New Films Starring James Franco, Richard Gere and Dakota Fanning to Premiere at 2015 Tribeca Film Festival
Today, the Tribeca Film Festival made its first major programming announcement for the 2015 edition, following the earlier reveal of opening night film “Live From New York!,” by releasing the titles of the films playing in the World Narrative and Documentary competitions, as well as the full Viewpoints section. Included among the crop of films are a whopping 64 world premieres, with titles featuring James Franco, Richard Gere, Dakota Fanning, Elisabeth Moss and Juno Temple, among others.
It’s worth noting that the 2015 selection boasts films from 30 female directors — the highest percentage in the festival’s history. Nine of these directors (as well as two screenwriters) are eligible to receive the third annual Nora Ephron Award.
In addition, the festival today announced it’s partnered with AT&T to host free festival screenings on Friday April 24, as part of AT&T’s “Film for All Friday” series.
“We were inspired by and really admire the ambition and risk-taking of the filmmakers who are striving to capture the emotions and complexities of everyday life in this year’s submissions,” said Frederic Boyer, Artistic Director Tribeca Film Festival in a statement.
The festival runs April 15-26 in New York.
Here are the films
selected for the World Narrative Competition, World Documentary Competition and Viewpoints. Synopsis have been provided by the festival.
World Narrative Feature
Competition
This
year’s showcase highlights a particularly diverse representation of
international cinema, from Iceland and Costa Rica to South Africa and Albania.
These are stories with a strong sense of location, whether it’s two brothers
surviving the Civil War in rural Kentucky (Men
Go To Battle), a spate of mysterious suicides in a Welsh industrial town (Bridgend), or an underworld thriller set
in Greece with strong overtones of the financial crisis (Wednesday 04:45). Yet despite their specificity of locale, an
underlying commonality runs through the films making them accessible to diverse
cultures and audiences: lone-wolf characters reach out for connection in The Survivalist, Franny and Virgin Mountain.
In other films, families grapple with crises: a mother strives to protect her
wayward son in Dixieland; an
estranged father and son collide in The
Adderall Diaries; and a couple heals together after tragedy in Meadowland. Titles in this curated
selection of 12 international stories and voices compete for the Founders Award
for Best Narrative Feature, Best New Narrative Director, Best Actor and
Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Editing in a Narrative, and Best Cinematography.
The Adderall Diaries, directed and written by Pamela
Romanowsky. (USA) – World Premiere. Elliott
(James Franco), a once-successful novelist inflicted with writer’s block and an
Adderall addiction strives to escape his problems by delving into the
world of a high-profile murder case. Amber Heard, Ed Harris, and Cynthia Nixon
co-star in this adaptation of Elliott’s best-selling memoir.
Bridgend, directed by Jeppe Rønde,
co-written by Jeppe Rønde, Torben Bech, and Peter Asmussen. (Denmark) – North
American Premiere. Sara (Hannah Murray) and
her dad arrive in a town haunted by a spate of teenage suicides. When she falls
in love with Jamie (Josh O’Connor), she becomes prey to the depression that
threatens to engulf them all. Jeppe Rønde’s debut is based on the real-life
Welsh county borough of Bridgend, which has recorded at least 79 suicides since
2007.
Dixieland, directed and written by Hank
Bedford. (USA) – World Premiere. In the hot
lazy days of a Mississippi summer two star-crossed lovers, a recently released
ex-con (Chris Zylka) and an aspiring stripper (Riley Keough), become trapped in
a downward spiral of crime and obsessive love, as they try to ditch their small
town lives. Featuring an impressive performance by Faith Hill.
Franny, directed and written by Andrew
Renzi. (USA) – World Premiere. Richard Gere
delivers a bravura performance as the title character, a rich eccentric who
worms his way into the lives of a deceased friend’s young daughter (Dakota
Fanning) and her new husband (Theo James). The narrative feature debut of
writer-director Andrew Renzi, Franny is a warm and winsome drama about the
pangs of the past, and the families we choose.
Meadowland, directed by Reed Morano, written
by Chris Rossi. (USA) – World Premiere. Sarah and Phil’s son goes missing,
shattering their life together and forcing each to find their own way to cope.
Cinematographer-turned-director Reed Morano presents a masterfully crafted
contemplation on a relationship strained to the breaking point. Olivia Wilde
and Luke Wilson capture the unraveling emotions with remarkable power,
alongside Kevin Corrigan, John Leguizamo, Elizabeth Moss, Giovanni Ribisi, Juno
Temple, and Merritt Wever.
Men Go to Battle, directed and written by Zachary
Treitz, co-written by Kate Lyn Sheil. (USA) – World Premiere. Kentucky, 1861. Francis and Henry Mellon depend
on each other to keep their unkempt estate afloat as winter encroaches. After
Francis takes a casual fight too far, Henry ventures off in the night, leaving
each of them to struggle through the wartime on their own.
Necktie Youth, directed and written by Sibs
Shongwe-La Mer. (Netherlands, South Africa) – North American Premiere. Jabz and
September are two twenty-something suburbanites drifting through a day of
drugs, sex, and philosophizing in their privileged Johannesburg neighborhood,
ill-equipped to handle a tragedy that has interrupted the hollowness of their
daily lives. Using rich black and white photography, Sibs Shongwe-La Mer paints
a raw, unique portrait of self-obsessed youth facing adulthood in an
increasingly divided city. In Afrikaans,
English, isiZulu with subtitles.
The Survivalist, directed and written by Stephen
Fingleton. (Northern Ireland, UK) – World Premiere.
Self-preservation takes on a new level of meaning in this organic
post-apocalyptic drama, where the only way to get food is to farm it. A man is
threatened when two starving women stumble across his cabin and demand to stay.
Each new mouth to feed strains the limits of what the farm can produce and
diminishes their chance for survival.
Sworn Virgin (Vergine Giurata), directed and written by Laura
Bispuri, co-written by Francesca Manieri. (Albania, Germany, Italy, Kosovo,
Switzerland) – North American Premiere. As a
young woman living within the confines of a Northern Albanian village,
Hana longs to escape the shackles of womanhood, and live her life as a man. To
do so she must take an oath to eternally remain a virgin. Years later, as Mark,
she leaves home for the first time to confront a new set of circumstances,
leading her to contemplate the possibility of undoing her vow. In Albanian, Italian with subtitles.
Viaje, directed and written by Paz
Fábrega. (Costa Rica) –World Premiere. After meeting at a party, Luciana and
Pedro spark up a spontaneous rendezvous when Luciana accompanies Pedro to a
national forest on a work trip. Eschewing the fraudulent nature of traditional
relationships, the pair explores the beauty in the nature that surrounds them
as they indulge in the passions of their encounter and navigate the various
meanings of commitment. In Spanish with
subtitles.
Virgin Mountain, directed and written by Dagur
Kári. (Iceland, Denmark) – North American Premiere.
Fúsi is a mammoth of a man who at 43-years-old is still living at home
with his mother. Shy and awkward, he hasn’t quite learned how to socialize with
others, leaving him as an untouchable inexperienced virgin. That is until his
family pushes him to join a dance class, where he meets the equally innocent
but playful Sjöfn. In Icelandic with subtitles.
Wednesday 04:45 (Tetari 04:45), directed and
written by Alexis Alexiou. (Germany, Greece, Israel) – World Premiere. A life’s
work becomes a prison for jazz club owner Stelios when a shady Romanian
gangster calls in his debts. This gripping, underworld drama is a parable on
the perils of accumulated debt, and a depiction of the descent of a mostly
decent man. Director Alexis Alexiou perfectly balances the complex emotions
that drive a man to take the most drastic measures available. In Greek with subtitles.
READ MORE: Should the Tribeca Film Festival Abandon Its Fiction Films
World Documentary Feature
Competition
Sponsored by Santander Bank, N.A.
The twelve films of this year’s
documentary competition represent the year’s highest achievements in nonfiction
storytelling. The section showcases investigations of the most important issues
of our time, as well as deeply personal real-life stories sure to open a wider
perspective on the human condition. Timely work includes Tom Swift qnd The Electric Rifle, an exposé of law enforcement’s
over-reliance on the taser, and Indian
Point, a portrait of the aging titular nuclear power plant just 50-miles
outside New York City. Revered documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles returns to
the Festival with the eye-opening In
Transit, while Very Semi-Serious
chronicles the hilarious weekly work of New Yorker cartoons editor Bob
Mankoff. Other selections include Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg’s powerful In My Father’s House, which looks at
Grammy Award-winning rapper Rhymefest’s complicated relationship to fatherhood,
and Autism In Love, a sensitive
depiction of autistic adults searching for a connection. Strongly interwoven
into many of these titles is the idea of tradition: Films like Palio and The Birth of Saké depict passionate men honoring the cultural
byways of their regional pasts, while Zimbabwe’s Democrats examines how a nation can maintain its heritage while
modernizing and moving forward into the future. Titles in this compelling
collection of stories and styles compete for Best Documentary Feature, Best New
Documentary Director and Best Documentary Editing.
Autism in Love, directed by Matt Fuller. (USA) –
World Premiere. What does it mean to love
and be loved? With remarkable compassion, director Matt Fuller examines the
reality of autistic adulthood and shows how the members of this
often-misunderstood community cope with the challenge of keeping romance alive.
Autism in Love is a celebration of
accepting the differences in others, and in ourselves.
The Birth of Saké, directed by Erik Shirai. (USA) –
World Premiere. Traditional and labor-intensive, the production of Saké has
changed very little over the centuries. Erik Shirai’s love song to the artisans
who have dedicated their lives to carrying on this increasingly rare artform
follows the round-the-clock process for six straight months, offering a rare
glimpse into a family-run brewery that’s been operating for over 100 years. In Japanese with subtitles.
Democrats, directed and written by Camilla
Nielsson. (Denmark). – North American
Premiere. In the wake of Robert Mugabe’s
highly criticized 2008 presidential win, Zimbabwe’s first constitutional
committee was created in an effort to transition the country away from its
authoritarian leadership. With unprecedented access to the two political rivals
overseeing the committee, this riveting, firsthand account of a country’s
fraught first steps towards democracy plays at once like an intimate political
thriller and unlikely buddy film. In
English, Shona with subtitles.
Havana Motor Club, directed and written by
Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt. (Cuba, USA) – World Premiere.
Reforms have offered opportunity in Cuba but the children of the
Revolution are unsure of the best route forward. For a half-dozen drag racers,
this means last-minute changes to their beloved American muscle cars, as they
prepare for the first sanctioned race in Cuba since 1960. Punctuated by a
lively Cuban soundtrack, Havana Motor
Club offers a fascinating glimpse at the resilience and ingenuity of the
competitive spirit. In Spanish with
subtitles.
In My Father’s House, directed by Ricki Stern and Annie
Sundberg, co-written by Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg, and Pax Wassermann. (USA)
– World Premiere. After moving into his childhood home on Chicago’s South Side,
Grammy Award–winning rapper Che “Rhymefest” Smith hesitantly sets out
to reconnect with his estranged father, the man who abandoned him over twenty
years ago. In My Father’s House is a
stirring, multigenerational chronicle of Che’s sincere but often-fraught
journey to build a future for his own family by reconnecting with his traumatic
past.
In Transit, co-directed by Albert Maysles,
Nelson Walker, Lynn True, David Usui, and Ben Wu. (USA) – World Premiere. The Empire Builder is America’s busiest
long-distance train route, running from Chicago to Seattle. Throughout these corridors
sit runaways, adventurers, and loners – a myriad of passengers waiting to see
what their journey holds. A touching and honest observation, co-directed by the
iconic documentarian Albert Maysles, In
Transit breathes life into the long commute, and contemplates the unknowns
that lie at our final destination.
Indian Point, directed and written by Ivy
Meeropol. (USA) – World Premiere. Indian
Point Nuclear Power Plant looms just 35 miles from Times Square. With over 50
million people living in close proximity to the aging facility, its continued
operation has generated controversy for the surrounding community. In the
brewing fight for clean energy and the catastrophic possibilities of
complacency, director Ivy Meeropol weaves a startling portrait of our uncertain
nuclear future.
Palio, directed by Cosima Spender,
written by John Hunt. (UK, Italy) – World Premiere.
In the world’s oldest horse race, the Palio, taking bribes and fixing
races threatens to extinguish the passion for the sport itself. Giovanni,
unversed in corruption, challenges his former mentor, who dominates the game.
What ensues is a thrilling battle, filled with the intoxicating drama that is
at the center of Italian tradition. In
Italian with subtitles.
Song of
Lahore, directed by Andy Schocken and
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. (USA, Pakistan) – World Premiere. Until the late 1970s,
the Pakistani city of Lahore was world-renowned for its music. Following the
ban of music under Sharia law, many artists were forced to abandon their life’s
work. Song of Lahore turns the
spotlight on a stalwart group of lifelong musicians who continue to play
despite their circumstances. They end up attracting listeners from all over the
world. In English,
Punjabi, and Urdu with subtitles.
Thank You for Playing, co-directed and co-written by
David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall. (USA) – World Premiere. For the past
four years, Ryan and Amy Greene have been working on That Dragon, Cancer, a videogame about their son Joel’s fight
against that disease. Following the family through the creation of the game and
the day-to-day realities of Joel’s treatment, David Osit and Malika
Zouhali-Worrall create a moving testament to the joy and heartbreak of raising
a terminally ill child.
Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle, directed and written by Nick
Berardini. (USA) – World Premiere. Do you
blame the technology or the person wielding it? With damaging reports of
taser-related deaths at the hands of police officers, this conundrum spurs a
carefully constructed argument that tasers are in fact lethal, discrediting
claims by Taser International that stun guns save lives. Yet more than 17,000
police departments in the United States continue to use the electric rifle.
Very Semi-Serious, directed by Leah Wolchok. (USA) –
World Premiere. The New Yorker is the benchmark for the single-panel cartoon.
This light-hearted and sometimes poignant look at the art and humor of the
iconic drawings shows why they have inspired and even baffled us for decades. Very Semi-Serious is a window into the
minds of cartooning legends and hopefuls, including editor Bob Mankoff,
shedding light onto their how their humor evolves.
Viewpoints
Who are
we? This is a question asked in all
manner of genres and styles in this year’s always surprising and innovative
Viewpoints section, which features 27 films from 12 countries. Some films are
personal, intimate stories of identity-seeking, as in Gregory Kohn’s
soul-searching drug trip Come Down Molly,
or Transfatty Lives’ touching tribute
to one artist’s heroic efforts to maintain his creative self in the face of a
devastating ALS diagnosis. Other stories of identity take on larger
implications, as in Orion: The Man Who
Would Be King, which raises questions about personal vs public identity,
fame, and legacy through the story of a mysterious masked singer many believed
to be Elvis back from the dead. Perhaps the most important moment of
self-discovery and self-definition comes with growing up, and Viewpoints this
year delivers a number of diverse and potent coming of age stories- whether
they take place in adolescence or adulthood. The young women of Being 14 and rough-and-tumble boys of King Jack claw their ways towards
adulthood within the war zones of puberty and high school, while the ostensible
adults of Tenured behave more like
the grade school students they are teaching, and GORED’S aging matador and El
Cinco’s benched footballer struggle to understand who they are as their
self-defining livelihoods are threatened. Get to know these and a plethora of
other fascinating characters as they get to know themselves in this year’s
Viewpoints section where we celebrate distinctive visions from innovative
voices.
All Eyes and Ears, directed and written by Vanessa
Hope. (China, USA) – New York Premiere, Documentary.
When former Utah governor Jon Huntsman was appointed United States
Ambassador to China, the charming career politician arrived at his new post
with his entire family—including his adopted Chinese daughter, Gracie.
Huntsman’s diplomatic struggles and triumphs are explored in the broader
context of China’s relationship with the rest of the world, and intersected
with Gracie’s personal experience living in China as a Chinese-American. In Mandarin, Cantonese, English, with
subtitles.
Applesauce, directed and written by Onur
Tukel. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. TFF
alumnus Onur Tukel plays a husband who innocently reveals on talk radio the
worst thing he’s ever done. Though his gaffe never makes it on air, it sets off
a chain of hilariously uncontrollable events that draw his wife and another
couple into an uneasy mixture of infidelities, confessions, and severed body
parts.
Bad Hurt, directed and written by Mark
Kemble, co-written by Jamieson Stern. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Life for the Kendalls has been burdened by grief
and claustrophobia. Faced with caring for one child with special needs and
another with PTSD, the family struggles for a sense of stability at home in
their Staten Island hamlet. When a secret from the past is revealed, it
threatens to tear them apart.
Bare, directed and written by Natalia
Leite. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative.
Sarah’s
(Dianna Agron) mundane life in a Nevada desert town is turned upside down with
the arrival of Pepper (Paz de la Huerta), a mysterious female drifter, who
leads her into a life of seedy strip clubs and illicit drugs. Their passion
inspires Sarah to break free of her past and seek out a new life of her own.
Being 14 (À 14
ans), directed and written by Hélène Zimmer. (France). – International Premiere, Narrative. Adopting
an observational style, Being 14
captures all the secrets, trials, and anguish of adolescence, as experienced by
best friends Sarah, Louise, and Jade in their final year of middle school. The
narrative plays like a documentary in each true-to-life scene; the camera is
witness to their lives unfolding, as it unobtrusively records the moments of a
year, after which everything will change.
In French with subtitles
Come Down Molly, directed and written by Gregory
Kohn. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. In
this expressionist odyssey exploring the lonely side of entering adulthood,
struggling new mother Molly (Eléonore Hendricks) joins her old high school
group of guy friends at a secluded mountain home. Amidst tears, laughter, and
mushrooms, they connect with nature, one another, and themselves.
A Courtship, directed by Amy Kohn. (USA) –
World Premiere, Documentary. Amy Kohn’s
fascinating documentary offers a peek into the practice of Christian courtship,
wherein a woman hands over the responsibility of finding a husband to her
parents and the will of God. Such is Kelly’s path, enlisting her adopted
spiritual family to find her Mr. Right.
Crocodile Gennadiy, directed and written by Steve
Hoover. (USA)– World Premiere, Documentary. Crocodile
Gennadiy, a real-life, self-appointed savior, who works tirelessly to rescue
homeless, drug-addicted youth from the streets of Mariupol, Ukraine. At the
same time, he challenges dealers and abusers. Despite criticism, Gennadiy is
determined to continue his work. Sundance Award-winning director Steve Hoover’s
second feature is a bold portrait of a man on a mission. In English, Russian with subtitles.
Cronies, directed and written by Michael
Larnell. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. Louis
begins to question his lifelong friendship with Jack, after a simple errand to
buy his daughter a birthday gift turns into a visit to a drug dealer. Director
Michael Larnell combines an earnestly realistic narrative with
documentary-style interviews in which the characters muse on their futures,
their impact on those they love, and the nature of friendship.
dream/killer, directed by Andrew Jenks. (USA) –
World Premiere, Documentary. In the fall of
2005, 20-year-old Ryan Ferguson received a 40-year prison sentence for a murder
that he did not commit. Over the next ten years, his father Bill engages in a
tireless crusade to prove Ryan’s innocence. Interspersed with footage from the
Ferguson family archive, Andrew Jenks’ film looks at the personal consequences
of a wrongful conviction.
El Cinco (El 5 de Talleres), directed and
written by Adrián Biniez. (Argentina) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Patón, with his fiery temper and aggressive play,
is the veteran star of his city’s soccer team. When his transgressions land him
a lengthy suspension, he considers retirement, while discovering a world that
consists of more than just feet and fists. This coming-of-middle-age tale
reveals the predicament of leaving the arena where you most feel at home. In Spanish with subtitles.
GORED, directed and written by Ido
Mizrahy, co-written by Geoffrey Gray. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Gored centers on Spanish bullfighter Antonio
Barrera, holder of the dubious title of “Most Gored Bullfighter in History,” as
he grapples with the end of his career. Captivating footage of past and present
bullfights reveal Barrera’s tremendous passion for the sport, as well as his
seemingly irresistible urge to confront death at every opportunity. In Spanish with subtitles.
Jackrabbit, directed and written by Carleton
Ranney, co-written by Destin Douglas. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. When a friend’s suicide leaves behind a
mysterious computer drive, a fringe hacker and accomplished computer technician
come together to decipher the message left in his wake. First-time filmmaker
Carleton Ranney effortlessly combines a low-fi aesthetic with an intensely
ambitious sci-fi story, creating a work that manages to satisfy as both a retro
throwback and a forward-thinking indie drama.
King Jack, directed and written by Felix
Thompson. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Growing
up in a rural town filled with violent delinquents, Jack has learned to do what
it takes to survive, despite having an oblivious mother and no father. After
his aunt falls ill and a younger cousin comes to stay with him, the hardened
15-year-old discovers the importance of friendship, family, and looking for
happiness even in the most desolate of circumstances.
Lucifer, directed and written by Gust Van
den Berghe. (Belgium, Mexico) – United States Premiere, Narrative. An angel falling from heaven to hell unexpectedly
lands in a Mexican village where his presence affects the villagers in
surprising ways. Inspired by the biblical story, Lucifer is a mesmerizing,
moving, and unique exercise in form, presented in the director’s own format,
Tondoscope. In Spanish with subtitles.
Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, directed and written by Jeanie
Finlay. (UK) – World Premiere, Documentary. Millions of Americans clung to the
hope that Elvis Presley faked his death. For the executives at Sun Records that
fantasy became an opportunity in the form of Orion, a mysterious masked
performer with the voice of The King. But who was the man behind the mask? In
this stranger-than-fiction true story, Jeanie Finlay explores a life led in
service to those who couldn’t let Elvis go.
Shut Up and Drive, directed and written by Melanie
Shaw. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Uptight
and insecure Jane breaks down when her live-in boyfriend must move from Los
Angeles to New Orleans for an acting gig. Jane’s anxiety worsens upon the
arrival of Laura, Austin’s wild childhood friend. Unable to deal with each
other without Austin, the two women embark on a road trip to see him, forming
an unexpected friendship along the way.
Slow Learners, co-directed by Sheena Joyce and
Don Argott, written by Matt Serword. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. High school
teachers Jeff and Anne (Adam Pally and Sarah Burns) are work BFFs all too
familiar with the woes of romance. Desperate to turn their luck around they
take on new personas and embark, with gusto, on an adventurous summer of
uncharacteristic encounters. Slow Learners is a charming, comedic crash course
in discovering who you really are.
Stranded in Canton (Nakangami na Guangzhou),
directed by Måns Månsson, co-written by Måns Månsson, Li Hongqi, and George
Cragg. (Sweden, Denmark, China)– North American Premiere, Narrative. Lebrun is an entrepreneur from The Democratic
Republic of Congo who goes to China intent on making a fortune selling
political T-shirts. When things don’t go as planned Lebrun spends more time in
karaoke bars and falling in love than he does on business. Somewhere between
documentary and fiction, this fascinating story explores new trade routes and
their impact in two separate continents. In
Cantonese, English, French, Lingala, Mandarin with subtitles.
Sunrise (Arunoday), directed and written
by Partho Sen-Gupta. (India, France) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Social Service officer Lakshman Joshi is led on a
chase through the dark gutters and rain-soaked back alleys of Mumbai by a
shadowy figure. His pursuit leads him to Paradise, a seedy nightclub seemingly
at the center of the kidnapping ring he is investigating. Joshi’s hunt brings
back memories of his own kidnapped daughter, as his past and current reality
converge. In Marathi with subtitles.
Tenured, directed and written by
Christopher Modoono, co-written by Gil Zabarsky. (USA) – World Premiere,
Narrative. In Chris Modoono’s hilarious
directorial debut, a broody and foul-mouthed elementary school teacher, Ethan
Collins, finds his life turned upside down when his wife leaves him. Stuck with
a group of precocious fifth graders, and fraught with fizzling writing
aspirations, Ethan uses the school play as a last-ditch effort to fix his
marriage. Will this be his greatest accomplishment or his most misguided lesson
to date?
(T)ERROR, directed by Lyric R. Cabral and
David Felix Sutcliffe. (USA) – New York Premiere, Documentary. A rare, insider’s view of an FBI undercover
investigation in progress, (T)ERROR follows
a 63-year-old informant in his attempt to befriend a suspected Taliban
sympathizer, and build a fraudulent case against him. Lyric R. Cabral and David
Felix Sutcliffe’s startling and timely exposé questions the sacrifices that are
being made to prevent terror in the United States.
Toto and His Sisters (Toto Si Surorile Lui), directed
and written by Alexander Nanau. (Romania) – North American Premiere,
Documentary. Shot over a period of 15
months, this hands-off documentary follows siblings living in a Bucharest slum.
With their mother in jail, Toto and his two sisters, Ana and Andreea, live in
what appears to be a communal drug den. As Ana drifts away with frequent drug
use, Toto and Andreea must stick together in an orphanage, awaiting their
mother’s return. In Romanian with
subtitles.
TransFatty Lives, directed by Patrick O’Brien,
co-written by Patrick O’Brien, Scott Crowningshield, Lasse Jarvi, Doug Pray.
(USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Director
Patrick O’Brien is TransFatty, the onetime NYC deejay and Internet meme-making
superstar. In 2005, O’Brien began to document his life after being diagnosed
with ALS and given only two to five years to live. TransFatty Lives is a brazen and illustrative account of what it’s
like to live when you find out you are going to die.
Uncertain, co-directed and co-written by
Ewan McNicol and Anna Sandilands. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. An
aquatic weed threatens the lake of the small American border town of Uncertain,
Texas, and consequently the livelihoods of those who live there. As some of the
men in town attempt to figure out their future, they confront a past that
haunts them.
We Are Young. We Are Strong. (Wir Sind Jung. Wir Sind Stark.),
directed by Burhan Qurbani, co-written by Martin Behnke and Burhan Qurbani.
(Germany) – North American Premiere, Narrative. A
group of disillusioned teenagers wander about in the restless hours leading up
to an anti-immigrant riot that took place in Rostock, Germany, in August of
1992. The impending incident is seen through the experiences of three
individuals: a Vietnamese factory worker, a local politician, and the
politician’s teenage son, Stefan. In
German, Vietnamese with subtitles.
The Wolfpack, directed by Crystal Moselle. (USA) – New York
Premiere, Documentary. Everything the Angulo
brothers know about the outside world they learned from obsessively watching
movies. Shut away from bustling New York City by their overprotective father,
they cope with their isolation by diligently re-enacting their favorite films.
When one of the brothers escapes, the world as they know it will be
transformed. A Magnolia Release.
