Sorry to Bother You

  • Meet SORRY TO BOTHER YOU’s Writer and Director Boots Riley [Video]

    Meet SORRY TO BOTHER YOU’s Writer and Director Boots Riley [Video] SORRY TO BOTHER YOU written and directed by Boots Riley opens in select theaters on Friday, July 6th and everywhere July 13th. The film features an all star cast including Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, Terry Crews, Steven Yeun, Omari Hardwick, Jermaine Fowler, and Danny Glover. What is the film about? In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre universe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enH3xA4mYcY Now get to know SORRY TO BOTHER YOU’S writer and director Boots Riley before the film debuts in theaters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hesissxRP8

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  • Super Talented Boots Riley to Receive Sundance Institute’s Vanguard Award

    Boots Riley Writer/director/producer/musician/activist Boots Riley, an alumni of both the Sundance Labs and Film Festival, will be honored with the Sundance Institute’s annual Vanguard Award at its summer fundraiserSundance Institute At Sundown, on June 14, 2018 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, just before the Los Angeles debut of his new film, Sorry to Bother You. Proceeds from the evening will help advance Sundance Institute’s mission and programs that discover, support and amplify risk-taking and exciting independent artists in film, theatre and new media. Sorry to Bother You, which had its world premiere in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, is a genre-defying work, taking place in a modern day alternate reality version of Oakland, CA where telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre new universe. The film, starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun, Jermaine Fowler, Armie Hammer and Omari Hardwick was produced by Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Charles King, George Rush, Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams, and will be released in theatres by Annapurna Pictures on July 6, 2018. “Sorry to Bother You exemplifies Boots’ uncompromising and fearless independent vision,” said Michelle Satter, Founding Director of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program. “When he was a Fellow at our 2015 Directors Lab, his official bio noted that he had never won an award for artistic achievement, and we’re so pleased to change that with this celebration.” Sundance Institute’s Vanguard Award honors artists whose work and vision represents the highest, most breakthrough level of innovation, originality, and independent spirit that the Institute’s FFP program under Satter’s leadership has fostered in artists over its 30-year history. Past Vanguard Award recipients include Alejandro Gonzàlez Iñàrritu, Roger Ebert, Glenn Close, Dee Rees and Quentin Tarantino. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enH3xA4mYcY

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  • THE SHAPE OF WATER Leads Nominations for 19th Golden Trailer Awards

    [caption id="attachment_25167" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Shape Of Water Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER.[/caption] The Shape of Water along with Hitman’s Bodyguard lead the nominations for the 19th annual Golden Trailer Awards competition that has emerged as the most recognized event devoted to the artistry of film marketers and companies that create movie trailers, commercials and posters worldwide. GTA 19 will take place on Thursday, May 31st at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles hosted by comedienne and actress Michelle Buteau (“The Tick,” “Broad City,” “Key & Peele”).

    19th Golden Trailer Awards Nominations

    Best Independent Trailer

    The Florida Project, “Trailer,” A24, Mark Woollen & Associates I, Tonya, “Haters,” Neon, Zealot Thoroughbreds, “Red Band Trailer,” Focus Features, Motive The Shape of Water, “Connection,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, MOCEAN Under the Silver Lake, “Trailer 1,” A24, Motive

    Best Documentary

    The China Hustle, “Trailer,” Magnolia, Zealot City of Ghosts, “Promise,” Amazon Studios, MOCEAN Icarus, “Distance,” Netflix, GrandSon Won’t You Be My Neighbor, “Trailer,” Focus Features, Mark Woollen & Associates Three Identical Strangers, “Reunited,” Neon, Zealot

    Best Drama

    All The Money In The World, “Power,” Sony Pictures, Project X|AV Darkest Hour, “Trailer,” Focus Features, Mark Woollen & Associates The Shape of Water, “Escape,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, MOCEAN Megan Leavey, “Mission,” Bleecker Street, Open Road Chappaquiddick, “Conspiracy,” Entertainment Studios, MOCEAN

    Best Comedy

    Game Night, “Welcome,” New Line Cinema, MOCEAN Uncle Drew, “Uncle Drew,” Lionsgate, Seismic Productions Sorry to Bother You, “Voice,” Annapurna Pictures, Trailer Park, Inc. Lady Bird, “Domestic Trailer #1,” A24 Films, Giaronomo Productions Gringo, “Friendly,” Amazon, GrandSon

    Best Horror

    A Quiet Place, “A Quiet Place | Teaser – Listen,” Paramount, Ignition Insidious: The Last Key, “Family,” Universal Pictures, Buddha Jones Mother!, “Puzzle,” Paramount Pictures, Buddha Jones A Quiet Place, “A Quiet Place,” Paramount, AV Squad Hereditary, “Hereditary,” A24, AV Squad

    Best Action

    Kingsman: The Golden Circle, “Team,” 20th Century Fox, Create Advertising Group Black Panther, “Crown,” Walt Disney Studios, Create Advertising Group Tomb Raider, “SURVIVOR,” Warner Bros., Ant Farm Avengers: Infinity War, “Millions,” Disney/Marvel, MOCEAN Rampage, “Battle,” Warner Bros., Aspect

    Best Animation / Family

    The Nutcracker and The Four Realms, “Clara,” Walt Disney Pictures, TRANSIT Peter Rabbit, “Home,” Sony Pictures, Create Advertising Group Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck It Ralph 2, “Wired Refresh,” Disney/Pixar, MOCEAN Isle Of Dogs, “Domestic Trailer #1,” Fox Searchlight, Giaronomo Productions Despicable Me 3, “Mojo,” Universal Pictures, Workshop Creative

    Best Fantasy Adventure

    Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, “New World,” Sony, TRANSIT Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, “Expelliarmus,” Warner Bros., Jax Thor: Ragnarok, “New Journey,” Disney/Marvel, MOCEAN Star Wars: The Last Jedi, “Rebellion Reborn DCM Trailer,” Walt Disney Studios / Lucasfilm, Tiny Hero Solo: A Star Wars Story, “Something,” Disney, Disney In-house

    Best Music

    The Greatest Showman, “Imagination,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card All The Money In The World, “True Story,” Sony Pictures, Project X|AV Baby Driver, “Tekillyah,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc. Ocean’s 8, “7 People,” Warner Bros. Pictures, Trailer Park, Inc. Pacific Rim: Uprising, “Untouchable,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job

    Best Summer Blockbuster Trailer

    Ocean’s 8, “7 People,” Warner Bros., Trailer Park, Inc. Mission: Impossible – Fallout, “CHOICE,” Paramount Pictures, Ant Farm The Incredibles 2, “Illegal,” Disney, Trailer Park, Inc. Deadpool 2, “Comeback,” 20th Century Fox, MOCEAN Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, “Kingdom,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job

    Best Teaser

    Murder on the Orient Express, “Suspect,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card Red Sparrow, “Program,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card Deadpool 2, “Cable Red,” 20th Century Fox, MOCEAN Mortal Engines, “London,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job Avengers: Infinity War, “Balance,” Disney/Marvel, MOCEAN

    Best Thriller

    Annihilation, “Mission,” Paramount Pictures, Buddha Jones Unsane, “Believe,” Bleecker Street, Buddha Jones The Commuter, “The Commuter,” Lionsgate, AV Squad It Comes At Night, “It Comes at Night,” A24, AV Squad Sicario Day of the Soldado, “Win,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, MOCEAN

    Best Video Game Trailer

    Assassin’s Creed Origins, “Order of The Ancients,” Ubisoft, Sunny Side Up Creative Assassin’s Creed: Origins, “Legend,” Ubisoft, Buddha Jones Far Cry 5, “Story Trailer,” Ubisoft, Buddha Jones Call of Duty: WWII, “Call of Duty:WWII – Reveal Trailer,” Activision, gnet Outlast Series Switch Trailer, “Outlast Series Trailer for the Nintendo Switch,” Red Barrels, Altar Creative

    Golden Fleece

    Proud Mary, “Rolling, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc. Flatliners, “Relax,” Sony Pictures & Columbia Pictures, Buddha Jones Death Wish, “Reaper,” MGM, Create Advertising Group The Meg, “Carnage,” Warner Bros., Trailer Park, Inc. Snowman, “Domestic Trailer #1,” Universal Studios, Giaronomo Productions

    Most Original Trailer

    Thoroughbreds, “Red Band Trailer,” Focus Features, Motive Baby Driver, “Tekillyah,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc. Deadpool 2, “Paintings – Bob Ross Trailer,” 20th Century Fox, MOCEAN/Big Picture Hereditary, “Hereditary,” A24, AV Squad Patti Cake$, “PATTI CAKE$ Lyric Video,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Studio Cadre & Ruff Mercy

    Best Independent Trailer (for film budget shot under a million US)

    Still/Born, “Still/Born Trailer,” Vertical Entertainment, Jay Gartland Ghost House, “Ghost House Trailer,” Vertical Entertainment, Jay Gartland Gemini, “Trailer,” Neon, Mark Woollen & Associates MEAT, “COMPLEX,” M.P.I, Dhruv Kumar The Endless, “The Endless “Cult” Official Trailer,” Well Go USA Entertainment, Sequence Creative

    Best Motion/Title Graphics

    Baby Driver, “Tekillyah,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc. Ready Player One, “Hall H,” Warner Bros. , Buddha Jones THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME, “Bond”,” Lionsgate, Seismic Productions Thoroughbreds, “Twisted,” Focus Features, GrandSon Slice, “Line Rider,” A24, GrandSon

    Best Original Score

    Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, “Ignite,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job Avengers: Infinity War, “Millions,” Disney/Marvel, MOCEAN The Incredibles 2, “Illegal,” Disney, Trailer Park, Inc. Good Time, “Feelin It,” A24, GrandSon The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Make New Friends,” Lionsgate, In House

    Best Romance

    Our Souls at Night, “Sunday Love Teaser,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates Love, Simon, “Courage,” 20th Century Fox, TRANSIT Call Me By Your Name, “Call Me By Your Name,Theatrical Trailer,” Sony Pictures Classics, The Grossmyth Company Mamma Mia 2, “Memories,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job Adrift, “Bon Voyage,” STX Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc.

    Best Sound Editing

    Baby Driver, “Heist,” Sony, Wild Card Baby Driver, “Tekillyah,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc. Mother!, “Puzzle,” Paramount Pictures, Buddha Jones Pacific Rim Uprising, “Pacific Rim Uprising,” Universal, AV Squad Star Wars: The Last Jedi, “Rebellion Reborn” DCM Trailer, Walt Disney Studios / Lucasfilm, Tiny Hero

    The Don LaFontane Award for Best Voice Over

    Micro Machines World Series Trailer, “Micro Machines World Series,” Deep Silver/Codemasters, YellowPike Media Mudbound, “Trailer,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Ninja Theory Mother!, “FEAR,” Paramount Pictures, Ant Farm The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Bonus Sh*t!,” Lionsgate, Tiny Hero

    Trashiest Trailer

    Father Figures, “Every Dad,” Warner Bros., Create Advertising Group The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Bonus Sh*t!,” Lionsgate,Tiny Hero The Little Hours, “The Little Hours,” Gunpowder & Sky, Jump Cut Creative Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Make New Friends”, Lionsgate, In House Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, “Stronger,” SyFy, AV Squad

    Best Foreign Action Trailer

    Salut – 7, “Salyut -7,” Eugeny Makharashvili, Butterfly Effect Beyond the edge, “Beyond the edge TRL,” KINODANZ, On/Off Production The Outsider, “Never Go Back,” Netflix, Jax Rubicon, “Trailer,” RFG, Most, Chechen Film, Alexandr Serzhantov The Villainess, “The Villainess, Official US Trailer,” Well Go USA Entertainment, Red Circle, Inc.

    Best Foreign Animation Family Trailer

    In This Corner Of The World, “International Trailer,” Manga, Editpool Bilal, “Unite,” Vertical, Zealot Monster Hunt 2, “Adventure,” EDKO Films Ltd., Trailer Park, Inc. Here Comes the Grump, “Here Comes The Grump Trailer,” GFM Films, Zealot UK Kikoriki. Dejavu, “Kikoriki. Dejavu,” The Riki Group, Stanislav Ivanov

    Best Foreign Comedy Trailer

    The Death Of Stalin, “US Trailer,” IFC, Intermission Film The Square, “Trailer,” Magnolia Pictures, Mark Woollen & Associates THE PARTY, “Trailer 1,” Roadside Attractions, Big Science Film Swinging Safari, “Swinging Safari Trailer,” Becker Film Group, Zealot UK Blockbuster, “Blockbuster Trailer,” NETFLIX, Zealot UK

    Best Foreign Documentary Trailer

    Faces Places, “Trailer,” Cohen Media Group, Mark Woollen & Associates Charcoal Burner Nights, Zeitraum Film, Trailerhaus GmbH McLaren, “McLaren Trailer,” Gunpowder & Sky, Zealot UK Devil’s Freedom, “JUNKY SKULL,” ANIMAL DE LUZ, ART Kingdom Yellow is Forbidden, “Couture,” Madman/NZ Film Commission, AV Squad

    Best Foreign Drama Trailer

    One Percent, “Trailer,” See Pictures, Zealot The Eternal Feminine, “The Eternal Feminine,” Luxbox , Good Hands Peace Breaker first trailer, “Peace Breaker first trailer,” Nurostar Rubicon, “Trailer,” RFG, Most, Chechen Film, Alexandr Serzhantov A Fantastic Woman, “A Fantastic Woman Trailer,” Curzon Artificial Eye, Intermission Film

    Best Foreign Horror Trailer

    From A House On Willow Street, “From A House On Willow Street.” Fat Cigar, The First Order Ghost Stories, “Trailer,” Lionsgate UK, Intermission Film Killing Ground, “Trailer,” IFC, Zealot The Secret Of Marrowbone, eOne, SILK FACTORY Slumber, “Slumber Trailer,” Goldcrest Films, Zealot UK

    Best Foreign Independent Trailer

    BPM, “Trailer,” The Orchard, Mark Woollen & Associates Moka, “Driven,” Film Movement, PK Creative Edie, “Trailer,” Arrow Films, Editpool Double Lover, “Lust,” Cohen Media Group, AV Squad IN THE AISLES, Zorro Film GmbH, Requination/Niemiproduktion

    Best Foreign Music Trailer

    MY GENERATION, “My Generation – UK Trailer,” Lionsgate, SILK FACTORY Youth, “Youth,” Nurostar Witnesses, “Silent” Trailer,” RFG, ARK PICTURES, Alexandr Serzhantov Foundling, “Foundling “Trailer,” Amedia Production, 1tv, Andrei Solodovnikov Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, Universal Pictures International, Muniq Creative Agency

    Best Foreign Romance Trailer

    About Love. Adults Only, Stanislav Ivanov From the Land of the Moon, IFC, Zealot A Fantastic Woman, Sony Pictures Classic, The Grossmyth Company Submergence, Embankment Films, Zealot UK Breathe, Bleecker Street, Zealot UK

    Best Foreign Teaser

    Coach, Kinoslovo/DK Entertainment, Vadzim Khudabets The Whiskey Bandit Viszkis Film, Film Force Team, Peter Varsics Yardie, Studiocanal, Intermission Film Viy 2: The Mystery of the Dragon’s Seal, “Visit”, RFG, Alexandr Serzhantov Wings of the Empire, 3xmedia, 1tv, Andrei Solodovnikov

    Best Foreign Thriller Trailer

    Killing Ground, IFC, Zealot THE GIRL IN THE FOG, Studio Canal, Silk Factory Luna, Universum Film, Trailerhaus GmbH Beast, Altitude, Intermission Film Double Lover, “Lust” Cohen Media Group, AV Squad

    Most Original Foreign Trailer

    The Square, Magnolia Pictures, Mark Woollen & Associates Frontier, Studio “KIT,” Stanislav Ivanov Youth, Nurostar Ichi The Killer, Well Go USA Entertainment, Sequence Creative Jeannette, Luxbox, Good Hands

    Best Action TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Kingsman: The Golden Circle, “Poppy Dance,” 20th Century Fox, Trailer Park, Inc. Wonder Woman, “Together :60,” Warner Bros., Buddha Jones Black Panther, “Entourage :60,” Walt Disney Pictures, AV Squad Deadpool 2, “Save Me / Tea,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card Tomb Raider, “:30 “Brilliant,” Warner Bros., Mob Scene Creative & Productions

    Best Animation / Family TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    The Greatest Showman, “World,” 20th Century Fox, Create Advertising Group Ferdinand, “Week Before Xmas,” 20th Century Fox Animation, MOCEAN Wonder, “TV60 “You Are A Wonder,” Lionsgate, Markus Wernig – Offramp Creative Inc. Isle Of Dogs, “:30TV “Sic Em,” Fox Searchlight, Giaronomo Productions Despicable Me 3, “Evil Mastermind,” Universal Pictures , Workshop Creative

    Best Comedy TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Mofo Count” :30,” Lionsgate, Outpost Media Thoroughbreds, “Society Story,”Focus Features, Buddha Jones The Disaster Artist, “Make Movie,” A24, GrandSon Daddy’s Home 2, “Let’s Hold Hands,” Paramount Ocean’s 8, “7 People Cutdown,” Warner Bros. Pictures, Trailer Park, Inc.

    Best Documentary TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond, “Andy,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates I Am Not Your Negro, “PBS Independent Lens – I Am Not Your Negro,” ITVS RBG, “Truth,” Magnolia Pictures, Mark Woollen & Associates Faces Places, “Cutdown 30,” Cohen Media Group, Mark Woollen & Associates Icarus, “RIVETING,” Netflix, Ant Farm

    Best Drama TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    The 15:17 to Paris, “Departure,” Warner Bros., Wild Card Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, “Pointy,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Motive The Shape of Water, “Tale of Love,” Fox Searchlight, Mark Woollen & Associates War for the Planet of the Apes, “Fear :30,” Fox, AV Squad Mudbound, “Beautiful,” Netflix, GrandSon

    Best Fantasy Adventure TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Thor: Ragnarok, “Thor: Ragnarok, “Mjolnir” Digital,” Disney, Aspect Ready Player One, “Fantasy,” Warner Bros., Buddha Jones Guardians Of The Galaxy 2, “OogaChaka,” Walt Disney Studios / Marvel, Tiny Hero Ready Player One, “Come With Me 60,” Warner Bros., Statement Advertising Jumanji, “Worlds Apart :60,” Sony Pictures, Big Picture

    Best Foreign TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Selfie, “Selfie TV Spot “Double,” Stanislav Ivanov The Square, “Museum,” Magnolia Pictures, Mark Woollen & Associates Okja, “Ready Action,” Netflix, Bond Youth, “Youth and Fire,” Nurostar Black Water, “Koch Media Film,” Muniq Creative Agency

    Best Graphics in a TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    War for the Planet of the Apes, “War / Letters,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card Notes From The Field, “Graphic Tease,” HBO, Buddha Jones Get Out, “Poetic Review,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME, “TSR BOND,” LIONSGATE, Seismic Productions Thoroughbreds, “Princess,” Focus Features, GrandSon

    Best Horror TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Alien: Covenant, “Born Neo,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card IT, “:30TV “Friends,” Warner Bros., Aspect Mother!, “Experience,” Paramount Pictures, Buddha Jones A Quiet Place, “Survive,” Paramount Pictures, Project X/AV Insidious: The Last Key, “Invite :30,” Sony Pictures, AV Squad

    Best Independent TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Thoroughbreds, “Shall We,” Focus Features, Motive Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, “Just About Right,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Motive Mudbound, “Land Cutdown,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates The Killing of a Sacred Deer, “Me,” A24, GrandSon Lady Bird, “Playgirl,” A24, GrandSon

    Best Music TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Bright, “Heroes/Danger MGK” Trailer,” Netflix, AV Squad Life Itself, “Love,” Amazon Studios, Trailer Park, Inc. Tomb Raider, “Lara,” Warner Brothers, Cole Barager/ Deva Studios Ocean’s 8, “7 People Cutdown,” Warner Bros.,Trailer Park, Inc. Black Panther, “Women of Wakanda,” Walt Disney Studios / Marvel, Tiny Hero

    Best Original Score TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Phantom Thread, “Taste,” Focus Features, Buddha Jones Phantom Thread, “Dying to Wear,” Focus Features, Buddha Jones Phantom Thread, “Triumph Review :60,” Focus Features, Buddha Jones The Greatest Showman, “Different,” 20th Century Fox, Create Advertising Group

    Best Romance TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Phantom Thread, “Dream,” Focus Features, Mark Woollen & Associates Fifty Shades Freed, “BROUGHT TO LIFE,” Universal Pictures, Ant Farm Life Itself, “Love,” Amazon Studios, Trailer Park, Inc. Love, Simon, “Digital “Heart,” 20th Century Fox, Aspect The Shape of Water, “Princess Without a Voice,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Searchlight Marketing

    Best Sound Editing in a TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Atomic Blonde, “Begin,” Universal, Wild Card Baby Driver, “Hip-Hop,” Sony Pictures, Project X|AV Star Wars: The Last Jedi, “It’s Time,” Disney, Trailer Park, Inc. The Killing of a Sacred Deer, “Me,” A24, GrandSon Black Panther, “Team,” Walt Disney Studios / Marvel, Tiny Hero

    Best Summer Blockbuster TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Solo: A Star Wars Story, “So Low Super Bowl,” Disney, Disney In-house Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, “Miracle,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job Solo: A Star Wars Story, “45TV “Crew,” Disney, Aspect Deadpool 2, “Save Me / Tea,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card Deadpool 2, “Selfless.” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card

    Best Thriller TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Dunkirk, “Dunkirk | TV 60 – Never Surrender,” Warner Bros, Ignition Annihilation, “Evolution :60,” Paramount Pictures, Buddha Jones Suburbicon, “Doors :60,” Paramount, AV Squad The Shape of Water, “Ticking Thriller,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, MOCEAN Unsane, “Never Safe,” Bleecker Street, Open Road

    Best Video Game TV Spot

    Overwatch, “Dare,” Blizzard Entertainment, Mark Woollen & Associates Call of Duty WW2, “Heroes,” Activision, Aspect Gran Turismo Sport, “GT Sport – Go Get It,” Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Creative Call of Duty: WWII, “Call of Duty: WWII Story Trailer,” Activision, gnet PUBG, “PUBG – Unknown Air,” PUBG Corp., gnet

    Best Voice Over TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Atomic Blonde, “Modern Woman,” Universal, Wild Card Coco, “Coco – “You Know” – Christian Lanz,” Disney – Pixar, Create Advertising Insidious: The Last Key, “Welcome To New Mexico,” Sony, BOND Guardians Of The Galaxy 2, “Get it!,” Walt Disney Studios / Marvel, Tiny Hero The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “#1 Movie!,” Lionsgate, Tiny Hero

    Golden Fleece TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    The Mummy, “Thrill Kids,” Universal Pictures, Rogue Planet Fifty Shades Freed, “Happy Ending,” Universal Pictures,Trailer Park, Inc. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, “Reviewing Evil with Chris Hardwick,” Screen Gems, Viacom Velocity Flatliners, “Relax :30,” Sony Pictures & Columbia Pictures, Buddha Jones The Dark Tower, “Battle,” Sony Pictures, Create Advertising Group

    Most Original TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Mofo Count” :30,” Lionsgate, Outpost Media I, Tonya, “Mirror,” Neon, Zealot Kingsman: The Golden Circle, “Poppy Dance,” 20th Century Fox, Trailer Park, Inc. Insidious: The Last Key, “Welcome To New Mexico,” Sony, Bond The House, “Frank’s Place,” New Line Cinema, MOCEAN

    Best Action (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Narcos: S3, “Succession,” Netflix, TRANSIT Jessica Jones S2, “Official Trailer “Control,” Netflix, Aspect Jack Ryan, “Brave – Super Bowl,” Amazon, Jax The Punisher, “The Punisher – Reflections,” Netflix, gnet Altered Carbon,”Altered Carbon – Last Night I Died Again,” Netflix, gnet

    Best Animation / Family (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Big Mouth S1, “Official Trailer “Life,” Netflix, Aspect Bojack Horseman S4, “Official Trailer “Missing,” Netflix, Aspect Trollhunters, “Trailer,” Netflix, InSync PLUS Spirit Riding Free, Dreamworks Animation Television, Jamestown Productions Trollhunters Tales of Arcadia – Season 3, Dreamworks Animation Television, Outpost Media

    Best Comedy (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    American Vandal, “Conspiracy,” Netflix, Zealot Future Man, “Future Man | Trailer – Time Travel,” Hulu, Ignition Comrade Detective, “Comrades,” Amazon Studios, TRANSIT GLOW, “Become,” Netflix, Buddha Jones Hidden America: Season 2, “Travel,” Seeso, AV Squad

    Best Documentary/Reality (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    National Geographic, “One Strange Rock Trailer,” 2C Creative Wormwood, “Disappeared,” Netflix, Wild Card Rock and a Hard Place “Redemption” Trailer”, HBO, AV Squad Flint Town, “System,” Netflix, GrandSon Bobby Kennedy for President, “Change,” Netflix, Mob Scene Creative & Productions

    Best Drama (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Ozark, “Last Resort – Trailer,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates The Alienist, “Game,” TNT, Zealot Mr. Robot, “Democracy,” USA Network, Buddha Jones Dark, “Machine,” Netflix, Buddha Jones Westworld Season 2, “Locked Inside,” HBO, Jax

    Best Fantasy Adventure (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Game of Thrones, “Legendary,” HBO, Editpool Stranger Things Season 2, “Darkness,” Netflix, Trailer Park, Inc. Legion – season 2, “Everything,” FX, Create Advertising Group The Tick, “Team,” Amazon Studios, Create Advertising Group Game of Thrones Season 7, “Survive,” HBO, Jax

    Best Foreign (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    The Pack (Wataha) “Season 2 Heartbeat Teaser,” HBO Europe Dark: S1, “Tick Tock,” Netflix, TRANSIT Dark, “Machine,” Netflix, Buddha Jones O Mecanismo, “Greed,” Netflix, BOND YOU ARE WANTED S2 FOR AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, Amazon Prime Video, Pantaleon Films GmbH, Warner Bros. Entertainment GmbH, BDA Creative GmbH

    Best Graphics (in a TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Comrade Detective, “Comrades,” Amazon Studios, TRANSIT Real Time with Bill Maher, “Open Our Eyes,” HBO, Buddha Jones Rotten The Future, “Netflix,” Buddha Jones Lady Dynamite, “Fancy Guest,” Netflix, GrandSon The Punisher, “The Punisher – Reflections,” Netflix, gnet

    Best Horror / Thriller (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Ash vs. Evil Dead (Season 3), “Supernatural,” Starz, Zealot Westworld, “New Chaos,” HBO, Motive Rellik, “What You Deserve,” Cinemax, Buddha Jones The Walking Dead Season 8B, “Nightmare,” AMC Network, Giaronomo Productions The Alienist, “Monster,” TNT, Trailer Park

    Best Music (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Ozark, Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates Stranger Things Season 2, “Darkness,” Netflix, Trailer Park, Inc. The Defenders, “Quartet,” Netflix, MOCEAN Impulse, “Impulse Teaser,” YouTube, Trailer Park The Crown, “For You,” Netflix, GrandSon

    Best Opening Title Sequence or Closing Credit Sequence for a feature film

    Wonder Woman, “Wonder Woman Main-On-End Titles,” Warner Bros, Greenhaus GFX Insidious – The Last Key, “The Last Key – Main-On-End Titles,” Blum House, Greenhaus GFX DC, “DC Logo,” Warner Bros., Buddha Jones Proud Mary, “Opening Title GFX,” Screen Gems, Seismic Productions Game Night, “Game Night,” New Line Cinema, Aspect

    Best Original Score (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Blood Drive, “Master Collection,” SyFy, Buddha Jones Fox League X Briggs- “HERE,” Fox Sports Creative Westworld Season 2, “Locked Inside,” HBO, Jax Westworld Season 2, “Beautiful World – Super Bowl,” HBO, Jax

    Best Promo for a OTO or Special (i.e. Oscars, CMAs or Super Bowl)

    NBC Sports: Championship Season, Agency: 2C Creative ESPN: Curry/Lonzo Game Promo, 2C Creative Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre, “Deadliest,” A&E, The Shop The OSCARS, “The Oscars 2018 Jimmy Returns,” ABC Entertainment Marketing + Black Label Content

    Best Promo for a TV Network

    2017 PBS Previews Campaign, “2017 PBS Previews Campaign: Drama,” PBS Stan Lee, “Stan the Man,” Disney/Marvel & Netflix, MOCEAN HBO Documentary, “Trailer,” HBO, Create Advertising Group HBO “Game of Thrones” Image, HBO, Trailer Park truTV, “truTV onair refresh,” truTV, TruTV

    Best Sound Editing (in a TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    The Pack (Wataha) “Season 2 Heartbeat Teaser,” HBO Europe Stranger Things Season 2, “Darkness,” Netflix, Trailer Park, Inc. Dark, “Machine,” Netflix, Buddha Jones The Punisher, “Family Man,” Netflix, MOCEAN Westworld S2, “30TV “Revenge,” HBO, Aspect

    Best Voice Over (in a TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Ozark, “Last Resort Cutdown,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates Ozark, “Money,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates Comrade Detective, “Comrades,” Amazon Studios, TRANSIT GRAND PRIX DRIVER, “Series Trailer,” Amazon Studios, Tiny Hero

    Most Original (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    American Vandal, “Conspiracy,” Netflix, Zealot Comrade Detective, “Comrades,” Amazon Studios, TRANSIT The Innocents, “Changes Everything,” Netflix, Trailer Park, Inc. The Crown 2, “The Crown Trailer,” Netflix, Intermission Film Altered Carbon, “Live Forever” Date Announce,” Netflix, gnet

    Best Action Poster

    Wonder Woman, “Wonder Woman, One-Sheet,” Warner Bros., BOND Thor: Ragnarok, “Thor: Ragnarok, One-Sheet,” Walt Disney Studios, BOND Wonder Woman, “Wonder Woman One Sheet,” Warner Bros., P+A Tomb Raider, “Tomb Raider Ice Pick,” Warner Bros., WORKS ADV

    Best Animation / Family Movie Poster

    Peter Rabbit, “Peter Rabbit One Sheet,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, WORKS ADV

    Best Billboard

    Wonder Woman, “Wonder Woman,” Warner Bros., “Concept Arts” Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Billboard,” Sony, BOND Love, Simon, “Love, Simon LA Billboard 20th Century Fox,” WORKS ADV Black Panther, “Arclight Motion Billboard,” Walt Disney Motion Pictures, The M Factor

    Best Comedy Poster

    Game Over, Man! Digital Finish, Netflix, Ignition Life of the Party, Warner Bros. Pictures, Cold Open A Futile and Stupid Gesture,Netflix, Leroy & Rose Super Troopers 2, “Payoff Poster 2,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Midnight Oil

    Best Comedy Poster for a TV Show / TV Series

    Baskets S3 One-Sheet, FX Networks, Ignition Vice Principals One-Sheet, “Vice Principals One-Sheet,” HBO, Ignition Hap & Leonard: Mucho Mojo, SundanceTV, The Refinery The Mick, “Season 2,” Fox, Leroy & Rose

    Best Documentary / Reality Poster for a TV Show or TV Series

    Wormwood One-Sheet, Netflix, Ignition Mind Field – Season 2, YouTube Red, Cold Open Daughters of Destiny, Netflix, Concept Arts Adam Ruins Everything, “Adam Ruins the Rest Room,” truTV, TruTV

    Best Documentary Poster

    DOLORES, PBS, POV Studio 54, AE Films, Concept Arts Lenny, HBO, Cold Open Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, Netflix, BOND

    Best Drama / Action TV Series Poster

    Ozark, Netflix, The Refinery Handmaids Tale, Hulu, Leroy & Rose The Americans: Season 6, FX, P+A American Gods, Starz, BOND

    Best Drama Poster

    Mudbound, Netflix, The Refinery Realive, Syfy Films, The Refinery Dunkirk, “Bus Shelter,” Warner Bros., Concept Arts Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Fox Searchlight, BOND

    Best Fantasy / Adventure Poster

    Blade Runner 2049, Warner Bros., WORKS ADV Ready Player One, “Payoff,” Warner Brothers, BOND Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Walt Disney Studios, BOND The Shape of Water, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Midnight Oil, Digital Finishing by Daniel Clark Creative

    Best Foreign Poster

    Das Schweigende Klassenzimmer, “Silence speaks volumes,” The Dream Factory The Death of Stalin, AllCity Media Euphoria, Great Point Media, Coffee & Cigarettes Birthmarked, Aqute Media, Champ & Pepper

    Best Horror / Thriller TV Series Poster

    The Strain Digital Finish, FX Networks, Ignition Dark, Netflix, The Refinery American Horror Story: Cult, FX, BOND Fight of the Living Dead: Paradise Calls, YouTube Red, Cold Open

    Best Horror Poster

    The Cured, IFC Films, InSync PLUS Insidious: The Last Key, “Scream,” Universal Pictures, Concept Arts Winchester, CBS Films, Cold Open Slender Man, “Teaser,” Screen Gems, P+A

    Best Independent Poster

    Okja, Netflix, BOND Thelma, The Orchard, P+A The Little Hours, GUNPOWDER & SKY, Jump Cut Creative The Endless, Well Go USA Entertainment, Jump Cut Creative

    Best International Poster

    Downsizing One-Sheet, Paramount, Ignition Winchester – International Poster (Spain), CBS Films, Cold Open Wonder Woman, “Walking,” Warner Bros., WORKS ADV A Wrinkle in Time, “International (Germany),” Walt Disney Pictures, Cold Open

    Best Motion Poster

    Peter Rabbit, Sony Pictures Entertainment, WORKS ADV Dunkirk, “Destroyer,” Warner Bros., Concept Arts Isle Of Dogs, “Wild Post,”Fox Searchlight Pictures, BLT Communications, LLC Isle Of Dogs, “Sneezing,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, BLT Communications, LLC

    Best pre-show Theatrical Advertising for a Brand

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, “The Sprint Disruption,” Screenvision Media, 40 Foot Solutions Cinemark XD, “Magic,” Cinemark, MOCEAN A Quiet Theater, “A Quiet Theater,” Paramount Pictures, M3 Creative SHUDDER, “EVOKE,” SHUDDER, HEART SLEEVE CREATIVE Gogol, ‘Gogol asks to turn off phones in cinemas,” TV-3

    Best Radio / Audio Spot

    The Cloverfield Paradox, “Stop,” Netflix, Buddha Jones Kingsman: The Golden Circle, “Summer,” 20th Century Fox, Create Advertising Group The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “RADIO :30 SAM VS RYAN,” NEW LINE, Seismic Productions The Shape of Water, “Score Radio,” Fox Searchlight, Mark Woollen & Associates Black Panther, “Just Getting Started,” Walt Disney Studios / Marvel, Tiny Hero

    Best Summer Blockbuster Poster

    Rampage, New Line Cinema, Concept Arts Skyscraper, Universal Pictures, Concept Arts Wonder Woman, Warner Brothers, BOND Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Walt Disney Studios, BOND

    Best Teaser Poster

    Ocean’s 8, Warner Bros., WORKS ADV Game Night, Warner Brothers, Leroy & Rose All The Money In the World, Sony Pictures, P+A Super Troopers 2, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Midnight Oil

    Best Thriller Poster

    The New Mutants, 20th Century Fox, Ignition Flatliners, Sony, Concept Arts Annabelle: Creation, “Tea Party,” New Line Cinema, Concept Arts You Were Never Really Here, Amazon Studios, P+A

    Best Trailer for Book or Novel

    The Bad Seed, HarperCollins Publishers Everless, HarperCollins Publishers Tattoo, The 8 Percent The Butchering Art, Light Arcade The Sheriff’s Catch (Part 1 of The Sassana Stone Pentalogy), “Unbound,” James Vella-Bardon

    Best TrailerByte for a Feature Film

    Flatliners, “What Could Go Wrong,” Sony, BOND Thoroughbreds, “Alibi,” Focus Features, GrandSon The Greatest Showman, “Singalong Social Campaign,” 20th Century Fox, Create Advertising Super Troopers 2, “Super Troopers 2, Cologne Commercial,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Searchlight Marketing Peter Rabbit, “Bring The Fight,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Workshop Creative

    Best TrailerByte for a TV Series/Streaming Series

    Ballers: Season 3, HBO, AV Squad GAME OF THRONES, “Season 7 Social Carousel,” HBO, Silk Factory Westworld S2, “Digital “Out There,” HBO, Aspect The Long Road Home, National Geographic, InSync PLUS Truth or Dare, “:10 Do or Die,” Universal Pictures Intl, The Picture Production Company

    Best Video Game Poster

    Civilization VI, 2K Games, Inc., Ignition Uncharted, “10th Anniversary Poster,” Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Creative Horizon Zero Dawn The Frozen Wilds, Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Creative Shadow of the Colossus, “Hero,” Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Creative

    Best Viral Campaign

    Bright, “Digital Campaign,” Netflix, InSync PLUS Impractical Jokers, “Surprise and Delight,” truTV, Fooji Gogol.Origins, “The first audience talks about the film Gogol. Origins,” TV-3, TV-3 Good Time, “Social Campaign,” A24, GrandSon The Disaster Artist, “The Tommy Award,” A24, GrandSon

    Best Wildposts (Teaser Campaign)

    Justice League, “Justice League,” Warner Bros., The Refinery Blade Runner 2049, “Blade Runner 2049 11up,” Warner Bros., Concept Arts Love, Simon, “Love Letter Wildposts,” 20th Century Fox, WORKS ADV Black Panther, “Character Series,” Marvel Studios, Art Machine

    Most Innovative Advertising (for a TV Series / Streaming Series)

    Altered Carbon, “Psychasec Campaign,” Netflix, gnet Westworld 2, “Loops,” HBO, HBO (Internal) The Long Road Home, “National Geographic,” InSync PLUS F Is For Family (Season 2), “Social Campaign,” Netflix, InSync PLUS Impractical Jokers, “Block Party,” truTV, Brand Connections

    Most Innovative Advertising for a Brand / Product

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, “Sprint Disruption,” Screenvision Studios, 40 Foot Solutions Citizen Graduation Gift, Screenvision Studios, 40 Foot Solutions Coco, “Celebration Family Digital,” Disney, Trailer Park, Inc. Oculus “Step into Rift” Brand Anthem, Oculus, space.camp

    Most Innovative Advertising for a Feature Film

    Bright, “Social Campaign,” Netflix, InSync PLUS The Babysitter, “Social Campaign,” Netflix, InSync PLUS A Quiet Place, “A Quiet Theater,” Paramount Pictures, M3 Creative A Ghost Story, “A Ghost Pie,” A24, GrandSon Coco, Walt Disney Motion Pictures, The M Factor

    Most Innovative Advertising for a Video Game

    Space Pirate Trainer, I-Illusions, kertgartner.com Call of Duty: WW2, “Brotherhood,” Activision, Aspect Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, “Accolades Trailer,” Ninja Theory Oculus “Step into Rift” Brand Anthem, Oculus, space.camp Clash Royale, “Flash Royale,” Supercell, gnet

    Most Original Poster

    The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick, “Reflections,” PBS Okja, Netflix, BOND Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Walt Disney Studios, BOND The Shape of Water, “Embrace Art,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Midnight Oil, Digital Finishing by Daniel Clark Creative

    Best Film Festival Trailer

    Palm Springs International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Society, Stampede Studios Online Film Festival 2017, PBS Kamloops Film Festival 2018, Josh Sunderman BOFA Film Festival, Rhino Post Production BFI Bergman Season, BFI, The Picture Production Company

    Best Film Festival Poster

    Online Film Festival 2017, PBS Battle of the Sexes, “Telluride Poster,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Searchlight Marketing Battle of the Sexes, “Toronto Film Festival Poster,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Searchlight Marketing

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  • Seattle International Film Festival Announces 2018 Lineup of Over 400 Films

    [caption id="attachment_28016" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot[/caption] This year’s 44th edition of the Seattle International Film Festival revealed today the complete lineup of 433 films, plus guests and events for the 25-day Festival that runs May 17 to June 10, 2018.   Opening night kicks off Thursday, May 17 with The Bookshop from acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet (Learning to Drive, Elegy), distributed by Greenwich Entertainment. The film is set in a seaside village in England where a grieving widow (Emily Mortimer) pursues her lifelong dream of opening a bookshop. She introduces the townsfolk to the world’s best literature and stirs a cultural awakening, but her efforts are ruthlessly opposed by a powerful local (Patricia Clarkson) causing a reclusive resident (Bill Nighy) to join the fight to keep the bookshop open. The film is based on the bestselling novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. The annual Centerpiece Gala, Sorry to Bother You, pulls no punches in its portrayal of racial dynamics in the workplace. This new film ushers in an utterly original and wildly creative new voice on the film scene from debut director and musician Boots Riley. Director Boots Riley is scheduled to attend the Seattle premiere to take place Saturday, June 2, at 5:30 PM, at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian. The Seattle premiere of Ethan Hawke’s Blaze will also screen at the historic SIFF Cinema Egyptian as SIFF honors Mr. Hawke’s work with the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. In addition to the award presentation and screening, the acclaimed actor is slated for an on-stage interview at the Friday, June 8 event. Also scheduled is An Afternoon with Melanie Lynskey, where the Festival pays tribute to this celebrated actress. The iconic scene-stealing actress makes her way to SIFF on Sunday, May 27 for the Seattle premiere of Northwest Filmmaker Megan Griffiths’ film Sadie with an onstage discussion following the film. Seattle favorite, Gus Van Sant’s Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, closes SIFF 2018 with a bang! Starring Joaquin Phoenix in a transformative performance as Portland cartoonist John Callahan who, after a car accident leaves him disabled, uses his sardonic humor and brutal honesty to battle with a lifetime of addiction. “Sifting through over 4,000 film submissions each year, finding just 240 features is somewhat of a treasure hunt,” said SIFF Artistic Director Beth Barrett. “We’re looking for dynamic, diverse stories. This year, we’re overjoyed to share that over 43-percent of the feature films are female directed. We’re thrilled to jump into the 44th Festival and share these voices from around the globe with over 150,000 film enthusiasts in Seattle over the course of 25 days.”

    GALAS

    Opening Night Gala The Bookshop Spanish director Isabel Coixet heads to the English coast circa 1959, where a headstrong widow (Emily Mortimer) opens a bookstore in a sleepy village and encounters both pride and prejudice from the provincial locals. Winner of Best Film, Director, and Screenplay at Spain’s Goya Awards. (d: Isabel Coixet c: Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson, Julie Christie, Hunter Tremayne, United Kingdom 2017, 110 min) Centerpiece Gala Sorry to Bother You Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, and Armie Hammer star in the exhilarating directorial debut of musician Boots Riley, a biting and bonkers satire that follows a black telemarketer who discovers an unknown skill which gives him magical selling powers that shoot him up the corporate ladder. (d: Boots Riley c: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun, Jermaine Fowler, Armie Hammer, Omari Hardwick, David Cross, Danny Glover, USA 2018, 112 min) Closing Night Gala Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot Joaquin Phoenix gives a transformative performance in Gus Van Sant’s sensitive and caustically funny portrait of Portland cartoonist John Callahan who, after a car accident leaves him disabled, uses his sardonic humor and brutal honesty to battle with a lifetime of addiction. The outstanding supporting cast includes Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, and musician Beth Ditto in her impressive film debut. (d: Gus Van Sant c: Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, Beth Ditto, USA 2018, 113 min)

    SPECIAL GUESTS

    AN AFTERNOON WITH Melanie Lynskey FILM: Sadie Since making her debut at age 16 opposite a young Kate Winslet in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures, the New Zealand-born Melanie Lynskey has become one of American cinema’s most reliable character actors. From Ever After: A Cinderella Story to Shattered Glass, The Informant! to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Hello I Must Be Going to I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, and TV work ranging from HBO’s “Togetherness” and “Animals” and Cartoon Network’s “Over the Garden Wall” to 12 years on CBS’ “Two and a Half Men,” her passionate dedication to her craft has created a class of charismatic characters defined by their grace, sensitivity, quirkiness, and kindness. This afternoon, SIFF will welcome her to the stage for an interview featuring film clips from her career, followed by a screening of one of Lynskey’s latest films, Sadie, directed by Seattle-based Megan Griffiths (The Night Stalker, Lucky Them, Eden), with music by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready. There will also be an opportunity for audience questions following the screening.

    OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMA

    A Tribute to Ethan Hawke FILM: Blaze A modern day renaissance artist, Ethan Hawke’s creative talent continues to flourish in several realms of expression. An actor, screenwriter, novelist, and filmmaker, his body of work is broad as it is deep in a career that now spans three decades. From portraying a rock-steady police sergeant and cowboy, to a sensitive teenage poet and young heartthrob, his versatility as an actor is renowned, cementing him as one of the great performers of this generation. SIFF will present Ethan Hawke with the Seattle International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. A Q&A with Hawke will follow the screening of his new film, Blaze. Past honorees of the SIFF Outstanding Achievement Awards include Anjelica Huston, Laura Dern, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Viggo Mortensen, Kyle MacLachlan, Sir Ben Kingsley, Kevin Bacon, Edward Norton, Sissy Spacek, Joan Allen, Spike Lee, among others.

    FILMS WITH PARTIES

    Saturday Film and Party The Cake General, North American Premiere SATURDAY, MAY 19, 5:30 PM – Party to follow screening FILM: MAJESTIC BAY PARTY: NORDIC MUSEUM Based on a true story, the directorial debut of popular Swedish personalities Filip and Fredrik is an outrageous, unconventional comedy set in the 1980s about an eccentric resident of “the most boring town in Sweden” who decides to put his sleepy hamlet on the map by assembling the world’s longest layer cake. (d: Filip Hammar, Fredrik Wikingsson c: Mikael Perssbrandt, Helena Bergström, Agnes Lindström Bolmgren, Tomas von Brömssen, Sweden 2018, 101 min) Saturday Film and Party Won’t You Be My Neighbor? SATURDAY, MAY 26, 6:00 PM – Party to follow screening FILM: SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN PARTY: THE HOUSE STUDIOS Oscar®-winning director Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom) presents the heartwarming life of Fred Rogers, whose cherished PBS series, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” used cardigans, puppets, and the Land of Make-Believe to imaginatively and compassionately inspire children, while not shying away from complicated issues. (d: Morgan Neville f: Fred Rogers, USA 2018, 93 min) Kirkland Opening Night The Drummer and the Keeper THURSDAY, MAY 31, 8:00 PM – Party to precede screening PARTY AND FILM: KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER When a drummer for an up-and-coming Dublin rock band is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he is forced to join a weekend mixed-ability soccer team and makes fast friends with a 17-year-old with Asperger’s Syndrome in this poignant and charming bro-com between two odd and lonely souls. (d: Nick Kelly c: Dermot Murphy, Jacob McCarthy, Peter Coonan, Ireland/USA 2017, 93 min)

    SPECIAL PRESENTATION

    L’INFERNO WITH LIVE SCORE BY MY GOODNESS Thursday, May 31 | 7:00 PM | The Triple Door Seattle rock band My Goodness bring their expansive blues-inspired sound to The Triple Door for a live accompaniment to the 1911 Italian silent film, a macabre tour de force inspired by Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” featuring ground-breaking special effects and a cast of thousands.

    SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATIONS

    HIGHLANDER WITH LIVE SOUNDTRACK BY DJ NICFIT Wednesday, May 23 | 6:30 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian When originally released in 1986, this franchise-inspiring fantasy adventure about an immortal Scottish swordsman featured a handful of new songs from rock icons Queen. Now, Seattle’s own DJ NicFit reimagines the cult classic with a decades-spanning all-Queen playlist performed live on two turntables. FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL: CHERISHED GEMS Wednesday, June 6 | 9:15 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian Ranging from industrial training videos to forsaken home movies, comedians Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher’s vast VHS library features the world’s largest collection of strange, outrageous, and profoundly stupid videos, the best (and worst) of which they have carefully curated and present along with live comedy commentary. EIGHTH GRADE Saturday June, 9, 6:30 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian Sunday, June 10, 12:30 PM | SIFF Cinema Uptown Newcomer Elsie Fisher, in a star-making performance, perfectly captures the everyday humiliations and triumphs of a modern-day thirteen-year-old making her way through the last week of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year in the auspicious filmmaking debut of comedian Bo Burnham.

    COMPETITIONS

    Official Competition

    The Devil’s Doorway (d: Aislinn Clarke, United Kingdom 2018, World Premiere) Garbage (d: Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee), India 2018, North American Premiere) The Heiresses (d: Marcelo Martinessi, Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway/France 2018, US Premiere) Leave No Trace (d: Debra Granik, USA 2018) Luna (d: Elsa Diringer, France 2017) Pig (d: Mani Haghighi, Iran 2018, North American Premiere) The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (d: Muayad Alayan, Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/Mexico 2018, North American Premiere) Something Useful (d: Pelin Esmer, Turkey/France/Netherlands/Germany 2017, North American Premiere) Team Hurricane (d. Annika Berg, Denmark 2017)

    New Directors Competition

    After the War (d: Annarita Zambrano, France/Italy/Belgium/Switzerland 2017) Amateurs (d: Gabriela Pichler, Sweden 2018) The Blessed (d: Sofia Djama, France/Belgium 2017) The Charmer (d: Milad Alami, Denmark/Sweden 2017) Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) Retablo (d: Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio L., Peru/Germany/Norway 2018, North American Premiere) Sashinka (d: Kristina Wagenbauer, Canada (Québec) 2017, US Premiere) Scary Mother (d: Ana Urushadze, Georgia/Estonia 2017) Shuttle Life (d: Tan Seng Kiat, Malaysia 2017, US Premiere) Supa Modo (d: Likarion Wainaina, Kenya/Germany 2018)

    Ibero-American Competition

    Champions (d: Javier Fesser, Spain 2018, North American Premiere) Giant (d: Jon GaranÞo, Aitor Arregi, Spain 2017) Gold Seekers (d: Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori, Paraguay 2017) Killing Jesus (d: Laura Mora Ortega, Colombia/Argentina 2017) Lots of Kids, A Monkey and a Castle (d: Gustavo Salmerón, Spain 2017) Marilyn (d: Martiìn Rodriguez, Argentina/Chile 2018, North American Premiere) Rush Hour (d: Luciana Kaplan, Mexico 2017) Rust (d: Aly Muritiba, Brazil 2018) Virus Tropical (d: Santiago Caicedo, Colombia/Ecuador 2017)

    New American Cinema Competition

    Jinn (d: Nijla Mu’min, USA 2018) My Name Is Myeisha (d: Gus Krieger, USA 2018) Noble Earth (d: Ursula Grisham, USA 2017, US Premiere) Prospect (d: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell, USA/Canada 2018) Sadie (d: Megan Griffiths, USA 2018) Thunder Road (d: Jim Cummings, USA 2018) Tyrel (d: Sebastián Silva, USA 2018) Wild Nights With Emily (d: Madeleine Olnek, USA 2018)

    Documentary Competition

    Afghan Cycles (d: Sarah Menzies, USA/France/Afghanistan 2018, US Premiere) Inventing Tomorrow (d: Laura Nix, USA 2018) MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. (d: Stephen Loveridge, Sri Lanka/United Kingdom/USA 2018) People’s Republic of Desire (d: Hao Wu, China 2018) Queerama (d: Daisy Asquith, United Kingdom 2017) The Return (d: Malene Choi, Denmark 2018) Unarmed Verses (d: Charles Officer, Canada 2017, US Premiere) Warrior Women (d: Elizabeth A. Castle, Christina D. King, USA 2018, US Premiere)

    AFRICAN PICTURES

    The African Storm (d: Sylvestre Amoussou, Benin/France 2017) The Blessed (d: Sofia Djama, France/Belgium 2017) Cook Off (d: Tomas L. Brickhill, Zimbabwe 2017, North American Premiere) Ellen (d: Daryne Joshua, South Africa 2017, North American Premiere) I Am Not a Witch (d: Rungano Nyoni, Zambia/France/United Kingdom 2017) Looking for Oum Kulthum (d: Shirin Neshat, Germany/Austria/Italy/Lebanon/Qatar 2017) Maki’la (d: Machérie Ekwa Bahango, Democratic Republic of Congo/France 2018, North American Premiere) Razzia (d: Nabil Ayouch, France/Morocco/Belgium 2017) Silas (d: Hawa Essuman, Anjali Nayar, Canada/South Africa/Kenya 2017) Supa Modo (d: Likarion Wainaina, Kenya/Germany 2018)

    CHINA STARS

    Awards will be presented to: Best New Talent Award: Mingming Yang for Girls Always Happy Best First Film Award: Dead Pigs by Cathy Yan Best Film Award: The Taste of Betel NutAngels Wear White (d: Vivian Qu, China/France 2017) Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) Girls Always Happy (d: Mingming Yang, China 2018, North American Premiere) Love Education (d: Sylvia Chang, Mainland China/Taiwan 2017) People’s Republic of Desire (d: Hao Wu, China 2018) The Silk and the Flame (d: Jordan Schiele, USA/China 2018, US Premiere) Susu (d: Yixi Sun, China/United Kingdom 2017, US Premiere) The Taste of Betel Nut (d: Jia Hu, Mainland China/Hong Kong 2017, North American Premiere) The Widowed Witch (d: Chenglie Cai, China 2018, North American Premiere) Wrath of Silence (d: Yukun Xin, China 2017, North American Premiere)

    CULINARY CINEMA

    Brewmaster (d: Douglas Tirola, USA/Czech Republic 2018) Constructing Albert (d: Laura Collado, Jim Loomis, Spain 2017) Cuban Food Stories (d: Asori Soto, Cuba/USA 2018) Michelin Stars: Tales from the Kitchen (d: Rasmus Dinesen, Denmark 2017) Schumann’s Bar Talks (d: Marieke Schroeder, Germany 2017) Scotch – A Golden Dream (d: Andrew Peat, Taiwan 2017) Soufra (d: Thomas Morgan, USA 2017)

    FACE THE MUSIC

    Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story (d: Steve Sullivan, United Kingdom 2018) Blaze (d: Ethan Hawke, USA 2018) Industrial Accident – The Story of Wax Trax! Records (d: Julia Nash, USA/Belgium/Canada/Germany 2018) Looking for Oum Kulthum (d: Shirin Neshat, Germany/Austria/Italy/Lebanon/Qatar 2017) Making the Grade (d: Ken Wardrop, Ireland 2017) MATANGI / Maya / M.I.A (d: Stephen Loveridge, Sri Lanka/United Kingdom/USA 2018) Nico, 1988 (d: Susanna Nicchiarelli, Italy/USA 2017) Rubén Blades Is Not My Name ( d: Abner Benaim, Panama/Argentina/Colombia 2018) Ryuichi Sakamoto:Coda (d: Stephen Nomura, Japan/USA 2017)

    NORTHWEST CONNECTIONS

    Afghan Cycles (d: Sarah Menzies, USA/France/Afghanistan 2018, US Premiere) Automata (d: Van Alan, USA 2017) The Faces of Zandra Rhodes (d: David Wiesehan, USA 2018, World Premiere) The Most Dangerous Year (d: Vlada Knowlton, USA 2018, World Premiere) Prospect (d: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell, USA/Canada 2018) Return to Mount Kennedy (d: Eric Becker, USA 2018) Sadie (d: Megan Griffiths, USA 2018)

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  • BAMcinemaFest 2018 Announces Festival Lineup, Opens with Boots Riley’s SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

    [caption id="attachment_27436" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson appear in Sorry to Bother You by Boots Riley Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson appear in Sorry to Bother You by Boots Riley[/caption] BAM unveiled the lineup for the tenth annual BAMcinemaFest taking place June 20 to July 18, 2018. Opening this year’s festival on Wednesday, June 20 is the head-spinningly surreal debut from musician-turned-filmmaker Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You. Struggling to make ends meet in Oakland, CA, Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) lands a job as a RegalView telemarketer. Realizing perfecting his “white voice” is the key to his monetary success, Green soon discovers it’s not without considerable consequences. Also starring Armie Hammer as RegalView’s callous CEO and a beguiling Tessa Thompson as Green’s activist-artist love interest. This year’s Closing Night selection on Saturday, June 30 is the New York premiere of Brooklyn filmmaker Josephine Decker’s third feature, Madeline’s Madeline. It stars writer/actor/director Miranda July as single mother Regina and dazzling young newcomer Helena Howard as her daughter Madeline. The film chronicles a volatile mother-daughter relationship which slowly intensifies with Madeline’s participation in an improvisational theater class led by an unscrupulous stage director (played by Molly Parker). This year’s Centerpiece selection is Leave No Trace. Eight years after Winter’s Bone, director Debra Granik returns with an arresting portrait of a father and daughter living a transient lifestyle off the grid. Starring Ben Foster and newcomer Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie in a mesmerizing breakout performance, Leave No Trace is a Bleeker Street release. This year’s Spotlight selections are Eighth Grade and Crime + Punishment. Bo Burnham’s much talked about Sundance film Eighth Grade follows 13-year-old Kayla (a riveting portrayal by newcomer Elsie Fisher), who, just having been awarded the status of ‘Most Quiet’ by her peers, ironically finds a voice in making inspirational videos for teens on YouTube. At once unflinchingly honest and unfailingly empathetic, Burnham’s auspicious directorial debut is as relatable as it is hilarious. Eighth Grade is an A24 release. Stephen Maing’s Crime + Punishment is a galvanizing documentary chronicling 12 New York Police Department minority officers who risk everything, speaking out against the continued use of quotas that unfairly target young black and Hispanic men. With unprecedented fly-on-the-wall access, the film exposes racism, corruption, and intimidation within the NYPD. Crime + Punishment is a Film Collaborative release. Kasi Lemmons’ Eve’s Bayou (1997) has been selected as the festival’s free, outdoor screening happening on Thursday, June 28 at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Relayed through the eyes of 10-year-old Eve (Jurnee Smollett), this Southern Gothic saga transpires over the course of a Louisiana summer after Eve discovers her picture-perfect family is something else entirely. The BAMcinemaFest main slate includes 20 feature films, with three world and two North American premieres, as well as nine documentary titles. The world premieres include Chained for Life, Feast of the Epiphany, and Two Plains & a Fancy. Aaron Schimberg’s Chained for Life is a reflexive look at the making of a controversial art film, with a heartbreaking performance by Adam Pearson (Under the Skin), featuring familiar faces from BAMcinemaFest’s past. Feast of the Epiphany, by film critic Michael Koresky and BAMcinemaFest alums Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman (Remote Area Medical) explores metaphysical connections among guests at an urban dinner party in the wake of a loss. BAMcinemaFest alums Whitney Horn and Lev Kalman (L is For Leisure) return with Two Plains & a Fancy, a spa-Western-comedy following three hapless tourists as they encounter ghosts, time travelers, and lonesome cowboys. This year’s BAMcinemaFest includes two short film programs, one comprising six narrative short films. The second, a documentary shorts program, is paired with the North American premiere of Lizzie Olesker and Lynne Sachs’ documentary The Washing Society, about the behind-the-scenes labor involved in the laundromat industry. Penny Lane’s documentary The Pain of Others, about controversial Morgellons disease sufferers, is the festival’s second North American premiere, and screens with the short film The Water Slide (Nathan Truesdell).

    2018 BAMcinemaFest Lineup

    A Boy. A Girl. A Dream” (Qasim Basir) NY Premiere Narrative The boy is Cass (Omari Hardwick), an LA nightclub promoter whose once-promising filmmaking career has been put on hold. The girl is Frida (Meagan Good), a lawyer visiting from the Midwest, whom he meets on election night 2016. The dream is what unfolds before our eyes in one seemingly continuous, hallucinatory take as the two navigate a will-they or won’t-they mutual attraction; open up to one another about their hopes and disappointments; and—along with the rest of the world—begin to process the momentous political sea change washing over America, all in the course of a single evening. More than just a dazzling technical achievement, A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. takes viewers on a profound emotional journey as it explores how everything can change in an instant. A Samuel Goldwyn Films release. “América” (Erick Stoll & Chase Whiteside) NY Premiere Documentary When we first meet Diego—the magnetic emotional center of this sunny, warmhearted family portrait— he’s unicycling around a town square, disco-strutting on stilts, and beach-bumming around Puerto Vallarta. But when his frail but sweet-natured 93-year-old grandmother, América, is suddenly left without a caretaker, Diego—along with his two equally acrobatic brothers—leaves behind his laid-back life to return to his home in Colima, Mexico. In images at once meticulously composed and bursting with vitality, filmmakers Chase Whiteside and Erick Stoll celebrate the selflessness of caregiving and the infinite love coursing between generations. “Bisbee ‘17” (Robert Greene) NY Premiere Documentary A town’s traumatic past reverberates into the present in this stirring, complex look at American struggle and resistance. In 1917, the copper mining workers of Bisbee, Arizona—many of them immigrants—went on strike to fight for safer working conditions. In response, a posse of 2,000 men rounded up 1,200 strikers, dumped them in the desert, and effectively exiled them from the town forever. One hundred years later, Bisbee’s residents prepare to reenact this dark episode—a sort of historical exorcism that brings to light contemporary tensions between labor and management, union-building and capitalism, immigrants and nationalists. Directed with rousing cinematic flair by Robert Greene (Kate Plays Christine, BAMcinemaFest 2016), Bisbee ’17 resurrects a neglected slice of American history and connects it to our own urgent political moment. Co-presented with Rooftop Films. “Chained for Life” (Aaron Schimberg) World Premiere Narrative Building on the promise of his hallucinogenic debut Go Down Death, Brooklyn filmmaker Aaron Schimberg delivers another brilliantly oddball, acerbically funny foray into gonzo surrealism. In a deft tragicomic performance, Jess Weixler (Teeth) plays Mabel, a movie star “slumming it” in an outré art- horror film being shot in a semi-abandoned hospital. Cast opposite her is Rosenthal (Under the Skin’s Adam Pearson), a gentle-natured young man with a severe facial deformity. As their relationship evolves both on and offscreen, Schimberg raises provocative questions about cinematic notions of beauty, representation, and exploitation. Tod Browning crossed with Robert Altman crossed with David Lynch only begins to describe something this startlingly original and deeply felt. “Crime + Punishment” (Stephen Maing) NY Premiere Documentary This galvanizing documentary goes behind the scenes and undercover to expose racism, corruption, and intimidation within the New York Police Department. Shot between 2014 and 2017, Crime + Punishment chronicles the efforts of the NYPD 12, a band of minority officers who speak out against the continued use of arrest and summons quotas—an officially illegally practice that overwhelmingly targets young black and Hispanic men. Putting their careers on the line, the officers mount a David vs. Goliath legal challenge—only to find themselves weathering harassment and retaliation from within their own departments. With remarkable, fly-on-the-wall access, director Stephen Maing crafts a jolting 21st-century Serpico that unfolds with the verve and style of a Hollywood policier. “Clara’s Ghost” (Bridey Elliot) NY Premiere Narrative Families don’t get much more poisonous than the one at the center of this pitch-black, disturbingly funny nightmare comedy. Casting her own family as the gruesome clan in question, Bridey Elliott chronicles one epic night of debauchery in the Reynolds household as monstrously superficial daughters Julie and Riley (former SNL cast member Abby Elliott & the filmmaker)—former child stars à la Mary-Kate and Ashley— return home to Connecticut to celebrate their dog’s birthday with ham actor father Ted (comedian Chris Elliott) and harried mother Clara (Paula Niedert Elliott). As the vodka flows, things go from scathingly hilarious to increasingly unsettling—especially when Clara begins communing with a spirit. Something like Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence played as an unsparing cringe comedy, Clara’s Ghost heralds the arrival of Bridey Elliott as a bold new directorial voice. “Distant Constellation” (Shevaun Mizrahi) NY Premiere Documentary This hushed, hypnotic documentary floats ghost-like through the rooms and corridors of an Istanbul retirement home, an uncanny alternate reality where time seems to stand still as the world outside changes rapidly. Director Shevaun Mizrahi’s observant camera bears witness to the testimonies of the home’s residents: an aging roué who speaks about his sexual escapades in 1950s Paris; a hunched-over woman scarred by memories of the Armenian genocide; a former photographer now losing his sight. By turns tragic, humorous, and surreal, Distant Constellation is a meditation on time, memory, and the endless human cycle of life and death. “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” (Gus Van Sant) NY Premiere Narrative Joaquin Phoenix adds to his impressive roster of transformative, totally committed performances with this irresistibly offbeat charmer from Gus Van Sant. Based on the memoirs of puckishly irreverent Portland cartoonist John Callahan (Phoenix), the film traces Callahan’s journey towards self-actualization after a car accident leaves him paralyzed and forces him to confront his alcohol addiction. Aided by a uniquely colorful AA support group, he finds redemption in art and in his own brilliantly warped imagination. Boasting scene-stealing supporting performances from Jonah Hill, Jack Black, and Rooney Mara—along with memorable turns by Kim Gordon, musician Beth Ditto, and cult fave Udo Kier—Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot is as skewed, funny, and inspirational as its subject. “Eighth Grade” (Bo Burnham) NY Premiere Narrative Comedian Bo Burnham makes the leap to filmmaker with this refreshingly real, sharply observed, and devastatingly funny look at growing up in the age of Snapchat. In a naturalistic breakout performance, Elsie Fisher stars as Kayla, a social media-hooked 13-year-old who projects confidence and cool on her barely watched YouTube channel, but in real life is painfully shy, endearingly awkward, and practically invisible to her classmates. With high school just around the corner, can she reconcile her online persona with her real self? At once unflinchingly honest and unfailingly empathetic, Burnham’s auspicious directorial debut is as relatable as it is hilarious. “Feast of the Epiphany” (Michael Koresky, Jeff Reichert & Farihah Zaman) World Premiere Narrative/Documentary Two halves form a harmonious whole in this ingenious documentary-narrative shape-shifter. In part one, Abby, a 20-something Brooklynite, prepares to throw an intimate dinner party, a meticulously planned evening that takes an unexpected turn when the guest of honor shows up and raw emotions rise to the surface. Then suddenly, audaciously, we are whisked away to an altogether different reality—one that both deepens and challenges our understanding of what came before. Hinging on this daring gambit, Feast of the Epiphany blossoms into a subtly profound reminder that behind every story are a multitude of others waiting to be told. “The Gospel of Eureka” (Michael Palmieri & Donal Mosher) NY Premiere Documentary Welcome to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a one-of-a-kind oasis in the Ozarks where Christian piety rubs shoulders with a thriving queer community. Narrated with homespun humor by Mx Justin Vivian Bond, this lushly photographed documentary spotlights the space where the town’s seemingly contradictory factions intersect: Lee and Walter, out and proud husband-owners of a local gay bar they liken to a “hillbilly Studio 54,” talk about their deep-seated faith; a Christian t-shirt designer describes his love for his gay father; and everything comes together in a show-stopping mash-up of a spectacular passion play and raucous drag show. The result is a joyously offbeat slice of Americana that breaks down the red-state-blue-state divide. “Leave No Trace” (Debra Granik) NY Premiere Narrative Eight years after Winter’s Bone, Debra Granik returns with another arresting portrait of life on the margins featuring a mesmerizing breakout performance from a young actress to watch. Will (Ben Foster), a veteran wrestling with PTSD, and his teenage daughter Tom (newcomer Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie) live in a makeshift campsite in the Oregon wilderness, cut off from nearly all human contact and surviving by their wits. When social services intervenes, their harmonious isolation—and the deep bond between them—is threatened. With clear-eyed naturalism and an unwavering compassion for her outsider subjects, Granik creates a tough, tender, and deeply moving look at a father and daughter searching for their own idea of home. “Madeline’s Madeline” (Josephine Decker) NY Premiere Narrative One of independent cinema’s most exciting new voices, Josephine Decker (Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, BAMcinemaFest 2014) continues to push boundaries with her thrillingly visceral third feature, set in New York’s experimental theater scene. This tour-de-force head trip evokes the fractured psyche of an unstable teenage girl (riveting newcomer Helena Howard), whose rocky relationship with her mother (Miranda July) splinters as the girl comes under the influence of an exploitative stage director (Molly Parker). “Minding the Gap” (Bing Liu) NY Premiere Documentary In his emotionally stunning debut feature, rising documentary talent Bing Liu reimagines the skate video as a vehicle for raw personal expression. Minding the Gap opens with Liu’s dynamic camera gliding along the streets of Rockford, Illinois, a struggling post-industrial city where the filmmaker and his longtime friends Keire and Zack find community in a close-knit band of fellow skateboarders. But skating is just a respite from their tumultuous lives at home. As Liu digs deeper into his friends’ personal demons, he hits upon a shared thread of troubled masculinity, domestic abuse, and fractured families—building powerfully towards a bracing confrontation with his own past. “The Pain of Others” (Penny Lane) North American Premiere Documentary It begins with crawling sensations beneath the skin. Sores erupt. Then wiry, multicolored fibers sprout forth from the lesions—seemingly the outgrowths of an alien parasite. It’s called Morgellons disease and thousands around the world purport to suffer from it. The problem: the medical community at large says it isn’t real, attributing the epidemic to psychosomatic delusion spread by internet-fueled paranoia. In this provocative found-footage work, director Penny Lane assembles clips from YouTube videos uploaded by people who believe they are afflicted: wrenching face-to-face encounters with anguish both physical and mental. The result is a chilling deep dive into mass hysteria in the internet age. “Polly: Recent Films and Collaborations by Kevin Jerome Everson” (Kevin Jerome Everson) North American Premiere Narrative/Documentary Journeying from 16th-century Florence to the 2017 solar eclipse, the latest films from the restlessly inventive, ultra-prolific experimentalist Kevin Jerome Everson blend past and present, documentary and reenactment to illuminate hidden fragments of black life and history. “Relaxer” (Joel Potrykus) NY Premiere Narrative Joel Potrykus (The Alchemist Cookbook, BAMcinemaFest 2016), Michigan’s greatest underground auteur, returns with another gonzo transmission from America’s heartland. Set on the eve of Y2K, Relaxer unfolds almost entirely in a squalid living room where Abbie (the Keatonesque Joshua Burge), commanded by his sadistic brother (David Dastmalchian), takes up a nigh-impossible challenge: beating the all-time Pac-Man high score without leaving the couch until he does. As Abbie’s quest devolves into a months-long absurdist nightmare, Potrykus guides this daringly demented black comedy into increasingly disturbing realms. The result is a grungy, noxiously funny vision of Gen X complacency hurtling towards oblivion. “Shirkers” (Sandi Tan) NY Premiere Documentary In 1992, Sandi Tan was a film-obsessed teenage punk when she and her two best friends made a New Wave-inspired, feminist slasher movie, shot guerrilla style on the streets of Singapore. Then Georges, her enigmatic American mentor, absconded with the footage, never to be seen again. Twenty-five years later, Tan revisits the episode, interweaving the newly rediscovered footage with her search for answers: Who was Georges? And what drove him to steal her art? Working in a charmingly lo-fi, handmade-collage style, Tan turns the central mystery of her life into a captivating essay on friendship, cinephilia, and the dashed dreams of youth. A Netflix release. “Skate Kitchen” (Crystal Moselle) NY Premiere Narrative Crystal Moselle follows up her Sundance Grand Prize-winning documentary hit The Wolfpack with her equally impressive narrative debut. Inspired by and starring real-life members of New York City’s hippest all-girl skate crew, Skate Kitchen follows the journey of Camille (Rachelle Vinberg), a Long Island teen whose fraught home life and passion for skateboarding lead her to the Lower East Side. There, she finds her Eden among a band of street-savvy fellow female shredders—but the complexities of love and friendship threaten to upset their sisterhood. Propelled by the cool girl charisma of its leads, this authentic deep-dive into a vibrant youth subculture plays like a blissed-out, female-powered Kids for today’s New York. A Magnolia Pictures release. “Sorry to Bother You” (Boots Riley) NY Premiere Narrative The audacious, deliriously inventive debut from musician-turned-filmmaker Boots Riley marks the arrival of one of American cinema’s most exhilarating new talents. “Use your white voice.” With that simple piece of advice, stuck-on-the-bottom-rung telemarketer Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) goes from living in his uncle’s garage to rocketing up the corporate ladder as the company’s newest rising star “power caller.” But just what is he selling? Abetted by game performances from Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, and Armie Hammer as a crazed capitalist super-villain, Riley blends head-spinning surrealism with bomb-throwing sociopolitical satire for a cracked and brilliant anarcho-comedy that keeps topping its own craziness. An Annapurna release. “Support the Girls” (Andrew Bujalski) NY Premiere Narrative With a huge amount of heart and a healthy sprinkling of irreverent one-liners, Andrew Bujalski (Computer Chess, BAMcinemaFest 2013; Beeswax, BAMcinemaFest 2009) crafts a funny, human portrait of women banding together to get it done. Lisa (Regina Hall)—the fiercely devoted manager of Double Whammies, a Hooters-like Houston sports bar—has a seemingly superhuman ability to handle whatever life throws at her. On this particular day, that means protecting her staff from lecherous men, dealing with an attempted robbery, raising money for a waitress in trouble, and contending with Double Whammies’ unseemly owner, all while keeping the restaurant running smoothly. Buoyed by a magnificent performance from Regina Hall, this deceptively breezy comedy folds serious issues of sexism, racism, and capitalism into a generous tribute to female friendship and empowerment. “The Task” (Leigh Ledare) NY Premiere Documentary Twenty-eight strangers shuffle into a nondescript room where they sit down for day three of a radical social experiment orchestrated by taboo-breaking artist Leigh Ledare. Veering between brutal honesty, righteous indignation, manipulative caginess, and suspicion of the inscrutable “task” at hand, the participants—spread across race, age, gender, and class lines—relentlessly analyze each and every interaction that passes between them until even an act as small as changing one’s seat becomes charged with explosive tension. Provocative, at times uncomfortable, and always riveting, The Task is an unsettling mirror reflection of our societal fault lines. “Two Plains & a Fancy” (Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn) World Premiere Narrative BAMcinemaFest alums Lev Kalman and Whitney Horn (L for Leisure, 2014) return with this deliciously deadpan, lo-fi acid-western comedy. Colorado, 1893: a trio of New York city slickers—a hippy-dippy mystic (Marianna McClellan), a French geologist (Laetitia Dosch), and a foppish artist (Benjamin Crotty)— wander the desert in search of the relaxing waters of the hot springs, along the way encountering from- the-future time travelers, kinky sex ghosts, spirit cats, and a pair of surprisingly fashionable cowboys. Shot on shimmering, sun-splashed 16mm, this hallucinogenic Old West road movie meanders in a blissful stoner haze from the wryly funny to the cosmic. “The Washing Society” (Lizzie Olesker & Lynne Sachs) North American Premiere Documentary When you drop off a bag of dirty laundry, who’s doing the washing and folding? Mixing revealing interviews with poetic performance, filmmaker Lynne Sachs and playwright Lizzie Olesker go behind the scenes of New York City’s laundromats to uncover the hidden labor that goes into cleaning your clothes— a story that intersects with history, immigration, race, community, and capitalism. “Wild Nights with Emily” (Madeleine Olnek) NY Premiere Narrative According to received wisdom, Emily Dickinson was a fragile recluse who spent her life holed up in her childhood home, a shrinking violet spinster too timid to publish her poems. Forget all that. In this delightfully funny historical burlesque, Madeleine Olnek (The Foxy Merkins, BAMcinemaFest 2014) offers a refreshing, much-needed reappraisal of Dickinson (Molly Shannon) as an ambitious, vivacious rebel whose passionate, lifelong love affair with childhood friend and later sister-in-law Susan Gilbert (Susan Ziegler) fueled her creativity. Balancing irreverent humor with a tender love story, Wild Nights With Emily challenges the sexist historical record, brilliantly reclaiming the writer’s reputation as a lesbian icon and a feminist trailblazer.

    Shorts

    Are You Tired of Forever?” 6min NY Premiere—Experimental Directed by Caitlin Craggs A schizoid self-portrait writ in a day-glo kaleidoscope of stop-motion cutouts, picnic food, jellified brains, and sprinkles. “Black 14” 15min NY Premiere—Documentary Directed by Darius Clark Monroe In 1969, a group of fourteen black football players at the University of Wyoming took a stand against racism in college athletics—and paid the price for speaking out. A tribute to the fearlessness of those who paved the way for today’s activist athletes. “Creature Companion” 30min North American Premiere—Narrative/Experimental Directed by Melika Bass Over the course of languorous summer days and nights, two women enter into a twitchy, sensuous symbiosis in this hypnotic performance piece. “Edgecombe” 15min World Premiere—Documentary Directed by Crystal Kayiza Three snapshots of black life in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, a place where the racial injustices of the past continue into the present. “Fucked Like a Star” 8min NY Premiere—Experimental Directed by Stefani Saintonge A poetic meditation on women’s work and the dreamlife of ants set to the words of Toni Morrison. “Hair Wolf” 12min—Narrative Directed by Mariama Diallo There’s something strange in the neighborhood salon… She’s white, she wants braids, and she will touch your black hair. “Reenactment” 8min NY Premiere—Narrative/Experimental Directed by Young Jean Lee A no-nonsense police report becomes a harrowing, flesh-and-blood encounter with domestic violence and toxic masculinity. “To Be Free” 12min NY Premiere—Narrative Directed by Adepero Oduye Nina Simone takes the stage for a defiant, soul-stirring performance. “The Water Slide” 9min NY Premiere—Documentary (screens with The Pain of Others) Directed by Nathan Truesdell News clips and promotional videos tell the chilling story of how the building of an amusement park water slide led to an American tragedy. “What We Have Built” 19min—Documentary Directed by Adrián Gutiérrez & Grace Remington A group of immigrants living in the Bronx join forces to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve their hometown in Mexico. A story of community, collective action, and the meaning of home.

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  • Films by Boots Riley and Gus Van Sant Selected as Closing Night and Centerpiece Films of Seattle International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_28016" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot[/caption] Sorry to Bother You, the new film from debut director and musician Boots Riley that pulls no punches in its portrayal of racial dynamics in the workplace, has been selected as the Centerpiece film of the 2018 Seattle International Film Festival.  Closing Night sees the return of Seattle favorite Gus Van Sant with his latest film Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot, a bitingly sharp yet tender portrait of Portland-based cartoonist John Callahan, starring Joaquin Phoenix. “We are constantly looking for dynamic, diverse stories, and we certainly found them with these two unforgettable films,” said SIFF Artistic Director Beth Barrett. “With these two Galas we’re thrilled to spotlight both an established filmmaker and a bold new voice, each with vision and strong storytelling powers.” Centerpiece Film & Gala Saturday, June 2 Sorry to Bother You | Director Boots Riley Screening at SIFF Cinema Egyptian | Centerpiece Party at DAR Rainier Chapter House https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XthLQZWIshQ Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, and Armie Hammer star in the exhilarating directorial debut of musician Boots Riley, a biting and bonkers satire that follows a black telemarketer who discovers an unknown skill which gives him magical selling powers that shoot him up the corporate ladder. An Annapurna Pictures release. Closing Night Film & Gala Sunday, June 10, 2018 Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot | Director Gus Van Sant Screening at SIFF Cinema Egyptian | Closing Party at MOHAI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjYJ-YI5AXU Joaquin Phoenix gives a transformative performance in Gus Van Sant’s sensitive and caustically funny portrait of Portland cartoonist John Callahan who, after a car accident leaves him confined to a wheelchair, uses his sardonic humor and brutal honesty to battle with a lifetime of addiction. The outstanding supporting cast includes Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, and musician Beth Ditto in her impressive film debut. An Amazon Studios release.

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  • Boots Riley’s Sundance Hit “Sorry to Bother You” is Centerpiece Event of 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_27436" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson appear in Sorry to Bother You by Boots Riley Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson appear in Sorry to Bother You by Boots Riley[/caption] Sorry to Bother You, the Sundance hit and Bay Area production, will have its hometown special screening in dual locations, in both Oakland and San Francisco, as a special Centerpiece event at the 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival. Director and screenwriter Boots Riley and cast are expected to participate in intros and Q&As. On Thursday, April 12, the film will screen at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco at 6:30 pm, and also screen that same night at the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland at 8:00 pm. “Boots Riley is family to us,” said SFFILM’s Executive Director Noah Cowan. “He was a resident of SFFILM FilmHouse when he developed this project, he is a four-time recipient of our SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grant; and he has been a huge booster of the Bay Area film community. And so this year’s Centerpiece is an especially joyous celebration, as Boots continues to expand our horizons by inspiring the Festival to expand its footprint into Oakland for the first time with this and several other screenings.” The wait is over—Bay Area icon Boots Riley’s outrageous and orginal, breakout sensation of this year’s Sundance film festival, Sorry To Bother You marks the feature debut of this visionary director. In an alterate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre universe. Starring Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out), Tessa Thompson (Creed and Dear White People), and Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name), Sorry To Bother You is unlike anything you have ever seen. It is a searing social satire about greed, racial dynamics and capitalism in a universe not unlike our own. The film received funding and creative support through SFFILM artist development programs, FilmHouse Residency and SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grant. Activist, filmmaker, and musician, Boots Riley studied film at San Francisco State University before rising to prominence as the front man of hip hop groups The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club. He previously directed The Coup music videos “Eating Forever” and “Me and Jesus the Pimp in a ’79 Granada Last Night.”

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  • 2018 SXSW Festival to Close with Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” + Midnighters, Shorts, VR Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_25762" align="aligncenter" width="1329"]Isle of Dogs Isle of Dogs[/caption] The North American premiere of Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs will close the 2018 South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals. The film tells the story of Atari Kobayashi, 12-year-old ward to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by executive decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage dump, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies to Trash Island in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture. The film features an all star cast including Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Akira Takayama, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Akira Ito, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham, Yoko Ono, Tilda Swinton, Ken Watanabe, Mari Natsuki, Fisher Stevens, Nijiro Murakami, Liev Schreiber, and Courtney B. Vance. The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals also announced the remainder of its Film Festival program, including the Midnighters, Shorts, Virtual Cinema, Music Video, Title Sequence and new Independent Episodic lineup, plus late-addition Features for the 25th edition of the Festival, running March 9-18, 2018 in Austin, Texas.

    FEATURES

    MIDNIGHTERS

    Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – ten provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious. Ajin: Demi-Human Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro, Screenwriter: Kouji Seko Endless battle between human being and immortal demi-human “Ajin”. A stunning, strikingly original action masterpiece! Cast: Takeru Satoh, Go Ayano, Tetsuji Tamayama, Yu Shirota, Yudai Chiba, Rina Kawaei, Minami Hamabe (North American Premiere) Blood Fest Director/Screenwriter: Owen Egerton In Blood Fest, fans flock to a festival celebrating the most iconic horror movies, only to discover that the charismatic showman behind the event has a diabolical agenda. Cast: Robbie Kay, Jacob Batalon, Seychelle Gabriel, Tate Donovan, Barbara Dunkelman, Nick Rutherford, Zachary Levi (World Premiere) Untitled Blumhouse-Bazelevs Film Director/Screenwriter: Stephen Susco A 20-something finds a cache of hidden files on his new laptop and is thrust into the deep waters of the dark web. From the makers of Unfriended, this thriller unravels in real-time, entirely on a computer screen. A warning for the digital age. Cast: Colin Woodell, Betty Gabriel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Andrew Lees, Conor del Rio, Stephanie Nogueras, Savira Windyani (World Premiere) Field Guide to Evil (Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Poland, Turkey, U.S.) Directors: Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, Peter Strickland, Agnieszka Smoczynska, Katrin Gebbe, Can Evrenol, Calvin Reeder, Ashim Ahluwalia, Yannis Veslemes They are known as dark folklore. Created to give logic to mankind’s darkest fears, these stories and others laid the foundation for what we now call the horror genre. (World Premiere) Ghost Stories (United Kingdom) Directors/Screenwriters: Jeremy Dyson, Andy Nyman An arch skeptic debunker of the supernatural embarks upon a terror filled quest when he stumbles across a long lost file containing details of three cases of inexplicable ‘hauntings’. Adapted from the Olivier Award Winning hit stage play. Cast: Martin Freeman, Alex Lawther, Jill Halfpenny, Andy Nyman, Paul Whitehouse(North American Premiere) Hereditary Director/Screenwriter: Ari Aster When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. Cast: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Ann Dowd, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro A Prayer Before Dawn (United States, France) Director: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, Screenwriters: Jonathan Hirschbein, Nick Saltrese Based on the international best-seller, A Prayer Before Dawn is the true story of Billy Moore, a troubled young British boxer sent to one of Thailand’s most notorious jails. Cast: Joe Cole, Vithaya Pansringar, Panya Yimmumphai, Nicolas Shake (North American Premiere) The Ranger Director: Jenn Wexler, Screenwriters: Jenn Wexler, Giaco Furino Teen punks, on the run from the cops and hiding out in the woods, come up against the local authority—an unhinged park ranger with an axe to grind. Cast: Chloë Levine, Granit Lahu, Jeremy Pope, Bubba Weiler, Amanda Grace Benitez, Jeremy Holm, Larry Fessenden (World Premiere) Upgrade Director/Screenwriter: Leigh Whannell In a utopian near-future when technology controls everything, a technophobe avenges his wife’s murder and his own paralysis-causing injury with the help of an experimental computer chip implant – STEM – that turns out to have a mind of its own. Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson, Benedict Hardie (World Premiere) What Keeps You Alive (Canada) Director: Colin Minihan, Screenwriters: Colin Minihan, Brittany Allen Majestic mountains, a still lake and venomous betrayals engulf a female married couple attempting to celebrate their one-year anniversary. Cast: Hannah Emily Anderson, Brittany Allen, Martha Macisaac, Joey Klein, Charlotte Lindsay Marron(World Premiere)

    HEADLINERS

    Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with major and rising names in cinema. Isle of Dogs (United States, United Kingdom) Director/Screenwriter: Wes Anderson Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy’s odyssey in search of his dog. Cast: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Akira Takayama, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Akira Ito, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham, Yoko Ono, Tilda Swinton, Ken Watanabe, Mari Natsuki, Fisher Stevens, Nijiro Murakami, Liev Schreiber, Courtney B. Vance (North American Premiere)

    NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT

    High profile narrative features receiving their World, North American or U.S. premieres at SXSW. Brother’s Nest (Australia) Director: Clayton Jacobson, Screenwriter: Jaime Browne With their Mother dying of cancer, intent on changing her will to benefit her “new” husband before she dies, two brothers go to extreme and deadly lengths to protect their inheritance from being signed away before it’s too late. Cast: Shane Jacobson, Clayton Jacobson, Lynette Curran, Kim Gyngell, Sarah Snook (World Premiere) Galveston Director/Screenwriter: Melanie Laurent After surviving a setup by his criminal boss, a hitman rescues a young prostitute and flees with her to Galveston, Texas, where the two find strength in each other as dangerous pursuers and the shadows of their pasts follow close behind. Cast: Ben Foster, Elle Fanning, Beau Bridges, Adepero Aduye, Robert Aramayo, Lili Reinhart, Maria Valverde (World Premiere) Most Likely To Murder Director: Dan Gregor, Screenwriters: Dan Gregor, Doug Mand Billy, the coolest kid in high school, comes back to his hometown 15 years later to find he’s no longer cool and the girl he still has feelings for now dates the former town outcast. Billy becomes obsessed with proving the outcast is a murderer. Cast: Adam Pally, Rachel Bloom, Vincent Kartheiser, John Reynolds, Didi Conn, Ethan Phillips, Doug Mand, Hasan Minhaj, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Julia Goldani Telles(World Premiere)

    DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT

    Shining a light on new documentary features receiving their World, North American or U.S. premieres at SXSW. They Live Here, Now Director/Screenwriter: Jason Outenreath Austin based refugee house, Casa Marianella, is one of the most prominent refugee houses in the United States, providing life saving services for thousands of immigrants each year. Meet the people who live here now. (World Premiere)

    EPISODIC

    Episodic tunes in to the explosion of exciting material on non-theatrical platforms, including serialized TV and beyond.

    24 BEATS PER SECOND

    Showcasing the sounds, culture and influence of music and musicians, with an emphasis on documentary. Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story (United Kingdom) Director/Screenwriter: Steve Sullivan The hilarious and bizarre story of Frank Sidebottom, the cult British comedian in a papier mâché head, and the secretive life of Chris Sievey, the artist trapped inside. (World Premiere) Hearts Beat Loud Director: Brett Haley, Screenwriters: Brett Haley, Marc Basch A father and daughter become an unlikely song writing duo before she leaves for college. Cast: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, Toni Collette, Blythe Danner, Sasha Lane

    GLOBAL

    A diverse selection of international filmmaking talent, featuring innovative narratives, artful documentaries, premieres, festival favorites and more. Jeannette, The Childhood of Joan of Arc (France) Director/Screenwriter: Bruno Dumont France, 1425. In the midst of the Hundred Years’ War, the young Jeannette, at the still tender age of 8, looks after her sheep in the small village of Domremy. Cast: Lise Leplat Prudhomme, Jeanne Voisin, Lucile Gauthier, Victoria Lefebvre, Aline Charles

    FESTIVAL FAVORITES

    Acclaimed standouts and selected previous premieres from festivals around the world. Blindspotting Director: Carlos Lopez Estrada, Screenwriters: Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs Lifelong friends Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and star in this timely and wildly entertaining story about the intersection of race and class set against the backdrop of a rapidly gentrifying Oakland. Cast: Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casa, Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones Science Fair Directors: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster, Screenwriters: Jeffrey Plunkett, Darren Foster, Cristina Costantini Nine high school students from around the globe navigate rivalries, setbacks, and of course, hormones, on their journey to compete at the international science fair. Facing off against 1,700 of the smartest, quirkiest teens from 78 different countries, only one will be named Best in Fair. Sorry To Bother You Director/Screenwriter: Boots Riley In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre universe. Cast: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, Terry Crews, Steven Yeun, Omari Hardwick, Jermaine Fowler, and Danny Glover

    SPECIAL EVENTS

    Live soundtracks, cult re-issues and much more. Our Special Events section offers unusual, unexpected and unique one-off film events. Cartoon Network Screening at SXSW For the third year in a row, Cartoon Network presents a fun-filled family event open to all fans. Be among the first to watch upcoming adventure series, Craig of the Creek plus catch brand new episodes of favorite shows Ben 10 and Unikitty! And fans are in for a special treat with a never-before-seen look at Teen Titans Go! to the Movies, coming to theaters this summer. Doug Benson Master Pancake and Doug Loves Movies Podcast Doug Benson returns in the continuing tradition of our annual St. Patrick’s Day screening of the Leprechaun series. On March 17 we present Leprechaun 5: In The Hood, directed by Rob Spera. 20th CENTURY FOX PRESENTS ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL SXSW OPENING NIGHT PARTY For the first time ever, 20th Century Fox welcomes SXSW Platinum and Film badge holders to Iron City, the movie set where Alita: Battle Angel was filmed. SXSW Platinum and Film badge holders are invited to join the cast and filmmakers at Robert Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios for the 2018 SXSW Opening Night Party in celebration of the upcoming Alita: Battle Angel. Attendees will be picked up at the 5th Street side entrance of the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Austin by Alita: Battle Angelbranded shuttles and will be transported to the futuristic Iron City movie set. From 9:30 pm to 12:30 am on Friday March 9, guests will enjoy cocktails, bites from local food trucks and great music, all within an immersive film set, featuring props from the film.

    SHORTS PROGRAM

    NARRATIVE SHORTS

    A selection of original, well-crafted films that take advantage of the short form and exemplify distinctive and genuine storytelling. Allen Anders – Live at the Comedy Castle (circa 1987) Director: Laura Moss, Screenwriter: Tony Grayson Footage of Allen Anders famed 1987 performance at the Comedy Castle. (World Premiere) Are We Good Parents? Director: Bola Ogun, Screenwriters: Hailey Chavez, Bola Ogun When Lauren and Bill’s 14-year-old daughter says she’s going to her first dance with her classmate Ryan, they question their preconceived notions of her sexuality and their openness as parents. (World Premiere) The Big Day (United Kingdom) Director: Dawn Shadforth, Screenwriter: Kellie Smith Jess is super excited to attend her step-sister’s wedding and truly become part of the family, but after only recently finding out about her existence, her stepfamily are less than delighted about her presence on the big day. (World Premiere) Brian and Charles (United Kingdom) Director: Jim Archer, Screenwriters: David Earl, Chris Hayward A comedy about two friends who share a cottage in the English countryside. Brian is a poorly groomed, gravelly voiced farmer who struggles with depression and loneliness. Charles is a robot. Caroline Directors/Screenwriters: Logan George, Celine Held When plans fall through, a six-year-old is faced with a big responsibility on a hot Texas day. (World Premiere) Carro (Brazil, United States) Director/Screenwriter: Gustavo Rosa An undocumented Brazilian immigrant living in the Boston area decides to buy a car in an effort to better his life before returning home. (World Premiere) Emergency Director: Carey Williams, Screenwriter: K.D. Dávila Faced with an emergency, a group of young Black and Latino friends weigh the pros and cons of calling the police. Guilt (Mexico) Director/Screenwriter: Moisés Aisemberg Guilt is a direct window into the undeniable violence experienced by children today and the involuntary repression that they must undergo within a society that tolerates abuse. (World Premiere) Haven (Canada) Director/Screenwriter: Kelly Fyffe-Marshall When a little girl finds solace in between her mother’s legs, biggest fears become reality. (North American Premiere) Intercourse (Sweden) Director/Screenwriter: Jonatan Etzler “I’ll give you 100 bucks” he suggests, and jokingly she agrees, and neither of them see the gravity of the situation. When a sexual boundary is crossed and the balance of power is shifted – what will happen to their peaceful and normal relationship? (North American Premiere) Jay-Z – ‘Moonlight’ Director/Screenwriter: Alan Yang The One Where No One’s Ready Kimchi Director/Screenwriter: Jackson Kiyoshi Segars As his family argues about his end-of-life care, an elderly Korean man reflects on his life with a stranger. (World Premiere) Kira Burning Director/Screenwriter: Laurel Akira Parmet Teenage Kira attempts to take revenge after a heartbreaking betrayal by her ex-best friend. (World Premiere) Krista Director: Danny Madden, Screenwriters: Danny Madden, Will Madden In a high school theater class, Krista uses her scene study as catharsis. (World Premiere) Men Don’t Whisper Director: Jordan Firstman, Screenwriters: Charles Rogers, Jordan FIrstman After being emasculated at a sales conference, gay couple Reese and Peyton set out to do the most masculine thing they can think of – sleep with some women. Pink Trailer Director: Mary Neely, Screenwriters: Macey Isaacs, Jenny Leiferman Best friends Lucy and Julie are spending their summer hiding from a terrorizing neighbor until Lucy runs out of her antidepressant, and they’re forced to fight for their lives. (North American Premiere) Shiva Baby (Canada) Director/Screenwriter: Emma Seligman At a Jewish funeral service with her parents, a college student runs into her sugar daddy. (World Premiere) Tangles and Knots (Australia) Director/Screenwriter: Renée Marie Petropoulos An intimate, unique bond between mother and daughter becomes threatened when the mother helps her teenage daughter throw a party to impress new, more popular friends. The Things You Think I’m Thinking (Canada) Director: Sherren Lee, Screenwriter: Jesse LaVercombe A black male burn-survivor and amputee goes on a date with a regularly-abled man. Tooth and Nail Director: Sara Shaw, Screenwriters: Sara Shaw, Amanda Verwey A sister makes a bargain with her terminally ill brother. He agrees to let her use his sperm for future use with a partner if she comes out to her family that night. (World Premiere) We Forgot to Break Up (Canada) Director: Chandler Levack, Screenwriters: Steven McCarthy, Chandler Levack After a few years absence, Evan unexpectedly returns one night to face his now-famous former bandmates. The surprise reunion is bittersweet, in this intimate depiction of the knotty complexities of relating to old friends after everything has changed. (U.S. Premiere) We Win Director: Michael Stahl-David, Screenwriters: Ana Nogueira, Michael Stahl-David A happy couple’s relationship unravels during a game of “Mafia.” (World Premiere) Wren Boys (United Kingdom) Director: Harry Lighton, Screenwriters: Harry Lighton, John Fitzpatrick On the day after Christmas, a Catholic priest from Cork drives his nephew to prison.

    DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

    Slices of life from across the documentary spectrum. The Earth is Humming Director: Garrett Bradley In Japan, earthquake preparedness is a way of life—and a full-blown industry. (World Premiere) The Coffin Club (New Zealand) Director: Briar March, Screenwriter: Kim Harrop, Nick Ward, Briar March A group of rebellious, creative Kiwi seniors give death the finger, one crazy coffin at a time. (North American Premiere) Dead. Tissue. Love. (United Kingdom) Director: Natasha Austin-Green Dead. Tissue. Love. is an intimate experimental documentary exploring the character of a female necrophile, as she recounts her life experiences and sexual awakening. (U.S. Premiere) Death Metal Grandma Director: Leah Galant, Screenwriters: Sean Weiner, Leah Galant Death Metal Grandma follows 97-year-old Holocaust survivor, Inge Ginsberg, who has decided to break out as a singer of Death Metal music. (World Premiere) Lonesome Willcox Directors: Ryan Maxey, Zack Wright Willcox, Arizona is a country music town that isn’t what it used to be. The town’s only radio station has but one employee – a local pariah who lives in the studio, and has a complicated and difficult relationship with the music he plays every day. (World Premiere) My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes (Canada) Director: Charlie Tyrell, Screenwriters: Josef Beeby, Charlie Tyrell Filmmaker Charlie Tyrell seeks to better understand his emotionally distant late-father through the random objects he left behind, including a stack of tacky, 1980s VHS pornography. A Night at The Garden Director: Marshall Curry Months before the start of World War II, 22,000 Americans gathered in New York’s Madison Square Garden to rally in support of Nazism. On My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi (Canada) Directors: Brandon Gross, Skyler Gross Ruth (Nani) and Roman (Popi) are Holocaust survivors married for 65 years. After six decades of marriage, a painful truth tests their enduring union. Brandon and Skyler Gross’ moving portrait of their grandparents raises more questions than it answers. (U.S. Premiere) Roadside Attraction Directors: Patrick Bresnan, Ivete Lucas Palm Beach International Airport’s newest snowbird has become one of the fastest growing roadside attractions in the United States. Santa Ana Director: César Pesquera, Screenwriters: Kako Mendez, Christian Lopez, César Pesquera Part art-film, part documentary, Santa Ana aims to elucidate the link between evil and the famed Santa Ana winds, extremely dry down-slope winds in Southern California supposedly responsible for a tense, uneasy, wrathful mood among the people. Sister Hearts Director: Mohammad Gorjestani Maryam Uloho spent thirteen years in prison in Louisiana. After her release in 2013, she was homeless and lived as a squatter for over 2 years. This experience led her to discover her lifelong mission: To help incarcerated women re-enter society. (World Premiere) The Terrorist Hunter (Canada, United States) Director/Screenwriter: Ann Shin The Terrorist Hunter follows controversial spy Rita Katz, lauded by some for her work fighting terrorism, and criticized by others who say she creates terrorist plots where none exist. The film explores how fear and terror play out in our society. (World Premiere) Xavier Corbero: Portrait of an Artist in Winter (Spain, United Kingdom) Director: Nathalie Biancheri The first and last glimpse into the universe of iconic Spanish sculptor Xavier Corberó. A kaleidoscopic life and career that traversed a turbulent moment of Spanish history. (World Premiere)

    ANIMATED SHORTS COMPETITION

    An assortment of stories told using traditional animation, computer-generated effects, stop-motion, and everything in-between. Abnie Oberfork: A Tale of Self-Preservation Director/Screenwriter: Shannon Fleming A 12-year-old girl pickles herself to escape the malaise of childhood. (World Premiere) Agua Viva Director/Screenwriter: Alexa Lim Haas A Chinese manicurist attempts to describe feelings she doesn’t have the words for in a language she does not speak. (World Premiere) Intimity (Switzerland) Director/Screenwriter: Elodie Dermange As she is showering, dressing, putting on her make-up, a woman bares her soul. She speaks of her fears, her complexes, and the process of accepting – even loving – herself. Jeom Director: Kangmin Kim A father and a son both have the same big birthmark on their butt. Believing that the two birthmarks are connected, the son scrubs his father’s birthmark to remove it – but he just can’t get rid of it. Manivald (Estonia) Director: Chintis Lundgren, Screenwriters: Chintis Lundgren, Draško Ivezić Tinged with typically absurdist Estonian humour, Manivald mixes the surreal and the heartfelt in its timely tale of an emotionally unnourished generation that continue to live with their parents well into their adult lives. Octane Director: Jeron Braxton A street race that reflects America’s genocidal history and the parallels between slavery and the private prison system. (World Premiere) People of Color Director: Raghav Arumugam An animated documentary about race and perception in America. (World Premiere) The Shivering Truth Directors: Vernon Chatman, Cat Solen, Screenwriter: Vernon Chatman An omnibus of painfully riotous daymares dripping with dream logic; a slate of emotional parables from the deepest caverns of your unconscious, lovingly animated in stop-motion. In other words, it is the Truth. Sog (Germany) Director: Jonatan Schwenk, Screenwriters: Jonatan Schwenk, Merlin Flügel The dystopic drama Sog is about the cruel efforts of a people of humanlike creatures to lash out viciously against a shoal of fish that had unintentionally entered their desolate land. Solar Walk (Denmark, Hungary) Director/Screenwriter: Réka Bucsi Solar Walk shows the a cosmic journey of individuals and their passion for creation, through the unique and playful texture of the animation craft itself. (U.S. Premiere) Undiscovered Director: Sara Litzenberger Sasquatch has always remained elusive in photos–but not for the reasons we think. (World Premiere) MIDNIGHT SHORTS Bite-sized bits for all of your sex, gore, and hilarity cravings. Asian Girls (Australia) Director/Screenwriter: Hyun Lee Chan is a Chinese factory worker who lives alone. Every night, she suffers from horrific nightmares involving the woman in the apartment next door, a Japanese office lady. (World Premiere) Brendan Maclean – ‘House of Air’ (United Kingdom) Directors: Brian Fairbairn and Karl Eccleston An exploration of hanky codes and visual signifiers in 1970s San Francisco. Inspired by Hal Fischer’s Gay Semiotics, House of Air humorously investigates a clash between coded and explicit representations of gay sex. Crying Bitch (Japan) Director/Screenwriter: Reiki Tsuno Crying Bitch is a dark tale about a woman’s grudge, mixed with comedy, horror, and a homage to 80s cinema. A dark tale about a man who discovers his wife’s dark side after having an affair with a young girl. (U.S. Premiere) Hair Wolf Director/Screenwriter: Mariama Diallo In a black hair salon in gentrifying Brooklyn, the local residents fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture. (World Premiere) Lil Dicky – ‘Pillow Talking’ Director: Tony Yacenda, Screenwriters: Lil Dicky, Dave Burd A story about a man, a woman, and a brain. Long Distance Relationship (Brazil) Director/Screenwriter: Carolina Markowicz A brief story about a gentleman who’s obsessed about having sex with ETs. (U.S. Premiere) The Mangina Exit Director: Byron Brown, Screenwriters: Byron Brown, David James Ward Two people. Zero broken hearts. One harmless little mangina. (World Premiere) Milk (Canada) Director/Screenwriter: Santiago Menghini On a late night, a young teen goes into the kitchen for a glass of milk. Upon encountering his sleepless mother, he quickly realizes things are not as they seem. (World Premiere) Neverlanding. A Bad Thriller. (Belgium) Director/Screenwriter: Wim Reygaert A reclusive Michael Jackson impersonator dedicates his whole life to the perfection of his act. (North American Premiere) Perfect Town (Switzerland) Director/Screenwriter: Anais Voirol In search of perfection a city obeys to selection. A constant struggle. Trying and trying again. Where is the difference between endurance and madness? Who’s the daddy (Hong Kong) Director/Screenwriter: Wong Ping A journey finding my root of shame. (U.S. Premiere)

    TEXAS SHORTS

    An offshoot of our regular narrative shorts program, composed of work shot in, about, or somehow relating to the Lone Star state. An Uncertain Future Directors: Iliana Sosa, Chelsea Hernandez In Austin, Texas, two expectant mothers—one undocumented and one US citizen—must contend with increased ICE raids and mounting hostility towards immigrants under President Trump. Come & Take It Directors: Ellen Spiro, PJ Raval Come & Take It captures Jessica Jin’s transformation into one of America’s most inspired anti-gun violence leaders creating what some people are calling The Great Texas Dildo Revolt. (World Premiere) Don’t Be a Hero Director/Screenwriter: Pete Lee Lizzy Jo still lives with mom at 45 and battles her loneliness and boredom by robbing banks in the guise of a cowboy on her lunch break. After the adrenaline rush wears off, she still has to deal with her deeply unhappy life. Based on a true story. Ghosted Featuring Kamille – ‘Get Some’ Director/Screenwriter: Fidel Ruiz-Healy A story about youthful animalistic lust and how it presents itself under the glow of the full moon light. The answer is it’s messy and there is lots of biting. Heavy Chemistry Director/Screenwriter: Blair Rowan Feelings get complicated and oddly mutual amongst a trio of friends in Heavy Chemistry, a short comedy about love, friendship, attraction, hunger, lust, and other complex chemical reactions. (World Premiere) Maude Director/Screenwriter: Anna Margaret Hollyman Teeny thought it was just another routine babysitting job—until she’s shocked to meet the client. As the day goes on, Teeny decides to become the woman she had no idea she always wanted to be … until she gets caught. Nice Ass Director: Carlyn Hudson, Screenwriter: Jeff Whitaker After a failed date, Jake maintains a friendly connection with a part of Brooke no one saw coming. (World Premiere)

    TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS

    A preview of the next filmmaking generation, as Texas High Schoolers present shorts of 5 minutes or less. #RefugeesWelcome Director/Screenwriter: Ramiro Cantu In order to survive, a young Syrian woman leaves her home, family and country behind to seek refuge in the United States. The Art of War Director/Screenwriter: Cal Etcheverry There are only two realms in which rules are broken – art and war. This film explores the deontological ethics of war through the deep contrast of the utopian life of a painter and the chaotic life of a battle-bruised soldier. CCISD Strong Director: Sofia Rasmussen These are the stories of people who stepped up in the tough times after Hurricane Harvey and brought hope to the people who needed the support of their community in and around Clear Creek Independent School District. Confined Directors: The Zavitsanos Brothers When Myles is held at gunpoint in crime-ridden Baltimore, his life is forever changed… Contact Director/Screenwriter: Lindsay Wolf Contact follows two awkward teenagers on a movie date, struggling with whether or not to show their true feelings for each other through subtle physical contact. Escape Directors/Screenwriters: Jada Harbin, Karina Harchandani A 19-year-old drunk is triggered to drink when her boyfriend fails to keep his promise. A friend cleans her up and is her shoulder to cry on, maybe even more. Is it too good to be true? How You See Us Director/Screenwriter: Susannah Joffe How You See Us is my way of giving a voice to all the women who are done with being disrespected, and I hope it encourages men to rethink the over-sexualization of women in society. Hunned Effort Directors: Nicholas Luna, Alan Lawson High School Music Video for Alan Lawson’s Hunned Effort. Shot and edited by Nicholas Luna. Kopecke Director: C. Fears Koepcke is an experimental animation about the experience of a 17-year-old girl in 1971. Loveless Director/Screenwriter: Weston Bering A couple who meets at a masquerade ball is interrupted by another couple’s plan to heist them. Molly and Me Directors: Colton Vanlandingham, Collin Grant, Screenwriters: Sydney Sexton, Mary Patrello, Gaby Fernandez Party animal Bryce and sweet Molly meet each other at a party and decide to get to know each other better. They start to find out that neither one of them are who they seem. The Night I Lost My Favorite Jacket Director/Screenwriter: Jenna Krumerman A girl tells her friend about her Saturday night. She loses her favorite jacket and a little of herself while meeting new characters and trying to get by. Pursuit of a Dream Director/Screenwriter: Scott Larson A man working a dead end nine to five has to let go of his past in order to pursue his future. Pursuit: 21XX Director: Ben Phillips, Screenwriters: Ben Phillips, Billy Nguyen, Edward Nuno A cybernetically enhanced man must track down the criminal who stole his wallet by chasing the masked thief through a futuristic city, and will have to make the ultimate decision between what is right and wrong. Puzzle Pieces: Living Life on The Spectrum Director/Screenwriter: Georgia Puzzle Pieces: Living Life on The Spectrum explores children and teens that have autism spectrum disorder. Return Policy Directors: Demar Gunter, Victoria Hartson, Screenwriter: Demar Gunter In a dystopian future, where life holds monetary value, a family must make a tough decision. The Risk For Freedom (Vietnam) Director: Alex Le This documentary follows the early life of a Vietnamese immigrant, the director’s grandmother and her struggle to get to America. Roommate Director/Screenwriter: Jinho Rhee Everyone has roommate problems at one point; However, none is like the one Nayeon has to face. Silent Fist Directors: Jose Martinez, Nana Achempong, Screenwriters: Jose Martinez, Nana Achempon, and Brandon Mai A silent Buddhist prays for peace when a loud, angry boxer next door challenges him to enter the ring. What It Takes Director: Kourtney Williams This documentary was created to help express the point of view of a male gymnast. There’s a lot that goes into the sport of gymnastics and what it takes to be successful. The story takes you through 3 different perspectives to show their passion.

    INDEPENDENT EPISODICS

    Innovative and new independent web series, pilots and docs aimed squarely at the small screen. Beast Director/Screenwriter: Ben Strang When his father mysteriously goes missing at sea, a teenager rallies the help of his small fishing-island town to find him and figure out once and for all why people keep disappearing on Smith Island. (World Premiere) Cleansed Directors/Screenwriters: Flora Birnbaum, Sarah Scarlett Downing A jaded Los Angeles thirty-something goes on a magical juice cleanse to fix her life. (World Premiere) Everything is Okay: Robot Director: Adam Sacks, Screenwriter: Cirocco Dunlap A better you is just a click away. First World Problems Director/Screenwriter: X. Dean Lim Harold, an Asian-American, comes to realizes his family are apathetic douchebags. But when a mysterious crisis starts a ticking clock, he alienates them all to prove they’re more than Amazon, Audi and Autopay. The question is: can he be wrong? (World Premiere) Hold To Your Best Self Director/Screenwriter: Emily Hagins Over the course of a prom night, young adults tackle big questions concerning identity, relationships, self-esteem, and the future – their adolescent ideas and expectations are fundamentally challenged by high school coming to an end. (World Premiere) My Dead Ex Directors: Joe Lynch, Zoe Cassavetes, Screenwriter: Drew Hancock A little thing like death can’t stop these two teens from falling in love. Or maybe it can. (World Premiere) Night Owl (Canada) Directors: R. Miskin, Gillian Muller, Screenwriter: R. Miskin One Girl’s quest to face her fears, step outside her comfort zone and make some real friends!… in the middle of the night at a 24-hour grocery store. Well?… What do you do when you can’t sleep? (World Premiere) One Eye Small Director/Screenwriter: Jane Stiles Two female strangers become affectionate friends over the course of a frenetic evening in NYC. (World Premiere) Otis Director/Screenwriter: Alexander Etseyatse A young calm, mentally unstable man attempts to convince his new buddy that they don’t belong at a Psych ward by inciting an uprising while trying to win back the affection of his ex-fiancée and daughter. (World Premiere) Polar (Denmark, Greenland) Directors: Natalia Anna Ciepiel, Alexander Ohrt, Screenwriter: Morten Mortensen Terrorized by an unbearable sound a group of teenagers commit suicide in the habour of Nuuk. After being declared dead, Ivik, awakes again. As the phenomenon returns to haunt the young population of Nuuk, Ivik sets out to find the nature of the sound. (World Premiere) She’s the Ticket Director: Nadia Hallgren Five different women from around the country see Donald Trump get elected to the presidency on November 8th, 2016 and decide to do something about it. Run for office. Unspeakable Director: Milena Govich, Screenwriter: David Cornue A young woman in a desperate situation averts authorities by claiming to be a girl who disappeared years ago as a child. But when the missing girl’s family welcomes the impostor home, she’s forced to keep the deception alive or face the consequences. (World Premiere)

    MUSIC VIDEOS

    A range of classic, innovative, and stylish work showcasing the scope of music video culture. Aisha Badru – ‘Mind on Fire’ / Director/Screenwriter: Thoranna “Tota” Sigurdardottir Amanda Palmer & Edward Ka-Spel – ‘The Clock At The Back Of The Cage’(Australia) / Directors: Chris Bennett, Christy Flaws, Luke O’Connor The Blaze – ‘Territory’ / Director: The Blaze Capital Cities – ‘Vowels’ / Director/Screenwriter: Remy Cayuela CATHEDRALS – ‘Try To Fight’ / Director/Screenwriter: Jesse Fleece Chris Lake – ‘I Want You’ / Director/Screenwriter: NORTON COM TRUISE – ‘Propagation’ / Directors/Screenweriters: Karrie Crouse, Will Joines Cray – ‘Lotus’ / Director: Ariel Fisher, Screenwriters: Ariel Fisher and Cray Every Time I Die – ‘Map Change’ / Director: Kyle Thrash JAY-Z – ‘Smile’ / Director/Screenwriter: Miles Jay JIL – ‘All Your Words’ / Director: Anton Tammi Moses Sumney – ‘Doomed’ / Director: Allie Avital Oly. – ‘Growing Young’ (Poland) / Director: Katarzyna Sawicka Oren Lavie – ‘Second Hand Lovers’ (Israel) / Director/Screenwriter: Oren Lavie Peejay – ‘NA B YA’ (Republic of Korea) / Directors: Jinwoo Lee, Jungsu Lee POLO & PAN – ‘Coeur Croisé’ (France) / Director: PABLO MAESTRES salute – ‘Storm’ (United Kingdom) / Director: Raine Allen Miller The Shins – ‘Half A Million’ / Director: LAMAR+NIK siyyu – ‘stop us’ (United Kingdom) / Director: This is Felo Sue the Night – ‘Mind Dear’ (Netherlands) / Director: Thessa Meijer

    VIRTUAL CINEMA

    The immersive arts are finding new ways to enhance our ability to perceive the world that surrounds us, and in many instances they are redefining how we experience the world. The 27 projects presented in our new Virtual Cinema emphasize storytelling, ingenuity and also showcase how other industries are embracing this new medium. Aeronaut Discover an ever-changing virtual landscape created by Viacom NEXT and Isobar (with Tilt Brush art by Danny Bittman), where a volumetric 3D model of two-time Grammy award winning artist Billy Corgan sings and plays the piano to his single Aeronaut. (World Premiere) The Atrium Director: Brian Solomon, Screenwriters: Brian Solomon, James Longmire The Atrium, Meow Wolf’s first mixed reality installation, builds on the story of the acclaimed immersive exhibition, House of Eternal Return. Voyage through the surreal lullaby of the multiverse — and unravel a mystery spanning multiple dimensions. (World Premiere) Awake: Episode One (Australia, United States) Director: Martin Taylor, Screenwriters: Martin Taylor, Mike Jones, Christian Cantamessa Harry is a prisoner in his own house, obsessed with discovering the truth behind a recurring dream and a cryptic message within it. The arrival of a new presence promises to save Harry from his darkness and unlock the potential of humanity’s future. (World Premiere) Beethoven’s Fifth (United Kingdom, United States) Director: Jessica Brillhart, Screenwriters: Jessica Brillhart, Esa-Pekka Salonen Journey into interstellar space with a performance of Beethoven’s Fifth by the Philharmonia Orchestra, London – conducted by Principal Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. The film was inspired by content on Voyager’s Golden Record, launched by NASA in 1977. (U.S. Premiere) Chorus Director: Tyler Hurd Transform into fantastical female warriors in this social virtual reality experience. Six people can band together to battle evil in this epic journey of empowerment, all orchestrated to the song “Chorus” by Justice. (World Premiere) Dinner Party Director: Angel Manuel Soto, Screenwriters: Charlotte Stoudt, Laura Wexler Dinner Party, the pilot episode for a true-life supernatural anthology series The Incident, is a 3D virtual reality experience based on the true story of Betty and Barney Hill, an interracial couple who in 1961 reported the first known UFO abduction. Everything Flows (China, United States) Director: Yumeng Du Everything Flows is a VR film experience that presents time and space in an artistic way. It invites you to a journey of Director’s hometown, Wuhan, China. It is a mixture of painting, video capture, sounds, dreaming, memory, and reality. (World Premiere) The Evolution of Testicles (United States, Ireland, United Kingdom) Director: Ryan Hartsell A testicular romp through the evolution of man told via CGI, a giant testicle-shaped hot air balloon, and narrator Chris O’Dowd—all in the name of bringing awareness to male cancer prevention. (World Premiere) The Four Worlds (United States, Australia) Directors: Jonathan Zawada, Mark Pitchard The Four Worlds consists of four installations comprised of looping VR experiences augmented with extra sensory stimulation IRL. Each scene is a microcosm of a different environment, accompanied by an exquisite soundtrack by Mark Pritchard. (World Premiere) GFE Director: Michael Jacobs An immersive 360 experimental film that offers a first-person experience of going on a date with a sex worker. (World Premiere) Greenland Melting Directors: Catherine Upin, Nonny de la Peña, Screenwriters: Catherine Upin, Nonny de la Peña, Julia Cort, Caitlin Saks, Carla Borras NASA scientists are studying a troubling cause, Greenland is melting faster and faster. Using cutting edge VR technology, people can experience standing in front of a glacier, traveling underwater, and flying over some of the world’s stunning scenery. (North American Premiere) Hold The World (United Kingdom) Director: Dan Smith Hold the World (“HTW”) is a world-first interactive VR entertainment experience hosted by Sir David Attenborough at the London’s Natural History Museum. (North American Premiere) The Journey (United States, Chad, Ethiopia, South Sudan, United Kingdom) Director: Charlotte Mikkelborg The Journey through childhood in three of the toughest environments on Earth. Our three children will take you on a sensory journey into their worlds – where not only sight and sound but taste, smell and touch immerse you in their past present and future. (World Premiere) Living With Jaguars (Canada) Directors: Patrick McGuire, Jeff Orlowski, Screenwriter: Kate Lunau Living With Jaguars is an interactive virtual reality film documenting wild jaguars in Brazil. Users explore the complex and interconnected perspectives of four key stakeholders: jaguars, ranchers, conservation researchers, and ecotourism operators. (World Premiere) MONO – Blackwater Director: Ben Wolstenholme, Screenwriters: Ben Wolstenholme, Felipe Marino, Anthony Brock MONO, the former assassin to the queen and legendary ape-man, returns from exile to save his daughter, and reluctantly, Mankind. (World Premiere) One Eighty (United States, India) Director: Eren Aksu One Eighty is the story of an Indian mother, Vijai Kumari, who spent 20 years behind bars, and her son, Kanhaiya Kumari, who was born in prison…and their quest to clear their names and live in freedom. (World Premiere) Parragirls Past, Present – unlocking institutional memories of ‘care’ (Australia) Directors: Media artists and Parragirls, Parragirls/Parramatta Female Factory Precinct Memory Project, Screenwriters: Bonney Djuric, Lily Hibberd, Jenny McNally Parragirls Past, Present is a deeply moving immersive experience presenting former residents’ contemporary visions of Parramatta Girls Home to unlock memories of institutional ‘care’ within the punitive Australian child welfare system. (North American Premiere) RONE (Australia) Director: Lester Francois A distinctive portrait in VR of street artist Rone, whose stunning large-scale portraits are often seen in forgotten spaces. A mix of 360′ video and a virtual art gallery to explore, RONE will draw you into the world of street art like never before. (North American Premiere) Sanctuaries of Silence Directors: Adam Loften, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee Sanctuaries of Silence is an immersive listening journey into Olympic National Park, one of the quietest places in North America. Space x Girl (Republic of Korea) Director: Minhyuk Che A story about a girl and her space. The girl has a special sense of feeling the heart of the space. One day the space of the girl begins a conversation. It is about her memories that she was not aware of. (World Premiere) Spheres: Songs of Spacetime Director/Screenwriter: Eliza McNitt Dive into the heart of a black hole and uncover the hidden songs of the cosmos. In this VR experience, the breakthrough discovery of gravitational waves transforms how we see the Universe. Fall into the darkness, and you will find the light. Summation of Force (Australia) Directors: Trent Parke, Narelle Autio, Matthew Bate, Screenwriters: Trent Parke, Narelle Autio In a moonlit suburban backyard, two brothers battle one another in an otherworldly game of cricket in this stunning black and white live-action study of the motion, physics, and psychology of sport. Created by photographers Trent Parke and Narelle Autio, in collaboration with filmmaker Matthew Bate, this VR artwork offers a cosmic, darkly beautiful, and dreamlike metaphor for life. Sun Ladies VR Directors: Celine Tricart, Christian Stephen In 2014, ISIS invaded Iraq and targeted the Yazidi community. The men were killed, and the women taken as sex slaves. Some of the ones who escaped decided to join the Kurdistan army and started a female-only fighting unit called the Sun Ladies. Tiniest Tremor Directors: Nicholas Manting Brewer, Megan Simon An emotionally immersive and visually poetic journey into the issue of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome through the story of a woman who suffered from substance abuse disorder to Opioids and her child. (World Premiere) Together Director: Terrence Malick Together is a VR experience about the power of human connection. The piece fuses dance and technology, putting the viewer in the middle of an emotional narrative about breaking down barriers and bringing people closer. (World Premiere) We’re Still Here Director: Jesse Ayala Aiden Short Cloud, a Two-Spirit artist and historian in Boise, Idaho, struggles to preserve and revive his heritage in a race against time. (World Premiere) Wonderful You VR (United Kingdom) Director: John Durrant Wonderful You VR, a Virtual Reality experience narrated by Academy Award nominee Samantha Morton, is a journey through the strange world of your developing senses: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. (North American Premiere)

    EXCELLENCE IN TITLE DESIGN

    Inspired by an essential part of the theatrical experience, these are works of art in their own right. The 21 sequences selected represent the very best and most original of the past year. Big Mouth / Company: Titmouse Inc. / Designer: Mike Roush Book of Henry / Company: Imaginary Forces / Creative Director: Alan Williams Britannia / Company: Me & the Bootmaker / Designer: Manija Emran Comtes de Barcelona (Counts of Barcelona) / Company: Freelance / Designer: J. A. Duran Counterpart / Company: Imaginary Forces / Creative Director: Karin Fong Dark / Company: Self employed / Designer: Lutz Lemke Divide / Company: Ringling College of Art and Design / Designer: Ioana Oprescu Exhalación / Company: Mordisco Films / Designer: Alberto Díaz López Godless / Company: Method Studios / Designer: John Likens Narcos Season 3 / Company: Digital Kitchen / Designer: Harshit Desai National Geographic Breakthrough / Company: Imaginary Forces / Creative Director: Karin Fong OFFF CDMX Opening titles / Company: Diecinueve36 / Designer: Maribel Martínez OFFF Barcelona 2017 / Company: Sailor Productions / Designer: Vallee Duhamel Orient City: Ronin & The Princess / Company: Spoke Lane Entertainment / Designer: Zsombor Huszka Paa Joe & The Lion / Company: Bottletop / Designer: Mark Pyper Semi Permanent Festival / Company: Framestore / Designer: Akira Thompson SOLO / Company: Plexus Post / Designer: Vijesh Rajan Taboo / Company: Method Studios / Designer: John Likens TEDx Sydney / Company: Substance / Designer: Scott Geersen ZARAH / Company: Bakery Films / Designers: Florian Meimberg, Izzy Acar Also, a special viewing of SXSW Gaming Awards Open 2017 / Company: Imaginary Forces / Designer: Jeremy Cox

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  • 2018 Sundance Film Festival Unveils Feature Film Lineup of 110 Films

    [caption id="attachment_25705" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Kindergarten Teacher The Kindergarten Teacher[/caption] The 2018 Sundance Film Festival returns to Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort, from January 18 to 28, and today announced the feature films lineup showcasing bold, independent storytelling. For the 2018 Festival, 110 feature-length films were selected, representing 29 countries and 47 first-time filmmakers, including 30 in competition.These films were selected from 13,468 submissions including 3,901 feature-length films and  8,740 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 1,799 were from the U.S. and 2,102 were international. One-hundred feature films at the Festival will be world premieres Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, said, “The work of independent storytellers can challenge and possibly change culture, illuminating our world’s imperfections and possibilities. This year’s Festival is full of artfully-told stories that provoke thought, drive empathy and allow the audience to connect, in deeply personal ways, to the universal human experience.”

    U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION

    American Animals / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Bart Layton, Producers: Derrin Schlesinger, Katherine Butler, Dimitri Doganis, Mary Jane Skalski) — The unbelievable but mostly true story of four young men who mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious art heists in U.S. history. Cast: Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, Ann Dowd, Udo Kier. World Premiere BLAZE / U.S.A. (Director: Ethan Hawke, Screenwriters: Ethan Hawke, Sybil Rosen, Producers: Jake Seal, John Sloss, Ryan Hawke, Ethan Hawke) — A reimagining of the life and times of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting legend of the Texas Outlaw Music movement; he gave up paradise for the sake of a song. Cast: Benjamin Dickey, Alia Shawkat, Josh Hamilton, Charlie Sexton. World Premiere Blindspotting / U.S.A. (Director: Carlos Lopez Estrada, Screenwriters: Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs, Producers: Keith Calder, Jess Calder, Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs) — A buddy comedy in a world that won’t let it be one. Cast: Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones. World Premiere. DAY ONE Burden / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Heckler, Producers: Robbie Brenner, Jincheng, Bill Kenwright) — After opening a KKK shop, Klansman Michael Burden falls in love with a single mom who forces him to confront his senseless hatred. After leaving the Klan and with nowhere to turn, Burden is taken in by an African-American reverend, and learns tolerance through their combined love and faith. Cast: Garrett Hedlund, Forest Whitaker, Andrea Riseborough, Tom Wilkinson, Usher Raymond. World Premiere Eighth Grade / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Bo Burnham, Producers: Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Christopher Storer, Lila Yacoub) — Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school — the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year — before she begins high school. Cast: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton. World Premiere. I Think We’re Alone Now / U.S.A. (Director: Reed Morano, Screenwriter: Mike Makowsky, Producers: Fred Berger, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Fernando Loureiro, Roberto Vasconcellos, Peter Dinklage, Mike Makowsky) — The apocalypse proves a blessing in disguise for one lucky recluse – until a second survivor arrives with the threat of companionship. Cast: Peter Dinklage, Elle Fanning. World Premiere The Kindergarten Teacher / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sara Colangelo, Producers: Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Osnat Handelsman-Keren, Talia Kleinhendler) — Lisa Spinelli is a Staten Island teacher who is unusually devoted to her students. When she discovers one of her five-year-olds is a prodigy, she becomes fascinated with the boy, ultimately risking her family and freedom to nurture his talent. Based on the acclaimed Israeli film. Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Parker Sevak, Rosa Salazar, Anna Barynishikov, Michael Chernus, Gael Garcia Bernal. World Premiere Lizzie / U.S.A. (Director: Craig William Macneill, Screenwriter: Bryce Kass, Producers: Naomi Despres, Liz Destro) — Based on the 1892 murder of Lizzie Borden’s family in Fall River, MA, this tense psychological thriller lays bare the legend of Lizzie Borden to reveal the much more complex, poignant and truly terrifying woman within — and her intimate bond with the family’s young Irish housemaid, Bridget Sullivan. Cast: Chloë Sevigny, Kristen Stewart, Jamey Sheridan, Fiona Shaw, Kim Dickens, Denis O’Hare. World Premiere The Miseducation of Cameron Post / U.S.A. (Director: Desiree Akhavan, Screenwriters: Desiree Akhavan, Cecilia Frugiuele, Producers: Cecilia Frugiuele, Jonathan Montepare, Michael B. Clark, Alex Turtletaub) — 1993: after being caught having sex with the prom queen, a girl is forced into a gay conversion therapy center. Based on Emily Danforth’s acclaimed and controversial coming-of-age novel. Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck, John Gallagher Jr., Jennifer Ehle. World Premiere Monster / U.S.A. (Director: Anthony Mandler, Screenwriters: Radha Blank, Cole Wiley, Janece Shaffer, Producers: Tonya Lewis Lee, Nikki Silver, Aaron L. Gilbert, Mike Jackson, Edward Tyler Nahem) — “Monster” is what the prosecutor calls 17 year old honors student and aspiring filmmaker Steve Harmon. Charged with felony murder for a crime he says he did not commit, the film follows his dramatic journey through a complex legal battle that could leave him spending the rest of his life in prison. Cast: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Hudson, Rakim Mayers, Jennifer Ehle, Tim Blake Nelson. World Premiere Monsters and Men / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Reinaldo Marcus Green, Producers: Elizabeth Lodge Stepp, Josh Penn, Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, Luca Borghese) — This interwoven narrative explores the aftermath of a police killing of a black man. The film is told through the eyes of the bystander who filmed the act, an African-American police officer and a high-school baseball phenom inspired to take a stand. Cast: John David Washington, Anthony Ramos, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Chanté Adams, Nicole Beharie, Rob Morgan. World Premiere NANCY / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Christina Choe, Producers: Amy Lo, Michelle Cameron, Andrea Riseborough) — Blurring lines between fact and fiction, Nancy becomes increasingly convinced she was kidnapped as a child. When she meets a couple whose daughter went missing thirty years ago, reasonable doubts give way to willful belief – and the power of emotion threatens to overcome all rationality. Cast: Andrea Riseborough, J. Smith-Cameron, Steve Buscemi, Ann Dowd, John Leguizamo. World Premiere Sorry to Bother You / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Boots Riley, Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Charles King, George Rush, Jonathan Duffy, Kelly Williams) — In a speculative and dystopian not-too-distant future, black telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success – which propels him into a macabre universe. Cast: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun, Jermaine Fowler, Armie Hammer, Omari Hardwicke. World Premiere The Tale / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jennifer Fox, Producers: Oren Moverman, Lawrence Inglee, Laura Rister, Mynette Louie, Sol Bondy, Simone Pero) — An investigation into one woman’s memory as she’s forced to re-examine her first sexual relationship and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive; based on the filmmaker’s own story. Cast: Laura Dern, Isabel Nelisse, Jason Ritter, Elizabeth Debicki, Ellen Burstyn, Common. World Premiere TYREL / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sebastian Silva, Producers: Jacob Wasserman, Max Born) — Tyler spirals out of control when he realizes he’s the only black person attending a weekend birthday party in a secluded cabin. Cast: Jason Mitchell, Christopher Abbott, Michael Cera, Caleb Landry Jones, Ann Dowd. World Premiere Wildlife / U.S.A. (Director: Paul Dano, Screenwriters: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Producers: Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Oren Moverman, Ann Ruark, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riva Marker) — Montana, 1960: A portrait of a family in crisis. Based on the novel by Richard Ford. Cast: Carey Mulligan, Ed Oxenbould, Bill Camp, Jake Gyllenhaal. World Premiere

    U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

    Bisbee ’17 / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Robert Greene, Producers: Douglas Tirola, Susan Bedusa, Bennett Elliott) — An old mining town on the Arizona-Mexico border finally reckons with its darkest day: the deportation of 1200 immigrant miners exactly 100 years ago. Locals collaborate to stage recreations of their controversial past. Cast: Fernando Serrano, Laurie McKenna, Ray Family, Mike Anderson, Graeme Family, Richard Hodges. World Premiere Crime + Punishment / U.S.A. (Director: Stephen Maing) — Over four years of unprecedented access, the story of a brave group of black and Latino whistleblower cops and one unrelenting private investigator who, amidst a landmark lawsuit, risk everything to expose illegal quota practices and their impact on young minorities. World Premiere Dark Money / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kimberly Reed, Producer: Katy Chevigny) — “Dark money” contributions, made possible by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, flood modern American elections – but Montana is showing Washington D.C. how to solve the problem of unlimited anonymous money in politics. World Premiere The Devil We Know / U.S.A. (Director: Stephanie Soechtig, Producers: Kristin Lazure, Stephanie Soechtig, Joshua Kunau, Carly Palmour) — Unraveling one of the biggest environmental scandals of our time, a group of citizens in West Virginia take on a powerful corporation after they discover it has knowingly been dumping a toxic chemical — now found in the blood of 99.7% of Americans — into the local drinking water supply. World Premiere. THE NEW CLIMATE Hal / U.S.A. (Director: Amy Scott, Producers: Christine Beebe, Jonathan Lynch, Brian Morrow) — Hal Ashby’s obsessive genius led to an unprecedented string of Oscar®-winning classics, including Harold and Maude, Shampoo and Being There. But as contemporaries Coppola, Scorsese and Spielberg rose to blockbuster stardom in the 1980s, Ashby’s uncompromising nature played out as a cautionary tale of art versus commerce. World Premiere Hale County This Morning, This Evening / U.S.A. (Director: RaMell Ross, Screenwriter: Maya Krinsky, Producers: Joslyn Barnes, RaMell Ross, Su Kim) — An exploration of coming-of-age in the Black Belt of the American South, using stereotypical imagery to fill in the landscape between iconic representations of black men and encouraging a new way of looking, while resistance to narrative suspends conclusive imagining – allowing the viewer to complete the film. World Premiere Inventing Tomorrow / U.S.A. (Director: Laura Nix, Producers: Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Laura Nix) — Take a journey with young minds from around the globe as they prepare their projects for the largest convening of high school scientists in the world, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Watch these passionate innovators find the courage to face the planet’s environmental threats while navigating adolescence. World Premiere. THE NEW CLIMATE Kailash / U.S.A. (Director: Derek Doneen, Producers: Davis Guggenheim, Sarah Anthony) — As a young man, Kailash Satyarthi promised himself that he would end child slavery in his lifetime. In the decades since, he has rescued more than eighty thousand children and built a global movement. This intimate and suspenseful film follows one man’s journey to do what many believed was impossible. World Premiere. DAY ONE Kusama – Infinity / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Heather Lenz, Producers: Karen Johnson, Heather Lenz, Dan Braun, David Koh) — Now one of the world’s most celebrated artists, Yayoi Kusama broke free of the rigid society in which she was raised, and overcame sexism, racism, and mental illness to bring her artistic vision to the world stage. At 88 she lives in a mental hospital and continues to create art. World Premiere The Last Race / U.S.A. (Director: Michael Dweck, Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw) — A cinematic portrait of a small town stock car track and the tribe of drivers that call it home as they struggle to hold onto an American racing tradition. The avant-garde narrative explores the community and its conflicts through an intimate story that reveals the beauty, mystery and emotion of grassroots auto racing. World Premiere Minding the Gap / U.S.A. (Director: Bing Liu, Producer: Diane Quon) — Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship. World Premiere On Her Shoulders / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandria Bombach, Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Hayley Pappas, Brock Williams, Bryn Mooser, Adam Bardach) — A Yazidi genocide and ISIS sexual slavery survivor, 23-year-old Nadia Murad is determined to tell the world her story. As her journey leads down paths of advocacy and fame, she becomes the voice of her people and their best hope to spur the world to action. International Premiere The Price of Everything / U.S.A. (Director: Nathaniel Kahn, Producers: Jennifer Blei Stockman, Debi Wisch, Carla Solomon) — With unprecedented access to pivotal artists and the white-hot market surrounding them, this film dives deep into the contemporary art world, holding a funhouse mirror up to our values and our times – where everything can be bought and sold.World Premiere Seeing Allred / U.S.A. (Directors: Sophie Sartain, Roberta Grossman, Producers: Roberta Grossman, Sophie Sartain, Marta Kauffman, Robbie Rowe Tollin, Hannah KS Canter) — Gloria Allred overcame trauma and personal setbacks to become one of the nation’s most famous women’s rights attorneys. Now the feminist firebrand takes on two of the biggest adversaries of her career, Bill Cosby and Donald Trump, as sexual violence allegations grip the nation and keep her in the spotlight. World Premiere The Sentence / U.S.A. (Director: Rudy Valdez, Producers: Sam Bisbee, Jackie Kelman Bisbee) — Cindy Shank, mother of three, is serving a 15-year sentence in federal prison for her tangential involvement with a Michigan drug ring years earlier. This intimate portrait of mandatory minimum drug sentencing’s devastating consequences, captured by Cindy’s brother, follows her and her family over the course of ten years. World Premiere Three Identical Strangers / U.S.A. (Director: Tim Wardle, Producer: Becky Read) — New York,1980: three complete strangers accidentally discover that they’re identical triplets, separated at birth. The 19-year-olds’ joyous reunion catapults them to international fame, but also unlocks an extraordinary and disturbing secret that goes beyond their own lives – and could transform our understanding of human nature forever. World Premiere

    WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION

    And Breathe Normally / Iceland, Sweden, Belgium (Director and screenwriter: Ísold Uggadóttir, Producers: Skúli Malmquist, Diana Elbaum, Annika Hellström, Lilja Ósk Snorradóttir, Inga Lind Karlsdóttir) — At the edge of Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, two women’s lives will intersect – for a brief moment – while trapped in circumstances unforeseen. Between a struggling Icelandic mother and an asylum seeker from Guinea-Bissau, a delicate bond will form as both strategize to get their lives back on track. Cast: Kristín Thóra Haraldsdóttir, Babetida Sadjo, Patrik Nökkvi Pétursson. World Premiere Butterflies / Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Tolga Karaçelik, Producers: Tolga Karaçelik, Diloy Gülün, Metin  Anter) — In the Turkish village of Hasanlar, three siblings who neither know each other nor anything about their late father, wait to bury his body. As they start to find out more about their father and about each other, they also start to know more about themselves. Cast: Tolga Tekin, Bartu Küçükçağlayan, Tuğçe Altuğ, Serkan Keskin, Hakan Karsak. World Premiere Dead Pigs / China (Director and screenwriter: Cathy Yan, Producers: Clarissa Zhang, Jane Zheng, Zhangke Jia, Mick Aniceto, Amy Aniceto) — A bumbling pig farmer, a feisty salon owner, a sensitive busboy, an expat architect and a disenchanted rich girl converge and collide as thousands of dead pigs float down the river towards a rapidly-modernizing Shanghai, China. Based on true events. Cast: Vivian Wu, Haoyu Yang, Mason Lee, Meng Li, David Rysdahl. World Premiere The Guilty / Denmark (Director: Gustav Möller, Screenwriters: Gustav Möller, Emil Nygaard Albertsen, Producer: Lina Flint) — Alarm dispatcher Asger Holm answers an emergency call from a kidnapped woman; after a sudden disconnection, the search for the woman and her kidnapper begins. With the phone as his only tool, Asger enters a race against time to solve a crime that is far bigger than he first thought. Cast: Jakob Cedergren, Jessica Dinnage, Johan Olsen, Omar Shargawi. World Premiere Holiday / Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden (Director: Isabella Eklöf, Screenwriters: Isabella Eklöf, Johanne Algren, Producer: David B. Sørensen) — A love triangle featuring the trophy girlfriend of a petty drug lord, caught up in a web of luxury and violence in a modern dark gangster tale set in the beautiful port city of Bodrum on the Turkish Riviera. Cast: Victoria Carmen Sonne, Lai Yde, Thijs Römer. World Premiere Loveling / Brazil, Uruguay (Director: Gustavo Pizzi, Screenwriters: Gustavo Pizzi, Karine Teles, Producers: Tatiana Leite, Rodrigo Letier, Agustina Chiarino, Fernando Epstein) — On the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Irene has only a few days to overcome her anxiety and renew her strength before sending her eldest son out into the world. Cast: Karine Teles, Otavio Muller, Adriana Esteves, Konstantinos Sarris, Cesar Troncoso. World Premiere. DAY ONE Pity / Greece, Poland (Director: Babis Makridis, Screenwriters: Efthimis Filippou, Babis Makridis, Producers: Amanda Livanou, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Klaudia Śmieja, Beata Rzeźniczek) — The story of a man who feels happy only when he is unhappy: addicted to sadness, with such need for pity, that he’s willing to do everything to evoke it from others. This is the life of a man in a world not cruel enough for him. Cast: Yannis Drakopoulos, Evi Saoulidou, Nota Tserniafski, Makis Papadimitriou, Georgina Chryskioti, Evdoxia Androulidaki. World Premiere The Queen of Fear / Argentina, Denmark (Directors: Valeria Bertuccelli, Fabiana Tiscornia, Screenwriter: Valeria Bertuccelli, Producers: Benjamin Domenech, Santiago Gallelli, Matias Roveda, Juan Vera, Juan Pablo Galli, Christian Faillace) — Only one month left until the premiere of The Golden Time, the long-awaited solo show by acclaimed actress Robertina. Far from focused on the preparations for this new production, Robertina lives in a state of continuous anxiety that turns her privileged life into an absurd and tumultuous landscape. Cast: Valeria Bertuccelli, Diego Velázquez, Gabriel Eduardo “Puma” Goity, Darío Grandinetti. World Premiere Rust / Brazil (Director: Aly Muritiba, Screenwriters: Aly Muritiba, Jessica Candal, Producer: Antônio Junior) — Tati and Renet were already trading pics, videos and music by their cellphones and on the last school trip they started making eye contact. However, what could be the beginning of a love story becomes an end. Cast: Giovanni De Lorenzi, Tifanny Dopke, Enrique Diaz, Clarissa Kiste, Duda Azevedo, Pedro Inoue. World Premiere Time Share (Tiempo Compartido) / Mexico, Netherlands (Director: Sebastián Hofmann, Screenwriters: Julio Chavezmontes, Sebastián Hofmann, Producer: Julio Chavezmontes) — Two haunted family men join forces in a destructive crusade to rescue their families from a tropical paradise, after becoming convinced that an American timeshare conglomerate has a sinister plan to take their loved ones away. Cast: Luis Gerardo Mendez, Miguel Rodarte, Andrés Almeida, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Monserrat Marañon, R.J. Mitte. World Premiere Un Traductor / Canada, Cuba (Directors: Rodrigo Barriuso, Sebastián Barriuso, Screenwriter: Lindsay Gossling, Producers: Sebastián Barriuso, Lindsay Gossling) — A Russian Literature professor at the University of Havana is ordered to work as a translator for child victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster when they are sent to Cuba for medical treatment. Based on a true story. Cast: Rodrigo Santoro, Maricel Álvarez, Yoandra Suárez. World Premiere Yardie / United Kingdom (Director: Idris Elba, Screenwriters: Brock Norman Brock, Martin Stellman, Producers: Gina Carter, Robin Gutch) — Jamaica, 1973. When a young boy witnesses his brother’s assassination, a powerful Don gives him a home. Ten years later he is sent on a mission to London. He reunites with his girlfriend and their daughter, but then the past catches up with them. Based on Victor Headley’s novel. Cast: Aml Ameen, Shantol Jackson, Stephen Graham, Fraser James, Sheldon Shepherd, Everaldo Cleary. World Premiere

    WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

    A Polar Year / France (Director: Samuel Collardey, Screenwriters: Samuel Collardey, Catherine Paillé, Producer: Grégoire Debailly) — Anders leaves his native Denmark for a teaching position in rural Greenland. As soon as he arrives, he finds himself at odds with tightly-knit locals. Only through a clumsy and playful trial of errors can Anders shake his Euro-centric assumptions and embrace their snow-covered way of life. Cast: Anders Hvidegaard, Asser Boassen, Julius B. Nielsen, Tobias Ignatiussen, Thomasine Jonathansen, Gert Jonathansen. World Premiere Anote’s Ark / Canada (Director: Matthieu Rytz, Producers: Bob Moore, Mila Aung-Thwin, Daniel Cross, Shari Plummer, Shannon Joy) — How does a nation survive being swallowed by the sea? Kiribati, on a low-lying Pacific atoll, will disappear within decades due to rising sea levels, population growth, and climate change. This exploration of how to migrate an entire nation with dignity interweaves personal stories of survival and resilience. World Premiere. THE NEW CLIMATE The Cleaners / Germany, Brazil (Directors: Moritz Riesewieck, Hans Block, Screenwriters: Moritz Riesewieck, Hans Block, Georg Tschurtschenthaler, Producers: Christian Beetz, Georg Tschurtschenthaler, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Fernando Dias, Mauricio Dias) — When you post something on the web, can you be sure it stays there? Enter a hidden shadow industry of digital cleaning, where the Internet rids itself of what it doesn’t like: violence, pornography and political content. Who is controlling what we see…and what we think? World Premiere Genesis 2.0 / Switzerland (Directors: Christian Frei, Maxim Arbugaev, Producer: Christian Frei) — On the remote New Siberian Islands in the Arctic Ocean, hunters search for tusks of extinct mammoths. When they discover a surprisingly well-preserved mammoth carcass, its resurrection will be the first manifestation of the next great technological revolution: genetics. It may well turn our world upside down. World Premiere MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. / Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, U.S.A. (Director: Stephen Loveridge, Producers: Lori Cheatle, Andrew Goldman, Paul Mezey) — Drawn from a never before seen cache of personal footage spanning decades, this is an intimate portrait of the Sri Lankan artist and musician who continues to shatter conventions. World Premiere Of Fathers and Sons / Germany, Syria, Lebanon (Director: Talal Derki, Producers: Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme, Tobias N. Siebert, Hans Robert Eisenhauer) — Talal Derki returns to his homeland where he gains the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life for over two years. His camera focuses on Osama and his younger brother Ayman, providing an extremely rare insight into what it means to grow up in an Islamic Caliphate. North American Premiere The Oslo Diaries / Israel, Canada (Directors and screenwriters: Mor Loushy, Daniel Sivan, Producers: Hilla Medalia, Ina Fichman) — In 1992, Israeli-Palestinian relations reached an all time low. In an attempt to stop the bloodshed, a group of Israelis and Palestinians met illegally in Oslo. These meetings were never officially sanctioned and held in complete secrecy. They changed the Middle East forever. World Premiere Our New President / Russia, U.S.A. (Director: Maxim Pozdorovkin, Producers: Maxim Pozdorovkin, Joe Bender) — The story of Donald Trump’s election told entirely through Russian propaganda. By turns horrifying and hilarious, the film is a satirical portrait of Russian media that reveals an empire of fake news and the tactics of modern-day information warfare. World Premiere. DAY ONE Shirkers / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sandi Tan, Producers: Sandi Tan, Jessica Levin, Maya Rudolph) — In 1992, teenager Sandi Tan shot Singapore’s first indie road movie with her enigmatic American mentor Georges – who then vanished with all the footage. Twenty years later, the 16mm film is recovered, sending Tan, now a novelist in Los Angeles, on a personal odyssey in search of Georges’ vanishing footprints. World Premiere This is Home / U.S.A., Jordan (Director: Alexandra Shiva, Producer: Lindsey Megrue) This is an intimate portrait of four Syrian families arriving in Baltimore, Maryland and struggling to find their footing. With eight months to become self-sufficient, they must forge ahead to rebuild their lives. When the travel ban adds further complications, their strength and resilience are put to the test. World Premiere Westwood / United Kingdom (Director: Lorna Tucker, Producers: Eleanor Emptage, Shirine Best, Nicole Stott, John Battsek) — Dame Vivienne Westwood: punk, icon, provocateur and one of the most influential originators in recent history. This is the first film to encompass the remarkable story of one of the true icons of our time, as she fights to maintain her brand’s integrity, her principles – and her legacy. World Premiere A Woman Captured / Hungary (Director and screenwriter: Bernadett Tuza-Ritter, Producers: Julianna Ugrin, Viki Réka Kiss, Erik Winker, Martin Roelly) — A European woman has been kept by a family as a domestic slave for 10 years – one of over 45 million victims of modern-day slavery. Drawing courage from the filmmaker’s presence, she decides to escape the unbearable oppression and become a free person. North American Premiere

    NEXT

    306 Hollywood / U.S.A., Hungary (Directors: Elan Bogarín, Jonathan Bogarín, Screenwriters: Jonathan Bogarín, Elan Bogarín, Nyneve Laura Minnear, Producers: Elan Bogarín, Jonathan Bogarín, Judit Stalter) — When two siblings undertake an archaeological excavation of their late grandmother’s house, they embark on a magical-realist journey from her home in New Jersey to ancient Rome, from fashion to physics, in search of what life remains in the objects we leave behind. World Premiere. DAY ONE A Boy, A Girl, A Dream. / U.S.A. (Director: Qasim Basir, Screenwriters: Qasim Basir, Samantha Tanner, Producer: Datari Turner) — On the night of the 2016 Presidential election, Cass, an L.A. club promoter, takes a thrilling and emotional journey with Frida, a Midwestern visitor. She challenges him to revisit his broken dreams – while he pushes her to discover hers. Cast: Omari Hardwick, Meagan Good, Jay Ellis, Kenya Barris, Dijon Talton, Wesley Jonathan. World Premiere An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn / United Kingdom, U.S.A. (Director: Jim Hosking, Screenwriters: Jim Hosking, David Wike, Producers: Sam Bisbee, Theodora Dunlap, Oliver Roskill, Emily Leo, Lucan Toh, Andy Starke) — Lulu Danger’s unsatisfying marriage takes a fortunate turn for the worse when a mysterious man from her past comes to town to perform an event called ‘An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn For One Magical Night Only.’ Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Emile Hirsch, Jemaine Clement, Matt Berry, Craig Robinson. World Premiere Clara’s Ghost / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Bridey Elliott, Producer: Sarah Winshall) — Set over the course of a single evening at the Reynolds’ family home in Connecticut, Clara, fed up with the constant ribbing from her self-absorbed showbiz family, finds solace in and guidance from the supernatural force she believes is haunting her. Cast: Paula Niedert Elliott, Chris Elliott, Abby Elliott, Bridey Elliott, Haley Joel Osment, Isidora Goreshter. World Premiere Madeline’s Madeline / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Josephine Decker, Producers: Krista Parris, Elizabeth Rao) — Madeline got the part! She’s going to play the lead in a theater piece! Except the lead wears sweatpants like Madeline’s. And has a cat like Madeline’s. And is holding a steaming hot iron next to her mother’s face – like Madeline is. Cast: Helena Howard, Molly Parker, Miranda July, Okwui Okpokwasili, Felipe Bonilla, Lisa Tharps. World Premiere Night Comes On / U.S.A. (Director: Jordana Spiro, Screenwriters: Jordana Spiro, Angelica Nwandu, Producers: Jonathan Montepare, Alvaro R. Valente, Danielle Renfrew Behrens) — Angel LaMere is released from juvenile detention on the eve of her 18th birthday. Haunted by her past, she embarks on a journey with her 10 year-old sister that could destroy their future. Cast: Dominique Fishback, Tatum Hall, John Earl Jelks, Max Casella, James McDaniel. World Premiere Search / U.S.A. (Director: Aneesh Chaganty, Screenwriters: Aneesh Chaganty, Sev Ohanian, Producers: Timur Bekmambetov, Sev Ohanian, Adam Sidman, Natalie Qasabian) — After his 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a desperate father breaks into her laptop to look for clues to find her. A thriller that unfolds entirely on computer screens. Cast: John Cho, Debra Messing. World Premiere. WINNER: 2018 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize.  Skate Kitchen / U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Moselle, Screenwriters: Crystal Moselle, Ashlihan Unaldi, Producers: Lizzie Nastro, Izabella Tzenkova, Julia Nottingham, Matthew Perniciaro, Michael Sherman, Rodrigo Teixeira) — Camille’s life as a lonely suburban teenager changes dramatically when she befriends a group of girl skateboarders. As she journeys deeper into this raw New York City subculture, she begins to understand the true meaning of friendship as well as her inner self. Cast: Rachelle Vinberg, Dede Lovelace, Jaden Smith, Nina Moran, Ajani Russell, Kabrina Adams. World Premiere We The Animals / U.S.A. (Director: Jeremiah Zagar, Screenwriters: Daniel Kitrosser, Jeremiah Zagar, Producers: Jeremy Yaches, Christina D. King, Andrew Goldman, Paul Mezey) — Us three, us brothers, us kings. Manny, Joel and Jonah tear their way through childhood and push against the volatile love of their parents. As Manny and Joel grow into versions of their father and Ma dreams of escape, Jonah, the youngest, embraces an imagined world all his own. Cast: Raul Castillo, Sheila Vand, Evan Rosado, Isaiah Kristian, Josiah Santiago. World Premiere White Rabbit / U.S.A. (Director: Daryl Wein, Screenwriters: Daryl Wein, Vivian Bang, Producers: Daryl Wein, Vivian Bang) —A dramatic comedy following a Korean American performance artist who struggles to be authentically heard and seen through her multiple identities in modern Los Angeles. Cast: Vivian Bang, Nana Ghana, Nico Evers-Swindel, Tracy Hazas, Elizabeth Sung, Michelle Sui. World Premiere

    PREMIERES

    A Kid Like Jake / U.S.A. (Director: Silas Howard, Screenwriter: Daniel Pearle, Producers: Jim Parsons, Todd Spiewak, Eric Norsoph, Paul Bernon, Rachel Song) — As married couple Alex and Greg navigate their roles as parents to a young son who prefers Cinderella to G.I. Joe, a rift grows between them, one that forces them to confront their own concerns about what’s best for their child, and each other. Cast: Claire Danes, Jim Parsons, Octavia Spencer, Priyanka  Chopra, Ann Dowd, Amy Landecker. World Premiere Beirut / U.S.A. (Director: Brad Anderson, Screenwriter: Tony Gilroy) — A U.S. diplomat flees Lebanon in 1972 after a tragic incident at his home. Ten years later, he is called back to war-torn Beirut by CIA operatives to negotiate for the life of a friend he left behind. Cast: Jon Hamm, Rosamund Pike, Shea Whigham, Dean Norris. World Premiere The Catcher Was a Spy / U.S.A. (Director: Ben Lewin, Screenwriter: Robert Rodat, Producers: Kevin Frakes, Tatiana Kelly, Buddy Patrick, Jim Young) — The true story of Moe Berg – professional baseball player, Ivy League graduate, attorney who spoke nine languages – and a top-secret spy for the OSS who helped the U.S. win the race against Germany to build the atomic bomb. Cast: Paul Rudd, Mark Strong, Sienna Miller, Jeff Daniels, Guy Pearce, Paul Giamatti. World Premiere Colette / United Kingdom (Director: Wash Westmoreland, Screenwriters: Wash Westmoreland, Richard Glatzer, Producers: Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon, Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley) — A young country woman marries a famous literary entrepreneur in turn-of-the-century Paris: At her husband’s request, Colette pens a series of bestselling novels published under his name. But as her confidence grows, she transforms not only herself and her marriage, but the world around her. Cast: Keira Knightley, Dominic West, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, Elinor Tomlinson, Aiysha Hart. World Premiere Come Sunday / U.S.A. (Director: Joshua Marston, Screenwriter: Marcus Hinchey, Producers: Ira Glass, Alissa Shipp, Julie Goldstein, James Stern, Lucas Smith, Cindy Kirven) — Internationally-renowned pastor Carlton Pearson — experiencing a crisis of faith — risks his church, family and future when he questions church doctrine and finds himself branded a modern-day heretic. Based on actual events. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Danny Glover, Condola Rashad, Jason Segel, Lakeith Stanfield, Martin Sheen. World Premiere Damsel / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Producers: Nathan Zellner, Chris Ohlson, David Zellner) — Samuel Alabaster, an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American Frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope. As Samuel, a drunkard named Parson Henry and a miniature horse called Butterscotch traverse the Wild West, their once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel. Cast: Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, David Zellner, Robert Forster, Nathan Zellner, Joe Billingiere. World Premiere Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot / U.S.A. (Director: Gus Van Sant, Screenwriters: Gus Van Sant (screenplay), John Callahan (biography), Producers: Charles-Marie Anthonioz, Mourad Belkeddar, Steve Golin, Nicolas Lhermitte) — John Callahan has a talent for off-color jokes…and a drinking problem. When a bender ends in a car accident, Callahan wakes permanently confined to a wheelchair. In his journey back from rock bottom, Callahan finds beauty and comedy in the absurdity of human experience. Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black. World Premiere Futile and Stupid Gesture / U.S.A. (Director: David Wain, Screenwriters: John Aboud, Michael Colton, Producers: Peter Principato, Jonathan Stern) — The story of comedy wunderkind Doug Kenney, who co-created the National Lampoon, Caddyshack, and Animal House. Kenney was at the center of the 70’s comedy counter-culture which gave birth to Saturday Night Live and a whole generation’s way of looking at the world. Cast: Will Forte, Martin Mull, Domhnall Gleeson, Matt Walsh, Joel McHale, Emmy Rossum. World Premiere The Happy Prince / Germany, Belgium, Italy (Director and screenwriter: Rupert Everett) — The last days of Oscar Wilde—and the ghosts haunting them—are brought to vivid life. His body ailing, Wilde lives in exile, surviving on the flamboyant irony and brilliant wit that defined him as the transience of lust is laid bare and the true riches of love are revealed. Cast: Colin Firth, Emily Watson, Colin Morgan, Edwin Thomas, Rupert Everett. World Premiere Hearts Beat Loud / U.S.A. (Director: Brett Haley, Screenwriters: Brett Haley, Marc Basch, Producers: Houston King, Sam Bisbee, Sam Slater) — In Red Hook, Brooklyn, a father and daughter become an unlikely songwriting duo in the last summer before she leaves for college. Cast: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, Sasha Lane, Blythe Danner, Toni Collette. World Premiere Juliet, Naked / United Kingdom (Director: Jesse Peretz, Screenwriters: Tamara Jenkins, Jim Taylor, Phil Alden Robinson, Evgenia Peretz, Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa) — Annie is the long-suffering girlfriend of Duncan, an obsessive fan of obscure rocker Tucker Crowe. When the acoustic demo of Tucker’s celebrated record from 25 years ago surfaces, its release leads to an encounter with the elusive rocker himself. Based on the novel by Nick Hornby. Cast: Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, Chris O’Dowd. World Premiere Ophelia / United Kingdom (Director: Claire McCarthy, Screenwriter: Semi Chellas, Producers: Daniel Bobker, Sarah Curtis, Ehren Kruger, Paul Hanson) — A mythic spin on Hamlet through a lens of female empowerment: Ophelia comes of age as lady-in-waiting for Queen Gertrude, and her singular spirit captures Hamlet’s affections. As lust and betrayal threaten the kingdom, Ophelia finds herself trapped between true love and controlling her own destiny. Cast: Daisy Ridley, Naomi Watts, Clive Owen, George MacKay, Tom Felton, Devon Terrell. World Premiere Puzzle / U.S.A. (Director: Marc Turtletaub, Screenwriter: Oren Moverman, Producers: Peter Saraf, Wren Arthur, Guy Stodel) — Agnes, taken for granted as a suburban mother, discovers a passion for solving jigsaw puzzles which unexpectedly draws her into a new world – where her life unfolds in ways she could never have imagined. Cast: Kelly Macdonald, Irrfan Khan, David Denman, Bubba Weiler, Austin Abrams, Liv Hewson. World Premiere Untitled Debra Granik Project / U.S.A. (Director: Debra Granik, Screenwriters: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Producers: Anne Harrison, Linda Reisman, Anne Rosellini) — A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Oregon, rarely making contact with the world. A small mistake tips them off to authorities sending them on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own. Cast: Ben Foster, Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, Jeff Korber, Dale Dickey. World Premiere What They Had / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Elizabeth Chomko) — Bridget returns home to Chicago at her brother’s urging to deal with her mother’s Alzheimer’s and her father’s reluctance to let go of their life together. Cast: Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Blythe Danner, Robert Forster. World Premiere

    DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES

    Bad Reputation / U.S.A. (Director: Kevin Kerslake, Screenwriter: Joel Marcus, Producers: Peter Afterman, Carianne Brinkman) — A look at the life of Joan Jett, from her early years as the founder of The Runaways and first meeting collaborator Kenny Laguna in 1980 to her enduring presence in pop culture as a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer . World Premiere Believer / U.S.A. (Director: Don Argott, Producers: Heather Parry, Sheena M. Joyce, Robert Reynolds) — Imagine Dragons’ Mormon frontman Dan Reynolds is taking on a new mission to explore how the church treats its LGBTQ members. With the rising suicide rate amongst teens in the state of Utah, his concern with the church’s policies sends him on an unexpected path for acceptance and change. World Premiere Chef Flynn / U.S.A. (Director: Cameron Yates, Producer: Laura Coxson) — Ten-year-old Flynn transforms his living room into a supper club, using his classmates as line cooks and serving a tasting menu foraged from his neighbors’ backyards. With sudden fame, Flynn outgrows his bedroom kitchen and mother’s camera, and sets out to challenge the hierarchy of the culinary world. World Premiere The Game Changers / U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos, Screenwriters: Mark Monroe, Joseph Pace, Producers: Joseph Pace, James Wilks) — James Wilks, an elite special forces trainer and winner of The Ultimate Fighter, embarks on a quest for the truth in nutrition and uncovers the world’s most dangerous myth. World Premiere Generation Wealth / U.S.A. (Director: Lauren Greenfield, Producers: Lauren Greenfield, Frank Evers) — Lauren Greenfield’s postcard from the edge of the American Empire captures a portrait of a materialistic, image-obsessed culture. Simultaneously personal journey and historical essay, the film bears witness to the global boom–bust economy, the corrupted American Dream and the human costs of late stage capitalism, narcissism and greed. World Premiere. DAY ONE Half The Picture / U.S.A. (Director: Amy Adrion, Producers: Amy Adrion, David Harris) — At a pivotal moment for gender equality in Hollywood, successful women directors tell the stories of their art, lives and careers. Having endured a long history of systemic discrimination, women filmmakers may be getting the first glimpse of a future that values their voices equally. World Premiere Jane Fonda in Five Acts / U.S.A. (Director: Susan Lacy, Producers: Susan Lacy, Jessica Levin, Emma Pildes) — Girl next door, activist, so-called traitor, fitness tycoon, Oscar winner: Jane Fonda has lived a life of controversy, tragedy and transformation – and she’s done it all in the public eye. An intimate look at one woman’s singular journey. World Premiere King In The Wilderness / U.S.A. (Director: Peter Kunhardt, Producers: George Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt) From the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. remained a man with an unshakeable commitment to nonviolence in the face of an increasingly unstable country. A portrait of the last years of his life. World Premiere Quiet Heroes / U.S.A. (Director: Jenny Mackenzie, Co-Directors: Jared Ruga, Amanda Stoddard, Producers: Jenny Mackenzie, Jared Ruga, Amanda Stoddard) — In Salt Lake City, Utah, the socially conservative religious monoculture complicated the AIDS crisis, where patients in the entire state and intermountain region relied on only one doctor. This is the story of her fight to save a maligned population everyone else seemed willing to just let die. World Premiere RBG / U.S.A. (Directors and producers: Betsy West, Julie Cohen) — An intimate portrait of an unlikely rock star: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. With unprecedented access, the filmmakers show how her early legal battles changed the world for women. Now this 84-year-old does push-ups as easily as she writes blistering dissents that have earned her the title “Notorious RBG.” World Premiere Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind / U.S.A. (Director: Marina Zenovich, Producers: Alex Gibney, Shirel Kozak) — This intimate portrait examines one of the world’s most beloved and inventive comedians. Told largely through Robin’s own voice and using a wealth of never-before-seen archive, the film takes us through his extraordinary life and career and reveals the spark of madness that drove him. World Premiere STUDIO 54 / U.S.A. (Director: Matt Tyrnauer, Producers: Matt Tyrnauer, John Battsek, Corey Reeser) — Studio 54 was the pulsating epicenter of 1970s hedonism: a disco hothouse of beautiful people, drugs, and sex. The journeys of Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell — two best friends from Brooklyn who conquered New York City — frame this history of the “greatest club of all time.” World Premiere Won’t You Be My Neighbor? / U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville, Producers: Caryn Capotosto, Nicholas Ma) — Fred Rogers used puppets and play to explore complex social issues: race, disability, equality and tragedy, helping form the American concept of childhood. He spoke directly to children and they responded enthusiastically. Yet today, his impact is unclear. Have we lived up to Fred’s ideal of good neighbors? World Premiere. SALT LAKE CITY OPENING NIGHT FILM

    MIDNIGHT

    Arizona / U.S.A. (Director: Jonathan Watson, Screenwriter: Luke Del Tredici, Producers: Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Ryan Friedkin, Danny McBride, Brandon James) — Set in the midst of the 2009 housing crisis, this darkly comedic story follows Cassie Fowler, a single mom and struggling realtor whose life goes off the rails when she witnesses a murder. Cast: Danny McBride, Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Wilson, Lolli Sorenson, Elizabeth Gillies, Kaitlin Olson. World Premiere Assassination Nation / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sam Levinson, Producers: David Goyer, Anita Gou, Kevin Turen, Aaron L. Gilbert, Matthew J. Malek) — This is a one-thousand-percent true story about how the quiet, all-American town of Salem, Massachusetts, absolutely lost its mind. Cast: Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, Abra, Bill Skarsgard, Bella Thorne. World Premiere Mandy / Belgium, U.S.A. (Director: Panos Cosmatos, Screenwriters: Panos Cosmatos, Aaron Stewart-Ahn, Producers: Daniel Noah, Josh Waller, Elijah Wood, Nate Bolotin, Adrian Politowski) — Pacific Northwest. 1983 AD. Outsiders Red Miller and Mandy Bloom lead a loving and peaceful existence. When their pine-scented haven is savagely destroyed by a cult led by the sadistic Jeremiah Sand, Red is catapulted into a phantasmagoric journey filled with bloody vengeance and laced with fire. Cast: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Olwen Fouéré, Richard Brake, Bill Duke. World Premiere Never Goin’ Back / U.S.A.  (Director and screenwriter: Augustine Frizzell, Producers: Toby Halbrooks, Liz Cardenas , James Johnston, David Lowery) — Jessie and Angela, high school dropout BFFs, are taking a week off to chill at the beach. Too bad their house got robbed, rent’s due, they’re about to get fired and they’re broke. Now they’ve gotta avoid eviction, stay out of jail and get to the beach, no matter what!!! Cast: Maia Mitchell, Cami Morrone, Kyle Mooney, Joel Allen, Kendal Smith, Matthew Holcomb. World Premiere Piercing / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nicolas Pesce, Producers: Josh Mond, Antonio Campos, Schuyler Weiss, Jake Wasserman) — In this twisted love story, a man seeks out an unsuspecting stranger to help him purge the dark torments of his past. His plan goes awry when he encounters a woman with plans of her own. A playful psycho-thriller game of cat-and-mouse based on Ryu Murakami’s novel. Cast: Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa, Marin Ireland, Maria Dizzia, Wendell Pierce. World Premiere Revenge / France (Director and screenwriter: Coralie Fargeat, Producers: Marc-Etienne Schwartz, Jean-Yves Robin, Marc Stanimirovic) — Three wealthy married men get together for their annual hunting game in a desert canyon. This time, one of them has brought along his young mistress, who quickly arouses the interest of the other two. Things get dramatically out of hand as a hunting game turns into a ruthless manhunt. Cast: Matilda Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe, Guillaume Bouchede, Jean-Louis Tribes. Utah Premiere Summer of ’84 / Canada, U.S.A. (Directors: Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann Whissell, Screenwriters: Matt Leslie, Stephen J. Smith, Producers: Shawn Williamson, Jameson Parker, Matt Leslie, Van Toffler, Cody Zwieg) — Summer, 1984: a perfect time to be a carefree 15-year-old. But when neighborhood conspiracy theorist Davey Armstrong begins to suspect his police officer neighbor might be the serial killer all over the local news, he and his three best friends begin an investigation that soon turns dangerous. Cast: Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery, Cory Grüter-Andrew, Tiera Skovbye, Rich Sommer. World Premiere

    SPOTLIGHT

    BEAST / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Michael Pearce, Producers: Ivana MacKinnon, Lauren Dark, Kristian Brodie) — In a small island community, a troubled young woman falls for a mysterious outsider who empowers her to escape from her oppressive family. When he comes under suspicion for a series of brutal murders, she learns what she’s capable of as she defends him at all costs. Cast: Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Trystan Gravelle, Geraldine James, Charley Palmer Rothwell. U.S. Premiere The Death of Stalin / France, United Kingdom, Belgium (Director: Armando Iannucci, Screenwriters: Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin, Producers: Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun, Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Kevin Loader) — The internal political landscape of 1950’s Soviet Russia through a darkly comic lens. In the days following Stalin’s collapse, his core ministers tussle for control; some want positive change, others have more sinister motives. Their one common trait? They’re all just desperately trying to remain alive. Cast: Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Friend, Olga Kurylenko, Jason Isaacs. U.S. Premiere Foxtrot / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Samuel Maoz, Producers: Michael Weber, Viola Fügen, Eitan Mansuri, Cedomir Kolar, Marc Baschet, Michel Merkt) — Michael and Dafna are devastated when army officials show up at their home, announcing the death of their son Jonathan. While his sedated wife rests, Michael spirals into a whirlwind of anger only to experience one of life’s unfathomable twists, which rivals his son’s surreal military experiences. Cast: Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Yonatan Shiray. I Am Not a Witch / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Rungano Nyoni, Producers: Juliette Grandmont, Emily Morgan) — After a minor incident, nine-year old Shula is exiled to a witch camp where she is told that if she escapes, she’ll be transformed into a goat. As she navigates through her new life, she must decide whether to accept her fate or risk the consequences of seeking freedom. Cast: Margaret Mulubwa, Henry B.J. Phiri, Nancy Mulilo, Margaret Sipaneia. U.S. Premiere The Rider / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Chloé Zhao, Producers: Chloé Zhao, Bert Hamelinck, Sacha Ben Harroche, Mollye Asher) — After a tragic riding accident, young cowboy and rising rodeo circuit star Brady Jandreau is told that his competition days are over. In an attempt to regain control of his fate, Brady undertakes a search for new identity and tries to redefine his idea of manhood in America’s heartland. Cast: Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lily Jandreau, Lane Scott, Cat Clifford. Utah Premiere Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! / U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Spurlock, Screenwriters: Jeremy Chilnick, Morgan Spurlock, Producers: Keith Calder, Jessica Calder, Spencer Silna, Nicole Barton, Jeremy Chilnick, Matthew Galkin) — Muckraking filmmaker Morgan Spurlock reignites his battle with the food industry – this time from behind the register – as he opens his own fast food restaurant. U.S. Premiere

    KIDS

    Lu Over the Wall / Japan (Director: Masaaki Yuasa, Screenwriters: Reiko Yoshida, Masaaki Yuasa, Producer: Eunyoung Choi) — Kai is a lonely teenage boy who lives in a small fishing village. One day, he meets and befriends Lu, a fun-loving mermaid whose singing is hypnotic to all who hear it. But the townspeople have always thought that mermaids bring disaster… World Premiere Science Fair / U.S.A. (Directors: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster, Producers: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster, Jeffrey Plunkett) — Nine high school students from around the globe navigate rivalries, setbacks, and of course, hormones, on their journey to compete at the international science fair. Facing off against 1,700 of the smartest, quirkiest teens from 78 different countries, only one will be named Best in Fair. World Premiere White Fang / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandre Espigares, Screenwriters: Dominique Monfery, Philippe Lioret, Serge Frydman, Producers: Jeremie Fajner, Clement Calvet, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub) — An updated reimagining of Jack London’s classic novel, this thrilling tale of kindness, survival and the twin majesties of the animal kingdom and mankind traces the loving and magnificent hero White Fang, whose intense curiosity leads him on the adventure of a lifetime. Cast: Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Eddie Spears, Paul Giamatti. World Premiere

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  • 9 Indie Film Projects Win Fall 2017 SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grants

    [caption id="attachment_25598" align="aligncenter" width="1180"]Boots Riley - director of 'Sorry to Bother You' Boots Riley – director of ‘Sorry to Bother You’[/caption] Nine filmmaking teams have been selected to receive a total of $225,000 in funding in the Fall 2017 round of SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grants to help with the next stage of their creative process, from screenwriting to post-production. SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers whose narrative feature films will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community and/or meaningfully explore pressing social issues. More than $4.5 million has been awarded since the launch of this grant program in 2009, making the SFFILM, in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, the largest grant-maker to independent narrative films in the United States. Additionally, SFFILM and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation launched a new discretionary loan program for filmmakers in post-production. Open to any previous recipient or alumnus following the first day of production, the first loan in the amount of $25,000 was presented to Sorry to Bother You by writer/director Boots Riley. Applications are currently being accepted for the Spring 2018 round of SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grants; the deadline to apply is February 2. SFFILM, in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, is the largest granting body for independent narrative feature films in the United States. The SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grant program has funded more than 70 projects since its inception, including Geremy Jasper’s Sundance breakthrough Patti Cake$, which closed the 2017 Cannes Director’s Fortnight program, ahead of its summer release; Alex and Andrew Smith’s Walking Out starring Matt Bomer and Josh Wiggins, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival; Chloé Zhao’s Songs My Brothers Taught Me, which screened at Sundance and Cannes in 2015; Short Term 12, Destin Cretton’s sophomore feature which won both the Narrative Grand Jury Award and Audience Award at South by Southwest 2013; Ryan Coogler’s debut feature Fruitvale Station, which won the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, the Un Certain Regard Avenir Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the narrative category at Sundance 2013; and Ben Zeitlin’s debut phenomenon Beasts of the Southern Wild, which won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and Cannes’ Camera d’Or in 2012 and earned four Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture).

    FALL 2017 SFFILM / RAININ FILMMAKING GRANT WINNERS

    All About Nina Eva Vives, director; Natalie Qasabian, Eric Fleischman, Sean Tabibian, Eva Vives, producers – post-production – $25,000 Just as Nina Geld’s brilliant and angry stand up kicks her career into high gear, her romantic life gets complicated, forcing her to reckon with what it means to be creative, authentic, and a woman in today’s culture. American Babylon Yvan Iturriaga, writer/director – screenwriting – $12,000 A gripping tale of love and revolution set in the gritty streets of Oakland, California in the months leading up to 9/11. Fremont Babak Jalali, writer/director; Marjaneh Moghimi, producer; Carolina Cavalli, co-writer – development – $22,000 Troubled, edgy, unconventional Donya—an Afghani translator formerly working for the US military—now spends her days writing fortunes for a Chinese fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. As she struggles to put her life back in order, in a moment of sudden revelation, she sends out a message, wrapped in a fortune cookie—an act that sends her on an odyssey of deceit, mystery, and redemption. Jules of Light and Dark Daniel Laabs, writer/director; Jeff Walker, Liz Cardenas Franke, Russell Sheaffe, and Judd Myers, producers – post-production – $25,000 A young woman, Maya, struggles to rebuild her life after surviving a devastating car wreck with her girlfriend. The two are found and rescued by an oil worker, Freddy, who forges an unlikely friendship with Maya in this Texas-set drama. The Last Black Man in San Francisco Joe Talbot, writer/director; Khaliah Neal, Producer – production – $50,000 Jimmie Fails dreams of buying back the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Now living in the city’s last, dwindling Black neighborhood with his oddball best friend Prentice, the two misfits search for belonging in the rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind. Me, My Mom and Sharmila Fawzia Mirza, writer/director; Terrie Samundra, producer/cowriter – screenwriting – $22,000 A queer, Pakistani teen, her Muslim immigrant mother, and a Bollywood heroine’s destinies intertwine in this bittersweet coming of age tale. Monsters and Men Reinaldo Marcus Green, director; Josh Penn, Elizabeth Lodge Stepp, Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, and Luca Borghese, producers – post-production – $25,000 Monsters and Men is an interwoven narrative about police violence, racial profiling, and the power of perspective. The story is told in three chapters, each shifting perspective to different protagonists who are from the same Brooklyn neighborhood: a man who captures an act of police violence on his cellphone, an African-American police officer working in the precinct, and a high-school baseball phenom. We follow the unspooling narrative as each is impacted by a violent episode. Mr. Rob Fawaz Al-Matrouk, writer/director – screenwriting – $22,000 The true story of Rob Lawrie, an ex-soldier who left his family in England to help migrants at the infamous Jungle refugee camp in France. Lawrie risked everything to rescue a four-year-old girl, entrusted to him by her father, but was arrested and charged with human smuggling. Raja Deepak Rauniyar, writer/director – screenwriting – $22,000 Raja is a socially-rooted police procedural, a race-against-time thriller, as well as a portrait of Nepal—a complex society on the edge of a new future. A new discretionary loan for filmmakers in post-production open to any previous recipient or alumnus following the first day of production was awarded to: Sorry to Bother You Boots Riley, writer/director; Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Charles King, George Rush, Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams, producers – post-production – $25,000 LOAN Sorry to Bother You tells the story of Cassius Green, a Black telemarketer who discovers a magical key to telemarketing success, propelling him into a macabre universe where he is selected to lead a species of genetically manipulated horse-people.

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  • 8 Indie Filmmaking Team Win Spring 2017 SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grants

    San Francisco Film Society Eight filmmaking teams will receive a total of $300,000 in funding in the latest round of SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grants to help with the next stage of their creative process, from screenwriting to postproduction. SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers whose narrative feature films will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community and meaningfully explore pressing social issues. More than $4 million has been awarded since the launch of this grant program in 2009, making the SFFILM, in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, the largest grant-maker for independent narrative films in the United States. The SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grant program has funded more than 50 projects since its inception, including Geremy Jasper’s Sundance breakthrough Patti Cake$, which is on its way to a July theatrical release; Alex and Andrew Smith’s Walking Out starring Matt Bomer and Josh Wiggins, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival; Chloé Zhao’s Songs My Brothers Taught Me, which screened at Sundance and Cannes in 2015 and has created buzz across the international festival circuit; Short Term 12, Destin Cretton’s sophomore feature which won both the Narrative Grand Jury Award and Audience Award at South by Southwest 2013; Ryan Coogler’s debut feature Fruitvale Station, which won the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, the Un Certain Regard Avenir Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the narrative category at Sundance 2013; and Ben Zeitlin’s debut phenomenon Beasts of the Southern Wild, which won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and Cannes’ Camera d’Or in 2012 and earned four Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture). The jury noted in a statement: “This group of finalists was exceptionally strong, and we are thrilled to support these eight bold and deeply human films, which collectively represent such a wide range of tones, styles, voices, and artistic visions. These filmmakers showcase the ever-growing talent coming out of San Francisco, and their work will contribute to the growing strength, diversity, and richness of the Bay Area filmmaking community.”

    SPRING 2017 SFFILM / RAININ FILMMAKING GRANT WINNERS

    The Continental Aron Kantor, writer/director; K.M. Soehnlein, cowriter – screenwriting – $25,000 A young, gay Latino immigrant working at New York’s legendary Continental Baths gets swept up in the burgeoning gay rights movement and the early disco scene while navigating an affair with his married boss. Jinn Nijla Mu’min, writer/director; Avril Speaks, producer – post-production – $50,000 Summer is a carefree, Black teenage Instagram celebrity whose world is turned upside down when her mother abruptly converts to Islam and becomes a different person. At first resistant to the faith, she begins to reevaluate her identity after becoming attracted to a Muslim classmate, crossing the thin line between physical desire and piety. Josephine Beth de Araújo, writer/director – screenwriting – $25,000 An obedient eight-year-old girl unintentionally witnesses a rape in Golden Gate Park. Unraveling with fear and paranoia, her subsequent violent outbursts put her family and classmates in jeopardy. Music Moves Us Cyrus Tabar, writer/director – screenwriting – $25,000 In a near future where music is outlawed in an authoritarian state, a passionate woman and her friends throw illegal techno dance parties in Oakland, California, and broadcast on a bootleg pirate radio station to bring people together. Refuge Mohammad Gorjestani, writer/director; Malcolm Pullinger, producer – screenwriting – $25,000 Set in 2025, Refuge depicts a brewing cyberwar between the US and Iran which puts Sonia, a young Iranian refugee and activist, at risk of deportation or internment. Her only escape may come at a greater price than she’s willing to pay. A Rooster on the Fire Escape Guetty Felin, writer/director/producer; Danielle Dreis, producer – packaging – $25,000 Upon coming to America, the Celestin family was hopping to leave behind the traumas of the brutal dictatorship of their tropical native land, but the sacrifices they made for their freedom create a dark spiral from which they might not recover. Sorry to Bother You Boots Riley, writer/director; Jonathan Duffy, George Rush and Kelly Williams, producers – production – $75,000 Sorry To Bother You tells the story of Cassius Green, a Black telemarketer who discovers a magical key to telemarketing success, propelling him into a macabre universe where he is selected to lead a species of genetically manipulated horse-people. We the Animals Jeremiah Zagar, writer/director; Jeremy Yaches and Christina King, producers – post-production – $50,000 Based on the bestselling novel by Justin Torres, We the Animals explores the beautiful and savage nature of family and the viscerally charged landscape of youth through the eyes of Jonah, the youngest son of a mixed-race, working-class couple, as he discovers his artistic identity.

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