L-R: Michelle Rodriguez, Viola Davis, and Elizabeth Debicki star in Twentieth Century Fox’s WIDOWS. Photo Credit: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox.[/caption]
Steve McQueen’s and Gillian Flynn’s modern-day thriller Widows, Peter Farrelly’s drama Green Book starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, Mike Leigh’s period piece Peterloo are among the the full schedule of films announced for the 25th Anniversary edition of the Austin Film Festival taking place this October 25 to November 1. The festival lineup also includes Mickey Rourke-starring boxing drama Tiger, Paul Dano’s Wildlife starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, and Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges family drama Ben is Back bowing as AFF’s Centerpiece selection.
Other World Premieres include The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova (a comedy about estranged siblings traveling to Poland to track down the remains of the their grandmother’s childhood dog), F/11 and Be There (a documentary about famed photographer Burk Uzzle), The Amaranth (a thriller about a mysterious retirement community), A Girl Named C (Emily Kassie’s documentary about a family grappling with the discovery that their 11-year-old daughter was raped), and Waiting for the Miracle to Come (Lian Lunson’s whimsical drama starring Willie Nelson and Charlotte Rampling).
Green Book
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25th Austin Film Festival Announces Full Lineup, BEN IS BACK, WIDOWS, GREEN BOOK
[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]
Steve McQueen’s and Gillian Flynn’s modern-day thriller Widows, Peter Farrelly’s drama Green Book starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, Mike Leigh’s period piece Peterloo are among the the full schedule of films announced for the 25th Anniversary edition of the Austin Film Festival taking place this October 25 to November 1. The festival lineup also includes Mickey Rourke-starring boxing drama Tiger, Paul Dano’s Wildlife starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, and Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges family drama Ben is Back bowing as AFF’s Centerpiece selection.
Other World Premieres include The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova (a comedy about estranged siblings traveling to Poland to track down the remains of the their grandmother’s childhood dog), F/11 and Be There (a documentary about famed photographer Burk Uzzle), The Amaranth (a thriller about a mysterious retirement community), A Girl Named C (Emily Kassie’s documentary about a family grappling with the discovery that their 11-year-old daughter was raped), and Waiting for the Miracle to Come (Lian Lunson’s whimsical drama starring Willie Nelson and Charlotte Rampling).
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2018 Virginia Film Festival Reveals Deep and Diverse Lineup of Films
[caption id="attachment_31988" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
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
[caption id="attachment_26784" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
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.
[caption id="attachment_28858" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
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
[caption id="attachment_25696" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
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.
[caption id="attachment_29915" align="aligncenter" width="1199"]
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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Napa Valley Film Festival Announces 2018 Film Line-Up
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Green Book[/caption]
The Napa Valley Film Festival returns this fall with its five-day festival showcasing the year’s best new independent films from November 7 to 11 in Napa, California. The eighth edition of the Festival will kick off with the Sneak Preview Night on Tuesday, November 6 with a special presentation of The Front Runner, directed by Jason Reitman and starring Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons and Alfred Molina. The film is the story of American Senator Gary Hart’s presidential campaign in 1988 as it is derailed when he is caught in a scandalous love affair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAOYDcnVx6E
The festival’s official Opening Night film on Wednesday, November 7 is Green Book, directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini. In the film, Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on “The Green Book” to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkZxoko_HC0&t=3s
Closing the festival on Sunday, November 11 is HBO Films’ Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind. Directed by Marina Zenovich, the documentary gives an intimate look into the life and work of the revered master comedian and actor, Robin Williams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caIFNg_JRL4
CELEBRITY TRIBUTES
Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Ant-Man and the Wasp) will receive this year’s Charles Krug “Legendary Actor” honor at this year’s Celebrity Tributes program that salutes the highest levels of cinematic achievement. The Celebrity Tributes program will take place on Thursday, November 8 at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville, and will include video highlight reels and intimate on-stage conversations with Access Hollywood’s Natalie Morales. Additional honorees will be announced in the coming weeks. In addition, NVFF will be honoring the esteemed alumni of The Groundlings Theatre and School with the Miner Family Winery “Legacy Ensemble” award on Friday, November 9. Accepting on behalf of The Groundlings are Stephanie Courtney (Progressive Insurance’s Flo), Taran Killam (Saturday Night Live, Single Parents), Laraine Newman (Saturday Night Live, Coneheads), Cheri Oteri (Saturday Night Live, Scary Movie) and Julia Sweeney (Saturday Night Live, It’s Pat). Later that evening, Geena Davis (Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own) will be honored with the Davis Estates “Visionary Tribute” following a screening of the documentary This Changes Everything. The second annual Rising Star Showcase presented by Materra | Cunat Family Vineyards on Saturday, November 10 will honor a handful of young talent including Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story, The Nun), Billy Magnussen (Maniac, Game Night), Camila Mendes (Riverdale, The New Romantic), Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel, Maze Runner: The Death Cure), Tye Sheridan (Ready Player One, X-Men: Dark Phoenix) and Alexandra Shipp (Love, Simon, X-Men: Dark Phoenix).AWARD SEASON CONTENDERS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
A Private War (Aviron Pictures) – One of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time, Marie Colvin is an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the frontline of conflicts across the globe to give voice to the voiceless. Directed by Matthew Heineman and starring Rosamund Pike, Jamie Dornan, Stanley Tucci and Tom Hollander. At Eternity’s Gate (CBS Films) – A look at the life of painter Vincent van Gogh during the time he lived in Aries and Auvers-sur-Oise, France. Directed by Julian Schnabel and starring Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Mads Mikkelsen and Oscar Isaac. Capernaum (Sony Pictures Classics) – Capernaum tells the story of Zain, a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the “crime” of giving him life. Directed by Nadine Labaki and starring Michel Merkt and Khaled Mouzanar. Devil’s Garden – Devil’s Garden is a national forest treasure in the far northeast corner of California, and home to the last sustainable herd of wild horses in this state. However, they are in danger of becoming completely wiped away because of profit taking entities on our public lands. Directed by Victoria Bergqvist and Scott Powers. Do You Trust This Computer? – Do You Trust This Computer? explores the promises and perils of our new era. Will A.I. usher in an age of unprecedented potential, or prove to be our final invention? Directed by Chris Paine. High-Sensitive Youth in the Horse-Heart-Space – What happens when adopted and foster children and rescued horses, cast off by their owners, meet? This documentary explores the friendship between two beings so different and yet so alike. A friendship where both sides long to connect their heart-space. Directed by Jolanda Ellenberger. Never Look Away (Sony Pictures Classics) – German artist Kurt Barnert has escaped East Germany and now lives in West Germany but is tormented by his childhood under the Nazis and the GDR-regime. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and starring Tom Schilling, Sebastian Koch and Paula Beer. Pick of the Litter (IFC) – Pick of the Litter follows a litter of puppies from the moment they’re born and begin their quest to become guide dogs for the blind. Directed by Don Hardy Jr. and Dana Nachman. Sharkwater Extinction – Sharkwater Extinction is a thrilling, action adventure journey that follows filmmaker Rob Stewart as he exposes the billion-dollar illegal shark fin industry and the political corruption behind it. Directed by Rob Stewart. Sgt Stubby: An American Hero (Fun Academy Motion Pictures) – The true story of a stray dog who joins his new master on the battlefields of the First World War. For his valorous actions, Sgt. Stubby is still recognized as the most decorated dog in American history. Directed by Richard Lanni and starring Logan Lerman, Helena Bonham Carter and Gerard Depardieu. The Biggest Little Farm (Neon) – Documentarian John Chester and his wife Molly work to develop a sustainable farm on 200 acres outside of Los Angeles. Directed by John Chester. Uncrushable – Uncrushable tells the story of the Northern California fires through the eyes of those most affected in the area. Victims who lost homes or businesses, first responders, chefs and winemakers share their harrowing accounts throughout the film, as a fallen community begins to rebuild through the amazing help of its neighbors, chefs and friends. Directed by Tyler Florence. Valley of the Boom (National Geographic Channel) – A look at the tech boom of the 1990s in Silicon Valley. Directed by Matthew Carnahan, produced by Arianna Huffington and starring Bradley Whitford, Steve Zahn and Lamorne Morris. Vox Lux (Neon) – An unusual set of circumstances brings unexpected success to a pop star. Directed by Brady Corbet and starring Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Willem Dafoe. Wheelman (Netflix) – A getaway driver for a bank robbery realizes he has been double crossed and races to find out who betrayed him. Directed by Jeremy Rush and starring Frank Grillo. The rest of the NVFF film line-up is as follows:Narrative Features:
Are You Glad I’m Here, Directed by Noor Gharzeddine Ask For Jane, Directed by Rachel Carey Cold Brook, Directed by William Fichtner Grace, Directed by Devin Adair Only Humans, Directed by Vanessa Knutsen Spare Room, Directed by Jenica Bergere Tomorrow, Directed by Martha Pinson When We Grow Up, Directed by Zorinah Juan You Can Choose Your Family, Directed by Miranda BaileyDocumentary Features:
A Fatherless Generation, Directed by Nathan Cheney Afghan Cycles, Directed by Sarah Menzies Cancer Rebellion, Directed by Hernan Barangan (World Premiere) Father’s Kingdom, Directed by Lenny Feinberg General Magic, Directed by Matthew Maude and Sarah Kerruish The Interpreters, Directed by Sofian Khan and Andres Caballero The Trouble with Wolves, Directed by Collin Monda TransMilitary, Directed by Gabriel Silverman, Co-Directed by Fiona Dawson Up to Snuff, Directed by Mark MaxeyVerge
Madness, Farewell, Directed by Benjamin Font (World Premiere) Ordinary Days, Directed by Jordan Canning, Kris Booth and Renuka Jeyapalan Ride, Directed by Alex Ranarivelo Summer ‘03, Directed by Becca Gleason The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova, Directed by Zack Bernbaum The Long Dumb Road, Directed by Hannah Fidell Thunder Road, Directed by Jim Cummings We Are Boats, Directed by James Bird (North American Premiere) White Tide: The Legend of Culebra, Directed by Theo LoveDocumentary Showcase
Accidental Climber, Directed by Steven Oritt (World Premiere) Bias, Directed by Robin Hauser Hesburgh, Directed by Patrick Creadon Hurley, Directed by Derek Dodge Life in the Doghouse, Directed by Ron Davis My Indiana Muse, Directed by Ric Serena and Jennifer Serena On My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi, Directed by Brandon Gross and Skyler Gross Science Fair, Directed by Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster The Price of Free, Directed by Derek Doneen The Things We Keep, Directed by Alessandro Cassigoli and Casey Kauffman (North American Premiere) This Changes Everything, Directed by Tom Donahue Turning Point, Directed by James Keach Unlikely, Directed by Jaye Fenderson and Adam Fenderson (World Premiere)Food & Beverage Spotlight
Agave: Spirit of a Nation, Directed by Nick Kovacic and Matthew Riggieri Brewmaster, Directed by Douglas Tirola Hiro’s Table, Directed by Lynn Hamrick (World Premiere) Soufra, Directed by Tomas Morgan ULAM: Main Dish, Directed by Alexandra Cuerdo The festival will also feature Short Film Programs with 16 Narrative Shorts and 16 Documentary Shorts.
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Hamptons International Film Festival Announces Full 2018 Slate + Jury
The 26th Hamptons International Film Festival which will take place over the upcoming Columbus Day Weekend, October 4 to 8, 2018, unveiled the full slate of films. The festival also revealed the anticipated films, Yorgos Lanthimos’ THE FAVOURITE, starring Academy Award®- winning actresses Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz and Golden Globe®-winning actress Olivia Colman, about two cousins fighting to be the court favorite of Queen Anne, which will serve as the Friday Centerpiece; and Marielle Heller’s CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, which wll screen as the Sunday Centerpiece, a biopic based on the life of writer Lee Israel and starring Academy Award®-nominated actress Melissa McCarthy.
The festival added two films to the Spotlight section: Academy Award®-winning director Steve Mc Queen’s WIDOWS, starring Academy Award®-winning actress Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki and Cynthia Erivo, the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities; and the East Coast Premiere of Felix Van Groeningen’s (HIFF 2009 & 2013 alum) BEAUTIFUL BOY, starring Academy Award®-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet and Golden Globe®-nominated actor Steve Carell, adapted from father and son David and Nic Sheff’s best-selling memoirs about a son’s struggle with drug addiction that threatens to tear a family apart.
This year’s Narrative and Documentary Competition slate offers a wide variety of stories to audiences and represents the best of the industry with the Competition slate consisting of 50% female directors and 50% male directors. Overall, the festival’s full slate is 47% female directors. Narrative Competition films include the New York Premiere of Yen Tan’s 1985, the U.S. Premiere of Eva Trobisch’s ALL GOOD, Ali Abbasi’s BORDER, the U.S. Premiere of Zsófia Szilágyi’s ONE DAY, and Dominga Sotomayor’s TOO LATE TO DIE YOUNG.
Documentary Competition Films include the World Premiere of Jesse Sweet’s CITY OF JOEL, Alexis Bloom’s DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES, the East Coast Premiere of Shannon Service and Jeffrey Waldon’s GHOST FLEET, and the New York Premiere of Daniel Zimmerman’s WALDEN, as well as the East Coast Premiere of the previously announced THE LAST RACE from Michael Dweck, also screening in the Views From Long Island Section.
As part of their Signature Programs, the Views From Long Island section will also include BLACK MOTHER, directed by Khalik Allah, about two different worlds on the island of Jamaica, through the lens of an intimate documentary portrait; as well as the World Premieres of Emily Anderson’s short film ONLY THE WIND IS LISTENING, set against the backdrop of an unforgiving Montauk winter and Ross Kauffman’s STILL PLAY WITH TRAINS, where John Scully reconstructs his idyllic 1950s childhood in the form of one of the world’s largest model train sets in his East Hampton basement.
The Air, Land & Sea program will present Academy Award®-nominated director Rory Kennedy’s ABOVE AND BEYOND: NASA’S JOURNEY TO TOMORROW, a Discovery Channel documentary chronicling the history and exploration of America’s space force, as well as Nicolas Brown’s THE SERENGETI RULES, about five international scientists during the 1960s and their attempt to learn more about the planet. The section will also include the previously announced U.S. Premiere of GRIT, directed by Sasha Friedlander and Cynthia Wade.
The Compassion, Justice, & Animal Rights program will include a World Premiere presentation of Rob Fruchtman and Steven Lawrence’s THE CAT RESCUERS, about four activists in Brooklyn setting out to provide housing for the over one million cats abandoned in New York City alone. The section will also include the previously announced East Coast Premiere of Richard Miron’s FOR THE BIRDS.
The Conflict & Resolution program will include five films: the New York Premiere of Talal Derki’s OF FATHERS AND SONS, which provides a look at war-torn Syria through the eyes of a photojournalist posing as pro-jihadist; the New York Premiere of Chris Martin’s UNDER THE WIRE, about the final mission of war correspondent Marie Colvin and photographer Paul Conroy; Charles Ferguson’s WATERGATE, examining the Watergate scandal from new interviews and subjects from all sides of the investigation; and Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar’s THE SILENCE OF OTHERS, about six individuals looking to bring those responsible for Spain’s 40-year dictatorship to justice. The section will also include the previously announced New York Premiere of Ísold Uggadóttir’s AND BREATHE NORMALLY.
In the World Cinema Narrative section the slate includes the addition of the U.S. Premiere of “I DO NOT CARE IF WE GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS BARBARIANS” directed by Radu Jude, as well as NON-FICTION, directed by Olivier Assayas, and PRIVATE LIFE, directed by Tamara Jenkins; in addition to the previously announced World Premiere of ASK FOR JANE directed by Rachel Carey; the U.S. Premieres of LETO directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, STYX directed by Wolfgang Fischer, and WOMEN AT WAR directed by Benedikt Erlingsson; the New York Premiere of BIRDS OF PASSAGE directed by Christina Gallego and Ciro Guerra (Colombia’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar®); and BURNING directed by Lee Changdong, COLD WAR directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, DEAD PIGS directed by Cathy Yan, THE GUILTY directed by Gustav Möller, HAPPY AS LAZZARO, directed by Alice Rohrwacher, SHOPLIFTERS directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda (Japan’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar), and WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY directed by Madeleine Olnek.
In the World Cinema Documentary section, the full slate includes the addition of Academy Award®-winning director Morgan Neville’s THEY’LL LOVE ME WHEN I’M DEAD; the U.S. Premiere of THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, directed by Tom Donahue; MARIA BY CALLAS, directed by Tom Volf, MONROVIA, INDIANA, directed by Frederick Wiseman, and TIME FOR ILHAN, directed by Norah Shapiro; as well as the previously announced World Premieres of HENRI DAUMAN: LOOKING UP, directed by Peter Jones, and THE PANAMA PAPERS directed by Alex Winter; the East Coast Premiere of MAKING THE GRADE, directed by Ken Wardrop; the New York Premiere of THE TRUTH ABOUT KILLER ROBOTS, directed by Maxim Pozdorovkin; A MURDER IN MANSFIELD, directed by Barbara Kopple, THE PROPOSAL, directed by Jill Magid, ROLL RED ROLL, directed by Nancy Schwartzman, SHIRKERS, directed by Sandi Tan. World Cinema Documentary is sponsored by Investigation Discovery.
HIFF also announced eight programs of short films this year, including Narrative and Documentary Short Film Competitions; New York Women In Film and Television: Women Calling the Shots; Zoom! Shorts For All Ages; University Short Films Showcase; Let’s Go Crazy; Never Going Back Again; Please Don’t Tell; and five short films that will play before features.
Academy Award®-winning director Damien Chazelle, whose film FIRST MAN will screen in the Spotlight section; Emilio Estevez, whose film THE PUBLIC will screen in the Spotlight section; and Academy Award®- and Golden Globe®-nominated actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, who stars in the festival’s Opening Night film THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER, will all participate in the festival’s signature program “A Conversation With…” series. All events will take place at Bay Street with Gyllenhaal on Friday, October 5th at 3:00PM, Estevez on Saturday, October 6th at 3:30PM, and Chazelle on Sunday, October 7th at 12:30PM.
The festival will present a special screening of Dava Whisenant’s BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY, winner of the 2018 SummerDocs Audience Award, sponsored by Candescent Films.
HIFF will feature an immersive storytelling and VR experience THE HIDDEN, a political thriller that literally drops you in the middle of a high-stakes game of cat and mouse without telling you who is hunting whom, which will be available for audiences at Mulford Farm in the afternoons on October 5-8. This program is presented with the support of the Organización Latinoamericana de Alcaldes (OLA).
HIFF also announced the jury members for the 2018 festival. The Narrative Jury will include Geralyn Dreyfous, Academy Award®-winning producer of BORN INTO BROTHELS, THE SQUARE and THE INVISIBLE WAR and founder of the Utah Film Center and co-founder of Impact Partners Film Fund, Jamie Patricof, producer of THE AFTER PARTY, THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE, CAPTAIN FANTASTIC and BLUE VALENTINE, and Linus Sandgren, FSF, Academy Award®-winning Cinematographer who collaborated on films including FIRST LAND, LA LA LAND, JOY and AMERICAN HUSTLE. The Documentary Jury will currently include Rory Kennedy, Academy Award®-nominated director of films including ETHEL, LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM and the upcoming ABOVE AND BEYOND: NASA’S JOURNEY TO TOMORROW, screening at the festival. Additional jurors will be announced in the coming weeks.
2018 Hamptons International Film Festival Lineup
OPENING NIGHT FILM
[caption id="attachment_25705" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
The Kindergarten Teacher[/caption]
THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Sara Colangelo
Writer/director Sarah Colangelo (LITTLE ACCIDENTS, HIFF 2014 and Screenwriters Lab 2013) returns to the festival with her prize-winning sophomore feature. Based on Nadav Lapid’s 2014 Israeli drama, THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER follows Lisa Spinelli (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a Staten Island teacher who accidentally discovers her young student’s prodigious gift for poetry. Desperately seeking her own creative recognition, Lisa’s fascination with the boy quickly unravels into an all-encompassing fixation. Anchored by Gyllenhaal’s fearless performance, THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER is a electrifyingly unpredictable morality tale about the precarious line between protection and obsession.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
BOY ERASED East Coast Premiere Director: Joel Edgerton As the son of a Baptist pastor growing up middle-class in the Arkansas suburbs, Jared (Academy Award® nominee Lucas Hedges) seems to be the model son of a loving family. Excelling in school and in a committed relationship, Jared’s heavily conditioned image is shattered when a friend outs him to his community, leading his parents (Academy Award® winners Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) to send him to Refuge, a church program that aims to reinforce gender roles and heal those with the “disease” of homosexuality. Based on Garrard Conley’s memoir of the same name, director and costar Joel Edgerton delivers a refreshingly empathetic take on the difficulty of retaining a sense of one’s self in a circumstance that aims to erase it.FRIDAY CENTERPIECE
THE FAVOURITE (Ireland/UK/USA) Director: Yorgos Lanthimos As England wages war with the French in the early 18th century, a frail and increasingly unstable Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) sits on the throne while Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz)—her advisor, confidant, and trusted friend—leads the country in her stead. Their mutually beneficial arrangement is threatened by the arrival of Sarah’s cousin Abigail (Emma Stone), who sees becoming the Queen’s preferred companion as her best chance of returning to her aristocratic roots. As Sarah and Abigail’s battle of wills intensifies within the labyrinthian confines of the royal palace, director Yorgos Lanthimos and his three brilliant leads dial up the savage humor in this delightfully unhinged tale of lies and deceit within Queen Anne’s kingdom.SATURDAY CENTERPIECE
FIRST MAN (USA) East Coast Premiere Director: Damien Chazelle Academy Award®-winning director Damien Chazelle reteams with his LA LA LAND leading man Ryan Gosling for a riveting look at the eight years that defined the life of Neil Armstrong, from his entrance in NASA’s astronaut program to his era-defining moon landing in 1969. Adapted from James R. Hansen’s biography by Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Josh Singer (SPOTLIGHT, HIFF 2015), Chazelle portrays the period with the same visceral intensity that drove the program to push humankind to previously unknown heights. Rounded out by an ensemble cast including Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Jason Clarke, and Kyle Chandler, FIRST MAN is an awe-inspiring look at the defining moment of the last century.SUNDAY CENTERPIECE
CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? (USA) East Coast Premiere Director: Marielle Heller After spending decades as a successful biographer of female celebrities and public figures, real-life author Lee Israel (Academy Award® nominee Melissa McCarthy) finds herself out of work in the 1980s, as the industry moves away from respectability and into the depths of tabloid culture. Realizing she has an uncanny ability to replicate the voices of her literary idols, Israel sets out on a new venture: forging historical letters and selling them on the black market, with the help of an ex-con old friend (Richard E. Grant). Following up her 2015 debut THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, director Marielle Heller has created a charmingly mischievous comedic drama about the lengths one woman must go to to stay afloat.SPOTLIGHT SECTION
[caption id="attachment_31587" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]
A PRIVATE WAR[/caption]
A PRIVATE WAR (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Matthew Heineman In an industry defined by those willing to place themselves in the midst of tremendous danger, photojournalist Marie Colvin (Academy-Award® nominee Rosamund Pike) distinguished herself as one of the world’s most celebrated war correspondents. In his feature narrative debut, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Matthew Heineman (CARTEL LAND, CITY OF GHOSTS) pays tribute to Colvin’s extraordinary life both on and off the battlefield. Portrayed with rebellious conviction by Pike, and aided by a supporting cast including Jamie Dornan and Stanley Tucci, A PRIVATE WAR is a thrilling look at one individual’s devotion to bringing a voice to the voiceless.
BEAUTIFUL BOY (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Felix van Groeningen
Adapted from father and son David and Nic Sheff’s best-selling memoirs, HIFF alum Felix van Groeningen (THE MISFORTUNATES, HIFF 2009 and THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN, HIFF 2013) chronicles the struggle with drug addiction that threatened to tear their family apart in this emotionally charged drama. Passionately led by Academy Award®-nominees Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet (following up his breakthrough role in last year’s CALL ME BY YOUR NAME), BEAUTIFUL BOY portrays their story as a heartbreaking—and ultimately inspiring—story of a family struggling to stay on top of the waves of recovery and relapse as Nic moves in and out of his father’s life.
BEN IS BACK (USA)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Peter Hedges
On Christmas Eve, the Burns family is stunned by the unexpected arrival of their son Ben (Academy Award® nominee Lucas Hedges), returning home for the first time after entering rehab for opioid addiction. His mother, Holly (Academy Award® winner Julia Roberts), is quick to eagerly welcome her son in, while the rest of the family are more skeptical of the reasons for his surprise return. As Ben is torn between proving his sobriety and falling into his old ways, Roberts perfectly portrays a mother struggling with her own warring instincts in this affecting look at one family’s struggle with a national epidemic.
CAPERNAUM (Lebanon)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Nadine Labaki
Scraping by on the chaotic streets of Beirut, 12-year-old Zain (Zain al Rafeea) is one of many children born into an uncertain future in the city’s slum. Living a deeply troubled life on the streets and branded the sole caretaker of an abandoned toddler, Zain makes the desperate move of suing his negligent parents for giving him life and trapping him in a hostile world. Utilizing a cast of non-professional actors (including two revelatory performances from its child leads), Lebanese director Nadine Labaki’s Cannes Jury Prize-winner is a stirring slice of social-realist protest cinema, driven equally by righteous anger and enduring empathy, and sure to be one of the most talked about films of the year.
EVERYBODY KNOWS (France/Spain/Italy)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Transplanting his trademark psychological drama from his native Iran to the foothills of Spain, two-time Academy Award®-winning director Asghar Farhadi (THE PAST [HIFF 2014], THE SALESMAN [HIFF 2017]) returns with a story of secrets and intrigue in Spanish wine country. Returning to her childhood home to celebrate a family wedding, Laura (Penélope Cruz) finds long-simmering tensions coming to the surface when her daughter suddenly disappears amidst a power outage, with her distanced family and ex (Javier Bardem) the most likely suspects. Beautifully realized and constantly engrossing, Farhadi has crafted another masterful thriller with a deep ensemble cast of Spanish legends, led by Bardem, Cruz, and Bárbara Lennie.
GREEN BOOK (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Peter Farrelly
It’s 1962 America, and impeccably stylish jazz musician Don Shirley (Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali) needs to hire a bodyguard to get him safely from venue to venue on his upcoming Southern tour. Enter Tony “Lip” Valelonga (Viggo Mortensen): a loud-mouthed Italian-American bouncer who’s quicker to enter a situation fists first if it means coming out on top. Together, the unlikely pair set out on a road trip through the American South, using the Negro Motorist Green Book as a guide to find welcoming lodging; along the way, they forge a surprising camaraderie in this heartwarming and comedic true story.
ROMA (Mexico)
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Inspired by the early 1970’s Mexico City of his childhood, celebrated auteur Alfonso Cuarón (GRAVITY, CHILDREN OF MEN, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN) returns with this semi-autobiographical look at a middle-class family making a life for itself within a time of political turbulence and patriarchal rule. Filmed on a giant canvas in 65mm and utilizing stunningly detailed black and white photography, ROMA recreates the world of his past with a cinematic grandeur and vibrancy. Acting as his own cinematographer and working with a remarkable cast of largely unknown actors, Cuarón places the viewer in the middle a world alive with the anxious energy of the period, while paying respect to the individuals that would help to shape his life.
THE HAPPY PRINCE (Germany/Belgium/Italy)
Director: Rupert Everett
In the final three years of his life (1897-1900), Oscar Wilde finds himself adrift. Coming off the heels of his trial for indecency and subsequent imprisonment, Wilde lives out his last days in exile, moving between a small group of enduring friends (Colin Firth, Edwin Thomas) under assumed names and torn between whether to go back to his ex-lover (Colin Morgan) or estranged wife (Emily Watson). Written, directed by, and starring Rupert Everett as the ailing Wilde, THE HAPPY PRINCE is at once a moving evocation of the literary genius’ final act and a stirring paean to the brilliant wit that endured to his last moments.
THE HATE U GIVE (USA)
Director: George Tillman Jr.
As a way to escape the limited options of the streets she grew up on, sixteen-year-old black teenager Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg) is torn between two lives: one at school amidst her predominantly rich, upper-class white classmates, and another within her working-class neighborhood. But Starr’s dual life is torn apart when a reunion with a childhood sweetheart ends in tragedy at the hands of a local police officer, forcing her to take a side amidst a swelling of protests in the local community. Adapting Angie Thomas’s award-winning novel to the big screen with the same sense of urgency that shot it to the top of the bestsellers list, THE HATE U GIVE is a stirring look at one teenager’s personal awakening.
THE PUBLIC (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Emilio Estevez
As the day’s activities wind down and library workers Stuart (Emilio Estevez) and Myra (Jena Malone) prepare to close for the day, a group of homeless patrons decide to stage an act of rebellion when they refuse to leave the building to find somewhere to sleep in the wintry night. Soon the scene outside becomes a carnival of riot gearwearing officers and local news reporters, leading to a standoff between the city’s have’s and have-not’s. Aided by a deep supporting cast, including Jeffrey Wright, Michael K. Williams, and Alec Baldwin, writer, director, and star Emilio Estevez continues to showcase his skills as a gifted multi-hyphenate force with his latest ode to the struggles of the disenfranchised.
TO DUST (USA)
Director: Shawn Snyder
Shmuel (Geza Rohrig, last seen at HIFF with 2015’s SON OF SAUL), a Hasidic cantor living in upstate New York, is unable to cope with the untimely death of his wife. Struggling to find religious solace in the face of tremendous grief and plagued by nightmares about his wife’s decaying body, Shmuel looks to Albert (Matthew Broderick), a community college biology professor, to teach him more about the decomposition process facing her. In director Shawn Snyder’s darkly comic first feature, the two form an unlikely bond via clandestine biological experiments, despite the blasphemous consequences.
WIDOWS (UK/USA)
Director: Steve Mc Queen
From Academy Award®-winning director Steve Mc Queen (12 YEARS A SLAVE) and co-writer and bestselling author Gillian Flynn (GONE GIRL) comes a blistering, modernday thriller set against the backdrop of crime, passion and corruption. WIDOWS is the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Oscar® winner Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms. WIDOWS also stars Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Daniel Kaluuya, Lukas Haas and Brian Tyree Henry.
WILDLIFE (USA)
Director: Paul Dano
In 1960s Montana, Jerry Brinson (Jake Gyllenhaal) finds his family at yet another crossroads when he loses his job at the local golf course. With a wildfire raging in the surrounding mountains, Jerry decides to join a group of firefighters and leaves his wife Jeanette (Carey Mulligan) and teenage son (Ed Oxenbould) on their own in their small town, where both begin to question the stability of the life they’ve known for so long. With this astonishingly well-realized directorial debut, Paul Dano reveals himself to be a director of considerable emotional depth in this melancholic look at the steady decline of the nuclear family, anchored by Mulligan’s towering central performance.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
CITY OF JOEL (USA) World Premiere Director: Jesse Sweet 50 miles north of New York City lies the town of Monroe, where one of the fastestgrowing Hasidic communities in the country thrives deep within the Hudson Valley. As the 25,000+ population within the village of Kiryas Joel looks to expand their city, the neighboring villages of non-Hasids see the encroaching community as a burgeoning power grab, leading to an increasingly tense standoff between locals. Shot over several years with seemingly boundless access, Emmy®-winning director Jesse Sweet’s documentary observes the simmering tensions that have come to define the community of Monroe, and the myriad ways in which the town’s divide echoes the country’s as well. [caption id="attachment_31523" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes[/caption]
DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES (USA)
Director: Alexis Bloom
At the time of his death in May 2017, a mere four months after the inauguration of Donald Trump, Former Fox News head Roger Ailes left behind undoubtedly one of the largest legacies of any individual on the American political landscape. Looking at the legacy of the man who was both the leading strategist behind the election of numerous Republican presidents and one of the first larger-than-life figures to be taken out of power by accusations of sexual misconduct, filmmaker Alexis Bloom sheds light on the multitude of ways in which the story of Ailes’s rise to power reflects the story of the modern Republican party, as well as the disquieting history of abuse that followed it.
GHOST FLEET (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Shannon Service, Jeffrey Waldron
Amidst the unsustainable expansion of Thailand’s fishing market, the global fishing industry has engaged in the illegal practice of holding workers against their will for years at sea, with little hope of returning to their families. Defying threats of torture and imprisonment to those who attempt to escape, many workers have jumped ship and found themselves taking refuge in local jungles. Following Thai human-rights activist Patima Tungpuchayakul and her team as they set off on a mission to rescue the prisoners who have successfully escaped to the southern islands of Indonesia, GHOST FLEET is an eye-opening expose of the ways in which slavery continues to exist in the modern world, and an inspiring look at those devoting their lives to ending it.
THE LAST RACE (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Michael Dweck
Long Island is the birthplace of American stock car racing, but today, only one racetrack remains: Riverhead Raceway. Established in 1949 on an initially rural part of Long Island, the land has seen its value skyrocket in the subsequent years. With the track now worth over $10 million, the octogenarian owners Barbara and Jim Cromarty struggle to keep the bulldozers at bay. In his debut feature, acclaimed visual artist Michael Dweck explores the issues of class divide and corporate interest that have impacted both the racing industry and region as a whole in this beautiful, visceral, mesmerizing ode to a dying American tradition. *Also screening as part of View From Long Island section.
WALDEN (Switzerland/Austria)
New York Premiere
Director: Daniel Zimmermann
On a gentle day, deep in an Austrian forest, we hear the sudden sound of a chainsaw sending a fir tree to the ground, and thus begins Daniel Zimmerman’s formally fascinating and uncompromising experimental documentary. Entirely comprised of thirteen 360° panning shots, WALDEN follows the tree’s lumber from its harvest in the Austrian wilderness around the globe, as it slowly makes its way across towns, ports, and continents. Equal parts challenging and hypnotizing, Zimmerman’s film is a rhythmic rumination on the role nature plays in all of our lives, both as individuals and as those living in a world defined by globalization.
NARRATIVE COMPETITION
1985 (USA) New York Premiere Director: Yen Tan In the years since his departure, twenty-something Adrian (Cory Michael Smith) has long since left behind the speed and politics of his small Texas hometown. Returning to his family for his first Christmas in years, he finds himself torn between the desire to make the most of their time together and the need to tell them the real reason for his visit. Inspired by his award-winning short film of the same name, director Yen Tan’s 1985 is a nostalgia-tinged look at the lingering feelings left in the wake of leaving one’s hometown, and the awkward tension that comes with determining how much of yourself you can still reveal to those you’ve left behind. ALL GOOD (Germany) U.S. Premiere Director: Eva Trobisch When an encounter at her school reunion ends in an non-consensual sexual encounter, Janne’s immediate response is to use the same rationale that has driven much of her adult life: “If you don’t see any problems, you don’t have any.” But Janne’s silence soon creates deafening rifts with her partner, family, and co-workers that threaten to destroy the personal and professional relationships she’s worked so hard to maintain. Mesmerizingly led by Aenne Schwarz’s lead performance, debut filmmaker Eva Trobisch has crafted a nuanced and powerful look at the destructive instinct to refuse to define yourself as the victim. BORDER (Sweden/Denmark) Director: Ali Abbasi Tina (Eva Melander), a reclusive customs officer whose enlarged face and pronounced overbite make her immediately stand out, has a unique skill: her sense of smell allows her to identify contraband coming through the border. One day, a mysterious man sets off her senses and places her on a strange path that will lead her to discover the origin of her gifts. Based on Let the Right One In author John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novella, director Ali Abbasi has crafted a consistently surprising genre hybrid. Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes, BORDER straddles the line between romance, fantasy, and horror in its examination of one person’s struggle to realize her place in the world. Selected as Sweden’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar®. ONE DAY (Hungary) U.S. Premiere Director: Zsófia Szilágyi 40-year-old Anna (Zsofia Szamosi) has defined her life by being dependable. While working diligently to take care of her three children, she increasingly pushes the growing distance between her and her husband to the back of her mind, until she receives a piece of news that will threaten the steady world she’s worked so hard to maintain. Taking place over the course of a single 36-hour period, director Zsófia Szilágyi’s fearless debut feature is a remarkable piece of social realist cinema. Winner of the FIPRESCI prize in the Critics Week section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and aided by Szamosi’s intensely committed lead performance, ONE DAY announces Szilágyi as a major talent. TOO LATE TO DIE YOUNG (Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Netherlands, Qatar) Director: Dominga Sotomayor Taking place in the days between Christmas and New Year’s Day in the 1990 summer that would bring democracy to Chile, a group of families have recently moved to start a new life for themselves in the rural country. Within the course of this single sun-soaked week, 16-year-old Sofia finds herself in her own period of enormous transition, as she begins to take the first tentative steps into adulthood within the mountain enclave she now calls home. Taking viewers far beyond the city scenes that defined the period and into the foothills below the Andes, director Dominga Sotomayor crafts a beautifully naturalistic coming-of-age film, propelled by the wistful energy of a time defined by optimistic transition.WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY
HENRI DAUMAN: LOOKING UP (USA) World Premiere Director: Peter Jones As one of the preeminent photographers of the 20th century, self-taught Henri Dauman took the international photojournalism scene by storm with his cinematic images that redefined the methods of capturing historical icons. Leaving behind his past as an orphaned Holocaust survivor, Dauman created a new life for himself in New York City, where his timeless style quickly gained momentum amidst high society and celebrity culture. Exploring both the photographer’s traumatic past and the contrasting vibrancy of the city that would define his work, director Peter Jones’s film is a testament to the resilience and perseverance of the man behind the camera. MAKING THE GRADE (Ireland) East Coast Premiere Director: Ken Wardrop Across Ireland every year, 30,000 students prepare for the piano exams that will determine whether they proceed in their studies towards the coveted Grade Eight— considered the pinnacle of musical education. Spanning generations, proficiency levels, and a multitude of perspectives, documentarian Ken Wardrop provides a panoramic look at students working to define their relationship with both the piano and the teachers guiding them forward. MAKING THE GRADE is simultaneously a charming study of teacher-student relationships, an enduring tribute to the importance of perseverance, and a nostalgic look at the different ways people find fulfillment through the arts. MARIA BY CALLAS (France) Director: Tom Volf Upon her untimely death in 1977, the name Maria Callas was inseparable from the art form that she helped to define in the 20th century. One of the most celebrated opera singers of the modern era, Callas rose to prominence in the years following World War II, as her unrivaled voice—and much discussed private life—captivated audiences worldwide. Culled from a treasure trove of archival footage, interviews, rare live footage, and personal Super 8 recordings, director Tom Volf creates a loving portrait of Maria through her own words, never losing sight of the woman behind the voice. [caption id="attachment_31400" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Monrovia, Indiana[/caption]
MONROVIA, INDIANA (USA)
Director: Frederick Wiseman
Turning his attention away from the large-scale city institutions that have defined his work for much of the past decade, legendary documentarian Frederick Wiseman aims his camera towards the residents of Monrovia, Indiana: a small midwest town with a population of just over 1,000. Observing life in this middle-American community, Wiseman moves between a variety of locales, ranging from the churches and farms that have defined the region for centuries to the gun shop visits, school performances, and Freemason society meetings that showcase the town’s daily rituals. Through it all, Wiseman creates a remarkable space for contemplation of a type of community rarely depicted on screen, despite the undeniable role these towns play in contemporary American politics.
A MURDER IN MANSFIELD (USA)
Director: Barbara Kopple
Academy Award® winner Barbara Kopple’s latest documentary explores the ramifications of a horrific crime that shook the small town of Mansfield, Ohio. In 1990, 12-year-old Collier stepped onto the witness stand during the most explosive murder trial in the history of his hometown. Many locals still remember the boy’s dramatic testimony—blaming his father, a prominent doctor, for the murder of his mother Noreen. Twenty-six years later, Collier returns, seeking to heal the lingering trauma associated with the crime and confront his imprisoned father, who continues to withhold his admission of guilt in the events that changed so many lives.
THE PANAMA PAPERS (USA)
World Premiere
Director: Alex Winter
Leaked by an anonymous source to journalists in 2015, The Panama Papers were an explosive collection of 11.5 million documents, exposing the use of secretive offshore companies to enable widespread tax evasion and money laundering. Largely viewed as the largest data leak in history, the release of the Papers had wide-reaching implications, incriminating 12 current or former world leaders, 128 politicians or public officials, and various celebrities and public figures (among others). In his expansive documentary, director Alex Winter speaks to the journalists who worked to ensure the release, and examines how it reshaped our understanding of corruption amidst the highest forms of government, along with the ongoing effects on global inequality.
THE PROPOSAL (USA)
Director: Jill Magid
Hidden away in a vault in Switzerland lies the professional archive of Mexico’s most renowned architect Luis Barragán, now fiercely protected by its sole owner, who has almost completely restricted access to the public over the last 20 years. Determined to relocate the archive back to Mexico City, American conceptual artist, writer, and filmmaker Jill Magid initiates a dialogue with the owner, and in the process, begins to construct her own piece ruminating on the dangers of cutting off accessibility to an artist’s work from the outside world. With this provocative and haunting film, Magid challenges the perception of who truly controls an artist’s legacy and how the world should engage with their work.
ROLL RED ROLL (USA)
Director: Nancy Schwartzman
In 2012, the sleepy town of Steubenville, Ohio made international news when a whistleblowing blogger discovered a set of disturbing online evidence documenting the sexual assault of a teenage girl by star members of the high school football team. Examining the complicated motivations of the perpetrators, bystanders, and community leaders who actively denied and dismissed the event, documentarian Nancy Schwartzman attempts to unpack the harmful attitudes at the core of their unconscionably complicit behavior. Timely and undeniably affecting, ROLL RED ROLL goes behind the headlines to uncover the deeply entrenched, social media-fueled “boys will be boys” culture at the root of sexual assault in America.
SHIRKERS (USA)
Director: Sandi Tan
Spending her days seeking refuge in zines, bootlegs, and American independent cinema, teenager Sandi Tan found herself among the first generation of Singapore’s burgeoning counterculture movement when she began working on her DIY-labor of love film SHIRKERS in the early 90s. But Sandi and her co-conspirators’ dreams of beginning a new film movement were crushed when Georges, her mysterious American mentor, disappeared with the entirety of the footage without warning. Two decades later, Tan and her collaborators return to the footage they lost in order to grapple with the movement their optimism inspired—and the man who tore it away from them—in this singular look at one artist’s attempt to reckon with the past.
THEY’LL LOVE ME WHEN I’M DEAD (USA)
Director: Morgan Neville
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND was to be Orson Welles’s grand comeback, until years of financial, legal, and creative issues halted the completion of the CITIZEN KANE director’s final work. Now nearly 50 years later, Oscar®-winning documentary director Morgan Neville (20 FEET FROM STARDOM, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR) looks back at the winding and nearly unbelievable story of the making of the film, created guerrilla-style by a director living in exile, and the decades of failure that came to define the project’s legacy. Aided by Peter Bogdanovich, Frank Marshall, Beatrice Welles, and other living collaborators, THEY’LL LOVE ME WHEN I’M DEAD is a lively tribute to one of cinema’s true giants.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING (USA)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Tom Donahue
One year after the Harvey Weinstein allegations ignited the #MeToo movement, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING offers a comprehensive look at the film industry’s role in reinforcing gender dynamics over the last century, and the resounding call for action pushing back. Speaking with a tremendous group of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Meryl Streep, Jessica Chastain, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Reese Witherspoon, and countless others, the film stands as a timely testament to the urgent need for change facing both the entertainment industry and society as a whole.
TIME FOR ILHAN (USA)
Director: Norah Shapiro
On November 8, 2016, Ilhan Omar—a young, hijab-wearing mother-of-three—made history as the first Somali Muslim woman to be elected to legislative office in the United States. With incredible access to Omar’s campaign, documentarian Norah Shapiro follows the candidate and her team on the trail as they attempt to unseat the 43-year incumbent in a hard-fought race to represent the country’s largest Somali community. At a time of tremendous political turmoil, TIME FOR ILHAN intimately chronicles the inspiring journey of one of the nation’s brightest rising political stars and offers a fresh perspective on the American Dream.
THE TRUTH ABOUT KILLER ROBOTS
New York Premiere
Director: Maxim Pozdorovkin
As defined by science fiction giant Isaac Asimov, the first law of robotics states, “A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.” So what happens once we live in an era where the law has already been broken? Using three recent case studies of moments in which robots have caused the death of a human as a starting point, director Maxim Pozdorovkin creates an equally thought-provoking and wryly provocative survey of just how much we’ve allowed robots into our lives, and the extent to which our often unnoticed reliance on machines may have already defined our fate.
WORLD CINEMA NARRATIVE
ASK FOR JANE (USA) World Premiere Director: Rachel Carey Between 1969 and 1973, The Jane Collective operated underground in Chicago, helping over 11,000 women receive safe, illegal abortions throughout the metropolitan area, learning and performing the procedure on their own in an era that refused to make them legally available. Before disbanding in the wake of Roe v. Wade in 1973, the group operated like a spy network throughout the city and provided a necessary public service to the women of Chicago. Exploring the story of Jane’s founding with a ensemble cast including Emmy® nominee Alison Wright, Tony® nominee Saycon Sengbloh, and Ben Rappaport, ASK FOR JANE is a timely reminder of the necessity of reproductive healthcare in the modern day. [caption id="attachment_11157" align="aligncenter" width="1100"]
Birds of Passage[/caption]
BIRDS OF PASSAGE (Mexico, Colombia, Denmark)
New York Premiere
Director: Christina Gallego, Ciro Guerra
In the follow-up to his visually stunning foreign language Oscar®-nominated EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (HIFF 2015), director Ciro Guerra depicts a single Colombian family who find themselves increasingly forced into the violence and capitalist pull of the country’s burgeoning drug trade. Co-directed alongside his longtime collaborator Cristina Gallego, BIRDS OF PASSAGE provides a visceral and multi-faceted look at the two-decade rise of the Colombian drug trade through the eyes of the indigenous communities who both helped to shape it and were subsequently devastated by it. Sprawling in scope and filled with a sense of surreal beauty, Guerra and Gallego deliver an unparalleled crime saga. Selected as Colombia’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar®.
BURNING (South Korea)
Director: Lee Chang-dong
Years after leaving his small northern hometown for Seoul, an aspiring writer (Yoo Ahin) unexpectedly runs into a childhood acquaintance (Jeon Jong-seo). Their chance encounter soon blossoms into a tentative relationship, until her return from an impromptu trip with a mysterious new companion (Steven Yeun, The Walking Dead) sets in motion an accidental love triangle that soon morphs into something much more sinister. Based on Haruki Murakami’s short story Barn Burning, director Lee Changdong’s masterful film became one of the most celebrated titles of the last decade upon its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival—an exhilarating thriller that is as precise as it is undefinable.
COLD WAR (Poland)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
In the midst of tremendous political upheaval, two folk musicians meet in post-war Poland, where one attempts to escape a troubled past while the other increasingly questions the pair’s role in the country’s propaganda machine. Soon they fall in love and find fame in the smoke-lit bars of Eastern Europe, setting in motion a relationship that will span decades and cross borders. Sumptuously shot in beautiful black and white, Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski (in the follow-up to his Foreign Language Academy Award® winner IDA) returns to his home country with an achingly seductive tale of love and loss.
DEAD PIGS (USA/China)
Director: Cathy Yan
Against the backdrop of urban development, gentrification, and thousands of discarded pigs mysteriously floating down the Yangtze River, a brassy salon owner, lonely busboy, trust-fund princess, expat architect, and bumbling farmer find their lives unexpectedly converging in Cathy Yan’s sprawling directorial debut. Yan, a participant in the 2016 HIFF Screenwriters Lab and the recipient of support from the inaugural Melissa Mathison Fund, effortlessly weaves together the individual narratives of five Shanghai residents in her biting satire. Based on true events, DEAD PIGS is a wicked and whimsical examination of contemporary China’s ongoing clash between traditionalism and modernization.
THE GUILTY (Denmark)
Director: Gustav Möller
Following a suspension, police officer Asger Holm (a hypnotic Jakob Cedergren) is reassigned as an emergency dispatcher. During one seemingly typical night he receives a unusually distressing call, and slowly realizes that the woman on the other end of the line has been kidnapped. Confined to his desk with only his direct line of communication to aid him, Holm must act without delay in order to save her. Winner of audience awards at Sundance, Rotterdam, Montclair and more, first-time director Gustav Möller experiments with the boundaries of traditional narrative to create one of the year’s most suspenseful thrillers.
HAPPY AS LAZZARO (Italy)
Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Within an impoverished Italian countryside estate, a group of sharecroppers spend their days harvesting tobacco for their overbearing Marchesa, while the wide-eyed, innocent local Lazzaro (first-time actor Adriano Tradiolo) is at once beloved and taken advantage of by his fellow workers. This life continues on in the town, until Lazzaro’s involvement in a kidnapping scheme at the hands of the Marchesa’s entitled son sets in motion a string of events that will push him towards a place and time far from his rustic home. Blending the lines between Italy’s history of neo-realism and bucolic fables into a transfixing parable of the country’s modern day society, director Alice Rohrwacher’s (CORPO CELESTE, HIFF 2011) third feature is a stunning achievement of contemporary European cinema.
I DO NOT CARE IF WE GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS BARBARIANS (Romania/Czech Republic/France/Bulgaria/Germany)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Radu Jude In the latest provocation from Romanian director Radu Jude, local theater director Mariana Marin (Ioana Iacob) prepares to stage a public recreation of the 1941 Odessa Massacre, an often-ignored ethnic cleansing in which tens of thousands of Ukrainian Jews were murdered at the hands of Romanian soldiers. As Mariana attempts to push back on both calls for censorship from a city representative looking for a more traditional display of nationalist pride and a burgeoning mutiny amongst her cast of local volunteers, Jude crafts a timely and constantly engaging examination of the ways in which barbarism is not only defined by its perpetrators, but by those insistent on pushing it to the sidelines of history as well.
LETO (Russia)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Kirill Serebrennikov
As the political repression of the USSR enters its final decade, Mike Naumenko (Roman Bilyk), frontman of the early 1980s Leningrad band Zoopark, welcomes a new singer that will soon break out far past the reach of their comparatively underground rock scene. Looking back at the music landscape of his youth, director Kirill Serebrennikov has crafted a sprawling portrait of a vibrant scene alive with the riotous, uncontrollable energy of the era. Filled with an electrifying soundtrack, LETO provides a nostalgic, yet un-romanticized look at a period that seemed to exist almost entirely outside of both what had come before and was yet to come in its native country.
NON-FICTION (France)
Director: Olivier Assayas
Internationally acclaimed French auteur Olivier Assayas (CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA, HIFF 2014) returns to the festival with this charmingly playful comedy. Facing both a rapidly changing industry and the lingering feeling that his relationship with his wife (Juliette Binoche), a professional actress, is growing stale, publishing executive Alain (Guillaume Canet) struggles to find his place while dealing with an oafish author (Vincent Macaigne) and significantly younger new recruit (Nora Hamzawi). As his perfectly cast ensemble move between dinner parties and bedrooms, Assayas crafts a deliciously mischievous look at the difficulty of adapting to today’s new-media world.
PRIVATE LIFE (USA)
Director: Tamara Jenkins
Feeling the pressure of repeated failed attempts to have a child, middle-aged New York couple Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) and Richard (Paul Giamatti) seem to have run out of options when their step-niece Sadie (HIFF 2018 Breakthrough Artist Kayli Carter) arrives at their doorstep looking for a place to crash. When Sadie agrees to donate her eggs and become the last piece of their fertility puzzle, the three form an unconventional bond as they set about creating a family. With her first film in 10 years, director Tamara Jenkins (THE SAVAGES) and her wonderful cast craft a knowingly tender portrait of the pressures facing one middle-class family.
[caption id="attachment_29298" align="aligncenter" width="926"]
MANBIKI KAZOKU(Shoplifters) by KORE-EDA Hirokazu[/caption]
SHOPLIFTERS (Japan)
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
The winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, prolific Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda (LIKE FATHER LIKE SON, HIFF 2013) returns to the festival with a nuanced, heartbreaking look at a family of misfits living in the margins of contemporary Tokyo. Making a life for themselves by shoplifting from local grocery stores and finding food where they can, the film’s central family find their impoverished but tranquil life threatened when they take a young girl under their wing, and her abusive parents fight back for custody. An impassioned plea for those struggling to stay afloat, this is another must-see from one of international cinema’s greatest filmmakers. Selected as Japan’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar®.
STYX (Germany/Austria)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Wolfgang Fischer
Rike (Susanne Wolff), a forty-year-old woman working contentedly as a successful doctor in the city, finally fulfills a lifelong dream when she uses an annual holiday to set sail on a solo voyage from Gibraltar to Ascension, an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Following an intense storm, Rike’s holiday is interrupted by the discovery of a badly damaged and overloaded refugee boat, with over one hundred passengers’ lives threatened and her calls for help unanswered. Director Wolfgang Fischer crafts a stunning story of survival, as well as a striking allegory for the sometimes impossible task of acting to save those imperiled by an impassive system.
WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY (USA)
Director: Madeleine Olnek
Literary icon Emily Dickinson (Molly Shannon) breaks free from her public persona as a famously prudish spinster and claims her status as a vibrant lesbian hero. Balancing raucous humor with tender romance, Shannon establishes Dickinson as a spirited artist who drew inspiration from her passionate, lifelong affair with her secret lover, Susan Dickinson (Susan Ziegler). In the delightfully irreverent WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY, writer/director Madeleine Olnek refreshingly upends the false narratives that have historically dominated the poet’s life and work, and examines the way we as a society choose to write and remember our powerful women.
WOMAN AT WAR (France/Iceland/Ukraine)
U.S. Premiere
Director: Benedikt Erlingsson
Fifty-year-old choir teacher Halla (Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir) has, on the surface, an uneventful life in her Icelandic countryside home. By day a pillar of the local community, Halla leads a secret life as an eco-terrorist, devoting herself to a campaign against the aluminum industry by sabotaging local electric pylons and spearheading factory sieges. When the balance of her dual life is threatened by the approval of a longstanding adoption request, she is forced to decide whether to sacrifice the cause for the desire to settle down. Examining the nuanced relationship between the personal and the political with an unexpectedly offbeat, comic tone, WOMEN AT WAR is a stirring tale from emerging Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson.
VIEWS FROM LONG ISLAND
BLACK MOTHER (USA)
Director: Khalik Allah
Filmmaker, photographer, and Long Island resident Khalik Allah’s second feature is, much like his debut film FIELD N*****, a mesmerizing documentary portrait. Allah casts his lens on two dissonant worlds on the island of Jamaica, showcasing the sacred and profane alike. Switching among multiple formats, from the raw texture of super 8mm film, to videotape, to HD video, Allah skillfully creates another intimate and daring portrait of kaleidoscopic beauty, revealing Jamaica—the birthplace of his mother—as a blessed place, dreamlike, full of rhythm and seduction.
THE LAST RACE (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Michael Dweck
Long Island is the birthplace of American stock car racing, but today, only one racetrack remains: Riverhead Raceway. Established in 1949 on an initially rural part of Long Island, the land has seen its value skyrocket in the subsequent years. Now worth over $10 million, the octogenarian track owners Barbara and Jim Cromarty struggle to keep the bulldozers at bay. In his debut feature, acclaimed visual artist Michael Dweck explores the issues of class divide and corporate interest that have impacted both the racing industry and region as a whole in this beautiful, visceral, mesmerizing ode to a dying American tradition. *Also screening as part of Documentary Competition Section.
ONLY THE WIND IS LISTENING (USA)
World Premiere
Director: Emily Anderson
Set against the backdrop of an unforgiving Montauk winter, the lives of a fisherman and a writer intertwine as they attempt to navigate off-season loneliness. *Also screening as part of the Shorts Playing Before Features.
STILL PLAYS WITH TRAINS (USA)
World Premiere
Director: Ross Kauffman
In the basement of his East Hampton home, John Scully reconstructs his idyllic 1950s childhood in the form of one of the world’s largest model train sets. *Also screening as part of the Shorts Playing Before Features.
AIR, LAND, AND SEA
ABOVE AND BEYOND: NASA’S JOURNEY TO TOMORROW (USA) Director: Rory Kennedy On the eve of its 60th Anniversary, Academy Award®-nominated director Rory Kennedy charts the history of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration with a look at its myriad contributions to space exploration and its continued work investigating the effects of climate change throughout the world. Touching on both the many epoch defining moments created throughout NASA’s history and the intensely personal commitment required by the men and women who made them possible, Kennedy has crafted a consistently inspiring tribute to an organization that reminds us of the infinite reach of the human spirit. GRIT (USA) U.S. Premiere Directors: Sasha Friedlander, Cynthia Wade In 2006, international drilling company Lapindo carelessly unleashed an unstoppable toxic mudflow into East Java—burying dozens of nearby villages and displacing tens of thousands of Indonesians in the process. Documentarians Sasha Friedlander and Cynthia Wade (Academy Award® winner for FREEHELD) focus the tragedy around 16- year-old survivor Dian, a survivor who is routinely ignored by her government, despite the unforgiving sludge continuing to engulf her home for over a decade. Chronicling the teenager’s transformation from a young girl into an outspoken advocate for her community, GRIT is a timely showcase of the urgent need for political activism, the duty to hold those in power accountable, and the perseverance of the human spirit amidst social and environmental strife. THE SERENGETI RULES (UK/USA) Director: Nicolas Brown In the 1960s, five international scientists set out into the wilderness with an insatiable desire to learn more about the balance of life on earth— and, in the process, redefined our understanding of ecosystems around the world. Now in the twilight of their celebrated careers, these five unsung heroes of modern ecology share how their pioneering work forever altered our view of nature, and how their findings may help combat the effects of climate change. Featuring gorgeous photography from some of the most exotic and remote places around the world, Nicolas Brown’s THE SERENGETI RULES is a beautiful ode to the Earth and those endeavoring to protect it.COMPASSION, JUSTICE, AND ANIMAL RIGHTS
THE CAT RESCUERS (USA) World Premiere Director: Rob Fruchtman, Steven Lawrence Throughout the United States, an estimated 70 million cats live abandoned without a home, with over one million stray or feral cats roaming the streets of New York City alone. In an effort to counter the increasingly uncontrollable issue of the city’s abandoned cat population, hundreds of animal welfare activists have taken to the streets to attempt to humanely help the animals through new techniques and adoption pushes, often at great expense to their personal lives. Following four of these volunteer activists working in Brooklyn, THE CAT RESCUERS is an eye-opening look at a too often undiscussed issue facing the city, and the courageous few doing what they can to help. FOR THE BIRDS (USA) East Coast Premiere Director: Richard Miron One day on her property in upstate New York, Kathy Murphy finds a duckling in her yard and decides to take it in. A decade later, her (and her husband’s) home is overrun with over 200 fostered birds, including chickens, geese, ducks, and turkeys. Shot vérité-style both at the couple’s farm and throughout the ensuing court battles with local activists and animal welfare officers, director Richard Miron empathetically documents the resulting strains on Kathy’s marriage and mental health as she fights to keep her birds, while shining a necessary light on the rarely-discussed issue of animal hoarding. Demonstrating that significant life changes are achievable, Kathy’s journey highlights the importance of community in the road to recovery, giving hope to all that struggle to face life’s challenges.CONFLICT & RESOLUTION
AND BREATHE NORMALLY (Iceland/Sweden/Belgium) New York Premiere Director: Ísold Uggadóttir The disparate paths of a struggling Icelandic single mother and an asylum-seeking Guinea-Bissauan woman interweave in Ísold Uggadóttir’s (Screenwriters Lab 2015) award-winning first feature. Though they are initially divided by political and cultural discord, the two women gradually form an unlikely bond outside of the pre-ordained paths expected from their socio-political realities. Akin to the social-realist work of Ken Loach and the Dardennes Brothers, AND BREATHE NORMALLY is a sharply observed and unsentimental exploration of the migration crisis, and confirms Uggadóttir’s status as a rising star of Icelandic cinema. OF FATHERS AND SONS (Germany/Syria/Lebanon) New York Premiere Director: Talal Derki Posing as a pro-jihadist photojournalist making a documentary on the Islamic Caliphate, Syrian filmmaker Talal Derki returns to his homeland, where he gains the trust of a radical Islamist family led by al-Nusra general Abu Osama. Filming their lives over the course of two years, with a particular attention paid to the general’s son Osama, Derki intimately examines the daily jihadist teaching and tutelage given in a town ravaged by conflict and destruction. Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, OF FATHERS AND SONS is a revelatory and disquieting examination of the conditions that lead to radicalization. THE SILENCE OF OTHERS (Spain/USA) Director: Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar At the risk of being forgotten by an apathetic system, the survivors of Spain’s 40-year dictatorship set out on a quest for justice in Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar’s Berlinale Peace Prize-winning documentary. The filmmakers follow the group over the course of six years as they come together and bravely confront the remaining perpetrators of Franco’s regime with an unprecedented international lawsuit. Executive produced by Pedro Almodovar, THE SILENCE OF OTHERS is a powerful and provoking tribute to the courageous individuals determined to hold those responsible accountable, and a reminder that those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. UNDER THE WIRE (U.K.) New York Premiere Director: Chris Martin In February of 2012, war correspondent Marie Colvin (also the subject of HIFF 2018 Spotlight selection A PRIVATE WAR) illegally crossed the border into Syria with her photographer, Paul Conroy. Ignoring the government’s refusal to allow foreign journalists into the country, the two were among the first to attempt to cover the story of civilians trapped in the besieged city of Homs, where they found a ravaged war zone that only one of them would ultimately survive. Grippingly recounting their moment-by moment journey into Homs, UNDER THE WIRE is a chilling tribute to the courageous bravery that led Colvin and Conroy to their final mission together. [caption id="attachment_31860" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Watergate[/caption]
WATERGATE (USA)
Director: Charles Ferguson
Few moments loom larger on the collective conscious of contemporary American history than the Watergate investigation, and the subsequent resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974. Now over 40 years later, filmmaker Charles Ferguson utilizes new interviews with surviving subjects from all sides of the investigation—including reporters, prosecutors, senators, congressmen, and former members of the Nixon administration—to shine a new light on the landmark case. Following up his 2008 expose on the financial crisis INSIDE JOB, which landed him an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature, Ferguson’s WATERGATE is a stunning, all-encompassing look at a scandal that, until recently, stood without parallel in US politics
SPECIAL SCREENING
BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY (USA) Director: Dava Whisenant As a writer for The Late Show with David Letterman, Steve Young waded through thousands of record bins in search of quirky albums to showcase on the recurring segment “Dave’s Record Collection.” Steve’s quest for offbeat records eventually brought him to the largely unknown world of “industrial musicals”: full productions put on by major companies to dazzle their employees during annual sales meetings. As Steve’s initial interest quickly morphs into a full-blown obsession, director Dava Whisenant follows him on his odyssey to speak to those who helped create these outrageous Broadway-style shows, while shedding hilarious light on the industry of corporate-sanctioned musicals. Winner of HIFF SummerDocs Audience Award, sponsored by Candescent Films. IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING & VR THE HIDDEN From Annie Lukowski and BJ Schwartz – the creators at Vanishing Point Media, and with the support of the ACLU and Samsung, THE HIDDEN is a political thriller that literally drops you in the middle of a high stakes game of cat and mouse without telling you who is hunt- ing whom. In a manner only possible in VR, The Hidden will have you experience the pulse-pounding fear and turmoil of an ICE Raid from every perspective. In the end the viewer is left with larger questions about the state of social justice in modern America.
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SCAD Savannah Film Festival Announces 2018 Lineup, Opens with ROMA
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ROMA[/caption]
The 21st SCAD Savannah Film Festival organized by Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) will screen a record total of 164 films; and will kick off on Saturday, October 27, with the Opening Night Gala Screening of Roma, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The Centerpiece Gala will be If Beale Street Could Talk, written and directed by Barry Jenkins and starring festival honorees Stephan James and KiKi Layne. The festival will close on Saturday, November 3 with the Closing Gala Screening of Green Book, directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Viggo Mortensen and 2016 festival honoree Mahershala Ali.
The 2018 schedule includes Gala, Docs to Watch, Signature and Professional Competition screenings, along with Global Shorts Forum and “Wonder Women” forum highlighting female directors, producers, and below the line talent at SCAD’s historic theaters and industry-leading studios. New programming this year includes an Animation Corner, a TV Sidebar and a Shorts Spotlight. SCAD’s annual tribute to excellence in film has screened over 110 Oscar-nominated films; and has honored over 80 legendary actors, directors, producers, writers, and filmmakers.
GALA SCREENINGS
Anna and the Apocalypse (Director: John McPhail. Cast: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Christopher Leveaux, Ben Wiggins, Marli Siu) Ben is Back (Director: Peter Hedges. Cast: Lucas Hedges, Julia Roberts, Courtney B. Vance, Kathryn Newton, Rachel Bay Jones, David Zaldivar) Boy Erased (Director: Joel Edgerton. Cast: Lucas Hedges, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Joel Edgerton) Destroyer (Director: Karyn Kusama. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany, Sebastian Stan, Bradley Whitford, Jade Pettyjohn, Scoot McNairy) The Favourite (Director: Yorgos Lanthimos. Cast: Emma Stone, Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, Mark Gatiss, Joe Alwyn, Nicholas Hoult) The Front Runner (Director: Jason Reitman. Cast: Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons, Alfred Molina) Green Book (Director: Peter Farrelly. Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Maniscalco, Dimiter D. Marinov, P.J. Byrne) If Beale Street Could Talk (Director: Barry Jenkins. Cast: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Michael Beach, Aunjanue Ellis, Dave Franco, Diego Luna, Pedro Pascal, Emily Rios, Ed Skrein, Finn Wittrock, Bryan Tyree Henry) The Kindergarten Teacher (Director: Sara Colangelo. Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rosa Salazar, Gael García Bernal, Parker Sevak, Michael Chernus) Roma (Director: Alfonso Cuarón. Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Nancy Garcia, Diego Cortina Autrey, Carlos Peralta, Daniela Demesa, Marco Graf, Nancy Garcia, Jorge Antonio Guerrero Martinez) A Private War (Director: Matthew Heineman. Cast: Rosamund Pike, Jamie Dornan, Stanley Tucci, Tom Hollander) Widows (Director: Steve McQueen. Cast: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Garret Dillahunt, Carrie Coon, Jacki Weaver, Jon Bernthal, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo with Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson)SIGNATURE SERIES
Adrift (Director: Baltasar Kormákur. Cast: Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Thomas, Shailene Woodley) At Eternity’s Gate (Director: Julian Schnabel. Cast: Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac, Mads Mikkelsen, Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Anne Consigny, Amira Casar, Niels Arestrup) BlackKKlansman (Director Spike Lee. Cast: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace) Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Director: Marielle Heller. Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone) Capernaum (Director: Nadine Labaki. Cast: Zain al-Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawthar Al Haddad) Cold War (Director: Pawel Pawlikowski. Cast: Agata Kulesza, Tomasz Kot, Joanna Kulig) Everybody Knows (Director: Asghar Farhadi. Cast: Penélope Cruz Javier Bardem, Jamie Lorente, Ricardo Darín) The Gospel According to André (Director: Kate Novack) Nancy (Director: Christina Choe. Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Steve Buscemi, Ann Dowd, J. Smith- Cameron, John Leguizamo) A Parting Glass (Director: Stephen Moyer. Cast: Edward Asner, Rhys Ifans, Melissa Leo, Cynthia Nixon, Denis O’Hare, Anna Paquin) A Quiet Place (Director: John Krasinski. Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) Stella’s Last Weekend (Director: Polly Draper. Cast: Polly Draper, Nat Wolff, Alex Wolff, Paulina Singer) Vox Lux (Director: Brady Corbet. Cast: Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin)EW PARTNERSHIP
This year, SCAD partnered with Entertainment Weekly (EW) as a media partner for SCAD Savannah Film Festival. In this role, EW will program and moderate select talent panels, which will be announced prior to the festival. EW will also host their video studio on-site where talent will stop by to create exclusive video content that will run across EW’s digital and social platforms.DOCS TO WATCH
The festival will host the fifth annual Docs to Watch Roundtable hosted by Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter. Directors include Stephen Maing (Crime + Punishment), Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo), Gabe Polsky (In Search of Greatness), Nathaniel Kahn (The Price of Everything), Alan Hicks and Rashida Jones (Quincy), Julie Cohen and Betsy West (RBG), Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster (Science Fair), Matt Tyranuer (Studio 54), Tim Wardle (Three Identical Strangers) and Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?).ANIMATION CORNER: ART IN MOTION
The Animation Corner: Art in Motion is a new category debuting for the 2018 SCAD Savannah Film Festival. This year, SCAD proudly presents a broad array of topics and styles of animated films that include: Best of Annecy 2018 showcases a selection of shorts from the latest festival with tailor-made opening sequences by the students of GOBELINS, l’école de l’image. Best of Annecy Kids 2018 is a mix of funny, emotional and poetic short films for kids. This program consists of films from Annecy 2018’s official selection of trailers and is aimed at children age 5 years and older. DreamWorks Animation will showcase two of their films from the DreamWorks Shorts initiative: Bilby and Bird Karma Isle of Dogs (Director: Wes Anderson) will include a week-long exhibition of puppets and miniature sets designed and built for the film. Mirai (Director: Mamoru Hosoda) Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck- It Ralph 2 presentation: (Directors: Phil Johnston and Rich Moore) Disney will show exclusive clips of the upcoming full-length sequel. Ruben Brandt, Collector (Director: Milorad Krstic)TV SIDEBAR
As Hollywood A-listers migrate to episodic storytelling on the small screen, SCAD Savannah Film Festival debuts a TV Sidebar, a series of panels and special screenings that highlight the best in television. Outlander, season 4 premiere will include an exhibit showcasing nearly 20 costumes at the SCAD Museum of Art, which marks the first-ever costume exhibit at the Museum and Film Festival. TV Guide Magazine to host “Fan Favorites” panel that brings stars from TV’s hottest shows for a lively discussion filled with behind-the-scenes scoop, fan-encounter tales, and more.COMPETITION
From feature-length films to two-minute shorts, the annual festival celebrates cinematic excellence from award-winning and emerging filmmakers. The juried competition features the best of professional, animated, and student films selected from more than 2,300 entries annually. Narrative Features: From side-splitting comedies to heart-wrenching dramas, the narrative feature films selected represent diversity in storytelling, excellence in acting and directing, and exemplary cinematography and editing. Documentary Features: Beyond simple subject matters, documentaries present compelling stories that illuminate and educate audiences in a thought-provoking and timely manner. Professional Shorts: Running the gamut of subject matter and style, these short films are selected based on their individual merits in storytelling and execution. Animated Shorts: These animated films represent the diversity of the craft from simple, hand-drawn figures to stop-motion and digital rendering, showcasing unique storytelling at its finest. Student Shorts: With solid storytelling and emerging vision, these films represent a broad range of categories including live action, narrative, documentary and animation.GLOBAL SHORTS FORUM
The Global Shorts Forum is a curated collection of international shorts from multiple genres that focus on world issues. This year’s themes include LGBTQ & You: Love is Love is Love, no matter who, where, or why. Woman Walks Ahead: A wide range of topics from the feminine perspective. A Sporting Chance: The triumphs and tribulations of competitors around the globe. Don’t Dis My Ability: Dedicated to raising awareness of the disabled community and their ongoing struggles and triumphs.SHORTS SPOTLIGHT
The Shorts Spotlight is a new category debuting for the 2018 SCAD Savannah Film Festival. This collection of shorts will highlight Animated Delights: A kid-friendly collection of intriguing animated shorts from around the world. Bump in the Night: Everyone loves a good scare. These shorts put a new spin on the beloved horror genre. LOLz: To err is human, to laugh at one’s error, divine. These shorts remind us just how hilarious life can be. Three-Piece Oddity: A delightful and surreal collection of three distinct shorts that defy categorical description but together celebrate the joy of discovery.PANELS
From software and special effects demonstrations to discussions and panels with industry stars and insiders, knowledge sharing occurs every day of the festival. This year’s panels include The Wonder Women Panel Series will focus on the cinematic achievements and contributions of female directors, producers, and below the line talent in film and television. The Below the Line Panel Series is a curated series of panels highlighting contributions of below-the-line talent to the art of cinema with a focus on casting, costume design and production design. The State of the Art Series, hosted by SCADFILM, is a collection of panels with a focus on filmmaking, augmented and virtual reality, and gaming. Through the Writers on Writing Series, Writers Guild Foundation sit down with screenwriters to illuminate the craft behind their screenplays and their journeys navigating the industry as writers.
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2018 Twin Cities Film Fest Boasts Diverse and Inspiring Lineup, Opens with GREEN BOOK
[caption id="attachment_31408" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Green Book[/caption]
Twin Cities Film Fest today announced a diverse and inspiring lineup of films for their 2018 festival, to be held October 17 to 27. This year’s festival will officially open their ninth year with Peter Farrelly’s Green Book, which recently won the coveted People’s Choice Award this past week at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.
When Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on “The Green Book” to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. Confronted with racism, danger—as well as unexpected humanity and humor—they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkZxoko_HC0
Opening night festivities will also include a screening of Time for Ilhan, a documentary about State Representative and Federal House candidate, Ilhan Omar, who will be in attendance along with director Norah Shapiro and cinematographer Chris Newberry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ8uivoe36U
The Centerpiece Highlight on Friday, October 19 is the Newport Beach Film Festival hit comedy When Jeff Tried to Save the World starring Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite). United Skates, a documentary about roller skating and a community’s battle to save an underground subculture will close out the festival on October 27.
Other visiting guests this year include David Arquette and Tom Arnold with the U.S. premiere of Saving Flora, the story of a 14-year-old girl who kidnaps an elephant from a circus to take it to a nature reserve, screening on October 22. Chef Andrew Zimmern will also be in attendance on Thursday, October 25 for the Midwest premiere of Chef Flynn, a documentary about a ten-year-old who transformed his living room into a supper club and achieved sudden fame.
TCFF will also feature Widows (20th Century Fox) a modern-day thriller from Steve McQueen starring Viola Davis and Liam Neeson, Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Fox Searchlight Pictures) starring Melissa McCarthy, Boy Erased (Focus Features) starring Joel Edgerton and Nicole Kidman and The Favourite (Fox Searchlight Pictures) starring Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.
In addition to their regular programming this year, TCFF will collaborate with the Jewish Film Festival and the Northstar Science Film Festival, showing a slate of thought provoking films while launching a brand new initiative, TCFF Tech. TCFF Tech is a one-of-a-kind 3-day event spotlighting the impact of technology on social issues, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
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2018 Toronto International Film Festival Awards – GREEN BOOK Wins People’s Choice Award
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The Toronto International Film Festival announced its award winners at the closing ceremony with the People’s Choice Award and $15,000 cash prize going to Peter Farrelly for Green Book. The first runner-up is Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, and the second runner-up is Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA.
2018 Toronto International Film Festival Award Winners
IWC SHORT CUTS AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
The IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film goes to Meryam Joobeur’s Brotherhood. The jury remarked, “The film was masterfully executed, layered with bold ideas, rich textures, and nuanced character observations played by an unforgettable cast.” “The film successfully explored complex personal and political themes with compassion for its characters. By employing the intimate prism of a Tunisian family, the film was evidently made with a sense of maturity that points to a bright future from Meryam Joobeur.” The award offers a $10,000 cash prize, made possible by IWC Schaffhausen. The jury awarded an honorable mention to Jérémy Comte’s Fauve for its confident visual storytelling and moving performances from the child actors. The short-film awards were selected by a jury comprised of Claire Diao, Molly McGlynn, and Michael Pearce.IWC SHORT CUTS AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
The IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Short Film goes to Sandhya Suri’s The Field. The jury noted, “The film is striking for its aesthetic lyricism, tender performances, and powerful emotional impact.” “It’s a unique and refreshing glimpse into female desire set in rural India that demonstrated a scope greater than its short format.” The award offers a $10,000 cash prize, made possible by IWC Schaffhausen. The jury gave honorable mentions to Anette Sidor’s Fuck You, for its acutely observed study of teenage sexuality, and to Emma de Swaef and Marc James Roels’s This Magnificent Cake!, for the spectacular level of animation and the surreal humour it uses to explore its complex colonial subject matter. The short-film awards were selected by a jury comprised of Claire Diao, Molly McGlynn, and Michael Pearce.CITY OF TORONTO AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
The City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film goes to Katherine Jerkovic’s Roads in February (Les routes en février). The jury remarked it was selected, “For its warm portrayal of a young woman trying to reconnect with her distant heritage after her father’s untimely death, and for the way the film demonstrates how genuine human connections best develop between two individuals when they stand on common ground.” This award carries a cash prize of $15,000, made possible by the City of Toronto. The Canadian awards were selected by a jury comprised of Mathieu Denis, Ali Özgentürk, and Michelle Shephard.CANADA GOOSE® AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
The Canada Goose® Award for Best Canadian Feature Film goes to Sébastien Pilote’s The Fireflies Are Gone (La disparition des lucioles). The jury said it was chosen, “For its true-to-life depiction of a young woman’s quest to find meaning and hope in a world that has constantly disappointed her.” This award carries a cash prize of $30,000 and a custom award, sponsored by Canada Goose®. The Canadian awards were selected by a jury comprised of Mathieu Denis, Ali Özgentürk, and Michelle Shephard.THE PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FILM CRITICS (FIPRESCI PRIZES)
The Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) for the Discovery programme is awarded to Carmel Winters for Float Like a Butterfly, which the jury called “a pastoral and traditional bucolic film, capturing the familiar angst and anxiety a young adult woman undergoes in order to have her say in the scheme of things in a predominately male-driven patriarchal society.” “Through her spectacular and deft narrative, nuanced understanding of the dilemmas women face, and a pitch-perfect performance by Hazel Doupe, this film is a triumph of free spirit.” Honorable mention goes to Laura Luchetti’s Twin Flower. The Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) for Special Presentations is awarded to Guy Nattiv for Skin, which the jury called “a gripping study of a group of extremists and the choices available to them. It’s raw yet intelligently paced, with stunning performances, especially by a near-unrecognizable Vera Farmiga.” honorable mention goes to Louis Garrel’s A Faithful Man.NETPAC AWARD
As selected by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema for the seventh consecutive year, the NETPAC Award for World or International Asian Film Premiere in the Discovery and Contemporary World Cinema sections goes to Ash Mayfair’s The Third Wife. The jury remarked, ”Ash Mayfair’s debut feature The Third Wife signaled the emergence of a young female director-writer whose aesthetic sensibilities, cinematic language, and extraordinary ability to illuminate the past for contemporary audiences augur well for the future of Vietnamese and world cinema.” The jury gave honorable mention to Bai Xue’s The Crossing. The jury said, “Bai Xue’s storytelling in her debut film The Crossing shattered cinematic boundaries to create an original visual language that propelled her protagonist’s emotional crossing into adulthood as she crossed the physical boundaries of Hong Kong into mainland China.” EURIMAGES’ AUDENTIA AWARD The Festival and the Council of Europe’s Eurimages Fund present the third Audentia Award for Best Female Director to Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian’s Fig Tree. “Fig Tree is a stunning and illuminating debut,” the jury remarked. “Based on her own experiences, Ethiopian-Israeli writer-director Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian takes us on an unsentimental journey and shows us the tragic effects of civil war on ordinary people. Confidently directed with grit and compassion, Fig Tree is a beautifully rendered, big-hearted story about a Jewish teenage girl’s attempt to save those she loves, but it’s also an intimate coming-of-age story of self-discovery and female empowerment.” This award carries a €30,000 cash prize. Awarding an honorable mention to Camilla Strøm Henriksen’s Phoenix, the jury said: “Phoenix is a courageous debut from Norwegian director Camilla Strøm Henriksen. A visually arresting and emotionally nuanced film, Phoenix focuses on a young teen who assumes an enormous burden of responsibility in the face of her mother’s mental illness and her father’s absence. With a seamless blend of stark realism and cinematic magic realism, Henriksen’s story subtly, yet powerfully, unfolds from the perspective of her mature young protagonist.”TORONTO PLATFORM PRIZE PRESENTED BY AIR FRANCE
This is the fourth year for Platform, the Festival’s juried program that champions directors’ cinema from around the world. The Festival welcomed an international jury comprised of award-winning filmmakers Mira Nair, Béla Tarr, and Lee Chang-dong, who unanimously awarded the Toronto Platform Prize Presented by Air France to Wi Ding Ho’s Cities of Last Things. The jury said, “This is a deeply moving drama from a director who shows great skill in his ability to weave together multiple genres with social and political critique, while telling a story that remains intimately human at its core. For us, this film has a spirit that always feels beautifully close to real life.” “Over the course of the Festival, we’ve had the privilege of watching 12 films that left us excited with the feeling that the future of directors’ cinema is in such capable hands. The great joy of being on the Platform Jury has been participating in a competition celebrating emerging visions that are bold, daring, innovative, and sometimes even challenging. The great difficulty, however, has been selecting only one director to win the Toronto Platform Prize. After much contemplation and thorough discussion, we all agreed together upon one prize winner and one honorable mention.” Awarding an honorable mention to Emir Baigazin’s The River, the jury said: “We were completely absorbed by the singular world this film creates through precise and meticulous craft, breathtaking visuals, and a boldly patient yet engrossing observational style.” The Toronto Platform Prize offers a custom award and a $25,000 cash prize, made possible by Air France.GROLSCH PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS
This year marked the 41st year that Toronto audiences were able to cast a ballot for their favorite Festival film for the Grolsch People’s Choice Award. This year’s award goes to Peter Farrelly for Green Book. The award offers a $15,000 cash prize and custom award, sponsored by Grolsch. The first runner-up is Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk. The second runner-up is Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA. The Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award goes to Vasan Bala’s The Man Who Feels No Pain. The first runner-up is David Gordon Green’s Halloween. The second runner-up is Sam Levinson’s Assassination Nation. The Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award goes to Free Solo, directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. The first runner-up is Tom Donahue’s This Changes Everything. The second runner-up is John Chester’s The Biggest Little Farm.
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Mill Valley Film Festival Announces Full Lineup, Opens with U.S. Premieres of A PRIVATE WAR and GREEN BOOK
[caption id="attachment_31408" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Green Book[/caption]
The Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) will showcase a diverse lineup of 204 films with 45% of all film directed by women, for the 41st edition of the festival, from October 4 to 14, 2018. The Festival will open with a double header – the U.S. Premiere of A Private War, starring Rosamund Pike, and Green Book starring Mahershala Ali.
Opening Night – U.S. Premieres of A PRIVATE WAR and GREEN BOOK
Opening night kicks off Thursday, October 4 with the U.S. Premiere of Aviron Pictures’ A Private War, starring Rosamund Pike as Marie Colvin, one of the most celebrated war correspondents of our era, and Universal Pictures’ Green Book, a sharply observed drama, inspired by real-life events, featuring Mahershala Ali as a classically trained Black jazz piano prodigy Dr. Don Shirley on a 1962 concert tour of the American South. Director Matthew Heineman and Rosamund Pike will be in attendance for A Private War and Oscar® winner Mahershala Ali and director Peter Farrelly for Green Book. Centerpiece Presentation – ROMA MVFFs 2018 Centerpiece presentation, ROMA, is the most personal project to date from Academy Award®-winning director and writer Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Gravity). ROMA follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a young domestic worker for a family in the middle-class neighborhood of Roma in Mexico City. Delivering an artful love letter to the women who raised him, Cuarón draws on his own childhood to create a vivid and emotional portrait of domestic strife and social hierarchy amidst political turmoil of the 1970s. Attending will be director/writer Alfonso Cuarón.Closing Night – IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
MVFF41 will close with the Bay Area premiere of IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, Barry Jenkins’ much anticipated follow up to his Oscar winning MOONLIGHT (MVFF39). Jenkins will be present for the screening. The film, based on James Baldwin’s novel of the same name, was adapted by Jenkins’, and follows a pregnant African-American who sets out to clear her fiance’s name after he is falsely imprisoned. The Closing Night Party following the film will be held at Elks Lodge in San Rafael.Spotlights
MVFF41 will bestow a number of Spotlights throughout the Festival including: honoring rising star Amandla Stenberg for her work in The Hate U Give; Joel Edgerton for his work directing and co-starring in Boy Erased; Karyn Kusama for her directorial effort Destroyer; esteemed actor Richard E. Grant for his performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me?; acclaimed actress Maggie Gyllenhaal for The Kindergarten Teacher; and acknowledge Paul Dano and Carey Mulligan for their creative collaboration on Wildlife.Tribute – Pawel Pawlikowski
Academy Award winning Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski (Ida) will receive a special Tribute from the Festival to celebrate his latest film Cold War, a star-crossed romance set during 1950s Cold War in Poland. Pawlikowski will be present for the awards presentation and an onstage conversation following the film.Special Presentation – BEAUTIFUL BOY
The Festival will present a Special Presentation screening of Beautiful Boy with Academy Award nominated actor Timothée Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name), Academy Award Nominated actress Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone), and Academy Award nominated Belgian director Felix van Groeningen (The Broken Circle Breakdown).Behind the Screens – Panels | Master Classes | Workshops
The Festival will present another strong slate of Panels, Master Classes, and Workshops to supplement the outstanding film programming and to continue the discussion for Festival attendees. They include: back for a second year, the Mind The Gap Summit will again feature an extraordinary lineup of thought leaders and creatives in film and tech for a full day intensive to help work and share ideas as the Festival advocates gender equity in film; the annual State of the Industry panel will feature leaders of the independent film world to talk about the current pulse of the independent film community; the From Scene to Screen For Teens workshop, facilitated by Tom Franco and Iris Torres, will allow teenage participants the chance to workshop scenes from Gerrard Conley’s memoir Boy Erased; the Crowdfunding to Build Independence workshop teaches filmmakers the essentials for engaging their audience at every stage of their project; Tom Schlesinger will facilitate the workshop The Heroine’s Journey Onscreen Dramedy, a dive into utilizing the Heroine’s Journey for storytelling; the Medical Marijuana panel, following a screening of Weed the People will focus on the medical uses of marijuana and the many benefits to utilizing cannabis to treat a host of ailments; 420: Welcome The Waldos will illuminate the story behind the origins of the term 420; and finally, Graphic Novel Writing for Teens, is a hands-on workshop following the screening of the film Virus Tropical, and will introduce students to the work of several cartoonists and guide them through the process.MVFF Music
MVFF Music returns for a fourth year with a diverse series of concerts at the Sweetwater Music Hall. Nine nights of live music include performances by artists featured in MVFF films, as well as local, national, and international musicians. Musicians include: Freddy Jones Band, Jarvis Cocker introducing Jarv is…, Holly Near with Tammy Hall and Jan Martinelli, Michael Franti, Black Zeppelin, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Half Pint, and Honus Honus.¡VIVA EL CINE!
MVFF’s ¡Viva El Cine! Initiative showcases prize-winning Spanish Language and Latin American films that seek to engage and embrace our Spanish speaking and loving audiences. Highlights in this section include: Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma from Mexico, Birds of Passage from Columbia, El Ángel from Argentina, Richard Levien’s Collisions featuring Mexican American characters, Ernesto from Cuba, Too Late to Die Young from Chile, and The Silence of Others from Spain.Active Cinema
Once again the MVFF’s Active Cinema initiative will showcase film’s power to inspire people to take action to create positive change. Screenings throughout the Festival support the grassroots activism of the filmmakers and engage with the work of the special guests, co-presenters and partners. Highlights include: Charm City in association with Ritter Center; From Baghdad to the Bay in association with the international Rescue Committee, Horizons Foundation, LGBT Asylum Project and Human Rights Watch; Harvest Season in association with La Luz Center; Stay Human in association with Do It For The Love; Time For Ilhan in association with Marin County Young Democrats; Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn? In association with Investigative Reporting Program at the Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley and the Center for Investigative Reporting; Wild DaZe in association with Wildlife Works; and the Active Cinema Hike, a free networking in nature event.Mind The Gap Award – Stacy L. Smith
Mind The Gap, MVFF’s gender equity initiative, amplifies and champions work by women filmmakers, who are changing the narrative that shapes the culture. The Festival is committed to programming 50/50 by 2020 – 50% women directors across all Festival sections by 2020. As part of Mind The Gap this year, the Festival will give Stacy L. Smith the Mind the Gap Award for Visionary Leadership. Smith is a visionary leader in the movement towards gender equity in the film industry. She is an associate professor at USC Annenberg and Founder and Director of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the leading think tank globally studying issues of inequality in entertainment. Smith will receive the Mind the Gap Award during the Mind the Gap Summit on Saturday, October 6 where she will also present some of her most recent work.Focus | Black Is
MVFF’s Focus Black Is will showcase emotionally and socially resonant films that explore what it means to be Black in the contemporary world. Films in this Focus include: the co-opening night film Green Book; The Hate U Give; the Closing Night film If Beale Street Could Talk; Little Woods; Long Time Coming: A 1955 Baseball Story; and Obey.Focus | Teens & 20’s
The Festival’s Focus Teens & 20’s, is a focus on young adult films about that defining – and sometimes challenging – post-adolescent/pre-adult time of life. Films in this Focus include: the short program 5@5 The Way It Is; Angst; the Special Presentation Beautiful Boy; Ben is Back; The Hate U Give; Rafiki; The Silent Revolution; Too Late to Die Young; and Virus Tropical.Focus | Queer-ish
Diverse stories of queer representation found in a wide, genre-twisting array of films will be showcased in the Festival’s Focus Queer-ish. Films in this Focus include: Alifu The Prince/ss; El Ángel; Border; Joel Edgerton’s Spotlight presentation film Boy Erased; Richard E. Grant’s Spotlight presentation film Can You Ever Forgive Me?; The Favorite; From Baghdad to the Bay; Holly Near: Singing For Our Lives; The Parting Glass; and Rafiki.Focus | Animation Nation
An assemblage of gorgeous, entertaining, and occasionally kooky animation fiction and non-fiction films from around the globe highlight the Focus Animation Nation. Films in this Focus include: the short program 5@5 Circle Game; The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales; Chris The Swiss; Coco; Seder-Masochism; A Ton O’Toons; Virus Tropical; and Zootopia.
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GREEN BOOK Starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali to Open Zurich Film Festival [Trailer]
[caption id="attachment_31408" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Green Book[/caption]
The European Premiere of director Peter Farrelly’s drama Green Book will open the 14th Zurich Film Festival on September 27, 2018. Farrelly and Academy Award® nominee Viggo Mortensen will attend as the Zurich Film Festival’s honored guests.
Inspired by the remarkable true friendship that transcended race, class and societal constraints of the early 1960s, Farrelly’s foray into powerfully dramatic work also stars Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali.
When Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on “The Green Book”, a guide book to the few establishments that were then safe and accessible for African-Americans. Confronted with racism and danger — as well as unexpected humanity and humor — they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime.
Said ZFF Co-Directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri: “We are thrilled to be opening the ZFF with Green Book, one of the season’s most anticipated films. Whilst it is set in the 1960s, Green Book feels incredibly relevant today, in the face of racism, discrimination and division in the US and elsewhere in the world. The film is also a pure delight for cinemagoers.”
Green Book opens in cinemas in Switzerland in January 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkZxoko_HC0
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2018 Toronto International Film Festival Adds More Gala and Special Presentations Films
[caption id="attachment_31408" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Green Book[/caption]
The Toronto International Film Festival today unveiled its second batch of titles premiering in the Gala and Special Presentations programs in September. Four Gala Presentations and 22 Special Presentations have been added to the selection of titles already announced.
“We’re rounding out the lineup of Galas and Special Presentations with some of the most exciting films of the year,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “Audiences won’t want to miss these premieres from a mix of newcomers and global heavyweights.”
This second announcement brings the total for Galas and Special Presentations to 44 World Premieres, 9 International Premieres, 12 North American Premieres and 11 Canadian Premieres.
The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018.
GALAS 2018
Green Book Peter Farrelly | USA World Premiere Closing Night Film Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy Justin Kelly | Canada/USA/United Kingdom World Premiere The Lie Veena Sud | Canada World Premiere Opening Night Film Outlaw King David Mackenzie | USA/United Kingdom World PremiereSPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 2018
22 July Paul Greengrass | Norway/Iceland North American Premiere American Woman Jake Scott | USA World Premiere Baby ( Bao Bei Er) Liu Jie | China World Premiere Boy Erased Joel Edgerton | USA International Premiere Driven Nick Hamm | Puerto Rico/United Kingdom/USA North American Premiere Duelles (Mothers’ Instinct) Olivier Masset-Depasse | Belgium/France World Premiere A Faithful Man ( L’homme fidèle) Louis Garrel | France World Premiere Gloria Bell Sebastián Lelio | USA/Chile World Premiere Hold the Dark Jeremy Saulnier | USA World Premiere Kursk Thomas Vinterberg | Belgium/Luxembourg World Premiere Legend of the Demon Cat – Director’s Cut Chen Kaige | China/Japan World Premiere Mid90s Jonah Hill | USA World Premiere A Million Little Pieces Sam Taylor-Johnson | USA World Premiere Never Look Away ( Werk ohne Autor) Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck | Germany North American Premiere The Quietude ( La Quietud) Pablo Trapero | Argentina North American Premiere Skin Guy Nattiv | USA World Premiere Teen Spirit Max Minghella | USA World Premiere Tell It To The Bees Annabel Jankel | United Kingdom World Premiere Viper Club Maryam Keshavarz | USA World Premiere Vision Naomi Kawase | Japan/France International Premiere Vita & Virginia Chanya Button | United Kingdom/Ireland World Premiere Wild Rose Tom Harper | United Kingdom World Premiere