Synopsis

EL BOLA - Drama - Spain - Spanish w/ English Subtitles
Pablo (El Bola) is a 12-year old boy raised in a violent and unforgiving environment. Embarrassed by his family life, he retreats from his classmates, engaging them only through a dangerous game. The arrival of a new boy at school, from whom he learns a new definition of friendship, leads to the discovery of a family where communication and love prevail over domination and violence. The film poignantly parallels the lives of a caring father unable to connect with his willful son, and that of distant Pablo (El Bola) and his abusive father who is incapable of giving him the love he needs, replacing it with something far more sinister. One imprints his son in an improbably gentle manner with a tattoo stylus, the other brutally with his fists. Told through both the children's and adults' points of view, Achero Manas's El Bola is a stirring narrative that lodges in the memory.

HE DIED WITH A FELAFEL IN HIS HAND - Dark Comedy - Australia - English Language
A darkly humorous search for love, meaning and bathroom solitude. Faithful to the cult novel by John Birmingham upon which it is based, the film follows Danny (Noah Taylor) through a series of shared housing experiences in a succession of cities on the east coast of Australia. Together these vignettes form a forceful, sometimes turbulent narrative that leaves the viewer entertained, exhausted and surprisingly reflective. 

ALI ZAOUA - Drama - Morocco-France - Arabic w/ English Subtitles
Ali, Kwita, Omar, and Boukber are a group of street urchins living on the hard streets of Casablanca. Their everyday lives are filled with violence, begging, and indifference. In order to survive they create a bond of friendship and family between then. The bond is cut short when Ali is senselessly killed at the beginning of the film by a blow to the head; his life taken by a single act of a rival gang. Ali's friends decide not to report his death to the police, who would have the boy buried in a potter's field. Instead they decide to give him a worthy burial, to bury Ali on the private island he so often dreamed of. Ali Zaoua captures the power of dreams and presence of hope in the harshest of circumstances.

MARION BRIDGE - Drama - Canadian - English Language
The story of three sisters paralyzed by family secrets.  In the midst of struggling to overcome her self-destructive behaviour, the youngest sister, Agnes, returns home determined to confront the past in a community built on avoiding it. Her quest sets in motion a chain of events that allows the sisters each in their own way to re-connect with the world and one another. Set in post-industrial Cape Breton, Marion Bridge is a story of poignant humor and drama. The film stars Molly Parker (Max, Kissed, Deadwood), Rebecca Jenkins (Bye Bye Blues, Black Harbour, Wilby Wonderful) and Stacy Smith (New Waterford Girl).

LIGHT OF MY EYES - Romantic Drama- Italy - Italian w/ English Subtitles
Antonio is a fallen angel, a rootless chauffeur in Rome, who relates only to the lonely heroes in the pulp science fiction novels he grew up with. Only through a chance encounter with Maria, a woman struggling to hold onto her daughter and her business, does he discover a hope that's been lacking in his detached existence. Antonio is drawn into the suffering of Maria's world, where she draws her inner strength from her fragile solitude. A haunting score, poetic atmosphere and award-winning lyrical performances by the two leads evoke the beauty of a precarious existence.

MANITO - Drama - USA - Spanish and English w/ some English Subtitles
Junior Moreno (Franky G.), an ex-convict struggling to get his life back, is a product of that legacy. His brother Manny, (Leo Minaya) the salutatorian of his high school class, embodies hope in the neighborhood. On the night of his graduation party, Manny faces an ill-fated decision that could change his life forever, while Junior tries to prevent his little brother from becoming another casualty.

INCH'ALLAH DIMANCHE - Drama - France - French w/ English Subtitles
In the aftermath of World War 2, France attempted to replenish its weakened work force by recruiting men from North Africa. In the mid-1970's, the French government relaxed its immigration policy to allow the families of Algerian men to join them. Inch'Allah Dimanche provides us with a deeply moving memoir of the sense of isolation and vulnerability that the immigrant family experienced upon their arrival at a time when racial integration was virtually non-existent.

OT: OUR TOWN - Documentary - USA - English Language
Against all odds, the first theatrical production in over 20 years at Dominguez High School is going to be Thorton Wilder's American classic Our Town. The kids at this Compton school are about to experience more than a culture clash, as they embark on a rich journey and discover the educational and social value of theater. OT: Our Town tells the story of human spirit and its strength against the stereotypes holding them down. Where Thorton Wilder wrote about about little Grover's Corners, this documentary exemplifies how Our Town is every town. Our Town is Compton.

HOP - Drama - Belgium - French w/ English Subtitles
All Justin and his father want to do is sit down and enjoy a soccer game together. This simple act between father and son sparks a chain of events leading to Justin's father's deportation. On the run Justin must embark on a thrilling adventure to re-unite with his father. But in order to fight the system, he must enlist the help of a former anarchist. Together they will need to apply the secret of the Hop.

THE PARTY'S OVER - Documentary - USA - English Language
The Party's Over follows Philip Seymour Hoffman as a concerned citizen on an uncensored journey of the state of democracy in America. The film examines how the American political process addresses, and often fails to address, the country's most pressing issues. As we countdown to the pivotal 2004 election, the film answers the question, is there a difference between Republicans and Democrats?  In the film Philip Seymour Hoffman interviews Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Jesse Jackson, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Moore, and Bill Maher.

GINGER AND CINNAMON - Romantic Comedy - Italy - Italian w/ English Subtitles
While vacationing on the Greek "Isle of Love", a repressed 30 year old Stefania reluctantly plays chaperon to her precocious 14 year old niece, Meggy, who plans to lose her virginity before the summer is over. Unbeknownst to Stefania, Meggy's "chosen" man is Stefania's ex-boyfriend. Amidst a m�lange of sun rash, broken diets, nervous girls, sleeping bags, orgasms, 80's music, and a little ginger and cinnamon, the two women discover themselves and their sexuality.

MORLANG - Drama - Nehterlands - English Language
Successful artist Julius Morlang has reached a crossroad in his career.  So when his wife Ellen becomes involved with an upcoming new artist, the limits of their love are strained.  Julius seeks refuge in Ann, a sexy new admirer.  But when Ellen unexpectedly falls ill, the two of them must reform the trust they had lost before.

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