FEATURE FILMS
ELIÁN
On Thanksgiving in 1999 two fishermen on the Florida Straits found a young Cuban boy, Elián González, floating alone in an inner tube. Their discovery evolved into a custody battle between Elián’s Cuban father and his Miami-located relatives that captured the world’s attention and brought the conflict between Cuba and the U.S. to the forefront. Eighteen years later a now grown-up Elián Gonzalez tells his own side of the story. Directed by Tim Golden, Ross McDonnell. In English, Spanish with subtitles.
Nobody’s Watching (Nadie Nos Mira) (Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, USA, Spain)
World premiering at the festival Nobody’s Watching tells the story of Nico, a successful soap opera actor in his native Argentina who gives up a successful career in his homeland for a chance to make it in New York City. Yet, after arriving in the big apple, Nico finds himself staying afloat with odd jobs from bartending to babysitting. In a moving depiction of the vibrant city, Nobody’s Watching questions who is watching and how we adjust ourselves accordingly. Directed by Julia Solomonoff and written by Julia Solomonoff and Christina Lazaridi, starring Guillermo Pfening, Rafael Ferro, Paola Baldion, Elena Roger, Cristina Morrison, Kerri Sohn, Marco Antonio Caponi. In English, Spanish with subtitles.
Sambá (Dominican Republic)
Directed by Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas, and written by Ettore D’Alessandro and Carolina Encarnacion. Sambá is also making its world premiere at this year’s festival. After spending 15 years in an American jail, Cisco has returned to the Dominican Republic yet is unable to get a job, a problem compounded by his mother’s ailing health and his younger brother’s delinquent habits. To make money, he’s resorted to illegal street fighting. But Cisco finds a possible salvation in Nichi, an Italian ex-boxer who sees dollar signs in Cisco’s gritty fighting skills. Sambá stars Algenis Pérez Soto, Ettore D’Alessandro, Laura Gómez, Ricardo A. Toribio. In Spanish with subtitles.
A River Below (Colombia, USA)
Deep in the Amazon, a renowned marine biologist and a reality TV star are each working to save the indigenous pink river dolphin from being hunted to extinction. When a scandal erupts, ethical questions are raised as murky as the waters of the Amazon River. Mark Grieco’s (Marmato) surprising documentary digs into the ethics of activism in the modern media age. In English, Portuguese, Spanish with subtitles and will have a special Earth Day Screening