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The 2008 Teaneck International Film Festival was held Friday, November 14th - Sunday, November 16th
All About the Films
Note:
Films are in English unless otherwise noted. Many films are unrated;
parental caution is advised for certain films, as indicated. |
Before They Die
Directed and produced by Reginald Turner
Run time: 90 minutes
Discussion with director to follow screening
Screening sponsored by Bergen County Links
 Before
there was 9/11, before there was Oklahoma City, before there was the
internment of the Japanese Americans during World Word II, before there
was Rosewood (Florida), there was the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot. This
documentary, produced in conjunction with Tulsa Virtual Media Partners,
LLC, tells the story of the survivors of the 1921 Tusla Race Riot in
their quest for justice. It follows the survivors and their legal team,
headed by Professor Charles Ogletree, through the court system all the
way to the Supreme Court and on to the U.S. Congress. The film is the
cornerstone of an effort to generate knowledge of this hidden
historical event, and to stimulate Americans to contribute online to
provide compensation directly to the victims. |
The Cake Eaters
Directed and produced by Mary Stuart Masterson
Written by Jayce Bartok
Run time: 95 minutes
 Winner
of numerous awards, including Best Narrative Feature Award at the
Portland Women's Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Ft.
Lauderdale Film Festival, this film is a quirky, small town, ensemble
drama that explores the lives of two interconnected families coming to
terms with love in the face of loss. Living in rural America, The
Kimbrough family's patriarch, Easy (Bruce Dern), is grieving over the
recent loss of his wife. Beagle, his younger son, had done the lion's
share of caring for his ailing mother. Elder son, Guy, has been away
from the family for years while pursuing his rock star dream in the big
city and upon his return home, relationships between the characters
begin to unravel. Beagle connects with Georgia Kaminski, a
terminally ill teenage girl wanting to experience love before it's too
late; and Easy's long time affair with Marg (Elizabeth Ashley),
Georgia's grandmother, comes to light. Through it all, The Kimbroughs
and Kaminskis manage to establish a new beginning in the face of their
greatest fears. The film, featuring a luminous performance by Kristen
Stewart as Georgia, is a New Jersey premiere, prior to its theatrical release. |
Creative Nature
Directed by John Andres
Run time: 83 minutes
 The
astonishing works of glass artist William Morris takes center stage in
this feature-length documentary, which gives audiences rare access to
one of the great artists of our time. We gain unprecedented access to
Morris while he is at work in the hot shop at Pilchuck Glass School and
at the Palm Springs Art Museum, as well as on adventures in various
locations throughout the world. Weaving interviews with Morris, his
team members and his collaborators, the film explores a man, larger
than life, whose insight and experience touches on a primal
consciousness long forgotten. William Morris glass sculptures are part
of the permanent collections of many museums, including the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Art + Design, the Chrysler
Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Mus�e des Arts
D�coratifs, Paris. This program will begin with another exploration of
creativity in the 6-minute short, Caught in Paint by Rita Blitt. The
film captures painter/sculptor Rita Blitt painting on transparent
surfaces while the David Parsons Dance Co. dance in mid-air thru the
painting imitating Blitt's paint strokes. John Andres will participate
in a Q&A following the screening. |
Days and Clouds
Directed by Silvio Soldini
Run time: 115 minutes
Italian with English subtitles
Screening sponsored by WOW
 What
happens to the marriage of a well-to-do, sophisticated couple, Elsa and
Michele, when Michele is fired by the company he had founded years ago?
The life of this couple and their grown daughter is put under a
magnifying glass in this film, which sheds light on values and on the
loss of security - which certainly resonates beyond the Genoa setting.
According to director Soldini, the film "revolves around the strongest
of all subjects: the power of love and the possibility of overcoming
all difficulties thanks to it."
New Jersey premiere. |
The Exiles
Written, directed and produced by Kent Mackenzie
Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive in cooperation with
University of Southern California Moving Image Archive, National Film
Preservation Foundation and Milestone Films
Film Restorationist: Ross Lipman.
Run time: 72 minutes
 This
1961 black-and-white film tells the story of one wild but typical night
in the lives of three young American Indians who have left their
reservations to live in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of downtown Los
Angeles. The film follows Yvonne, her husband Homer and Tommy, a
Mexican who lives with them, through fourteen hours of their everyday
life. With the fall of night comes the drinking, card-playing, picking
up girls, fighting and dancing of the boys, that is juxtaposed against
Yvonne's lonely, uneventful existence. These two scenarios sum up the
confused lives of a group that is part of a new generation caught
between opposing forces - the past versus modern day living. The film
features an all Native American cast and although it is a narrative
feature, the script was based on Kent Mackenzie's extensive
conversations with a group of Native Americans living in Bunker Hill.
Amy Heller of Milestone Films will participate in a Q&A following
the screening.
New Jersey premiere. |
A Film and a Conversation with Philip Bosco
Run time: 120 minutes
 Wouldn't
it be wonderful to watch a film and judge its craft, merits and themes
with an actor? You'll have that opportunity in this program, with
celebrated actor Philip Bosco, hosting "The Winslow Boy,"a favorite
film of his. Mr. Bosco who is equally at home on the stage and on
television as he is in film, has been nominated six times for a Tony
award, winning in '89 as Best Actor in a Play for "Lend Me a Tenor."
Recently, he was seen in the 2007 film "The Savages," and on television
in the role of a dapper attorney in the FX series "Damages." The
program will also give the audience a sneak peek at his next film,
"When the Evening Comes." |
Four Seasons Lodge
Directed by Andrew Jacobs
Produced by Matt Lavine
Run time: 96 minutes
 From
the darkness of Europe's death camps to the lush mountains of New
York's Catskills, this film captures the final season for a community
of Holocaust survivors who come together each summer to celebrate their
lives. Beautifully photographed by a team of cinematographers led by
Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens), it is a counterintuitive
film about the Holocaust, one that captures the Lodgers' intoxicating
passion for living, in bracing contrast to lives harrowed by loss. The
documentary is about tightly bonded friendships and the quest for inner
peace in spite of haunting memories, as experienced through
irresistibly compelling people and the richness of their intensely
close lives. As one of them tells us, "We live with the past, and hope
for a good future. When you compare the good times to the bad, we came
out winners." Producers Matt Lavine and Kelly Sheehan will participate
in a Q&A following the screening.
New Jersey premiere. |
The Golem
Directed by Paul Wegener
Run time: 86 minutes
Co-sponsored by the Teaneck Festival of Arts
Accompanied by 7-piece orchestra, the BQE Project
 "Search for Heroic Beings"
Art Show Video starts at 7:30pm prior to film screening. Program hosted
by Peter Travers, film critic for Rolling Stone magazine.
Q&A following screening at 9:40 pm.
Widely
recognized as the source of the Frankenstein myth, the ancient Hebrew
legend of the Golem provided actor/director Paul Wegener with the
substance for one of the most adventurous films of the German silent
cinema. This 1920 film will be accompanied by a 7-piece orchestra, the
BQE Project, playing a score composed specially for this film by Tom
Nazziola, conductor and percussionist. The story: Suffering under the
tyrannical rule of Rudolf II in 16th-century Prague, a Talmudic rabbi)
creates a giant warrior (played by Paul Wegener) to protect the safety
of his people. Sculpted of clay and animated by the mysterious secrets
of the Kabbalah, the Golem is a seemingly indestructible juggernaut,
performing acts of great heroism, yet equally capable of dreadful
violence. When the rabbi's assistant (Ernst Deutsch) takes control of
the Golem and attempts to use him for selfish gain, the lumbering
monster runs rampant, abducting the rabbi's daughter and setting fire
to the ghetto. Program will be hosted by Peter Travers, film critic for
Rolling Stone magazine.
Not recommended for children under 10. |
Jar City
Directed by Baltasar Kormakur
Run time: 94 minutes
Icelandic with English subtitles
 An
elderly man is found murdered in his basement flat. Inspector Erlendur
and his crew don't have much to go by in the investigation, but a
photograph of a young girl's grave gives them a lead. They discover
that many years ago the victim was accused, though not convicted, of
horrible crimes. Did the old man's past come back to haunt him? As
Erlendur reopens this very cold case, he follows a trail of unusual
forensic evidence, uncovering secrets that are much larger than the
murder of one old man - with clues knit into the genetic bloodline of
an entire country. Just before the turn of the century the Icelandic
Government supported the launch of a controversial new company, deCODE
Genetics Inc. The company specialized in genetic research and the
government granted them access to all medical files in their database.
When director Kormakur read Arnaldur Indridason's novel for the first
time, he was fascinated by the way in which the author dealt with these
issues and found the main character, Erlendur, fascinating. The film is
a multi-layered story, unfolding bit by bit.
New Jersey premiere. |
Kids Flix Mix
Run time: 70 minutes
In conjunction with the New York International Children's Film Festival
Hosted by Bob McGrath of Sesame Street
 This
program features the best offerings from the New York International
Children's Film Festival, with more than 10 animated and live action
shorts from around the globe. The films may be short, but are long on
whimsy, charm, light-heartedness and subtlety. The Village Voice calls
the selection an "overflowing toy box of finely crafted small
pleasures." Recommended for children aged 3 to 8.
Thanks to a grant from Target, children under 12 will be admitted free all weekend. Children under 12 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. |
Last Stop for Paul
Written and directed by Neil Mandt
Run time: 83 minutes
Rated PG-13
 This
is a film about the joys - and perils - of travel and backpacking
around the world. Charlie and Cliff -- two 20-something cubicle
mates at a Los Angeles bathroom-supply company -- decide they want to
go to the Full Moon party in Thailand. Along the way they travel around
the world sprinkling the ashes of their dead friend Paul. They have
enough money for the air fare but not enough for hotels, so they
pretend to be writers for Frommer's travel guides and scam free rooms
at fancy hotels. Adventures and unusual encounters ensue. The
low-budget, improvised film follows Charlie (Mandt) and Cliff (the
cinematographer, Marc Carter) as they stop off in Jamaica, Chile,
Greece, Moscow, Tokyo, Vietnam and Thailand. Parental caution:
references to drug use and sexual activity. Variety calls the film
"well shot and edited despite its meager budget and good-natured,
lightweight fun."
New Jersey premiere. |
Not Broken
Written and directed by Armando Ibanez
Run time: 87 minutes
Screening sponsored by the Jewish Center of Teaneck
 This
documentary incorporates poetry, music and artworks to illustrate the
pain, joy, suffering, hope and, most especially, faith of those who
suffered one of the hardest natural disasters to strike the United
States in recent memory - Hurricane Katrina. In addition, ministers
from a wide spectrum of faiths, and other volunteers, who worked with
evacuees are included as they are a vital fiber of the story of the
people of New Orleans, Biloxi, Pass Christian, and many other
communities of the stricken Gulf Coast. Producer Pluma Pictures Inc., a
nonprofit production company, is dedicated to making movies about
heroes and heroines, "people who struggle against seemingly
insurmountable odds for a noble cause, universal values, such as for
truth, peace, justice, tolerance, beauty and the importance of family
and community."
New Jersey premiere. |
The Order of Myths
Directed by Margaret Brown
Run time: 80 minutes
Screening sponsored by National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Bergen/Passaic Chapter
 The
first Mardi Gras in America was celebrated in Mobile, Alabama in 1703
and in 2007, it is still racially segregated. Filmmaker Margaret
Brown, a daughter of Mobile, escorts us into the parallel hearts of the
city's two carnivals. With unprecedented access, she traces the
exotic world of secret mystic societies and centuries-old traditions
and pageantry; diamond-encrusted crowns, voluminous, hand-sewn gowns,
surreal masks and enormous paper mache floats. Against this
opulent backdrop, she uncovers a tangled web of historical violence and
power dynamics, elusive forces that keep this hallowed tradition
organized along enduring color lines.
New Jersey premiere. |
Paper Covers Rock
Written and directed by Joe Maggio
Run time: 90 minutes
 This
film tells the story of Sam, a troubled young woman who loses custody
of her six year-old daughter in the wake of an unsuccessful suicide
attempt. Following a brief stay at a psychiatric facility, Sam moves in
with her older sister Ed, who graciously offers to help Sam piece her
life back together. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions
and it's not at all clear whether Ed is out to save or destroy her
little sister. Remarkable for its ensemble acting and its outstanding
cinematography - all done on a micro-budget - the film features
particularly compelling performances by Jeannine Kaspar (Sam) and Sayra
Player (Ed), who are totally believable as sisters. Parental caution:
subject matter may be disturbing to young children. Writer/director Joe
Maggio will participate in a Q&A following the screening.
New Jersey premiere. |
The Sandwich Generation
Run time: 28 minutes
Directed by Julie Winokur
Discussion with filmmakers and with Robin Granat of Classic Residence by Hyatt to follow screening
Screening sponsored by Classic Residence by Hyatt
 The
"sandwich generation" refers to those caught between their aging
parents and young children and includes more than 20 million
Americans. In this emotionally charged account of family caregiving,
filmmaker Julie Winokur and her husband, photojournalist Ed Kashi,
expose their personal lives with unflinching candor. Winokur and Kashi
uprooted their two children and their business and moved 3,000 miles
cross-country to care for Winokur's father, Herbie. At 83, Herbie
suffers from dementia and can no longer live alone. Winokur and Kashi
are faced with difficult choices and overwhelming responsibility as
they charge ahead through their sandwich years. It is a story of love,
family dynamics and the immeasurable sacrifice of those caught in the
middle. |
Small Bites 1: Assorted Shorts
Various Directors
Run time: 75 minutes
 This
program presents a sampling of shorts (animated and live action) from
talented filmmakers, including the audience favorite winner of the
Bergen County Film Commission's '08 Jersey Filmmakers of Tomorrow's
competition for high school students: Run Sally Run, by Bergenfield
resident Stevan Torres. Also featured: "Raccoon and Crawfish," a
short based on an ancient Oneida Indian legend; Entry of Buildings,
based on a Jonathan Lethem short story; and more. (Image from "Stiff,"
by Charlie Wachtel and Dylan Morgan) |
Small Bites 2: A Sampling of Spanish Shorts
Various Directors
Run time: 75 minutes
English subtitles
 This
program presents a sampling of some of the best work emerging from
Spain, through animation and live action shorts: antic, serious,
mysterious and amusing. They are: Las Mofas Magicas (The Magic
Glasses); Mofetas (Skunks); Made in Japan; Boletos Por Favor; and
Objects in Mirror are Closer Than They Appear. (Image from
Mofetas) |
Still Life
Written and directed by Jia Zhang-Ke
Run time: 108 minutes
Mandarin with English subtitles
 Winner
of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival 2006, this film is an
empathetic portrait of those left behind by a modernizing society and
is a hybrid of documentary and fiction. Great changes have come to the
town of Fengjie due to the construction of the Three Gorges hydro
project: Countless families that had lived there for many generations
have had to relocate to other cities. Fengjie's old town, which has a
2000-year history, has been torn down and submerged forever, but its
new neighborhood hasn't been finished yet. There are still things that
need to be salvaged and yet there are also things that must be left
behind. In Still Life, such life-changing choices face both Sanming, a
miner traveling to Fengjie in search of his ex-wife of 16 years, and
Shen Hong, a nurse who has come to Fengjie to look for her husband who
she hasn't seen in two years. Both Sanming and Shen will find who
they're looking for, but in the process they too will have to decide
what is worth salvaging in their lives and what they need to let go of.
Director Jia Zhang-ke has said that the film represents "a reality that
has been overlooked by us. Although time has left deep marks on it, it
still remains silent and holds the secrets of life." |
Take Out
Written, directed, produced and edited by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou
Run time: 87 minutes
 Variety
calls this film "a deeply affecting portrayal of struggling immigrants
in Gotham" and "beautiful in unexpected ways." It tells the story
of a young Chinese immigrant who works as a deliveryman for a Chinese
take-out shop in New York City. Ming is behind with payments on his
huge debt to the smugglers who brought him to the United States. The
collectors have given him until the end of the day to deliver the money
that is due. He rides silently through the dark, rain-soaked streets of
Manhattan and comes face to face with countless apartment dwellers who
simply see him as an anonymous and faceless delivery boy. The camera
follows Ming on his deliveries throughout the upper Manhattan
neighborhood where social and economic extremes exist side by side.
Intercutting between Ming's deliveries and the daily routine of the
restaurant, the film presents a harshly real look at the daily lives of
illegal Chinese immigrants in New York City. Sean Baker and Shih-Ching
Tsou will participate in a Q&A following the screeening.
New Jersey premiere. |
The Willow Tree
Directed by Majid Majidi
Run time: 96 minutes
Farsi with English subtitles
 Blind
since childhood, Youssef has a devoted wife, loving daughter, and
successful university career, but his affliction fills him with secret
torment. As if in answer to his prayers, a Paris clinic restores his
sight -- a miracle that is double-edged. Although this new world of
sight and color floods Youssef with ecstasy, it also plunges him into a
labyrinth of confusions and temptations. Eager to claim the lost life
he feels he is owed but unable to take the next step, Youssef is
inflamed with possibility and paralyzed with egoism. Majidi fashions
this story into a powerful parable of sight and insight, using
Youssef's condition both as a metaphor for life's second chances and as
a source of breathtaking images seen through his reawakened eyes: a
dazzling vista of snow-blanketed hills, a shower of molten gold sparks
in a jewelry foundry, an array of lollipop lights behind a
rain-speckled car window. |
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