Palm Beach International Film Festival Line Up

The Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) announced its highly anticipated film line-up for the 14th edition, April 23-27, 2009.
Executive Director Randi Emerman announced that more than 110 films will screen at this year’s event, which now spans five days. “We’re a little shorter this year, yet we have added more venues, as well as a second weekend featuring the ‘Best of the Fest,” said Emerman. “The festival takes pride in our determination to bring Palm Beach County only the highest of quality in today’s independent film world!”

The 2009 Festival will present features, documentaries, shorts and student shorts from the U.S. and around the world, including Canada, Italy, England, Germany, Israel, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and India, and will play host to filmmakers, producers, and actors to represent and discuss their films. The festival also features a special Italian Cinema sidebar, curated by Veronica De Laurentiis.

Opening night kicks off with the charming comedy adventure “Stone of Destiny.” Charles Martin Smith (American Graffiti, The Untouchables) brings a fine wit and charm to this tale. The film stars Charlie Cox, Kate Mara, Robert Carlyle (Full Monty), Billy Boyd (Lord of the Rings) and Ciaron Kelly and retells the true story of four young Glaswegian students who, in 1951, outwitted the British authorities in their successful attempt to take back the Coronation Stone -Stone of Scone, a beloved symbol of Scottish pride – from Westminster Abbey back to its country of origin. Writer/Director Charles Martin Smith will be in attendance.

Closing Night will feature the romantic comedy “500 Days of Summer.” Directed by Marc Webb and starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, this is a story of boy meets girl, and a true-to-life and unique dissection of the unruly and unpredictable year-and-a-half of one young man’s no-holds-barred love affair.

This year PBIFF is proud to honor some of the great talents in the industry. The first honorees to be recognized for their excellence in film are Academy Award-nominated actor James Cromwell, who will receive the Career Achievement Award. Cromwell’s expansive career includes such memorable films as Babe, The Green Mile, The Longest Yard, The Queen and most recently portrayed George H. W. Bush in Oliver Stone’s W. Director Joel Zwick will receive the Visionary Award. Zwick directed My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time – which also had an early debut at PBIFF! Zwick has success in every genre, from film to theater to television, having the direction of well over 500 episodes to his credit.

Additional honorees will soon be announced. The annual PBIFF black-tie Awards Gala celebration takes place on Friday, April 24 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and will once again be hosted by the ever-popular and charming Tristan Rogers.

Other special events and features include:

- Enjoy a Conversation with Director Joel Zwick on Saturday, April 25, at 10 am at the Seagate Beach Club, Delray Beach. Meet the legendary director and enjoy a continental breakfast overlooking the sparkling Atlantic Ocean while partaking in an informal Q&A. The director will discuss how he launched his career in both television and film and offer insight into the industry. Joel Zwick directed My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time, produced by Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Gary Goetzman. Mr. Zwick is recognized as Hollywood’s most prolific director of episodic television, having the direction of five hundred and twenty-five episodes to his credit

- With continuous diligent support to the future of film, the PBIFF will be holding seminars throughout the festival. They will touch on topics such as Finding an Agent, and the 2nd Annual production finance conference, The Business of Film: From Idea to Audience, sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Film and Entertainment.

- PBIFF will present the Student Showcase of Films Screenings on Sunday, April 25, at Cobb Theatres Downtown at the Gardens honoring the student filmmakers and celebrating the artistic successes they have achieved in this field. The PBIFF is pleased to spotlight the talent of our youth and considers this investment in future filmmakers to be one of the most important features of the PBIFF.

- PBIFF presents a special “Sing-a-Long Screening Under the Stars” on Sunday, April 26 at 8pm. Gather your friends, bring a blanket, a nice bottle(s) of wine, and an evening picnic and enjoy a sing-a-long version of “Mamma Mia” under the stars along the Intracoastal Waterway in Boynton Beach.

- Following the screening of Roots Of Reggae – The Ernest Ranglin Story on Sunday night, April 26, 10 pm, continue jamming into the night with filmmaker and well-known Los Angeles DJ Native Wayne Jobson. This will be an opportunity to spend a music- and dance-filled evening with a reggae star and independent filmmaker at Delray’s hottest nightclub Delux.

- PBIFF presents the World Showcase of Italian Cinema curated by guest programmer Veronica De Laurentiis, best-selling author and actor, and the daughter of famed film star Silvana Mangano and legendary film producer Dino De Laurentiis. Sunday, April 26 at the Sunrise Cinemas Mizner.

- On Monday, April 27 PBIFF will present a Special Screening of Shout It Out at Boca Raton High School at 1pm. Directed by Bess O’Brien, Shout it Out tells the story of a group of teenagers making their way through high school. The film follows them through some of the more tumultuous moments of teenage hood. Shout it Out is based on eight months of research with Vermont teens, all songs written by VT teens and acted by local teens.

- And, of course, the ever-popular Weekend of Shorts and the Voices of Local Films.

- PBIFF presents the “Best of the Fest Weekend,” with encore screenings of the most popular films of the festival on Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3 at the Cobb Theaters in Jupiter.

Screenings of this year’s films will be centered primarily at Sunrise Cinemas, Mizner Park in Boca Raton, with special presentations throughout the county, including Movies of Delray, Lake Worth Playhouse, FAU and Cobb Theaters Jupiter and Downtown at the Gardens.

Tickets and passes are on sale now! Platinum passes are available for $1,000, which includes unlimited admission to all films, parties and the Black tie Awards Gala; Premiere passes are available for $500, which provides admission to all films and select parties; Gold passes are available for $150, which includes unlimited admission to all films with the exception of opening and closing nights, and seminars; and a student pass is $25 with valid student ID, which allows students to see all films and seminars on a space-available basis. Tickets for all movies are regular theatre admission (may differ by theatre) and can be purchased at each theater’s box office, or in advance at www.pbifilmfest.org or www.brownpaperticket.com.

The Palm Beach International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization supporting film programs in local schools and dedicated to making a difference in the lives of future filmmakers by helping them fulfill their dreams to one-day work in the world of film. For more information, please call (561) 362-0003 or visit the festival web site at www.pbifilmfest.org.

14TH PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
FILM LINE-UP


FEATURES

Adam, USA – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Max Mayer
Cast: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving
Romance can be risky, perplexing and filled with the perils of miscommunication - and that's if you aren't ADAM, for whom life itself is this way. In this offbeat, decidedly unfamiliar romantic comedy, Hugh Dancy (The Jane Austen Book Club, Confessions of a Shopaholic) stars as Adam, a handsome but intriguingly odd young man who has all his life led a sheltered existence - until he meets his new neighbor, Beth (Rose Byrne, Damages, 28 Weeks Later, and the new box office hit Knowing), a beautiful, cosmopolitan young woman who thrusts him into the outside world, with funny, touching and entirely unexpected results. Their implausible and enigmatic relationship reveals just how far two people from different realities can stretch in search of an extraordinary connection.

American Violet, USA
Director: Tim Disney
Cast: Nicole Beharie, Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton, Michael O’Keefe, XZIBIT, Charles Dutton, Alfre Woodard, Tim Ware
Based on true events, “American Violet” tells the story of Dee Roberts, a 24 year old African-American single mother of 4 living in a small Texas town, barely making ends meet. Based on the uncorroborated word of a single dubious police informant, Dee soon is charged as a drug dealer, in a sweeping drug bust in her housing project. Dee is offered a hellish choice: plead guilty and go home as a convicted felon or remain in prison and fight the charges. Joined in an unlikely alliance with an ACLU attorney and former narcotics officer, Dee risks everything in a battle that forever changes her life and the Texas justice system. Tim Ware, a So. Florida native, will attend.

And The Winner Is…, USA - WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Christina Grozik
Cast: Christina Grozik, Michael McClatchy, Jerry Springer, Mary Faktor
An American town elects its Mayor through a Beauty Pageant style event. Filmmaker attending.

Baby On Board, USA
Directors: Brian Herzlinger, Emilio Ferrari
Cast: John Corbett, Heather Graham, Lara Flynn Boyle, Jerry O'Connell
In the tradition of "Knocked Up" and "40 Year Old Virgin" comes a hilarious comedy “Baby on Board” about Angela an ambitious, beautiful, career-oriented woman, and her husband Curtis, and their unexpected pregnancy during the peak of Angela's professional path and her over-demanding boss. From the hormonal and emotional mood swings to the comical physical changes taking over her once perfect body, this film chronicles the hilarious cause and effects of pregnancy on modern-day businesswoman. Filmmaker attending.

Baggage, USA
Director: Stephen Polk
Cast: Barry Bostwick, Cheryl Ladd
Baggage has the unique distinction of exploring the boundaries of intimacy and redemption alongside the oftentimes humorous journeys of parenthood, marriage and divorce within the context of a true American family. The story takes you by the hand and reveals each character's layers and relationships via riveting performances by a stellar ensemble cast led by stars Barry Bostwick and Cheryl Ladd. The Murphy's journey between Thanksgiving and Christmas leaves audiences with a sense of hope and reconciliation for their own families. Welcome sentiments for our tumultuous times. Filmmaker attending.

Dim Sum Funeral, Canada - EAST COAST PREMIERE
Director: Anna Chi
Cast: Bai Ling, Russell Wong, Kelly Hu, Talia Shire, Julia Nickson
Upon her death, a wealthy, "dragon lady" Chinese matriarch's final wish is for her grown Americanized children, estranged from herself as well as from each other, to give her the seven-day traditional Chinese funeral with the underlying intention of bringing them together as a real family. The matriarch's plan works, and the week ends with a shocking surprise. A funny and touching American comedy, “Dim Sum Funeral” is a contemporary multi-generational ethnic look into the cultural diversity of America that will "touch the heart," which is the direct English translation of the Chinese words "dim sum."

Dubble (Doppio), Italy - FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Eric Alexander
Cast: Allessandro Sampaoli, Eric Alexander, Silvia Baldo, Camila Raznovich
Luca, a writer, dreams of making an independent film. In his struggle to live and pay the rent on his one room flat, which he shares with his brother Mickey, he is obliged to work as a script adaptor for the dubbing of soap operas. Mickey, an aspiring theatre actor, is persuaded by his brother to have a try at film dubbing, an activity which he does not enjoy but which, through a series of events, will change his life. Spite, malice, love affairs, revenge, dreams and delusions all take place in the space of three days within the dubbing complex.

For My Father, Germany/Israel - USA PREMIERE
Director: Dro (Dudu) Zahavi
Cast: Hili Yalon, Shredi Jabarin
A young man caught between his love and the bomb he carries.
Audience Award Moscow International Film Festival
Nominated 7 times by the Israeli Film Academy

How I Got Lost, USA - WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Joe Leonard
Cast: Aaron Stanford, Jacob Fishel, Rosemarie DeWitt, Nicole Vicius, Jill Flint
A reckless banker convinces his broken-hearted best friend to leave New York with him after 9/11 to look for the things they’ve lost. But when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, the truth comes out about the real motivation for the trip. On the road and in small town Ohio, the friends discover that sometimes you have to get lost to figure out where you’re going. Filmmaker attending.

In My Pocket, USA
Director: David Lisle Johnson
Cast: Brendan Sexton III, Daphne Ramnath-Verdejo, Gregory Smith, Jamie McShane, Kaylee DeFer
Stephen Jameson has had his life planned out for him for quite some time. Problem is, he's gone down the wrong path. Drugs have steadily taken over his life, he can't stay sober and is now faced with telling his parents he's about to fail out of school. Rob Vills is a true 'Rock Star'. The decisions they both make over the course of one night land them both in Second Chances Rehabilitation Center. A journey into the lives of two fundamentally different people whom they share a very crucially commonality -- addiction.

In Northwood, USA
Director: D.W. Brown
Cast: Dash Mihok, Nick Stahl, Olivia Wilde, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Shohreh Aghdashloo
“In Northwood” is about trying to be sane in an insane world-- trying to connect with people who don't want to be connected with --trying to do the right thing when the wrong thing feels so much better. It is a chilling, tour-de-force actor's piece. The material is dark and compelling, but surprisingly humorous at times with a powerful message. Filmmaker attending

Lightbulb, USA
Director: Jeffery Balsmeyer
Cast: Ayelet Zurer, Dallas Roberts, Jeremy Renner
A true and timely rags-to-riches story of two friends - a small-time inventor and a sharky salesman - who hit rock bottom before coming up with a gizmo that becomes a worldwide phenomenon. It only takes one idea…

Long Weekend, Australia FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Jamie Blanks
Cast: Jim Caviezel, Claudia Karvan
Based on the 1978 Australian thriller of the same name, “Long Weekend” recounts the story of a vacationing couple that disregards their natural environment, until the wilderness starts to strike back out at them.

Machan, Italy, Germany, Sri Lanka
Director: Uberto Pasolini
Cast: Dharmapriya Dias, Gihan De Chickera, Namal Jayasinghe, Dharshan Dharmaraj, Mahendra Perera
Living on the margins of society, under impossible pressures, a group of desperate slum dwellers find an invitation to a handball tournament in Bavaria. The one-way ticket to the West could be the answer to their prayers and a solution to all their problems.
Jury Award for Best Film Venice International Film Festival
Audience Award Kerala International Film Festival
Nominated for International Jury Award São Paolo International Film Festival

The Merry Gentleman, USA
Director: Michael Keaton
Cast: Michael Keaton, Kelly Macdonald
Running away from a troubled marriage, Kate Frazier hopes to find anonymity with a new home and a new job in Chicago. Despite friendly flirtation from co-workers and others, the shy and reserved Kate keeps her distance, avoiding questions about her sudden arrival and her recent past. When Kate meets Frank Logan, the two discover unexpected satisfaction in their mutual, shared silence. Haunted by the troubling choices he has made, Frank finds a kindred spirit in the younger Kate, and for a moment the two seem destined to redeem and remake each other. Filmmaker attending.

Narciso, dietro i cannoni, davanti ai muli, Italy - USA PREMIERE
Director: Marcello Baldi, Dario Baldi
Cast: Roberto Herlitzka, Amina Syed, Alessandro Di Natale, Ayaz Mansha
Narciso is an ancient mountain worker since his birth, after twenty years his son is back in his strictly Catholic village, with a Muslim wife, and a Muslim son…and they’ll live together with several surprises and issues.

Poundcake, USA
Director: Rafael Monserrate
Cast: Deshja Driggs-Hall, Jay O. Sanders, Kathleen Quinlan, Kevin Logie, Troy Hall, Marisa Coughlan & Rob Bogue
Thanksgiving 1987. Buffalo, NY. Cliff and Carol Morgan take their three grown children to The Golden Buddha Chinese Restaurant for an announcement. After thirty years of marriage, they are getting a divorce. Now they must spend what may be their last Thanksgiving together as a family, in as civilized a manner as possible. Filmmaker attending.

Red Baron, Germany FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Nikolai Mullerschoen
Cast: Til Schweiger, Lena Headey, Joseph Fiennes, Matthias Schweighofer
Red Baron recounts the story of celebrated German Air Force Pilot, Baron Manfred von Richthofen. He struggles to deal with conflicting feelings of disgust for the war, responsibility to his peers, and love for a woman.

Shannon’s Rainbow, USA - WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Frank E. Johnson
Cast: Julianne Michelle, Carson Brown, Charles Durning, Claire Forlani, Daryl Hannah, Eric Roberts, George Lopez
A 17-year old girl faces and overcomes personal hardship and tragedy with the love of a horse and the mother she never knew she had.

Shout It Out, USA - FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Bess O’Brien
Cast: Andrew McDuff, Annalise Shelmandine, Caroline Bright, Jaci Laroque, Jonathan Reid
Shout it Out tells the story of a group of teenagers making their way through high school. The film follows them through some of the more tumultuous moments of teenage hood: academic pressure; friction with peers, teachers, teen pregnancy, sexuality, cutting, class issues, body issues, relationships with parents; trying to fit in, trying to find one’s self, fear of the future; nostalgia for the past; friendship; and first love. Shout it Out is based on eight months of research with Vermont teens, all songs written by VT teens and acted by local teens. Filmmaker attending.

Skin, United Kingdom/South Africa - FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Anthony Fabian
Cast: Sophie Okonedo, Alice Krige, Sam Neill
Spanning the last 30 years of South Africa’s apartheid system, SKIN is based on the extraordinary true story of Sandra Laing (Sophie Okenodo), who was born black to two white Afrikaner parents, unaware of their black ancestry. She grows up in a sheltered environment on a rural farm, loved and nurtured by her father (Sam Neill) and mother (Alice Krige). Reality sets in when she is thrown out of the all-white boarding school her brother also attends, and is reclassified by the state as ‘coloured’: Sandra will not have the same opportunities as everyone else in her family. Her parents immediately seek to have her legally classified “white” again, setting in motion a battle that ultimately gives Sandra the strength and self-awareness to embrace her identity and cultural legacy as an African woman.
Santa Barbara International Film Festival Audience Award
Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival Audience Award & Jury Award

Stone Of Destiny, Canada/UK FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Charles Martin Smith
Cast: Charlie Cox, Kate Mara, Robert Carlyle, Billy Boyd, Ciaron Kelly
Stone of Destiny retells the story of the quest of four students to return the Stone of Scone back to Scotland, its country of origin. Writer/Director Charles Martin Smith attending
Audience Favorite, Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival
Nominated Best Feature Film, BAFTA Awards, Scotland
Tripping Forward, USA
Director: Marcus Nash
Cast: Chris Fogelman, William Gregory Lee, Amber Benson
Tripping Forward is an off-beat comedy about two partying roommates in Hollywood that make the unfortunate mistake of selling drugs to supermodels to make ends meet. While Ford struggles with the fact that his only success is in commercials and desperately tries to advance his career as a film actor, Tripp has given up on music in order to concentrate on drugs and sponging off of Ford. After a drug deal goes bad, Ford finds himself caught between his drugged-up idiot roommate and a mafia boss hell-bent on castrating him.


DOCUMENTARIES

12 Stones, Nepal/USA
Director: Sandy Smolan
A beautiful and evocative film about the remarkable transformation of a group of illiterate women in southern Nepal.

Atomic! A Train Of Mad Italians In China, Italy
Director: Giovanni Piperno
Featuring: Olga Beccaluva, Andrea carlo Buzzi, Jacopo Guerrini, Vincenzo Pellecchia, Natasha Vispi
A mad journey: 77 mental patients along with 130 health care workers, psychiatrists, relatives and volunteers, take a train from Venice to Beijing, passing through Hungary, the Ukraine, Russia and Mongolia. Among these 200 passionate, pill-popping travelers, we meet a group of eight invincible – of different ages, roles, diagnoses – who are on a mission: they have to come up with a creative event that will involve the whole train and, once in Beijing, convey to the world the sense of this surreal but at the same time very concrete journey. Among them, we meet the protagonists of this story who talk about themselves, swap stories, fall asleep unexpectedly, fall in love, get lost, fall out of love and find themselves again; all of which merges to show in an entirely non-linear way, that, together, change is possible.

Autistic-Like: Graham’s Story, USA
Director: Erik Linthorst
Featuring: Erik Linthorst
AUTISTIC-LIKE: GRAHAM'S STORY is an intimate family portrait showing one dad's determined quest to find the right therapies, the right doctors, and even the right words to describe his son. This short subject documentary is a startling report from the edge of the autism epidemic, and illuminates the medical, social and public health issues faced by families whose autistic-like children have no clear diagnosis, and are offered no specific treatment. The CDC says that one in every 150 children born has autism. Maybe not.

Classmates Of Anne Frank, Israel – US PREMIERE
Director: Eyal Boyers
Featuring: Nannete Konig-Blitz, Theo Coster
A game inventor from Israel returns to his childhood neighborhood in Holland to reunite with five of his and Anne Frank's former classmates, only to discover s surprising truth about the village where he was hiding during World War II.

Connected C: The Spirit Is Listening, USA - WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Wade Glenn Whitworth, Anne V. Louise-Turgeon
A collaborative look at the impact of arts on society.

Courting Condi, USA
Director: Sebastian Doggart
Featuring: Devin Ratray, Adrian Grenier, Carol Connors, Condoleezza Rice, Jim Norton
“Courting Condi” follows a love-struck soul's hilarious, emotionally engaging quest to woo Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. A spin on the Rapunzel-style fairy-tale, this unique romantic/political/biographic feature follows musician Devin Ratray as he travels across America to win her heart. On Devin's journey to meet and court her, he discovers stories that he, and most viewers, never knew about Condi -- including some shockingly dark revelations about how she has changed our lives. Throughout his odyssey, the biggest question remains: Can one man with a dream win the heart of the world's most powerful woman? Filmmaker attending

Dreamriders, USA - FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: William S. Roulston
Featuring: Nico Roulston, William S. Roulston
Father and son try to rebuild their divorce-wracked relationship by trying something outlandish: a summer-long quest for adventure across America. 4,000 miles. On bicycles. With no previous experience.

Gimme A Hug, The Netherlands - FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Geert Droppers
Featuring: Cristina Zenato
The amazing behavior of a top-predator.

Gotta Dance, USA
Director: Dori Berinstein
Featuring: Fanny, Marge, Deanna, Betty/Betsy and Joe B
“Gotta Dance” is “Bad News Bears” swirled into the flip side of “Mad Hot Ballroom.” The film chronicles the debut of the New Jersey Nets first-ever, senior citizen hip-hop dance team - 12 women and 1 man - all dance team newbies, from auditions and rehearsal through center court stardom. The New Jersey Nets Senior Citizen Hip Hop Dance Team will attend, along with director Dori Berinstein

Lady Kul El Arab, Israel - FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Ibtisam Mara'ana
“Lady Kul el-Arab” sets out as a glamorous film about a beauty pageant, and turns into a moving story of a family caught between cultures. In her fifth film, director Ibtisam Mara’ana succeeds in delicately drawing the dramatic and touching portrait of a young woman who finds herself at the heart of a struggle which fascinates the whole country.
Best Directing Award– New Delhi International Women Film Festival
Special Jury Award – IDFA Silver Wolf Competition

Million Calorie March, USA
Director: Gary Marino
America. Land of opportunity - and calories. 397-pound food addict Gary Michael Marino has had enough and is about to attempt the comeback of a lifetime: losing over 150 pounds by walking 1200 miles from Florida to Boston to champion obesity awareness. This humorous and inspirational documentary will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you think about why so many kids and adults are struggling with obesity and empower you to find ways to help them with the fight. Filmmaker attending.

My Name Is Orphan, India/USA
Directors: Gene Rumley, Trevor Brown
Featuring: Gene Rumley
My Name is Orphan shows the plight of street kids and orphans in Mumbai, India and how Mission for Orphans joins the efforts of Vision Rescue to make a difference in the lives of these abandoned children.

Our Disappeared, USA
Director: Juan Mandelbaum
After learning that Patricia, a long lost girlfriend from Argentina, is among the thousands who "disappeared" during the 1976-1983 dictatorship, director Juan Mandelbaum embarks on a journey to find out what happened to her and others he knew who were kidnapped and never seen again.


Prom Night Mississippi, Canada/USA
Director: Paul Saltzman
Featuring: Morgan Freeman, Chasidy Buckley, Jessica Shivers, 'Billy Joe', Bucky Smith
On April 19, 2008, Charleston High School in Charleston, Mississippi, held its historic, first-ever integrated Senior Prom, ending a long tradition of segregated parent-organized White Proms and Black proms. Academy Award®-winning actor, Morgan Freeman, who lives in the community, stimulated this change by paying for the Prom. Some white parents still maintained their White Prom. Filmmaker attending.
Nominated for a Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival

Roots Of Reggae – The Ernest Ranglin Story, USA/Jamaica
Director: Christoffer Salzgeber
Featuring: Jimmy Cliff, Chris Blackwell, Wayne Jobson, Damian Marley, Ernest Ranglin
Telling the story of one of our most important musicians, "Roots of Reggae" parallels Ernest Ranglin's career with the growth of Ska and Reggae music around the world. A unique piece of documentary filmmaking, it captures the humor, charm and virtuosity of a living legend. Wayne Jobson and Ernest Ranglin attending.

The Beetle, Israel
Director: Yishai Orian
Yishai Orian, the owner of an old Volkswagen Beetle, is about to become a father. His mechanic says that the car will not last long, while his wife complains that the car is unsuitable for a baby. Attempting to keep his beloved car, Yishai goes on a journey that begins with the previous owners of the Beetle, and ends with the birth of his first child. The exciting, funny, sad, and intimate memories of the Beetle's previous owners blend with the director's personal story.
Audience Top Ten Laurel choice, HotDocs International Film Festival
Nominated for the Israeli Oscar Awards for Best Documentary

The Boot Cake, Australia - FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Kathryn Millard
It's Charlie Chaplin's birthday party and a desert town in India - home to the world's largest population of Tramp impersonators - is throwing a party. A wonderful, mad, poignant story of resilience and hope.
Nominated for Best Documentary, Australian Writers’ Guild Awards

The Case For Israel: Democracy’s Outpost, USA - FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Michael Yohay
Featuring: Alan Durshowitz
Presenting a vigorous case for Israel - for its basic right to exist, to protect its citizens from terrorism, and to defend its borders from hostile enemies. Alan Dershowitz engages leaders from Israel and North America in discourse on critical challenges facing Israel and the West. Filmmaker attending.

The Day After Peace, United Kingdom – FLORIDA PREMIERE
Director: Jeremy Gilley
Featuring: Angelina Jolie, Annie Lennox, Johnny Lee Miller, Jude Law, The Dalai Lama, Kofi Annan
“The Day After Peace” charts the remarkable 10-year journey of filmmaker Jeremy Gilley to establish a day of Peace on September 21st. During the course of his mission the camera follows Gilley as he galvanizes the countries of the world to recognize this as an official day of cease-fire and non-violence. Filmmaker attending.

The Invocation, USA
Director: Emmanuel Itier
Featuring: Desmond Tutu, The Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, Oliver Stone
An exploration of the notion of God and World Peace around the world and through major leaders in Religion, Spirituality, History, Sciences, Politics and Arts. Film is a work-in-progress. Filmmaker attending.

The Legacy, USA - WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Andrés Faucher
Featuring: David Arben, Jennifer Colombani, Ludwig Colombani, Emilio Vicente Argento, Paule Marjolaine Bodson-Clermont, Gustavo Dudamel, Marcial Flores, Yaitza Lopez Valle, Maetro Ecberht Lucena, Mateus de Castro Machado Freire, Guillermo Alberto Marin, Jonathan Maxfield McCormick, Carlos Prieto, Jhoanna Sierralta, Francisco Velazquez Salinas, and The Youth Orchestra of the Americas.
Through the eyes of nine members of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, an impoverished nine year-old from Margarita Island, and the survivor of seven concentration camps who went on to become the Associate Concert Master of the Philadelphia Orchestra, THE LEGACY explores the hope, dignity and joy that the pursuit of excellence engenders in a human being.

Viva Mandiba: A Hero For All Seasons, South Africa - WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Catherine Meyburgh
Viva Mandiba: A Hero For All Seasons is a celebration of an icon, a titan of our times and a giant among men. In the year of his 90th birthday, Nelson Mandela remains a man at the centre of attention, not only in South Africa, but around the world as well. Behind the headlines and away from the public eye, he is a loyal friend, a dependable comrade, a trusted confidante and a respected mentor, and a man who touched and transformed countless lives. For the first time this story is being told, as a life of struggle, destiny and greatness is recalled and celebrated by those who knew him best and who worked with him in the quest to break the chains of oppression, taking us beyond the political and into the personal.

Waiting For My Real Life, Canada
Director: Geoff Bowie
Featuring: Jeremy Norman, Michael Harrison
“Waiting for My Real Life” is an American story about a young man’s courageous battle against incredible odds. Jeremy Norman is 23 years old. Bedridden for three years, Jeremy is trapped in the basement of his parents’ house. Three years ago, Jeremy went through gastric bypass surgery in an attempt to save his life. Unable to walk due to scar tissue and complications from his operation, Jeremy’s only hope is another surgery. If successful, he will be able to live a normal life. We journey through Jeremy’s life from childhood to today as