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Two American soldiers crash their helicopter in the Afghan desert and find themselves at the mercy of the natural elements and an eclectic family of Afghan opium farmers.
Doodslag (Dutch for “Manslaughter”) is the story of Max, a paramedic who is repeatedly hindered in performing his duties by loutish behaviour. As his ambulance hurries towards a complicated childbirth, some youths prevent Max from reaching the distressed woman in labour. Spurred on by the emergency and the incendiary words of a TV pundit, he reaches a boiling point and forcefully hits one of the men obstructing his ambulance. Max’s strike has far-reaching, unintended consequences.
The harrowing story of a disturbed young man’s attempts to win the affections of an unsuspecting young woman. When Doug first sees Amy, he instantly falls for her and begins to watch her every move, going so far as to set up spy cameras in her apartment. However, as his fascination grows into obsession he’s no longer satisfied with just watching.
When retired physician Daniel Green (Bill Cobbs, Night at the Museum) lifts a 5-ton farm tractor off a boy trapped beneath, the enigma of his supernatural strength piques the curiosity of two med students passing through town. Visiting the old doctor at his isolated farmhouse, they soon learn his bizarre secret: he has uncovered the key to eternal youth. But sometimes the lust for immortality has deadly consequences. The night takes a twisted turn as the young men discover Dr. Green’s “miracle” has come with a horrifying price – and a fate far worse than growing old.
Based on a true story, the tale of a cement truck driver named Danny, whose long awaited vacation is cancelled thanks to his scheming girlfriend, Trudy. Danny escapes his grim life in suburban Australia and blasts into the skies in a chair tied with helium balloons. A mighty thunderstorm blows him clean off the map, and spits him out far away over the lush green town of Clarence. In this new town, he rockets into the world of Glenda, the town’s only parking cop. While the media back home becomes obsessed with the story of his disappearance, Danny gets to reinvent himself in this new town, and in his great adventure, he discovers a true soul mate in Glenda. Fate catches up with him eventually, as Danny’s true identity is revealed and Trudy–now a tabloid celebrity–comes to the idyllic town to claim Danny and drag him back to Sydney. Danny, however, is a changed man; he’s discovered what it means to be happy and has found a new self-worth.
Documentary filmmaker Doug Block had every reason to believe his parents’ 54-year marriage was a good one. But when his mother dies unexpectedly and his father swiftly marries his former secretary, he discovers two parents who are far more complex and troubled than he ever imagined. 51 Birch Street is a riveting personal documentary that explores a universal human question: how much about your parents do you really want to know?
“A Film About Coffee” is a love letter to, and meditation on, specialty coffee. It examines what it takes, and what it means, for coffee to be defined as “specialty.” The film whisks audiences on a trip around the world, from farms in Honduras and Rwanda to coffee shops in Tokyo, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and New York. Through the eyes and experiences of farmers and baristas, the film offers a unique overview of all the elements-the processes, preferences and preparations; traditions old and new-that come together to create the best cups. This is a film that bridges gaps both intellectual and geographical, evoking flavor and pleasure, and providing both as well.
Meat the Truth is a high-profile documentary which forms an addendum to earlier films on climate change. Although such films have succeeded in drawing public attention to the issue of global warming, they have repeatedly ignored one of the most important causes of climate change: the intensive livestock production. Meat the Truth draws attention to this by demonstrating that livestock farming generates more greenhouse gas emissions worldwide than all cars, lorries, trains, boats and planes added together.
Lachlan MacAldonich is a self-described “lazy Scotsman” and former guitar player for a once-popular 1990s rock band. No longer famous, he now lives a comfortably numb existence working on an organic farm outside Los Angeles. He drinks himself into a stupor every night and retires to his shabby apartment to record his podcast, recounting the tragic deaths of great musicians. After a particularly heavy night of drowning his sorrows at a local watering hole, he is arrested for driving under the influence. This snag, coupled with a long-ago conviction for a drug offense, means Lachlan faces possible deportation. His only hope of remaining stateside is proving that his absence would cause extreme hardship for a spouse or relative – forcing him to confront relationships he thought were buried forever.
Struggling filmmakers – Kennedy, Cory and James – finally catch the break they were looking for when they are hired to shoot a ‘behind-the-scenes’ documentary for a major studio production. But their dream job quickly turns into a nightmare when they explore the legendary, haunted location and find something far worse than anything Hollywood could create. Terror becomes reality for the filmmakers as they uncover the malevolent secrets of the hospital, and the sinister doctor who once ran it. Trapped inside the hospital with no apparent way out, our crew is tormented by the evil, unspeakable fear
Can the Holy Spirit direct a movie? In this fast-paced documentary from the director of the popular films Finger of God, Furious Love, and Father of Lights, Darren Wilson sets out to make a movie that is completely led by the Holy Spirit. No plan, no script, no safety net–just go wherever he feels the Spirit leading him to try and discover the adventure God has for him. Whether it’s the riches of Monte Carlo, a heavy metal concert, or the oldest city in the world, the result is a film that not only challenges and excites, but also reveals a God who is far more alive and active than you ever imagined.
An ex-con returns to his rural Ontario roots and outwits a corrupt and wealthy thoroughbred owner trying to take over a slew of local farms. Ray Dokes, a charming ex-ballplayer, returns from jail to discover the rural landscape of his childhood transformed by urban development. Determined to stay out of trouble, Ray heads to the farm of his old friend Pete Culpepper, a crusty Texas cowboy who trains losing racehorses and whose debts are growing faster than his corn.
Jacob is tired of living on the family farm, submitting to the rules of his father. One day he demands an early inheritance from his father, who shocks his young son by agreeing to give it to him. So, he heads to the big city doing things his way without restraint, and for a while he does well-surprisingly well. He takes huge business risks and converts his small fortune into a big fortune, despite his extremely flamboyant lifestyle that attracts the wrong women, including seductive Laura, whose rich boyfriend Frank is often dangerously nearby. Jake had it all: money, ladies, prestige-but then-he loses it all and just when he things he’s hit bottom the bottom drops some more- until he is eating out of dumpsters and eventually ends up living in a literal pig pen. Coming to his senses he heads home, determined to work in an entry level position for his dad, who surprises him once again by running to him-but is it to kiss him or kill him?
Edyta is forty and in the midst of a crisis. She has left her family, her husband and son and their house on the Baltic Sea behind her. She spends her nights in a Warsaw hotel room and her days driving around the unfamiliar city. When she runs out of cash, she hatches a plan: An ad in the newspaper – sex for money. Edyta never lets things get that far though, as she drugs her clients and then uses their apartments as a refuge for the night. Then she meets an artist, Patryk. A smidgen of luck and Edyta can no longer maintain her dismissive attitude. In this enthralling character study, Tomasz Wasilewski uses filmic minimalism to ensure that glances and gestures say more than words. He portrays a lonely woman in both fragility and strength, using precise image composition.
When the Soviet Army marched into Romania in 1944, a part of the Romanian population went “into the mountains” – a diverse assortment of nationalists and fascists, liberals, apolitical farmers and members of the middle-class, who were affected by the Communists’ expropriations. Over a thousand armed resistance groups took refuge in the inaccessible forests of the Carpathian Mountains where they waited in vain for the support of the Western Allies. One of them was led by Ion Gavrilă-Ogoranu, who managed to remain undetected until 1976 when he was arrested. This film depicts the daily existence of this group. It tells the story of a struggle that became an end in itself, as the enemy was constantly in pursuit and arrest meant torture and often liquidation. Hungry and emotionally withdrawn, the group of young men got entangled in a partisan war that could not be won, lost in the landscape of the South Carpathians, accompanied by a vigilant secret police, the Securitate.
Form small beginnings on a Victorian farm to globetrotting punk rock icons, the Cosmic Psychos became one of Australia’s most influential bands. Now after thirty years of music making, ‘Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust’ documents the highs and lows of the group’s musical career as told by members from the Melvins, L7, Mud Honey, Pearl Jam, and The Hard-Ons with other international music producers and from the Cosmic Psycho band members themselves.
All Alza Bennett wants is to get home to her estranged family for the Easter holiday, but an auto mishap leaves the high strung executive more than 700 miles short of her destination and standing on the doorstep of a grizzled, reclusive farmer named Lincoln, who’s goal in life is to be left alone. After a deal is struck the mismatched pair sets out on a three day odyssey of misadventure along the highways and byways of America where they encounter rat infested hotels, convenience store hold ups, rural rabbit stalkers and a starstruck couple from a local trailer park. Best of all, they are forced to encounter each other as the two worlds of the princess and hermit collide at each and every turn. A humorous retelling of The Story of The Prodigal Son, told through the eyes of a young woman looking to make amends while she searches for the road back home.
Céline, 11, meets Peter, 40. Together they go on a “luminous journey” in his beautiful red truck. She, escaping her desperate and incestuous father; he, far from his native England and the sad memory of his lost wife and daughter. In the course of a few days, a few words, Céline experiences her first true moments of childhood and lightness, exhilaration and trust. Peter goes towards the last days of a life that he offers, like a sublime and aging angel, to this wounded child.
Oliver Fellows, a failed city banker, is pursuing fulfillment on an old farm in Southern Portugal. He and his neighbor, Manel, face unprincipled enemies in a highly amusing quest to save their valley from exploitation.
About the history and culture of roots Reggae music and the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica, as told by world class Reggae musicians and historians.
In the heat of the night, a man from faraway plays the piano. In the local hillside prison, a bitter double-crossed convict stares at the city life over the roofs. A revenge is brewing in his mind; the blood-thirsty killer prepares his escape. Vares gets a client who needs private investigations. Despite the beautiful wife, Vares smells a rat… In the middle of the summer night, a shot rings out. One life comes to an end and Vares finds changes in his assignment. The clues lead him to first-hand encounters and second-hand bookshops; a visit to the gym reveals a drug-smuggling route from Stockholm… Vares finds himself entangled in hot money and cool silk. In the background slithers a cunning garter snake.
A monumental windstorm and an abused horse’s refusal to work or eat signals the beginning of the end for a poor farmer and his daughter.
A simple can of ravioli propels this spectacular 30,000-kilometre, eight-country journey through all phases of food production and the far flung sources of international ingredients. A dream-like voyage with glimpses of disconcerting realities, the story begins with a single mother toiling in one of the biggest open pit mines in Brazil and ends on the shelf of a grocery store in Finland. Along the way, the workers whose calloused hands mine, raise and harvest each ingredient reveal their dreams and hopes, like the Danish pig farmer who loves his sows but longs for a girlfriend, and the Portuguese tomato picker who wants to stay healthy long enough to pay her daughters way through university. Sumptuous photography and impressive sound design make an eloquent statement about our modern, globalized world, making us aware of the hundreds of invisible people who prepare the food we eat every day. -Gisèle Gordon (HotDocs.ca)
Negotiations with the Far East have failed, and the unthinkable has happened: all-out nuclear war. With civilization as we know it at an end, the United States President is whisked away to safety in an underground bunker. Along with him is a team of scientists and advisors, as well as an elite fighting force of the best assassins and soldiers in the country. This Presidential Security team is hand-selected to protect and preserve the government in this time of crisis.
This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert was a member of a family of four elderly brothers, working as semi-literate farmers and living together in isolation from the rest of society until William’s death.
John Meehan created a terrifying trap of seduction, deceit and betrayal for countless victims. The illuminating revelations into his backstory showcase a series of events that flipped switches to create a monster wired for psychopathy. Goffard exposes John’s troubled background that built the foundation for his ominous fantasy world of lies and manipulation. In addition to hearing the Newell family’s terrifying tale, John’s first wife Tonia Bales and her daughters Emily and Abigail Meehan speak out, along with other women from his past who were caught in his web of lies.
Star Wars meets Shakespeare in this timely nod to both the 40th celebration of Star Wars release and the recent 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death. Hamlet’s famous soliloquy is presented as the inner voice of a Stormtrooper, demonstrating the way Shakespeare’s language still echoes down to us through the centuries and remains as relevant today as ever—not to mention as well in a galaxy far, far away…
Danger Death Ray, the funniest of the cheesy spy films that MST had fun with. Former Tarzan Gordon Scott sucks in his gut for this one. Professor Carmichael has developed a death ray “for peaceful purposes only” but a vague group of bad guys want it instead, so he’s kidnapped by doughy guys and taken to their toy sub (via a toy helicopter)Bart Fargo must rescue him cause he’s the only American spy who looks good in womanly sunglasses. Cool music accompanies him as he searches for Carmichael while he must deal with evil Abe Lincolns, a fey bad guy tuned friend of Fargo’s and a couple of women who he must sleep with. In the end the ineffective bad guy gets killed, the professor and the death ray get rescued and Bart gets the woman. There’s also a complex scene with a watch thrown in a pool which symbolizes the amount of time that was wasted on smart screen writing for the movie.
LEMON TREE meets JOHN LE CARRÉ in a subtle thriller set in Germany involving Mona, a Lebanese woman (Golshifteh Farahani), and Naomi, an Israeli Mossad agent (Neta Riskin) sent to protect their informant while recovering from plastic surgery for her new identity. Mona and Naomi – together for two weeks in a quiet apartment in Hamburg. A safe house. A shelter. No one saw what was coming, no one knew that this supposedly quiet fortnight would turn into an abyss and that shelter would need to be found elsewhere. The intimacy of the relationship that develops between the two women is exposed to the threat of terror that is engulfing the world today. In this game of deception, beliefs are questioned and choices are made that are not their own. And yet their fate takes a surprising turn in this suspense-laden, elegant neo-noir.
Tatsuya Ichihashi kills a British woman who taught English in Japan. Ichihashi escapes the police dragnet to Aomori, 550 kilometres away. Learning that he is wanted by the law, he cuts his own lips to change his features. Burdened by guilt, he continues to avoid the law enforcement. He travels 1000 kilometres to Shikoku to participate in a pilgrimage in hope of resurrecting his murder victim. Obviously it fails and he remains a fugitive. As if to escape his own guilt he changes his identity and has cosmetic surgery to further alter his features. He works at construction sites and when people get suspicious of him he flees to a far-off island in Okinawa where he relies on survival skills.
Depression era drama set in Alberta finds a farmer’s wife who swears that her inability to have a child is a punishment from God. In fact, it is slowly revealed that her inability to have a child stems from an illicit relationship that she had with a local priest and a subsequent operation forced on her in a cover-up by the church and her family which left her infertile
Filmmaker and omnivore John Papola, together with his vegetarian wife Lisa, offer up a timely and refreshingly unbiased look at how farm animals are raised for our consumption. With unprecedented access to large-scale conventional farms, Papola asks the tough questions behind every hamburger, glass of milk and baby-back rib. What he discovers are not heartless industrialists, but America’s farmers – real people who, along with him, are grappling with the moral dimensions of farming animals for food.
Modern farms are struggling to keep a secret. Most of the animals used for food in the United States are raised in giant, bizarre factories, hidden deep in remote areas of the countryside. Speciesism: The Movie director Mark Devries set out to investigate. The documentary takes viewers on a sometimes funny, sometimes frightening adventure, crawling through the bushes that hide these factories, flying in airplanes above their toxic manure lagoons, and coming face-to-face with their owners.
In effect, modern cow town Spurline is run by Virgil Renchler, owner of the Golden Empire Ranch. One night, two of Virgil’s henchmen go a little too far and beat a “bracero” ranch hand to death. Faced with an obvious cover-up and opposition on every hand, sheriff Ben Sadler is goaded into investigating. His unlikely ally: Renchler’s lovely, self-willed and overprotected daughter. Will Ben survive Renchler’s wrath?
Sara is a young girl raised in a family of goat farmers. Her parents homeschool their twelve children, rigorously following the precepts of the Bible. Like her sisters, Sara is taught to be a devout woman, subservient to men while keeping her emotional and physical purity intact until marriage. When Sara meets Colby, a young amateur bull rider, she is thrown into crisis, questioning the only way of life she has ever known.
Growing up in the famed farmhouse investigated in the blockbuster hit The Conjuring, Andrea Perron’s past has inspired her to write a tell-all book, House of Darkness House Of Light. Now, with footage and reenactments to support her stories, Perron delves into the haunting tales of her upbringing.
Quatro amigos que só pensam em curtir a vida, com grandes farras, mulheres e bebidas, são surpreendidos com uma ação de despejo. Precisando de dinheiro, a turma é obrigada a pensar naquilo que mais abominam: trabalhar! A confusão está formada quando cada um busca um meio fácil de conseguir dinheiro, com o mínimo de esforço. Os dias se passam as confusões hilárias só aumentam!
Filmed for over a decade, MAGICAL UNIVERSE is a portrait of Al Carbee, an 88 year old strange and reclusive outsider artist who spends his days alone in a massive house in Maine creating art — mostly featuring Barbie Dolls in elaborate dioramas. The documentary profiles Carbee’s amazing body of work and his relentlessly creative lifestyle. Carbee’s story is explored through the prism of his unlikely friendship with New York filmmaker Jeremy Workman, who unexpectedly becomes Carbee’s closest friend and only link to the outside world. Far beyond just a portrait of an eccentric, MAGICAL UNIVERSE is about wonder, friendship, and the transcendent power of creativity. Its story culminates with Al Carbee’s greatest triumph as an artist and a man.
Tom Fiorini (Anthony Michael Hall, The Dead Zone) owns a successful construction company. After his long time foreman goes missing, events take a drastic turn for the worse. During the search for his foreman, Tom plummets down a slippery slope of violence and hired hit men, only to find the fire with which he plays is much hotter than he could have ever expected. Director Thomas Farone (Nate Dogg) brilliantly creates a haunting, emotional film with richly layered performances by its multi award-winning cast—which includes a tour-de-force by the late Chris Penn, in his final film. Absorbing and complex, Aftermath is a Cinequest 23 highlight and a stylish noir crime thriller that will have audiences talking long after.
