February 20

Oros (PHILIPPINES)	6:00 PM	OFFICAL SELECTION
Director PAUL STA ANA
In a slum where death creates income, a cadaver can serve as license to hold an illegal gambling operation, and some folks exploit the dead in order to generate income from the profits of gambling, (and pay for the burial). At the Oros funeral parlor, an owner sells a body to a middleman in order to set the stage for a fraudulent wake, and then they begin to craft a fictional story to “legitimize” the wake in this engrossing, powerful feature film. At Studio 22
HOLLYWOOD premiere

Vigilante (UK)	7:30 PM	official selection Best Cinematography in a Short
Director BENEDICT SANDERSON
Vigilante is an explosive family drama set against the backdrop of the London Riots of 2011 (although the film was made in 2013). When shopkeeper Reg's store is attacked by a gang of armed youths, he decides to fight back. What follows is an intimate but dramatic tale of justice, retribution, family ties and the call of the wild. At Studio 22
WORLD PREMIERE

Skinhead Requiem (USA)	7:30 PM	OFFICIAL SELECTION
Director JASON VICTOR EVERETT
Skinhead Requiem' depicts the final prison visitation between a volatile skinhead convict slated for execution and a not-so-typical priest. However, far beyond a typical farewell confessional, this dark encounter takes viewers into uncharted territory and unfurls surprising revelations about both individuals. As is often the case with life, things are perhaps not as simple as they might seem. Who are the real monsters in the world? At Studio 22
HRIFF PREMIERE

Divergence (USA)	8:00 PM	OFFICIAL SELECTION
Director ADRIAN OROZCO
In this low-budget short about two friends who embark on a journey of desperation, resorting to petty crime and ultimately finding themselves with the law hot on their heels, we see the ill-fated plan told through a unique style that keeps the audience guessing about the character’s motives, up to the surprising dramatic finale. At Studio 22
WORLD PREMIERE

What If... (USA)	8:00 PM	OFFICAL SELECTION
Director CLAUDIA PIU
After waking up in a cemetery, a man searches for answers. Soon he realizes that nobody can see him. By being surprisingly captured, he finds out he was not really dead. A film about the mystery of life (and some possible answers). At Studio 22
WORLD PREMIERE

Grape (USA)	8:30 PM	OFFICIAL SELECTION
Director DANIEL STINE
From HRIFF alumni Daniel Stine we have the story of Grayson, a grieving winemaker, pondering the sale of his family vineyard, who receives an unwelcome overnight visitor on a bleak, winter afternoon. Tyler, the drunken, disheveled young man who stumbled into his world, faces life-altering decisions, and over the course of an awkward evening, the two forge a tenuous common bond. Tyler wanders into a haunting midnight journey that gives him a glimpse into the past and a hint of what fate holds in store. At Studio 22
WORLD PREMIERE

A Question of Perspective (BRAZIL)	9:00 PM	OFFICAL SELECTION
Director JULIA LUHNAU & JOSEFINE BORRMANN
The Comando Vermelho is an organized drug gang in Rio de Janeiro, that has pervaded the lives of many since its emergence in the 1970’s. How do the violent and territorialized drug wars affect the residents of Rio's favela’s today? The filmmakers follow the brothers Leandro and Francisco to gain a glimpse of the reality of living under the constant threat of drug violence, and Felipe, a member of the gang, tells their side of the story. At Studio 22
HRIFF premiere

Nothing In Los Angeles (USA)	10:00 PM	BEST ACTOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS PEOPLE'S CHOICE NOMINEE
Director ALEXANDER TOVAR
A romantic comedy-drama that explores relationships in Los Angeles. Quinn is a 25-year-old aspiring writer dating a woman twice his age with three kids. His best friend Peter, married to Beth, is having a homosexual affair with an older man. In this comedic look at relationships, affairs colide and Quinn beceomes disillusioned as he sees his dreams of being an artist and finding love in Los Angeles fade away in this charming feature film. At The New Beverly Cinemas
WORLD PREMIERE