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26th Boston Film Festival Program Schedule, September 17–23, 2010
Please note: All times are subject to change.
OPENING NIGHT, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2010
| 7:00PM “To Be Friends” — World Premiere
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| Starring: |
Joelle Carter, Todd Stashwick |
| Director: |
Jim Eckhart |
| Executive Producer: |
Aaron Eckhart |
| Synopsis: |
This story of how requited love orchestrates one last chance for two life long friends to explore the boundaries and connections of their relationship, finally finding love just as it is lost forever. |
| Runtime: |
1:32 |
| 9:30PM “Locked In” — World Premiere
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| Starring: |
Ben Barnes, Eliza Dushku, Sara Roemer, Johnny Whitworth |
| Director: |
Suri Krishnamma |
| Producer: |
Susie Brooks-Smith |
| Synopsis: |
The story moves through the lives of two fragile yet determined people and maps a private geography of love, loss and ultimate redemption. |
| Runtime: |
1:29 |
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2010
| 12:00PM Shorts Program 1
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| Title: |
Death, Taxes and Apple Juice |
| Director: |
Tamar Halpern |
| Synopsis: |
A little girl ponders the meaning of life as her friend helps her file taxes. |
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| Title: |
The Other Side of My Sleep |
| Director: |
Raffaello Degruttola |
| Synopsis: |
Grandma wants to die! She says she sees him on "The other side of my sleep." Do we fight to keep her here, or give her the piece of mind to go? The Italian culture runs deep—set in a North London Italian community. |
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| Title: |
Lights |
| Director: |
Giulio Ricciarelli |
| Synopsis: |
LIGHTS is a tragicomic story of a small-town police officer who dreams of being a hero. As his peaceful village offers no opportunity for heroism, he decides to take matters inhis own hands. He puts up a traffic light on a rarely-used bridge in the middle of nowhere — and the fight begins. |
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| Title: |
Happy Valentine |
| Director: |
Peter Ladkani |
| Synopsis: |
A romantic dinner on Valentine's Day. Sometimes things turn out different than expected. |
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| Title: |
The Last Session |
| Director: |
Rick Knief |
| Synopsis: |
A long-time therapy patient finally decides to leave his therapist. He's convinced he's better, that he's...happy. But is he? And who knows best? Patient or therapist? The Last Session shows us the weird side of the patient-therapist relationship. |
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| Title: |
Kurt Cannabis Meets Connie Cancer |
| Director: |
Steven Ritz-Barr |
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| Title: |
Pony Rides Are For Girls |
| Director: |
David Silverman |
| Synopsis: |
Sam, a man planning his seven year old son's birthday party, discovers an aggressive clown in his backyard who is determined to get hired for the event. Will Coppo the clown convince Sam to bail on the pony rides and instead take a chance on him? Or will Coppo's dark past and questionable sales tactics stand in the way? |
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| Title: |
Son of None |
| Director: |
Todd Looby |
| Synopsis: |
Joshua is a seven-year old Liberian orphaned by the civil war. He is constantly disheveled, falling behind and failing at school. As his birthday approaches and final exams loom, Joshua becomes preoccupied with finding the orphanage's missing goat and in the process reveals something great in the midst of his dire circumstances. |
| 2:00PM “The Labyrinth” — Short Documentary
(Shown with “World Peace...” at 3:00PM) |
| Director: |
Jason Schmidt |
| Executive Producer: |
Arthur Schmidt |
| Producer: |
Ron Schmidt, Jason Schmidt |
| Synopsis: |
Memory, art and hell collide as an Auschwitz survivor finally confronts the horrors of his past after 50 years of silence. Marian Kolodziej was on one of the first transports to enter Auschwitz. He survived five years imprisonment and never spoke of his experience until after a serious stroke in 1993. He began rehabilitation by doing pen and ink drawings depicting his horrific experience. Marian's drawings and art installations, which he called The Labyrinth, fill the large basement of a church near Auschwitz. Through the blending of his testimony and graphic drawings, we explore the memories and nightmares that were buried for years. |
| 3:00PM “World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements” — Documentary — East Coast Premiere
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| Director: |
Chris Farina |
| Producer: |
Chris Farina |
| Synopsis: |
The documentary World Peace and other 4th-Grade Achievements is a portrait of John Hunter, a public school teacher who has dedicated his life to teaching children how to work for a more peaceful world. The film depicts his students' participation in his innovative educational exercise entitled the World Peace Game. During this 8-week interactive experience nine and ten year old students are confronted with issues of war and peace, and poverty and prosperity with the goal of learning to work together in the pursuit of world peace. The film follows this timely transformative process through which children are first exposed to the complexities of the global world. |
| Runtime: |
00:57 |
| 4:45PM “The Two Escobars” — Documentary — Northeast Premiere
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| Director: |
Jeff and Michael Zimbalist |
| Synopsis: |
While rival drug cartels warred in the streets and the murder rate climbed to highest in the world, the Colombian national soccer team set out to blaze a new image for their country. What followed was a mysteriously rapid rise to glory, as the team catapulted out of decades of obscurity to become one of the best in the world. Central to this success were two men named Escobar: Andrés, the captain and poster child of the National Team, and Pablo, the infamous drug baron who pioneered the phenomenon known in the underworld as "Narco-soccer." But just as Colombia was expected to win the 1994 World Cup and transform its international image, the shocking murder of Andres Escobar dashed the hopes of a nation. |
| Runtime: |
1:15 |
| 7:00PM “Miss Nobody” — East Coast Premiere
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| Starring: |
Vivica Fox, Leslie Bibb, Adam Goldberg, Kathy Baker, Barry Bostwick |
| Director: |
Tim Cox |
| Producer: |
J. Todd Harris, Kathy Weiss, Allan Jones |
| Synopsis: |
A mild-mannered secretary discovers that she has a talent for murder as she ascends the corporate ladder. |
| Runtime: |
1:30 |
| 9:15PM “Conviction”
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| Starring: |
Juliette Lewis, Hillary Swank, Sam Rockwell |
| Director: |
Tony Goldwyn |
| Producer: |
Markus Barmettler, Anthony Callie, Alwyn Kushner, Tim Smith, Hilary Swank |
| Synopsis: |
Based in the true story of Betty Ann Waters, a working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted for murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders. |
| Runtime: |
1:46 |
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2010
| 12:00PM Shorts Program 2
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| Title: |
The Break Up |
| Director: |
Will Pellegrini |
| Synopsis: |
In a sparse apartment with a broken toilet, a lonely guy and his drug dealer meet. When one man reveals his infatuation for the other, the results are disastrous. |
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| Title: |
12 Floors Up |
| Director: |
Chris Modoono |
| Synopsis: |
12 Floors Up is a dark comedy that follows movie producer Spencer Hawkins as he tries to survive a pretentious Manhattan cocktail party. As he attempts to navigate his way through the evening unscathed, Spencer stumbles upon eccentric guests, annoying stories, and a murder. |
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| Title: |
Amexica |
| Director: |
Ron Krauss |
| Synopsis: |
AMEXICA is the story of a young boy from Mexico who is sold by a human trafficking ring to two con artists from Los Angeles with a get rich scheme. They portray him as their son, extorting money from innocent people by risking the boy's life in staged automobile accidents.
Trapped, alone with his captors, and unable to speak for himself, the boy decides to take his fate into his own hands, forever changing the lives of the people around him.
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| Title: |
Tia and Marco |
| Director: |
Annie J. Howell |
| Synopsis: |
The year is 2025. All American citizens in good health are now required to serve one year in a government job, including on the now treacherous U.S./Mexico border. Tia Moran is a pregnant border patrol agent finishing her last day of service, and when she discovers an illegal immigrant teen hiding in her home, is forced to question her loyalty to a system of exclusion. |
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| Title: |
Fluorescent Gray |
| Director: |
Leo Age |
| Synopsis: |
Something bad is happening in the house of marriage. They promised not to know. |
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| Title: |
Paperboy |
| Director: |
Mark LaFleur |
| Synopsis: |
The story of a paperboy and a girl on his paper rout, who are trying to meet face to face for the first time. |
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| Title: |
Altarcations |
| Director: |
Ron Leach |
| Synopsis: |
Linda and Larry's forthcoming wedding hits a snag when the local parish priest comes to their home to do some much-needed marriage counseling. As Larry's anxieties about Linda's draconian wedding plans escalate, the priest turns out to be much less of a moderator than an instigator. |
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| Title: |
Stages of Emily |
| Director: |
Jack C Newell |
| Synopsis: |
What would you do if you had Forty-Eight hours to live? Emily is forced to deal with that question while preparing for her wedding which—conveniently—is also two days away. |
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| Title: |
All The Way Up |
| Director: |
David Jason |
| Synopsis: |
Charlie is a high flying businessman living in his perfect world. Feeling trapped, he gives in to temptation and is about to commit an adulterous affair with a work colleague. Charlie enters the lift of the prestigious Queens Hotel where all is not what it seems. |
| Animation Program
(Shown with Shorts Program 2 at 12:00PM) |
| Title: |
Hog |
| Director: |
Davis Webster |
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| Title: |
Roots |
| Director: |
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| Synopsis: |
People always chase the foam of fantasy, but forget that what we have are the most precious fortunes. The most beautiful thing is not the fancy jewelry dressed on us, but the luster of our eyeball, the graceful lines of the body, and the beauty of the mind. However, all creations on the earth have the same nature, and it is worth it to us to respect and cherish them. |
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| Title: |
Mashed |
| Director: |
Adam Fisher |
| Synopsis: |
Doomed to sit at the dinner table until his plate is clean, little Trevor reaches to the depths of his imagination to overcome the dreaded potato monster and his evil minions. |
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| Title: |
Summer |
| Director: |
Marc Wiskemann |
| Synopsis: |
Summer's lease hath all too short a date. |
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| Title: |
The Lift |
| Director: |
Robert Kohr |
| Synopsis: |
Everyone has been guilty of small misdeeds at one point or another. The Lift explores the consequences of one all too common act of not holding the elevator door open for someone eager to get on or worse, pushing the close button. An elevator interaction goes wrong, prompting a young woman to learn about being insensitive and to never make the same mistake again. |
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| Title: |
There's Bliss in the Kiss |
| Director: |
Melanie Beisswenger |
| Synopsis: |
A princess on the lookout for Mr. Right is willing to give even the most unlikely candidate a try. |
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| Title: |
LIZARD |
| Director: |
John Skibinski |
| Synopsis: |
An Australian frilled neck lizard's simple attempts to get a meal escalate into a full blown dilemma and quest to stay alive. |
| 2:00PM “Lurking in the Trees” — Documentary
(Shown with “I Want So Much to Live” at 3:00PM) |
| Director: |
Martin Hamburger |
| Producer: |
Kelly Gibson |
| Synopsis: |
It started when a sinister-looking bug fell on someone's lap in a backyard on a summer afternoon. That chance discovery led to a terrible realization: insect-invaders from Asia were killing trees in New England, and the only way to stop the pests was to cut down and grind up nearly 30,000 trees. Worcester, MA could be any town in America-not too big, not too small-but it learned that, in today's world of nearly infinite international trade, an invasive pest can sneak in, become established, and wreak havoc, unless citizens are informed and vigilant. Donna Massie noticed that strange, black bug in her backyard, and her Internet search set off a chain of events that resulted in the cutting down of over 25,000 trees. |
| Runtime: |
00:27 |
| 3:00PM “I Want So Much to Live” — Documentary — East Coast Premiere
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| Director: |
Elizabeth Holder |
| Producer: |
Elizabeth Holder |
| Synopsis: |
This film explores the pioneering efforts of the ambitious yet largely unproven biotech company Genentech and the many devoted individuals whose independent and collective efforts resulted in the world's first "targeted therapy" for breast cancer. From the earliest scientific discoveries to unprecedented clinical trials testing the drug in women desperate for hope, this documentary film tell the emotional and compelling story of the researchers, physicians, patients and breast cancer advocates whose personal sacrifice and professional commitment advanced Herceptin from scientific curiosity to life-saving medicine. |
| Runtime: |
1:22 |
| 5:00PM “10 Mountains 10 Years” — Northeast Premiere
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| Starring: |
Narration by Anne Hathaway & Leeza Gibbons |
| Director: |
Jennifer Yee |
| Producer: |
Jennifer Yee |
| Synopsis: |
This film chronicles the epic of an international team of mountain climbers journeying to 10 of the greatest peaks in the world over a 10 year span, from Mont Blanc to Mt. Everest, to raise funding and awareness for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. The film gives an inside look at the parallel climbs happening in the medical community alongside the team's endurance at altitude. It is a story of hope and of regular people coming together to change the world and leave something better behind. |
| Runtime: |
1:18 |
| 7:00PM “It's Kind of a Funny Story” — Focus Features — U.S. Premiere
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| Starring: |
Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, Lauren Graham |
| Director: |
Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck |
| Producer: |
Patrick Baker, Ben Browning, Michael Maher, Kevin Misher, Peter Rawlinson, Jeremy Kipp Walker |
| Synopsis: |
"It's Kind of A Funny Story," adapted from Ned Vizzini's 2006 novel of the same name, is the new comedy-drama from acclaimed writer/directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Half Nelson, Sugar). It's 5:00 A.M. on a Sunday in Brooklyn. Craig Gilner (played by Keir Gilchrist of United States of Tara) is bicycling up to the entrance of a mental health clinic; this bright 16-year-old is stressed out from the demands of being a teenager. Before his parents (Lauren Graham of Parenthood] and Jim Gaffigan [of Away We Go]) and younger sister are even awake, Craig checks himself into Argenon Hospital and is admitted by a psychiatrist. But the youth ward is temporarily closed - so he finds himself stuck in the adult ward.
One of the patients, Bobby (Zach Galifianakis of The Hangover), soon becomes both Craig's mentor and protégé. Craig is also quickly drawn to another 16-year-old displaced to the adult ward, the sensitive Noelle (Emma Roberts of the upcoming Scream 4), who just might make him forget his longtime unrequited crush Nia (Zoë Kravitz of the upcoming Mad Max). With a minimum five days' stay imposed on him by the adult ward's staff psychiatrist Dr. Eden Minerva (Academy Award nominee Viola Davis), Craig is sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside as he learns more about life, love, and the pressures of growing up.
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| Runtime: |
1:31 |
| 9:00PM “Nice Guy Johnny” — Northeast Premiere
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| Starring: |
Ed Burns, Max Baker, Kerry Bishe, Matt Bush, Brian Delate |
| Director: |
Ed Burns |
| Producer: |
Aaron Lubin, Ed Burns, Mike Harrop |
| Synopsis: |
Johnny Rizzo, is about to trade his dream job in talk radio for some snooze-ville gig that'll pay enough to please his fiancé. Enter Uncle Terry, a rascally womanizer set on turning a weekend in the Hamptons into an eye-opening fling for his nephew. Nice guy Johnny's not interested, of course, but then he meets the lovely Brooke, who challenges Johnny to make the toughest decision of his life. |
| Runtime: |
1:30 |
| Special 35th Anniversary Screening “Jaws” — Location/Time TBA |
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2010
| 3:00PM “3rd Shift: Michael's Lament”
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| Starring: |
Marc Vos, Ally Tully, Gianna Simone, Franz Strassmann, Shelly Whittle, Anny Rosario, Eric Eastman, Liz Eng, Torie Nugent, Michael Reed, Nicole Trychon, Cory Rasmussen, Saba Barghout, Kachina Dechert, Darin Demagistris, Steve Rosen, Robert 'DESI' Desiderio |
| Director: |
Christopher Grace |
| Synopsis: |
3rd Shift: Michael's Lament is a film about a young man named Michael who battles his inner nature and instincts and tries to live a somewhat normal life in a dark and turbulent world. The story revolves around his view on his world and the relationships with the people he works with. He is a loner and a mystery to anyone that knows him. This story takes place over 3 nights of Michael's dark and mysterious life. |
| Runtime: |
1:25 |
| 4:45PM “Please Remove Your Shoes” — World Premiere — New England Filmmakers
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| Starring: |
Brian Sullivan, Steve Elson, Bogdan Dzakovic, Franklin Puello, P. Jeffrey Black, Jeffrey Denning |
| Director: |
Rob Del Gaudio |
| Producer: |
Fred Gevalt |
| Synopsis: |
This film is a documentary about the US Government's broken promise to keep our airlines secure, and the personal stories of a few people who know the truth — congressmen, air marshals, aviation security employees. It will make you angry and flying in an airplane may never be the same again. |
| Runtime: |
1:34 |
| 7:00PM “Cherry” — East Coast Premiere
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| Starring: |
Kyle Gallner, Brittany Robertson, Laura Allen, Esai Morales, Matt Walsh |
| Director: |
Jeffrey Fine |
| Producer: |
Sam Kitt, Paul Kurton, Matthew Fine |
| Synopsis: |
Cherry is a film about Aaron, an academically advanced but socially sheltered freshman; Linda, the older woman he meets; and Beth, her underage daughter. Aaron gets an education he never expected and his mom never imagined she'd be paying for! |
| Runtime: |
1:39 |
| 9:15PM “The Last Harbor” — World Premiere — Shot in Rockport
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| Starring: |
Wade Williams, Stephanie Lemelin, Samaire Armstrong, Tracey Needham |
| Director: |
Paul Epstein |
| Producer: |
Karl Richards |
| Synopsis: |
In sleepy Salem Harbor, seasoned former Boston PD Cop Ian Martin must overcome his old drinking habits to solve a crime which brings him closer to home than he would like; whilst rebuilding a fractured and nearly lost relationship with his estranged daughter. |
| Runtime: |
1:35 |
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2010
| 4:00PM “Absent” — East Coast Premiere
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| Starring: |
James Hetfield, Johnny Tapia, John Eldredge |
| Director: |
Justin Hunt |
| Producer: |
Justin Hunt |
| Synopsis: |
From the award-winning director of AMERICAN METH comes Justin Hunt's newest documentary that will undoubtedly lift the veil of how and why a father's absence can be so devastating to not only a child; but a family, community, and, eventually, society itself. Because one man makes a world of difference. |
| Runtime: |
1:31 |
| 6:45PM “Welcome to the Rileys” — East Coast Premiere
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| Starring: |
Kristen Stewart, James Gandolfini, Melissa Leo |
| Director: |
Jake Scott |
| Producer: |
Giovanni Agnelli, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott |
| Synopsis: |
WELCOME TO THE RILEYS is a powerful drama about finding hope in the most unusual of places. Once a happily married and loving couple, Doug and Lois Riley (James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo) have grown apart since losing their teenage daughter eight years prior. Leaving his agoraphobic wife behind to go on a business trip to New Orleans, Doug meets a 17-year-old runaway (Kristen Stewart) and the two form a platonic bond. For Lois and Doug, what initially appears to be the final straw that will derail their relationship, turns out to be the inspiration they need to renew their marriage. |
| Runtime: |
1:50 |
| 9:30PM “Down for Life” — East Coast Premiere
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| Starring: |
Jessica Romero, Danny Glover, Kate del Castillo, Laz Alonso, Emily Rios, Snoop Dog, Elizabeth Pena, Whitney Gamble |
| Director: |
Alan Jacobs |
| Producer: |
Scott William Alvarez, Frank Aragon |
| Synopsis: |
Based on a New York Times article, DOWN FOR LIFE depicts a single, fateful day in the life of a 15-year-old Latina gang leader. Leaving the gang, she discovers, is more difficult than joining. The film was shot on location in South-Central Los Angeles and stars local youths in the lead roles. |
| Runtime: |
1:36 |
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2010
| 4:00PM “Norman Mailer: The American” — Documentary — World Premiere
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| Director: |
Joseph Mantegna |
| Producer: |
Joseph Mantegna |
| Synopsis: |
A provocateur, a rebel, a performer, and a true American, Norman Mailer never stopped giving people something to talk about. This documentary goes beyond the Mailer of the book shelves to Mailer the social critic, family man, filmmaker, and lover. Growing up in Brooklyn NY, Norman Mailer began his long career as a writer at Harvard University. From there he went on to serve in the US Army in World War II, which became the basis for his break out novel, The Naked and the Dead. He wrote over 60 books and covered event major event in U.S history including the Apollo 11 launch, the death of John F Kennedy and his assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, the Rumble in the Jungle fight in Zaire, and many more. He didn't only write about these events, he lived them experiencing them from the frontlines. He was married six times and stabbed his second wife. A serious police force, Mailer not only wrote about politicians but ran for office as well. He sparred verbally (attacking Gore Vidal during one of his many performances on Dick Cavett's Show) and physically (attacking Rip Torn after being bludgeoned over the head in his film, Maidstone). He had 9 children. With never before seen footage of Adele Morales, Mailer's startling revelations years after being stabbed by her husband. Featuring footage and interviews from wives and lovers, enemies and admirers, his children and the man himself, this is Norman Mailer as you've never seen him before. |
| Runtime: |
1:48 |
| 6:30PM “Black, White and Blues” — East Coast Premiere
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| Starring: |
Michael Clarke Duncan, Luke Perry, Tom Skerritt, Taryn Manning, Morgan Simpson |
| Director: |
Mario Van Peebles |
| Producer: |
Jeff Balis, Charlie Poe, Morgan Simpson, Rhoades Rader |
| Original Music: |
Tree Adams |
| Synopsis: |
A Tennessee-set drama focused on a individual's spiritual redemption. |
| Runtime: |
1:35 |
| 8:45PM “The 5th Quarter” — Northeast Premiere
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| Starring: |
Aidan Quinn, Andie MacDowell, Ryan Merriman |
| Director: |
Rick Bieber |
| Producer: |
Rick Bieber |
| Synopsis: |
Driven by the tragic car crash that took the life of his fifteen year old brother Luke Abbate, and wearing Luke's number 5 jersey, Jon Abbate helps to lead the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the most successful season in school history. |
| Runtime: |
1:40 |
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010
| 5:00PM “Arcadia Lost” — East Coast Premiere
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| Starring: |
Haley Bennett, Carter Jenkins, Nick Nolte, Lachlan Buchanan |
| Director: |
Phedon Papamichael |
| Producer: |
Kelly Thomas |
| Synopsis: |
Stranded after a car accident in the rural countryside of Greece, step-siblings Charlotte and Sye slowly realize they are actually struggling between life and death in the still-submerging car. During their surreal journey, they meet Benerji the vagabond-philosopher who guides them and helps them imagine what it means to be family, to be an adult, and to be alive. |
| Runtime: |
1:30 |
| 7:15PM “Iron Cross”
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| Starring: |
Roy Scheider |
| Director: |
Joshua Newton |
| Producer: |
Kevin Farr |
| Synopsis: |
A thriller starring the late Roy Scheider as Joseph, a retired New York police officer and Holocaust survivor, who travels to Nuremberg following the death of his wife to reconcile with his son Ronnie (Scott Cohen). The reunion is quickly overshadowed by Joseph's insistence that living in the apartment above, under a false name, is the now aging SS Commander (Helmut Berger) who murdered Joseph's entire family during World War II. Certain of the neighbor's true identity, Joseph draws his reluctant son into a plan to exact justice and vengeance. With flashbacks to the past, revealing Young Joseph's (Alexander Newton) narrow escape from the massacre and his teenage love for a heroic Polish girl, Kashka (Sarah Bolger), the story reaches a gripping and unforgettable climax. |
| 9:30PM Closing Night Party and Awards Ceremony, Hard Rock Café |
| Music by Ernie and The Automatics with James Montgomery |
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