Maryland Film Festival

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	*Update! Friday, May 7, 5:30pm! Maryland Film Festival HAS BEGUN! ADVANCE ONLINE TICKETS HAVE ENDED, BUT TICKETS FOR ALL SHOWS ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT THE FESTIVAL BOX OFFICE -- in the Tent Village across from The Charles Theatre!** We expect quite a few sold-out screenings this weekend, and strongly recommend buying tickets as early as possible, especially for special events such as Closing Night, John Waters Presents United 93, our 3-D and Silent titles, and our guest-host screenings (Bill Callahan presenting Faces and Dan Deacon presenting Total Recall). At this time we would also particularly suggest advance tickets for the following titles: Putty Hill, Music by Prudence, Night Catches Us, Tiny Furniture, 12th and Delaware, Cyrus, Dogtooth, and Until the Light Takes Us.
	**All-Access Passes! Most were pre-sold, but a very few remaining all-access passes have been made available for online sale! Get them while they last and enjoy the entire festival -- including Opening and Closing night and all special screenings!
	*Bill Callahan Presents... Faces (John Cassavetes) Internationally acclaimed Drag City recording artist Bill Callahan (who has also released over a dozen albums under the name Smog) joins Maryland Film Festival's Guest Host program, selecting the independent film classic Faces* by legend John Cassavetes.
	*Closing Night Film -- Mother and Child (Rodrigo García) Last year's Closing Night film (The Hurt Locker, presented at MFF 2009 by director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal -- which later took home 6 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay) is a hard act to follow. But we've found a real winner in this masterfully told ensemble drama concerning several lives connected by adoption, directed by MFF veteran Rodrigo García (Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her*). The amazing cast includes Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Smitts, and Samuel L. Jackson! ADVANCE TICKETS RECOMMENDED.
	*Dan Deacon Presents: Total Recall! Baltimore-based musical sensation Dan Deacon hosts a rare, late-night, 35mm screening of this modern sci-fi classic. Come see Paul (Robocop*) Verhoeven's killer Philip K. Dick adaptation, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone, the way it was intended: on the big screen, hosted by Dan Deacon!
	*John Waters Presents... United 93 (Paul Greengrass) One of our most hotly anticipated events each year is a film selected and hosted by legendary filmmaker John Waters. This year's pick is already proving to be one of his most controversial yet! Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday, The Bourne Supremacy, Green Zone) delivers an extraordinary, intense piece of work with this 2006 drama, and this screening a one-of-a-kind event. ADVANCE TICKETS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR THIS SCREENING!*
	**Opening Night Shorts Click above for titles! A Maryland Film Festival tradition, Opening Night 2010 honors filmmaking in the short form, with seven short films including top-notch drama, comedy, animation, and experimental work!
	*Filmmakers Take Charge Pass! Filmmakers Taking Charge Passholders may attend any Filmmakers Taking Charge Conference event, taking place Friday May 7th from 9:00am-5:00pm in the Filmmakers Tent Village across the street from the Charles Theatre.
	0s and 1s (Eugene Kotlyarenko) The comic and relentlessly energetic story of the search for a lost computer -- told on a laptop screen that explodes with chat sessions, virus warnings, and live-video feeds.
	12th & Delaware (Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing) The latest documentary from the directing duo behind Jesus Camp and The Boys of Baraka takes us to the front lines of the abortion debate -- specifically, a pro-life organization in Florida stationed across the street from an abortion clinic.
	Agua Fría de Mar (Cold Water of the Sea) (Paz Fábrega) On New Year's holiday, young couple Mariana and Rodrigo drive to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. There, late at night and in the middle of nowhere, they find 7-year-old Karina, who ran away from home. The couple plans to help her find her parents in the morning, but are disturbed to find her gone at dawn. Granted a prestigious Tiger Award at the Rotterdam Film Festival.
	American Jihadist (Mark Claywell) Isa Abdullah Ali, an African-American from Washington, D.C., has fought worldwide for people's ability to practice Islam. His story takes us from the mean streets of DC to Bosnia and back again in this conversation-starting, evocatively told documentary.
	And Everything Is Going Fine (Steven Soderbergh) Master director Steven Soderbergh pays tribute to his friend, the late, great Spalding Gray with this film constructed from rare footage, which premiered recently at a massively sold out Special Screening within Slamdance 2010.
	Bass Ackwards (Linas Phillips) A dark but hopeful comedy about a young man who finds a '76 Volkswagen van on a llama farm and sets off on a cross-country road trip, each character he meets more unusual than the last.
	Beautiful Darling (James Rasin) A documentary about James Slattery, better known as the actress Candy Darling, a key personality in Andy Warhol's Factory scene.
	Beijing Taxi (Miao Wang) Three Beijing taxi drivers -- two male, one female -- prepare for a deluge of foreign customers in the days leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics in this beautiful and insightful documentary.
	Casino Jack and the United States of Money (Alex Gibney) Documentarian Alex Gibney (Oscar winner for Taxi to the Dark Side and Oscar-nominated for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) returns to MFF with this corruption- and intrigue-riddled story about the rise and fall of lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
	Chang: A Drama of The Wilderness (Silent Film w/ Live Score from Alloy Orchestra!) A silent film from the team that brought us the original King Kong -- presented with a new score performed live by festival favorites Alloy Orchestra!
	Cold Weather (Aaron Katz) From the director of Quiet City comes this fresh, genre-defying film about a depressed, Sherlock Holmes-obsessed college drop-out who finds a purpose in investigating the disappearance of a close friend.
	Cyrus (Jay and Mark Duplass) The star-studded cast for this Sundance 2010 comedy from indie favorires Jay and Mark Duplass (The Puffy Chair, Baghead) includes John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marissa Tomei, and Catherine Keener.
	Daddy Longlegs (Josh and Benny Safdie) An impetuous, NYC-based film projectionist, Lenny (Ronald Bronstein, director of MFF 2007's Frownland), struggles with the responsibility of raising two young children.
	Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos) The winner of the coveted Prix Un Certain Regard at Cannes, this diabolical dark comedy from Greece concerns a father who's raised three teenagers with a false vocabulary and never allowed them to travel further than their own backyard. ADVANCE TICKETS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR BOTH SCREENINGS.
	Earthling (Clay Liford) In this impressive indie sci-fi film, a group of people haunted by the same dream discover that they also share an unspeakable secret.
	Family Affair (Chico Colvard) In this Sundance 2010 documentary, director Chico Colvard looks back on the violent incident that set in motion a series of calamities for his family thirty years ago.
	Freedom Riders (Stanley Nelson) From the director of Jonestown comes this riveting documentary about a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights movement.
	Gabi on the Roof in July (Lawrence Michael Levine) A young painter in New York City finds his world turned upside down when his sister, Gabi, moves in with him, taking over his apartment with her anarchic personality.
	General Orders No. 9 (Robert Persons) screening with Robin Hood Gardens This mesmerizing, beautifully shot film essay carves an intuitive path through the American South, making serious points about geography, city planning, and the natural world even as it explodes with a wry, surreal sense of humor all its own.
	God's Architects (Zack Godshall) A documentary about visionary artists who have devoted their lives to building strange, mysterious, and wonderful structures, driven by divine inspiration.
	Jesse James vs. the Daltons in 3-D! (William Castle) A B-movie western from cult-favorite director William Castle, presented in beautiful 2-projector 3-D! Preceded by the 3 Stooges' 3-D short Spooks!
	La Pivellina (Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel) Two circus performers, weathering their cold off-season on the outskirts of Rome, take in a young girl they find abandoned in a playground in this incredibly moving, documentary-style narrative frequently compared to the best work of the Dardenne Brothers.
	Liverpool (Lisandro Alonso) This challenging Argentine drama follows a heavy-drinking sailor on a shore leave as he makes a long and difficult journey to a remote region on the Southernmost tip of South America. STARRED AS A "MUST-SEE FAVORITE" IN BALTIMORE CITY PAPER'S FILM-FEST FRENZY ISSUE!
	Lovers of Hate (Bryan Poyser) Recently separated from his wife and living out of his car, an aspiring novelist finally reaches his limit during a visit from his younger brother, who's made a fortune writing children's fantasy books.
	Mama (Yelena Renard and Nikolay Renard) An overbearing mother and her obese, forty-something son share an apartment in this vivid art-house drama from Russia.
	Mars (Geoff Marslett) Sci-fi, comedy, and romance collide in this live-action/animation hybrid about a space race between a robot and three astronauts, all searching for life on Mars.
	Mundane History (Anocha Suwichakornpong) An exquisite and sometimes bizarre Thai drama about a male nurse and his patient, a recently paralyzed young man living in his family's atmospherically decaying mansion.
	Music by Prudence (Roger Ross Williams) The Oscar-winning documentary tells the inspiring story of Prudence Mabhena, a disabled singer-songwriter from Zimbabwe.
	Night Catches Us (Tanya Hamilton) This powerful ensemble drama, set in an African-American neighborhood in Philadelphia in 1976, stars Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Jamie Hector, and Wendell Pierce.
	Oath, The (Laura Poitras) A documentary about two brothers-in-law who became bodyguard and driver to Osama bin Laden.
	Putty Hill (Matt Porterfield) Friends and family come together to mourn a loved one lost to a drug overdose in this internationally aclaimed feature by Baltimore's own Matt Porterfield (MFF 2006's Hamilton). ADVANCE TICKETS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR BOTH SCREENINGS OF PUTTY HILL!
	Quick Gun Murugun (Shashanka Ghosh) A Bollywood comedy about a vegetarian gunslinger beamed from the '70s into the present day to do battle with his arch nemesis, an evil businessman hellbent on feeding the world meat-filled McDosa.
	Saturday Night (James Franco) James Franco takes us behind the scenes for this hilarious and compelling documentary following the week-long process that goes into creating and delivering a single episode of "Saturday Night Live" -- namely, the John Malkovich-hosted episode originally aired December 6, 2008.
	Shorts Program-List Below, Followed by More Features!
	Shorts Program: 4th Dimension Documentary Shorts A collection of documentary shorts revolving around the theme of time, the 4th dimension.
	Shorts Program: Animated Shorts Always an MFF favorite, the Animated Shorts program returns with a fantastic array of films featuring an eye-popping mix of animation styles.
	Shorts Program: Avant-Garde Shorts Cutting edge experimental films to expand your mental horizons.
	Shorts Program: Charge of the WTF Brigade Shorts A mind-bending collection of shorts, from the LOL to the OMG, that delivers the WOW factor! Any vegetarian sports fans in the house? Totally alternative!
	Shorts Program: Dark Comedy Shorts Four shorts that delve into the darker corners of the human experience and find the humor.
	Shorts Program: Documentary Triple-Header Shorts A collection of three short documentaries about lightning strike survivors, forbidden love in China and the border fence being erected between the USA and Mexico.
	Shorts Program: Dramatic Shorts A collection of dramatic short films from around the world.
	Shorts Program: Funny People Shorts Quirky characters and comical situations fuel this collection of short films.
	Shorts Program: Genre Mash-Up Shorts Sci-Fi, a pothead mom, zombies, and a neo-western shoot 'em up collide in this awesome shorts compilation!
	Small Act, A (Jennifer Arnold) In this powerful documentary fresh from Sundance 2010, a human-rights lawyer searches for the anonymous Swedish woman who sponsored his education during his impoverished childhood years in Kenya.
	Tiny Furniture (Lena Dunham) Family members play variations on their real-life relationships in this dark comedy about a depressed college grad, her incredibly precocious younger sister, and their world-famous artist mother, all living together in a TriBeCa loft. Winner of the top Narrative Jury prize at SXSW 2010.
	Until the Light Takes Us (Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell) An enthralling documentary about Norwegian black metal, that most notorious of musical genres, and the musicians, ideologies, and crimes that made it an international phenomenon. Features extensive in-prison interviews with Varg Vikernes, aka Count Grishnackh. ADVANCE TICKETS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR BOTH SCREENINGS!
	We Don't Care About Music Anyway... (Cédric Dupire and Gaspard Kuentz) A French experimental documentary, beautifully capturing performances by a series of Japanese noise musicians as it comments on consumer culture and decay.
	Wheedle's Groove (Jennifer Maas) A curious record collector unearths the secret history behind the Seattle soul and funk scene of the 60s and 70s -- a story that involves, among others, The Black Panthers, Quincy Jones, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and, err, Kenny G.
	William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (Yony Leyser) A documentary about William S. Burroughs as told by the people who knew and loved him, including John Waters, Iggy Pop, and Andy Warhol.