Provincetown International Film Festival 2009

If Armando Iannucci’s political farce about the road to war through the corridors of power weren’t so funny, it would be utterly terrifying. When a British cabinet minister, Simon Foster, comments publicly that he thinks war is “unforeseeable,” the result is an immediate bollocking from Malcolm Tucker, the prime minister’s testy bulldog pushing for war. Unable to clarify his position, Simon is sent to Washington, where, trying desperately to be important, he meets Karen Clark, a U.S. State Department official, and General Miller, who see him as a transatlantic partner in building a consensus against war. They search for a secret war committee, led by Karen’s hawkish colleague, Linton Barwick. And as farce demands, all parties eventually converge for a climactic shuffle between rooms, in this case at the United Nations. Wickedly sardonic and filled with secrets, lies, leaks, plugs, and faulty intelligence and walls, IN THE LOOP leads us behind closed doors to reveal bungling bureaucrats entangled in petty rivalries, obsequious aides jockeying for favor, and the Keystone Cops of government, including a minister who hopes there’s no war because it’s bad enough coping with the Olympics. Distributed by IFC FILMS

Director Jennifer Kroot will be in attendance. Filmmakers and twin brothers, Mike and George Kuchar began making low-budget, experimental and hilariously melodramatic films in the 1960s. With an extensive body of work to their credit, the brothers are recognized as legends in today's film industry. It all started with an 8mm camera and their friends and family as the twins took to no-budget filmmaking as kids in their 1950s Bronx neighborhood. In the 1960s, they joined Warhol's New York underground film scene, cementing their skills with those "in the know." Their bold, uninhibited films inspired some of today's well-known filmmakers including John Waters, Buck Henry, Guy Maddin, Todd Haynes, Atom Egoyan and Wayne Wang (all of whom are interviewed in the film). Director Jennifer Kroot entwines humor and sentiment as she explores the brothers' lives, their fans and their influence of the Kuchar brothers on the American underground film scene and on contemporary filmmakers. - Seattle International Film Festival Print Source: Filmmaker

East Coast Premiere Who hasn't wanted to be a rock star, join a band or play electric guitar? Rarely can a film penetrate the glamorous surface of rock legends, but IT MIGHT GET LOUD isn't like any other rock 'n roll documentary. From director Davis Guggenheim (AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH), the movie is filmed through the eyes of three virtuosos from three different generations, inviting the audience to get up close and personal, discovering how a furniture upholsterer from Detroit, a studio musician and painter from London and a seventeen-year-old Dublin schoolboy, each used the electric guitar to develop his unique sound and rise to the pantheon of superstar. IT MIGHT GET LOUD tells the personal stories, in their own words, of The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and Jack White (The White Stripes), revealing how each developed his unique sound and style of playing favorite instruments, guitars both found and invented. Revolving around a day when these three artists first met and sat down together to share their stories, teach and play, the film travels with the musicians to influential locations of their pasts, provoking rare discussion as to how and why they write and play, and allowing fans to witness intimate moments (and hear new music!) from these contemporary legends. Print Source: Sony Pictures Classics

French romantic films set in Paris are legendary; filmmakers from a variety of cultures have worked hard to emulate the specific energy of young people exploring their sexuality that French filmmakers seem to capture so easily. Director/screenwriter Christophe Honoré steps firmly into the middle of this tradition, twists, turns, and then throws a couple of punches. Honore's world includes threesomes, bi-sexuality and startling new ways to deal with grief. This startlingly unique film from one of France's most talented young filmmakers is as surprising as love itself. Taking its cue from Jacques Demy's THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, LOVE SONGS is divided into three sections - "the departure," "the absence" and "the return." Life's greatest joys and challenges are expressed through songs (all sung by the talented cast) as a group of friends find themselves engulfed in a variety of romantic entanglements. Ismaël and Julie both have good jobs, a great apartment and are considered part of each other's families. After several years together, they decide to add a spark to their relationship and take on a third lover, Ismaël's co-worker. She makes an ideal partner at first but things soon become strained between them - and when a tragic event occurs, everyone copes in very different ways. In French with English subtitles Print Source: IFC Films

On the fringes of Dublin two kids, Kylie and Dylan, live in a suburban housing estate devoid of life, color and the prospect of escape. Kylie lives with five other siblings and her overworked mother. Next door, Dylan lives in the shadow of an alcoholic father and the memory of an elder brother who ran away from home two years earlier. After a violent altercation with his father, Dylan runs away from home and Kylie decides to run away with him. Together they make their way to the magical night time lights of inner city Dublin, to search for Dylan's brother in the hope of finding the possibility of a new life. Lance Daly's vision of Dublin, as seen through the innocent eyes of our protagonists, is a kaleidoscope of magic, wonder and mystery. But as the night wears on, and Dublin takes on a darker character, the two kids have to rely on the kindness of strangers, the advice of Bob Dylan, and their trust in each other to survive the night. Spirited and energetic, KISSES is the winner of several IFTA Awards (the Irish Oscars), as well as the Miami Film Festival Audience Award. Print Source: Fast Net Films

Laurel Canyon Boulevard, which cuts straight through the Hollywood Hills, has for decades been something of a bohemian enclave, home to artists and counterculture vultures of all types. Among its current residents is Jane (Frances McDormand), a veteran record producer trying to come up with a hit single for the British band whose lead singer, Ian (2009 Excellence in Acting honoree Alessandro Nivola), is her much younger lover. Jane's son, Sam (Christian Bale) and his fiancée, Alex (Kate Beckinsale), are both recent graduates of Harvard Medical School. Serious and conservative, the two are moving to Los Angeles to complete their studies, planning to stay in the house that Jane had in turn promised to vacate. But once they arrive, Sam is distressed to find Jane and her band still hard at work in the on-site recording studio. Jane's carefree alternative lifestyle is anathema to Sam, who has devoted his life to becoming anyone but his mother's son. Begrudgingly, he and Alex move in until they can make other arrangements. Gradually, however, their tightly controlling grip begins to loosen as Alex finds herself being seduced by Jane and Ian - leaving Sam adrift and vulnerable to the approach of fellow medical resident Sara. The sun bleached southern California landscape - backed by the Brit-pop music of Ian's band - sets the tone for writer-director Lisa Cholodenko's frank exploration of the intense relationships among seeming opposites. Print Source: Sony Pictures Classics

Witty, charming and smart, LIGHTBULB is the story of two dreamers on a search for "the" idea that will make them rich. Have you ever had a dream and run with it? A seriously funny drama, LIGHTBULB is the story of two men who refuse to simply give up. Matt (Dallas Roberts), the inventor, and Sam (Jeremy Renner), the salesman, owned a struggling gift company. Long on ideas and short on cash, these two best friends longed to find the one invention that would make them rich. After Matt's long-suffering wife gave up, and there were just too many bills, the two folded up shop and got real jobs. While hammering nails during the day, Matt still dreamed up gadget ideas and a different life. All that changes when Matt brainstorms a wacky invention that just might sell, if only he can convince some investors. Directed with a crisp visual style, written with superb wit and acted with natural charm, LIGHTBULB is one of the most exciting low-budget indies we've seen in some time. In a film buzzing with positive energy, you'll be rooting for these guys, too. - Scott Cranin, Philadelphia Cinefest Print Source: Pacific Productions "A terrific little yarn about pluck, perseverance, and friendshipovercoming the odds, LIGHTBULB, is exactly what's needed in these troubled times." Lael Lowenstein, VARIETY

Luis Tiant is remembered fondly by Red Sox fans for his performance during the 1975 World Series. He became something of a cult figure in Boston during his years with the team, and still lives in Massachusetts today. Narrated by Chris Cooper, THE LOST SON OF HAVANA is occasioned by the opportunity Tiant had in 2007 to travel back to his home country, Cuba, coaching in a goodwill exhibition game. This was to be the first time he had set foot in his native land in 46 years. Tiant had been caught in the rivalry between the U.S. and Cuba while playing for a minor-league team in the U.S. during the summer of 1961. After the failed invasion at the Bay of Pigs, Tiant was faced with a choice: return to his home and give up the hope of playing baseball professionally, or pursue a sports career in the U.S. and possibly never see his friends or family again. It is a striking, personal portrait of a man still widely admired for his ability and flair on the mound - but another portrait emerges, as well, of the personal costs of segregation and Cold War politics; of the twentieth century's social ills, which baseball may palliate, but cannot cure. -Kyle Parrish, Independent Film Festival of Boston In English and Spanish with subtitles Print Source: Filmmaker

Director Sebastian Silva will be in attendance. New England premiere. After 23 years of service to the Valdes family, Raquel is comfortably ensconced in a vague existence between maid and her illusion that she is a family member. Her barely concealed bitterness and increased clashes with her employer's eldest daughter lead the family to think she is overworked. They hire more help, and, feeling usurped, Raquel begins to sabotage each new employee by resorting to childish antics, clinging to her ambiguous place within the family. In his remarkably astute second feature, Sebastian Silva questions, without bias, a dusty remnant of class division - the common, Latin American, aristocratic tradition of serfdom. Within this complex dynamic, we are privy to the inner workings of a well-intentioned family's relationship with their servant - however endearingly the word is used. Silva wields his handheld camera like a magnifying glass, revealing Raquel's fenced-in fragility, and watching her evolve is truly touching. Astonishing in its intimacy, the film wrings awkward humor from the alienated Raquel's mind games. Only Lucy, last in the line of new maids, is able to nudge Raquel gently toward the momentous kick-start needed to rediscover herself. Sebastian Silva's hungry curiosity to examine the intersection of social and personal forces produces a painful, yet satisfying, comedic drama that shakes up and humanizes an insidious system. - Christine Davila, Sundance Film Festival In Spanish with English subtitles Print Source: Elephant Eye Films