The Hamptons Film Festival has added several Oscar hopefuls and heavily buzzed-about movies to its lineup, including the U.S. premieres of Julianne Moore‘s Toronto sensation Still Alice and The Last 5 Years as well as East Coast premieres of The Imitation Game, Nightcrawler and Birdman.
The festival will open with St. Vincent on Thursday, Oct. 9, and close with Still Alice on Monday, Oct. 13.
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“We are really looking forward to opening our 22nd edition with Theodore Melfi’s charming St. Vincent starring Bill Murray in a role he was born to play. Closing our festival with the U.S. premiere of Still Alice featuring a mesmerizing performance from one of the great actors of our generation, Julianne Moore, is sure to be a moving end to five days of films from around the world,” HIFF artistic director David Nugent said in a statement.
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Other films added to the Hamptons lineup include Lynn Shelton‘s Laggies, starring Keira Knightley, Chloe Grace Moretz and Sam Rockwell; Anne Hathaway‘s Song One; Madame Bovary; Clouds of Sils Maria; Time Out of Mind; Two Days, One Night; and the U.S. premiere of Learning to Drive, starring Patricia Clarkson, who will take part in the festival’s signature “A Conversation With…” series. Hilary Swank, Joel Schumacher, Mark Ruffalo and Laura Dern are already set to participate in other Hamptons talks.
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The festival will also host the world premiere of the Banksy Does New York documentary, a special screening of Keep on Keepin’ On and the pilot episode of the upcoming Showtime series The Affair.
The Hamptons Film Festival’s full slate, followed by brief descriptions of each title, is listed below.
SPOTLIGHT FILMS
BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
(USA)
Director: Alejandro G. Inarritu
In an effort to erase the shadow of his biggest onscreen role, the enormously popular Birdman, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) heads to Broadway. He banks his artistic ambitions (and dormant talents) on his upcoming theatrical production of Raymond Carver short stories, but before the footlights shine he must deal with an erratic replacement (Edward Norton), his bitter daughter (Emma Stone), and Birdman himself. Thus the stage is set for Alejandro G. Inarritu’s brilliant, one-of-a-kind phantasmagoria, powered by unique special effects, exhilarating camera work, and a dynamite cast.
CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA
(France)
Director: Olivier Assayas
Acclaimed director Olivier Assayas’ newest film is a rewarding enigma. At the peak of her career, Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous 20 years ago. No longer in the alluring young role, she must confront her own insecurities resonating with her vulnerable, older character and the subsequent career shift. Her assistant (Kristen Stewart) represents a version of her younger self, while a scandal-ready Hollywood starlet (Chloe Grace Moretz) takes on Maria’s star-making role. Soon Maria finds herself face to face with ambiguously charming women who are her unsettling reflection.
ELEPHANT SONG
(Canada)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Charles Biname
After the strange disappearance of his colleague, Dr. Toby Green (Bruce Greenwood) is called to the hospital to get to the bottom of the story before word gets out. There, he finds Michael (Xavier Dolan), a troubled and deceptive patient, spinning a web of lies while Nurse Peterson (Catherine Keener), the only one who understands Michael, is repeatedly pushed away. Charles Biname’s ELEPHANT SONG, adapted by Nicolas Billon from his play, is a complex, visually striking thriller that blurs the line between doctor and patient. As the stakes get higher, the elaborate mind games get them further from the truth.
THE IMITATION GAME
(USA/UK)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Morten Tyldum
Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a monumental performance as British mathematician Alan Turing in Morten Tyldum’s stirring historical drama. Told via flashback, THE IMITATION GAME tracks the young, brilliant, and socially awkward Turing in the early days of World War II as he applies for a top-secret position tasked with decoding the “unbreakable” Nazi cipher machine called Enigma, used to encrypt all military radio transmissions. His work was famously labeled by Winston Churchill as “the greatest single contribution to victory,” but after the war he suffered great personal and professional turmoil as he dealt with his homosexuality in a time when it was illegal.
LAGGIES
(USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Lynn Shelton
Megan (Keira Knightley) is content to work as a sign flipper for her doting father’s accounting company. When her high school boyfriend proposes at her friend’s wedding, she panics. Pretending to go to a professional-development retreat, she befriends 16-year-old Annika (Chloe Grace Moretz) and hides out in her house with her attractive single dad (Sam Rockwell). Finally feeling liberated, Megan is taken by surprise as their lives suddenly and unexpectedly intertwine. With hilarious performances, Lynn Shelton’s LAGGIES is a nuanced and heartwarming addition to the director’s impressive body of work. Actress Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Misty in the film, will attend the Festival.
THE LAST 5 YEARS
(USA)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Richard LaGravenese
Jason Robert Brown’s THE LAST FIVE YEARS is among the most beloved modern musicals, and writer-director Richard LaGravenese’s invigorating and poignant film is among the most successful stage-to-screen adaptations in years. Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick (PITCH PERFECT, UP IN THE AIR) and Jeremy Jordan (SMASH) star as a young couple whose rollercoaster five-year relationship has come to an end. Yet the film traces their romance from two diverging perspectives: following Jamie (Jordan) forward from their first meeting to their break-up, and following Cathy (Kendrick) backward from the final heartache to the first stirrings of love.
LEARNING TO DRIVE
(USA)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Isabel Coixet
When her husband of 20 years walks out on her, Wendy Shields (Patricia Clarkson) watches her comfortable life crumble overnight. Struggling to reclaim her independence in New York City, she hits a unique roadblock: She never learned to drive. Her life is forever changed when she meets Darwan (Ben Kingsley), a driving instructor and part-time cab driver on the brink of an arranged marriage. In each other’s company, Wendy and Darwan find the courage to ask for directions, the strength to move forward, and a friendship for the ride. The film was the runner-up for the People’s Choice Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
MADAME BOVARY
(UK/Belgium)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Sophie Barthes
The beautiful wife of a small-town doctor engages in extramarital affairs in an attempt to advance her social status, and cure her persistent malaise, in co-writer and director Sophie Barthes’ (COLD SOULS) adaptation of Gustave Flaubert’s seminal 19th century novel. Still widely read (and controversial) to this day, MADAME BOVARY receives a gorgeous, spellbinding, and astute rendering in Barthes’ hands, fleshed out by pristine production values and a great cast, including Mia Wasikowska in the title role and Ezra Miller, Paul Giamatti, and Rhys Ifan in supporting performances.
NIGHTCRAWLER
(USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Dan Gilroy
NIGHTCRAWLER is a pulse-pounding thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the world of L.A. crime journalism. Joining a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, murders, and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the dangerous realm of nightcrawling — where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.
SONG ONE
(USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Kate Barker-Froyland
Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway plays Franny, a Ph.D. student living halfway around the world when she receives tragic news: Her brother Henry (whom she stopped talking to after he dropped out of college to pursue music) is in a coma. Returning to New York City, Franny reenters his life through his songs and his love for singer-songwriter James Forester (Johnny Flynn). After meeting James backstage at his concert, Franny is surprised when James shows up at the hospital the next day. What follows is an exploration of two wandering souls, filled with incredible songs by Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice.
TIME OUT OF MIND
(USA)
Director: Oren Moverman
George Hammond wakes up one morning in a random ramshackle apartment and is thrown out by the building manager. He has a weeks-old beard and unexplained scratches on his face. He has nowhere to go in particular. He wanders. He is stuck with two minute-to-minute challenges: eating and finding a place to sleep. He is homeless in New York City. Filmmaker Oren Moverman (THE MESSENGER) and star Richard Gere, in a moving performance, wring many heartbreaking truths from this initial premise in TIME OUT OF MIND, a blistering and deeply affecting slice of modern-day neo-realism.
TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
(Belgium/France)
Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Directors (and brothers) Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are responsible for some of the greatest films of the last 15 years, infused with their trademark formal intensity and commitment to unearthing moral quandaries from social strictures. TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT is their latest masterpiece, anchored by Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard’s lived-in performance. Sandra is laid off from her factory job. Her co-workers vote to take their bonuses rather than bring her back to work. But she convinces her boss to hold another vote in two days time. Can she persuade her colleagues to give her a second chance?
WORLD CINEMA NARRATIVE
5 TO 7
(USA)
Director: Victor Levin
Aspiring writer Brian Bloom (Anton Yelchin) is at a professional low point when he bumps into a beautiful French woman, Arielle (Berenice Marlohe). She agrees to see him, but only between 5 and 7 p.m. When he finds out “5 to 7” is a French turn-of-phrase meaning she’s actually married, his common sense tells him to stay away, but his heart pulls them closer as the two begin a dreamy love affair. With Glenn Close and Frank Langella in supporting roles as Brian’s parents, this film is as much a declaration of love to New York City as it is an unusual fairy tale.
ALLELUIA
(France/Belgium)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Fabrice Du Welz
Gloria (Lola Duenas) is hesitant to give online dating a shot, but caves to her friend’s insistence and finds herself pleasantly surprised to meet Michel (Laurent Lucas). Seduced by his mysterious charm and good looks, Gloria falls fast for a man she hardly knows. Based on a true story, and inspired by the cult classic THE HONEYMOON KILLERS, Fabrice du Welz’s ALLELUIA unravels into a passionate and violent affair led by Duenas’ groundbreaking performance as a woman willing to do anything to keep her man — even kill. Balancing deep emotions with explosive rage, Welz’s starcrossed lovers are simultaneously devoted and destructive.
AMIRA & SAM
(USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Sean Mullin
A delightfully modern take on the romantic comedy, AMIRA & SAM is a charming confluence of traditional Hollywood-style romance with the reality of life in an age of terrorism. It tells the tale of Sam, an Iraqi war veteran struggling to assimilate into life in an indifferent New York City. Enter into this hectic world the spirited refugee Amira; Sam’s life will never be the same. Starring Martin Starr (FREAKS & GEEKS, SILICON VALLEY), Paul Wesley, and Dina Shihabi, AMIRA & SAM marks the feature film debut of writer-director Sean Mullin.
COMING HOME
(China)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Zhang Yimou
After years of imprisonment during the Cultural Revolution, Lu returns home to his loving wife Feng to find that she is suffering from amnesia and no longer recognizes him. The harsh reality of lost time and the trauma endured has left Feng longing for the past, while Lu desperately and patiently remains by her side hoping for a future together. Reuniting with his longtime leading lady, the exceptional and captivating Gong Li, master filmmaker Zhang Yimou’s COMING HOME is a timeless tale of a couple’s heartbreak and devotion paralleled by the country’s own attempts to reconcile with its past.
DANCING ARABS
(Israel/Germany/France)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Eran Riklis
Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by screenwriter Sayed Kashua, DANCING ARABS is Eran Riklas’ charming coming-of-age story of Eyud, an Arab-Israeli who leaves his small town of Tira to attend a prestigious boarding school in Tel Aviv. The whip-smart son of a fruit picker (and former communist protester) faces obstacles: the language, his studies, and his Jewish girlfriend. He then meets Yonatan, a classmate with multiple sclerosis, and — amid a soundtrack of ’80s punk music — the two become as close as brothers. As Yonatan’s health declines, Eyud drops out of school and must decide what is next for him.
DIPLOMACY
(Germany/France)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Volker Schlondorff
Toward the end of World War II, General Dietrick von Choltitz, the governor of Nazi-occupied Paris, receives an order to destroy the city if the Nazis lose it to Allied forces. With explosives strapped to bridges and landmarks, the general is prepared to carry out this atrocity when Swedish Consul General Raoul Nordling appears in his office and pleads with him to abandon the plan. Adapted from the stage and directed by legendary German filmmaker Volker Schlondorff (THE TIN DRUM), DIPLOMACY is deeply connected with its moment in history, yet resounds with timeliness in its study of ideologies and the necessary search for common ground.
ESCOBAR: PARADISE LOST
(France/Spain/Belgium)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Andrea Di Stefano
Andrea Di Stefano’s gripping directorial debut unfolds during the final years of Pablo Escobar’s drug reign, told from an unusual perspective. Canadian brothers Nick and Dylan (Josh Hutcherson, Brady Corbet) travel to Colombia for a surfing retreat, where Nick meets Maria (Claudia Traisac), campaigning for her politician uncle. That uncle turns out to be Escobar (Benicio Del Toro). Nick plunges into Escobar’s daily life, and all the violence, mayhem, corruption, surprises, and fierce loyalty that come with it. Based on true events, the film crackles with moral and physical tension.
FANTASIA
(China)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Wang Chao
In this quiet melodrama from acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Wang Chao, a family’s trials and tribulations begin to overwhelm them after the patriarch’s sudden illness renders him ill equipped to work. With its specific setting — in southwest China, in a city named Chongqing — and its muted colors and style, FANTASIA is a brilliant portrait of an ever-changing environment and its effects on a family unit. Coupled with Wang Chao’s seamless storytelling, FANTASIA stands apart as a rarefied achievement yet universal as heartfelt drama.
FORCE MAJEURE “TURIST”
(Sweden)
New York Premiere
Director: Ruben Ostlund
Tomas, Ebba, and their two kids are on an idyllic family vacation at a ski resort in the French Alps when a controlled avalanche cascades towards them with no signs of slowing down. In a panic, Tomas makes a run for it, leaving his entire family behind. A favorite at Cannes, Ruben Ostlund’s engrossing drama is a masterful and intellectual reflection on the primal instincts that shake the core of the family structure. Unfolding with an assured vision and dark humor, every moment reinforces and comments on the tension between social responsibility and self-preservation.
GABRIEL
(USA)
Director: Lou Howe
Longing for stability in the throes of mental illness, Gabriel (Rory Culkin) will stop at nothing until he proposes to his high school girlfriend — never mind the fact that they haven’t seen each other in years. Abrasive and irrational, Gabriel nonetheless evokes empathy as he winds his way through New York City and Long Island on his quest, in large thanks to Rory Culkin’s commanding performance. A sure-footed portrait of a young man on the edge, Lou Howe’s debut feature examines our fixation with the nuclear household, and whether or not it’s all it’s cracked up to be.
KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER
(USA)
Director: David Zellner
By day, meek Japanese office worker Kumiko (Rinko Kikuchi, BABEL) lives an extremely structured life. In her own time, she obsessively watches a dubbed VHS of the Coen Brothers film FARGO, which she believes to be a true story. Meticulously examining the film and creating detailed maps, she finds the location of Steve Buscemi’s buried briefcase and sets off on an absurdist odyssey to Minnesota to alter her destiny. Inspired by an urban legend, filmmaker brothers David and Nathan Zellner create a beautiful, oddly touching character study anchored by a remarkable performance from Kikuchi.
LIKE SUNDAY, LIKE RAIN
(USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Frank Whaley
When Eleanor (Leighton Meester) loses her waitress job and dumps her cheating boyfriend (Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong), she unexpectedly lands a live-in nanny gig with an unusual charge: 12-year-old musical prodigy Reggie, whose mother (Debra Messing) is extremely wealthy and not much of a mother. As Eleanor and Reggie (newcomer Julian Shatkin, wise beyond his years) test each other’s boundaries, secrets emerge, and gradually they forge a tender and unlikely friendship. Actor Frank Whaley (PULP FICTION) moves behind the camera for LIKE SUNDAY, LIKE RAIN, which illuminates the wondrous serendipity of life in New York City.
LOW DOWN
(USA)
Director: Jeff Preiss
Based on the memoir by Amy-Jo Albany, LOW DOWN is a compassionate look at the complex relationship between Amy-Jo (Elle Fanning) and her father, Joe (John Hawkes), a man torn between his musical ambition, his devotion to his teenage daughter, and his suffocating heroin addiction. Set against a sensuously textured 1970s Hollywood, the film beautifully evokes a colorful, seedy world of struggling musicians, artists, and vagabonds, in which Joe and Amy-Jo strive to live the lives they want against seemingly insurmountable odds.
MINUSCULE – VALLEY OF THE LOST ANTS
(France/Belgium)
East Coast Premiere
Directors: Thomas Szabo, Helene Giraud
In a peaceful little clearing, the remains of a hastily abandoned picnic sparks warfare between two tribes of ants. At stake: a box of sugar. A bold young ladybug finds himself caught in the middle of the battle between the kindly black ants and the terrible red ants. Each insect is playfully animated with “bug” eyes and spunky character, while the beautiful pastoral backgrounds are not virtual, but filmed all natural in the south of France. The infinitely charming miniature epic plays out at ground level through blades of grass, behind rocks and over creeks, and is the must-see battle for the (all) ages!
MR. TURNER
(UK)
Director: Mike Leigh
The 19th century British painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall) was both revered and loathed in his time; an irascible man with a grunt who turned his canvases into awe-inspiring representations of light and shadow. In Turner, master filmmaker Mike Leigh (SECRETS & LIES, VERA DRAKE) creates a rich, tender, and illuminating portrait of an artist with a supreme vision, one that could capture reality with peerless precision yet clouded his social graces. As evoked by Spall’s Cannes award-winning performance and through Dick Pope’s brilliant cinematography, MR. TURNER becomes a unique and essential biopic.
RED AMNESIA
(China)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Wang Xiaoshuai
Master filmmaker Wang Xiaoshuai (BEIJING BICYCLE) thrusts us deep into contemporary China with a powerful generational portrait of one family’s struggle to reconcile their past, present, and ever-changing future. Deng, a retired widow, attempts to connect with her two grown sons despite their lack of interest and dismissal of her more traditional family dynamics. Life slowly erodes around her until mysterious, anonymous phone calls stir up the family’s history and foreshadow a breaking point for all involved. Simultaneously subtle and edgy, RED AMNESIA is a scintillating thriller deftly exploring the personal and political.
RUNOFF
(USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Kimberly Levin
The beauty of the land cannot mask the brutality of a farm town. As harvest draws near, a determined matriarch Betty (Joanne Kelly, TV’s HOSTAGES) confronts a few harsh realities: a failing business, her husband’s deteriorating health, and a family home on the brink of foreclosure. When presented with an illegal but well-compensated job offer (already turned down by her husband), Betty meets the challenge head-on. First-time writer-director Kimberly Levin follows Betty’s perseverance with astonishing narrative economy and bristling tension, anchored by Kelly’s indomitable central turn.
TU DORS NICOLE
(Canada)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Stephane Lafleur
Set against the dog days of summer, TU DORS NICOLE follows the post-grad drifting of its titular character whose boredom is interrupted by her punk-rocker brother’s sudden return home. Set in a small Quebecois town, this small-scale charmer breezes along with its excellent performances, led by up-and-comer Julianne Cote, and wondrous black-and-white cinematography. Indebted to the French New Wave style, director Stephane Lafleur imbues the film with a pitch-perfect sense of dry comedy that renders TU DORS NICOLE a potent mixture of melancholy and possibility.
WHIPLASH
(USA)
Director: Damien Chazelle
A true sensation out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, WHIPLASH penetrates the explosive dynamic between a committed young jazz percussionist (Miles Teller) and his ruthless music instructor (J.K. Simmons) at a cutthroat Manhattan music conservatory. Where his first feature, GUY AND MADELINE ON A PARK BENCH, evoked the loose, cool styles of street jazz, Damien Chazelle’s follow-up bursts with rhythm and blood, sonic nuance and fiery passion. Featuring two of the year’s best performances in Teller and Simmons.
WILDLIKE
(USA)
World Premiere
Director: Frank Hall Green
A beautiful trek into the stunning Alaskan wilderness, WILDLIKE follows 15-year-old Mackenzie on her first visit to the last frontier. When her stay with “Uncle” takes a traumatic turn, Mackenzie must embark on a dangerous journey through the wilds alone. On her way she encounters another lone traveler (Bruce Greenwood, THIRTEEN DAYS) and together they offer one another something that cannot be found on any map: a chance at salvation. Starring Ella Purnell (MALEFICENT), Ann Dowd (TRUE DETECTIVE) and Brian Geraghty (THE HURT LOCKER), WILDLIKE is a thrilling and taut emotional journey.
YOUNG ONES
(USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Jake Paltrow
In the near future, water becomes a scarce resource where once-prosperous land withers into dust. The survivors carve out the best existence they can. Tempers burn, houses fall, industry pushes forward and the old must make way for the young. Jake Paltrow’s sophomore effort charges old Greek tragedy tropes with a distinctive neo-Western style that reinvigorates the genre and grounds itself with a set of remarkable performances. YOUNG ONES effectively transforms the futuristic American West back into that brutal, classic frontier where anything was possible, and everything was dangerous.
ZERO MOTIVATION
(Israel)
Director: Talya Lavie
It would be difficult for any filmmaker to tell the story of an Israeli-army-coming-of-age tale as a workplace comedy, but that’s what Talya Lavie so brilliantly pulls off with her debut feature. Taking place on an off-the-grid army base — where playing the game Minesweeper and paper shredding are as about as close to combat as one can get — the story follows two young soldiers, Daffi and Zohar, and their mundane experiences in the military. With its wonderful blend of dark humor and emotional poignancy, its unique perspective on army life, and its ability to smartly comment on larger issues, ZERO MOTIVATION is a refreshing, exciting debut.
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY
ALL AMERICAN HIGH REVISITED
(USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Keva Rosenfeld
Insightful and charming, at times poignant, ALL AMERICAN HIGH REVISITED takes you back in time to the excess and naivete of America in the 1980s. The film follows Finnish exchange student Rikki Rauhala throughout her senior year at a suburban California school. A revealing slice of Americana, the film is a John Hughes movie come to life. A critical success during its initial release, REVISITED returns 30 years later to add a final chapter and finally answer the question, whatever became of those archetypes: the jock, the punk, and the prep?
BACK ON BOARD: GREG LOUGANIS
(USA)
New York Premiere
Director: Cheryl Furjanic
A refreshingly candid documentary film, BACK ON BOARD follows four-time Olympic champion Greg Louganis over the past three years as he struggles with financial security and reunites with the sport he once dominated. With unprecedented access, the film reveals the complicated life of an athlete whose grace, beauty, and courage sparked a worldwide fascination with diving. It chronicles Louganis’ rise from a difficult upbringing to nearly universal acclaim as the greatest diver ever, and from pioneering openly gay athlete with HIV to overlooked sports icon.
BANKSY DOES NEW YORK
(USA)
World Premiere
Director: Chris Moukarbel
Millions have followed his work, yet very few know the real identity of controversial street artist Banksy. Last October, the elusive graffiti artist, painter, and filmmaker completed a month-long residency in New York using the city as his canvas, kicking up dust all over the streets and the Internet. His controversial and often political multimedia work inspired New York artists, activists, and even a few property owners. This new documentary by Chris Moukarbel follows Banksy’s mark on the city primarily through footage shot by his most devoted followers who were there to catch the art before it was destroyed.
A DANGEROUS GAME
(UK)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Anthony Baxter
In this follow-up to YOU’VE BEEN TRUMPED (HIFF 2011), filmmaker Anthony Baxter is still hot on Donald Trump’s tail as the billionaire sets out to build yet another luxury golf course along the idyllic Scottish seaside. As locals unite to halt construction, their counterparts in Croatia are engaged in a similar battle of public will as they face down developers (and politicians) of their own. A dogged, entertaining storyteller, Baxter weaves together compelling interviews and highlights these David-and-Goliath stories for a purpose: imploring us to take a stand against turning our natural resources into global vacation spots for the ultra-rich.
THE DARKSIDE
(Australia)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Warwick Thornton
The glowing screen will be your campfire, your neighbor’s hand your blanket, and your imagination a ticket to the dark side. Curl up in your seat and absorb a collection of haunting, poignant, sad, funny, absurd, and true ghost stories from across Australia. Director Warwick Thornton’s album of matter-of-fact firsthand accounts of life after death will deepen your understanding of the other side while bringing you closer to those people and moments you just can’t leave behind. The remarkable aspect of THE DARKSIDE — similar to death itself — is the power and significance it gains as the end approaches.
DIOR AND I
(France)
Director: Frederic Tcheng
DIOR AND I takes us behind the scenes of one of the most renowned fashion houses as designer Raf Simons takes over the reins. Simons, best known for his minimalist men’s fashion, works hard to unite his background with that of the illustrious brand. He has only six weeks, as opposed to the usual few months, to prepare for the biggest haute couture event of the year, Paris Fashion Week. As a counterpoint to the glitz and glamour, director Frederic Tcheng (producer of VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR) takes the camera into the workshops, showing us the hard work that goes on behind the scenes as the skilled artisans bring Simons’ vision to life.
GARDEN LOVERS
(Finland)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Virpi Suutari
Unflinchingly candid and beautifully romantic, GARDEN LOVERS is an examination of life’s poetry. Following a diverse group of Finnish couples whose passions are rooted in the tender care of their gardens, this documentary frames the delicate mundanity of everyday life with breathtaking stillness and beauty. Lush and verdant, this work by Virpi Suutari is a healing consideration of nature’s grand design; an ultimate homage to the profound and bittersweet splendor of love in all its panoply of form.
THE GREAT MUSEUM
(Austria)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Johannes Holzhausen
Guiding this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, director Johannes Holzhausen takes us behind the scenes with an all-access pass to Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum and its magnificent operations. During last year’s preparations for the reopening of the famed Kunstkammer collection, Holzhausen followed curators, conservators, and administrators, observing how they skillfully keep the museum functioning. Omitting a dramatic score and interviews, Holzhausen opts for a fly-on-the-wall approach, allowing the audience not only to learn about this incredible institution, but also to experience history in the making from within.
HAPPY VALLEY
(USA)
Director: Amir Bar-Lev
HAPPY VALLEY centers on the people of State College, Pennsylvania and its conflicted reactions to the Penn State football scandal in the months following Jerry Sandusky’s arrest for child molestation. With interviews with those directly involved and die-hard fans alike, documentarian Amir Bar-Lev (THE TILLMAN STORY, MY KID COULD PAINT THAT) captures the college town as it struggles to define itself in the wake of Sandusky’s crimes and the negligence allegations leveled against coach Joe Paterno, his staff, the college’s administration, and (according to some in the media) the town itself.
IRIS
(USA)
Director: Albert Maysles
The great documentarian Albert Maysles’ latest film is about fashion- and interior-design maven Iris Apfel, now 93 years old, as she celebrates the late wave of popularity she enjoyed on the heels the Met’s 2006 exhibition of her collection of often affordably priced fashion accessories. Maysles (GREY GARDENS), who pops up from time to time as a cheerful on-camera presence, follows Iris as she makes selections for the touring exhibition, advises young women on their fashion choices, and bargains with store owners, usually in the company of her husband of 66 years, Carl, now 100.
THE LAST IMPRESARIO
(Australia)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Gracie Otto
Michael White helped influence the cultural scene of the 1970s with everything from theater, film, dance, fashion, and beauty — but you’ve probably never heard of him. In this personal documentary, Gracie Otto celebrates the living legend that produced over 200 shows and movies, nurtured countless careers, and brought productions such OH! CALCUTTA!, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, and MONTY PYTHON’S THE HOLY GRAIL to the world. With interviews from over 50 of his closest (celebrity) friends, THE LAST IMPRESARIO is a worthy tribute to a man who had it all, lost everything, and is still the life of the party.
MEET THE PATELS
(USA)
New York Premiere
Director: Geeta V. Patel
After a just-can’t-commit breakup, Indian-American comedian Ravi Patel throws in the towel and agrees to let his endearing parents create a “biodata” for him, officially putting him on the semi-arranged marriage market. Camera in hand (aided by light whimsical animation), his sister Geeta documents the whole endeavor, in hilariously candid fashion, turning Ravi’s international search for a love connection into a uniquely family affair. The two generations of Patels are warm, open, and pragmatic, and their particular brand of optimism makes them ideal tour guides through the cultural conundrums of modern dating in our ever-changing society.
MY ITALIAN SECRET: THE FORGOTTEN HEROES
(USA)
World Premiere
Director: Oren Jacoby
Would you risk your life to save a stranger? And then never talk about it? MY ITALIAN SECRET tells the story of sports idol Gino Bartali and other courageous Italians who saved Jews and refugees fleeing the Nazis in World War II. Bartali, the Tour de France cycling champion, made hundreds of trips transporting fake documents in the frame of his bicycle for a secret underground group organized by the Cardinal and the Rabbi of Florence. The living characters return to Italy to reveal the story and thank those who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for a stranger’s life.
NIGHT WILL FALL
(UK)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Andre Singer
As Allied forces liberated Nazi concentration camps in the spring of 1945, combat cameramen documented the atrocities they found in order to prove the veracity of the unthinkable horrors being reported around the world. That summer, British producer Sidney Bernstein enlisted Alfred Hitchcock to craft the footage into an ambitious documentary entitled, “German Concentration Camps Factual Survey,” but the project lost political backing by autumn. Seventy years later, Britain’s Imperial War Museums restored and completed the film. Director Andre Singer traces that film’s history, weaving together unsparingly graphic archival footage and interviews with survivors and liberators.
RED ARMY
(USA/Russia)
Director: Gabe Polsky
In an exhilarating story played out on Olympic ice, RED ARMY chronicles the rise and fall of the Red Army Hockey Team; the Soviet Union’s most powerful sports dynasty. Making his directorial debut, Gabe Polsky revisits the history of the Cold War using an incredible collection of archival material from both sides of the Iron Curtain. Featuring revealing commentary from the players themselves, including one of Russia’s greatest players Slava Fetisov, RED ARMY skillfully balances the personal and political drama behind one hockey’s greatest stories, revealing the thin line between national hero and political enemy
THE SALT OF THE EARTH
(France)
East Coast Premiere
Directors: Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Widely recognized as one of photography’s great artists, Sebastião Salgado has captured humanity through major events, conflicts, starvation, and exodus for over 40 years. With an empathetic eye, his black-and-white photographs give his subjects dignity and respect. Now, joined by his son Julian and filmmaker Wim Wenders, Salgado embarks on an epic journey to capture the planet’s natural beauty. As an intimate look at the man behind the photographs, THE SALT OF THE EARTH is gorgeous and thought-provoking visual odyssey unlike any other.
STRAY DOG
(USA)
Director: Debra Granik
Returning to the Ozarks, Debra Granik (Academy Award nominee WINTER’S BONE) turns her lens on Ron “Stray Dog” Hall, a burly, aging veteran who manages an RV park and rides his motorcycle cross-country. Shot over three years, STRAY DOG is a humanist portrait of an extraordinary man forever changed by two tours of war. Through his relationships with his fellow vets and his loving wife Alicia, Ron finds the courage to confront his past (from which he still has nightmares) and the will to keep going. Granik breaks down the stereotypes of a community united through remembering and adapting to a changing America.
TWO RAGING GRANNIES
(Norway)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Havard Bustnes
If the title TWO RAGING GRANNIES implies a couple of grandmothers gunning down bad guys or cursing up a storm against life’s grievances, the truth is, in fact, something more profound and revelatory. Shirley (90) and Hinda (84), on their mobility scooters, set out on a journey across the USA to dispel our government’s economic myths by challenging everyone including professors, advisors, and politicians. No one is safe from these two grannies’ rage as they press forward, determined to answer that burning question in everyone’s mind: How do we get out of this economic mess?
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON
(USA)
SummerDocs Audience Award Winner
Director: Alan Hicks
In his debut, director Alan Hicks spent four years following the charming and sometimes poignant mentorship between jazz-legend Clark Terry and blind piano prodigy Justin Kaulflin, during a pivotal moment in each of their lives. At 89 years old, ‘CT’ has played alongside Duke Ellington and Count Basie; his pupils include Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. But his most unlikely friendship is with Justin, a 23-year-old with uncanny talent but debilitating nerves. Beautifully nostalgic and inspirational, with a reverence for the importance of finding your own sound, KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON celebrates an iconic musician while introducing one of equal vibrancy.
WELCOME TO SOLDIER RIDE
(USA)
New York Premiere
Directors: Matthew Hindra, Nicholas Kraus
In the summer of 2004, Chris Carney completed a solo bicycle ride across America in support of wounded soldiers. His accomplishment caught the attention of Heath Calhoun, a double leg amputee and Ryan Kelly, a single leg amputee both injured serving in Iraq. Heath and Ryan began planning their own coast-to-coast bike ride and convinced Chris to help. In May 2005 the three riders left California for New York. On this unforgettable journey Chris, Ryan and Heath met veterans and nonveterans who joined the ride. No longer a journey of personal accomplishment, Soldier Ride begins connecting veterans to the communities that they have sacrificed so much for. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to The Wounded Warrior Project.
SHORT FILMS: COMEDY OF ERRORS
LEONARD IN SLOW MOTION
(USA)?New York Premiere
Director: Peter Livolsi
Leonard lives his life in slow motion. His 120 frames per second existence makes finding love difficult, so he’s willing to go to any lengths to overcome his languidness.
SYMPHONY NO. 42
(Hungary)
Director: Reka Bucsi
Forty-five observations on the irrational connections between humans and nature.
SOURDOUGH
(Italy)
North American Premiere
Director: Fulvio Risuleo
A classic love triangle. But what happens if one part isn’t human? If it’s made of water, flour, and honey?
YES WE LOVE
(Norway)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Hallvar Witzo
Four generations, each in crisis, set in four different parts of Norway on Norwegian Constitution day. It’s a party, until it isn’t.
THE CLEAN UP
(USA)
New York Premiere
Director: Jesse Allen
Two office cleaners seek to hide the dirty truth behind a businessman’s death while finding an avenue to air their grievances with society at large.
THE KARMAN LINE
(UK)
Director: Oscar Sharp
A mother contracts an unusual illness and begins to rise gradually into the air.
SHORT FILMS: PLEASE TRY, TRY, TRY AGAIN
PERSON TO PERSON
(USA)
Director: Dustin Defa
Waking up the morning after his party, a man discovers a stranger passed out on his floor. He spends the rest of the day trying to convince her to leave.
THE PHONE CALL
(UK)
Director: Mat Kirkby
Heather works in a helpline call center. When she receives a phone call from a mystery man, she has no idea that the encounter will change her life forever.
MIKE
(UK)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Petros Silvestros
Mike, a sulky teenager has to do a boring job: take his little brother Jack to the hairdresser. Waiting for him in the car, Mike starts to get worried when Jack takes too long to return so he decides to go and look for him.
EVERYTHING & EVERYTHING & EVERYTHING
(USA)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Alberto Roldan
Morgan’s life is forever transformed when a mystical door knob-producing pyramid appears in his apartment.
ARTUN
(Iceland/Denmark)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Guomundur Arnar Guomundsson
A young boy wants to have his first kiss but has no luck in the small village he lives in. His best friends fill his head with tales of how wild girls are in the city, so he decides to go with them to find out for himself.
FOR THE RECORD
(USA)
World Premiere
Director: Lev Pakman
In a vapid industrial suburb, a teenage boy is faced with a heavy decision when three older neighborhood boys attack his friend.
SHORT FILMS: DISCOVERY! SHORTS FOR ALL AGES
FEAST
(USA)
North American Premiere
Director: Patrick Osborne
FEAST is the story of one man’s love life as seen through the eyes of his best friend, Winston, the dog.
SILENT
(USA)
Directors: Brandon Oldenburg, Limbert Fabian
Two street performers discover a magical contraption inside an old theater and embark on an adventure traveling through film history to find the audience they always wanted.
RABBIT AND DEER
(Hungary)
Director: Peter Vacz
The 2D friendship of Rabbit and Deer is put to the test by Deer’s new obsession to find the formula for the 3rd dimension.
MIGRATION
(Canada)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Fluorescent Hill
A vintage nature film explores the migratory pattern of a herd of wild creatures.
THE DIVE
(France)
New York Premiere
Director: Delphine Le Courtois
Thirteen and on the edge of adulthood, a boy on a diving board faces his fears.
MIA
(Belgium/The Netherlands)
Director: Wouter Bongaerts
Mia gets separated from her mother as she is dragged through the crowded city at rush hour. During her adventures she finds what makes the city tick and reminds her mother of what is important.
LAVA
(USA)
US Premiere
Director: James Ford Murphy
Inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, LAVA is a musical love story that takes place over millions of years.
GNARLY IN PINK – FEATURING THE PINK HELMET POSSE
(USA)
Directors: Ben Mullinkosson, Kristelle Laroche
Bella, Rella, and Sierra are the three skateboarding members of The Pink Helmet Posse. Despite being six years old, wearing nail polish and pink helmets, there’s no limit to what they can do.
SHORT FILMS: CULTURE SHOCK
BALCONY
(Kosovo)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Lendita Zeqiraj
A 10-year-old boy is sitting on the edge of a balcony. Neighbors and passers-by, terrified by this situation, call the police and firefighters for help. But the situation quickly becomes unmanageable.
TWAAGA
(France)
New York Premiere
Director: Cedric Ido
Burkina Faso in 1985 is a country in the throes of revolution. Manu loves comics, but when his older brother decides to perform a magic ritual, he realizes there are real powers to rival those of superheroes.
SEAGULLS
(Scotland)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Martin Smith
When Ryan visits a new town he struggles to fit in. He attempts to bond with a group of local boys. Things seem to be going well until they go for a trek in the highlands.
ORBIT EVER AFTER
(UK)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Jamie Stone
Living in orbit, indefinitely, with only your close family for company isn’t easy. This science fiction romance features two star-crossed lovers fighting to overcome their mundane existence.
YOUNG LIONS OF GYPSY
(Italy)
Director: Jonas Carpignano
Pio, a Romani boy living in southern Italy, learns street smarts from his older brother.
SHORT FILMS: NEW YORK WOMEN IN FILM AND TELEVISION: WOMEN CALLING THE SHOTS
SURE THING
(USA)
New York Premiere
Director: Deborah Reinisch
Bill takes the only available seat in a cafe at Betty’s table. Or does he? They’re perfect for each other! Or are they? Shall we start over? Sure thing.
BY ANY MEANS A-VEILABLE
(France/Denmark)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Charlotte Schioler
Babette wants to find the perfectly sized apartment in Paris, and prove to her family that she’s capable. So how did she find herself in a cafe wearing a niqab, trying to figure out how to drink through the veil?
MY KINGDOM
(USA)
New York Premiere
Director: Debra Solomon
My kingdom has no castle, no rolling hills and no moat. It’s my personal space … the 24 inches around me, which I must defend to the death. Especially on the subway.
YOU’RE DEAD TO ME
(USA)
Director: Wu Tsang
A grieving mother confronts an uninvited family member before her Día de los Muertos celebration. At the end of the night death presents her with a choice.
A LIFE WITH ASPERGER’S
(USA)
Director: Jaime Ekkens
An animated documentary that demonstrates Asperger’s is not simply “being a little awkward,” rather it is about adapting to one’s limitations in the face of anxiety and isolation.
THE LION’S MOUTH OPENS
(USA)
Director: Lucy Walker
A courageous young Scottish actress takes the boldest step imaginable to confront her fears and find out whether she’s inherited a fatal, incurable disease.
SHORT FILMS: STUDENT SHORT FILMS SHOWCASE
THE WAY HOME
(China)
New York Premiere
Director: Ting Song
A good son in rural China attempts to help his father who suffers from Alzheimer’s.
JOB INTERVIEW
(Germany)
Director: Julia Walter
Lisa’s excitement over a potential new job quickly dissipates when her interviewer begins asking a series of increasingly bizarre questions.
MY NAME IS NINA
(Mexico)
World Premiere
Director: Aline Beckmann Legorreta
MY NAME IS NINA explores the similarities between childhood and old age as Nina meets her grandfather during a serious illness. They quickly become friends and face death with fantasy and innocence.
DIRTY LAUNDRY
(USA)
New York Premiere
Director: Aaron Martinez
Afraid and alone, a young boy must navigate the turmoil of a broken home in order to defeat the terrifying creature that lurks in his basement.
PIGS
(USA/Malaysia)
Director: Laura Mohai
Iseng lives with his mother on a pig farm. Feeling neglected, as his mother is grieving the death of her other child, Iseng starts caring for a sick piglet.
SHORT FILMS: SHORTS PLAYING BEFORE FEATURES
PICTURE PARTICLES
(Germany)
Director: Thorsten Fleisch
Super 8 found footage. Repetition (in space and in time [and in moderation]) is administered as a binder to tame the wild particles in motion, evoking a golden ratio of the mind’s eye.
AISSA
(France)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Clement Thehin-Lalanne
Aissa is an illegal immigrant in Paris from Congo. Authorities believe she is over 18. To establish her age a doctor gives her a physical examination.
WEENIE
(USA)
World Premiere
Director: Dan Roe
Weenie is 16. Weenie wants to go to a party. Weenie has just been grounded. Weenie’s mom just doesn’t understand. What will Weenie do?
THE HIGH FIVE
(USA)
Director: Michael Jacobs
Where did the high five come from? Baseball. Homosexuality. Racism. The infamous gesture’s history may very well be more memorable than the slap itself.
SANDORKRAUT
(USA)
World Premiere
Directors: Emily Lobsenz, Ann Husaini
A portrait of the acclaimed author and fermentation fetishist Sandor Katz whose renegade revival of ancient culinary rituals has transformed his relationship with life and death.
BUTTER LAMP
(China/France)
Director: Hu Wei
A photographer weaves unique links among nomadic families creating a rich tapestry of the past, present and future.
DESTROYER
(Canada)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Kevan Funk
Tyson, a junior hockey player, struggles after witnessing his fellow teammates commit an act of violence. Torn between his guilt and the fraternity of the team, the burden of silence soon becomes overwhelming.
YEARBOOK
(USA)
Director: Bernardo Britto
A man is hired to compile the definitive history of human existence before the planet blows up.
STRAIGHT MEN, SAME BED
(USA)
World Premiere
Director: Paul Schneider
A fun and insightful conversation between two actors/artists juxtaposed with the awkwardness and intimacy of spending a night together. Starring Paul Schneider and Sam Rockwell.
