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MEMENTO FILMS INTERNATIONAL
MEMENTO
FILMS
INTERNATIONAL
Memento Films
International
9, cité Paradis
75010 Paris
tel: + 33 1 53 34 90 20
fax: + 33 1 42 47 11 24
www.memento-films.com
ELLES | MALGOSKA SZUMOWSKA
EllesMALGOSKA SZUMOWSKA
Anne (Juliette Binoche), a well-off, Paris-based mother of two and investiga-tive journalist for ELLE, is writing an article about student prostitution. Her meetings with two fiercely independent young women, Alicja (Joanna Kulig) and Charlotte (Anaïs Demoustier), are profound and unsettling, moving her to question her most intimate convictions about money, family and sex.
“Binoche gives a perfor-mance that is the cultmi-nation of a lifetime. It is a rare film that takes such a raw look at female sexuality in so many forms.” SPOTLIGHT TORONTO
“A fascinating movie.” ELLE
2011 | FRANCE, POLAND, GERMANY | 96 min.
CAST Juliette Binoche, Anais Demoustier, Joanna Kulig
PRODUCED BY SLOT MACHINE
HEADSHOT | PEN-EK RATANARUANG
HeadshotPEN-EK RATANARUANG
Present-day Thailand is rife with corruption. Tul, a straight-laced cop, is blackmailed by a powerful politician and framed for a crime he did not com-mit. Disillusioned and vengeful, he is soon recruited to become a hitman for a shadowy group aimed at eliminating those who are above the law. But one day, Tul is shot in the head during an assignment. He wakes up after a three-month coma to find that he sees everything upside down, literally. Unaware of whether the condition is medical or a result of karmic retribution, Tul be-gins to have second thoughts about his profession. But when he tries to quit, roles are reversed and the hunter becomes the hunted. Then he meets a girl that turns his world even more upside down. Can Tul find redemption from the violence that continues to haunt him?
“A great piece of stylish, badass neo-noir cinéma. Headshot is part ‘Blast of Silence,’ part ‘The Killer,’ with elements of a
‘Bourne’-style on-the-run thriller.” INDIEWIRE
2011 | THAILAND, FRANCE | 105 min.
CAST Nopachai Jayanama,
Cris Horwang
PRODUCED BY LOCAL COLOR FILM
THE MONK | DOMINIK MOLL
The MonkDOMINIK MOLL
The rise and fall of a Capuchin Monk in 17th century Madrid.
Abandoned as a baby on the steps of a monastery and raised in strict Capu-chin fashion, Ambrosio has become the most famous preacher in the country. While large crowds from all over the country come to hear his mesmerizing sermons, he’s also bitterly envied for his success by certain fellow monks.
Convinced of his virtue and righteousness, Brother Ambrosio thinks he is immune to temptation...
Until obscure events start terrorizing the monastery. Could they be con-nected to the unexpected arrival of Valerio, an apprentice monk who has the miraculous gift to relieve Ambrosio’s splitting headaches and hides his disfigured face under a wax mask?
“An impressive turn by Vincent Cassel.” SCREEN
“This thriller is a natural born charmer. Vincent Cassel excels with restraint and austerity.” ELLE
2011 | FRANCE, SPAIN | 101 min.
CAST Vincent Cassel,
Déborah François, Sergi Lopez,
Geraldine Chaplin
PRODUCED BY Diaphana Films,
Morena Films
ADAPTED FROM Matthew G.Lewis’
sulphurous masterpiece of gothic
literature
THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH | PAWEL PAWLIKOWSKI
The Woman in the fifthPAWEL PAWLIKOWSKI
American writer Tom Ricks comes to Paris desperate to put his life together again and win back the love of his estranged wife and daughter.
When things don’t go according to plan, he ends up in a shady hotel in the suburbs, having to work as a night guard to make ends meet.
Then Margit, a beautiful, mysterious stranger walks into his life and things start looking up. Their passionate and intense relationship triggers a string of inexplicable events… as if an obscure power was taking control of his life.
“A bewildering, Kafkaesque conundrum set in the murky shadows of an unfamiliar Paris.” SCREEN
“Film reminds us of the early Polanski’s films like ‘Knife in the water’,
‘Cul-de-sac’.” TÉLÉRAMA
2011 | FRANCE, UK, POLAND | 85 min.
CAST Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joanna Kulig
PRODUCED BY Haut et Court and Film4
THE GIANTS | BOULI LANNERS
The Giants BOULI LANNERS
It’s summertime.
Zack and Seth find themselves dead broke and ditched by their absentee mother in the family’s cottage. Just like every holiday, they’ve resigned themselves to another shitty summer.
But things change this year, when they meet Danny, a local teenager.
Together, with their future at their fingertips, they begin the great and peril-ous journey of their lives.
“ A joyous heartwarmer with an endearing Mark Twain meets Ken Loach vibe.” SCREEN
“The Giants strikes us with its ludic and sharpened look on childhood .” LES INROCKUPTIBLES
2011 | BELGIUM, FRANCE, LUXEMBOURG | 84 min.
CAST Zacharie Chasseriaud, Martin Nissen, Paul Bartel
PRODUCED BY Versus Production
MAN WITHOUT A CELL PHONE | SAMEH ZOABI
Man without a cell phone SAMEH ZOABI
Twenty-something Palestinian-Israeli slacker Jawdat just wants to have fun with his friends, talk on his cell phone and find love. Instead, he navigates unconvincing dates with Muslim, Christian, and even Jewish girls, and wres-tles with the Hebrew college entrance exam.
Meanwhile, his grouchy olive-farming father, Salem, is determined to drag Jawdat and his whole community into a fight against a nearby Israeli cell phone tower that he fears is poisoning the villagers with radiation.
As Salem’s efforts to remove the tower disrupt Jawdat’s precious cell phone reception, preventing any further communication with his potential girlfriends, Jawdat is forced to face the battle and grow up to be a man.
“Part ‘How I Met Your Mother’, part ‘Lemon Tree’.” SLANT MAGAZINE
“Genial newcomer Razi Shawahdeh.” VARIETY
2011 | FRANCE, PALESTINE, ISRAEL,
BELGIUM | 78 min.
CAST Razi Shawahdeh, Basem Loulou,
Louay Noufi
NADER & SIMIN A SEPARATION | ASGHAR FARHADI
Nader & Simin
A SeparationBY ASGHAR FARHADI
When his wife leaves him, Nader hires a young wom-an to take care of his suffering father. But he doesn’t know his new maid is not only pregnant, but also work-ing without her unstable husband’s permission. Soon, Nader finds himself entangled in a web of lies, manipu-lation and public confrontations.
2011 | Iran | 117 min. CAST Leila Hatami, Peyman Moadi,
Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi
“Audiences will be swept up in the audacity of the plot.” VARIETY
“Farhadi has found a story that sublimates its spiritual resonance in a tense family drama that is always real and grounded.” SCREEN
“An unusual depth of characterization.”THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
TOP FLOOR, LEFT WING | ANGELO CIANCI
Top Floor, Left Wing BY ANGELO CIANCI
François, a forty-something bailiff, is about to execute his daily eviction. But fate takes an unexpected turn: as he enters the apartment, he is mistakenly taken hostage by an amateur drug dealer and his father.
Keen to resolve this situation quickly and quietly, the local deputy calls in the Special Police Force. Television crews immediately rush to the scene to make the scoop. Now under crossfire from a dozen snipers, hungry cameramen, a curious crowd, and François’ exasper-ated wife, the three trapped men prepare their escape.
Their only option: use the neighborhood’s discontent-ment and start a riot from the 7th floor…
“Grippingly clever, deftly realized and energetically thesped.” VARIETY
France, Luxembourg / 2010 / 93 min.
CAST Hippolyte Girardot, Fellag,
Aymen Saidi, Michel Vuillermoz
PRODUCED BY Tu Vas Voir,
Iris Productions, Kasso Inc.,
ARTE France
THE TREE | JULIE BERTUCCELLI
The TreeBY JULIE BERTUCCELLI
After the sudden death of her husband, Dawn must face her own mourning yet still care for her four children. Her only daughter, 8-year-old Simone, seems to take the loss the hardest of all.
Simone shares a special secret with her mother: her father whispers to her through the leaves of the mag-nificient tree next to their home. Convinced he’s come back to protect the family, Simone spends more and more time up in the tree, speaking with her father. Soon, Dawn herself becomes mesmerized by the tree’s com-manding presence.
2010 | France, Australia | 100 min. CAST Charlotte
Gainsbourg, Marton Csokas, Morgana Davies
PRODUCED BY Les Films du Poisson, Taylor Media
When Dawn becomes more intimate with George, her new employer, the bond between mother and daughter is threatened. With branches infiltrating the house and roots destroying the foundations, the tree seems to be siding with Simone. Fearful the tree is in danger of be-ing cut down, she protests by setting up house high up in the branches. But Dawn refuses to let the tree take control of her family…
“Julie Bertuccelli’s delicate film knows how to express all the nuances.” LIBÉRATION
BLACK HEAVEN | GILLES MARCHAND
Black HeavenBY GILLES MARCHAND
Gaspard and Marion are in love and enjoying summer in the south of France… until they stumble upon a lost cell phone. At first they decide to track down the owner… But the game takes a much darker turn when they find him dead, in a mysterious suicide ceremony. Next to him, lies a half unconscious girl, Audrey. With her enigmatic tattoo and her gothic looks, she soon lures Gaspard into Black Hole, a dangerously addictive video game. Gaspard dis-covers an obscure universe, full of infinite possibilities.
2010 | France | 105 min. CAST Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet,
Louise Bourgoin, Melvil Poupaud PRODUCED BY Haut
et Court, Versus Productions
Creating an avatar who is miles away from him, he sets out on a search for the beautiful but poisonous Sam, who attracts victims in the virtual world and seduces them to commit suicide in real life. Could Sam’s alter ego in the real world be Audrey? Could Gaspard be her next victim? He will have to creep further into Black Hole to find out the terrible truth.
“Smart and seductive” SCREEN
“Thrilling and intoxicating” LES INROCKUPTIBLES
THINK GLOBAL, ACT RURAL | COLINE SERREAU
Think Global, Act RuralBY COLINE SERREAU
Best Documentary, Sao Paulo MostraGreenpeace Prize, Geneva Green Film Festival 2011
Explore the very concrete local solutions to the global ecological mess.What are the common points between the millions of landless workers of the plains of Brazil, a couple of mi-crobiologists in France, the world’s biggest organic plan-tation in Ukraine and Vandana Shina’s experimental farms in India?Their struggle: a better soil quality and a wiser access to seeds.
2010 | France | 113 min. PRODUCED BY Cinemao
Their goals: agricultural self-sufficiency and a better use of limited resources. Multi-awarded filmmaker Coline Serreau, who started her career as a militant documentarist, returns to her grass-root techniques: she travels the world in search of those who respect the soil and sheds a new light on the multiple initiatives that will allow everyone to answer the key ques-tion: “what can I do to save our planet?”
“Organic, radical and exhilarating.” NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR
“A heap of positive energy!” TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE
PUZZLE | NATALIA SMIRNOFF
Puzzle (Rompecabezas)BY NATALIA SMIRNOFF
Maria del Carmen is a forty-something housewife whose only concern over the past twenty years has been the well-being of her husband and of her now grown-up kids. But when she is offered a puzzle for her birthday, she suddenly discovers she has a very special gift: she can assemble puzzles really fast!
2010 | Argentina, France | 85 min
CAST Maria Onetto, Arturo Goetz, Gabriel Goity
PRODUCED BY Carrousel Films and Las Niñas Pictures
Intrigued by an ad “Looking for Partner for Puzzle Com-petitions” in her local store, she decides to live her new addiction fully, no matter how unsupportive her family is.
Together with the author of the ad, a magnetic million-aire bachelor, she trains to the rules of the game, even if it means lying to her husband… Maria is determined to take things to a new level: she dreams of winning the national tournament and traveling to Germany for the Puzzle World Championship.
“Boosted in no small part by Maria Onetto’s beautifully modulated performance, this debut is a charmer. There’s a radiance in her smile that fills the screen!” VARIETY
SHAHADA | BURHAN QURBANI
Shahada (Faith)BY BURHAN QURBANI
Berlin, today.
During a razzia for clandestine employees in a ware-house, the fates of three young German-born Muslims collide.
Ismail, a police officer of Turkish-descent, is about to break his loyalty towards his badge and his wife as he finds himself attracted to illegal immigrant Leyla.
Sammi is torn between his Muslim faith and his irre-sistible desire for one of his male co-workers, despite his friends’ violent homophobia. He is appeased by
2010 | Germany | 89 min CAST Maryam Zaree,
Jeremias Acheampong, Carlo Ljubek and Marija Skaricic
PRODUCED BY Bittersuess Pictures and ZDF
the local Imam, a liberal religious leader revered by the community, who is going through a crisis of his own: his daughter, Maryam, is moving into an ultra-conservative direction although she has been raised so tolerantly.
The three of them must find their place between faith and modern life in a contemporary western society, between the luring liberated lifestyle and tradition.
Ibrahim has left his village and family to try his luck in Teheran. However in this urban jungle, where everything can be bought or sold, the dream can rapidly turn into a nightmare. Implicated in a traffic of new born babies, Ibrahim, with the help of his two friends, is forced to go deep into the slums of the city, in Tehroun, where cohabit prostitutes, beggars and gangsters...
A revealing portrait of contemporary China in the post Marxist era which explores the facets of socio-political life in China, by putting it in the context of globalisation and individualisation.
Personal stories unfold in an unexpected straightfor-wardness and with a striking sense of humor: an old peasant who has lost his land, a millionaire in a stock exchange office, a country boy who came to the city to wash cars, a weapon factory worker who wishes Mao was still alive, a successful hotel owner who praises the government’s liberal economy policies, and young kids who dream of becoming famous…
Two brothers who’ve lost all contact are suddenly brought together when they have opposite roles in a racist beating: while Georgi who’s recently joined a neonazi group participates in the violence, Itzo wit-nesses and rescues a Turkish family. Georgi, now being asked to participate in larger events, starts to question his implication in the movement and Itzo wonders if the beautiful Turkish girl he saved could be his ticket out from his sad life in Sofia. Only by reunit-ing will the two brothers be able to assess what they really want from life.
Banished by her husband and her village, Katalin Varga is left with no other choice than to set out on a quest to find the real father of her son, Orbán.Taking Orbán with her under another pretence, Katalin travels through the Carpathians where she decides to reopen a sinister chapter from her past and take revenge. The hunt leads her to a place, she prayed eleven years prior, she would never set foot in again.
Following a nervous breakdown, ski athlete Jomar has isolated himself in a lonely existence as the guard of a ski park. When he learns that he might be the father of a 4-year-old boy way up north, he sets on a strange and poetic journey through Norway on a snowmobile, with 5 liters of alcohol as sole provisions.
On this trip through amazing arctic landscapes, Jomar seems to do everything in his power to avoid reaching his destination. He meets other tender and confused
souls, who will all contribute to push Jomar further along his reluc-tant journey towards the brighter side of life.
PRIZE
Early 20th century Philippines. The sounds of war signal the arrival of the Americans. An aging mother and her son flee to the mountains, hoping for a quiet life. One day, the son discovers a wounded woman in the middle of the forest, and decides to bring her home.
Years pass. The man, the rescued woman and their child live in total isolation from the growing chaos all over the country. But a coming storm soon threatens their existence, and American troops draw nearer...
Twenty-year old Ivy heads home to New York for college spring-break with a fresh romance in her heart. When her best friend Al can’t find a place to stay, she asks her mother to take him in. Spending time in the city together strengthens their friendship, while Ivy’s boyfriend grows more distant over the phone.
It’s the start of a romantic summer in the city for Ivy, who having a medical condition has trained herself to manage her feelings in order to reduce the emotional stress on her body. But, this bottling of emotions eventu-ally takes its toll when Ivy starts to lose control over her personal life.
Jin, a bright-eyed six-year-old, lives with her mother and little sister, Bin, in a cramped apartment in Seoul, South Korea. When their mother decides to go look for their estranged father, Jin and Bin are forced to stay with their aunt for the summer. The girls are given a piggy bank with a promise from their mother that she will return when it is full.
After her mother fails to return, Jin and her sister are forced to move to a farm owned by their grandparents. It is through this journey that Jin comes to learn the importance of family bonds. Inspired by her grand-mother’s determination and hard work, Jin learns that taking care of her younger sister is actually a way of filling the missing link in her heart.
Solo, a kindhearted 34-year-old Senegalese taxi driver in North Carolina, is hired by William, a tough 70-year-old white southerner, to drive him in two weeks time to a mountaintop from which William plans to jump to his death. But Solo decides to charm his way into William’s life by becoming his driver, and this odd couple begin an unexpected friendship as Solo hopes to change the old man’s mind before the two weeks are up.
CHOP SHOP | RAMIN BAHRANI
Chop ShopBY RAMIN BAHRANI
Berlin International Film Festival, Generation KplusCannes Film Festival, Directors’ FortnightToronto International Film Festival
Alejandro, a tough and ambitious Latino street orphan on the verge of adolescence, lives and works in an auto-body repair shop in a sprawling junkyard on the outskirts of Queens, New York. In this chaotic world of adults, young Alejandro struggles to make a better life for himself and his 16-year-old sister, Isamar.
2007 | USA | 84 min
CAST ALEJANDRO POLANCO, ISAMAR GONZALES, ROB SOWULSKI
PRODUCED BY LISA MUSKAT, MARC TURTLETAUB, JEB BRODY
- François and his fellow teachers prepare for a new year at a high school in a tough neighborhood. Armed with the best intentions, they brace themselves to not let discouragement stop them from trying to give the best education to their students.
Cultures and attitudes often clash in the classroom, a microcosm of contemporary France. As amusing and inspiring as the teenaged students can be, their difficult behavior can still jeapordize any teacher’s enthusiasm for the low-paying job.
François insists on an atmosphere of respect and dili-gence. Neither stuffy nor severe, his extravagant frank-ness often takes the students by surprise. But his class-room ethics are put to the test when his students begin to challenge his methods...
A family’s peaceful existence is threatened when a busy highway is opened only meters away from their isolated house in the middle of nowhere. Refusing to move, Marthe, Michel and their three children find innovative ways to adapt to their new environment. They continue their happy-go-lucky routine despite the daily stress of hundreds of noisy speeding cars. But suspicions about the highway s unknown long-term dangers cause family tension. Remaining in the disrupted household might not be so easy, but it’s still their home.
Albert buys his daughter Jeanne an initiatory journey to a European country every year. For her 17th birthday he chooses a trip to Sweden to look for the lost treasure of a famous Viking. When they arrive in the rented house, it is occupied by Anika and Christine.
The improbable quartet decides to share the place which makes Albert upset and Jeanne quite happy. The forced cohabitation will shatter everyone’s beliefs and delusions, and will push all of them into rethinking their
lives and starting anew. Leaving behind ancient demons for some, and discovering unexpected feel-ings for others, they will all come back deeply changed.
Three portraits of clothing: people who make them and people who wear them…
Once upon a time there was a kingdom where dancing was forbidden. Despite the ban and under the knowing and mischievous gaze of her little brother Solal, Prin-cess Aurore happily seizes every occasion to dance.
Influenced by a greedy and underhanded counselor, the King wants to marry Aurore to a rich Prince and save the kingdom from ruin. He organizes three balls to in-troduce Aurore to the world.
But Aurore falls in love with a handsome and romantic painter. Obliged to choose between her love and her family she will follow her heart and mother’s advice “Never forget to dance, even when you feel sad”.
Iraq, 1988… Young husband and father Ako is forced to join Saddam Hussein’s army. The unwilling soldier dreams of fleeing the country, but his wife Selma refuses to leave while her old bedridden father is still alive. Ako is sent away to the frontline of the Iran-Iraq War, where he experiences not only the reality of war, but also abuse due to his Kurdish background. The desperate man considers drastic measures for a fast ticket home. Ako thinks it’s his lucky day when he receives orders to escort the return of a fellow soldier’s corpse to his family. But his driver turns out to be an anti-Kurd Arab. With flag-wrapped coffin in tow, the mismatched duo prepares for an unexpected voyage across the majestic Iraqi landscape. Ako won’t miss his chance to trick the driver into heading north toward the Kurdistan region...
