BIGSTAR

“Arabia“: As a filmmaking student at Chicago’s DePaul University, 22-year-old Hamzah Jamjoom returned to the Arabian Peninsula to craft this sweeping, ambitious documentary about his homeland. Chiefly designed as a tool to bridge different cultures and rectify vast misunderstandings between the West and Middle East, the film explores the roots of Arabian traditions and studies how Arabian society evolved over the course of history. It also examines the faith of the Arabian people and the cultural nuances of Arabia.

“Atatürk“: is about the life and career of Turkey’s first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. A brilliant soldier, a revolutionary statesman, a man who reformed a desperate country with passion and heart joining his fate with the destiny of his nation. It also addresses the effects of his democratic reforms that still resonate today in Turkey and in the world. Following the invasion of the Ottoman Empire by the British led-Powers, one man, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, pulled the occupied Turkish people out of hopelessness and despair.

“The Evolution of Andrew Andrews“: 30-year-old Andrew Andrews (Will Klipstine) has never had a friend, unless a 3-foot rubber alien doll counts. Yet, in his quest to be a somebody, this clueless “man child” ruins a full-length feature film in one morning. When his studio mogul father exiles him from his cushy womb, Andrew must fend for himself for the first time in his life. After bankrupting a family and losing all of his remaining possessions, is it too late for Andrew to learn how to make friends, make money and even make love?

“Glitch in the Grid“: Jay Masonek is feeling down and out. Although he is a talented artist, Jay has seldom left his small town in Northern California. One day, Jay’s cousins Jeff and Eric (who are also artists) visit from LA. They offer Jay the opportunity to come live with them for a period of time in Hollywood. Hoping to cheer him up, the brothers show Jay the city and take him to film castings, even though it’s during the economic recession and jobs are scarce.

“From River To Sea“: is an emotional, heartfelt story about journeys, decisions and modern life – a story not unlike that of many women we know. As a small glimpse into the realities of what it means to be a mother in our times, we follow Susan Fink, a filmmaker, whose life after a devastating divorce is at a crossroads. She is 36, without a home of her own, and living with her daughter in her mother’s one-bedroom apartment. Her spirit is broken and the relationships with her mother and daughter have been harmed by despair and neglect. While on a trip to Eastern Europe, attempting to film the realities of post-war Jewish life, she confronts her own demons and decides to repair the damage with her mother and daughter

“DragonBlade“: When a town is being attacked by a deadly creature Lang becomes the one to have to deal with it. But, only one thing can stop this menace is the Dragon Blade. Now the one person who knows where the blade is won’t tell Lang, and even if he did, untold peril will fall on anyone who dares to find this legendary weapon.

“Heart of Now“: A beautiful woman with a profound longing for a sense of family falls into a downward spiral where she confronts her father figure and the emotional wounds concealed over a decade ago. The two retreat from the city into the vast and barren desert to fully expose their past and discover what it means to be in the Heart of Now. Immaculate direction by Zak Forsman with stunning performances by Marion Kerr as Amber and Kelly McCracken as Gabe.

“Catching Out“: The phrase Catching Out describes the act of hopping a freight train. In the documentary film Catching Out, several contemporary hobos dissent against mainstream American consumer culture by traveling for free on freight trains. The film features a seasoned eco-activist named Lee, a young nomad named Jessica, and a tramp couple known as Switch and Baby Girl. In three interwoven stories, Catching Out follows these trainhoppers as they navigate between the constraints of society and the freedom of the road.

“Behind the Glass“: The private lives of three nouveau riche Croatians are brought to a boil, in a love triangle, pinning a self-assured architect between his tart tongued wife and his long suffering mistress, who also happens to be his business partner. It’s been a six-year affair between Nikola and Ana and Nikola’s wife Maja has known it for almost as long. Ana has all but lost hope and walks around bitter and frustrated, while Nikola is paralyzed by his inability to make a life change. His wife Maja, seems to be poised and in control but she too is about to fall apart. When the architecture business begins to struggle, their miseries begin to surface from behind the glass, for everyone to see, and the threesome gradually fall apart, together, through series of suspenseful spasms.

“An American Haunting“: In 1818, the family began to experience disturbances on their property. At first, slight, unexplained noises, but the spirit began to grow, becoming aggressive and singling out the father, John, and his only daughter Betsy. The family desperately searched for the cause of the spirit in the hope of finding a way of defeating it, but the spirit continued its brutal assault. It developed voices and began speaking to the family, but refusing to say why it was there. Then, finally it pronounced a death sentence on John. Within a year, he was dead. Shortly, thereafter, the spirit left the family in peace, but never the same. It would not be until years later that we would be taken back to the terrible night the spirit was born and find out the horrific truth about its nature and origin.

“Fat City, New Orleans“: High School Teens in 1979 suburban New Orleans (Fat City) go to nightclubs and discos when the drinking age was just 18 years old and not really enforced. Paul (Josiah Lipscomb), Ashley (Maggie Talbot-Minkin) and Billy (Sean Carlin) are best buds growing up in suburban New Orleans (Fat City) 1979. It’s their senior year and all they care about is turning 18… the legal age to drink. Smoking pot is a way of being and dodging cops, girlfriends and yes, parents, make way for a hilarious “trip” to the disco era where booze and girls are all that matter in this coming-of-age comedy.