New films from SXSW 2017, Berlinale and Slamdance: The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin, Signature Move, Small Talk, Supergirl

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New films from SXSW, Berlinale and Slamdance
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin • Signature Move • Small Talk • Supergirl


	Dear Programmers: The Film Collaborative is once again pleased and proud to announce recent pick-ups out of SXSW, Berlin, and Slandance. From SXSW comes THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN, a surprising doc about the famed author of Tales of The City. Also from SXSW comes SIGNATURE MOVE, a multicultural queer comedy about family, love, and wrestling. From the Berlinale comes SMALL TALK, the Teddy Award winner for Best Documentary at the Festival. And finally, SUPERGIRL, just your average documentary about a nine-year-old Orthodox jewish girl champion power lifter. If you would like screener links, you may request them at festivals@thefilmcollaborative.org. If you are ready to go ahead and book one or more of the films, please do so using our new Online Booking Tool. All best, Jeffrey Winter Co-Exectutive Director, The Film Collaborative


	2017 \| USA \| 91 min. Director Jennifer M. Kroot Producers Gerry Kim, Mayuran Tiruchelvam Editor Bill Weber Cinematographer Shane King Sound Lora Hirschberg Music Michael Hearst animation Grant Nellessen		THE UNTOLD TALES OF Armistead Maupin ABOUT THE FILM: ARMISTEAD MAUPIN examines the life and work of one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, following his evolution from a conservative son of the Old South into a gay rights pioneer whose novels have inspired millions to claim their own truth. Jennifer Kroot’s documentary about the creator of Tales Of The City moves nimbly between playful and poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. With help from his friends (including Neil Gaiman, Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen and Amy Tan), Maupin offers a disarmingly frank look at the journey that took him from the jungles of Vietnam to the bathhouses of 70’s San Francisco to the front line of the American culture war. FESTIVALS 2017: SXSW (World Premiere) FESTIVAL TERRITORIES The World EXHIBITION FORMATS DCP, Blu-Ray, DVD MORE INFO: armisteadfilm.com Email us for screeners or streaming links.

Armistead Maupin SXSW Screenings
	Date	Time	Venue
World Premiere	Sat. Mar. 11, 2017	12:15pm	ALAMO LAMAR B
	Mon. Mar. 13, 2017	11:30am	ALAMO LAMAR C
	Wed. Mar. 15, 2017	8:00pm	ALAMO LAMAR B


	2017 \| USA \| 82 min. Director Jennifer Reeder Writers Fawzia Mirza, Lisa Donato Producers Brian Hieggelke, Fawzia Mirza, Eugene Sun Park, Hugh Schulze Executive Producers Michael Shannon, Nabeela Rasheed, Jan Hieggelke Editor Felix Pineiro Cinematographer Christopher Rejano Production Designer Amanda Brinton Costume Designer Kate Grube Sound John Wong Music Carlos Villalobos, Jr. Cast Fawzia Mirza, Shabana Azmi, Sari Sanchez, Audrey Francis, Charin Alvarez, Mark Hood, Molly Brennan		Signature Move ABOUT THE FILM: SIGNATURE MOVE is a comedic and heartfelt look at modern families and the complexities of love in its many forms. Zaynab (Fawzia Mirza) is a Pakistani, Muslim lawyer living in Chicago who begins a new romance with Alma (Sari Sanchez), a confident Mexican-American woman. Zaynab’s recently widowed mother Parveen (Shabana Azmi) has moved in and spends her days watching Pakistani TV dramas while searching for a potential husband for her only daughter. Alma’s mother is a former professional Luchadora, which Zaynab finds fascinating, as she has recently taken up lucha-style wrestling with a former pro wrestler. Zaynab tries to keep her secrets from her mother, who knows more than she lets on. FESTIVALS 2017: SXSW (World Premiere) FESTIVAL TERRITORIES The World EXHIBITION FORMATS DCP, Blu-Ray, DVD MORE INFO: signaturemovemovie.com Email us for screeners or streaming links.

Signature Move SXSW Screenings
	Date	Time	Venue
World Premiere	Sat. Mar. 11, 2017	1:00pm	ALAMO LAMAR E
	Mon. Mar. 13, 2017	6:45pm	STATESIDE
	Fri. Mar. 17, 2017	5:30pm	ALAMO LAMAR C


	2016 \| Taiwan \| 88 min. Director Hui-chen Huang Producer Diana Chiawen Lee Executive Producer Hsiao-Hsien Hou Editor Jessica WanYu Lin Cinematographer Che Lin		Small Talk ABOUT THE FILM: Anu is a tomboy. Married off at a young age—as was customary in Taiwan in the 1970s—and had two children, Anu soon divorced her violent husband and raised her daughtersalone. Since then her only romantic relationships have been with women whom, like her, earn a living as professional mourners at funerals. It’s considered taboo in Taiwanese culture to question a mother’s love, but that’s exactly the topic of her daughter, Hui-chen Huang’s intimate portrait. Mother and daughter setoff on a journey together into the past, during which Hui-chen confronts Anu with questions that have tormented Hui-chen for many years. In a series of long shots the two women discuss loneliness, trust, and abuse, yet most of these discussions end in painful silence. Shifting focus in order to plumb the depths oftheir relationship, Hui-chen attempts to understand her mother by also talking to her mother’s siblings and ex-lovers. In doing so she paints a picture of the changing lives andconditions for three generations of women in Taiwan. FESTIVALS 2017: Golden Horse Film Festival (World Premiere), Berlinale (International Premiere) AWARDS Teddy Award, Best Documentary (Berlinale), Nominated for Golden Horse Award for Best Documentary and for Best Editing (Golden Horse Film Festival) FESTIVAL TERRITORIES The World, excluding North and South East Asia EXHIBITION FORMATS DCP, Blu-Ray, DVD MORE INFO: Wikipedia Page Email us for screeners or streaming links.


	2016 \| USA \| 80 min. Director Jessie Auritt Producers Jessie Auritt, Carmen Delaney, Justin Levy Co-Producer Justin Levy Editors Jessie Auritt, Erik Dugger Cinematographer Carmen Delaney Music Eliot Krimsky, Derek Neivergelt		Supergirl ABOUT THE FILM: In the testosterone-fueled sport of powerlifting, the last person one expects to see is a slight, 95-pound, nine-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl. Since she began competitively lifting at the age of eight, under the coaching of her father, Naomi “Supergirl” Kutin has consistently shocked spectators and lifters alike, lifting nearly three times her bodyweight and breaking one record after another. Nicknamed “Supergirl” by her parents, she has become an international media sensation, appearing on multiple television shows and amassing thousands of fans on social media. SUPERGIRL follows Naomi as she prepares for two major life events—her Bat Mitzvah, the symbolic entrance to womanhood in Jewish tradition, and the biggest powerlifting competition of her life, where she is attempting to break a new world record in the 97 pound weight class. Along with the universal struggles of adolescence, Naomi must deal with strict religious traditions, cyberbullying, and health issues. Things take a sudden turn for the worse after a contest, leaving Naomi’s future in powerlifting unknown and her identity thrown into crisis. Can she still be “Supergirl” if she can no longer break world records? Shot over the course of three years, SUPERGIRL follows Naomi as she comes of age and confronts these challenges. As she grows up, her idea of what it means to be “Supergirl” changes and she begins to take ownership of her identity. She learns to find fulfillment by meeting her own goals, instead of measuring herself against the expectations of others. Ultimately, she learns to accept herself and discovers that her she is as strong inside as she is outside. SUPERGIRL is not only a coming of age story or a sports film, nor is it solely about religion or women’s empowerment. It is a combination of all of these elements, which makes it dynamic, nuanced and compelling. At its core, SUPERGIRL is a film about growing up and finding your identity. It tells a modern coming of age story about figuring out who you are amidst the pressures of today’s society. The film is about contemporary families and tells a new kind of American story. It’s about embracing your strengths and your differences and holding fast to your beliefs—even in the face of adversity. FESTIVALS 2016: Hamptons International (World Premiere), DOCNYC; 2017: Slamdance FESTIVAL TERRITORIES The World EXHIBITION FORMATS DCP, Blu-Ray, DVD MORE INFO: supergirldoc.com Email us for screeners or streaming links.

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