Director’s Fortnight 2010: Lerman, Koch, Berthaud, Frammartino, Archer and Grau

La Mirada invisible (The Invisible Eye) – Diego Lerman
Winner of the Sundance/NHK Int. Filmmakers Award and part of Cannes’ Atelier de la Cinefondation, this is set in 1982’s Buenos Aires, close to the end of the military dictatorship and focuses on the tensions between teachers and students.

Picco – Philip Koch
German debut from Koch is actually based on true events, PICCO is the first picture to shed light on the every-day life of youth prison inmates in Germany and shows in a gripping and merciless way that the contemporary judiciary system is by no means able to properly re-educate these lost youths…

Pieds nus sur les limaces (Lily Sometimes) – Fabienne Berthaud
Co-written by Berthaud and Pascal Arnold, this is based on Berthaud’s eponymous novel, and centres on Clara (Diane Kruger), who is happily married to a promising lawyer and lives in Paris. After the sudden death of their mother, Clara has to assume responsibility for her younger sister, Lily (Ludivine Sagnier), whose extreme sensitivity makes her vulnerable to the outside world and prevents her from being autonomous. Was #89 on the Most Anticipated list.

Le Quattro volte – Michelangelo Frammartino
Doc-essay film looks and sounds great. Was invited to Cannes’ 2007 Atelier de la Cinefondation.

Shit Year – Cam Archer
Been waiting for this sophomore pic for a while now (was #45 on the Most Anticipated list) , seems like a fitting film for the section. This is a story about a woman who has given up her passion, only to find that she really can’t stand herself, or others, without it. Colleen West (Ellen Barkin), a once renowned actress, comes unhinged as she confronts retirement and life at the twilight of her career…

Somos lo que hay (We Are What We Are) – Jorge Michel Grau
Another Mexican film debut, this is about a family who is forsaken when the father and leader dies; from that moment on his children and his widow confront a tempestuous moment. The four of them will have to face their worst nightmare: get food by themselves.