The Hand That Feeds, Co-Director / Producer Rachel Lears

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THE HAND THAT FEEDS hits theaters on April 3 in NYC and April 10 in LA. In this remarkable film from filmmakers Robin Blotnick and Rachel Lears, shy sandwich-maker Mahoma Lopez sets out to end abusive conditions at a popular New York restaurant chain. The epic power struggle that ensues turns a single city block into a battlefield in America’s new wage wars. Risking deportation and the loss of their livelihood the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming their own independent union launching themselves on a journey that will test the limits of their resolve. THE HAND THAT FEEDS was a frontrunner in the film festival circuit last year and took home an Audience Award at both the Full Frame Film Festival and DOC NYC, as well as the Best of Fest at AFI Docs amongst others. Co-director Rachel Lears stops by to talk about the character and determination of the small band of workers committed to carving out a better future for their families.

For news and updates on The Hand That Feeds go to: thehandthatfeedsfilm.com

“A crowd pleaser… a well-plotted and captivating David & Goliath story.”- Anthony Kaufman, Indiewire

“As rousing as it is seemingly implausible.” – Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

“An inspiring story.” – Anne Hornaday, The Washington Post

“Noteworthy.” – Stephen Holden, The New York Times

“Engaging nonfiction storytelling, deftly edited for maximum suspense.” – Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader

“It’s Norma Rae with a side of sauerkraut… socially conscious documentary filmmaking at its best.” – Peter Keough, The Boston Globe

“A powerful story that we don’t often see in movies.” – Chris Barsanti, Pop Matters

AWARDS

Audience Award for Best Feature – Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Durham, NC

Audience Award – DOC NYC, New York, NY

Selection “Best of Fest” – AFI DOCS

Jury Prize, Best Documentary Feature – Sidewalk Film Festival

International Jury Prize – Document Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Glasgow, Scotland

White Dog, Director Kornel Mundruczó

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Winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize at the 2014 Cannes Festival, Kornel Mundruczó’s newest film is a story of the indignities visited upon animals by their supposed human superiors, but it’s also a stark, beautiful metaphor for the political and cultural tensions sweeping contemporary Europe. When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog Hagen because its mixed-breed heritage is deemed “unfit” by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back towards each other. At the same time, all the unwanted, unloved and so-called “unfit” dogs rise up under a new leader, Hagen, the one-time house pet who has learned all too well from his “Masters” in his journey through the streets and animal control centers that man is not always dog’s best friend. Director Kornel Mundruczó’s joins us to talk about his startling and provocative political allegory.

Opens in theatres April 3, 2015 – Nuart Los Angeles

For news and updates on White Dog go to: White Dog at Magnolia Pictures

“FIERCE AND BEAUTIFUL. Extraordinarily choreographed.” – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

“REMARKABLE AND RIVETING. This surprising movie is perhaps the most memorable of all the films I saw at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It’s haunting, and quite extraordinary.” – Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood

“White God confirms Mundruczó’s position as one of Europe’s most exciting, unpredictable and technically competent directors. In a world where so many filmmakers seem to rework the same material over and over, he’s a true wild card—a filmmaker with ‘un certain regard’ if ever there was one.” – Nick Roddick, Sight & Sound

“A triumphantly idiosyncratic film with smarts and visceral impact in equal measure.” – Jessica Kiang, The Playlist on Indiewire

“The more you command it to sit and stay-to settle down as a plausible plot, or to cohere as a political fable-the more it slips its leash and runs amok.” – Anthony Lane. New Yorker Magazine

Cheatin’, Director Bill Plympton

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Bill Plympton is considered the King of Indie Animation and is the only person to hand draw an entire animated feature film. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he graduated from Portland State University in Graphic  Design. Plympton moved to New York City in 1968. He began his career creating cartoons for publications such as New York Times, National Lampoon, Playboy and Screw. In 1987 he was nominated for an Oscar® for his animated short “Your Face”. In 2005, Bill received another Oscar® nomination, this time for a short film “Guard Dog”. “Push Comes to Shove” another short film, won the prestigious Cannes 1991 Palme d’Or. After producing many shorts that appeared on MTV and Spike and Mike’s, he turned his talent to feature films. Since 1991 he’s made 9 feature films, 6 of them, “The Tune”, “Mondo Plympton”, “I Married A Strange Person”, “Mutant Aliens”, “Hair High” and “Idiots and Angels” are all animated features. His latest feature animated film is Cheatin’ is a fateful tale of a bumper car collision, Jake and Ella meet and become the most loving couple in the long history of Romance. But when a scheming “other” woman drives a wedge of jealousy into their perfect courtship, insecurity spells out an untimely fate. With only the help of a disgraced magician and his forbidden “soul machine,” Ella takes the form of Jake’s numerous lovers, desperately fighting through malfunction and deceit as they try to reclaim their destiny. Animator / director Bill Plympton joins us to talk about his latest, magically adult tale of love and fidelity.

For news and updates on Cheatin’ go to: cheatinmovie.com

“At a time when so many computer-generated features have an increasingly homogenized look, Plympton is a welcome reminder that the art of animation is too protean to be limited to a single visual style, medium or point of view.” – Charles Solomon, LA Times

“Strife and sexual humor reign in this energetic romp, one of Bill Plympton’s best longform animated works.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety

“It’s pleasingly old-school stuff that harks back to older, non-realist, counter-cultural schools of cartooning, a style through-line that reaches back to the very early days of Winsor McKay, through Tex Avery shorts and Ralph Bakshi in his Fritz the Cat-heyday.” – Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter

Winner of the Prix du Jury at Annecy 2014

Nominated for 3 Annie Awards

Opening night film for the 2014 Slamdance Film Festival

Best Animated Film at the Gujun International Film Festival

Broken Horses, Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra

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Having left town as a child after the death of his father, young music prodigy, JACOB HECKUM, returns to his desolate hometown after years only to discover that BUDDY, the child-like elder brother he left behind, now works for a notorious drug gang. The gang’s ruthless boss has twisted Buddy’s simple mind and manipulated him into a killer…asurrogate son who blindly does as he is told. Jacob is unable to convince Buddy to leave his new fraternity. Drowned in guilt for having abandoned him, Jacob realizes the only way to save Buddy is from the inside out. Set in the shadows of the turbulent American-Mexican border Broken Horses is a gritty, epic thriller about bonds of brotherhood, laws of loyalty and the futility of violence. Director Vinod Chopra talks about the difference directing a film for Hollywood and Bollywood and why he wanted to make a western-style tale of love and loyalty.

In Theatres on April 10, 2015

For news and updates on Broken Horses go to: vinodchopra.com

“Beautifully written, acted and imagined. This film wraps slowly around you like a King Snake and squeezes” – James Cameron, director of Titanic and Avatar

“The greatness of Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s films come from the fact that all of his characters are driven by love.” – Alfonso Cuaron, director of Gravity

Kill Me Three Times, Director Kriv Stenders

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KILL ME THREE TIMES is a darkly comedic thriller from rising star director Kriv Stenders (Red Dog). Simon Pegg plays the mercurial assassin, Charlie Wolfe, who discovers he isn’t the only person trying to kill the siren of a sun-drenched surfing town (Alice Braga). Charlie quickly finds himself at the center of three tales of murder, mayhem, blackmail and revenge. With an original screenplay by James McFarland, the film also stars Sullivan Stapleton (as a gambling addict who attempts to pay off his debts through a risky life insurance scam), Teresa Palmer (as a small town Lady Macbeth), Callan Mulvey (as a wealthy beach club owner simmering with jealousy), Luke Hemsworth (as a local surfer fighting for the woman he loves) and Bryan Brown (as a corrupt cop who demands the juiciest cut). KILL ME THREE TIMES was produced by Laurence Malkin and Share Stallings (the team behind Death At A Funeral and A Few Best Men) and Tania Chambers. Director Kriv Stenders stops by for a conversation on the making of his “popcorn” film and the state of Australian film.

On Demand March 26 and in Theatres April 10

http://www.magnetreleasing.com/killmethreetimes/

“For Pegg fans, it’s pretty much continuous pleasure throughout.” – Hitfix



“A brutal and twisted potboiler full of bloodbaths, double-crosses and vicious fun.” – The Wrap 



“Pure genre fun, executed with precision and glee.” – Ain’t it Cool News



“A wild ride that is pure cinematic fun, thoroughly entertaining, and utterly hilarious, Kill Me Three Times is a must for fans of Pegg and the genre alike. Not to be missed.” – Final Reel

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter – Writer / Producer Nathan Zellner

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In this darkly comedic odyssey, Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi (Babel, Pacific Rim) stars as Kumiko, a frustrated Office Lady whose imagination transcends the confines of her mundane life. Kumiko becomes obsessed with a mysterious, battered VHS tape of a popular film she’s mistaken for a documentary, fixating on a scene where a suitcase of stolen cash is buried in the desolate, frozen landscape of North Dakota. Believing this treasure to be real, she leaves behind Tokyo and her beloved rabbit Bunzo to recover it – and finds herself on a dangerous adventure unlike anything she’s seen in the movies. With Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter, indie mavericks the Zellner Bros. spin a strangely touching underdog fable, populated by eccentrics and elevated to sonic heights by a Sundance award-winning score from electro-indie outfit The Octopus Project, that will leave audiences rooting for the impossible. Writer / Producer Nathan Zellner stops by for a conversation on working with his brother, David, acting and the making of their beautiful breakthrough film.

This weekend (March 20th) at the Landmark Nuart Theatre – The Zellner Bros. IN PERSON at select showtimes. Moderators include Jay Duplass, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Bobcat Goldthwait!

 For news and updates on Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter go to: kumikothetreasurehunter.com

“Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is a moody comic allegory about desperation, disconnection and dreams that uses Fargo, the Coen brothers classic, as a touchstone to examine modern life.” – Betsy Sharkey, LA Times

“The beauty of Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter comes from the Zellners treating a silly, whimsical premise with utmost seriousness.” – Scott Tobias, The Dissolve

“A delicate, haunting study of a woman who has in several senses lost her way.” – Neil Genlinger, New York Times

Seymour: An Introduction, Teacher, Musician, and Film Subject, Seymour Bernstein

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Seymour Bernstein started playing the piano as a little boy, and by the time he turned 15 he was teaching it to others. He enjoyed a long and illustrious career as a performer before he gave it up to devote himself to helping others develop their own gifts. While Ethan Hawke’s gentle, meditative study is a warm and lucid portrait of Bernstein and his exceptional life and work, it’s also a love letter to the study of music itself, and a film about the patience, concentration, and devotion that are fundamental to the practice of art. Seymour: An Introduction allows us to spend time with a generous human being who has found balance and harmony through his love of music. Seymour joins us to talk about his life and love of music.

For news and updates on Seymour: An Introduction go to: room5films.com/seymour

100% on Rottentomatoes!!

“Bernstein in action is a study of what a teacher should be: kind but with a steely resolve. He analyzes the music and figures how to overcome its obstacles.” – Leba Hertz, San Francisco Chronicle

“A fondly made portrait … of a gentle philosopher with a wicked wit, a superbly talented pianist who intellectually challenges and charms in equal parts.” – Linda Barnard, Toronto Star

“The movie’s real subject is the difficulty — and the critical importance — of bringing into harmony one’s personal and artistic lives, of being not only a good artist but a joyful one.” – J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

“A life’s wisdom, distilled, conveyed with charm, wit and bracing precision in an understated yet lucid voice. Hawke’s managed to capture the kindest, most no-bullshit guru you’d care to imagine.” – Ray Pride, Newcity

Farewell to Hollywood, Co-director Henry Corra

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In a recurring poetic image, 17-year-old Regina Diane Nicholson swings between heaven and earth on a breathtakingly high cliff by the sea. Reggie is a tomboy struggling with terminal illness, her parents and her dream of making a film. She impresses us with her loving, strong personality and wisdom beyond her years, as well as her morbid sense of humor. When director Henry Corra met 17-year-old filmmaker Regina Nicholson at a film festival, he agreed to help her make a feature film. What developed over nearly two years is a powerful friendship and poignant relationship between Reggie and Henry. He became her collaborator, friend and defender in her fight to find artistic and personal freedom. When Reggie turns 18 and can make decisions on her own, things become even more intense. This film is a poetic fairytale about love and death, holding on and letting go, one that invites us to discuss the relationship between filmmaker, subject and family. An eclectic mix of images with the intimacy of a video diary or home movie, it is filmed both by Henry and by Reggie and supplemented by their text message exchanges, images from her favorite movies, and fairytale-like scenes with songs that together form a heartwarming, but also heartbreaking and controversial ode to Reggie’s life. Co-director Henry Corra joins us for a conversation on love, death, relationships and the impact co-director Reggie has had on him.

For news and updates on Farewell to Hollywood go to: farewelltohollywood.com

“MOVING. IMPRESSIONISTIC. UNSETTLING. Watching it feels like judging a last will and testament.” – Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times

“If the only film about a teenage girl with cancer you’ve seen recently is The Fault in Our Stars, get ready for a new and stranger heartbreak…Pitched like a home movie but crafted with fine, poignant sensibilities.” – Diana Clarke, Village Voice, February 24, 2015

“An ode to life, loss and moviemaking…a powerful…gripping story.” – Zack Sharf, IndieWire

“Searingly brave and beautiful.” – Pamela Cohn, Filmmaker Magazine

“Relentlessly compelling. How can you remain unmoved by the wretched unfairness of a likeable young person dying and handling it with such grace? Packs an emotional sucker punch.” – Simi Horwitz, Film Journal

“A provocation from beyond the grave. A remarkable narrative [with] passionate energy.” – Eric Kohn, IndieWire

The Wrecking Crew, Director Denny Tedesco

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What the Funk Brothers did for Motown…The Wrecking Crew did, only bigger, for the West Coast Sound. Six years in a row in the 1960s and early 1970s, the Grammy for “Record of the Year” went to Wrecking Crew recordings. And now, THE WRECKING CREW tells the story in pictures and that oh, so glorious sound. The favorite songs of a generation are all here, presented by the people who made them for you. THE WRECKING CREW is a documentary film produced and directed by Denny Tedesco, son of legendary late Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco. The film tells the story of the unsung musicians that provided the backbeat, the bottom and the swinging melody that drove many of the number one hits of the 1960s. It didn’t matter if it was Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, The Monkees, The Byrds or The Beach Boys, these dedicated musicians brought the flair and musicianship that made the American “west coast sound” a dominant cultural force around the world. The film is a fun and moving tribute from Denny to his father and to the music, the times and to the secret star-making machine known only as “The Wrecking Crew”. Director Denny Tedesco joins us to talk about a remarkable group of artist and the indelible impact they had on music and the people who love music.

For news and updates on The Wrecking Crew go to: wreckingcrewfilm.com

“Wonderful, touching and hilarious about the unsung stars of so many records that you carry in your heart.” – Elvis Costello

“It’s astounding to consider how many eternal earworms are in our brains, courtesy of this accomplished group of West Coast musicians.” – Jim Slotek, Toronto Star

“The enchanting Kaye – “I was making more money than the President” – probably deserves her own film.” – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail

“Long on nostalgia, the film does shed further light on the genius of Brian Wilson and the unfair uproar over the Monkees’ need for musical backup. Turns out even the Beach Boys required the Wrecking Crew to rock.” – Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Buzzard with Director / Producer Joel Potrykus

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Marty is a caustic, small-time con artist drifting from one scam to the next. When his latest ruse goes awry, mounting paranoia forces him from his lousy small town temp job to the desolate streets of Detroit with nothing more than a pocket full of bogus checks, a dangerously altered Nintendo® Power Glove, and a bad temper. Albert Camus meets Freddy Krueger in BUZZARD, a hellish and hilarious riff on the struggles of the American working class. Director / Producer / Writer and Derek, Joel Potrykus stops by to talk about the benefits of casting musicians and comedians in key roles, the creativity of low budget projects, Marty and the “party zone.”

For news and upates on Buzzard go to: buzzardfilm.com

Office Space on crack.” – Indiewire

“You kind of want him to succeed in his petty rebellion against boredom, conformity and corporate blandness, and you kind of want him to be punched in the face.” – A.O. Scott, New York Times

“A 21st century version of Travis Bickle.” – Kurt Brokaw, Independent Magazine

“The incredible Joshua Burge is a Buster Keaton for the 99%” – Nicholas Elliott, BOMB Magazine

“Potrykus has fashioned a vigorous and strangely compelling character study, a sustained burst of punk-rock ferocity, and one of the most original American films to emerge in some time.” – Calum Marsh, Village Voice

“Like all great things, Joel Potrykus’ latest feature Buzzard only gets better with time. With the ability to seamlessly blend Mauvais Sang and Mountain Dew, the more I ruminate on the film’s nuances and unique brand of humor and passion, the more I love it.” – Hillary Weston, Blackbook Magazine

The Mind of Mark DeFriest, Director / Producer Gabriel London

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Once known as Houdini for his multiple and improbable jailbreaks, Mark DeFriest was condemned to Florida’s worst prison after a lone psychiatrist reversed four court appointed psychiatrists and declared Mark was faking mental illness. Over 30 years later, Mark is still struggling to understand how to survive a rigid and unforgiving system, while his remaining supporters forge an unlikely alliance to argue for his freedom in front of the Florida Parole Commission. Along the way, they uncover lingering questions about whether Mark should have even been sent to prison, yet face the daunting task of explaining why a notorious troublemaker deserves to go free. Gabriel joins us for a conversation on this unbelievable story of man juvenile, suffering from the death of his beloved father is thrust into a nightmare that has continued for over 34 years, 20 years of which were spent in solitary confinement, for taking a set of tools bequeath to him.

For news and updates on The Mind of Mark Defriest go to: defriest.com

“The indomitable personality and talents of the serial prison escapee Mark DeFriest outshine the weaknesses of this documentary that bears his name.” – Nicolas Rapold, New York Times

“Producer-director Gabriel London’s fascinating film tracks the astounding journey of “one of the country’s most notorious prisoners,” Mark DeFriest.” – Gary Goldstein, LA Times

“…a curious, infuriating, and haunting tale, and an accomplishment of documentary filmmaking.” Katie Walsh, Playlist

“A chilling, timely, often darkly and unexpectedly humorous look at one man’s brutal experiences in the American prison system, the documentary The Mind of Mark DeFriest is the adage “truth is stranger than fiction” writ large.” – Ernest Hardy, Village Voice

An Honest Liar, featuring James “The Amazing” Randi

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AN HONEST LIAR is a feature documentary about truth and deception and the life of world-famous magician, escape artist and master skeptic, James ‘The Amazing’ Randi. The film brings to life Randi’s intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con artists with quasi-religious fervor. A master deceiver who came out of the closet at the age of 81, Randi created fictional characters, fake psychics, and even turned his partner of 25 years, the artist Jose Alvarez, into a sham guru named Carlos. But when a shocking revelation in Randi’s personal life is discovered, it isn’t clear whether Randi is still the deceiver – or the deceived. AN HONEST LIAR is a story of cons and deceptions perpetrated for both good and evil. The film follows the life of James “The Amazing” Randi, a world-renowned magician, escape artist and master of deception who has entertained and educated the world for over 50 years. “The Amazing” Randi himself stops by Film School to talk about his life as a conjurer and what it means to be true to oneself.

SPECIAL APPEARANCE

Los Angeles, CA, Nuart Theatre
: Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7 for a Q&A after the 7:30pm show and intro to the 9:50pm show:
 Co-director Tyler Measom.

New York, NY, Sunshine Cinema: 
Friday, March 6 for a Q&A after the 7:10pm show and intro to the 9:45pm show; Saturday, March 7 for Q&As after the 2:30pm and 7:10pm shows and intro to the 9:45pm show; and Sunday, March 8 for a Q&A after the 12:20pm show: 
Film subject James “The Amazing” Randi and co-director Justin Weinstein.

For news and updates on An Honest Liar go to: anhonestliar.com

“Bounces along enjoyably on a sea of archival clips from Randi’s high-profile career, with latter-day input from numerous celebrity pals (and at least one famous foe).” – Dennis Harvey, Variety

“Directors Tyler Measom and Justin Weinstein turn a standard bio-doc about an extraordinary man into a rumination on the blurred line between trickery and truth.” – Ariel Teplitsky, Toronto Star

“Intriguing stuff.” – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Road Hard, Director, Writer, Producer Adam Carolla

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After his movie and television career has run dry, Bruce Madsen (Adam Carolla) is forced to go back on the road playing one dingy comedy club after another, spending endless nights in budget hotel rooms and always flying coach. Amidst trying to revitalize his career, rekindle his love life and put his daughter through college, Bruce knows one thing for sure – he must get off the road. ROAD HARD is the story of that journey. ADAM CAROLLA is best known as a comedian, actor, radio personality, television host and NY Times best – selling author. He currently hosts The Adam Carolla Show, which holds the Guinness Book of World Records for “most downloaded podcast,” and stars on Spike TV’s Catch a Contractor. His latest book, President Me, was released this Spring from Harper Collins Publishing and debuted #8 on the NY Times Best Seller List. Adam started The Adam Carolla Show podcast with only a computer and a microphone from his home office in Feb. 2009. The podcast now receives more than 20 million downloads a month and has been featured in Fast Company Magazine, Entrepreneur, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. His immediate success prompted Adam to launch an online network known as Carolla Digital in February 2010 which produces many of iTunes’ top podcast programming. Adam joins us to talk about the challenges of filmmaking and his motivation to follow up his terrific first feature film THE HAMMER.

 For news and updates on Adam and Road Hard go to: adamcarolla.com