World Competition

Click on film title for film details and long synopsis
 

Afterschool (USA,106 min.) Director: Antonio Campos Cast: Ezra Miller, Jeremy White, Emory Cohen, Michael Stuhlbarg, Addison Timlin, Gary Wilmes, Rosemarie Dewitt Robert attends an elite east coast boarding school where he accidentally videotapes the death of two popular students. The school assigns Robert an audiovisual project, in memory of the teens, designed to help the students cope with their death. Antonio Campos' film showcases voyeurism and the YouTube generation.

Bullet in the Head (Tiro en la Cabeza) (Spain/France,84 min.) Director: Jaime Rosales Cast: Ion Arretxe, Inigo Royo, Jaione Otxoa, Ana Vila, Asun Arretxe The most talked-about film at the San Sebastian Film Festival was Jaime Rosales's tension-filled narrative in which the dialogue is just out of hearing range. Out of a true incident in Basque-separatist politics, Rosales has fashioned a film that, like Rear Window or The Conversation, questions intention, action, and meaning.

Hooked (Pescuit Sportiv) (Romania/France,84 min.) Director: Adrian Sitaru Cast: Adrian Titieni, Ioana Flora, Maria Dinulescu, Alexandru Georgescu, Sorin Vasilescu, Nicodim Ungureanu A Sunday picnic seemed like a good way for Mihai and his sweetie Mihaela to spend some quality time together and take their relationship to a new level. But a series of odd and unexpected events turn their idyllic getaway into a very, very strange day. Silver Alexander, Thessaloniki Film Festival.

I Want to See (Je Veux Voir) (France/Lebanon,76 min.) Director: Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Rabih Mroué Politically-engaged Lebanese co-directors Hadjithomas and Joreige break new ground in the documentary/fiction fusion debate with this portrait of iconic French star Catherine Deneuve discovering the destruction wrought in Lebanon during Hezbollah's 2006 summer war with Israel. Driven by actor/artist Rabih Mroue, she visits the heavily bombed south of the country.

Involuntary (De Ofrivilliga ) (Sweden,98 min.) Director: Ruben Östlund Cast: Maria Lundqvist, Leif Edlund, Olle Lijas, Vera Vitali, Cecilia Milocco, Villmar Björkman, Lola Ewerlund, Linnea Cart-Lamy, Sara Eriksson, Henrik Vikman An amusing take on the nature of group dynamics: Two teenage girls chat, take pictures and get drunk, a group of young men experiment with sex, a teacher tries to resolve the problem of a student bullied by another teacher, and a group of passengers are held prisoner by a bus driver.

Katia's Sister (Het Zusje Van Katia ) (Netherlands,85 min.) Director: Mijke de Jong Cast: Betty Qizmolli, Julia Seykens, Olga Louzgina, Rogier Schippers, Chico Kenzari, Tatiana Sharkova, Ian Bok, Fred Goessens, Jennifer St. Jago, Tara Van Den Kerkhof Mijke de Jong's heartbreaking drama about an awkward 13-year-old girl and the blonde bombshell sister she worships doesn't pull any punches in terms of social commentary. A portrait of a fractured family living on the fringes and a damnation of Europe's seedy underbelly, its power is virtually unrivaled.

Khamsa (France,95 min.) Director: Karim Dridi Cast: Marc Cortes, Raymond Adam, Tony Fourmann, Mehdi Laribi, Simon Abkarian. Khamsa is home again. Until his best friend Coyote meets Rachitique, a small-time crook, with whom they start petty robberies. Khamsa's youth and innocence will rapidly fade away as he spirals down into delinquency.

Kisses (Ireland/Sweden,74 min.) Director: Lance Daly Cast: Shane Curry, Kelly O'Neill, Paul Roe, Neili Conro In this bittersweet film from Ireland, two preteens, Dylan and his intrepid neighbor Kylie, go on the lam from their abusive families and bleak suburban housing estate. Their black and white world gradually turns into a world of colors as they head for the lights and perils of inner-city Dublin.

Landscape No2 (Pokrajina St.2 ) (Slovenia/Serbia,90 min.) Director: Vinko Möderndorfer Cast: Marko Mandic, Slobodan Custic, Barbara Cerar, Maja Martina Merljak, Janez Hocevar A killer representing an ugly, unresolved and nearly forgotten chapter of post-WWII history confronts a cynical, amoral Everyman in Landscape No. 2. Played realistically yet with a wink to Grand Guignol theatrics, this audacious, superbly crafted, contemporary horror picture spiced with humorous hardcore action constitutes a true guilty pleasure.

March (März) (Austria,83 min.) Director: Händl Klaus Cast: Isolde Ferlesch, Florian Eisner, Josef Kuderna, Julia Gschnitzer, Alfred Kleinheinz, Julia Strauhal, Ilse Kuen The unexplained suicide of three young men sends shockwaves through a small Austrian community in this somber drama. Their friends are confused, unable to come to terms with their apparently motiveless deaths, while their parents and older relatives are struck dumb by their pain. Best First Feature, Locarno Film Festival.

Paper Soldier (Bumaznyj Soldat) (Russia,120 min.) Director: Alexey German Jr. Cast: Merab Ninidze, Chulpan Khamatova, Anastasya Sheveleva The Soviet Union's race to put the first man in space supplies a backdrop to this gorgeously shot period drama about the medical officer charged with monitoring the men's readiness who is increasingly conflicted about sending a human on a potentially fatal mission. Best Director, Best Cinematography, Venice Film Festival.

Parque Vía (Mexico,86 min.) Director: Enrique Rivero Cast: Nolberto Coria, Nancy Orozco, Tesalia Huerta Beto takes care of a luxurious residence in Mexico City, which has been vacant for a number of years. He suddenly realizes that the house has been put up for sale, causing his world to turn upside down. Life on the outside world or to live in confinement is the predicament facing Beto; who will also struggle realizing the fragile relationship between him and his master.

Past is a Foreign Land, The (Il Passato È Una Terra Straniera) (Italy,127 min.) Director: Daniele Vicari Cast: Elio Germano, Michele Riondino, Chiara Caselli, Valentina Lodovini, Marco Baliani, Daniela Poggi, Maria Jurado, Romina Carrisi, Lorenza Indovina Brilliant law student Giorgio, bored with his tedious existence, accidentally crosses paths with a card shark, who entices him into the world of hidden aces and fixed decks. The rush of the con leads Giorgio into a lucrative double life -- one with increasingly dangerous stakes, in this brooding, nimble study of temptation and self-destruction.

Perfidy (Chile/Bolivia/USA,84 min.) Director: Rodrigo Bellott Cast: Gonzalo Valenzuela, Levi Freeman, Heidi Schreck A young man embarks on a mysterious journey, taking him to a hotel somewhere in snowy upstate New York. While in his room, a dramatic transformation takes place, resembling a serpent shedding his skin. Suddenly, the phone rings; the plot thickens; things will never be the same.

Soi Cowboy (Thailand/UK,117 min.) Director: Thomas Clay Cast: Nicolas Bro, Pimwalee Thampanyasan, Petch Mekoh, Natee Srimanta, Somluk Kuamsing In Bangkok, a corpulent Dane and a pregnant Thai woman share a tiny apartment. He takes Viagra and gives her gifts. She's looking for security and he's the best way out of Soi Cowboys, the red-light district where they met. Meanwhile, in the countryside, a teenage mafia enforcer faces a dilemma.

Teza (Ethiopia/Germany/France,140 min.) Director: Haile Gerima Cast: Aaron Arefe, Abeye Tedla, Takelech Beyene, Teje Tesfabun, Nebiyu Baye, Mengistu Zelalem, Wuhib Bayu, Zenahbezu Tsega, Asrate Abrha, Araba Evelyn Johnston-Arthur, Veronika Avraham Anberber returns home to a village in Ethiopia after spending a long time studying medicine in Germany. He wants to use his knowledge for the betterment of his people, but war and the long chain of its negative effects have left him powerless to take action.

Three Monkeys, The (Üç Maymun) (Turkey/France/Italy,109 min.) Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan Cast: Yavuz Bingöl, Hatice Aslan, Ahmet Rifat Sungar, Ercan Kesal, Cafer Köse, Gürkan Aydin A hit and run accident forces Servet, a well-off politician, to persuade his driver Eyüp, to take the rap; he then promises him a lump sum of money for his time in prison. Eyüp's wife, Hacer, wants to help her son which sends her life in a downward spiral of lies and deceit.