Director: Mika Ronkainen
Cast: Petri Sirviöo, Mieskuoro Huutajat

Meet the choir of screaming men that travels from Finland to Tokyo with the goal of getting good photographs of their Japanese audience while performing Japanese national anthem. Meet the choir that screams the French national anthem La Marseillaise at the museum of modern art in Paris even though the museum and the embassy of Finland try to prevent them. Meet the choir that treats nationalism, fascism, and power – and can only be led by a total dictator.

The Finnish Screaming Male Choir, Mieskuoro Huutajat, dressed in black suits, white shirts, and rubber ties is a unique choir which performs its repertoire by shouting and screaming. Led by the conductor Petri Sirviö, the choir has travelled during 15 years of existence from an idea in a bar table all the way to the front line of modern European performing arts, receiving the same strong reaction everywhere: the audience has been mostly exalted, and sometimes also shocked and bewildered.

The appeal of the performance of Huutajat is based on combinations of strong contrasts. The disciplined and smartly dressed male choir shouts patriotic songs and marches as well as children’s songs in original languages. Exact articulation mixes with howling and comical turns into serious without a warning. Their versions of national anthems of different countries do not always make everybody happy. When Huutajat was performing at the museum of modern art in Paris, both the museum and the Finnish embassy tried to prevent them from performing the French national anthem. When Huutajat was performing in Iceland, where it is prohibited by the law to perform the national anthem in any other version than the original, they had to find another solution.

UPC# 825307-925098
CAT# PH-92509 - $24.98

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DOCUMENTARY
NR / 2003 / 76 minutes
Country: Finland
Language: Finnish

Director: Michiel van Erp
Cast: Arthur Japin, Dieuwke van Kreel

Filmmaker Michiel van Erp follows Amsterdam inhabitants who struggle with various anxiety disorders, as they attempt to overcome their fears... including a woman who must take really long showers to feel clean, another woman who was kidnapped by a terrorist group years ago and a man who is so terrified of heights, he can’t be near his window.

When released in Holland, “Angst” caused quite a commotion and attracted huge crowds. Regular people realized they were dealing with similar problems. “Angst” was sold out for many weeks, as people came face to face with their own mental illness. This film may change the way you see yourself.

UPC# 825307-924190
CAT# PH-92419 - $24.98

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NON-FICTION THRILLER
NR / 2009 / 95 minutes
Country: Netherlands
Language: Dutch w/ ON/OFF English subtitles

Director: Chris Butler
Cast: Ashley Kate Butler, Samantha Beard

Ashley has one week to plan a party to seduce a guy
she has a secret crush on and in her own words,
"do him". The problem: the guy barely knows she
exists.

This is Australian teenage subculture as it's never
been seen before. "Life With Ashley" is a cinematic
diary, with dresses, questions, music, sex, tears,
laughs and sitting around.

"Life With Ashley reveals how the creative types of today assume free sex as a natural part of life that will come to them..."
- lipmag.com

"The story of a girl (Ashley) and her quest to woo a boy by putting on a party and inviting him to come, and then spend the entire night trying to “do him”
- lesstalk.com

"As Disturbing as it is strangely engrossing"
- Sydney Underground Film Festival

UPC# 825307-924398
CAT# PH-92439 - $24.98

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TEEN COMEDY
NR / 2009 / 97 minutes
Country: Australia
Language: English

Director: Max Plettau
Cast: Jürgen Hartenstein

In a bleak attic in Munich, we find a German boxer, alone, pounding the bags. His name is Jürgen "The Rock" Hartenstein. He is aging. He is alone. He was once a champion.

Now, the boxer eschews women, alcohol and any creature comforts, earning his meager living as a pub bouncer. With no manager standing behind him, he is forced to train in city parks and in a dark, seedy attic with his African trainer, Markus Kone. Every week he phones matchmakers in the U.S., because this former German middleweight champion has a dream: he wants to make a comeback.

He needs a win against a US boxer to get back in the game, six years after massive losses forced him to retire. Finally, he "The Rock" gets his chance in Philadelphia, where the odds are heavily against him. This is his only chance for a comeback.

UPC# 825307-924091
CAT# PH-92409 - $24.98

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DOCUMENTARY
NR / 2007 / 90 minutes
Country: Germany
Language: English / German
with English subtitles

Director: Michiel van Erp

"A Fun Fair behind the Dikes" In his trademark tongue-in-cheek style, director Michiel van Erp follows a Chinese tour bus' exploration into the daily distractions of people in the Netherlands. Focusing on the mechanics of the Dutch tourism industry and events from Gay Pride Amsterdam to an Elf Fantasy Fair, the film follows the organizers and key figures behind events and destinations. This includes the director of the Efteling theme park creating a new roller coaster, to a manager of an outlet store promoting his store with a chocolate bed. A look at how Dutch citizens spend their vacation and leisure time as seen through the eyes of Chinese tourists. There is nothing quite like this.



UPC# 825307-923896
CAT# PH-92389 - $24.98

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DOCUMENTARY
NR / 2006 / 90 minutes
Country: Netherlands
Language: Dutch, Mandarin with English subtitles 16 x9 Anamorphic Video

Director: Khavn De La Cruz
Cast: Hapon

"Squatterpunk" follows an eight year old Slum King named Hapon, a cocky would-be gangster, through one of the thousands of shanty towns that sprang up between the cracks in the Manila pavement. Like watching infants at play at a car crash, it's a hypnotic, almost seamless mix of social realism and visual poetry. The relentless noise leaves no room for dialog, making a stark impression without comment and, more significantly, without judgment.

A vivid and jarring collection of postcards of innocence at the brink of a short and possibly non-existent adolescence, of simple pleasures amidst appalling squalor, of human junk that society ignores in a country the rest of the world prefers to forget.

Official Selection:
Las Palmas IFF (Spain), 2008; Berlin Asian Hotshots FF (Germany), 2008; Viennale IFF (Austria), 2007; La Palma Digital IFF (Spain), 2007; Saarbrucken Cinema Days (Germany), 2008; Rotterdam IFF (Netherlands), 2007; Singapore IFF (Singapore), 2007; Indie Lisboa IFF (Portugal), 2007; Brisbane IFF (Australia), 2007; Grand Jury Prize, Cinemanila IFF (Philippines), 2006; Cinemalaya FF (Philippines), 2007; Opening Film, Sonatrope (Hong Kong), 2007; Ljubljana IFF (Slovenia), 2007; National Film & Sound Archive, Canberra (Australia), 2007; Euganea Movie Movement FF (Italy), 2007;  Hamburg Documentary FF (Germany), 2007; Jogja-NETPAC Asian FF (Indonesia), 2007; Underdox FF, Munich (Germany), 2007; Amsterdam Film Experience (Netherlands), 2007; Leipzig Documentary & Animation IFF (Germany), 2007; Austin Asian FF, Texas (USA), 2007; Chicago Filipino American FF (USA), 2007

Special Features including:
Alternate soundtracks (live film concerts performed at Vienna and Manila), Trailer, The Brockas Live Featurette, Kuya Germs Interview, NCCA Interview, Q&A "Talk to Khavn"


UPC# 825307-923797
CAT# PH-92379 - $24.98

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DOCUMENTARY
NR / 2007 / 79 minutes
Country: Philippines

Director: Uli Gaulke
Cast: Lasanne Badiel, Yong-Sil Han, Anup Jagdale, Penny Tefertiller

The lights dim. The surface brightens. Sound and image fill the movie theatre. Magic and dreams.  Comrades in Dreams is a valentine to the pleasures of cinema. In a world dominated by cookie-cutter multiplexes, formulaic filmmaking, and commercial imperatives, filmmaker Uli Gaulke embarks on a journey to celebrate the essence of the cinematic experience by exploring the most alternative, "independent" strain of cinema owners and their film communities he can find. 

Employing a stunning use of film narrative, Gaulke, a former projectionist and cinema owner himself, interweaves stories spanning four continents... a traveling Indian tent cinema to a North Korean "film club," a Wyoming woman's dedication to her local cinema group to an open-air cinema in Burkina Faso, the world's poorest country. In this poetic evocation of their lives, he captures a sense of the universal humanity that the fundamental act of "cinema" evokes in each of his characters. As we watch Comrades in Dreams, we remember our own first, childlike introduction to the magical dream world of cinema. 

Outtake bonus features take you to a rare journey into North Korea.

Official Selection:
Berlin International Film Festival
Karlovy Film Festival
Hot Docs
and more...

UPC# 825307-922899
CAT# PH-92289 - $24.98

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Documentary
NR / 2006 /100 minutes
Country: Germany
Language: Korean, French, Marathi, English
with English, French, Korean, Spanish subtitles

Director: Justin Bookey
Cast: Lee Giudici, Michael Ziehlke, Rick Shackley, Bob Fasano

“Jump” is the story of the oddest sport in America. For almost 100 years, thousands have gathered in Calaveras County to compete for length. The length of their leaping frog. The sport is “Frog Jumping”. It's not only real, it's been around since 1928.

This bizarre story tracks down the origins of this American oddity, which was given birth by Mark Twain. Frog jockeys discuss the sweat and sacrifice they dedicate to this unique athletic passion. We follow triumph and defeat in what is perhaps the most unique American pastime.

SPECIAL FEATURES: "Meet Emily Stenler" featurette • "Jumpin' Frog Jubilee" Music Video • "Red, Yellow, or Blue? a Grime Scene Investigation" featurette • Director's Statement • Trailer • Scene Selection

Best Documentary:
Thunderbird Film Festival
Myrtle Beach Film Festival
Ole Muddy Film Festival

Official Selection:
Jackson Hole Film Festival
Port Townsend Film Festival
New Hampshire Film Expo
Savannah Film Festival
and much more...

UPC# 825307-922691
CAT# PH-92269 - $24.98

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Documentary
NR / 2006 /70 minutes
Country: USA
Language: English

Director: Sung Hyung Cho
Cast: Uwe Trede, Lore Trede, Klaus H. Plähn, Irma Schaack, Eva Waldow

The 2007 documentary Full Metal Village examines the lives of the residents of a small German village in the Schleswig-Holstein region, Wacken, in a series of interviews and visual tableaux as it prepares for the annual Wacken Open Air Festival. This multi-award winning film explores the relationship of the 1,800 resident townsfolk and the 70,000 heavy metal enthusiasts who appear annually.

Awards/Film Festivals:
57th Berlin International Film Festival, The 2007 Best Documentary at the Guild of German Art House Cinemas, The 2006 Best Documentary at the Hessian Film Award, The 2007 Max Ophüls Award at the Max Ophüls Festival.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• 16 x 9 Anamorphic video
• On/Off Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Interview with director Sung-Hyung Cho
• "More with Duschband"
• Trailers
• Scene Selection


UPC# 825307-921595
CAT# PH-92159 - $24.98

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Documentary
NR / 2006 / 90 minutes
Country: Germany
Language: German with English,
French, Spanish subtitles

Director: Peter Williams
Cast: Dr. Zavos

This documentary tells the story of human cloning-- in two chilling parts.

PART I - THE FIRST HUMAN CLONE
The first part looks at the controversial attempts to clone a human being. We follow the secretive efforts of a small group of doctors and scientists, led by Dr. Zavos, to develop cloning techniques in the face of ferocious opposition from many governments and most of society. For the first time, we see the formation of a ten-cell human embryo.

PART II - CLONING THE DEAD
Dr. Zavos announces that his scientific team has successfully produced an embryo from the tissue of a dead man. It isn’t long before grieving relatives from around the world put in their requests to have their dead relatives cloned.

UPC# 825307-921298
CAT# PH-92129 - $24.98

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Documentary
NR / 2007 / 98 minutes
Country: England
Language: English

Language: English

Directors: Bahman Maghsoudlou
Cast: Farhang Farrahi, Javad Mojabi, Abbas Pahlavan, Mohammad-Ali Sepanlou, and Ebrahim Younesi

Ahmad Mahmoud (1931-2002) was a leading Iranian novelist who, over his fifty-year career, published nine short story collections and six novels, including The Native Boy (1972), The Strangers (1972) and The Neighbors (1974).

His writing reflects his political engagement, his concern for the poor and the working class, and his love for his native region of Khuzestan. Mahmoud testifies eloquently to all these concerns in lengthy, and moving, on-camera interviews. This portrait of a well-loved and incredibly talented writer, later overlooked as anti-revolutionary, attests to the extreme difficulties often faced by Iranian writers.

UPC# 825307-920390
CAT# PH-92039 - $24.98

---------------------------
SPECIAL FEATURES (subject to change):
Award winning short documentary "Life in Fog"
---------------------------
Documentary
NR / 2004 / 65 + 28 minutes
Country: Iran
Language: Farsi
with English subtitles

Directors: Heddy Honigmann, John Appel

"Dutch Junkies" is two stories about addiction. Teenage girls obsessed with chat rooms and senior citizens on hard drugs.

In "Emoticons", Saskia is tormented at school and only finds comfort in violent videogames. Sanne writes poetry about her loneliness on the web. Samantha, a rape victim, gives other rape victims advice. The three girls cannot live without chat rooms. The computer is their "daily food". They have submerged themselves in a virtual world that has become more important than the ordinary one.

In "There Goes My Heart", we enter the first home for elderly drug addicts in the Netherlands. These four men and three women have done hard drugs for over 40 years. The home porvides them with a room and free drugs. Each addict has lost something significant: the love of their life, contact with friends and family but mainly, they've lost touch with their own feelings. This story portrays their helpless attachment to the illusion that one day their lives will improve.

UPC# 825307-919998
CAT# PH-91999 - $24.98

---------------------------
SPECIAL FEATURES (subject to change):
Chapter Selection, 16x9 Anamorphic Video,
Dutch with English Subtitles, Biographies.
---------------------------
Documentary
NR / 2007 / 113 minutes
Country: Netherlands
Language: Dutch
with English subtitles

Director: Moslem Mansouri
Cast: Ayda shamlou, simin behbahani, bahram
beyza’i iran darroudi, mahmoud dowlatabadi, mohammad ghazi, mohammad hoghough, iabbas kia-rostami, javad mojabi, zia movahhed, esmail nouriala, mohammad ali sepanlou, pouran soltani, naser taghva’i

Ahmad Shamlou (December 12, 1925 – July 24, 2000) was a Persian poet, writer, and journalist. Shamlou’s poetry is complex, yet his imagery - which contributes significantly to the intensity of his poems - is simple. For infrastructure and impact, he uses a kind of everyday imagery in which personified oxymoronic elements are spiked with an unreal combination of the abstract and the concrete unprecedented in Persian poetry before him. He is considered as the founder of Persian blank poetry. It is said that you cannot find a literate household in Iran where there is none of his poetry books available. He is an “engaged” poet in the sense that his poetry addresses socio-political issues of his time, with a prophetic emphasize on Liberty and Human Rights.

He has also written and translated numerous articles and books on a spectrum of subjects, from political to literary. His voluminous Ketab-e Koucheh (The Book of the Allies) is a major contribution to understanding Iranian folkloric beliefs and language. In 1984 he was nominated for the Noble Prize in Literature.

UPC# 825307-919790
CAT# PH-91979 - $24.98

---------------------------
Documentary
NR / 1999 / 62 minutes
Country: Iran
Language: Farsi with English subtitles