|
|
Addicted to Plastic! The Rise and Demise of a Modern Miracle
Canada, 2008, 85 min.
A global journey to investigate what we really know about plastic — the material of a thousand uses — and why there's so darn much of it. On the way we discover a toxic legacy, and the men and women dedicated to cleaning it up.... more
|
|
|
|
At the Edge of the World
USA, 2008, 92 min.
An exhilarating portrait of a group of environmentalists, led by controversial activist Paul Watson, who sail the Antarctic Ocean under the Jolly Roger and do actual battle with Japanese whaling vessels. This ethically provocative documentary examines going outside the law to stop a greater crime.... more
|
|
|
|
Before Tomorrow
Canada, 2008, 93 min.
Inuit elder Ningiuq (Madeline Ivalu) and her grandson Maniq (Paul-Dylan Ivalu) fear they are the last people on earth after a mysterious illness kills their clan. This is the debut feature from the Inuit women's group Arnalt Video Collective.... more
|
|
|
|
Blue Gold: World Water Wars
USA, 2008, 89 min.
Wars of the future will be fought over water, not oil, as this liquid source of all life enters the global marketplace and political arena. Past civilizations have collapsed from poor water management. Can the human race survive? Environmental Audience Award, Vancouver Film Festival.... more
|
|
|
|
Delta
Hungary, 2008, 92 min.
This primal and poetic tragedy follows the unwelcome return of a prodigal son, his incestuous relationship with his half-sister, and their attempt to build themselves a house in the middle of a river, far away from everybody else, to celebrate their love.... more
|
|
|
|
Native Dancer
Kazakhstan, 2008, 87 min.
Endowed with psychic powers, Aidai can find lost souls and heal the ailing. But when local gangsters drive her off her land, she's forced to put her life on the line. Part crime thriller, part spiritual journey, Native Dancer reveals the effects of encroaching capitalism on traditional ways.... more
|
|
|
|
The Necessities of Life
Canada, 2008, 103 min.
In the 1950s, Tivii, an Inuit hunter and family man from Baffin Island, is yanked from his isolated home terrain and installed in a Quebec City tuberculosis sanitarium. There he takes a fatherly interest in an afflicted native orphan.... more
|
|
|
|
The Shaft
China, 2008, 98 min.
Set amid the imposing mountains of western China, the dreams and disappointments of a family of coalmine workers poignantly reflect the plight of a vast number of ordinary laborers unable to climb the ladder of the country's post-Communist economy.... more
|
|
|
|
Tengri: Blue Heavens
Kyrgyzstan, 2008, 110 min.
Starting in a traditional Kyrgyz mountain jailoo, a yurt village where men rule and women work, Tengri offers classic lovers-on-the-run melodrama set amid spectacular widescreen backdrops.... more
|
|
|
|
Tulpan
Kazakhstan, 2008, 100 min.
The traditional lifestyle of nomadic sheepherders on the harsh Kazak steppe provides quietly sensational drama in Tulpan. An engrossing tale of a twentysomething youth who can't achieve his long-cherished dream of tending his own flock without first acquiring a wife... more
|
|
|
|
Wild Field
Russia, 2008, 104 min.
A jewel of magic realism, Wild Field focuses on a young doctor living on the timeless Kazakh plain, treating stab and gunshot wounds, heart attacks, and the occasional dying cow. Art Cinema Award, Venice Film Festival; Best Screenplay, Best Score, Special Critics' Award, Kinotavr.... more
|
|