1999
Running time: N/A
"You talkin' to me?" Johnny DeMartino is a solid actor who's made a living being typecast as a "goombah." As his frustration reaches new levels, his life takes a drastic turn when he is secretly recruited for an audition to be the lead in Martin Scorsese's new film, as long as he keeps it just that - a secret. A dream come true for Johnny, but he didn't count on the fact that it is also the dream of all his best friends.
Running time: N/A
It's not a wonder that Wilbur Falls garnered the Best Drama and Best First Feature Award at the Las Vegas International Film Festival. It's also no wonder that the film has become the favorite at many festivals. Even more impressive than Danny Aiello's or Sally Kirkland's performance in Wilbur Falls is the fact that writer/director Juliane Glantz was just 21 when she completed the film. At the heart of this story is Renata, a shy and awkward young woman who becomes the victim of a cruel high school prank.
Running time: N/A
"Fast, funny, visually hip, but with a freshness." Variety, among other industry trades, has some strong words for writer/director Davide Ferrario's We All Fall Down. Walter wanders aimlessly through his life while others watch him go by. Our twenty-something "rebel without a cause, a job, or even a girlfriend" spends his life bouncing between his parents, his aunt, and the university. Walter doesn't know it, but he longs to lose his virginity. His only serious relationship is with the aunt who raised him.
Running time: N/A
An outstanding ensemble cast highlights this powerful and thought-provoking film as part of our tribute to Jennifer Beals. Suzanne (Beals) and her husband Rob (Tenney) are happily expecting their first baby. Rob, a dedicated geneticist, is working on the cutting edge of prenatal tests for various diseases. He believes in the good his work can bring, so he agrees to have his unborn baby tested for everything his work can determine. But now that science can discover virtually everything about their baby, the young couple and their families are faced with having to deal with what they learn.
Running time: N/A
"After I'd seen The Searchers a few times, it was completely fixed in my mind. The film was such a seminal and primal experience that I was absolutely convinced I had dreamed it, which was just right, because that's in keeping with the movie. It almost should be dreamed." - John Milius Have you ever passed up an opportunity to be involved with something great and kicked yourself for not doing it? If you miss this one, you may find yourself with a long-lasting bruise.
Running time: N/A
When one thinks of German cinema, "intimate comedies" do not immediately come to mind. That is what makes The Trio such a treasure. A band of petty thieves, Zobel and Karl (a long-time gay couple) and Lizzie (Zobel's daughter), work shopping malls and train stations picking pockets. But when Karl is injured and the cute, young Rudolf is recruited to join the team, the very existence of the group is in jeopardy.
Running time: N/A
Two very different people journey in search of family and connection, finding it in unexpected and surprising ways in this impressive and interesting feature film debut from 34 year-old director Parviz Shahbazi. The Traveller from the South is the engrossing and tender story of a chance relationship between a young boy and an old woman who meet near Tehran while both are travelling to visit relatives. Reza Moghadam gives a wonderful and sensitive performance as the young boy who demonstrates compassion and commitment as fate places him in unusual circumstances when the old woman falls ill.
Running time: N/A
War in the summer of 1947. The frontier between India and Pakistan has become the scene of rioting and bloodshed, but in sleepy Mano Majra, Sikhs and Muslims have always lived peaceably together. A murder, however, can change all that in an instant. Too bad for Juggut Singh, a Sikh, that he has a reputation as a gangster. Too bad also for the Muslim girl with whom he is having a clandestine affair when murderous suspicion falls upon Juggut, and the already mounting tension grows between Sikhs and Muslims.
Running time: N/A
Director Kurt Kuenne first appeared at Cinequest in 1996, with his award-winning short film, Remembrances. It is fitting that IMAGE and Cinequest should present his feature film debut, Scrapbook. Scrapbook is the story of Curt Martin, a high school sophomore struggling to find his place in the world. Curt has a close relationship with his older brother, Andy, a popular senior who tries to help him out with his school and social life. Most of Andy's help turns out to be futile, but on one occasion, it is disastrous. A war ensues between the brothers.
Running time: N/A
There have been many fine film documentaries about the World War II internment of Japanese Americans. This one is different in the sense that while it, too, documents the losses of the internees, it also clearly shows the residue of bitterness felt by their children today and, very interestingly, the inter-generational divisions of those in the camps. The split between the Issei (Japanese-born) and the Nisei (American-born) prisoners and the active resistance by small numbers of people has not been clearly shown in other documentaries.