SYNOPSIS: Haunted by a failing relationship, Gabe begins a risque game for escape 
by inviting Irene to dinner at a lavish mansion. Unhappily married, Irene attends and finds the temptation irresistable when Gabe invites her on a second date. To her surprise, she meets him at a humble suburban home. Playfully, Gabe admits that he broke into both houses for their trysts. A frightened Irene returns to her husband. When Gabe escalates his pursuit, Irene surrenders to the thrill of abandoning her mundane life and having sex with Gabe in strangers homes. House after house they push the limits of intimacy and morality, defying reality by living stolen lives. But how far can they go before their past catches up with them?

CAST: Emmanuel Xuereb, Charis Michelsen, Lee Holmes, Oz Perkins

DIRECTOR: Ann Lu

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: (2005 USA, Drama, 100 min) Available: All territories

SYNOPSIS:Wannabe director Ibo (Moschitto) promotes the family's King of Kebab greasy spoon by filming a commercial to run at a local cinema. The advertisement, a spot-on martial arts parody replete with dueling shish kebab spears and wire tricks, works wonders at the theater and makes Ibo a local hero. It also increases his uncle's business tenfold at the expense of the Greek tavern across the street. Soon after, Ibo's family disowns him for getting his German girlfriend Titzi pregnant, a big no-no for Turkish families. Titzi demands a separation until Ibo grows up and learns to be a father. Alone and friendless after being on top of the world, Ibo comedically struggles to make everything right again.

CAST: Emanuel Bettencourt, Numan Acar, Nora Tschirner, and Hasan Ali Mete

DIRECTOR: Anno Saul

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: (Germany, Action/Comedy, 2005) Available: All territories

SYNOPSIS: Two London-based Australian twenty-something's, Maggie and Liz, are off on their big adventure - a Kombi van trip around Europe with Maggie's sister Sal...trailed by a camera crew they picked up to finance the trip! They've quit their jobs, packed their bags, and are all set to depart when they meet party guy Scott. Before long he's joined the group and they're off for the party spots of Europe - the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, the Beerfest in Munich, and so much more. All starts well, but things turn ugly when they discover their new travelling companion is not what he seems...and the camera crew are everywhere, ensuring that every drunken sexcapade, theft, melt-down and bust-up is caught on tape!

CAST: Emanuel Bettencourt, Numan Acar, Nora Tschirner, and Hasan Ali Mete

DIRECTOR: Anno Saul

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: (New Zealand, 2004, Comedy) Available: North America only

BUY IT FROM 

SYNOPSIS: (from IMBD.com) Jeremy Oden returns to Thailand to meet with a private detective from Singapore, Lo Jin. Jeremy has been looking for his kidnapped fiancée (Katie) for the last four years, and has finally decided to get help from outside legal channels. Lo Jin offers to take Jeremy outside the law to help find her. As they travel toward Cambodia, Jeremy lives in a world of regret, re-living flashbacks of his last days with Katie. Lo Jin learns that he has a drug addiction, which strains their tense relationship. When connections are made to exchange money with elusive gang members for information, Jeremy is twice robbed. Jeremy begins to lose faith in Lo Jin, accusing him of a scam. At a local bar, Jeremy meets an American ex-patriot (Carlo) who befriends him and eventually brings him to a brothel. Delirious with pain and pills, Jeremy finds himself locked in a dark room, forced to fend off a brothel girl (Kiri) sent to seduce him. Jeremy learns that Carlo is no friend, his only purpose being to recruit new customers. Rejoining Lo Jin in his search, Jeremy is given evidence that they're very close to finding Katie...until he learns that Lo Jin is also deceiving him. Chasing Lo Jin through the streets of Siem Reap, Jeremy catches and condemns him. As he returns in a misguided attempt to rescue Kiri from brothel life, the truth of what really happened to Katie four years ago finally reveals itself in an ugly revelation...

CAST:Wee Hong Thomas, Michael R. Morris, Day Nguyen, Tessa Sugay

DIRECTOR:Michael R. Morris

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE:(2006 USA, Drama, 80 min)

SYNOPSIS: Thirty-something Lydia lives alone in a large old homestead in small town New Zealand, harboring fantasies for Christian, the boy next door. When Lydia finds the gorgeous, enigmatic and destitute Luella Miller hiding in her house, she takes pity on the young woman and allows her to stay. Luella's intense sexuality and seductive presence instantly disrupt the delicate balance of this small town. A bitter jealousy develops when Christian, like most of the men in town, falls under Luella's spell. Lydia is forced to finally confront Luella and her own feelings for Christian, leading to a shocking, tragic climax.

CAST: Sara Wiseman, Sia Trokenheim, Philip Brown, Alistair Browning

DIRECTOR: Dane Giraud

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: (2005 New Zealand, Drama, 90 min)Available: All territories outside of Australasia

BUY IT FROM 

SYNOPSIS:Mendy is a young Brookyln Hasid, a devout member of an ultra orthodox Jewish sect. His entire life has been spent following the strict rules of his protective, insular and repressive community.

The film is the story of Mendy's struggle to find his place in modern secular society after he leaves home to move into a SoHo apartment with Yankel and Bianca. The former is a childhood friend who left the community years earlier and now leads a hedonistic lifestyle. The latter is Yankel’s roommate, a black Brazilian woman who offers an alternative view of the secular world, one that does not involve going from one extreme to another. An emotional and honest portrait of the human condition, MENDY tells the universal story of a young man on a quest for understanding, wisdom, and love.

“A judicious examination of one man's crisis of faith.” Ben Kenigsberg Village Voice

“Excellent…a completely engaging & satisfying film debut.” George Robinson, The Jewish Week.

CAST:Ivan Sandomire, Gabriela Dias, Spencer Chandler

DIRECTOR:Adam Vardy

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE:Color, 90min, Drama (USA, 2005) Available: All territories

SYNOPSIS:For many Americans, winning the lottery represents the ultimate dream come true.  Rags to riches stories and their sordid flip side - tales of millions wasted by undisciplined winners - are common fodder for tabloids and TV news, but the public is rarely allowed more than a superficial glimpse into the world of instant, unexpected wealth. Millions (a lottery story) follows the lives of six different big money winners to show in detail just how dramatically a life-changing experience can deeply affect ordinary people, and provides portraits of life in very different Americas. From the farms of the Midwest and the heart of the Bible belt to the hurricane riddled retirement communities of South Florida, Millions documents the true stories of people as rich in personality as they are - or once were - in material wealth, and tells a poignant story of luck, loss and redemption.

 "3.5 Stars - Funny, warming, eccentric, fascinating." Roger Ebert, Sun Times

DIRECTOR: Paul LaBlanc
COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: Color, 105 Min., Human Interest (USA 2007)

SYNOPSIS:Slay Normalcy, Save the World. MONSTER CAMP is a rare and fascinating glimpse into the world of live-action role playing ("LARPing"), a real-life version of the videogame phenomenon World of Warcraft. In this award-winning doc, gamer stereotypes are simultaneously shattered and confirmed. For 48 consecutive hours-- there are no breaks, not even for sleep -- immerse yourself in a world completely unlike our own. A world built upon fantasy, chivalry, and imagination; a place where you can be anything, dress however, have almost any power. A world where software engineers, department store managers, and high school students live as warriors, sorcerers, and villains. It’s a place that lets you transform yourself, perhaps becoming the person you wish you really were. Welcome to MONSTER CAMP, the true story of NERO Seattle, one of over 60 LARPing franchises with thousands upon thousands of members (belonging to either NERO International or Alliance LARP) in North America.
"Four Stars! With enough time, Monster Camp will be as big a cult classic as Trekkies" -Film Threat

"Monster Camp is a celebration of the childlike wonder that dwells in all of us." -The Oregonian

Winner:  Best Documentary – Rome International Film Festival

Audience Choice Best Documentary – Cinequest Film Festival          

SYNOPSIS: Award-winning director Panos Karkanevatos (Earth & Water, Borderline) takes us on a voyeur's journey of discovery as a documentary film crew struggles to piece together the events that led to a beautiful woman's death. Loula is a sexy young Greek woman who dreams of escaping her grimy industrial town to become a singer in a nearby city. She begins a torrid affair with Kosmos, a visiting stranger, in the hope that he would take her away, but soon discovers that even he is trapped. Kosmos is shattered when Loula finally leaves and tracks, a few months later, tracks her down. After Kosmos professes his love for her one last passionate night unfolds, a night that Loula would not survive.

CAST:

DIRECTOR: Panos Karkanevatos

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: (Greece, 2005, Drama) Available: All territories

BUY IT FROM  

SYNOPSIS:A beautiful teenager, raised as a boy because her mechanic father was obsessed with having a son, struggles to find her own identity in Ruxandra Zenide's unforgettable festival hit. Despite her enforced short hair and oil-stained clothes, Ryna's beauty is apparent. When her mother leaves, unable to tolerate any more of her husband's abuse, Ryna defies her father and wears a dress to the town fair. This simple act of independence triggers a series of events that lead to a tragic end; and a fateful choice for Ryna.

CAST: Doroteea Petre, Valentine Popescu, Matthieu Roze

DIRECTOR: Ruxandra Zenide

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: (2005 Switzerland/Romania, Drama, 93 min)Available: all territories except Switzerland, Romania, and Germany

SYNOPSIS:When Robert marries the beautiful Alice they are the 'perfect couple'. But the moment he learns his wife is pregnant, dark secrets from the past fly unbidden into the present and threaten to destroy their future. With the birth of his son he is catapulted into the abyss of losing all that he loves. Misunderstood by the people closest to him, a wall of silence grows around him. Terrified, Robert seeks help to understand what is happening to him and comes face to face with his childhood trauma.

CAST: Jesper Christensen (Casino Royale), Philip Winchester (Flyboys), and Cloudia Swann

DIRECTOR: Martina Nagel

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: Color, min, Drama (United Kingdom, 2006)Available in Hi Def! Available: All except U.K.

SYNOPSIS:Needing money to send her documentary, Feminism for Dummies, to the Cannes Film Festival, struggling feminist filmmaker Gillian Black gets a technical job on an indie film. But the "art house" production turns out to be a porn flick: an X-rated adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest! When the director quits, a desperate Gillian agrees to replace him behind the camera in exchange for her finishing funds. Over a hectic weekend, she secretly researches porn movies and by Monday, she has transmuted schlock into art - or at least high class porn! Her husband Hugh, however, is convinced that Gillian's surreptitious activities are evidence of an extra-marital affair and he decides to see for himself what his wife is up to. Hugh is in for some surprises...

“A fresh and amusing send-up of pornography, funny and well done…good cast and first-rate writing.” David Brown (Producer, Jaws, Cocoon, The Player)

CAST: Kelly Hutchison, Jim True-Frost, Laila Robins, Wes Ramsey
DIRECTOR: Sarah Schenck
COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: 2007, USA, English, 80min, Sex Comedy

SYNOPSIS:A disillusioned and indifferent office worker, Adam Stevenson, decides to leave his job and escape to his childhood home to reevaluate his "life strategy". Upon his return, Adam is greeted by the under concern of his baby boom parents and quickly aligns with the lazy comforts of his backyard, yearning for a summer of sulk and solitude. A chance encounter at the grocery store reunites him with Mac, an unusual acquaintance from high school who acts as the perfect catalyst for Adam to turn the wheel of change and rebirth. Together the underachieving duo set out to complete a "Things To Do" list, a collection of bizarre aspirations plucked from the gaps of an incomplete adolescence.

“Reminiscent at times of cult classics like “Office Space” and “Napoleon Dynamite” yet retaining a deadpan sensibility all its own.” Justin Chang, Variety.

CAST: Mike Stasko, Daniel Wilson

DIRECTOR: Theodore Bezaire.

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: Color, 85min, Comedy (Canada, 2006)Available in Hi Def! Available: All except U.K.

SYNOPSIS:Official Selection Toronto Film Festival - Coming to theatres in June '07! From acclaimed director Kim Ki-Duk comes a seering examination of modern culture's obsession with youthful beauty and unattainable physical perfection. Attractive Seh-hee is having problems with her boyfriend, Ji-woo. After two years, their love has entered a period of weariness. Though faithful to his fiancée, Ji-woo eyes other women and, in bed, seems to get excited only at the thought of making love to other partners. Seh-hee can't cope with the mounting jealousy tainting her life and decides to dramatically change her look - to become a new woman, with whom her boyfriend can again fall in love. She enters a plastic-surgery clinic and then vanishes for six months - long enough for the scars to heal - leaving Ji-woo hurt and confused by her disappearance. Resurfacing as the new waitress at the coffee shop Ji-woo frequents, Seh-hee - now calling herself See-hee - tries to seduce him. But between them stands the spectre of Ji-woo's lost girlfriend, with whom he is still very much in love. Jealousy once again creeps into the shaky existence Seh-hee has artificially crafted. Director Kim's unpredictable genius takes a fashionable issue to extremes in order to probe the dark, jealous core of a relationship gone wrong.

CAST: Hyeon-a Seong, Jung-woo Ha, Ji-Yeon Park

DIRECTOR: Kim Ki-Duk

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: Color, Korea, Drama, 97min

SYNOPSIS: WALL (Mur) is a cinematic meditation on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in which the filmmaker blurs the lines of hatred by asserting her double identity as Jew and Arab. In an original documentary approach, the film follows the separation fence that is destroying one of the most historically significant landscapes in the world, while imprisoning one people and enclosing the other. On the building site of this mad wall, daily utterances and holy chants, in Hebrew and in Arabic, defy the discourses of war, passing through the deafening noise of bulldozers. MUR offers its spectators a last glimpse of the beauty of this land and the humanity of its inhabitants a moment before they disappear behind the wall.

CAST:

DIRECTOR: Simone Britton

COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: (Isreal, 2005, Documentary)

BUY IT FROM 

SYNOPSIS: A tranquil campground in rural France is the background for this erotic sizzler between bored, beautiful teenager Camille (Isild le Besco - A Tout de Suite, Sade), and a down on his luck ex con, Blaise (Denis Lavant - The Lovers on the Bridge, Beau Travail ). Fresh out of prison, Blaise accepts a job as sailing instructor at the camp run by his brother in law, Eddie. Haunted by violent nightmares, scorned by the other campers and reminded daily of his estranged wife and children, Blaise tries mightily to resist Camille's charms. But the girl's spontaneity and nubile sexuality awaken Blaise's own repressed capacity for life. It's not long before this odd couple forge an erotic liaison that leads to deadly consequences for all concerned.

CAST: Denis Lavant, Isild le Besco
DIRECTOR: Christophe Ali and Nicolas Bonilauri
COUNTRY/YEAR/GENRE: (France, 2006, Color, 81 minutes, Drama/Thriller)

BUY IT FROM