In attendance:  Andrea Kreuzhage, Brian Singer, Linda Zacks, Ralph Kaechele

1000 JOURNALS takes a look at the social/art project initiated by a San Francisco Artist, who calls himself Someguy. Someguy sent one thousand journals out into the world, which are passed from hand to hand, and are getting filled with stories, pictures, collages… In 2003, one of the 1000, Journal 526, came back. Where are the other 999? More...

In attendance:  Andreas Mol Dalsgaard

Men's bodybuilding is one Afghanistan's most popular public sports, a source of local and national pride in a society where there is too often little to be proud of. We follow the Afghan national team as its members qualify and travel to compete in the Mr. Asia bodybuilding championship. This unusual backdrop allows for a documentary about Islamic culture that has absolutely nothing to do with politics, religion or American imperialism. More...

In attendance:  Bard Breien

In Geirr, a depressed but bitterly funny and articulate paraplegic who rejects the sympathy his injury generates, director Bard Breien and actor Fridtjov Saheim have created a countercultural hero for the ages, worthy of Nicholson's Randall McMurphy in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST. This dark, soulful black comedy decimates our notions of political correctness. More...

In attendance:  Juan GarcÌa, Miriam Ponce de León

Impunity, terror, abuse, massive violation of human rights, murders, hundreds of detentions, rapes and sexual abuse ... a crime of state. On May 3, 2006, the Mexican government repressed a group of florists from the Belisario Domínguez Market, betraying an agreement made the day before. The resulting unrest, as presented with unblinking veracity by the filmmaking Klamve Colectivo, shook a community to its core. More...

In attendance:  Rain Tolk, Mart Taniel

A captivating, expansive look at modern life, filled with the sort of humor, regret, indecision and bad behavior that cuts ever deeper for its familiarity. This is the stunning debut of writer/director Veiko Õunpuu, who manages six interconnected stories with aplomb. The large ensemble cast rises to the occasion, populating a world in transition with lonely souls searching for any kind of human connection. More...

In attendance:  Phil Donahue, Ellen Spiro

Hosted by: Sean Penn, David Geffen, and Arianna Huffington

Support our troops has long been a rallying cry for war proponents, but that glib phrase will never sound the same after you meet Tomas Young, the eloquent former soldier whose story is told in BODY OF WAR. Raised in Kansas City, Young enlisted in the Army full of patriotism two days after September 11, 2001. His subsequent deployment to Iraq, instead of his preferred destination of Afghanistan, was only the beginning of his mistreatment by the government he volunteered to serve. More...

In her gorgeous and love-affirming feature debut – which was the sleeper hit of this year's Cannes Film Festival – Nadine Labaki finds gold in the hot goo used to strip body hair. Set in and around a Beirut beauty salon, CARAMEL stirs together the stories of five women’s lives. More...

In attendance:  Jeb Brody, Ramin Bahrani, Lisa Muskat

Small in stature but huge in ambition, 12-year-old Dominican orphan Alejandro works every angle in his struggle to support himself and his flighty older sister. Director Ramin Bahrani's camera finds the beauty in the harsh world of the “Iron Triangle,” a cluster of auto body shops in the shadows of Shea Stadium that his hero calls home. Young actor Alejandro Polanco shines in the lead role, mixing true charisma with a hard-edged moxie that seems transported from an earlier time. More...

Lucette awaits the return of her husband, who has mysteriously gone missing. Louis, a young estranged father, is going through confusing times in his relationship with his wife. Chantal, a hotel receptionist, is dreaming of sharing her life with someone else. Marcel, an ex-gambler, is confronted with the realities of aging. CONTINENTAL sets a new perspective on the vulnerability of individuals and the fragile link that unites people to their neighbors. More...

From the slums of Venezuela comes this outrageously original adaptation of Cyrano De Bergerac. Can a woman see past a man's scarred face and find true romantic happiness? The gloriously gritty backdrop pumps up the stakes for this tale of tough love. More...

Jacques Rivette proves that he is still a vital, vibrant filmmaker with this triumphant return to his roots. Based on the novella by Balzac, the story focuses on the contentious courtship between a manipulative socialite and an arrogant general. As the couple's scheming intensifies, the film delights with voluptuous cinematography and stunning production design. More...

A desperate policeman kidnaps his son during a custody battle and hides out in a summer cabin only to discover that they may not be alone. As things go from bad to worse, director Anders Morgenthaler mines the terror that lingers in our peripheral vision, mixing up big scares with lingering dread. More...

Popular music, Elvis and Jimi Hendrix, serves as the MacGuffin for meditations on family, race and obsession in this thrillingly peculiar debut film. Juggling multiple formats and innovative editing, director Kevin Aduaka ably handles the two complimentary stories while establishing himself as a fresh, innovative force in cinema. More...

After their parents die in hilariously gory fashion, the three Funuke siblings are reunited to mondo effect, reigniting rivalries that have lain dormant since their childhood. Juxtaposing an innocuous rural setting with manga-fueled mania, director Daihachi Yoshida delivers a debut film that promises a seemingly limitless career. The ensemble cast shines as the utterly unhinged family, especially Hiromi Nagasaku's brilliant portrayal of a fanatically “calm” housewife hellbent on keeping her family together. More...

Just know this: That implied contradiction in the title is no mistake. In fact, there is nothing but precision in director Paulo Caldas' look at the creeping desperation of rural life, from the gorgeous cinematography to the innovative visual storytelling. Young actress Nash Laila delivers a devastating performance as Jessica, a girl who is driven by her longing for more into a very dark place. More...

In attendance: Joan Chen, Nancy Kwan, Amy Tan, Justin Lin, Lisa Lu, James Hong, Tsai Chin, Mai Lon,  Gittlesohn & Marcella Wong-Yasuhiro (daughters of Violet Wong, star of the 1916 film, “The Curse of Quon Gwon”), James Leong, Jr. (son of James B. Leong, producer/writer of the 1921 film, “Lotus Blossom”)

Arthur Dong critically re-examines the history of Hollywood’s construction of the stereotypic Chinese identity on film. He artfully weaves together over a century of film-clips with the commentary of Ang Lee, Joan Chen, Wayne Wang, Justin Lin and others who are reshaping the image of Chinese people in the cinema of today. More...

Anchored by the performance of singer Marianne Faithful, IRINA PALM is the story of Maggie, a woman in desperate need of money. Her grandson is seriously ill in the hospital, and the medication that could save his life is more than his parents can afford. Maggie, a middle-class Londoner in her mid-50s, finds herself responding to a temptingly lucrative job offer at a sex club. More...

An offhand comment about a much-loved telenovela becomes the impetus for one policeman's reign of terror against an unsuspecting writer. Rookie director Sergio Umansky's delirious, witty film triumphs over its ostensibly high-concept premise by populating its intelligent narrative with thoroughly human characters. Filled with beautiful cinematography, great music and luxurious production design. More...

Teens in Los Angeles discuss money: getting it, spending it and learning to live without it. kids + money is an original short film by award-winning filmmaker and photographer Lauren Greenfield. More...

Catherine Breillat has been known for her transgressive studies of female sexuality. In THE LAST MISTRESS, she sets her obsessive theme in the decadent aristocratic universe of post-Napoleonic France. It took eight months to shoot and cost as much as all her other films put together, and is fueled by Asia Argento's brilliant performance. More...

Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise star in this gripping story that digs behind the news, the politics and the partisan divides to explore the human consequences of a complicated war. Redford, who also directs, expertly handles the wide-reaching narrative, spinning a tale that is as topical as it is moving. While arguments, memories and bullets fly, the three stories are woven ever more tightly together, revealing how each of these Americans has a profound impact on each other and the world. More...

A sprawling, soulful epic about loss, life and — most of all — love. Director Mike Newell blends gorgeous locations, a stellar international cast and superb writing to transport us all into the world of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's classic novel. Starring Javier Bardem, John Leguizamo, Liev Schreiber, Benjamin Bratt and Giovanna Mezzogiorno. More...

In attendance:  Michael James Rowland

Michael James Rowland in his feature debut tells this true story. Combining comedy, survival drama and shrewd political commentary, an Indonesian fishing boat abandons a motley group of Iraqi and Cambodian immigrants on a remote Australian beach. Three men with little in common but their history of misfortune elude capture and begin an epic journey, pursued by a bumbling army reservist unit. LUCKY MILES is a wry, insightful take on immigration and border issues. More...

This rare glimpse into the mind of the man who created visionary classics like ERASERHEAD and BLUE VELVET documents the making of INLAND EMPIRE. We listen to Lynch discovering the beauty in ideas and struggling to unveil his cinematic vision. His enthusiasm is infectious, inspiring us to tap into the well of creativity that he believes we all have. More...

Back together at the helm of MAD DETECTIVE, Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai have set the screen ablaze to create a fiery action drama. This film is both a thrilling adventure exposing the dark side of Hong Kong’s police force and a fascinating journey into the meanderings of a contorted mind. More...

When drag performer Manuela’s best  friend needs him to pose as her fiancé the deception quickly turns into more that either can handle.  Raul Marchand’s triumphantly irreverent gem from Puerto Rico is the rare farce that is as moving as it is hilarious. More...

In attendance: Barbara Lombardo

Ramos, a seemingly friendly and trustworthy man, played by Arturo Goetz, robs a school and a mental institution while pretending to be someone else. This completely unpredictable film is shot in extremely long takes but never lets the audience relax. Pablo Fendrik has forged a tense and original story that rages against its rigorously formal style. More...

The remarkable debut of Korean-American Lee Isaac Chung, made in collaboration with Rwandan youths at a local relief base where Chung worked and lived, is crafted with dramatic precision and deep humanity. One teenager's journey home to his rural village becomes a plea for reconciliation delivered by a poet he meets along the way, embodied by Rwanda's famous poet, Edouard B. Uwaya. More...

In attendance:  Malcom McDowell

Celebrated director Linsday Anderson, cast Malcom Mcdowell in his first starring role in the 1968 Palm D’or winner at Cannes, IF. McDowell celebrates their times, their colleagues and their decades-long working relationship in this unique hybrid of memoir, theatre and film. More...

In attendance:  Pascal Valguesy, Vivian Qu

Director Diao Yi Nanreturns to AFI FEST with this masterful film about a female bailiff who has to execute prisoners who have committed crimes of passion. During the evenings, she takes a night train to a nearby town to attend matchmaking dances. She mistakes the intentions of a mysterious man who turns up and befriends her. More...