Feature Films in 2017 UMFF

2017 UMFF Feature Films

		A WAY BACK TO MOTHER Korea\|74minFeature\|Drama Director: Soo Sung Lee Synopsis: There are thousands of orphans around the world because of several reasons such as parents’ divorce, economic situation, and single teenager mother. This film describes emotional changes between those parents and orphans.			BIG LOTUS LITTLE LOTUS China \|90minFeature\|Drama Director: Yaxuan Yuan Producers: Yaxuan Yuan, Shufeng Lu Writer: XianmingMeng Cast: Zhaoheyang He, Zhengliang Wan, Gui Han Synopsis: A bomb took the lives of the parents of Big Lotus, the sister, and Little Lotus, the brother. Becoming an orphan, Big Lotus has to take care of her younger brother. They start to seek the reason of the death of their parents.

		BLOSSOMING INTO A FAMILY Japan\|126minFeature\|Drama Director: Hiroki Hayashi Producer/Writer:MunehiroKuriyama Cast: Hitomi Sato, Yoshiko Miyazaki Synopsis: The love of family is like a magnificent tree which becomes stronger as its roots grow deeper and deeper. Ito, the mother of two daughters, always speaks to her late husband via her inner dialogue. At last, the day has come; their daughter becomes a bride tomorrow, leaving her family house to begin building her own family which was her late husband’s long waited day. That’s when the beautiful flowers of the family blossom			DON'T LET MY MOTHER CRY China\|90minFeature\|Drama Director: Jingze Yang Producer:Shumei Wang Writers: Yanxia Chang, Xin Li Cast: Yueqiao Han, Mengnan Li, Junming Hu, Aliya, Yafei Liu, Wenxuan Zhu, Jian Wu Synopsis: Yan Lin made a mistake and lost his family and career. His mom stays close with him for ten years and loves him with no condition. If Yan could choose again, he would choose not to make his mom cry.

		GIRLS2: GIRLS VS GANGSTERS Hong Kong, China\|114minFeature\|Drama\|Comedy Director/Writer/Producer: Barbara Wong Chun Chun Cast: Fiona Sit, Yihan Chen, Ning Chang, Mike Tyson Synopsis: This film is about 4 girls going on a crazy bachelorette trip in Vietnam.			HMONG MEMORY AT THE CROSSROADS USA\|105minFeature\|Documentary Directors: SafoiBabana-Hampton, Cyril Payen, Swarnavel Eswaran-Pillai Producers:SafoiBabana-Hampton Writers: SafoiBabana-Hampton, Cedric Lee Cast: LiachouaNaolu Lee, Sylvie Lee Synopsis: For a long time reluctant to open up about haunting childhood memories of war, a former Hmong refugee embarks from Detroit on an unlikely and emotional epic journey to confront his troubled past and revisit sites of those memories in France and Laos.

		HOW TO MAKE <SOCCER KING> China\|67minFeature\|Documentary Directors: Chengguo Yi, Zhiqiang Bai Producer:Chengguo Yi Writers: Liaoran Cast: ChanghuiGuo, Wei Chen, Zifeng Ge, Ruiming Yuan Synopsis: This is a documentary of the making of <Soccer king>, a web series based on a soccer player. It documents the stories and difficulties behind the scenes during its production.			KURDISTAN-KURDISTAN Turkey\|98minFeature\|Documentary Director/Producer/Writer: Bulent Gunduz Cast: DelilDilanar, EgideCimo Synopsis: DelilDilanar, one of the greatest singers in Kurdistan in the 90s, was forced to leave his homeland and exile in Europe.After 20 years of exile there during a concert in New York he announced his return to the roots…

		LEAVING AFRICA Finland\|85minFeature\|Documentary Director/Writer: IirisHärmä Producer:Visa Koiso-Kanttila, Guerilla Films Synopsis: Finnish Riitta and Ugandan Catherine have something in common: work, a shared home and a sense of humor. Riitta has been working in aid work in Uganda for more than 25 years, and soon it is time for her to retire and to return to Finland. Before that, Riitta and Catherine will invite religious leaders to a course			LOVE IN THE FRONT China\|90minFeature\|Drama Director/Writer: Yichu Shi Producers:Yilin Chen, Yuanbao Zhang Cast: ErwaJia, Anxin Zhou, Tielong Shang, Yuegang Zhang, Lele Wang Synopsis: An old man adopted a kid Xiaoshan as his grandson eight years ago. Now as he is dying, he decides to start a jouney with Xiaoshan to look for his mother…

		MAZE China\|99minFeature\|Drama Director/Writer: Aien Du Producers:Zaiquan Wang, Zhu Lin Cast: Hui Si, Lin Ye, Mian Feng, Lu Liu, Xinyu Li, Bo Zhou Synopsis: A woman who leaves from a deep mountain, a mysterious woman who lives alone, and a woman who is struggling for love…These women are facing the big decisions in their lives. Are they actually the same person, or just a kind of women?			OUTCASTE - THE HOUSE THAT CAROL BUILT UK\|67minFeature\|Documentary Directors/Producers: Colin Graham, Laura Graham Synopsis: This is a unique story of faith, courage and magical thinking. A story of how the dream of an elderly English teacher finally comes true with the help of a rickshaw driver, a lapsed Buddhist monk and a journey in to the high Himalayas.

		RAUF Turkey\|94minFeature\|Drama\|Family\|Romance Directors: Soner Caner, Baris Kaya Writers:Soner Caner,NazCaybasi, MugeSeviker Cast: AlenHuseyinGursoy, YavuzGurbuz, SeydaSozuer Synopsis: Rauf hopes to win over his big crush, the older Zana, with the help of the color pink. But what does pink really look like anyways, and will he even be able to find it in his snowy little Kurdish village up in the mountains? Meanwhile, disturbing rumors sweep in from the outside world.			SEARCH ENGINES USA\|96minFeature\|Drama Director/Producer/Writer: Russell Brown Cast: Daphne Zuniga, Connie Stevens, Joely Fisher Synopsis: Sanity and relationships are put to the test when mysterious circumstances force a family to survive the annual American Thanksgiving holiday without their cell phones.

		TABLES OF ISTANBUL USA\|59minFeature\|Documentary Director/Producer/Writer: ZeynepKilic Synopsis: A Turkish immigrant in the U.S. explores her identity through her homeland foods in an excursion to Istanbul, Turkey. She explores how ethnicity, migration and social class come to the dinner table in Istanbul?			THANK FOR DESTINY China\|93minFeature\|Drama Director: Jiansheng Yang Producer:Mutong Li Writers: Tianming Yan, Xudong Ren Cast: Ben Niu, Yuling Tao Synopsis: Fude Yan, an antique collector, holds an exhibition of all his longtime antique collection in order to promote the ancient Chinese culture. He donates most of the revenue to the society for educating the next generation of “Heart of Phoenix”.

		THE DUNNING MAN USA\|90minFeature\|Comedy\|Drama Director: Michael Clayton Producer/Writer:Kevin Fortuna Cast: Dawn-Lyen Gardner, James Carpinello, Langston Fishburne, Nicoye Banks, Tom Kemp Synopsis: Connor Ryan, out of a job and dumped by his girlfriend, returns to Atlantic City to try to rebuild his life with the last source of income that he has - a few apartments in a low-rise condo complex that sits in the shadows of AC's newest and most expensive casino…			THE LEGEND IN MY HEART USA\|98minFeature\|Documentary Director: Kaitlyn Busbee Producer:University of Iowa International Writing Program and the US Department of State Cast: Christopher Merrill,Stephen Kuusisto, Michelle Pearson, David Gompper Synopsis: This documentary follows four renowned American artists—two writers, a choreographer, and a composer—as they travel to Guangzhou, China, to engage disabled and non-disabled populations by collaborating and creating together. The film ends with a rousing performance of song, dance and poetry.

		THE SOUL OF HIMALAYA China\|100minFeature\|Drama\|Adventure\|History Director: Yunhui Zeng Producers:Yunshan Zeng, Yanyan Zheng Writers: Yunhui Zeng, Fei Wang Cast: PhurbuTsering, Lhak Chong, ShajikanbinArbo Synopsis: This tells a legendary story of the warriors of Nuoba nationality, a Chinese minority. The warriors go through the hardship in Tibet to try to save their tribe.			THOGMED China\|92minFeature\|Drama Director/Writer/Producer: Zhaluo Cast:Gamaduoji, Lijiacairang, Zhuozou Synopsis: Thogmed, a Tibetan guy, has a struggling life. In order to survive, he keeps challenging his moral standards till he kills a person by accident. He has to find a way to redeem his soul.

		THREE TREMBLING CITIES USA\|90minFeature\|Drama Director/Writer: Arthur Vincie Producers:Ben Wolf, Daria Sommers, Debarati Biswas Cast:Nandita Chandra, YacineDjoumbaye, Arash Mokhtar, SherzAletaha, TjasaFerme Synopsis: This is a 10-part webseries. An intimate portrait of the inner lives and daily struggles of the immigrants that make NYC's heart tremble with hope.			TWO ZIONS: THE LIVING LEGACY OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA AND KING SOLOMON USA\|58minFeature\|Documentary Director: Cheryl Halpern Writer: Alessandra Most Synopsis: "Two Zions" focuses on the Zions of Jerusalem, Israel and Axum, Ethiopia. It describes the relationship between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba that has connected two peoples and cultures through their religious observances from approximately 950 BC till today.