Telluride Film Fest: Films on Brigade Slate

HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT

Directed by Kent Jones

 Synopsis:

In 1962, French director Francois Truffaut persuaded Alfred Hitchcock to sit down with him for a week-long interview in which the great British auteur would share with his young admirer the secrets of his cinema. Based on the original recordings of this meeting—used to produce the seminal book “Hitchcock/Truffaut”—this captivating documentary plunges the audience directly into the world of “The Master of Suspense,” who created such classics as Psycho, The Birds and Vertigo. Hitchcock’s singular vision is elucidated and brought vividly to life through interviews with some of today’s leading filmmakers including: Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Arnaud Desplechin, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Wes Anderson, James Gray, Olivier Assayas, Richard Linklater, Peter Bogdanovich, and Paul Schrader.

MARGUERITE

Directed by Xavier Giannoli

Synopsis:

It’s 1921, the beginning of the Roaring Twenties. Not far outside of Paris, the eccentric (and exceedingly wealthy) Marguerite Dumont prepares for her annual recital. When she sings, she sings wholeheartedly, bearing her soul—but she’s also terribly out of tune. Existing in a bubble created in part by her husband and doting staff, who stroke her ego in order to protect her, and her sadistic audience, who encourage her to perform purely for their own amusement, the delusion that she’s a talented diva continues to grow. When a young, provocative journalist writes a rave review of her latest private performance, Marguerite decides to train for her first public recital, forcing those around her to finally confront the lie they’ve helped create.

RAMS

Directed by Grimur Hakonarson

Synopsis:

In a secluded valley in Iceland, two sheep farmers, Gummi and Kiddi, live side by side. Their ancestral flock is considered one of thecountry’s best and the two brothers are repeatedly awarded for their prized rams who carry on an ancient lineage. But in spite of their shared land, Gummi and Kiddi have not spoken to each other in four decades. When a lethal disease suddenly infects Kiddi’ssheep, the authorities decide to cull all the animals in the area to contain the outbreak—a near death sentence for the farmers, whosesheep are their main source of income. While many flee, Gummi and Kiddi don’t give up so easily. As the authorities close in, the brothers are forced to come together in order to save their special breed of rams—and themselves—from extinction.

VIVA

Directed by Paddy Breathnach

Synopsis:

Jesus (talented newcomer Héctor Medina) lives his life mostly on the sidelines—he does makeup for a troupe of drag performers at a ramshackle club in Havana, Cuba, but dreams of being on stage himself one day.  When he finally gets his chance in the spotlight, a stranger emerges from the crowd and punches him in the face. That stranger turns out to be his father, Angel (Luis Alberto Garcia) , a former boxer who has been absent from his life for 15 years. As the two men grapple with the burden of past sins and their conflicting expectations of one another, Jesus finds himself in a precarious position between his passion and his father’s approval.