Features

Acts of Godfrey, UK – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Johnny Daukes
Starring Simon Callow (Four Weddings & A Funeral), Harry Enfield and Celia Imrie
Acts of Godfrey is a black comedy that examines the nature of fate vs. free will. It’s a love story set at a motivational sales conference and features con-men, drug dealers, and undertaker, estate agents and God.

Black Gold, Nigeria/USA – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Jeta Amata
Starring: Mbong Amata, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Billy Zane, Sarah Wayne Callies, Vivica Fox, Eric Roberts, Tom Sizemore, Michael Madsen
The latest epic tale from writer/director Jeta Amata (The Amazing Grace, Inale) brings the volatile oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria and its real-life, jaw-dropping environmental and human catastrophes center stage. Based on true events, the film tells the story of one local community’s struggle against their own government and a multi-national oil corporation who has plundered their land and destroyed the environment. Filmmakers attending.

Conception, USA – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Josh Stolberg
Starring Connie Britton, Alan Tudyk, Moon Bloodgood, Gregory Smith, Julie Bowen, David Arquette, Jonathan Silverman
A sexy romantic comedy that follows nine couples on the night they conceive. Debunking the myth that most of us were told about the way we got here–’Mommy and daddy gave each other a special hug’–’Conception’ shows that in spite of the reality of most of our origins, there are many ways to make a loving family. Filmmakers attending.

David & Kamal, USA – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Kikuo Kawasaki
This story is about a 9 year old American Jewish boy, David, and Kamal, also a 9 year old and a poor street urchin of Arab descent selling postcards to tourists in the stone enclosed Old City of Jerusalem. At first glance, Kamal seems bright and energetic but in reality, he’s suffering under the tyrannical presence of his grandfather who oversees the living of his family, his mother and two sisters. Filmmakers attending

Face to Face, Australia – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Michael Rymer
Starring Vince Colosimo, Sigrid Thornton, Matthew Newton, Luke Ford
There are two sides to every story, but in this case, there are ten. Tempers flare and emotions run high when a diverse group of Australians sit down to decide the fate of a violent young man, based on a play by Australian playwright David Williamson. Won Best Independent Feature, Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Fly Away, USA – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Janet Grillo
This is the poignant, compelling and surprisingly funny story of a single mother of a teenager with autism at the crossroads of her daughter’s adult life. What will sustain her child, and herself? FLY AWAY is the first feature film about parenting a child with autism written and directed by the parent of a child on the autism spectrum. Filmmakers attending

Framily, Sweden – US PREMIERE
Directed by Joachim Hedén
Starring Richard Gunn, Jennifer Christopher, Jennifer O’Kain
What’s a little family between friends? Filmmakers attending

Fully Loaded, USA – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Shira Piven
Starring Paula Killen, Lisa Orkin, Dweezil Zappa, Jake La Botz, David Koechner
Lisa and Paula, two unique single women are out for an LA “night out” when Paula’s sexy hook-up with a total stranger turns confrontational. This “van-centric” film offers a rare opportunity to eavesdrop on their conversation and find out how women really feel about men, relationships and themselves. The conversation is current, the sound track is killer and the women are real. Filmmakers attending

Harisma, Greece – US PREMIERE
Directed by Christina Ioakeimidi
Ismini is in her early 30s. She is cultivated, delicate, sensitive and…emotionally handicapped. She has developed a simplistic system of defense to protect her emotions: no one is to come near. It is exactly the moment when this collapses that unsophisticated, simple, impolite, aggressive and greatly passionate Haris appears in her life.

Hayfever (Febbre da fieno), Italy
Directed by Laura Luchetti
Starring Diane Fleri, Andrea Bosca, Giulia Michelini, Giuseppe Gandini
A funny and touching look at the lives of a bunch of young Roman misfits over one golden autumn. Centered around a vintage shop called “Twinkled” in which they all work, our variously confused heroes will learn a lot about love and death. Filmmakers attending

‘Je T’aime, I Love You Terminal, Israel/Czech Republic – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Dani Menkin
A romantic feature film directed by award winning filmmaker Dani Menkin (39 Pounds of Love). The film follows Ben, who is flying to New York to marry his girlfriend but misses his connection in Prague where he meets Emma, an attractive free spirited girl. During the next 24 hours a friendship is developing between the two who reconsider their original plans of travel, life and relationships. Filmmakers attending

Louis, USA – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Dan Pritzker
Starring Anthony Coleman, Jackie Earle Haley, Shanti Lowry, Michael Rooker
Louis is a modern re-imagining of early silent film, paying homage to Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, beautiful women and the birth of American music. The grand Storyville bordellos, alleys and cemeteries of 1907 New Orleans provide a backdrop of lust, blood and magic for 6-year-old Louis as he navigates life in the city. Louis’ dream of playing the trumpet is interrupted by a chance meeting with a beautiful and vulnerable girl, named Grace, and her baby, Jasmine. Jackie Earl Haley plays the evil Judge Perry who is determined not to let Jasmine’s true heritage derail his candidacy for governor.

Matching Jack, Australia – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Nadia Tass
Starring Jacinda Barrett, James Nesbitt, Richard Roxburgh, Tom Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Matching Jack is a powerful emotional drama from award-winning director Nadia Tass. It details the unbreakable bond between parent and child. While Marisa Hagen (Jacinda Barrett) discovers her child is seriously ill, she also finds out her husband has been unfaithful for years. She goes on a bizarre search in an attempt to turn her husband’s serial affairs into a positive. This film shows an unpredictable journey of love and hope. Filmmakers attending

Norman, USA – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Jonathan Segal
Starring Richard Jenkins, Emily VanCamp, Adam Goldberg, Dan Byrd
A troubled high-school kid pretending to be dying of cancer confronts problems with his new girlfriend and terminally ill father as he struggles with his daily existence. Filmmakers attending

Oxygen (Adem), Belgium – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Hans Van Nuffel
Starring Stef Aerts, Wouter Hendrickx, Marie Vinck, Maarten Mertens, Rik Verheye
Tom and his brother Lucas are two young men who suffer from cystic fybrosis, a genetic disease that slowly destroys their lungs. Tom, struggling with his short life expectancy, meets Xavier in the hospital who renews his energy and joy for life. Romance enters the scene when he meets Eline, who has been quarantined due to an infection. OXYGEN is a compelling, romantic, funny and heartbeaking drama about having little time (due to illness) and not wanting to miss out on anything.

Potiche, France – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Francois Ozon
Starring Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu and Fabrice Luchini
When her husband is taken hostage by his striking employees, a trophy wife (Deneuve) takes the reins of the family business and proves to be a remarkably effective leader. Business and personal complications arrive in the form of her ex-lover (Depardieu), a former union leader.

Refuge, USA – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Mark Medoff
Starring Linda Hamilton, Christopher McDonald, Chris Payne Gilbert, Lena Georgas
She shoots her husband. She kidnaps a suicidal stranger. She’s not looking for a man to love; she’s looking for someone to trust. It’s a comedy. Filmmakers attending

Stricken (Komt een vrouw bij de dokter), Netherlands – US PREMIERE
Directed by Reinout Oerlemans
Starring Carice van Houten, Anna Dryver, Barry Atsma, Pierre Bokma, Jerven Willems
Stijn loves life. He’s got his own business, a wonderful daughter and the hottest wife of the Western Hemisphere. But when breast cancer hits, his world falls apart, ending up in a rollercoaster of hospital visits, chemo therapy and radiation. Stijn is there for his wife always. No matter how hard it is.

That’s What I Am, USA – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Michael Pavone
Starring Ed Harris, Molly Parker, Chase Ellison, Alexander Walters and Amy Madigan
A coming-of-age story that follows 12-year-old Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison), a bright student who, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict for fear of suffering overwhelming ridicule and punishment from his junior high school peers. Everyone’s favorite teacher, Mr. Simon (Ed Harris), pairs Andy with the school’s biggest outcast and social pariah, Stanley, aka “Big G” (Alexander Walters) on a critical term project. Sporting thick orange hair, a head too big for his body and ears too big for his head, “Big G” has been the object of ridicule since grade school. Before long, Andy will learn that there was truly a method behind Mr. Simon’s madness as to why he teamed these two up. As the story unfolds, Mr. Simon finds himself the target of a malicious rumor after Principal Kelner (Amy Madigan) suspends a school bully for brutally beating up a female classmate who he thinks has “cooties.” When Andy watches “Big G” fearlessly confront the school bully, a series of events are triggered, which change the lives of both young men – and their teacher – forever. Much to Andy’s surprise “Big G” is brilliant, kind, tolerant and a decent human being, who has more dignity than anyone Andy has ever encountered.

The First Grader, UK – FLORIDA PREMIERE / CLOSING NIGHT
Directed by Justin Chadwick
This film explores the shocking untold story of British colonial rule in Kenya. Through the remarkable relationships of one Kenyan man who fought for his country for years, we experience the harsh conditions of the British detention camps. Filmmakers attending

The Happy Housewife (De Gelukkige Huisvrouw), Netherlands – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Antoinette Beumer
Starring Carice van Houten
Lea, an immaculate 30-something wife, is traumatized once baby Harry Jr. arrives.

Turkles, USA – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Frank Eberling
Starring Haley Sicard, Noah Centineo, Burt Reynolds
TURKLES is a family-friendly, environmental, mystery-comedy for kids 8-12 and their parents. Middle-school science geeks from CAMP LOGGERHEAD spend their summer monitoring sea-turtle nesting along Palm Beach County’s beautiful beaches, while filming a documentary. When they discover that someone is stealing the sea-turtle eggs, they commit to finding the bad guys. Along the way they encounter new friendships, adventure, action, excitement, fun, a night in jail, and puppy-love, as they try to catch the knuckleheads red-handed in the act of stealing the eggs. Strong environmental awareness and family values wrapped in some of Florida’s most scenic locations, in a very special film the entire family can enjoy. TURKLES: ‘Saving the planet, one TURKLE at a time.’ Filmmakers attending

Win Win, USA – OPENING NIGHT
Directed by Tom McCarthy
Starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Jeffrey Tambor, Burt Young
Disheartened attorney Mike Flaherty (Giamatti), who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, stumbles across a star athlete through some questionable business dealings while trying to support his family. Just as it looks like he will get a double payday, the boy’s mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything.

Documentaries

10 Mountains 10 Years, USA/Tanzania
Directed by Jennifer Yee
Narrated by Anne Hathaway
’10 Mountains 10 Years’ 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 this world and leave something better behind. Filmmakers attending

100 Voices: A Journey Home, USA
Directed by Matthew Asner and Danny Gold
A musical documentary that uniquely tells the history of Jewish culture in Poland. It highlights the current resurgence of Jewish culture through the personal reflections and musical selections of a group of cantors and acclaimed composer Charles Fox (“Killing Me Softly”, “I Got A Name” and many more) who made an important historical mission to the birthplace of Cantorial music. The documentary will give generations the opportunity to learn about and re-embrace the Jewish culture that produced one of the most artistic and educated societies that once flourished in Europe. Above all, the film celebrates the resilience and the power of Jewish life, while telling the story of two peoples who shared intertwined cultures.

Boys of Summer, USA
Directed by Keith Aumont
The Caribbean island of Curacao is building one incredible baseball legacy. With a population of only 140,000, the island has sent 11 players to the Majors and its Little League Baseball team to the Little League World Series for an amazing nine consecutive years, including a World Championship win. Film follows the Little League All-Stars through one season of injuries and obstacles as they attempt to beat their arch-rival, Japan. Manager Vernon Isabella and his scrappy team learn the meaning of national pride in a story that travels from a humble island ball field to the international spotlight and back. In a newly autonomous country that was once the center of the Dutch slave trade, the accomplishments of children inspire a nation. Filmmakers attending

Exporting Raymond, USA
Directed by Philip Rosenthal
This movie is a warm, affectionate and hilarious story of Phil Rosenthal’s attempt to help the Russians translate Everybody Loves Raymond into a Russian sitcom. Filmmakers attending

John Muir in the New World, USA – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Catherine Tatge
This film follows the life of John Muir, the Scottish-American naturalist, writer and farmer. It shows his impact on the modern environmental movement. Muir has been described as a ‘super salesperson of Nature,’ the ‘true founder’ of the national parks system and the ‘patron saint’ of the environmental movement.

Living for 32, USA
Directed by Kevin Breslin
Living for 32 is the inspirational story of Colin Goddard, a survivor of the tragic gun shooting massacre which occurred on the Virginia Tech campus, April 16th, 2007. The winning combination of Colin’s passion, charisma and optimism has commanded the attention of the American public and media since the devastating incident which left 32 dead and 17 injured. In Living for 32, Colin shares an intimate account of terror he and his classmates endured and the courageous journey of renewal and hope he chose to pursue.
Colin Goddard is attending.

One Lucky Elephant, USA – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Lisa Leeman
Featuring David Balding, Carol Buckley, Willie Theison, Laura Balding
Sixteen years have passed since circus producer David Balding adopted Flora, the orphaned baby elephant he raised as part of this family. But as Flora approaches adulthood, he realizes she is not happy performing in the circus. One Lucky Elephant explores the consequences of keeping wild animals in captivity, while never losing sight of the delicate love story at its heart. Filmmakers attending

Our Hawaii, USA – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Kryssa Schemmerling
A group of neighborhood surfer buddies, now in their 40′s and 50′s, re-visit key moments of their lives spent riding the waves of New York City’s Rockaway Beach — a once-vibrant seaside resort turned urban wasteland.

Out For The Long Run, USA
Directed by Scott Bloom
The film’s focus is on a handful of openly gay high school and college athletes as they navigate the turbulent waters of their uncertain world. Utilizing footage shot by our cameras and video diaries kept throughout the year, we will show the world a new generation of courage in what could be the most homophobic place on a high school campus: the locker room. At a time where young gay men and women are literally being bullied to death, this film’s poignant message is, there is hope. This film will bring to light stories of triumph and tragedy when young people are forced to follow their passion for sports with the handicap of social stigma dogging their every step.

Rainbow Town, Liberia/West Africa – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Lauren Selmon Roberts
With war raging around her, she had to make a choice: to protect the orphaned children forced into her life or abandon them and go in search of her own family. With no money and no food, both choices seemed impossible. Rainbow Town is the staggering true story of Feeta Naimen and the children who call her Mother.

Reconciliation: Mandela’s Miracle, USA – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Michael Henry Wilson
Nelson Mandela was once considered a terrorist by the apartheid government. The film details events leading up to what South Africans coined “Mandela’s Miracle,” a strategy that prevented a bloodbath and shepherded in a peaceful transition to democracy. It is driven by the notional that even the most terrible tyranny can be overcome through reconciliation, as both the oppressed and the oppressors need to be liberated from the vice-grip of blind prejudice and injustice. Filmmakers attending

The Rescuers, USA – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Directed by Michael King
The film traces the journey of Stephanie Nyombayire, a young Rwandan anti-genocide activist who teams up with Sir Martin Gilbert, the renowned Holocaust historian, to travel across 15 countries and three continents interviewing survivors and descendants of the diplomats who rescued tens of thousands of Jews from the unspeakable horrors of the Nazi death camps. While Nyombayire embarks upon this quest in an effort to uncover potential solutions for the ongoing genocide in Darfur and elsewhere, what emerges from their journey is more a testament to the ways in which the inherent good in the human spirit can trump institutional evil no matter what the circumstance. Filmmakers and Holocaust survivor Peter Vagi (featured in the film) attending

The ROMEOWS (Retired Older Men Eating Out Wednesdays), USA – WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Robert Sarnoff
Older people are using Viagra, running marathons, flying planes and ditching them safely on The Hudson. ‘When We Get Together We Get Younger’ plays as this Brooklyn Band of Buddies break bread and each other’s chops every Wednesday evening. No avatars, no facebook, nothing virtual about this half century friendship. It’s the real thing. Tell the chef thanks for the meal – Buddha’s last words.

Three Days, USA
Directed by Alex Hyde-White
Father and son dynamics come into focus as a troupe of actors, and others, gather to rehearse and perform a stage-reading of a famous play in…three days. Reality intrudes as they come together and strangers bond, like in war. Without a net, they galvanize during rehearsal while the lead actor manager, both as himself and his character of Hamlet, grapples with the unexpected task of coming to terms with his powerful and famous father. A ‘cliff notes’ examination of one of the best plays ever written by the best cast they could find, including three famous sons of three very famous actors; reality documentary weaves with neo-classic drama to create an original take on a most primal story, all taking place over… Three Days. Filmmakers attending

Voices United: The Documentary, USA
Directed by Arlyn Richardson
An influential performing arts program is reinvented after a ten-year hiatus, uniting and challenging a diverse group of adolescents to create an original musical based on the societal issues they confront in the city of Miami.

Way of the Morris, UK
Directed by Rob Curry, Tim Plester
A heartfelt ode to his agrarian roots, WAY OF THE MORRIS follows filmmaker Tim Plester on a journey from the English village green to the killing fields of The Somme, in search of a connection with the much-maligned native dance traditions that run deep in his blood.

When The World Breaks, USA
Directed by Hans Fjellestad
In 1929 the world was launched into the darkest time in modern economic history. That same year, Ernest Hemingway wrote: ‘The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places. When the World Breaks is a film about creativity and survival during the Great Depression of the 1930s, with striking parallels to current times. Depression-era life and art come alive with rare film clips and personal stories from survivors like Ray Bradbury, Jerry Stiller, Buzz Aldrin and Phyllis Diller to take us beyond the bread lines and dust bowls into a vibrant cinematic portrait of this formative decade in American history. Filmmakers attending