Boston International Film Festival SESSION 8 Sunday, June 8, 11am – 12:30pm Escape From the Fire – 13min It is a cold, dark day in Nazi occupied Poland during 1943. Having just narrowly escaped from a concentration camp, seven year old Avi races desperately through a thick forest while being pursued by SS officers. He runs frantically trying to avoid capture. Avi decides to find shelter in a large, broken down barn in the distance. Inside the barn, he is discovered by a young girl, and both are frightened by the thought of being found: Avi by the Nazis and the girl by her abusive father. These two abused children overcome immense danger, and in their fight for survival, rediscover a little bit of humanity left in a world filled with evil and hatred. Director, Producer, Writer: Joel Dunn Producers: Daniel Spence, Kiri Carch Dalai Lama Renaissance – 81min At the edge of the Millennium, The Dalai Lama of Tibet invited 40 of the West’s leading, most innovative thinkers in their respective fields to his residence tucked away in the Himalayan mountains of Northern India to discuss the world’s problems and how we can solve them. What transpired was unexpected and powerful, and was captured by an 18 person, 5 camera film crew. The Wakan Foundation for the Arts took its 18 person crew to India and shot more than 140 hours of video footage during the week-long meeting and exploration of the future of mankind-- enough gripping and beautiful footage to make a powerful and cinematic documentary. The resulting feature-length documentary, “Dalai Lama Renaissance,” is narrated by actor Harrison Ford Director, Producer: Khashyar Darvich Coproducer: David Mueller