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Jimmy Muir comes from a typical gritty, northern town where there are only two options: working down the pit or in a factory. But Jimmy has other ideas – he dreams of becoming a professional footballer. Confronted by a bitter and unsupportive father, hard drinking friends and a lifetime of bad habits…has Jimmy the will to achieve his ultimate goal?
A gritty coming of age thriller about a young girl sent to juvenile prison for the murder of her abusive step father. The film follows Anna Nix’s journey into the dark world of an all girls jail where she discovers complex relationships, drugs, mental illness and her eventual search for redemption.
The star of Ken Loach’s MY NAME IS JOE, Mullan proves that his talent isn’t relegated to acting. As a writer/director, he has crafted a supremely entertaining motion picture. ORPHANS tells the grittily realistic, hysterical, and deeply moving tale of a group of siblings who reunite in Glasgow on the eve of their mother’s funeral. The four children mourn their mother’s passing in a variety of ways, some of which are heartfelt and some of which are bizarre. As a potential thunderstorm threatens to damage the city, the situation compounds itself even further.
The tentative romance between a gentle Madrid labourer and a working single mother becomes a struggle for survival when the woman’s violent boyfriend returns from prison, in the gritty, suspenseful debut feature from Spanish actor Raúl Arévalo.
Jane is a beautiful but troubled American girl backpacking through Japan, when her raw street fighting skills draw the attention of Oshima, Japanese karate champion, who recruits and trains her to fight in the vicious, all-female, underground martial arts tournament known as “The Kumite”. After months of rigorous preparation, Jane is ready to face off against the deadliest female fighters in the world, including Ling, the Chinese apprentice of Oshima’s nemesis. But other nefarious forces lie in the shadows, and Jane and Ling will have to unite on a journey that will take them from the gritty underworld of Hong Kong to the glitz of Macao, before deciding who really is the best female fighter on the planet.
Jesús, a young hairdresser, works at a Havana nightclub for drag performers, and dreams of being a performer himself. Encouraged by his mentor, Mama, Jesús finally gets his chance to take the stage. But when Angel, his estranged father, abruptly reenters his life, his world is quickly turned upside down. The macho Angel, recently released from a 15-year stint in prison, tries to squelch his son’s ambition to perform in drag. Father and son clash over their opposing expectations of each other, struggling to understand one another and reconcile as a family. Shot in a gritty neighbourhood far from the Havana most tourists know, Viva is a heartrending story of music, performance and survival.
Brutal and celebrated Mafia gangster John Gotti (Danny Nucci) schemes, shoves and murders his way to the top of that world in this gritty biography told from the perspective of Salvatore Polisi (Jason Gedrick), who owns the Sinatra Club, where Gotti’s crew hangs out. Determined to make his name, the young Gotti plans a daring armored-car robbery that he expects to get him noticed by the bosses of each of New York’s five major crime families.
Real-life kung fu master Nathan Ingram stars in this gritty, low-budget martial arts epic as a local karate school owner who clashes with a gang of drug traffickers posing as the owners of a rival dojo. Director Charlie Ahearn (who helmed the landmark hip-hop film Wild Style) used the housing projects next to his New York Lower East Side apartment as his central location in this 1979 classic, shot on a vintage Super 8 camera.
Brian Cox stars as Jacques, the curmudgeonly owner of a gritty New York dive bar that serves as home to a motley assortment of professional drinkers. Jacques is determinedly drinking and smoking himself to death when he meets Lucas (Dano), a homeless young man who has already given up on life. Determined to keep his legacy alive, Jacques deems Lucas is a fitting heir and takes him under his wing, schooling him in the male-centric laws of his alcoholic clubhouse: no new customers, no fraternizing with customers and, absolutely no women. Lucas is a quick study, but their friendship is put to the test when the distraught and beautiful April (Isild Le Besco) shows up at the bar seeking shelter, and Lucas insists they help her out.
A gritty, international tale of four separate stories woven together by a common theme: the Rapture.
Realistic story of working class Yorkshire life. Two schoolgirls have a sexual fling with a married man. Serious and light-hearted by turns. Rita, Sue And Bob Too was adapted by Andrea Dunbar from two of her own controversial plays. Rita (Siobhan Finneran) and Sue (Michelle Holmes) are two teenagers living on a run-down council estate in Bradford who both share a job babysitting for Bob (George Costigan) and Michelle’s (Lesley Sharp) children. Whilst giving them a lift home one night, Bob decides to take Rita and Sue up to a deserted, country-side landscape. Clearly knowing what he has in mind, Rita and Sue are only too happy to oblige and both have a sexual encounter with him that becomes a regular occurrence. Despite the blatant politically-incorrect nature of the film, this does emerge as a somewhat controversial, though enduringly amusing film that has a sharp, gritty undertone.
Saint Street is a classic American Christmas tale for the entire family. The story follows Percy who is a good man, but has found himself caught up in the riches of the world and is neglecting his most prized possession – his family. Christmas Eve has arrived and Percy is still hard at work late into the night, once again breaking his promises to his wife and kids that he would leave early so that they could drive to their traditional family Christmas party. After being warned time and again to change his ways from a heavenly being from beyond, Percy is about to experience some grave consequences for his actions. In a series of tragic events, Percy faces humble circumstances after losing everything in a car accident – his family, job and home. Paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair, he is forced to be homeless and live in the gritty world of misfits on Saint Street.
A gritty crime saga which follows the lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.
The Sad Cafe brings to life the gritty world where cause and effect, life and death, love and hatred play out a delicate balance. A place where unrequited love is the driving force behind closing ourselves off from the world, and is the cause of unrelenting bitterness to the happiness that was taken from us, the happiness we long for. The Sad Cafe is, at its core, a love story…a romance tragic in all aspects. A testimony to the pain people endure in their pursuit for love and companionship. “…intense and impressive … a compelling story of love and crime… [with]…crackling moments of gore and action…” Ain’t It Cool News “…must be seen … a dynamic action thriller from visionary young director Bennie Woodell…” Wildside Cinema
CIA Agent Martin Keele (Michael Madsen – Reservoir Dogs Kill Bill) sets the wheels spinning in this gritty urban action thriller, as mysterious gangster J.D. goes on the rampage in Amsterdam, stopping at nothing to uncover those who have betrayed him
Trace Adkins (The Lincoln Lawyer), Ron Perlman (TV’s “Sons of Anarchy”) and Brendan Penny (Ring Of Fire) star in this gritty and riveting re-imagining of the classic Western saga. Raised by powerful cattle baron Judge Henry (Perlman), South, aka “The Virginian” (Adkins), lives his life as a ranch enforcer with bravery and steely determination. When a big-city writer (Penny) raises questions about the fierce treatment of rustlers, South is quick to defend the brutal realities of the “Code of the West.” But as he looks deeper into the latest string of rustling and finds his convictions questioned by a pretty new schoolteacher (Victoria Pratt, Mutant X), South begins to wonder if the Judge had ulterior motives in raising him to a life of bloodshed and violence in this explosive, action-loaded epic on the open range.
Steven Seagal stars in this gritty, no-holds barred action film as an elite ex-cop with a gambling problem and a mountain of debt. When a mysterious man offers to clear his debts in exchange for the assassination of the city’s most notorious gangsters, he make s decision that will change his life – forever.
A blind musician hears a murder committed in the apartment upstairs from hers that sends her down a dark path into London’s gritty criminal underworld.
Enter the Devil is a great American-made B horror movie. People are disappearing in the wastelands. An occult researcher discovers that a devil-worshipping cult is responsible. Her inquiries lead her into great danger. Who can she trust? Very well acted by a cast of unknowns. Gritty and atmospheric.
A family living in Marfa, Texas attempts to pull themselves back together after a horrific tragedy. This provocative sequel to Larry Clark’s film Marfa Girl, shows us a group of people ready to escape their current realities – no matter the cost. Gritty, unrelenting and powerful, auteur Clark once again delivers a bleak landscape of sex, drugs and boredom amongst the residents of a dead-end Texas Border town.
Patrick Haggerty, the gritty, fearless voice behind the world’s first and only gay-themed country music album, 40 years after its release.
Lonnie’s life hasn’t changed much in the 16 years since he graduated high school. Still painting houses, still drinking too much, still hanging out with the same old friends (including Alex Karpovsky of Girls, naturally hilarious as always). Bloomin Mud Shuffle is a gritty gem that wrings hard-earned humor out of tough circumstances. Frank V. Ross’s seventh film includes strong performances from Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black) and Rebecca Spence (Ross’s Tiger Tail in Blue, WFF 2013), and a score by John Medeski of Medeski Martin & Wood.
Gritty independent action/thriller set in Manchester, UK starring Michael L. Knight.
A young man and his young elephant street beg in gritty Bangkok amid the controversial elephant business that threatens their survival, until the opportunity comes to release the elephant to the wild.
When Lynyrd Skynyrd emerged onto the world stage in 1973, it was the result of a collective determination; the group had struggled and fought to gain real recognition ever since their formation eight years before. And although they were initially identified, both in the music industry and in the media, as just another act in the then booming Southern Rock movement, it became quickly apparent that not only were Skynyrd a distinctly individual collective, but also they had the potential to become one of the finest rock bands in history. Led by the headstrong and domineering Ronnie Van Zant, a tough, blue collar brawler with a powerful stage presence, distinctive vocals and gritty, honest lyrics, his energy and vision propelled the group until its tragic end in 1977. This films tells the story of the rise and fall of a remarkable band.
The gritty tale of an Imperial stormtrooper who is forced to confront his past in the heat of a battle.
An “Urban American Graffiti” tale of choices, consequences, redemption and faith all woven into a gritty framework of tested relationships.
A story about greed, politics and the land grab of the century, ZIPPER chronicles the battle over an American cultural icon. Small-time ride operator, Eddie Miranda, proudly operates a carnival contraption called the Zipper in the heart of Coney Island’s gritty amusement district. When his rented lot is snatched up by a real estate mogul, Eddie and his ride become casualties of a power struggle between the developer and the City of New York over the future of the world-famous destination. Be it an affront to history or simply the path of progress, the spirit of Coney Island is at stake. In an increasingly corporate landscape, where authenticity is often sacrificed for economic growth, the Zipper may be just the beginning of what is lost.
Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk”) is back in action as a washed-up superhero trying to get his life back on the rails in this gritty short film.
The pond. This is where hockey was born-under the open sky-where the ice is gritty and so is the play. For generations, Northlanders have grown up on outdoor ice. But, there are new climate- controlled arenas in every town, and that’s where the kids go to practice year-round now.
Through an oral history format of in-depth interviews and archival footage, RIOT ON THE DANCE FLOOR bring to life the gritty story of City Gardens, one of New Jersey’s most infamous clubs and its larger than life promoter, Randy Now. Featuring the stark and iconic photography of Thrasher Magazine’s Ken Salerno, the film chronicles the rise of several different music scenes in a venue for underground music that traversed the entertainment spectrum; from the comedy of Henny Youngman to Nine Inch Nails, New Order to Nirvana. It is the story of musical champions, underdogs and how hoards of misfit kids found an unlikely home and above all, the freedom and liberation of having complete creative control. – IFF Boston
What if Bone Thugs N harmony never got to audition for Eazy E. What would their outcome have been. This gritty, real tale tells the story of Krayzie, Layzie and Wish and the saga that could’ve happened if they never got that fateful audition with Eazy. “I Tried” is not only a classic song its also a potential state of mind….
Meet Shivani Shivaji Roy, Senior Inspector, Crime Branch, Mumbai Police, as she sets out to confront the mastermind behind the child trafficking mafia, which makes the mistake of kidnapping and smuggling a teenage girl who is like a daughter to her. Fighting a war which is very personal and in an obsessive hunt for the girl, Shivani stumbles into the world of debauchery, cruel desires and exploitation and onto a case that will change her life forever. What follows is a cat and mouse game between a fearless cop and a young and ruthless mafia kingpin. Catch Rani Mukerji in the lead, playing an edge of the seat role of a lifetime, in this raw and gritty film which will be a distinct departure from Pradeep Sarkar’s style of filmmaking.
A relentlessly-paced hybrid of gritty crime thriller and Lovecraftian supernatural horror, “The Devil’s Mile” follows a trio of kidnappers who take an ill-advised detour en route to deliver their hostages – two teenage girls – to their mysterious and powerful employer. When they accidentally kill one of the girls during a botched escape attempt, their simmering mistrust explodes into shocking violence. But what they thought was their worst case scenario is only the beginning, as they are engulfed by the hellish forces that haunt the road – a road they realize they may never escape. Now captors and captive must fight together to escape the monstrous forces pursuing them and somehow survive …
‘Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp’, examines the tumultuous life of legendary Chicago pimp Iceberg Slim (1918-1992) and how he reinvented himself from pimp to author of 7 groundbreaking books. These books were the birth of Street Lit and explored the world of the ghetto in gritty and poetic detail and have made him a cultural icon. Interviews with Iceberg Slim, Chris Rock, Henry Rollins, Ice-T, Snoop Dogg, and Quincy Jones.
A gritty mind-bending thriller about three twenty-somethings who find themselves in an impossible time labyrinth, where each day they awaken to the same terrifying day as the preceding one.
A gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who immigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances, and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs.
