COVER STORY: NEWPORT BEACH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Divine (“El Evangelio de las Maravillas”) (Mexico, 1998): This film (loosely based on a real cult from the ‘70s) studies the life of a religious sect in Mexico. The group’s credo and dogma are gleaned from Hollywood biblical epics of the ‘50s; they faithfully watch the movies and reenact the rituals depicted. Director: Arturo Ripstein. Cast: Francisco Rabal, Katy Jurado, Carolina Papaleo. 1:52. Attended by members of the cast and crew plus the Mexican film and diplomatic community.

Drive: Toby Wong arrives in San Francisco on a freighter from Hong Kong and is ambushed. Toby grabs Malik Brody and forces him at gunpoint to drive to Los Angeles. The ultimate showdown challenges Toby to win his freedom and defeat his enemy. Director: Steve Wang. Cast: Mark Dacascos, Kadeem Hardison, John Pyper-Ferguson, Brittany Murphy, Tracey Walter, James Shigeta, Masaya Kato.

Easy Rider (U.S., 1969): Two drifters, motorcycling across the country, are confronted with violence and bigotry. Thirtieth-anniversary screening of the American counterculture classic, following the Ride fund-raiser Sunday. Director: Dennis Hopper. Cast: Peter Fonda, Hopper, Jack Nicholson. 1:34.

Enter the Dragon (U.S., 1973, digitally remastered director’s cut with additional footage): Bruce Lee soared to international superstardom with this fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek kung fu film. Director: Robert Clouse. Cast: Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Ahna Capri, Yang Tse, Angela Mao. 97 minutes.

Falling Up Waking Down (Taiwan, 1998): Two lovers meet to commit suicide together. After several failed attempts, they decide to try sleeping pills. The man wakes to find that he alone has survived, so he goes out to buy more pills. Downstairs lives a woman who suffers from insomnia and forces her husband to stay up with her. The four characters become entwined with each others’ stories of love and death. Director: Arthur Chyu. Cast: Lin, Jien-Hwa Chang, Feng-Shu Chang, Yung-Zheng. 1:40. World premiere. Attended by members of the cast and crew and Taiwanese dignitaries.

A Murder of Crows (U.S., 1999): The story of one man’s struggle with his responsibilities as a lawyer and with his ego. Lawson Russell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is a prominent New Orleans lawyer with the reputation of a man able to get some of Louisiana’s most influential and affluent citizens out of trouble. He comes into possession of a manuscript, a thriller about a man who kills five lawyers who have been able to acquit clients of crimes. He publishes the book as his own and is an instant star. But the murders in the book are not fictitious after all. Lawson faces the greatest trial of his life--one upon which his own life hinges. Director: Rowdy Herrington. Cast: Gooding, Tom Berenger, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Marc Pellegrino, Eric Stoltz. 1:30.

Storm (U.S., 1999): An experimental weapons wing of the Air Force, headed by Gen. James Roberts (Martin Sheen), is testing a secret “weather weapon” off the Florida coast. The test goes horribly awry, spawning a killer storm named Hurricane Andrew. Nine years later, a young meteorologist professor (Luke Perry), while working on weather-control technology of his own, is recruited by Roberts. He learns of the weather weapon’s devastating power and tries to prevent it from being used. Another attempt to stop the weapon backfires, and Southern California is in a deadly storm’s path. Director: Harris Done. Cast: Perry, Sheen, Robert Knott, Alexandra Powers, Rene Estevez. 1:29. Done and members of the cast and crew will attend the screening.

Preceded by:

Script Doctor (U.S., 1998): Loosely modeled after a high-paced “ER” episode, the film takes a hilarious view of a screenplay in “critical condition.” Directors: Adam Fields, Jordan Fields and Scott Fields.

Sworn to Justice: Psychologist Janna Dane walks in on a break-in at her home. Finding her sister and nephew dead, she battles the intruders. The deaths of her family members change her life, and she becomes a relentless avenger. Director: Paul Maslak. Cast: Cynthia Rothrock, Tony Lo Bianco, Kurt McKinney, Brad Dourif, Mako, Walter Koenig.

FESTIVAL DEL CINE

Bela Donna (Brazil, 1998): Donna hardly suspects what awaits her in the coastal village paradise of White Dunes. A sexy film based on a classic Brazilian novel. Director: Fabio Barreto. Cast: Natasha Henstridge, Andrew McCarthy, Eduardo Moscovis, Florinda Bolkan. 1:50. U.S. premiere.

Coyotes (Mexico/U.S., 1998): For Nora Dolan, 13, the only home she’s ever known is an old Dodge convertible. Her father, Shep, dropped out of society long ago and can’t find his way back in. Now Nora is torn by the love for this free-spirited drifter and the yearning of a stable life. Director: Kevin McCarey. Cast: Leo Gannon, Kirsten Carmody. 1:30. Attended by Kevin McCarey and members of the cast/crew.

The First Night (La Primera Noche) (Mexico, 1998): In the middle of a metropolis facing a new century, a group of friends between the ages of 15 and 18 live out the adventures, deceptions and anxiety of “The First Night.” Director: Alejandro Gamboa. Cast: Osavaldo Benavides, Mariana Avila, Xavier Massimi, Julio Casado. 1:43. U.S. premiere.

If I Never See You Again (Por Si No Te Vuelvo a Ver) (Mexico, 1998): Five elderly men form a music group and dream of playing for a live audience. A concert for friends at the nursing home where they live is not exactly what they have in mind. They escape from the nursing home in search of their dream. Director: Juan Pablo Villasenor. Cast: Jorge Galvan, Ignacio Retes, Justo Martinez. 1:37.

Open Your Eyes (Spain, 1998): On the night of Cesar’s 25th birthday, he meets Sofia, and for the first time, thinks he may have found the “ideal” woman. After spending an evening laughing, talking and falling in love, Cesar leaves Sofia and is confronted by Nuria, an old girlfriend whom he callously snubbed the night before. Director: Alejandro Amenabar. Cast: Penelope Cruz, Eduardo Noriega. 1:50.

The Pianist (El Pianista) (Spain, 1998): Two pianists who were childhood friends in Barcelona (Doria and Rossell) cross paths as young men in Paris in the 1930s, and become part of the musical avant garde of their era. Director: Mario Gas. Cast: Paulina Galvez, Pere Ponce, Jordi Molla, Serge Reggiani. 1:34. U.S. premiere.

The Rose Seller (La Vendedora de Rosas) (Colombia, 1998): Lady, a 13-year-old who earns her living selling roses on the street, embodies the hidden face of a merciless city, Medellin, a city like any other where street children who have no place in this world fritter away the futile days of their lives. Director: Victor Gaviria. Cast: Leidy Tabares, Marta Correa, Mileider Gil, Diana Murillo. 1:30.

The Scent of Vengeance (El Aroma del Copal) (Spain, 1996): A young, dynamic oil engineer, Jesse Martin, travels to steamy Central America to take charge of an international oil company’s lucrative drilling operations. and finds himself caught in a shooting war between a government army protecting the oil company, and a rebel band bent on seizing the oil fields. Director: Antonio Gonzalo. Cast: James Brolin, Jay Roberts. 1:29.

The Sleepwalker (La Sonambula) (Argentina, 1998): The drama of “The Sleepwalker” unfolds in a futuristic, intelligently conceived universe, featuring an array of twists and turns. It is the year 2010 in a black and white Buenos Aires. Authorities are conducting clandestine experiments with a new psychic weapon designed to control the anarchistic population. The tests result in severe identity and memory loss for hundreds of thousands of people. Director: Fernando Spiner. Cast: Eusebio Poncela, Sofia Viruboff, Lorenzo Quinteros, Patricio Contreras. 1:45.

Take It or Leave It (La Paloma de Marsella) (Mexico, 1998): An ensemble piece that revolves around a clan of old-timers who are struggling with the effects of aging. Amelia del Valle is at the forefront of this group. She tries her luck night after night on television game shows. She decides to go for the most famous television show ever, “Un Domingo con Galo Beltran.” Her quest for the grand prize symbolizes her own hope for liberty and the love of her life. Director: Carlos Garcia Agraz. Cast: Rosa de Castilla, German Robles, Mercedes Pascual. 1:40. World premiere.

Vertical Love (Amor Vertical) (Cuba, 1997): A satirical comedy from the new wave of Cuban social commentators who use film as their medium. A shared tale of love against all odds, the film brings together Ernesto, a psychiatric nurse who likes to pretend he is a psychiatrist, and Estela, an architecture student who has just finished a study of housing in Havana. Director: Arturo Sotto. Cast: Jorge Perugorria, Silvia Aguila, Susana Perez. 1:40.

ASIAN CINEMA KALEIDOSCOPE

An Affair (Korea, 1998): Seo-Hyun is the sheltered wife of a successful architect. Her younger sister Ji-Hyun has just become engaged to a stone importer, Woo-In. Seo-Hyun and Woo-In fall in love and being an affair, they know that it will ruin Seo-Hyun’s family life, but they can’t control their strong desire for each other. Director: E, J-Yong. Cast: Lee, Mi-Sook Lee, Jung-Jae. 1:47. World premiere.

Be There or Be Square (China, 1999): Having lost his ideals, sense of direction and clarity, a recent Chinese immigrant to Los Angeles convinces his girlfriend to return to China, afraid that she might not be equipped to handle the challenges of the U.S. A year later, they bump into each other at a shopping mall. Director: Feng Xiaogang. Cast: Ge You, Xu Fan. 1:40 minutes. World premiere. Attended by members of the cast and crew.

Birdcage Inn (Korea, 1998): When the dilapidated buildings are removed from Seoul, one of the results is that the prostitutes scatter in all directions. One, Jin-Ah, comes to the Birdcage Inn in Pohang. There begins the conflict between one girl selling herself and the other girl living happily as a university student. Director: Kim Ki Dyk. Cast: Lee Ji En. 1:40.

Bombay Boys (India/U.S., 1998). Three expatriate twentysomething Indian boys, one each from New York, Sydney and London, arrive separately at a Bombay airport. They find that Bombay overwhelms them with its progressive, buoyant, energetic frenzy and in the process destroys every stereotype they came with. Director: Kaizao Gustao. Cast: Naveen Andrews, Rahul Bose, Alexander Gifford. 1:45. U.S. premiere.

Fated Vocation (Vietnam, 1998): Set in modern-day rural northern Vietnam, two “Cheo” Opera actresses encounter internal rivalries and the reality of the dying art of the beautiful and traditional Cheo Opera. Based on the two famous Cheos about the Tenth reincarnation of the bodhisattva, “Quan Am Thi Kinh” and the folk drama “Xuy Van Feigns Insanity,” the story weaves in contemporary challenges of Cheo national artists facing a 1,000-year-old perception: that entertainers are worthless. Director: Vu Chau. Cast: Tung Thuy, Minh Hoa, Nguyen Trung Hieu, Quoc Anh. 1:25. U.S. premiere.

Fear/Faith/Revenge (Thailand, 1998): Conquer the fear . . . Keep the faith . . . Kill the revenge . . . This story is set in the St. George boarding school, where a group of new students try to learn the truth behind a rumor about the mysterious suicide of an honor student whose name was in the school’s Hall of Fame. Director: Somching Srisupap. Cast: Anada Everingham, Artid Ryu, Taya Rogers. 1:33. U.S. premiere.

In the Navel of the Sea (Philippines, 1998): In a remote fishing village in the 1950s, Pepito grows up being trained by his mother, Rosa, the only midwife capable of delivering babies in their community. At first, the young boy doesn’t mind learning his mother’s profession. Eventually, embarrassment and prejudices are overcome by acceptance and love between mother and son. Director: Marilou Diaz-Abaya. Cast: Jomari Yllana, Elizabeth Oropesa, Chin-Chin Gutierrez. Contact: GMA Films. Running Time: 1:54.

Mr. Zhao (China/Hong Kong, 1998): When the title character, a teacher, begins an affair with one of his former students, his wife follows him and discovers the infidelity. Unwilling to abandon his mistress, Mr. Zhao is faced with the agony of choosing between the two women. Director: Lu Yue. Cast: Shi Jingming, Zhang Zhihua, Chen Yinan, Jiang Wenli. 1:29.

The Poet (Hong Kong, 1998): Gu Cheng was a poet in China. He migrated to New Zealand with wife, Reimi, and mistress, Ching, intending to enjoy the peaceful, simple, plain and complacent life. But things turned out differently. Director: Casey Lai-Ying Chan. Cast: Teresa Lee, Stephen Fung. 1:52.

The Terrorist (India, 1998): Deeply affected by the death of her brother at a young age, Malli decides to follow his example and joins a terrorist organization. She feels intense pride when she is chosen over others for the honor of being a suicide bomber. But as she awaits death, her long-denied inner self makes itself felt, and unknown emotions swamp her being. Director: Santosh Sivan. Cast: Ayesha Dharkar, Vishnu Vardhan, Bhanu Prakash. 1:35.

Three (Philippines, 1998): Barok narrates how she got drawn into the lives of Tito and his wife, Elsie, through Alice, Elsie’s lesbian lover. Director: Carlos Siguion-Reyna. Cast: Ara Mina, Tonton Gutierrez. 1:24.

SHORT FILMS I

Castles in the Sky (U.S.-Italy, 1999): The life of a man is everlasting when seen through the eyes of his son. A visual poem of a father’s legacy and the beauty he brought to the world. Director: Paolo Davanzo. 5 minutes.

Digital Gremlin for Windows (U.S., 1998): What exactly does it take to make a computer work? This animated short offers an unusual and funny hypothesis. Director: Chris Clements. 3 minutes.

The Face (U.S., 1998): John is a simple soul seeking beauty in a reality of his own construction. He finds this beauty in Lisa’s face. John brings their worlds to intersection. Or does he? Director: Rachel Maxwell. 18 minutes. World premiere.

Five O’Clock Shadow (U.S., 1998): Shaving dangers portend Guy’s confrontation with the alluring Veronica. Director: Traci Carroll. 20 minutes.

No Mello-Roos (U.S., 1999): With a little encouragement from family and friends, young thespian Richard Tweet might obtain stardom, domestic bliss and a higher level of consciousness . . . all for a low, low price. Director: Mike Woodward. 30 minutes. World premiere.

SHORT FILMS II

At Face Value (U.S., 1999): Produced in association with the Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance, this short film focuses upon African American and Korean immigrant race relations on the day of the O.J. Simpson car chase. Director: Steven K. Akahoshi. 27 minutes.

The Lion’s Den (U.S., 1997): A punk kid in his late teens breaks into a house that looks ripe for the picking, only to be confronted by its owner, an angry and racist older man with a gun. Director: Rick Gough. 20 minutes.

Mulligans! (U.S., 1997): “Mulligans!” concerns the misadventures of two golf widows, Dottie (Tippi Hedren) and Madge (Marcia Rodd), who, after consuming one too many martinis at their country-club dinner, decide to execute Madge’s deceased husband’s last wish: having his ashes strewn in the sand trap next to the 16th green. Director: Miles Hood Swarthout. 23 minutes.

The Wager (Canada, 1998): Two strangers meet late one night and propose a series of morbid, life-or-death bets in this darkly comedic suspense drama. Director: Aaron Woodley. 19 minutes.

SHORT FILMS III

A Dog’s Life (England, 1998): Malcolm has brushed aside his marriage to devote his attention to Trixie, his over-pampered canine. Director: David Squire. 15 minutes. World premiere.

Crimson Wings (U.S., 1998): In the struggle to cope with the sudden death of his wife, a painter faces the question: Is the present moment a dream or a reality? Director: Minh Nguyen-Vo. 15 minutes. World premiere.

Real Doll (U.S., 1998): Desperate to shake off her lifelong frumpy demeanor and look, a dowdy woman who has just turned 35 emulates the look and pursues the avocations of her idol: Barbie. Director: Lori LoCicero. 35 minutes. World premiere.

Salad Bowl . . . A Carrot’s Tale (U.S., 1998): When the sun breathes life into an olive oil bottle and vegetables, a game of carrot bowling ensues. Director: Michael Blum. 3 minutes.

The Sugarbowl (Belgium, 1997): Kristien is a well-mannered 7-year-old who has a talent for doing the wrong thing. When her mother takes her to a boarding school, the girl’s fear leads her to run away from school and back to her mother. Director: Hilde Van Mieghem. 14 minutes.

SHORT FILMS IV

Conversations (U.S., 1998): This film recounts a day in the life of an about-to-be-evicted, half-black/half-white, slightly neurotic unemployed actress and the phone conversations she has. Director: Eleva Singleton. 30 minutes.

Dave’s Blind Date (U.S., 1998): Dave’s friends talk him into a blind date, which he is not happy about because of his theory about the pointlessness of relationships. Director: Matthew Alper. 21 minutes. World premiere.

The Voyage (A Viagem) (Portugal, 1998): This film mixes real image and computer animation for a voyage aboard a 16th century Portuguese caravel. Director: Christian Boustani. 10 minutes.

Wild Card (U.S., 1998): The lonely Queen of Hearts sets search for a special suitor in this computer-animated effort. Director: Van Phan. 3 minutes. World premiere.

Zoltar From Zoron (U.S., 1998): A 12-year-old claims he’s an alien to escape his family life and the horrors of junior high. Director: Erik Paesel. 15 minutes.

SHORT FILMS V

The Battery (U.S., 1998): Baseball, art and the power of imagination are used in this coming-of-age story. Starring Joshua Jackson of “Dawson’s Creek.” Director: Robert Duncan McNeill. 24 minutes.

Digital Gremlin for Windows (U.S., 1998): Director: Chris Clements. 3 minutes.

Drive (U.S., 1998): A young man’s attempt to save his ailing father’s life leads him through the deserts of the American Southwest. Director: Adam Turner. 23 minutes.

Seabirds (U.S., 1998): At a colonial theater in Ho Chi Minh City, two Amerasian friends wind up in a bureaucratic maze when the United Nations sponsors a program to relocate Amerasian children left after the war. Director: Stephanie Gauger. 30 minutes. World premiere.

This Year’s Model (U.S., 1999). Everyone knows there’s nothing like a best friend, and Griffin and Bobby have been best friends for ages. But the friendship “contract” is up, and if your application is in order, you just might be “This Year’s Model.” Director: Toby Wallwork. 18 minutes.

WORLD CONTEMPORARY CINEMA

Anarchy TV (U.S., 1998): A black comedy about anarchists with an uncensored public access TV show who are driven off the air when a diabolical televangelist buys the station. In protest, the crew stages a rally and gets arrested. Desperate to reclaim their station, they take to the airwaves with the ultimate publicity stunt. Director: Jonathan Blank. Cast: Alan Thicke, the four children of anarchist rocker Frank Zappa--Dweezil, Moon, Ahmet and Diva--with cameos by George Wendt, Mink Stole, Apollonia and Timothy Leary. 1:30.

Big Monday (U.S., 1998): The camera travels with Michael from the moment he wakes, through the streets and subways of Manhattan, to a job interview that might change his life. He deals with his girlfriend, friends and others, all of whom influence him as he makes his way to the dreaded appointment and struggles with his ultimate decision. Shot documentary-style, in black and white, in one continuous take. Director: Michael Rehfield. Cast: Michael Rehfield, Karen Mascaki. 1:15. West Coast premiere.

Preceded by:

Scherzo (U.S., 1998): Life is a drag. . . . Then something else happens. Director: Mark Herzig. 9 minutes.

Casanova Falling (U.S., 1998): Send a career-driven, label-obsessed, meticulously groomed, womanizing, superficial 1990s man on a quest to solve an age-old question: Can he reconcile traditional aspirations of love and family with his instinctual need for varied and repeated sexual conquests? Throw in an advertising world founded on the principle that unrealistic images of perfection and subliminal sexual messages sell ideas and products. Add beautiful, sexually ambiguous, sexually liberated, sexually predatory women to this satirical romantic comedy about one man’s pursuit of true happiness and lasting fulfillment. Director: Christopher Kublan. Cast: Mark Feuerstein, Amy Redford, Dabney Coleman. 1:32.

Espresso (Hungary, 1998): Lives unfold around a table in a Budapest bar named Espresso. Three women--a beauty salon worker, a manager and a would-be TV personality--have nothing to hide from one another until a young man enters the scene and begins affairs with each of them. Meanwhile, petty criminals, jealous husbands, helpful grandmas and Mafioso professors appear and disappear. Director: Tamas Sas. Cast: Gabor Mate, Andras Stohl, Andrea Soptei. 1:45.

Free Enterprise (U.S., 1998): Two would-be filmmakers are devoted to movies and classic television, particularly the original “Star Trek.” One is a journalist who dates beautiful actresses and models but is devoted to an inane screenplay called “Bradykiller,” about a serial killer on the prowl for beautiful women named Marcia, Jan and Cindy. Their illusions are shattered when they learn their idol, William Shatner, is hawking a musical film version of “Julius Caesar” in which he will play all the parts. In a rocking rap called “No Tears for Caesar,” renowned rapper Rated R and Shatner retell Marc Anthony’s final monologue from Shakespeare’s play. Director: Robert Meyer Burnett. Cast: Rafer Weigel, Eric McCormack, Audie England, Patrick Van Horn, Phil LaMarr, Shatner. 1:48.

Going to the Chapel Chapel Chapel (U.S., 1999): Gabby loved her wedding ceremony so much that she decided one was not enough. An Elvis impersonator attends her 18th wedding, which takes place in Las Vegas. Director: Ren Blood. 22 minutes. World premiere.

Frozen (U.S., 1998): Two military police officers are sent to investigate a soldier who goes mad and tries to kill his companions during a covert mining operation at a U.S. Army research outpost in Antarctica. They are greeted by the base medical officer and a lieutenant, who has been hiding in a hall closet, and find frozen bodies. Soon, the entire crew is battling unknown forces and memories to regain control of the base in this chilling sci-fi tale inspired by Stephen King’s short story “Sometimes They Come Back.” Director: Daniel Berk. Cast: Faith Ford, Clayton Rohner, Damian Chapa, Chase Masterson, Max Perlich. 1:30. World premiere, attended by the director and cast members.

Get a Job (U.S., 1998): To collect the inheritance his late father bequeathed him, an unemployed slacker must get a job. He concocts an imaginary job at an Irish rugby bar populated by people in his real life. Combining fantasy and reality, he begins to pull off the ultimate charade--that he is gainfully employed. Director: Gregg Cannizzaro. Cast: Jason Wolk, Jeremy London, Allen Garfield, Brenda Strong, Billy Maddox, Tamara Mello. 1:33.

Kate’s Addiction (U.S., 1998): A psychological thriller in which a woman is obsessed with her college roommate and former best friend, Sara. A tale of murder and betrayal made on an operating budget of $74,000. Director: Eric DelaBarre. Cast: Kari Wuhrer, Farrah Forke, Matt Borlenghi, Joel Gretsch, Matt Poretta. 1:25. World premiere.

The Killer Condom (Germany, 1997): A killer condom holds New York City hostage. Director: Martin Walz. Cast: Udo Samel, Peter Lohmeyer, Iris Berben, Marc Richter. 1:30.

The Last Call (U.S., 1998): A noir mystery set in a seedy bar that becomes its own moral universe, two pals plan to rob an old drunk who flashes a briefcase of rare coins and bills. The twists pile up. Director: Steve Kurland. Cast: Seymour Cassel, Udo Kier, Cynda Williams, Richmond Arquette. 1:34.

Lithium (Sweden, 1998): A hard-working intern at a Stockholm tabloid struggles to find the scoop that will get her a job. An unexpected series of events takes her deep into a mystery. Director: David Flamholc. Cast: Agnieszka Koson, Johan Widerberg, Fredrik Dolk, Bjorn Granath. 2:07. U.S. premiere.

Melting Pot (U.S., 1998): Comedian Paul Rodriguez battles a career politician for the seat of an old-school politico forced out of office over racial gerrymandering in this satirical story. Director: Tom Musca. Cast: Paul Rodriguez, CCH Pounder, Cliff Robertson, Annette Murphy, Una Damon. 1:43.

The Money Shot (U.S., 1998): A documentary filmmaker gets too close to his subjects, New York City street teenagers. Director: Matt Mailer. Cast: Stephen Lang, Tamara Tunie, Aesha Waks. 1:26.

Next Time (U.S., 1998): Set in a South-Central Los Angeles Laundromat. A white, small-town Ohio teenager befriends a black woman in her late 30s. They share their most private thoughts. Then comes the Rodney King verdict. Director: L. Alan Fraser. Cast: Jonelle Allen, Christian Campbell. 1:37.

Road Dogs (U.S., 1999): A Black Panther from South-Central Los Angeles, just released from jail, tries to break free of gangster life and the ghetto. Director: Detdrich McClure. Cast: Glenn Plummer, Chris Spencer. 1:26. World premiere.

Road Kill (U.S., 1998): A failing film student mired in his own mediocrity and his spoiled art-student roommate team with a female assassin with a dark secret and a fear of flying. A story of personal redemption. Director: Matthew Leutwyler. 1:32.

Titanic Town (Ireland/United Kingdom, 1998): In 1970s Belfast, a woman speaks out against the violence, but her words are made to sound like a campaign against the Irish Republican Army. Locals become convinced she’s working for the enemy British, and things come to a head in a riot outside her home. Director: Roger Michell. Cast: Julie Walters, Ciaran Hinds, Nuala O’Neill, Elizabeth Donaghy. 1:41. U.S. premiere.

The Waiting Game (U.S., 1998): An ensemble comedic love story about a tortured artist, a femme fatale, an egomaniac, a gay dancer, a wannabe supermodel and an impotent busboy who wait tables at a New York City eatery called Peter’s Backyard. Director: Ken Liotti. Cast: Will Arnett, Debbon Ayer, Dwight Ewell, Eddie Malavarca, Terumi Matthews. 1:21.

Preceded by:

Lo and Jo (U.S., 1998): A tongue-in-cheek retelling of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is set in the kingdom of modern-day Hollywood. Director: Vanessa Parise. 10 minutes. World premiere.

Wicked (U.S., 1998): Casa del Norte is a pricey gated community in the high desert outside Los Angeles in this darkly comic, suburban thriller about a 14-year-old and her mother, who hate the place. The house is broken into; someone is killed, and family secrets are brought into the open. Director: Michael Steinberg. Cast: Julia Stiles, Patrick Muldoon, William R. Moses, Michael Parks. 1:36.

Preceded by:

Peep Show (U.S., 1998): A woman at a peep show is pleasantly surprised to find that the male performers are well-dressed, well-mannered men who say all the things women want to hear. Director: Charlie Call. 9 minutes. World premiere.

Wilbur Falls (U.S., 1997): The smart but shy 13-year-old daughter of bickering parents thinks life is improving when a boy she has a mad crush on asks her to dance. It turns into a horrible prank. Four years later, she and a friend decide it’s payback time. Director: Juliane Glantz. Cast: Danny Aiello, Sally Kirkland, Shanee Edwards, Jeff Daurey, Cherilyn Hayres. 1:35.

Preceded by:

The Cowboy and the Ballerina (U.S., 1998): An American icon is a hero figure for a European ballerina at the end of her career. Director: Mark Joseph Isham. 12 minutes. World premiere.

DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE

Canvas (U.S., 1998): Eight professional skateboarders, one documentary film crew, two weeks on the road in Australia. The film features some of the world’s top pro skaters: Rodney Mullen, Gershon Mosley, Mike York, Guy Mariano, Heath Kirchart, Andrew Reynolds, Jeron Wilson and Ryan Wilburn, on a promotional tour for the sport of street skating. Director: Mick Erausquin. 39 minutes.

Strange Parallel (U.S., 1998): Chronicles the quirky and often elusive life of Academy Award-nominated musician Elliott Smith. Director: Steve Hanft. 29 minutes.

Forgotten Fires (U.S., 1998): Filmed over the course of a year in Manning, S.C., the documentary follows the events that led four members of the Ku Klux Klan to burn two local African American churches. From the vantage point of prison, Timothy Welch, one of those men, reflects upon his descent into racial violence. Winner of the Golden Spire award at the San Francisco Film Festival. Director: Michael Chandler. 57 minutes.

The Legacy (U.S., 1998): Political initiatives are often formulated, tested and translated into legislation in California first. For a behind-the-scenes look at the drama of politics, “The Legacy” examines the mandatory sentencing law known as “Three Strikes, You’re Out.” The film focuses on two fathers who have suffered the most horrible of crimes: the murders of their children. These fathers are Mike Reynolds, the driving force behind the initiative, and Mark Klaas, who came on board and galvanized public support for it. The film reveals the outpouring of support that came from voters as a direct result of Polly Klaas’ abduction and murder. “The Legacy” shows the efficiency and determination of the political forces behind the bill and charts the way Mark Klaas was transformed from proponent to opponent. The film gives equal time to both sides of the issue, utilizing news footage and interviews with key players. Director: Michael J. Moore. 1:17. Moore is scheduled to attend the screening.

My Lazy White Friends (U.S., 1998): Explores the sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic journey into the life of twentysomethings who ineptly try to leave their mark on the world. Director: Dean Ishida. 60 minutes.

Preceded by:

Old Salt (U.S., 1997): A young boy’s innocent loyalty breaks through the crust of a salty old fisherman. Director: Joshua Colover. 29 minutes.

Nana (England-Israel, 1997): Explores relationships between four female filmmakers from France-U.S., England and the Middle East and their grandmothers. Directors: Fabienne Bouville, Ruti Gadish, Suher Ismael and Alison King. 1:36.

Race to Save One Hundred Years

(U.S., 1997): Narrator Jodie Foster outlines the peril of American films made before 1950 and chronicles the steps being taken to preserve and restore them. Examples illustrate the rapid deterioration of some of our nation’s finest films. Director: Scott Benson. 56 minutes. (Benson and others involved with the film will attend).

Strange Parallel (U.S., 1998): Chronicles the quirky and often elusive life of Academy Award-nominated musician Elliott Smith. Director: Steve Hanft. 29 minutes.

FXM: Fox Shorts Program

In late 1996, FXM: Movies From Fox commissioned emerging filmmakers to direct short films ranging from 3 to 12 minutes each. FXM Shorts are previewed for Fox executives at an invitation-only screening on the 20th Century Fox lot, then entered into international film festivals, giving audiences around the world a chance to see these works on the big screen. NBIFF presents a new batch of FXM shorts and a couple of favorites from last year. 1:05 total running time.

I’m on Fire: A very short film about a guy on fire. Director: Ryan Rowe. Back from last year.

Ladies Room: A woman who is afraid to use public restrooms has an unusual experience in one. The featured restroom is at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Director: Eugenia Ives.

A Fine Day for Flying: A housewife’s routine afternoon is interrupted by a friend in crisis. The film is based on a monologue about a woman returning Tupperware that filmmaker Russell DeGrazier once wrote for a class at USC. Director: Ryan Rowe. Back from last year.

The Housekeeper: A housekeeper heals and mends the lives of people whose houses she cleans. The film was cast by casting agents for “The X-Files.” Director: Nancy Keystone.

H@: A bank robbery goes wrong with an explosive payoff. Members of L.A. improv group the Groundlings provide the voices for H@. Director: Jason Reitman. World premiere.

First Prince: Before Prince Charming arrives, another prince feebly tries to awaken the sleeping princess. Directors: Victor Fanucchi and Matt Nix.

Birthday: A burned-out entertainer performs at a kid’s party. Director: Greg Booker. World premiere.

Beeker’s Crossing: An ambulance-chaser arrives at an accident site. Director: Robbie Consing. World premiere.

Phil Touches Flo: Flo is a dog. Flo’s owner doesn’t like it when people touch Flo. Phil touches Flo. The dog is best known as the news agent whom Tommy Lee Jones shakes down for information in “Men in Black.” Director: David Birdsell. Back from last year.