Towelhead (R) Towelhead follows the dark, bold and shockingly funny life of Jasira, a 13-year-old Arab-American girl, as she navigates the confusing and frightening path of adolescence and her own sexual awakening. Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Alicia Erian and written for the screen and directed by Alan Ball (Oscar winning writer of American Beauty and creator of Six Feet Under), Towelhead stars Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette, Maria Bello, Peter Macdissi and newcomer Summer Bishil as Jasira. Towelhead - official website
Before the Rains (PG-13) Amidst the growing nationalist movement in 1930's India, T.K. Neelan, a Western-educated idealistic young Indian man, finds himself torn between his ambitions for the future and his loyalty to the past when the local villagers learn of an adulterous affair between his boss, Henry Moores, a British colonialist striving to build a road to expand his spice harvesting business, and Moores' beautiful married Indian housemaid Sajani. Before the Rains - official website
A Man Named Pearl (G) A Man Named Pearl tells the inspiring story of self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar. It is a subtle and intriguing film that is certain to open hearts and minds. It offers an upbeat message that speaks to respect for both self and others, and shows what one person can achieve when he allows himself to share the full expression of his humanity. A Man Named Pearl - official website
Reprise (R) Erik and Phillip are trying to make it as writers. Erik is rejected by publishers as lacking in talent, while Phillip's manuscript is accepted and the young man becomes a major name on the Norwegian cultural scene practically overnight. Six months later, Erik and his friends come to visit Phillip at a psychiatric hospital to bring him home after long-term treatment. Writing is the last thing on Phillip's mind, but Erik is continuing his literary attempts and tries to convince his friend to go back to writing. Reprise - official website
My Brother is an Only Child (Mio fratello e figlio unico) (NR) Set in a small Italian town in the 60's and 70's, the film tells the story of two brothers who want to change the world -- but in completely different ways. The elder, Manrico (Riccardo Scarmaccio,) is a handsome, charismatic firebrand who becomes the prime mover in the local Communist party. Accio (Elio Germano,) the younger, more rebellious brother, finds his own contrarian voice by joining the reactionary Fascists. What starts as a typical tale of sibling rivalry becomes the story of the polarizing and paralyzing politics of those turbulent times, and the rift between the brothers is further intensified when Accio realizes that he loves his brother's girlfriend, Francesca (Diane Fleri) who, like everyone else, is blind to Manrico's increasingly dangerous ideas. My Brother is an Only Child (Mio fratello e figlio unico) - official website
Encounters at the End of the World (PG) Werner Herzog ("Grizzly Man," "Rescue Dawn") confirms his standing as poet laureate of men in extreme situations with "Encounters at the End of the World." In this visually stunning exploration, Herzog travels to the Antarctic community of McMurdo Station, headquarters of the National Science Foundation and home to eleven hundred people during the austral summer (Oct-Feb). Over the course of his journey, Herzog examines human nature and Mother nature, juxtaposing breathtaking locations with the profound, surreal, and sometimes absurd experiences of the marine biologists, physicists, plumbers, and truck drivers who choose to form a society as far away from society as one can get. Encounters at the End of the World - official website
Body of War (NR) Body of War is a documentary following Tomas Young, an Iraq War veteran paralyzed from a bullet to the spine, on a physical and emotional journey as he adapts to his new body and begins to question the decision to go to war in Iraq. From soldier to anti-war activist, the film takes an unflinching view of the physical and emotional aftermath of war through the eyes of an American hero. The film unfolds on two parallel tracks. On the one hand, we see Tomas evolving into a powerful voice against the war as he struggles to deal with the complexities of a paralyzed body. And on the other hand, we see the historic debate unfolding in the Congress about going to war in Iraq. Body of War - official website
