Film Venues Archives: AMC NEWCITY 14

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Shorts 5: Comedy

  Various

  France, Ireland, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, U.S.     87 minutes

Synopsis

Laugh away the woes of the world with this eclectic collection of comedies. From the absurd anxieties of wannabe filmmakers to the ridiculous delusions of the recently dumped, these stories are insightful, unexpected, and delightfully irreverent.

In Nervous Energy, two fiercely ambitious aspiring filmmakers make a pact to break up with their boyfriends to free them up for the next phase of their careers. In 1:10, a schoolyard tussle between two friends escalates when the kids’ self-righteous and macho fathers get involved. Heartsick follows Jess who, spiraling from a recent breakup, writes a detailed email to her ex about how well she is doing, with a few embellishments here and there. When Jamie finds a mysterious trombone case one night—the contents of which might change his life forever—he convenes an emergency meeting with his friends in Moonluck Wonton. In Duck Duck Goose, recently divorced Juju is pressured by her mother to make an impression as an eligible wife while attending a funeral. A couple is put to the test, literally, when they agree to participate in a joint therapy session that will be observed by an international panel of psychology experts in Exam.

 Arabic, English, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Swiss-German, Turkish 

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Sponsors

With support from

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Shorts 6: Departures

  Various

  Kenya, U.S.     86 minutes

Synopsis

Unique perspectives and fresh stories drive this program of shorts by filmmakers new to the Festival who are reinventing cinema in ways both subtle and overt.

A young doctor has a series of strange experiences in Now, Be Still, a beguiling, unclassifiable and continually surprising film. In Transaction, as a 25th birthday present to herself, a woman decides to hire a male sex worker so she can lose her virginity. In The Non-Actor, a young woman travels to Los Angeles to treat her hearing loss and stays at her ex’s house with his new girlfriend. all the love I could handle tells the story of a mother struggling to balance her artistic career with parenthood.

 English, Kikuyu, Kiswahili 

Content Considerations

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

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Shorts 7: Documentary

  Various

  Colombia, Mexico, Netherlands, U.K., U.S.     88 minutes

Synopsis

These films showcase the richness of the documentary form. Through observation, testimony, and poetic reimagining, six different complex corners of the world come into view.

In Dooni, preacher Walter Hawkins delivers the moving eulogy for legendary singer Sylvester, who died of AIDS in 1988. In Visiting Hours, Tony pays daily visits to his mother at a care facility, helping her ailing memory. Koki, Ciao is a humorous autobiography of a parrot named Koki, who rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous people of the 20th century. In Lanawaru, a community grapples with the disappearance of one of their own, as a young boy receives spiritual guidance from his grandfather. Through audio recordings created by a couple over the course of a season, Hold Me Close portrays and celebrates the love shared between two women. Hoops, Hopes, & Dreams is an investigation into how basketball has played a crucial role in the political lives of two of the defining figures of American history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama.

 Croatian, English, Spanish 

Content Considerations

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Sponsors

Program Partner

Logo: WTTW (2019)

Program Patron

Cynthia Stone Raskin

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Shorts 8: Drama

  Various

  China, Croatia, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Palestine, Philippines, Spain     89 minutes

Synopsis

In these five shorts, exceptional international filmmakers explore subjects ranging from sex and war to grief and hippos. Whether employing dark humor or grounded realism, these stories speak to the complexities of the human experience.

In a building housing an old cinema on its last legs, a child discovers their true identity through the magic of the movies and the quiet curiosities of everyday life in Honey, My Love, So Sweet. In Hippopotami, a young girl sets out on a highly anticipated trip to the zoo when she comes to understand a new side of her parents’ inner lives. When their father dies, two brothers must return home to face their complicated past and find a way to move beyond their history in I’m Glad You’re Dead Now. The Cow takes place in occupied Croatia in 1991, where an army major reluctantly cares for a left-behind bovine in a hastily abandoned home, forcing him to face his repressed guilt. In Made of Sugar, Maria, a neurodivergent woman, decides to claim autonomy over her own body, refusing the societal norms and structural barriers telling her she can’t.

 Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Filipino, Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog 

Content Considerations

Screenings & Events

Screening

Sat, Oct 25 @ 8:00pm

at AMC NEWCITY 14, Screen 01
Venue information...

Scheduled to Attend:
Hippopotami producer Ying Lou;
Honey, My Love, So Sweet producer Jelsy Arcales;
Made of Sugar director Clàudia Cedó;
The Cow director Pavo Marinkovic & actor Stjepan Perić

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Shorts 9: Family Friendly Animation

  Various

  Brazil, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, U.S.     66 minutes

Synopsis

Clever animated shorts from across four continents appear in this delightful family program full of polar bears, empty cans of tuna, and beloved grandparents. Presented as a relaxed screening and recommended for cinema-enthusiasts ages 8 years and older.

An empty tuna can and his kitchen friends battle an evil package of spaghetti in Tsuna the Empty Can – Meatball and Spaghetti. In Pow! Jake struggles to keep playing video games while his family attends an intertribal gathering. On the Mat Outside My Door is a poem to an intrusive and ultimately loveable rat. After losing his grandfather, Mundinho meets a whale who lessens his grief in Yore Gramps and the Whale. Snow Bear follows the adventures of a polar bear who must make a new friend in his changing environment. A long car trip made worse by bickering parents shifts into an epic adventure in Are We There Yet? Lily asks “What could be scarier than the meanest teacher in school? ” A teenage boy finds common ground with his grandfather during their weekly visits in Wednesdays with Gramps.

 English, No Dialogue, Portuguese, Swiss-German 

Content Considerations

Screenings & Events

Screening

Sat, Oct 25 @ 10:45am

at AMC NEWCITY 14, Screen 01
Venue information...

Scheduled to Attend:
Lily animator Pete Scalzitti;
Wednesdays with Gramps directors Chris Copeland & Justin Copeland

Sponsors

With support from

Logo: German Film Office 141x125Logo: Goete Institut - 86x100

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