<<< September 25 & 28, 2008 >>>

This series is an Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!

September 25 – 28
10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
In the Egyptian Theatre Courtyard
FREE ADMISSION

As a child growing up in war-torn Somali, hip-hop artist K’NAAN saw more violence and tougher streets than most gangster rappers could imagine. Now in North America, he has established himself as a voice for change, a peacemaker and a cultural bridge between the developing world and the West. His debut album, "The Dusty Foot Philosopher," left an indelible mark on the hip-hop world and earned him a Juno Award (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards) for Best Rap Recording. With a new album slated for release in September, this special Los Angeles performance in the Egyptian Theatre Courtyard will feature the live debut of all-new material by one of music’s most compelling voices. www.thedustyfoot.com

North American Premiere: WELCOME TO ENURMINO!,* 2008, Russia, 60 min. In this enlightening story, villagers struggle to maintain traditional Chukchi culture while challenged by the changing landscape and increasing isolation. Director Aleksei Vakhrushev was born in Anadyr, the capital of the Chukchi autonomous region (Russia) in 1969. His films include "The Times When Dreams Melt" and "Birds of Naukan." In Russian and Chukchi with English subtitles.

"Sikumi" (On the Ice) (2008, United States, 15 min.) Apuna, a hunter, drives his dog team out on the frozen Arctic Ocean in search of seals, but instead witnesses a murder. Director Andrew Okpeaha MacLean is Iñupiaq, born and raised in Alaska. In Iñupiaq with English subtitles. Official Website North American Premiere: "White Mountain" (2006, East Kurdistan (Iran), 30 min.) In this elegant story, an elderly Kurd caught in the Kurdish civil war of the 1990s wishes for a simpler life. Director Taha Kerimi is from Banah – in eastern Kurdistan. This is his fourth short film. In Kurdish with English subtitles. "Young, Gifted & Samoan." (2007, United States, 23 min.) Dir. Dionne Fonoti. A fresh perspective of three Samoan youth living and creating music in San Francisco. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, raised in Apia Samoa, Dionne Fonoti moved to Hawaii where she completed high school. This is her first film. In English.

Los Angeles Premiere: GUARDING THE FAMILY SILVER, 2005, New Zealand, 46 min. This film takes a look at the effect of intellectual property on the Maori and the misuse of traditional symbols, images, and words in the global marketplace. Directors Toby Mills (Ngati Raukawa and Ngai te Rangi) and Moana Maniapoto (Te Arawa and Ngati Tuwharetoa Te Arawa and Ngati Tuwharetoa) are from New Zealand. Both individually and as a partnership, they tell stories through film and music. In English and Maori with English subtitles.

Los Angeles Premiere: "Aydaygooay" (2007, Canada, 6 min.) This blended live-action and animation short tells the Sayisi Dene story of Aydaygooay, a young man who brings the caribou back to his people. Director Mary Code trained as a nurse, raised a family, and turned to filmmaking in 1990. This is her first animated production. In Sayisi Dene with English subtitles. World Premiere: "Keao"* (2008, United States, 10 min.) Keao, a young hula dancer, is torn between the commercialization of the dance and the sacred significance of the dance. Kaliko Spenser is a Hawaiian native who began studying hula dance at a halau (school) at the age of 11 and has been dancing at the same halau for 11 years. This is her first film. In English. Los Angeles Premiere: "Young, Gifted & Samoan" (2007, United States, 23 min.) Dir. Dionne Fonoti. A fresh perspective of three Samoan youth living and creating music in San Francisco. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, raised in Apia Samoa, Dionne Fonoti moved to Hawaii where she completed high school. This is her first film. In English.

Los Angeles Premiere: THE LINGUISTS, 2007, United States/Russia/India/Bolivia, 65 min. This story follows linguists David Harrison and Gregory Anderson on a whirlwind race against time to document endangered languages before the last fluent speakers die. Directors Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller and Jeremy Newberger make up Ironbound Films. More on this film

"Kids’ Stories" (2007, El Salvador, 10 min.) A collection of animated shorts inspired by the famous Salvadoran writer Salarrue. Los Angeles Premiere: "The Tale of What I Want and Don't Want, the Magic Staff and Other Silly Thingies" and North American Premiere: "Menchedita Copalchine's First Communion." Director Ricardo Barahona developed "Kids’ Stories" in collaboration with El Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen, a non-profit organization devoted to Salvadoran culture, history and identity. In Spanish with English subtitles. Los Angeles Premiere: "Weaving Life" (2007, Colombia, 26 min.) . Dir. Robert Arevalo. Following in his father’s footsteps, Rubiel Velasquez weaves baskets from bejuco, a wood similar to bamboo, which is disappearing from the central Colombian landscape. In Spanish with English subtitles. Los Angeles Premiere: "Under the Open Sky" (2007, Mexico, 38 min.) Dir. José Luis Matías and Carlos Pérez Rojas. The community of El Carizalillo’s battle with Goldcorp Mining is a story of a people that organized, fought and won. José Luis Matías was trained in the National Center for Indigenous Videos in Oaxaca. Carlos Pérez Rojas is a video maker who has focused his work on indigenous people, social movements and human rights. In Spanish with English subtitles.

"Kids’ Stories – Part 2" (2007, El Salvador, 10 min.) Animated shorts inspired by the famous Salvadoran writer Salarrue. Included today: North American Premiere: "The Tale of the Geological Shake Up and Scared Up Earthlings" Director Ricardo Barahona developed "Kids’ Stories" in collaboration with El Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen, a nonprofit organization devoted to Salvadoran culture, history and identity. In Spanish with English subtitles. Los Angeles Premiere: "Maq and the Spirit of the Woods" (2007, Canada, 9 min.) A young boy learns a valuable life lesson through the help of an inconspicuous mentor. Director Phyllis Grant is a filmmaker and artist from the Mi’gmaq community of Pabineau First Nation in New Brunswick, Canada. In English. Los Angeles Premiere: "Na  'Ono  o  ka  'Aina -- Delicacies of the Land" (2008, United States, 9 min.) Directors: Puhipau and Joan Lander. A Hawaiian song narrates this documentary as Jerry Konanui teaches the importance of Taro preservation, planting and the controversy of genetic engineering. Na Maka o ka ‘Aina (The Eyes of the Land) is an independent video production team that focuses on the land and native people of Hawai'i and the Pacific. In Hawaiian with English subtitles. "Nikamowin (Song)" (2007, Canada, 12 min.) A linguistic soundscape comprised of the deconstruction and reconstruction of Cree narration with various manipulated landscapes. Director Kevin Lee Burton is also a film festival programmer and freelance camera operator who is Swampy Cree from God’s Lake Narrows, Manitoba.

North American Premiere: WHEN COLIN MET JOYCE, 2007, Australia, 52 min. Joyce and Colin Clague celebrate a 40-year marriage that has been driven by social justice and bound by commitment and love. Director Rima Tamou’s short-documentary credits include "Desperate Times," "Ankula Watjarira" and "Back to the Yumba." This is his first feature-length documentary. In English

"Slap" (2008, Iran, 5 min.) Dir. Ehsan Amani. In this cunning whodunit story, a train goes through a tunnel, and a kiss and slap are heard among four passengers. In Farsi with English subtitles. "On the Railroad" (2008, Iran, 15 min.) Dir. Mohammad Sufi. A husband’s mourning is reconciled through an unforeseen event in this bittersweet short. In Farsi with English subtitles."In Our Home" (2008, Iran, 5 min.) Dir. Maryam Kashkouli Nia. The admiration and value of family comes to light when a little girl plays with her toys in this animated short. In Farsi with English subtitles. "Cold Dream" (2008, Iran, 14 min.) Dir. Peyman Nahan Ghodrati. Many symbols are portrayed as an old man and old woman journey through a snowy, cold mountain. In Farsi with English subtitles.

About the Documentary Experimental Film Center in Tehran: DEFC is the main center for production, distribution and promotion of fiction, documentary, animation and experimental films in Iran as well as the Middle East. DEFC produces about 15 full-length features and 100 short films per year. In 2007, DEFC organized the first Cinema Verite Iran International Documentary Film Festival in Tehran, Iran. The second annual festival will be held Oct. 15–19. The festival’s mission is to express the relationship between reality and truth through documentary films.