Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 21, 2013 – 7:45pm / OPENING NIGHT FILM April 2, 2013 – 4:30pm. Film Source: Cinemate, Rita Saloio, ritasaloio@cinemate.pt ______________________________________________
NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS – MARCH/APRIL 2013
Bloody Fight in Iron-Rock Valley Directed by: JI Ha-jean / South Korea / Korean, English Subtitles / 2011 / Action, Drama / 89 minutes West Coast Premiere
The Baron Directed by: Edgar Pêra / Portugal / Portuguese, English Subtitles / 2011 / Gothic Horror / 105 minutes North America Premiere
During the Second World War an American crew took refuge in Lisbon and began filming “The Baron,” a short story by Branquinho Da Fonseca. The dictator heard about the movie and ordered the film destroyed and the crew repatriated. The Portuguese actors were deported to Tarrafal’s concentration camp. They were tortured and roasted alive. In 2005 two reels and the screenplay were found in the archives of a kino-club. For the next five years the film was restored and reshot. In 2011 it was shown for the first time. The story leads a school inspector through a bizarre landscape into the castle of The Baron, a tyrant vampire who terrorizes the inhabitants of a mountainous region. The inspector is dragged into a shapeless night full of mythological figures and Plebian terror. Come witness an extraordinary black and white film with stunning visuals and an intoxicating soundtrack. Official Selection: Int. Film Festival Rotterdam 2013
Revenge comes slowly in this spaghetti-western styled thriller as people die one by one. Chul-ki, who just got out of prison, kills a police officer but that is just one of many deaths to come. He always carries a small ballerina music box which fills his mind with old memories. He leaves for Kangwon province to find the remaining two people in his memos, Ghost Face and Axe, two people who have committed a crime against him. Ghost Face and Axe are vicious killers whose corrupt boss runs a shady construction firm that has taken over a small village. The two hide out at an illegal gambling house in Kangwon province run by the boss, committing all sorts of crimes. The unstoppable revenge begins that no one can escape. Bloody Fight in Iron-Rock Valley won “Best Korean Independent Film” at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival and won “Best Asian Genre Film of the Year” from the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation. Official Selection: 11th NY Asian Film Festival 2012 Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: April 5, 2013 – 6:15pm. Film Source: INDIESTORY, Kate WON, kate@indiestory.com
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Cinema Six Directed by: Mark Potts, Cole Selix / USA / English / 2012 / Comedy / 80 minutes West Coast Premiere
Mason, Dennis, and Gabe have worked at the Stanton Family Cinemas for longer than they want to remember, but long enough they don't want to leave. Most of their time is spent messing with customers, watching fellow employees work out their relationship issues and basically just slacking off, but at a cost. Mason has a wife and child at home that he neglects too much, Gabe is considering college, but is scared of failure, and Dennis just dropped out of college after his fiancé cheated on him. The three are working things out together at their second home, the theatre, until Mason's wife reveals she's pregnant for the second time and his volatile home life comes to a head. Should Mason swallow his pride and beg his father-in-law for a job? Can Gabe get past his pessimism and fear and leave the projection booth? And can Dennis finally start to deal with his issues? Maybe. But first, they have some customers to ignore. Official Selection: Raindance Film Festival 2012 (UK) Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 28, 2013 – 5:00pm. April 3, 2013 – 8:45pm.
Cycle Directed by: Zoltan Sostai / Hungary / English / 2011 / Science Fiction, Animation / 78 minutes West Coast Premiere
A deadly fog is approaching. A spaceman wakes up on a rooftop. We follow him as he runs from the fog through strange and mysterious worlds that somehow connect with each other. Cycle is a 3D animated motion picture focusing on a universal problem solving situation rather than on classic linear storytelling. It is recommended for those who prefer questions to answers. Come and join us for this trippy, psychedelic, and extremely far out adventure with a pulsating soundtrack. Official Selection: SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival 2012 Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 23, 2013 – 10:00pm. April 4, 2013 – 4:45pm. Film Source: Zoltan Sostai, zoltan.sostai@gmail.com ______________________________________________ Flower Buds (Poupata) Directed by: Zdeněk Jiráský / Czech Republic / Czech, Vietnamese, English Subtitles / 2011 / Drama / 94 minutes West Coast Premiere
Film Source: Mark Potts, mrmarkpotts@gmail.com
Garnering four top Czech Lions (the Czech Oscars®) the film covers the world of social relationships and desperate characters, eager to break the destinies of their
environment and realize their dreams of a normal life. There is inevitable cruelty in all the intertwined stories of each character, some with a touch of black humor. The story tests a family, and their friends, living in the harsh rules of a small town. Agatha, the daughter, wants a happy life far from home, with full knowledge that her only hope is to escape her surroundings. The son John believes in the power of love, regardless of the circumstances under which it was born. His mother Kamila looks confidently to the future and in her naivety she does not intend to accept the misery of the day. Only Jarda, the father, knows that the world does not change. Aware of his weakness, he does not try anything to change his life. His morbid addiction to slot machines creates impossible situations for his family. When it comes time to rescue his family, it comes at a time when it's much too late.
Official Selection: IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival 2012, ColCoa Film Festival 2012 (LA) Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 22, 2013 – 6:00pm. Film Source: Sésame Films, Florence Borelly, contact@sesamefilms.fr ______________________________________________ Laurentie Directed by: Mathieu Denis, Simon Lavoie / Canada / French, English, English Subtitles / 2011 / Drama / 120 minutes USA Premiere
Official Selection: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Czech Republic) Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 30, 2013 – 5:50pm / CENTERPIECE FILM April 5, 2013 – 2:15pm. Film Source: CINEART TV PRAGUE, Viktor Schwarcz, 261711044@iol.cz ______________________________________________ Freeway Directed by: Christophe Sahr / France / French, English Subtitles / 2011 / Drama / 90 minutes San Diego Premiere
My name is Louis Després. I am 28 years old. I live in Montreal, Canada in this fucking shit-hole of a province. I don’t know what I like. I don’t know who I like. I don’t know what I want to do with my life. I don’t know who I am. One thing I do know is that I am not….the Other. The Other who is beautiful, who speaks a beautiful and seductive tongue – which I do not speak. He is surrounded by friends – I don’t have any. He is happy – I am not. A short time ago, the Other became my next door neighbor. His presence next to me, the sole fact of his existence, constantly brings me back to my own sorry state, and I feel ever more intolerable. I would feel so much better if he wasn’t there… so much better amongst my own: the sons of Laurentia.
Alex’s life is filled with customized cars, gatherings on parking lots, races, speed, and the road. At 20 years old, he is stuck at the wheel of his yellow modified car, which controls his life. This passion, with its rituals and its codes, leaves behind his girlfriend Rachel and their child. One night on the freeway, Alex’s fate changes abruptly. After this incident, he tries to move on, but experiences guilt and eventually a slow awakening.
With scenes of rage, frustration, and sexual situations, lead actor Emmanuel Schwartz creates a mesmerizing performance that is a must see. Official Selection: Raindance Film Festival 2012 ( UK) Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 28, 2013 – 8:30pm. Film source: FunFilm Distribution Inc. Francis Ouellette, fouellette@cinemaginaire.com,
Memory of the Dead (La memoria del muerto) Directed by: Valentín Javier Diment / Argentina / Spanish, English Subtitles / 2011 / Horror / 88 minutes California Premiere
with Crystal's family hot on their trail and Teddy's wife growing suspicious, both their plans and their relationship are tested as everything falls apart around them. Official Selection: Fantasia Film Festival 2012 Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 29, 2013 – 9:45pm April 1, 2013 – 4:30pm. Film Source: True Hype Productions Inc., Rob Grant, true_hype@hotmail.com ______________________________________________
After the death of her husband Jorge, Alicia summons their friends to her house. They wanted Alicia to read a letter that the deceased left before dying. It is a very affectionate and emotional letter that mentions all of the friends that are present. What the guests do not know is that they are part of something more, something more sadistic.
Motion Sickness Directed by: S.M. Kerstein / USA / English / 2011 / Mystery, Surrealist Noir / 114 minutes San Diego Premiere
Trapped in a house of insanity, the guests have ghostly traumatic experiences and one by one are viciously terrorized. Blood splattering mayhem and fantastically fun special effects will keep you on the edge of your seat until the gruesome end! Official Selection: Fantasia Film Festival 2012, Fantastic Fest 2012 Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: April 5, 2013 – 10:00pm. Film Source: Peliculas V, Gabriela Dranovsky, info@peliculasv.com.ar ______________________________________________ Mon Ami Directed by: Rob Grant / Canada / English / 2012 / Black Comedy, Horror / 93 minutes San Diego Premiere
Lost on a train of thought, tunneling through the dark night of his unconscious, a Talmudic student struggles to resolve a paralyzing conflict between his mind and his body. Dreamy, heady, trippy and with a wildly eccentric cast of characters, Motion Sickness will take you on a mind melting journey. Official Selection: Los Angeles Fear and Fantasy Film Festival 2012 Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: April 1, 2013 – 8:15pm. Film Source: darkcurrentfilms@gmail.com
Mon Ami is a horror movie disguised as a buddy comedy, think 'Fargo' meets 'Dumb & Dumber'. Cal and Teddy, two former best friends, try to rekindle their friendship by hatching a plan to kidnap their boss' daughter Crystal. But
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Pilgrim Song Directed by: Martha Stephens / USA / English / 2012 / Drama / 115 minutes California Premiere
personal life and he finds himself at the crossroads. Will he protect his own family or is he going to sacrifice his personal happiness for business ambitions? Shanghai Gypsy is the story about eternal longing for happiness; it is the story about love and family ties, in which tears are intertwined with laughs. The story is set in times of the downfall of Yugoslavia, in times when many people had forgotten that beauty of life actually lies in small things. Official Selection: Montreal World Film Festival
Seeking escape from his stalled relationship and unhappy place in the world, a recently pink-slipped music teacher sets out to hike Kentucky’s Sheltowee Trace Trail. Among the verdant hills of Appalachia, he encounters various strange characters and becomes the reluctant companion of a gregarious father and son who ultimately help him rediscover what he’s been missing. Official Selection: SXSW 2012 Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 29, 2013 – 2:00pm April 4, 2013 – 8:15pm.
Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 23, 2013 – 5:45pm. Film Source: Arsmedia d.o.o., Boštjan Ikovic, info@arsmedia.si ______________________________________________ Snackbar Directed by: Meral Uslu / Netherlands / Dutch, Arabic, Turkish, English Subtitles / 2012 / Drama / 83 minutes California Premiere
Film Source: Paper Moon Films, Ryan Watt, ryan@papermoonfilms.com ______________________________________________ Shanghai Gypsy Directed by: Marko Nabersnik / Slovenia / Gypsy, Slovenian, Italian, English Subtitles / 2012 / Drama, Crime, Romance / 124 minutes USA Premiere
Shanghai Gypsy is a story about four generations of the gypsy family Mirga. It is narrated by family memeber Lutvija Belmondo Mirga, a gypsy king, who decided to establish his own gypsy village. He names it Shanghai. Belmondo makes a living on smuggling and his power and influence grow large. He even gets local police and politics on his side and that helps him to become untouchable by law. But with the downfall of Yugoslavia, smuggling of goods is being replaced by smuggling of the arms. Though lucrative, the business starts to threaten Belmondo’s
Snack Bar is set in a metropolitan Rotterdam suburb, where the street is dominated by street kids. Daily life focuses around a snack bar, run by an older gentleman named Turk Ali. The snack bar serves as a refuge for the local Moroccan youth, teenage boys who have nothing better to do than hang around. They are rough, violent, engage in criminal activities, and regularly come into contact with the police. For these boys, Ali is an old and trusted Turkish uncle who is understanding and has a sense of humor, but is also strict. But will life like this continue? Turk Ali has a family to support and problems of his own and some of the youth want out of this lifestyle. Official Selection: 2012 Starz Denver Film Festival Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 23, 2013 – 2:00pm. ______________________________________________
Songlap Directed by: Fariza Azlina, Effendee Mazlan / Malaysia / Malay, English Subtitles / 2011 / Drama, Crime / 100 minutes San Diego Premiere
Ad and Am, two struggling brothers involved in a baby trafficking syndicate, dream of escaping their desperately grim existence. Ad, the younger brother, finds hope through a dancing competition, as he sees the RM50,000 prize as a ticket to get out of his miserable life. Am, on the other hand, has no qualms dabbling in shady dealings to squeeze extra cash until the day he can start his life anew. Unfortunately, he finds his cash reserves dwindling due to his penchant for easy money by gambling. Eventually, both of their lives are at risk when the syndicate comes after them.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS-MARCH/APRIL 2013 Andrew Bird: Fever Year Directed by: Xan Aranda / USA / English / 2011 / Documentary, Music / 81 minutes San Diego Premiere
Filmed during culminating months of the acclaimed singersongwriter's most rigorous year of touring, Andrew Bird crosses the December finish line in his hometown of Chicago - feverish and on crutches from an onstage injury. Is he suffering hazards from chasing the ghost of inspiration or merely transforming into a different kind of animal "perfectly adapted to the music hall?" Fever Year is the first to capture Bird's precarious multi-instrumental looping technique and features live performances at Milwaukee's Pabst Theater with collaborators Martin Dosh, Jeremy Ylvisaker, Michael Lewis, and Annie Clark of St. Vincent. Official Selection: Noise Pop Film Festival 2012
Songlap, the second feature film by co-directors Effendee Mazlan and Fariza Azlina Isahak, will take you through the gritty underbelly of Kuala Lumpur’s sprawling metropolis and keep you on the edge of your seat as you join Ad and Am in the search for their own private utopia. Official Selection: 2012 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: April 6, 2013 – 5:30pm.
Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 29, 2013 – 6:15pm. April 6, 2013 – 9:30pm / CLOSING NIGHT FILM ______________________________________________ Art / Crime Directed by: Frédérick Maheux / Canada / French, English, English Subtitles / 2011 / Documentary, Censorship, Human Interest, Art / 80 minutes San Diego Premiere
Art / Crime is the story of Montreal makeup special effects artist, Rémy Couture. In October 2009 he was arrested by the police following a complaint received by Interpol about his website Inner Depravity. The site consisted of 16 sessions, 2 photos, and short films, containing proposed staging of torture, mutilation, and sadistic murders. Although the investigation concluded that there was no real victim and that the site content was fictional, Crown prosecutors in Quebec have filed charges for corruption of morals and production of obscene materials. Meanwhile, part of the arts scene in Quebec mobilized to denounce what they consider censorship. With Art / Crime, director Frédérick Maheux attempts to clarify the circumstances of the arrest and understand the artistic, social and political aspects. Between reality and fiction, voyeurism and curiosity, the spectacle of violence was never too far on the Web. Suicides, urban violence and extreme pornography circulate freely and are easily accessible. Important questions about the responsibility of the viewer, being an artist, artistic dissemination, censorship on the Web, and the role of makeup and special effects are addressed. Art / Crime is a feature documentary that explores our attraction to violence, but also the misunderstanding and ignorance about the Internet. Official Selection: Oakland Underground Film Festival Screening at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: April 2, 2013 – 8:30pm. ______________________________________________
memoir written, directed and produced by an American who worked in Ma’s company for eight years, Crocodile in the Yangtze captures the emotional ups and downs of life in a Chinese Internet startup at a time when the Internet brought China face-to-face with the West. Crocodile in the Yangtze draws on 200 hours of archival footage filmed by over 35 sources between 1995 and 2009. The film presents a strikingly candid portrait of Ma and his company, told from the point of view of an "American fly on a Chinese wall" who witnessed the successes and the mistakes Alibaba encountered as it grew from a small apartment into a global company employing more than 16,000 staff. Official Selection: Palm Beach International FF 2012 Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 22, 2013 – 2:30pm April 6, 2013 – 10:30am. Film Source: Purple Reel Productions, Giuseppe De Angelis, info@purplereel.com ______________________________________________ Dutch Weed (Nederwiet) Directed by: Hans Pool, Maaik Krijgsman / The Netherlands / Dutch, English Subtitles / 2011 / Documentary, Social, Culture / 93 minutes North America Premiere
Crocodile in the Yangtze Directed by: Porter Erisman / USA / English, Chinese, English Subtitles / 2012 / Documentary, Human Interest, Business / 76 minutes San Diego Premiere
Holland is internationally known for its soft drugs policy and anybody can enter a Dutch coffeeshop and enjoy a Dutch weed joint. This is completely legal for the customer. Selling the stuff through the front door may be legal, but the supply at the back door was never properly regulated, and is subject to increasing pressure from the authorities. Dutch Weed explores the world behind the coffeeshops back door, and offers a unique insight into a world where the idealism of the hippie generation is losing out to the greed and violence of organized crime. Crocodile in the Yangtze follows China’s first Internet entrepreneur and former English teacher, Jack Ma, as he battles US giant eBay on the way to building China's first global Internet company, Alibaba Group. An independent
Official Selection: IDFA: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2012
Screenings at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 22, 2013 – 9:45pm. April 3, 2013 – 5:00pm. Film Source: IDTV Docs, Jennifer Halfhide, docs@idtv.nl ______________________________________________
Herman’s House Directed by: Angad Bhalla / USA, Canada, UK / English / 2012 / Documentary, Human Interest, Crime, Art / 80 minutes San Diego Premiere
The Exorcist in the 21st Century Directed by: Fredrik Horn Akselsen / Norway / Norwegian, Spanish, English, English Subtitles / 2012 / Documentary, Religion / 80 minutes West Coast Premiere
The Exorcist in the 21st Century takes the viewer into the unknown and sinister world of exorcism in the Catholic Church. We meet one of the few exorcists in Europe, the Vatican approved José Antonio Fortea. He travels around the world on a mission to enlighten the masses about demonic possession. Constanza, a Colombian woman, is desperately looking for his help. She claims to have been possessed by demons for nearly 15 years and she goes through a ritual of exorcism before she sees the Spanish exorcist as a last hope for spiritual liberation. The film follows both their journeys and gives a unique insight into one of the world’s most secret and mystical rites – the catholic ritual of exorcism. Official Selection: Sitges International Film Festival 2012,Fantastic Fest 2012
The injustice of solitary confinement and the transformative power of art are explored in Herman’s House, a feature documentary that follows the unlikely friendship between a New York artist and one of America’s most famous inmates, Herman Wallace (one of the Angola 3), as they collaborate on an acclaimed art project. “WHAT KIND OF HOUSE DOES A MAN WHO HAS LIVED IN A 6-FOOTBY-9-FOOT CELL FOR OVER 30 YEARS DREAM OF?” Official Selection: Hot Docs 2012, Full Frame 2012 Screening at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 30, 2013 – 10:30am. Film Source: Storyline Entertainment Inc., Lisa Valencia-Svensson, lisa@storylineentertainment.com ______________________________________________ IBIZA Occident Directed by: Günter Schwaiger / Spain, Austria / Spanish, German, English / 2011 / Documentary, Music / 86 minutes USA Premiere
Screening at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: April 6, 2013 – 2:00pm. Film Source: Gammaglimt, christian@gammaglimt.no
IBIZA Occident. In the Hollywood of electronic music,
musicians, DJs, gogos ,and promoters are working on a sophisticated entertainment machine to satisfy stressed-out Western society's desire for fun, sex and freedom.
Boris Frank, mail@borisfrank.de, Director: Benjamin Kahlmeyer, benkah@gmx.de ______________________________________________
Each of the “nine and a half music stories” presents part of the whole, whether of the island or of our world. It never claims to be able to tell all, but is rather a voyage with stops, almost a collection of short tales. The island is the protagonist, music however its inspiration, because in Ibiza music is the cardinal point where all lines meet.
Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad, and the Politician Directed by: Ayten Amin, Tamer Ezzat, Amr Salama/ Egypt / Arabic, English Subtitles / 2011 / Documentary, Political, Culture / 96 minutes West Coast Premiere
Official Selection: London International Documentary Festival 2012, MusiXine International Music Film Festival 2012 (Finland) Screening at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 30, 2013 – 9:45pm. Film Source: Günter Schwaiger, mosolovp2@gmail.com ______________________________________________ Meanwhile In Mamelodi Directed by: Benjamin Kahlmeyer / Germany / English, English Subtitles / 2011 / Documentary, Human Interest, Culture / 75 minutes San Diego Premiere
Extension 11 - one of many districts in the Mamelodi township in South Africa. Welcome to the "shack side". Running water, electricity and paved roads are nowhere to be found. But even here there is of course daily life, which the Mtsweni family masters with routine and ingenuity. Father Steven puts all his energy into his small kiosk located in the township, thus keeping his family afloat and enabling his children an education. Will the 2010 Soccer World Cup hosted in their country have an impact on the daily life of the family?
When Egyptians woke up on January 25, 2011, they never expected the one day demonstration planned for that public holiday to evolve into a full out revolution aimed at overthrowing the regime's 30 year long grip on power. For the following 18 days, the world watched as millions of Egyptians marched out calling for an end to injustice, poverty, and corruption. This movement was led by several inspirational and influential young individuals who galvanized support for the movement through the media and social networks. Among them, three talented young directors decided to tell the yet unfinished story of the revolution from their own unique cinematic point of view, focusing on the protestors, the police force, and the former president Hosni Mubarak. Their focus was never about the politics, but the personal experiences of a handful of individuals whose choices would determine their fate and forever change the future of their country. Official Selection: 68th Annual Venice Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival Screening at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 30, 2013 – 2:00pm. Film Source: Film Clinic, Yahia Zakaria, yyehia@hotmail.com
Official Selection: Hot Docs 2012, SFIFF 2012 Screening at The Ocean Beach Playhouse: March 23, 2013 – 10:30am. Film Source: Filmkademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, Akademiehof 10, 71638 Ludwigsburg, Germany, Producer:
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