#HIFF2013: Focus On Breaking Through

As part of the shorts program Passion and Outcry, two-time Academy Award®-winners Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman bring us The Battle of AMFAR and the story of two very different women––icon Elizabeth Taylor and scientist Dr. Mathilde Krim––who joined forces to create America’s first AIDS research foundation. Dr. Krim will be in attendance on Friday!

Annie Parker (Samantha Morton) finds out she has breast cancer, a devastating blow to a woman who’s already lost her mother and sister to the same disease. Mary-Claire King (Helen Hunt) is a geneticist researching the still unknown link between DNA and cancer in the wake of skeptical colleagues and funding challenges. Based on a true story, Bernstein’s film catalogues Annie’s and Mary-Claire’s personal and emotional struggles with delicacy and humor, crafting an inspiring human story at the center of a monumental breakthrough in medical science.

A true story of intrigue, Plot for Peace traces the behind-the-scenes diplomatic maneuverings to release Nelson Mandela from jail in South Africa in the 1980s. For the first time, heads of state, generals, diplomats, master spies and anti-apartheid fighters reveal how Africa’s front line states helped end apartheid. One man stood at the center of the whirlwind, a mysterious French businessman dubbed “Monsieur Jacques.”

When Jimmy Connors arrived at the 1991 U.S. Open, the one-time tennis superstar was eight years removed from his last Grand Slam title, ranked 174th in the world, and approaching his 39th birthday. But on the verge of a first-round exit, Connors unexpectedly re-captured his magic, embarking on an extraordinary run than included an epic contest with Aaron Krickstein.

Bob Birdnow is a curious candidate for a motivational speaker. Balding, crippled, and past middle-aged. He does have something no one else has though: a remarkable tale of human survival and the transcendence of self. When asked by his old friend to speak at a conference, he avoids the subject, opting for a more traditional speech. However, when forced off the script and desperate, Birdnow takes the audience on an unforgettable journey that brings us face-to face with one of life’s biggest questions.