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Ajami
Israel, 2009, 120 min.
A powerful crime drama set on the mean streets of Jaffa's Ajami neighborhood, a melting pot of cultures and conflicting views among Jews, Muslims, and Christians.... more
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The Art of the Steal
USA, 2009, 101 min.
The decades-long battle for control of the Barnes Foundation's near-priceless collection of impressionist art -- as waged by the city of Philadelphia against the collection's protectors -- is the riveting focus of Don Argott's documentary. Compulsory viewing, the film unspools like a thriller.... more
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The Balibo Conspiracy
Australia, 2009, 111 min.
In 1975, five young Australian TV journalists covering the invasion of East Timor by the Indonesian army disappeared at the border village of Balibo. Their story, denied and covered up for more than 30 years, is grippingly recreated in this tense and moving film from Robert Connolly.... more
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Chameleon
Hungary, 2008, 104 min.
A suspenseful psychological thriller, Chameleon centers on a clever con man who targets lonely, disillusioned women, playing on their romantic fantasies. But can the con man be conned if love gets in the way?... more
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Cooking History
Austria, 2009, 88 min.
Proving the maxim an army marches on its belly, this playful documentary inventively uses the field kitchen as a prism through which to view 20th-century European history. Winner, Best Documentary, Chicago Film Festival.... more
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Expecting Mary
USA, 2009, 97 min.
Dan Gordon (screenwriter of Wyatt Earp and The Hurricane) marks his directorial debut with this effervescent dramedy about a pregnant teenage runaway who escapes the cosseting clutches of her parents and hits the road, where she finds a new kind of family.... more
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Eyes Wide Open
Israel, 2009, 90 min.
A taboo-breaking drama about a married butcher who falls in love with a seductive younger man in Jerusalem's insular ultra-orthodox community. It's shocking to see the extremes community leaders take to insure conformity in their compact, rigidly ordered world.... more
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The Girl on the Train
France, 2009, 105 min.
When her flash-in-the-pan relationship goes sour in a big way, heartbroken young Jeanne spins a lie that quickly spirals out of control. Émilie Dequenne (Rosetta) and Catherine Deneuve highlight the excellent ensemble cast.... more
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The Great Contemporary Art Bubble
United Kingdom, 2009, 96 min.
The beginning of the 21st century saw an unprecedented boom in the contemporary art market -- then an unprecedented collapse. Documentarian/art critic Ben Lewis bounces around the globe, interviewing the art world's biggest stars and uncovering an extraordinary world.... more
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Handsome Harry
USA, 2009, 95 min.
An all-male study in gay denial, featuring a roster of gifted character actors, Handsome Harry is a psychological mystery about lost love, forgiveness and the stifling effect the "code of silence" has over men and their relationships.... more
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The Happiness of Kati
Thailand, 2009, 105 min.
With the impending death of her mother, a young girl living with her adoring grandparents completes the puzzle of her past and discovers the reason that her mother gave her up as a baby. A delicate and touching adaptation of one of Thailand's most beloved novels.... more
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Inside Hana's Suitcase
Canada, 2009, 90 min.
The delivery of a battered suitcase to the Tokyo Holocaust Museum launches a quest to learn the fate of the owner, Hana Brady. The voices of children from Japan, Canada and the Czech Republic telling Hana's story are woven around the dramatic search, creating a film of astonishing power and hope.... more
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La Mission
USA, 2009, 118 min.
Peter Bratt's powerful and moving film is a love letter to the vibrancy and daily struggles of San Francisco's Mission District. Full of affection for its characters, it's is a redemptive story of one man's struggle to unlearn a lifetime of destructive habits when a secret brings him into conflict.... more
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Learning from Light: The Vision of I.M. Pei
USA, 2009, 84 min.
A revelatory documentary exploring the vision of I.M. Pei, the distinguished 90-year-old Chinese-American architect as he works on his latest commission, the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar, one of the most complex building projects of his long career.... more
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Letters to Father Jacob
Finland, 2009, 74 min.
In the latest from the talent behind the PSIFF 2006 Audience Award Winner, a simple but transcendent story about faith and human frailty achieves a state of grace. A tough ex-con temporarily serving as an amanuensis for a blind pastor in rural Finland.... more
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Max Manus
Norway, 2009, 118 min.
This rousing widescreen historical epic celebrates the deeds of one of Norway's most daring WWII-era resistance fighters: Max Manus, a man with no formal education, who led a life of derring-do that seems tailor-made for the movies.... more
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Mediterranean Food
Spain, 2009, 102 min.
Mediterranean Food is a delightful romantic comedy prepared with the finest ingredients: a pure heart, a sexy cast and a lot of delectable haute cuisine. This cordial love triangle falls between an impulsive woman, her undemanding husband and her seductive mentor.... more
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My Year without Sex
Australia, 2009, 96 min.
A middle-class Melbourne mom recovering from a near-fatal illness wrestles with the titular problem and a whole lot more in this endearing comic drama from the writer/director of the prize-winning Look Both Ways (PSIFF 2006).... more
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Only When I Dance
Brazil, 2009, 78 min.
Two teenage ballet dancers from the favelas of Rio are determined to dance their way to a better life, but to do so they must overcome prejudice, doubt and better-trained performers. This inspiring documentary follows their path to beat the odds and attain their dream of making it.... more
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Rabia
Spain, 2009, 89 min.
A gripping social thriller about two immigrants: a short-tempered construction worker and a live-in maid eking out a livelihood in Spain. A few weeks into their passionate relationship a tragic accident forces him to hide in her attic. Unbeknownst to her, he becomes a menacing ghost-like dweller.... more
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Sagan
France, 2009, 116 min.
With perfect attention to period detail and a decidedly sympathetic point of view, director Diane Kurys and actor Sylvie Testud (in a César-nominated performance) bring the controversial life of French author Françoise Sagan to the big screen.... more
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Shoot the Hero
USA, 2009, 82 min.
When a young couple shops for wedding rings they accidentally become eyewitnesses to a jewelry store heist gone awry. A mob boss dispatches a mysterious hit man to find the couple and clean up the mess. What follows is an action-packed romp full of thugs, fights, laughs and love.... more
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Sons of Cuba
United Kingdom, 2009, 88 min.
Wielding their fists like pinwheels, nine-year-old Cuban boxers fight for national pride, Olympic glory and, most importantly, the love of their families in this poignant, riveting documentary.... more
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Soundtrack for a Revolution
USA, 2009, 82 min.
Relive the American civil rights movement through the soul-stirring folk songs that fortified protestors struggling for equality. This powerful documentary pairs modern renditions with footage from the bitter days of segregation and emotional interviews with the people who fought through it.... more
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The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet's Struggle for Freedom
India, 2009, 79 min.
With unusual intimate access, filmmakers Sonam and Sarin find a unique perspective on the Dalai Lama's trials and tribulations and follow him over an eventful year, including the 2008 protests in Tibet, the long march in India, the Beijing Olympics and the breakdown of talks with China.... more
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White Wedding
South Africa, 2009, 93 min.
Elvis and Ayanda are getting married. Elvis just needs to get from Johannesburg to Cape Town for the big event. Take a sweet South African road trip through the hills and valleys of love, friendship and post-apartheid culture clashes.... more
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