Jacksonville Film Festival 2008

During the fall of the USSR in 1991, a lone Cosmonaut circles the earth in space Station Mir. without communication and unaware of his country's collapse, some will call him the last Soviet Citizen.

Yes, there are cowboys in Florida. Real live roping and riding cowboys. And they have been on the scene for over 250 years. In fact, Florida vies with Texas as the number one cattle-producing state in the USA. Filmed over a course of three years, we soon realized that the life of the Florida cowboy was changing, disappearing before our very eyes. The explosion of land values has forecast an end to large scale ranching and a major loss of wilderness in Florida. This film captures the beauty of the old ways, many of which have not changed in hundreds of years, with the drama of encroaching civilization. It’s a beautiful and important film documenting America in the throes of change. * Appropriate for family Northern Florida Premiere

"Crazy" is an independent feature based on the life of legendary Nashville guitarist, Hank Garland, who played on recordings by artists such as Roy Orbison, Patsy Cline and Elvis Presley. As a result of his often conflictive experience with the Nashville Mob of the 1950s and his tempestuous relationship with his wife, Garland barely survived a near-fatal car crash only to be subjected to electro-shock treatments, which tragically ended his playing career at the age of thirty-one. Garland also wrote "Jingle Bell Rock," and was a long-time resident of Orange Park, Florida, before he died in 2004. Musician and actor Waylon Payne, who played Jerry Lee Lewis in “Walk the Line,” portrays Garland in the film. Actress Ali Larter, who plays Nicki Sanders in the television series "Heroes," portrays Evelyn Garland. "Crazy" was directed, produced and written by Rick Bieber, who will attend opening night along with actors from the film. Southeast Premiere

Anna's work day begins badly and culminates in one very special, unique moment.

Two hit men discover that their target is much more than it seems.

Set in rural western India, “Dark Waters,” is the story of physical lust and its horrific consequences for two tender lives. Bhiki, a single mother of three, is the mistress of Vishnu. Bhiki’s daughter, Kamli, on he verge f puberty, is shunned by her classmates. While the village grocer and class bully lust for her, Kamli develops tender feelings for Ajay, who arrives from Mumbai and joins her class. Will the swirling dark waters of poverty and lust destroy Kamli's innocence and her capacity to love tenderly or will she survive to grow stronger? Based on the Marathi novella “Kaleshar Pani” by noted author H.M. Marathe, the film presents a portrait of an impoverished rural life in India. International Premiere

Documentary filmmaker, Ben Mittleman, decides to turn the camera on himself when confronted with the same open-heart surgery that derailed his father’s life. “Dying to Live” chronicles the testing of a man’s heart and the processing of answers found in sorrow. The film goes beyond his personal medical experience revealing the raw realities of his fight to survive, along with the relentless challenges facing the loved ones around him during his mid-life crisis.

“The End” is a never-before-told story of a group of men with a common bond. All born into poverty in the east end of London, striving for a better life and all that is found is a life in crime. Unashamed and unapologetic these men live their lives defined by a code of honor. “The End” reveals a bloody history and the confessions of the cockney gangster. Southern USA Premiere

“Even In The Desert” focuses on several places of solidarity and activism in Palestine and Israel.