2012 | Kashmir / USA | 82 min.

Writer & Director Musa Syeed
Producer Nicholas Bruckman
Editors Musa Syeed, Ray Hubley, Mary Manhardt
Cinematographer Yoni Brook
Music Mubashir Mohi-ud-Din
Cast Gulzar Bhat, Neelofar Hamid, Afzal Sofi

ABOUT THE FILM:
Winner of the World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance 2012.

Widely considered to be the crown jewel of Kashmir, Dal Lake is a sprawling aquatic community where erupting political violence often distracts from the natural beauty. Gulzar, a young, working-class boatman, plans to skip town with his best friend in search of a better life, but a weeklong military curfew derails their departure. Forced to wait it out, Gulzar takes a job assisting a pretty scientist named Asifa. As they navigate the floating landscape, collecting water samples for an environmental study, an unlikely relationship blossoms between the two. When Asifa's research reveals harmful pollutants, Gulzar realizes that the ecology of the lake and an entire way of life face an alarming threat, and everything in his own life begins to take on a new hue.

Lush cinematography heightens the region’s visual splendor in this enlightening feature debut from Musa Syeed. Intricately weaving contemporary issues with traditional culture and ancient myths, VALLEY OF SAINTS is a vibrant, lyrical film about finding one's path home in a changing world.

FESTIVALS
Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Audience Award, Alfred P. Sloan Prize), International Film Festival Rotterdam, Ashland Independent Film Festival (Grand Jury Award)

EXHIBITION FORMATS
HDCAM, Blu-Ray

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WEBSITE:
valleyofsaints.com

2011 | Iran / Germany | 102 min.

Director Negar Azarbayjani
Writers Negar Azarbayjani, Fereshteh Taerpour
Producer Fereshteh Taerpour
Executive Producer Fereshteh Taerpour
Co-Producers Ghazal Shakeri, Negar Azarbayjani, Naji Honar
Editors Sepideh Abdolvahab, Negar Azarbayjani
Cinematographer Tooraj Mansoori
Production Designer Fereshteh Taerpour
Sound Mehran Malakooti
Music Fardin Khalatbari
Cast Shayesteh Irani, Ghazal Shakeri, Homayoon Ershadi, Nima Shahrokh Shahi, Maryam Boobani

ABOUT THE FILM:
Set in contempoary Iran, FACING MIRRORS is a story of an unlikely and daring friendship that develops despite social norms and religious beliefs. Although Rana is a traditional wife and mother, she is forced to drive a cab to pay off the debt that keeps her husband in prison. By chance she picks up the wealthy and rebellious Edi, who is desperately awaiting a passport to leave the country. At first Rana attempts to help, but when she realizes that Edi is transgender, a dangerous series of conflicts arises. Directed by Negar Azarbayjani, FACING MIRRORS is the first narrative film from Iran to feature a transgender main character.

FESTIVALS
2011 Montreal World Film Festival (Jury Award for Best Film), 2012 Washington DC International Film Festival, Frameline: San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival

EXHIBITION FORMATS
35mm, BetaSP (PAL), Blu-Ray, DVD

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WEBSITE:
Facebook Page

2012 | USA / France | 93 min.

Writer & Director Matthew Mishory
Producers Edward Singletary, Jr., Randall Walk, Robert Zimmer, Jr.
Editor Chris Kirkpatrick
Cinematographer Michael Marius Pessah
Production Designer Samuel Perone
Sound Borja Sau Razquin, Scott Kramer
Music Arban & Steven Severin
Cast James Preston, Dan Glenn, Dalilah Rain, Edward Singletary, Jr., Erin Daniels, Robert Gant

ABOUT THE FILM:
Joshua Tree, 1951 is a fearless, intimate portrait of James Dean on the cusp of becoming both a great actor and an outsider icon. Set in the early 1950s and focusing on Dean's experiences as a rising star in Los Angeles, the film's surreal and dreamlike vignettes blend biographical and fictionalized elements to present pivotal moments in his short yet remarkable life.

FESTIVALS
2012 Seattle International Film Festival (World Premiere)

EXHIBITION FORMATS
HDCAM, Blu-Ray

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WEBSITE:
joshuatree1951.com