OCTOBER 9-19, 2008 HIFFFILMS
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
GALA PRESENTATION | HAWAII PREMIERE
Mike Leigh defies all expectation with this sparkling film about the relentlessly cheerful Poppy, a London
teacher whose boundless optimism protects her from the darker things in life. Overly effervescent at first,
Poppy’s spritely, joking, bounding way becomes increasingly endearing as she prevails through a series of
uproarious encounters with her bigoted, uptight driving instructor, parties with her housemate and best friend
Zoe and plots the rescue of a troubled little boy. Sally Hawkins positively shimmers in a performance that occu-
pies every frame and won her Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival. While Leigh continues to root things in a
palpable and at times troubling reality, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY exhibits a new kind of playfulness, the director firmly
in cahoots with the sunny lead character in his determination to do things. – Australian Premiere Magazine
T
UNITED KINGDOM 2008 | ENGLISH | 118 MIN.
OC 12 8PM DOL
Director: Mike Leigh; Cast: Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman A CHRISTMAS TALE | MERMAID
HEART OF FIRE TIGRINYA
HUMAN RIGHTS | HAWAII PREMIERE
After spending the first ten years of her life in a Catholic orphanage, the young and fiery Awet excitedly
learns that she is soon to be reunited with her family. But her hopes for a normal life are dashed when her
father, a fanatical supporter of the Eritrean Liberation Front, places Awet directly into the military forces’
hands. At first willing to join the fight, she soon realizes that their enemies are just as human as she,
and Awet makes a solemn vow never to kill... Labeled a traitor by the group’s commander, the young Awet
nevertheless courageously stands by her convictions and fights the violence in the disarming way that only
a child could.
GERMANY, ITALY, KENYA 2008 | KISWAHILI W/ ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 94 MIN.
Director: Luigi Falomi; Cast: Letekidan Micael, Solomie Micael, Seble Tilahun, Daniel Seyoum, Mekdes
T
Wegene, Samuel Semere BRUTUS | MERMAID
OC 11 12:30PM 19 5:30PM DOL
JAMAICA FOR SALE
GREEN SCREEN | WORLD PREMIERE
JAMAICA FOR SALE is a documentary countering the received view that tourism is the savior of the
Jamaican people. Lively, hard hitting, with powerful voices, arresting visuals and iconic music, JAMAICA
FOR SALE documents the environmental, economic, social and cultural impacts of tourism. The Caribbean
is the region most economically dependent on tourism. Jamaica is the 4th most indebted country in the
world. Massive hotels and luxury condominium developments are under construction. At this very moment
Jamaica is being irreversibly transformed. JAMAICA FOR SALE documents this transformation and attemps
to turn the tide.
JAMAICA 2008 | ENGLISH, JAMAICAN | 92 MIN.
T
Director: Esther Figueroa
OC 10 6:15PM 16 9PM DOL
NOHO HEWA | FLOW
KABE I — OUR MOTHER
SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN | NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Set in Tokyo in 1940, the peaceful life of the Nogami Family suddenly changes when the father, Shigeru, is
arrested and accused of being a Communist. His wife Kayo works frantically from morning to night to main-
tain the household and bring up her two daughters with the support of Shigeru’s sister Hisako and Shigeru’s
ex-student Yamazaki, but her husband does not return. WWII breaks out and casts dark shadows on the
entire country, but Kayo still tries to keep her cheerful determination and sustain the family with her love.
This is an emotional drama of a mother and an eternal message for peace
JAPAN 2008 | JAPANESE W/ ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 133 MIN.
Director: Yoji Yamada; Cast: Sayuri Yoshinaga, Tadanobu Asano,
Mitsugoro Bando, Miku Sato, Mirai Shida
T
DARLING OF THE MOUNTAINS | DEPARTURES
OC 11 7PM 13 3PM DOL
BUY TICKETS AT HIFF.ORG 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64