18th Annual Hollywood Film Festival Lineup Announced

The full lineup for the 18th annual Hollywood Film Festival has been revealed, which includes the world premiere of Yasu Shibuya’s Pancakes and the world premiere of Justin Arana’s My Name is Water, among many other narrative and documentary features.

This year’s fest will run from October 16th – 19th, check below for a full list of entries.

Documentaries

A World Not Ours
Synopsis:
An intimate, humorous portrait of three generations of exile in a
palestinian refugee camp in South Lebanon, filmed for over 20 years by members
of the same family.

Director:
Madhi Fleifel

Alive Inside
Synopsis:
Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music &
Memory, fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music’s ability to combat
memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering
from it.

Writer/Director:
Michael Rossato-Bennett

Becoming Bulletproof (US Premiere)
Synopsis:
Becoming Bulletproof
follows the filmmaking process as a diverse group of
actors living with disabilities set out to make their first
Western.

Director:
Michael Barnett

Blue Gold: American Jeans
Synopsis:
Following jean hunter Eric Schrader, this documentary takes us
around the world to discover the history, myth, and intrinsic
values that have made blue jeans the most expensive and fetishised
piece of vintage clothing on the planet.

Director:
Christian Bruun

#ChicagoGirl
Synopsis:
From the Chicago suburbs an American teenage girl helps coordinate
the Syrian revolution, but as the violence rages, her social network must
choose the best way to fight a dictator: Facebook or AK-47s.

Writer/Producer/Director:
Joe Piscatella

Four Letters Apart (US Premiere)
Synopsis:
Three children struggle with attention, aggression and low
self-esteem. Their special needs class enroll in an experiment to
help children with ADHD symptoms without the use of drugs. Suddenly
the children start to unfold.

Writer/Director:
Erlend E. Mo

I am Santa Claus (World Premiere)
Synopsis:
‘I Am Santa Claus’ is a documentary about the people who dedicate
their lives to being the fantastical holiday figure and which
answers the question: ‘’Whose lap is my child sitting
on?’

Director:
Tommy Avallone

Love Thy Nature
Synopsis:
Narrated by Liam Neeson, Love Thy Nature takes viewers on an
awe-inspiring cinematic journey into the beauty and intimacy of our relationship
with the natural world.

Director/Producer:
Sylvie Rokab

Mala Mala
Synopsis:
Mala Mala is a feature-length documentary about the power of
transformation told through the eyes of 9 trans-identifying individuals in Puerto
Rico.

Writer/Director/Producer:
Antonio Santini, Dan Sickles

My Name is Water (World Premiere)
Synopsis:
After a life-altering discussion with his Holocaust surviving
Grandfather, a disillusioned college student seeks to find answers
on the other side of the world.

Writer/Director/Cinematographer/Editor:
Justin Arana

Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back
Synopsis:
The rise, fall and near-resurrection of Quiet Riot, a 1980s metal
band.

Director/Writer/Producer:
Regina Russell

SlingShot
Synopsis:
Feature-length documentary, focusing on renowned inventor, Dean
Kamen and his 15 year quest to solve the world’s safe water
crisis.

Writer/Director:
Paul Lazarus

The Case Against 8
Synopsis:
A behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California’s
ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows
the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality
lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Directors/Writers/Producers:
Ben Cotner, Ryan White

The Immortalists
Synopsis:
Two eccentric scientists struggle to create eternal youth in a
world they call “blind to the tragedy of old age.” As they battle
their own aging and suffer the losses of loved ones, their
scientific journeys ultimately become personal.

Directors:
David Alvarado, Jason Sussberg08

The Starfish Throwers
Synopsis:
Worlds apart, a five-star chef, a twelve year-old girl, and a
retired school teacher discover how their individual efforts to
feed the poor ignite a movement in the fight against
hunger.

Director/Cinematographer:
Jesse Roesler

Ukraine is Not A Brothel
Synopsis:
Ukraine’s topless feminist sensation Femen has created a media
frenzy across Europe, but before they take the world by storm,
these bold and beautiful women must confront the dark and perverse
forces that power their organisation.

Director:
Kitty Green

Narratives

Alex
of Venice

Synopsis:
Workaholic attorney, Alex is forced to reinvent her life
after her husband suddenly leaves. Now faced with the humdrum and
sometimes catastrophic events that permeate the fabric of our
lives, Alex discovers both a vulnerability and inner strength she
had not yet tapped all while trying to hold together her broken
family.

Director:
Chris Messina
Cast:
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Don Johnson, Derek Luke, Katie Nehra,
Chris Messina, Skylar Gaertner

Amira & Sam
Synopsis:
An army veteran attempts to assimilate back into a country he
barely recognizes while trying to win the heart of an Iraqi
immigrant who is on the verge of being deported.

Writer/Director:
Sean Mullin
Cast:
Martin Starr, Dina Shihabi, Paul Wesley, Laith Nakli, David Rasche,
Ross Marquand, Taylor Wilcox

Before
I Disappear
Synopsis:
At the lowest point of his life, Richie gets a call from his
estranged sister, asking him to look after his eleven-year old
niece, Sophia, for a few hours.

Writer/Director:
Shawn Christensen
Cast:
Shawn Christensen, Fatima Ptacek, Emmy Rossum, Paul Wesley, Ron
Perlman

Boy Meets Girl
Synopsis:
Boy Meets Girl is a funny, tender, sex positive romantic comedy
that explores what it means to be a real man or woman, and how
important it is to live a courageous life not letting fear stand in
the way of going after your dreams.

Writer/Director:
Eric Schaeffer
Cast:
Michael Welch, Alexandra Turshen

Lucky Stiff
Synopsis:
In this comedic musical, a bachelor travels to Monte Carlo to claim
an inheritance from his late rich uncle.

Director:
Christopher Ashley
Cast:
Jason Alexander, Dominic Marsh, Nikki M. James, Pamela Shaw, Don
Amendolia, Kate Shindle, Dennis Farina

Noble
Synopsis:
Christina Noble overcomes the harsh difficulties of her childhood
in Ireland to discover her destiny on the streets of Saigon. A true
story.

Writer/Director:
Stephen Bradley
Cast:
Deirdre O’Kane, Sarah Greene, Gloria Cramer Curtis, Brendan Coyle,
Liam Cunningham, Ruth Negga, Mark Huberman, David Mumeni, Nhu Quynh
Nguyen, Kinh Quoc Nguyen

Pancakes (World Premiere)
Synopsis:
The lives of three romantically-challenged characters intertwine in
Tokyo.

Director/Writer/Producer/:
Yasu Shibuya

Cast:
Jai West, Dante Carver, Asami Imajuku, Sei Ashina, Tetsuji
Tamayama

Sequoia
Synopsis:
Sequoia tells the story of a 23-year-old cancer victim whose plan
to take her own life in Sequoia National Park is disrupted by a
young man she meets on her way to the park.

Director:
Andy Landen
Cast:
Aly Michalka, Joey Lauren Adams, Lou Diamond Phillips, Corbin
Frost

Sins Of Our Youth
Synopsis:
Sins Of Our Youth is the story of four teenage boys who
accidentally murder a young boy while shooting off assault weapons
recreationally and the perilous decisions they make in the wake of
the murder.

Director:
Gary Entin
Cast:
Mitchel Musso, Grant Harvey, Joel Courtney, Lucas Till, Samantha
Droke

Sister
Synopsis:
When unstable Susan (Barbara Hershey) is tragically widowed she
finds it impossible to care for her delinquent adolescent daughter
Niki, forcing one time Hollywood big shot Billy (Reid Scott,
TV’s
Veep),
her son, to care for his difficult younger sister.

Director:
David Lascher
Cast:
Reid Scott, Serinda Swan, Grace Kaufman, Illeana Douglas, Alexis
Dziena, Barbara Hershey

Sold
Synopsis:
A girl risks everything for freedom after being trafficked from
hermountain village in Nepal to a brothel in India. Based on
Patricia McCormick’s bestseller, “Sold”

Director/Writer:
Jeffrey D. Brown,
Oscar-winning director
Cast:
Gillian Anderson, David Arquette, Seema Biswas

The
Dramatics (A Comedy)
Synopsis:
The Dramatics is a romantic comedy about a sweet, but stressed out
actress, who unexpectedly lands a starring role in the sexually
explicit mini-series adaptation

Director:
Scott Rodgers
Cast:
Kat Foster, Scott Rodgers, Pablo Schreiber, Riki Lindhome, Timm
Sharp

The Toy Soldiers
Synopsis:
On one evening in a decade of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, the
innocence of youth and family unravels.

Director/Writer/Producer:
Erik Peter Carlson
Cast:
Constance Brenneman, Najarra Townsend, Chandler Rylko, Jeannette
May, Samuel Nolan, Nick Frangione, Isidor Pollak, Kevin Pinassi,
Amelia Haberman

Time
Lapse
Synopsis:
Three friends discover a mysterious machine that takes pictures
24hrs into the future and conspire to use it for personal gain,
until disturbing and dangerous images begin to develop.

Writer/Director:
Bradley King, B.P. Cooper/Bradley King
Cast:
Danielle Panabaker, Matt O’Leary, George Finn, John Rhys-Davies,
Amin Joseph, Jason Spisak, David Figlioli, Sharon Maughan, Judith
Drake

Una Vida
Synopsis:
A courageous but haunted Neuroscientist and an aged Jazz singer
battle Alzheimer’s in the streets of New Orleans.

Writer/Director:
Richie Adams
Cast:
Joaquím de Almeida, Aunjanue Ellis, Bill Cobbs, Ruth Negga, Sharon
Lawrence, Andre Royo, Marcus Lyle Brown, Ashton Leigh, Stefan
Solea, Laura Costine, John Pirkis, Jentzen Ramirez,  Jaedon
Harmon, Dora Elvira Pascual, Dr. Pierluigi Nicotera

You
Must Be Joking
Synopsis:
Barb is an aimless, confrontational 27-year-old paralegal in this
edgy comedy of reinvention. Sas Goldberg gives a frenetic, biting
performance as a listless woman inspired by her childhood best
friend, a ballet dancer, to pick up her long-shelved passion for
standup comedy.

Director:
Jake Wilson
Cast:
Sas Goldberg, Jake Wilson,
Hannibal Buress,
Vanessa Ray, Katherine Waterston, James Wolk, David Wohl, Margaret
Colin