Make a movie date in LA, NYC, Miami, Dallas, San Fransisco, San Antonio and Chicago this week. The Maya Indie Film Series runs 7 new films, in these 7 cities, for 7 consecutive days (September 9-15). The fest boasts with several Sundance picks, new original screenplays and a healthy mix Latino-themed flicks sprinkled with mainstream names like Orlando Bloom and Eva Longoria.
The seven films in the series include:
All She Can
Director: Amy Wendel
Cast: Corina Calderon, Jeremy Ray Valdez (La Mission), Joseph Julian Soria, Julia Vera
Synopsis: Luz Garcia, a high school senior in a small Texas town, wants something
different than the options awaiting her after graduation. She’s earned a ticket out with
admission to the University of Texas at Austin, but she can’t afford to go. Her one shot is
a scholarship for winning the State Powerlifting Championship. It’s all or nothing for
Luz…until nothing stares her in the face. Official Sundance Film Festival selection.
Blue Eyes
Director: Jose Joffily
Cast: David Rasche (Burn After Reading), Frank Grillo (The Gates), Erica Gimpel
(Profiler, ER), Irandhir Santos, Cristina Lago
Synopsis: Marshall, chief immigration officer of New York’s JFK Airport begrudgingly
faces his compulsory retirement. On his last day of work, drunk and blinded by prejudice,
he harasses a group of Latin American visitors and exposes them to a series of
humiliating events that result in the death of a young Brazilian. Years later, after serving
a lengthy prison term and filled with guilt, Marshall goes to Brazil in search of the victims
daughter and is guided by a young street-smart woman named Bia.
Didi Hollywood
Director: Bigas Luna
Cast: Elsa Pataky (Snakes on a Plane), Peter Coyote (A Walk to Remember), Paul
Sculfor, Flora Martinez
Synopsis: Di Di Hollywood tells the tale of an actress whose wish for stardom comes at
a heavy price. Her name is Diana Diaz, a young woman with a wild yet familiar dream:
to become a star. And to win it all, she is willing to lose herself. Tired of working nights as a
bartender, Diana finally decides to leave her homeland, her best friend Maria, and all of the
bad memories Spain holds for her. She heads out for the bright lights of Miami, and despite its
glamorous first impression, this new paradise proves anything but.Fed up with casting calls,
hunger, and near-poverty, Diana continues to push forward,and with the help of new friends,
makes it out to Hollywood. As Diana Diaz transforms into Di Di, the once ambitious bartender
truly learns the price of stardom. Official Toronto International Film Festival selection.
Forged
Director: William Wedig
Cast: Manny Perez (Courage Under Fire), David Castro (27 Dresses), Margo Matrindale
(Orphan), Jaime Tirelli (Girlfight)
Synopsis: Set in the cold and rusty steel mill town of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Forged
follows Chuco (Manny Perez) on his quest to redeem himself after committing a horrific
sin against his son, Machito (David Castro). After Chucos release from prison, the boy,
now 13 years old, abused and homeless, seeks him out and simply mutters: You killed
my mother. Now I kill you. As Chuco’s guilt and Machito’s need for a father take hold,
they must both find a way to move past impossible circumstances to forge a bond that
has been forever broken.
Where the Road Meets the Sun
Director: Mun Chee Yong
Cast: Will Yun Lee (Die Another Day), Eric Mabius (Resident Evil), Elsa Pataky
(Snakes on a Plane), Jesse Garcia (La Misma Luna), Laura Ramsey (She’s the Man)
Synopsis: Where the Road Meets the Sun follows four men whose lives intersect for a
brief time in the city of Los Angeles. Takashi, a Japanese hit man, wakes up from a four
year coma and moves to Los Angeles to escape mysterious traumatic memories. He
strikes an unusual friendship with Blake, the hotel manager who still mourns the loss of
his wife to an affair he ended up regretting. Julio, an illegal immigrant, works at an Indian
restaurant to provide for his wife and kid back in Mexico. He befriends Guy, a young
British backpacker who lives off his estranged father’s ATM card and sleeps with any girl
who crosses his path. What follows are the wild times and often gut-wrenching
adventures of four men trying to survive both emotionally and physically.
Without Men
Director: Gabriela Tagliavini
Cast: Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives), Christian Slater (True Romance), Oscar
Nunez (The Proposal), Kate del Castillo (La Misma Luna), Paul Rodriguez (Born in East
LA), Judy Reyes (Scrubs)
Synopsis: In this offbeat comedy, the women of a secluded Latin American village are
left to rebuild their society after all of the men are recruited by a bumbling group of
guerrillas. It may be a man’s world out there, but in here, it’s all women.
SPECIAL SCREENING:
Sympathy for Delicious
Director: Mark Ruffalo
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Christopher Thornton, Juliette Lewis, Orlando Bloom and Laura
Linney.
Synopsis: Forced to live out of his car on skid row, Dean (Christopher Thornton) begins
his descent into depression when he meets Father Joe Roselli (Mark Ruffalo), a passionate young priest.
Father Joe introduces Dean to the world of faith-healing, an unlikely way for him to begin his quest
to walk again. He soon discovers that he possesses the otherworldly power to heal people, but in an
odd twist of fate, he is utterly unable to heal himself. Despite Father Joe’s warnings, Dean angrily
decides to use his new found gift for fame and fortune. He joins a rock band led by charismatic
front man The Stain (Orlando Bloom) with bassist Ariel (Juliette Lewis), and manager Nina Hogue
(Laura Linney). But his newfound notoriety is unable to cure the hurt that encompasses his life.
To find true healing, Dean must ultimately confront his worst demons and come
to terms with his own humanity. Official Sundance Film Festival Selection.
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FULL FILM SCHEDULE
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