THE YAKUZA AND THE MERMAID and MY LIFE AS ABRAHAM LINCOLN to Open as Double Feature in NYC on Friday, September 28

In THE YAKUZA AND THE MERMAID, a writer (Peter Hertsgaard) having trouble finishing a crime 0story meets a mysterious woman (Georgiana Avram) who literally brings his characters to life. Unfortunately, the gangster (Takumi Mitobe) in his story just wants to be left alone, even if it means killing the writer. Imagination and reality intertwine, as the writer and the mysterious woman embark on their own twisting and unpredictable romantic narrative. Writer/director Chris Benker wrote and directed his first feature, “Monkeys and Robots” in 2002 (distributed by Cinequest). He followed this up with an experimental take on Dostoyevsky’s ‘The Brothers Karamazov,’ an indie film called “The Puppet Show Has Been Cancelled.” When not working on his own projects, Benker works as a cinematographer in New York.

In the dark, surreal comedy MY LIFE AS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (winner of the Audience Choice :Award at the recent Art of Brooklyn Film Festival and the Award of Excellence from Indie Fest) Cindy Rossberg (Caroline Luft) has apparently killed her fiancé (Trevor Nelson) on her wedding day. Her psychiatrist encourages her to move forward with her life. However, as she attempts to do so, she finds reality too difficult to contend with as she is bound to the events of the past. As she tries to sort things out for herself, Cindy spirals into a wacky world of bizarre situations that become increasingly influenced by a murder mystery she is writing. In the end, Cindy discovers that she must act as her own emancipator in order to free herself from the role she thinks she is expected to play. Writer/directorShari Berman focuses on making innovative pictures that each has a unique style. Her last film – a short entitled “The Trial of Jack” – is a 3-0D Expressionist film…yes, 1930s Expressionism mixed with the 3-D Anaglyph technology of the 1950s. She believes in pushing the boundaries of filmmaking and not relying on formulaic methods.

From Four Reel Films, THE YAKUZA AND THE MERMAID and MY LIFE AS ABRAHAM LINCOLN will open in key cities across America in Fall 2012, following its New York theatrical run at Cinema Village starting Sept. 28.