MIFF 2008 Film Line-up
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| | A Man Named Pearl |
 The inspiring true story of self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar, who reacted to a racist remark, "Black people don't keep up their yards" by fashioning an extraordinary garden that has been featured in dozens of magazines, newspapers and television programs and is now a Preservation Project of the Garden Conservancy, a national nonprofit organization that preserves exceptional gardens. Pearl's topiary garden steers much-needed tourist dollars into the area, the poorest county in South Carolina. But the impact that Pearl and his art have had on his community is not just economic... more
| | A Road Not Taken |
 In 1979, Jimmy Carter, in a forward-looking move, installed solar panels in the roof of the White House. This symbolic installation was taken down in 1986 during the Reagan presidency. In 1991, Unity College, an environmentally centered college here in Maine acquired the panels and later installed them in their cafeteria... more
| | A Secret |
 A Secret was nominated for 11 Cesar Awards (the French Oscar equivalent) including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and two for Best Supporting Actress. Director Claude Miller's involving, spiraling film focuses on the German occupation of France during World War II as seen in the lives of one well-to-do extended Jewish family in the events leading up to those fateful years-and in the years after the War ended. This beautifully mounted adaptation of Philippe Grimbert's autobiographical novel about a young Parisian (Mathieu Amalric), born shortly after the Second World War, discovering how his parents (the beautiful Cecile De France, Patrick Bruel) survived the occupation and what happened to the rest of the family makes a gripping story, extremely well acted by a group of actors that are almost a who's who of French cinema today... more
| | A Sense of Wonder |
 When scientist Rachel Carson published her pioneering environmental book Silent Spring in 1962, the backlash from her critics thrust her into the center of a political maelstrom. Despite her private persona, her convictions about the risks posed by chemical pesticides forced her into the role of controversial public figure. Using many of Carson's own words, Kaiulani Lee embodies this extraordinary woman in A Sense of Wonder, set and shot (by no less a luminary than Oscar winning, legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler) on Southport Island on the Maine coast, principally around the actual cottage in which Carson lived and loved nature... more
| | A Tout de Suite |
 A Tout de Suite is an exceptionally perceptive film about what it's like to be 19 years old. Directed by Benoît Jacquot and based on a memoir by Elisabeth Fanger, it tells the story of a young woman who follows a romantic impulse that leads her into trouble. There's no decision involved in following this impulse... more
| | Aida |
 "Surging brilliantly beyond the confines of the stage - its glorious arias sung by the great operatic voices of our age - its powerful drama portrayed by a brilliant cast. . ... more
| | America* |
Contemporary interpretation of excerpts from Allen Ginsberg's poem "America" told with sound and animation. From University of Maine-Farmington director. ... more
| | Betrayal, The - Nerakhoon |
 In The Betrayal (Nerakhoon), renowned cinematographer Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath have created a lyrical documentary, shot over the course of 23 years, that speaks of what it means to be in exile, of the far-reaching consequences of war, and of the resilient bonds of family. Thavisouk's unforgettable journey reminds us of the strength necessary to survive unthinkable conditions, and of the human spirit's inspiring capacity to adapt, rebuild, and forgive as it follows one family's epic journey from war-torn Laos to the mean streets of New York. Thavisouk gives a first-hand account of his own boyhood survival of war, his later escape from persecution and arrest in Laos, his miraculous reunion with his family and their journey to America, and the second war they had to fight on the streets of New York City... more
| | Boy A |
 In this gritty British powerhouse, Jack leaves prison at the age of 24 after being institutionalized for a crime he committed at the tender age of 11. After rehearsing a new identity given by the prison to avoid his troubled past, Jack enters the real world. He timidly approaches newfound aspects of his life, eventually getting a delivery job while looking for guidance from his caseworker, Terry... more
| | Cedre Penche, Le |
 Call it the Quebecois Once. Of course, that's a distortion and a diminishment of what Le Cedre Penche (The Leaning Cedar) is and aims to be, but it gives you a sense of this marvelous film's musical centrality, intimate scale and honesty and freshness. Much of the film is set and shot in the gorgeous Quebec lake country that's the family home to two sisters, Brigitte and Candide (Viviane Audet and Marie Neige Chatelin, the former a blossoming music star in real life), estranged from each other, but both sharing the legacy of their similarly musical mother... more
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