The Killing Zone

Running time: N/A

World Premiere Gifted director Joe Brewster (The Keeper, Cinequest 1996) returns to Cinequest with The Killing Zone, his latest psychological thriller. Set in West Africa and Brooklyn, it is a compelling tale that examines obsession, duty, and coming to grips with oneÕs own past. Malcolm escaped his hard life as a youth in Ghana to become a psychiatrist in a suburban community outside New York City. But with his private practice unable to support his affluent lifestyle, Malcolm accepts the offer of his mentor, Dr. Atong Stevens, to work in an impoverished neighborhood known as "The Killing Zone." Floundering in a community reminiscent of the war-torn one he fled, Malcolm witnesses a murder committed by a homeless 12-year-old that sets his life spiraling out of control. Consumed with finding the young killer, Malcolm is confronted with memories of his past, and his life quickly disintegrates as he goes deeper into a world he thought he had escaped forever. Isaach de Bankole (Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Chocolat) is unforgettable as a man who cannot let go, both of a past he wants to forget and of a debt to a man he can no longer repay. With striking black and white scenes of Africa and colorful street scenes of a community in turmoil, Brewster portrays the story of a man driven to extremes by two different worlds. - Sandy Wolf