SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL 2008 7/19 sat - 27 sun SKIP CITY Audio Visual Hall & Convention Hall (Saitama, Kawaguchi)

To protect her son from her nasty divorce, Zeina sends him to her sister's in Lebanon. A war erupts there a few days later, and Zeina must go and look for her son.

Cast:

Nada Abou Farhat
Georges Khabbaz
Rewya El Chab

Director:

Philippe Aractingi

Born 1964, Philippe Aractingi was raised in Beirut. He has worked around the world on news reports, documentaries, and feature films. He spent 12 years in France before returning to Lebanon to make Bosta, the country's first post war musical. The film was a huge success in Lebanon and all over the Arab world and released over twenty countries. It was selected as a Lebanon entry as Best Foreign Language Nominee at the 2006 Academy Award. In July 2006, as a war once again ravaged his country, he shot his second feature film Under The Bombs.

Lotti works for AIDS patients to ease their pain and suffering in Ivory Coast, Africa. Everyone agrees Lotti deserves respect, but she calls herself "egoist". This documentary captures how she got to call herself that way.

Cast:

Lotti Latrous, etc.

Director:

Stephan Anspichler

After working in tourism, Stephan Anspichler attended film school in New York and his graduation film, York Street 1929, screened at numerous film festivals. Anspichler's first feature documentary Egoiste - Lotti Latrous was one of the most successful documentary releases in Switzerland in 2007. He is currently involved in pre-production on two feature films and two feature documentaries.

16-year-old Alex has been supporting with her father since the terrible death of her mother in an isolated village, obligated to support him after the terrible death of her mother. She meets Hector who also suffers from a burden of his past.

Cast:

Déborah François
Frédéric Pierrot
Arthur Jugnot

Director:

Stéphan Carpiaux

Stéphan Carpiaux has written and directed three short films including Week-end which won the Gold Plaque Award at the Chicago International Film Festival. In 2001, he founded his own production company "Hémisphères Films" in Luxembourg. Red Ants is his first feature film.

Hidekazu and Gen are best friends who are in love with movies. They become producers and start working on a dream Hollywood project together, but they begin to have difficulties and many problems surface.

Cast:

Eugene Nomura
Tetsuya Bessho
Mai Ishikawa
Masayuki Yamada

Director:

Yoko Narahashi

Yoko Narahashi studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York, and started her directing career with the musical Hair. In 1998, she established an acting school UPS Academy. She also directed a film version of a play "The Winds of God" and won the Japan Film Critics Award for Best New Director and Special Jury Prize of the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival. Waiting for the Sun is her second film.

Rochel, a Jewish and Nasira, a Muslim are new teachers at a school in Brooklyn. As a friendship grows, they discover many things in common including arranged marriage they are both expected to go through.

Cast:

Zoe Lister Jones
Francis Benhamou
Daniel London

Director:

Stephan Schaefer

Confess, Schaefer's debut feature, premiered at the 2005 Hamptons International Film Festival, and won Best Screenwriter Award. He also served as a producer and an actor for The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela, which premiered at Berlin International Film Festival and The Higher Force, both films directed by Olaf Johannesson.

Director:

Diane Crespo

Raised in New York, Crespo directed off-off Broadway one act plays, where she met Stefan Schaefer. They went on to form a production company Cicala Filmworks, and produced documentaries for the Guggenheim Museum, the NYC Department of Education, and Round About Theatre.

Joosep has been a target of hazing. His classmate Kaspar tries to defend him, but he ends up getting bullied as well. Together they decide to stand up against their bullies.

Cast:

Lauri Pedaja
Vallo Kirs
Part Uusberg

Director:

Ilmar Raag

Born in Estonia, Ilmar Raag studied art history in Estonia, film in France, and got his Master's degree in the US. After working as a journalist in Paris and Estonia, he worked for the Estonian Television as the programmer and served as the chairman of the board. Raag serves as a representative of Estonia in the co-production foundation Eurimage of the European Council. The Class is his second feature film and screened at numerous international film festivals including Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

Simon, a police officer, loses his custody of a 6 year old son. Frustrated and desperate, he takes his son to a countryside, but the trip slowly drives Simon to the edge of his sanity.

Cast:

Kim Bodnia
Villads Milthers Fritsche
Stine Fischer Christensen

Director:

Anders Morgenthaler

Born 1972 in Denmark, Anders Morgenthaler started his career as a self-taught animator/designer at ITE (Interactive Television Entertainment), making Hugo the Troll, the world's first interactive television cartoon game. After graduating the Danish Film School, he founded TV-Animation, a cartoon company which grew to be the second-largest cartoon company in Denmark. His feature length animation Princess screened at Cannes Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival. Echo is his first live action feature film.

Sara, a passionate and independent violinist, moves to a new town and meets Gabriel, a strange boy who lives in the same building. Gabriel is introspective, but his musical talent begins to charm her.

Cast:

Javier Rios
Antonio Dechent
Silvia Abascal

Director:

Jose Enrique March

Jose Enrique March was born 1974 in Valencia. After graduating at CEU San Pablo University, he began working in TV, radio and newspaper as a journalist and cinema critic. Later, he founded Somnia Ars where he produced and directed several short films and music videos. In 2004, La estancia (The stay), a low budget and experimental video film for TV participated in festivals from all over the world.

A fifty year old man is left with a two year old Lino after his girlfriend Emily dies. Lino calls him Dad and he tries to play along while he searches for Lino's family.

Cast:

Jean Louis Milesi
Lino Milesi
Aurelie Verillon

Director:

Jean Louis Milesi

Jean-Louis Milesi co-wrote several films by Robert Guédiguian including Where the Heart Is, Marius and Jeannette, and The Town Is Quiet. His directorial debut Nag la bombe and Camille des Lilas et les voleurs d'enfants were both released in France.

People call him the Holy Go and playing Go is the only thing Liu loves and is good at. His wife wants a divorce, but to his surprise, his son chooses to stay with him.

Cast:

Sun Song
Wang Cheng-yang
Meng Hai-yan

Director:

Zhou Wei

Born 1973, Wei graduated from China Central Academy Of Theatre. He started working in the industry as Zhang Yimou's staff and served as an assistant director for Hero and Happy Time. His other production credits include Kill Bill and Jade Goddess and he has directed TV series and commercials.

Lodos returns home to Istanbul. A TV-addict father, cats adoring mother, and his brother who dutifully went into their family business look like a peaceful family, but they are driven to the edge when an incident happens.

Cast:

Suna Selen
Fatih Haciosmanoglu
Ali Savasci

Director:

Fatih Haciosmanoglu

Born in Instanbul, Fatih Haciosmanoğlu studied Drama and Filmmaking at Dominican University in Chicago. He also studied improvisation at the legendary Second City Theater in Chicago and attended Film workshops at The Chicago Film Co-op.