Welcome to the Line Up of Films being screened for LA Femme International Film Festival 2011
FEATURES
AFFECTED
OCT 14, 6-8 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTORS
ASH MAHMOOD & NAEEM MAHMOOD
PRODUCER
VERONIQUE SKELSEY
RT: 62 MIN
CAST: Charles Reston, Jordon Stevens, Stuart Mackenzie
SYNOPSIS: Natural resources are running out, and a mysterious man known as the Tempter is goading people to fight for the luxuries they want. Teenage documentary maker Jacob and his girlfriend Laura take their camera to the scene of his last crime on the violent Eden Estate. But as people to start to turn ‘affected’, possessed by greed and empty of empathy – how will our heroes survive?
ALL EAR IS DREAD HEAR
OCT 13, 2-4 PM
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTORS
SARA GROSS & WIL MAGNESS
RT: 61 MIN
CAST: Jason Beck, Josh Greenberg, Karlis Spencer Jones, Kiersten Pearson
SYNOPSIS: In three parts strung together by an old Cadillac, a homeless man and his bag of money, All Ear is Dread Hear is a dramatic comedy with an absurdist twist that connects the lives of six people sometimes resisting and sometimes facing their past regrets.
AS IF I AM NOT THERE
OCT 14, 7-10 PM
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
JUANITA WILSON
PRODUCERS
JAMES FLYNN, NATHALIE LICHTENTHAELER, KAREN RICHARDS
RT: 109 MINUTES
CAST: Fedja Stukan, Natasha Petrovic, Jelena Jovanova
SYNOPSIS: As If I Am Not There tells the story of Samira, a young teacher in a Bosnian village, whose life is turned on its head the day a soldier walks uninvited into her kitchen and tells her to pack a bag. Samira is forced into a new world, where peace is a fairytale and where there are no homes, only camps – transit camp, reception camp, labour camp and death camp.
BIG BAD, THE
OCT 13, 6-8 PM
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
BRYAN ENK
PRODUCERS
JESSI GOTTA & BRYAN ENK
RT: 78 MIN
CAST: Jessi Gotta, Alan Rowe Kelly, Jessica Savage, Patrick Shearer
SYNOPSIS: As a broken woman obsessed with revenge desperately searches for the monster who destroyed her family, she unexpectedly finds herself in a surreal and frightening world.
BRAINWASHED LOVE
OCT 14, 2-4 PM
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
SHAWN BANNON
PRODUCERS
SHAWN BANNON & ALIX BANNON
RT: 85 MIN
CAST: Jane Anne Thomas, Justin Trask
SYNOPSIS: Cillian & Edward meet at a Halloween party and they fall for each other with reckless abandon. After Cillian unexpectedly gets pregnant, their relationship turns into turmoil. Cillian struggles with the prospect of being young and raising a baby while Edward questions his commitment. Will she settle for her ultimate fear: getting an abortion. When their relationship is put to the test, they find the biggest obstacle they must overcome is learning to trust each other.
DOGS LIE
OCT 14, 8-10 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
RICHARD ATKINSON
RT: 88 MIN
CAST: Ewa Da Cruz, Frank Boyd, Samrat Chackrabarti
SYNOPSIS: Eight patients and two clinicians (Frank Boyd and Samrat Chakrabarti) are thrown together for a night of monitoring and observation at a luxury New York sleep clinic. Humor and irreverence give way to devious self-interest as dark secrets are revealed. Lucia (Ewa Da Cruz) finds herself the center of attention as her world seemingly spins out of control. Romance, Blackmail and Murder ensue. Nothing is quite as it seems.
DONNER PASS
OCT 16, 2-4 PM
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
ELISE ROBERTSON
PRODUCER
MOUNCEY FERGUSON
RT: 87 MINUTES
CAST: Desiree Hall, Erik Stocklin, Colley Bailey, Adelaide Kane, John Kassir, Eric Pierpoint
SYNOPSIS: In 1846, a party of settlers became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and had to resort to cannibalism to survive. Some 150 years later, a group of teens on a ski trip discover that the curse of the Donner Party still haunts those mountains when members of their group start turning up not only dead, but half-eaten. Nothing – and no one – is what it seems in this tightly woven dark thrille — and history doesn’t always stay in the past.
FIGHTING FISH
OCT 15, 2-4 PM
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR/WRITER
ANNETTE APITZ
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
JIM CHU
PRODUCERS
DERRICK TSENG, ANNETTE APITZ, BERTHA BAY-SA PAN
RT: 84 MIN
SYNOPSIS: Putting his dreams of traveling on hold, 21-year-old David still lives at home, taking care of his little brother and sister. When his wild and beautiful sister Alice returns after a long absence, their complicated past comes back to haunt them. As David falls in love with Chris, the new girl in town, Alice is driven to desperate measures to keep her brother close and her world intact.
GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS!
OCT 15, 4-5 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTORS
AMERICA YOUNG, BETH GRANT, SHANA SOSIN, BARBARA STEPANSKY, TRACIE LAYMON, JENNIFER LYNCH
PRODUCERS
JENN FEE, AMERICA YOUNG, APRIL WADE
RT: 72 MIN
SYNOPSIS: Girls! Girls! Girls! is a showcase of 6 short films all written, produced, edited, shot and directed entirely by women. Women of all ages, race and backgrounds have created a short film, each from a different genre and with a different perspective on feminine power.
JOE AND BELLE
OCT 14, 10-12 NOON
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
VERONICA KEDAR
PRODUCERS
VERONICA KEDAR & AMIR FISHMAN
RT: 80 MIN
CAST: Sivan Levy, Veronica Kedar, Romi Aboulafia, Yotam Ishay, Irit Gidron
SYNOPSIS: A dark comedy about two girls who fall in love with their country and each other en route from Tel Aviv to Sderot (the ongoing target of Qassam rocket attacks).
LETTING GO
OCT 15, 2-4 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
LISA ARNOLD
RT: 115 MINUTES
CAST: Lisa Arnold, Ross Britz, Marcelle Baer, Ladson Poole, Dino Rizzo
SYNOPSIS: Letting Go is a romantic dramedy of a life lost, a love gained and a hope that endures forever. This inspirational story reveals the struggles that Emma Abbott must face after she loses her husband of 24 years. Fearful of starting over Emma begins a life of mere existence until she is forced to relocate for work. Landing in New Orleans, she becomes surrounded by a lively culture, new people and a chance for a fresh start. Through an old acquaintance and a new friend, Emma learns to let go and to live again. One minute you will laugh and the next, cry, but each moment you will feel inspired!
MADLY IN LOVE
OCT 15, 12-2 PM
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR/WRITER
Hilde van Mieghem
PRODUCERS
Bert Hamelinck, Frank Van Passel
RT: 90 MIN
CAST: Aline Vanhulle, Marie Vinck, Veerle Dobbelaere
SYNOPSIS: When renowned actress Judith’s passionate and scandalous relationship ends disastrously, she decides to take charge of her love life: from now on, she will decide every aspect of her dalliances.
OPAL
OCT 14, 5-7 PM
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
DINA CIRAULO
PRODUCER
JASON COHEN & RACHEL BENSON
RT: 80 MIN
CAST: George Maguire, Nayeli Adorador-Knudsen
SYNOPSIS: Inspired by true events, Opal is the captivating tale of self-taught naturalist and cult icon Opal Whiteley. Raised in a logging camp, Opal catapults to fame with the publication of her diary, then to infamy when readers suspect a hoax. What ensues is a literary mystery with contemporary overtones, where questions of identity are raised but never fully resolved. The film rides the tension between fact and fiction, and presents a character who embodies the possibilities of both.
PACK, THE
OCT 13, 4-6 PM
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
ALYSSA RALLO BENNETT
PRODUCERS
ALYSSA RALLO BENNETT & JOSSELYNE HERMAN-SACCIO
RT: 95 MIN
CAST: Adam Ferrara, Angie Martinez, Carlos Leon, Molly Culver, William C. Mitchell, Lucie Arnaz, Scott Bryce, Fiona Choi, Jim Coope, Genai Corban, Tibor Feldman, Dan Frazer, Suzanne Froix, Zach Galligan, Ryan Homchick, Brooks Hornsby, David Laundra, Jennifer McCabe, Jennifer Merrill, William C. Mitchell, Elisabeth Moss, Charlie Moss, Angela Pietropinto, Michael Pemberton, Roger Robinson, Rick Washburn
SYNOPSIS: ‘The Pack’ achieves what all social issues films should – the issue (in this case, tobacco use, and in particular second-hand smoke) – is contained in the DNA of each and every frame, and yet the story transcends the issue and carries us away in its own right.
PLAYER
OCT 16, 10- 12 NOON
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
ALINA SZPAK
PRODUCERS
ROBERT FLEET & STEPHAN SZPAK-FLEET
RT: 100 MIN
CAST: Natalie Avital, Robert Fleet
SYNOPSIS: Win when it counts – at any price. A gambler and a younger woman fall in love, then risk everything on a dangerous bet.
ROUGH DRAFT
OCT 13, 6-8 PM
VENUE 2: DAVIDSON/VALENTINI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
CAITLIN CLEMENTS
RT: 53 MIN
CAST: Thuraya Elizabeth, Michael Robert Young, Bonnie Fairbank, Evan Reville
SYNOPSIS: Rough Draft tells the story of Charlotte, a screenwriter and classic film enthusiast. She has a budding relationship with a used bookstore employee as they work to piece together the life story of Tom Montgomery, a WWII-era screenwriter who was killed while serving overseas. Meanwhile, Charlotte is also struggling to finish her own script, and she soon finds herself inspired by Tom and his Golden Age of Hollywood trappings in order to bring her story to life.
SON OF THE STARS
OCT 14, 12-2 PM
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
MICHELLE CHEN MIAO
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
XIAONONG FAN
RT: 90 MIN
CAST: Jiangdi Zhu, Jing Liang
SYNOPSIS: ZhengZheng, a young mother of an autistic child, travels the great distance from northern China to DongGuan, the land of tens of thousands of factories, looking for her husband. With her special-needs child Xin Xin in tow, she finds herself alone in the enormous city, with nothing but her wits and inner strength to guide her.
SOUTH OF NEW YORK
OCT 13, 10-12 NOON
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
ELENA BONELLI
PRODUCER
CLAUDIO ORLANDINI
RT: 85 MIN
CAST: Elena Bonelli
SYNOPSIS: Jenny (Elena Bonelli), was a successful show woman now looking to redeem herself by staking everything on Carmelina (the up and coming Carmen Napolitano), a young girl coming from the South of Italy who has plenty of dreams but has no means to realize them. Their complicity leads them to try the’American dream’ and makes them protagonist of hilarious gags and unexpected accidents. Thus, a genuine and original entertainment is guaranteed. And if friendship, dreams and music are not enough, the love between Carmelina and her beloved Marco (the Italian singer Luca Napolitano) will unify them and give new hope by getting over the boundaries. ‘A Sud di New York’ is a movie for any age for its guarantee of cool entertainment by exciting the dreamers and redeeming the disenchanted.
THREE VEILS
OCT 15, 10-12 NOON
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
ROLLA SELBAK
PRODUCER
AHMAD ZAHRA
RT: 117 MINUTES
CAST: Angela Zahra, Mercedes Masöhn, Sheetal Sheth, Eric Avari, Madline Tabar
SYNOPSIS: The lives of three young Middle Eastern women intertwine as they struggle to defy tradition and create their own realities.
WITHOUT BORDERS
OCT 13, 8-10 PM
VENUE 1: RENBERG
DIRECTOR
NICK GAITATJIS
PRODUCERS
JOHN APOSTOLOU & SANDRA STAGGS
RT: 97 MIN
CAST: Yorgo Voyagis, George Corraface, Seymour Cassel, David Millbern, Peter Nikkos
SYNOPSIS: With the help of his eccentric cousin, Thanasis embarks on a journey across continents in search of his six year-old adopted daughter, redefining the meaning of familial love along the way.