova

WingYan Tong

Geir Tønnessen

Akiva Tor

Elizabeth Tougas

Shio Toyoda

Thai Tran

Hoa Tran

Jerry Traunfeld

Marina Trushina

Fred Tsui

Mayumi Tsutakawa

Kris Tucker

Gary Tucker

James Tune

Jim Tuohey

Denis Turcotte

Debra Twersky

Minoru Uchida

Lana Ujdar

Helen Underwood

Jon Urlie

Mark Urman

Katalin Vajda

Marieke van den

Bersselaar

Anouk van Dijk

Lamar Van Dyke

Steve Van Til

James VanNess

Vanessa Vaughan

Isaac Vicknair

Gisela Viehoever

Marisa Vitiello

Huong Vu

Janet Wainwright

Sara Wainwright

Jamie Wallace

Laura Walton

Hilary Wang

Monkey Watson

Elke Wauters

Abby Waysdorf

Michael Weber

Christof Wehmeier

Edwin H. Weihe

Dani Weinstein

Michael Werner

Ryan Werner

Jim Werth

Beatrix Wesle

Lindy West

Danielle Westley

Katie Westoff

Teri White

Sam Whiting

Brian Whitish

Kate Wickstrom

Tzipporah Wiens

Jessica Wilborn-Prince

Lorna Williams

Gail Williams

Kal Williams

Ryan Piers Williams

Rusty Willoughby

Marcus Wilson

Gisela Wiltschek

Jeffrey Winter

Seymour Wishman

JoAnn Wolfe

Jack Wolfe

Marilee Womack

Victor “White Rabbit” Wong

Tracy Wong

Joy Wong

Greg Woodard

Thomas Woodrow

Chuck Workman

Meghan Wurtz

Nick Yanity

Zhang Yiwen

Ann Yoder

Keith Yoshida

Beth Ann Young

Grace Yu

David Yusen

Maria Zamora

Karin Zaugg Black

Stephanie Zeitler

Tony Zimney

Lise Zipci

Keith Zwolfer

This 2010 SIFF catalog was designed and laid out using Apple Macintosh computers and the Adobe Creative Suite. None of it would have been possible without the help of The Mac Store and Adobe, who supplied us with all the hardware and software that made the magic happen. The creation of this catalog was a collaborative effort on the part of Encore Media Group: Deb, Kristi, Ana, Robin, Jonathan, and Susan; the SIFF PubPod: Casey, Laura, Les, Lisa, Renata, Rodica, Samantha, Steve, and Taylor; James VanNess and the team at Journal Graphics; and the dedicated staff and volunteers of the Seattle International Film Festival.

INDIVIDUAL TICKET PRICES

$11 Regular screenings and panels, except where noted (SIFF Members $9, advance purchase only)

$10 Seniors, 65 and up with valid ID

$8 Matinee screenings (1st show of the day before 5:30pm, except where noted) (SIFF Members $7, advance purchase only)

$6 Films4Families (SIFF Members $5) weekend matinees only

$6 Students with valid ID and Teen Tix members can purchase regular screening (or lesser value) discounted tickets at all SIFF venues, day of show only

$6 Stimulus matinee (1st two shows of the day before 2:30pm on Fridays at Pacific Place Cinemas only)

IMAX Presentation at Pacific Science Center: $13

(SIFF Members $11) June 11 at 7:00pm, June 12 at 1:30pm

3D Presentation at Neptune: $13 (SIFF Members $11) May 28 at 7:00pm

Rush tickets (sold at the venue just before showtime) are cash only, full price.

SPECIAL TICKETS AND PACKAGES

Cinematic Six-Pack: $57 (SIFF Members $51) Includes admission for six regular screenings priced $11 or less, depending on individual ticket availability. There is a two ticket limit per film.

Film Buff 20 Pack: $180 (SIFF Members $160). Includes admission for twenty regular screenings priced $11 or less, depending on individual ticket availability. There is a two ticket limit per film.

Student and Senior Reel Deals: $35 Includes admission to any five films priced $11 or less, depending on availability, and limited to one ticket per film. Available to all students and seniors (62 and older) with valid ID.

Gift Certificates: Available in $25 denominations. Gift certificates are good for merchandise and tickets, and may be redeemed at the SIFF office, the Festival Box Office, or at any SIFF venue.

SPECIAL EVENTS

2010 Opening Night Gala: The Extra Man $50 (SIFF Members $45) for both the film and Gala, and includes hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and two complimentary cocktails. Premium tickets are $100 (SIFF Members $90) with benefits including an open bar at the post-film reception and preferred entry into the Gala screening. Red Carpet Experience tickets are $200 and include pre-reception, reserved seating, exclusive afterparty access, parking, and gift bag. May 20, Benaroya Hall.

Closing Night Gala: Get Low $40 (SIFF Members $35) for the film and Gala, and includes live music, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and two complimentary cocktails. Premium tickets are $80 (SIFF Members $70) with benefits including an open bar at the post-film reception and preferred entry into the Gala screening. June 13, Pacific Place.

Centerpiece Gala: Farewell $25 film and party (SIFF Members $23, advance) $13 for film only (SIFF Members $11, advance). May 29,

Egyptian Theatre

Everett Opening Night: Mao’s Last Dancer : $25 (SIFF Members $23). May 27, Everett Performing Arts Center

Kirkland Opening Night: The Over the Hill Band: $25 film and pre-film reception (SIFF Members $23, advance) $13 for film only (SIFF Members $11, advance). June 3, Kirkland Performance Center.

Gay-la: Violet Tendencies $25 film and party at Rebar (SIFF Members $23, advance) $11 film only (SIFF Members $9, advance). June 9, Egyptian Theatre

Tribute to Edward Norton: Leaves of Grass $125 reception and tribute, $35 tribute only (SIFF Members $25, advance). June 4,

Egyptian Theatre

Face the Music: The Maldives perform Riders of the Purple Sage $16 Advance/$18 Door. 7:00 (all ages) and 9:30 (21+). May 25, Triple Door.

Face the Music: Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields performs 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea $25 (SIFF Members $23). June 9, Paramount Theatre

New American Cinema Spotlight: Cyrus $25 film and party (SIFF Members $23, advance) $11 film only (SIFF Members $9, advance). May 22, Pacific Place.

Ambiente: New Spanish Cinema Celebration: Cell 211 $25 film and party (SIFF Members $23, advance) $11 film only (SIFF Members $9, advance). June 5, Neptune. Post-film party at Taberna del Alabardero in Belltown.

Archival Special Presentation: A Spray of Plum Blossoms: $13 (SIFF Members $11). Pianist Donald Sosin provides live accompaniment. May 30, SIFF Cinema.

PASSES

A generous number of seats are reserved for passholders at every screening. While a pass, with the exception of “Platinum,” “Gala,” and “Ultimate Party Pass,” does not guarantee seating, passholders are allowed priority entry up to 30 minutes before showtime or until the passholder seat allotment is reached. Passholders are strongly encouraged to arrive 30 minutes before showtime. All passes are strictly non-transferable, and a photo ID may be required. Passes may be picked up at the Pacific Place Box Office or SIFF Main Office.

Platinum Pass: $1,760 (SIFF Members $1,485). Includes guaranteed seating to all Festival screenings (with the exception of Secret Festival), all Gala screenings and receptions, the Festival Forums, press screenings, reserved seating at the Opening and Closing Night Galas, and an invitation for the passholder and guest to a private Festival reception. Quantities are limited.

Platinum Plus Pass: $2,750 (SIFF Members $2,200). Includes all the benefits of the Platinum Pass, plus reserved seating for all screenings and concierge service during the Festival.

Full Series Pass: $850 (SIFF Members $750) Includes admissions to all regular Festival screenings and press screenings (excluding Galas, Secret Festival, and special events). Seating is not guaranteed. This pass requires a photo.

Weekly Pass: $325 (SIFF Members $275) Includes admission to all public screenings for the specified week (excludes Gala screenings, special events, press screenings, and the Secret Festival).

SIFF Gala Pass: $175 (SIFF Members $150) Includes admissions to the SIFF Opening Night, Closing Night, and Centerpiece Gala screenings and receptions. Includes Premium Opening and Closing Night benefits, including open bar at the post-film reception and preferred entry into the Gala screening.

Ultimate Party Pass: $230 (SIFF Members $205) Includes all the benefits of the Gala Pass plus admission to New American Cinema Spotlight (May 22), Gay-La (June 3), and Ambiente: New Spanish Cinema Celebration (June 5). This pass features premium benefits at these six events (open bar at the post-film receptions and preferred entry into the associated film screenings).

ShortsFest Weekend Pass: $100 (SIFF Members $75) Includes admission to all ShortsFest Weekend screenings. Secret Festival Pass: $45 (SIFF Members $43) Includes admission to the four 2010 Secret Festival Sunday morning screenings. Each passholder is required to sign the Oath of Silence promising not to disclose any information about the films shown in the series. Film titles are not announced. Admission to Secret Festival screenings is by membership only. No individual tickets sold.

BECOME A SIFF MEMBER

Your membership enables SIFF to expand cinema through education programs, host filmmakers from around the world at SIFF and SIFF Cinema, provide community access to new and established filmmakers, and sustain the country’s largest film festival. SIFF Members receive deep discounts on Festival passes and ticket packages, invitations to free screenings, and much more. Please visit www.siff.net to become a SIFF Member today.

MORE WAYS TO SUPPORT SIFF

Make a Donation: To make a donation or pledge to support SIFF programs, visit www.siff.net.

Double your contribution: If you work for an employer with a Matching Gift Program, you may be able to double the impact of your gift. Check the list of matching organizations at www.siff.net.

SIFF BOX OFFICE

Purchase tickets online: www.siff.net

Main Box Office: Pacific Place, 600 Pine Street, second level

SIFF Office: 400 9th Ave. N

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11:00am – 7:00pm, Sundays and Memorial Day, Noon – 6:00pm. The Main Box Office and SIFF Office can process passes, ticket packages, and single ticket orders.

Purchase tickets by phone: (206) 324-9996

How to Buy Tickets

Tickets to any screening or theater may be purchased online, by phone, or at any Festival box office up to 30 minutes before showtime, subject to availability. Thirty minutes prior to showtime, tickets must be purchased at the specific venue for that film or event. Venue box offices open 30 minutes before the first screening of the day and close 15 minutes after the last screening of the day begins. Seating is only guaranteed until 10 minutes prior to screening. No late seating.

Rush Tickets

When advance tickets are no longer available, in most cases a limited number of rush tickets become available at the door five to ten minutes prior to the screening. Rush tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on how many seats are available. Cash only, full price.

THE NOT-SO-FINE PRINT

All programs are subject to change without notice. No refunds or exchanges are given, except in the case of program cancellations.

Each film is shown in its original language with English subtitles, unless otherwise noted. Please leave babies with the sitter and, with exception of the Films4Families series, no children under 6 years old. Films are unrated and may not be suitable for ages 16 and under, unless otherwise noted. Parental discretion is advised.

Film length does not include introductions or Q&A sessions following the screening.

All audience members must leave the theater following each screening. Leaving belongings and saving seats between shows is not allowed.

Cameras, camera phones, and recording devices are not permitted in the theater. Please silence all cellular phones, pagers, and watches when in the theater.

Due to piracy prevention efforts by our film suppliers, you or your personal property may be subject to a physical search upon entrance to Festival venues. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $150,000.

By receiving admission, you grant SIFF the right to photograph or record you and use the photo or recording in any way.

SIFF reserves the right to refuse service.

HOW TO GET TO SIFF 2010

Parking, Bus, and Other transportation Ideas

Admiral Theater

2343 California Avenue SW

BUS: Routes 51, 55, 65, 57, 85, 128.

CAR: Parking is available on surrounding neighborhood streets.

Alki Room

305 Harrison Street

BUS: Routes 8, 9, 14, 25, 43, 49, 60, 66

CAR: Parking is available on the street (metered).

Benaroya Hall

200 University Street

BUS: Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 13, 14, 16, 17, 23, 26, 27, 28, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, 43, 49, 66, 70, 101, 106, 124, 150, 212, 216, 217, 218, 225, 229, 255, 256, 301, 550, Light Rail, and many others. Right above Underground Bus Tunnel.

CAR: The 430-car underground garage at Benaroya Hall, the Cobb Building (enter on University Street between Third and Fourth avenues), the Chase Center (enter on Union Street between First and Second avenues), and street parking (metered and zone permit).

Egyptian Theatre

805 East Pine St.

BUS: Routes 2, 9, 10, 11, 43, 49, 60, 84.

CAR: Parking is available on the street (metered and zone permit parking) or at the Seattle Central Community College, located at Harvard and Pine.

Everett Performing Arts Center

2710 Wetmore Avenue

CAR: The Port Gardner Garage,1/2 block south of the theatre, adjacent to the Wells Fargo Bank, and paid street parking.

Harvard Exit Theatre

807 East Roy at Harvard

BUS: Routes 9, 14, 49, 60.

CAR: Parking is available on surrounding neighborhood streets, including on 10th Avenue or Broadway, or in nearby pay lots.

Juanita Beach Park

9703 NE Juanita Drive

BUS: Routes 236, 260, 277, 935

CAR: Parking is available on streets.

Kirkland Performance Center

350 Kirkland Avenue

BUS: One block from the Kirkland Transit Center, serving routes 230, 234, 236, 238, 245, 248, 255, 540.

CAR: Free four-hour parking is available in the Municipal Garage underneath the Kirkland Library, just west of the Performance Center.

Neptune Theatre

1303 NE 45th Street

BUS: Routes 30, 43, 44, 48, 49, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 79, 83, 133, 167, 197, 271, 373, 556.

CAR: Parking is available on surrounding neighborhood streets and in nearby pay lots.

For the Festival schedule, film descriptions and ways to get involved year-round, visit siff.net.

Pacific Place Cinemas

(plus SIFF Main Ticketing and Pass Box Office)

600 Pine Street

BUS: Routes 7, 10, 11, 14, 41, 43, 49, 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 84, 101, 106, 125, 150, 174, 194, 301, 545, 550, and many others within the threeblock radius.

CAR: The underground parking garage offers a special rate of $4 for four hours of parking after 5:00pm. Enter from either Sixth or Seventh Avenues.

Pacific Science Center Boeing IMAX Theater

200 Second Ave N

BUS: Routes 1, 2, 8, 13, 15, 19, 24, 30, 33, 81

CAR: James Albert Claypool Memorial Garage is located at the corer of Second Ave N and Denny Way. Street Parking also available.

SIFF Cinema

321 Mercer Street, McCaw Hall, Seattle Center

BUS: Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 13, 15, 16, 18, 30, 45, 81, 82, 994.

CAR: Metered and zone parking is available on the street or in adjacent pay parking garages, including one on Mercer, across from the cinema.

SIFF Lounge at Boom Noodle

1121 East Pike Street

BUS: Routes 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 43, 49, 60, 84.

CAR: Metered and zone parking is available on the street or in nearby pay lots.

Triple Door

216 Union Street

BUS: Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 18, 19, 21, 24, 33, 41, 54, 71, 131, 143, 152, 174, 190, 522, 577, 600, and many others.

CAR: Metered and zone parking is available on the street or in nearby pay lots.

Uptown Cinemas

511 Queen Anne Avenue N

BUS: Routes 1, 2, 8, 13, 15, 18, 30, 81, 994.

CAR: Metered and zone parking is available on the street or in nearby pay lots.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Seattle Department of Transportation, general parking info: seattle.gov/transportation/parking Metro bus schedules, FAQs, trip planner: tripplanner.kingcounty.gov

† denotes co-production

a film by Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio

1121

Mingle with Festival guests and enjoy lively conversation with other film fans in an intimate and inviting atmosphere.

Show your Festival pass or ticket stub for discounts on rotating food and drink specials!

Join us every Wednesday (7:00pm–9:00pm) during the Festival for film trivia!

May 20–June 13

Open Sundays–Wednesdays until 10:00pm Thursdays–Saturdays until Midnight

98122 206.701.9130 boomnoodle.com

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