The night kicks off at 6pm in our Party Pavilion with tastes from some of the best restaurants in town, great entertainment and some special silent auction items.
At 7:30, we all head over to the theatre where the Phoenix Film Festival will present its 2015Visionary Award. Past Visionary Award recipients include Dan Harkins, Bob Oldfather from Bookmans and Dr. Sydney Shapiro.
Following the presentation of the Visionary Award, we will begin our Opening Night Film, "Danny Collins". Read on to learn more about the film....
Danny Collins
Directed by: Dan Fogelman
Run Time: 106 minutes
Cast: Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Garner, Bobby Cannavale
Synopsis:
Inspired by a true story, Al Pacino stars as aging 1970s rocker Danny Collins, who can't give up his hard-living ways. But when his manager (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40 year-old undelivered letter written to him by John Lennon, he decides to change course and embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family, find true love and begin a second act.
Havana Curveball
Directed by: Ken Schneider & Marcia Jarmal
Run Time: 1:05
Cast: Mica Jarmel-Schneider, Jaden Jarmel-Schneider, Herb Schneider
Synopsis: Mica is a classic young teen. Enthusiastic. Idealistic. Dreaming baseball. At 13, he is studying for his Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish coming of age rite. And earnest kid, he took to heart his Rabbi's requirement to help “heal the world.” Imagining himself a savior of sorts, he launches a grand plan to send baseballs to Cuba, a country with a mysterious pull. He knows only that Cubans are poor and love baseball – and that Cuba saved his grandpa's life. On a hunch, his award-winning filmmaker parents pick up their camera. They know the U.S. Embargo with Cuba will throw him a curveball.
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Going Bongo
Directed By: Dean Mathew Ronalds
Running Time: 90 min
Cast: Ernest Napoleon, Emanuela Galliussi, Ashley Olds
Synopsis: A newly recruited American doctor "mistakenly" volunteers to work in Africa for a month.
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Additional Screenings:
Saturday March, 28th at 11:25am
Where Hope Grows
Directed By: Chris Dowing
Running Time: 97 min
Cast: Kerr Smith, Kristoffer Polaha, Danica McKeller, Alan Powell
Synopsis: A self-destructive former pro ball player is given a serious lesson in living life with courage when he befriends a grocery store clerk with Down syndrome.
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Trailer
Additional Screenings:
Sunday March, 29 at 3:40pm
The Business of Recovery
Directed by: Adam Finberg
Run Time: 85 minutes
Synopsis: As drug and alcohol addictions skyrocket, The Business of Recovery examines the untold billions that are being made off of families in crisis. With little regulation or science, the treatment industry has become a cash cow business that continues to grow while deaths pile up. Through unique access to internationally recognized treatment facilities, as well as emotional stories of addicts and their families, the film reveals how the treatment industry in the United States preys on addicts with little more than promises of hope and a huge bill.
Be among the first in the country to see this special screening of "The Business of Recovery"
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Monkey Kingdom
Directed by: Mark Linfield, Alastair Fothergill
Running time: 78min
Synopsis:
Life is an adventure for Maya, the clever and resourceful blonde-bobbed monkey in “Monkey Kingdom,” Disneynature’s new film set among ancient ruins in the storied jungles of South Asia. Maya’s world is forever changed when she welcomes son Kip into her complicated extended family. Like all families, Maya’s has more than its share of colorful personalities—and she’s determined to give her son a leg up in the world. When their longtime home at Castle Rock is taken over by powerful neighboring monkeys, Maya's family relocates, and she uses her street smarts and ingenuity to lead them to untapped resources amidst strange new creatures and unsettling surroundings. Ultimately, they will have to work together to reclaim Castle Rock, where Maya can hopefully realize her dreams for her son’s future. Directed by Mark Linfield (“Chimpanzee,” “Earth”) and co-directed by Alastair Fothergill (“Chimpanzee,” “Bears”) with music from award-winning composer Harry Gregson-Williams, “Monkey Kingdom” swings into theaters April 17, 2015.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Directed by: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Run Time: 105 Minutes
Cast: Connie Britton, Nick Offerman, Jon Bernthal, Thomas Mann and Olivia Cooke
Synopsis: Winner of the 2015 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL is the story of Greg Gaines played by Thomas Mann, an awkward high school senior whose mom forces him to spend time with Rachel - a girl in his class (Olivia Cooke) whom he hasn't spoken to since kindergarten - who was just diagnosed with cancer.
Tangerines
Directed by Zaza Urushadze
Runtime: 90 Minutes
Cast: Lembit Ulfsak, Elmo Nuganen, Mikhail Meskhi, Giorgi Nakashidze, Raivo Trass, and Zurab Bealishvili
Synopsis: “Tangerines” is a story of awakening humanity in the midst of violence, told with intimacy and elegance by writer/director Zaza Urushadze. Nominated for an Academy Award® as well as a Golden Globe Award® for Best Foreign Language Film in 2015, “Tangerines” is the spare, yet haunting tale of an older Estonian man who cares for two wounded soldiers from opposite sides of the 1990s-era war in Georgia. The film reveals compassion to be the ultimate response to centuries of political, cultural and ethnic conflict, a compelling and relevant message for contemporary audiences
Kill Me Three Times
Directed by: Kriv Stenders
Run Time: 1:30:00
Cast: Teresa Palmer, Simon Pegg, Sullivan Stapleton
Synopsis: A darkly comedic thriller from rising star director Kriv Stenders (Red Dog). Simon Pegg plays the mercurial assassin, Charlie Wolfe, who discovers he isn’t the only person trying to kill the siren of a sun-drenched surfing town. Charlie quickly finds himself at the center of three tales of murder mayhem, blackmail, and revenge.
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Additional Screenings:
Wednesday April 1st at 9:10-10:40PM
Sunshine Superman
Directed by: Marah Strauch
Run Time: 1:40
Cast: Cecilie Bull, Marah Strauch, John Long
Synopsis: A heart-racing documentary portrait of Carl Boenish, the father of the BASE jumping movement, whose early passion for skydiving led him to ever more spectacular -and dangerous- feats of foot-launched human flight.
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Additional Screening:
Monday, March 30 at 5:10pm
Where Hope Grows
Directed By: Chris Dowing
Running Time: 97 min
Cast: Kerr Smith, Kristoffer Polaha, Danica McKeller, Alan Powell
Synopsis: A self-destructive former pro ball player is given a serious lesson in living life with courage when he befriends a grocery store clerk with Down syndrome.
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Website
Trailer
Additional Screenings:
Friday March, 27 at 4:45pm
Miss India America
Directed by: Ravi Kapoor
Run Time: 95 Minutes
Cast: Tiya Sircar, Hannah Simone, Kosha Patel, Meera Simhan, Bernard White, Kunal Sharma
Synopsis: Lily is graduating from her Orange County high school at the top of her class. And she has a plan, "The Lily Plan”. She will become a brain surgeon like her father. Her boyfriend Karim will become a petroleum engineer. They’ll get married. Have kids. Live happily ever after. But the plan is thrown into confusion when Karim becomes smitten by and runs off with the reigning Miss India National beauty queen. Not happy about losing at anything, Lily decides that she herself must become the new Miss India National! But Lily will discover you’re not always a winner when you win, and there may be more to learn when you lose.
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Sleeping With Other People
Directed by: Leslye Headland
Run Time: 95 Minutes
Cast: Allison Bree, Adam Scott, Amanda Peet, Jason Sudeikis
Synopsis: Years after impulsively losing their virginity to each other in college, Lainey (Alison Brie) and Jake (Jason Sudeikis) meet at a support group in New York (“What’s a nice girl like you doing at a sex addicts meeting?”). A spark resurfaces, but they’ve walked this road before. Abject failures in romance who lead lives of serial infidelity and self-sabotage, they agree to a platonic friendship to mutually support their recovery—and what’s more supportive than teaching your friend proper self-stimulation? Can love bloom while you’re sleeping with other people?
X+Y
Directed by: Morgan Matthews
Run Time: 1:40
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Rafe Spall, Sally Hawkins
Synopsis: Preferring to hide in the safety of his own private world, Nathan struggles to connect with people, often pushing away those who want to be closest to him, including his mother, Julie. Without the ability to understand love or affection, Nathan finds the comfort and security he needs in numbers and mathematics.
Mentored by his unconventional and anarchic teacher, Mr Humphreys, it becomes clear that Nathan's talents are enough to win him a place on the British team competing at the highly revered International Mathematics Olympiad. Being part of a team and one which has a real chance of winning seems like it could change Nathan's life forever.
But when the team go to train in Taiwan, Nathan is faced with a multitude of unexpected challenges, not least the new and unfamiliar feelings he begins to experience for one of the Taiwanese competitors, the beautiful Zhang Mei.
From England to Taipei and back again, this inspiring and life-affirming story follows the unconventional and hilarious relationship between student and teacher, whose roles are often reversed, and the unfathomable experience of first love - when you don't even understand what love is.
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Trailer
Additional Screening:
Wednesday, April 1st at 5:00pm
Sunshine Superman
Directed by: Marah Strauch
Run Time: 1:40
Cast: Cecilie Bull, Marah Strauch, John Long
Synopsis: A heart-racing documentary portrait of Carl Boenish, the father of the BASE jumping movement, whose early passion for skydiving led him to ever more spectacular -and dangerous- feats of foot-launched human flight.
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Official Site
Additional Screening:
Sunday March 29 at 11:40am
The Squid and the Whale
Directed by: Noah Baumbach
Run Time: 1:25
Cast: Owen Kline, Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney
Synopsis: Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.
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F(l)ag Football
Run time: 99min
Directed by: Seth Greenleaf
F(l)ag Football follows 3 teams from New York, Los Angeles, and Phoenix as they join 27 other teams from around the country descending on Arizona for the National Gay Flag Football Championship. The Gay Bowl. They train hard, play harder, break stereotypes, and redefine masculinity in their own unique way. Only one team can win, but everyone can be fabulous.
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Directed by: Andrew Bujalski
Running Time: 1:05
Recently divorced, newly rich, and utterly miserable, Danny (Kevin Corrigan) would seem to be the perfect test subject for a definitive look at the relationship between money and happiness. Danny’s well-funded ennui is interrupted by a momentous trip to the local gym, where he meets self-styled guru/owner Trevor (Guy Pearce) and irresistibly acerbic trainer Kat (Cobie Smulders). Soon, their three lives are inextricably knotted, both professionally and personally.
Makin’ Wookiee
Directed by: Heidi Burkey, Tim Larson
Run Time: 1:20
Synopsis: It’s tough being a kid. Especially when you’re a wookiee with two left feet and a changing voice. But not so long ago, in a city not too far away, kids from all walks of life struggled to audition, rehearse and perform their own live musical parody of STAR WARS, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.
MAKIN' WOOKIEE is a comedic, slice of life documentary filmed in Orange County, California. In the film we follow a group of aspiring adolescent actors as they perform a musical parody of STAR WARS. Our story is really about that moment in every tween's life when you have no idea who you are, what you're doing and everything is awkward. Now add a dash of singing, unrequited crushes and repeat. The film is shot in a traditional, nonfiction follow style, with interviews from the characters and ends with a live stage performance.
White God
Directed by: Kornél Mundruczó
Run Time: 120 minutes
Cast: Zsófia Psotta, Sándor Zsótér, Lili Horváth
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Lili fights to protect her dog Hagen. She is devastated when her father eventually sets Hagen free on the streets. Still innocently believing love can conquer any difficulty, Lili sets out to find her dog and save him.
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Additional Screenings
Wednesday, April 1st 9:00 PM
Kicking and Screaming
Directed by: Noah Baumbach
Run Time: 1:20
Cast: Josh Hamilton, Eric Stoltz, Samuel Gould
Synopsis: After college graduation, Grover's girlfriend Jane tells him she's moving to Prague to study writing. Grover declines to accompany her, deciding instead to move in with several friends, all of whom can't quite work up the inertia to escape their university's pull. Nobody wants to make any big decisions that would radically alter his life, yet none of them wants to end up like Chet, the professional student who tends bar and is in his tenth year of university studies.
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Car Dogs
Directed by: Adam Collis
Running time: 105 min
Cast: Patrick J.Adams, Nia Vardalos, Octavia Spencer, Cory Hardrict, George Lopez
Synopsis: Produced and directed by ASU film professor, Adam Collis and written by Scottsdale native and ASU alum, Mark King, Car Dogs tells the story of auto dealership manager, Mark Chamberlain, who has to sell 35 cars to get his own dealership - and finally out from underneath the thumb of his sadistic father. The question is if Mark is willing to cheat his customers, betray his sales team, and neglect his family all for the blind pursuit of profits. A tough as nails film about the challenges of working in a dog eat dog environment, Car Dogs is also a fun look behind the curtain into the world of car salesmen and their shady tricks.
Car Dogs was made as a part of Arizona State University's Film*Spark Feature Film Internship Program, which gave 85 ASU student interns and 15 recent alums the chance to learn filmmaking by working side by side on a feature film set with a professional Hollywood cast and crew, including Oscar winners Octavia Spencer and David Stump (Cinematographer), Oscar nominee Nia Vardalos and superstar comedian George Lopez.
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Slow West
Directed by: John Maclean
Run Time: 85 Minutes
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Mendelsohn
Synopsis: At the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas (Michael Fassbender), a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way.
Best of Enemies
Directed by: Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville
Run Time: 1:30
Cast: John Lithgow, Kelsey Grammar, Dick Cavett
Synopsis: 'Best of Enemies' is a documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, 'What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?'
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Official Site
Aditional Screenings
Thursday, April 2nd 5:00 PM
X+Y
Directed by: Morgan Matthews
Run Time: 1:40
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Rafe Spall, Sally Hawkins
Synopsis: Preferring to hide in the safety of his own private world, Nathan struggles to connect with people, often pushing away those who want to be closest to him, including his mother, Julie. Without the ability to understand love or affection, Nathan finds the comfort and security he needs in numbers and mathematics.
Mentored by his unconventional and anarchic teacher, Mr Humphreys, it becomes clear that Nathan's talents are enough to win him a place on the British team competing at the highly revered International Mathematics Olympiad. Being part of a team and one which has a real chance of winning seems like it could change Nathan's life forever.
But when the team go to train in Taiwan, Nathan is faced with a multitude of unexpected challenges, not least the new and unfamiliar feelings he begins to experience for one of the Taiwanese competitors, the beautiful Zhang Mei.
From England to Taipei and back again, this inspiring and life-affirming story follows the unconventional and hilarious relationship between student and teacher, whose roles are often reversed, and the unfathomable experience of first love - when you don't even understand what love is.
Additional Screening:Havana Curveball
Directed by: Ken Schneider & Marcia Jarmal
Run Time: 1:05
Cast: Mica Jarmel-Schneider, Jaden Jarmel-Schneider, Herb Schneider
Synopsis: Mica is a classic young teen. Enthusiastic. Idealistic. Dreaming baseball. At 13, he is studying for his Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish coming of age rite. And earnest kid, he took to heart his Rabbi's requirement to help “heal the world.” Imagining himself a savior of sorts, he launches a grand plan to send baseballs to Cuba, a country with a mysterious pull. He knows only that Cubans are poor and love baseball – and that Cuba saved his grandpa's life. On a hunch, his award-winning filmmaker parents pick up their camera. They know the U.S. Embargo with Cuba will throw him a curveball.
Facebook
Twitter
Official Site
Trailer
Outlander presented by Starz
Run time: 60min
Directed by: Richard Clark
Cast: Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies, Gary Lewis, Graham McTavish, Duncan Lacroix and Lotte Verbeek.
Synopsis: Based on the international best-selling novels by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander follows Claire Randall, a married WWII combat nurse who falls back in time to 1743. As the season continues, Claire and Jamie’s relationship is tested. Ruthless redcoats, volatile clan politics and a merciless witch trial force the couple to escape to a new home, only to be drawn back into Captain Randall’s darkness. Ultimately, Claire will struggle to save Jamie’s heart, as well as his soul.
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Frances Ha
Directed by: Noah Baumbach
Run Time: 1:30
Cast: Greta Gerwig Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver
Synopsis: Frances lives in New York, but she doesn't really have an apartment. Frances is an apprentice for a dance company, but she's not really a dancer. Frances has a best friend named Sophie, but they aren't really speaking anymore. Frances throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles. Frances wants so much more than she has but lives her life with unaccountable joy and lightness.
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Desert Dancer
Run time: 105 Minutes
Directed by: Richard Raymond;
Cast: Freida Pinto, Reece Ritchie, Tom Cullen, Nazanin Boniadi, Makram J. Khoury.
Synopsis: “Desert Dancer” follows the true, inspiring story of a brave Iranian dancer, Afshin Ghaffarian. Set in Tehran during the volatile climate of the 2009 presidential election and the start of the “Green Movement,” Afshin and a group of dancers risk their lives and form an underground dance company. With what little access to the Internet they had, the group discovers music and dance videos that were banned from viewing in their country. The group learns various forms, techniques and styles of dance from timeless legends like Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev. Inspired by these newfound heroes, they stage their own performances and uncover a passion for dance and one another.
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Kill Me Three Times
Directed by: Kriv Stenders
Run Time: 1:30
Cast: Teresa Palmer, Simon Pegg, Sullivan Stapleton
Synopsis: A darkly comedic thriller from rising star director Kriv Stenders (Red Dog). Simon Pegg plays the mercurial assassin, Charlie Wolfe, who discovers he isn’t the only person trying to kill the siren of a sun-drenched surfing town. Charlie quickly finds himself at the center of three tales of murder mayhem, blackmail, and revenge.
White God
Directed by: Kornél Mundruczó
Run Time: 2:00:00
Cast: Zsófia Psotta, Sándor Zsótér, Lili Horváth
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Lili fights to protect her dog Hagen. She is devastated when her father eventually sets Hagen free on the streets. Still innocently believing love can conquer any difficulty, Lili sets out to find her dog and save him.
Facebook
Twitter
Official Site
Watch the Trailer
Aditional Screenings
Tuesday, March 31st 5:00 PM
Best of Enemies
Directed by: Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville
Run Time: 90 minutes
Cast: John Lithgow, Kelsey Grammar, Dick Cavett
Synopsis: 'Best of Enemies' is a documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, 'What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?'
Facebook
Twitter
Official Site
Aditional Screenings
Tuesday, March 31st 9:10 PM
While We’re Young
Directed by: Noah Baumbach
Run Time: 1:35:00
Cast: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, and Amanda Seyfried
Synopsis: Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts are Josh and Cornelia Srebnick, happily married middle-aged members of New York's creative class. They tried to start a family and were unable to — and have decided they’re okay with that. But as Josh labors over the umpteenth edit of his cerebral new film, it’s plain that he has hit a dry patch and that something is still missing.
Enter Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried), a free-spirited young couple, who are spontaneous and untethered, ready to drop everything in pursuit of their next passion — retro board games one day, acquiring a pet chicken the next. For Josh, it’s as if a door has opened back to his youth — or a youth he wishes he once had. It’s not long before the restless forty-somethings, Josh and Cornelia, throw aside friends their own age — including Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz in a sly supporting role — to trail after these young hipsters who seem so plugged in, so uninhibited, so Brooklyn cool. “Before we met,” Josh admits to Jamie, “the only two feelings I had left were wistful and disdainful.” But is this new inspiration enough to sustain collaboration and friendship with a couple twenty years their junior?
While We’re Young is an openly funny cross-generational comedy of manners about aging, ambition and success, as well as a moving portrait of a marriage tested by the invading forces of youth. No film has better captured the weird, upended logic of urban sophisticates: the older ones embracing their iPads and Netflix, the young ones craving vinyl records and vintage VHS tapes.
