Hala / USA (Director: Minhal Baig; Screenwriter: Minhal Baig; Producers: Clarence Hammond, Jamal Watson, Minhal Baig; Principal Cast: Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack Kilmer, Gabriel Luna, Purbi Joshi, Azad Khan, Anna Chlumsky). Hala is her father’s pride and joy. Dutiful and academically gifted, she skillfully navigates both her social life as a teen in Chicago and her […]

Mope / USA (Director: Lucas Heyne; Screenwriters: Lucas Heyne, Zack Newkirk; Producers: Kelly Hayes, Danny Roth, Kern Saxton, BP Cooper, Dylan Vox, Elena Cristiean; Principal Cast: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Kelly Sry, Brian Huskey, Max Adler, David Arquette, Tonya Cornelisse). In the multibillion-dollar world of pornography, the term mope refers to a low-level, wannabe porn actor who perhaps isn’t quite well endowed or otherwise […]

Give me liberty / USA (Director: Kirill Mikhanovsky: Screenwriters: Alice Austen; Kirill Mikhanovsky; Produced by Alice Austen; Producers: Kirill Mikhanovsky, Sergey Shtern, George Rush, Walter S. Hal, Val Abel, Michael Manasseri; Principal Cast: Lauren “Lolo” Spencer, Chris Galust, Maksim Stoyanov, Darya Ekamasova). Vic, a hapless young Russian American, drives a handicapped transport in Milwaukee, where he […]

Native Son / USA. Director: Rashid Johnson; Screenwriter: Suzan-Lori Parks; Produced by Matthew Perniciaro, Michael Sherman; Principal Cast: Ashton Sanders, Margaret Qualley, Nick Robinson, KiKi Layne, Bill Camp). Sanaa Lathan  Bigger “Big” Thomas, a young African American man, lives with his mother and siblings in Chicago. Half-heartedly involved with a girlfriend, he sports green hair and a […]

The sound of silence / USA (Director: Michael Tyburski; Screenwriters: Ben Nabors, Michael Tyburski; Producers: Ben Nabors, Michael Prall, Tariq Merhab, Charlie Scully, Mandy Tagger Brockey, Adi Ezroni; Principal Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, Rashida Jones, Tony Revolori, Austin Pendleton). A self-taught scientist, Peter (Peter Sarsgaard) works in New York as a “house tuner”—a unique, highly specialized profession he’s […]

Paradise Hills / Spain, USA (Director: Alice Waddington; Screenwriters: Nacho Vigalondo, Brian DeLeeuw; Producers: Adrián Guerra; Núria Valls; Principal Cast: Emma Roberts, Danielle Macdonald, Awkwafina, Eiza González, Milla Jovovich, Jeremy Irvine). When Uma wakes up alone on a strange island called Paradise, she instantly suspects it’s anything but. Helmed by the Duchess (Milla Jovovich), Paradise Hills is […]

Sonja: The white swan / Norway (Director: Anne Sewitsky; Screenwriters: Mette Marit Bølstad, Andreas Markusson; Producers: Cornelia Boysen, Synnøve Hørsdal; Principal Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann. Valene Kane, Eldar Skar, Anders Mordal, Pål Sverre Hagen, Aidan McArdle). Before there were the Ice Capades, there was Sonja Henie. In 1936, Henie has three Olympic gold medals and 10 […]

Gaza / Ireland, Canada. Facing the serene Mediterranean Sea, 17-year-old Karma Khaial stands at the water’s edge and senses freedom. But in Gaza, the sea is yet another wall restricting the lives and dreams of its inhabitants. This elegantly shot and masterfully crafted portrait of Palestinian life offers a rare chance to be immersed in the heart of […]

Sweetheart / USA (Director: JD Dillard; Screenwriters: JD Dillard, Alex Theurer, Alex Hyner; Producers: Jason Blum, JD Dillard, Alex Theurer, Alex Hyner, Bill Karesh; Principal Cast: Kiersey Clemons, Emory Cohen, Hanna Mangan Lawrence, Andrew Crawford. (Washing ashore onto a desolate island, Jen (Kiersey Clemons) has already survived a harrowing ordeal. Stranded and alone, she searches for shelter. Finding only the […]

Animals / United Kingdom, Ireland. Australia (Director: Sophie Hyde; Screenwriter: Emma Jane Unsworth; Producers: Sarah Brocklehurst, Rebecca Summerton, Cormac Fox, Sophie Hyde; Based On The Novel By Emma Jane Unsworth; Principal Cast: Holliday Grainger, Alia Shawkat). Would-be writer Laura (Holliday Grainger) and her free-spirited bestie Tyler (Alia Shawkat) share a messy Dublin apartment and a hearty appetite for […]