master pages-8x10.875 - Cleveland International Film Festival

32 FILMS A – Z [B] The 31st Cleveland International Film Festival
CENTRAL AND EASTERN
EUROPEAN FILM COMPETITION
CONTINENTAL AIRLINES WORLD TOUR
Beauty in Trouble
(Kráska v nesnázích)
Directed by Jan Hrˇebejk
CZECH REPUBLIC 2006
110 minutes
Sunday, March 18
7:15 PM I Code BEAU18
Wednesday, March 21
4:30 PM I Code BEAU21
BEAUTY IN TROUBLE is set in the period
following the devastating Prague flood of
2002. Marcela is a young working-class
mother struggling to make a better life
for herself and her children. She and her
husband Jarda have lost everything in the
high waters, and he’s taken to stealing cars
to make ends meet. Even though she’s still
attracted to Jarda, Marcela can’t stand the
strain of living with him and his religious
mother, and she takes her two children to
live with her own mother. Their situation
is not greatly improved as Marcela discovers
that her mother lives with a creepy,
control-freak companion. When Marcela’s
path crosses that of an urbane, much older
benefactor, she’s tempted to leave her
miserable life behind and start over with
him in Italy. (In Czech with English
subtitles) —B.B.
Preceded by Little Temptations
Directed by Slobodanka Radun,
Czech Republic, 7 minutes
Producer~Ondrˇej Trojan Screenplay~Petr Jarchovsky´
Cinematography~Jan Malírˇ Editing~Vladimír Barák
Music~Alesˇ Brˇezina Principal Cast~Aňa Geislerová,
Jana Brejchová, Jirˇí Schmitzer, Josef Abrhám, Roman
Luknár Print Source~Menemsha Films
About the Director~Jan Hrˇebejk studied at the Film and
Television School of the Academy of Performing Arts in
Prague (FAMU) and directed numerous short films before
moving on to features. Filmography~“Big Beat” (1993),
“Cosy Dens” (1999), “Divided We Fall” (2000),
“Pupendo” (2003), “Up and Down” (2004), BEAUTY
IN TROUBLE (2006)
PACIFIC CENTRAL PEARLS AND EASTERN
EUROPEAN FILM COMPETITION
CONTINENTAL AIRLINES WORLD TOUR
The Bet Collector
(Kubrador)
Directed by Jeffrey Jeturian
PHILIPPINES 2006
102 minutes
Saturday, March 17
11:45 AM I Code BETC17
Sunday, March 18
9:45 PM I Code BETC18
Amelita is no ordinary working mom. For
the past 20 years, she has been making
a living as a jueteng kubrador—a bet
collector for an illegal numbers game in the
Philippines—while her husband loafs at
home. Risking imprisonment, she wanders
the urban slums in Manila, collecting
money from her regular patrons. And she
even gets caught once or twice. But corruption
plagues the government, and there is
always a ticket out of jail if you know the
right people. Despite her acquisitive career,
Amelita has a devout faith in God as well
as in numerology—everything is a sign.
In the three days leading up to All Soul’s
Day, her life seems to become increasingly
meaningful, and Amelita wants an explanation.
In THE BET COLLECTOR, director
Jeffrey Jeturian unassumingly observes
Amelita’s inherently dramatic day-to-day
life. Gina Pareño, as Amelita, provides a
skillful, inspired performance. Winning
several international awards, Jeturian’s film
brings life back to Filipino cinema. (In
Tagalog with English subtitles) —E.J.B.
Producer~Rogelio I. Rayala Screenplay~Ralston Jover
Cinematography~Roberto Yniguez Editing~Jay Halili
Music~Jerrold Tarog Principal Cast~Gina Pareño, Fonz
Deza, Nanding Josef, Johnny Manahan, Jhong Del
Rosario, Nico Antonio Print Source~MLR Films
About the Director~Born in Manila, Jeffrey Jeturian
attended the University of the Philippines where he
studied broadcast communication. Filmography~“Enter
Love” (1998), “Fetch a Pail of Water” (1999), “Larger
than Life” (2000), “Bridal Shower” (2004), “One
Moment More” (2004), “Bikini Open” (2005), THE
BET COLLECTOR (2006)
TIME WARNER CABLE AMERICAN INDIES
Big Dreams Little Tokyo
Directed by David Boyle
USA 2006
83 minutes
Tuesday, March 20
9:15 PM I Code BIGD20
Wednesday, March 21
2:00 PM I Code BIGD21
Meet Boyd Wilson, card-carrying businessman.
Boyd has almost completely assimilated
to Japanese culture: he speaks fluent
Japanese; he has mastered the use of
chopsticks; and he doesn’t squirm at the
sight of a raw fish carcass at dinner. But
Boyd doesn’t live in Japan, he lives in
California. An overeager entrepreneur, he
cycles around Japantown trying to sell his
book “The Power of Words” to anyone who
looks even remotely Asian. With few takers,
Boyd supplements his meager income by
teaching Japanese to his live-in student
Jerome, a Japanese-American aspiring to
be a sumo wrestler. Just shy of making
the weight limit for sumo school, Jerome
constantly eats and rarely moves, much
to the dismay of Boyd. When Jerome
overeats himself into the hospital, Boyd
meets Mai, a cute Japanese nurse in need
of some extra (English) lessons. As Boyd’s
dreams get bigger, cross-cultural follies
ensue. Writer/director/actor David Boyle
delivers effortless comedy in the entirely
unique BIG DREAMS LITTLE TOKYO.
(In English and Japanese with English
subtitles) —E.J.B.
Producers~Duane Anderson, Megan Boyle Screenplay~
David Boyle Cinematography~Bill Otto Editing~Duane
Anderson, Scott Hurst Music~Mark Schulz Principal
Cast~David Boyle, Jayson Watabe, Rachael Morihiro,
Pepe Serna Print Source~dominion3
About the Director~The zany incidents during his mission
trip to Sydney, Australia inspired David Boyle to
make his first feature film BIG DREAMS LITTLE TOKYO.
He is currently working on his second film.
Filmography~BIG DREAMS LITTLE TOKYO (2006)