INSOMNIA

A young woman is killed in a remote Alaskan outpost by someone who took a great deal of care in their grisly task. The crime is highly unusual for the terrtory and the local sheriff calls on an old LAPD pal to assist. The haunted Detective Will Dormer (AI Pacino) and partner Hap (Martin Donovan) arrive in a town perpetually lit by daylight due to the season. They have skipped out of the City of Angels ahead of an internal affairs investigation that may bring about the downfall and disgrace of both of them. Always far from routine, the case takes another unexpected turn when Hap is killed while pursuing the sole suspect. The subsequent cover-up, conspiracies and sticky web of deceit draw in crack local cop Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank) and an eccentric local author Walter Finch (Robin Williams). With no clues, no sleep and no time left, Dormer teeters on the edge of collapse.

"An intensely sharp-witted noir thriller - a cat-and-mouse game in which the mouse feels its pursuer's breath on its fur and the cat is burdened with shame. The plot tricks that Insomnia plays on the audience take a back seat to director Christopher Nolan's wily faith in the seductiveness of guilt, an old familiar sting that we can all appreciate." - New York Times

Christopher Nolan picked up his father's Super-8 camera at the age of seven and began making films. After two shorts, Tarantella (1989) and Larceny (1996), he wrote and directed his first feature Following (MIFF 1999). Hollywood hit Memento, starring Guy Pearce, followed in 2000.