THE NAMESAKE

What does it mean to be an American family? In her most personal film to date, acclaimed director Mira Nair (Vanity Fair, Monsoon Wedding) brings to the screen a poignant and transporting version of Jhumpa Lahiri's best-selling novel.

“A saga of the immigrant experience that captures the snap, crackle and pop of American life, along with the pounding pulse, emotional reticence, volcanic colors and cherished rituals of Indian culture,” says the Wall St. Journal

THE HOST

Want something completely different? How about South Korea’s biggest box-office hit ever, a film that the New York Times calls “a loopy, feverishly imaginative genre hybrid.” The talk of the 2006 Cannes International Film Festival, the newest thriller from director/co-writer Bong Joon-ho (Memories of Murder) utilizes state-of-the-art special effects to tell a tale that's equal parts creature-feature thrill ride, comedy and poignant human drama.

GOD GREW TIRED OF US

Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, GOD GREW TIRED OF US explores the indomitable spirit of three “Lost Boys” from the Sudan who leave their homeland, triumph over seemingly insurmountable adversities and move to America, where they build active and fulfilling new lives but remain deeply committed to helping the friends and family they have left behind.

MISS POTTER

A literary phenomenon of the early 20th century, world-renowned children's author Beatrix Potter (Renée Zellweger) became an iconic figure, swimming quietly, but with great fortitude, against a tide at a time when most young women of her class aimed only to make a good marriage. She created a series of books (such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit) and characters that are as beloved today as they were a hundred years ago

FIRST SNOW

Wound tight and cocky, Jimmy Starks (Guy Pearce - Factory Girl, Memento) is a smooth-talking salesman certain he's on the verge of a big break. Even when his car stalls in the middle of nowhere, a roadside soothsayer (J.K. Simmons) assures him a windfall is on its way. But although Jimmy is skeptical and sure he's calling his own shots, the would-be prophet's prediction comes true, and Jimmy becomes fearful that the mysterious seer could be right about something else…to beware the first snow.

IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS

Filmed in cinema vérité style, director James Longley's poetically rendered documentary looks at contemporary Iraq through the eyes of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. The series of intimate, passionately felt portraits includes a fatherless 11-year-old apprenticed to the cruel owner of a Baghdad garage; Sadr followers in two Shiite cities rallying for regional elections while enforcing Islamic law at the point of a gun; and a family of Kurdish farmers who welcome the U.S. presence, which has allowed them a measure of freedom previously denied. Winner of three Documentary awards at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival (Best Director, Cinematography, Editing). Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature.

WHO THE #$&% IS JACKSON POLLOCK

When brash trailer park resident Teri Horton bought a secondhand painting for five bucks, little did she know it could be a genuine Jackson Pollock worth millions. This film documents Horton's volatile 15-year journey into the heart of the art world's elitist establishment to have the painting authenticated. The clash between stuffy art dealers and the cussin', beer-drinkin' Horton is funny, eye-opening and utterly unforgettable.

BECKET

Two of the screen's best actors, at the height of their powers, shine in director Peter Glenville's intelligent and thought-provoking spectacle, for which both received Academy Award nominations. Peter O'Toole, fresh from Lawrence of Arabia, plays the lusty and powerful King Henry II in 12th century England. Richard Burton plays Thomas à Becket, his best friend and close advisor. Thomas serves the king well until Henry, against his advice, insists on making Becket Archbishop of Canterbury. Visually and emotionally stunning, this is one of the best historical epics ever made.

SWEET LAND

A simple love story becomes a celebration of romance, determination and the immigrant experience as debut writer/director Ali Selim charts one couple's intimate struggles through the challenges faced by their grandchild.

SOUTHERNMOST MINI FEST

The best of the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival.

How about a hysterical documentary on Jeff Goldblum taking a break from film to star in a production of The Music Man? Or a Croatian film reminiscent of Mash, full of dark comedy and deadpan humor? Or a Columbian/American romantic comedy about US bachelors seeking Columbian brides? Or a couple of great new surfing flicks? Or a thriller about a jet-lagged businessman who awakens to find strangers in his bedroom? It’s all here in the Spring 2007 Southernmost Mini Fest.

Thirteen movies from eight countries over four days -- April 12-15, 2007

AN UNREASONABLE MAN

The life and career of one of the most unique, important and controversial political figures of our time - Ralph Nader

REIGN OVER ME

“a courageous, moving, organically funny picture about the slow-healing sadness that occurs when private grief gets interspersed with public events” - Baltimore Sun.

"The Waterboy has made the varsity" - NY Daily News

AMAZING GRACE

Ioan Gruffudd (star of Fantastic Four and the Hornblower TV features) plays William Wilberforce, an idealist Member of Parliament who navigated the world of 18th century backroom politics to end the slave trade in the British Empire.

“Michael Apted’s Amazing Grace, from a screenplay by Steven Knight, turns out to be blessed with inspirational nobility and comic eccentricity—the former provided by an edifying narrative, and the latter by a colorful cast of characters—to bring it to emotional fruition.” Andrew Sarris

CLIMATES

CLIMATES is the kind of movie that takes you into a world you’ll never know otherwise. During a summer vacation on the Aegean coast, the relationship between middle-aged Professor Isa (director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Distant) and his younger girlfriend, Bahar (Ebru Ceylan, his real-life wife), falls apart and we follow him as he begins a new affair and then tries to return to his wife.

“The beauty of the Turkish film Climates, a small but indelible masterpiece, is more than skin-deep. … It's as sharp and lovely as the best Chekhov short stories.” Chicago Tribune