BIFF 2012
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- DirectorSusan YoussefStarsMaisa Abd ElhadiKais NashifYussuf Abu-Warda'Habibi Rasak Kharban' (Darling, Something's Wrong with Your Head) is a dramatic feature that tells the story of a forbidden love in Gaza. The film is a modern re-telling of the famous ancient Sufi parable 'Majnun Layla'.
- DirectorJohn Henry SummerourStarsTrevor NeuhoffKristin RievleyJace FlattA teenager in rural Georgia stumbles upon a gruesome discovery in the woods, and the fabric of his life unravels as he suffers the secret.
- DirectorJuan Andrés Arango GarciaStarsLuis Carlos GuevaraJamés SolísAndrés MurilloTomas, an Afro-Colombian teenager who fled the country's Pacific coast pushed out by the war, faces the difficulties of growing up in a city of exclusion and racism. When Jairo, his younger brother and closest friend disappears, Tomas plunges into the streets of the city. His search becomes an initiatory journey that compels him to face his past and to leave aside the influence of his brothers in order to find his own identity. Through this journey, Tomas reveals a unique perspective of a vibrant and unstable city that, like Tomas, stands on the threshold between what once was and what might be.
- DirectorBoudewijn KooleStarsRick LensLoek PetersCahit ÖlmezA young boy and his father have a difficult relationship, but are trying to reach each other. They need a catalyst to make that happen.
- DirectorJan SpeckenbachStarsAndré HennickeLuzie AhrensSandra BorgmannAll of a sudden, 16-year-old Martha vanishes. Her father Lothar, who for years has had no contact with her or his ex-wife, sets off unwilling to find her. He soon realises other young people are also vanishing from the city inexplicably. Lothar follows their trail across the country. He meets the occasional young person but the trail goes cold. In the next city he encounters militia groups and a reinforced police presence. Children are forbidden to be on the streets unless accompanied by adults. The world has changed...
- DirectorSzabolcs HajduStarsOrsolya Török-IllyésOana PelleaRazvan VasilescuIn order to regain custody of her daughter, whom she left in the care of her fortune-telling aunt, Mona must tell a social worker her story. The tale she spins---and the movie we watch---is a wild, surreal adventure in which people are able to project and enter each other's dreams, and our heroine is sold into slavery and lands in a swank, debauched Liverpool brothel where the patrons enact their literary/sexual fantasies with Lolita, St. Joan, and Desdemona. Rendered with dazzling tracking shots, striking CGI effects and a pulsing soundtrack, Hungarian director Szabolcs Hajdu's risk-taking fantasia has style to spare. But under the seductive surface lurks the very human story of a woman who uses fantasy to cushion the pain of life.
- DirectorTeona Strugar MitevskaStarsVictoria AbrilLabina MitevskaJean-Marie GaleyTwo different mothers in two different worlds. The first one from comes from the western world, lives in France and after a tragic lost of her child is trying to continue living and find purpose of it. The other is coming from completely different world, very traditional, patriarchal society, where things change very slowly and where the women are married as exchange for money. The first one wants to die, the other wants to live. Their parallel paths converge when the one from the western society comes in the world of the other in the east. This intrusion turns, unintentionally and unconsciously into a very violent one.
- DirectorDeclan DonnellanNick OrmerodStarsRobert PattinsonUma ThurmanKristin Scott ThomasA chronicle of a young man's rise to power in Paris via his manipulation of the city's wealthiest and most influential women.
- DirectorMilagros MumenthalerStarsMaría CanaleMartina JuncadellaAilín SalasPortrait of everyday life of Marina, Sofia and Violeta, three sisters living in Buenos Aires his grandmother's house, the woman who raised her, after she has died.
- DirectorMaryna ShchipakAngelinho is a cautious Guardian Angel... a bit too cautious. His best efforts only make the thrill-happy cyclist, for whom he is responsible, more and more adventurous. As the boy shifts into ever-higher gears, Angelinho is dragged closer and closer to the edge.
- DirectorMargot BenacerrafStarsJosé Ignacio CabrujasLaurent Terzieff"Araya" is an old natural salt mine located in a peninsula in northeastern Venezuela which was still, by 1959, being exploited manually five hundred years after its discovery by the Spanish. Margot Benacerraf captures in images, the life of the "salineros" and their archaic methods of work before their definite disappearance with the arrival of the industrial exploitation.
- DirectorMark JacksonStarsJoslyn JensenRon CarrierDarren LenzOn a remote wooded island, a young woman becomes caretaker to an old man in a vegetative state. Her isolated routine devolves into a struggle with sexuality, guilt and loss.
- DirectorAxel PetersénStarsJohannes BrostPeter CarlbergLéonore EkstrandJanne, a 60-year-old party promoter is arranging a nightclub at the annual tennis week in the small coastal town, where he also teams up with his sister Jackie. But an accident turns his life upside down.
- DirectorDavid ZellnerStarsSydney AguirreNathan ZellnerDavid WingoAnnie is girl with no moral compass, thanks to a complete lack of parental supervision. One day, while playing in the woods, a voice calls out to her from deep within an abandoned well, causing her to consider the right course of action.
- DirectorRichard PhelanFeeling unappreciated, Humphrey the beaver goes too far when he gets the chance to realize his biggest dream, endangering his friends, his home and eventually his own life.
- DirectorRebecca ThomasStarsJulia GarnerLiam AikenBilly ZaneRachel, a teenager born and raised in her Mormon community, believes that she has been inpregnated by listening to music and must get to Vegas to find the "father" of her miracle baby.
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsNoah StewartRachele GilmnoreMichael WankoA documentary on the city of Detroit and its woes, which are emblematic of the collapse of the U.S. manufacturing base.
- DirectorMoez KamounStarsHend El FahemLotfi BondkaLotfi AbdelliAicha lives in a remote Tunisian mountain top village and dreams of a better life. After promising her the world, her boyfriend disappears and leaves her in a state of confusion and despair. A meeting with a young Tunisian immigrant to France may change everything. Meanwhile, Adam arrives in this peaceful village to escape from the city and the stress of his profession there as a doctor. Soon the tranquil setting of this place will be turned upside down... With a generation that struggles with modern day ideals, religion and identity Moez Kamoun's film 'Late December' portrays a moving, funny and challenging story that break down the barriers of today's misconceptions about Western and Arabic culture.
- DirectorBrian M. CassidyMelanie ShatzkyStarsMelissa LeoVictoria CharkutDave ClarkEx-con Francine has difficulty adjusting to life in a small lakeside town until she begins working with animals, though she finds herself growing increasingly isolated from the community and embracing forms of anti-social behavior.
- DirectorMichael HolmanStarsJean Michel BasquiatFab 5 FreddyVincent GalloJean-Michel Basquiat's early 80's art/noise band Gray, with original members Michael Holman and Nick Taylor, mount a performance at New York City's New Museum that captures the band's original, avant garde spirit and vision.
- DirectorAlex CervantesA young princess, who will leave behind her extraordinary life to follow her own dream; a journey full of hopes and dreams for all those brave people who wants to follow their own star.
- DirectorKivu RuhorahozaStarsRamadhan BizimanaTamim HakizimanaKennedy Jones MazimpakaBalthazar is a young African filmmaker on the brink of directing his first project, The Cycle of the Cockroach, a fictional story about a young woman who survived unspeakable atrocities only to find herself committed to the same mental institution as a man driven insane by the crimes he perpetrated during the war. Potential funders for the film insist the themes are too bleak and pessimistic-they encourage Balthazar to make a "message" film that raises awareness about gender-based violence or HIV/AIDS instead. But he refuses to give up. Instead of telling his production team the news, Balthazar continues preparations for the film without financing or equipment. After rehearsing a scene with each of the characters, reality blurs and scenes from the script materialize, provoking the question: Can a film like this exist only in the director's dreams? Armed with a daring and creative visual language, writer/director Kivu Ruhorahoza boldly grasps at the illusory trick of representation in the wake of trauma and its ensuing madness. Paralleling the protagonist in his film, Ruhorahoza's debut marks the very first feature-length narrative film directed by a Rwandan filmmaker living in his homeland.
- DirectorFaouzi BensaïdiStarsFehd BenchemsiFouad LabiedMouhcine MalziIn Tetouan, at the northern edge of Morocco, three young men decide to rob a jewelry store. The heist goes awry, and their destinies part drastically.
- DirectorWalter SallesStarsSam RileyGarrett HedlundKristen StewartYoung writer Sal Paradise has his life shaken by the arrival of free-spirited Dean Moriarty and his girl, Marylou. As they travel across the country, they encounter a mix of people who each impact their journey indelibly.
- DirectorSebastián LelioStarsLuis DubóSergio HernándezViviana HerreraA prison inmate escapes from his wrecked penitentiary during Chile's February 2010 earthquake.
- DirectorMarcin WronaStarsWojciech ZielinskiTomasz SchuchardtNatalia RybickaJanek comes to Warsaw to become the godfather of his good old friend's baby. During the week before the ceremony the lives of Janek, Michal and his wife Magda change dramatically as the men's criminal past haunts them mercilessly.
- DirectorJulia LoktevStarsGael García BernalHani FurstenbergBidzina GujabidzeAn engaged couple's backpacking trip in the Caucasus Mountains is derailed by a single misstep that threatens to undo everything the pair believed about each other and about themselves.
- DirectorWilliam JoyceBrandon OldenburgMorris Lessmore, a young writer, wanders into a mysterious library after a storm devastates his city. The library is home to magical flying books that literally come to life.
- DirectorJoachim TrierStarsAnders Danielsen LieHans Olav BrennerIngrid OlavaOne day in the life of Anders, a young recovering drug addict, who takes a brief leave from his treatment center to interview for a job and catch up with old friends in Oslo.
- DirectorSara BlecherStarsJafta MamaboloThomas GumedeSihle XabaWhen 16 year old Otelo Buthelezi, his best friend, New Year, and his 12 year old brother, Ntwe, are invited to the beach-house of their new friend, Tau Modise, they step into a world previously closed to them. It is exactly the opposite of their township- a place under a constant and growing threat from political violence, driven by Inkatha hostel dwellers on one side and township United Democratic Front comrades on the other. Soon, everyone recognizes that Otelo is gifted on the water, a god in waiting for his purpose. An older white man, Kurt Struely, approaches the boys, certain of their potential and invites them to his home to watch some professional surfers on video. He paints them an enticing picture of the life to be had, if they can master every kind of break - money for nothing and the chicks for free. The boys practice and, under Struely's watchful eye, become really good. Otelo outshines his teacher, Tau, who begins to resent the obvious natural talent of his friend. His resentment builds even more when Dezi, New Year's younger sister, falls for Otelo. When Struely enters the boys into their first 'localism' competition, Tau persuades his cousin, Stembiso, to look after Ntwe at the township pool where the boys learnt to swim. But while the boys are carving out new paradigms on the water, Tau breaks his prized surfing board and Ntwe is burnt to death with a tire necklace as a suspected informer for the apartheid security police. When Otelo, with New Year's help, discovers the truth behind his younger brother's death, he has to make a choice between the money, glamour, girls and superstardom of international surfdom and justice for Ntwe. On the day Nelson Mandela steps out of prison for the first time in 27 years, what this boy chooses will resonate for audiences everywhere. He whisks her off and they spend a day of pure joy and freedom. For a moment, Anna forgets her predicament. But there is one problem. He does not have a South African passport. Now Anna must choose: between marrying for the sake of personal freedom, or loving even if it means having to leave.
- DirectorGabriela CalvacheLabranza oculta (The silent walls) is a documentary about those who build history behind walls of silence. The workers restoring the seventeenth-century Alabado House surprise and charm us by telling their tales, sharing their dreams and aspirations. We accompany their daily routine: molding the bricks and cutting the cane with the methods of seventeenth-century builders. As witnesses to these personal stories, we travel into the lives of the forgotten. It reminds us that history is built by people, the anonymous mass that sweats and toils.
- DirectorKatia LaraRené is a Honduran amateur actor who appeared on television spots promoting the referendum on convening the National Constituent Assembly in Honduras. On June 28th, 2009, instead of a referendum, there was a brutal coup d'état: the army abducted President Manuel Zelaya and had him flown abroad. Along with thousands of other Hondurans, René joined the National Resistance Front against the Coup d' État. An unprecedented Honduras arises: a people who resist despite media bias, violence and death, and take to the streets to stand up for their rights. This is their story.
- DirectorChristian Bøving-AndersenTokis tribe expects him to bring home the head of the biggest animal possible. In return, he will receive honor and respect. However, this rite of passage does not turn out as planned. With the help of a colorful new friend, he achieves something much bigger.
- DirectorTeresa ArredondoI remember the night when the history of my family changed. We received a phone call from Peru saying that my aunt Sibila was in prison accused of forming part of the Shining Path. I was seven years old and my parent's protective silence made me transform her image into a great mystery. She was kept in prision for 15 years. Today she is free and I want to get close to her, to listen and to understand.
- DirectorTeresa PrataStarsNick Lauro TeresaAladino JasseErnesto Lemos MacuacuaIn the midst of Mozambique's devastating civil war, Muidinga, an orphaned refugee, wanders the countryside in search of his mother. His only companion is an elderly storyteller, and the only guide to finding his mother is a dead man's diary. This transporting drama underscores the power of imagination in surviving, and ultimately overcoming, the catastrophe of war.
- DirectorAlain GomisStarsSaul WilliamsDjolof MbengueAnisia UzeymanSatché is about to die. He decides to make his last day on this world the day of his life.
- DirectorCarlos LascanoStarsKalei Bernaldo De QuirozRocio GamaVeronika JanouchovaA touching story in which fantasy and reality merge to make dreams come true. How determining can reality be, and how can fantasy unleash an unexpected freedom? Can a fragile world of lights and shadows show us more than a silhouette drawn against the sunlight? A mixed-technique animated short film, by Director Carlos Lascano
- DirectorLucy MulloyStarsDariel ArrechagaAnailín de la Rúa de la TorreJavier Núñez FloriánIn Havana, Raul dreams of escaping to Miami. Accused of assault, he appeals to Elio to help him reach the forbidden world 90 miles across the ocean. One night, full of hope, they face the biggest challenge of their lives.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsAnna KarinaSady RebbotAndré S. LabartheTwelve episodic tales in the life of a Parisian woman and her slow descent into prostitution.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsJean-Paul BelmondoAnna KarinaGraziella GalvaniPierrot escapes his boring society and travels from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea with Marianne, a girl chased by hit-men from Algeria. They lead an unorthodox life, always on the run.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsEddie ConstantineAnna KarinaAkim TamiroffA U.S. secret agent is sent to the distant space city of Alphaville where he must find a missing person and free the city from its tyrannical ruler.
- DirectorLúcia MuratStarsCaio BlatThe true story of the director Lucia Murat's younger brother , Heitor, who is sent to London by his well to do family to avoid the possibility of joining his director/writer sister Ms. Murat in prison for "crimes" against the then fascist Brazilian government in the late 60's. Studying in London, Heitor meets an American girlfriend and an array of fascinating ex pat pals who dabble in pot smoking , music and self indulgent jobless days enjoying and experiencing early 70's London in NottingHill Gate area of London before it became tony. Heitor, the apple of the family's eye and youngest child, is a prolific letter writer but quits school and soon moves from pot to hashish to acid. He leaves London and begins traveling to Afghanistan , India, (wherever the Best and Most drugs were) pen and paper in hand, and becomes more and more addicted to cultures where he can deal and consume drugs experiencing a lonely lifestyle of being high, walking and writing. His letters to his family are the subject of the movie. Heitor, an unusual yet brilliant man, multilingual and extraordinarily handsome with the heart of a poet, starts to lose his grasp of reality and ends up in jail and eventually, a mental institution. His long journey to madness is all evidenced by his letters ,written like an itinerary of downward, disturbing spiral, are saved by various family members, especially by Ms. Murat.
- DirectorJacques RivetteStarsAnna KarinaLiselotte PulverMicheline PresleSuzanne is forced against her will to take vows as a nun and three mothers superior treat her in radically different ways. Suzanne's virtue brings disaster to everyone in this faithful adaptation of a bitter attack on religious abuses.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsAnna KarinaClaude BrasseurDanièle GirardTwo crooks with a fondness for old Hollywood B-movies convince a languages student to help them commit a robbery.
- DirectorFaouzi BensaïdiStarsFehd BenchemsiFouad LabiedMouhcine MalziIn Tetouan, at the northern edge of Morocco, three young men decide to rob a jewelry store. The heist goes awry, and their destinies part drastically.
- DirectorPierre KoralnikStarsAnna KarinaJean-Claude BrialyMarianne FaithfullReleased in 1967, this was the first colour film made for French TV. The story is about a man obsessively looking for a woman he saw in a photograph.
- DirectorSinisa DraginStarsMustafa NadarevicDan ConduracheIoana BarbuA touching tale of how far a father will go for his child, no matter how old they get. During the illegal crossing of the Danube, the two fathers meet; Nicu, a Romanian searching for his kidnapped daughter Ina who was forced into prostitution in Kosovo, and Iorgovan, a Serbian seeking the body of his son Milan killed in a car accident in Romania. A boatman recounts the 200 year-old legend of Romanian peasants struggling unsuccessfully to move an old wooden church across the frozen lake upto the hill to their village at a time when building Orthodox churches was prohibited.