*Oregon Premiere
Director Zach Weintraub
“In this foreigner-abroad antiromance, writer-director Zach Weintraub stars as an American journalist in Argentina, searching for a lost love and neglecting the new girl (Sophia Takal) he’s taken up with. The film upends expectations at every turn, from the defiantly nontouristic views of Buenos Aires to the tough, unsparing conclusions the story reaches about its adrift protagonist.” — Time Out New York
Synopsis
The International Sign for Choking depicts the day-to-day encounters of Josh, a would-be expatriate from the US living in Buenos Aires for the second time. While his primary purpose seems to be the production of a vaguely defined video project, he devotes more of his time to tracking down a mysteriously absent ex-girlfriend. Frustrated by continual failure, Josh finds himself the perpetrator of a series of small yet uncharacteristic acts of deceit that ultimately place him in a low-key love triangle alongside Anna, his fellow N. American housemate, and Roger, a local musician.
“The unusual casting of two filmmakers as co-leads works remarkably well, since the key factor for both Weintraub and Takal is chemistry…expressed less in words than by look and touch.”
–Robert Kohler, Variety
Trailer
Filmmaker Bio
Zach Weintraub (1987, California) studied film at New York University before moving home to the town where he grew up to write/direct Bummer Summer, his micro-budget directorial debut. He co-founded Newhard Entertainment alongside frequent collaborator Nandan Rao. He wrote/directed his second film, The International Sign for Choking, in Argentina.
Festivals
BAFICI 2012 (world premiere), Maryland 2012, Local Sightings 2012, AFI Fest 2012, Indie Lisboa 2012, BAMcinemaFest 2012
Official Site
http://newhardentertainment.com/