Two indie movies to watch this May 2014

My friends, hello!

There are two indenpendently-produced international films that will start their US theatrical runs this May. I missed these movies at festivals and special screenings held in the past months but i am looking forward to watching them based on the raves they are getting not only from my movie buff friends but also from respected people in the industry.

The first one is Horses of God a drama from Morrocco.

Horses of God

Horses of God, a film directed by Nabil Ayouch and presented by award-winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs), who first watched the film while in Marrakesh and has championed its release ever since.

Based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Mahi Binebine, the movie will have its US theatrical premiere on Wednesday, May 14, at New York's Film Forum and will expand nationwide after its New York premiere.

A drama set in a slum on the outskirts of Casablanca, and based on a horrific 2003 bombing (12 young men attacked multiple targets, leaving 45 dead), Horses of God is more a character study of children growing up without hope than it is a portrait of terrorists-in-training.

Nabil Ayouch’s deeply moving film has been lauded for its "brutal poetry" and the realism with which it depicts how insidiously and cynically fundamentalists ply their trade. The film was presented as part of Un Certain Regard at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

The 2nd film starting its run this month is the interestingly titled The Gun, The Cake and The Butterfly from Britain.



The Gun, The Cake and The Butterfly

Synopsis: The worlds of opera, fashion, poetry and art intertwine in

The Gun, The Cake and The Butterfly.

Directed by writer, photographer and fashion editor Amanda Eliasch; this beautifully executed self-portrayal transports us into an unfiltered mind, heart and bed of hauntingly honest and vulnerable Amanda. Along the twisted, sensual path of her life, Amanda weaves through the loss of innocence and her tragic childhood, into the beguiling world of love and sex in a privileged circle of influential figures.

Born in Beirut to an erudite family of film directors and literary minds, Amanda’s fascinating life journey

includes forgiven husbands, forgotten lovers and the ever-thrilling excitement of meeting a riveting mind that might one day match hers.

About the filmmaker: Amanda J. Eliasch divides her time between London, NY and Hollywood. Her talent lends itself to a number of careers. In addition to writing her poetry, she is Fashion Editor of Genlux Magazine in LA and photographer and writer for The Collective Review. Her book of poetry, Cloak and Dagger Butterfly, has been met with critical acclaim.

Amanda studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts before attending the Black and White Photography School and the Moscow Arts Theatre. She went on to work with fashion editor Rushka Bergman at L’uomo Vogue on special issues including the Cinema Edition.

A skilled photographer, artist and philanthropist, Amanda’s work has received accolades by critics and the public alike. Her photos have been exhibited in several London-based galleries including The Black and White Gallery, The Cork Street Gallery and the Proud Galleries. The Leadapron gallery also exhibited a neon art show depicting Amanda’s Pecadilloes, the seven deadly sins of a butterfly from drawings by Kay Saatchi. She contributes to a number of organizations including the British Film Institute, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the charities in Phuket who aid school children affected by the Tsunami. She has two sons, Charles and Jack with Johan Eliasch.

Enjoy the movies!

XXX

Raymond De Asis Lo