Feature
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Lovers is the story of a young French woman, Jeanne, and her Yugoslavian lover, Dragan. Jeanne meets Dragan, a painter, who is living illegally in France and who doesn't speak French very well, but does know English. Language, however, is not their only problem. The immigration authorities want to deport Dragan. A love story meant for a lifetime is suddenly threatened to be cut short and requires desperate measures. Lovers puts human faces on a social problem and also shows the conflict between individuals who have their own personal issues as all lovers have.
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Sure to push buttons this year is director Adam Ripp's all-digital film Gang Tapes, a brutally "in-your-face" film about growing up in South Central, as seen through the eyes of 13-year-old Kris Noland--played by newcomer Trivell, whose captivating performance stirs the pot of emotions. After stealing a video camera, Kris decides to give the world a glimpse of his life by filming his "rise" to moral corruption, as a gang takes him in with open arms. With a highly unique style, director Ripp doesn't look to simply depict a young boy's misguided path to violence.
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Eric is not a relationship kind of guy. But he has decided it is time to turn over a new leaf--he is going to break up with the stripper he met two weeks ago and seek out a serious long-term relationship. Eric meets Heather, and after discussing the differences of the sexes, such as spending loose change and saving shopping bags, Eric decides Heather is the woman of his dreams. She is smart, funny and beautiful. But Heather has just ended a four-year relationship and has no desire to enter into a new one.
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There's a little criminal inside us all. Meet an oddball cast of characters, led by Vallis and Nancy, two petty thieves whose main source of income is borrowed money and whose main occupation is armed robbery. Vallis lives the real rock 'n' roll lifestyle and makes his '76 Chrysler his home. His need for quick cash has him scheduling break-in after break-in to support his habits of driving Nancy around the city and stalking his high school crush.
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After working for three years in the United States, Filiberto, a young Mexican peasant, returns to his native village hoping to remake his life and gain the respect he thinks he is due. Things have changed in his absence. His mother has died, and Luis, his best friend, has married Filiberto's ex-girlfriend, Soledad. More of an immediate problem, however, is that the oppressive owner of the Hacienda wants to recruit Filiberto to help exploit the village's water supply.
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Simona has more tattoos on her body than Dennis Rodman. And she shows them off by dancing naked in the shop window of Tatawo, a combination disco/bar/tattoo parlor in Barcelona. Simona has come to Barcelona from India with her lover, Francis, who drew the tattoos on her body. They have arrived to help free Mariel--known simply as The Cuban--from jail. The Cuban's wife, Bug, has waited four long years for him, but upon release, he tells her that jail has changed him. All he wants now is to be alone.
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Sensually filmed in dark, mysterious tones, this taut thriller by first-time feature director Patricia Ferreira effortlessly captures the tension and intensity that lesser artists can fruitlessly try decades to secure. Rich performances by the two leads instantly draw us into the story of Mario, a charming and harmless mental patient with a rare disease called Korsakov's Syndrome, an illness which makes him suffer amnesia-like symptoms causing him to forget even the most recent of events.
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Lucho Bender's Felicidades is a truly enchanting experience filled with love, humor and one of the most complete human experiences you'll find this year. On December 24th, Buenos Aires hectically prepares for Christmas in the normal fashion. Unfortunately, the "Christmas spirit" has a new face in the forms of selfishness, distrust and violence. However, there are always those few shining souls--here in the examples of Sikora, Platana and Debiasi. All Sikora wants to do is get on his plane to Toronto. On the way to the airport, however, in the middle of nowhere, his driver runs out of gas.
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With the threat of a catastrophic tidal wave large enough to destroy their city, citizenry of an Oceanside town evacuate, causing a traffic jam that seems to last forever. Sebastian is trying to get out for reasons of his own that are no less mysterious than pressing. On his way, he meets a strange little girl who has become separated from her family. While the dynamic between the rather cynical Sebastian and the apocalypse-obsessed child seems facile at first, they develop a peculiar bond while driving through the mostly-deserted streets.
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Director John L'Ecuyer (Curtis's Charm) composes an intricate, tender portrait of intelligence and triumphant spirit in his latest film, Saint Jude, the tale of a teenager out on the mean streets of Montreal. Jude's raging father has kicked her out of the house, and now all she can rely on is her own smarts. Along her journey, an eclectic mix of eccentric characters, from whom Jude receives her energy, enters the scene--Clarence, her pedophile confidant who's afraid of his own reflection; Georgie, the hustler who can't seem to outgrow his tuxedo; and Jude's various doped-up friends.