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THE AERONAUTS AND THEN WE DANCED |
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BACURAU |
| BEANPOLE (comedy) Director: Kantemir Balagov Writer: Kantemir Balagov, Aleksandr Terekhov Cast: Konstantin Balakirev, Andrey Bykov, Olga Dragunova Festivals: Winner Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival; Telluride Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 2h 10min In immediate post-WWII Leningrad, two women, Iya and Masha (astonishing newcomers Viktoria Miroshnichenko and Vasilisa Perelygina), intensely bonded after fighting side by side as anti-aircraft gunners, attempt to readjust to a haunted world. As the film begins, Iya, long and slender and towering over everyone—hence the film’s title—works as a nurse in a shell-shocked hospital, presiding over traumatized soldiers. A shocking accident brings them closer and also seals their fates. The 27-year-old Russian director Kantemir Balagov—whose debut feature Closeness caused a stir at Cannes and the New Directors/New Films festival just last year—won Un Certain Regard’s Best Director prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for this richly burnished, occasionally harrowing rendering of the persistent scars of war. —The New York Film Festival (Engligh subtitles)
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| BRITT-MARIE WAS HERE (drama) Director: Tuva Novotny Writer: Arash Amel Based on: Marie Brenner’s 2012 Vanity Fair article “Marie Colvin’s Private War” Cast: Vera Vitali, Pernilla August, Peter Haber Festivals: Premiered Göteborg Film Festival, Sweden Film Festival Runtime: 1h 40min Based on the bestselling novel by author Fredrik Backman (A Man Called Ove), this warmhearted comedy - drama finds Britt - Marie, age 63, suddenly reconsidering her purpose in life after she discovers her husband of 40 years has been cheating on her. Accepting a supremely unglamorous job at a ramshackle youth center in the backwater town of Borg, she reluctantly takes on the impossible task of coaching the children’s soccer team to victory. Despite having no experience and no resources, Britt - Marie is invigorat ed by the team’s infectious energy and, for the first time maybe ever, allows herself to step out of her comfort zone — and into a potential romance with a charming local police officer. Anchored by an affecting performance from Swedish stalwart Pernilla Aug ust (Fanny and Alexander), this sophomore feature from actor turned director Tuva Novotny (Blind Spot) is both a tender and droll reminder that it’s never too late for second chances. (English subtitles)
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BY THE GRACE OF GOD
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| THE CHAMBERMAID (drama) Director: Lila Avilés Writer: Lila Avilés, Juan Carlos Marquéz Cast: Gabriela Cartol, Agustina Quinci, Teresa Sánchez Festivals: Toronto International Film Festival; Official Academy submission for Foreign Language Film, Mexico Runtime: 1h 42 min In her feature debut, theater director Lila Avilés turns the monotonous work day of Eve (Gabriela Cartol), a chambermaid at a high-end Mexico City hotel, into a beautifully observed film of rich detail. Set entirely in this alienating environment, with extended scenes taking place in the guest rooms, hallways, and cleaning facilities, this minimalist yet sumptuous movie brings to the fore Eve’s hopes, dreams, and desires. As with Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA, set in the same city, The Chambermaid salutes the invisible women caretakers who are the hard-working backbone of society. – New Directors/New Films(English subtitles)
CHICUAROTES
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| CLEMENCY (drama) Director: Chinonye Chukwu Writer: Chinonye Chukwu Cast: Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Danielle Brooks Festivals: Winner Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 1h 52min Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden, Bernadine Williams. The emotional wedge in her marriage grows. Memories of a recently botched execution plague her daily. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill.
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 COLLISIONS(drama) Director: Richard Levien Writer: Richard Levien Cast: Jesse Garcia, Ana de la Reguera, Izabella Alvarez Runtime: 1h 22min Twelve-year-old Itan’s promising life in San Francisco is turnedupside down when she comes home from school, with her younger brother,to find her apartment ransacked and her mother taken away byimmigration police. Suddenly she must rely on her estranged uncle, abig rig truck driver. Itan manipulates him into taking them across thecountry in his truck, trying to find her mother and stop her deportation.
CYRANO, MY LOVE (drama/comedy) Director: Alexis Michalik Writer: Alexis Michalik Cast: Thomas Solivérès, Olivier Gourmet, Mathilde Seigner Runtime: 1h 50min
December 1897, Paris. Edmond Rostand is not yet thirty but already two children and a lot of anxieties. He has not written anything for two years. In desperation, he offers the great Constant Coquelin a new play, a heroic comedy, in verse, for the holidays. Only concern: it is not written yet. Ignoring the whims of actresses, the demands of his Corsican producers, the jealousy of his wife, the stories of his best friend’s heart and the lack of enthusiasm of all those around him, Edmond starts writing this piece which nobody believes. For now, he has only the title: “Cyrano de Bergerac.” (English subtitles)
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| DOLEMITE IS MY NAME (drama/comedy) Director: Craig Brewer Writer: Larry Karaszewski, Scott Alexander Cast: Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Keegan-Michael Key, Chris Rock Festivals: Premiered Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 1h 58min Dolemite Is My Name tells the story of Moore, a struggling singer and comedian working in a record store in early-1970s Hollywood. Every type of hustler populates the neighbourhood, most with a wicked repertoire of obscene insults. Moore begins picking up their patter, drawn from the rich African-American tradition of “the dozens.” He creates a stage character, Dolemite the pimp, records some especially profane routines, and soon rockets from shop clerk to ghetto superstar. It’s not long before he starts making movies.
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| FORD v FERRARI (drama/action) Director: James Mangold Writer: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Jason Keller Cast: Christian Bale, Caitriona Balfe, Matt Damon, Jon Bernthal, Josh Lucas Festivals: Tellluride Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 2h 32min Academy Award®-winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in FORD v FERRARI/LE MANS ‘66, inspired by the remarkable true story of the visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and the fearless British driver Ken Miles (Bale), who together battled corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.
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FRANKIE |
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GREENER GRASS HONEY BOY
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| IN FABRIC (horror/comedy) Director: Peter Strickland Writer: Peter Strickland Cast: Gwendoline Christie, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hayley Squires, Leo Bill, Julian Barratt, Steve Oram Festivals: Toronto International Film Festival, 2018, Winner, Fantastic Fest Runtime: 1h 59min A lonely woman (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), recently separated from her husband, visits a bewitching London department store in search of a dress that will transform her life. She’s fitted with a perfectly flattering, artery-red gown—which, in time, will come to unleash a malevolent curse and unstoppable evil, threatening everyone who comes into its path. From acclaimed horror director Peter Strickland (the singular auteur behind the sumptuous sadomasochistic romance The Duke of Burgundy and auditory gaillo-homage Berberian Sound Studio) comes a truly nightmarish film, at turns frightening, seductive, and darkly humorous. Channeling voyeuristic fantasies of high fashion and bloodshed, In Fabric is Strickland’s most twisted and brilliantly original vision yet.
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| JOJO RABBIT (comedy/drama) Director: Taika Waititi Writer: Taika Waititi Cast: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Taika Waititi, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson Festivals: Winner People’s Choice, Toronto Intetrnational Film Festival Runtime: 1h 48min Writer director Taika Waititi, brings his signature style of humor and pathos to his latest film, Jojo Rabbit, a World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy (Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi), Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.
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| JUST MERCY (drama) Director: Destin Daniel Cretton Writer: Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham Cast: Brie Larson, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Rafe Spall, O’Shea Jackson Jr. Festivals: Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 2h 17min A powerful and thought-provoking true story, “Just Mercy” follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan might have had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds and the system stacked against them.
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| THE KILL TEAM (drama) Director: Dan Krauss Writer: Dan Krauss Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Nat Wolff, Adam Long, Jonathan Whitesell, Brian Marc Runtime: 1h 27min When Andrew Briggman (Nat Wolff), a young soldier in the US invasion of Afghanistan, witnesses other recruits killing innocent civilians under the direction of a sadistic leader, Sergeant Deeks (Alexander Skarsgård), he considers reporting them to higher-ups — but the heavily-armed, increasingly violent platoon becomes suspicious that someone in their ranks has turned on them, and Andrew begins to fear that he’ll be the next target. From writer-director Dan Krauss, and based on the same events that inspired his award-winning 2013 documentary of the same name, The Kill Team is an urgent and explosive recounting of one of the darkest incidents in the not-so-distant history of American military exploits.
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THE KING (drama) Director: David Michôd, Writer: Joel Edgerton, David Michôd Cast: Robert Pattinson, Timothée Chalamet, Lily-Rose Depp, Sean Harris, Joel Edgerton, Ben Mendelsoh Festivals: Venice Film Festival Runtime: 2h 17min Hal (Timothée Chalamet), wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne, hasturned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal iscrowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape. Now theyoung king must navigate the palace politics, chaos and war his father left behind, and the emotionalstrings of his past life—including his relationship with his closest friend and mentor, the ageingalcoholic knight, John Falstaff (Joel Edgerton).
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| MARRIAGE STORY (drama/comedy) Director: Noah Baumbach Writer: Noah Baumbach Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Wallace Shawn Festivals: Venice Film Festival; Telluride Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 2h 16min When a marriage falls apart, does it have to be a horror movie? Not in Noah Baumbach’s hands. Baumbach weaves his dark comedy with tragic romance, following a New York playwright (Adam Driver )and actress (Scarlett Johansson) as they dissolve their once happy union with aid from some seen-it-all lawyers (Laura Dern, Ray Liotta and Alan Alda) and the concerned family (Julie Hagerty, Merritt Weaver). As in his character-driven films like The Squid and the Whale and While We’re Young, Baumbach brings his gift for precise observation of human behavior to bicoastal, artistic couple untangling their lives from one another raising their son. But there’s a new warmth and reflectiveness in the way the writer-director or treats the highly personal material, with subtle performances by Driver and Johansson, who deliver moments of bewilderment, tenderness, loss and one bravura fight.
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MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN (drama/crime) Director: Edward Norton Writer: Edward Norton Cast: Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe Festivals: Telluride Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 2h 24min Set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, “Motherless Brooklyn” follows Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton), a lonely private detective living with Tourette Syndrome, as he ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna (Bruce Willis). Armed only with a few clues and the engine of his obsessive mind, Lionel unravels closely-guarded secrets that hold the fate of the whole city in the balance. In a mystery that carries him from gin-soaked jazz clubs in Harlem to the hard-edged slums of Brooklyn and, finally, into the gilded halls of New York’s power brokers, Lionel contends with thugs, corruption and the most dangerous man in the city to honor his friend and save the woman who might be his own salvation.
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| PARASITE (drama) Director: Bong Joon-ho Writer: Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won Cast: Kwak Sin-ae, Moon Yang-kwon, Jang Young-hwan Festivals: Winner Palm d’or Cannes; Telluride Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival; Official Academy submission for Foreign Language Film, South Korea Runtime: 2h 12min Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college - aged Ki - woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxur y services while the Parks give the Kims a way out of their shabby circumstances. But this new ecosystem is fragile, and soon enough greed and class prejudice threaten to upend the Kims’ newfound comfort. (English subtitles)
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| PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (drama) Director: Céline Sciamma Writer: Céline Sciamma Cast: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami Festivals: Cannes Film Festival; Telluride Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 2h 1min France, 1760. Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse , a young woman who has just left the convent. Because she is a reluctant bride - to - be, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women orbit one another, intimacy and attraction grow as they share Héloïse’s first moments of freedom. Héloïse’s portrait soon becomes a collaborative act of and testament to their love. (English subtitles)
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| PREMATURE (drama/romance) Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green Writer: Rashaad Ernesto Green, Zora Howard Cast: Zora Howard, Joshua Boone, Michelle Wilson Festivals: Nominee for Next Innovator Award, Sundance Film Festival Runtime: 1h 26min On a summer night in Harlem during her last months at home before starting college, seventeen-year-old poet Ayanna meets Isaiah, a charming music producer who has just moved to the city. It’s not long before these two artistic souls are drawn together in a passionate summer romance. But as the highs of young love give way to jealousy, suspicion, and all-too-real consequences, Ayanna must confront the complexities of the adult world - whether she is ready or not. Emotionally raw, intimate, and honest, Premature is at once a timeless and bracingly contemporary in its portait of a young woman navigating the difficult choices that can shape a life.
THE REPORT (drama) Director: Scott Z. Burns Writer: Scott Z. Burns Cast: Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm Festivals: Sundance Film Festival; Telluride Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 1h 58min The Report is a riveting thriller based on actual events. Idealistic staffer Daniel J. Jones (Adam Driver) is tasked by his boss Senator Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening) to lead an investigation of the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program, which was created in the aftermath of 9/11. Jones’ relentless pursuit of the truth leads to explosive findings that uncover the lengths to which the nation’s top intelligence agency went to destroy evidence, subvert the law, and hide a brutal secret from the American public.
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 ROCKETMAN(drama/biography) Director: Dexter Fletcher Writer: Lee Hall Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard Runtime: 2h 1min Rocketman is an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. The film follows the fantastical journey of transformation from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into international superstar Elton John. This inspirational story - set to Elton John’s most beloved songs and performed by star Taron Egerton - tells the universally relatable story of how a small-town boy became one of the most iconic figures in pop culture. Rocketman also stars Jamie Bell as Elton’s longtime lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden as Elton’s first manager, John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Elton’s mother Sheila Farebrother.
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| SHEPHERD THE STORY OF A JEWISH DOG (drama) Director: Lynn Roth Writer: Lynn Roth Cast: Ayelet Zurer, Ken Duken, August Maturo Festivals: Winner Audience Award at LA Jewish Film Festival Runtime: 1h 33min Kaleb, a beautiful German Shepherd, is born to a Jewish family in 1930s German and forms an immediate bond with his 10 year old owner Joshua. When a Nuremberg Law is passed that forbids Jews from owning pets, the family is forced to give Kaleb away and Joshua and his beloved dog are torn apart. We follow Kaleb’s journey as a street dog and then a military dog, seeing this shameful time in history through the experiences and perceptions of a dog.
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| SINK OR SWIM (drama/comedy) Director: Gilles Lellouche Writer: Gilles Lellouche, Julien Lambroschini, Ahmed Hamidi Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Guillaume Canet, Benoit Poelvoorde, Jean - Hugues Anglade, Virginie Efira, Leila Bekhti, Marina Fois, Philip pe Katerine Festivals: Winner Cesar Awards; Cannes Film Festival Runtime: 2h 2min A group of 40 - something men, all on the verge of a mid -life crisis, decide to form their local pool’s first ever all-male synchronized swimming team. Braving the skepticism and ridicule of those around them, the group set out an unlikely adventure. (English subtitles)
SONG OF NAMES |
| SORRY WE MISSED YOU (drama) Director: Ken Loach Writer: Paul Laverty Cast: Kris Hitchen, Debbie Honeywood, Rhys Stone, Katie Proctor Festivals: Cannes Film Festival Runtime: 1h 40min The British working class is once again the empathetic subject of Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You, a wrenching, intimate family drama that exposes the dark side of the so - called “gig economy”. Ricky, a former laborer, and his home - attendant wife Abby — who lost their home in the 2008 financial crash — are desperate to get out of their financial distress. When an opportu nity comes up for Ricky to work as his own boss as a delivery driver, they sell their only asset, Abby’s car, to trade it in for a shiny new white van and the dream that Ricky can work his way up to someday owning his own delivery franchise. But the couple find their lives are quickly pushed further to the edge by an unrelenting work schedule, a ruthless supervisor and the needs of their two teenage children. Capturing the sacred moments that make a family as well as the acts of desperation they need to un dertake to make it through each day, this universal story is skillfully and indelibly told with unforgettable performances and a searing script by Loach’s long - time collaborator Paul Laverty.
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| THE TRAITOR (drama/crime) Director: Marco Bellocchio Writer: Marco Bellocchio, Valia Santella, Ludovica Rampoldi, Francesco Piccolo, Francesco La Licata Cast: Pierfrancesco Favino, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Fabrizio Ferracane, Fausto Russo Alesi, Luigi Lo Cascio Festivals: Cannes Film Festival; Winner Golden Globes Italy; Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 2h 25min The Traitor tells the true story of Tommaso Buscetta, the man who brought down the CosaNostra. In the early 1980’s, an all out war rages between Sicilian mafia bosses over the herointrade. Tommaso Buscetta, a made man, flees to hide out in Brazil. Back home, scores are beingsettled and Buscetta watches from afar as his sons and brother are killed in Palermo, knowinghe may be next. Arrested and extradited to Italy by the Brazilian police, Buscetta makes adecision that will change everything for the Mafia: he decides to meet with Judge GiovanniFalcone and betray the eternal vow he made to the Cosa Nostra. (English subtitles)
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| THE TRUTH (drama) Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda Writer: Hirokazu Kore-eda Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke, Ludivine Sagnier Festivals: Venice Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 1h 46min Fabienne is a star; a star of French cinema. She reigns amongst men who love and admire her. When she publishes her memoirs, her daughter Lumir returns from New York to Paris with her husband and young child. The reunion between mother and daughter will qu ickly turn to confrontation: truths will be told, accounts settled, loves and resentments confessed. (English subtitles)
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| THE TWO POPES (drama) Director: Fernando Meirelles Writer: Frank Cottrell Boyce, Anthony McCarten Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce Festivals: Telluride Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 2h 7min From Fernando Meirelles, the Academy Award - nominated director of “City of God,” and three - time Academy Award - nominated screenwriter Anthony McCarten, comes an intimate story of one of the most dramatic transitions of power in the last 2,000 years. Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins). Instead, facing scandal and self - doubt, the introspective Pope Benedict summons his harshest critic and future successor to Rome to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church. Behind Vatican walls, a struggle commences between both tradition and progress, guilt and forgiveness, as these two very different men confront elements from their pasts in order to find common ground and forge a future for a billion followers around the world.
WAVES (drama/romance) Director: Trey Edward Shults Writer: Trey Edward Shults Cast: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucas Hedges, Taylor Russell, Alexa Demie, Neal Huff, Clifton Collins Jr., Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sterling K. Brown Festivals:Telluride Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Runtime: 2h 15min Set against the vibrant landscape of South Florida, and featuring an astonishing ensemble of award - winning actors and breakouts alike, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African - American family — led by a well - intentioned but domineering father — as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. From acclaimed director Trey Edward Shults, Waves is a heartrending story about the universal capacity for compassion and growth even in the darkest of times.
WINDOWS ON THE WORLD (drama) Director: Michael D. Olmos Writer: Robert Mailer Anderson, Zack Anderson Cast: Ryan Guzman, Edward James Olmos Rene Auberjonois Festivals: Winner Los Angeles Film Awards and Method Fest Runtime: 1h 47min On the morning of September 11, 2001, Fernando and his family in Mexico watch the news in horror as the Twin Towers collapse. His father, Balthazar, is an undocumented worker in the Windows on the World restaurant. Three weeks pass, and there is no word from Balthazar. No telephone calls, money orders, or hope that he is alive. As the family grieves, feeling the emotional and financial toll of their absent patriarch, Fernando’s distraught mother swears she sees her husband on ne ws footage - escaping from the building ! Heroic Fernando decides to cross the border and take the epic journey from Mexico to New York City to find his father a nd save his family. Along the way, he finds love and befriends an eclectic group of internationa l characters that help him restore his faith in humanity, as Fernando discovers the hard truths about his father, the melting pot of America, and the immigrant experience.
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