Visionary Thinking, Films for Festivals 2017

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Fourth Man Out Director: Andrew Nackman Writer: Aaron Dancik Genre: Comedy/Drama Friends don't let friends come out alone Adam is your average working-class guy living in small-town America. He's an auto mechanic who spends his free time with his tight-knit band of bros, Chris, Nick and Ortu, with whom he does everything-poker, video games, shooting hoops, getting drunk and meeting women. But there is something about Adam that even his friends don't know. He is not that interested in women. When he comes out, sort of by accident but not really, his best friend Chris promises him that nothing will change but, of course, some things do. After the initial shock, the boys quickly come around to the fact that Adam is still the same dude, but when his double date with Chris ends disastrously, a drunken misunderstanding threatens to derail the group's entire dynamic. Fourth Man Out is a feel-good buddy comedy with plenty of heart that focuses on the growing pains and ultimate strengths of of friendship. "'4th Man Out’ is the first heartwarming and hilarious film of 2016" – Substream Magazine "A beautiful film, splendidly shot with outstanding performances from a very capable cast making Fourth Man Out an unforgettable film." – Entertainment Film News "A sleeper delight" - Variety Cast Parker Young (Chris) Evan Todd (Adam) Chord Overstreet (Nick) Jon Gabrus (Ortu) Kate Flannery (Karen) Jennifer Damiano (Tracy) Jordan Lane Price (Jessica) Doug Moe (Bradstar) Alex Rennie (Paul) Brooke Dillman (Martha) Jake Epstein (Marc the Artist) Sean Hankinson (Derek) Heather Blair (Lindsay) Tommy Bracco (Giovanni)

Runtime: 86 min Country: USA Language: English Year: 2015 Awards 11 awards including Heartland Film Festival 2015 - Festival Award Winner Narrative Feature Iris Prize Festival 2015 - Iris Prize Best Feature L.A. Outfest 2015 - Audience Award Outstanding Narrative Feature Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival 2015 - Audience Award Best Film Out on Film, Atlanta, US 2015 - Audience Award Best Overall Feature Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2015 - Audience Award Best Feature Rhode Island International Film Festival 2015 - First Prize Best Feature Official site: http://www.4thmanout.com/ Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4thmanout



American Fable Director: Anne Hamilton Writer: Anne Hamilton Genre: Thriller The feature debut from director Anne Hamilton unleashes a torrent of gorgeous, stunningly surreal images as it immerses viewers in a child's imagination. A dark, dreamlike mystery plays out amidst the expansive farmlands of the American Midwest in this wondrous, storybook thriller. With her family's livelihood imperiled by the farm crisis of the 1980s, eleven-year-old Gitty loses herself in a world of fantasy and make believe. But she stumbles into her own fairytale when she makes a startling discovery: a well-dressed mystery man being held captive in her family's silo. It's the beginning of a labyrinthine journey that will turn Gitty's world upside down and force her to question her loyalty to her own family. "’American Fable’ manages to achieve that rare feat of cinema, being both familiar and unique. Echos of Spielberg, Malick, and del Toro are woven into a distinct coming of age tale, and Peyton Kennedy puts in the performance of the festival..." - Cinapse "Let writer-director Anne Hamilton tell you a story, because she’s got a heck of one in American Fable...A dream slowly becoming nightmare and we are just lucky enough to be along for the ride." – Next Projection "Gorgeously shot, and helmed with a sense of daring and verve" – Variety Cast Peyton Kennedy (Gitty) Richard Schiff (Jonathan) Kip Pardue (Abe) Marci Miller (Sarah) Gavin MacIntosh (Martin) Zuleikha Robinson (Vera) Charlie Babbo (Michael) Spencer Moss (Heidi) Rusty Schwimmer (Ethel) Megan Renner Rieck (Dairy Farmer) Theresa Tilly (Anna Winters) Karen Woditsch (Doctor) Michael Collins (Newscaster) Liz Cloud (Librarian)

Runtime: 96 min Country: USA Language: English Year: 2016 Awards New Hampshire Film Festival 2016 Won Audience Choice – Feature Savannah Film Festival 2016 Won Special Jury Award Breakout Performance - Peyton Kennedy SXSW Film Festival 2016 Nominated SXSW Gamechanger Award - Anne Hamilton Young Entertainer Awards 2017 Nominated Young Entertainer Award Best Leading Young Actress - Peyton Kennedy



Baden Baden Director: Rachel Lang Writer: Rachel Lang Genre: Comedy/Drama After a failed attempt at working on a foreign film set, 26 year-old Ana returns to her hometown of Strasbourg. Over the scorching summer that follows, she decides to replace her grandmother’s bathtub with a walk-in shower, eat peas and carrots with ketchup, drive a Porsche, harvest plums, lose her driver’s license, sleep with her best friend and get back together with her ex. In short, over this particular summer, Ana tries to get her life together. "Writer-director Rachel Lang and star Salome Richard manage to craft an intriguing feature debut filled with keen observations and slices of dark humor" - Hollywood Reporter "A very interesting film on multiple levels, but what impresses the most coming from this first-time feature director is how she balances and combines order and chaos, in terms of both subject matter and stylistic approach. Lang and Richard show great promise" - Cineuropa "Unified by a distinctive humour and intelligence, crisp visuals, and Richard’s intensely charismatic presence." - Screen Daily Cast Salomé Richard (Ana) Claude Gensac (La grand-mère) Lazare Gousseau (Grégoire) Swann Arlaud (Simon) Olivier Chantreau (Boris) Jorijn Vriesendorp (Mira) Noémie Rosset (Meriem) Zabou Breitman (La mère d'Ana) Thomas Silberstein (Samson) Kris Portier de Bellair (La mère de Boris) Régis Lang (Le père d'Ana) Kate Moran (Lois) Mathieu Mortelmans (L'assistant de production) Sam Louwyck (Andrew) Driss Ramdi (Amar)

Runtime: 96 min Country: Belgium/France Language: French Year: 2016

Awards and nominations IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival 2016 Nominee Grand Prize City of Lisbon Riviera International Film Festival 2017 Winner Special Mention Nominee Grand Jury Prize Best Picture Nominee Jury Prize Best Actress - Salomé Richard; Best Actor - Lazare Gousseau; Best Director - Rachel Lang



Beautiful Devils Director: James Marquand Writers: Sacha Bennett, Jennifer Majka Genre: Drama A modern retelling of Shakespeare's Othello set within the music scene of East London. Oz and Ivan are lifelong friends and music producers. When Oz gets offered a lucrative recording contract, he makes the decision to separate from Ivan professionally. This rejection turns to rage, as Ivan plots to undermine Oz's success and get him kicked off the label. The plan kickstarts an escalation of jealousy and paranoia in Oz. With deadly consequences. Fueled by ambition and greed, and with the pressures of modern social media culture, this dark thriller portrays the youngsters’ bloody tragedy. "Marquand has crafted a surprisingly effective drama that boasts an impressive production design, as well as sound design, which accompanies his strong ensemble of performers." – Fakeshamp.net "You don’t need to be familiar with Othello or even Shakespeare to be drawn into this fresh and exciting take on one of his masterpieces." – Britflicks Cast Osy Ikhile (Oz) Rachel Hurd-Wood (Darcy) Elliot James Langridge (Ivan) Alexa Morden (Bianca) Dominique Provost-Chalkley (Emmy) Rufus Hound (Archie Hoffman) Iain Glen Greg Wise (James Lacey MP) Danny Horn (Casper) Steven Waddington (Louis) Ross M. Kernahan (Raver) Matt Bentley (Rigo) Jason Matthewson (Guy) Chrispin Lema (Drummer) Daniel Eghan (Commuter) Cedric Tylleman (Sound Engineer) Matt Townsend (Private club member)

Runtime: 119 min Country: United Kingdom Language: English Year: 2017



I Won’t Come Back Director: Ilmar Raag Writers: Yaroslava Pulinovich, Oleg Gaze Genre: Drama In I Won't Come Back, Ilmar Raag, director of the critically acclaimed The Class, dramatizes the odyssey of two children who have to grow up too quickly. Anya is a good-looking, successful young graduate student. She gives lectures on Byron and has a relationship with one of the professors. One day her life takes an unexpected turn for the worse. A victim of false accusations, she has to flee, disguised as a teenaged homeless girl. While on the run, Anya meets twelve-year-old Christine, an orphan who is as desperate and reckless as Anya herself. This friendship becomes a turning point for Anya — reliving her adolescence for the second time, she now is forced to rewrite her life. "…a terrific film about girls, relationships, and abandonment, and how pain and loneliness can draw some people into cynicism, while making others more open and willing to accept any crumb of affection. Even when it's problematic, it's memorable." Letterboxed "A resonant, poignant drama" – Sound on Sight "Straightforward and natural." - The Hollywood Reporter Cast Andrey Astrakhantsev (Andrey Lyutsius) Olga Belinskaya (Teacher) Alla Emintseva (Marina) Vika Lobachova (Kristina) Galina Mochalova (Grandmother) Yuriy Orlov (Investigator) Polina Pushkaruk (Anya) Laina Sergeeva (Verka) Sergey Yatsenyuk (Dima Morozov) Tatyana Zykova (Koshka)

Festivals and Awards 2014 Tribeca Film Festival – Won Nora Ephron Prize - Special Mention Ilmar Raag 2014 Traverse City Film Festival 2014 Helsinki International Film Festival 2014 Film By The Sea Festival – Won Dioraphte Film & Literature Award 2014 Taoyuan International Film Festival 2014 Scottsdale Film Festival 2014 Let's CEE Film Festival - Main Prize, Feature Film 2014 Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2014 CineWorld Film Festival 2014 International Film Festival of India Runtime: 110 min 2014 Minsk International Film Festival Listapad - Belarusian President Special Award Country: Kazakhstan/Russia/Estonia/Finland/Belarus Language: Russian Year: 2014 Original title: Я не вернусь



London Town Director: Derrick Borte Writers: Matt Brown, Kirsten Sheridan Genre: Drama/Music In '70s London, a 14 year-old boy is introduced to the Clash by his estranged mother. It changes his life forever. It's England, 1979, and unemployment has hit the working class suburbs of London particularly hard. As his family struggles to stay afloat, 14-year-old Shay Baker has had to grow up quickly by taking care of his younger sister Alice while his father Nigel works two jobs. One day, Shay receives a package from his estranged mother, the free spirited Sandrine, who left the family years ago to pursue her dreams of being a singer. Inside is a cassette tape featuring the newest music from London. Shay is captured by the raw energy of The Clash's White Riot as it pounds through his ears, opens his mind and causes him to lose himself in it - until the reality of his responsibilities pull him back to reality. "For any fan of the Clash or great film making; this is a movie not to be missed." Starbust "London Town is ultimately a winning and sensitively wrought evocation of a time when music provided a vital bulwark against an increasingly reactionary culture." – Slant Magazine "Quite charming and enjoyable" – Huffington Post Cast Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Joe Strummer) Tom Hughes (Johnny) Natascha McElhone (Sandrine) Dougray Scott (Nick Baker) Kerry Howard (Penelope) Daniel Huttlestone (Shay Baker) Nell Williams (Vivian Daniels) Samuel Robertson (Tommy Gun) Meredith Ostrom (Rebecca) Kamryn Boyd (Punk Rock Kid) Jeff Leach (Ronnie) Michael Chapman (Skinhead) Alex Marx (Doctor)

Runtime: 92 min Country: UK/Germany/USA Language: English Year: 2016

Awards and nominations Los Angeles Film Festival 2016 Nominated World Fiction Award Best Film



Mellow Mud Director: Renars Vimba Writer: Renars Vimba Genre: Drama Loneliness, disillusionment and the experience of first love No one shall know that their grandmother has died. To avoid being taken into the care of the authorities, 17-year-old Raya and her younger brother bury the old woman they grew up with in the garden by the apple orchard. With no one else to depend on, Raya has to organize daily survival for herself and her brother. She’s pinning all her hopes on their mother, who has emigrated to England. The film describes the difficult situation of those left behind in a country that many people have already abandoned. It is a portrait of a resourceful and determined young woman who refuses to give up her dreams despite the hardships life has thrown at her. In her constant struggle to evade the authorities, she tries to find her own happiness while taking care of her brother. "Compelling, bittersweet coming-of-ager from first-time feature helmer-writer Renars Vimba. This evocatively shot realist tale benefits from a spare yet credible script and a knockout performance from big-screen debutant Elina Vaska... this is a title that will be appreciated by arthouse fans of all ages." – Variety "There is a spare beauty to this picture. It is lean, economic storytelling with no wasted scenes, and yet, largely thanks to a bravura performance from impressive newcomer Vaska, there is a real emotional depth here." – Screen Daily "(Mellow Mud) marks the assured feature debut of writer-director Renars Vimba... it has sufficient high-art polish to grab more festival platforms, where it will serve as a calling card for Vimba and his quietly magnetic young star Elina Vaska." – Hollywood Reporter Cast Elina Vaska (Raja) Andzejs Lilientals (Robis) Edgars Samitis (Oskars) Ruta Birgere (Grandmother) Indra Brike Zane Jancevska (Daina) Rezija Kalnina Janis Kirmuska Sandra Klavina

Original title: Es esmu šeit Runtime: 106 min Country: Latvia Language: Latvian Year: 2016 Awards Berlin International Film Festival 2016 Won - Crystal Bear Generation 14plus - Best Feature Film Cyprus Film Days International Festival 2016 Best Director Award



Pioneer Heroes Director: Natalya Kudryashova Writer: Natalya Kudryashova Genre: Drama Veliky Novgorod, 1987. Olga makes a stand against her teacher's authoritarian teaching methods, Andrey is propagating an "anti-death pill" in a jam jar and Katya observes her father distilling booze illegally behind closed doors. These three young schoolmates are all members of the "Vladimir Illyich Lenin" Young Pioneer organisation and are full of childlike visions of the future. Over twenty-five years on, all three have now established themselves professionally in Moscow, and yet they have not really found their bearings in present day Russia. Olga suffers from panic attacks, Andrey tries to fill his inner void with computer games, and Katya is pursued by unsettling dreams. Moving poetically between past and present, Natalia Kudryashova shows the gulf between the visions of yesteryear and today's reality which the dissolution of the Soviet Union has left behind for its final generation of Young Pioneers. Impressively dense and atmospheric images describe their attitudes towards life. Derelict concrete buildings, imposing and Kafkaesque, give shape to the oppressive shadows of their original dreams that now threaten to engulf them. "A poignant and funny film" – Dog and Wolf "A visually stunning fantasy about the loss of orientation and the new artificial worlds of post-socialist life." - Berliner Zeitung "A lot of things in this beautiful film live from the contrast between the times." - Tagesspiegel Cast Natalya Kudryashova (Olga) Darya Moroz (Katya) Aleksey Mitin (Andrey) Varya Shablakova (Olga as a child) Sima Vybornova (Katya as a child) Nikita Yakovlev (Andrey as a child) Yuriy Kuznetsov Aleksandr Userdin (Psychoanalytic) Svetlana Smirnova-Martsinkevich (Andrey’s girlfriend) Anatoliy Belyy Zhanetta Demikhova (Teacher) Alesya Guzko (Angel)

Runtime: 116 min Country: Russia Language: Russian/English Year: 2015 Original title: Пионеры-герои

Festivals and Awards 2014 Les Arcs – Won Best Work In Progress 2015 Berlinale Panorama 2015 – Nominated Best First Feature Award 2015 Kino Pavasaris, Vilnius Lithuania – Competition Official site: http://ctb.ru/en/films/pioneer-heroes/



Suntan Director: Argyris Papadimitropoulos Writers: Syllas Tzoumerkas, Argyris Papadimitropoulos Genre: Drama/Romance/Thriller Parties, sex, dancing, drinking and sleeping it off on the beach: a typical young people's holiday. In Suntan, the doctor on a tourist Greek island falls for 19-year-old Anna. He tries to connect with her and her friends. But how wild are you at the age of 40? Kostis is a 40-year-old doctor that finds himself in the small island of Antiparos, in order to take over the local clinic. His whole life and routine will turn upside down when he meets an international group of young and beautiful tourists and he falls in love with Anna, a 19-year-old goddess. "Suntan" is a coming-of-middle-age film that explores growing up through a youth never lived. "It's an unflinching depiction of one man’s descent into an embarrassing vortex of desire, paired with a spectacular lack of self-awareness. Helmer Argyris Papadimitropoulos scores a bull's-eye, in all senses, making "Suntan" a festival musthave" - Variety "This is confident, unflinching filmmaking which manages to show us things we may not have seen - or wanted to see - before." - Screen Daily "Vital and impressive... "Suntan" is an absorbing, discomfiting drama from Greek director Argyris Papadimitropoulos. What starts as a keenly observed, almost Chekhovian account of a country doctor, turns into a dark, almost excruciatingly unblinking depiction of violent male obsession" - Sight and Sound Cast Makis Papadimitriou (Kostis) Elli Tringou (Anna) Dimi Hart (Jason) Hara Kotsali (Alin) Milou Van Groesen (Mila) Marcus Collen (Morten) Yannis Tsortekis (Takis) Pavlos Orkopoulos (Mayor) Maria Kallimani (Tzina) Marissa Triandafyllidou (Tourist Mother) Syllas Tzoumerkas (Orestis)

Runtime: 104 min Country: Greece Language: English/Greek Year: 2016

Awards Edinburgh International Film Festival 2016 - Winner Best International Feature Film FEST International Film Festival 2017 - Winner Jury Prize - Best Screenplay Oaxaca FilmFest, MX 2016 - Winner GlobalBest Movie Odessa International Film Festival 2016 - Winner Golden Duke - Special Jury Mention



Thirst Director: Svetla Tsotsorkova Writers: Svetoslav Ovtcharov, Svetla Tsotsorkova Genre: Drama In the struggle of daily existence, the thirst for love may be greater than that for life itself. A couple and their teenage son eke out a living on a hilltop, doing the laundry for local hotels, despite the intermittent water supply. Their simple life is overturned by the arrival of a father-anddaughter team of diviner and well-digger, who promise to bring an end to this precarious existence by finding a source on their arid hill. But ultimately, these newcomers quench a thirst that is much stronger than that for mere water. "Rarely does a debut feature come along with the visual and narrative confidence of "Thirst" a beautifully crafted, subtly told story of two very different teens hesitantly coming together in Bulgaria's rural southwest. Directed with arresting yet subtle flair by Svetla Tsotsorkova, whose affinity for minimal dialogue elides with her careful attention to how people observe each other, the film combines chamber-piece elements with sensitivity to landscape, light and shadow." - Variety "A remarkably confident feature debut" – Screen Daily "No doubt actress Svetla Tsotsorkova has a made a strong directorial debut here" PopOptiq Cast Monika Naydenova (The Girl) Alexander Benev (The Boy) Svetla Yancheva (The Mother of The Boy) Ivaylo Hristov (The Father of The Boy) Vassil Mihajlov (The Father of The Girl) Stefan Mavrodiyev (The Shopkeeper) Ivan Barnev (The mini bus driver) Original title: Жажда Runtime: 90 min Country: Bulgaria Language: Bulgarian Year: 2015

Nominations and Awards Golden Rose 2015 Won Golden Rose Best Cinematography - Vesselin Hristov Hamburg Film Festival 2015 Nominated - Young Talent Award - Svetla Tsotsorkova Zurich Film Festival 2015 Nominated Golden Eye - Best International Feature Film Minsk IFF (Listapad), Belarus 2015 Best Cast Award, Jury Prize Festival International du Film d'Arras 2015 Best Mise En Scène – Direction Award



Tim Maia Director: Mauro Lima Writers: Mauro Lima, Antônia Pellegrino Genre: Biography/Drama/Music Biopic of ‘the father of Brazilian soul music’ Tim Maia from his humble beginnings in the Tijuca neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, until his untimely death in 1998 aged just 55. The film follows his career as a performer as he travelled to New York and found success despite having no money and without speaking a word of English. Iconoclastic, ironic, outspoken, polemical, and confrontational, Maia was a gifted singer with a remarkable musical career. “More flatten! More shrill! More echo! More return! More everything!!!” Tim Maia’s cry can still be heard in every party, of any generation and social stratus, where his songs are synonym of joy and romance. Transgressor, lovely and scornful, Tim is one of the most respectable and loved artists of Brazilian music. Since his teenage years, when he arrived in New York without speaking a word of English, Tim Maia always did what he wanted to, with whom and whenever he wanted and paid a high price for his freedom. But, after his life, Brazilian music would never be the same again. „Borrowing from the shape of the musical blockbuster biopics which usually Hollywood loves so much (childhood, rise to fame, big party years followed by a very dark period), Tim Maia offers, of course, a first-rate soundtrack, and a polished aesthetics.“ – Metro Montreal Cast Robson Nunes (Tim Maia - young) Babu Santana (Tim Maia) Alinne Moraes (Janaína) Cauã Reymond (Fábio) Valdineia Soriano (Dona Maria) George Sauma (Roberto Carlos) Tito Naville (Erasmo Carlos) Luis Lobianco (Carlos Imperial) Laila Zaid (Susi) Marco Sorriso (Cromado) Jonathan Azevedo (Arlênio) Ephraim Benton (Bengy) Joya Bravo (Aretha) Paulo Carvalho (Seu Altivo)

Runtime: 140 min Country: Brazil Language: Portuguese/English Year: 2014 Awards ABC Cinematography Award 2015 Won ABC Trophy Feature Film - Best Art Direction Cinema Brazil Grand Prize 2015 Won Cinema Brazil Grand Prize Best Actor - Babu Santana; Best Sound; Best Music SESC Film Festival, Brazil 2015 Won Audience Award Best Actor - Babu Santana

Official site: http://globofilmes.globo.com/en/filme/timmaia/



To My Beloved Director: Aly Muritiba Writers: Aly Muritiba Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller Fernando loves his dead wife. Too much. After the loss of his wife Ana, Fernando becomes a quiet and introspective man, who raises his son Daniel by himself. Every night, while the boy sleeps, he recalls his love by organising her personal belongings. His life is turned around when he discovers a handful of sex tapes in his deceased wife's homemade VHS collection. Obsessed with the idea of tracking the unnamed lover, Fernando leaves everything behind - including his son - to insert himself into the life of Salvador, an ex-con and the man from the videotapes. An exhibition of remarkable cinematic control, To My Beloved is a film rife with psychological tension and subtlety. "Strong, beautiful and full of symbolisms" – Cinema em Cena "A thriller that will surprise many!" – Carta Capital "Triumphantly suspenseful!" – Cine Pop Cast Fernando Alves Pinto (Fernando) Mayana Neiva (Raquel) Lourinelson Vladmir (Salvador) Giuly Biancato (Estela) Michelle Pucci (Ana) Vinicius Sabbag (Daniel) Awards Brazilia Festival of Brazilian Cinema 2015 Won Candango Trophy Best Director - Aly Muritiba Best Supporting Actor - Lourinelson Vladmir Best Supporting Actress - Giuly Biancato Best Cinematography - Pablo Baião Best Art Direction - Monica Palazzo Best Editing - João Menna Barreto Festival de Cinema Luso-Brasileiro de Santa Maria da Feira 2015 Won Jury Award Best Actor - Fernando Alves Pinto

Original title: Para Minha Amada Morta Runtime: 123 min Country: Brazil Language: Portuguese Year: 2015 Official site: http://www.paraminhaamadamorta.com.br/ Won Special Jury Award Best Film Montréal World Film Festival 2015 Won Silver Zenith San Sebastián International Film Festival 2015 Nominated - Horizons Award


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