The Final Girls Berlin Film Festival returns for the 4th edition with its annual showcase of horror films that were directed, written, and/or produced by women and non-binary filmmakers from across the globe.
GOOD MANNERS
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2018 Virginia Film Festival Reveals Deep and Diverse Lineup of Films
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The Front Runner[/caption]
The Virginia Film Festival returns to Charlottesville from November 1 to 4, with a deep and diverse program of more than 150 films and special guests including legendary actor, writer, and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich; director and producer Allen Hughes, noted activist Martin Luther King III; and more than 100 filmmakers from around the world.
The 2018 Virginia Film Festival will open with Green Book, the powerfully dramatic feature debut for director Peter Farrelly, inspired by a true friendship that transcended race, class, and the 1962 Mason-Dixon Line. The film is the story of world-class black pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), who hires New York bouncer Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) to drive him on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South. The pair must rely on the “Green Book” to guide them to the few establishments that were safe for African-Americans. Confronted with racism and danger – as well as unexpected humanity – they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime.
The Festival will present Roma as the Centerpiece Film. Perhaps the most acclaimed and discussed film on the 2018 major film festival scene, Roma is director Alfonso Cuarón’s (Gravity) most personal work to date – a loving and lovely tribute to the unsung woman who raised him and to so many domestic workers like her. Both intimate in emotion and epic in scope, Roma follows Cleo, a domestic worker in Mexico City in the 1970s, and the upper-middle class family that she cares for. As her personal life and the political climate of Mexico City grow more and more tumultuous, Cleo remains on the sidelines, observing and absorbing the chaos and pain around her. First time actor, Yalitza Aparicio, plays Cleo with a quiet sensitivity. Vanity Fair has said of Roma, “Cuarón shows us wonders to remind us of the aching wonder of it all, how careless we are to not stop and assess everything, to not madly ask every stranger the detail of their lives, because in each may be a story we might come to bitterly regret not knowing.”
From director Jason Reitman comes the Closing Night Film, The Front Runner, a look back at a story that in so many ways set the stage for the political climate we live in today. Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) came into the 1988 presidential election season as a can’t-miss prospect, combining boyish good looks and an easy charm with a political set of skills honed by a surprisingly successful 1984 campaign. When accusations of an extramarital affair set off an unprecedented media investigation of Hart’s personal life, a new era was born that changed the parameters of what is personal, what is public, and what it means for the way we choose our leaders. The film boasts a stellar cast including Vera Farmiga as Hart’s wife Lee, J.K. Simmons as his embattled campaign manager, and Alfred Molina as Ben Bradlee in this highly-touted adaptation of campaign veteran Matt Bai’s memoir All the Truth is Out.
Spotlight Films
1968: The Year That Changed America – This documentary from Tom Hanks and Mark Herzog is a riveting deep dive into what is considered to be one of the most dangerous and divisive periods in American history, marked by the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the personal and political upheaval from the Vietnam War, rioting in major cities, the tragedy of Kent State, and more. The VAFF will present two of the series’ four episodes, “Summer” and “Fall”. Ben is Back – Julia Roberts, Courtney B. Vance, and Academy Award-nominee and rapidly-rising star Lucas Hedges star in this tense and moving look at 24-hours in the life of a family affected by the opioid crisis. Birds of Passage –Colombia’s entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Birds of Passage, follows an indigenous Wayuu tribe and their involvement in the growing Colombian drug trade over two decades. The Favourite – Director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) takes us inside Queen Anne’s reign in the early 18th Century. Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) is served by close confidante Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) amid a seemingly never-ending war between England and France. When fallen aristocrat Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives on the scene, she threatens the relationship and throws a major wrench into the royal works in what Variety recently called “a perfectly cut diamond of a movie.” Shoplifters – The winner of the coveted Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Shoplifters follows a family turning to a life of petty crime to make ends meet in a workshare economy. [caption id="attachment_30734" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
L-R: Michelle Rodriguez, Viola Davis, and Elizabeth Debicki star in Twentieth Century Fox’s WIDOWS. Photo Credit: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox.[/caption]
Widows – From visionary director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) comes Widows. After their criminal husbands die in an explosion, a group of women, led by Academy Award winner Viola Davis, must pull off their spouses’ next planned heist in order to pay off the crime boss that their recently departed partners owe.
A Tribute to Orson Welles: The Other Side of the Wind with Peter Bogdanovich
The Festival will share a rare insider’s look at one of the most fascinating movie projects in Hollywood history, through the eyes of a legendary Hollywood director, producer, and actor who was in the middle of it all. Peter Bogdanovich returns to the Virginia Film Festival to lead a multi-pronged examination of Orson Welles’ quasi-autobiographical film, The Other Side of the Wind. Bogdanovich not only starred in the film, he was instrumental in its completion, based on a promise he had made to his good friend Welles shortly before the legendary filmmaker’s death in 1985. At that point, the film, which started production in 1971, was still unfinished, and Bogdanovich would go on to play a key role in its difficult-but-fascinating road to completion. It was a road fraught with countless obstacles ranging from rights battles to the complex and painstaking process of recreating the director’s vision from the hundreds of hours of footage he left behind. The film-within-a-film tells the story of filmmaker Jake Hannaford, who, like Welles, was embarking on The Other Side of the Wind, a film that would constitute his own Hollywood comeback. Bogdanovich worked over the course of decades with a team of dedicated filmmakers and film industry technicians to recreate Welles’ vision before Netflix finally came on board to push the project across the finish line. Festival audiences will also be afforded a 360-degree look at the product and the process of making The Other Side of the Wind that will include a screening of the newly-released film itself followed by a conversation with Bogdanovich, in addition to the new Netflix documentary They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead from Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor, 30 Feet from Stardom). The Festival will also present the documentary The Eyes of Orson Welles as well as Welles’ 1973 docudrama F For Fake, known for being the last completed work of his career. Bogdanovich will also present a screening of his critically-acclaimed documentary The Great Buster, about silent film star, Buster Keaton.Race In America – Presented with James Madison’s Montpelier
The Virginia Film Festival is partnering once again with James Madison’s Montpelier for the second annual Race in America series, exploring the complex and changing issues around what continues to be one of the most important and difficult issues of our time. This year’s series will include: 16 Bars – Todd “Speech” Thomas, noted front man of the Grammy winning hip-hop group Arrested Development spent three weeks in a Richmond, Virginia prison to deliver this glimpse into a unique rehabilitation program that provides inmates access to a makeshift recording studio. Another Slave Narrative – Recounting the history of slavery in the United States, a multiracial cast reenacts original transcripts of federal interviews with ex-slaves in the 1930’s. Black in Blue – Academy Award-winning filmmaker and Charlottesville resident Paul Wagner presents the story of Nate Northington, who honors the memory of his friend and fellow civil rights pioneer Greg Page by breaking the Southeastern Conference color barrier in 1967 to play football at the University of Kentucky. Circles – Displaced by Hurricane Katrina, Eric Butler moves to Oakland, California to mentor troubled minority youth, counseling vulnerable Black and Latinx teenagers with intimate and honest mentorship. Charlottesville – A Center for Politics film about the events of August 11 and 12 produced in collaboration with the Community Idea Stations. The Defiant Ones – The Defiant Ones examines the partnership between Jimmy Iovine and Dr.Dre – one the son of a Brooklyn longshoreman, the other straight out of Compton – and their leading roles in a chain of transformative events in contemporary culture.UVA Center for Politics
The Festival will continue its partnership with the UVA Center for Politics this year with a screening of the new documentary Charlottesville. Produced in conjunction with the Community Idea Stations, Charlottesville is a gripping two-hour documentary that traces the tragedies of August 11 and 12, 2017, all while asking “How could this happen in modern America?”. Firsthand accounts by victims and witnesses who woke to find riots in their backyards and murder in their streets present a compelling account of Charlottesville in the wake of shocking racial strife, religious bigotry, government blunders, and political equivocation.The Miller Center
This year the Virginia Film Festival is again partnering with The Miller Center, a nonpartisan affiliate of the University of Virginia that specializes in presidential scholarship, public policy, and political history, and strives to apply the lessons of history and civil discourse to the nation’s most pressing contemporary governance challenges. The series will include 1968: The Year That Changed America, the fascinating documentary from executive producers Tom Hanks and Mark Herzog about one of the most tumultuous years in American history. The VAFF is proud to present two of the four episodes in the series, “Summer” and “Fall.” The series will also feature An Acceptable Loss from director Joe Chappelle that follows a former top U.S. security advisor (Tika Sumpter), who is threatened by associates from her dark past, including a steely politician (Jamie Lee Curtis). It’s a female-fronted story of obsession, collusion, and hopeful redemption.Virginia Film Festival and National Geographic
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Science Fair directed by Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster[/caption]
The Festival will present a trio of heralded documentaries from National Geographic. They include: Science Fair, which follows nine high school students from disparate corners of the globe as they navigate rivalries, setbacks, and hormones on their quest to win the international science fair; Free Solo, a stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock, Yosemite’s 3,000-foot El Capitan, without a rope; and Into the Okavango, the directorial debut of National Geographic photographer Neil Gelinas, who accompanied researchers on this stunning expedition down the Okavango River to discover how or why the river — which is the source of Africa’s wildlife lifeline — is drying up.
The VAFF and the Library of Congress Celebrate the National Film Registry
The Virginia Film Festival continues its unique partnership with the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Virginia in 2018 to present a series of films that celebrate the National Film Registry and the Campus’ dedication to film preservation. This year’s lineup will include a 50th anniversary screening of the George A. Romero directed zombie horror, Night of the Living Dead in a new 4K restoration; the groundbreaking, experimental 1968 documentary, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One; a new 4K restoration of The Bride of Frankenstein, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and a 90th anniversary screening of the Walt Disney animated short Steamboat Willie. The Festival is delighted to welcome back longtime Turner Classic Movies host and film expert Ben Mankiewicz to support this joint program. He will lead discussions on Night of the Living Dead and The Bride of Frankenstein, in addition to joining Peter Bogdanovich for The Other Side of the Wind and The Great Buster.Documentaries
Afghan Cycles – Following a new generation of young Afghan women cyclists, Afghan Cycles uses the bicycle to tell a story of women’s rights – human rights – and the struggles faced by Afghan women on a daily basis. The Biggest Little Farm – The successes and failures of a couple determined to live in harmony with nature on a farm outside of Los Angeles are lovingly chronicled by filmmaking farmer John Chester, in this inspiring documentary. Chef Flynn – Culinary prodigy, Flynn McGarry made it into the New York Times by the time he was sixteen. Director Cameron Yates follows McGarry as he launches his first high profile pop up restaurant and begins to outgrow the constant surveillance from his mother. [caption id="attachment_31523" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes[/caption]
Divide and Conquer – Alexis Bloom delivers this tale of the long rise and sudden fall of the late, disgraced media industry giant Roger Ailes, from his days in the Nixon and Bush White Houses to his time at the helm of Fox News, and his ignominious ouster at the dawn of the Me Too movement.
Karenina and I -Norwegian actress Gørild Mauseth is challenged by the almost impossible task of playing Anna Karenina in a language she never spoke and in the author’s home country. She embarks on a journey throughout Russia to discover the real reasons why Tolstoy (Liam Neeson) wrote the novel. What Gørild does not know is that Anna Karenina will become the role of her life and change her forever.
The Last Race – The last surviving stock car track on Long Island, once home to over thirty, is the weekend retreat to many working-class stock car racers and enthusiasts. Director Michael Dweck documents the local enthusiasts as outside land developers begin to encroach.
Revolutionizing Dementia Care – Directed by Mason Williams and produced by the Community Idea Stations, this film reveals innovative approaches in memory care communities that are improving the well-being of patients and allowing them to live full and meaningful lives based on their abilities rather than their disabilities.
Run While You Can – Sam Fox attempts to run the Pacific Crest Trail, spanning from the Canadian to the Mexican border, in sixty days, beating the previous record. As the trail begins to take its toll on his mind and body, Fox begins to understand what his mother, who has Parkinson’s disease, goes through on a daily basis.
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Studio 54[/caption]
Studio 54 – Using footage from its heyday and interviews with two of the original owners, Studio 54 takes a look at the quick rise and fall of the most famous night club in the world. The club would usher in a new era of celebrity culture and glamour, while highlighting the legendary excesses of the era.
Spotlight on Virginia Filmmaking
Afrikana Film Festival – The VAFF is proud to partner with the Richmond-based Afrikana Film Festival for a special program of films dedicated to showcasing cinematic works by people of color from around the world, with a special focus on the global Black narrative. American Dreamer – Directed by Virginia native Derrick Borte and starring comedian Jim Gaffigan, the film is a disturbing portrait of a down on his luck chauffeur who enters into a world of crime in a desperate effort to provide for his family. Best of Film at Mason and Best of VCUarts – As the official film festival of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the VAFF will salute some of Virginia’s finest young filmmakers from both George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University in a special program that captures and celebrates the diversity of cinematic storytelling found at these institutions. Seats at the Table – A documentary following a Russian literature class for college students and inmates at a juvenile correctional center. The University of Virginia Bicentennial Celebration: An Evening of Performing Arts – A look at the gala, star studded celebration of the University’s 200 year anniversary. West Main Street – An award-winning feature documentary focusing on the everyday lives and oral histories of Charlottesville residents whose lives and work revolved around the West Main Street community. Other Virginia films include 16 Bars, Black in Blue, Charlottesville, Spider Mites of Jesus: The Dirtwoman Documentary, and short film showcases of work by UVA professors Kevin Everson and Lydia Moyer.International Films
Border (Sweden) – From the writer of Let the Right One In, comes another film mixing realism with elements of folklore. A woman with troll-like features meets a man like herself and they begin a romance that will change her life. Capernaum (Lebanon) – After witnessing the sale of his younger sister, a 12-year old runs away from home to live on the streets. Lacking the proper identification papers, he continues to run into the same cruelty that he faced at home. After a run in with the law, he decides to sue his parents for giving him life. Crystal Swan (Belarus) – A young woman yearning to leave her home in Minsk to DJ in Chicago, fakes a resume in order to get her visa approved. After realizing she put the wrong phone number down for one of her fake jobs, she must track down the family the number belongs to and convince them to help her. Dogman (Italy) – A meek dog groomer and part-time cocaine dealer seeks revenge against his sometime customer and town tyrant who has shaken him down one too many times. The Heiresses (Paraguay) – Friends are tested by financial difficulties despite both coming from wealthy families. One takes an offer from her older, wealthy neighbor to drive her to her weekly card games. Soon, her business expands. Forced out of her comfort zone she embarks on a journey of independence. [caption id="attachment_25151" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
I AM NOT A WITCH[/caption]
I Am Not a Witch (United Kingdom) – In Rungano Nyoni’s directorial debut, a young girl in Zambia is sent to witch camp. Threatened that she will turn into a goat if she attempts escape, she must decide if freedom is worth the risk.
Never Look Away (Germany) – Directed by Academy Award winner, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Never Look Away tracks an artist’s career and relationships during the rise and fall of Nazi occupied Germany.
No Date, No Signature (Iran) – A forensic pathologist, Dr. Nariman, hits a motorcycle carrying a family in an accident. He urges them to take their son to a hospital, but they refuse and disappear into the night. When Dr. Nariman sees the boy has arrived deceased at his hospital and the cause of death ruled as food poisoning, he goes on a hunt for the truth.
Sunset (Hungary) – From László Nemes, the director of Son of Saul, comes this story of a woman searches for a connection to her family in 1913 Budapest and finds little help along the way.
Woman at War (Iceland) – An environmental activist plans her final demonstration after learning that she will soon become a mother.
Other films include our Centerpiece Film Roma (Mexico), and Spotlight Films,Birds of Passage (Colombia), El Angel (Argentina).
Letters of Love
Curated by Samhita Sunya, Assistant Professor of Cinema at UVA, the Letters of Love series showcases witty films from a region that is all-too-often conflated with footage of war, authoritarianism, crises, and patriarchal/sexual violence. Each film’s action takes place across the Middle East and South Asia, as they self-reflexively – and lovingly – pay homage to global genres, as well as the longstanding presence and popularity of Bollywood films in the Middle East. Road to Kabul – A group of friends must go on a search for one of their own after a trip to Amsterdam doesn’t go as planned. An Indian Father – A gangster begins practicing yoga to relieve stress, falling in love with his instructor along the way. When she is taken back to her home in Bombay, he goes after her only to find that her father is a gangster himself. Hell in India – An Egyptian ambassador is kidnapped. In a mix up, the Egyptian military band is sent to negotiate his release, in this musical. Day Shall Dawn – A 1958 documentary showing the everyday life of the Bengali people and their isolated village. In The Last Days of the City – A man grappling with his personal life and making his next film is sent footage from friends around the world that gives him inspiration.LGBTQIA+ Focus
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Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco[/caption]
Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex, Fashion and Disco – A native of Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx, Antonio Lopez gained international recognition as one of the most influential fashion illustrators of his time. His artistic vision and commitment to diversity revolutionized the fashion world, and his natural charisma allowed him to help launch the careers of icons like Grace Jones, Jessica Lange, and Jerry Hall.
Coby – When a 23-year-old transgender Ohio woman transitions, his physical and spiritual transformation affects the lives of all who love him, and inspires them to change their perspectives.
El Angel (Argentina) – Based on the true story of Argentina’s most infamous serial killer, Carlos Rubedo Puch, who began his life of crime at seventeen. The extremity of his crimes is a stark contrast with his handsome, charming demeanor.
Jason and Shirley – A fictional retelling of the making of the influential documentary, Portrait of Jason, from the perspective of the film’s subject, hustler and cabaret performer, Jason Holliday.
Good Manners – A Brazilian fairytale that finds two women from different classes coming together over the impending birth of a supernatural child under a full moon.
Narcissister Organ Player – Through her unabashedly erotic and often humorous performances, Narcissister showcases her approach to explorations of race, gender, and sexuality. From growing up as a mixed-race child, to her complex relationship with her mother, she addresses how these circumstances compelled her to create her performance character.
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Rafiki[/caption]
Rafiki – Two women fall in love in Kenya, despite their father’s political rivalry, and Kenya’s laws against homosexuality.
Sauvage – 22-year-old Leo works in Strasbourg as a prostitute. Working mostly on a quiet road in a wooded area, he belongs to a group of men that service the motorist clientele. Leo seems to not know or desire any other kind of life, despite friends and doctors questioning his lifestyle. Leo prizes his freedom and never lets go of his ability to love and be loved.
Spider Mites of Jesus: The Dirtwoman Documentary – Richmond, Virginia natives recount their experiences with Donnie “Dirtwoman” Corker, a drag queen and pillar of the counterculture, and their influence on the community.
Sorry Angel – Arthur, an eager 22-year-old student, meets 35-year-old Jacques, a writer living in Paris with his young son. Embracing his sexual awakening, Arthur wishes to throw himself into their relationship without reservations. Jacques is hesitant to invest himself, as he struggles to come to terms with an AIDS diagnosis. The physical reality of Jacques’ illness complicates the fate of their romance, as both men realize that Arthur’s journey is just beginning as Jacques’ starts to close.
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The Overlook Film Festival Announces 2018 Lineup, Opens with ‘Unfriended: Dark Web’
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Unfriended: Dark Web[/caption]
The Overlook Film Festival today announced its second year programming lineup of 40 films (23 features and 17 short films from 12 countries) along with exciting parties, virtual reality, interactive events, and live performances – all taking place in America’s most haunted city: New Orleans, Louisiana.
On opening night of the festival, audience members will enjoy the chiller Unfriended: Dark Web (United States, 2018), from Blumhouse Productions and Bazelevs Productions, directed by Stephen Susco, and starring Colin Woodell, Betty Gabriel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Andrew Lees, Connor del Rio, Stephanie Nogueras, and Savira Windyani.
The Overlook Film Festival will screen A24’s highly anticipated Hereditary (United States, 2018) as its closing feature presentation, directed by Ari Aster, and starring Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, and Gabriel Byrne.
The Centerpiece of the 2018 edition of The Overlook Film Festival is St. Agatha, directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, which will hold its world premiere in New Orleans at the festival.
The festival’s Visionary Award will be presented to modern genre favorite Leigh Whannell, best known for writing the first three films in the Saw franchise, as well as Insidious, and Insidious: Chapter 2, and directing Insidious: Chapter 3. Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, director, and actor who will celebrate his latest directorial effort at the festival, Upgrade. The Visionary Award was established to honor a contemporary horror figure or company elevating the genre, while fostering the community by providing opportunities for new talent to thrive.
In addition to the films and special guests, the Overlook Film Festival will be generously packed with live presentations. The festival’s virtual reality program will feature the world premiere of noted experience creator Jon Braver’s Delusion: Lies Within, a fully immersive, 360 degree episodic narrative from Skybound Entertainment.
Opening Night Film:
Unfriended: Dark Web Director: Stephen Susco Cast: Colin Woodell, Betty Gabriel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Andrew Lees, Connor del Rio, Stephanie Nogueras, Savira Windyani United States, 2018 Preparing for his weekly Skype game night with his friends, a cyber café attendant borrows a laptop from the lost and found, only to find that the previous owner will stop at nothing to retrieve it. A sequel in name only, UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB borrows key cinematic elements from the original UNFRIENDED while telling its own edge-of-your-seat sadistic tale full of shocks and surprises that will make you think twice about who’s watching when you log on.Centerpiece Film:
St. Agatha WORLD PREMIERE Director: Darren Lynn Bousman Cast: Sabrina Kern, Carolyn Hennesy, Courtney Halverson United States, 2018 Horror film impresario Darren Lynn Bousman, director of SAW II, III and IV, modern experiments REPO! A GENETIC OPERA and THE DEVIL’S CARNIVAL, not to mention the groundbreaking ongoing immersive property The Tension Experience, brings to life his latest vision, a period piece concerning a troubled woman running from her past who finds herself kept hostage by a coven of vicious nuns.Closing Night Film:
Hereditary Director: Ari Aster Cast: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, Gabriel Byrne United States, 2018 When their reclusive grandmother passes away, the Graham family is slowly taken hold by a cursed terror, one that won’t let go. A cavalcade of gifted performers led by Toni Collete star in filmmaker Ari Aster’s astounding debut feature, which has deservedly become one of the most anticipated horror films of the year since it’s electrifying debut at the Sundance Film Festival.Feature Film Presentations
Arizona Director: Jonathan Watson Cast: Danny McBride, Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Wilson, Lolli Sorenson, Elizabeth Gillies, Kaitlin Olson United States, 2017 This wickedly inventive comedic thriller that sharply utilizes the true life economic turmoil of the housing crisis as its backdrop, casts Danny Mcbride as an unhinged homeowner who attempts to take out his frustrations on a scrupulous relator (Rosemarie Dewitt) with a rampage that grows increasingly murderous. Beast Director: Michael Pearce Cast: Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Trystan Gravelle,Geraldine James United Kingdom, 2017 In this brutal, sexy, critically acclaimed debut thriller from UK director Michael Pearce, a disturbed woman finds herself caught between her oppressive family’s demands and her animalistic attraction to an alluring stranger who’s arrival in her life is suspiciously timed with a series of vicious murders in their isolated community. Blood Fest Director: Owen Egerton Cast: Robbie Kay, Jacob Batalon, Seychelle Gabriel, Tate Donovan, Barbara Dunkelman, Nick Rutherford, Zachary Levi United States, 2018 When the most exciting horror festival in the country turns the tables on its zealous fan base by trapping them on the grounds and murdering them en masse, a group of teens armed with the knowledge of a thousand horror movies must fight their way through the bloodbath in this hilarious send-up of horror culture. Blue My Mind Director: Lisa Brühlmann Cast: Luna Wedler, Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen Switzerland, 2017 During the process of moving cities with her parents and trying to start over with a new group of friends, 15-year-old Mia begins to discover unexpected changes to her body that she dare not speak about to anyone. In spite of her radical attempts to halt the process, Mia is forced to face the horrifying reality of who she truly is. Equal parts tender, surreal, and grotesque, actor-turned-director Lisa Brühlmann’s first feature is a worth addition to the adolescent body horror canon. Caniba Director: Véréna Paravel & Lucien Castaing-Taylor Cast: Issei Sagawa, Jun Sagawa France, 2017 Sensory ethnography documentarians Lucien Castaign-Taylor and Véréna Paravel turn their cameras on notorious Japanese cannibal cum manga author, pornography director, and sushi critic, Issei Sagawa. In an unprecedented and shocking interview, Sagawa reveals gruesome details about his life and crimes, as well as a peak into his fraught relationship with his mysterious brother. Don’t Leave Home Director: Michael Tully Cast: Anna Margaret Hollyman, Lalor Roddy, Helena Bereen, David McSavage, Karrie Cox Ireland, 2018 An American artist accepts a strange invitation to a secluded Irish manor to construct an original sculpture for a priestly painter whose work has been shrouded in a sinister urban legend involving the disappearance of an 8-year-old girl in this creepy, offbeat cinematic discovery from indie stalwart Michael Tully (SEPTIEN). Downrange Director: Ryuhei Kitamura Cast: Kelly Connaire, Stephanie Pearson, Alexa Yeames, Jason Tobias United States, 2017 Macabre mastermind Ryuhei Kitamura (VERSUS, MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN) comes crashing back with a frenetic new film of murder and mayhem. Stranded by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere from a tire blowout, a group of carpoolers become suddenly besieged by flying bullets from an unseen shooter with incredible precision and a savage will. The Farm WORLD PREMIERE Director: Hans Stjernswärd Cast: Nora Yessayan, Alec Gaylord, Ken Volok, Rob Tisdale United States, 2018 The classic horror tale of a young couple who takes a wrong turn and stumbles into a small town full of people with nefarious intentions is turned on its head in this disturbing manifesto about food production. Seeping with eerie atmosphere, this unnerving first feature from newcomer Hans Stjernswärd finds as much fear in its silences as it does in its sickening, insidious images. Ghost Stories Director: Jeremy Dyson & Andy Nyman Cast: Martin Freeman, Alex Lawther, Andy Nyman, Paul Whitehouse United Kingdom, 2017 After stumbling across a long-lost folder of material from his childhood hero, Goodman, a TV investigator known for debumking psychic hoaxes, digs deep into three cases of ghoulish hauntings. Determined to find rational explanations, Goodman quickly realizes he’s in over his head. Featuring Martin Freeman, this spine-tingling anthology, adapted from the hit stage play, tells enough tales to keep you up for nights to come. Good Manners Director: Juliana Rojas & Marco Dutra Cast: Isabél Zuaa, Marjorie Estiano, Miguel Lobo Brazil/France, 2017 A surprising, imaginative and engaging twist on classic genre stories told with a sophisticated cinematic technique, GOOD MANNERS begins unassumingly with a near destitute nurse becoming the caretaker for a wealthy, isolated pregnant woman exhibiting strange behavior. But soon her habits turn into a sleeping hunger that changes both of their lives forever. Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich WORLD PREMIERE Director: Sonny Laguna & Tommy Wiklund Cast: Thomas Lennon, Michael Paré, Barbara Crampton, Udo Kier United Kingdom / United States, 2018 During a roadtrip to a convention for the 30th Anniversary of the infamous Toulon Murders, a comic book nerd, his new girlfriend and his best friend come face to face with a set of sadistic nazi puppets out for blood. A reimagining of the Charles Band classic, this uproarious horror comedy starring Thomas Lennon, Udo Kier, Barbara Crampton, Nelson Franklin, and Charlene Yi pays homage to the Full Moon features of the late 80s, early 90s. The Ranger Director: Jenn Wexler Cast: Chloë Levine, Granit Lahu, Jeremy Pope, Bubba Weiler, Amanda Grace Benitez, Jeremy Holm, Larry Fessenden United States, 2018 A band of punks on the run from trouble with the local law hide out in the woods, only to stumble onto the radar of a deranged park ranger with a malicious approach to justice and a mysterious connection to a member of their group. Longtime indie horror producer Jenn Wexler makes her directorial debut with this manic, punk-rock take on the traditional slasher flick. Revenge Director: Coralie Fargeat Cast: Matilda Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe, Guillaume Bouchede, Jean-Louis Tribes France, 2017 First time filmmaker Coralie Fargeat subverts expectations of the exploitative rape-revenge film tropes from the grind house age for this explosively shocking assault on misogynistic culture that stunned unsuspecting audiences at both the Toronto and Sundance film festivals. Don’t miss one of the most intense debuts of the year. Satan’s Slaves Director: Joko Anwar Cast: Tara Basro, Bront Palarae, Dimas Aditya, Endy Arfian, Nasar Annuz, Ayu Laksmi, Egy Fedly Indonesia, 2017 When Mawarni, a famous Indonesian singer, dies of a mysterious illness, her husband and four children are left behind to pick up the pieces, only to discover that they are being haunted by a pack of rabid spirits headed by Mawarni herself. Technically billed as a remake of the 1982 Indonesian remake of Don Coscarelli’s PHANTASM, celebrated director Joko Anwar’s SATAN’S SLAVES is its own chilling throwback to 70s supernatural thrillers, packed to the brim with jump scares and iconic imagery. Sex Madness Revealed WORLD PREMIERE Director: Tim Kirk Cast: Patton Oswalt, Rob Zabrecky United States, 2018 Notorious comedian Patton Oswalt and renowned magician Rob Zabrecky star in Tim Kirk’s (DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY) latest experiment in how to tell tales of terror. Taking the form of an audio commentary that plays out over the little known 1938 STD propaganda film SEX MADNESS, the voice of a persnickety film blogger interviews the descendant of the original motion picture’s director who harbors a nefarious secret. Tigers Are Not Afraid Director: Issa López Cast: Paola Lara, Juan Ramón López, Ianis Guerrero, Rodrigo Cortés, Hanssel Casillas Mexico, 2017 In one of the most imaginative (and award winning!) features traveling the genre festival circuit in recent months, a young girl with a missing mother joins a band of street misfits in effort to survive amidst rampant cartel violence in modern-day Mexico City. Populated with fairy tale imagery, TIGERS is at turns harshly real and terrifyingly surreal, reminiscent of films like THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE and CITY OF GOD as it details a tragic and engulfing nightmare. Upgrade Director: Leigh Whannell Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson, Benedict Hardie Australia, 2017 Fan favorite Leigh Whannell, whose work on the SAW and INSIDIOUS franchises have made him a modern genre icon, thrills and delights with this gory and action-packed foray into a science-fiction dystopia. An experimental procedure infuses a sentient computer chip into the body and mind of paralyzed Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green), fueling a spiraling mission for vengeance that leads to a terrifying endgame. Vampire Clay Director: Soichi Umezawa Cast: Kyoka Takeda, Momoka Sugimoto, Ena Fujita, Yuyu Makihara, Asuka Kurosawa Japan, 2017 A group of unwitting art school students find themselves in a brutal showdown against a pack of evil of modeling clay in this campy, inventive, practical effects extravaganza from Japanese FX artist turned filmmaker Soichi Umezawa. What Keeps You Alive Director: Colin Minihan Cast: Hannah Emily Anderson, Brittany Allen, Martha Macisaac, Joey Klein, Charlotte Lindsay Marron Canada, 2018 For their first wedding anniversary, Jackie and Jules retreat to a cozy cabin near a beautiful lake. The sudden appearance of Jackie’s childhood best friend sets off a chain of unlikely events that turn a quiet vacation into the deadliest game of cat and mouse in Overlook Alum Colin Minihan’s (writer of STILL/BORN) claustrophobic survivalist thriller. Wolfman’s Got Nards: A Documentary Director: André Gower Cast: Fred Dekker, Shane Black, Seth Green, Adam F. Goldberg, Ryan Lambert, Ashley Bank, Adam Green, Joe Lynch, Chuck Russell, Heather Langenkamp United States, 2018 August 14, 1987 saw the release of what has become one of the strangest, scariest and most iconic kids film to ever grace the silver screen – THE MONSTER SQUAD. In this endearing documentary, director Andre Gower takes us not only behind the scenes on the production, but also into the heart of the fandom surrounding the movie and the magic that made it such a defining cinematic experience for so many in the genre community.Virtual Reality Presentations
Campfire Creepers: The Skull of Sam Director: Alexandre Aja From master of horror Alexandre Aja, the director of films such as The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha, and Horns, comes an original anthology series that brings classic campfire stories to life in stunning Virtual Reality. Produced by Oculus and Future Lighthouse and distributed by Dark Corner, Campfire Creepers invites viewers to join the fire circle at a summer camp called Camp Coyote as a group of kids take turns telling spooky tales. Inspired by cult classics like Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt, every episode of Campfire Creepers is a wild ride that will have you laughing and screaming in equal measure. Delusion: Lies Within WORLD PREMIERE Director: Jon Braver Set in the 1940’s American South, beloved author Elena Fitzgerald goes missing before releasing the final novel in her epic dark fantasy that has captivated fans Daniel and Virginia. As many believe her to be dead, Daniel and Virginia must leave their grim reality behind to save Fitzgerald from her own literary nightmare. The VR series from Skybound Entertainment is a fully immersive, 360 degrees episodic story. Delusion is based off Jon Braver’s 2014 immersive theatrical performance in Los Angeles. Masters Of The Sun Director: will.i.am This interactive comic book series from Oculus Studios, born from the mind of will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas), is a retro futuristic B-boy zombie thriller about a hip-hop group from East LA that must battle an ancient god who is turning black drug dealers and gangsters into zombies. This epic journey, spanning 13 episodes, explores gang culture, hip-hop origins, and cloaked conspiracy theories—from ancient Egypt to the streets of LA. Starring Queen Latifah, Rakim, Jamie Foxx, Ice-T, and KRS-One. Night Night Director: Guy Shelmerdine It’s time to drift off to dreamland…but first your mom is going to read you a short bedtime story. Take a journey into your childhood nightmares with Dark Corner’s sense-stunning immersive experience. Produced by Dark Corner and MPC VR. Wolves In The Walls (Chapter 1) Director: Pete Billington Eight-year-old Lucy suspects that wolves live in the walls of her family’s home. She has no one to believe her … but you. Forging a groundbreaking blend of film, theatre, audience agency, and sleight of hand, this exquisitely crafted animated experience, adapted from material by Neil Gaiman and choreographed by immersive theater company Third Rail Projects, casts you as an active performer in a narrative where you interact, have a relationship with, and go on a quest with the central character in ways that leave your mark on the experience. Live Event Presentations BLACKOUT WORLD PREMIERE Creators: Kristjan Thor and Josh Randall In 2009, an underground immersive horror experience swept through the NYC art scene and began a path that would transform the international theater community. BLACKOUT, the X-rated fear experience designed for adults over 18 to walk through completely alone. Created by directors Kristjan Thor and Josh Randall, BLACKOUT has had productions in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Now at the Overlook Film Festival, BLACKOUT presents the world premiere of a rare and unique opportunity for the adventurous to make their way through what the NEW YORK TIMES has called the “most extreme theater event of the year.” WARNING: This is considered an extreme experience and is exclusively for pass holders. Participants are required to sign a waiver. Slots will be made available exclusively for all-access pass holders. The Canon Podcast Live Host: Amy Nicholson What films should be included in the list of all-time greats? Film critic Amy Nicholson and a guest debate, discuss and sometimes harmoniously agree about whether a film should be Canon-ized. Ultimately, the decision is yours. Cast your vote, and decide the legacy of each movie forevermore. No pressure. In Another Room Directors: Austin and Aaron Keeling Last summer, E3W Productions’ surprise hit ‘In Another Room’ invited guests to explore the richly storied rooms of a notoriously haunted house in Los Angeles, introducing audience members to the inhabitants who lived and died within its walls. Now, E3W Productions is pleased to offer exclusive access to one of the rooms from their debut show, transported to the Bourbon Orleans Hotel for the duration of the Overlook Film Festival. Audiences of three will be invited to step inside this room, where they will meet a previous inhabitant and learn of the tragedies that befell them. ‘In Another Room’ sold out in just three days upon its initial run, and this excerpt promises a haunting, moving, and extremely intimate experience. We invite those of you most attuned to the psychic and supernatural to join us for a once in a lifetime opportunity to come face to face with the unknown. Slots will be made available exclusively for all-access pass holders. Infinitely Dinner Society: Midnight Snacks Creator, Director: Annie Lesser Infinitely Dinner Society’s Midnight Snacks presents Bananas Foster. IDS Midnight Snacks are late night pairings of food and art with the math and science behind infinity. Previous snacks have included donuts paired with the infinite points of a circle, cheese cubes paired with hypercubes and oyster shooters paired with the intangible nature of infinity. Each snack features food sourced from local bakers, shop owners and farmers markets. For the Overlook Film Festival, creator Annie Lesser has designed a piece based on the cosmic horror of the multiverse featuring Bananas Foster made from Louisiana cane sugar and rum. News about Infinitely Dinner Society and the IDS MidnightSnacks can be found Instagram @infinitelydinnersociety. Slots will be made available exclusively for all-access pass holders. The Overlook Immersive Game Producer: Mali Elfman For the signature event of the Overlook Film Festival, 2018 introduces a new alternate reality game and welcomes this year’s experience designers Scott Gillies and Nick Tierce, whose credits include a range of projects with companies such as Electronic Arts, Disney, Microsoft, Niantic Labs, and Google. Throughout the entire weekend, uncover an interactive horror mystery that permeates the festival, featuring live actors inhabiting unique locations, hidden clues, tactile puzzles, and surprising twists that each player can engage with at their own level of comfort and curiosity. Follow the clues to become the protagonist of an engaging and thrilling narrative that no two players will experience in exactly the same way. Details of the game’s story will remain locked away until the festival begins, but you may wish to seek out the celestial raven, instantly. The game is available exclusively to festival pass holders, with active player registration limited to 100 available spots. All registered players must attend a game orientation upon festival check-in. Over the course of the game, curious players may receive invitations to engage further for additional immersive depth, which they may opt-in for when the opportunity is presented. Paperbacks From Hell Creator, Writer, Performer: Grady Hendrix In the early Seventies, three books changed horror forever: ROSEMARY’S BABY, THE EXORCIST, and THE OTHER. The first horror novels to hit bestseller lists since 1940, they opened the floodgates for an avalanche of horror paperbacks to pour onto supermarket shelves throughout the Seventies and Eighties until SILENCE OF THE LAMBS slit the genre’s throat in the early Nineties. Writer Grady Hendrix delivers a mind-melting oral history of this now forgotten world of Nazi leprechauns, skeleton doctors, killer crabs, killer jellyfish, killer babies, pretty much killer everything. Prepare yourself for a tour of this long-lost universe of terror that lurked behind the lurid, foil-embossed, die-cut covers of…the Paperbacks from Hell!!!! The Pumpkin Pie Show: Best of Show Creator, Writer, Performer: Clay McLeod Chapman Come join us for an encore presentation of the best Pumpkin Pie Show stories from over the last 20 years. Author Clay McLeod Chapman will lead the audience through the back-catalogue of his personal favorite tales, offering a view into the sordid lives of Southern Gothic monstrosities that explore the domestic horrors of the everyday, finding terror within our own households. This is Edgar Allan Poe for the modern age, people. The Pumpkin Pie Show: New Skulduggery Creator, Writer, Performer: Clay McLeod Chapman Author Clay McLeod Chapman is bringing BRAND NEW STORIES to the Overlook! The Pumpkin Pie Show has remained a staple of the fest – and this year they’re offering an even sweeter treat: original tales that have never been inflicted upon an audience anywhere. Flesh-eating bacteria, killer baby carrots and haunted comic books are all on the menu. These new campfire stories will be sure send a shiver up your spine. Hear them first before they’re unleashed upon the rest of the world! The Pumpkin Pie Show: One-On-Ones Creator, Writer, Performer: Clay McLeod Chapman A returning favorite from last year’s fest, please join author Clay McLeod Chapman as he takes one audience member at a time on a dark ride through this depraved, intimate storytelling experience. Think of it as a heart-to-bleeding-heart with madmen, murderers and monsters telling their own story. No fourth wall, no escape. First come, first serve. Sessions will last 20 minutes. Slots will be made available exclusively for all-access pass holders. Shock Waves Presents Host: Ryan Turek Overlook welcomes Ryan Turek, co-host of Blumhouse’s hit horror podcast Shock Waves for an insightful discussion with one of the festival’s guests. Summerland Lost Creator, Writer, Performer: Grady Hendrix The Wall Street Journal calls him “a national treasure.” His mother calls him “Sunshine.” Now author Grady Hendrix brings his one-man show about psychic teenagers and shaved cats to New Orleans with Summerland Lost: A Ghost Story. Telling the all-shocking, all-true tale of drunk Victorian teenagers who spoke to the dead, this is the real life story of how biomechanical sex cults, the ghost of Ben Franklin, suffragettes, abolitionists, anarchists, and Arctic explorers all teamed up to answer the ultimate question: is there life after death?Short Film Presentations
Amy Director: L. Gustavo Cooper Cast: Danielle Kennedy, Rebekah Kennedy, Tom Fitzpatrick, Samantha Ann United States, 2017 Set against the backdrop of the deadliest heat wave in recorded history and inspired by America’s most prolific female serial killer, L. Gustavo Cooper’s AMY provides a surreal and distorted glimpse into a killing spree that captivated a nation in the early 1900s. The Beaning Director: Sean McCoy United States, 2017 An experimental sports film combining documentary techniques with horror aesthetics, THE BEANING explores a sinister theory surrounding the death of Cleveland baseball player Ray Chapman in 1920 and the subsequent rise of the Yankee dynasty. Beastly Things Director: Zev Chevat United States, 2017 A young street artist encounters a group of local schoolchildren, and learns what really makes monsters. Blood Runs Down WORLD PREMIERE Director: Zandashé Brown Cast: Farrah Martin, Idella Johnson United States, 2018 When a woman undergoes a frightening transition, her vigilant young daughter must decide between saving her or protecting herself in this haunting tale of inheritance, daughterhood, and demons. Cerulia Director: Sofía Carrillo Cast: Diana Bracho Mexico, 2017 Cerulia returns to her childhood home to bid farewell to her past, but the memories of her youth and a presence in the home will not let her go. Coyote Director: Lorenz Wunderle Switzerland, 2018 A coyote loses his family to a vicious attack by wolves. Tormented by fear, anger and grief, he sees a chance to avenge their deaths… Good Morning Director: Elaine Mongeon Cast: Maya Kazan, Jamie McShane United States, 2017 A young woman and her father adapt to terrifying changes they never expected. Hair Wolf Director: Mariama Diallo Cast: Kara Young, Taliah Webster, Madeline Weinstein, Trae Harris, Jermaine Crawford United States, 2017 In a black hair salon in gentrifying Brooklyn, the local residents fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture. Latched Director: Justin Harding & Rob Brunner Cast: Alana Elmer, Peter Higginson, Jarrett Siddall, Bowen Harding Canada, 2017 A choreographer pursues creative inspiration at a cottage retreat while attempting to wean her demanding toddler — and unknowingly awakens a vile fairy corpse in the process. When she discovers the creature’s terrifying intentions, she will have to put her creativity to good use to lure the repugnant beast. Milk Director: Santiago Menghini Cast: Cameron Brodeur, Anana Rydvald Canada, 2018 On a late night, a young teen goes into the kitchen for a glass of milk. Upon encountering his sleepless mother, he quickly realizes things are not as they seem. Möbius Director: Sam Kuhn Cast: Caley Jones, Daiva Z, Britt Grayson, Elissa Mielke, Austin Will Canada/United States, 2017 A moth eaten tale of magic and mutation half remembered by a teen poet whose beloved lies lifeless in a stream. Pan Director: Anna Roller Cast: Anna Platen, Jeff Wilbusch, Luisa-Céline Gaffron, Sue Simmy Lemke, Emil Borgeest Germany, 2017 Juno, a twenty-year-old girl becomes obsessed with Pan. Her obsession turns her into an animal. The Plague Director: Guillermo Carbonell Cast: Gabriela Freire, Walter Rey, Rafael Soliwoda Uruguay, 2017 Rosa’s father escapes from a nursing home and comes back to his former house. He hides a secret, and he’s not coming alone. The Sermon Director: Dean Puckett Cast: Molly Casey, Grant Gillespie, Denise Stephenson, Oliver Monaghan, Emma White United Kingdom, 2018 In an isolated church community in the English countryside, a powerful hate preacher prepares to deliver a sermon to his flock, but his daughter has a secret that could destroy them all. Tammy’s Tiny Tea Time (Episode 1: Strangers) Created by Peter Gulsvig Cast: Rachel Butera, Nate Corddry, Peter Gulsvig United States, 2018 Tammy’s Tiny Tea Time exists in the fractured psyche of a middle aged woman whose refusal to grow up has resulted in a life spent talking to inanimate objects (and a dying box turtle) in her parents’ house. Thursday Night Director: Gonçalo Almeida Cast: Bimbo the Dog Portugal, 2017 An elusive stranger pays Bimbo a visit in the middle of the night to deliver a vital message. We Summoned a Demon Director: Chris McInroy Cast: Kirk C. Johnson, Carlos Larotta, John Orr United States, 2017 They just wanted to be cool. Instead, they got a demon.
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2018 New Directors/New Films Unveils Lineup, Opens with “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.”
[caption id="attachment_27197" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.[/caption]
The 47th annual New Directors/New Films festival presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art, will introduce 25 features and 10 short films to New York audiences from March 28 to April 8, 2018.
The opening and closing night selections are the New York premieres of two Sundance award-winning documentaries: Stephen Loveridge’s Matangi/Maya/M.I.A., an intimate portrait of the global rap sensation via the artist’s own video diaries, which won the festival’s World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award; and RaMell Ross’s Hale County This Morning, This Evening, a visionary and poetic look at resilient African American families in the titular Alabama region, winner of the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Creative Vision.
This year’s lineup boasts features and shorts from 29 countries across five continents, with 10 North American premieres, 13 films directed or co-directed by women, and 14 works by first-time feature filmmakers. Highlights include Pedro Pinho’s surprising three-hour epic The Nothing Factory, which was voted #1 on Film Comment magazine’s Best Undistributed Films of 2017 list; the late Hu Bo’s epic feature debut An Elephant Sitting Still, a masterpiece sure to be remembered as a landmark of modern Chinese cinema; New York-based filmmaker Ricky D’Ambrose’s dark, minimalist pseudo-detective tale Notes on an Appearance; Gustav Möller’s emergency call center thriller The Guilty, which won prizes at Rotterdam and Sundance; Our House, an evocative examination of female friendship by first-time Japanese filmmaker Yui Kiyohara; acclaimed documentarian Emmanuel Gras’s Cannes prizewinner Makala, which follows the monumental efforts of a young Congolese charcoal-maker at work; Khalik Allah’s stylistically rich Black Mother, a close look at Jamaica via its holy men and prostitutes; Locarno prizewinner Milla, Valérie Massadian’s moving, visually striking meditation on young motherhood; and many more exciting discoveries.
“The purpose of New Directors/New Films is to seek out emerging filmmakers who are working at the vanguard of cinema,” said Film Society Director of Programming Dennis Lim. “This is as diverse and wide-ranging a lineup as we’ve assembled in years: full of pleasures and provocations and, above all, surprises—proof that film remains a medium ripe for reinvention in ways big and small.”
Josh Siegel, Curator of the Department of Film at The Museum of Modern Art said: “The filmmakers in this year’s New Directors are as imaginative, daring and restless as any we’ve seen, whether observing a world-famous rapper fighting injustices in Sri Lanka or prostitutes and holy men in Jamaica, a coal peddler in the Congo or a credit-card scammer in Switzerland.”
FILMS & DESCRIPTIONS
OPENING NIGHT Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. Stephen Loveridge, Sri Lanka/United Kingdom/USA In English and Tamil with English subtitles New York Premiere Before rapper M.I.A. became a global sensation, known for her musical daring and tireless political activism for the Tamil people in her native Sri Lanka, she was an aspiring filmmaker, having made countless video diaries chronicling her youth and private life. First-time documentarian Stephen Loveridge, who attended art school in London with M.I.A. in the nineties, uses this first-hand material to craft a nuanced and intimate portrait of a woman finding her roots, voice, and stardom, and a deeply personal statement from a pop star yearning to express herself. [caption id="attachment_27199" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Hale County This Morning, This Evening[/caption]
CLOSING NIGHT
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
RaMell Ross, USA
New York Premiere
“The American stranger knows Blackness as a fact—even though it is fiction,” says writer-director RaMell Ross. For his visionary and political debut feature, which premiered to great acclaim at Sundance in 2018, Ross spent five years intimately observing African American families living in Hale County, Alabama. It’s a region made unforgettable by Walker Evans and James Agee’s landmark 1941 photographic essay Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, which documented the impoverished lives of white sharecropper families in Alabama’s Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Ross’s poetic return to this place shows changed demographics, and depicts people resilient in the face of adversity and invisibility. Hale County This Morning, This Evening introduces a distinct and powerful new voice in American filmmaking.
3/4
Ilian Metev, Bulgaria
Bulgarian with English subtitles
New York Premiere
3/4 evokes the intimacies, joys, and tensions of a contemporary Bulgarian family facing an uncertain future; the father is an astrophysicist with his head in the clouds, his son a waywardly antic teenager, his daughter a gifted but anxious pianist. Illian Metev (whose previous film was the gripping documentary Sofia’s Last Ambulance) won the Filmmakers of the Present prize at the 2017 Locarno Festival for this fiction feature debut, a gracefully shot, uncommonly tender character study that plays like an exquisite piece of chamber music.
Ava
Sadaf Foroughi, Iran/Canada/Qatar
Farsi with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Adolescence creates intense pressure for any girl, but it’s particularly strong for 17-year-old Ava, buffeted by the harsh strictures of home and school in contemporary Tehran. Iranian writer-director Sadaf Foroughi won the jury prize at the Toronto International Film Festival for her intimate and intensely dramatic portrait of a young woman whose private longings drive her to rebellion and lead to public shaming. A Grasshopper Film release.
Azougue Nazaré
Tiago Melo, Brazil,
Portuguese with English subtitles
North American Premiere
No measure of hellfire preaching can quell the boisterous and bawdy passions of Maracatu, an Afro-Brazilian burlesque carnival tradition with roots in slavery that takes place in the northeast state of Pernambuco. As the Falstaffian character Tiao, Valmir do Coco leads a nonprofessional cast of authentic Maracatu practitioners in a tale told through dance, music, and the supernatural, set in the sugarcane fields outside Recife. The fabulous—and fabulist—Azougue Nazaré is the first film by Tiago Melo, who worked on such recent celebrated Brazilian films as Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Aquarius (NYFF 2016) and Gabriel Mascaro’s Neon Bull (ND/NF 2016), and who was awarded the Bright Future prize at this year’s Rotterdam International Film Festival.
Black Mother
Khalik Allah, USA
New York Premiere
The second feature by filmmaker and photographer Khalik Allah is a kind of documentary tone poem, a polyphonic work rich in atmosphere and intimate portraiture. Allah immerses us in Jamaica’s neighboring worlds of charismatic holy men and equally charismatic prostitutes, the sacred and the profane alike. Allah captures them and their environments with a haunting visual style and absorbing sense of rhythm entirely his own, their testimonies flooding the soundtrack with reflections on everyday survival and hopes for the future. Seamlessly switching from Super-8mm to HD video, Black Mother affirms its maker as one of the great stylists in documentary cinema today.
Closeness / Tesnota
Kantemir Balagov, Russia
Russian with English subtitles
New York Premiere
A young woman is trapped in a tight-knit Jewish community in the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, located in Russia’s North Caucasus, that demands her total dedication but provides her with little protection from the perpetual violence encompassing all aspects of life. Shot mostly in interior spaces, Closeness conjures a world of darkness and claustrophobia as the heroine quietly revolts yet succumbs to her bleak existence. This debut feature by Kantemir Balagov feels more beholden to the social realism of the Dardenne brothers than to the transcendental flair of his mentor, Russian auteur Alexander Sokurov (a producer on this film). Warning: this film contains a scene featuring images of documented violence that viewers may find upsetting.
Cocote
Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, Dominican Republic/Brazil/Argentina
Spanish with English subtitles
New York Premiere
This format-mixing, formally eclectic opus is at once a profound film about religion and a unique tale of revenge. Upon learning that his father has been murdered by a powerful local figure, Dominican private gardener Alberto travels from Santo Domingo back to his hometown to participate in his funeral rites—a mixture of Catholicism and West African mysticism that flies in the face of Alberto’s own evangelicalism. But Alberto’s family has vengeance in mind, and he finds himself at a spiritual and existential crossroads. Boldly synthesizing ethnographic documentary and scripted drama, Cocote is a visually resplendent and stylistically audacious work that evokes the films of Glauber Rocha and the fiction of Roberto Bolaño. A Grasshopper Film release.
Djon África
João Miller Guerra and Filipa Reis, Portugal/Brazil/Cape Verde, 2018, 95m
In Portuguese with English subtitles
North American Premiere
Documentarians João Miller Guerra and Filipa Reis turn the subject of their previous film into the central character of their debut fiction work. A Cape Verdean in Portugal, Miguel Moreira, also known as Djon África, travels back home to look for his birth father. This hopefully soul-searching journey quickly gets derailed as he comes across beautiful women, colorful parties, and the local liquor known as grogue. Written by Pedro Pinho, director of The Nothing Factory, also playing in this festival, this woozily intoxicating road movie is as youthful, charming, and adventurous as its title character.
Drift
Helena Wittmann, Germany
German with English subtitles
U.S. Premiere
Filmmaker-artist Helena Wittmann’s subtly audacious first feature follows friends Theresa, a German, and Josefina, an Argentinian, as they spend a weekend together on the North Sea, taking long walks on the beach and stopping at snack stands. Eventually they separate— Josefina eventually returns to her family in Argentina and Theresa crosses the Atlantic for the Caribbean—and the film gives way to a transfixing and delicate meditation on the poetics of space. Self-consciously evoking the work of Michael Snow and masterfully lensed by Wittmann herself, Drift is by turns cosmic and intimate.
An Elephant Sitting Still
Hu Bo, China
Mandarin with English subtitles
North American Premiere
Sure to be remembered as a landmark in Chinese cinema, this intensely felt epic marks a career cut tragically short: its debut director Hu Bo took his own life last October, at the age of 29. The protagonist of this modern reworking of the tale of Jason and the Argonauts is teenage Wei Bu, who critically injures a school bully by accident. Over a single, eventful day, he crosses paths with a classmate, an elderly neighbor, and the bully’s older brother, all of them bearing their own individual burdens, and all drawn as if by gravity to the city of Manzhouli, where a mythical elephant is said to sit, indifferent to a cruel world. Full of moody close-ups and virtuosic tracking shots, An Elephant Sitting Still is nothing short of a masterpiece.
Good Manners / As Boas Maneiras
Marco Dutra & Juliana Rojas, Brazil/France
Portuguese with English subtitles
New York Premiere
An immaculately stylized twist on the monster movie, Dutra and Rojas’s second collaboration (following the acclaimed Hard Labor) inventively engages matters of race, class, and desire. Set in São Paulo, the narrative initially concerns the curious relationship between rich, white, pregnant socialite Ana (Marjorie Estiano) and her new housemaid Clara (Isabél Zuaa). As the two women grow closer, their rapport turns first sexual then shockingly macabre. Good Manners evolves into a werewolf movie unlike any other, a delirious and compulsively watchable cross between Disney and Jacques Tourneur.
The Great Buddha +
Huang Hsin-yao, Taiwan
Taiwanese and Mandarin with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Provincial friends Pickle and Belly Button idle away their nights in the security booth of a Buddha statue factory, where Pickle works as a guard. One evening, when the TV is on the fritz, they put on video from the boss’s dashcam—only to discover illicit trysts and a mysterious act of violence. Expanded from a short, Huang Hsin-yao’s fiction feature debut The Great Buddha + (the plus sign cheekily nodding to the smartphone model) is a stylish, rip-roaring satire on class and corruption in contemporary Taiwanese society.
The Guilty
Gustav Möller, Denmark
Danish with English subtitles
New York Premiere
In this pulsating crime thriller set entirely inside a claustrophobic emergency call center, police officer Asger is assigned to dispatcher duty following a fatal incident. An initially slow evening takes a sharp turn when he receives a mysterious call for help, and Asger must spring into action, embarking on a hair-raising journey—on the phone—to bring the caller to safety. Debut feature filmmaker Gustav Möller keeps the tension and the viewer’s imagination alive in this chamber piece that won audience awards at the Rotterdam and Sundance film festivals.
Makala
Emmanuel Gras, France
French and Swahili with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Gras’s transfixing road movie and Cannes Film Festival prizewinner follows a young Congolese man named Kabwita through the making, transporting, and selling of charcoal—from the felling of a tree to pushing a teetering bicycle weighed down with bulging sacks along treacherous dirt roads to contending with motorists, extortionists, and potential customers. As Gras observes Kabwita’s perilous trade, he derives beauty from the monumental efforts that go into his day-to-day existence. Makala is a documentary that resembles a neorealist parable, locating an epic dimension in the humblest of existences. A Kino Lorber release.
Milla
Valérie Massadian, France/Portugal
French with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Following up her acclaimed 2011 debut Nana, Valérie Massadian has made a moving, visually striking meditation on young motherhood and the vagaries of growing up. Severine Jonckeere turns in a remarkably subtle performance as the titular 17-year-old; just as her youthful romance with Leo (Luc Chessel) seems ready to cross the threshold into teenage parenthood, Massadian performs a radical formal gesture that both complicates Milla’s predicament and evokes the beauty and cruelty of time’s passage. A prizewinner at the 2017 Locarno Film Festival, Milla audaciously eschews conventional melodrama, searching instead for a complex, truthful reflection of life itself. A Grasshopper Film release.
Nervous Translation
Shireen Seno, Philippines
Filipino with English subtitles
North American Premiere
Informed by filmmaker Shireen Seno’s childhood in the Filipino diaspora and her dual training in film and architecture, this sophomore work is a stylized evocation of a child’s fanciful interpretation of the world around her. Eight-year-old Yael, left to her own devices after school, secretly plays and replays audio cassettes her father sends home to her mother while working overseas; pursues happiness as communicated to her via a TV advertisement; and, in fanciful scenes that evoke the work of American artist Laurie Simmons, enters the meditative, immersive world of her dollhouse’s kitchen. Seno offers fleeting clues from the late-eighties outside world, hinting at societal turmoil following Ferdinand Marcos’s ouster and complicated adult relations, but these never overshadow her film‘s touching depiction of childhood imagination.
Notes on an Appearance
Ricky D’Ambrose, USA
North American Premiere
Ricky D’Ambrose’s debut feature follows a quiet young man (Bingham Bryant) who mysteriously disappears soon after starting a new life in Brooklyn’s artistic circles. Distraught friends (including Keith Poulson and Tallie Medel) search for him with the help of notebooks, letters, postcards, and other tiny clues; meanwhile, a parallel story about an elusive and controversial philosopher provides a rather sinister backdrop to their pursuit. This dark, minimalist pseudo-detective tale offers plenty of humor and displays a distinctive aesthetic. Following a series of remarkable shorts, D’Ambrose has clearly defined himself as a talent to watch.
Preceded by:
Young Girls Vanish / Des jeunes filles disparaissent
Clément Pinteaux, France
French with English subtitles
North American premiere
Clément Pinteaux explores the echoes of violence in Essonne, France, where dozens of girls were killed by wolves in the 1600s. Centuries later, young women begin disappearing again.
The Nothing Factory / A Fábrica de Nada
Director: Pedro Pinho, Portugal
Portuguese and French with English subtitles
New York Premiere
A rich and formally surprising film of ideas, beautifully shot on 16mm, and featuring one of recent cinema’s most memorable musical numbers, Portuguese director Pedro Pinho’s nearly three-hour epic concerns the occupation of an elevator plant by its workers. They are stirred to action when the factory’s machinery is removed in the middle of the night by the owners; they rapidly organize, kick out the brass who have arrived offering buyouts, and discuss the feasibility of managing the facility themselves—all the while a Marxist theorist exerts ideological influence from the sidelines. The Nothing Factory is a serious and singular look at the meaning of work today, further developing Pinho’s interest in the status of labor amid his country’s financial crisis.
Our House / Watashitachi no ie
Filmmaker: Yui Kiyohara, Japan
Japanese with English subtitles
North American Premiere
This feature debut is an evocative and surprising exploration of female friendship, parallel realities, and the mysteries of everyday life. An adolescent girl named Seri lives with her mother in an old house in a coastal town. Seemingly in the very same house, amnesiac Sana is taken in by Toko, a young woman who harbors secrets of her own. As the parallel stories unfold, the boundaries between these two worlds grow increasingly porous… Inspired by the fugues of Bach and recalling the films of Jacques Rivette, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and David Lynch, Our House announces Yui Kiyohara as an exciting new voice in Japanese cinema.
Scary Mother / Sashishi Deda
Filmmaker: Ana Urushadze, Georgia/Estonia
Georgian with English subtitles
New York Premiere
In Georgian filmmaker Ana Urushadze’s gripping and bleakly comic feature debut, Manana, a 50-year-old Tbilisi mother abandons her duties as a wife and mother to pursue an obsessive and hermetic life of writing poetry. In a performance of coiled fear and rage that recalls the best of Isabelle Huppert, Nato Murvanidze plunges into Manana‘s feverish imagination. Scary Mother, which won awards at film festivals around the world, is a haunting, singular new vision.
Those Who Are Fine / Dene wos guet geit
Filmmaker: Cyril Schäublin, Switzerland
German with English subtitles
North American Premiere
This dark comic study of an alienated contemporary Zurich begins by following an impassive twenty-something, a call center worker by day who initiates phone scams targeting elderly workers after hours. The film then spirals out to incorporate into its narrative city residents—police, bank tellers, reporters—obliquely linked to this swindle. Swiss filmmaker Cyril Schäublin’s feature debut (following a half-dozen short films to his name, including Stampede, ND/NF 2013) is a razor-sharp, formalist satire, using the city’s grey concrete architecture; clipped, digit-dominated exchanges between urbanites (phone numbers, Wi-Fi passwords, credit cards); and even a dash of sci-fi-esque atmospherics to portray a fractured, contemporary dystopia.
Until the Birds Return / En attendant les hirondelles
Filmmaker: Karim Moussaoui, Algeria/France/Germany
Arabic and French with English subtitles
New York Premiere
A property developer is witness to random street violence. A pair of secret lovers make their way across the desert. A doctor is accused of having a criminal past. In these three interconnected tales, exciting newcomer Karim Moussaoui—whom critics at Cannes compared to Abbas Kiarostami and Leos Carax—takes the pulse of modern-day Algiers, a country once riven by colonial occupation and sectarian warfare yet still abundant in beauty and promise.
A Violent Life / Une Vie Violente
Filmmaker: Thierry de Peretti, France
French with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Stéphane returns to Corsica for the funeral of a childhood friend and gang member, despite having a target on his back. Through flashbacks, this sophomore feature by Corsican filmmaker Thierry de Peretti tensely unspools as a coming-of-age tale dashed with crime, political radicalism, and youthful idealism born of the island’s separatist movement. Loosely based on actual events and cast with local actors, A Violent Life resonates with regional folklore and crafts a poignant portrait of a marginalized generation. A Distrib Films release.
Winter Brothers / Vinterbrødre
Filmmaker: Hlynur Pálmason, Denmark/Iceland
English and Danish with English subtitles
New York Premiere
This debut feature from Hlynur Pálmason, an Icelandic visual artist/filmmaker based in Denmark, is an immersive sensory experience set in a desolate Danish limestone mining community. A landscape covered in indistinguishable white ash and snow masks the darkness enveloping Emil, a lonely and eccentric young man who works in the mine with his much more sociable brother. Few notice Emil until he is suspected of causing a co-worker’s grave illness, which leads to his ostracization. A relentless industrial soundscape accompanies this portrait of a man trapped in unforgiving isolation. A KimStim release.
Shorts Program 1
From an atmospheric thriller set in Iran, uncanny and moving sketches of displaced people, to a musical documentary and an atypical dance film, these five bold shorts evoke the struggles and joys of communities from around the world. City of Tales Arash Nassiri, France/USA Farsi with English subtitles North American Premiere Los Angeles plays Tehran in Arash Nassiri’s uncanny, nocturnal meditation on memory and place, which follows a group of people during Nowruz, the 13-night celebration of the Iranian New Year. Rupture Yassmina Karajah, Jordan/Canada Arabic with English subtitles New York premiere Unable to communicate with the world around them, young Arab teenagers attempt to navigate their new town on a sticky summer day, in search of comfort and a public swimming pool. Palenque Sebastián Pinzón Silva, Colombia/USA Spanish/Palenquero with English subtitles New York Premiere Sebastián Pinzón Silva’s ambulant, melodic documentary is set in San Basilio de Palenque, evoking the rich musical history and collective memory of the first freed slave settlement in the Americas. Gaze / Negah Farnoosh Samadi, Iran/Italy Persian with English subtitles New York Premiere A woman witnesses a crime and must decide whether to speak up in Farnoosh Samadi’s taut and tense film. Home Exercises Sarah Friedland, USA New York Premiere Sarah Friedland’s nonfiction dance portrait of the gestural habits of elderly people in their homes is a sweet, droll, and precisely observed study of the subtle movements and choreographies of domesticity. Friday, March 30, 9:00pm [FSLC] Sunday, April 1, 1:00pm [MoMA]Shorts Program 2
The irreverent, melancholic, and transgressive impulses of youth collide in this program of four films, each set within their own fully realized hermetic world. Copa-Loca Christos Massalas, Greece Greek with English subtitles New York Premiere Teeming with sensational images and absurd dialogue, Christos Massalas’s irreverent coming-of-age story follows a young woman eluding adulthood at an abandoned Greek resort. After School Knife Fight Caroline Poggi & Jonathan Vinel, France French with English subtitles New York Premiere Four bandmates prepare for the departure of their lead singer in this melancholy 16mm snapshot of youthful longing. Möbius Sam Kuhn, USA New York Premiere Following the death of her boyfriend, a teenage girl drifts through her days in a haze of memory in this eerie and atmospheric high school tale. Bad Bunny / Coelho Mau Carlos Conceição, Portugal/France Portuguese with English subtitles North American Premiere This impeccably crafted, fabulist work—a beguiling cross between bestiary and family drama—concerns a voyeuristic young man’s plot to punish his mother’s lover and satisfy a forbidden urge.
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AFI FEST 2017 Announces World Cinema, Midnight and Youth and Family Lineup
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APRIL’S DAUGHTER (LAS HIJAS DE ABRIL)[/caption]
The American Film Institute announced today the films that will be featured in the World Cinema, Midnight and Youth and Family sections at AFI FEST 2017 presented by Audi.
The World Cinema section showcases the most celebrated international films of the year and features 30 films from 39 countries. The section includes 13 official Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® entries: A CIAMBRA (DIR Jonas Carpignano), A FANTASTIC WOMAN (UNA MUJER FANTASTICA) (DIR Sebastián Lelio), FOXTROT (DIR Samuel Maoz), HAPPY END (DIR Michael Haneke), HOCHELAGA, LAND OF SOULS (DIR François Girard), IN THE FADE (AUS DEM NICHTS) (DIR Fatih Akin), THE INSULT (L’INSULTE) (DIR Ziad Doueiri), LOVELESS (NELYUBOV) (DIR Andrey Zvyagintsev), NEWTON (DIR Amit V Masurkar), ON BODY AND SOUL (TESTRŐL ÉS LÉLEKRŐL) (DIR Ildikó Enyedi), SPOOR (POKOT) (DIR Agnieszka Holland), THELMA (DIR Joachim Trier) and WAJIB (DIR Annemarie Jacir).
The festival’s Midnight section will enthrall and petrify audiences with three international, genre-bending films: GOOD MANNERS (DIR Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra), LET THE CORPSES TAN (DIR Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani) and V.I.P. (DIR Park Hoon-Jung).
AFI FEST will offer Youth and Family Programming for the next generation of storytellers and moviegoers, with the films THE BREADWINNER (DIR Nora Twomey) and MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER (DIR Hiromasa Yonebayashi). At these screenings, AFI FEST will host students from several public middle and high schools across Los Angeles County for educational experiences. MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER will also screen for the festival’s public audience.
WORLD CINEMA
APRIL’S DAUGHTER (LAS HIJAS DE ABRIL) – In AFI FEST alum Michel Franco’s latest feature, a domineering mother suddenly arrives to assist with her teenage daughter’s pregnancy. But her true motives will soon emerge. DIR Michel Franco. SCR Michel Franco. CAST Emma Suárez, Ana Valeria Becerril, Enrique Arrizon, Joanna Larequi, Hernán Mendoza. Mexico BEAUTY AND THE DOGS – Following a sexual assault, a young Tunisian woman must descend into a bureaucratic hell to report the incident and find justice. DIR Kaouther Ben Hania. SCR Kaouther Ben Hania. CAST Mariam Al Ferjani, Ghanem Zrelli, Noomane Hamda, Mohamed Akkari, Chedly Arfaoui, Anissa Daoud, Mourad Gharsalli. Tunisia, France, Sweden, Norway, Lebanon, Qatar, Switzerland BRIGHT SUNSHINE IN (UN BEAU SOLEIL INTÉRIEUR) – Juliette Binoche shines in the latest work from auteur Claire Denis, centering on a middle-aged woman hungry to find and hold onto love. DIR Claire Denis. SCR Claire Denis, Christine Angot. CAST Juliette Binoche, Xavier Beauvois, Philippe Katerine, Josiane Balasko, Sandrine Dumas, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Alex Descas, Laurent Grévill. France A CIAMBRA – Jonas Carpignano’s sophomore feature follows Pio, a streetwise teen in Calabria who must step up when his older brother lands in trouble with the police. DIR Jonas Carpignano. SCR Jonas Carpignano. CAST Pio Amato, Koudous Seihon, Iolanda Amato, Damiano Amato, Francesco Pio Amato, Patrizia Amato, Rocco Amato, Susanna Amato. Italy, USA, France, Sweden CLAIRE’S CAMERA (KEUL-LE-EO-UI-KA-ME-LA) – This charming entry from Hong Sang-soo centers on the friendship between a Korean woman (Kim Min-hee) who’s recently lost her job and a wise Parisian teacher (Isabelle Huppert). DIR Hong Sang-soo. SCR Hong Sang-soo. CAST Isabelle Huppert, Kim Min-hee, Chang Mi-hee, Jung Jin-young. South Korea THE DAY AFTER (GEU-HU) – Infused with director Hong Sang-soo’s signature realism and humor, this film follows an aspiring writer who gets caught up in the spectacular drama of her boss’ personal life. DIR Hong Sang-soo. SCR Hong Sang-soo. CAST Kwon Haehyo, Kim Min-hee, Kim Sae-byuk, Cho Yun-hee, Ki Ju-bong, Park Yea-ju, Kang Taeu. South Korea A FANTASTIC WOMAN (UNA MUJER FANTASTICA) – In Sebastián Lelio’s follow-up to GLORIA, trans actress Daniela Vega gives an astonishing debut performance as a woman who must navigate a hostile society after the death of her lover. DIR Sebastián Lelio. SCR Sebastián Lelio, Gonzalo Maza. CAST Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Aline Kuppenheim, Nicolás Saavedra, Amparo Noguera, Néstor Cantillana, Alejandro Goic, Antonia Zegers, Sergio Hernández. Chile, USA, Germany, Spain FOXTROT – An Israeli couple mourns the death of their soldier son in this audacious depiction of war and loss. DIR Samuel Maoz. SCR Samuel Maoz. CAST Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Yonatan Shiray, Gefen Barkai, Dekel Adin, Shaul Amir, Itay Exlroad. Israel, Germany, France, Switzerland A GENTLE CREATURE (KROTKAYA) – An unnamed woman, trying to reach her imprisoned husband, descends into the bureaucratic hell of the Russian penal system in this masterful epic. DIR Sergei Loznitsa. SCR Sergei Loznitsa. CAST Vasilina Makovtseva, Marina Kleshcheva, Lia Akhedzhakova, Valeriu Andriuta, Boris Kamorzin, Sergei Kolesov. France, Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands HAPPY END – Austrian auteur Michael Haneke returns with another chilling masterwork starring Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant, focusing on a dysfunctional wealthy family. DIR Michael Haneke. SCR Michael Haneke. CAST Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Mathieu Kassovitz, Fantine Harduin, Franz Rogowski, Laura Verlinden, Aurelia Petit, Toby Jones. France, Austria, Germany HOCHELAGA, LAND OF SOULS (HOCHELAGA, TERRE DES ÂMES) – The history of Montreal is told with a poetic, episodic structure in this time-jumping drama, arriving in the year of Canada’s 150th anniversary. DIR François Girard. SCR François Girard. CAST Samian, Vincent Perez, Raoul Trujillo, Wahiakeron Gilbert, Emmanuel Schwartz, Tanaya Beatty, David La Haye, Sébastien Ricard, Siân Phillips, Linus Roache, Gilles Renaud, Naïade Aoun, Tony Nardi. Canada IN THE FADE (AUS DEM NICHTS) – Diane Kruger gives a career-topping performance in Fatih Akin’s complex thriller that follows a woman’s search for justice after an act of terrorism shatters her life. DIR Fatih Akin. SCR Fatih Akin, Hark Bohm. CAST Diane Kruger, Denis Moschitto, Johannes Krisch, Samia Chancrin, Numan Acar, Ulrich Tukur, Rafael Santana, Hanna Hilsdorf. Germany, France THE INSULT (L’INSULTE) – When a Palestinian refugee and a Christian nationalist have a fateful crossing of paths, long-simmering tensions in modern-day Lebanon rise to the surface — and spiral out of control. DIR Ziad Doueiri. SCR Ziad Doueiri, Joëlle Touma. CAST Adel Karam, Kamel El Basha, Camille Salameh, Diamand Bou Abboud, Rita Hayek, Talal El Jurdi, Christine Choueiri, Julia Kassar, Rifaat Torbey, Carlos Chahine. Lebanon, France LOVELESS (NELYUBOV) – Russian auteur Andrey Zvyagintsev returns to AFI FEST with a gut-wrenching drama about a divorcing couple who just want to offload their young son — that is, until he disappears. DIR Andrey Zvyagintsev. SCR Oleg Negin, Andrey Zvyagintsev. CAST Maryana Spivak, Alexey Rozin, Matvey Novikov, Marina Vasilyeva, Andris Keishs, Alexey Fateev. Russia, France, Belgium, Germany A MAN OF INTEGRITY – When an Iranian farmer refuses to play ball with corrupt local thugs, he soon learns the steep price for holding onto his principles. DIR Mohammad Rasoulof. SCR Mohammad Rasoulof. CAST Reza Akhlaghirad, Soudabeh Beizaee, Nasim Adabi, Missagh Zareh, Zeinab Shabani, Zhila Shahi, Majib Potki. Iran MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS (MARLINA SI PEMBUNUH DALAM EMPAT BABAK) – A humble Indonesian woman becomes a stealthy master of revenge in this modern feminist Western. DIR Mouly Surya. SCR Mouly Surya, Rama Adi. CAST Marsha Timothy, Dea Panendra, Yoga Pratama, Egi Fedly. Indonesia, France, Malaysia, Thailand MR. LONG – In this deft, soulful work of genre filmmaking, a notorious hitman trying to allude gangsters finds refuge in a dilapidated part of Tokyo, where he befriends a troubled mother and her child. DIR SABU. SCR SABU. CAST Chang Chen, Sho Aoyagi, Yiti Yao, Runyin Bai. Japan, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Germany MRS HYDE (MADAME HYDE) – Isabelle Huppert is sublime as MADAME HYDE, a meek chemistry teacher who experiences a fantastic awakening following a lab accident. DIR Serge Bozon. SCR Axelle Ropert, Serge Bozon. CAST Isabelle Huppert, Romain Duris, José Garcia, Adda Senani, Guillaume Verdier, Patricia Barzyk, Pierre Léon, Jamal Barbouche. France, Belgium NEWTON – An idealistic election monitor is determined to make the voices of 76 villagers heard in this humorous and humanistic portrait of Indian democracy. DIR Amit V Masurkar. SCR Mayank Tewari, Amit V Masurkar. CAST Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil, Raghubir Yadav. India ON BODY AND SOUL (TESTRŐL ÉS LÉLEKRŐL) – In this Berlinale Golden Bear winner, two very different employees at a slaughterhouse discover they share the same dreams at night. DIR Ildikó Enyedi. SCR Ildikó Enyedi. CAST Alexandra Borbély, Géza Morcsányi, Réka Tenki, Zoltán Schneider, Ervin Nagy, Pál Mácsai, Itala Békés, Tamás Jordán, Éva Bata. Hungary THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE (TOIVON TUOLLA PUOLEN) – Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismäki turns his sights on a Syrian refugee in Helsinki in this moving, hopeful and hilariously deadpan masterwork. DIR Aki Kaurismäki. SCR Aki Kaurismäki. CAST Sherwan Haji, Sakari Kuosmanen, Ilkka Koivula, Janne Hyytiäinen, Nuppu Koivu, Kaija Pakarinen, Niroz Haji, Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon. Finland, Germany A SEASON IN FRANCE (UNE SAISON EN FRANCE) – A migrant from the Central African Republic struggles to gain asylum in France and raise his two children in this urgently empathetic new work from Chadian auteur Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. DIR Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. SCR Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. CAST Eriq Ebouaney, Sandrine Bonnaire, Aalayna Lys, Ibrahim Burama Darboe, Bibi Tanga, Léonie Simaga, Régine Conas, Khampha Thammavongsa. France A SKIN SO SOFT (TA PEAU SI LISSE) – Denis Côté returns to AFI FEST with this hybrid documentary examining hyper-masculinity within a group of Québécois bodybuilders. DIR Denis Côté. SCR Denis Côté. CAST Alexis Légaré, Benoit Lapierre, Cédric Doyon, Jean-François Bouchard, Ronald Yang, Maxim Lemire. Canada SPOOR (POKOT) – Polish master Agnieszka Holland delivers an animal rights murder mystery for the ages in this genre-bending, gloriously twisted thriller. DIR Agnieszka Holland. SCR Olga Tokarczuk, Agnieszka Holland. CAST Agnieszka Mandat, Wiktor Zborowski, Miroslav Krobot, Jakub Gierszał, Patricia Volny, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc, Andrzej Grabowski. Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovak Republic SWEET COUNTRY – An Aboriginal man and his wife are forced to go on the run into the Outback in this brilliant, heart-rending revisionist Western set in 1929 Australia. DIR Warwick Thornton. SCR David Tranter, Steven McGregor. CAST Sam Neill, Bryan Brown, Ewen Leslie, Hamilton Morris, Thomas M. Wright, Matt Day, Natassia Gorey-Furber. Australia THELMA – A young Norwegian woman from a devoutly Christian background begins experiencing fantastic powers in the latest work from Joachim Trier. DIR Joachim Trier. SCR Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier. CAST Eili Harboe, Kaya Wilkins, Henrik Rafaelsen, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Grethe Eltervåg, Marte Magnusdotter Solem, Anders Mossling, Vanessa Borgli, Steinar Klouman Hallert, Ingrid Giæver, Oskar Pask, Gorm Grømer, Camilla Belsvik, Martha Kjørven. Norway, Sweden, France, Denmark WAJIB – A Palestinian father and son deal with ideological differences as they drive around Nazareth delivering wedding invitations in this moving, subtle drama. DIR Annemarie Jacir. SCR Annemarie Jacir. CAST Mohammad Bakri, Saleh Bakri, Maria Zreik, Rana Alamuddin. Palestine, France, Germany, Colombia, Norway, Qatar, United Arab Emirates WALKING PAST THE FUTURE (LU GUO WEI LAI) – A young woman and her family deal with the fallout of widespread factory layoffs in this elegant portrait of the socioeconomic realities of contemporary China. DIR Li Ruijun. SCR Li Ruijun. CAST Yang Zishan, Yin Fang. China WESTERN – Masculine hostility and violence simmer to the surface in this slow-burn masterstroke from new German auteur Valeska Grisebach. DIR Valeska Grisebach. SCR Valeska Grisebach. CAST Meinhard Neumann, Reinhardt Wetrek, Syuleyman Alilov Letifov, Veneta Frangova, Vyara Borisova, Kevin Bashev. Germany, Bulgaria, Austria THE WORKSHOP (L’ATELIER) – Facing a dangerous threat, a Parisian teacher must teach her students how to stand up for what’s right in the latest film from Laurent Cantet (Palme d’Or winner THE CLASS). DIR Laurent Cantet. SCR Robin Campillo, Laurent Cantet. CAST Marina Foïs, Matthieu Lucci, Warda Rammach, Issam Talbi, Florian Beaujean, Mamadou Doumbia, Julien Souve, Mélissa Guilbert, Olivier Thouret, Lény Sellam. FranceMIDNIGHT
GOOD MANNERS (AS BOAS MANEIRAS) – Clara gets a nanny job for a high-class woman with an intensifying hunger for meat in this genre-bending tale of love, sacrifice and compassion. DIR Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra. SCR Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra. CAST Isabél Zuaa, Marjorie Estiano, Miguel Lobo. Brazil, France LET THE CORPSES TAN (LAISSEZ BRONZER LES CADAVRES) – A sun-soaked adventure fueled by machine-gunfire and leather, LET THE CORPSES TAN is an audacious heist film with style to burn. DIR Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani. SCR Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani. CAST Elina Löwensohn, Stéphane Ferrara, Hervé Sogne, Bernie Bonvoisin, Pierre Nisse, Marc Barbé, Michelangelo Marchese. Belgium, France V.I.P. – A buttoned-up federal agent, a world-weary cop and a mysterious lone wolf join forces to take down a serial killer in this tense Korean thriller. DIR Park Hoon-Jung. SCR Park Hoon-Jung. CAST Jang Dong-gun, Kim Myung-min, Park Hee-soon, Lee Jong-suk. South KoreaYOUTH AND FAMILY
THE BREADWINNER – This timely, inspiring and beautifully animated tale follows an 11-year-old girl growing up under the Taliban in Afghanistan, who must disguise herself as a boy to support her family. DIR Nora Twomey. SCR Anita Doron. CAST Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq, Shaista Latif, Ali Badshah, Kawa Ada, Noorin Gulamgaus. Canada, Ireland, Luxembourg MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER (MEARI TO MAJO NO HANA) – Based on Mary Stewart’s 1971 children’s book “The Little Broomstick,” this film tells the story of a young girl who discovers a flower that grants magical powers, but only for one night. DIR Hiromasa Yonebayashi. SCR Riko Sakaguchi, Hiromasa Yonebayashi. CAST Ruby Barnhill, Kate Winslet, Jim Broadbent, Ewen Bremner, Lynda Baron. Japan AFI FEST takes place November 9 to 16, 2017, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and other events will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre, Dolby Cinema at the Vine, the Mark Goodson Screening Room at the American Film Institute and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
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Alexander Payne’s DOWNSIZING to Close + Final Wave of Films Announced for 2017 Fantastic Fest
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DOWNSIZING[/caption]
The 2017 Fantastic Fest announced its final wave of films, along with Alexander Payne’s miniature masterpiece DOWNSIZING as the closing night film. Rounding out a trio of Fantastic-Fest first-timers making their way to Austin is Cory Finley and his jaw dropping debut THOROUGHBRED, and fan-favorite tough guy extraordinaire Frank Grillo for the World Premiere of his nail-biting getaway drama, WHEELMAN.
In keeping with world premieres, Fantastic Fest announced a fistful of titles that will receive their big screen bows. Screen great Barbara Crampton will be in attendance with director Bradford Baruh for a ride in his chilling APPLECART, featuring over forty minutes of zero gravity footage; Russia’s SALYUT-7 is guaranteed to pop 3D eyes; HAUNTERS: THE ART OF THE SCARE walks us through the world’s most terrifying haunted houses; and TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID delivers a contemporary fairytale from within the world of the mexican cartels.
“I’m incredibly proud of the vast array of filmmaking on display in this year’s program,” said Fantastic Fest Creative Director Evrim Ersoy. “From the most highly acclaimed studio titles to the smallest independent debuts, it’s exhilarating to embrace unique creativity from the four corners of the world. Bringing filmmakers together in a program that highlights the increasing diversity of cinema is truly an honor that we can’t wait to share with our audience.”
Female filmmakers once again deliver powerful voices with three of the most dynamic films of the festival. Angel Robinson will be in attendance to share the controversially kinky true story behind the year’s biggest superhero with PROFESSOR MARSTON & THE WONDER WOMEN; Lisa Bruhlmann makes a stunning entrance with her fantastical coming-of-age debut BLUE MY MIND; and not to be outdone, first time feature-maker Coralie Fargeat turns the revenge genre upside down with her outrageous femme fatale fiesta, REVENGE.
A mainstay of Fantastic Fest has been showcasing world cinema’s finest exports and this year is no exception. Asia basks in the glory of master Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s return to the apocalyptic fold with BEFORE WE VANISH (Japan), while his countryman Sôichi Umezawa delivers the outlandish midnight spectacle of VAMPIRE CLAY (Japan). South Korea represents with the year’s toughest crime caper, THE MERCILESS, and serial killer shocker V.I.P., while NYAFF award-winner BAD GENIUS represents Thailand. And Taiwan shows school students no mercy with the hyper-violent MON MON MON MONSTERS. Not to be outdone, Europe comes out swinging with Hungarian auteur Kornél Mundruczó’s follow up to WHITE GOD, the stunning JUPITER’S MOON, French filmmakers Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani splash their hyper-stylized western LET THE CORPSES TAN across the screen and Norway’s Joachim Trier delivers one of the most quietly impressive films of the year, the assured THELMA.
The world premiere of Don Hertzfeldt’s WORLD OF TOMORROW EPISODE 2: THE BURDEN OF OTHER PEOPLE’S THOUGHTS highlights an animated sidebar that pushes the medium into brave new spaces. Rounding out the fantastical trio is the debut feature from Studio Ponoc, MARY AND THE WITCHES FLOWER, from ex Studio Ghibli key animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi, and JUNK HEAD, Takahide Hori’s claymation feature that took him over seven years to complete, entirely by himself.
American Genre Film Archive makes its triumphant return to Fantastic Fest with two movies that will rot your libido in the best way. BAT PUSSY, the world’s first X-rated parody, shares the spotlight the world premiere of a brand new 2K transfer of one of the most sought-after lost films in the history of exploitation cinema in a very special secret screening. Additional rep titles include the world premiere of the Takashi Miike-approved 4K restoration of ICHI THE KILLER, the digital remaster of the seminal Indian cult movie BAASHA, and Jean Rollin’s THE NUDE VAMPIRE, presented by Kier-la Janisse in celebration of her new book Lost Girls: The Phantasmagorical Cinema of Jean Rollin.
True to form, Fantastic Fest will be re-writing reality once more with a crowded cornucopia of events that invade all corners of the fest. Gross-out grub-gorging spectacle Puke and Explode rumbles once more, notorious VHS archival warriors Everything is Terrible return with an all-new show to both delight and horrify. Comedy legend Gilbert Gottfried will be performing and screening the incredible biographical doc GILBERT, and the seminal Fantastic Debates marks its 10-year anniversary of polemic pugilism in spectacular fashion.
FINAL WAVE OF FILM:
AGFA + SOMETHING WEIRD PRESENT: BAT PUSSY and SECRET SCREENING American Genre Film Archive makes its triumphant return to Fantastic Fest with two movies that will rot your libido in the best way. BAT PUSSY, the world’s first X-rated parody, is what happens when an anonymous smut producer gets inspired by the 1960s BATMAN TV show but only has $5. It’s also what happens when your wildest dreams and most horrifying nightmares collide in an explosion of flaccid stupefaction. Next up, after years of detective work, AGFA presents the world premiere of a brand new 2K transfer of one of the most sought-after lost films in the history of exploitation cinema. LOST GIRLS Book Launch: THE NUDE VAMPIRE presented by Kier-la Janisse THE NUDE VAMPIRE France, 1970 Repertory, 88 min Director – Jean Rollin Jean Rollin’s THE NUDE VAMPIRE (1970) follows a sinister businessman who’s keeping a young vampire girl captive and experimenting on her in the hope that he finds the key to eternal life. The film will be screened in celebration of the launch of the new book from publisher Spectacular Optical, LOST GIRLS: THE PHANTASMAGORICAL CINEMA OF JEAN ROLLIN, the first examination of Rollin’s work to be written by all women critics, scholars and film historians, and will be introduced by the book’s publisher Kier-La Janisse. 3FT BALL & SOULS Japan, 2017 International Premiere, 93 min Director – Yoshio Kato Four strangers come together to commit suicide using explosives. But they discover that every time they blow up, they’re sent back to just before they killed themselves. APPLECART USA, 2017 World Premiere, 86 min Director – Bradford Baruh An idyllic weekend vacation to a secluded cabin turns deadly when the Pollack family discovers an unconscious woman whose sinister plans will pit the family members against each other. BAASHA India, 1995 Repertory/International Premiere, 165 min Director – Suresh Krissna Superstar Rajinikanth plays a rickshaw driver with a history of violence in this genre-defining musical gangster romance epic from the director of AALAVANDHAN. BAD GENIUS Thailand, 2017 Texas Premiere, 130 min Director – Nattawut Poonpiriya A quartet of high school students are better at cheating than anything you’ve ever done in your life in this epic nail-biter about the standardized tests that level the playing field for all kids, smart and dumb, rich and poor. BEFORE WE VANISH Japan, 2017 North American Premiere, 129 min Director – Kiyoshi Kurosawa Kurosawa’s latest film is a sci-fi thriller about an invasion in which aliens must come to understand humanity through understanding human emotion — most importantly, our collective capacity for love. BLUE MY MIND Switzerland, 2017 North American Premiere, 97 min Director – Lisa Brühlmann BLUE MY MIND follows 15-year-old Mia (Luna Wedler) as she undergoes a life-changing transformation, one that leaves her examining her body and her very existence in a new light. BRIMSTONE & GLORY Mexico, USA, 2017 Regional Premiere, 67 min Director – Viktor Jakovleski Tultepec is a small Mexican town that celebrates its love of fireworks with a yearly week-long festival. This festival is captured in a glorious documentary that is pure cinema. THE CURED Ireland, UK, France, 2017 US Premiere, 95 min Director – David Freyne A zombie virus has hit the world… but it has been cured. What’s next for the ex-zombies who have returned to normal? David Freyne’s debut feature throws lots of food for thought into the mouth of your mind. DARKLAND Denmark, 2017 US Premiere, 113 min Director – Fenar Ahmad An Iraqi doctor in Denmark seeks vigilante justice for his brother’s murder when the police come up short, biting off more than he can chew in a world of gangs, drugs and underground fight rings. FIRSTBORN Latvia, 2017 North American Premiere, 90 min Director – Aik Karapetian Provocative Latvian director Aik Karapetian returns to Fantastic Fest with a new thriller that explores how far a meek architect will go to protect his dignity in the eyes of his wife in the aftermath of an attack. FIVE FINGERS FOR MARSEILLES South Africa, 2017 US Premiere, 120 min Director – Michael Matthews A troubled young man returns to the town he fled as a youth and is forced to confront his past (and the town’s difficult future) in this gorgeous Xhosa language western. GEMINI USA, 2017 Special Screening, 93 min Director – Aaron Katz Our understandings of friendship, truth and celebrity are challenged when a heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant (Lola Kirke) and her Hollywood starlet boss (Zoe Kravitz) in Aaron Katz’s latest. GILBERT USA, 2017 Regional Premiere, 99 min Director – Neil Berkeley GILBERT is the story of Gilbert Gottfried as never seen before, both a behind-the-scenes documentary and a poignant look at the life of a comedian who has more layers than most people can imagine. GOOD MANNERS Brazil, France, 2017 North American Premiere, 135 min Directors – Juliana Rojas & Marco Dutra When lonely nurse Clara is hired as a nanny by wealthy Ana, she hardly expects anything like the friendship she finds with the lonely, pregnant woman. However, both women have dark secrets which will engulf all that they hold dear. HAUNTERS: THE ART OF THE SCARE USA, 2017 World Premiere, 88 min Director – Jon Schnitzer Delving behind the scenes of one of America’s most beloved seasonal pastimes, HAUNTERS shows the world of the people who make the scariest houses, mazes and experiences that range from the traditional to the controversial. ICHI THE KILLER – 4K RESTORATION Japan, 2001 Repertory/World Premiere of Restoration, 129 min Director – Takashi Miike The yakuza occupy a murky universe with more twists and turns than the Shinjuku alleys they call home. The mysterious disappearance of a Tokyo mob boss triggers a hunt to find him, dead or alive. The search leads to the city’s most depraved clubs and sex dens and eventually to Ichi, the schizophrenic hitman behind the crime. Even more shocking is the discovery that the mastermind who hired Ichi is a fellow gangster out for revenge. JUNK HEAD Japan, 2017 US Premiere, 114 min Director – Takahide Hori Humanity is dying. It’s been 1200 years since our rebellious clone workforce moved underground, and the only way we can survive is by plunging into the depths to learn more about our terrifying creations. JUPITER’S MOON Hungary, Germany, 2017 North American Premiere, 123 min Director – Kornél Mundruczó The most ambitious science fiction film of the year is also perhaps the most visually stunning. Aryan is a refugee who finds himself with the power to levitate after being shot. Stern is a disgraced, corrupt doctor. The two will meet and alter the entire world. LES AFFAMES Canada, 2017 US Premiere, 100 min Director – Robin Aubert In the remote Quebec countryside, things are not well. A plague has infected the land, affecting almost all the residents of a small village. The survivors have to navigate their new existence as well as deal with the infected with an appetite for flesh. LET THE CORPSES TAN Belgium, France, 2017 US Premiere, 92 min Directors – Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani On a beautiful corner of the Mediterranean, Rhino and his men take refuge after the robbery of 250 kilograms of gold. The plan is simple: Wait and split. But some unwanted visitors are about to turn this idyllic corner into a bloodbath. LETTERKENNY Canada, 2016 US Premiere, 151 min Director – Jacob Tierney The spiritual successors to STRANGE BREW’s Bob and Doug MacKenzie, the rural residents of the fictitious town of LETTERKENNY deliver a hysterical slice of Canadiana in the comedy phenomenon chronicling the daily problems of hicks, skids, hockey players and Christians. THE LINE Slovakia, Ukraine, 2017 North American Premiere, 112 min Director – Peter Bebjak One line is literal, the border between Slovakia and Ukraine. Criminal Adam Krajnak (Tomas Mastalir) crosses it often, smuggling product and people. The other line is metaphorical, and crossing it leads to a death spiral of violence and vengeance. LOVE AND SAUCERS USA/Canada, 2017 Texas Premiere, 67 min Director – Brad Abrahams David Huggins, a 72-year-old man who claims to have lost his virginity as a young man to an extraterrestrial being, turned to art to express his interspecies romance and lifelong relationship with the otherworldly. MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER Japan, 2017 North American Premiere, 102 min Director – Hiromasa Yonebayashi Directing the first film out of Studio Ponoc, Hiromasa Yonebayashi (WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE) creates the dazzling and heartwarming story of an ordinary girl who becomes an extraordinary witch. THE MERCILESS South Korea, 2017 North American Premiere, 117 min Director – Byun Sung-hyun Cribbing liberally from the history of gangster films, Byun Sung-hyun’s hard-boiled Korean crime saga is filled with all manner of murder, deceit, double and triple crosses… and, oh yeah, slap-fighting. MOM AND DAD USA, 2017 US Premiere, 83 min Director – Brian Taylor Selma Blair and Nicolas Cage are seemingly ideal parents until an unknown force causes their town’s adults to murder their offspring. MON MON MON MONSTERS Taiwan, 2017 Regional Premiere, 112 min Director – Giddens Ko A bullied schoolboy is teamed up with his tormentors to do community social work. While on duty, they encounter a strange creature which they kidnap, and take bullying to a whole new level. THE PRINCE OF NOTHINGWOOD France, Germany, 2017 US Premiere, 85 min Director – Sonia Kronlund Meet Salim Shaheen: Afghani auteur, prolific actor and one-man moviemaking industry. Along with his trusted troupe of actors, he defies all the odds in the Middle East to fulfill his dreams of making movies. PROFESSOR MARSTON & THE WONDER WOMEN USA, 2017 US Premiere, 108 min Director – Angela Robinson In a superhero origin tale unlike any other, this film is the incredible true story of what inspired Harvard psychologist Dr. William Moulton Marston to create the iconic Wonder Woman character in the 1940s. RABBIT Australia, 2017 International Premiere, 99 min Director – Luke Shanahan After a full year, Maude is still stricken by visions of her sister Cleo’s kidnapping. Believing that Cleo is still alive, Maude undergoes a suspenseful journey to find her in this stunning, atmospheric feature debut from Luke Shanahan. RADIUS Canada, 2017 US Premiere, 91 min Directors – Caroline Labrèche & Steeve Léonard When a man wakes up from a car crash with no memory of what happened, his first instinct is to find help. However, as he gets closer to civilization and other people, an ugly truth will rear its head and affect all those who surround him. REVENGE France, 2017 US Premiere, 108 min Director – Coralie Fargeat Three rich male thrill-seekers discover that Jennifer isn’t the human sex doll that they assumed she was when they invited her on their isolated hunting getaway. Jennifer teaches them fundamental lessons about consent in a manner that they — and we — won’t soon forget. RIFT Iceland, 2017 Texas Premiere, 111 min Director – Erlingur Thoroddsen After a phone call from his ex wakes him late one night, Gunnar drives out to a secluded vacation cottage to save Einar from himself, but what awaits him there is mystery and confusion. SALYUT-7 Russia, 2017 World Premiere, 119 min Director – Klim Shipenko Based on a true story, SALYUT-7 is the little-known mission to dock with an unmanned space station in order to stop it from crashing into Earth, a feat never before attempted in space history. THELMA Norway, 2017 Texas Premiere, 116 min Director – Joachim Trier A conservative young woman attending college in Oslo begins to fall in love while discovering her burgeoning supernatural powers in a stunning new film from Norway. THOROUGHBRED USA, 2017 Austin Premiere, 92 min Director – Cory Finley Two teenage girls in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. In the process, they learn that neither is what she seems to be, and that a murder might solve both of their problems. TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID Mexico, 2017 World Premiere, 83 min Director – Issa López When her mother suddenly disappears with no one to care for her, young Estrella ends up on the street and joins a gang of children, triggering a dangerous and tragic chain of events in the third feature from Mexican filmmaker Lopez. UNDER THE TREE Iceland, Denmark, Poland, Germany, 2017 US Premiere, 89 min Director – Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson On the outskirts of Reykjavik, the shadow cast by a tree triggers a feud between two neighboring families, with tragic and darkly comic consequences. V.I.P. South Korea, 2017 International Premiere, 128 min Director – Hoon-jung Park A notorious serial killer who happens to be the son of a defecting DPRK official sends South Korea’s National Intelligence, police from both states and even international brass into a mad political scramble in this thrilling neo-noir. VAMPIRE CLAY Japan, 2017 US Premiere, 80 min Director – Soichi Umezawa A class of art school hopefuls is stalked by blood-thirsty, flesh-hungry clay in this bizarre practical effects-heavy horror assault from THE ABCs OF DEATH 2 segment director and longtime special makeup effects artist Umezawa. VIDAR THE VAMPIRE Norway, 2017 Texas Premiere, 82 min Directors – Thomas Aske Berg & Fredrik Waldeland Christian farmer Vidar has a boring life, living with his mom and tending sheep. When he wishes for more excitement he wakes up undead, hangs out with vampire Jesus and discovers that sometimes the party can go on too long. WHEELMAN USA, 2017 World Premiere, 82 min Director – Jeremy Rush Frank Grillo (KINGDOM; CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR) stars as the wheelman, a getaway driver thrust into a high stakes race to survive after a bank robbery goes terribly wrong. With a car full of money and his family on the line, the clock is ticking to figure out who double-crossed him and the only person he can trust… his 14-year-old daughter. All reasons to think fast and drive faster. WORLD OF TOMORROW EPISODE TWO: THE BURDEN OF OTHER PEOPLE’S THOUGHTS USA, 2017 World Premiere, 22 min Director – Don Hertzfeldt The highly anticipated follow-up to Don Hertzfeldt’s Oscar-nominated WORLD OF TOMORROW finds Emily Prime swept into the brain of an incomplete backup clone of her future self, who’s on a mission to reboot her broken mind. Continuing the tradition of the first film, WORLD OF TOMORROW EPISODE TWO was written entirely around candid audio recordings of Hertzfeldt’s five-year-old niece.
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2017 London Film Festival Unveils Lineup of 242 Feature Films + 128 Shorts
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The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)[/caption]
The 61st BFI London Film Festival today announced its full program, featuring a diverse selection of 242 feature films including 46 documentaries, 6 animations, 14 archive restorations and 16 artists’ moving image features. The program also includes 128 short films, and 67 countries are represented across short film and features.
Alongside the Galas, Special Presentations and films in Competitions, the Festival will show a range of new cinema in sections aka strands titled Love, Debate, Laugh, Dare, Thrill, Cult, Journey, Experimenta and Family. In 2017, the LFF debuts a new strand, Create, featuring films that celebrate artistic practice in all its channels and forms the electricity of the creative process, reflecting London’s position as one of the world’s leading creative cities.
Audiences will have the opportunity to hear some of the world’s creative leaders through the Festival’s acclaimed talks’ series LFF Connects, which features artists working at the intersection of film and other creative industries, and Screen Talks, a series of in-depth interviews with leaders in contemporary cinema. Participants this year include Julian Rosefeldt & Cate Blanchett, David Fincher, Demis Hassabis, Nitin Sawhney, Johan Knattrup Jensen, Ian McEwan and Takashi Miike.
OFFICIAL COMPETITION
Robin Campillo, 120 BPM (BEATS PER MINUTE) Vivian Qu, ANGELS WEAR WHITE Majid Majidi, BEYOND THE CLOUDS (World Premiere) Nora Twomey, THE BREADWINNER (European Premiere) Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra, GOOD MANNERS Xavier Beauvois, THE GUARDIANS (European Premiere) Andrew Haigh, LEAN ON PETE Andrey Zvyagintsev, LOVELESS Azazel Jacobs, THE LOVERS (European Premiere) Warwick Thornton, SWEET COUNTRY Cory Finley, THOROUGHBRED (International Premiere) Annemarie Jacir, WAJIBFIRST FEATURE COMPETITION
Daniel Kokotajlo, APOSTASY Léa Mysius, AVA Michael Pearce, BEAST (European Premiere) Ofir Raul Graizer, THE CAKEMAKER Gilles Coulier, CARGO Kogonada, COLUMBUS Rungano Nyoni, I AM NOT A WITCH Léonor Serraille, JEUNE FEMME Ana Asensio, MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND Carla Simón, SUMMER 1993 Hlynur Pálmason, WINTER BROTHERS John Trengove, THE WOUNDDOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Maryam Goormaghtigh, BEFORE SUMMER ENDS Elvira Lind, BOBBI JENE Arash Kamali Sarvestani, Behrouz Boochani, CHAUKA, PLEASE TELL US THE TIME (International Premiere) Radu Jude, THE DEAD NATION Shevaun Mizrahi, DISTANT CONSTELLATION Frederick Wiseman, EX LIBRIS – THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Agnès Varda, JR, FACES PLACES Austin Lynch, Matthew Booth, GRAY HOUSE Brett Morgen, JANE (European Premiere) Lucy Cohen, KINGDOM OF US (World Premiere) Emmanuel Gras, MAKALA Sonia Kronlund, THE PRINCE OF NOTHINGWOODSHORT FILM AWARD
Gabriel Abrantes, THE ARTIFICIAL HUMORS Phil Collins, DELETE BEACH Billie Pleffer, FYSH (International Premiere) Anna Cazenave Cambet, GABBER LOVER Karishma Dube, GODDESS Aegina Brahim, LAWS OF THE GAME Jonathan Vinel, MARTIN CRIES Patrick Bresnan THE RABBIT HUNT Moin Hussain, REAL GODS REQUIRE BLOOD Kibwe Tavares, ROBOT & SCARECROW Kazik Radwanski, SCAFFOLD Harry Lighton, WREN BOYS (World Premiere) The Festival program is organized in strands: Love, Debate, Laugh, Dare, Thrill, Cult, Journey, Create, Family, Treasures and Experimenta.LOVE
The Love Gala is the European Premiere of Dominic Cooke’s quietly heart-breaking film debut ON CHESIL BEACH. Saoirse Ronan and rising actor Billy Howle star as a young couple in the early 1960s struggling to physically connect on their honeymoon, impeccably adapted for the big screen by Ian McEwan from his own Man Booker-shortlisted novela. Other highlights in this section include: CLOSE-KNIT, Naoko Ogigami’s quietly subversive and emotionally rich portrait of a transwoman whose maternal feelings are stirred by the arrival of her boyfriend’s 11-year-old niece; THE GROWN-UPS, Maïte Alberdi’s tender and bittersweet documentary portrait of Chileans Anita and Andres, who have Down’s syndrome and are very much in love; the World Premiere of Carlos Marques Marcet’s ANCHOR AND HOPE, a London-set story about modern love and family featuring Oona Chaplin; John Cameron Mitchell’s cosmic ride HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES, sees aliens have landed in 1970s Croydon in a funny, energetic love story starring Elle Fanning, Alex Sharp and Nicole Kidman; the World Premiere of JOURNEYMAN, features Paddy Considine following up his acclaimed debut Tyrannosaur with the story of a boxer who must rebuild his life after a near-fatal injury; GOING WEST, a World Premiere from Norwegian newcomer Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken who delivers a sweetly delicious road movie; LET THE SUNSHINE IN, Claire Denis’ darkly witty drama starring Juliette Binoche as an artist caught up in a series of unsatisfying affairs, and David Gordon Green’s rousing yet devastating true-story drama STRONGER featuring a remarkable performance by Jake Gyllenhaal as a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing.DEBATE
This year’s Debate Gala is Samuel Maoz’s FOXTROT, a film that combines thrilling cinematography with superb performances, and highlights the absurdities of conscripted service. Debate also includes: BIRDS ARE SINGING IN KIGALI, Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze’s hard-hitting drama about the intertwined lives of two refugee survivors reeling from the impact of the Rwandan genocide and containing powerful central performances; the World Premiere of THE CLIMB, Michael Woodward’s debut documentary that charts Greenpeace’s daring all-female team that illegally ascended The Shard in protest against petroleum giant Shell’s plans to dig for oil in the Arctic; the World Premiere of THE FORGIVEN, Roland Joffé’s political drama starring Forest Whitaker as Desmond Tutu and Eric Bana as Piet Blomfeld, asking how far we can go in forgiving past crimes; the World Premiere of ISLAND, Steven Eastwood’s haunting and deeply moving documentary combining observational footage with contemplative shots of the costal landscapes of the Isle of Wight, and set among terminally ill cancer patients, and THE VENERABLE W., Barbet Schroeder’s disturbingly illuminating portrait of Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu, who was known for espousing anti-Muslim hatred.LAUGH
This year’s Laugh Gala is Noah Baumbach’s THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (NEW AND SELECTED). A stellar cast give uniformly excellent performances, including Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Elizabeth Marvel and Emma Thompson. Through the madcap antics of a neurotic, failure-obsessed clan, Baumbach surfaces bigger questions about how to value family and the meaning of success. Laugh also includes: the World Premiere of Adrian Shergold’s FUNNY COW, which contains a formidable performance from Maxine Peake as an aspiring stand-up comic confronting her violent husband and the sexist Northern England club circuit; INGRID GOES WEST, Matt Spicer’s jet-black stalker comedy brilliantly skewers dangerous obsession and the sham of Instagrammed perfection with wicked and fearless performances from Elizabeth Olsen and Aubrey Plaza; joy and grace flow out of Dustin Guy Defa’s observational comedy drama PERSON TO PERSON, starring Michael Cera as a reporter keen on quoting (his own) heavy metal lyrics; Daan Bakker’s QUALITY TIME is perfect for lovers of experimental and irreverent cinema offering a portmanteau selection of stories of male arrested development; and Henrik Ruben Genz’s WORD OF GOD is set months after the Chernobyl disaster and provides dark and dirty humour where pretty much nothing is off limits.DARE
The Dare Gala is François Ozon’s frisky new thriller, AMANT DOUBLE, a deliciously duplicitous tale of psychoanalysis and seduction that channels the spirits of Hitchcock and De Palma at their naughtiest and stars Jérémie Renier, Marine Vacth and Jacqueline Bisset. Other highlights in the strand include: Eliza Hittman’s BEACH RATS, a gripping investigation of repressed sexual desire in a hyper-masculine environment; Jon Garaño and Aitor Arregi’s touching drama GIANT, set in 19th century Spain and based on the true story of Mikel Jokin Eleizegi, allegedly the tallest man of his time; Semih Kaplanoğlu’s spellbinding dystopian sci-fi, GRAIN in which climate change has caused the nearextinction of human life; Liu Jian’s adult animé HAVE A NICE DAY, a biting, bone-dry satire on contemporary Chinese social mores and featuring plenty of bloodthirsty Tarantino-esque genre thrills; the European Premiere of Bornila Chatterjee’s THE HUNGRY, which reworks Shakespeare’s bloody Titus Andronicus into a macabre modern tragedy set in Northern India; Barbara Albert’s resplendent drama MADEMOISELLE PARADIS, based on the true story of Maria Theresia ‘Resi’ von Paradis, a gifted blind musician and contemporary of Mozart, paraded through Vienna’s courts to perform; Jean Libon and Yves Hinant’s jawdropping and extraordinary documentary SO HELP ME GOD, which details the work of an unorthodox Belgian judge Anne Gruwez as she tackles gruesome crimes, domestic violence and other sordid cases; and WESTERN, director Valeska Grisebach’s contemporary western in which tensions mount between German construction workers and Bulgarian villagers in a small rural town.THRILL
This year’s Thrill Gala is Takashi Miike’s savage and inventive action thriller, BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL, based on the famous manga series by Hiroaki Samurai about a samurai cursed with immortal life and has the distinction of being Miike’s 100th feature film. Thrill also features: the European Premiere of Nattawut Poonpiriya’s Thai teen thriller BAD GENIUS, in which young brainiac Lynn uses a very special set of skills to cheat on behalf of her classmates in the high-stakes world of entrance exams for elite international universities; the European Premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s THE BRAWLER in which a young and talented Indian boxer dreams of being champion, but is knocked sideways when he falls for the niece of the man blocking his road to success; Aaron Katz’s GEMINI in which a heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant, Jill played by Lola Kirke and her Hollywood movie star boss Heather played by Zoë Kravitz; the Safdie brothers’ latest film GOOD TIME features Robert Pattinson as a small-time New York criminal, who after a bank robbery goes seriously wrong, devises a plan to spring his injured accomplice from police custody; Jennifer Peedom’s spectacular documentary MOUNTAIN, is a mind-blowing symphony of images and sound chronicling the powerful attraction mountains hold over us; love, crime and action combine in a taut and twisty thriller-cum-romance in Michaël R. Roskam’s RACER AND THE JAILBIRD starring Adèle Exarchopoulos as Bibi, a young racing driver and Matthias Schoenaerts as Gigi the Jailbird, a dashing playboy with, it seems, time and money to burn; Ian Nelms and Eshom Nelms’ blackly comic, crime noir, SMALL TOWN CRIME (European Premiere) stars John Hawkes as alcoholic former cop Mike, channelling a drunk Columbo who embarks on his own unofficial crime investigation while Octavia Spencer plays his supportive sister Kelly who is starting to lose patience with Mike’s lying, drifting and drinking; and the International Premiere of Xin Yukun’s sophisticated arthouse thriller, WRATH OF SILENCE featuring martial arts maestro Song Yang, as a mute bruiser who returns to his home, a remote farming village, following the disappearance of his son. With tight plotting, memorable characters and an unforgettable climax, director Xin Yukun establishes himself as a new international filmmaker you need to know.CULT
The Cult Gala is Joachim Trier’s subtle shocker THELMA, a supernaturally-tinged tale of a young woman’s macabre coming of age. Other titles in the strand include: S. Craig Zahler’s genre-bending, bone-crunching exercise in slow-burn suspense, BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99, starring Vince Vaughn as a former boxer-turned mechanic involved in a drug deal that goes wrong that sees him behind bars; the walking dead get a second chance at life in David Freyne’s debut THE CURED starring Ellen Page in an inventive and surprising post-zombie era drama where a cure has been found for the infected and the rehabilitated are transitioned back into society; the World Premiere of Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s GHOST STORIES in which they bring their hit London stage play to the big screen, with suitably chilling results. Nyman plays Phillip Goodman, an academic and professional sceptic out to debunk claims of the supernatural , but when he stumbles across a long lost file containing three unsolved cases of the Occult, his whole belief system – not to mention his sanity – is thrown into question; LET THE CORPSES TAN is directing duo Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s adaptation of JeanPatrick Manchette’s influential 1971 crime novel and the result is a sun-drenched Western-tinged, crimecaper; MY FRIEND DAHMER is director Marc Meyers’ adaptation of John Backderf’s revered graphic novel and is an unnerving portrait of one of America’s most prolific murderers, Jeffrey Dahmer; and Paco Plaza’s much-anticipated new horror film, VERONICA, inspired by an actual unsolved case in Spain and a no-holds barred supernatural shocker.JOURNEY
This year’s Journey Gala is Todd Haynes’ new film WONDERSTRUCK, an enthralling adaptation of Brian Selznick’s acclaimed young adult novel. Featuring Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams in supporting roles alongside a gifted young cast, Oakes Fegley and newcomer Millicent Simmonds, a deaf actress making her film debut, it is both a whimsical children’s film for adults and a refreshingly grown-up film for children. Other Journey titles include: Arshad Khan’s ABU, a compelling documentary about a young Pakistani man’s difficulties in coping with migration and the resultant cultural change, his emerging sexuality and an increasingly orthodox father; Iraqi filmmaker Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji’s THE JOURNEY, a taut, thoughtprovoking thriller that tackles what might just be the final moments of a potential suicide bomber’s life; David Batty’s stylish documentary MY GENERATION, presented and narrated by Michael Caine, playfully explores the impact of Britain’s working class cultural revolution in the 1960s and features a wealth of archive footage and a spot-on soundtrack from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and The Who, which makes for an exhilarating journey back in time; the European Premiere of Egyptian director Amr Salama’s SHEIKH JACKSON, a bittersweet and poignant tale of an Islamist preacher experiencing a crisis of faith following the death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson; Marc J. Francis and Max Pugh’s fascinating and immersive exploration of mindfulness, WALK WITH ME, featuring narration by Benedict Cumberbatch, follows the daily rituals and routine of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and offers a rare insight into life within a monastic community; and the World Premiere of THE WHITE GIRL, where debut director Jenny Suen collaborates with legendary cinematographer Christopher Doyle on an intoxicating and textually rich film.CREATE
The brand new Create strand channels the electricity of the act of creation, celebrating artistic expression in all its forms. The inaugural Create Gala is Michel Hazanavicius’ REDOUBTABLE, an audacious, multi-layered biopic of French cinema’s most notorious director, Jean-Luc Godard. Also in Create: Greg Kohs’ ALPHAGO the story of how Google’s DeepMind team took on Go world champion Lee Sedol, posing questions about whether computers can think creatively and whether there is an algorithm for intuition; the World Premiere of THE BALLAD OF SHIRLEY COLLINS, Rob Curry and Tim Plester’s portrait of one of the great British folks singers who mysteriously lost her voice in 1980; G-FUNK tells the story of how three childhood friends from East Long Beach Warren G, Snoop Dogg and the late great Nate Dogg, transformed hip-hop into a global phenomenon and changed the world; the World Premiere of William Badgely’s HERE TO BE HEARD: THE STORY OF THE SLITS is a riveting film about the game-changing and largely female feminist punk band; Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman’s LOVING VINCENT is a stunning, fully painted animated feature created in the style of Van Gogh’s paintings matching extraordinary style with richly satisfying storytelling, broadcast live from the National Gallery to cinemas nationwide; and Julian Rosefeldt’s MANIFESTO starring Cate Blanchett as thirteen different characters in this energetic tribute to artistic troublemakers.FAMILY
Showcasing films for the young, as well as the young at heart the Family Gala is THE BIG BAD FOX AND OTHER TALES, an outstanding, laugh-a-minute animation from Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert, the team behind Ernest & Celestine (LFF 2012, Family Gala) and is guaranteed to appeal to adults as much as it will to children. Other highlights include Chang-yong Moon and Jin Jeon’s beautifully made documentary BECOMING WHO I WAS about a young monk Padma Angdu, who is said to be the latest incarnation of a religious teacher, known as a Rinpoche, and his attempts to reach the home he had in a former life; Xuan Liang and Chun Zhang’s visually breath-taking Chinese animated fantasy, BIG FISH & BEGONIA is as near to the best of Studio Ghibli as you’re likely to find anywhere; Meikeminne Clinckspoor’s family adventure CLOUDBOY is about 12- year-old Niilas who is sent away against his wishes to spend the summer with his estranged mother in Swedish Lapland, among the indigenous reindeer herding Sami people; and winner of the top prize at this year’s Annecy Animation Film Festival, Masaaki Yuasa’s anime LU OVER THE WALL brings human and merfolk together with surprising outcomes. This funky, upbeat tale is full of energy, features cute ‘merdogs’, musical mermaids and a giant humanoid shark and has a really cool soundtrack. This section also includes a program of animated shorts for younger audiences which bring together eclectic, exciting and colourful films from all around the globe.TREASURES
The Treasures selection brings recently restored cinematic classics from archives around the world to the Festival in London. The Archive Gala is the World Premiere of the BFI National Archive restoration of the silent film SHIRAZ: A ROMANCE OF INDIA (1928), a ravishing, romantic tale based on the story of the 17th century Mughal ruler Shah Jahan, his queen and the building of the world’s most beautiful monument to love, the Taj Mahal. Directed by Franz Osten, based on a play by Niranjan Pal and starring and produced by Himansu Rai, the film was shot entirely in India and performed by an all-Indian cast. Other highlights include the World Premieres of the 4K restoration by Sony Pictures Entertainment of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (1946); the digitally remastered experimental documentary FRANTZ FANON: BLACK SKIN WHITE MASK (1996), directed by artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien, as well as the new 4K restoration, by The BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation, with funding provided by the George Lucas Family Foundation, of Terry Gilliam’s first feature as a solo director, JABBERWOCKY (1977). The Festival will also screen the 4K restoration of Toshio Matsumoto’s FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES (1969), a wild, kaleidoscopic vision of the underground scene in 1960s Japan and a significant influence on Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and Italian genre-master Dario Argento’s eye-popping slice of technicolour terror, SUSPIRIA (1977) with stunning 4K restoration.EXPERIMENTA
Experimenta features films and videos by artists who transform our experience of seeing moving images. Highlights include: the World Premiere of Benedict Seymour’s DEAD THE ENDS, a politically urgent retelling of Chris Marker’s La Jetée bookended by the 2011 London riots; ERASE AND FORGET, Andrea Luka Zimmerman’s film is an excavation of the influence of fiction on truth in the American imagination of warfare and gun culture; the World Premiere of LEK AND THE DOGS, Andrew Kötting’s account of the ultimate outsider uses a range of visual styles derived from avant garde and genre cinema, and Kevin Jerome Everson’s TONSLER PARK uses an unobtrusive observational style to divulge the mechanisms behind the operation of Election Day at polling stations in Charlottesville, Virginia.