AN AMERICAN CRIME (Director: Tommy O’Haver; Screenwriters: Tommy O’Haver, Irene Turner) — A fictionalized account of the true story of suburban housewife Gertrude Baniszewski, who kept a teenage girl locked in the basement of her Indiana home during the 1960s. Indie fave Catherine Keener plays Gertrude.
AWAY FROM HER (Director and Screenwriter: Sarah Polley) — Married for almost 50 years, Grant and Fiona’s serenity is interrupted by Fiona’s increasingly frequent memory lapses. When it is no longer possible for either of them to ignore the fact that she is being consumed by Alzheimer’s disease, the limits of love and loyalty are wrenchingly redefined. Julie Christie stars.
BLACK SNAKE MOAN (Director and Screenwriter: Craig Brewer of HUSTLE AND FLOW fame) — Desire is a burning sickness for Rae, while making her the white-trash sexual target of every man and boy in her small Tennessee town. When her true love leaves for military service, Rae plunges into wild excess. Beaten and left for dead, she is taken in by a reformed bluesman, a private self-contained black man who nurses deep anger of his own and who is fiercely committed to his task of keeping her alive. Starring Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci.
CHAPTER 27 (Director and Screenwriter: Jarrett Schaefer)— A terrifying glimpse into the deranged mind of Mark David Chapman during his days in NYC prior to the murder of John Lennon, which is played out through his obsession with JD Salinger’s classic novel The Catcher in the Rye.
CHICAGO 10 (Director Brett Morgen) — CHICAGO 10 presents contemporary history with a forced perspective, mixing bold and original animation with extraordinary archival footage that explores the build-up to and unraveling of the Chicago Conspiracy Trial and the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention.
CLUBLAND (Director: Cherie Nowlan; Screenwriter: Keith Thompson) — Tim has a new girlfriend. It should be the perfect romance but something is holding him back. He has a secret…his parents are “Entertainers”! There are never just two people in a family love story. With Brenda Blethyn.
THE GOOD NIGHT (Director and Screenwriter: Jake Paltrow) — A man finds he has more happiness and love with the woman in his dreams than in his miserable day to day reality. Featuring sister Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz and Danny DeVito.
KING OF CALIFORNIA (Director and Screenwriter: Mike Cahill) — An unstable dad who after getting out of a mental institution tries to convince his daughter that there’s Spanish gold buried somewhere under suburbia. Starring Michael Douglas and the luminous Evan Rachel Wood.
LIFE SUPPORT (Director: Nelson George; Screenwriters: Nelson George, Jim McKay, Hannah Weyer) — LIFE SUPPORT views the African-American community’s HIV crisis through the eyes of a survivor who is a mother, a former addict and an AIDS activist. Queen Latifah is attached.
LONGFORD (Director: Tom Hooper; Screenwriter: Peter Morgan) — A portrait of Lord Longford, a tireless British campaigner whose controversial beliefs often resulted in furious political debate and personal conflict. Jim Broadbent appears as Lord Longford. The extremely talented Samantha Morton also stars.
THE NINES (Director and Screenwriter: John August) — A troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways. Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis and Elle Fanning star.
RESURRECTING THE CHAMP (Director: Rod Lurie; Screenwriters: Allison Burnett, Michael Bortman, Chris Gerolmo, Rod Lurie) — A down on his luck sports reporter has his life and career upturned when he lands the story of his career: A former heavyweight boxing superstar, previously thought to be dead, is living his final years on the streets. Finally, he can earn the respect of his wife and editor—but the dark secret he finds may be too much for him to bear. Featuring Samuel Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Karthyn Morris, David Paymer and Teri Hatcher.
THE SAVAGES (Director and Screenwriter: Tamara Jenkins)— A comic-drama about a pair of adult siblings who are suddenly plucked from their self-absorbed lives when they are forced to care for their estranged and elderly father who never cared for them—an irreverent story about life, love and mortality. With Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney.
SON OF RAMBOW (Director and Screenwriter: Garth Jennings) — Will is the eldest son in a family with a strict moral and religious view and has never been allowed to mix with other people, listen to music or watch TV. That is until he finds himself caught up in the extraordinary world of Lee Carter, the school terror and maker of bizarre home movies.
SUMMER RAIN (EL CAMINO DE LOS INGLESES) (Director: Antonio Banderas; Screenwriter: Antonio Soler) — The film is adapted from an award-winning novel written by the director’s childhood friend, Antonio Soler, and is a deeply personal and poetic recreation of their generation growing up in Malaga in the late 1970s.
TRADE (Director: Marco Kreuzpaintner; Screenwriter: Jose Rivera) — Adriana is a 13-year-old girl from Mexico City whose kidnapping by sex traffickers sets in motion a desperate mission by her 17-year-old brother, Jorge, to save her. As Jorge dodges immigration officers and incredible obstacles to track the girls’ abductors, he meets Ray, a Texas cop whose own family loss to sex trafficking leads him to become an ally in the boy’s quest. Featuring Kevin Kline.
YEAR OF THE DOG (Director and Screenwriter: Mike White) — Peggy is a happy-go-lucky secretary – a great friend, employee, and sister who lives alone with her beloved dog. But when Pencil unexpectedly dies, Peggy must embark on a journey of personal transformation that is hilarious, poignant and suspenseful. Enormous cast including Laura Dern, John C. Reilly, Peter Sarsgaard and Molly Shannon.
