Release Years Archives: 2017

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Radiance Hikari

  Naomi Kawase

  Japan      2017    

Synopsis

Misako writes and records film audio descriptions for vision-impaired audiences, passionately translating cinematic experiences through verbal description. While soliciting feedback from a focus group panel, she meets Masaya, a renowned photographer who is slowly losing his eyesight. The two form an unlikely connection as she draws inspiration from his photographs and his way of seeing the world.

 Japanese with subtitles 
  101 minutes

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Killing Jesus Matar a Jesús

  Laura Mora

  Colombia      2017    

Synopsis

Two men on a motorcycle. Shots are fired. Another man is left dead on the ground: Paula’s father has been assassinated. The authorities offer no answers. With revenge in her sights, Paula, an art student, desperately sets out to find her father’s killer. By chance, she meets him—dancing, smiling—at a nightclub. The two grow closer. His name is Jesús. He wants to be with her. She wants to kill him.

 Spanish with subtitles 
  99 minutes

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The Dragon Defense La defensa del dragón

  Natalia Santa

  Colombia      2017    

Synopsis

A former chess champion, a homeopath, and a watchmaker – old friends Samuel, Marcos, and Joaquin seem to belong to another era. Routine days find them on well-worn paths from work to the cafes and casinos of Bogotá and home. As the stresses of life pile up, the three wonder if they will ever take a risk again. Lighthearted charm and affecting pathos permeate this bittersweet slice-of-life drama about facing failure and turning over a new leaf.

 Spanish with subtitles 
  79 minutes

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The Other Side of the Wall

When their mother is sentenced to 10 years in a Mexican prison on questionable charges, teenagers Rocío and Ale are left with no choice but to play the role of both mother and father to their two younger siblings. The Other Side of the Wall roots its timely story about dislocation and migration in a deeply intimate and emotional domestic drama.

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For Akheem

Daje Shelton, a 17-year-old girl from St. Louis, just wants to do the right thing. But growing up in a tough neighborhood, she can’t catch a break: she’s struggling in school; she’s distracted by boys; and she’s surrounded by a culture of violence and brutality. The fatal shooting of Michael Brown Jr. provides a powerful backdrop for this masterfully crafted portrait of working-class urban life.

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