Scroll down for blurbs on all FEATURES and DOCUMENTARIES screening at
the 2007 Avignon/New York Film Festival, along with show times at Hunter College,
68th Street & Lexington Ave. All features are preceded by short films.
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INCLUDING DISCUSSIONS AND PANELS!
Click here for listing of all Discussions and Panels!
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////// US Feature Films
Divergence (NYC premiere)
(USA, 2007, 114 min.) directed by Patrick J. Donnelly
• 11/9/07 at 10:00 pm (Lang Hall)
• 11/17/07 at 10:00 am (Lang Hall)
A wounded soldier returns from Iraq having lost faith in the war and himself. He finds solace with a beautiful, mysterious woman in a wintry seaside town. Knowing he could be sent back to the war front, they make a decision that could affect the rest of their lives. Donnelly’s debut feature is thoughtful and incisive.
New York City Serenade (NYC premiere)
(USA, 2007, 104 min.) directed by Frank Whaley
• 11/18/07 at 8:30 pm (Lang Hall)
In Frank Whaley’s two previous films, "Joe the King" and "The Jimmy Show" (as well as in his remarkable performance in "Swimming with Sharks"), he has delved into the male psyche, its fantasies and disappointments, highlighting how we sometimes seek failure in spite of ourselves. With "New York City Serenade," Whaley establishes himself as an insightful writer/director, a poet of disappointment and New York noir. Things aren’t going quite as smoothly as usual tonight for Owen (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and Ray (Chris Klein), best friends for most of their lives. Aspiring filmmaker Owen is having problems with his girlfriend, so he goes off partying with consummate bullshit artist Ray to crash some late-night haven. Owen has been invited to show his short film at a film festival. That news is offset by the death of a friend’s father, triggering a sense of mortality and urgency in both young men.
On the Doll (NYC premiere)
(USA, 2007, 102 min.) directed by Thomas Mignone
• 11/10/07 at 7:30 pm (Lang Hall)
• 11/18/06 at 10:00 am (Lang Hall)
"On the Doll" takes us where few films have been before: into the pain that child abuse visits upon the victims’ later lives. Interweaving three disparate stories, Mignone’s remarkable debut film features a strong cast of up-and-coming actors along with veteran Theresa Russell in emotionally riveting situations. Characters wander through their disaffected lives searching for meaning, acting out painful patterns, seeking the light after so much darkness. A beautiful and emotionally wrenching film, "On the Doll" is sure to hit a powerful chord in audiences.
Superheroes (NYC premiere)
(USA, 2006, 84 min.) directed by Alan Brown
• 11/11/07 at 3:00 pm (Lang Hall)
• 11/16/07 at 10:00 pm (Lang Hall)
New York, summer of 2005. "Superheroes" is an intimate and compelling drama about the relationship between a wounded Iraqi War veteran and a young documentary filmmaker. The veteran struggles to live with his psychological and physical scars. The filmmaker accompanies him to a quiet house in the country to listen to his story. The end of his film has an unexpected twist.
Year of the Fish
(USA, 2006, 84 min.) directed by David Kaplan
• 11/9/07 at 7:30 pm (Lang Hall)
• 11/16/07 at 3:00 pm (Lang Hall)
A digitally-animated modern-day Cinderella, "Year of the Fish" is set in the underbelly of New York's Chinatown, told through the eyes of a young Chinese woman struggling to find a new life in the United States. Kaplan is natural story teller with a keen eye for flowing compositions, exotic rhythms and vibrant colors, all of which combine to make his first feature film a captivating piece of work.
////// European Feature Films
Komma (NYC premiere)
(Belgium-France, 2006, 92 min.)
directed by Martine Doyen
• 11/10/07 at 3:00 pm (Lang Hall)
• 11/17/07 at 10:00 pm (Lang Hall)
Peter De Wiwakes up in the middle of the night in a morgue’s cold storage. He decides to start a new life under the identity of the corpse from whom he takes a wallet. One night, he meets Lucie, a young neurotic artist who seems to be amnesiac. His mythomania fills in her amnesia and Peter starts to take up an important place in the young woman’s life...
La Part Animale (NYC premiere)
(Animal Part, France, 2007, 87 min. ST Eng.)
directed by Sébastien Jaudeau
• 11/10/07 at 10:00 pm (Lang Hall)
• 11/17/07 at 12:30 pm (Lang Hall)
Arriving with his wife, Claire, and child in the back country of France’s most primitive region, the Ardeche, Etienne watches his life change in front of his eyes as he starts his new job in the ultramodern Douglas turkey farm, under the bemused gaze of his new boss, Chaumier. Sebastien Jaudeau’s first feature is both original and audacious, taking us into a world where animals are raised solely to garnish our tables, bred with barbaric economy and cold discipline. The film compels us to think about our own animal nature in a world that is increasingly threatening.
Il Sera Une Fois…
(Once Upon a Tomorrow, France, 2006, 78 min. ST Eng.) directed by Sandrine Veisset
• 11/10/07 at 12:30 pm (Lang Hall)
• 11/11/07 at 7:30 pm (Lang Hall)
Sandrine Veysset's "Once Upon A Tomorrow" is a highly original mood piece and meditation on life, aging and rejuvenation, a philosophical short story that begins on a cold, isolated section of the French coastline. Pierrot is counting down to zero wherever he goes, and when the boy first appears on screen, he's near 12,000. A mysterious, sad, teddy-bear of a man with long gray hair and a long beard (the inimitable Michael Lonsdale) follows Pierrot everywhere. The boy lives in a big old house at the top of a cliff. Ms. Veysset's 4th feature is another remarkable work that provides us with insight into the human transformation.
////// Documentaries
A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar… (NYC premiere)
(USA, 2007, 80 min.) directed by Eric Chaikin
• 11/11/07 at 10:00 pm (Lang Hall)
• 11/16/07 at 10:00 am (Lang Hall)
A lurid tale of lawyers, lawsuits and America's fascination with both, "A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar..." explores the influence of the law and its practitioners on American culture, while following six hopefuls who will do whatever it takes to become lawyers themselves. Featuring appearances by luminaries from the worlds of law, politics, and entertainment, Eric Chaiken, last seen here with "Word Wars," has made another entertaining, informative feature documentary. To sue or not to sue, that is the question.
From The 50 Yard Line (NYC premiere)
(USA, 2007, 108 min.) directed by Doug Lantz
• 11/11/07 at 10:00 am (Lang Hall)
• 11/17/07 at 7:30 pm (Lang Hall)
Good documentaries find their humanity and force by telling remarkable stories, sometimes in places that are not obvious breeding grounds for passion, artistry and life-changing happenings. From director Doug Lantz and producer Dan Lantz comes this uplifting documentary, presenting the football field not as sports venue but as an inspiring stage for hundreds of teenagers working together, committed to one common goal. Part music video, part reality show, part drama, part big-screen entertainment, "From the 50 Yard Line" is fun and life-affirming.
I Love You, Me Neither : Artist and Critics (NYC premiere)
(France, 2006, 82 min. ST Eng.)
directed by Maria de Medeiros
• 11/9/07 at 3:00 pm (Lang Hall)
Actress/director Maria de Medeiros documents the symbiotic, tempestuous, edgy, ambiguous mutual love-hate relationship between filmmakers and film critics. which range from sincere admiration to open adulation, poisonous commentary, physical assaults and even murder threats. Ms. De Medeiros does a great job getting everyone to bare their souls, including world renowned filmmakers like Wim Wenders, Ken Loach, Amos Gitai, Woody Allen, Pedro Almodovar, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan and Manoel de Oliveira as well as a host of critics who write about their work. This fascinating film for film lovers everywhere had to come from France, the only place where film criticism is still regarded as a serious, quasi-literary activity.
Jazz On a Winter’s Day (NYC premiere)
(Austria, 2007, 43 min.)
directed by Sven Jansel & Gerld Lehner
• 11/10/07 at 10:00 am (Lang Hall)
• 11/17/07 at 3:00 pm (Lang Hall)
The famous American musician Bob Stewart is in the remote Gastein Valley in Austria to give a 3-day jazz workshop with traditional brass-musicians Even though it's tough for the Austrian musicians coming from marching bands to follow Mr. Stewart, he teaches them how to perform honestly and passionately. Most importantly in this straightforward documentary, he shows them that the soul of music is to follow one’s own instincts.
Keepers of Eden (NYC premiere)
(USA, 2007, 76 min.) directed by Yoram Porath
• 11/9/07 at 12:30 pm (Lang Hall)
• 11/18/07 at 3:00 pm (Lang Hall)
Narrated by Joanne Woodward, Yoram Porath’s first feature documentary chronicles the struggles of the Huaorani tribe an indigenous people of Ecuador. The tribe lives within Yasuni National Park, one of the most bio-diverse places on the Earth. The Huaorani have thrived as hunters/gatherers in the Amazon rainforest for thousands of years. As oil companies plough deeper into the rainforest and the Huaorani’s ancestral lands, a wave of continued destruction threatens to erase their existence. This incisive film traces the pollution, toxic poisoning and environmental devastation wrought by the oil industries, shedding light on the Ecuadorian government’s ongoing failure to protect its land, its water and its people.
The Music in Me (NYC premiere)
(Australia, 2007, 63 min.) directed by Nigel Traill
• 11/11/07 at 12:30 pm (Lang Hall)
• 11/18/07 at 12:30 pm (Lang Hall)
“The Music In Me” is a warm-hearted, moving documentary about the Merry Makers, a unique group of dancers in Australia, most of whom suffer from some intellectual or physical disability. They refuse their potential fate, working hard to find their own place in society. The film follows this troupe of unforgettable characters as they get ready for the biggest show of their lives. Their instructors show that we can make a difference in other people’s lives by caring.
Welcome to Nollywood (NYC premiere)
(USA, 2007, 58 min.) directed by Jamie Meltzer
• 11/9/07 at 10:00 am (Lang Hall)
• 11/16/07 at 12:30 pm (Lang Hall)
“Welcome to Nollywood” tells the story of the burgeoning Nigerian movie industry, known as Nollywood. The film follows three directors and their latest productions while also using interviews with scholars, actors and journalists who celebrate in insightful and often humorous ways the Nigerian video-film industry. They show us its unique character and genres, as well as its impact on the culture of West Africa and Africans at home and abroad. Jamie Meltzer’s documentary is able to capture the real spirit of independent filmmaking.