November Advisory Meeting Candidates

Already booked in December:
Girl Cut in Two – Dec. 17-24
Happy-Go-Lucky – Dec. 26-Jan 1

Ashes of Time Redux – action - Wong Kar Wai
http://www.sonyclassics.com/ashesoftimeredux/trailer.html
Wong Kar Wai works his magic in this long planned "reworking" of his legendary, romantic and one and only martial arts film, previously unreleased in North America. Set in ancient China, Ouran Feng (Leslie Cheung) is a fallen swordsman who is afraid of love after having his heart broken. But the bounty hunters that work for him, like "Blind Swordsman" (Tony Leung Chio Wai) and Hung Chi (Jacky Cheung), discover the intangible secret of true love while Ouyang retains his attitude towards his fighters and the precious lessons that they have taught.

Blindness – drama – Fernando Meirelles
http://www.blindness-themovie.com/
The Constant Gardener director Fernando Meirelles joins forces with Canadian writer/director/actor Don McKellar to bring Portuguese Nobel Prize winner José Saramago's 1995 novel to the big screen in this large-scale philosophical thriller. An epidemic of blindness pushes society to the breaking point after sweeping through a modern metropolis and crossing borders into the outside world. A Brazilian/Canadian co-production shot in São Paulo and Toronto, Blindness features a script by producer and co-star McKellar, who optioned the novel alongside Rhombus Media's Niv Fichman.

Bottle Shock – comedy - Randall Miller
http://www.bottleshockthemovie.com/
Brought together by a curious twist of fate on a dusty California road, a wandering vintner and a struggling winemaker find both their lives, and their careers, forever transformed at a blind Paris wine tasting that introduced the world to the extraordinary wines of Napa Valley. The year is 1976, and Napa Valley has yet to gain the reputation as one of world's best-known wine regions. Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) has sacrificed everything in life to realize his dream of creating the perfect Chateau Montelena. Yet despite the fact that Jim's Napa Valley vineyard has great potential, his son, Bo (Chris Pine), doesn't seem to have much interest in the family business. Most days, Jim and Bo can be found trading blows in their backyard boxing ring -- their attempts to knock a bit of sense into one another usually amounting to naught. Meanwhile, in Paris, British expatriate Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) finds necessity dictating that he educate Parisians on the latest wines to come out of California. Steven owns the Académie du Vin, and is eager to travel to the United States in order to ensure that he has conducted his research properly. Little did Steven and Jim realize that they were both on course for a chance meeting that would revolutionize the wine industry while opening up a whole new world of possibilities for wine lovers everywhere.

Boy in the Striped Pajamas – drama - Mark Herman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3I7fdJkutI
Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis, and Asa Butterfield star in Little Voice writer/director Mark Herman's adaptation of John Boyne's novel concerning the forbidden friendship that between an eight year old German boy and a Jewish concentration camp prisoner in World War II-era Germany. The innocent son of a high-ranking Nazi commandant, Bruno has been largely shielded from the harsh realities of the war. When Bruno discovers that his father has been promoted and that their family will be moving from Berlin into the countryside, he doesn't take the news well. Increasingly bored in his sprawling yet dreary country abode and forbidden by his mother from exploring the back yard, young Bruno searches for something to do while his older sister plays with dolls and vies for the attention of handsome Lieutenant Kotler (Rupert Friend). One day, bored and gazing out his bedroom window, Bruno spies what first appears to be a nearby farm; his parents refuse to discuss it, and all of the inhabitants there are curiously clad in striped pajamas. But while Bruno's mother naively believes the "farm" to be an internment camp, her husband has sworn under oath never to reveal that it is in fact an extermination camp specifically designed to help the Nazis achieve their horrific "Final Solution." Eventually defying his mother's rules and venturing out beyond the back yard, Bruno arrives at a barbed wire fence to find a young boy just his age emptying rubble from a wheel barrel. Like Pavel, the kitchen worker who cooks all of Bruno's meals, the young boy is wearing striped pajamas. His name is Shmuel, and before long the two young boys have become fast friends. But the closer these two boys become, the more Bruno becomes awakened to the horrors unfolding all around them. His mother is catching on quickly as well, a fact that causes great tension in her marriage to Bruno's father. Later, after Bruno swipes a piece of cake for Shmuel, Lt. Kotler accuses the Jewish boy of stealing and delivers a swift punishment. When Bruno's father announces that the young boy and his mother will be going to live with their aunt in Heidelberg, Bruno grabs a shovel and makes way for the camp, setting into motion a tragic and devastating sequence of events.

Brideshead Revisited – drama - Jullian Jarold
http://bridesheadrevisited-themovie.com/
Matthew Goode, alongside Michael Gambon and Oscar winner Emma Thompson, stars as Capt. Charles Ryder, an officer stationed at England's Brideshead Castle during World War II, in this big-screen adaptation of the classic novel by Evelyn Waugh. The suspenseful drama builds as Captain Ryder becomes infatuated with the castle's owners, the aristocratic Marchmain family -- particularly their grown son, Sebastian Flyte, and his elegant sister, Julia.

Bustin' Down the Door – documentary - Jeremy Gosch
http://www.bustindownthedoor.com/flash.html
During the winter of 1975 in Hawaii, surfing was shaken to its core. A group of young surfers from Australia and South Africa sacrificed everything and put it all on the line to create a sport, a culture, and an industry that is today worth billions of dollars and has captured the imagination of the world. With a radical new approach and a brash colonial attitude, these surfers crashed headlong into a culture that was not ready for revolution. Surfing was never to be the same again. Narrated by Edward Norton.

Choose Connor – drama - Luke Eberl
http://www.strandreleasing.com/films/trailer.asp?BusinessUnitID={7533CDA9-E7C5-4586-AAA5-14ABF2E3F6B2}&ProjectID={C82B9408-E8C4-49E8-B4B3-C166C970621A}
A politically-savvy fifteen-year-old learns the true nature of politics after accepting the position as youth campaign spokesman for a determined congressman in the feature directorial debut of twenty-year-old actor-turned-director Lucas Elliot. When Congressman Lawrence Connor (Steven Weber) speaks before an assembly of high school students during his run for the Senate, the enthusiastic and well-informed response that he gets from fifteen-year-old student Owen (Alex D. Linz) results in an invitation to join the campaign as Connor's youth spokesman. Subsequently exploited in a tireless campaign that includes television commercials, posters, radio advertisements, and speaking engagements, Owen growing distaste for the cut-throat world of politics prompts him to reconsider his career or risk losing his innocence.

Christmas Tale, A – drama - Arnaud Desplechin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgpcUPyAhno
Abel and Junon had two children, Joseph and Elizabeth. Victim of a rare genetic condition, Joseph's only hope was a bone marrow transplant. As they and Elizabeth were incompatible, his parents conceived a third child in the hope of saving their son. But little Henri too was unable to help his brother, and Joseph died at the age of seven. The Vuillard family has never recovered. Many years have passed, and family relationships are more strained than ever. In particular, those between Elizabeth, authoritarian head of the family and Henri, a cynical drop out who divides his time between women and drink. After a violent argument, Elizabeth banishes her feckless brother, cutting him off from his nephew, her son Paul - a tortured adolescent beset by serious mental problems. Masterfully directed and acted, by turns savage, bittersweet, darkly comic and unbearably moving, A CHRISTMAS TALE shows internationally acclaimed Desplechin at the height of his powers.

Dark Streets - drama/thriller - Rachel Samuels
http://www.darkstreetsmovie.com/
A naïve playboy investigating the suspicious death of his wealthy father finds his charmed life as owner of the hottest nightclub in town suddenly spiraling into disaster in this shadowy film noir fever dream from director Rachel Samuels. Gabriel Mann, Bijou Phillips, Izabella Miko, and Elias Koteas headline a film featuring music by Aaron Neville, Etta James, Dr. John, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, and more.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father – documentary - Kurt Kuenne
http://www.dearzachary.com/trailer/index.php
Shortly after his best friend, Dr. Andrew Bagby, was slain by jealous ex-girlfriend Dr. Shirley Turner, filmmaker Kurt Kuenne was shocked to learn that Turner was pregnant with Bagby's unborn child. Hoping to create a film that would serve as both a memorial to Bagby and an introduction to the father the boy would never know, Kuenne quickly began production on a film celebrating the life of his late friend. Traveling across the entire continental United States, Kuenne made it his personal mission to interview everyone who had ever known his best friend so their memories would be captured on camera before they faded. Meanwhile, upon learning that Turner had fled to Newfoundland, Bagby's devastated parents uprooted their entire lives and relocated to the easternmost providence of Canada in order to fight for the future of their newborn grandson, Zachary. During the production, however, the Canadian government freed Turner on bail as she awaited extradition to the United States. Unfortunately, during that crucial time, the situation took a turn for the worse -- a turn that could have been prevented had the Canadian justice system heeded all the warning signs.

Doubt – drama - John Patrick Shanley
http://www.doubt-themovie.com/
When the principal (Meryl Streep) of a Bronx Catholic High School accuses a popular priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of pedophilia, a young nun caught in between the feuding pair become hopelessly swept up in the ensuing controversy. John Patrick Shanley adapts his own play for the screen under the guidance of producer Scott Rudin (The Queen, Notes on a Scandal).

The Duchess – drama - Saul Dibb
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=pOKjNhXqAJc
Director Saul Dibb takes the helm for this period drama adapted from Amanda Foreman's best-selling novel Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, documenting the romantic entanglements of a beautiful celebrity (Keira Knightley) whose unhappy marriage to the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) threatens to erupt into scandal when she falls for an enterprising young politician.

Everybody Wants to be Italian – comedy - Jason Todd Ipson
http://www.roadsideattractions.com/Catalog/Trailer.asp?BusinessUnitID={3134273E-EA18-4451-AC2B-40C0CC73ED2D}&ProjectID={15DC8B3A-6F0E-4C76-9D0A-9D3B4C0607A4}
A lovelorn urbanite who has spent nearly a decade trying to win back his ex-girlfriend gets involved in a romantic case of mistaken ethnicity in director Jason Todd Ipson's warmhearted relationship comedy. It's been eight years since Jake's girlfriend left him, and despite the fact that she's now married with three children, he refuses to move on. Fed up with their depressive pal's unwillingness to let go of the past, Jake's friends set him up on a blind date with a beautiful Italian woman from Boston's North End. Though Jake is convinced that such a woman would never even consider dating a non-Italian, a quick crash course in how to fake it may prove just the trick to helping him learn to love once again.

Fear(s) of the Dark - animation/mystery - Blutch/Marie Caillou
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=70oVIphkXcw
IFC Films Presents A Film by : BLUTCH, CHARLES BURNS, MARIE CAILLOU, PIERRE DI SCIULLO, LORENZO MATTOTTI, RICHARD MCGUIRE, ROMAIN SLOCOMBE, JERRY KRAMSKY, MICHEL PIRUS, ETIENNE ROBIAL. Fear(s) of the Dark is a unique collection of fearful tales by the world's most cutting-edge, acclaimed graphic artists. Their intertwined stories make up an unprecedented epic where phobias, disgust and nightmares come to life and reveal Fear at its most naked and intense.

Frontrunners – documentary - Carolina Suh
http://www.frontrunnersthefilm.com/
As the teenage politicians at one of the most prestigious publics schools in the United States begin campaigning for the position of student body president, filmmaker Caroline Suh draws parallels between high-school politics and their real-world counterpart. It seems that the only difference between these burgeoning politicians and the folks vying for a position in the White House is that after a long day of tireless campaigning and endless photo ops, these youngsters have to do their homework, prepare for their SATs, and send out college applications. As the election begins to unfold, it quickly becomes apparent that these teenagers possess a keen understanding of how everything from platforms and strategy to charisma and hairstyle factor into a successful campaign.

House of Sleeping Beauties – drama - Vadim Glowna
http://www.houseofthesleepingbeauties.com/trailer/quicktime7/trailer_sub.html
Director Vadim Glowna explores such complicated issues as loneliness, guilt, remembrance, mourning, sex, death, and dying in this adaptation of Yasunari Kawabata's novel concerning a most unusual bordello catering to a most unlikely clientele. Edmond is a lonely man in his late sixties. On the advice of his older friend Kogi, Edmond visits a bordello that allows elderly men the rare opportunity to lie down beside beautiful, youthful women. The girls are narcotized before each session, ensuring that they never awaken to actually meet the clients. Presiding over this mysterious establishment is the 60-year-old Madame, a woman who assumes the caring role of mother to both the girls and the men who come to be with them. Each time Edmond lies down next to one of the girls, memories of his previous life come flooding back. Edmond wants nothing more than to disappear silently into death while basking in the glorious perfection of youth. One night, by chance, Edmond observes Madame and her helpers disposing of a corpse. But while Edmond becomes morally conflicted about what he has seen, he cannot stop himself from returning to the bordello. When Edmond begins questioning Madame about the incident, the mystery only seems to deepen.

I.O.U.S.A. – documentary - Patrick Creadon
http://www.roadsideattractions.com/Catalog/Trailer.asp?BusinessUnitID={BDC8C46C-7B42-42EA-AE44-4E14387B8A7D}&ProjectID={09D5EE3C-B50F-4D99-A9EA-5A1C7875C4B1}
As the United States faces unprecedented financial crises, filmmaker Patrick Creadon explores just how America got to be in the economic mess that it finds itself in, eventually detailing just what the nation would have to do in order to prevent a bad situation from turning into an all-out financial disaster from which no citizen could escape.

I've Loved You So Long – drama - Philipe Claudel
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=1vxB-g9PmXE&feature=related
Their relationship fractured when older sister Juliette is sentenced to 15 years in prison, two siblings wage an emotional battle to rebuild their relationship, overcome the secrets that keep them apart, and finally express the thoughts that have lain dormant for well over a decade. The moment Juliette was convicted, her parents declared that they wanted nothing to do with her. Now, after 15 years behind bars, Juliette is a free woman and in desperate need of a human connection. When Juliette's younger sister, Léa, is approached by a prison social worker and asked if she would be willing to provide her recently paroled sibling with a place to live, she doesn't hesitate to open her doors and share her home. But Léa is happily married with two adopted daughters, and her husband, Luc, is uneasy with the arrangement. Still, the house is large, the couple is used to having company, and the two young girls are thrilled to have a new aunt. As Juliette gets settled, Léa does her best to make her feel welcome. Likewise, Léa's colleague Michel and emigrant couple Samir and Kaïsha also offer to help Juliette readjust to life on the outside. Along the way, Juliette slowly begins to emerge from her shell and Léa realizes just how much she missed her sister. Perhaps if she can put aside her feelings of guilt long enough to truly understand her sister's plight, these two strangers can finally remember what it means to be family.

Late Bloomer – thriller - Go Shibata
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=feP-jSwM-40
Go Shibata's stylish and stark depiction of a disabled man's quest for normalcy -- and studied pursuit of revenge. In Japanese with English subtitles.

Mad Detective – action - Johnny To, Wai Ka-fai
http://ifcfilms.com/viewFilm.htm?filmId=636
A missing police gun is connected to a series of recent heists and murders. Its owner, WONG (LeeKwok Lun), vanished earlier while pursuing a suspect in the mountains. His partner, CHI-WAI (Lam Ka Tung), miraculously returned unharmed and the hot shot Regional Crime Unit Inspector, HO (Andy On), is in charge of the investigation. HO knows the only chance he has in cracking the case is to ask for help from his mentor/former boss BUN (Lau Ching Wan), a gifted criminal profiler now living in seclusion with his wife MAY (Kelly Lin). BUN puts himself in the victim's place, literally, and his unorthodox approach has put doubt in HO's mind who feels betrayed when BUN's investigation goes beyond his imagination. What begins as a quest for answers has now taken a schizophrenic turn where truth and lies, reality and delusions intertwine...

Milk – biopic - Gus Van Sant
http://www.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/milk/
Director Gus Van Sant brings the real-life tale of Harvey Milk, the slain gay activist and politician, to the big screen, care of Focus Features and actor Sean Penn, who plays the title role. Dustin Lance Black provides the script, with Groundswell Productions handling the financing duties. Josh Brolin co-stars as Dan White, a political opponent who shot and killed both Milk and San Francisco mayor George Moscone in 1978. Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, and James Franco round out the cast.

Momma's Man – drama - Azazel Jacobs
http://kino.com/mommasman/index.html
A grown man locked into an extended state of arrested adolescence returns to the nest while concocting a series of excuses as to why he cannot return to his wife and child in this existential comedy drama from filmmaker Azazel Jacobs. Mikey was preparing to board an airplane bound for California when he suddenly found himself fleeing from the airport and returning to the comfort of his parents' New York home. Even Mikey isn't sure exactly why he made the snap decision not to go home, all he knows is that he can't quite muster the courage to go back and assume the responsibilities of your typical family man. Of course, Mikey's doting mother is more than happy to enable her son's indecision -- and his father remains as emotionally distanced as ever -- but as time goes on, the grown-up man-child finds it increasingly difficult to make the choice between going back to reality, or drifting ever further into his second adolescence.

One Day You'll Understand – drama - Amos Gitai
http://kino.com/onedayyoullunderstand/index.html
A middle-aged man studying the "Mur de Noms" in modern-day France recalls the time twenty-years prior when he and his mother were viewing the trial of Klaus Barbie with rapt attention in this introspective drama from director Amos Gitai. The year was 1987, and Rivka lived with her son Victor in a disheveled apartment littered with antiques and memorabilia. The opening session in the trial against the so-called "butcher of Lyon" is being televised, and Rivka is struggling to keep her emotions under control as she prepares dinner. Meanwhile, Victor sits in his office attempting to assemble his family tree. But he too is watching the trials, and doesn't seem to hear a word spoken to him by his secretary. As mother and son sit down for dinner together, there mere mention of Barbie's trial is enough to cause Rivka to excuse herself from the table.

Order of Myths – documentary - Margaret Brown
http://www.theorderofmyths.com/index2.html
The first Mardi Gras in America was celebrated in Mobile, Alabama in 1703. in 2007, it is still racially segregated. Filmmaker Margaret Brown ("Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt"), herself a daughter of Mobile, escorts us into the parallel hearts of the city's two carnivals. With unprecedented access, she traces the exotic world of secret mystic societies and centuries-old tradition and pageantry; diamond-encrusted crowns, voluminous, hand-sewn gowns, surreal masks and enormous paper mache floats. Against this opulent backdrop, she uncovers a tangled web of historical violence and power dynamics, elusive forces that keep this hallowed tradition organized along enduring color lines.

Rachel Getting Married – drama - Jonathan Demme
http://www.sonyclassics.com/rachelgettingmarried/trailer.html
When Kym (Anne Hathaway) returns to the Buchman family home for the wedding of her sister Rachel (Rosemarie Dewitt), she brings a long history of personal crisis and family conflict along with her. The wedding party's abundant cast of friends and relations have gathered for an idyllic weekend of feasting, music and love, but Kym - with her black-comic one-liners and knack for bombshell drama - is a catalyst for long-simmering tensions in the family dynamic. Filled with the rich and eclectic characters that have always been a hallmark of Jonathan Demme's films, Rachel Getting Married paints a strikingly perceptive and sometimes hilariously family portrait. Director Demme, first-time writer Jenny Lumet, and the stellar acting ensemble leaven the drama of these difficult but compelling people with wry affection and generosity of spirit.

Save Me – drama - Robert Crary
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=C4l1qzffGQM
They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and in this look at one of the most polarizing religious and sexual debates in America, filmmaker Robert Cary attempts to reconcile homosexuality with Christianity. Mark (Chad Allen) is a young gay man who has fallen into a dangerous cycle of hard drugs and risky sex. Recognizing that his sibling may not have the strength to pull himself back from the edge, Mark's brother checks him into the Genesis House Christian retreat in New Mexico -- a place far removed from the temptations of the big city. Genesis House is run by a deeply spiritual, middle-aged couple named Gayle (Judith Light) and Ted (Stephen Lang). After losing a battle with sin back when she was young, Gayle has dedicated her entire life to rescuing young homosexuals from their own inner demons. In order to help Mark through the process, Gayle assigns Scott (Robert Gant) -- one of the program's advanced "fifth phasers" -- as the newcomer's mentor. When Gayle notices that Mark and Scott's relationship is intensifying, she sees the development as a threat and fights back in order to prevent her carefully controlled world from falling apart. The spectre of damnation looming constantly over their shoulders, Mark and Scott are finally forced to confront the truth about their own true natures.

A Secret – drama - Claude Miller
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=TbikfSMr_r4
Adapted from Philippe Grimbert's bestselling novel, A SECRET (UN SECRET) is a story of passion and guilt in troubled times, which unfolds as a young teenager uncovers the truth about his parents' past. He finds out that before the war, his father Maxime (Patrick Bruel of The Comedy of Power, O Jerusalem) was married to Hannah (Ludivine Sagnier of 8 Women, Swimming Pool, A Girl Cut in Two, Love Songs) when he fell madly in love with his mother Tania (Cecile de France of The Russian Dolls, Avenue Montaigne). As a young Jewish couple living in Nazi-occupied France, Maxime and Tania had to make difficult choices to survive the war and the Holocaust.

Stranded: I've Come from a Plane That Crashed in the Mountains – documentary - Gonzalo Arijón
http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/displaytrailer.php?directoryname=stranded&size=high&extension=mov
It is one of the most astonishing and inspiring survival tales of all time. On October 13, 1972, a young rugby team from Montevideo, Uruguay, boarded a plane for a match in Chile—and then vanished into thin air. Two days before Christmas, 16 of the 45 passengers miraculously resurfaced. They had managed to survive for 72 days after their plane crashed on a remote Andean glacier. Thirty-five years later, the survivors returned to the crash site—known as the Valley of Tears—to recount their harrowing story of defiant endurance and indestructible friendship. Previously documented in the 1973 worldwide bestseller Alive (and the 1993 Ethan Hawke movie of the same name), this shocking true story finally gets the cinematic treatment it deserves. Visually breathtaking and crafted with riveting detail by documentary filmmaker (and childhood friend of the survivors) Gonzalo Arijon with a masterful combination of on-location interviews, archival footage and reenactments, Stranded is by turns hauntingly powerful and spiritually moving.

Synecdoche, New York – comedy - Charlie Kaufman
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=xWVuzfOvlIw
A wild-eyed theater director (Philip Seymour Hoffman) attempts to build a life-sized replica of New York City in preparation for an ambitious play in the feature directorial debut of notoriously quirky screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams, and Emily Watson co-star in a tale of one man's quest to stage the ultimate love letter to the Big Apple.

Tell No One (Ne le dis à personne) - drama - Guillaume Canet
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi669647129/
Eight years ago, Margot Beck was murdered by a serial killer. Though the killer has confessed to eight of these murders, he has always denied to be responsible for Margot's death. However, the specific mutilations found on her body seem to remove all doubts over his guilt. Today, Alexandre Beck, her husband, is still deeply psychologically injured by the loss of Margot. He temporarily escapes his memories during the day by immersing himself completely in his work as a pediatrician. Outside of that, only the friendship he has formed with Hélène Perkins saves him from total isolation from the rest of the world. But when two new bodies are uncovered near where Margot's body was discovered, Margot's case is reopened. At the same time, Alexandre receives a strange e-mail with a link to a video-surveillance web-cam and a time at which to watch it...

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers – drama - Wayne Wang
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=GQrQ_vSJ2pQ
Wayne Wang's intimate drama A Thousand Years of Good Prayers stars Henry O as Mr. Shi, a Chinese man who, after the death of his wife, decides to travel to the United States in order to see his estranged daughter for the first time in over a decade. Their time together is awkward at first, seeing each other only at dinner when he cooks for her. Shi spends his days taking in the strange culture, improving his language skills, and making a friend in an Iranian woman. Eventually his persistent attempts to forge a connection with his daughter lead to some buried issues bursting forth between the pair.

Towelhead – drama - Alan Ball
http://wip.warnerbros.com/towelhead/
Six Feet Under creator and American Beauty screenwriter Alan Ball makes his feature directorial debut with this screen adaptation of author Alicia Erian's controversial novel Towelhead. Jasira (Summer Bishil) is a 13-year-old Arab-American who's contending with the pains of adolescence when her life takes a sudden and unexpected turn. Sent to live with her stern Lebanese father, Rifat (Peter Macdissi), by her self-absorbed mother (Maria Bello), Jasira finds herself struggling to adjust to life in the suburbs while contending with racism and hypocrisy at every turn. Rifat lives in a modest, suburban Dallas home next to racist reservist Mr. Vuoso (Aaron Eckhart) and meddling expectant mother Melina (Toni Collette). Adjusting to life in the suburbs isn't easy for young Jasira, though she tries her hardest to adapt to the unfamiliar environment by striking up casual conversations with her curious new neighbors. In the process, Jasira finds herself increasingly attracted to hormone-driven African-American teen Thomas (Eugene Jones). When Rifat finds out that his daughter's new boyfriend is black, he vehemently condemns the relationship. As America launches its initial invasion of Iraq, Jasira finds herself caught up in a potentially explosive situation that is only compounded by her raging hormones and the snooping of her pregnant, busybody neighbor.

Trouble the Water – documentary - Carl Deal and Tia Lessin
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq426VjZD1E
Relegated to the role of refugees in their own country the moment the levees broke, New Orleans residents Kimberly and Scott Roberts document their harrowing struggle against the forces of nature and the evils of man as they nobly attempt to rebuild their lives amidst one of the greatest natural disasters ever to befall the United States. Kimberly Rivers Roberts is a musician and filmmaker who was living in New Orleans with her husband, Scott, when the force of Hurricane Katrina transformed their once-happy hometown into a waterlogged wasteland. In the aftermath of the disaster, the nightly news was filled with images of looting and chaos. Now, as the masses finally receive the opportunity to witness events from an insider's perspective, it quickly becomes apparent that the rampaging waters were only the beginning of the problem, and that the ineptitude of the government and the media in dealing with the disaster did nearly as much damage to New Orleans as the forces of Mother Nature.

Waltz With Bashir - animation/drama - Ari Folman
http://www.sonyclassics.com/waltzwithbashir/
One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can’t remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images …

What Just Happened – comedy - barry levinson
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=krFKQvNVDno
Inspired by the personal memoirs of Hollywood producer Art Linson, Barry Levinson's fictional showbiz comedy stars Robert De Niro as a struggling movie producer who has just suffered through his second divorce, and slowly finds his soul being ground up in the machinations of the Hollywood machine. Ben (De Niro) is an aging producer whose career was already on a downward turn when his personal life went straight into the toilet. Not only is Ben juggling two ex-wives and a daughter who seems to have grown up overnight, but his colleagues seem to take pleasure in watching him suffer while he attempts to complete his latest film on an impossible schedule.