Stella Schnabel Movies

A naïve Palestinian teen gradually awakens to her people's plight after being raised in an orphanage opened to care for children rendered homeless following the partitioning of Palestine in 1948. Shortly after the state of Israel was created, Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbass) was on her way to work when she noticed more than 50 Palestinian children wandering aimlessly through the streets. Concerned for their well-being, she vowed to ensure that the children were sheltered and well-fed. By the time six months had passed, Husseini had taken in nearly 2,000 orphaned children, and created the Dar Al-Tifel Institute, which operated under the philosophy that peace can only be achieved through education. Enter seven-year-old Miral (Freida Pinto), who was sent by her father to live in the Dar Al-Tifel Institute following her mother's death in 1978. Far too young to comprehend the ongoing struggle between the Jews and Palestinians at the time she entered the institute, Miral remained blissfully ignorant of the conflict taking place just outside her walls until she accepted a teacher's position at a refugee camp at the age of 17. As the reality of the ongoing conflict comes into focus for Miral, she enters into a romance with Hani (Omar Metwally), an outspoken political activist intent on taking back Palestine by force. Seduced by Hani's passion yet uncertain that violence is the answer, Miral begins to weigh the benefits of direct action against the more peaceful and deliberate approach to independence favored by her longtime mentor. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director Oren Moverman reteams with Woody Harrelson for Rampart, a brutally honest portrait of a corrupt Los Angeles police officer. Dave Brown (Harrelson) is already the focus of much internal investigation when he's caught on tape beating a black man, sending his already unstable career into a further tailspin. Dave lives with his wife and his ex-wife, who happen to be sisters, but that doesn't stop him from picking up women in bars and going to bed with a lawyer who may or may not be investigating him. As his life spirals out of control, Dave makes one last desperate grab for cash. Co-written by Moverman and crime novelist James Ellroy, Rampart played at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Andy Warhol was a phenomenon who warrants a lot of explaining: a completely colorless mega-star celebrity, and a kind of LaBrea Tarpit for a vivid and talented collection of oddballs in the New York scene. He fostered their continued degeneration into weird lifestyles and heavy drug use; and at the same time acted as their mentor, agent, and sponsor. One artist who came to be part of Warhol's "scene" was Jean Michel Basquiat, an antisocial street-bum who went from writing graffiti on alley walls to being the toast of New York City's art world. This film biography chronicles the progression of Basquiat (Jeffrey Wright) and his progression from living in cardboard boxes to penthouses, his romances, his drug use, and his death in 1988 at age 27. Along the way, he never stopped detesting the rich, including art agent Bruno Bischofberger (Dennis Hopper), and he never lost his naivete. Warhol (David Bowie) picks up some of the pieces as Basquiat lurches through the art scene. Cameo appearances by Tatum O'Neal and Courtney Love add spice to this interesting film. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi