By Mabel Pais

LAST FILM SHOW

Dir/Writ: Pan Nalin l Gujarati w/Eng subs l 1h 51m

India’s Official Submission for Best International Feature Filmat the 95th (Year 2022) Academy Awards

“A nuanced discourse about the art of filmmaking… Sonawane’s mesmerizing cinematography pays tribute to the ghosts of the greatest filmmakers of all time.” – Film Threat, Swapnil Dhruv Bose

 “Paying homage to everyone from Sergio Leone to Satyajit Ray, this coming-of-age story is an ethereal take on the magic of movies.”

– Indiewire, David Ehrlich

Samay, a 9-year-old boy living with his family in a remote village in India discovers films for the first time and is absolutely mesmerized. Against his father’s wishes, he returns to the cinema day after day to watch more films, and even befriends the projectionist, who, in exchange for his lunch box, lets him watch movies for free. He quickly figures out that stories become light, light becomes films, and films become dreams. Samay and his wild gang of friends move heaven and earth to catch and project light to achieve a 35mm film projection. But little do they know that soon they’ll be forced to make heartbreaking choices as an era is approaching to annihilate everything they love about their 35mm dreams…

Opening: In select theaters December 2, followed by digital release December 9

FOUR SAMOSAS

Dir/Writ/Prod: Ravi Kapoor l 2022 l USA l English l 1h 20m

World Premiere – 2022 Tribeca Film Festival

Set entirely in LA’s “Little India” in a world of sari places, curry restaurants, Indian amateur-dramatic groups and South-Asian revolutionaries, ‘Four Samosas’ is a love letter to all the “Little India’s” around the world, and a celebration of re-discovering your voice and finding your crew.

When wannabe rapper Vinny discovers that his fatalistic ex-girlfriend Rina is now engaged to a goat-shit recycler named Sanjay, Vinny decides to disrupt her future wedding by stealing her dowry diamonds from her father’s grocery store. Crewing up with an actor who longs to go to Bollywood, a resourceful do-gooding newspaper editor and a malcontent immigrant engineer, Vinny and his gang somehow pull off the heist despite their obvious ineptitude. But will the theft get Vinny and Rina back together again or lead to more misery? And will Vinny ever finish a song?

Opening: In Theaters & On Demand on December 2nd

LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE

Dir: Martika Ramirez Escobar l 2022 | Philippines | Filipino w/English subs |

1h 41m

Amplify Voices Award – 2022 Toronto International Film Festival

Special Jury Prize for Innovative Spirit – 2022 Sundance Film Festival

‘Leonor Will Never Die’ is the story of Leonor Reyes.  She was once a groundbreaking figure in the Filipino film industry during its ragtag action cinema glory days, but now she struggles with old age, mounting bills, and the untimely death of her son. While revisiting an unfinished script about a fearless protagonist trying to avenge his brother’s murder, Leonor is struck on the head by a falling television set and knocked into a coma. As she lies unconscious in the hospital, fantasy and reality begin to blur when Leonor finds herself awake inside her script, becoming the hero of her own story. An innovative blend of pulpy action homages, playful comedy, and touching family drama, ‘Leonor Will Never Die’ is a wonderfully imaginative tribute to the art of filmmaking.

Opening: Currently running in New York city, expanding to cities nationwide, December 2 onwards

COME FIND ME

Dir: Daniel Poliner l 2021 l USA l 1h 44m

‘Come Find Me’ is a story about a mother and daughter facing major life changes and how their love challenges and sustains them. The daughter, Christina, is a young attorney rising toward partnership in a large firm with no other partners who look like her. The first half of the movie follows Christina and then it jumps forward two years and we watch her wedding from the point of view of her mother, Gloria, a recently retired and widowed public school principal.

Opening: Dec 2 in Chicago, on VOD January 13

LONG LINE OF LADIES

Dirs: Rayka Zehtabchi & Shaandiin Tome l 2022 l USA l English l 22m

WORLD PREMIERE – 2022 Sundance Film Festival

SXSW, Jury Award Winner

Seattle International Film Festival, Jury Award Winner

San Francisco International Film Festival, Golden Gate Award Winner

‘Long Line Of Ladies’ intimately observes the months-long process of one girl and her tight-knit Karuk community as they come together to prepare for her Ihuk, the coming-of-age ceremony for girls which went dormant for over 120 years due to the violence and destruction brought on by the Gold Rush. In the weeks leading up to her Ihuk, Ahty learns traditional dances and songs and mentally and physically prepares to spend four days blindfolded and fasting. Meanwhile, the women and men around her work tirelessly to pass down knowledge, prepare regalia, tools and food, and above all, to promote the continued revitalization of their traditions.

Opening: Currently running on The New York Times OpDocs

CROSSING

Dir/Writ: Arthur Ian l 2019 l Armenia/USA/Russia l Russian w/Eng subs l

1h 18m

‘Crossing’ begins at the end of the Cold War with a dream and delivers us to the United States, 20 years later where those dreams are in jeopardy. It marks the feature directorial debut of Arthur Ian who wrote the script as well. In the final years of the Cold War, a Soviet family splinters along East/West lines. Andrei (Tsaghikyan), a free-spirited teenager, leaves the USSR to follow his dream of becoming a successful businessman in the United States. Ultimately, Andrei’s (Martin) dreams come to a halt 20 years later when his new world is shattered by the Great Recession. Forced to reunite with his family, including his eccentric mother (Sirtis), and caught between struggles both present and past, Andrei reexamines the values from the life that he left behind.

Opening: December 2 worldwide on multiple digital platforms including iTunes/AppleTV and Amazon.

(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, The Arts and Entertainment, Health & Wellness, Cuisine and Spirituality)