desertfilmsociety
presents

October 21, 2006 - 9:00 A.M. - Camelot Theatres - DOUBLE FEATURE

Special Guest:  Danielle Lurie from In The Morning

  
  Coachella Valley Premiere

IN THE MORNING (Short Film)
In this daring short drama which is based on a true story, a young woman is brutally attacked, and the responsibility of restoring her family's lost honor is left in the hands of her younger brother: a 13 year-old boy.  Lurie’s film is a revelation: highlighting a disturbing phenomenon that is increasingly common, frequently unreported and rarely punished.  Poetic, haunting and beautifully crafted, IN THE MORNING captures the dramatic confluence of events, social, cultural and political.  Lurie’s dramatic, poignant and compelling piece brings much needed attention to what has become an urgent and global human rights issue.

"COMPELLING” Abigail Sims, Los Angeles Commission on Assaults against Women; “Recommended” Educational Media Reviews Online
AWARDS:  Nashville Film Festival - Best Short Narrative, Beverly Hills Film Festival - Best Short, Jackson Hole Film Festival - Best Short, Cleveland International Film Festival - Humanitarian Award

FESTIVALS,:  Sundance Film Festival, Premiere, St. Louis International Film Festival, Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival, Stockholm Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Boston International Film Festival, Malibu Film Festival, Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee, Human Rights Nights, Bologna, Arizona Film Festival, Haifa Film Festival, Cambridge International Film Festival, Cinema Joven Film Festival, Crested Butte Film Festival, Festroia Film Festival ,Sonoma Film Festival, Stanford Alumni Film Festival, Urban World Film Festival, Waterfront Film Festival, Bend Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, Belgrade Human Rights Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Asian American International Film Festival, World Wide Shorts Film Festival, San Diego International Film Festival, RiverRun International Film Festival

Writer/Director Danielle Lurie
Produced by:  Katie Mustard
Short Film/Drama:  Turkish w/English Subtitles
Run time: 10 min
              
 Southern California Premiere

DAY BREAK (Feature Film)
In Iran, capital punishment is carried out according to Islamic law, which gives the family of the victim ownership of the offender’s life.  Day Break - based on a compilation of true stories and shot inside Tehran's century-old prison - revolves around the imminent execution of Mansour, a man found guilty of murder.  When the family of the victim repeatedly fails to show up on the appointed day, Mansour’s execution is postponed again and again.  Stuck inside the purgatory of his own mind, he waits as time passes on without him, caught between life and death, retribution and forgiveness.

“Works like a ticking time bomb” - Variety.com
"A hard hitting, thought provoking drama" – International Herald Tribune;
"Deeply affecting" - The L Magazine

Acclaim
"Best of the Middle East", Indianapolis International Film Festival, USA, 2006
Nominated for the “Northern European Critics’ Award” – Best First Film, National Film Festival, 2006
Special Jury Award, Festival of African, Asian and Latin American Cinema of Milan, Italy, 2006
The Jury Award, Annonay Int’l Festival of First Films, France, 2006
Special Award, Fajr Film Festival, Iran, 2006

Upcoming Screenings:  Hamburg Film Fest, Film Fra Sor
Previous Screenings: World Premiere: Toronto International Film Festival; Reykjavik International Film Festival, Iceland; Festival du Nouveau Cinema, Canada; Flanders International Film Festival, Belgium; International Film Festival of Kerala, India; Fajr Film Festival, Iran; Bangkok International Film Festival, Thailand; Cinema Novo, Belgium; Natfilm Festival, Denmark; Tribeca Film Festival; Facets Film Center; Kimo Theater and James A. Liitle Theater, NM

Drama:  Farsi w/ English subtitles
Director/Producer:  Hamid Rahmanian
Run time:  85 min