BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//B-Side Presents: Scottsdale International Film Festival 2008//i Cal4j 1.0//EN VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081003T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081003T210600 SUMMARY:PHOEBE IN WONDERLAND DESCRIPTION:Devotees of Lewis Carroll’s beloved children’s classic “Alice in Wonderland” series will be sure to seek out tickets to writer/direct or Daniel Barnz’s cinematically dazzling tea party which draws numerous parallels to Carroll’s work. At a crossroads between acceptable childho od innocent curiosity and imaginative exploration mixed with peculiar Al ice-like behavior\, we follow the tale of the sensitive nine year old Ph oebe (Elle Fanning)\, as her tendency to live in her creative mind is be ginning to baffle her classmates\, teachers\, and parents (Bill Pullman and Felicity Huffman). When she’s given the lead role in the school’s t heatrical production of “Alice in Wonderland” by her unorthodox new dram a teacher Ms. Dodger (Patricia Clarkson) who likens herself to the Mad H atter\, Phoebe becomes increasingly drawn in by the play\, which is coin cidentally the same topic of her mother’s scholarly dissertation turned nonfiction work. Mistaking her daughter’s erratic mannerisms as a cry f or motherly attention\, Hilary tries to intervene when Phoebe runs into trouble with her strict principal (Campbell Scott). However when it beco mes apparent that Phoebe is going through something more than just a fle eting fascination with Alice’s “looking glass\,” those around her realiz e they need to stop listening to themselves and start listening to Phoeb e. Tenderly drawn\, heartfelt\, and filled with gripping portrayals fro m its ensemble cast\, Barnz’s Wonderland was screened in a highly succes sful premiere at the Sundance Film Festival before it was singled out by several critics as one of the festival’s hidden gems. ~ Jen Johans CATEGORIES:Arizona Premiere, Drama, Opening Night Film LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 2 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/phoebeinwonderland_scottsdale2 008 UID:160403145-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T123700 SUMMARY:DRIFTING FLOWERS DESCRIPTION:Divided into three hypnotically photographed\, thematically l inked vignettes\, award-winning filmmaker Zero Chou offers audiences an unconventional look at gender and sexual orientation in Taiwan with her third feature film\, DRIFTING FLOWERS. Although it opens with a fascina tingly heartfelt tale of two sisters struggling to stay together in a so ciety with prejudices regarding disability and homosexuality\, the film’ s real discovery is in the terrifically naturalistic performance by univ ersity student turned actress Chao Yi-Lan as Chalkie\, the good-hearted\ , tomboy accordion player who appears in two of the film’s segments. Us ing a constantly moving train as a symbol for journey and femininity thr oughout\, writer/director Zero Chou transports us as her heroines drift along like tough but delicate flowers blooming in their own time while n avigating through self-discovery\, familial duty\, and friendly loyalty with the ultimate destination of love in all of its incarnations. ~ Jen Johans Francie Noyes will moderate a 30-35 minute post-film discussion with the audience. CATEGORIES:Drama, GLBT Spotlight LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/driftingflowers_scottsdale2008 UID:160410925-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T110500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T123800 SUMMARY:FLOW: FOR LOVE OF WATER DESCRIPTION:Water is the essence of life\, sustaining every being on this planet. Without water\, there would simply be no plants\, no animals\, and no people. But the global water supply isn't just at risk\, it's alr eady in crisis. FLOW: For Love Of Water\, a new film by Irena Salina\, h ighlights the local intimacies of an emerging global catastrophe: Africa n plumbers reconnect shantytown water pipes under cover of darkness to e nsure a community's survival\; a California scientist forces awareness o f shockingly toxic public water sources\; a ‘Big Water’ CEO argues priva tization is the wave of the future\; a “Water Guru” in India sparks new community water initiatives in hundreds of villages\; a Canadian author uncovers the corporate profiteering that drives global water business.\n With an unflinching focus on politics\, pollution and human rights\, FLO W: For Love of Water ensures that the precarious relationship between hu manity and water can no longer be ignored. While specifics of locality a nd issue may differ\, the message is the same\; water\, and our future a s a species\, is quickly drying up. Armed with a thirst for survival\, p eople around the world are fighting for their birthright\; unless we ins tigate change\, we face a world in which only those that can pay for the ir water will survive. FLOW: For Love of Water\, is a catalyst for peopl e everywhere: the time has come to turn the tide and we can't wait any l onger.\n AWARDS: Vail Film Festival – Best Documentary CATEGORIES:Documentary LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/flowforloveofwater_scottsdale2 008 UID:160403176-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T111000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T125000 SUMMARY:HOW ABOUT YOU DESCRIPTION:Even at their best\, those who run retirement homes need infi nite patience and kindness. What happens\, then\, if four of your reside nts are so crotchety and unmanageable that they have driven away all the other residents? In HOW ABOUT YOU\, the solution is to go on Christmas break and leave the home in the hands of your younger\, inexperienced si ster. “The hardcore four” are played by Vanessa Redgrave\, Brenda Fricke r\, Imelda Staunton\, and Joss Ackland. The glorious cast of great Briti sh film performers handles the acting chores with aplomb and brio. Oscar winners Fricker and Redgrave are brilliant\, but no more so than Staunt on (Vera Drake) and Ackland. It’s a dream cast able to walk a fine line between bathos and pathos. But HOW ABOUT YOU\, based on a short story by Maeve Binchy\, does not compromise the material. Yes\, some wacky thing s happen\, but screenwriter Jean Pasley never lets you forget that agein g is often horrific. The result is laughter through your tears. ~ Nick S alerno CATEGORIES:Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 2 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/howaboutyou_scottsdale2008 UID:160410067-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T123000 SUMMARY:THE LAST WORD DESCRIPTION: This is a special free screening for law students\, the Ariz ona Justice Project and VIP Pass holders only. Please note that the scre ening is held at the Harkins Valley Art Theatre in Tempe. \nDirector Je sse Quackenbush will attend the screening and participate in a 30-35 min ute post-film discussion with the audience. \nThe inevitable story of failure every American has anticipated but hoped would never have to be told. This documentary takes the 'Innocent Man on Texas Death Row' tale to a dark corner feared by all - - proving that an innocent man has been executed by the State. A clash between good and evil strikes up on the High Plains of Texas when Johnny Frank Garrett\, a 17 year old retarded boy is arrested\, convicted and ultimately executed for the Halloween ni ght rape\, mutilation and murder of Sister Tadea Benz. The 76 year old n un was attacked while she slept in her room at the St. Francis Convent i n Amarillo\, Texas. Garrett claimed his innocence from the time of his a rrest until his dying breath. Sixteen years after Garrett's execution ne w evidence rose up from the cold case grave of the Amarillo Police Depar tment proving they executed the wrong man! In Garrett's final statement he professed his innocence one last time but did so in a voice driven by hate and vengeance. In his chilling conclusion Garrett promised those r esponsible for his murder that someday he would have the last word and t hey would pay for what they had done. For or against the death penalty\, THE LAST WORD compels viewers to feel not only the collective pain our societal conscience suffers for executing the innocent but also the indi vidual fear of not knowing what margins of error our judges\, jurors and executioners will find acceptable tomorrow. CATEGORIES:Documentary LOCATION:Harkins Valley Art Theatre URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/thelastword_scottsdale2008 UID:160409861-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T132000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T133400 SUMMARY:TIME TO DIE DESCRIPTION:Aniela (Danuta Szaflarska) lives alone in a rambling wooden m ansion full of the delicate ornamentation that speaks to a pre-war halcy on past\, never to be recovered. The house has seen better days\, and it s overgrown garden and rusting iron gate offend the eyes of her neighbor \, the owner of a modern concrete bungalow. He wants to buy Aniela’s hou se so he can tear it down. Aniela has a married son who occasionally dro ps by\, but she suspects that he is part of the plot to take away her ho use. Between these visits\, Aniela occupies herself by carrying on affec tionate chats with her beloved dog\, Fila\, her companion\, protector an d friend. And\, when she grows bored\, she spies on the neighbors to dis cover what they might be up to. A gentle portrait of elderly paranoia mi xes with remembered moments from a past that encompasses both the happy memories of evenings spent waltzing to Strauss and the harsher realities of a Communist regime. All of this acts as background for the stunning visual universe created by Kędzierzawska and her cinematographer Arthur Reinhart. They are indeed true magicians of the eye\, unafraid to let th e camera paint pictures in front of us. This is the special and particul ar terrain of this film: the thoughtful depiction of the inner life of a n elderly person. Kędzierzawska and Reinhart’s series of stunning images and the unforgettable dignity of Aniela combine to make TIME TO DIE a u nique film. ~ Toronto International Film Festival AWARDS: Polish Film Festival – Audience Award / Best Actress / Best Sound / Critics Award CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/timetodie_scottsdale2008 UID:160403191-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T133000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T152600 SUMMARY:EDGE OF HEAVEN DESCRIPTION:Let’s put it out there\, simply and clearly from the start: T HE EDGE OF HEAVEN is a superb film\, a fascinating story that puts into clear focus one of the central problems of our times: the difficulties p eople have in connecting in a period in history where all has gone awry\ , where all coherence is gone. It plays out on a canvas that stretches f rom Germany to Turkey. The narrative is that of a hyperlink film\, where numerous threads cross and re-cross\, in which only the audience knows what’s really going while the characters struggle to find themselves and one another. Nejat\, the son of a dissolute father\, travels to Turkey to find Ayten\, the daughter of the now-dead prostitute who lived with h is father. Ayten\, a political activist\, has been imprisoned in Turkey. Susanne\, a friend’s mother also has reason to find Ayten. How can thei r combined forces get Ayten out of prison and save her when they are una ware they are looking for the same girl. Back and forth\, in and out\, t he threads of the tapestry criss-cross until there is a dénouement of so rts\, that is\, one in which the characters never do understand what has really happened. A simple message posted on a bulletin board could chan ge everything. THE EDGE OF HEAVEN builds oh so carefully. It is an enthr alling\, thrilling\, eminently satisfying film—perhaps the best film so far in the first eight years of this century. ~ Nick Salerno AWARDS: Cannes Film Festival – Best Screenplay\, European Film Awards – Best Scr eenplay CATEGORIES:Drama, GLBT Spotlight LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 2 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/edgeofheaven_scottsdale2008 UID:160410129-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T135000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T152400 SUMMARY:ALEXANDRA DESCRIPTION:Alexandra (played to perfection by veteran Bolshoi Theater so prano Galina Vishnevskaya) is a no-nonsense Russian matriarch in her sev enties who travels by train to visit her beloved grandson\, the captain of a military base in the Chechen Republic. The lone woman in this middl e-of-nowhere landscape populated entirely by young\, bare-chested soldie rs waiting in limbo for orders to attack an unseen enemy\, Alexandra is a most unlikely yet welcome apparition\, embodying long-lost comforts of home for boys who lose their innocence in the (off-screen) horrors of b attle. Unfazed by constant threats of danger\, Alexandra wanders off the base to the local market and befriends an elderly Chechen with whom she shares a cup of tea and family histories against a surreal backdrop of bombed-out buildings—women and architecture similarly devastated by wart ime destruction. Later\, she lets her hair down during a murmured conver sation with her grandson. Sokurov depicts these intimate scenes in a cam ouflage color scheme\, matched in mood by Andrei Sigle’s gorgeous classi cal score. The great director once again confronts his country’s past an d present\, locating universal truths in his poetic vision of life as bo th dream and nightmare. Guided by his camera\, ALEXANDRA is a survivor o f history and of cinema itself. ~ San Francisco International Film Festi val Fred Linch will moderate a 30-35 minute post-film discussion with the audience. CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/alexandra_scottsdale2008 UID:160410972-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T154500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T171500 SUMMARY:DARK MATTER DESCRIPTION:The sky is indeed the limit for brainy cosmology student Liu Xing (Liu Ye) who leaves his Beijing home to work alongside his scientif ic idol\, Dr. Jacob Reiser (Aidan Quinn) at an American university. Howe ver\, co-mingling superstring theory with the indefinable\, immeasurable topic of “dark matter” becomes an obsession and proves to be both Liu X ing’s greatest academic challenge -- as well as the ultimate metaphor fo r the darkness lingering just below his own surface. When a former acade mic rival arrives seeming far more at ease in embracing Western culture\ , he threatens Liu’s position as Professor Reiser’s pet. Liu realizes th at his dream to find a definitive proof for his theory\, win a Nobel Pri ze\, and marry a quintessential blonde-haired\, blue-eyed American wife is jeopardized by university politics and academic egos. Based on a 1991 incident at the University of Iowa\, the structurally operatic film is divided into headings of the five elements and marks the feature filmmak ing debut of internationally renowned theatrical director Chen Shi-Zheng . In addition\, it features a wonderful performance from Meryl Streep as a supportive university benefactress whose own love of Chinese culture makes her the natural choice to take the department’s international stud ents-- especially Liu-- under her wing. ~ Jen Johans Francie Noyes wil l moderate a 30-35 minute post-film discussion with the audience.\n \nA WARDS: Sundance Film Festival – Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/darkmatter_scottsdale2008 UID:160403204-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T160500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T174200 SUMMARY:HUMBOLDT COUNTY DESCRIPTION:At the edge of the continent and on the margins of society is a region of California known to some as "The Lost Coast." It is there\, in HUMBOLDT COUNTY\, that Peter Hadley (Jeremy Strong) – a promising ye t disillusioned medical student failed by his professor (Peter Bogdanovi ch) – stumbles upon a remote community of counterculture marijuana farme rs and a warmly embracing\, yet eccentric family played by Frances Conro y\, Fairuza Balk\, Chris Messina\, Brad Dourif\, and newcomer Madison Da venport. From directors Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs\, who also co-wr ote the screenplay\, HUMBOLDT COUNTY is a story of the human soul in sea rch of happiness\, and the unexpected places we can sometimes call home. CATEGORIES:Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 2 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/humboldtcounty_scottsdale2008 UID:160410169-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T163500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T181300 SUMMARY:TEDDY BEAR DESCRIPTION:TEDDY BEAR is the Czech Republic version of "thirtysomething\ ," but better—much\, much better. Three men—each of them loveable in his own way—are forced to grow up. Their wives and their relationships with one another have until now all been secondary to their own narcissism. Secrets abound. Children\, both born and not-yet-even conceived\, resu lt in scenes which are both touching and comic. When a number of crises converge\, the immature men are forced to reconsider their lives. One of them—Roman—goes to his parents for advice\, and what happens when his p arents discuss their own marriage\, becomes a master class in subtle und er acting: you’ll laugh till it hurts. Director Jan Hrebejk doesn’t enti rely avoid the clichés in going directly for the heart. Don’t be misled by the warm-and-fuzzy connotations of the film’s English title: while th e film has not a few laughs\, it is ultimately devastating and provocati ve. The cast is uniformly top-notch. Ana Geislerova (Roman’s wife Anna) is widely considered one of the best performers in the new Eastern Euro pean cinema. ~ Nick Salerno CATEGORIES:Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/teddybear_scottsdale2008 UID:160411061-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T182000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T200400 SUMMARY:CRAZY DESCRIPTION:“The music business can be hazardous to your health.” So war ns Hank Garland in the opening of this superb biopic chronicling the 195 0’s Nashville guitarist's life -- from his humble debut at the Grand Ole Opry to becoming one of the most sought after studio session players in the business. Garland contributed to country and rockabilly classics by Roy Orbison\, Elvis Presley\, Patsy Cline and countless others. The fil m depicts both Garland’s tremendous range across many musical genres as well as his passion for the music -- passions that often led to fights\, disagreements\, and reckless encounters with domineering musical execut ives and other performers. As temperamental as Garland was\, when it cam e to the music\, his pure joy and skill were unparalleled. However\, suc h joy did not necessarily transcend to his personal life. He falls into a love that quickly turns into an obsession. The object of his obsession \, played by Heroes Ali Larter\, is the beautiful Evelyn\, a quick-think ing blonde impervious to his “groupie tactics.” Nevertheless\, after mar rying Garland\, Evelyn learns that she’s no match for the lure of the ro ad or the promise of a new song. Such temptations continually test Garla nd\, mightily portrayed by Waylon Payne (who played Jerry Lee Lewis in W alk the Line)\, and his ability to remain uncorrupted in a corrupt indus try. ~ Jen Johans Waylon Payne (Hank Garland) will be in attendance to present the film and participate in a 30-35 minute post-film conversati on with the audience. Afterwards\, Waylon will perform his songs under t he stars at the circular stage on Stetson Drive. The stage is located i n front of DIGESTIF Restaurant and adjacent to FOODBAR Restaurant. Admis sion is free and everyone is welcome. CATEGORIES:Arizona Premiere, Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 2 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/crazy_scottsdale2008 UID:160410195-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T202500 SUMMARY:DAYS & CLOUDS DESCRIPTION:Silvio Soldini’s latest film has the feel of a play by Arthur Miller at his best. Elsa learns that her husband Michele is out of work and has been forced from the business he founded. This comes when it ou ght to be a time for rejoicing: Elsa\, no spring chicken\, has just been awarded a hard-earned degree in art history. She is the verge of provin g conclusively that the badly neglected fresco she took on as her thesis project is the work of a master. That’s when her life comes crashing do wn. The family is in debt—really in debt—living from day to day on scrap s. No wonder their alienated daughter would rather live with her boyfrie nd. Elsa must give up the restoration project to take whatever job she c an get. When she finally gets a good job\, her boss hits on her. What sh ould she do? Michele is a sullen loser\, full of pride and self-pity\, t he typical Italian male of the last century unwilling to cope with the n ew world order. DAYS AND CLOUDS is so realistic in its presentation of I taly today that it’s surprising that Silvio Berlusconi hasn’t censored i t. ~ Nick Salerno AWARDS: David Di Donatello Award – Best Actress / B est Supporting Actress CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/daysclouds_scottsdale2008 UID:160403363-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T184000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T203800 SUMMARY:AMAL DESCRIPTION:In chaotic New Delhi\, an aged and irascible man\, seemingly homeless\, cheats everyone he meets. When Amal\, an auto-rickshaw wallah \, generously allows him to dodge his fare\, both are affected in a way that has far-reaching consequences. This vividly textured portrait of co ntemporary India is an extraordinarily ambitious and heartfelt debut fro m first-time director Richie Mehta. Showing us an unvarnished India rich in flavor\, AMAL is a powerful and touching story of one man’s decency. The life-affirming story evokes lingering vestiges of the caste system and examines a family in which wealth creates nothing but the hunger for more. ~ Toronto International Film Festival AWARDS: San Francisco In ternational Asian American Film Festival – Best Narrative Award\, Whistl er Film Festival – Best Actor CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/amal_scottsdale2008 UID:160411107-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T204500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T222500 SUMMARY:NOT BY CHANCE DESCRIPTION:Produced by Constant Gardner director Fernando Meirelles\, th is impressively audacious debut feature film from Brazilian writer/direc tor Philippe Barcinski follows in the thematic and cinematically stylist ic footsteps of Altman’s Short Cuts\, Iñárritu’s Amores Perros and Haggi s’ Crash. We first meet Enio\, a middle-aged Sao Paulo traffic controll er who is thrown into a tailspin after he discovers there are things bey ond his control. As the story unfolds we next meet Pedro\, who\, similar to Enio has a passion for structure in the geometric design of his pool tables. Polished\, breathtaking and expertly photographed NOT BY CHANCE is alternately tragic\, romantic and always unpredictable. It's one of those films that will get audiences talking about the existential matter s of free will vs. destiny. ~ Jen Johans\n AWARDS: Chicago Internatio nal Film Festival – New Director\, Huelva Latin American Film Festival – Best Actor\, Recife Cine PE Audiovisual Festival – Best Actor / Best Ci nematography / Best Editing / Best Supporting Actress CATEGORIES:Drama, Latin American Spotlight LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/notbychance_scottsdale2008 UID:160403417-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T205500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T212500 SUMMARY:HAPPILY EVER AFTER DESCRIPTION:More than anything else\, the endlessly optimistic yet eterna lly unlucky Yukie Moirta wants to be happy… if only for a little bit. Un fulfilled in her daily work serving customers as a waitress in a noodle- bar where she’s the oblivious target of her boss’ misguided romantic att ention\, Yukie’s home life is further complicated by the unpredictable m oods of her brawny live-in lover Isao Hayama. Hayama who spends his days gambling away the money he steals from his girlfriend’s wages is noneth eless adored by the faithful and loyal Yukie. Unfailingly calling him he r “darling\,” Yukie fondly recalls the way her lover had saved her from fellow members of his old Tokyo Yakuza street gang. Convinced that he’s a changed man and their love will set him straight\, Yukie ignores the n aysayers and fights the odds to earn her own slice of happiness in direc tor Yukihiko Tsusumi’s adaptation of Japan’s wildly popular heartbreakin g comic strip “Jigyaku no Uta\,” from creator Yoshiie Goda. ~ Jen Johans CATEGORIES:Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/happilyeverafter_scottsdale200 8 UID:160411170-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T210500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081004T224000 SUMMARY:MISTER FOE DESCRIPTION:Jamie Bell is Hallam Foe\, a troubled young man whose knack f or voyeurism paradoxically reveals his darkest fears\, and his most pecu liar desires. Driven to expose the true cause of his mother’s death\, he instead finds himself searching the rooftops of the city of Edinburgh f or love. Featuring a lively soundtrack with Franz Ferdinand\, Sons and D aughters and Orange Juice among others\, MISTER FOE is a darkly twisted\ , entertaining work of magical realism from one of the leading lights of the new Scottish cinema. AWARDS: BAFTA Awards\, Scotland – Best Actr ess\, Berlin International Film Festival – Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas / Best Film Music\, Copenhagen International Film Fest ival – Golden Swan/Best Cinematographer\, Dinard British Film Festival – Golden Hitchcock / Kodak Award for Best Cinematography\, Motovun Film F estival – FIPRESCI Prize\, Verona Love Screens Film Festival – Critics A ward CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 2 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/misterfoe_scottsdale2008 UID:160410309-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T105500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T125300 SUMMARY:AMAL DESCRIPTION:In chaotic New Delhi\, an aged and irascible man\, seemingly homeless\, cheats everyone he meets. When Amal\, an auto-rickshaw wallah \, generously allows him to dodge his fare\, both are affected in a way that has far-reaching consequences. This vividly textured portrait of co ntemporary India is an extraordinarily ambitious and heartfelt debut fro m first-time director Richie Mehta. Showing us an unvarnished India rich in flavor\, AMAL is a powerful and touching story of one man’s decency. The life-affirming story evokes lingering vestiges of the caste system and examines a family in which wealth creates nothing but the hunger for more. ~ Toronto International Film Festival AWARDS: San Francisco In ternational Asian American Film Festival – Best Narrative Award\, Whistl er Film Festival – Best Actor CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/amal_scottsdale2008 UID:160411198-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T111400 SUMMARY:TIME TO DIE DESCRIPTION:Aniela (Danuta Szaflarska) lives alone in a rambling wooden m ansion full of the delicate ornamentation that speaks to a pre-war halcy on past\, never to be recovered. The house has seen better days\, and it s overgrown garden and rusting iron gate offend the eyes of her neighbor \, the owner of a modern concrete bungalow. He wants to buy Aniela’s hou se so he can tear it down. Aniela has a married son who occasionally dro ps by\, but she suspects that he is part of the plot to take away her ho use. Between these visits\, Aniela occupies herself by carrying on affec tionate chats with her beloved dog\, Fila\, her companion\, protector an d friend. And\, when she grows bored\, she spies on the neighbors to dis cover what they might be up to. A gentle portrait of elderly paranoia mi xes with remembered moments from a past that encompasses both the happy memories of evenings spent waltzing to Strauss and the harsher realities of a Communist regime. All of this acts as background for the stunning visual universe created by Kędzierzawska and her cinematographer Arthur Reinhart. They are indeed true magicians of the eye\, unafraid to let th e camera paint pictures in front of us. This is the special and particul ar terrain of this film: the thoughtful depiction of the inner life of a n elderly person. Kędzierzawska and Reinhart’s series of stunning images and the unforgettable dignity of Aniela combine to make TIME TO DIE a u nique film. ~ Toronto International Film Festival AWARDS: Polish Film Festival – Audience Award / Best Actress / Best Sound / Critics Award CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/timetodie_scottsdale2008 UID:160408915-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T110500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T123500 SUMMARY:LOKAS DESCRIPTION:Nine-year-old Pedro has a problem. His father Charly. Since C harly is an out-of-work screw-up\, to whom should Pedro look to for a ro le model? His grandfather Mario\, of course. But\, surprise\, surprise\, Mario is gay—not simply gay\, but GAY\, an out-of-the-closet flaming qu een\, and the homophobic Charly—long alienated from his father--doesn’t know about Mario’s other life. Much to Charly’s dismay\, the only job h e can get is that of server in a gay bar whose owner hires only gays. Ch arly must now pass for gay\, and must look to Mario for help in playing the role. That’s the family situation to be faced by young Pedro in this bright comedy from Chile. Can Charly pass for gay? Will Charly and Mari o reconcile? Will Pedro save the day? You know all the answers\, of cour se\, but that won’t prevent you from laughing out loud during LOKAS even if the film is politically incorrect. ~ Nick Salerno CATEGORIES:Comedy, GLBT Spotlight, Latin American Spotlight LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 3 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/lokas_scottsdale2008 UID:160410332-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T123000 SUMMARY:WATERCOLORS DESCRIPTION: This is a special free screening for GLBT student organizati ons and VIP Pass holders only. Please note that the screening is held at the Harkins Valley Art Theatre in Tempe. Please contact the Dave Connel l directly at ScottsdaleFilmFest@gmail.com for more information on obtai ning group tickets subject to availability. \n Director David Oliveras \, star Tye Olson and Echo Magazine’s Patrick Roland will attend the scr eening and participate in a 30-35 minute post-film discussion with the a udience. \n \nWhen a gifted\, young artist arrives at the opening of hi s first New York exhibition his erotic paintings trigger memories of his first love\, a troubled athlete whose depression and self-denial led to suicide. Through a series of flashbacks we see Danny and Carter struggl e with their mutual attraction. With the encouragement of three strong a nd very different women\, Mrs. Martin\, a free-spirited art teacher\, hi s best friend\, Andy\, a young girl with a severe physical impairment\, and Miriam\, a recovering alcoholic and devoutly religious mother\, Dann y learns to use his creativity to transcend his grief. Fifteen years lat er\, Danny is faced with the possibility of losing Allan\, his current l over\; unless he keeps his promise to never paint the boy again. \n AWA RDS: Outfest Film Festival – Outstanding First Dramatic Feature / Best A ctor CATEGORIES:Drama, GLBT Spotlight LOCATION:Harkins Valley Art Theatre URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/watercolors_scottsdale2008 UID:160409933-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T131000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T144700 SUMMARY:DRIFTING FLOWERS DESCRIPTION:Divided into three hypnotically photographed\, thematically l inked vignettes\, award-winning filmmaker Zero Chou offers audiences an unconventional look at gender and sexual orientation in Taiwan with her third feature film\, DRIFTING FLOWERS. Although it opens with a fascina tingly heartfelt tale of two sisters struggling to stay together in a so ciety with prejudices regarding disability and homosexuality\, the film’ s real discovery is in the terrifically naturalistic performance by univ ersity student turned actress Chao Yi-Lan as Chalkie\, the good-hearted\ , tomboy accordion player who appears in two of the film’s segments. Us ing a constantly moving train as a symbol for journey and femininity thr oughout\, writer/director Zero Chou transports us as her heroines drift along like tough but delicate flowers blooming in their own time while n avigating through self-discovery\, familial duty\, and friendly loyalty with the ultimate destination of love in all of its incarnations. ~ Jen Johans Francie Noyes will moderate a 30-35 minute post-film discussion with the audience. CATEGORIES:Drama, GLBT Spotlight LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 3 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/driftingflowers_scottsdale2008 UID:160410363-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T132000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T144500 SUMMARY:STRANGERS DESCRIPTION:The discovery of a true romance seldom goes according to plan . Imagine how much tougher courtship becomes in the Sundance hit STRANGE RS when a man and woman find they're becoming increasingly drawn to one another - and are Israeli and Palestinian respectively. Beginning with a typical “meet cute\,” classic romantic set-up\, World Cup tourists Eya l and Rana first catch each other’s eye sitting opposite one another abo ard a Berlin train. After mistakenly leaving with their opposite yet ide ntical rucksacks a phone call is made and a swap is arranged. The two st rangers suddenly also find themselves stranded together in the overly-cr owded city and join forces to find shelter. Despite a few tense moments and awkward jokes they manage to form a bond and soon slide naturally fr om friendship to romance amidst the celebrations. After a night of passi on and unforeseen complications\, the two must come to terms with how th eir experiences\, familial duties and ethnicity will impact on any chanc e of a future. Hopefully optimistic\, surprisingly touching and exuberan tly photographed with earnest portrayals by its young leads\, the fast-p aced film admirably avoids the predictable. ~ Jen Johans Fred Linch wi ll moderate a 30-35 minute post-film discussion with the audience.\n \n AWARDS: Jerusalem Film Festival – Most Promising Actress CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/strangers_scottsdale2008 UID:160408960-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T132500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T150300 SUMMARY:TEDDY BEAR DESCRIPTION:TEDDY BEAR is the Czech Republic version of "thirtysomething\ ," but better—much\, much better. Three men—each of them loveable in his own way—are forced to grow up. Their wives and their relationships with one another have until now all been secondary to their own narcissism. Secrets abound. Children\, both born and not-yet-even conceived\, resu lt in scenes which are both touching and comic. When a number of crises converge\, the immature men are forced to reconsider their lives. One of them—Roman—goes to his parents for advice\, and what happens when his p arents discuss their own marriage\, becomes a master class in subtle und er acting: you’ll laugh till it hurts. Director Jan Hrebejk doesn’t enti rely avoid the clichés in going directly for the heart. Don’t be misled by the warm-and-fuzzy connotations of the film’s English title: while th e film has not a few laughs\, it is ultimately devastating and provocati ve. The cast is uniformly top-notch. Ana Geislerova (Roman’s wife Anna) is widely considered one of the best performers in the new Eastern Euro pean cinema. ~ Nick Salerno CATEGORIES:Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/teddybear_scottsdale2008 UID:160411235-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T154000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T171400 SUMMARY:ALEXANDRA DESCRIPTION:Alexandra (played to perfection by veteran Bolshoi Theater so prano Galina Vishnevskaya) is a no-nonsense Russian matriarch in her sev enties who travels by train to visit her beloved grandson\, the captain of a military base in the Chechen Republic. The lone woman in this middl e-of-nowhere landscape populated entirely by young\, bare-chested soldie rs waiting in limbo for orders to attack an unseen enemy\, Alexandra is a most unlikely yet welcome apparition\, embodying long-lost comforts of home for boys who lose their innocence in the (off-screen) horrors of b attle. Unfazed by constant threats of danger\, Alexandra wanders off the base to the local market and befriends an elderly Chechen with whom she shares a cup of tea and family histories against a surreal backdrop of bombed-out buildings—women and architecture similarly devastated by wart ime destruction. Later\, she lets her hair down during a murmured conver sation with her grandson. Sokurov depicts these intimate scenes in a cam ouflage color scheme\, matched in mood by Andrei Sigle’s gorgeous classi cal score. The great director once again confronts his country’s past an d present\, locating universal truths in his poetic vision of life as bo th dream and nightmare. Guided by his camera\, ALEXANDRA is a survivor o f history and of cinema itself. ~ San Francisco International Film Festi val Fred Linch will moderate a 30-35 minute post-film discussion with the audience. CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/alexandra_scottsdale2008 UID:160411323-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T155000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T172000 SUMMARY:DARK MATTER DESCRIPTION:The sky is indeed the limit for brainy cosmology student Liu Xing (Liu Ye) who leaves his Beijing home to work alongside his scientif ic idol\, Dr. Jacob Reiser (Aidan Quinn) at an American university. Howe ver\, co-mingling superstring theory with the indefinable\, immeasurable topic of “dark matter” becomes an obsession and proves to be both Liu X ing’s greatest academic challenge -- as well as the ultimate metaphor fo r the darkness lingering just below his own surface. When a former acade mic rival arrives seeming far more at ease in embracing Western culture\ , he threatens Liu’s position as Professor Reiser’s pet. Liu realizes th at his dream to find a definitive proof for his theory\, win a Nobel Pri ze\, and marry a quintessential blonde-haired\, blue-eyed American wife is jeopardized by university politics and academic egos. Based on a 1991 incident at the University of Iowa\, the structurally operatic film is divided into headings of the five elements and marks the feature filmmak ing debut of internationally renowned theatrical director Chen Shi-Zheng . In addition\, it features a wonderful performance from Meryl Streep as a supportive university benefactress whose own love of Chinese culture makes her the natural choice to take the department’s international stud ents-- especially Liu-- under her wing. ~ Jen Johans Francie Noyes wil l moderate a 30-35 minute post-film discussion with the audience.\n \nA WARDS: Sundance Film Festival – Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/darkmatter_scottsdale2008 UID:160409003-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T160800 SUMMARY:ABSURDISTAN DESCRIPTION:“No water\, no sex.” Whereas the women in Aristophanes’ clas sic Greek comedy Lysistrata withheld sex from their men to end a war\, t he women in the village of Absurdistan concoct a similar plan out of nec essity in order to get their community’s water pipe fixed. However\, un like the women of Lysistrata\, the results of their decision don’t end a war but rather begin one of epic proportions between the sexes complete with the usual devices of espionage\, sabotage and tested loyalties. Fo r ABSURDISTAN\, director Veit Helmer’s allegorically absurdist\, unusual comedy employs cinematic techniques utilized in Jeunet’s Amelie and Gor ris’ Antonia’s Line. Along the way\, Helmer balances the broad comedy o f the piece with a sweet tale of youthful love among Aya and Temelko\, w ho\, born on the same day\, have been destined for one another’s arms th eir entire lives. But will their village’s feud end soon enough for the m to finally come together? For the answer\, we’ll have to look—not to the stars—but to the water. ~ Jen Johans AWARDS: Bavarian Film Awar ds – Special Award\, German Film Awards – Best Production Design CATEGORIES:Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 3 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/absurdistan_scottsdale2008 UID:160410428-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T183000 SUMMARY:HAPPILY EVER AFTER DESCRIPTION:More than anything else\, the endlessly optimistic yet eterna lly unlucky Yukie Moirta wants to be happy… if only for a little bit. Un fulfilled in her daily work serving customers as a waitress in a noodle- bar where she’s the oblivious target of her boss’ misguided romantic att ention\, Yukie’s home life is further complicated by the unpredictable m oods of her brawny live-in lover Isao Hayama. Hayama who spends his days gambling away the money he steals from his girlfriend’s wages is noneth eless adored by the faithful and loyal Yukie. Unfailingly calling him he r “darling\,” Yukie fondly recalls the way her lover had saved her from fellow members of his old Tokyo Yakuza street gang. Convinced that he’s a changed man and their love will set him straight\, Yukie ignores the n aysayers and fights the odds to earn her own slice of happiness in direc tor Yukihiko Tsusumi’s adaptation of Japan’s wildly popular heartbreakin g comic strip “Jigyaku no Uta\,” from creator Yoshiie Goda. ~ Jen Johans CATEGORIES:Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 3 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/happilyeverafter_scottsdale200 8 UID:160410471-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T182000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T195300 SUMMARY:FLOW: FOR LOVE OF WATER DESCRIPTION:Water is the essence of life\, sustaining every being on this planet. Without water\, there would simply be no plants\, no animals\, and no people. But the global water supply isn't just at risk\, it's alr eady in crisis. FLOW: For Love Of Water\, a new film by Irena Salina\, h ighlights the local intimacies of an emerging global catastrophe: Africa n plumbers reconnect shantytown water pipes under cover of darkness to e nsure a community's survival\; a California scientist forces awareness o f shockingly toxic public water sources\; a ‘Big Water’ CEO argues priva tization is the wave of the future\; a “Water Guru” in India sparks new community water initiatives in hundreds of villages\; a Canadian author uncovers the corporate profiteering that drives global water business.\n With an unflinching focus on politics\, pollution and human rights\, FLO W: For Love of Water ensures that the precarious relationship between hu manity and water can no longer be ignored. While specifics of locality a nd issue may differ\, the message is the same\; water\, and our future a s a species\, is quickly drying up. Armed with a thirst for survival\, p eople around the world are fighting for their birthright\; unless we ins tigate change\, we face a world in which only those that can pay for the ir water will survive. FLOW: For Love of Water\, is a catalyst for peopl e everywhere: the time has come to turn the tide and we can't wait any l onger.\n AWARDS: Vail Film Festival – Best Documentary CATEGORIES:Documentary LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/flowforloveofwater_scottsdale2 008 UID:160411442-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T200600 SUMMARY:THE GROCER’S SON DESCRIPTION:Clip this coupon: Art-house lovers should be sure to add THE GROCER’S SON to their festival ticket shopping list. The film was inspi red by director Eric Guirado’s love of road movies such as the Wim Wende rs classic Paris\, Texas\; as well as his own work as a television docum entarian crafting cinematic portraits of traveling grocers. Set during a n idyllic summer\, THE GROCER’S SON is a warm celebration of the French countryside in the tradition of Eric Rohmer’s Autumn Tale. Thirty-year o ld Antoine sacrifices personal ambition for family duty when he reluctan tly agrees to return to his home in Provence upon learning that his fath er has fallen ill. With his free-spirited\, academically ambitious frien d and crush Claire in tow\, Antoine takes over his father’s work driving the family grocery delivery truck throughout the sleepy\, sparsely popu lated and eccentric community. While journeying throughout the hamlets\, Antoine is surprised to realize that he has a lot to learn\, not only a bout the business which he finds fills an important human need throughou t Provence\, but his own life as well\, while rediscovering the importan t things in life—namely\, love\, friendship and family. ~ Jen Johans CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/thegrocersson_scottsdale2008 UID:160409041-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T201000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T214700 SUMMARY:THE POPE’S TOILET DESCRIPTION:Upon hearing rumors that Brazilian tourists will be flooding their tiny Uruguayan village for the 1988 visit of “The Traveling Pope\, ” the locals of Melo eagerly sell their land or take out enormous bank l oans. With the proceeds they erect food stands in the hopes that God wil l provide them with fortune. While his neighbors opt for mouth watering recipes\, long-time smuggler Beto — weary from the lengthy treks he mak es to bring in goods to sell while dodging a crooked customs officer — p uts on his notorious thinking cap. When the expenses begin mounting on h is unusual plan Beto finds himself struggling to make ends meet. Alterna tely funny and melancholic\, with an obvious homage towards classic Ital ian neorealist films such as The Bicycle Thief\, this deceptively simple and quirky offering became Uruguay’s official entry to the Academy Awar ds.~ Jen Johans AWARDS: Gramado Film Festival – Audience Award /Best Actress /Best Screenplay\, Huelva Latin American Film Festival – Best Sc reenplay\, Lleida Latin-American Film Festival – Best First Work / TVE A ward\, San Sebastián International Film Festival – Horizons Award\, São Paulo International Film Festival – International Jury Award CATEGORIES:Drama, Latin American Spotlight LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/thepopestoilet_scottsdale2008 UID:160411572-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T201500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T214800 SUMMARY:BEN X DESCRIPTION:Ben is different. Mildly autistic\, his life is full of stran ge rituals. He lives in his own world\, which is located\, half the time \, online\, in the galaxy of computer games. In the real\, tangible of t echnical school\, life for Ben is a daily hell\, with two bullies who ma ke his a thoroughly miserable existence. Fuelled by his signature video game and inspired by Scarlite\, his mystery girl on the web\, Ben devise s a cunning plan to change his life and that of his tormentors. Nic Balt hazar's debut feature has had an unusual gestation. The project began as a novel that Balthazar wrote in a bid to increase literacy among Belgia n kids. The novel\, a bestseller\, spawned a hit play. Now the play has given birth to a film: "They asked me to write a book for young people w ho didn't read. I said it was a brilliant idea because I was a writer wh o didn't write!" ~ Montreal Film Festival AWARDS: Montréal World Fil m Festival – Grand Prix des Amériques / Most Popular Film / Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Sedona International Film Festival – \nAudience Award Best Foreign Feature Film / Director's Choice Award Best Foreign Feature Film CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 3 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/benx_scottsdale2008 UID:160410495-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T202000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081005T215500 SUMMARY:MISTER FOE DESCRIPTION:Jamie Bell is Hallam Foe\, a troubled young man whose knack f or voyeurism paradoxically reveals his darkest fears\, and his most pecu liar desires. Driven to expose the true cause of his mother’s death\, he instead finds himself searching the rooftops of the city of Edinburgh f or love. Featuring a lively soundtrack with Franz Ferdinand\, Sons and D aughters and Orange Juice among others\, MISTER FOE is a darkly twisted\ , entertaining work of magical realism from one of the leading lights of the new Scottish cinema. AWARDS: BAFTA Awards\, Scotland – Best Actr ess\, Berlin International Film Festival – Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas / Best Film Music\, Copenhagen International Film Fest ival – Golden Swan/Best Cinematographer\, Dinard British Film Festival – Golden Hitchcock / Kodak Award for Best Cinematography\, Motovun Film F estival – FIPRESCI Prize\, Verona Love Screens Film Festival – Critics A ward CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/misterfoe_scottsdale2008 UID:160409090-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T173700 SUMMARY:THE POPE’S TOILET DESCRIPTION:Upon hearing rumors that Brazilian tourists will be flooding their tiny Uruguayan village for the 1988 visit of “The Traveling Pope\, ” the locals of Melo eagerly sell their land or take out enormous bank l oans. With the proceeds they erect food stands in the hopes that God wil l provide them with fortune. While his neighbors opt for mouth watering recipes\, long-time smuggler Beto — weary from the lengthy treks he mak es to bring in goods to sell while dodging a crooked customs officer — p uts on his notorious thinking cap. When the expenses begin mounting on h is unusual plan Beto finds himself struggling to make ends meet. Alterna tely funny and melancholic\, with an obvious homage towards classic Ital ian neorealist films such as The Bicycle Thief\, this deceptively simple and quirky offering became Uruguay’s official entry to the Academy Awar ds.~ Jen Johans AWARDS: Gramado Film Festival – Audience Award /Best Actress /Best Screenplay\, Huelva Latin American Film Festival – Best Sc reenplay\, Lleida Latin-American Film Festival – Best First Work / TVE A ward\, San Sebastián International Film Festival – Horizons Award\, São Paulo International Film Festival – International Jury Award CATEGORIES:Drama, Latin American Spotlight LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/thepopestoilet_scottsdale2008 UID:160409149-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T161500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T174500 SUMMARY:LOKAS DESCRIPTION:Nine-year-old Pedro has a problem. His father Charly. Since C harly is an out-of-work screw-up\, to whom should Pedro look to for a ro le model? His grandfather Mario\, of course. But\, surprise\, surprise\, Mario is gay—not simply gay\, but GAY\, an out-of-the-closet flaming qu een\, and the homophobic Charly—long alienated from his father--doesn’t know about Mario’s other life. Much to Charly’s dismay\, the only job h e can get is that of server in a gay bar whose owner hires only gays. Ch arly must now pass for gay\, and must look to Mario for help in playing the role. That’s the family situation to be faced by young Pedro in this bright comedy from Chile. Can Charly pass for gay? Will Charly and Mari o reconcile? Will Pedro save the day? You know all the answers\, of cour se\, but that won’t prevent you from laughing out loud during LOKAS even if the film is politically incorrect. ~ Nick Salerno CATEGORIES:Comedy, GLBT Spotlight, Latin American Spotlight LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/lokas_scottsdale2008 UID:160410526-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T192500 SUMMARY:STRANGERS DESCRIPTION:The discovery of a true romance seldom goes according to plan . Imagine how much tougher courtship becomes in the Sundance hit STRANGE RS when a man and woman find they're becoming increasingly drawn to one another - and are Israeli and Palestinian respectively. Beginning with a typical “meet cute\,” classic romantic set-up\, World Cup tourists Eya l and Rana first catch each other’s eye sitting opposite one another abo ard a Berlin train. After mistakenly leaving with their opposite yet ide ntical rucksacks a phone call is made and a swap is arranged. The two st rangers suddenly also find themselves stranded together in the overly-cr owded city and join forces to find shelter. Despite a few tense moments and awkward jokes they manage to form a bond and soon slide naturally fr om friendship to romance amidst the celebrations. After a night of passi on and unforeseen complications\, the two must come to terms with how th eir experiences\, familial duties and ethnicity will impact on any chanc e of a future. Hopefully optimistic\, surprisingly touching and exuberan tly photographed with earnest portrayals by its young leads\, the fast-p aced film admirably avoids the predictable. ~ Jen Johans Fred Linch wi ll moderate a 30-35 minute post-film discussion with the audience.\n \n AWARDS: Jerusalem Film Festival – Most Promising Actress CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/strangers_scottsdale2008 UID:160409182-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T181500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T194800 SUMMARY:BEN X DESCRIPTION:Ben is different. Mildly autistic\, his life is full of stran ge rituals. He lives in his own world\, which is located\, half the time \, online\, in the galaxy of computer games. In the real\, tangible of t echnical school\, life for Ben is a daily hell\, with two bullies who ma ke his a thoroughly miserable existence. Fuelled by his signature video game and inspired by Scarlite\, his mystery girl on the web\, Ben devise s a cunning plan to change his life and that of his tormentors. Nic Balt hazar's debut feature has had an unusual gestation. The project began as a novel that Balthazar wrote in a bid to increase literacy among Belgia n kids. The novel\, a bestseller\, spawned a hit play. Now the play has given birth to a film: "They asked me to write a book for young people w ho didn't read. I said it was a brilliant idea because I was a writer wh o didn't write!" ~ Montreal Film Festival AWARDS: Montréal World Fil m Festival – Grand Prix des Amériques / Most Popular Film / Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Sedona International Film Festival – \nAudience Award Best Foreign Feature Film / Director's Choice Award Best Foreign Feature Film CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/benx_scottsdale2008 UID:160410536-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T201500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T221000 SUMMARY:DAYS & CLOUDS DESCRIPTION:Silvio Soldini’s latest film has the feel of a play by Arthur Miller at his best. Elsa learns that her husband Michele is out of work and has been forced from the business he founded. This comes when it ou ght to be a time for rejoicing: Elsa\, no spring chicken\, has just been awarded a hard-earned degree in art history. She is the verge of provin g conclusively that the badly neglected fresco she took on as her thesis project is the work of a master. That’s when her life comes crashing do wn. The family is in debt—really in debt—living from day to day on scrap s. No wonder their alienated daughter would rather live with her boyfrie nd. Elsa must give up the restoration project to take whatever job she c an get. When she finally gets a good job\, her boss hits on her. What sh ould she do? Michele is a sullen loser\, full of pride and self-pity\, t he typical Italian male of the last century unwilling to cope with the n ew world order. DAYS AND CLOUDS is so realistic in its presentation of I taly today that it’s surprising that Silvio Berlusconi hasn’t censored i t. ~ Nick Salerno AWARDS: David Di Donatello Award – Best Actress / B est Supporting Actress CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/daysclouds_scottsdale2008 UID:160409213-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T202000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081006T202800 SUMMARY:ABSURDISTAN DESCRIPTION:“No water\, no sex.” Whereas the women in Aristophanes’ clas sic Greek comedy Lysistrata withheld sex from their men to end a war\, t he women in the village of Absurdistan concoct a similar plan out of nec essity in order to get their community’s water pipe fixed. However\, un like the women of Lysistrata\, the results of their decision don’t end a war but rather begin one of epic proportions between the sexes complete with the usual devices of espionage\, sabotage and tested loyalties. Fo r ABSURDISTAN\, director Veit Helmer’s allegorically absurdist\, unusual comedy employs cinematic techniques utilized in Jeunet’s Amelie and Gor ris’ Antonia’s Line. Along the way\, Helmer balances the broad comedy o f the piece with a sweet tale of youthful love among Aya and Temelko\, w ho\, born on the same day\, have been destined for one another’s arms th eir entire lives. But will their village’s feud end soon enough for the m to finally come together? For the answer\, we’ll have to look—not to the stars—but to the water. ~ Jen Johans AWARDS: Bavarian Film Awar ds – Special Award\, German Film Awards – Best Production Design CATEGORIES:Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 4 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/absurdistan_scottsdale2008 UID:160410581-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T175600 SUMMARY:EDGE OF HEAVEN DESCRIPTION:Let’s put it out there\, simply and clearly from the start: T HE EDGE OF HEAVEN is a superb film\, a fascinating story that puts into clear focus one of the central problems of our times: the difficulties p eople have in connecting in a period in history where all has gone awry\ , where all coherence is gone. It plays out on a canvas that stretches f rom Germany to Turkey. The narrative is that of a hyperlink film\, where numerous threads cross and re-cross\, in which only the audience knows what’s really going while the characters struggle to find themselves and one another. Nejat\, the son of a dissolute father\, travels to Turkey to find Ayten\, the daughter of the now-dead prostitute who lived with h is father. Ayten\, a political activist\, has been imprisoned in Turkey. Susanne\, a friend’s mother also has reason to find Ayten. How can thei r combined forces get Ayten out of prison and save her when they are una ware they are looking for the same girl. Back and forth\, in and out\, t he threads of the tapestry criss-cross until there is a dénouement of so rts\, that is\, one in which the characters never do understand what has really happened. A simple message posted on a bulletin board could chan ge everything. THE EDGE OF HEAVEN builds oh so carefully. It is an enthr alling\, thrilling\, eminently satisfying film—perhaps the best film so far in the first eight years of this century. ~ Nick Salerno AWARDS: Cannes Film Festival – Best Screenplay\, European Film Awards – Best Scr eenplay CATEGORIES:Drama, GLBT Spotlight LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/edgeofheaven_scottsdale2008 UID:160409246-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T160500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T174100 SUMMARY:THE GROCER’S SON DESCRIPTION:Clip this coupon: Art-house lovers should be sure to add THE GROCER’S SON to their festival ticket shopping list. The film was inspi red by director Eric Guirado’s love of road movies such as the Wim Wende rs classic Paris\, Texas\; as well as his own work as a television docum entarian crafting cinematic portraits of traveling grocers. Set during a n idyllic summer\, THE GROCER’S SON is a warm celebration of the French countryside in the tradition of Eric Rohmer’s Autumn Tale. Thirty-year o ld Antoine sacrifices personal ambition for family duty when he reluctan tly agrees to return to his home in Provence upon learning that his fath er has fallen ill. With his free-spirited\, academically ambitious frien d and crush Claire in tow\, Antoine takes over his father’s work driving the family grocery delivery truck throughout the sleepy\, sparsely popu lated and eccentric community. While journeying throughout the hamlets\, Antoine is surprised to realize that he has a lot to learn\, not only a bout the business which he finds fills an important human need throughou t Provence\, but his own life as well\, while rediscovering the importan t things in life—namely\, love\, friendship and family. ~ Jen Johans CATEGORIES:Drama LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 2 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/thegrocersson_scottsdale2008 UID:160410608-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T180500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T194500 SUMMARY:HOW ABOUT YOU DESCRIPTION:Even at their best\, those who run retirement homes need infi nite patience and kindness. What happens\, then\, if four of your reside nts are so crotchety and unmanageable that they have driven away all the other residents? In HOW ABOUT YOU\, the solution is to go on Christmas break and leave the home in the hands of your younger\, inexperienced si ster. “The hardcore four” are played by Vanessa Redgrave\, Brenda Fricke r\, Imelda Staunton\, and Joss Ackland. The glorious cast of great Briti sh film performers handles the acting chores with aplomb and brio. Oscar winners Fricker and Redgrave are brilliant\, but no more so than Staunt on (Vera Drake) and Ackland. It’s a dream cast able to walk a fine line between bathos and pathos. But HOW ABOUT YOU\, based on a short story by Maeve Binchy\, does not compromise the material. Yes\, some wacky thing s happen\, but screenwriter Jean Pasley never lets you forget that agein g is often horrific. The result is laughter through your tears. ~ Nick S alerno CATEGORIES:Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 2 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/howaboutyou_scottsdale2008 UID:160410638-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T201000 SUMMARY:NOT BY CHANCE DESCRIPTION:Produced by Constant Gardner director Fernando Meirelles\, th is impressively audacious debut feature film from Brazilian writer/direc tor Philippe Barcinski follows in the thematic and cinematically stylist ic footsteps of Altman’s Short Cuts\, Iñárritu’s Amores Perros and Haggi s’ Crash. We first meet Enio\, a middle-aged Sao Paulo traffic controll er who is thrown into a tailspin after he discovers there are things bey ond his control. As the story unfolds we next meet Pedro\, who\, similar to Enio has a passion for structure in the geometric design of his pool tables. Polished\, breathtaking and expertly photographed NOT BY CHANCE is alternately tragic\, romantic and always unpredictable. It's one of those films that will get audiences talking about the existential matter s of free will vs. destiny. ~ Jen Johans\n AWARDS: Chicago Internatio nal Film Festival – New Director\, Huelva Latin American Film Festival – Best Actor\, Recife Cine PE Audiovisual Festival – Best Actor / Best Ci nematography / Best Editing / Best Supporting Actress CATEGORIES:Drama, Latin American Spotlight LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/notbychance_scottsdale2008 UID:160409315-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T201000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T215600 SUMMARY:WHAT JUST HAPPENED? DESCRIPTION:WHAT JUST HAPPENED? is a winningly sharp comedy about two nai l-biting\, back-stabbing\, roller-coaster weeks in the world of a middle -aged Hollywood producer -- as he tries to juggle an actual life with an outrageous series of crises in his day job. Academy Award® winning dire ctor Barry Levinson reunites with Academy Award® winning actor Robert De Niro and leading producer Art Linson\, who wrote the screenplay based o n his bestselling memoir. They all join with an all-star cast in this ro llicking\, shrewd tale of a man besieged by people who want him to be al l sorts of things -- a money maker\, an ego buster\, a bad news breaker\ , an artistic champion\, a loyal husband\, an all-knowing father\, not t o mention sexy\, youthful and tuned-in – everything except for the one t hing he and all the preposterously behaved people he’s surrounded by rea lly are: bumbling human beings just trying to survive by any means neces sary. CATEGORIES:Arizona Premiere, Closing Night Film, Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 2 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/whatjusthappened_scottsdale200 8 UID:160410666-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T202500 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081007T220200 SUMMARY:HUMBOLDT COUNTY DESCRIPTION:At the edge of the continent and on the margins of society is a region of California known to some as "The Lost Coast." It is there\, in HUMBOLDT COUNTY\, that Peter Hadley (Jeremy Strong) – a promising ye t disillusioned medical student failed by his professor (Peter Bogdanovi ch) – stumbles upon a remote community of counterculture marijuana farme rs and a warmly embracing\, yet eccentric family played by Frances Conro y\, Fairuza Balk\, Chris Messina\, Brad Dourif\, and newcomer Madison Da venport. From directors Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs\, who also co-wr ote the screenplay\, HUMBOLDT COUNTY is a story of the human soul in sea rch of happiness\, and the unexpected places we can sometimes call home. CATEGORIES:Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 1 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/humboldtcounty_scottsdale2008 UID:160409344-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20091125T023315Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081009T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20081009T205800 SUMMARY:HAPPY-GO-LUCKY DESCRIPTION:Mike Leigh defies all expectation with this sparkling film ab out the relentlessly cheerful Poppy\, a London teacher whose boundless o ptimism protects her from the darker things in life. Overly effervescent at first\, Poppy's spritely\, joking\, bounding way becomes increasingl y endearing as she prevails through a series of uproarious encounters wi th her bigoted\, uptight driving instructor parties with her housemate a nd best friend Zoe and plots the rescue of a troubled little boy. Sally Hawkins positively shimmers in a performance that occupies every frame a nd won her Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival. While Leigh continu es to root things in a palpable and at times troubling reality\, HAPPY-G O-LUCKY exhibits a new kind of playfulness\, the director firmly in caho ots with the sunny lead character in his determination to do things\, li ke the hilarious tango class sequence\, just for laughs. ~ Sydney Film F estival Director Mike Leigh and star Sally Hawkins will be in attendan ce to present the film and participate in a post-film conversation with the audience. \n\nAwards: Berlin International Film Festival – Silver Bear Best Actress CATEGORIES:Arizona Premiere, Comedy LOCATION:Harkins Camelview Theatre 2 URL:http://scottsdale.bside.com/2008/films/happygolucky_scottsdale2008 UID:160477466-scottsdale.bside.com/2008 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR