LAST DAYS is filmmaker Gus Van Sant's meditation on the inner turmoil that engulfs a brilliant, but troubled, musician in the final hours of his life. Michael Pitt (THE DREAMERS, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH) stars as Blake, an introspective artist who is buckling under the weight of fame, professional obligations, and a mounting feeling of isolation. LAST DAYS follows Blake through a handful of hours he spends in and near his wooded home, a fugitive from his own life. It is a period of random moments and fractured consciousness, fused by spontaneous bursts of rock & roll. Expanding on the elliptical style forged in his two previous films, GERRY and the Palme d'Or-winning ELEPHANT, Van Sant layers images and sounds to articulate an emotional landscape, creating a dynamic work about a soul in transition.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes

From the backstreet brothels and theatres of 18th century Lima to the majestic courts of Spain; from the palaces of Peruvian Archbishops to the Inquistadorial missions from Madrid; and from the sanctuary of Inca shrines high up among Andean villages to the straits of the American coastlines; comes a story of chance.

Perhaps an accident. Perhaps not. But one thing is certain. Five seemingly unrelated voyagers find themselves united in the same destiny. Five people, on separate journeys for different reasons, happen to be crossing the bridge at San Luis Rey at noon on the fateful day of July 20th, 1714. The bridge breaks and all five fall to their deaths in the deep gorge below.

Was it chance or the hand of God that brought them together on that fatal day at that place and that moment in time? Or were they, in some way, to blame for what happened to them?
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes

THE HOLY GIRL (LA NIÑA SANTA), explores the burgeoning sexuality and religious fervor of two teenage girls, Amalia (MARIA ALCHÉ) and her best friend, Josefina (JULIETA ZYLBERBERG). Artfully piecing together a mosaic of nuanced details, fragments of sounds, and small moments, Lucrecia Martel creates a potent and specific portrait of adolescent life.

Understanding the temptation of good - and the evil it causes - LA NIÑA SANTA delicately explores themes of sin, frustration and desire.
synopsis  |   |  photos  |  production notes

Yao Ming - He stands 7 feet 6 inches tall and is just 22 years old. To the Chinese nation of one billion, he is a heroic son and symbol of its increasing presence on the world stage. To the National Basketball Association, he is a poster child for the globalization of the sport and potentially its first iconic superstar from outside North America and Europe. To his teammates on the Houston Rockets, he is the key to a successful championship season. To basketball fans, comedians and even commentators in his field, he is an anomaly: the tallest player in the NBA and Chinese. To his supportive parents, both of whom preceded him as members of the Chinese National Basketball team, he is simply “son.” To a young American interpreter with a passion for Chinese language and culture, he is initially a client for interpretation services … and eventually, over the course of a year, a close and valued friend. THE YEAR OF THE YAO is James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo’s exciting, inspiring chronicle of Yao Ming’s tumultuous first year in the NBA.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes

Based on the profoundly moving true story that captured the world’s attention, THE SEA INSIDE is about Spaniard Ramón Sampedro (played by Oscar® nominee Javier Bardem), who fought a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity. THE SEA INSIDE is the story of Ramón’s relationships with two women: Julia (Belén Rueda) a lawyer who supports his cause, and Rosa (Lola Dueñas), a local woman who wants to convince him that life is worth living. Through the gift of his love, these two women are inspired to accomplish things they never previously thought possible. Despite his wish to die, Ramón taught everyone he encountered the meaning, value and preciousness of life. Though he could not move himself, he had an uncanny ability to move others. A truly joyous experience, THE SEA INSIDE celebrates the nature of freedom and love, and the mystery and beauty of life.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes

London, 1950 - Vera Drake lives in a small flat with her husband Stan, and their grown-up son and daughter, Sid and Ethel. The family is not rich, but their combined incomes make for a reasonable life. Vera is a cleaner, Stan a mechanic in his brother Frank's garage, and Ethel works in a light-bulb factory. Sid is an apprentice tailor. The Drakes have something money can't buy: they are a genuinely happy family.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes

Written and directed by John Waters, A Dirty Shame stars Tracey Ullman as a blue-collar convenience store owner who suffers a concussion and experiences carnal lust she cannot control.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  | 

HBO Films and Fine Line Features present the Sundance and Berlin Film Festival award winner, Maria Full of Grace. The film tells the story of one young woman’s journey from a small Colombian town to the streets of New York. A bright, spirited 17-year old, Maria Alvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno) lives with three generations of her family in a cramped house in rural Colombia and works stripping thorns from flowers in a rose plantation. The offer of a lucrative job involving travel – in fact, becoming a drug “mule” – changes the course of her life. Far from the uneventful trip she is promised, Maria is transported into the risky and ruthless world of international drug trafficking. Her mission becomes one of determination and survival and she finally emerges with the grace that will carry her forward into a new life. Directed by Joshua Marston, the film is in Spanish, with English sub-titles. An HBO Films/Fine Line Features release, Maria Full of Grace was honored with the Audience Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, and two awards at the 54th Berlin International Film Festival: Catalina Sandino Moreno shared the Silver Bear for Best Actress with Charlize Theron of Monster, and the film won the Alfred Bauer Prize for Best First Feature for director Joshua Marston.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes

It’s a beautiful fall day, and golden leaves skitter ahead of the wind across green lawns. Walking through the park on his way to class, Eli persuades a punk-rock couple to pose for some photographs. Nate finishes football practice and goes to meet his girlfriend Carrie for lunch. John leaves his dad’s car keys in the school office for his brother to pick up. In the cafeteria, Brittany, Jordan and Nicole gossip and complain about their mothers’ snooping. Michelle dashes to the library, while Eli snaps some photos of John in the hallway. John walks out onto the lawn, crossing paths with Alex and Eric.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes

Cleveland native, V.A. hospital file clerk, and hilariously grumpy observer of life’s strange and unpredictable pageant. A comic book writer who writes about his everyday life as an omnivorous reader, jazz lover, obsessive-compulsive collector, and lousy housekeeper. A prickly poet of the mundane who knows that all the strategizing in the world can’t save a guy from choosing the wrong supermarket checkout line. Before camcorders, before Webcams, before nonstop reality TV, there was Harvey Pekar and his homegrown autobiographical comic book series “American Splendor.” Since 1976, the pages of “American Splendor” have found Harvey puzzling, fuming, and marveling over the minutiae of his day-to-day existence. No experience is too ordinary, no thought too incorrect for him to gnaw over in his funny, candid and utterly humane stories. Bringing his own brand of bravery to comic books, Harvey Pekar expresses what so many of us think and feel, but only dream of saying – and he never, ever holds back.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes

A fantasy-prone young woman confronts a life-altering reality when she is placed in a house arrest program in Finn Taylor’s romantic comedy Cherish. As it follows its heroine on the road to self-reinvention and vindication, Cherish invests several classic film scenarios with new life and cleverly tweaks genre convention at every turn. Taylor delivers a rollercoaster of romance and plots twists, driven by an unforgettable soundtrack of vintage pop hits that offer a witty counterpoint to the onscreen action. As the unfortunate inmate, Robin Tunney (Niagara, Niagara, Vertical Limit) turns in a breakout performance that combines comic verve with emotional depth and glowing physicality. In the role of Tunney’s reserved jailer, actor/filmmaker Tim Blake Nelson (star of O Brother Where Art Thou? and writer/director of O) proves himself a refreshingly different, and utterly appealing, leading man. Expanding on the promise of Taylor’s acclaimed debut, Dream with the Fishes, Cherish is independent filmmaking at its brightest, and as irresistible as a summer radio hit.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes

Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog continues his cinematic exploration of the human soul with this true story of a simple man who is transported from his humble village roots to the giddy excesses of the 1930s Berlin and finds himself becoming the new Samson to protect the Jewish people...
synopsis  |   |  photos  | 

Human Nature is the clever, colorful new comedy from Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) and celebrated French music video and commercial director Michel Gondry, making his feature debut. A hilarious inquiry into the welter of instincts and desires that drive us, Human Nature follows the interplay between an abnormally hirsute author, a repressed behaviorist, a feral young man and a breathy French research assistant. Making the most of its rich premise, the film wittily spoofs sentimental representations of pristine nature while offering an inspired take on the Wild Man myth. Human Nature balances its narrative and visual ingenuity with genuine empathy for its comically tormented characters, grounding itself in the deft and soulful performances of its stars, Patricia Arquette, Tim Robbins, Rhys Ifans and Miranda Otto.
synopsis  |   |  photos  |  production notes

Storytelling is comprised of two separate stories set against the sadly comical terrain of college and high school, past and present. Following the paths of its young hopeful/troubled characters, it explores issues of sex, race, celebrity and exploitation.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes

Adapted from the critically acclaimed off-Broadway rock theatre hit, Hedwig and The Angry Inch tells the story of an ‘internationally ignored’ rock singer, Hedwig, and her search for stardom and love. Born a boy named Hansel whose life’s dream is to find his other half, Hedwig reluctantly submits to a sex change operation in order to marry an American G.I. and get over the Berlin Wall to freedom. The operation is botched, leaving her with the aforementioned ‘angry inch’. Finding herself high, dry and divorced in a Kansas trailer park, she pushes on to form a rock band and encounters a lover/protégé in young Tommy Gnosis, who eventually leaves her, steals her songs and becomes a huge rock star.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes

Taking place over the course of one night, The Anniversary Party is a serio-comic, sometimes scathing inspection of a group of friends. Joe and Sally Therrian (Cumming and Leigh) have a party to celebrate several important junctures in their marriage: their sixth anniversary, their decision to start a family and their reconciliation after a yearlong separation. They have invited their closest friends, their past and current temptations, and (to avoid a lawsuit) their contentious neighbors. An unexpected gift sends the party spiraling out of control and unleashes an explosion of painful confessions. The celebration becomes a scorching dissection of a marriage on the brink.
synopsis  |  artwork  |  photos  |  production notes