The Breaker Upperers

NAME OF FILM: THE BREAKER UPPERERS

DIRECTOR(S): Jackie van Beek, Madeleine Sami

STARRING: Jackie van Beek, Madeleine Sami, Celia Pacquola, James Rolleston, Ana Scotney

GENRE: Comedy Film

SYNOPSIS: Two women run a business breaking up couples for cash but when one develops a conscience their friendship unravels.

Rooftop Films Announces 2018 Summer Series Feature Film Lineup, Blindspotting, Dead Pigs and More..

[caption id="attachment_28664" align="aligncenter" width="1253"] Blindspotting[/caption] This year’s 22nd Rooftop Films Summer Series, taking place May 19th to August 25th, today announced the majority of the feature film slate. The open-air festivities will kick off on Saturday, May 19th, with “This is What We Mean by Short Films,” a collection of some of the most innovative short films of the past year. The 2018 Summer Series will continue through August with screenings of exceptional new films. Highlights include Desiree Akhavan’s Sundance-winning The Miseducation of Cameron Post; Bart Layton’s true-crime, heist movie American Animals; Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s scintillating Muay Thai prison drama, A Prayer Before Dawn; the New York Premiere of Suzi Yoonessi’s Unlovable, starring Charlene deGuzman and John Hawkes; Brett Haley’s Hearts Beat Loud, starring Nick Offerman in his debut leading role; Augustine Frizzel’s slacker comedy Never Goin’ Back; the U.S. premiere of Exit Music, a documentary celebration of the life of 28-year-old Ethan Rice as he faces terminal illness; and a special Rooftop Films members-only sneak preview screening of Carlos López Estrada’s Blindspotting, starring Daveed Diggs. “Rooftop Films is famous for creating fun, custom-curated, large-scale events that augment the experience of watching our favorite new films,” said Dan Nuxoll, Artistic Director of Rooftop Films. “This year we have put extra effort into adding exciting components to every event, including a performance from the vivacious Arkansas drag queens from Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher’s The Gospel of Eureka. This year we will showcase a wider variety of fascinating locations than ever before, as we are adding historic new venues like Green-Wood Cemetery and Brooklyn Army Terminal to our impressive mainstay locations like the roofs of The William Vale Hotel, New Design High School, and The Old American Can Factory. It’s going to be a memorable summer.” Rooftop always tries to pair each film with a venue specifically chosen to augment the experience of that movie and this year we will take advantage of the unique atmosphere of one of our newest venues: the historic Green-Wood Cemetery. Two films set in the 19th Century will screen in the fitting setting of the Green-Wood grounds: David and Nathan Zellner’s hilariously twisted western Damsel, and Madeleine Olnek’s Wild Nights with Emily, a comic re-telling of the life of Emily Dickinson. Green-Wood will also host a night of Gotham-based documentaries: our annual “New York Non-Fiction” short film. Green-Wood Cemetery will provide a poignant backdrop for our screening of Cameron Mullenneaux’s Exit Music, a moving film that intimately captures the final days of a young man with cystic fibrosis. Additionally, Rooftop will present a special community screening of Jim McKay’s En el Séptimo Día at Brooklyn Army Terminal, right in the center of the Sunset Park community where it was shot. As always, the Summer Series brings the triumphant return of several Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund Grantees. In addition to Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher, returning grantees include Rooftop Films TCS Grant recipient Khalik Allah, who will screen his intimate and immersive documentary Black Mother, Robert Greene with a special screening of Rooftop Films Garbo grantee Bisbee ’17; and Rooftop Films Eastern Effects grantee Christina Choe, who brings her enigmatic and cerebral character study Nancy to the Summer Series. Venues this year include Green-Wood Cemetery in Greenwood Heights, The William Vale in Williamsburg, The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Industry City and Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, MetroTech Commons in Downtown Brooklyn, New Design High School in the Lower East Side, and Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City.
ROOFTOP FILMS 2018 SUMMER SERIES

EARLY SUMMER EVENTS
Saturday, May 19, 2018 Opening Night: This is What We Mean by Short Films At Green-Wood Cemetery. 500 25th Street. Brooklyn. For 22 years, Rooftop Films has kicked off our Summer Series with an explosive program of amazing new short films from all over the world–films that express the power of new beginnings, highly entertaining films that tear apart tired old structures and display the creative potential of the cinematic form. This year’s opening program will include Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grantee Niki Lindroth Von Bahr’s award-winning short film, The Burden, a darkly comical musical that reminds us that every apocalypse can also be a tempting liberator. After the screening, we’ll keep the celebration going at the after-party in Green-Wood Cemetery! More titles to be announced soon. *Featuring live music from L’Rain Wednesday, May 30, 2018 American Animals (Bart Layton) On the roof of The William Vale. 111 N 12th Street. Brooklyn. The unbelievable but true story of four young men who brazenly attempt to execute one of the most audacious art heists in US history. Determined to live lives that are out of the ordinary, they formulate a daring plan for the perfect robbery, only to discover that the plan has taken on a life of its own. An Orchard release. *Filmmaker Bart Layton in attendance Thursday, May 31, 2018 Nancy (Christina Choe) At MetroTech Commons. 5 MetroTech Center. Brooklyn. Nancy is a provocative psychological thriller about love, intimacy, and trust – and what happens when lies become truth. Craving connection with others, Nancy creates elaborate identities and hoaxes under pseudonyms on the internet. When she meets a couple whose daughter went missing thirty years ago, fact and fiction begin to blur in Nancy’s mind, and she becomes increasingly convinced these strangers are her real parents. As their bond deepens, reasonable doubts give way to willful belief – and the power of emotion threatens to overcome all rationality. A Samuel Goldwyn Films release. *NY Premiere *Filmmaker Christina Choe in attendance *Free Event. No Tickets Needed *Recipient of the 2014 Rooftop Films and Eastern Effects Equipment Grant Saturday, June 2, 2018 Damsel (David Zellner, Nathan Zellner) In Green-Wood Cemetery. 500 25th Street. Brooklyn. An affectionate reinvention of the western genre that showcases the Zellners’ trademark unpredictability, off-kilter sense of humor and unique brand of humanism, Damsel follows an affluent pioneer Samuel Alabaster (Pattinson) as he ventures across the American Frontier to find and marry the love of his life, Penelope (Wasikowska). As Samuel traverses the Wild West with a drunkard named Parson Henry (David Zellner) and a miniature horse called Butterscotch, their once-simple journey grows treacherous, increasingly blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel. A Magnolia Pictures release. *NY Premiere Saturday, June 30, 2018 New York Non-Fiction At Green-Wood Cemetery. 500 25th Street. Brooklyn. One of Rooftop’s oldest traditions is our New York Non Fiction program, an annual collection of fantastic new short documentaries made by and about New Yorkers. These films aren’t about celebrities and tabloid scandals—these are the fascinating tales of the people you see every day on the train, at the bodega, in the gym, and at school. There are 8 million amazing stories in NYC, and on June 30th we will share a few of them with you. Titles to be announced soon.
FEATURE FILMS
A Prayer Before Dawn (Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire) The remarkable true story of Billy Moore, a young English boxer incarcerated in two of Thailand’s most notorious prisons. He is quickly thrown into a terrifying world of drugs and gang violence, but when the prison authorities allow him to take part in the Muay Thai boxing tournaments, he realizes that this might be his chance to get out. Billy embarks on a relentless, action-packed journey from one savage fight to the next, stopping at nothing to do whatever he must to preserve his life and regain his freedom. Shot in an actual Thai prison with a cast of primarily real inmates, A Prayer Before Dawn is a visceral, thrilling journey through an unforgettable hell on earth. An A24 release. An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn (Jim Hosking) 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.” A Universal Content Group release. Bisbee ’17 (Robert Greene) Bisbee ’17 will follow characters in Bisbee, Arizona as they struggle to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the controversial Bisbee Deportation, where 1200 striking miners were violently exiled from town. The film will combine observational documentary with uncanny reenactments, leading up to a centennial dramatization of Bisbee’s “darkest day.” *Co-presented with BAMcinemaFest *Recipient of the 2016 Rooftop Films and Garbo NYC Feature Films Grant Black Mother (Khalik Allah) Part film, part baptism, in Black Mother director Khalik Allah brings us on a spiritual odyssey through Jamaica. Soaking up its bustling metropolises and tranquil countryside, Allah introduces us to a succession of vividly rendered souls who call this island home. Their candid testimonies create a polyphonic symphony, set against a visual prayer of indelible portraiture. *Recipient of the 2015 Rooftop Films and Technological Cinevideo Services Camera Grant. Blindspotting (Carlos López Estrada) Collin (Daveed Diggs) must make it through his final three days of probation for a chance at a new beginning. He and his troublemaking childhood best friend, Miles (Rafael Casal), work as movers, and when Collin witnesses a police shooting, the two men’s friendship is tested as they grapple with identity and their changed realities in the rapidly-gentrifying neighborhood they grew up in. Longtime friends and collaborators, Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and star in this timely and wildly entertaining story about friendship and the intersection of race and class set against the backdrop of Oakland. Bursting with energy, style, and humor, and infused with the spirit of rap, hip hop, and spoken word, Blindspotting, boldly directed by Carlos López Estrada in his feature film debut, is a provocative hometown love letter that glistens with humanity. A Summit Entertainment presentation, in association with Codeblack Films and Snoot Entertainment. The Breaker Upperers (Jackie van Beek, Madeleine Sami) Fifteen years ago, Mel (Madeleine Sami) and Jen (Jackie van Beek) discovered they were being two-timed by the same man. Bitter and cynical they became fast friends and formed The Breaker Upperers, a small-time business breaking up couples for cash. Now they’re in their late-thirties and business is booming. They’re a platonic, codependent couple who keep their cynicism alive by not getting emotionally involved with anybody else. But when they run into an old victim, Mel develops a conscience and their friendship is truly put to the test. Executive Produced by Taika Waititi (director of Hunt For the Wilder People and Thor: Ragnarok). *NY Premiere Dead Pigs (Cathy Yan) The lives of a bumbling pig farmer, a feisty salon owner, a sensitive busboy, an ambitious expat-architect and a disenchanted rich girl converge and collide as thousands of dead pigs float down the river toward a rapidly modernizing Shanghai, China. Based on true events. *NY Premiere En el Séptimo Día (Jim McKay) En el Séptimo Día (On the Seventh Day) is a fiction feature from director Jim McKay (Girls Town, Our Song, Everyday People) which follows a group of undocumented immigrants living in Sunset Park, Brooklyn over the course of seven days. Bicycle delivery guys, construction workers, dishwashers, deli workers, and cotton candy vendors, they work long hours six days a week and then savor their day of rest on Sundays on the soccer fields of Sunset Park. José, a bicycle delivery worker, is the team’s captain – young, talented, hardworking and responsible. When José’s team makes it to the finals, he and his teammates are thrilled. But his boss throws a wrench into the celebration when he tells José he has to work on Sunday, the day of the finals. José tries to reason with his boss or replace himself, but his efforts fail. If he doesn’t work on Sunday, his job and his future will be on the line. But if he doesn’t stand up for himself and his teammates, his dignity will be crushed. Shot in the neighborhoods of Sunset Park, Park Slope, and Gowanus, En el Séptimo Día is a humane, sensitive, and humorous window into a world rarely seen. The film’s impact is made quietly, with restraint and respect for the individual experiences, everyday challenges, and small triumphs of its characters. A Cinema Guild release. Exit Music (Cameron Mullenneaux) Born with cystic fibrosis, 28-year-old Ethan Rice has been preparing to die his entire life. His father Ed, a Vietnam veteran with PTSD, immersed him in a world of imagination and documented it on camera, a hobby that provided relief from the fear of his son’s prognosis and his own painful past. Equal parts comedy and darkness, Exit Music is the last year, last breath, and final creative act of Ethan as he awaits the inevitable. Interweaving home movies with Ethan’s original music and animation, his story is an unflinching meditation on mortality and invites the viewer to experience Ethan’s transition from reality to memory. In a culture that often looks away from death, this film demystifies the dying process, a universal cornerstone of the human experience. *US Premiere Family (Laura Steinel) Kate Stone’s a workaholic. She hates kids. She hates most social situations, because she doesn’t know what to do with her arms. So when her estranged brother Joe tracks her down to watch her awkward and bullied 12 year old niece Maddie, Kate thinks babysitting for the week can’t get any worse — until Maddie runs away to become a juggalo. *NY Premiere The Gospel of Eureka (Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher) Love, faith and civil rights collide in a southern town as evangelical Christians and drag queens step into the spotlight to dismantle stereotypes. Taking a personal, and often comical look at negotiating differences between religion and belief through performance, political action, and partnership, gospel drag shows and passion plays set the stage for one hell of a show. Narrated by Mx Justin Vivian Bond. *NY Premiere *Co-presented with BAMcinemaFest *Recipient of the 2017 Rooftop Films and Brigade Festival Publicity Grant Hearts Beat Loud (Brett Haley) In the hip Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, single dad and record store owner Frank (Nick Offerman) is preparing to send his hard-working daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) off to college, while being forced to close his vintage shop. Hoping to stay connected through their shared musical passions, Frank urges Sam to turn their weekly “jam sesh” into a father-daughter live act. After their first song becomes an Internet breakout, the two embark on a journey of love, growing up and musical discovery. A GUNPOWDER & SKY release. *NY Premiere The Miseducation of Cameron Post (Desiree Akhavan) Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) looks the part of a perfect high school girl. But after she’s caught with another girl in the back seat of a car on prom night, Cameron is quickly shipped off to a conversion therapy center that treats teens “struggling with same-sex attraction.” At the facility, Cameron is subjected to outlandish discipline, dubious “de-gaying” methods, and earnest Christian rock songs—but this unusual setting also provides her with an unlikely gay community. For the first time, Cameron connects with peers, and she’s able to find her place among fellow outcasts. A FilmRise release. Never Goin’ Back (Augustine Frizzell) A fresh and funny look at female friendship, following lifelong best friends Angela and Jessie, who dream of escaping their waitressing jobs at a low-rent Texas diner. Taking place over the course of just a few days, the film follows their hilarious and unpredictable misadventures on the streets of suburban Dallas, as they attempt increasingly madcap and wild schemes to try and raise some cash. An A24 release. *NY Premiere Our New President (Maxim Pozdorovkin) 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 meddling in the 2016 election that reveals an empire of fake news and the tactics of modern day information warfare. , In the small, central Polish town of Aleksandrów Kujawski, the director of the local culture centre announces a competition. The theme… a creative presentation of your personal patriotic attitude. Entrants are free to demonstrate their creativity in whatever form they like; in song, recitation or gesture, by giving a speech or staging their piece. Anything goes. There’s just one requirement; entrants may only present their own, original work. The eleventh day of the eleventh month arrives… Poland’s Independence Day. And on this very day, the jury, consisting of the director, the mayor, a priest and a local poetess, will select the region’s number one patriot. Pick of the Litter (Dana Nachman, Don Hardy Jr.) Pick of the Litter follows a litter of puppies from the moment they’re born and begin their quest to become guide dogs for the blind. Cameras follow these pups through an intense two-year odyssey as they train to become dogs whose ultimate responsibility is to protect their blind partners from harm. Along the way, these remarkable animals rely on a community of dedicated individuals who train them to do amazing, life-changing things in the service of their human. The stakes are high and not every dog can make the cut. Only the best of the best. The pick of the litter. Courtesy of Sundance Selects. Shirkers (Sandi Tan) In 1992, teenage VHS-bootlegger Sandi Tan and her fellow film-geek pals Jasmine Ng and Sophie Siddique shot Singapore’s first road movie with their enigmatic American mentor, Georges. It was called “Shirkers.” Sandi wrote the script and played the lead, S, a 16-year-old assassin collecting and then eliminating her own tribe. After shooting wrapped, Georges absconded with all of the footage…The 16mm Kodak cans are recovered 20 years later, sending Sandi, now a novelist in Los Angeles, on a personal, singular odyssey across two continents in search of Georges’ vanishing footprints—and her own. Skate Kitchen (Crystal Moselle) In the first narrative feature from The Wolfpack director Crystal Moselle, Camille, an introverted teenage skateboarder (newcomer Rachelle Vinberg) from Long Island, meets and befriends an all-girl, New York City-based skateboarding crew called Skate Kitchen. She falls in with the in-crowd, has a falling-out with her mother, and falls for a mysterious skateboarder guy (Jaden Smith), but a relationship with him proves to be trickier to navigate than a kickflip. Writer/director Crystal Moselle immersed herself in the lives of the skater girls and worked closely with them, resulting in the film’s authenticity, which combines poetic, atmospheric filmmaking and hypnotic skating sequences. Skate Kitchen precisely captures the experience of women in male-dominated spaces and tells a story of a girl who learns the importance of camaraderie and self-discovery. A Magnolia Pictures release. This One’s for the Ladies (Gene Graham) On Thursday evenings, a children’s karate school transforms into a male strip joint. Hundreds of women convene for a potluck fundraiser and the opportunity to throw singles at the hot New Jersey Nasty Boyz. This One’s for the Ladies isn’t just about the tips or the dancing. It’s a heartwarming story about friendship, community, these incredible women, and the resilience they show toward whatever comes their way. A NEON release. *NY Premiere Unlovable (Suzi Yoonessi) Joy (Charlene deGuzman,) a 20-something lost soul, realizes she has a problem and seeks help at a 12-step meeting for sex and love addiction. There she meets Maddie (Melissa Leo), who becomes her sponsor. Maddie allows Joy to stay at her grandmother’s guesthouse if she agrees to go 30 days off boys, sex, and romance. Joy struggles to get sober and Maddie suggests she find a hobby. Joy finds a drum kit in the garage and meets Jim (John Hawkes), Maddie’s clinically awkward brother. Joy and Jim create music together, and a secret friendship develops. Joy teaches Jim to take risks with his music and his heart, and Jim shows Joy that she can have a healthy relationship with a man as a friend. *NY Premiere We The Animals (Jeremiah Zagar) Us three. Us brothers. Us kings, inseparable. Three boys tear through their rural New York home town, in the midst of their young parents’ volatile love that makes and unmakes the family many times over. While Manny and Joel grow into versions of their loving and unpredictable father, Ma seeks to keep her youngest, Jonah, in the cocoon of home. More sensitive and conscious than his older siblings, Jonah increasingly embraces an imagined world all his own. With a screenplay by Dan Kitrosser and Jeremiah Zagar based on the celebrated Justin Torres novel, We the Animals is a visceral coming-of-age story propelled by layered performances from its astounding cast – including three talented, young first-time actors – and stunning animated sequences which bring Jonah’s torn inner world to life. Drawing from his documentary background, director Jeremiah Zagar creates an immersive portrait of working class family life and brotherhood. An Orchard release. Wild Nights with Emily (Madeleine Olnek) Fresh off its SXSW premiere, the dramatic comedy Wild Nights with Emily stars Molly Shannon as the poet Emily Dickinson. The film was inspired by an article in the New York Times that documented how infrared technologies restored erasures that hid romantic content in Dickinson’s letters. The poet’s persona, popularized since her death, was that of a reclusive spinster – a delicate wallflower, too sensitive for this world. This film explores her passionate, vivacious side that was covered up for years — most notably Emily’s lifelong romantic relationship with another woman (Susan Ziegler). After Emily died, a rivalry emerged when her brother’s mistress (Amy Seimetz) along with editor T.W. Higginson (Brett Gelman) published a book of Emily’s poems. Irreverent and surreal, Wild Nights was one of “The 50 Most Anticipated American Independent Films of 2018″(Filmmaker Magazine); you will never look at Dickinson the same way again. Wrestle (Suzannah Herbert, co-directed by Lauren Belfer) Wrestle is an intimate and nuanced documentary that follows the wrestling team at JO Johnson High School in Huntsville, which has been on Alabama’s failing schools list for many years. As they fight their way towards the State Championship and the doors they hope it will open, wrestlers Jailen, Jamario, Teague, and Jaquan each face injustices and challenges on and off the mat. Together they grapple with obstacles that jeopardize their success, and their coach – coming to terms with his own past conflicts – pushes them forward while unwittingly wading into the complexities of class and race in the South. Through it all, the young heroes of Wrestle – with humor and grit – strive towards their goals, making Wrestle an inspiring coming of age journey and an impassioned depiction of growing up disadvantaged in America today.
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Comedy Film ‘The Breaker Upperers’ by Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami to Open 2018 Sydney Film Festival [Trailer]

The Breaker Upperers, by New Zealand directors Jackie van Beek, Madeleine Sami will open the 2018 Sydney Film Festival on June 6. In this side-splittingly funny film, Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami star as best friends who run an unconventional business breaking up couples for cash. Directors Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami star as Jen and Mel, who 15 years ago discovered that they were being two-timed by the same man. From heartbreak, a friendship blossomed, alongside a hearty cynicism about love and relationships. And so The Breaker Upperers was born, a business helping people who lack the courage to end their relationships. Faking deaths, impersonating cops and strippers, and feigning pregnancies are all part of their extensive repertoire. But when consciences resurface and the prospect of romance rears up, the unbreakable friendship between the two starts to show its first cracks. The Breaker Upperers is refreshingly candid about modern sexuality and beautifully captures a multicultural community. Executive produced by Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, SFF 2014), The Breaker Upperers is a joyous, hilarious film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkhYyW1pd18
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SXSW Film Festival Announces 2018 Features Film Lineup, Opens with John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place”

[caption id="attachment_26780" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] A Quiet Place (Credit: Paramount Pictures © 2017 Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.)[/caption] The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals announced the features lineup and opening night film for the 25th edition of the Film Festival, running March 9 to 18, 2018 in Austin, Texas. During the nine days of SXSW 132 features will be shown. The full lineup will include 44 films from first-time filmmakers, 86 World Premieres, 11 North American Premieres and 5 U.S. Premieres. These films were selected from 2,458 feature-length film submissions, with a total of 8,160 films submitted this year. “2018 marks the 25th edition of the SXSW Film Festival and my tenth year at the helm. As we look back on the body of work of talent discovered, careers launched and wonderful films we’ve enjoyed, we couldn’t be more excited about the future,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. “This year’s slate, while peppered with works from many of our alumni, remains focused on new voices, new directors and a range of films that entertain and enlighten.” “We are particularly pleased to present John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place as our Opening Night Film,” Pierson added.“Not only do we love its originality, suspense and amazing cast, we love seeing artists stretch and explore. While this is not Krasinki’s first feature as writer and director, it’s an exciting evolution for this multi-talented artist.” New this year, the SXSW Film Festival is launching a new Independent Episodic section, an expansion on its Episodic section launched in 2014. Returning for 2018, Interactive, Film, and Music badges will now include expanded access to more of the SXSW Conference and Festivals experience. Feature films in the SXSW lineup screen in 12 sections: Narrative Feature Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Headliners, Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Visions, Midnighters, Episodic, 24 Beats Per Second, Global, Festival Favorites, and Special Events. The Narrative Feature Competition includes: Family directed by Laura Steinel; First Match directed by Olivia Newman; Jinn directed by Nijla Mu’min; The New Romantic directed by Carly Stone; SADIE directed by Megan Griffiths; Shotgundirected by Hannah Marks and Joey Power; Summer ’03 directed by Becca Gleason; Thunder Road directed by Jim Cummings; The Unicorn directed by Robert Schwartzman; Write When You Get Work directed by Stacy Cochran. The Documentary Feature Competition includes: Chi-Town directed by Nick Budabin; Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable directed by Sasha Waters; The Gospel of Eureka directed by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher; ¡Las Sandinistas! directed by Jenny Murray; People’s Republic of Desire directed by Hao Wu; Social Animals directed by Jonathan Green; This One’s For The Ladies directed by Gene Graham; TransMilitary directed by Gabriel Silverman and Fiona Dawson; Weed The People directed by Abby Epstein; and The World Before Your Feetdirected by Jeremy Workman. A selection of other highlights include: The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned From A Mythical Man directed by Tommy Avallone; Blockers directed by Kay Cannon; Boundaries directed by Shana Feste; The Dawn Wall directed by Josh Lowell and Peter Mortimer; Fast Color directed by Julia Hart; A Little Wisdom directed by Yuqi Kang; Nossa Chape directed by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist; PARADOX directed by Daryl Hannah; Profile directed by Timur Bekmambetov; A Quiet Place directed by John Krasinski; A Vigilante directed by Sarah Daggar Nickson; Wild Nights With Emily directed by Madeleine Olnek. In Episodics: Barry directed by Bill Hader; The Last O.G. directed by Jordan Peele, Warriors of Liberty City directed by Evan Rosenfeld and Andrew Cohn; Vida directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios and So Yong Kim. The 2018 SXSW Film Festival will include:
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Family Director/Screenwriter: Laura Steinel When an emotionally stunted 30 year-old woman is tasked with watching her awkward and bullied 12 year old niece for the week, she finds her life unfurling when the girl runs away to be a juggalo. Cast: Taylor Schilling, Bryn Vale, Brian Tyree Henry, Jessie Ennis, Blair Beeken, Matt Walsh, Allison Tolman, Eric Edelstein, Kate McKinnon, Fabrizio Guido (World Premiere) First Match Director/Screenwriter: Olivia Newman Hardened by years in foster care, a teenage girl from Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood decides that wrestling boys is the only way back to her estranged father. Cast: Elvire Emanuelle, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Colman Domingo, Jharrel Jerome, Jared Kemp (World Premiere) Jinn Director/Screenwriter: Nijla Mu’min A shape-shifting, pepperoni-loving, black teenage Instagram celebrity explores her identity and sexuality in the midst of her mother’s conversion to Islam. Cast: Zoe Renee, Simone Missick, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Hisham Tawfiq, Kelly Jenrette, Dorian Missick, Ashlei Foushee, Maya Morales, Damien D. Smith (World Premiere) The New Romantic (Canada) Director/Screenwriter: Carly Stone Frustrated with the lack of chivalrous guys her own age, a college senior gives up on dating for love to date an older man in exchange for gifts instead. Cast: Jessica Barden, Hayley Law, Brett Dier, Timm Sharp, Avan Jogia, Camila Mendes (World Premiere) SADIE Director/Screenwriter: Megan Griffiths While her father is away serving in the military, Sadie battles to preserve his place on the home front when her mother takes an interest in a new man. Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Sophia Mitri Schloss, John Gallagher Jr., Danielle Brooks, Tony Hale, Keith Williams, Tee Dennard (World Premiere) Shotgun Directors/Screenwriters: Hannah Marks, Joey Power A young couple’s relationship develops quickly when one of them is diagnosed with a life-changing illness. Cast: Maika Monroe, Jeremy Allen White, DeRon Horton, Marisa Tomei, Sasha Lane, Joe Keery, Gina Gershon, Dean Winters, Olivia Luccardi(World Premiere) Summer ’03 Director/Screenwriter: Becca Gleason On her deathbed, Jamie’s grandmother leaves her with two pieces of information: one involves a baptism, the other a blowjob. This sets Jamie and her family on an emotional roller coaster ride while she falls for the wrong guy at the wrong time. Cast: Joey King, Andrea Savage, Paul Scheer, Jack Kilmer, Erin Darke, Stephen Ruffin, Kelly Lamor Wilson, Logan Medina, June Squibb (World Premiere) Thunder Road Director/Screenwriter: Jim Cummings Officer Arnaud loved his Mom. Cast: Kendal Farr, Jim Cummings, Nican Robinson, Jocelyn DeBoer, Macon Blair, Bill Wise, Jordan Fox, Chelsea Edmondson (World Premiere) The Unicorn Director: Robert Schwartzman, Screenwriters: Nick Rutherford, Kirk C. Johnson, Will Elliott Facing the fourth year of their engagement, an indecisive couple is thrust into the most uncomfortable night of their lives by intentionally and unintentionally involving a third party in their relationship. Cast: Lauren Lapkus, Nick Rutherford, Lucy Hale, Beck Bennett, Dree Hemingway, Beverly D’Angelo, John Kapelos, Maya Kazan, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Kyle Mooney (World Premiere) Write When You Get Work Director/Screenwriter: Stacy Cochran Write When You Get Work is a comedy of money and access, a NY love story set in the Bronx and at a pricey school for girls on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Years after they’ve parted ways, Jonny Collins pursues Ruth Duffy for love — and profit. Cast: Emily Mortimer, Finn Wittrock, Rachel Keller, Scott Cohen, Jessica Hecht, James Ransone, Andrew Schulz, Tess Frazer, Afton Williamson, Zarif Kabier(World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Chi-Town Director: Nick Budabin An underdog basketball player from Chicago goes on a meteoric rise to become one of the best college point guards in the nation. But while he pursues dreams of the NBA, his success contrasts with the effects of gun violence on his friends back home. (World Premiere) Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable Director: Sasha Waters Freyer Artist. Iconoclast. Man of his time. All Things are Photographable is a revealing documentary portrait of the life and work of acclaimed photographer Garry Winogrand – the epic storyteller in pictures of America across three turbulent decades. (World Premiere) The Gospel of Eureka Directors: Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher, Screenwriter: Donal Mosher Faith, love and civil rights collide on voting day in a small Southern town that hosts a famous performance of the last days of Christ and an infamous gospel drag show. The new documentary by the award winning directors of October Country. (World Premiere) ¡Las Sandinistas! (Nicaragua, United States) Director: Jenny Murray ¡Las Sandinistas! uncovers the disappearing stories of women who shattered barriers to lead combat and social reform during Nicaragua’s 1979 Sandinista Revolution, and who continue to lead Nicaragua’s current struggle for democracy and equality. (World Premiere) People’s Republic of Desire (China) Director: Hao Wu In China’s popular live-streaming showrooms, three millennials – a karaoke singer, a migrant worker and a rags-to-riches comedian – seek fame, fortune and human connection, ultimately finding the same promises and perils online as in their real lives. (World Premiere) Social Animals Director: Jonathan Green, Screenwriters: Carol Martori, Jonathan Green, Peter Garriott A daredevil photographer, an aspiring swimsuit model, and a midwest girl next door are all looking for the same things from their Instagram accounts––a little love, acceptance and, of course, fame––and they’ll do just about anything to get it. (World Premiere) This One’s For The Ladies Director: Gene Graham This One’s For The Ladies explores the sexual and social identity of contemporary black America through intimate, eye opening and often hilarious accounts from women and men who find love and community in the underground world of exotic dancing. (World Premiere) TransMilitary Directors: Gabriel Silverman, Fiona Dawson, Screenwriters: Jamie Coughlin, Gabriel Silverman At a time when transgender people are banned from serving in the U.S. military, four of the thousands of transgender troops risking discharge fight to attain the freedom they so fiercely protect. (World Premiere) Weed The People Director: Abby Epstein Weed The People captures the uplifting and heart-wrenching struggles of families who treat their cancer-stricken children with marijuana, some with astonishing results. (World Premiere) The World Before Your Feet Director: Jeremy Workman For over 6 years, Matt Green, 37, has been walking every street in New York City – a total of more than 8000 miles. The World Before Your Feet tells the story of one man’s unusual quest and the journey of discovery, humanity, and wonder that ensues. (World Premiere)
HEADLINERS
A Quiet Place Director: John Krasinski, Screenwriters: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, and John Krasinski, Producers: Platinum Dunes If they can’t hear you, they can’t hunt you. Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds (World Premiere) Blockers Director: Kay Cannon, Screenwriters: Brian Kehoe, Jim Kehoe, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Eben Russell When three parents discover their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity at prom, they launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal. Cast: Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena, Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Indira Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon (World Premiere) Boundaries Director/Screenwriter: Shana Feste Laura and her troubled son Henry are forced to drive her estranged, pot-dealing, carefree father Jack across country after being kicked out of a nursing home. Cast: Vera Farmiga, Christopher Plummer, Lewis MacDougall, Bobby Cannavale, Kristen Schaal, Dolly Wells, Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Fonda (World Premiere) PARADOX Director/Screenwriter: Daryl Hannah A loud Poem. A whimsical western tale of music and love. Cast: Neil Young, Lukas Nelson, Micah Nelson, Corey McCormick, Anthony LoGerfo, Tato Melgar, Willie Nelson, Charris Ford, Dulcie Clarkson Ford (World Premiere) Final Portrait (United Kingdom, United States) Director/Screenwriter: Stanley Tucci Final Portrait is the story of the touching and offbeat friendship between world renowned artist Alberto Giacometti and American writer and art-lover James Lord, based on Lord’s memoir. Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Armie Hammer, Clémence Poésy, Tony Shalhoub, Sylvie Testud (North American Premiere)
NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
6 Balloons Director/Screenwriter: Marja Lewis Ryan Over the course of one night, a woman drives across LA with her heroin addict brother in search of a detox center, with his two year old daughter in tow. Cast: Abbi Jacobson, Dave Franco, Charlotte Carel, Madison Carel, Jane Kaczmarek, Dewan Owens, Tim Matheson, Jen Tullock, Maya Erskine, Heidi Sulzman (World Premiere) All Square Director: John Hyams, Screenwriter: Timothy Brady A down-on-his-luck bookie befriends an ex-girlfriend’s son and gets the bright idea to take bets on his youth league baseball games; only to realize he’s killed what’s pure about the sport as the games turn ugly when money is on the line. Cast: Michael Kelly, Josh Lucas, Pamela Adlon, Tom Everett Scott, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Harris Yulin, Yeardley Smith, Jesse Ray Sheps, Jay Larson, Craig Walker (World Premiere) Anchor and Hope (Spain) Director/Screenwriter: Carlos Marques-Marcet When the best friend of a bohemian lesbian couple agrees to be their surrogate, the three friends set out on an unconventional journey to start a family. Cast: Natalia Tena, Oona Chaplin, David Verdaguer, Geraldine Chaplin (North American Premiere) A Bluebird in My Heart (Belgium, France) Director/Screenwriter: Jérémie Guez Attempting to lead a quiet reformed life, an ex-con finds refuge in a motel run by a single mother and her daughter Clara. The peace and freedom he has found in this safe haven disappears when Clara is assaulted, forcing him to face his old demons. Cast: Roland Moller, Veerle Baetens, Lola Le Lann, Lubna Azabal (World Premiere) The Breaker Upperers (New Zealand) Directors/Screenwriters: Jackie van Beek, Madeleine Sami Two women run a business breaking up couples for cash but when one develops a conscience their friendship unravels. Cast: Jackie van Beek, Madeleine Sami, Celia Pacquola, James Rolleston, Ana Scotney (World Premiere) Fast Color Director: Julia Hart, Screenwriters: Julia Hart, Jordan Horowitz In this genre-bending supernatural drama, a woman is forced to go on the run when her extraordinary abilities are discovered. Years after having abandoned her family, the only place she has left to hide is home. Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lorraine Toussaint, Saniyya Sidney, Christopher Denham, David Strathairn (World Premiere) First Light (Canada) Director/Screenwriter: Jason Stone A close encounter with mysterious lights sends two teens on the run after one discovers she has extraordinary but dangerous powers. Cast: Stefanie Scott, Theodore Pelerine, Said Taghmaoui (World Premiere) The Legacy of the Whitetail Deer Hunter Director: Jody Hill The great hunter Buck Ferguson (Josh Brolin) and his trusted cameraman Don (Danny McBride) set out for an epic weekend adventure to reconnect with Buck’s young son (Montana Jordan). (World Premiere) Neurotic Quest for Serenity (Brazil) Directors/Screenwriters: Paulinho Caruso, Teodoro Poppovic Kika is going through a lot. She’s a famous actress. She has millions of fans. She’s about to star in a post apocalyptic soap opera. And she has obsessive compulsive disorder. Cast: Tatá Werneck, Vera Holtz, Bruno Gagliasso, Daniel Furlan (North American Premiere) Outside In Director: Lynn Shelton, Screenwriters: Lynn Shelton, Jay Duplass An ex-con struggling to readjust to life in his small town forms an intense bond with his former high-school teacher. Cast: Jay Duplass, Edie Falco, Kaitlyn Dever, Ben Schwartz (U.S. Premiere) Support The Girls Director/Screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski The general manager at a highway-side ‘breastaurant’ has her incurable optimism and faith–in her girls, her customers, and herself–tested over the course of a long, strange day. Cast: fRegina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, Shayna McHale, James LeGros, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka, Brooklyn Decker, Lea DeLaria, Jana Kramer, John Elvis (World Premiere) Unlovable Director: Suzi Yoonessi, Screenwriters: Mark Duplass, Sarah Adina Smith, Charlene deGuzman A sex- and love-addicted woman learns what real intimacy is when she starts making music with a reclusive man. Cast: Charlene deGuzman, John Hawkes, Melissa Leo, Paul James, Ellen Geer, Gigette Reyes (World Premiere) A Vigilante Director/Screenwriter: Sarah Daggar Nickson A once abused woman, Sadie (Olivia Wilde), devotes herself to ridding victims of their domestic abusers while hunting down the husband she must kill to truly be free. Cast: Olivia Wilde, Morgan Spector, Kyle Catlett, CJ Wilson, Tonye Patano, Chuck Cooper, Betsy Aidem, Jusy Marte (World Premiere) Who We Are Now Director/Screenwriter: Matthew Newton Beth, recently released from prison, tries to get custody of her son again and find her way back into the outside world, along the way realizing who she is isn’t about where she’s been, it’s about where she’s going. Cast: Julianne Nicholson, Emma Roberts, Zachary Quinto, Jess Weixler, Jimmy Smits, Jason Biggs, Lea Thompson, Scott Cohen, Octavia Chavez-Richmond, J. Mallory McCree (U.S. Premiere) Wild Nights With Emily Director/Screenwriter: Madeleine Olnek Molly Shannon plays Emily Dickinson in Wild Nights With Emily, a humorous drama. This independent film explores her vivacious, irreverent side that was covered up for years — most notably Emily’s lifelong romantic relationship with another woman. Cast: Molly Shannon, Amy Seimetz, Susan Ziegler, Brett Gelman, Jackie Monahan, Kevin Seal, Dana Melanie, Sasha Frolova, Lisa Haas, Al Sutton (World Premiere) WILDLING Director: Fritz Bohm, Screenwriters: Fritz Bohm, Florian Eder A blossoming teenager uncovers the dark secret behind her traumatic childhood. Cast: Bel Powley, Brad Dourif, Liv Tyler, Collin Kelly-Sordelet, James Le Gros, Troy Ruptash, Arlo Mertz, Aviva Winick (World Premiere) You Can Choose Your Family Director: Miranda Bailey, Screenwriter: Glen Lakin A seventeen-year-old boy blackmails his father after discovering his secret second family. Cast: Jim Gaffigan, Logan Miller, Anna Gunn, Samantha Mathis, Alex Karpovsky, Hayes MacArthur, Michelle Hurd (World Premiere) DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT Shining a light on new documentary features receiving their World, North American or U.S. premieres at SXSW. Agave: The Spirit of a Nation (Mexico, United States) Directors: Nicholas Kovacic, Matthew Riggieri, Screenwriter: Chantal Martineau In Mexico, families have passed down the tradition of distilling agave for generations and now, this once obscure Mexican drink is everywhere. Discover, how one delicate plant has carried the weight of a nation and the people trying to protect it. (World Premiere) Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes Director: Robert Bader, Screenwriters: Robert S. Bader, Dick Cavett The life and times of Muhammed Ali shown through the lens of his numerous appearances on The Dick Cavett Show. The film features new interviews with Dick Cavett, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Larry Merchant, as well as archival material from the Cavett Show. (World Premiere) Alt-Right: Age of Rage Director/Screenwriter: Adam Bhala Lough In the first year of Trump’s Presidency, Daryle Lamont Jenkins, an Antifa activist, combats the rise of the Alt-Right movement, while Richard Spencer, an Alt-Right leader, fights to gain ground, culminating in a tragic showdown in Charlottesville. (World Premiere) The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned From A Mythical Man Director: Tommy Avallone, Screenwriters: Tommy Avallone, Max Paolucci One man’s journey to find meaning in Bill Murray’s many unexpected adventures with everyday people, rare and never-before seen footage of the comedic icon participating in stories previously presumed to be urban legend. (World Premiere) Brewmaster Director/Screenwriter: Douglas Tirola Brewmaster follows a young ambitious New York lawyer who struggles to chase his American dream of becoming a brewmaster and a Milwaukee-based professional beer educator, as he attempts to become a Master Cicerone. (World Premiere) Daughters of the Sexual Revolution: The Untold Story of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Director: Dana Adam Shapiro Daughters of the Sexual Revolution is the never-before-told story of Suzanne Mitchell, the fiercely-loyal den mother of the original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. (World Premiere) The Dawn Wall (Austria, United States) Directors: Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer Legendary free climber Tommy Caldwell tries to get over heartbreak by scaling 3000ft of an impossible rock face: The Dawn Wall of El Capitan. (North American Premiere) From All Corners (Japan) Director: Ryusuke Okajima Fuyuki Shimazu, the cardboard picker and artist, creates wallets made from used cardboard which he picks up from 25 countries. His wallets travel around the world to advocate the concept of “upcycling” which is the mind beyond recycling or re-use. (World Premiere) Getting Over Director/Screenwriter: Jason Charnick A man discovers a box of interviews with his father, a lifelong heroin addict who died of AIDS in 1997. What he finds will uncover generations of family secrets, forcing him to redefine his own past, doubt his present, and question his future. (World Premiere) Nossa Chape (Brazil, Colombia, United States) Directors/Screenwriters: Jeff Zimbalist, Michael Zimbalist Nossa Chape tracks the rebuilding of the Chapecoense football club in Brazil after an airplane carrying the team crashed on November 28th, 2016, and left all but three of the players dead. (World Premiere) Operation Odessa Director: Tiller Russell The stranger-than-fiction true story of a Russian mobster, a Miami playboy, and a Cuban spy who teamed up in the early 90’s to sell a Soviet submarine to the Cali Carte. (World Premiere) Take Your Pills Director: Alison Klayman Every era gets the drug it deserves. In America today, where competition is ceaseless from school to the workforce and everyone wants a performance edge, Adderall and other prescription stimulants are the defining drugs of this generation. (World Premiere) Time Trial (United Kingdom) Director: Finlay Pretsell Time Trial takes us into the final races of cyclist David Millar’s career, leading to his last encounter with the Tour de France. The film reveals how the human spirit is driven by forces deeper than success and glory. (North American Premiere) VISIONS Visions filmmakers are audacious, risk-taking artists in the new cinema landscape who demonstrate raw innovation and creativity in documentary and narrative filmmaking. 1985 Director/Screenwriter: Yen Tan A young man goes home for the holidays and struggles to reveal a distressing secret to his loved ones. Cast: Cory Michael Smith, Virginia Madsen, Michael Chiklis, Jamie Chung, Aidan Langford, Ryan Piers Williams (World Premiere) Don’t Leave Home Director/Screenwriter: Michael Tully An American artist’s obsession with a disturbing urban legend leads her to an investigation of the story’s origins at the crumbling estate of a reclusive painter in Ireland. Cast: Anna Margaret Hollyman, Lalor Roddy, Helena Bereen, David McSavage, Karrie Cox (World Premiere) Elizabeth Harvest (United Kingdom) Director/Screenwriter: Sebastian Gutierrez Elizabeth Harvest is a science fiction reimagining of the French folktale of Bluebeard, in which a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives is confronted by a new wife trying to avoid the fate of her predecessors. Cast: Abbey Lee, Ciaran Hinds, Carla Gugino, Matthew Beard, Dylan Baker (World Premiere) Friday’s Child Director/Screenwriter: A.J. Edwards Fresh out of foster care at age 18, a young drifter turns to petty crime to survive, and discovers an impossible love in an unlikely friend. Cast: Tye Sheridan, Imogen Poots, Jeffrey Wright, Caleb Landry Jones (World Premiere) Meow Wolf: Origin Story Directors: Morgan Capps, Jilann Spitzmiller, Screenwriters: Jilann Spitzmiller, Morgan Capps, Christina Procter A group of artists, punks, and weirdos create a subversive DIY collective to disrupt the art establishment in Santa Fe, NM, which in the face of internal turmoil evolves into a cultural phenomenon on the path to becoming a global creative empire. (World Premiere) More Human Than Human (Netherlands, United States) Directors: Tommy Pallotta, Femke Wolting More Human Than Human explores what it means to live in the age of intelligent machines. During this quest, the filmmaker finds out how much of his creativity and human values are at stake as he builds his own robot to replace himself as a filmmaker. (World Premiere) Perfect Director: Eddie Alcazar, Screenwriter: Ted Kupper A young man with a violent past enters a mysterious clinic where the patients wildly transform their bodies and minds using genetic engineering. Cast: Garrett Wareing, Courtney Eaton, Tao Okamoto, Maurice Compte, Abbie Cornish, Martin Sensmeier, Sarah McDaniel, Chris Santos, Leonardo Nam, Regan ‘Busdriver’ Farquhar (World Premiere) Pet Names Director: Carol Brandt, Screenwriter: Meredith Johnston When her ill mother urges her to take a vacation from her caretaking, grad-school-dropout Leigh invites her ex along on the camping trip. The two soon find that confronting old wounds during a weekend in the woods is anything but restful. Cast: Meredith Johnston, Rene Cruz, Stacy Parish, Chelsea Norment, Jake Bradley, Lilliana Winkworth, Christina Seo (World Premiere) Profile Director: Timur Bekmambetov, Screenwriters: Britt Poulton, Timur Bekmambetov, Olga Kharina Looking to investigate recruitment techniques of ISIS to lure women into Syria, Amy Whitaker, a journalist, creates a Facebook profile of a Muslim convert. When an ISIS recruiter contacts her online character, she experiences the process first hand. Cast: Valene Kane, Shazad Latif, Christine Adams, Morgan Watkins, Amir Rahimzadeh (North American Premiere) Prospect (Canada, United States) Directors/Screenwriters: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell A teenage girl and her father travel to a remote moon on the hunt for elusive riches. But there are others roving the moon’s toxic forest and the job quickly devolves into a desperate fight to escape. Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Pedro Pascal, Jay Duplass, Andre Royo, Sheila Vand, Anwan Glover (World Premiere) Relaxer Director/Screenwriter: Joel Potrykus (Netherlands, United States) Y2K is approaching fast, but Abbie can’t get off the couch until he beats an unbeatable level on Pac-Man. Cast: Joshua Burge, David Dastmalchian, Andre Hyland, Adina Howard, Amari Cheatom (World Premiere) Rukus Director: Brett Hanover, Screenwriters: Brett Hanover, Alanna Stewart, Rukus A hybrid of documentary and fiction, Rukus is a queer coming-of-age story set in the liminal spaces of furry conventions, southern punk houses, and virtual worlds. Thy Kingdom Come Director: Eugene Richards A cancer patient mad at God; a Klansman seeking redemption; a mother blamed for her baby’s death; an elderly woman never not in love; a priest who doesn’t pass judgment, who listens: Interwoven, unscripted stories of life in a small mid-America town. Cast: Javier Bardem, Callie Eldred, Tasia Moore, Joshua Collins, Adam Watters, Samantha Jo Chism Watters, Melvin Kemp, Melvin Cook, Kathryn Von Glahn, Eric Eudy (World Premiere) Wild Honey Pie! (United Kingdom) Director/Screenwriter: Jamie Adams Gillian and Oliver have reached the Seven Year Itch moment in their Marriage, being of the melodramatic persuasion they itch till their relationship bleeds! Cast: Jemima Kirke, Alice Lowe, Sarah Solemani, Brett Goldstein, Joanna Scanlon, Richard Elis, Dan Clark, William Thomas (World Premiere) Wobble Palace Director: Eugene Kotlyarenko, Screenwriters: Story by Dasha Nekrasova, Eugene Kotlyarenko A week before the 2016 election, a couple on the verge of a nervous break-up decide to split their home over the weekend and test the waters of independence. Cast: Dasha Nekrasova, Eugene Kotlyarenko, Jack Kilmer, Paige Elkington, Caroline Hebert, Casey Jane Ellison, Vishwam Velandy, Janiva Ellis, Kim Ye, Elisha Drons (World Premiere)
EPISODIC
Barry Director: Bill Hader, Screenwriters: Alec Berg, Bill Hader Barry features Bill Hader as a low-rent hitman from the Midwest. Lonely and dissatisfied in his life he begrudgingly travels to Los Angeles to kill someone and ends up finding an accepting community in a group of eager hopefuls within the LA theater scene. Cast: Bill Hader, Henry Winkler, Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, Glenn Fleshler, Anthony Carrigan (World Premiere) Condor Directors: Lawrence Trilling, Andrew McCarthy, Screenwriters: Jason Smilovic, Todd Katzberg Inspired by Paramount’s Sydney Pollack 1975 political thriller Three Days of the Condor. Condor follows Joe Turner (Max Irons), a young CIA analyst whose idealism is tested when he stumbles onto a terrible plan that threatens millions of lives. Cast: Max Irons, William Hurt, Leem Lubany, Mira Sorvino, Brendan Fraser, Bob Balaban, Angel Bonnani, Katherine Cunningham, Christina Moses, Kristen Hager (World Premiere) Krypton Directors: Colm McCarthy, Ciaran Donnelly, Screenwriters: Cameron Welsh, Damian Kindler and David S. Goyer, Story by David S. Goyer, Ian Goldberg What if Superman had never existed? Seg-El, Superman’s grandfather, is faced with a conflict: Save Krypton? Or let it be destroyed in order to secure the future of his grandson-to-be? Cast: Cameron Cuffe, Georgina Campbell, Elliot Cowan, Ann Ogbomo, Aaron Pierre, Rasmus Hardiker, Wallis Day, Blake Ritson, Ian McElhinney, Shaun Sipos, Colin Salmon (World Premiere) The Last O.G. Director: Jordan Peele, Screenwriters: Jordan Peele, John Carcieri The Last O.G. is a show about humanity, second chances and redemption. Morgan plays Tray an ex-con who is shocked to see just how much the world has changed when he returns to the free world after 15 years in prison. Cast: Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, Allen Maldonado, Tiffany Haddish, Joel Marsh Garland, Gino Vento, Natalie Carter, Taylor Mosby, Ryan Gaul (World Premiere) Vida Directors: Alonso Ruizpalacios, So Yong Kim Vida is about two estranged Mexican-American sisters from the Eastside of Los Angeles who couldn’t be more different. Circumstances force them to return home where they are confronted by the past and surprising truth about their mother’s identity. Cast: Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada, Ser Anzoategui, Chelsea Rendon, Carlos Miranda, Maria Elena Laas (World Premiere) Warriors of Liberty City Directors: Evan Rosenfeld, Andrew Cohn Warriors of Liberty City from showrunner Evan Rosenfeld follows a season with the Liberty City Warriors, a youth football program founded by an unlikely mentor: Luther Campbell, better known as Uncle Luke from 2 Live Crew. Cast: Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Lavalrick Lucas, Jr., Lavalrick “Dread” Lucas, Sr. , George Harris, Jr. , George Harris, Sr., Barry Jenkins, Herbert Ritchie, Chatarius “Tutu” Atwell, Jr., Robert “Lamont” Beneby, Jr. (World Premiere)
24 BEATS PER SECOND
BLAZE Director: Ethan Hawke, Screenwriters: Ethan Hawke, Sybil Rosen The story of an unsung country music legend who gave up paradise for the sake of a song. Cast: Benjamin Dickey, Alia Shawkat, Charlie Sexton, Josh Hamilton, Wyatt Russell, Jenn Lyon, Kris Kristofferson, Sam Rockwell, Steve Zahn, Richard Linklater Elvis Presley The Searcher (Film 1 and 2) Director: Thom Zimny The documentary focuses on Elvis Presley as a musical artist. It explores how he accumulated his influences, deconstructs why his sound and his style were so revolutionary and examines the creative and personal struggles that preceded his death. (World Premiere) Heavy Trip (Finland) Directors: Jukka Vidgren, Juuso Laatio, Screenwriters: Jukka Vidgren, Juuso Laatio, Aleksi Puranen, Jari Olavi Rantala A young man is trying to overcome his fears by leading the most unknown heavy metal band in to the hottest metal festival of Norway. The journey includes heavy metal, grave robbing, Viking heaven and an armed conflict between Finland and Norway. Cast: Johannes Holopainen, Minka Kuustonen, Max Ovaska, Antti Heikkinen, Samuli Jaskio, Chike Ohanwe, Ville Tiihonen (World Premiere) If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd Director: Stephen Kijak The story of Lynyrd Skynyrd; The Greatest American Rock Band Ever. We fly beyond Free Bird to celebrate the life & times of leader Ronnie Van Zant, from boogie-woogie beginnings in Jacksonville’s Shantytown to a tragic end in a Mississippi swamp. (World Premiere) Making the Grade (Ireland) Director: Ken Wardrop A feel-good musical journey of piano playing from absolute beginner through to accomplished pianist. (North American Premiere) Milford Graves Full Mantis Directors: Jake Meginsky, Neil Young (Co-Director) Milford Graves Full Mantis weaves blistering performance footage from Europe, Japan, and the U.S. with a sublimely restrained, intimate glimpse into a world-renowned jazz percussionist’s singular voice and complex cosmology. (World Premiere) The Potential of Noise – Conny Plank (Germany) Directors: Stephan Plank, Reto Caduff, Screenwriters: Stephan Plank, Reto Caduff, Zisak Riemann Movie about Conny Plank, the famous German music producer. (North American Premiere) Rapture Directors: Sacha Jenkins, Ben Selkow, Geeta Gandbhir, Steven Caple Jr., Marcus A. Clarke, Gabriel Noble Rapture showcases the definitive impact of hip hop on global culture. Over 8 episodes featuring Nas, Dave East, T.I., Rapsody, Logic, G-Eazy, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, 2 Chainz and Just Blaze. (World Premiere) Ruben Blades Is Not My Name (Panama) Director/Screenwriter: Abner Benaim Ruben Blades Is Not My Name portrays one of Latin America´s most beloved singer-songwriters in a journey across his 50-year career. In an intimate way, the film gives us a chance to get to know the artist, his music, and the stories behind them. (World Premiere) A Tuba To Cuba Directors: T.G Herrington, Danny Clinch, Screenwriter: T.G Herrington A son seeking to fulfill his late father’s dream takes his band from the storied city of New Orleans to the shores of Cuba, where — through the universal language of music — dark and ancient connections between their peoples reveal the roots of jazz. (World Premiere)
GLOBAL
A Little Wisdom (Nepal) Director: Yuqi Kang See the world through the eyes of five-year-old Tibetan novice monk Hopakuli and share in his joys and sorrows as he endures the rigors of monastic life. A Little Wisdom endeavors to tell a story of children who find happiness through religious life. (North American Premiere) Martyr (Lebanon) Director/Screenwriter: Mazen Khaled A young man’s tragic death at Beirut’s seaside causes his friends to grapple with loss and to partake in his community’s rites and ceremonies, exposing the city’s schisms and its society’s fault lines. Cast: Carol Abboud, Hamza Mekdad, Mostafa Fahs, Hady Bou Ayash, Rachad Nassereddine, Rabih el Zaher, Raneem Mourad(North American Premiere) Number 37 (South Africa) Director/Screenwriter: Nosioho Dumisa Number 37 is the story of Randall, wheelchair bound, playing a cat and mouse game blackmailing a powerful criminal whilst evading a sadistic loan shark who will kill him and his girlfriend if his loan is not paid back by the end of the week. Cast: Irshaad Ally, Monique Rockman, Ephraim Gordon, David Manuel, Sandy Schultz, Deon Lotz, Danny Ross, Amrain Essop, Elton Landrew, Jeff Moss (World Premiere) Rush Hour (Mexico, Turkey, United States) Director: Luciana Kaplan Rush Hour is an intimate approach to personal stories of three commuters who spend hours of their lives going from home to work and back, reflection a common reality shared by billions of people. (U.S. Premiere) Team Hurricane (Denmark) Director/Screenwriter: Annika Berg Team Hurricane – Radical Girls in an Ordinary World is a punk chick flick that mixes documentary material with highly stylized fiction. Cast: Eja Penelope Roepstorff, Ida Glitre, Ira Rønnenfelt, Maja Leth Bang, Mathilde Linnea Daugaard Jensen, Mia My Elise Pedersen, Sara Morling, Zara Munch Bjarnum (U.S. Premiere) Theatre of War (Argentina) Director/Screenwriter: Lola Arias Theatre of War is an essay on how to represent war, performed by former enemies. British and Argentinian veterans of the Falklands war come together to discuss, rehearse and re-enact their memories 35 years after the conflict. (U.S. Premiere) Virus Tropical (Colombia) Director: Santiago Caicedo Born in a not-so-conventional family, Paola grows up between Ecuador and Colombia and finds herself unable to fit in any mold. With a unique feminine vision of the world, she will have to fight against prejudice and struggle for her independence. Cast: María Cecilia Sánchez, Alejandra Borrero, Diego León Hoyos, Martina Toro, Mara Gutiérrez, Camila Valenzuela, María Parada
FESTIVAL FAVORITES
American Animals (United States, United Kingdom) Director/Screenwriter: Bart Layton The unbelievable but true story of four young men who mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious art heists in US history. Cast: Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, Ann Dowd, Udo Kier Chef Flynn Director: Cameron Yates Chef Flynn captures the coming of age of a prodigy chef, as he navigates a sea of sudden fame, bullying, and his mother’s camera. Constructing Albert (Estonia) Directors: Laura Collado, Jim Loomis, Screenwriter: Laura Collado In the world of haute cuisine, the name Adrià is synonymous with creativity. Constructing Albert is a portrait of the younger brother Albert as he strives to establish his own reputation in the world of international haute cuisine after elBulli. Damsel Directors/Screenwriters: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner An affluent pioneer ventures deep into the wilderness of the American West to join his fiancée. Cast: Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Robert Forster, Joe Billingiere Eighth Grade Director/Screenwriter: Bo Burnham 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, Emily Robinson, Jake Ryan First Reformed Director/Screenwriter: Paul Schrader The pastor of a small New England church (Ethan Hawke) spirals out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with an unstable environmental activist and his pregnant wife (Amanda Seyfried) in this taut, chilling thriller. Cast: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric Kyles, Michael Gaston, Philip Ettinger, Victoria Hill Generation Wealth Director/Screenwriter: Lauren Greenfield Simultaneously personal journey and historical essay, Lauren Greenfield’s latest documentary bears witness to the global boom–bust economy, the corrupted American Dream, and the human costs of late stage capitalism, narcissism, and greed. Half the Picture Director/Screenwriter: Amy Adrion Half the Picture is a feature length documentary about the dismal number of women directors working in Hollywood, featuring top female directors sharing their experiences in the industry. Lean on Pete Director/Screenwriter: Andrew Haigh From acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Haigh (Weekend; 45 Years), and based on the beloved novel by Willy Vlautin, comes Lean on Pete—a deeply moving story about love, loneliness, family, and friendship, told through the unique prism of one boy’s connection to a very special racehorse. Cast: Charlie Plummer, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Travis Fimmel Narcissister Organ Player Director/Screenwriter: Narcissister This hybrid performance/documentary film explores how the artist’s complex family history, in particular her relationship with her mother, compelled her to create the masked, erotic performance character Narcissister. Never Goin’ Back Director/Screenwriter: Augustine Frizzell Jessie and Angela, high school dropouts, 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 to avoid eviction and get to the beach, no matter what! Cast: Maia Mitchell, Cami Morrone, Kyle Mooney, Joel Allen, Kendal Smith, Matthew Holcomb, Atheena Frizzell, Spencer Rayshon, Marcus Mauldin, Liz Cardenas On Her Shoulders Director: Alexandria Bombach Nadia Murad is a 23-year-old Yazidi survivor of genocide and sexual slavery by ISIS. Repeating her horrific story to politicians, the media, and the United Nations, she must navigate bureaucracy, politics and sudden fame to get the world to listen. Pass Over Director: Spike Lee, Screenwriter: Antoinette Nwandu Academy Award nominee and Honorary Oscar winner Spike Lee captures the poetry, humor and humanity of this urgent and timely play about two young black men talking trash, passing the time, and dreaming of the promised land. A provocative riff on Waiting for Godot, Pass Over is written by newcomer Antoinette Nwandu. Cast: Jon Michael Hill, Julian Parker, Ryan Hallahan, Blake DeLong The Rider Director/Screenwriter: Chloé Zhao After a tragic riding accident, a young cowboy, once a rising star of the rodeo circuit, is warned that his competition days are over. Back home, he struggles to find himself when he can no longer do what what gives him a sense of purpose. Cast: Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Lane Scott, Cat Clifford Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Director: Morgan Neville Won’t You Be My Neighbor? looks at children’s television host Mr. Rogers’ hard-fought campaign to influence generations of kids and adults in the ways of kindness.
SPECIAL EVENTS
The Atomic Café Director: Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader, Pierce Rafferty A black comedy on the nuclear age, The Atomic Cafe opened in 1982 to worldwide critical and popular acclaim. In 2016, it was honored by the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” (World Premiere of 4K Digital Restoration) This Is Us Director: Various Everyone has a family. And every family has a story. This grounded, life-affirming dramedy reveals how the tiniest events in our lives impact who we become, and how the connections we share with each other can transcend time, distance and even death. Cast: Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Chrissy Metz, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley (World Premiere)
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The Breaker Upperers

Rooftop Films Announces 2018 Summer Series Feature Film Lineup, Blindspotting, Dead Pigs and More..

ROOFTOP FILMS 2018 SUMMER SERIES

EARLY SUMMER EVENTS

FEATURE FILMS

Comedy Film ‘The Breaker Upperers’ by Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami to Open 2018 Sydney Film Festival [Trailer]

SXSW Film Festival Announces 2018 Features Film Lineup, Opens with John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place”

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

HEADLINERS

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT

EPISODIC

24 BEATS PER SECOND

GLOBAL

FESTIVAL FAVORITES

SPECIAL EVENTS