The World Cinema Dramatic Competition "reflects Sundance’s independent spirit in filmmakers everywhere. This year’s 16 selections from 983 submissions include Peru, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Lebanon, Mexico, Panama, Russia, and Sweden. From coming-of-age stories to life-altering events, these films introduce imagination, and spirit that transcend borders".
The King Of Ping Pong and Captain Abu Raed
Absurdistan
(Country: Germany; Director: Veit Helmer; Stars: Maximilian Mauff, Kristyna Mlérova)
This inventive and allegorical comedy centers on two childhood sweethearts who seem destined for one another until the women of their isolated village, angered by male indifference toward the water shortage, go on a sex strike that threatens the young couple's first night of love.
Blue Eyelids (Párpados azules)
(Country: Mexico; Year: 2007; Director: Ernesto Contreras; Writer: Ernesto Contreras; Stars: Cecilia Suárez, Enrique Arreola, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Tiaré Scanda, Luisa Huertas),
Official Site
A pair of lonely people come together in offbeat romance.
Captain Abu Raed
(Country: Jordan; Year: 2007; Director: Amin Matalq; Writer: Amin Matalq; Stars: Nadim Sawalha, Hussein Al-Sous, Rana Sultan, Uday Al-Qiddissi, Ghandi Saber)
Uplifting tale about an airport janitor who spins stories for street kids after being mistaken by them for a pilot.
The Drummer (Jin. Gwu)
(Country: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany; Director: Kenneth Bi; Stars: Jaycee Chan, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Josie Ho, Roy Cheung, Lee Sinje, Kenneth Tsang)
A young man transforms from a reckless youth and gangster into a mature adult through the inspiration of Zen drumming.
Máncora and Blue Eyelids
The King Of Ping Pong (Ping-pongkingen, The King Of Ping-Pong)
(Country: Sweden; Year: 2008; Director: Jens Jonsson; Writer: Jens Jonsson, Hans Gunnarson; Stars: Jerry Johansson, Hampus Johansson, Ann-Sofie Nurmi, Frederik Nilsson, Georgi Staykov, Alicia Stewen, Carolina Westman, William Blomfeldt),
Official Site
Coming-of-age drama sees trouble brew between two siblings.
Megane (Glasses)
(Country: Japan; Director: Naoko Ogigami; Stars: Satomi Kobayashi, Mikako Ichikawa, Ryo Kase, Ken Mitsuishi, Masako Motai)
Somewhere in Northern Russia in a small Russian Orthodox monastery lives an unusual man whose bizarre conduct confuses his fellow monks, while others who visit the island believe that the man has the power to heal, exorcise demons and foretell the future.
Mermaid (Rusalka)
(Country: Russia; Year: 2007; Director: Anna Melikyan; Stars: Masha Shalaeva, Evgeniy Ciganov, Maria Sokolova, Nastya Doncova)
The fanciful tale of an introverted little girl who grows up believing she has the power to make wishes come true. She must reconcile this belief with reality when, as a young woman, she journeys to Moscow and grapples with love, modernity and materialism.
Máncora
(Country: Spain, Peru; Year: 2008; Director: Ricardo De Montreuil; Writer: Angel Ibarguren, Juan Luis Nugent, based on a story by Diego Ojeda and Ricardo De Montreuil; Stars: Jason Day, Elsa Pataky, Enrique Murciano, Phellipe Haagensen, Liz Gallardo)
Grief and desire on a road trip.
The Wave and I Always Wanted To Be A Gangster
Perro Come Perro (Dog Eat Dog)
(Country: Colombia; Director: Carlos Moreno; Stars: Marlon Moreno, Oscar Borda, Alvaro Rodríguez, Blas Jaramillo, Paulina Rivas))
In the crime world of Colombia, there is an unwritten code. When Víctor and Eusebio, two hoods who bungle a shake-down job, break that code, they unwittingly sign their own death sentence.
Riprendimi (Good Morning Heartache)
(Country: Italy; Director: Anna Negri; Stars: Alba Rohrwacher, Marco Foschi, Valentina Lodovini, Stefano Fresi, Alessandro Averone)
A modern young couple with a new baby are forced to deal with the almost comedic pain of breaking up while being the subject of a documentary that quickly crosses professional lines into their private lives.
Strangers (Zarim)
(Country: Israel; Year: 2007; Director: Erez Tadmor, Guy Nattiv; Writer: Erez Tadmor, Guy Nattiv; Stars: Liron Levo, Lubna Azabal, Abdaliah El Akal, Birol Ünel, Partick Albenque, Dominique Loilia),
Official Site
Romance blossoms between an Israeli and a Palestinian - but will wider conflicts halt it in its tracks?
Under The Bombs (Sous Les Bombes)
(Country: France; Year: 2007; Director: Philippe Aractingi; Writer: Michel Leviant; Stars: Nada Abou Farhat, Georges Khabbaz),
Official Site
As the Israeli army bombs Lebanon in 2006, a mother makes a desperate journey to try to save her son.
The Wave (Die Welle)
(Country: Germany; Year: 2008; Director: Dennis Gansel; Writer: Dennis Gansel, Peter Thorwarth, based on the novel by Todd Strasser; Stars: Juergen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Max Riemelt, Jennifer Ulrich, Christiane Paul, Elyas M'Barek, Christina do Rego, Jacob Matschenz, Amelie Kiefer),
Official Site,
Trailer
A high school teacher demonstrates with his class the true meaning of autocracy.
Strangers and Just Another Love Story
The Wind And The Water
(Country: Panama; Year: 2007)
A young indigenous teen seeking his fortune in Panama City struggles to acclimate to chaotic urban life, where he becomes enamored with a girl from a wealthy, assimilated family. Later, he encounters his crush once again - but this time the landscape and tradition define their interaction.
