BACKYARD (EL TRASPATIO)

BACKYARD EL TRASPATIO (Mexican)

The Story:
Set at the USA-Mexico border, in a town called Juarez. This town carries their own dark secret , thousands of women disappear every year. Some are found dead, dumped in the desert like trash. But most of them are never found.

We follow this two stories at the same time, one follows Blanca Bravo (Ana de la Reguera), a police detective newly transferred to the city who is soon overwhelmed with cases; the other finds Juanita (Asur Zagada), who moves to the city from the country and joins her cousin working in the maquiladoras, or multinational manufacturing plants set up to take advantage of the cheap labour pool. While Juanita takes advantage of her new-found freedom in the city, Bravo struggles against the indifference of a city and government more often that not resigned to the situation, and inevitably the lives of the two women intersect. People like Bravo and radio host Peralta (Joaquin Cosio) try to effect change, but find themselves in an impossible situation and are challenged to stop anything without sacrificing their own morals in the process.

Starring:
Asur Zágada, Marco Perez, Jimmy Smits, Ana de la Reguera, Joaquin Cosio, Ivan Cortes

Directed By:
Carlos Carrera

Release:
2009

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FRI OS FRA DET ONDE (DELIVER US FROM EVIL)

fri os fra det onde (Deliver Us from Evil) (Danish)

The Story:
The happily married couple Johannes (Lasse Rimmer) and Pernille (Lene Nystrøm Rasted) and their two children return to Johannes’ home town in a province in Jutland. Johannes is a lawyer, Pernille a school teacher, and they return to the rural bliss to devote themselves entirely to the family and the calm and quiet life close to nature, outside the big city. Helping them renovate the newly bought house is Alain, a torture victim from the Balkans. He’s just now regaining his faith in life and is working to re-establish a proper existence.

Johannes’ brother, Lars (Jens Andersen), is the complete opposite. He’s lived in the village all his life and now works as a truck driver – at least when he isn’t hanging out at the local pub, getting drunk or engaged in a brawl. He’s just made his girlfriend, Scarlett (Pernille Vallentin), pregnant, which makes him realize that he wants another life – a better life. But fate has other plans for him. Far out on the main road, he accidentally runs over the elderly woman Anna (Lone Lindorff), with his truck. He manages to place fake evidence that points towards Alain (Bojan Navojec) … and then all Hell brakes loose, transforming the peaceful rural bliss into a war zone.

Starring:
Lasse Rimmer, Lene Nystrøm Rasted, Jens Andersen, Mogens Pedersen, Kurt Ravn, Pernille Valentin, Lone Lindorff

Directed By:
Ole Bornedal

Release:
2009

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BLESSED

BLESSED (Australian)

The Story:
Set in a working-class suburb of Melbourne over the course of one day and one night.
In Part 1, The Children, we meet Katrina, (Sophie Lowe), and her friend Trisha, ANASTASIA BABOUSSOURAS, who cut school, smoke, drink and get arrested for shoplifting.

Daniel (Harrison Gilbertson), is unjustly accused by his mother of stealing from her – he invades the house of an elderly woman Laurel (Monica Maughan). Roo (Eamon Farren), Trisha’s older brother, has become involved with a pornographer. Orton (Reef Ireland), has run away from home; his younger sister, Stacey (Eva Lazzaro), follows him.

Meanwhile, in Part 2, the Mothers of these children cope with their own problems. Rhonda, (Frances O'Connor), the pregnant mother of Orton and Stacey, feels guilty that her lovers have impacted on the lives of her kids. Bianca (Miranda Otto), Katrina’s mum, is addicted to poker machines. Daniel’s mother, Tanya (Deborra-Lee Furness), has a cold relationship with her unemployed husband (William Mcinness). And Gina (Victoria Haralabidou), Trisha’s hard-working, religious mother, fears her son may have met with an accident.

Starring:
Frances O'Connor, Miranda OttoCast: Deborra-Lee Furness, Sophie Lowe, Tasma Walton

Directed By:
Ana Kokkinos

Release:
2009

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AT THE END OF DAYBREAK

AT THE END OF DAYBREAK 心魔 (Sham Moh) (Malaysia/Hong Kong/China/South Korea)

The Story:
The protagonist is twenty-three-year-old Tuck Chai (Chui Tien You), who lives with his overprotective and alcoholic mother (Wai Ying Hong). Neither intelligent nor ambitious, he works at his mother's store and hangs out with his equally aimless friends. Tuck Chai is secretly seeing Ying (Ng Meng Hui), a teen who is still at school. The wealthier of the two, Ying is a carefree young girl with no real moral compass – she casually lies, gossips and steals, despite being raised by strict parents. But when birth control is found in her room, she is revealed to be just fifteen, and Tuck Chai is threatened with statutory rape. Thus begins the blackmail and deceit that ultimately spiral out of control.

Starring:
Chui Tien You, Wai Ying Hung and Ng Meng Hui

Directed By:
Ho Yuhang

Release:
2009

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SHREK FOREVER AFTER

SHREK FOREVER AFTER

The Story:

Shrek (Mike Myers) has become a domesticated family man. Instead of scaring villagers away like he used to, the now-reluctant ogre agrees to autograph pitch forks. Longing for the days when he felt like a "real ogre," Shrek is tricked into signing a pact with the smooth-talking dealmaker, Rumpelstiltskin (Paul McCartney). Shrek suddenly finds himself in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumplestiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) have never met. Now, it's up to Shrek to undo all of Rumpelstiltskin's mischief in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one true love and family.

Starring:

Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, Justin Timberlake, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph, Amy Sedaris, Craig Robinson, Eric Idle

Directed By:
Mike Mitchell

Release:

2010

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THE BLUE MANSION

THE BLUE MANSION (Singapore)

The Story:
Wee Bak Chuan (Patrick Teoh) otherwise known as the pineapple king and billionaire owner of a family enterprise who dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances. He returns as a ghost to try to uncover the secret of his death. Two eager detectives investigate the death chasing all leads and suspects including the dead man's three children (Lim Kay Siu, Neo Swee Lin and Adrian Pang). The ghost witnesses his own funeral wake, attended by jealous relatives and business competitors as well as the police investigation that unveils hidden family secrets.

Starring:
Adrian Pang, Lim Kay Siu, Emma Yong, Tan Kheng Hua, Neo Swee Lin, Sebastian Tan, Pamela Oei, Huzir Sulaiman, Patrick Teoh, Claire Wong, Louisa Chong, Denise Chan, Ben Tan, Steve Yap, Chermaine Ang, Glen Goei

Directed By:
Glen Goei

Release:
2009

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GROWTH

G R O W T H

The Story:
In 1989, a breakthrough in advanced parasitic research on Cuttyhunk Island, gave scientists a jump in human evolution. Initial tests proved promising as subjects were experiencing heightened physical and mental strength and awareness. But, something in the experiment went horribly wrong and the island mysteriously lost three quarters of its population.

Jamie Akerman (Mircea Monroe) fled the outbreak, which took her mothers life, twenty years ago. She now returns with her boyfriend Marco (Brian Krause) step brother Justine (Chris Shand) and best friend Kristin (Nora Kirkpatrick), to sell the family property. There, they uncover the key to Jamie’s disturbing past, and the horrifying secrets long suppressed by the town leader, Larkin (Richard Riehle).

Now, a new strain of parasite has emerged, and threatens the island once again. Jamie struggles to survive and escape the obsessive pursuit of the local islanders who suspect that she has inherited more than she could ever have imagined....

Starring:
Mircea Monroe,Christopher Shand,Brian Krause,Nora Kirkpatrick,Richard Riehle,Mackenzie Brooke Smith,Alexi Wasser,Ian Patrick Williams,Robert Pike Daniel,Lou Richards,Yousef Abu-Taleb

Directed By:
Gabriel Cowan

Release:
2010

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THE LAST AIRBENDER

The Story:
Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Four nations tied by destiny when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others. A century has passed with no hope in sight to change the path of this destruction. Caught between combat and courage, Aang (Noah Ringer) discovers he is the lone Avatar with the power to manipulate all four elements. Aang teams with Katara (Nicola Peltz), a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), to restore balance to their war-torn world.

Starring:
Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Dev Patel, Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi and Cliff Curtis

Directed By:
M. Night Shyamalan

Release:
2010

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