***ALL-ACCESS FESTIVAL PASS This pass gets buyers access to all screenings within Maryland Film Festival 2008. Yes, that's right, all screenings -- including Opening and Closing Nights, John Waters' Pick, the Alloy Orchestra and 3-D screenings, EVERYTHING! Festival passholders also get access to the exclusive filmmaker's lounge. And did we mention that they're available for $100 LESS than they were in 2007? Take advantage of this 10th Anniversary Special, and treat yourself to the full Maryland Film Festival 2008 Experience!
	***CONFESSIONSOFA EX-DOOFUS-ITCHYFOOTED MUTHA (Melvin Van Peebles) -- CLOSING NIGHT Distilling years of cultural experience through the eyes of one lone adventurer, Confessions... pulls us into its protagonist's world with cunning and magic. Melvin Van Peebles himself, with only a glancing reference to his chronological age of 75, plays the lead character as he progresses from young boy to middle age. Kaleidoscopic, epic, and handmade, sweeping but intensely personal, this is the perfect incarnation of Melvin Van Peebles’ indefinable and singular artistic career.
	***OPENING NIGHT SHORTS PROGRAM! Hosted by Barry Levinson!   A Maryland Film Festival tradition, our opening-night shorts program is one of the film-festival world's premiere showcases for the art of documentary and narrative filmmaking in short form. Maryland Film Fest 2008's Opening Night Films: GNATURAL WONDERS (Bennett Battaile); DOXOLOGY (Michael Langan); MY OLYMPIC SUMMER (Daniel Robin); SALIM BABA (Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello); HELP IS COMING (Ben Mor); POLITICS OF PRESCHOOL (Heidi Van Lier).
	***SECRET SCREENING!!! A Maryland Film Festival tradition in the making, over three years the MFF Secret Screening has quickly become one of our best-selling and most-anticipated screenings. What is it? We could tell you, but we'd have to kill you. What have they been in the past? We can't even tell you that! Is it worth buying a ticket? YES!
	AMERICAN TEEN (Nanette Burstein) The students “cast” in this fun, insightful doc about high school in middle-America today represent different types -- the self-described “marching-band supergeek,” the artist, the alpha girl, the basketball star -- all followed for one full school year. Almost immediately, stereotypes break down and characters evolve in fascinating directions. Best of all, the American families shown here, despite fitting most of the demographic ideals the "Family Values" crowd talk so much about, are far more textured than you’d think.
	AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR (Steve James and Peter Gilbert) The latest work from the award-winning team that brought us Hoop Dreams, At the Death House Door rivals that legendary documentary for its intense emotional impact and fascinating subject -- a reverend who, over the course of 95 executions he attended, had a change of heart about the death penalty.
	BAGHEAD (Jay and Mark Duplass) Four struggling actors decide to head for a cabin in the woods and write their masterpiece. Standing in their way? Shortages of just a few things: talent, motivation, energy, and inspiration. Oh, and a surplus of two: hormones and alcohol.
	BAMAKO (Abderrahmane Sissako) Citizens of the capitol city of Mali convene to stage an unusual trial. The defendants? The World Bank and International Monetary Fund, on trial for crimes against the nations and peoples of the "Third World." Meanwhile, the film ventures into a series of asides: ecstatic musical numbers performed in a local nightclub, and a film-within-a-film, the spaghetti western Death in Timbuktu, starring Danny Glover (executive-producer of Bamako), and Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman.
	BEAUTIFUL LOSERS (Aaron Rose and Joshua Leonard) Some of the most provocative and influential visual art of the 1990s came from a group of young outsiders who drew their inspiration less from the Western art canon, and more from their own involvements in youth cultures like skateboarding, punk, hip-hop, and graffiti. Many of these "beautiful losers" found each other in New York City in the early '90s, convening on a small DIY art space. This documentary tells their story, sharing their amazing art and considerable insights.
	BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON) (Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath) Due in part to its geographic proximity to Vietnam, Laos went through fundamental upheaval in the years during and after the Vietnam War. The first effort as director from legendary cinematogrpaher Ellen Kuras (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), The Betrayal (NERAKHOON) makes us members of an amazing family as they adjust to a catastrophe not of their making.
	BI THE WAY (Brittany Blockman, Josephine Decker) This jaunty little film puts forward the idea that sexual preferences may start in our DNA, but they are also formed by experience, ebbing and flowing as we grow up. With a loosely structured road trip appropriately at is core, directors Brittany Blockman and Josephine Decker set out to explore how diverse members of the "Whatever Generation" in a variety of towns across America identify themselves sexually, and how they think about their sex lives and sexual partners.
	BLACK LIST (Timothy Greenfield-Sanders) It’s an idea beautiful in its simplicity: ask 22 successful African-American individuals from diverse fields (ranging from Toni Morrison to Chris Rock) to sit for interviews in a photographer's studio, with film critic Elvis Mitchell asking questions. The result is wildly entertaining, and anything but simple. We get relaxed insights–some of them very funny, some of them very moving–into life in black America as seen by those who’ve made it big. It’s a wonderful, important conversation, and you’ll wish it lasted longer.
	CHOP SHOP (Ramin Bahrani) Alejandro is a savvy street kid trying to find a way to get ahead financially and provide a better life for his older sister, Isamar. Chop Shop announces Ramin Bahrani as a major new voice in American cinema, its street-smart neo-realism recalling Iranian cinema of the 1990s and modern American classics such as Killer of Sheep and Raising Victor Vargas. "MIRACULOUS! An American film with the power of Pixote or City of God. Unexpected, inspired, and brave!" -- Roger Ebert
	FRONTRUNNERS (Caroline Suh) It's student election time at New York's ultra-competitive Stuyvesant High, and director Caroline Suh's lively documentary offers a high-energy microcosm of the contest currently playing out on the national arena. A funny, suspenseful crowd-pleaser along the lines of Spellbound, Word Wars, and Chops -- peppered by flashes of dark comedies like Election, Palindromes, and Rushmore.
	GOLIATH (David Zellner) screening with: '89 Gator Mine (Josh Slates) The unnamed, everyman hero of Goliath is struggling to keep his head above water. A messy and protracted divorce?-- okay, he can handle that. A demotion at work, putting him back on the floor with a motley crew of jokers and slobs who've nicknamed him "Bitch Tits?" -- that too he can stomach (barely). But when his beloved cat Goliath disappears -- the most beautiful, most wonderful, most cherished cat in the world? Now you've crossed a line, Life.
	GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON (Alex Gibney) Author of wildly successful books about subjects ranging from the Hell’s Angels to the 1968 Presidential campaign, a legendary reporter for Rolling Stone and other publications, and a sometime political candidate, Hunter S. Thompson personified muscular, no-holds-barred journalistic exploration as prismed through the '60s and '70s. This documentary from Oscar-winner Alex Gibney boasts readings from Johnny Depp as it expertly captures the spirit of a freewheeling American icon. "A biographical documentary doesn't get any better than this." -- Hollywood Reporter
	HOUSEBOY (Spencer Schilly) Rick, a sensitive young man recently rejected by his family for admitting his homosexuality, finds acceptance and refuge assuming the role of houseboy for two long-time lovers.  While dealing with the disappointment of being left behind by the couple over the Christmas holidays -- and the suggestion that his relationship with them will end upon their return -- he reacts by bringing a colorful variety of strange bedfellows back to the apartment, scaring some with his dark frame of mind.
	I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW (Sean Donnelly) Twenty years after hitting big with "I Think We're Alone Now," Tiffany is no longer at the top of the charts, but she maintains a cult following of devoted fans. Some of her fans, however, push devotion to the point of obsession, blurring reality when it comes to their relationship with their idol. This documentary follows two such individuals: a 50-year-old suffering from Asperger's Syndrome, and a 35-year-old hermaphrodite.
	I.O.U.S.A. (Patrick Creadon) -- Friday Screenings National debt is an issue we have some notion about, but there’s very little mainstream news giving us details, much less guidance -- and there’s certainly no leadership. Referencing the books Financial Reckoning Day and Empire of Debt by Bill Bonner and Addison Wiggin, director Patrick Creadon (Wordplay) entertainingly gives us a documentary tour of the financial black hole we’ve dug for ourselves.
	I.O.U.S.A. (Patrick Creadon) -- Saturday Screening
	INTIMIDAD (David Redmon and Ashley Sabin) David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, directors of MFF 2007's devastating Kamp Katrina, are bringing something new to the documentary world. While it wouldn't be wrong to call their films political, the duo finds grassroots, DIY ways to locate the political in the personal. Intimidad follows young Mexican couple Cecy and Camilo over four years. The great love the couple feels for each other is tangible, but financial realities threaten to tear them apart.
	LA AMERICANA (Nicholas Bruckman) This moving documentary deals with one of the hot-button issues of this election year – illegal immigration.  The film tracks the personal, day-to-day survival of a young illegal immigrant from Bolivia, Maria del Carmen Rojas, a single mother struggling to generate enough money to pay for her daughter's expensive medical care following a tragic bus accident.
	LISTENING PROJECT (Dominic Howes and Joel Weber) The Listening Project dispatches four correspondents from differing backgrounds (One of whom is Baltimore native Han Shan) to travel the globe, ask questions about the U.S., and actually listen to the answers. Citizens of the world talk about their impressions of the country, its culture, its politics and its far-reaching influence. Among the occasional barbs hurled our way, the film shows that there is still some good will in the world toward The U.S. -- good will which could be tapped to drastically improve our standing in the world and possibly begin repairing the damages of the last 8 years.
	LOW AND BEHOLD (Zack Godshall) To kill some time and make some money, uninspired Turner Stull (Barlow Jacobs, who also co-produced) accepts an invitation from his Uncle Stully (Robert Longstreet) to process insurance claims for an opportunistic company in post-Katrina New Orleans. This narrative feature tells a story of mass destruction, loss, and greed, and forces us to look at tragedy with new eyes.
	MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY (Barry Jenkins) Two young African-Americans wake up to the aftermath of a party, attempting to shake off the awkwardness of last night's one-night stand (and to remember each other's names). Over the course of twenty-four hours, the two begin to connect on a level neither suspected. But can a one-night stand lay the foundation for a meaningful relationship -- and are the racial and political issues pressing down on Micah and Jo' too heavy for love to bloom? "Easily my favorite film at SXSW 2008" -- Aaron Hillis, Premiere.
	MISS SADIE THOMPSON -- in 3-D!!! A quarantine strands Sadie (Rita Hayworth) on an exotic island with a love-sick Marine and a self-righteous religious zealot. While one man has his mind on romance, the other has his suspicions about Sadie. Presented as it was originally intended -- in eye-popping 3-D!
	MOMMA'S MAN (Azazel Jacobs) Mikey (Matt Boren) is an emotionally stunted young man in his early thirties, who has left behind his wife and baby in California to visit the cluttered, cavernous TriBeCa loft in which he grew up. When it’s time for Mikey to return to his new home, something prevents him from doing just that. As he continues to ignore his wife’s desperate phone calls, Mikey lounges around the loft like a kid again, to the rising concern of his loving, supportive parents. "This is independent film defined." -- Manohla Dargis, The New York Times.
	MY EFFORTLESS BRILLIANCE (Lynn Shelton) Eric Lambert Jones (Sean Nelson, who also co-wrote) is a self-absorbed, 30-something writer. His best friend Dylan (Basil Harris), after years of Eric’s social abuse, has finally told him what he really thinks of him and walked out of the struggling writer's life. Director Lynn Shelton offers a strong study of a fractured friendship, showing that being dumped by a good friend can be more painful than being dumped by a lover.
	NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS (Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig) Nights and Weekends explores the problems of two people trying to navigate the unique pains and challenges of a long-distance relationship. Following the higher public profile Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig attained with last year's Hannah Takes the Stairs, the small and intimate Nights and Weekends finds the pair declaring their intention to continue telling their stories the way they want to tell them. "There's poetry -- not to mention a fair does of comedy -- in the mix." -- Variety
	NOT YOUR TYPICAL BIGFOOT MOVIE (Jay Delaney) Dallas and Wayne live in southern Ohio, stomping the Appalachian hills for traces of the legendary creature known as Bigfoot. They capture photographs and video footage, contribute to Bigfoot-themed web sites, and participate in larger expeditions with like-minded individuals. The two appear inseparable -- until Wayne screws up during an online radio interview, putting a wedge between the two friends and giving skeptics plenty of ammunition with which to belittle their research and evidence.
	OUT LATE (Beatrice Alda and Jennifer Brooke) This documentary follows five individuals who waited until they were senior citizens to openly declare their sexuality to family, friends, coworkers and neighbors -- and paints a vivid, sometimes painful portrait of these people and the many factors that caused them to wait this long. Their stories are nothing less than extraordinary: many lived straight lives complete with marriage and children, and now face the challenge of beginning again late in life -- often losing some love and support in the process, but infusing their lives with new levels of honesty and pride.
	PAPER COVERS ROCK (Joe Maggio) The fresh, emotionally honest narrative film Paper Covers Rock introduces us to Sam, a young single mother who loses her six-year-old daughter after an unsuccessful suicide attempt.  Sam's older sister Ed takes her in and offers to help her put her life back together -- but Sam must maneuver her sister’s loaded expectations of her recovery, as well as a cast of seemingly well-intentioned people who may or may not be taking advantage of her situation.
	POLIS IS THIS (Henry Ferrini & Ken Riaf) A central theme to avant-garde poet and thinker Charles Olson's outlook was that if a person got to know every aspect of their immediate surroundings -- including, but not limited to, local art, politics, history, economics, architecture, and geography -- they could then, and only then, proceed to understand the world. John Malkovich reads from Olson's work throughout this documentary, which combines never-before-seen footage with interviews from Olson’s friends, associates, fans and fellow townspeople.
	Profit motive and the whispering wind (John Gianvito) A ghost story of sorts, Profit motive and the whispering wind follows the narrative of struggle and oppression mapped in Howard Zinn's essential text A People's History of the United States. With a gentle hand and a particular sensitivity to the “material resonance” of such spaces, filmmaker and scholar John Gianvito guides a tour of the oft-forgotten landmarks and gravesites that plot the people's movements that shaped our country.
	ROW HARD, NO EXCUSES (Luke Wolbach) The Atlantic Rowing Challenge is a 3,000-mile race from the Canary Islands to Barbados.  Once out on the water, each team has to be completely self-sufficient – no food drops, navigational aid, or physical contact with other boats or people.The only U.S. team is comprised of John Zeigler and Tom Mailhot, rugged and extremely driven middle-aged men who wage their personal savings and three years of their lives on the race, each feeling like they have something to prove.
	SEX POSITIVE (Daryl Wein) One of the first and loudest voices calling for lifestyle changes that came to be called "safe sex" during the early years of AIDS was former sex worker Richard Berkowitz. However, director Daryl Wein argues in his compelling new documentary Sex Positive, Berkowitz's name has been unjustly forgotten -- and, when remembered, unfairly maligned.
	SHORTS PROGRAM: AROUND THE WORLD MADE IN JAPAN (Ciro Altabas, Spain); SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE (Chris Dundon, UK); BOMBAY SKIES (Rita Rani, USA); WELCOME HOME (Bill Giannakakis, New Zealand); DIE FLUGBEGLEITERIN aka THE STEWARDESS (Marcin Glowacki, Germany); CROSSBOW (David Michod, Australia); SPIDER (Nash Edgerton, Australia).
	SHORTS PROGRAM: BLACK MARIA Celebrating its 27th Anniversary, this traveling cutting-edge short-film showcase includes: Antigenic Drift (Lewis Klahr); Dig (Robert Todd); Field of Green (Sky David, Carlsbad); Field of Green (Sky David); Hyperplasm (Van McElwee); I Live on the Moon (Tannic Pig); L'eau Life (Jeff Scher); Number One (Leighton Pierce); Office Mobius (Seung Hyung Lee); A Streetcar Named Perspire (Joanna Priestly); Studies in Transfalumination (Peter Rose); Type A (Raymond Smith); Uno Degli Ultimi (One of the Last) (Paul Zinder).
	SHORTS PROGRAM: COMEDY THE INQUISITIVE SNAIL (Flemish Beauty); WOMAN IN BURKA (Jonathan Lisecki); BUSTOUT (Kenneth Price); KNOCK KNOCK (Jack Ferry); HIRSUTE (A.J. Bond); INERTIA (Jake Mahaffy); NINTENDIK (Dave Kratz); SHUT-EYE HOTEL (Bill Plympton); FLIRTING WITH ANDREA SCHNOONENS (Jack Ferry); THE ADVENTURE (Mike Brune, USA).
	SHORTS PROGRAM: DOCUMENTARIES GRAND WHEEL (Gavin Heffernan); BEHIND THE GLASS (Gabriel Rhodes); I KNOW YOU (Bruce Parsons); DICK-GEORGE, TENN -TOM (Gideon C. Kennedy & Marcus Rosentrater); CHOCOLATE COUNTRY (Robin Blotnick).
	SHORTS PROGRAM: NARRATIVE 1 POP FOUL (Moon Molson); STARS AND SUNS (Sarah Soquel Morhaim);  NINA QUEBRADA (Jen Kleiner); MERRILY, MERRILY (James M. Johnston); REDEMPTION MADDIE (Aaron King).
	SHORTS PROGRAM: NARRATIVE 2 THE LONELY BLISS OF THE CANNONBALL LUKE (Levi Abrino); MAINE STORY (Nina Chernik); THE AVIATRIX (Toddy Burton); FIRST BASS (Philip Hodges); QUICK FEET, SOFT HANDS (Paul Harrill).
	SHORTS PROGRAM: NARRATIVE 3 A CATALOG OF ANTICIPATIONS (David Lowery); HEARTBURN (Jesse Barksdale); THE ACQUAINTANCES OF A LONELY JOHN (Benny Safdie); SMALL APARTMENT (Andrew T. Betzer); THE DRIFT (Kelly Sears); NOSEBLEED (Jeff Vespa); STILL BIRTH CHICKEN (Byron Karabatsos); HAPPY NEW YEAR (K. Lorrel Manning); A DAY’S WORK (Rajeev Dassani).
	SHORTS PROGRAM: NARRATIVE SHORTS 4 THE YEARS FLOW LIKE WATER (Kevin Choi); JITTERBUG (Dustin Guy Defa); BLUEBEARD (Jessica Fox); WILLOW GARDEN (Don Henderson Baker and Jim Haverkamp).
	SHORTS PROGRAM: ON THE EDGE FAR OUT (Phil Mucci); THERE’S A WEREWOLF IN MY ATTIC (Sam Thompson); THE ANIMALS ALL ARE GATHERING (Bradley Paul); ATTACKAZOIDS! (Brian Lonano); FANTAISIE IN BUBBLEWRAP (Arthur Metcalf); ASCLEPIUS FANDANGO (Sam McDavid); KARAOKE SHOW (Karl Tebbe); THE RAMBLER (Calvin Reeder); THE HISTORY OF AMERICA (MK12).
	SHORTS PROGRAM: POTPOURRI UNTITLED (Mike Alfini); PASSAGE (Peter Byrne, Carole Woodlock, Allan Schindler); TORN ASUNDER (Bob Barancik); ANTI-NARRATIVE NUMBER 4 (Jeremy Kruse); SIMULACRA (tatchapon lertwirojkul); INVOICE (Adriane Little); RUNA’S SPELL (Stephanie Maxwell and Michaela Eremiasova); DEATH OF A MATRIARCH (Takuro Masuda); THE GREEN GRASS OF TWILIGHT (Richie Sherman); DIRTY GIRL (Jennifer Clary); PAPIROFLEXIA (Joaquin Baldwin); EINSTEIN’S RIDDLE (Gina Kamentsky); 24 FRAMES PER DAY (Sonali Gulati); ALASKA (Albert Birney, Phil Davis, Jon Moses); TEA REVERIE (Yonsu Kim); ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY (Pei-Shih Tu); DYING IS FINE (Albert Birney, Nicholas Gurewitch, Jon Moses); EXERCISE (Phil Davis).
	SONG SUNG BLUE (Greg Kohs) Milwaukee husband-and-wife singing duo Mike and Claire Sardina found local fame and a cult following as the Midwest phenomenon known as Lightning and Thunder.  Starting in the '80s, the two decked themselves out in sequins and brought the music of Neil Diamond, ABBA and Patsy Cline to the stage. But without warning, tragedy struck, triggering a series of heartbreaks, rebirths, disappointments, addictions, and all-too-human moments as the brave couple tried to get back on top.
	SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY (Jeffrey Schwarz) William Castle was a movie legend best remembered for the gimmicks he created to attract audiences to see his horror movies in the '50s and '60s. This fast-paced, highly entertaining documentary about Hollywood’s ultimate showman tells his stranger-than-fiction life story, boasting affectionate, gleeful insider testimonials from such esteemed Castle devotees as John Waters, Roger Corman, and Leonard Maltin.
	STORY OF WOMEN (Claude Chabrol) PRESENTED BY JOHN WATERS! Film legend Claude Chabrol tells the story of women who lived under France’s Nazi-collaborating Vichy government and became involved in abortion for a variety of reasons. Marie Latour (Isabelle Huppert) becomes an abortionist not out of conviction, but because she sees a need and fills it. Janet Maslin's New York Times review  praised the film, saying it "resolutely avoids passing judgment,"  and Chabrol himself dedicates the film to “all its interpreters," asking us to confront moral complexities we’d rather avoid.
	STRICTLY BACKGROUND (Jason Connell) Strictly Background follows several Hollywood extras. Some still dream of making the big time, and treat each opportunity to play, say, Drunk # 2, a chance to catch the eye of a director or casting agent. Others have reconciled themselves to lives as extras, and simply enjoy hanging out on set and doing their part, however small. This crowd-pleasing documentary is packed with clips from many well-known movies, each highlighting the subjects doing what they do best.
	TODAY THE HAWK TAKES ONE CHICK (Jane Gillooly) An epidemic has changed the way people grow up and grow old in Swaziland.  At a time in their lives when Grandmothers – or Gogos – would in former years have expected their adult children to start taking care of them, many are instead thrust into the responsibility of caring for their orphaned grandchildren. Today the Hawk Takes One Chick is a documentary that follows three Gogos as they navigate an AIDS-ravaged society that is struggling to reinvent itself on the verge of collapse.
	TOE TACTIC (Emily Hubley) Screening With: SWEET DREAMS (Kirsten Lepore) We each deal with loss in our own way.  The Toe Tactic suggests that loss is sometimes dealt with very slowly, very quietly, to the point where life grinds to a halt.  This is the situation for twenty-something Mona (Lily Rabe) as she deals with the death of her beloved father.  Fortunately for us as viewers, her experience is now in the capable hands of four animated dogs -- guardian angels of a sort that are sometimes playful, sometimes sarcastic, and who see human existence as one more element within their cosmic game. Featuring a score by Yo La Tengo.
	TULIA, TEXAS (Kelly Whalen and Cassandra Herrman)  A product of "the war on drugs," Tom Coleman was hired to work undercover in a now-infamous drug sting operation in Tulia, Texas. Coleman generated evidence that led to the arrest of 46 residents -- 39 of whom were black. The trials were quick, the sentences severe. But it soon became clear that there was more to Coleman than meets the eye, and as revelations came forward calling into question many of his cases, another story emerged.
	UNDERWORLD (Josef von Sternberg) -- WITH LIVE MUSIC BY ALLOY ORCHESTRA! Underworld tells the story of a gangster, "Bull" Weed (George Bancroft), his lawyer, "Rolls Royce" (Clive Brook), and “Feathers,” the kingpin’s mistress (Evelyn Brent). It’s a love triangle, but when “Bull” shoots a man and is sentenced to die, he depends on his two friends to get him out. Enjoy a new score written and performed by the Alloy Orchestra for this amazing classic, which crowned Josef von Sternberg the first king of the gangster genre.
	UPSETTER (Ethan Higbee and Adam Bhala Lough) Lee "Scratch" Perry is a living legend, one of reggae music's most innovative producers. He produced sounds both boldly futuristic and stridently organic, at once religious and political, and recorded icons ranging from Bob Marley to Paul McCartney, from The Clash to The Beastie Boys. Ethan Higbee and Adam Bhala Lough's informative, hilarious, and sometimes sad documentary traces the dynamic ups and downs of "The Upsetter"'s career, from his earliest sessions through his classic '70s years at his own Black Ark studio to the present day.
	WAITING FOR HOCKNEY (Julie Checkoway) MICA graduate and Maryland resident Billy Pappas was convinced that a graphite drawing, when executed at the highest level, could capture the essence of a subject better than any other medium -- with greater resolution and realism even than a photograph. He set out to reinterpret the famous photograph Richard Avedon took of Marilyn Monroe, and he vowed to spare nothing to get it right. Eight and a half years later he was finished -- and then began another long journey -- to get David Hockney to see and appreciate the finished piece.
	WATER FRONT (Liz Miller) Liz Miller’s gripping documentary follows the struggle of Highland Park, Michigan to save its water supply from the death grip of privatization. Although auto-factory closings sent the city into a tailspin of decline decades ago, the tragedy deepens as the city's tax base erodes. High-paid, remorseless consultants are brought in to remedy the situation -- and at the heart of their proposed remedy is the privatization of Highland Park's water supply.
	WE ARE WIZARDS (Josh Koury) Harry Potter fans are starting to take things into their own hands. Josh Koury's fascinating, quirky, and ultimately uplifting documentary We Are Wizards takes a look at the many cultural reverberations of the fantasy world created by J.K. Rowling -- people moved to launch web sites, form "Wizard Rock" bands, or even record their own alternate audio tracks to the Potter films. Even those of us who have never cracked open a Potter book or peeped a Potter movie will walk away inspired by a young subculture full of energy, creativity, and humor.
	WHITE LIES, BLACK SHEEP (James Spooner) From director James Spooner comes White Lies, Black Sheep, a fictional successor to his seminal documentary Afro-Punk, which became a rallying cry for African-Americans raised on punk rock.  The hero of White Lies is A.J. (Ayinde Howell), a smart, hip black New Yorker on the club scene who has rejected anything “too black." After a series of setbacks trying to connect with a popular white woman, A.J. undergoes an inevitable clash of conscience -- and begins to feel the weight of all that he has rejected and the unnaturalness of other things he accepted too willingly.
	WOODPECKER (Alex Karpovsky) A small, economically dying bayou town in Eastern Arkansas is given a new lease on life after a possible sighting of the fabled Ivory-Billed Woodpecker in the area.  This true-life phenomenon began several years ago, and Woodpecker establishes it in documentary style.  But the focuses of this hybrid movie are the conflicting goals of all interested parties and the bizarre quest of one quirky loner, and in exploring their twists and turns the film abandons its documentary backdrop for rich fictional territory.
	WR: MYSTERIES OF THE ORGANISM (Dusan Makavejev) PRESENTED BY ALEX GIBNEY! For the second year running, Maryland Film Festival has asked a Guest Filmmaker to join us in programming the festival, selecting one or more favorite films to present. Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney has chosen Dusan Makavejev's graphic, intuitive, psychedelic freak-out WR: Mysteries of the Organism -- and we couldn't be more thrilled!  While WR conveys a potent avant-garde narrative, it's also a hybrid film with a strong documentary grounding at its foundation -- exploring connections between sexuality and leftist politics, the world of thought of Wilhelm Reich, and Reich's belief in the form of energy he dubbed "orgone."
	YEAST (Mary Bronstein) Yeast begins by throwing us into an awkward situation -- a young woman, Rachel (Mary Bronstein) rousing her disheveled roommate Alice (Amy Judd) for a camping trip they've planned with Gen (Greta Gerwig). Alice refuses to come, and at first we're struck by her seemingly unmotivated surliness towards Rachel. But as Rachel and Gen venture into the woods, what slowly emerges is a warts-and-all portrait of a manipulative person who compulsively undermines the people in her life -- and the also-imperfect friends who've decided they've finally had enough.