The East Lansing Film Festival - ELFF

Synopsis: The surprise Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, Departures is very worthy of the award. This film is deeply affecting (there wasn't a dry eye at the Traverse City Film Festival screening) as well as laced with humor and whimsy. The rich and memorable characters are exquisitely acted, the story is well-written and the subject matter universal. Daigo, a failed cellist, returns to his hometown to seek work. He accidentally becomes a "coffinman", one who prepares corpses before cremation. This is a job that has little honor in Japan but is so meaningful to the families who have lost a loved one. Daigo learns his way in life through the contemplation of death. You will too. Winner of 31 awards and multiple nominations.

Synopsis: On November 23, 1968, Yale and Harvard's undefeated football teams met in Cambridge , with Yale heavily favored. The film features contemporary interviews with 30 men who played that day mixed with game footage and instant replay. With less than one minute to play, Yale leads 29-13. You know the final score from the title. For Harvard, the end is exhilarating; for Yale, supreme confidence gives way to a life lesson and to being a small part of football history. Adding context to this riveting film are comments about this tempetuous moment in history: about the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, Garry Trudeau's Yale cartoons, and players' friendships with George W. Bush (Yale), Al Gore (Harvard), and Meryl Streep (Vassar).

Synopsis: Lost Highway and the East Lansing Film Festival present a special night of laughs and terror with the cult classic, "Return of the Living Dead"! Free miniposters to the first 100 people to buy tickets. Great giveaways and prizes including Zombie artwork, T-shirts, zombie jewelry, DVD movie packs and more. The Best Zombie costume wins a $300 Freddy Glove replica provided by nightmaregloves.com.

Synopsis: Seraphine arrives from France as the year's most honored film, winner of 7 Cesars from the French Academy , including best film and best actress for the remarkable acting by Yolande Moreau as the title character. Seraphine is a frumpy middle-aged cleaning woman who paints exotic flowers and plants in a state of religious ecstasy believing she is guided by guardian angels. The prominent German art critic and collector, William Uhde, for whom she cleans house, discovers her naïve paintings and make them known to the world. In French with English subtitles. Call (517) 980-5802 for more information.

Synopsis: Far from his home and family, Tivii an ailing Inuit hunter (played by the brilliant Natar Ungalaaq of The Fast Runner fame), feels utter despair while recuperating from tuberculosis in a Quebec hospital. When he forges an unlikely friendship with a young boy who acts as his translator, Tivii experiences rebirth, acceptance of others and hope. Winner of 14 awards. Robin Rhodes of Film Circuit, an arm of the Toronto International Film Festival, will discuss the film after the screening. One Night Only Co-sponsored by: Windsor International Film Festival, Canadian Studies Centre.

Synopsis: In the Loop is a British political satire of intelligence and humor. Both British and American government leaders are looking out for themselves while verbally and physically stumbling to cover their tracks. The hilarious ensemble cast of characters delivering razor-sharp, laugh-out-loud dialogue deals with very high political stakes (just the fate of the world) in this highly enjoyable film.

Synopsis: Revanche, a darkly compelling film from Austria, could be called a thriller with psychological overtones or a psychological drama with thriller elements. Either way, its carefully plotted, utterly convincing scenario will leave you thinking long after you leave the theater. Director Spielmann makes use of coincidence but refuses to indulge in facile characterizations or easy plot choices. It's got some savage twists and some subtle ones, and it visits unexpected places. "Spielmann's deft storytelling is coupled with immaculate compositions that constrain the characters as confidently as any prison bars. Revanche reveals Spielmann as a true master of his craft." Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle