Connecticut Film Festival 2008

Unfolding like a mystery, this Australian doc tells of the grim and ironic death by freezing of a man trapped inside a refrigerated railway meat wagon – told using a combination of archival and imagined material to speculate on his final hours.

With the 70th Anniversary of Alcatraz Penitentiary fast approaching, Park Ranger John Cantwell is inviting every ex-Alcatraz inmate and their former cell house guards back to the Rock for an 'Alumni Gathering.’Intrigued by this most unlikely of reunions, filmmaker John Paget travels the continent to find the few surviving ex-prisoners of Alcatraz. They were once America's most dangerous public enemies - but who and where are they now? Against the backdrop of these colorful characters and their imminent rendezvous, ALCATRAZ REUNION traces the history of the iconic island, and its transformation from notorious prison to tourist mecca.

Rarely is the angst and boredom of adolescence so perfectly portrayed as in this observation of two kids in love skipping school to spend the day together.

After his friends are killed in a bizarre bar-room argument, Goran devises an unusual plan to deal with the loss: he will sell his house, buy a mobile tavern and travel from town to town, giving away free drinks to everyone he meets. But for everyone except Goran, the idea is strangely suspicious and a bit absurd. Director Antonio Nuić’s darkly humorous tale of loss and reconciliation, the story is told as a metaphor for Bosnia’s gradual rediscovery of its shared humanity, lost during the war. This film is a selection from The Global Lens 2008 Film Series . www.globalfilm.org

Americanizing Shelley, Industry Bash & Christo Bakalov Achievement Award Ceremony A contemporary Pygmalion tale set in LA, AMERICANIZING SHELLEY throws together Shelley, a Himalayan village belle (played by lovely Namrata Singh Gujral) and Gary Gordon (Beau Bridges), a wannabe Hollywood player. As Shelley is taught the American path to celebrity, Gordon finds himself learning a thing or two about his own life. The culture clash gives way to understanding, unity and love as each begins to see the world through the other's eyes. Prior to the screening will be an awards presentation to Christo Bakalov. Christo will be receiving the Connecticut Film Festival Award For Artistic Excellence in Cinematography. He is the Director of Photography on 5 of the films being screened at this year's festival. They are: Samsara, Whirly Girl, Love & Class In Connecticut, Glacier Bay and Americanizing Shelley. We wish Christo well and thank him for is commitment to artistic excellence in filmmaking.

George Morales is an accomplished neurosurgeon living the “American Dream.” But, when he injures himself, he is forced to convalesce at the home of his estranged son, Nate, a pro bono attorney living in the middle of the barrio. George must now come face to face with his Mexican roots, the path that he has chosen, and the son that he has left behind.

Amy, the family matriarch, makes ends meet by running a small convenience store out of her home. But in a struggling economy customers are scarce, and without the help of her husband or pregnant daughter, she is forced to supplement the family income by collecting bets for an illegal numbers game. In this starkly realistic narrative, director Jeffrey Jeturian presents a captivating portrait of a once-proud woman, haunted by memories of a dead son and hounded by the police, and her fragile and lonely life as a kubrador (bet collector) on the streets of Manila. This film is a selection from Global Lens 2008 Film Series . www.globalfilm.org