2008 film lineup

Directed by Mary Stuart Masterson, this quirky, small town, ensemble drama explores the lives of two interconnected families coming to terms with love in the face of loss. The Kimbrough family is a normally odd bunch; Easy (Bruce Dern), the patriarch and local butcher, is grieving over the recent loss of his wife, Ceci, while hiding a secret ongoing affair for years; Beagle, his youngest son who was left to care for his ailing mother, works in the local high school cafeteria by day but has a burning passion inside that manifests itself through painting street signs; and the eldest son, Guy (Jayce Bartok), has been away from the family for years while pursuing his rock star dreams. Upon Guy's return home, relationships between the characters begin to unravel; Beagle's pent up emotions connect with Georgia Kaminski (Kristen Stewart), a terminally ill teenage girl wanting to experience love before it's too late; Easy's long time affair with Marg (Elizabeth Ashley), Georgia's eccentric grandmother, is finally exposed to the Kimbrough children. Through it all, The Kimbroughs and Kaminski's manage to establish a new beginning in the face of their greatest fears. (Mary Stuart Masterson, USA, 95 min.)

Directed by Craig Saavedra, Sherman’s Way starts with two strangers forced into a road trip of convenience only to veer off the path into a quirky exploration of friendship, fatherhood and the annoying task of finding one’s place in the world – a world in which one wrong turn can change your destination. The discord begins when Sherman, (Michael Shulman) a young, uptight Ivy-Leaguer, finds himself stranded on the West Coast with an eccentric stranger and washed-up, middle-aged former athlete Palmer (James Le Gros) in an attempt to make it down to Beverly Hills in time for career-making internship at a prestigious law firm. The two couldn't be more incompatible. Palmer is a reckless charmer with a zest for life; Sherman is an arrogant snob with a sense of entitlement. The only thing this odd couple seems to share is the refusal to accept responsibility for their lives. Winner of the Audience Favorite Choice Award for Best Feature at the Cinequest San Jose Film Festival 2008 (Craig Saavedra, USA, 96 min.)

Directed by Mark Stouffer, a notorious diamond thief and two accomplices are mistreating a dog when 12 year-old Owen intervenes to give the animal a drink. The dog escapes into the forest. Owen finds the dog and they hide in his secret fort, ingeniously fortified with booby traps. Bravely, his fort is built where the feared Madman of the Mountain is said to live. Desperate to retrieve their $5 million in stolen jewels stashed on the dog, the thugs catch up with Owen, and a terrific battle ensues. Can one kid with a tricked-out fort protect an animal from three determined thieves? And is the legendary Madman of the Mountain real? Kids of all ages will delight in the fast-paced action and comedy this heart-warming tale delivers. (Mark Stouffer, USA, 108 min.)

Directed by Russian filmmaker Saida Medvedeva, water is the most common substance on earth. It is with us every moment of everyday, but do we know the secrets of this amazing element? From agriculture, to factories and hydropower, we put water to work in a million different ways every day. And yet water acts outside all known physical laws of nature. At a time of global climate change, understanding the mysteries of water is critical. This film unveils enlightened information and new scientific discoveries that create new possibilities for water’s use in every field of endeavor. Water is distributed by Intention Media, a new company led by filmmaker Betsy Chasse (co-creator of the hit film What the Bleep Do We Know?!). (Saida Medvedeva, Russia, 87 min.)

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. America is addicted to oil and it is time for an intervention. Enter Josh Tickell, a man with a plan and a Veggie Van, who is taking on big oil, big government, and big soy to find solutions in places few people have looked. The film tells the story of biodiesel, an alternative fuel for diesel engines. Made from vegetable oil, it is non-toxic, has low carbon dioxide emissions and can ultimately replace all liquid fuels used in the United States, thus freeing America's dependence on oil needed for gasoline. Interviews with Laurie David, Larry David, Larry Hagman, Woody Harrelson, Jack Johnson, Willie Nelson, Julia Roberts, Neil Young, and many others. (Josh Tickell, USA, 90 min.)

Sacred Water is a multifaceted exploration of our most precious resource as we emerge into an era where humanity's survival heavily relies on us collectively deepening our relationship toward one another. Water may serve to conduct the spiritual renaissance of our global culture; or serve, through lack, as an agent of its demise; or in some mysterious way, both. Corwin Bell's vision is raw and polished, precisely engineered and responsive to organic process, encourages passive observation and focused activism. In a beautifully articulated manner, the tension between the abundance of water in our experience and the ever-present fragility of our dependence upon it is exposed as the potential mid-wife of our collective rebirth. (Corwin Bell, Boulder, CO, 18 min.)

Blaire Farrow has grown tired of her job as a client liaison for a wish granting foundation. She and her co-worker Jimmy bicker every day, and she hasn't had a date in what feels like centuries. When Blaire decides to take in a handsome amnesiac, she thinks she's found everything she's ever wanted. But are there strings attached? AFI's Directing Workshop for Women presents a new take on an old tale about the search for love, the pain of longing, and the surprising power of a wish. (Michelle Steffes, USA, 19 min.)

In FIVE WISHES you never know when it is going to happen -- when you will experience a moment that dramatically transforms your life. When you look back, often years later, you may see how a brief conversation or an insight you read in a book changed the entire course of your life. Gay Hendricks had an extraordinary, life-altering experience during a conversation at a party. The gift he received in that meeting became his touchstone for creating the life of his dreams. Now, he passes on to all of us the pivotal insight he gained in that magic moment. (Michael Goorjian, USA, 19 min.)