Movies to Look for–coming from Strand Releasing

STRAND RELEASING 2011 LINE UP AS OF JANUARY 13, 2011

A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN. (Comedy) Directed by Hans Petter Moland.  Ulrik (Stellan Skarsgard) is a somewhat gentle man, as far as gangsters go. Reluctantly back on the streets following a stint in prison, Ulrik’s boss greets him with open arms and a plan to settle an old score. With a demented sense of professional pride, Ulrik’s boss sets in motion a plan to right the wrong done to his star employee. The problem is Ulrik would rather go about his own business, however mundane, than get involved with his ragtag colleagues again. This dark feel-good comedy delivers laughs and gasps in equal measure. Winner at Chicago Film Festival, Silver Hugo Award. Winner at Fantastic Film Festival, Best Actor to Stellan Skarsgard. Winner at Les Arcs European Film Festival, Crystal Arrow Award. Official Selection of the Berlin Film Festival. Opens in New York on Friday, January 14, 2011 at the IFC Theatre.  Opens in Los Angeles on Friday, January 28, 2011 at the Nuart Theater.

CARANCHO. (Thriller) Directed by Pablo Trapero.  Sosa (Ricardo Darín, The Secret in Their Eyes) is an ambulance-chasing personal injury attorney with questionable ethics.  Lujan (Martina Gusman, Lion’s Den) is a young, idealistic country doctor new to the city.  After Lujan and Sosa’s paths repeatedly cross, the two form an unlikely romance that is threatened by Sosa’s turbulent past.  With traffic accidents as the number one cause of death in Argentina, bodies are currency and a black market strives to get rich from the personal tragedies that literally litter the streets.   Starring Ricardo Darín, Martina Gusman, Carlos Weber, Jose Luis Arias, Fabio Ronzano. Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival.  Argentina’s Official Selection for Best Foreign Language Film for the 84^th Annual Academy Awards.

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES. (Drama/ Fantasy) Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Syndromes And A Century, Tropical Malady, Blissfully Yours).  Suffering from acute kidney failure, Uncle Boonmee has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in the countryside. Surprisingly, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him, and his long lost son returns home in a non-human form.  Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave – the birthplace of his first life…  In his signature cinematic style, the acclaimed Thai filmmaker delivers a strange and mystical world of visionary beauty.  Winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Thailand’s Official Selection for Best Foreign Language Film for the 84^th Annual Academy Awards. Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2011 Spirit Awards.

RAGE (RABIA). (Thriller) Directed by Sebastián Cordero.  Based on a novel by Sergio Bizzio, Rage (Rabia) tells the suspenseful story of a pair of Latin American immigrants who fall in love.  José María, a hot-headed builder, and Rosa, a housekeeper, embark in a passionate relationship.  When a violent confrontation with José María’s foreman results in the other man’s death, José María flees to the mansion where Rosa works, telling no one.   Hidden even from her, he watches Rosa be mistreated by her boss as he yearns for the day they can be together.  Winner of the Tokyo International Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize.  Winner of Malaga Spanish Film Festival’s Best Film.  Official Selection of the Toronto International Film Festival.

TO DIE LIKE A MAN (Drama) Directed by João Pedro Rodrigues. Tonia is a large-than-life drag icon of Lisbon’s night life in the late 1980s.  At the peak of her career, she meets and falls in love with Rosario, a young soldier who’s gone AWOL.  Under pressure from Rosario, Tonia begins a series of operations to become a woman but the final step proves much harder than she could have guessed.  Torn between her love for Rosario and her deeply-rooted religious convictions, Tonia looks for distraction in a trip to the countryside with Rosario.  Lost along the way, the couple find themselves in an enchanted forest where everything they think they know about life and love is proven wrong. Part melodrama, part phantasmagorical fairy tale, To Die Like A Man is visual extravaganza. Official Selection at Cannes Film Festival. Portugal’s Official Selection for Best Foreign Language Film for the 84^th Annual Academy Awards

THE ARBOR. (Documentary) Directed by Clio Barnard.  Andrea Dunbar was described as ‘a genius straight from the slums.’  The unflinchingly honest playwright wrote about her distressing upbringing on the  Arbor, the notorious Buttershaw Estate in Bradford, UK.   When she died tragically in 1990 at the age of 29, Andrea left behind her plays and three children by three different men.  Although Lorraine, Andrea’s oldest daughter, acquired a knack for writing, she was unable to avoid a grim fate of her own.  This documentary follows Lorraine and her other siblings on a powerful journey of reflection and self-discovery as they begin to understand the struggles their mother faced.  Comprised of  personal letters; interviews with Andrea’s family and friends; and a reading of her most celebrated play; The Arbor is as innovative in its construction and execution as it is heartbreakingly compelling. Winner of the Tribeca Film Festival’s Best New Documentary Filmmaker.

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CAMERAMAN: THE LIFE AND WORK OF JACK CARDIFF. (Documentary) Directed by Craig McCall.  Jack Cardiff’s career spanned an incredible nine of moving picture’s first ten decades and his work behind the camera altered the look of films forever through his use of Technicolor photography.  Craig McCall’s passionate film about the legendary cinematographer reveals a unique figure in British and international cinema.  Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival Classics and the New York Film Festival.

LEAP YEAR (AÑO BISIESTO). (Drama) Directed by Michael Rowe.  Laura is 25 years old.  She’s a journalist, she’s single and lives in a small apartment in Mexico City.  After a series of short-lived affairs, Laura meets Arturo.  After the first time they make love, she is left deeply unsettled.  They embark on an intense and passionate sexual relationship, in which pleasure, pain and love merge.  As days go by which Laura conscientiously crosses out in a calendar, her secret past resurfaces, pushing Arturo to the limit.  Winner of the “Camera d’Or” Prize for Best First Film at the Cannes Film Festival.  Official Selection of the Moscow International Film Festival, Ale Kino World Cinema International Film Festival, and Haifa International Film Festival