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Philadelphia Film Festival returns for 22nd year

October 17, 2013

filmfestivalThe Philadelphia Film Festival, run by the Philadelphia Film Society, has returned and for the next week moviegoers can choose from a selection of foreign films, documentaries, re-releases of cult classics and never before seen films by major Hollywood directors. This is the festival’s 22nd year.

Host theaters include Cinemark (formerly the Rave), Ritz East, Ritz Bourse, Prince Music Theater and the Perelman Theater in the Kimmel Center. For those willing to take a trip downtown or to Old City, here is the full schedule of the festival. Ticket information is available here.

But for those looking to stay in West Philadelphia for a casual stroll to the theater, here is a list of the films showing at Cinemark on 40th and Walnut. 

The Great Hip Hop Hoax

Friday Oct. 18/ 5:05 PM

Monday Oct. 21/ 9:50 PM

A documentary about a Scottish hip hop group’s difficult, and sometimes hilarious, struggle to be taken seriously and make it in a competitive industry.

Blue Ruin

Friday, Oct. 18/ 7:20 PM

A vagrant returns home to protect his family and enact revenge after a long-time enemy is released from jail.

R100

Friday, Oct. 18/ 9:50 PM

This Japanese comedy features the exploits of a man who hires an underground organization to occasionally introduce surprises into his otherwise boring life.

Why Don’t You Play in Hell?

Friday, Oct. 18/ 11:59 PM

Another Japanese thriller featuring vicious Yakuza gangs and a samurai showdown.

The Visitor   

Saturday, Oct. 19/ 11:59 PM

This Italian horror film is about a blonde-pigtailed eight-year old girl who is in fact an ancient, intergalactic evil. Made in 1979, the film is a mixed breed of science -fiction and horror with an innovative visual style.

12 O’Clock Boys

Saturday, Oct. 19/ 12:15 PM

This independent film follows the dream of a thirteen-year-old boy named Pug as he enters the world of the 12 O’Clock Boys, a gang of dirt bikers that plague the streets of Baltimore.

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Saturday, Oct. 19/ 4:45 PM

An episodic adventure and quest story of an unlikely hero’s journey across China, featuring kung-fu action and director Stephen Chow’s renowned slapstick and special effects.

The Suspect

Saturday, Oct. 19/ 2:45 PM

A story of racial politics in an all-white southern town that begins with the arrival of a African-American man who is immediately taken in for questioning.

The Sacrament

Saturday, Oct. 19/ 7:20 PM

This drama explores the downfall of a religious cult from the perspective of two correspondents from Vice Magazine who have come to document the cult’s lifestyle in a remote village.

Cheap Thrills

Saturday, Oct. 19/ 9:40 PM

A blue collar man, who recently lost his job, enters a game of truth or dare for money that becomes increasingly dangerous and bizarre.

Grigris

Sunday, Oct. 20/ 4:50 PM

Gigris is a disabled dancer who has created his own dance style to compliment his paralyzed leg. The film follows his journey through the streets of Chad as he fights to support himself, avoid the police, and fall in love.

Northwest

Sunday, Oct. 20/ 2:34 PM

A Danish crime-drama based in the slums of Copenhagen, this film follows a devoted family man into the underworld as he fight to provide for his family. The film has a hand-held aesthetic and a gritty urban atmosphere.

Ragnorak

Sunday, Oct. 20/ 12:10 PM

After the death of his wife, a Norwegian man becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about a Viking myth predicting the end of the world. His journey leads him into remote Norwegian ruins.

Bombay Talkies

Monday, Oct. 21/ 7:15 PM

This anthology of short films is a love letter to 100 years of Indian cinema. The four stories, each by up and coming Indian auteurs, weave together stories about the film industry and the city that cradled it, Bombay.

Honeymoon

Monday, Oct. 21/ 5:00 PM

A seemingly perfect wedding is disrupted by a mysterious man. What follows in this Czech film is the tense unraveling of a marriage due to a husband’s secret past.

Blue Highway

Tuesday, Oct. 22/ 7:00 PM

Old friends take a road trip to explore their past before making a big move. This independent film shows the American landscape in widescreen format and through sweeping cinematography.

Alan Partridge

Tuesday, Oct. 22/ 9:00 PM

For fans of British comedy, a self-centered radio DJ, played by Steve Coogan, gets embroiled in a hostage situation when a crazed co-worker holds the entire station at gun-point.

Town Hall

Wednesday, Oct. 23/ 5:30pm

This documentary takes an impartial look at the lives of two  devoted members of the influential conservative political movement known as the Tea Party.

Documented

Wednesday, Oct. 23/ 7:30 PM

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas explores what it means to be an “illegal immigrant.”

We Cause Scenes: The Rise of Improv Everywhere

Wednesday, Oct. 23/ 9:45 PM

A documentary that shows the rise of the world’s most popular improvisation group, tracing their history from their first goofy prank to their latest highly organized schemes.

The Motel Life

Thursday, Oct. 24/ 5:00 PM

This film follows two brothers as they drift through menial jobs and cheap motels until a tragic accident puts them both on the run.

Awful Nice

Thursday, Oct. 24/ 9:45 PM

Awful Nice shows how two brothers, even in adulthood, must fight to get along and be a family, and how this often entails insane antics and even physical fights.

Coherence

Tuesday, Oct. 22/ 5:00 PM

Thursday, Oct. 24/ 7:30 PM

A group of old friends come together for a dinner party the same night that a comet is set to pass dangerously close to earth. A mind-bending science-fiction thriller ensues.

Alex Vuocolo

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