SDFF2015: San Diego Film Festival
The San Diego International Film Festival
SEPT 28 - OCT 2, 2016 | www.sdfilmfest.com
Host: Jeffrey Lyons, with Co-host Ben Lyons.
Honorees include: Annette Bening, Kate Beckinsale, Simon Helberg and Jason Mitchell
#SDiFF twit: @sdfilmfest insta: @sdfilmfestival
SEPT 28 - OCT 2, 2016 | www.sdfilmfest.com
Host: Jeffrey Lyons, with Co-host Ben Lyons.
Honorees include: Annette Bening, Kate Beckinsale, Simon Helberg and Jason Mitchell
#SDiFF twit: @sdfilmfest insta: @sdfilmfestival
List activity
110 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
88 titles
- DirectorWayne BlairStarsShohreh AghdashlooSalma HayekAdrien BrodyPrior to the Iranian revolution it was a place where people of all religions were allowed to flourish. This is the story of a prosperous Jewish family who abandon everything before they are consumed by the passions of revolutionaries.Opening Night Film
US Premiere - DirectorDaniel AlfredsonStarsAnthony HopkinsJulia StilesRay LiottaAn ex-logger comes to the aid of a woman who returns to her hometown in the Pacific Northwest and finds herself harassed and stalked by a former cop turned crime lord.North American Premiere
- DirectorLawrence RoeckStarsScott EastwoodWalton GogginsCamilla BelleA young civil war veteran is forced on a desperate journey to save his kidnapped wife.World Premiere
Best Narrative Feature Winner - DirectorReed MoranoStarsOlivia WildeLuke WilsonGiovanni RibisiA year after their son goes missing, a couple handle the loss in varying ways, growing apart from one another and their reality.West Coast Premiere
- DirectorPaolo SorrentinoStarsMichael CaineHarvey KeitelRachel WeiszA retired orchestra conductor is on vacation with his daughter and his film director best friend in the Alps when he receives an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to perform for Prince Philip's birthday.
- DirectorTony McNamaraStarsMickey RourkeNat WolffEmma RobertsHigh-school student Ed Wallis enters into a friendship with his neighbor, Ashby, a retired CIA assassin who only has a few months left to live.West Coast Premiere
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsMalala YousafzaiZiauddin YousafzaiToor Pekai YousafzaiA look at the events leading up to the Taliban's attack on Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai for speaking out on girls' education, followed by the aftermath, including her speech to the United Nations.San Diego Premiere
- DirectorAdam SalkyStarsSarah SilvermanJosh CharlesSkylar GaertnerAddicted to drugs and alcohol, a housewife's self-destructive behavior starts to take its toll on her husband and two young children.California Premiere
- DirectorRob LettermanStarsJack BlackDylan MinnetteOdeya RushA teenager teams up with the daughter of young-adult horror author R.L. Stine after the writer's imaginary demons are set free on the town of Madison, Delaware.
- DirectorSebastian SchipperStarsLaia CostaFrederick LauFranz RogowskiA young Spanish woman who has recently moved to Berlin finds her flirtation with a local guy turn potentially deadly as their night out with his friends reveals a dangerous secret.
- DirectorGiulio RicciarelliStarsAndré SzymanskiAlexander FehlingFriederike BechtA story that exposes the conspiracy of prominent German institutions and government branches to cover up the crimes of Nazis during World War II.US Premiere
- DirectorAlly WalkerStarsJoshua RushAdrian GrenierJoanna Ranee WoodEli McAllister, our eleven-year-old hero, is on a quest. He is also setting out to win The Fiesta Cup, a local bowling tournament. Joining him is his famous fashion designer uncle, Sean McAllister.World Premiere
- DirectorFatih AkinStarsTahar RahimSimon AbkarianMakram KhouryIn 1915 a man survives the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire, but loses his family, speech and faith. One night he learns that his twin daughters may be alive, and goes on a quest to find them.World Premiere
- DirectorJames Napier RobertsonStarsCliff CurtisJames RollestonKirk TorranceA brilliant but troubled New Zealand chess champion finds purpose by teaching underprivileged children about the rules of chess and life.US Premiere
- DirectorRyan JaffeStarsJames WolkMickey SumnerRene AuberjonoisAn estranged brother and sister are forced to go on the road together to track down their fugitive grandmother.California Premiere
- DirectorLeslee UdwinStarsAsha DeviBadri SinghSatendraThe life and death of Jyoti Singh, an Indian medical student whose violation and murder by gang rapists exposed the violent misogyny of Indian society.San Diego Premiere
Best Documentary Winner - DirectorJason BourqueStarsMatthew MacCaullDakota DaulbyChristie BurkeA troubled teenager and his older brother reconnect, setting off a powder keg of buried secrets, paranoia and murder. Inspired by true events.US Premiere
- DirectorJoao LeiteRoberto is a lonely and unhappy man, after an incident he is forced to rethink his life and to reconnect her son Julio.World Premiere
- DirectorKane SenesStarsJames Badge DaleEthan EmbryWilliam ForsytheA Civil War veteran returns home to the quiet countryside, only to find himself embroiled in a conflict between his family and the brutish cattle rancher harassing them.West Coast Premiere
- DirectorFelipe RodriguezStarsPaulino NunesJohnathan SousaMichael ReventarIllegal immigrants to the United States are kidnapped, tortured, and forced to call home for ransom money.N. America Premiere
- DirectorMark CartierStarsTodd CahoonSarah FrangenbergShane HarperA young lady, who recently lost her mother, faces the challenges of high school and her very strict step-father. Through personal growth, and an amazing dedication to dance, she learns to find the peace and happiness of family.World Premiere
- DirectorStev ElamStarsKristin WallaceLyndsy FonsecaMackenzie AstinIn this dark comedy, a repressed agoraphobic's daughter meets a hardened pastor's daughter. While escaping their homes to attend the annual church youth group jamboree, they discover their worlds aren't what they once thought they were.West Coast Premiere
- DirectorMark CartierStarsDenise RichardsLuke ColomberoTyree BrownWhen a new doctor moves in next door, the neighborhood kids believe that the doctor is making frankeinstein in his basement make it their mission to ensure he is not a creepy guardian of a terrible neighbor-eating monster.World Premiere
- DirectorFilipe MatzembacherMarcio ReolonStarsMateus AlmadaMaurício BarcellosElisa BritesTwo boys on the edge of adulthood find themselves exploring their relationship.San Diego Premiere
- DirectorJon DreverStarsBrett GoldsteinNatalia TenaLaura HaddockRobert Kenner is a lonely man looking for love. Today, if he can actually get his boss to give him some time off, he is going on his first date for 6 years. Oh, and he is also the world's only SuperHero.US Premiere
- DirectorMarc FurmieStarsJai KoutraeTodd LasanceKendra AppletonFollowing a near-fatal accident, David Chamberlain makes an unprecedented discovery that will not only determine the fate of his family, but of mankind.N. American Premiere
- DirectorAttila SzászStarsJános KulkaTamás Szabó KimmelJózsef KádasA fictional account of the 1958 attack against the Hungarian embassy in Bern. Based on a true story about the aftermath of the 1956 Hungarian revolution.West Coast Premiere
- DirectorSteven PietStarsJohn AshtonAlex MoffatJenna Lyng AdamsIn this tale of small town intrigue, an urbanite returns to his quiet hometown on an impromptu trip as his Uncle, widely respected in town, struggles to evade suspicion of a murder.San Diego Premiere
- DirectorAnderson BoydStarsShane CallahanCullen MossDon Henderson BakerAfter losing his job on a coin-toss a man concocts a fantastical plan to build an enterprise of harvesting coins from wishing fountains.San Diego Premiere
- DirectorCornelia DuryéeStarsBilly ZaneKevin AlejandroMariana KlavenoA married couple living in a remote farmhouse are interrupted by a stranger, who is taken prisoner by the husband and interrogated for reasons the stranger doesn't readily understand. Their lives are irrevocably changed once the truth of their history is revealed to each.California Premiere
- DirectorJames O'BrienStarsClaude DuhamelLouie SabatassoGary KohnThe year is 1879. Gunfighters from the far reaches of the globe descend on the mining town of Religion, Arizona to compete in a legendary poker tournament.N. America Premiere
- DirectorChadwick PelletierJohn T. ConnorStarsApril ScottRick MoraChadwick PelletierA group of friends come together for a game of poker, when it's suggested that a Wild West game would have much higher stakes, and with that, a new world materializes, and they find themselves in another place and time playing, FOR BLOOD.World Premiere
Winner: Kumeyaay Award - DirectorAlain TixierStarsRebecca HallLuke EvansClaudine AndréThe critically important work by renowned naturalist Claudine Andre to save the endangered bonobo apes of the Congo is presented in this visually stunning feature film.West Coast Premiere
- DirectorRussell TafarellaFinding Center invites viewers into 4 families lives to share their struggles and successes while raising children with autism. The film focuses on four local families each with a child at various points on the spectrum.US Premiere
- DirectorAlexandria BombachMo ScarpelliStarsMassoud HossainiWakil KohsarNajibullah MusaferWhen the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, taking a photo was a crime. After the regime fell from power in 2001, a fledgling free press emerged and a photography revolution was born. Now, as foreign troops and media withdraw, Afghanistan is left to stand on its own, and so are its journalists. Set in a modern Afghanistan bursting with color and character, FRAME BY FRAME follows four Afghan photojournalists as they navigate an emerging and dangerous media landscape reframing Afghanistan for the world, and for themselves. Through cinema vérité, intimate interviews, powerful photojournalism, and never-before-seen archival footage shot in secret during the Taliban regime, the film connects audiences with four humans in the pursuit of the truth.San Diego Premiere
- DirectorJared CallahanFollow 90-year-old Janey as she writes and directs her latest original, socially relevant community theatre production for her small town. Experience the creative process unfold with a cast of colorful townspeople, as they engage with the arts amidst a local economy devastated by the recent recession.San Diego Premiere
- DirectorBrad AllgoodGraham TownsleyJuliana Penaranda-LoftusLandfill Harmonic follows the Recycled Orchestra. An unlikely orchestra made out of recycled trash. As this group takes its inspiring spectacle of trash-into-music around the world, we follow the lives of a garbage picker, a music teacher and a group of children from a Paraguayan slum. Landfill Harmonic is a beautiful story about the transformative power of music, which also highlights two vital issues of our times: poverty and waste pollution.San Diego Premiere
- 2013– 52mTV EpisodeDirectorDavid PearsonBryan SmithStarsWill GaddGavin McClurgIn August 2014 Will Gadd and Gavin McClurg, two accomplished paragliders, attempt to complete the first ever paragliding traverse of the Rocky Mountain Range, North America's most iconic and by far wildest region. At a distance of over 1.200 km from Canada to the U.S., flying across rugged terrain and landing on mountain tops to camp for the night, this journey will smash almost any current long distance flight record.California Premiere
- DirectorEliana Álvarez MartínezMario Castro, a fisherman that decided to change the destiny of his community, narrates this wonderful story that takes us in a journey of decades, to understand how the town of Cabo Pulmo created the world's most robust marine reserve.Opening Short
- DirectorJustin RobertsStarsGene DelgadoJameson LindskogNo Greater Love explores a combat deployment through the eyes of an Army chaplain, as he and his men fight their way through a hellish tour in one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan and then as they struggle to reintegrate home.West Coast Premiere
Winner: Best Military Film - DirectorHenry HughesStarsLayla AlizadaNavid NegahbanLexi PearlOn her first day in Afghanistan, an interpreter for the US Army is forced to deliver the child of an enemy bomb-maker.
- DirectorChristopher UphamA veteran takes four soldiers he fought with back to Vietnam, where they confront the effects that warfare has had on them.So. California Premiere
Best Documentary (Audience Choice) - DirectorChris KingStarsMandy MoodyChris GouchoeEric WheelerA severely wounded Marine and his wife finally come home following months of surgeries and rehab. A powerful and realistic depiction of what it is like for our wounded vets and their spouses as they face enormously difficult times ahead.
- DirectorHillevi LovenStarsCole Ray DavisDeep Run is a powerful verité portrait of trans life in rural North Carolina. Cole Ray Davis is a young trans man who uses his candid humor and steadfast, all-inclusive Christian beliefs to counter the bigotry he experiences daily.San Diego Premiere
- DirectorJeremy Asher LynchStarsJake TommilaSheilynne TommilaD'Angelo MidiliJake, a gender non-conforming seven year-old, invites us into his world to explore the transforming power of love and support on our children.
- DirectorThomas A. MorganJack Henry RobbinsStoried Streets explores homelessness across America by telling the stories of those who live it every day.California Premiere
- DirectorHenry ChaissonStarsDale RaoulChad TodhunterBrad LelandA contract killer gets more than he bargained for after a pit-stop at the convenience store.
- DirectorGabriel RobertsonStarsXander BerkeleyBrady PermenterAmye GoussetTo celebrate his eleventh birthday, a young boy selects his gift - little knowing that his choice will change the world.
- DirectorSaralyn ArmerStarsAmberlee ColsonAdam CritchlowJeremiah GallagherIn 1972, an ambitious female computer programmer must maneuver the minefield of a man's world in order to make an unexpected change for the women in her office.
- DirectorAina DumlaoBru MullerStarsEdwin R. HabaconDat PhamMatt ShevinDerek, a schoolteacher, travels to a third-world nation to surprise the needy child he's been supporting, only to learn that overseas, money goes a lot further than it does in the US.
- DirectorMykyta SamusievStarsMo AnoutiMichael ArkIrina DubovaA Clerk in 1900's Russia falls prey to his insecurities, when a faux pas leads him on an absurd and life changing journey.
- DirectorEric KissackStarsShawn ParsonsScott BeehnerBrace HarrisIn the tradition of classic westerns, a narrator sets up the story of a lone gunslinger who walks into a saloon. However, the people in this saloon can hear the narrator and the narrator may just be a little bit bloodthirsty.Winner: Audience Choice Best Short
- DirectorPhil LorinKiel MurrayStarsMichael A. GoorjianBosco LorinMark Robert McGrathTwo parents who discover their child's fascination with horticulture.
- DirectorIan SamuelsStarsLorenz ArnellLauren BairDiane ChernanskyA heart-broken alien dreamer from the moon transitions into adult life in Los Angeles like any other 20-something.
- DirectorChris WyattStarsDel HowisonKimmy MaguireKambria PorterWhen she's ridiculed at a fairy-themed birthday party, a young girl studies up on Fairy Knowledge.
- DirectorGarrett KennellDavid LightStarsJulia Best WarnerBen EdelmanPhilip BowerA withdrawn teenage girl struggles with her OCD driven murderous tendencies.
- DirectorTommy BertelsenStarsTroian BellisarioShane CoffeyPeter VackSummer never ends if you never die.
- DirectorTravis BogosianHenry ChaissonStarsMackenzie Brooke SmithA resourceful young girl prepares dinner for a friend.
- DirectorThora HilmarsdottirStarsZak AdamsEstelle AramaAlexa BrownSUB ROSA observes the 8 year old Tilda, she lives with her grandmother who runs a flower shop. The young girl roams around freely and discovers a world of indecent activities lurking behind the flower store walls.Best Short
- DirectorPascal PlanteStarsMarie-Josée BélangerLéona RousseauA Canadian mother travels to Florida with her 4 year-old daughter to take part of a mini-miss contest. Getting ready to compete becomes a cat-and-mouse game for the duo... but no one knows for sure who the cat is!
- DirectorNelson KimStarsAaron YooLeonardo NamJackie ChungA tale of two Korean American cousins. A shy young law student, hungry for a more vivid, risk-taking existence, visits his playboy cousin in New York City. In his quest to emulate his cousin, the law student sheds his old identity and takes a leap into the unknown, where risk, adventure, and a chance at love await. But in a series of surprising twists, his dream of growth and metamorphosis threatens to become a nightmare from which he may never awaken.
- DirectorJack SheridanStarsLaurence BreulsCallum Di SarioDavid Field'Injury Time' traverses the dying minutes of a football manager's desperate struggle to win The Game on his own terms. This gripping, high concept thriller is told in real-time in one continuous shot.
- DirectorJay TorresStarsSummer GlauIvan SergeiAlexandra TorresA man at the end of his rope, gets carjacked by 2 addicts and go on a surreal journey.
- DirectorThaddäus ReichStarsRobert RitterBen MarecekTom HanslmaierMoments before they reach the liberating border, two soldiers are trapped by a sniper closing in on them. The only escape seems to lie hidden in a playful childhood.
- DirectorIlya RozhkovStarsBlake AltmanArmen BabasoloukianGeorge CapaceteAfter his concert tour in Spain, perfectionist composer Aram Khachaturian anticipates a meeting with absurdest painter Salvador Dali.
- DirectorImtiaz AliStarsAlia BhattRandeep HoodaDurgesh KumarRight before her wedding, a young woman finds herself abducted and held for ransom. As the initial days pass, she begins to develop a strange bond with her kidnapper.
- DirectorNicolas CittonStarsRobert BakerZachary QuintoCody DavisSomewhere between then and now, a time traveler defies his orders, and compromises a future he cannot un-learn
- DirectorTim MaupinStarsRed WestRebecca SpenceHarold DennisSet in the future when science first begins to stop aging, a daughter tries to save her father from natural death.
- DirectorFrancisco ParejaEva , a 73 -year-old woman, faces long days of loneliness until love appears to change her life, and make her feel alive once again.
- DirectorRyan StrattonStarsCaitlin CollinsFranco PuliceJaiden HidalgoAn aspiring astronomer happens upon a radio frequency and meets a thought-to-be-dead astronaut trapped in space.
- DirectorMarco KalantariStarsDanny ShaylerDavid SayersSusanne WuestThe dark year 2204, in a world that has seen 73 years of continuous war. A Shaman is sent on a mission to convert the soul of a giant battle colossus.
- DirectorSolvan NaimStarsMalik LockettElijah RichardsonEric Jordan BassantStanhope, a teenage inner city kid from New York City, gets caught up in a web of violence as a child soldier; a paid assassin.
- DirectorEvan Ari KelmanStarsC.J. ValleroyNathan VarnsonJack Berenholtz'Bandito' is an epic coming-of-age drama following the adventure of Jamie, a young boy who stows away to join his older brother on a highway truck heist.
- DirectorCarmen JiménezStarsWilliam Scott BrownAida LópezJuan Carlos PinedoAfter her husband dies, Nieves inherits his job as the super of a decaying apartment complex in New York City. But the job becomes more difficult than she anticipated when she discovers a disturbing secret in one of the units.
- DirectorBennett LasseterStarsTate HanyokKeely AloñaBill WattersonThe heartwarming story of a brave, transgender tween. Stealth is the recipient of a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for science, 2 student Emmys, a student Academy Award, 20 festival awards, and it has played in over 50 festivals.
- DirectorKevin HamedaniStarsSheila VandDavid DiaanRobert Paul TaylorCultural, gender, and emotional challenges are explored in this story of an Iranian-American widower who returns to his homeland to take a second wife.
- DirectorFlorian GroligIt's calm and peaceful above the clouds. But in the distance is chaos, and night by night it advances...
- DirectorDebra SolomonStarsJane Curtin
- DirectorAlyce TzueStarsShira AbergelMason WelchA precocious young girl makes a new friend when a tiny boy pilot drops out of the sky on a broken flying machine. Now she must race against time to return him home, before her new friend becomes stranded on Earth forever.Winner: Best Animated Film
- DirectorJacob FreyStarsQuinn NealySamantha BrownPaul BürgerJake spends most of his time playing video games indoors until his mother decides to give him a present.
- DirectorGökalp GönenRusty machines living in their small houses, imagine that the sun will come and take them to the sky someday. A small light, keeps them alive and dreaming. But one of the machines wants to see the sun itself and he has a plan for that.
- DirectorYangzi SheStarsRebecca DavisRebecca DavisReid MillerDurian was born with his facial expressions opposite to everyone else.The film shows a time span of this little boy growing into a young adult, by displaying milestones in both his real life and his imaginary world.
- DirectorJade Hærem AksnesStarsLola Wayne VillaDavid SullivanHeidi SchultzWhen Lisa, an imaginative 8-year-old girl, learns that her mother has died, she becomes determined to find a way to stay connected with her.
- DirectorJefferson SteinStarsGeorgia Rose BellChase ArringtonVojtech CekalA little girl and her father deal with loss in East Texas.
- DirectorJulian HigginsStarsRaymond J. BarryVincent KartheiserQ'orianka KilcherWhen an aging college professor confronts two hunters trespassing on his property, he begins an escalating battle of wills that will test his faith in everything he holds dear. Adapted from a short story by acclaimed author James Lee Burke, WINTER LIGHT is a modern-day revisionist Western set in the frozen wilderness of Montana.
- DirectorAtsuko HirayanagiStarsKaori MomoiMiyoko YamaguchiBilly ScottSetsuko, a 55-year-old single 'office lady' in Tokyo, is given a blonde wig and a new identity, 'Lucy,' by her unconventional young English instructor. 'Lucy' awakens desires that Setsuko never knew she had. When the instructor suddenly disappears, Setsuko must come to terms with what remains: herself.
- DirectorNaomi PhillipsStarsMartin DonaghyFollowing his duties as prison guard, the Watchman ensures total obedience by implementing a cruel punishing device. The situation spins out of control when one prisoner tries to escape.
- DirectorEva SaundersStarsJuliette IronsZach Paul BrownStephanie Aquino Smith'Ars Vivendi' is a short film about the peculiar experience of first love.