The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival revealed the five initial selections for the 28th edition of this year’s film festival taking place April 26-May 1, 2022. They include a recent hit out of Sundance, an award winner and an audience favorite from the film festival tour, an indie comedy with some familiar faces, and an international drama.
Berlin International Film Festival announced that actress Isabelle Huppert has tested positive for the coronavirus in Paris and will not be able to attend the festival. The Homage of the Berlinale 2022 is dedicated to French film and stage actor Isabelle Huppert, who is also the recipient of the Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement.
Girl Picture, Alli Haapasalo’s spirited coming-of-age drama will open the 36th edition of BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival set to run March 16th – 27, 2022. The festival will close with Tramps!, directed by documentary filmmaker Kevin Hegge, whose previous film She Said Boom: The Story of Fifth Column screened at BFI Flare in 2013.
Directed by Teemu Nikki, the Finnish film The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic is an intense thriller shot from a blind man’s perspective, starring Petri Poikolainen, a blind and wheelchair-bound actor in a gripping debut performance.
Following an all-virtual event last year, the 48th Seattle International Film Festival will return April 14–24, 2022 with a hybrid event that includes both in-person and virtual screenings. The 11-day festival will present the best in international and independent films from around the globe – with screenings at SIFF theaters and venues throughout the city as well as virtually on the SIFF Channel.
Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) announced the lineup for the 37th edition, which will run March 2 to 12, 2022. The festival will feature 48 world premieres and 95 U.S. premieres from 54 countries, along with tributes featuring the year’s top talent, panel discussions, and free community education and outreach programs.
The 12th annual Athena Film Festival (AFF) at Barnard College will take place as a hybrid event, running in-person from March 11 to March 13, 2022 on the Barnard campus and virtually from March 11 to March 20, 2022. The annual festival will include film screenings, in-depth conversations and panels with filmmakers and industry experts, a series of programs that support the pipeline of women creatives, and a wide variety of events focused on celebrating and amplifying the stories of bold, courageous women leaders.
Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center announced the complete lineup for the 27th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, the celebrated annual festival that exemplifies the variety and vitality of contemporary French filmmaking, taking place March 3–13 in the Walter Reade Theater in New York City.
Slamdance announced the winners of the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival with the Grand Jury prize for Narrative Features going to Hannah Ha Ha, directed by Jordan Tetewsky and Joshua Pikovsky; and the Grand Jury prize for Documentary Feature went to Forget Me Not, directed by Olivier Bernier.
The Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF) celebrates its 10th anniversary, kicking off on February 16 with Krystin Ver Linden’s Canadian premiere of Alice, starring Emmy Award-winning actress, Keke Palmer and Grammy Award-winning rapper, Common. Inspired by the true events Alive tells the story of a woman of servitude who narrowly escapes her oppressor, to discover the surprisingly mind-bending reality that exists beyond the tree line. Then, as of 9pm EST all the films will be accessible online. The Festival will close with Paul Tom’s documentary feature, Alone, about unaccompanied minors who left their home country behind to start over in Canada in hopes to live a better life.
Ashland Independent Film Festival (AIFF) in Ashland, Oregon announced that its 21st Annual Festival, originally scheduled for April 14 – 28, will now take place virtually on their Eventive Channel from April 1 – 10. Due to the recent circumstances and news surrounding COVID-19, the organization made the decision to postpone their Live Festival to ensure the health and safety of their patrons, in addition to the community at large.
Disney+ unveiled the official trailer for Gillian Jacobs-directed documentary film More Than Robots, set to premiere at the SXSW (South by Southwest) Film Festival on March 14, 2022. On Friday, March 18, the documentary will stream exclusively on Disney+.