AFI Dallas slips the veil on fifteen films from its 2009 lineup

Justin Wilson’s ONE NATION – the film utilizes a pastiche of images and sounds to create an artful profile of the year 1968. The film examines the struggles of power vs. protest, affluence vs. poverty, and human rights vs. the tyranny of want and ignorance.

Libby Spears’ PLAYGROUND - Executive produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney, the film follows a young woman and other children like her, who are victims of the American child sex trafficking industry. Examining America’s legal and social system, the film delicately and responsibly details our country’s most alarming, insidious secret.

John Chester’s ROCK PROPHECIES – The film is a backstage pass into the eccentric world of rock n’ roll from the vantage point of an obsessed photographer, Robert M. Knight, who at 18 years old captured and befriended Jimi Hendrix and the members of Led Zeppelin, well before they became the iconic stars we know them as today.

Robert Keener’s FOOD, INC. – The documentary takes a look at food preparation, industrialized and otherwise for the mass population, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, the USDA and FDA.

Matt Aselton’s GIGANTIC – Starring Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, Jane Alexander, Edward Asner, the offbeat comedy is centered around a mattress salesman who wants to adopt a Chinese baby, and a young woman he meets at his store. Together, they negotiate their increasing intimacy, and the appearances of their many eccentric relatives, as Brian awaits the call from the adoption agency.

Lourens Blok’s THE SEVEN OF DARAN – this children’s tale follows an English boy on an African adventure with the help of a talking giraffe and a precious medallion.

ART & COPY, dir. Doug Pray - this documentary explores the creation of the modern advertising industry, the people behind it, and its influence on popular culture.

CHILDREN OF INVENTION, dir. Tze Chun - a drama which follows a Chinese American family as they struggle to achieve the American Dream in suburban Boston.

MOON, dir. Duncan Jones - in this drama, the lone occupant of a lunar mining base prepares to return to earth and his life at home.

THE BURNING PLAIN, dir. Guillermo Arriaga - a drama which employs multiple storylines featuring a mother and daughter who try to form a bond after the young woman's difficult childhood.

HUNGER, dir. Steve McQueen (no, not THAT one) - this drama takes a harrowing look at the last six weeks in the life of imprisoned Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands.

RIP: A REMIX MANIFESTO, dir. Brett Gaylor - a documentary which looks at the changing landscape of music in The Internet Age, focusing on the line between musical inspiration and copyright infringement.

SKIN, dir. Anthony Fabian - set in 1955 and based on a true story, the film looks at the social and personal impact on two white Afikaner parents and their daughter in rural South Africa, after the girl is born with dark skin.

SUGAR, dir. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck - a drama about a Dominican baseball star who is signed to a minor league contract.