Feature

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Oakland-based director Edward La Borde, Jr. and screenwriter Allen White put the trappings of modern love, lust, and romance to the test in their urban comedy, Me and Mrs. Jones. Starving artist Tracy (Brian White) gets more than he bargains for when he takes a job with San Francisco based online dating service, LoveNet. His boss, Mrs. Jones (Wandachristine), is a Draconian taskmaster who plays to win in both corporate finances and love.

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Eric Eason's debut feature portrays an unflinching portrait of a community in transition-one that is rich with passion yet crippled by a cycle of violence. Junior and Manny are brothers growing up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, one of the most vibrant Spanish speaking communities in the country. Yet, fifteen years before, this same neighborhood was known as the nation's crack capital, and Junior was one of its victims. Released from prison, Junior returns home, determined not only to get his life back on track but also to protect Manny from following in his footsteps.

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Director Jake Torem reminds us that there's no such thing as perfection in a sharp story centered on Lily (Jade Henham, who also co-wrote), an imperfect person who has imperfect relationships with other imperfect people. Foremost in her life are her "keeper," Gene, an aging (and married) businessman with a Marilyn Monroe fetish, and her grounded roommate, Andrea, who serves as the voice of reason whispering into Lily's ear. As such, Lily is content in her routine, if not happy.

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Would you risk taking over someone else's life and past, knowing that you would not be discovered? What if you found the opportunity to start completely over? Lola leads an unfulfilled life in a verbally abusive relationship with her husband, Mike. Things are soon to change, however, as by chance, Lola saves a stranger named Sandra from walking into the path of an oncoming car. Sandra is everything Lola aspires to be - stylish, confident, adventurous, and most especially, mysterious. Lola becomes enamored with Sandra, and, feeling indebted to Lola, Sandra takes Lola under her wing.

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Cinequest is proud to present the World Premiere of Rachel Raney and David Murray's Livermore. This offbeat film unearths one suburban town's long forgotten yet often hilarious history. Livermore's 25 year-old time capsule has inexplicably disappeared, and a handful of eccentric locals are the last hope in finding it. Part history, part mystery, but mostly comedy, Livermore introduces a memorable cast of characters, each with a distinct vision of the town -- from romanticized tributes to scathing send-ups of suburban life.

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Director Junichi Mori employs a thoughtful hand in this stunningly lyrical first feature about healing scars from the past, finding love, and receiving second chances. Teru works at a laundromat and has seen plenty of people try to wash away both the stains on their clothes and the stains on their past. Teru is a pure-hearted, twenty-year old who dons a knit cap to cover the scar from a childhood accident that left him in intellectual stagnancy. Trapped in perpetual childhood, he watches his grandmother's coin laundry shop, keeping up with a band of interesting and comedic regulars.

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Winner, Critic's Jury Prize IFP/West Film Festival. Co-filmmakers Josh Apter and Peter Olsen create a haunting beautifully crafted thriller about what happens when ordinary people are pushed to their limits. Mitchell and Ren are about to have a peaceful weekend alone in the CatskillsÉthat is until they pick up and befriend a mysterious hitchhiker, Lyle. Soon, Mitchell and Ren's plans for a quiet vacation are a distant memory-as things go from bad to worse and straight to hell-and their marriage is crumbling under Lyle's overshadowing presence.

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It's no wonder why INerTia walked away with the Best First Feature Award from the Toronto Film Festival. Filled with sly humor and keen observation on the toils of modern romance, Sean Garrity's debut feature is a captivating and assured comedy about restlessness, infidelity, desire, and regret. A four-sided love triangle forms as a group of 20-somethings open doors that are best left closed. Joseph cannot let go of Laura; Laura is interested in the very married Bruce; Bruce is after Joseph's cousin, Alex; and AlexÉwell, like all 19-years-olds, she has other plans.

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A weekend in the country isn't usually a nerve-wracking experience. Not so in Honolulu. It just so happens that in these restless lives, pandemonium is just a heartbeat away. Seven up-and-coming German directors, including Academy Award winner Florian Gallenberger (Quiero Ser, also in this year's shorts programs), present a light and breezy provincial patchwork. Rarely has the conflict between youth angst and comic abandon, the drab reality and willful dreaming been so briskly, so exuberantly balanced.