Kill Kill Faster Faster

Directed By: Gareth Maxwell Roberts
Cast: Gil Bellows, Lisa Ray, Esai Morales
Country: United Kingdom
Runtime: 108’
Language: English
Year of Production: 2008

2008 Festivals

Kill Kill Faster Faster is a New York tragic love story - streetwise, stylish and desperately, savagely sad.

Kill Kill Faster Faster is the story of Joe One-Way, a man serving a life stretch for the passion murder of his teenage bride Kimba. Inspired to write by Clinique, his Jamaican cellmate, mentor and lover, Joe pens the hard-boiled play ‘White Man: Black Hole’.

New York film producer, Markie Mann, wanting to make the play into a film, pulls strings to have Joe paroled and contracts him to write the screenplay for the movie. Fleur is Markie Mann’s beautiful wife, a one-time hooker and ex-con, who can’t help but fall for kindred spirit Joe. Their attraction is irresistible. Fleur is Joe’s salvation and soul-mate. They are propelled on a journey of obsession, guilt, and lust as Joe struggles between the pull of heroin, his violent impulses and the desire to redeem himself in the eyes of his estranged twin daughters. A bad man trying to be good, the more he tries to do right, the more goes wrong. He is sent in a tail spin.

Out of control, Joe One-Way soon discovers that life on the outside may be too dangerous even for him.

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Able Danger

Directed By: Paul Krik
Cast: Elina Lowensohn, Adam Nee
Country: United States
Runtime: 86’
Language: English
Year of Production: 2008

2008 Festivals

Thomas Flynn (Adam Nee, the idealist owner of a left-leaning radical café/bookstore in Brooklyn and the quixotic publisher of a hard hitting 911 conspiracy expose), falls into a noir pastiche when a mysterious Eastern European beauty (Elina Lowensohn) arrives at his bookstore café with the irrefutable proof of American secret intelligence involvement in the planning and execution of 9/11.

When Thomas is implicated in the murder of his friend and employee, he’s forced to unravel her complex web of lies while attempting to fight his natural attraction to her. As it turns out, she possesses the Able Danger hard-drive, the smoking gun that proves the identities and methods of the real architects of 9/11, and Thomas is willing to risk everything to expose the truth.

The film gets its title from the real secret government program of the same name that destroyed 2.5 terabytes of data in March 2001, and the café featured is based on the very real Brooklyn café for radical readers, Vox Pop.

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Sweet Amerika

Director: R. Paul Dhillon
Country: Canada
Runtime: 101’
Language: English
Year: 2008

Set in New York, Sweet Amerika is the moving story of Sikh shop owner Balbir “Bobby” Singh (Gulshan Grover), an American citizen who is kidnapped and tortured by a hateful and misguided gang of men who seek reprisals following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. 

This debut film from writer/director R. Paul Dhillon is a probing portrait of immigrant life in America that follows Bobby on his journey to find and preserve his piece of the American dream in a world where concepts like “freedom” and “democracy” seem to stand on shaky ground.

Still mourning the loss of his wife and son, Bobby finds new hope in Mina (Sian Sladen), a young, vibrant Muslim woman.  Although opposed by the Sikh community, Bobby’s love for Mina holds the key to reviving his broken spirit.

As Bobby is held captive, the days leading up to his abduction flash before us in a richly woven narrative, full of the joys and sorrows of life in America.

Will Bobby survive the night and escape the “terrorists” that now threaten his existence?

A thoughtful, provocative story filled with memorable characters, Sweet Amerika is ultimately an uplifting story that asks us to experience the colorful, and sometimes troubled, fabric of America with open minds and hearts.

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Ra Choi

Directed By: Michael Frank
Runtime: 96 mins
Year of Production: 2005

2006 AWARDS

2005 AWARDS

Set in a Vietnamese populated suburb of Sydney, Australia, Ra Choi is the story of an Asian gang down on their luck and trying to make a life for themselves. It’s a moving and emotional journey where the strength to the human spirit is often the only hope they have in their intertwined lives.

Each is on a path of discovery fighting for a level of existence that most of us take for granted: a roof over their head, a warm meal, new clothes, a job. Every city has its heartbreaking stories and these young lives hit levels of desperation that we pray no one ever has to reach.

Dac Kien, Lanh, Trinh and Lucy and their friends are more than just kids living on the street. They are family who cannot survive without each other’s support. They will soon discover the true meaning of friendship and loyalty.

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The River

Director: Jarmo Lampela
Cast: Sanna Hietla, Antti Ikkala, Jyri Ojansivu
Country: Finland
Runtime: 104’
Language: Finish with English subtitles
Year: 2001

2002 Awards

A film whose multiple narratives are set over the course of one hour of one Saturday in a small town is anchored by two key events: the sound of a military plane breaking the sound barrier early one Saturday morning, and a group of kids bungee-jumping in the town square. For the kids involved, this activity represents an act of bravado, but the film's true focus is on other characters, who must consider much more significant and courageous leaps of faith.

The River opens with Anni’s attempt to commit suicide in a river while holding her baby. Two teenagers intervene setting in motion five interweaving stories. The first concerns a messed up teenager named Santtu who struggles to decide whether or not to make a bungee jump reflecting his struggle for self-acceptance. The second focuses on Esa, a financially destitute folk singer who is trying to make peace with his estranged father. Leena, a pizza parlour waitress, is the subject of the third story; after stirring up trouble by arriving late to work one day, she makes amends by fixing two of her co-workers up on a date. The last stories are of Ilpo, whose marriage is coming undone, and Milja, a woman who is tending to her dying husband.

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Steve + Sky

Director: Felix van Groeningen 
Cast: Titus De Voodgt, Delfine Bafort, Johan Heldenbergh
Country: Belgium
Runtime: 95’
Language: English 
Year: 2004

2005 Awards

Steve + Sky is a story about two struggling teenagers who are trying to find their own place in the world. He is a small-time crook recently released from prison and she is a prostitute craving some love and affection. They find each other in an obscure part of Gent.

Sky is a somewhat naive, banana-split loving prostitute. After several chance encounters, they finally officially meet through a mutual acquaintance - Steve's ex cellmate. Their ensuing relationship is anything but smooth as they both struggle to find their place in life. The juxtaposition of the bleached reality of every day life with the bright neon lights of the night reflects the ups and downs of this young couple's stormy love affair.

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Things To Do

Director: Ted Bezaire
Country: Canada
Runtime: 85’
Language: English
Year: 2006

An unstable and indifferent office worker, Adam Stevenson, decides to leave his job and escape to his childhood home to re-evaluate his "life strategy". Upon his return, Adam is greeted by the under concern of his baby boom parents and quickly aligns with the lazy comforts of his backyard, yearning for a summer of sulk and solitude.

A chance encounter at the grocery store reunites him with Mac, an unusual acquaintance from his past who acts as the perfect catalyst for Adam to turn the wheel of change and rebirth. Together the underachieving duo set out to complete a "Things To Do" list, a collection of bizarre aspirations plucked from the gaps of an incomplete adolescence.

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Cuba Libre

Director: Raimundo García
Writers: Ulises Bermejo, Enrique Calvo, Raimundo García
Producers: David Jareno Ortega
Cast: Luis López Vázquez, Daniel Huarte, Sergio Villoldo, Kira Miró, Javier Gurruchaga, Xenia Reguant, Caco Senante, Rodolfo Sancho, Luciano Federico, Idelfonso Tamayo

Runtime: 85 minutes
Country: Spain
Language: Spanish with English subtitles

When a family of anarchist squatters is violently evicted from their "cultural centre" thanks to an overzealous reporter, a reckless car chase leads them to the doors of the Cuban Embassy in Madrid where a media frenzy has begun following Fidel Castro's announcement of Cuba's first democratic elections. The family lock the doors of the building and embark upon an "ideological occupation" of the Cuban Embassy.

Aided by a diplomat and Cuba's political upheaval, they create an international scandal in this outrageous comedy which pokes fun at Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolution, the squatter movement, the media and the police.

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Brooklyn Lobster

Writer & Director: Kevin Jordan
Producers: Kevin Jordan, Chris Valentino, Darren Jordan
Cast: Danny Aiello, Jane Curtin, Daniel Sauli, Marisa Ryan, Ian Kahn, Heather Burns

Runtime: 90 minutes
Country: United States of America
Language: English

Frank Giorgio's once orderly life has been thrown into chaos since the bank that loaned him money for a restaurant addition to his lobster business has folded. With the threat of a public auction looming, the very proud and stubborn Frank, played by Danny Aiello (Moonstruck, Do the Right Thing), his family and eccentric crew attempt to save the Brooklyn lobster shop that is the cornerstone of their identity. 

Frank's son Michael (Daniel Sauli, The Pink Panther, Boiler Room), who has chosen a much different life for himself in the tech world of Seattle, and his girlfriend Kerry (Heather Burns, Bewitched, Miss Congeniality 2) return home for Christmas and, for better or worse, are dragged into the family drama that unfolds. Michael 's childhood home has been sold, and his mother Maureen (Jane Curtin, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Saturday Night Live) is separating from Frank. Over the course of two extraordinary weeks, he finds himself sleeping on a pull-out couch with his dad, catching wandering lobster crates in the bay and trying to mend his relationship with Kerry in a gaudy Russian motel.

While Michael joins the sometimes humorous Lobster Farm rescue efforts, Maureen is trying to keep her distance, staying with her daughter Lauren (Marisa Ryan, Riding in Cars with Boys), son-in-law Just in (Ian Kahn, Dawson's Creek) and baby granddaughter as she looks for a place to live and establish her own identity-apart from the lobster business that has consumed her life, her house and her husband. Lauren, who has stood by her father working at the Lobster Farm, strives to keep the lines of communication open while the family struggles to hold it together despite the imminent threat to their business.

This sincere, down-to-earth drama explores the complexities and inherent comedy of family dynamics. As the final auction approaches, Frank and Michael are forced to look within themselves and the heritage that has shaped them both. For Michael, that means acknowledging the traits he shares with his father and not al lowing himself to repeat the same mistakes. For Frank, it's a matter of letting go and opening himself up to the family and friends who might just provide the lifeline he so desperately needs.

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The Definition of Insanity

Writers & Directors: Robert Margolis and Frank Matter
Producers: Robert Margolis and Frank Matter
Cast: Robert Margolis, Kelli Barnett, Frank Krias, Derek Johnson, Amanda Kay, Peter Bogdanovich

Runtime: 85 minutes
Country: United States of America/Switzerland
Language: English
Festivals & Awards:
Audience Award for Best Feature, Virgina Film Festival 2005, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Jury Prize for Best Feature, Virgina Film Festival 2005, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Best Feature Film, Newport Beach International Film Festival 2005, USA
Best Directors, Chicago Independent Film Festival 2005, USA
Special Jury Prize, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival 2005, USA
Best Actor: Robert Margolis, Brooklyn International Film Festival 2005, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Best Actor: Robert Margolis, Chicago Independent Film Festival 2005, USA
Rosa Camuna di Bronzo Audience Award Bergamo Film Meeting 2005, Bergamo, Italy
Audience Award for Best Feature Film, Swiss American Film Festival, New York, 2004
Best Feature Film - 35mm, L.I. Film Expo, New York, 2004

The Definition of Insanity is a tragi-comedy about elusive dreams, love, loss, and the passions that drive us. It is structured as a documentary about Robert (Robert Margolis), an actor moving past his prime who is still running after that one great role. His life begins to unravel as he struggles to survive in a competitive environment without realizing how his obsession affects the people close to him. Like many barely surviving artists he faces the existential question: When is the time to move on? Just when it seems that he will be forced by family and financial pressures to give up everything he has worked for, he meets legendary filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich ("The Cat's Meow", "The Last Picture Show"). That encounter changes his life profoundly -- but in a very different way than he had anticipated.

The Definition of Insanity is a film about big dreams and everyday rituals, humiliating defeats and little triumphs, and the inexplicable optimism -- some might call it delusion -- that keeps us going.

Blurring the line between fiction and reality, the directors combine their fictional story with some real documentary footage, a mix that gives the material freshness, immediacy and an unsettling authenticity. The Definition of Insanity was shot on location throughout New York City over the course of 18 months. Working from a simple storyline, the directors developed the individual scenes together with the actors who in real life face many of the same questions as their characters in the movie.

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Stranded

Director: Stuart McDonald
Producers: Beth Frey; Lizette Atkins
Writer: Kathleen O'Brien
Cast: Emma Lung, Emily Browning, Robert Morgan, David Hoflin
Runtime: 52 minutes
Country: Australia
Language: English

Festivals:

Winner of Australian Film Institute awards 2006; best short fiction film, best screenplay for a short film and outstanding achievement award Emma Lung (actor)
Winner Atom awards 2006 for best short fiction
Winner IF awards 2006 for best short film
Winner Film Critics Circle of Australia awards 2006 for best short film
Winner Dendy Award for best long short at Sydney Film Festival 2006
Emma Lung winner Best Actress Magnolia Award at Shanghai TV Festival 2006
Shortlisted for the Queensland premier's literary awards - the Pacific Film & Television Commission Award for best film script.

STRANDED is a 52 minute short feature film starring Emma Lung (PEACHES, HOUSE OF WAX), Emily Browning(LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, GHOST SHIP),  Robert Morgan (THE PROPOSITION, BOOK OF REVELATIONS) and David Hoflin (SWIMMING UPSTREAM,OCEANGIRL).

How long does it take before the abnormal seems normal? Death, love and family values are all up for re-negotiation in this dark and unusual black comedy about a girl trying to start a new life for herself after the loss of her mother.

Seventeen-year old Claudia (EMMA LUNG) lives in a world of no job, no school, no money, indoor aviary and crazy territorial fights with her younger sister Penny (EMILY BROWNING). Since her mother’s death the year before Penny won’t go to school and her father Rex (ROBERT MORGAN) simply won’t get off the couch.

When two children are dumped on the family, Claudia moves into her mother’s abandoned car in the driveway. She plans to fix it and take off to tropical Queensland – that’s if she can side step the Christian do-gooders and avoid falling in love with the cute Kleptomaniac (DAVID HOFLIN) who works at the local Supermarket.

Claudia’s plans are further interrupted when the two little kids accidentally kill a favourite pet, Rex sinks further into depression, and Penny begins a course of stealing and drug taking. Adding to her problems, Cam spends the night and things between them become far too intense.

In a heart-wrenching climax, Claudia leaves and finds herself in a Motel Room questioning the value of her own life and her mother’s tragic death. She finally resolves to go back and deal with her situation but finds the family in an even greater state of chaos.

The lecherous woman, her two kids and the church workers have  returned and it looks like Rex is letting them take over the house.  Will Claudia ever be able to face her feelings towards Cam and her mother and make it to Queensland? 

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On The Edge of Eden

Directed By: Damian S. Simankowicz
Produced By: Julie Trunkfield
Cast: Caroline Attwood, Vic Mauro
Country: Australia
Runtime: 94 Mins
Language: English

2007 Awards

How important is love? How important is your career?
Before heading overseas for the job of a lifetime, Ash and Jennifer escape their shoebox apartment in the city’s flight-path to enjoy a three day holiday.

The moment Ash & Jen arrive in their remote paradise they receive a call that brings into question their financial security and all they’ve known and trusted about their employer. With the couple in the middle of nowhere, stuck on a mobile, paradise becomes Hell as they make split decisions that could make or break their futures – personally and professionally.

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Acting Out

Directed By: Danny Merton
Produced By: Daniel Daley & Danny Merton
Country: Australia
Runtime: 80 Mins
Language: English

Suspended from high school because of her continued lewd outbursts, Skye is forced to undertake therapy - but this isn't the first time.

ACTING OUT tells of the experiences of a young woman dealing with issues of intimacy and a fear of relationships as a result of family problems that led to the separation of her parents. It's these issues that drive her to 'act out' as she craves attention from her self-absorbed mother and those around her, yet places a wall between herself and the outside world.

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Bar El Chino

Writers: Daniel Burak & Mario Lion & Beatriz Pustilnik
Director: Daniel Burak
Producer: Vocacio and Adart Producciones
Cast: Juan Pablo Ballinou, Nuria Burak, Roberto Buzzone, Alejandro Crus, Pasta Dioguardi, Alejandro Gruz
Runtime: 100 minutes
Country: Argentina
Language: Spanish

El Chino Bar is a pub with flaking walls where the essence of tango is preserved. Its artists are mythical, especially its creator, Jorge Garcs, known as "El Chino". During his life, El Chino attracted different audiences, who found in the place and the artists the value of authenticity, of genuine feelings, without commercial tricks.

Jorge (47), moviemaker, turns 48; his friends take him to El Chino Bar. They know that the place is special for him. For months he shot images there, trying to capture the essence of the bar, its people and their feelings to make a documentary. So he became friends with the bar's owner, El Chino, and the artists there. Heartbroken, when El Chino died, he decided not to go on with the shooting. Jorge survives on making institutional videos, but he's not really interested in this work.

While he's enjoying the evening at the bar, he sees Martina, a young woman who is shooting some images for TV. At first, she looked indifferent to the place, but she immediately got immersed in the bar's warm atmosphere. The next day, Martina watches the shots she has made, and plans to make a documentary. She finds out that someone has some material filmed before El Chino's death and goes to see him. It's Jorge. After several visits, she suggests making the documentary together. Jorge doesn't look interested at first, but Martina convinces him. Beto, Martina's co-worker with whom she has an occasional relationship, provides the equipment they need. Jorge, encouraged by Martina, offers Jesus the movie, who accepts to buy it and sends him an advanced payment. Martina and Jorge feel happy because they are doing what they really like. They shoot new meetings and feel that the project is bringing them together.

Jesus arrives to Buenos Aires, and complains that the highway construction work is delayed. Martina helps Jorge with this project. After long shooting hours, they enjoy their first night of love. The economic and political situation in Argentina becomes critical. As a limit is set to bank withdrawals ("corralito"), Jorge canÕt withdraw the money Jesus has sent him as an advanced payment for the documentary. There are manifestations in the streets, and Jorge and Martina participate in the pot-banging protests ("cacerolazos"). However, they managed to finish the work for Jesus.

In view of the country's unstable situation, the highway company decides to stop investing and doesn't buy the video. This makes Jesus change his mind about buying El Chino movie. When Jorge learns this, he goes back to the studio. Martina has more bad news: Beto has found out about her relationship with Jorge and decided to stop helping them with the documentary. In spite of the difficulties, they try to finish the documentary project. But Jesus offers Martina a job in Spain, and she accepts. Jorge is disappointed. He says goodbye to her by singing a serenade with the singers of the bar. He gives her a tape with parts of the movie for his son, Nacho. Without Martina, with the money caught in the bank and without the necessary equipment, he quits the project again. He gets depressed and his friends try to help him. When Nacho learns about the situation in Argentina, he travels to Buenos Aires. He has good news: Jorge will become a grandfather. He also gives him a present: Martina has sent him a video where José Sacristán, the Spanish actor and El Chino's friend, speaks about the bar.

Jorge pulls himself together. Before leaving to Spain, Nacho receives a present from his father: "Pichuco", a puppet made by his grandfather, which represents the famous Argentine musician Anibal "Pichuco" Troilo. Nacho also has a present for him: a puppet of El Chino, which Nacho made during his stay in Buenos Aires. Jorge arrives to his house. When he sees a picture of Nacho enjoying himself at El Chino Bar and then watches the documentary images shot, he resolves to continue the shooting.

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The Heartbreak Tour

Writer & Director: Ben Chessel
Producers: Joanna Werner & Jason Byrne
Cast: Toby Schmitz, Caroline Craig, Nathaniel Dean, Alexandra Schepisi, Anthony Hayes, Daniela Farinacci, Syd Brisbane

Runtime: 52 minutes
Country: Australia
Language: English

They embark on a tour, in Ryan’s shithouse car, of their personal emotional sacred sites, the venues of their great romantic disasters. They visit whichever place is next,whichever is closest, in a random wander across the city and through their twenties. Much of the story unfolds inthe past but it quickly becomes clear that we need to ask,which past? Everybody’s version, even of exactly the same events, proves to be subjective and contradictory. It’s not as important to understand exactly what happened in the past as it is to understand why each of them tells the story that way.

Ryan is the champion of melancholy and defends their right to revel in sadness. Jack maneuvers through the complex landscape with ease. But Jack’s ex-boyfriend Nick is also a player and the events of the night of their break-up become the territory of a battle between them for control of the past. Carmen finds the group, which has been her home for so long, is becoming claustrophobic and Tim hates the game and wants to go home. The car is a bubble, the entire world for them that night as they wander across the map of their memories. Memory provides a way in which we can almost time travel, especially when we combine it with the power of place.

They visit their own emotional sacred sites and tell the stories of their group of friends. As the night gets older old lies are exposed and confessions are made which throws the world of the car into crisis, a coming of age crisis. Some things have to be broken before they can be mended again. But their emotional time travelling might just help them sort it out and the inside of their darker emotions might just help them make it through the long dark night of their twenties.

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Jammin' in the Middle E

Writer:Howard Jackson
Director: Kim Mordaunt
Producer:Enda Murray
Cast: NOMISe, Julie Kanaan, Matuse, Fadl Abdul Hay, Mohamed Jajatieh, Marouf Alameddine, Armida Croccolo, Susan Chamma, Elissar Mukhtar, Chadia Gedeon Hajjar, Anthony Hawwa, David Scott, Issra Jajatieh, Pino Scuro

Runtime: 50 minutes
Country: Australia
Language: English

An Australian -Arab family is caught between two cultures in this rollicking  tale of rap, cars, comedy  and finding  romance in Sydney’s little  Lebanon.

Naima (19) and Ishak (27) are sister and brother from a terribly nice, but awfully conservative, middle class Muslim family in Western Sydney. Ishak is a car-crazy, dreamer who lays about his parent’s home fantasizing on winning street races against his arch-rival Sharief and of being the world’s greatest rapper.  

Naima on the other hand is going to university and is sick of rap, tired of the boys having all the dreams and sick and tired of the car-cult that dominates her brother’s and his friend’s lives. Naima’s ambition is to break from her traditional role of pampering males and putting food in her family’s mouths while loosening the paternal clutches of her loving but over protective father, Said.

Ishak’s dreams and Naima’s ambitions, however, are suddenly put to the test after Ishak decides he can repair his clapped out street racer by winning an illegal car race. Ishak’s in way over his head with Sharief and his intimidating gang and, as usual, Naima feels duty bound to come on board to try to dig her brother out.

Ishak is forced to seek help from the local car mechanic, Rafi. But Rafi knows Ishak only too well and refuses to be involved until he catches sight of Naima. Naima catches sight of Rafi too, but the last thing she, or indeed her father, wants, is for her to become romantically involved with a car mechanic.

Rafi can’t fix the car but he can make a deal to have a rap battle between Ishak and Sharief’s boys instead of the race. A deal is struck to use Said’s wedding reception hall. The trouble is, no one’s bothered to ask Said.

Rafi and Naima’s budding romance, Ishak’s ongoing battle with Sharief and Said’s determination to come to grips with his children’s lives in Australia all collide in a frantic comedy of errors that plays out during a rap battle, at a traditional Lebanese wedding reception hall, in downtown…Bankstown 

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The Glenmoore Job

Writer & Director: Greg Williams
Producers: Melanie Coombs
Cast: Simon Lyndon, Saskia Burmeister, Tom Budge, Michele Fawdon, Ross Thompson

Runtime: 52 minutes
Country: Australia
Language: English
Festivals: Melbourne Travelling Film Festival Geelong: Opening Night Film
Canberra International Film Festival: Official Selection
St Kilda Film Festival: Official Selection.

Simon Lyndonas Warren (CHOPPER, MY BROTHER JACK) Saskia Burmeister as Sally (HATING ALISON ASHLEY) Tom Budge as Peter, Michele Fawdon as Beverley and Ross Thompson as Clem

It's a dirty job, but Warren's got to do it.

After five years inside, Warren would much rather be lying under a palm tree up north, than creeping  around alleys in a hole like Glenmoore. But first he has to deliver on a promise he made to his cellmate Sumo. So now he has a photograph of a girl and a house, and a psychopathic guard dog to make friends  with. One last job.  Should be straightforward. But then he’s forced to join a local support group as part of his parole. Which turns out to mean sitting round playing board games with a bunch of weirdos like Sally, a cat-burglar in training, Tom, a kid with anger problems, and Bev and Clem, a pair of old ducks with a penchant for poker.

Well, Warren can deal with that.  Trouble is, the group doesn’t know how to deal with Warren. They haven’t had a new member in years, let alone one who is a real criminal, and it turns their cosy world upside down. Allegiances get tested, secrets come out, things go missing. And somebody in the group wants Warren gone.

Warren would rather be gone himself, but it’s not easy to get the job done with Sally following him around. She has big career plans, and they involve Warren. He’s not getting away that easily.

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Lost and Found

Director: David Blake
Producer: Kate Carmichael & David Blake
Cast: Brett Climo, Frankie J Holden, Nicholas Hope, Sharn Hammond and Rebecca Gibney
Runtime: 90 minutes
Country: Australia
Language: English

Lost and Found – a psychological drama with twists and turns that keep you guessing right to the very end.  McKenzie Morgan is a successful and highly motivated award-winning architect and has the world before him.  Or so it seems. 

At the end of a particularly stressful day, McKenzie has a chance encounter with his girlfriend – being kissed and groped by an exact replica of himself. This encounter leads McKenzie down a path of introspection.   A path that he is reluctant at first to travel, with the consequences being an escalating series of disturbing and destructive encounters with his double, he is finally made to account for his past and in particular, the role he played in the death of his seven-year-old brother.  

McKenzie scrapes rock bottom, and almost too late, recognises that the power of saying sorry  can heal many wounds.

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Sum of Existence

Writer & Director: Jon Cohen
Producer: Tim Maddocks
Cast: Brooke Anderson, Simone Kessell, Josh Picker, Angela Carmichael, Oriana Panozzo, Malcolm Frawley
Runtime: 86 minutes
Country: Australia
Language: English

LIZ is a normal teenager that one day gets the unwanted attention of a stalker, ALEX, an orderly at the hospital who's wife has just left him. Liz is attacked and raped by Alex and left to die. Rescued and brought to hospital, she is unable to deal with the assault and tries to kill herself. Her parents enlist the help of Dr. JULIET KING, a young and ambitious psychiatrist, who uses hypnosis to make Liz forget the rape. 

Liz believes that she was in a coma for two months in hospital, and that the scars on her wrists are the attacker's attempts to kill her. Her best friend, MICHELLE, still blames herself, as she didn't walk the whole way home with Liz. Her mother KAREN and father MACK struggle with what happened to their daughter, as their marriage falls apart.

Alex, angered that the hypnosis means his victim will not suffer and remember him for the rest of her life, sets his sights on Juliet, pretending to be traumatised by the sight of Liz when she was brought into the hospital.  As she continues to treat him, she slowly falls in love with him, something she has done with several prior patients... and Alex knows this.

Liz’s mother believes the hypnosis has fundamentally changed her daughter, so lashes out at her when she behaves like a normal teenager, inadvertently blaming her for what happened. Liz, shattered by this betrayal, tries to kill herself, and this returns her to hospital.

As the sub-conscious reasserts the true memories on the fake ones, Liz has a series of fits, hitting and injuring the nurses trying to help her. Juliet, knowing that Liz's brain is destroying itself, removes the hypnotic block, making Liz aware of the reality of the assault. Liz finally gets home, still recovering, but wanting time away from her parents, she and Michelle head to a local hotel for the weekend.

Alex decides to finish his quest to destroy Liz. He pretends that Juliet's hypnotherapy has worked on him. He fools her into playing a kinky game with him and throws her in the boot of his car, drives to Liz's house, knocks out Michelle and so starts a game of cat and mouse between Alex and Liz. Michelle and Juliet free themselves, chasing after the other, leading to a devastating final confrontation between them; where hypnosis is not all it seems.

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Mr Brown

Writer & Director: Natasha Guruleva
Producer: Natasha Guruleva
Cast: Niles Ford, Kristen Irby, Olga Tchekachova
Runtime: 83 minutes
Country: United States of America
Language: English

Mr. Brown is a middle-aged handicapped black man in a wheel chair.  He endlessly listens to music, reads books and looks out the window. 

Nothing breaks his monotonous loneliness except for the visits of two helpers – a young Russian woman social worker and a young black man home attendant – who merely do their duties.  But in Mr. Brown’s imagination they all have a passionate affair.  It develops gradually and in Mr. Brown’s world their passion is expressed through the dance.

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Heroes de Otra Patria

Cast: Jorge Castillo, Jimmy Navarro
Language: Spanish with English subtitles

Presenting a new point of view on war, this interesting and intense drama, spiritually and humanly inspired, is based on the United States intervention in the armed conflict between the North and South Vietnam where 48,000 Puerto Ricans were drafted to fight with their American counterparts.

Carlos (Jorge Castillo) and Raúl (Jimmy Navarro), along with other soldiers, are assigned on a dangerous reconnaissance mission, but before reaching their objective, they are ambushed. Both escaped and on their way back, fear, paranoia and introspective reactions overwhelmed them.

While wandering lost in the jungle, a vivid image of Carlos’ mother and sister (Adamari Lopéz) portrays the critical situation they are coping with back in the island due to his absence.

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Last Seen at Angkor

Writer and Director: Michael R. Morris
Cast: Wee Hong Thomas, Michael R. Morris
Runtime: 80 minutes
Country: Cambodia
Language: English

Jeremy Oden returns to Thailand to meet with a private detective from Singapore, Lo Jin. Jeremy has been looking for his kidnapped fiancée (Katie) for the last four years, and has finally decided to get help from outside legal channels.

Lo Jin offers to take Jeremy outside the law to help find her. As they travel toward Cambodia, Jeremy lives in a world of regret, re-living flashbacks of his last days with Katie. Lo Jin learns that he has a drug addiction, which strains their tense relationship. When connections are made to exchange money with elusive gang members for information, Jeremy is twice robbed. Jeremy begins to lose faith in Lo Jin, accusing him of a scam.

At a local bar, Jeremy meets an American ex-patriot (Carlo) who befriends him and eventually brings him to a brothel. Delirious with pain and pills, Jeremy finds himself locked in a dark room, forced to fend off a brothel girl (Kiri) sent to seduce him. Jeremy learns that Carlo is no friend, his only purpose being to recruit new customers. Rejoining Lo Jin in his search, Jeremy is given evidence that they're very close to finding Katie...until he learns that Lo Jin is also deceiving him.

Chasing Lo Jin through the streets of Siem Reap, Jeremy catches and condemns him. As he returns in a misguided attempt to rescue Kiri from brothel life, the truth of what really happened to Katie four years ago finally reveals itself in an ugly revelation...

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Echoes of Innocence

Director: Nathan Todd Sims
Cast: Sara Simmonds, Jake McDorman, Matt Vodvarka

Runtime: 113 minutes
Country: USA
Language: English

It has been five years since Sarah's soul mate Christopher mysteriously disappeared from Junior High. Since that time the visions she experiences and the voices she hears have grown in intensity, making her a High School outcast. Yet in spite of the social cost, Sarah continues to profess her pledge of love and virginity to Christopher as she hopes for his return. Despite her lack of popularity, high school reporter Dave is attracted to Sarah and determined to explore her fascination with Joan of Arc and the virtues of "the virgin maid." Meanwhile, dark rebel Alec desires Sarah for himself, viewing her proud virginity as a prize conquest. Sarah now finds herself caught between the memory of her first love and the forces that seek to challenge her vow...and possibly take it by force.

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Shaking Dream Land

Director: Martina Nagel
Cast: Jesper Christensen (Casino Royale), Philip Winchester (Flyboys), and Cloudia Swann
Runtime: minutes
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English

When Robert (Philip Winchester, Flyboys) marries the beautiful Alice (Cloudia Swann) they are the 'perfect couple'. But the moment he learns his wife is pregnant, dark secrets from his childhood fly unbidden into the present and threaten to destroy their future. With the birth of his son he is catapulted into the abyss of losing all that he loves. Misunderstood by the people closest to him, a wall of silence grows around him. Terrified, Robert seeks help to understand what is happening to him and is forced to confront his own father (Jesper Christensen, Casino Royale), coming face to face with his childhood trauma.

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Erosion

Director: Ann Lu
Cast: Emmanuel Xuereb, Charis Michelsen, Lee Holmes, Oz Perkins
Runtime: 100 minutes
Country: USA
Language: English

Haunted by a failing relationship, Gabe begins a risque game for escape
by inviting Irene to dinner at a lavish mansion. Unhappily married, Irene attends and finds the temptation irresistable when Gabe invites her on a second date. To her surprise, she meets him at a humble suburban home. Playfully, Gabe admits that he broke into both houses for their trysts. A frightened Irene returns to her husband. When Gabe escalates his pursuit, Irene surrenders to the thrill of abandoning her mundane life and having sex with Gabe in strangers homes. House after house they push the limits of intimacy and morality, defying reality by living stolen lives. But how far can they go before their past catches up with them?

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Mendy

Director: Adam Vardy
Cast: Ivan Sandomire, Gabriela Dias, Spencer Chandler
Runtime: 90 minutes
Country: USA
Language: English

Mendy is a young Brookyln Hasid, a devout member of an ultra orthodox Jewish sect. His entire life has been spent following the strict rules of his protective, insular and repressive community.

The film is the story of Mendy's struggle to find his place in modern secular society after he leaves home to move into a SoHo apartment with Yankel and Bianca. The former is a childhood friend who left the community years earlier and now leads a hedonistic lifestyle. The latter is Yankel’s roommate, a black Brazilian woman who offers an alternative view of the secular world, one that does not involve going from one extreme to another. An emotional and honest portrait of the human condition, MENDY tells the universal story of a young man on a quest for understanding, wisdom, and love.

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Ryna

Director: Ruxandra Zenide
Cast: Doroteea Petre, Valentine Popescu, Matthieu Roze
Runtime: 93 minutes
Country: Switzerland/Romania
Language: English

A beautiful teenager, raised as a boy because her mechanic father was obsessed with having a son, struggles to find her own identity in Ruxandra Zenide's unforgettable festival hit. Despite her enforced short hair and oil-stained clothes, Ryna's beauty is apparent. When her mother leaves, unable to tolerate any more of her husband's abuse, Ryna defies her father and wears a dress to the town fair. This simple act of independence triggers a series of events that lead to a tragic end; and a fateful choice for Ryna.

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