Rhode Island International Film Festival 2009

Seventeen-year-old Kenny lives in a rundown track home with his father, but every morning he rides his bike into the wealthier part of town for his lifeguarding job. Invisible to the moneyed moms and girls who populate the country club Kenny spends his work hours stoned, fantasizing about the women around him. One in particular, Mrs. Jordan, has always caught his eye. After an act of heroism brings them together he finds himself alone with her and decides to try to act on his daydreams.

Mira is a wild little girl desperate for her father’s love. Stavros is an alienated factory worker, unable to relate to his family or cope with the demands of everyday life. Their unspoken needs spark off a chain of violent confrontations.

The mundane routine at the village takes a decisive turn when nine-year-old Manka shoots Lallan, Thakur's (the village headman)brother-in-law, with his .303 rifle, the only firearm left in the village with bullets in it. Jeevni, Dharma's young widow and Manka's mother holds the power to decide who gets water and who does not. The only well in the area is now in Jeevni and Manka's custody. A Panchayat soon follows after the incident but Manka cannot be brought to justice for reasons obvious.It all started when Thakur in his greed for power, kills Dharma in front of Jeevni and rest of the villagers. Manka was still in his young mother's womb then. Jeevni now wants her revenge from Thakur and the spineless villagers who stood in silence, watching Dharma take his last few breaths. A barter system has come in place since power shifted hands from Thakur to Jeevni. Water is distributed in exchange of any thing Jeevni and Manka want. The entire village is at the mercy of mother and son for every drop of water.

For many three and four-year-olds, learning how to live in the world begins in a preschool classroom. Children with developmental disabilities are no exception. This intimate documentary follows four-year-old Ronen, a young boy with Down syndrome, who attends a fully inclusive early childhood education center. Through his story we learn what it really means for a child to be included: the triumphs, the struggles, and the positive effects on everyone involved: classmates, parents, teachers, and community. Through interviews with teachers, administrators, parents and disability professionals, the film explores the inclusion process in depth, and concretely demonstrates that inclusive classrooms can benefit all children, both those with special needs and their typical peers. This is a rich, evocative exploration of how inclusion works, from the nuts and bolts of a successful inclusive classroom to the benefits and challenges of educational practices that help all children to learn and to find their place in the world.

In 2002, Han Peiyin's son Shengli was accepted in a university, and arrived to the city of Xi'an from his rural home. To pay for Shengli's living expense and tuition, the Han sold off all valuable things in his home and came to work in Xi'an to make money. Though a lifetime peasant, Han firmly believed knowledge had the power to change20destinies, and expected his son to be successful.Job for peasant workers was getting harder to find as more and more peasants came to the city. Han could barely make RMB 400 a month, yet Shengli needed RMB 9,000 a year for college. The place Han stayed at cost one RMB a night. At night, he used a brick as his pillow. His son Shengli had to ponder about what to eat right after class. He saw the bottled water his classmate was holding and could only think of taking the empty bottle and selling it for money.Graduation was near. As a shy young man, Shengli's job prospect was dim. He felt this city was becoming further away from him. Despite his education, he might end up earning less than his father. For years elder Han carried with him a notebook, in which he entered records of his borrowings. Most of them were small sums of 10 or 20 RMB.

THE BUTLER'S IN LOVE was directed by David Arquette and shot in state-of-the-art 3D technology. Based on a beautiful 'absinthe era' painting of the same name by renown artist Mark Stock, the film tells the story of people longing for true love. Starring Thomas Jane, Elizabeth Berkley, Richmond Arquette, David Arquette, and Jennifer Siebel.

A mother, a daughter, a relationship in freefall. A mother trying to reclaim her place with her daughter. A daughter who no longer trusts her and who just wants to have fun with her friends but she has a choice to make.