Festivals >> EIFF >> 2008 >> Director's Showcase

14 Kilometres (14 kilómetros, 14 Kilometers)(Country: Spain; Director: Gerardo Olivares; Writer: Gerardo Olivares; Cast: Adoum Moussa, Illiassou Mahamadou Alzouma, Aminata, Kanta)
The journey between North Africa and Spain, made by three and desperate young Africans. UK Premiere.
Full Review

Death Defying Acts(Country: UK; Director: Gillian Armstrong; Writer: Tony Grisoni, Brian Ward; Cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Saoirse Ronan, Jack Bailey, Aaron Brown, MacKay Crawford, James Fiddy, Martin Fisher, Tim Frost, Campbell Graham)
Harry Houdini falls for a gypsy 'psychic' in an Edinburgh-set period romance. UK Premiere.
Full Review

Foster Child(Country: Philippines; Director: Brilliante M Mendoza)
The trials of letting go: foster parents of three-year old John spend their final day with him. UK Premiere.

Gloss: The Director's Cut (Glyanets)(Country: Russia, France, Belgium; Director: Andrei Konchalovsky; Writer: Andrei Konchalovsky, Dunya Smirnova; Cast: Yuliya Vysotskaya, Irina Rozanova, Aleksandr Domogarov, Yefim Shifrin, Aleksei Serebryakov, Gennady Smirnov, Ilya Isaev, Olga Arntgolts, Andrei Noskov, Aleksandr Ilyin, Artemi Troitsky)
Fashion satire about a seamstress dreaming of becoming a supermodel. Think The Devil Wears Prada with balls. UK Premiere.

In The City Of Sylvia (En la ciudad de Sylvia, Dans La Ville De Sylvie, Some Photos In The City Of Sylvia)(Country: Spain; Director: José Luis Guerín; Writer: José Luis Guerín; Cast: Xavier Lafitte, Pilar López de Ayala)
A boy dreams of finding a lost love. UK Premiere.
Full Review

The Kreutzer Sonata(Country: USA; Director: Bernard Rose; Writer: Lisa Enos, Bernard Rose, Leo Tolstoy; Cast: Danny Huston, Elisabeth Röhm, Matthew Yang King, Anjelica Huston, Julia Sandberg Hansson, Kinsey Packard)
A husband's jealousy threatens to drive him mad. World Premiere.
Full Review

Lemon Tree (Etz Limon)(Country: Israel, Germany, France; Director: Eran Riklis; Writer: Eran Riklis; Cast: Hiam Abbass, Doron Tavory, Ali Suliman, Rona Lipaz-Michael, Tarik Kopty, Amos Lavi, Amnon Wolf, Smadar Jaaron, Danny Leshman, Hili Yalon, Linon Banares)
Allegorical story about a lemon tree under threat when an Israeli government minister moves in next door. UK Premiere.
Full Review

Let The Right One In (Låt Den Rätte Komma In)(Country: Sweden; Director: Tomas Alfredson; Writer: John Ajvide Lindqvist, based on his novel of the same name.; Cast: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist, Peter Carlberg, Ika Nord, Mikael Rahm, Karl-Robert Lindgren, Anders T. Peedu, Pale Olofsson)
Based on Lindqvist’s best-selling novel, this beautifully touching tale tells of the first romance for bullied 12-year-old Oskar and the girl next door, Eli... who has an unusual secret. UK Premiere.
Full Review See: Tribeca Film Festival: Day 10

Off Hollywood(Country: Hungary; Director: Szabolcs Hajdu; Writer: László Garaczi, Szabolcs Hajdu; Cast: Orsolya Török-Illyés, Domokos Szabó, Tibor Mészáros, Marcell Miklós, József Vásári, Lehel Kovács, Szabolcs Thuróczy, Zoltán Seress, László Katona, Illés Nyitrai, Imre Gelányi)
A film director tries to cope with everything going wrong all at once. An insidious critique of the Hungarian film industry. International Premiere.

Paris(Country: France; Director: Cédric Klapisch; Writer: Cédric Klapisch; Cast: Juliette Binoche, Romain Duris, Fabrice Luchini, Albert Dupontel, François Cluzet, Karin Viard, Gilles Lellouche, Mélanie Laurent, Zinedine Soualem, Julie Ferrier, Olivia Bonamy)
A medical diagnosis leaves a young dancer and his sister in care(e)r gridlock. UK Premiere.
Full Review See: Interview with Cédric Klapisch about Paris

The Princess Of Nebraska(Country: USA; Director: Wayne Wang; Writer: Yiyun Li, Michael Ray; Cast: Patrice Banaïas, Patrice Binaisa, Pamelyn Chee, Brian Danforth, Li Ling, Qing Lin)
A character study of a very young Chinese woman carrying a baby she isn't ready to have. UK Premiere.

Red(Country: US; Director: Trygve Allister Diesen, Lucky McKee; Writer: Stephen Susco; Cast: Brian Cox, Noel Fisher, Tom Sizemore, Kyle Gallner, Shiloh Fernandez, Marcia Bennett, Lauren Birkell, Keith Buterbaugh, Kim Dickens, Robert Englund, Ashley Laurence)
An older, reclusive man's best friend and inspiration for living is his 14-year-old dog named "Red." When three troublesome teens kill the dog for no good reason, the grieving man sets out for justice and redemption by whatever means available to him. International Premiere.
Full Review See: Sundance 2008: Day Four

Slingshot (Tirador)(Country: Philippines; Director: Brillante Mendoza; Writer: Ralston Jover; Cast: Coco Martin, Nathan Lopez, Kristoffer King, Jiro Manio, Jacklyn Jose, Jean Andrews, Julio Diaz, Harold Montano, Angela Ruiz)
Close-up and personal view of the slums using hidden cameras and brilliant editing. UK Premiere.
Full Review

Song Of Sparrows (Avaze gonjeshk-ha)(Country: Iran; Director: Majid Majidi; Writer: Mehran Kashani, Majid Majidi; Cast: Mohammad Amir Naji, Hossein Aghazi, Maryam Akbari, Kamran Dehghan)
This Iranian morality tale deals with an ostrich farmer who loses his job and is forced to travel to and from the city. UK Premiere.
Full Review

Summer Hours (L'Heure d'été)(Country: France; Director: Olivier Assayas; Writer: Olivier Assayas; Cast: Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling, Jérémie Renier, Edith Scob, Dominique Reymond, Valérie Bonneton, Isabelle Sadoyan, Kyle Eastwood, Alice de Lencquesaing, Emile Berling, Jean-Baptiste Malartre)
Drama about a priceless art collection and a family's decision about how best to use it, for both memory and intrinsic worth. UK Premiere.
Full Review

A Thousand Years Of Good Prayers(Country: USA; Director: Wayne Wang; Writer: Yiyun Li, Yiyun Li, Michael Ray; Cast: Henry O, Pavel Lychnikoff, Feihong Yu, Vida Ghahremani, Wes Deitrick, Angela Dierdorff Petro, Liz Mathews, Ryan Sanson, Trent Sweeney, Patrick Treadway, Lonny W. Waddle)
Cultural and generational gaps explored by aging Chinese man visiting his daughter. UK Premiere.
Full Review

Tiramisu(Country: Netherlands; Director: Paula van der Oest; Writer: Paula van der Oest; Cast: Anneke Blok, Jacob Derwig, Olga Zuiderhoek, Rifka Lodeizen, Thomas Cammaet, Gits Scholten van Aschat, Waldemar Torenstra, Jara Lucieer, Ria Marks)
Famous Dutch actress faces bankruptcy by hiring an accountant and giving another party. Full Review

The Visitor(Country: US; Director: Thomas McCarthy; Writer: Thomas McCarthy; Cast: Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbas, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira)
An ageing, lonely man rediscovers his love of life when he visits New York and shares his home with two strangers. UK Premiere.
Full Review See: EIFF Diary Episode Two, Interview with Tom McCarthy, Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbass about The Visitor

Vogelfrei(Country: Latvia; Director: Janis Kalejs, Janis Putnins, Gatis Smits, Anna Viduleja; Writer: Janis Kalejs, Gatis Smits, Janis Putnins, Anna Viduleja, Jurgis Liepnieks, Kaspars Rolsteins; Cast: Igors Suhoverhovs, Karlis Spravniks, Ints Teterovskis, Liubomiras Lauciavicius, Tatjana Jansone-Nazarova, Girts Krumins, Emilija Leiskalne, Jurgis Liepnieks, Armands Reinfelds, Kaspars Rolsteins, Irena Tjunina)
An experimental directorial quartet taking on the four ages of a single character's life. UK Premiere.
Full Review

The Wave (Die Welle)(Country: Germany; Director: Dennis Gansel; Writer: Dennis Gansel, Peter Thorwarth, based on the novel by Todd Strasser; Cast: Juergen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Max Riemelt, Jennifer Ulrich, Christiane Paul, Elyas M'Barek, Christina do Rego, Jacob Matschenz, Amelie Kiefer)
A high school teacher demonstrates with his class the true meaning of autocracy. Full Review

With A Girl Of Black Soil (Geomen tangyi sonyeo oi)(Country: France, South Korea; Director: Jeon Soo-il; Writer: Jeon Soo-il; Cast: Yu Yun-mi, Jo Yung-jin, Hyun-woo Park)
South Korean family drama about an economically impoverished family and their difficulties with one another. UK Premiere.
Full Review

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