March 18, 2008

Contact
Wm. Brian Owens
Director, Indianapolis International Film Festival
317-513-9379
brian.owens <at> indyfilmfest.org

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE 2008 INDIANAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ITS 2008 FEATURE COMPETITION SLATE

37 films to compete in American Spectrum, Documentary, and World Cinema Competitions

Indianapolis, IN [March 18, 2008] – The 2008 Indianapolis International Film Festival today announced the line-ups for its American Spectrum, Documentary, and World Cinema Feature Competitions, including two world premieres, one US premiere, and 13 Midwestern US Premieres. The fifth annual festival takes place April 23 – May 3, 2008 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“After viewing nearly 500 films, our programmers have narrowed the selection down to what I consider a very tight selection of films,” said festival founder and director Brian Owens. “Narrowing each category down to its final allotment was tough, but I feel it’s necessary to point out just how good the documentaries submitted were for this year’s festival. We turned away enough great films that an entire documentary festival could be programmed from the films that we just didn’t have room to screen.”

38 feature films were selected for competition and will compete for the Grand Jury Prize in each of the three categories. Juries are made up of distributors, film critics, national bloggers, and local representatives.

The complete list of films selected for American Spectrum, Documentary, and World Cinema Feature Competitions follows:

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American Spectrum Competition

The eight films selected for the American Spectrum Competition provide a cross-section of current American independent cinema, providing a variety of styles, genre, and geographic origins. Two films in this category are nominated for the Film Indiana Hoosier Lens Award for the best film made in Indiana or by an Indiana native.

Chronic Town; directed by Tom Hines; 96 min; US - In Fairbanks, Alaska, Truman Korovin drives a cab he calls Bessie for a dispatcher he calls Blowjob. His sarcasm, witty barbs, and the odd drink or five get him through the cold winter days. Showing less than resounding support for his girlfriend’s writing career, Truman gets dumped. As habit dictates, he consoles himself with some substance abuse, but after a bad acid trip and what appears to be a suicide attempt, Truman winds up in an institution and, worse, group therapy. However, in befriending his fellow "loonies," particularly a stripper, Eleanor, and an elderly woman, Elizabeth, whom he visits in a home as part of his “loony release program,” Truman opens the door to a new world, puts his best foot forward, and steps into the cold. Chronic Town stars JR Bourne, Emily Wagner, and Dan Butler. Midwestern US Premiere.

Karl Rove, I Love You; directed by Dan Butler and Phil Leirness; 95 min; US - In the heat of the 2004 election race, actor Dan Butler – best known as Bulldog on the TV sitcom “Frasier” – begins production on a one-man show about controversial political advisor Karl Rove. His initial goal is to topple the Republican administration – but as he delves deeper into his character, Butler finds himself falling in love with he set out to destroy. Karl Rove, I Love You stars co-directors Dan Butler, Phil Leirness, and Alec Baldwin and will compete for the Film Indiana Hoosier Lens Award. Indiana Premiere.

May the Best Man Win; directed by Adam Fleischhacker; 86 min; US - Waynesville, Pennsylvania's favorite son, Alex Grant, has hired filmmaker Fred Anderton to document his wedding – from engagement to honeymoon. Fred is determined to make his cinematic masterpiece. When the groom agonizes over choosing his best man, Fred orchestrates a cutthroat contest between Alex's closest friends, Andrew Walter and Jack Reynolds. May the Best Man Win stars Matt Walsh, Rob Riggle, Horatio Sanz, Alison Becker, and Jack Helmuth. World Premiere.

On the Road with Judas; directed by JJ Lask; 95 min; US - Novelist JJ Lask lives in two different worlds, and both exist within his mind. As he struggles to write his new book, the audience goes inside his head and watches as he deconstructs the characters into two parts, the 'Real' and their alter ego, the 'Actor'. His main character, Judas, is also a man living a double life. On the one hand Judas is a successful entrepreneur living in New York City. On the other hand, he is a criminal who takes anything he wants. When Judas meets a woman who becomes the one thing he cannot take, we watch as JJ discovers the best ending for his story. On the Road with Judas stars Aaron Ruell, Kevin Corrigan, Eddie Kaye Thomas, and Amanda Loncar. Midwestern US Premiere.

Pop Skull; directed by Adam Wingard; 80 min; US - Pop Skull depicts the lonely and disjointed life of Daniel, a young Alabama pill addict, as his efforts to cope with the trials of his day-to-day life collide with the increasing influence of murderous and displaced spirits that inhabit his home. Pop Skull stars Lane Hughes, Brandon Carroll, Maggie Henry, and L.C. Holt. Midwestern US Premiere.

Quench; directed by Zack Parker; 98 min; US - Photographed in the warm beauty of a Midwestern autumn, Quench tells the story of Derik, a young man grieving over the recent death of an unknown loved one. Finding no one to turn to, Derik decides to abandon his current life at college to visit Jason. Although best friends since grade school, the two have not seen or spoken to one another in three years. Once reunited, Derik soon realizes that Jason is no longer the friend he once knew. Not only has he dramatically changed his external appearance, but he is now a part of a mysterious group. Quench stars Bo Barrett, Mia Moretti, and Ben Schmitt and is eligible for the Film Indiana Hoosier Lens Award. Indiana Premiere.

Take; directed by Charles Oliver; 99 min; US - Take occurs over two days - one day in the present and one day in the past. Ana (Minnie Driver) drives through the desert to witness the execution of Saul (Jeremy Renner), the stranger who destroyed her life so many years ago. Saul waits out the final hours of his life. Both are caught in the memory of the day when their lives crossed paths and changed forever. Years earlier, Saul is out of a job, out of money, and out of time to pay his debts. Ana, with her young son, tries to work out her uncertain future. It only takes a moment for their lives to collide and become permanently intertwined. Take stars Academy Award-nominee Minnie Driver, Jeremy Renner, Bobby Coleman, David Denman, and Adam Rodriguez. Midwestern US Premiere.

True Love; directed by Henry Barrial; 95 min; US - Max moves into town and promptly finds a job as a real estate agent. Helen, the owner of the agency, and her husband Jim have been trying to get pregnant and the seven failed IVF procedures are putting a strain on their marriage. In this anxious environment Jim spots the beautiful and young Monica jogging near his home. Monica has just been blindsided by her newlywed husband Juan, who has asked for a divorce. Meanwhile Max meets Betty, an artist, and it’s immediately apparent that these two are meant to be together. From this vantage point we witness the emotional ebb and flow that romantic relationships bring to bear, as these characters struggle with issues of honesty, trust, communication and perseverance. True Love stars Val Lauren, Julian Acosta, Randal Batinkoff, Mercedes Brito, Suzy Cote, and Sydney DeMarco. Midwestern US Premiere.

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DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

The 2008 Indianapolis International Film Festival Documentary competition features 18 films representing 9 nations. The films chosen here reflect the diversity of the human experience whether deeply personal or viewed through the wide lens of history.

1000 Journals; directed by Andrea Kreuzhage; 88 min; US - 1000 Journals have been released into the world in the summer of 2000, by Someguy, a San Francisco based artist. Some people randomly found a journal. Some got it from a friend or stranger. Some wrote in them, others doodled, pasted in photographs, or added artworks. There are no rules, and no one monitors these journals and their movements. And yet, they are connecting tens of thousands of people worldwide, provoking and inspiring them. In September 2003, one of the 1000, number 526, found its way back to Someguy, filled cover-to-cover. What happened to the other 999? This film tells their stories. It shares the experience of their worldwide journeys, and chronicles the self-governed collaboration of thousands of random people who have added to this global 'message in a bottle.' Indiana Premiere.

After the Fall; Joe Pacheco; 61 min; US, Vietnam - After the Fall documents two American journalists’ trip to (and unexpected expulsion from) Vietnam to cover the 30th Anniversary of the fall of Saigon. Sharing a common interest in the country that profoundly impacted their families, Tom Bissell —the son of John Bissell, a US Marine Captain who served in the war— and Morgan Meis —the son of Bill Meis, a war resister who moved to Canada to protest the draft— return to Vietnam to explore the cultural, political and personal implications of the war and its legacy. Joe Pacheco’s first feature documentary As Smart as They Are screened in the 2006 Indianapolis International Film Festival. In English and Vietnamese with English subtitles World Premiere.

An Alternative to Slitting Your Wrist…; directed by Owen Lowry; 82 min; US - What if every single person in the world took a year out of their life to do all the things they've always thought about doing? Start and finish a movie, make someone's dream or wish come true, spray-paint an inspirational message on city property, burn their regrets to the ground. And with this thought Owen Lowry began compiling a list of 52 things which he would complete, one a week for the next year of his life. Indiana Premiere.

Bending Space: Georges Rousse and the Durham Project; directed by Kenny Dalsheimer, Penelope Maunsel; 56 min; US - Bending Space: Georges Rousse and the Durham Project captures the genius of French photographer and installation artist Georges Rousse and follows the artist and two hundred volunteers during a September 2006 art residency in Durham. Bending Space reveals the complex process of creating Rousse's signature trompe l'oeil illusions of color and shape that ultimately become the stunning large format color photographs exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. The film is witness to the energy that is unleashed when a remarkable artist and an art-loving community join forces. Midwestern US Premiere.

Beyond Belief; directed by Beth Murphy; 97 min; US / Afghanistan - Susan Retik and Patti Quigley are two ordinary soccer moms living in the affluent suburbs of Boston until tragedy strikes. Rather than turning inwards, grief compels these women to focus on the country where the terrorists who took their husbands? lives were trained: Afghanistan. Over the course of two years, as they cope with loss and struggle to raise their families as single mothers, these extraordinary women dedicate themselves to empowering Afghan widows whose lives have been ravaged by decades of war, poverty and oppression ? factors they consider to be the root causes of terrorism. In the process, they discover a powerful bond with each other, an unlikely kinship with widows halfway around the world, and a profound way to move beyond tragedy. Indiana Premiere.

Brick by Brick: A Civil Rights Story; directed by Bill Kavanagh; 50 min; US - Brick by Brick: A Civil Rights Story is a one-hour documentary following three families in a contemporary American battle for equal opportunity. One city’s struggle over racial discrimination and how to redress institutional housing segregation is the subject of a confrontation that challenges and changes Yonkers, New York. Drawn deeply into the conflict, the people in Brick by Brick: A Civil Rights Story show how contemporary America confronts the issues of race and opportunity today. Through their city's crucible they deal with the meaning of civil rights in a contemporary context. This story describes the racial and class divisions still running through American hearts and minds, and the important role of political activism and leadership in bridging them. Midwestern Premiere.

Cubanos, Life and Death of a Revolution; directed by Yan Giroux; 81 min; Canada / Cuba - Cubanos, an independent production, liberates itself from television convention to draw an impressionist portrait of the Cuban community. Sincere interviews and sequence shots reveal an identity fragmented by 48 years of dictatorship. The main character, Catuey, a Cuban musician, brings to his journey and his songs the image of an ideal Cuba hurt by the division in its people and the group-think that prevails in Miami. While Catuey and the interviewees try to define themselves both as individuals and as Cubans, the camera paints a broader, more complex portrait of a people held prisoner by their history. By exploring the richness of cinematographic language, Cubanos goes beyond the documentary genre to become a road movie that takes us to the heart of Catuey's struggle. In Spanish with English subtitles. US Premiere.

The Greatest Silence: Rape in Congo; directed by Lisa F. Jackson; 76 min; US / Congo - Shot in the summer and fall of 2006 in the Eastern war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo, this feature-length documentary breaks the silence that surrounds the plight of the tens of thousands of women and girls who have been systematically raped, enslaved and tortured in that country’s intractable civil war. The filmmaker, herself the survivor of a gang rape, interviews dozens of survivors and talks with activists, physicians, peacekeepers and the rapists themselves. She goes to homes, hospitals and churches, traveling to remote mountain villages to meet rape survivors who have often been shamed and abandoned. These brave women come forward to tell their stories and provide a piercing and intimate look into the horror, struggle and ultimate grace of their lives. Midwestern US Premiere.

Iron Ladies of Liberia; directed by Daniel Junge; 74 min; US / Liberia - After nearly two decades of brutal civil war, Liberia is a nation ready for change. On January 16th 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated President. She won the election with the support of women from across Liberia and since taking office has appointed other extraordinary women to leadership positions in all areas of government. This diverse group of leaders - and many strong women throughout the country - has adopted their popular President’s nickname. They are all “Iron Ladies of Liberia.” With the exclusive cooperation of President Sirleaf, Iron Ladies of Liberia is an intimate observational documentary that goes behind the scenes with Africa’s first freely elected female head of state. Indiana Premiere.

JUMP!; directed by Helen Hood Scheer; 85 min; US - JUMP! is a feature-length character-driven documentary about competitive jump rope that follows five teams of kids from around the country who push physical and psychological limits in pursuit of winning the World Championship. Part extreme sport, part art form, their moves are masterfully choreographed and bursting with rhythm, sweat and originality. These teens sacrifice everything to get where they are and each has his or her own reason to be so driven. After arduous drilling and mind-boggling performances, rivalry and collaboration have dramatic unexpected results. Through obsessive love of jumping and unparalleled sportsmanship, these athletes invent a new sport and learn powerful lessons sure to change their lives forever. Indiana Premiere.

Mr. Dial Has Something to Say; directed by Celia Carey; 60 min; US - “I think that it would not be a controversial thing to say that there has been racism in the art world,” Dr. Jacquelyn Serwer, chief curator of the Corcoran Galley of Art, says. Mr. Dial Has Something to Say investigates classism and racism in the American art world through the dramatic, disturbing story of Thornton Dial, a 79-year-old American-African artist from Alabama's Black Belt. Southern African-American visual art is the unrecognized 'sibling' of jazz and the blues. Like the music, this improvisational form influenced many famous white American artists. But unlike the musicians, the visual artists have not received recognition for their impact on American history. Featuring IMA Director Maxwell L. Anderson, this film asks the fundamental question: who decides what is great art? Indiana Festival Premiere.

The Quest for the Missing Piece; directed by Oded Lotan;52 min; Israel - A young gay man living in Tel Aviv with his non-Jewish German partner, director Oded Lotan offers a gently humorous fairy tale about the history of circumcision while reflecting on his sexuality and Israeli identity. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Midwestern US Premiere.

Souvenirs; directed by Shahar Cohen and Halil Efrat; 75 min; Israel - An unemployed film director hears strange things from his father: while serving in the legendary Jewish Brigade in the Second World War his father, now eighty-two, may have left some flesh and blood "souvenirs" to the Dutch girls. Here starts Sleiman and Sahar's journey together from Israel to the Netherlands, a real road-movie. The father follows his earlier path through the war-ravaged Europe, and the son traces his father's wartime girlfriends and the possible consequences of the affairs. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Indiana Premiere.

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story; directed by Jeffrey Schwarz; 78 min; US - Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story chronicles the last great American showman, filmmaker William Castle, a master of ballyhoo who became a brand name in movie horror with his outrageous audience participation gimmicks. In the 1950s and 60s, Castle treated delighted moviegoers to buzzing seats, flying skeletons, luminescent ghosts and life insurance policies. His is a rags to riches tale of a larger than life showman who climbed his way up the Hollywood ladder by reinventing himself as a modern P.T. Barnum, all the while driven by a fear of failure and a longing to be respected among his peers. Indiana Premiere.

Torn from the Flag; directed by Endre Kules and Kaludia Kovacs; 97 min; US / Hungary - Torn from the Flag relates Hungary's struggle for a national identity against the domination of Soviet Communism focusing on the successful armed popular rebellion of October 1956 that was put down when the Soviets invaded Budapest. A handful impassioned survivors tell how they went from being idealistic communists to being fierce anti-government freedom fighters, and then the victims of brutal repression. Then in 1989, the fall of the Soviet Empire occurred that was partly lead by Hungarian activists crossing the border into Austria. Those who survived the crackdown in 1956 and who were alive to witness the events of 1989 finally feel that their sufferings and sacrifices have borne fruit and that their country has been redeemed. In English and Hungarian with English subtitles. Indiana Premiere.

Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon; directed by Penny Peyser and Doug McIntyre; 89 min; US - Who is Jack Sheldon? You may remember him as Merv Griffin's trumpet-wielding sidekick, or the indelible voice on 'School House Rock' (“I’m just a bill. Yes I’m only a bill”), but musicians know him as a jazz giant. Unlike his close friend and collaborator, Chet Baker, Jack Sheldon survived the demons of drugs, alcohol and unspeakable personal tragedy. As friend Billy Crystal puts it, Jack Sheldon is the 'last cat standing' from the bebop generation. Trying to Get Good features on-camera interviews with Clint Eastwood, Billy Crystal, Merv Griffin, Chris Botti, and Johnny Mandel among others, along with historic footage with Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton and other legends. Trying to Get Good examines the eternally dissatisfied soul of a musical perfectionist and his quest to just 'figure things out'. Midwestern US Premiere.

An Unlikely Weapon; directed by Susan Morgan Cooper; 98 min; US - Eddie Adams photographed 13 wars, Six American Presidents, and every major film star of the last 50 years. History would be changed through his lens. But the person Eddie found hardest to impress was himself. In 1968, in 1/500th of a second Eddie Adams photographed a Saigon police chief, General Nygoc Loan, shooting a Vietcong guerilla point black. Some say that photograph ended the Vietnam War. The photo brought Eddie fame and a Pulitzer, but Eddie was haunted by the man he had vilified. He would say, 'Two lives were destroyed that day, the victim's and the general.' Others would say three lives were destroyed. Featuring narration by Kiefer Sutherland and a score by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens (Letters from Iwo Jima). Midwestern US Premiere.

The World in Two Round Trips; David Schürmann; 80 min; Brazil - The World in Two Round Trips tells the story of the Schürmann Family as they sail around the world retracing the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan. Part travelogue, part family adventure, The World in Two Round Trips features lush footage from 19 different nations. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Midwestern US Premiere.

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WORLD CINEMA COMPETITION

The 11 films selected in the World Cinema Competition express the ever-developing boldness with which filmmakers around the world develop their story-telling skills. From the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide to the personal travails of two indigenous brothers in the remote mountains of Northern Mexico; from the neon streets of Hong Kong to the Roma trails of Central Europe; from the romantic streets of Strasbourg, to the gritty corruption of Soviet Era Russia – these films provide a portrait of a world constantly in flux.

Burn the Bridges; directed by Francis Franco-Alba; 100 min; Mexico - Siblings, Helena and Sebastian, try to navigate the minefield of adolescence while caring for their cancer-stricken mother. Awash in the suburban landscapes and anonymity of suburban sprawl, Burn the Bridges is the story of two young people forced to grow up too soon. In Spanish, with English subtitles. Indiana Premiere.

Cargo 200; directed by Aleksei Balabanov; 89 min; Russia - Cargo 200 is the military term stamped on the crates that ship home the bodies of Soviet soldiers killed in war. Perestroika is on the way, the Soviet Era is coming to an end, and the USSR is bogged down in Afghanistan. The free-spirited daughter of a Communist Party Secretary disappears after having a few too many drinks. There are no witnesses. As the investigators attempt to solve the crive, Balabanov reveals how a corrupt system can lead to a corrupt citizenry, and how bureaucratic rot can infect even the seemingly innocent. Part police procedural, part thriller, part horror film, and all political allegory, Cargo 200 is Balabanov’s harshest indictment of the former Soviet rulers. In Russian, with English subtitles. Indiana Premiere.

Cochochi; directed by Laura Amelia Guzman and Israel Cardenas; 87 min; Mexico - Evaristo and Luis Antonio Lerma Batista have graduated from boarding school. Though 12-year-old Evaristo would like nothing more than to continue his education, learn Spanish, and lead a bicultural existence, his 11-year-old sibling couldn't see things more differently. Antonio is thrilled to be finished with school. Despite being a considerably bright student, Antonio would much rather spend his days on the family ranch than in the classroom. As both brothers take their tentative first steps into the adult world, they are assigned the task of delivering a package to a faraway community and lent the family horse to get the job done. After taking a wrong turn down a narrow and winding canyon, Evaristo and Antonio decide to tie the horse to a tree and attempt to find a way out. Upon returning some time later, the brothers discover that the horse is missing and they decide to split up. Now, as Antonio searches for the horse and Evaristo sets out to deliver the package, these two brothers will experience a side of Tarahumara culture that can't be taught in a classroom. Winner of the Discovery Prize at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, Cochochi is the first feature film in the Tarahumara language and is executive produced by Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. In Tarahumara and Spanish with English subtitles. Midwestern US Premiere.

In Memory of Me; directed by Severio Costanzo; 120 min; Italy - Andrea is an intelligent, handsome young man who seems to have everything necessary to succeed. But the world’s infinite possibilities have only confused him. In this disoriented state, he undertakes the novitiate, a period of spiritual training leading to priesthood. Within the large religious community of novices, Father Superiors and retired priests, Andrea discovers more than a simple world of semi-silence and prayer. The monastery becomes a mysterious universe where every look, every sound, reveals intrigue as the novices are encouraged to denounce one another’s shortcomings. Daily routines, rituals and readings are marked by constant surveillance and questioning, as the novices struggle to lose themselves on behalf of God. In Italian with English subtitles. Indiana Premiere.

In the City of Sylvia; directed by Jose Luis Guerin; 84 min; Spain / France - A young man arrives in Strasbourg, France, in search of a woman he met and fell in love with six years ago. He spends his days sitting at an outdoor café, sketching the figures of the various women around him, patiently waiting for her to appear. He finally thinks he sees her and gives chase, attempting to get her attention. Is it her? He’s unsure. We are sure that In the City of Sylvia is as wistful and enjoyable as movies get. Even if one has never had the chance to travel the world and have brief but passionate affairs, In the City of Sylvia makes you nostalgic for a time when that was possible. In French with English subtitles. Indiana Premiere.

It's Better if Gabriela Doesn't Die; directed by Sergio Umansky; 99 min; Mexico - Have you ever met someone and then forgotten they ever existed? That's what happens to Miguel (Mauricio Isaac), a writer stuck writing for a popular Mexican telenovella who talks his way out of a ticket by supplying the policeman with 'inside information' about a future plotline. Unfortunately, Bracho (Dagoberto Gama) is a cop with an inflated self-image, and when Miguel's tip proves false the lawman blames Miguel for his loss of face. In Spanish, with English subtitles. Midwestern US Premiere.

Magazine Gap Road; directed by Nicholas Chin; 90 min; Hong Kong - High above the commerce and crowds of Hong Kong winds Magazine Gap Road, a secluded enclave of wealth and privilege. Samantha is a curator for a private museum in this rarefied world, a world where her past - a life spent in the Japanese flesh trade - is her best-kept secret - until it catches up with her in a single phone call from Kate, another escort, who's in trouble. For Samantha, helping Kate means going back to the world she escaped and risking everything - her budding romance with a wealthy antiques collector, the deadly men who run Hong Kong's high-class prostitution rings, and most importantly, her own fears that beneath the veneer of respectability, she’ll always be for sale. In Cantonese with English subtitles. Midwestern US Premiere.

Munyurangabo; directed by Lee Isaac Chung; 97min; Rwanda / US - Two young Rwandan men – one Hutu and the other Tutsi - on a journey through Rwanda’s haunted countryside. Set in the years after the Rwandan genocide of 1994, the film opens with Ngabo– who is named after the ancient Rwandan warrior, Munyurangabo - stealing a machete from a market. It is a purposeful act, as shortly after, Ngabo and his best friend Sangwaset out into the countryside to find the man who killed Ngabo’s father during the genocide. Chung and his actors – first-time actors who were also involved in writing the script – articulate the pain of memory, betrayal and loss with poignancy in this rare and moving film about the delicate ties that bind friendship and family. In Kinyarwanda with English subtitles. Indiana Premiere.

Roming; directed by Jiri Vedjelek ; 107 min; Czech Republic / Romania / Slovakia - Roming, Jirí Vejdelek’s hilarious new film, traces the madcap misadventures of three Roma men as they journey in a broken truck from northern Bohemia in the Czech Republic to Slovakia. Beyond its slapstick road-movie trappings, however, is a portrait of a nomadic culture searching for identity and acceptance in an ever-modern world. In Czech with English subtitles. Indiana Premiere.

This Beautiful City; directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly; 87 min; Canada - Director Ed Gass-Donnelly highlights the inner city grey zone that exists between the haves and the have-nots in this urban drama focusing on the displacement of the lower classes by urban gentrification. In This Beautiful City, the only thing separating the junkies from the creative class is a posh, overpriced condo that sits where an abandoned building used to be. Carol and her architect husband Harry are members of the latter group. Despite outward appearances, however, this struggling urban couple is consumed by their petty problems - both husband and wife slowly dying from the inside out. Indiana Premiere.

Twins for President; directed by Miguel Angel and Calvo Buttini; 93 min; Spain - A colorful yet emotional comedy, filled with provoking political criticism, placed in a contemporary scenario, where salmons and frogs coexist with the inhabitants of a small village, near a beautiful river. This year though, the river and its inhabitants are about to stir things up. Twin brothers Jaime and Nacho – one Conservative, one Liberal – find themselves as opponents for the most important political seat in Spain. Nowadays, where political differences are getting more and more heated, and people misunderstand one another more and more, one small event is going to destabilize one important family’s daily routines, and potentially change a nation. In Spanish, with English subtitles. Midwestern US Premiere.