rePRO Film Fest, the film festival dedicated to reproductive justice and advocating for women’s (cis, trans, and non-binary inclusive) reproductive health care, justice, and bodily autonomy, announced the lineup for its 2nd edition, which will take place from August 9-18, 2021.
Lee Won-tae’s The Devil’s Deal, Paul Andrew Williams’ Bull, Vincent Grashaw’s What Josiah Saw, Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji’s The Deer King, Rob Jabbaz’s The Sadness, and Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s The Deep House are among the new feature films added to the lineup of the 25th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival.
The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm) returns for its 52nd edition with a week-long celebration of film, music and culture in central Nashville from September 30 through October 6, 2021.
Directed by Emmy® winner Peter Kunhardt, HBO’s three-part documentary, Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union chronicles the personal and political journey of President Barack Obama, as the country grapples with its racial history. Weaving together conversations with colleagues, friends and critics, and interspersed with his own speeches and news interviews, the series begins with Obama’s childhood and takes us through his perspective as the son of a white mother from Kansas and an African father, his spiritual formation by a generation of Black leaders, and his hopes for a more inclusive America. Through the story of one man irrevocably bound to the history of a country, Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union reflects on the country’s past and present national identity.
Stony Brook Film Festival, now in its 26th year, kicks off on Thursday, July 22 with the world premiere of The 5th Man, a documentary on Paul Limmer, a former track coach at Bellmore’s Mepham High School. During his 50-year career there, Limmer racked up hundreds of wins, though director Trey Nelson focuses on the story of all the other kids – the ones who never felt “seen” – until Paul Limmer came into their lives.
The 2021 Locarno Film Festival will premiere the psychological thriller She Will, a powerful debut by Franco-British director Charlotte Colbert, along with the World Premiere of Sto minut iz zhizni Ivana Denisovicha (100 Minutes) by Russian director Gleb Panfilov, who already won a Golden Leopard in 1969.
Directed by Charles Todd and Devin Amar, the documentary and concert Romeo Santos: King of Bachata and Romeo Santos: Utopia Live From MetLife Stadium, debuts Friday, July 30 on HBO Max.
The Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) will return to using indoor venues in Woodstock, Kingston and Saugerties for its upcoming 22nd anniversary slated for September 30 – October 3, 2021. Tom Quinn, CEO and Founder of the groundbreaking film distribution company NEON, will be the recipient of the Woodstock Film Festival’s 2021 Honorary Trailblazer Award.
The feature-film adaptation of the Tony Award–winning musical Dear Evan Hansen is the Opening Night Gala Presentation at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by Stephen Chbosky, Dear Evan Hansen is the story of a high-school senior with a debilitating anxiety disorder whose private letter to himself as part of a therapy exercise lands in the hands of a fellow classmate, with tragic consequences. The incident propels Evan on a journey of self-discovery that leads him toward belonging and acceptance, not only among the people who love him, but also by Evan himself. Starring Tony winner Ben Platt as Evan, along with Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, and Nik Dodani, Dear Evan Hansen features songs from the original Broadway sensation.
499, the fourth feature film by Mexican-American director Rodrigo Reyes explores the brutal legacy of colonialism in contemporary Mexico.
Yakuza Princess, a violent action-thriller film from director and co-writer Vicente Amorim opens in theaters and On Demand on Friday, September 3rd, 2021.
Ryoo Seung-wan’s tense action thriller Escape from Mogadishu, starring Kim Yoon-seok (NYAFF Star Asia winner 2018) and Zo In-sung will kick off 20th edition of New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) at Film at Lincoln Center on August 6. The dramatic film is based on real events that took place in 1991 at the onset of the Somali Civil War, and depicts the perilous escape attempted by North and South Korean embassy workers who were stranded in the title city during the conflict. (Well Go USA is releasing the film in the United States and Canada.)