Exclusive: Mckenna Grace (A Friend of the Family) and Asher Angel (Shazam! films) are set to star in Alloy Entertainment’s teen romance 99 Days, based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name by Katie Cotugno, which we were first to tell you was in development.
Martha Stephens is attached to direct from a script she co-wrote with Shannon Bradley-Colleary, her screenwriter for the 2019 drama To the Stars. Leslie Morgenstein and Elysa Koplovitz Dutton will produce through Alloy Entertainment, which also produced the book, with Architect to launch worldwide sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
99 Days marks Alloy’s follow-up to Purple Hearts, the smash hit YA romance, starring Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine, which remains in the Global Top 10 of the most-watched movies ever on Netflix. The film tells the story of Molly (Grace), who is facing one long, hot summer vacation back at Star...
Martha Stephens is attached to direct from a script she co-wrote with Shannon Bradley-Colleary, her screenwriter for the 2019 drama To the Stars. Leslie Morgenstein and Elysa Koplovitz Dutton will produce through Alloy Entertainment, which also produced the book, with Architect to launch worldwide sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
99 Days marks Alloy’s follow-up to Purple Hearts, the smash hit YA romance, starring Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine, which remains in the Global Top 10 of the most-watched movies ever on Netflix. The film tells the story of Molly (Grace), who is facing one long, hot summer vacation back at Star...
- 5/12/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Hot off the success of its record-breaking Netflix film Purple Hearts, Alloy Entertainment has unveiled four new features in development, three of which are based on books that the company has developed in-house.
The first film, Getting Rid of Matthew, based on the bestselling novel by Jane Fallon, follows Helen, who finally gets her wish after years of begging her lover Matthew to leave his wife. And immediately comes to regret it. Hernán Jiménez will direct from his own script.
The second feature, to be written and directed by Chris Hazzard & Michael Fontana, is an adaptation of Chris Archer’s book series Pyrates, which watches as a group of kids searches for Captain Kidd’s lost treasure in contemporary Manhattan.
Third on the docket is Kisses & Croissants, which writer-producer Elspeth Keller (Catching Babies) will adapt from the same-name Alloy novel by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau. That title follows 16-year-old American Mia,...
The first film, Getting Rid of Matthew, based on the bestselling novel by Jane Fallon, follows Helen, who finally gets her wish after years of begging her lover Matthew to leave his wife. And immediately comes to regret it. Hernán Jiménez will direct from his own script.
The second feature, to be written and directed by Chris Hazzard & Michael Fontana, is an adaptation of Chris Archer’s book series Pyrates, which watches as a group of kids searches for Captain Kidd’s lost treasure in contemporary Manhattan.
Third on the docket is Kisses & Croissants, which writer-producer Elspeth Keller (Catching Babies) will adapt from the same-name Alloy novel by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau. That title follows 16-year-old American Mia,...
- 8/24/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
In Oklahoma in 1960, 18 year old Maggie (Liana Liberato) moves from the city to a sparsely populated rural town. On her first day, she defends and becomes friends with class outcast Iris (Kara Hayward). The film chronicles the ups and downs of their friendship.
To The Stars had an unusual production, with director Martha Stephens and cinematographer Andrew Reed shooting for colour and black and white at the same time, with Stephens using a monitor that allowed her to switch between viewing the two different formats. This must have been a huge challenge for the production, necessitating clever choices with both lighting and colour palette to ensure that the film looked right, as if it was intended to be seen in this form, whichever version you watch. To my knowledge only the colour version is being made available at the moment, but I am very curious to see the black and white,...
To The Stars had an unusual production, with director Martha Stephens and cinematographer Andrew Reed shooting for colour and black and white at the same time, with Stephens using a monitor that allowed her to switch between viewing the two different formats. This must have been a huge challenge for the production, necessitating clever choices with both lighting and colour palette to ensure that the film looked right, as if it was intended to be seen in this form, whichever version you watch. To my knowledge only the colour version is being made available at the moment, but I am very curious to see the black and white,...
- 6/1/2020
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
To celebrate the release of the acclaimed new drama To The Stars, which is released this week on streaming services, we spoke to the two leads of the film to find out more.
Based in a small town in Oklahoma in the 1960s, the film tells the story of the friendship between the reserved Iris (Kara Hayward) and the reckless, worldly Maggie (Liana Liberato) and how they begin to influence each other lives in profound and unexpected ways. But the film touches on more than just the two ladies and their new bonds, as it delves into such themes as class, race, sexuality, repression, all of which were reasons – amongst others – for both actresses to want to tell this story.
Directed by Martha Stephens (Land Ho!), the film co-stars Tony Hale (Veep), Shea Whigham (Mission: Impossible 7), Jordana Spiro (Ozark), Lucas Jade Zissman (20th Century Women), Tina Parker (Breaking Bad...
Based in a small town in Oklahoma in the 1960s, the film tells the story of the friendship between the reserved Iris (Kara Hayward) and the reckless, worldly Maggie (Liana Liberato) and how they begin to influence each other lives in profound and unexpected ways. But the film touches on more than just the two ladies and their new bonds, as it delves into such themes as class, race, sexuality, repression, all of which were reasons – amongst others – for both actresses to want to tell this story.
Directed by Martha Stephens (Land Ho!), the film co-stars Tony Hale (Veep), Shea Whigham (Mission: Impossible 7), Jordana Spiro (Ozark), Lucas Jade Zissman (20th Century Women), Tina Parker (Breaking Bad...
- 5/31/2020
- by Scott Davis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Zack Snyder’s R-rated “Watchmen” adaptation is a cult favorite in the comic book movie genre, but the 2009 Warner Bros. tentpole is a low point in the acting career of Malin Akerman. The actress recently told Collider that she struggled with her confidence while making the big-budget comic book movie and that her experience with the project taught her how to select roles so that she would never have a similar experience to “Watchmen” again. Akerman played Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II in the film. The character was revived last fall in Damon Lindelof’s HBO “Watchmen” adaptation, where an older version of Laurie was played by Jean Smart.
“‘Watchmen’ was a big shift because I felt way out of my league on that one,” Akerman said. “I really struggled because it was such a big film and I really felt like I had no idea what I was doing.
“‘Watchmen’ was a big shift because I felt way out of my league on that one,” Akerman said. “I really struggled because it was such a big film and I really felt like I had no idea what I was doing.
- 5/4/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Melodrama has somewhat become a relic of cinema’s past. To be sure, we get melodramatic movies still being released, but true melodrama has largely gone away. The new movie To the Stars seeks to bring melodramas back, and up until the tail end of the third act, it succeeds. Some solid cinematography, a really strong turn from Liana Liberato, and even a small sense of mystery buoys it for a good long while. Then, as it comes in for a landing, the wheels fall off and it crashes in a big way. It’s a shame, too, as it prevents the flick from earning a recommendation that it had in the bag, moments before. The film is a drama, set in 1960’s Oklahoma, and specifically a very small town. It’s the sort of town where everyone is under scrutiny, the folks consider themselves god fearing, and judgment comes quick.
- 4/25/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
As individual states and the film industry at large begin to think about when the right time to reopen theaters might be, digital and streaming services deliver the strongest weekly slate of new releases since the shutdown.
Many saw it as a sign of the times when HBO acquired critically acclaimed Hugh Jackman drama ”Bad Education” at the Toronto Film Festival last year, never imagining that it would be a blessing for the film that it was bypassing theaters to debut on the premium network. Meanwhile, on Netflix, two new tentpoles — including one from the team behind “Avengers: Infinity War” — give subscribers some studio-caliber entertainment to watch at home.
Here are all the new releases, with excerpts from reviews and links to where you can watch them.
Independent films, directly on demand:
Bad Education (Cory Finley) Critic’S Pick
Distributor: HBO
Where to Find It: Premieres Sat., April 25 on HBO...
Many saw it as a sign of the times when HBO acquired critically acclaimed Hugh Jackman drama ”Bad Education” at the Toronto Film Festival last year, never imagining that it would be a blessing for the film that it was bypassing theaters to debut on the premium network. Meanwhile, on Netflix, two new tentpoles — including one from the team behind “Avengers: Infinity War” — give subscribers some studio-caliber entertainment to watch at home.
Here are all the new releases, with excerpts from reviews and links to where you can watch them.
Independent films, directly on demand:
Bad Education (Cory Finley) Critic’S Pick
Distributor: HBO
Where to Find It: Premieres Sat., April 25 on HBO...
- 4/24/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The story of the notorious outlaw Ned Kelly is dropping on digital and on-demand today with the Justin Kurzel-directed True History of the Kelly Gang starring George MacKay, Russell Crowe and Nicholas Hoult.
The grimy western crime drama, which was adapted by Kurzel from the novel of the same name by Peter Carey, features MacKay as the titular Aussie outlaw Ned Kelly and has a foundation of a love story between a mother and a son. The film was acquired by IFC Films ahead of its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019.
More from DeadlineComing-Of-Age Foodie Comedy 'Abe' Fires Up, 'The Booksellers' Makes Virtual Premiere - Specialty Streaming PreviewCrime Thriller 'Stray Dolls' With Cynthia Nixon Debuts, Deepak Chopra Brings Peace With 'The Mindfulness Movement' - Specialty Streaming PreviewRom-Com 'Almost Love' Makes Debut, IFC Serves Horror...
The grimy western crime drama, which was adapted by Kurzel from the novel of the same name by Peter Carey, features MacKay as the titular Aussie outlaw Ned Kelly and has a foundation of a love story between a mother and a son. The film was acquired by IFC Films ahead of its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019.
More from DeadlineComing-Of-Age Foodie Comedy 'Abe' Fires Up, 'The Booksellers' Makes Virtual Premiere - Specialty Streaming PreviewCrime Thriller 'Stray Dolls' With Cynthia Nixon Debuts, Deepak Chopra Brings Peace With 'The Mindfulness Movement' - Specialty Streaming PreviewRom-Com 'Almost Love' Makes Debut, IFC Serves Horror...
- 4/24/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Living in a small town is hard for a teenager. It's even harder if you live in rural Oklahoma in the 1960s, and you feel different than all of your peers. Director Martha Stephens captures the atmosphere of this small town (and small-minded people) in her period drama To the Stars, which originally premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. While Stephen's production is not an innovative film that bends the standards of cinema, it's certainly an eye-opening coming-of-age story. The drama first premiered at Sundance in black & white, but it was later reverted back to color. I watched the latter version for release (on digital April 24th), and although it was unquestionably satisfying, I'd still love to experience this story in the original format. When shy outsider teen Iris Deerborne (Kara Hayward) meets the energetic and bold Maggie Richmond (Liana Liberato), both girls' lives change. Because of her shyness and her medical condition,...
- 4/21/2020
- by Zofia Wijaszka
- firstshowing.net
Directed by Martha Stephens (Land Ho!), To The Stars centers on Iris (Moonrise Kingdom’s Kara Hayward), an introverted teenager who is having her share of trouble in high school. When a new girl named Maggie (Liana Liberato) comes into town (the feature is set in early 1960s Oklahoma), Iris creates a bond that makes a [...]
The post Director Martha Stephens Transports Viewers To “A Different World” In ‘To The Stars’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
The post Director Martha Stephens Transports Viewers To “A Different World” In ‘To The Stars’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 4/21/2020
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Well, a lot has happened since our last monthly preview. The complete shutdown of film exhibition as we know it due to curb the spread of coronavirus resulted in the delay of numerous films and many others to move up their digital release. So, while we’re not getting Martin Eden, Saint Maud, Promising Young Woman, and No Time to Die, among others, there are still a handful of recommended new releases that will be arriving digitally this month.
11. Slay the Dragon
A new documentary arriving this week explores the fight to make sure democracy doesn’t die. Jared Mobarak said in his review that Slay the Dragon explores those “guilty of gerrymandering (redrawing district lines to benefit the incumbent party) many times in the past themselves, but never had either side been so desperate as the Gop was in 2010. They flipped specific state legislatures through targeted attacks before secretively...
11. Slay the Dragon
A new documentary arriving this week explores the fight to make sure democracy doesn’t die. Jared Mobarak said in his review that Slay the Dragon explores those “guilty of gerrymandering (redrawing district lines to benefit the incumbent party) many times in the past themselves, but never had either side been so desperate as the Gop was in 2010. They flipped specific state legislatures through targeted attacks before secretively...
- 4/1/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
You may recognize Kara Hayward from Wes Anderson’s 2012 film “Moonrise Kingdom,” where she charmed as one half of the film’s star-crossed couple, Suzy Bishop. Since making her debut with one of the best filmmakers of the day, Hayward has kept the pedigree of her collaborators similarly high, landing roles in films by Kenneth Lonergan, Jim Jarmusch, and Jordan Peele. Now, she once again steps into the lead to lend her talents to Martha Stephens’ latest feature “To the Stars,” which was a crowd favorite at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and recently debuted an absorbing first trailer.
The synopsis from Sundance reads: “In a God fearing small town in 1960s Oklahoma, bespectacled and reclusive teen Iris endures the booze-induced antics of her mother and daily doses of bullying from her classmates. She finds solace in Maggie, the charismatic and enigmatic new girl at school, who hones in on Iris...
The synopsis from Sundance reads: “In a God fearing small town in 1960s Oklahoma, bespectacled and reclusive teen Iris endures the booze-induced antics of her mother and daily doses of bullying from her classmates. She finds solace in Maggie, the charismatic and enigmatic new girl at school, who hones in on Iris...
- 3/31/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
In these strange times, I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised at anything. However, I was caught off guard upon seeing the first trailer for one of my favorite films at Sundance Film Festival last year: Martha Stephens’ sensitive, 1950s-set drama To the Stars. I had remarked how the beautiful black-and-white cinematography by Andrew Reed gives a timeless feel to the proceedings akin to The Last Picture Show.
Now, ahead of a digital release this April, Samuel Goldwyn Films has released the trailer and, lo and behold, the film is now in full-blown color. While it’s not indicated yet if this is fully blessed by the filmmaker, it’s clear the aim is to get some more attention in a competitive digital marketplace, but we’ll be curious how the viewing experience is ultimately changed. Starring Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Shea Whigham, Malin Akerman, and Tony Hale,...
Now, ahead of a digital release this April, Samuel Goldwyn Films has released the trailer and, lo and behold, the film is now in full-blown color. While it’s not indicated yet if this is fully blessed by the filmmaker, it’s clear the aim is to get some more attention in a competitive digital marketplace, but we’ll be curious how the viewing experience is ultimately changed. Starring Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Shea Whigham, Malin Akerman, and Tony Hale,...
- 3/31/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Nestled in the rolling vineyards and Instagram-worthy towns, the Napa Valley Film Festival kicks off its ninth edition with a new leader, and a renewed mandate to build on its success. Nvff runs Nov. 13-17 in Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga.
Entertainment industry veteran Tom Tardio took over as CEO in July, and reports to the Cinema Napa Valley board of directors, which also expanded its ranks over the summer.
But that doesn’t mean the festival, which has cultivated deep roots in the local community, is going too corporate.
“We have over 400 volunteers in the community that work all of the venues,” says Tardio. “Whole Foods supports the volunteers. That to me is a small town coming together for a five-day festival. That to me is unique.”
A potent mix of wine, food and film, Nvff programs a competition section — chosen from about 1,000 entries — and also plays host to awards season hopefuls.
Entertainment industry veteran Tom Tardio took over as CEO in July, and reports to the Cinema Napa Valley board of directors, which also expanded its ranks over the summer.
But that doesn’t mean the festival, which has cultivated deep roots in the local community, is going too corporate.
“We have over 400 volunteers in the community that work all of the venues,” says Tardio. “Whole Foods supports the volunteers. That to me is a small town coming together for a five-day festival. That to me is unique.”
A potent mix of wine, food and film, Nvff programs a competition section — chosen from about 1,000 entries — and also plays host to awards season hopefuls.
- 11/13/2019
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
Mexico City — A crossroads for the film industries of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, Los Cabos Intl. Film Festival opens its doors on Wednesday, Nov. 13 with a lineup which takes on board hot-button issues – gender, violence in Mexico, the impact of global platforms – as the Festival consolidates its status as a Mexican new talent platform. 10 Takes on the 2019 edition:
1.Robert De Niro, Gaston Pavlovich And ’The Irishman’
Robert De Niro will attend Los Cabos’ Film Festival’s Opening Ceremony on Wednesday for a gala screening of “The Irishman.” The movie’s presence at Los Cabos can be seen as part thanks to its cinematographer. Mexico’s Rodrigo Prieto, and above all to its Mexican producer, Gastón Pavlovich. Already producer of Martin Scorsese’s “Silence,” who stuck with “The Irishman,” through thick and thin as it turned from a Paramount/Stx movie to an Oscar-contending Netflix original.
2.Buzzy Projects
Of Mexican titles,...
1.Robert De Niro, Gaston Pavlovich And ’The Irishman’
Robert De Niro will attend Los Cabos’ Film Festival’s Opening Ceremony on Wednesday for a gala screening of “The Irishman.” The movie’s presence at Los Cabos can be seen as part thanks to its cinematographer. Mexico’s Rodrigo Prieto, and above all to its Mexican producer, Gastón Pavlovich. Already producer of Martin Scorsese’s “Silence,” who stuck with “The Irishman,” through thick and thin as it turned from a Paramount/Stx movie to an Oscar-contending Netflix original.
2.Buzzy Projects
Of Mexican titles,...
- 11/13/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Samuel Goldwyn Films has taken North American rights to Martha Stephens’ feature film To the Stars, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.
Set in a god-fearing 1960s small town in Oklahoma, To the Stars follows bespectacled and reclusive teen Iris as she endures the booze-induced antics of her mother and daily doses of bullying from her classmates. She finds solace in Maggie, the charismatic and enigmatic new girl at school, who hones in on Iris’ untapped potential and coaxes her out of her shell. When Maggie’s mysterious past can no longer be suppressed, the tiny community is thrown into a state of panic, leaving Maggie to take potentially drastic measures and inciting Iris to stand up for her friend and herself.
Manchester by the Sea‘s Kara Hayward stars along with Liana Liberato (The Best of Me), two-time Veep Emmy winner Tony Hale,...
Set in a god-fearing 1960s small town in Oklahoma, To the Stars follows bespectacled and reclusive teen Iris as she endures the booze-induced antics of her mother and daily doses of bullying from her classmates. She finds solace in Maggie, the charismatic and enigmatic new girl at school, who hones in on Iris’ untapped potential and coaxes her out of her shell. When Maggie’s mysterious past can no longer be suppressed, the tiny community is thrown into a state of panic, leaving Maggie to take potentially drastic measures and inciting Iris to stand up for her friend and herself.
Manchester by the Sea‘s Kara Hayward stars along with Liana Liberato (The Best of Me), two-time Veep Emmy winner Tony Hale,...
- 10/2/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
NewFest has released its full lineup for their 31st annual fest that features the year’s best Lgbtq films from around the world. The fest runs October 23-29 at the Sva Theatre, Cinépolis Chelsea, as well as The Lgbt Community Center in New York City.
As Deadline revealed exclusively last week, the festival will feature Mike Doyle’s Manhattan-set ensemble rom-com Sell By as their opening night film. The film stars Scott Evans (Grace and Frankie), Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy), Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award-winner Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Buteau (Tales of the City) and Augustus Prew (High-Rise). The fest will feature Martha Stephen’s To The Stars as the U.S. Centerpiece Gala and close with Rodrigo Bellott’s award-winning Tu Me Manques.
NewFest will also feature the world premiere of Alexis Clements’ documentary All We’ve Got which looks into what it takes in America for queer, spaces for women to survive and why/how they are disappearing. In addition, Megan Wennberg’s Drag Kids, which follows the lives of four young drag performers from around North America, will make its U.S. premiere and the fest will have a spotlight screening of Martin Krejcí’sThe True Adventures of Wolfboy, a modern-day fairytale starring Jaeden Martell, John Turturro. and Chloë Sevigny.
NewFest will also serve up some scares with thier queer-centric “HalloKween” program with the transgender vampire film Bit with Nicole Maines, the documentary Scream Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street about the controversial sequel of the Wes Craven classic that ended Mark Patton’s acting career, and the Spanish alien rescue mission film Brief Story From the Green Planet which won the coveted Teddy Award at this year’s Berlinale Film Festival.
The full program of 27 narrative features, 14 documentary features, 15 episodic series, 8 centerpiece and spotlight screenings, and 100 shorts from all over the world. 71% of content is by and about underrepresented voices.
The complete lineup of full-length features can be read below. Read the lineup of shorts here.
Opening Night Gala
Sell By
New York Premiere
Dir. Mike Doyle, USA, 2019, 94 mins
Cast: Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Kate Walsh, Michelle Buteau, Zoe Chao, Patricia Clarkson, Christopher Gray, Colin Donnell, John Doman
Having been together for five years, Adam and rising social media celeb Marklin are faced with confronting their commitment to each other, while both Cammy and Haley (Zoe Chao) face their own challenges with companionship. Rounding out the lively and talented cast under Doyle’s assured direction is Kate Walsh (Grey’S Anatomy) and Academy Award-nominee Patricia Clarkson (High Art). Imbued with a can-do charm so becoming of our great metropolis, Sell By captures both how we let ourselves go, as well as how we grow closer to those we love.
Closing Night Gala
Tu Me Manques
New York Premiere
Dir. Rodrigo Bellott, USA/Bolivia, 2019, 110 mins
Cast: Oscar Martinez, Rossy de Palma, Fernando Barbosa
After his son Gabriel passes away, conservative Bolivian patriarch Jorge (Oscar Martínez) accidentally Skypes Gabriel’s ex-boyfriend Sebastian (Fernando Barbosa), leading him on a journey from Bolivia to New York City in search for the truth about his child. Based on writer/director Rodrigo Bellott’s own electrifying and influential play, Tu Me Manques is an inspiring story that celebrates community, love, and storytelling, and excavates both familial and international homophobia with tremendous tact and care.
International Centerpiece
And Then We Danced
New York Premiere
Dir. Levan Akin, Sweden/France, 2019, 113 mins
Cast: Levan Gelbakhiani, Bachi Valishvili, Ana Javakishvili
Sweden’s official selection for Best International Feature Film at the 2019 Academy Awards, And Then We Danced offers a riveting and visceral lead performance from newcomer Gelbakhiani, while featuring dynamic cinematography and a cathartic dance sequence that will leave you breathless.
U.S. Centerpiece
To The Stars
New York Premiere
Dir. Martha Stephens, USA, 2019, 111 mins
Cast: Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Malin Akerman, Shea Whigham, Tony Hale, Lucas Zumann, Adelaide Clemens
Set in the conservative, bobby-socked setting of a 1960s Oklahoma high school, mysterious cosmopolitan new girl Maggie (Liana Liberato)—a coveted recruit among the popular girls—takes an unexpected shining to Iris, a withdrawn pariah. As the two teens grow closer, we learn the curious circumstances behind Maggie’s sudden arrival in the small Dust Bowl town.
New York Centerpiece
Cubby
New York Premiere
Dir. Mark Blane, USA, 2019, 83 mins
Cast: Mark Blane, Joseph Seuffert, Patricia Richardson, Zachary Booth, Christian Patrick
Written and co-directed by breakout star Mark Blane and shot in crisp 16mm, this quirky dark comedy tells the semi-autobiographical story of an anxious midwestern twenty-something who moves to New York City in hopes of becoming an artist. We follow Mark as he navigates his new life in this overwhelming city and chemically imbalanced flights of fancy, all while fostering a friendship with Milo, a precocious 6-year-old he begins to babysit in brownstone-filled Brooklyn.
Documentary Centerpiece
Drag Kids
Us Premiere
Dir. Megan Wennberg, Canada, 2019, 78 mins
This documentary follows the four young stars as they prepare for the biggest performance of their lives at Montreal Pride, demonstrating the importance of artistic expression, community-building, and non-judgmental support for people of all ages. A surprisingly moving film about gender, art, and affirming parenting, Drag Kids will have you cheering through tears by its end. This oft misunderstood segment of the drag community deserves more accurate representation in media, and Megan Wennberg’s film is only the beginning.
Narrative Features
15 Years
New York Premiere
Dir. Yuval Hadadi, Israel, 2019, 89 mins Cast: Oded Leopold, Udi Persi, Ruth Asarsai
When his best friend becomes pregnant and his longtime boyfriend starts talking about adopting, the often-unfazed Yoav begins to unravel. Small arguments fester to extreme degrees in Yuval Hadadi’s stunning portrait of a relationship in crisis. Shot against the backdrop of contemporary Tel Aviv, Hadadi explores ingrained pressures on the Israeli Lgbt community in his confident feature directorial debut.
A Dog Barking At The Moon
New York Premiere
Dir. Lisa Zi Xiang, China/Spain, 2019, 107 mins
Cast: Naren Hua, Nan Ji, Wu Reyuan, Thomas Fiquet
While visiting her broken family with her American husband, pregnant writer Huang Xiaoyu finds herself trapped between her cult-brainwashed mother and her secretly homosexual father. An epic Chinese family saga that unfolds over–and weaves together–multiple periods of time, Lisa Zi Xiang’s directorial debut is a masterful tale of secrets, infidelity, and the enormous weight of societal norms.
Benjamin
New York Premiere
Dir. Simon Amstell, UK, 2019, 85 mins
Cast: Gabe Gilmour, Jack Rowan, Colin Morgan, Anna Chancellor, Robin Peters, Arnab Chanda, Jessica Raine, James Bloor, Joel Fry, PhéniYES Brossard, Jessie Cave
Benjamin is an anxious, awkward filmmaker who feels stuck ahead of the premiere of his second feature. His lack of confidence in the film is eating him away, and, though love fuels his writing material, he’s overwhelmed by his self-proclaimed inability to love. When a beautiful young French musician named Noah comes into Benjamin’s life, he begins to let go of his past love traumas and see the light. It’s not long, however, before Benjamin’s insecurities come knocking and threaten to throw his life and relationship into disarray.
Billie & Emma
New York Premiere
Dir. Samantha Lee, Philippines, 2019,107 mins
Cast: Gabby Padilla, Zar Donato, Beauty Gonzales, Chelo Aquino
In the Philippines during the 1990s, out teenager and rock music-lover Billie is sent from Manilla to live with her aunt in a rural village. Sticking out like a sore thumb in her strict Catholic high school, Billie develops an intimate bond with Emma, an ambitious classmate who is hiding the fact that she’s pregnant from their peers. Together, Billie and Emma stand up against oppressive school officials and gossipy classmates, and discover there is so much more to live for aside from religious doctrine.
Holy Trinity
New York Premiere
Dir. Molly Hewitt, USA, 2019, 97 mins
Cast: Molly Hewitt, Theo Germain, Heather Lynn, Imp Queen
Holy Trinity is an absolute acid trip of kinky, drug-induced, gender-fluid adventures through an alternative universe’s Chicago. We follow Trinity, a queer dominatrix, who, after huffing a new brand of magic aerosol, can see dead people.
Last Ferry
New York Premiere
Dir. Jaki Bradley, USA, 2019, 86 mins
Cast: Ramon O. Torres, Myles Clohessy, Sheldon Best
When lonely lawyer Joseph ventures out to The Pines for the first time, he is drugged and mugged, and witnesses a murder on the beach. After he is found and taken in by a group of friends he quickly acclimates, but then begins to wonder, who can he trust? This taut thriller offers a delightfully gay spin on the classic thriller formula and features excellent cinematography from Alexa Wolf, who manages to capture the beauty and brightness of beaches and mimosa-drenched brunches, as well as the darkness that always seems to be lurking underneath this story’s surface.
Monsters
East Coast Premiere
Dir. Marius Olteanu, Romania, 2019, 116 mins Cast: Judith State, Cristian Popa
Presenting a clear snapshot of a contemporary Romanian couple through three distinct chapters, Marius Olteanu’s formal portrait of a marriage in quiet disarray is immersive in its naturalism and sneaky in its sense of humor. Subtly exploring the varied routes through which humans seek connection, whether through an extended all-night conversation with a cab driver or a secretive Grindr hookup, Monsters. is an observational film that refuses to judge its characters no matter how desperate they appear to be at times.
Music For Bleeding Hearts
World Premiere
Dir. Rafael Gomes, Brazil, 2019, 102 mins
Cast: Victor Mendes, Mayara Constantino, Caio Horowicz, Icaro Silva, Denise Fraga
In present day São Paulo, a trio of young hearts are about to break. Ricardo has both a steady boyfriend and a wandering eye for a new coworker. Isabella is taking a break from both her boyfriend and best friend Ricardo. And hopeless romantic Felipe has suddenly found himself caught between the two of them. These three have big dreams, yearning passion, and opinionated acquaintances, but they’re all unprepared for what’s to come from Cupid’s arrows.
Nevrland
New York Premiere
Dir. Gregor Schmidinger, Austria, 2019, Tbc mins Cast: Simon Frühwirth, Paul Forman, Josef Hader
Seeking escape from his drab life at home and at work in a slaughterhouse, Jakob retreats into online worlds in search of excitement. After making a connection with tight-torsoed Kristjan in a cam chatroom, Jakob ventures out to meet up in person, leading to a mind-bending journey to the center of the self that will irreparably alter both of their lives.
Second Star On The Right
New York Premiere
Dir. Ruth Caudeli, Colombia, 2019, 82 mins
Cast: Silvia Varón, Ximena Rodríguez, Alejandra Lara, Tatiana Rentería, Diana Wiswell, Andrés Jiménez, Lorena Castellanos, Justin Vahala, Gina Medina
In the blink of an eye, gregarious bisexual Emilia (Silvia Varón) has gone from being a core member of a tight-knit group of women to its biggest burden. As her thirties close in on her, Emilia flits from day job to passion project to romantic interest without wholly committing to any. As the group’s focus shifts from friendship to careers, partners, and kids, Emilia becomes yet another load its members must shoulder.
Seventeen
New York Premiere
Dir. Monja Art, Austria, 2019, 104 mins
Cast: Elisabeth Wabitsch, Magdalena Wabitsch
As summer looms in bucolic Austria, seventeen year-old Paula studies and silently pines for her boarding school classmate and close friend, Charlotte, who is biding time with an unremarkable boyfriend and exercising restraint in her shared feelings for Paula. Rather than dwelling, Paula attempts to date Tim, an eccentric but earnest classmate, in turn striking an imperfect balance between erotic connection and attraction that ultimately proves satisfying.
Siberia & Him
World Premiere
Dir. Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy, USA/Russia, 2019, 72 mins
Cast: Ilya Shubochkin, Anastasiya Voskresenskaya, Irina Novokreshennyh, Aleksandr Savin, Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy
Meek farmhand Sasha and policeman Dima have a fraught relationship. They’re brothers-in-law, travel companions, and—secretly—lovers. Over the course of their journey to visit Sasha’s grandmother, unspoken truths are uttered, intimacy is built, and authenticity is challenged. Although they may be far from the peering eyes of their oppressive society, their relationship teeters on a dangerous precipice.
Straight Up
New York Premiere
Dir. James Sweeney, USA, 2019, 95 mins
Cast: Katie Findlay, James Sweeney, Randall Park
Writer/director/producer James Sweeney stars in this witty comedy as Todd, an obsessive-compulsive and Gilmore Girls-loving twentysomething plagued by intense anxieties. Todd has never been comfortable with his queerness, or with most aspects of his life, and consistently struggles with insecurity. That is until he thinks he’s met his soulmate. The only problem? She’s a woman.
Tremblores (Tremors)
New York Premiere
Dir. Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France/Luxembourg, 2019, 107 mins Cast: Juan Pablo Olyslager, Mauricio Armas, Diane Bathen
In Guatemala, earthquakes (or tremors) can be a very common occurrence. Temblores explores what happens to an affluent religious family as a rumbling rift symbolically tears them apart after patriarch Pablo (a revelatory Juan Pablo Olyslager) reveals that he’s been sustaining a loving relationship with another man. What follows is a tale of passionate romance, immense inner conflict and devastating tragedy. Separated from his wife, his children and his life of Evangelical tradition, Pablo initially finds a sense of freedom. But how long can he sustain this new and exciting life when he’s fired from his job and his religious creed begins to take over again?
The Shiny Shrimps
New York Premiere
Dir. MaYESime Govare and Cédric Le Gallo, France, 2019, 103 mins Cast: Nicolas Gob, Alban Lenoir, Michaël Abiteboul, Geoffrey Couët
After an Olympic swimmer near the end of his career makes a homophobic comment on TV, he’s barred from any further events unless he agrees to coach the Shiny Shrimps, a flambouyant gay water-polo team. They might have the worst record in the amateur league, but they’re dead-set on qualifying for the most prestigious and challenging Lgbtq sporting event in Europe, the Gay Games.
Top 3 (And Other Animated Tales)
New York Premiere
Dir. Sofie Edvardsson, Sweden, 2019, 44 mins
Cast: Eric Ernerstedt, Jonas Jonsson, Caroline Johansson Kuhmunen
In this inventive and bittersweet animated rom-com, perpetual list-maker Anton falls in love with David and the two share a globetrotting young romance. But things start to go awry when Anton realizes that his dreams could be in direct opposition to his crush’s. Sofie Edvardsson’s charming and moving tale of miscommunication, idealization, and star-crossed love premiered at Frameline and won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at Outfest.
Zen In The Ice Rift
New York Premiere
Dir. Margherita Ferri, Italy, 2019, 90 mins
Cast: Eric Ernerstedt, Jonas Jonsson, Caroline Johansson Kuhmunen
Maia “Zen” Zenassi is a quick-tempered, nonconforming sixteen year-old living in a provincial Italian mountain village. A standout on the local boys hockey team, Zen uses the sport as a vital outlet for rage, an escape from emotional vulnerability, and a stage for gender performance. While being scouted for the national women’s team, Zen develops an improbable friendship with a male teammate’s reluctant girlfriend, causing an icy demeanor to melt away as Zen finally shares a closely-guarded desire to be a boy. Here, an open heart comes with mixed results.
Documentary Features
A Night At Switch ‘N’ Play
New York Premiere
Dir. Cody Stickels, USA, 2019, 72 mins
You are cordially invited to a night at Switch n’ Play! Meet the daring and dazzling Queer artists behind one of Brooklyn’s most popular and groundbreaking performance groups. Come along for the ride as they display their own unique blend Burlesque and drag, and navigate how gender identity, body image, and familial issues affect their performance personas and personal lives.
All We’Ve Got
World Premiere
Dir. Alexis Clements, USA, 2019, 67 mins
Since 2010, over 100 queer women’s spaces—from dive bars to bookstores and dance halls to health centers—have shuttered across the United States. As concern grows over this death and dearth of these essential social hubs, this documentary takes inventory of those that continue to thrive across the country, inciting a powerful conversation about the importance of community. Whether at Alibi’s Club in Oklahoma City or Wow Café Theatre in our own New York City, queer women are tirelessly making room for one another on barstools, stages, and activism’s front lines.
Burn Down The House (Screening with Fabulous)
Dir. Giselle Bailey and Nneka Onuorah, France, 2019, 44 mins
Giselle Bailey & Nneka Onuorah’s immersive documentary follows Kiddy Smile and several Parisian dancers as they prepare to perform in his next concert (and also features Fabulous’ Lasseindra Ninja). After DJing for Emmanuel Macron in a T-shirt that read “Fils d’immigrés, noir et pédé”, Smile was the subject of extraordinary praise and backlash. But he and his friends won’t let that faze them. As they discuss contemporary racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and the art that binds them, these rising stars make it clear that they won’t stop until everyone knows Paris is still burning.
Fabulous (Screening with Burn Down The House)
Dir. Audrey Jean-Baptiste, France, 2019, 46 mins
Audrey Jean-Baptiste’s triumphant Fabulous follows Lasseindra Ninja, a notable fixture of the ballroom scene in Paris, who travels from France to French Guiana in order to teach the art of voguing to Lgbtq young adults in her home country. A powerful and personal look at one woman’s return home, Fabulous gives the gift of empowerment and community to the next generation of queer dancers.
Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life
Dir. Tomer Heymann, Israel/Germany, 2019, 106 mins
Jonathan Agassi, one of the world’s most successful gay porn stars, splits his time between Israel, where both his parents live, and Berlin. The recipient of multiple international porn awards, Agassi built his fame on something considered taboo but enjoyed by millions worldwide. But as Agassi’s success starts to wane, he responds in increasingly self-destructive ways.
Leonard Soloway’S Broadway
New York Premiere
Dir. Jeff Wolk, USA, 2019, 84 mins
Leonard Soloway is a Broadway legend, and he’s got the Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, and unforgettable stories to prove it. Narrated by Campbell Scott, this documentary follows the octogenarian producer as he works tirelessly to bring Maurice Hines’ musical memoir Tappin Thru Life to New York City. Interwoven with footage from Soloway’s more than 70 years in show business, the film features hilarious anecdotes about Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, and Elaine Stritch, alongside candid interviews with friends and colleagues including John Slattery, Olympia Dukakis, Elizabeth Ashley, and Tovah Feldshuh. Leonard Soloway’S Broadway vividly paints the portrait of a great man of the theater, and pulls back the curtain on what it takes to get a show to the Great White Way.
Markie In Milwaukee
New York Premiere
Dir. Matt Kliegman, USA, 2019, 88 mins
Markie Wenzel, a transgender Tsa agent and former minister, struggles with being ostracized within her conservative community as she debates whether to de-transition. On the eve of her confirmation surgery, Markie professes that she heard the voice of God who convinced her not to go forward with it. In the aftermath of this decision, Markie reintegrates into her family and fundamentalist church, while reconciling the mutability of gender and the explicit and implicit transphobia of those she loves. Shot over ten years, director Matt Kliegman provides space for Markie to tell her own story while beautifully stitching together an endearing and often challenging portrait of gender fluidity, transphobia, and self-acceptance in the American Midwest.
Mr. Leather
New York Premiere
Dir. Daniel Nolasco, USA, 2019, 85 mins
Brazil’s leather community gets up close and personal in Daniel Nolasco’s playful documentary about the titular competition. Nolasco follows judges, past winners, and current contenders for the title of Mr. Leather Brazil, as they prepare for the annual contest, where one participant will win the honor of representing their country at Chicago’s annual International Mr. Leather contest. Combining vérité footage with stylized sequences, Mr. Leather keeps its audience on their toes through its illuminating, playful, and uncompromising depiction of this kinky subculture. Sex, activism, and community-building collide to make Mr. Leather a one-of-a-kind glimpse into São Paulo’s fetish scene.
One Taxi Ride
New York Premiere
Dir. Mak Ck, Mexico/Sinagpore, 2019, 84 mins
When Erick was seventeen-years-old, his life changed forever. Ten years after a traumatic taxi ride, he’s ready to reclaim his future and set out on a journey that will not only shift his path, but that of those closest to him. One Taxi Ride is a thoughtful and delicate look at how sexual violence impacts survivors, their relationships, and their futures. C.K. Mak’s documentary doesn’t turn Erick’s trauma into a source of spectacle, but, rather, a means of healing and honest introspection.
Our Dance Of Revolution
New York Premiere
Dir. Phillip Pike, Canada, 2019, 102 mins
Our Dance Of Revolution is an enriching documentary that celebrates the unsung heroes of Toronto’s black Lgbtq community. Tracing four decades of necessary rebellion while highlighting the crucial role of black women and black queer spaces, director Phillip Pike gives voice to the trailblazers who fought on the frontlines against violence and police brutality via fascinating archival footage and first person interviews.
Queen Of Lapa
New York Premiere
Dir. Theodore Collatos and Carolina Monnerat, Brazil, 2019, 73 mins
Against the backdrop of political corruption and flagrant transphobia in Brazil, the late, great Luana Muniz—cabaret performer, activist, and sex worker since age eleven—minced no words about the challenges in calling Lapa, Rio de Janeiro home. In her hostel, she provided a rare safe haven and a heavy dose of tough love for the next generation of trans sex workers.
Queer Japan
New York Premiere
Dir. Graham Kolbeins, USA/Japan, 2019, 100 mins
While queer and trans subject-matter remains somewhat taboo in parts of Japan, Graham Kolbeins assembled an extraordinary group of artists, activists, and community-leaders who are fighting to shift societal and political perspectives on the Lgbtq+ community. Featuring the country’s first transgender elected-official Aya Kamikawa, erotic manga illustrator Gengoroh Tagame, lesbian bar-owner Chiga Ogawa, and many more, Kolbeins’ film demonstrates the wide range of experiences, identities, and obstacles among Japan’s queer and trans pioneers.
The Archivettes
New York Premiere
Dir. Megan Rossman, USA/Australia, 2019, 61 mins
Led by local heroes Deb Edel and Joan Nestle in the 1970s, a group of young lesbians frustrated by misogyny and homophobia within academia huddled together and built an accessible archive of lesbian documents and artifacts for those conducting research, both professional and personal. The location: a bedroom in a modest apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Unsettled: Seeking Refuge In America
New York Premiere
Dir. Tom Shepard, USA, 2019, 84 mins
Tom Shepard’s new documentary follows four asylum-seekers from Syria, Angola, and The Democratic Republic of Congo as they try to start fresh in the United States. Subhi, Junior, Mari, and Cheynne have come a long way from home, but their journies are just beginning. Even before Donald Trump’s election, the asylum process has been notoriously labyrinthine for many refugees. Nonetheless, these four extraordinary individuals have persisted tenaciously.
Your Turn
New York Premiere
Dir. Eliza Capai, Brazil, 2019, 93 mins
Lucas “Koka” Penteado, Marcela Jesus, and Nayara Souza were three ordinary high school students whose lives suddenly changed when the state of São Paulo announced plans to close ninety-four public schools. In response to corruption and inefficiency in their government, these teens started to organize. Beginning with protests in which local students occupied their schools for weeks on end, the student labor movement reached extraordinary heights in 2015 and 2016, bringing awareness to numerous injustices in Brazil and remedying widespread problems for the country’s poorest residents. That was until 2018, when Jair Bolsonaro was elected with 55% of the popular vote. As the tides shift against activists and social justice movements, Koka, Marcela, and Nayara are faced with a jarring reality.
Episodic
A Luv Tale: The Series
New York Premiere
Dir. Kay Oyegun, USA, 2019, 75 mins
Cast: Vanessa Williams, Leon, Rotim, Sheria Irving, Amber Whittington
Based on the 1999 award-winning film, writer and creator Sidra Smith brings us back to Harlem: a section of New York City vibrant with brilliant, Black artists in A Luv Tale: The Series. When we meet Taylor, she has a magical one stand with an older woman named Candice. The next night at Taylor’s gallery opening, she meets Candice again. Only this time, Candice is with her husband. (This is when things start to really get crazy.) Taylor then discovers that Candice is not only married to a man, but that she’s also Taylor’s best friend Jake’s Mother. At the same time, Taylor’s roommate Akila navigates her own love life, and her work as a musician, all while still having to defend herself and her sexuality against her Mother who is a famous singer.
These Thems: Season 1 (Episodes 1-7)
New York Premiere
Dir. Jett Garrison, USA, 2019, 82 mins
Cast: Gretchen Wylder, Victoria Ortiz, Shaan Dasani, Nick Park
After realizing she may be a lesbian, Gretchen (Gretchen Wylder) befriends non-binary dog-walker Vero (Victoria Ortiz), who decides to stop training dogs and start training cishets. Vero takes Gretchen under their wing and introduces her to the queer world of New York City as she navigates what it’s like to be newly out at the age of 30.
Work In Progress: Episode 101 & Season Sneak Preview
Dir. Tim Mason, USA, 2019
Cast: Abby McEnany, Karin Anglin, Celeste Pechous, Julia Sweeney
Work In Progress, a new half-hour comedy series created by Chicago improv mainstays Abby McEnany and Tim Mason, and co-written by Lilly Wachowski is a funny and uniquely human comedy, Work In Progress features McEnany as a 45-year-old self-identified fat, queer dyke from Chicago whose misfortune and despair unexpectedly lead her to a vibrantly transformative relationship. Chicago-based performer Karin Anglin co-stars alongside Celeste Pechous, with Julia Sweeney (Saturday Night Live) appearing in a crucial role as herself and serving as executive producer. Theo Germaine (The Politician) will also appear as a guest star.
Hallokween
HalloKween Centerpiece
Scream Queen: My Nightmare On Elm Street
New York Premiere
Dir. Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen, USA, 2019, 100 mins Cast: Mark Patton, Robert Englund, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler
Following a successful stint on Broadway alongside stars such as Cher, Karen Black, and Sandy Dennis, closeted actor Mark Patton launched his film career with a prominent role in A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’S Revenge in 1985. What initially seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime soon became a horror story worthy of its own midnight movie. Appreciated fondly by razor-gloved connoisseurs the world over, Freddy’S Revenge’s intricately crafted gay subtext decimated its lead’s job prospects in a single swipe. In Scream Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street, Patton finally strikes back.
Bit
New York Premiere
Dir. Brad Michael Elmore, USA, 2019, 90 mins
Cast: Diana Hopper, Nicole Maines, James Paxton, Jimmy Jagger, Julia Voth, Mc Gainey
Think Los Angeles is soulless? Try surviving the city’s underground feminist vampire scene. In this comedic-horror flick with a flair for the postmodern, Laurel (Supergirl’s Nicole Maines) leaves the suburbs hoping to catch a breather and a couple of good rock shows while crashing with her with her brother Mark (James Paxton) in the City of Angels. Instead, she quickly finds herself swept up in a faction of vampires with hazy motives. Led by a centuries-old, discerning sanguine by the name of Duke (Diana Hopper), entry into this clique might be more than Laurel bargained for. As the age-old queer girl adage goes, she must find out whether they want to befriend her, date her, or turn her—before it’s too late.
Brief Story From The Green Planet
New York Premiere
Dir. SantIago Loza, Argentina/Germany/Brazil/Spain, 2019, 75 mins
Cast: Romina Escobar, Paula Grinszpan, Luis Soda, Elvira Onetto, Pablo Cura, Anabella Bacigalupo, Leo Kildare Louback
In the eerie early moments of this mesmerizing Teddy Award winner, Tania–a transgender club performer–finds out that her grandmother has died. When she brings her two friends (the depressed Daniela and the dancey Pedro) to visit her late relative’s home, they discover that Tania’s grandmother spent her last years with a very special pal of her own: a small blue alien. Now Tania, Daniela, and Pedro must journey through rural Argentina to bring the alien back home before time runs out for the creature.
Special Events
Crystal City
New York Premiere
Dir. Terrence Crawford, USA, 2019, 89 mins Cast: David Fawcett, PhD
Filmmaker Terrence Crawford delivers a respectful and intimate look into the lives of gay men dealing with the re-emerging crisis of crystal meth addiction in New York City. Crawford expertly traces the history of the drug while making connections to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and mental health in the Lgbtq community. Through first hand experiences we learn about how these men became addicts and about their road to recovery via essential and life changing queer support groups. Simultaneously revealing, compassionate, and deeply informative, this essential documentary humanizes a stigmatized subject matter, ensuring awareness across our community rather than shame and isolation.
Queer Genius
New York Premiere
Dir. Chet Catherine Pancake, USA, 2019, 114 mins
Cast: Barbara Hammer, Eileen Myles, Black Quantum Futurism, Moor Mother, Jibz Cameron Aka Dynasty Handbag
Effortlessly multigenerational, interdisciplinary, and diverse in scope, Queer Genius peers into the lives of five virtuosos who have challenged artistic formalism, gender roles, and heterosexism without apology in both their private lives and creative practices. Composed of rare and in-depth portraits of late experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer, the art collective Black Quantum Futurism, East Village poet Eileen Myles, and performance artist Jibz Cameron, this documentary charts the robust family tree of the lesbian and queer avant-garde across six decades. It’s a lineage that shows no sign of growing dormant.
Queering The Script
New York Premiere
Dir. Gabrielle Zilkha, USA/Canada, 2019, 93 mins
Cast: Angelica Ross, Dominique Provost-Chalkley, Gloria Calderon Kellett & Mike Royce, Ilene Chaiken, Lucy Lawless, Tanya Saracho
Fangirls have long been overlooked and disregarded, but Gabrielle Zilkha’s documentary beautifully honors the queer women who have consistently supported some of television’s most popularly coded shows, such as Xena: The Warrior Princess and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Queering The Script looks at queer representation over past decades—charting its course from mild subtext to fully realized queer characters—and its impact on the women who were watching.
Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies
New York Premiere
Dir. Vishnu Dass, USA, 2019, 81 mins
Academy Award-winner Anjelica Huston narrates this exploration of the spectacularly dreamlike world of Salvador Dalí protégé Steven Arnold and his strikingly creative body of work. Arnold’s photography, filmography, paintings, and illustrations are filled with occult rituals, Hollywood camp, and surrealist whimsy. Taken from more than 70 hours of original and archival footage,
director Vishnu Dass digs deeply into the inspiring life of this unheralded multimedia artist and countercultural icon.
As Deadline revealed exclusively last week, the festival will feature Mike Doyle’s Manhattan-set ensemble rom-com Sell By as their opening night film. The film stars Scott Evans (Grace and Frankie), Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy), Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award-winner Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Buteau (Tales of the City) and Augustus Prew (High-Rise). The fest will feature Martha Stephen’s To The Stars as the U.S. Centerpiece Gala and close with Rodrigo Bellott’s award-winning Tu Me Manques.
NewFest will also feature the world premiere of Alexis Clements’ documentary All We’ve Got which looks into what it takes in America for queer, spaces for women to survive and why/how they are disappearing. In addition, Megan Wennberg’s Drag Kids, which follows the lives of four young drag performers from around North America, will make its U.S. premiere and the fest will have a spotlight screening of Martin Krejcí’sThe True Adventures of Wolfboy, a modern-day fairytale starring Jaeden Martell, John Turturro. and Chloë Sevigny.
NewFest will also serve up some scares with thier queer-centric “HalloKween” program with the transgender vampire film Bit with Nicole Maines, the documentary Scream Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street about the controversial sequel of the Wes Craven classic that ended Mark Patton’s acting career, and the Spanish alien rescue mission film Brief Story From the Green Planet which won the coveted Teddy Award at this year’s Berlinale Film Festival.
The full program of 27 narrative features, 14 documentary features, 15 episodic series, 8 centerpiece and spotlight screenings, and 100 shorts from all over the world. 71% of content is by and about underrepresented voices.
The complete lineup of full-length features can be read below. Read the lineup of shorts here.
Opening Night Gala
Sell By
New York Premiere
Dir. Mike Doyle, USA, 2019, 94 mins
Cast: Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Kate Walsh, Michelle Buteau, Zoe Chao, Patricia Clarkson, Christopher Gray, Colin Donnell, John Doman
Having been together for five years, Adam and rising social media celeb Marklin are faced with confronting their commitment to each other, while both Cammy and Haley (Zoe Chao) face their own challenges with companionship. Rounding out the lively and talented cast under Doyle’s assured direction is Kate Walsh (Grey’S Anatomy) and Academy Award-nominee Patricia Clarkson (High Art). Imbued with a can-do charm so becoming of our great metropolis, Sell By captures both how we let ourselves go, as well as how we grow closer to those we love.
Closing Night Gala
Tu Me Manques
New York Premiere
Dir. Rodrigo Bellott, USA/Bolivia, 2019, 110 mins
Cast: Oscar Martinez, Rossy de Palma, Fernando Barbosa
After his son Gabriel passes away, conservative Bolivian patriarch Jorge (Oscar Martínez) accidentally Skypes Gabriel’s ex-boyfriend Sebastian (Fernando Barbosa), leading him on a journey from Bolivia to New York City in search for the truth about his child. Based on writer/director Rodrigo Bellott’s own electrifying and influential play, Tu Me Manques is an inspiring story that celebrates community, love, and storytelling, and excavates both familial and international homophobia with tremendous tact and care.
International Centerpiece
And Then We Danced
New York Premiere
Dir. Levan Akin, Sweden/France, 2019, 113 mins
Cast: Levan Gelbakhiani, Bachi Valishvili, Ana Javakishvili
Sweden’s official selection for Best International Feature Film at the 2019 Academy Awards, And Then We Danced offers a riveting and visceral lead performance from newcomer Gelbakhiani, while featuring dynamic cinematography and a cathartic dance sequence that will leave you breathless.
U.S. Centerpiece
To The Stars
New York Premiere
Dir. Martha Stephens, USA, 2019, 111 mins
Cast: Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Malin Akerman, Shea Whigham, Tony Hale, Lucas Zumann, Adelaide Clemens
Set in the conservative, bobby-socked setting of a 1960s Oklahoma high school, mysterious cosmopolitan new girl Maggie (Liana Liberato)—a coveted recruit among the popular girls—takes an unexpected shining to Iris, a withdrawn pariah. As the two teens grow closer, we learn the curious circumstances behind Maggie’s sudden arrival in the small Dust Bowl town.
New York Centerpiece
Cubby
New York Premiere
Dir. Mark Blane, USA, 2019, 83 mins
Cast: Mark Blane, Joseph Seuffert, Patricia Richardson, Zachary Booth, Christian Patrick
Written and co-directed by breakout star Mark Blane and shot in crisp 16mm, this quirky dark comedy tells the semi-autobiographical story of an anxious midwestern twenty-something who moves to New York City in hopes of becoming an artist. We follow Mark as he navigates his new life in this overwhelming city and chemically imbalanced flights of fancy, all while fostering a friendship with Milo, a precocious 6-year-old he begins to babysit in brownstone-filled Brooklyn.
Documentary Centerpiece
Drag Kids
Us Premiere
Dir. Megan Wennberg, Canada, 2019, 78 mins
This documentary follows the four young stars as they prepare for the biggest performance of their lives at Montreal Pride, demonstrating the importance of artistic expression, community-building, and non-judgmental support for people of all ages. A surprisingly moving film about gender, art, and affirming parenting, Drag Kids will have you cheering through tears by its end. This oft misunderstood segment of the drag community deserves more accurate representation in media, and Megan Wennberg’s film is only the beginning.
Narrative Features
15 Years
New York Premiere
Dir. Yuval Hadadi, Israel, 2019, 89 mins Cast: Oded Leopold, Udi Persi, Ruth Asarsai
When his best friend becomes pregnant and his longtime boyfriend starts talking about adopting, the often-unfazed Yoav begins to unravel. Small arguments fester to extreme degrees in Yuval Hadadi’s stunning portrait of a relationship in crisis. Shot against the backdrop of contemporary Tel Aviv, Hadadi explores ingrained pressures on the Israeli Lgbt community in his confident feature directorial debut.
A Dog Barking At The Moon
New York Premiere
Dir. Lisa Zi Xiang, China/Spain, 2019, 107 mins
Cast: Naren Hua, Nan Ji, Wu Reyuan, Thomas Fiquet
While visiting her broken family with her American husband, pregnant writer Huang Xiaoyu finds herself trapped between her cult-brainwashed mother and her secretly homosexual father. An epic Chinese family saga that unfolds over–and weaves together–multiple periods of time, Lisa Zi Xiang’s directorial debut is a masterful tale of secrets, infidelity, and the enormous weight of societal norms.
Benjamin
New York Premiere
Dir. Simon Amstell, UK, 2019, 85 mins
Cast: Gabe Gilmour, Jack Rowan, Colin Morgan, Anna Chancellor, Robin Peters, Arnab Chanda, Jessica Raine, James Bloor, Joel Fry, PhéniYES Brossard, Jessie Cave
Benjamin is an anxious, awkward filmmaker who feels stuck ahead of the premiere of his second feature. His lack of confidence in the film is eating him away, and, though love fuels his writing material, he’s overwhelmed by his self-proclaimed inability to love. When a beautiful young French musician named Noah comes into Benjamin’s life, he begins to let go of his past love traumas and see the light. It’s not long, however, before Benjamin’s insecurities come knocking and threaten to throw his life and relationship into disarray.
Billie & Emma
New York Premiere
Dir. Samantha Lee, Philippines, 2019,107 mins
Cast: Gabby Padilla, Zar Donato, Beauty Gonzales, Chelo Aquino
In the Philippines during the 1990s, out teenager and rock music-lover Billie is sent from Manilla to live with her aunt in a rural village. Sticking out like a sore thumb in her strict Catholic high school, Billie develops an intimate bond with Emma, an ambitious classmate who is hiding the fact that she’s pregnant from their peers. Together, Billie and Emma stand up against oppressive school officials and gossipy classmates, and discover there is so much more to live for aside from religious doctrine.
Holy Trinity
New York Premiere
Dir. Molly Hewitt, USA, 2019, 97 mins
Cast: Molly Hewitt, Theo Germain, Heather Lynn, Imp Queen
Holy Trinity is an absolute acid trip of kinky, drug-induced, gender-fluid adventures through an alternative universe’s Chicago. We follow Trinity, a queer dominatrix, who, after huffing a new brand of magic aerosol, can see dead people.
Last Ferry
New York Premiere
Dir. Jaki Bradley, USA, 2019, 86 mins
Cast: Ramon O. Torres, Myles Clohessy, Sheldon Best
When lonely lawyer Joseph ventures out to The Pines for the first time, he is drugged and mugged, and witnesses a murder on the beach. After he is found and taken in by a group of friends he quickly acclimates, but then begins to wonder, who can he trust? This taut thriller offers a delightfully gay spin on the classic thriller formula and features excellent cinematography from Alexa Wolf, who manages to capture the beauty and brightness of beaches and mimosa-drenched brunches, as well as the darkness that always seems to be lurking underneath this story’s surface.
Monsters
East Coast Premiere
Dir. Marius Olteanu, Romania, 2019, 116 mins Cast: Judith State, Cristian Popa
Presenting a clear snapshot of a contemporary Romanian couple through three distinct chapters, Marius Olteanu’s formal portrait of a marriage in quiet disarray is immersive in its naturalism and sneaky in its sense of humor. Subtly exploring the varied routes through which humans seek connection, whether through an extended all-night conversation with a cab driver or a secretive Grindr hookup, Monsters. is an observational film that refuses to judge its characters no matter how desperate they appear to be at times.
Music For Bleeding Hearts
World Premiere
Dir. Rafael Gomes, Brazil, 2019, 102 mins
Cast: Victor Mendes, Mayara Constantino, Caio Horowicz, Icaro Silva, Denise Fraga
In present day São Paulo, a trio of young hearts are about to break. Ricardo has both a steady boyfriend and a wandering eye for a new coworker. Isabella is taking a break from both her boyfriend and best friend Ricardo. And hopeless romantic Felipe has suddenly found himself caught between the two of them. These three have big dreams, yearning passion, and opinionated acquaintances, but they’re all unprepared for what’s to come from Cupid’s arrows.
Nevrland
New York Premiere
Dir. Gregor Schmidinger, Austria, 2019, Tbc mins Cast: Simon Frühwirth, Paul Forman, Josef Hader
Seeking escape from his drab life at home and at work in a slaughterhouse, Jakob retreats into online worlds in search of excitement. After making a connection with tight-torsoed Kristjan in a cam chatroom, Jakob ventures out to meet up in person, leading to a mind-bending journey to the center of the self that will irreparably alter both of their lives.
Second Star On The Right
New York Premiere
Dir. Ruth Caudeli, Colombia, 2019, 82 mins
Cast: Silvia Varón, Ximena Rodríguez, Alejandra Lara, Tatiana Rentería, Diana Wiswell, Andrés Jiménez, Lorena Castellanos, Justin Vahala, Gina Medina
In the blink of an eye, gregarious bisexual Emilia (Silvia Varón) has gone from being a core member of a tight-knit group of women to its biggest burden. As her thirties close in on her, Emilia flits from day job to passion project to romantic interest without wholly committing to any. As the group’s focus shifts from friendship to careers, partners, and kids, Emilia becomes yet another load its members must shoulder.
Seventeen
New York Premiere
Dir. Monja Art, Austria, 2019, 104 mins
Cast: Elisabeth Wabitsch, Magdalena Wabitsch
As summer looms in bucolic Austria, seventeen year-old Paula studies and silently pines for her boarding school classmate and close friend, Charlotte, who is biding time with an unremarkable boyfriend and exercising restraint in her shared feelings for Paula. Rather than dwelling, Paula attempts to date Tim, an eccentric but earnest classmate, in turn striking an imperfect balance between erotic connection and attraction that ultimately proves satisfying.
Siberia & Him
World Premiere
Dir. Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy, USA/Russia, 2019, 72 mins
Cast: Ilya Shubochkin, Anastasiya Voskresenskaya, Irina Novokreshennyh, Aleksandr Savin, Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy
Meek farmhand Sasha and policeman Dima have a fraught relationship. They’re brothers-in-law, travel companions, and—secretly—lovers. Over the course of their journey to visit Sasha’s grandmother, unspoken truths are uttered, intimacy is built, and authenticity is challenged. Although they may be far from the peering eyes of their oppressive society, their relationship teeters on a dangerous precipice.
Straight Up
New York Premiere
Dir. James Sweeney, USA, 2019, 95 mins
Cast: Katie Findlay, James Sweeney, Randall Park
Writer/director/producer James Sweeney stars in this witty comedy as Todd, an obsessive-compulsive and Gilmore Girls-loving twentysomething plagued by intense anxieties. Todd has never been comfortable with his queerness, or with most aspects of his life, and consistently struggles with insecurity. That is until he thinks he’s met his soulmate. The only problem? She’s a woman.
Tremblores (Tremors)
New York Premiere
Dir. Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France/Luxembourg, 2019, 107 mins Cast: Juan Pablo Olyslager, Mauricio Armas, Diane Bathen
In Guatemala, earthquakes (or tremors) can be a very common occurrence. Temblores explores what happens to an affluent religious family as a rumbling rift symbolically tears them apart after patriarch Pablo (a revelatory Juan Pablo Olyslager) reveals that he’s been sustaining a loving relationship with another man. What follows is a tale of passionate romance, immense inner conflict and devastating tragedy. Separated from his wife, his children and his life of Evangelical tradition, Pablo initially finds a sense of freedom. But how long can he sustain this new and exciting life when he’s fired from his job and his religious creed begins to take over again?
The Shiny Shrimps
New York Premiere
Dir. MaYESime Govare and Cédric Le Gallo, France, 2019, 103 mins Cast: Nicolas Gob, Alban Lenoir, Michaël Abiteboul, Geoffrey Couët
After an Olympic swimmer near the end of his career makes a homophobic comment on TV, he’s barred from any further events unless he agrees to coach the Shiny Shrimps, a flambouyant gay water-polo team. They might have the worst record in the amateur league, but they’re dead-set on qualifying for the most prestigious and challenging Lgbtq sporting event in Europe, the Gay Games.
Top 3 (And Other Animated Tales)
New York Premiere
Dir. Sofie Edvardsson, Sweden, 2019, 44 mins
Cast: Eric Ernerstedt, Jonas Jonsson, Caroline Johansson Kuhmunen
In this inventive and bittersweet animated rom-com, perpetual list-maker Anton falls in love with David and the two share a globetrotting young romance. But things start to go awry when Anton realizes that his dreams could be in direct opposition to his crush’s. Sofie Edvardsson’s charming and moving tale of miscommunication, idealization, and star-crossed love premiered at Frameline and won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at Outfest.
Zen In The Ice Rift
New York Premiere
Dir. Margherita Ferri, Italy, 2019, 90 mins
Cast: Eric Ernerstedt, Jonas Jonsson, Caroline Johansson Kuhmunen
Maia “Zen” Zenassi is a quick-tempered, nonconforming sixteen year-old living in a provincial Italian mountain village. A standout on the local boys hockey team, Zen uses the sport as a vital outlet for rage, an escape from emotional vulnerability, and a stage for gender performance. While being scouted for the national women’s team, Zen develops an improbable friendship with a male teammate’s reluctant girlfriend, causing an icy demeanor to melt away as Zen finally shares a closely-guarded desire to be a boy. Here, an open heart comes with mixed results.
Documentary Features
A Night At Switch ‘N’ Play
New York Premiere
Dir. Cody Stickels, USA, 2019, 72 mins
You are cordially invited to a night at Switch n’ Play! Meet the daring and dazzling Queer artists behind one of Brooklyn’s most popular and groundbreaking performance groups. Come along for the ride as they display their own unique blend Burlesque and drag, and navigate how gender identity, body image, and familial issues affect their performance personas and personal lives.
All We’Ve Got
World Premiere
Dir. Alexis Clements, USA, 2019, 67 mins
Since 2010, over 100 queer women’s spaces—from dive bars to bookstores and dance halls to health centers—have shuttered across the United States. As concern grows over this death and dearth of these essential social hubs, this documentary takes inventory of those that continue to thrive across the country, inciting a powerful conversation about the importance of community. Whether at Alibi’s Club in Oklahoma City or Wow Café Theatre in our own New York City, queer women are tirelessly making room for one another on barstools, stages, and activism’s front lines.
Burn Down The House (Screening with Fabulous)
Dir. Giselle Bailey and Nneka Onuorah, France, 2019, 44 mins
Giselle Bailey & Nneka Onuorah’s immersive documentary follows Kiddy Smile and several Parisian dancers as they prepare to perform in his next concert (and also features Fabulous’ Lasseindra Ninja). After DJing for Emmanuel Macron in a T-shirt that read “Fils d’immigrés, noir et pédé”, Smile was the subject of extraordinary praise and backlash. But he and his friends won’t let that faze them. As they discuss contemporary racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and the art that binds them, these rising stars make it clear that they won’t stop until everyone knows Paris is still burning.
Fabulous (Screening with Burn Down The House)
Dir. Audrey Jean-Baptiste, France, 2019, 46 mins
Audrey Jean-Baptiste’s triumphant Fabulous follows Lasseindra Ninja, a notable fixture of the ballroom scene in Paris, who travels from France to French Guiana in order to teach the art of voguing to Lgbtq young adults in her home country. A powerful and personal look at one woman’s return home, Fabulous gives the gift of empowerment and community to the next generation of queer dancers.
Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life
Dir. Tomer Heymann, Israel/Germany, 2019, 106 mins
Jonathan Agassi, one of the world’s most successful gay porn stars, splits his time between Israel, where both his parents live, and Berlin. The recipient of multiple international porn awards, Agassi built his fame on something considered taboo but enjoyed by millions worldwide. But as Agassi’s success starts to wane, he responds in increasingly self-destructive ways.
Leonard Soloway’S Broadway
New York Premiere
Dir. Jeff Wolk, USA, 2019, 84 mins
Leonard Soloway is a Broadway legend, and he’s got the Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, and unforgettable stories to prove it. Narrated by Campbell Scott, this documentary follows the octogenarian producer as he works tirelessly to bring Maurice Hines’ musical memoir Tappin Thru Life to New York City. Interwoven with footage from Soloway’s more than 70 years in show business, the film features hilarious anecdotes about Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, and Elaine Stritch, alongside candid interviews with friends and colleagues including John Slattery, Olympia Dukakis, Elizabeth Ashley, and Tovah Feldshuh. Leonard Soloway’S Broadway vividly paints the portrait of a great man of the theater, and pulls back the curtain on what it takes to get a show to the Great White Way.
Markie In Milwaukee
New York Premiere
Dir. Matt Kliegman, USA, 2019, 88 mins
Markie Wenzel, a transgender Tsa agent and former minister, struggles with being ostracized within her conservative community as she debates whether to de-transition. On the eve of her confirmation surgery, Markie professes that she heard the voice of God who convinced her not to go forward with it. In the aftermath of this decision, Markie reintegrates into her family and fundamentalist church, while reconciling the mutability of gender and the explicit and implicit transphobia of those she loves. Shot over ten years, director Matt Kliegman provides space for Markie to tell her own story while beautifully stitching together an endearing and often challenging portrait of gender fluidity, transphobia, and self-acceptance in the American Midwest.
Mr. Leather
New York Premiere
Dir. Daniel Nolasco, USA, 2019, 85 mins
Brazil’s leather community gets up close and personal in Daniel Nolasco’s playful documentary about the titular competition. Nolasco follows judges, past winners, and current contenders for the title of Mr. Leather Brazil, as they prepare for the annual contest, where one participant will win the honor of representing their country at Chicago’s annual International Mr. Leather contest. Combining vérité footage with stylized sequences, Mr. Leather keeps its audience on their toes through its illuminating, playful, and uncompromising depiction of this kinky subculture. Sex, activism, and community-building collide to make Mr. Leather a one-of-a-kind glimpse into São Paulo’s fetish scene.
One Taxi Ride
New York Premiere
Dir. Mak Ck, Mexico/Sinagpore, 2019, 84 mins
When Erick was seventeen-years-old, his life changed forever. Ten years after a traumatic taxi ride, he’s ready to reclaim his future and set out on a journey that will not only shift his path, but that of those closest to him. One Taxi Ride is a thoughtful and delicate look at how sexual violence impacts survivors, their relationships, and their futures. C.K. Mak’s documentary doesn’t turn Erick’s trauma into a source of spectacle, but, rather, a means of healing and honest introspection.
Our Dance Of Revolution
New York Premiere
Dir. Phillip Pike, Canada, 2019, 102 mins
Our Dance Of Revolution is an enriching documentary that celebrates the unsung heroes of Toronto’s black Lgbtq community. Tracing four decades of necessary rebellion while highlighting the crucial role of black women and black queer spaces, director Phillip Pike gives voice to the trailblazers who fought on the frontlines against violence and police brutality via fascinating archival footage and first person interviews.
Queen Of Lapa
New York Premiere
Dir. Theodore Collatos and Carolina Monnerat, Brazil, 2019, 73 mins
Against the backdrop of political corruption and flagrant transphobia in Brazil, the late, great Luana Muniz—cabaret performer, activist, and sex worker since age eleven—minced no words about the challenges in calling Lapa, Rio de Janeiro home. In her hostel, she provided a rare safe haven and a heavy dose of tough love for the next generation of trans sex workers.
Queer Japan
New York Premiere
Dir. Graham Kolbeins, USA/Japan, 2019, 100 mins
While queer and trans subject-matter remains somewhat taboo in parts of Japan, Graham Kolbeins assembled an extraordinary group of artists, activists, and community-leaders who are fighting to shift societal and political perspectives on the Lgbtq+ community. Featuring the country’s first transgender elected-official Aya Kamikawa, erotic manga illustrator Gengoroh Tagame, lesbian bar-owner Chiga Ogawa, and many more, Kolbeins’ film demonstrates the wide range of experiences, identities, and obstacles among Japan’s queer and trans pioneers.
The Archivettes
New York Premiere
Dir. Megan Rossman, USA/Australia, 2019, 61 mins
Led by local heroes Deb Edel and Joan Nestle in the 1970s, a group of young lesbians frustrated by misogyny and homophobia within academia huddled together and built an accessible archive of lesbian documents and artifacts for those conducting research, both professional and personal. The location: a bedroom in a modest apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Unsettled: Seeking Refuge In America
New York Premiere
Dir. Tom Shepard, USA, 2019, 84 mins
Tom Shepard’s new documentary follows four asylum-seekers from Syria, Angola, and The Democratic Republic of Congo as they try to start fresh in the United States. Subhi, Junior, Mari, and Cheynne have come a long way from home, but their journies are just beginning. Even before Donald Trump’s election, the asylum process has been notoriously labyrinthine for many refugees. Nonetheless, these four extraordinary individuals have persisted tenaciously.
Your Turn
New York Premiere
Dir. Eliza Capai, Brazil, 2019, 93 mins
Lucas “Koka” Penteado, Marcela Jesus, and Nayara Souza were three ordinary high school students whose lives suddenly changed when the state of São Paulo announced plans to close ninety-four public schools. In response to corruption and inefficiency in their government, these teens started to organize. Beginning with protests in which local students occupied their schools for weeks on end, the student labor movement reached extraordinary heights in 2015 and 2016, bringing awareness to numerous injustices in Brazil and remedying widespread problems for the country’s poorest residents. That was until 2018, when Jair Bolsonaro was elected with 55% of the popular vote. As the tides shift against activists and social justice movements, Koka, Marcela, and Nayara are faced with a jarring reality.
Episodic
A Luv Tale: The Series
New York Premiere
Dir. Kay Oyegun, USA, 2019, 75 mins
Cast: Vanessa Williams, Leon, Rotim, Sheria Irving, Amber Whittington
Based on the 1999 award-winning film, writer and creator Sidra Smith brings us back to Harlem: a section of New York City vibrant with brilliant, Black artists in A Luv Tale: The Series. When we meet Taylor, she has a magical one stand with an older woman named Candice. The next night at Taylor’s gallery opening, she meets Candice again. Only this time, Candice is with her husband. (This is when things start to really get crazy.) Taylor then discovers that Candice is not only married to a man, but that she’s also Taylor’s best friend Jake’s Mother. At the same time, Taylor’s roommate Akila navigates her own love life, and her work as a musician, all while still having to defend herself and her sexuality against her Mother who is a famous singer.
These Thems: Season 1 (Episodes 1-7)
New York Premiere
Dir. Jett Garrison, USA, 2019, 82 mins
Cast: Gretchen Wylder, Victoria Ortiz, Shaan Dasani, Nick Park
After realizing she may be a lesbian, Gretchen (Gretchen Wylder) befriends non-binary dog-walker Vero (Victoria Ortiz), who decides to stop training dogs and start training cishets. Vero takes Gretchen under their wing and introduces her to the queer world of New York City as she navigates what it’s like to be newly out at the age of 30.
Work In Progress: Episode 101 & Season Sneak Preview
Dir. Tim Mason, USA, 2019
Cast: Abby McEnany, Karin Anglin, Celeste Pechous, Julia Sweeney
Work In Progress, a new half-hour comedy series created by Chicago improv mainstays Abby McEnany and Tim Mason, and co-written by Lilly Wachowski is a funny and uniquely human comedy, Work In Progress features McEnany as a 45-year-old self-identified fat, queer dyke from Chicago whose misfortune and despair unexpectedly lead her to a vibrantly transformative relationship. Chicago-based performer Karin Anglin co-stars alongside Celeste Pechous, with Julia Sweeney (Saturday Night Live) appearing in a crucial role as herself and serving as executive producer. Theo Germaine (The Politician) will also appear as a guest star.
Hallokween
HalloKween Centerpiece
Scream Queen: My Nightmare On Elm Street
New York Premiere
Dir. Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen, USA, 2019, 100 mins Cast: Mark Patton, Robert Englund, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler
Following a successful stint on Broadway alongside stars such as Cher, Karen Black, and Sandy Dennis, closeted actor Mark Patton launched his film career with a prominent role in A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’S Revenge in 1985. What initially seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime soon became a horror story worthy of its own midnight movie. Appreciated fondly by razor-gloved connoisseurs the world over, Freddy’S Revenge’s intricately crafted gay subtext decimated its lead’s job prospects in a single swipe. In Scream Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street, Patton finally strikes back.
Bit
New York Premiere
Dir. Brad Michael Elmore, USA, 2019, 90 mins
Cast: Diana Hopper, Nicole Maines, James Paxton, Jimmy Jagger, Julia Voth, Mc Gainey
Think Los Angeles is soulless? Try surviving the city’s underground feminist vampire scene. In this comedic-horror flick with a flair for the postmodern, Laurel (Supergirl’s Nicole Maines) leaves the suburbs hoping to catch a breather and a couple of good rock shows while crashing with her with her brother Mark (James Paxton) in the City of Angels. Instead, she quickly finds herself swept up in a faction of vampires with hazy motives. Led by a centuries-old, discerning sanguine by the name of Duke (Diana Hopper), entry into this clique might be more than Laurel bargained for. As the age-old queer girl adage goes, she must find out whether they want to befriend her, date her, or turn her—before it’s too late.
Brief Story From The Green Planet
New York Premiere
Dir. SantIago Loza, Argentina/Germany/Brazil/Spain, 2019, 75 mins
Cast: Romina Escobar, Paula Grinszpan, Luis Soda, Elvira Onetto, Pablo Cura, Anabella Bacigalupo, Leo Kildare Louback
In the eerie early moments of this mesmerizing Teddy Award winner, Tania–a transgender club performer–finds out that her grandmother has died. When she brings her two friends (the depressed Daniela and the dancey Pedro) to visit her late relative’s home, they discover that Tania’s grandmother spent her last years with a very special pal of her own: a small blue alien. Now Tania, Daniela, and Pedro must journey through rural Argentina to bring the alien back home before time runs out for the creature.
Special Events
Crystal City
New York Premiere
Dir. Terrence Crawford, USA, 2019, 89 mins Cast: David Fawcett, PhD
Filmmaker Terrence Crawford delivers a respectful and intimate look into the lives of gay men dealing with the re-emerging crisis of crystal meth addiction in New York City. Crawford expertly traces the history of the drug while making connections to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and mental health in the Lgbtq community. Through first hand experiences we learn about how these men became addicts and about their road to recovery via essential and life changing queer support groups. Simultaneously revealing, compassionate, and deeply informative, this essential documentary humanizes a stigmatized subject matter, ensuring awareness across our community rather than shame and isolation.
Queer Genius
New York Premiere
Dir. Chet Catherine Pancake, USA, 2019, 114 mins
Cast: Barbara Hammer, Eileen Myles, Black Quantum Futurism, Moor Mother, Jibz Cameron Aka Dynasty Handbag
Effortlessly multigenerational, interdisciplinary, and diverse in scope, Queer Genius peers into the lives of five virtuosos who have challenged artistic formalism, gender roles, and heterosexism without apology in both their private lives and creative practices. Composed of rare and in-depth portraits of late experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer, the art collective Black Quantum Futurism, East Village poet Eileen Myles, and performance artist Jibz Cameron, this documentary charts the robust family tree of the lesbian and queer avant-garde across six decades. It’s a lineage that shows no sign of growing dormant.
Queering The Script
New York Premiere
Dir. Gabrielle Zilkha, USA/Canada, 2019, 93 mins
Cast: Angelica Ross, Dominique Provost-Chalkley, Gloria Calderon Kellett & Mike Royce, Ilene Chaiken, Lucy Lawless, Tanya Saracho
Fangirls have long been overlooked and disregarded, but Gabrielle Zilkha’s documentary beautifully honors the queer women who have consistently supported some of television’s most popularly coded shows, such as Xena: The Warrior Princess and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Queering The Script looks at queer representation over past decades—charting its course from mild subtext to fully realized queer characters—and its impact on the women who were watching.
Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies
New York Premiere
Dir. Vishnu Dass, USA, 2019, 81 mins
Academy Award-winner Anjelica Huston narrates this exploration of the spectacularly dreamlike world of Salvador Dalí protégé Steven Arnold and his strikingly creative body of work. Arnold’s photography, filmography, paintings, and illustrations are filled with occult rituals, Hollywood camp, and surrealist whimsy. Taken from more than 70 hours of original and archival footage,
director Vishnu Dass digs deeply into the inspiring life of this unheralded multimedia artist and countercultural icon.
- 9/19/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The 31st edition of NewFest, the New York Lgbtq film festival, has unveiled Mike Doyle’s rom-com Sell By as its opening-night film, while Rodrigo Bellott’s award-winning Tu Me Manques will close the fest. In addition, Martha Stephens’ To the Stars will serve as the centerpiece.
This year’s festival runs October 23-29 at Sva Theatre, Cinépolis Chelsea, and The Lgbt Community Center in New York.
“As we were reminded during this year’s World Pride and 50th anniversary of Stonewall, New York City is and always has been the epicenter of queer life and queer liberation,” said NewFest executive director David Hatkoff. “We are thrilled to bookend New York’s 31st annual Lgbtq Film Festival, our biggest and boldest yet, with two magnificent films set in our vibrant, diverse, international city.”
Sell By stars Scott Evans (Grace and Frankie), Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy), Michelle Buteau, Augustus Prew (High-Rise) and Patricia Clarkson. The Manhattan-set ensemble follows a group of friends who navigate their complicated relationships in the city. Adam (Evans) and Marklin (Prew) seem to have the world in the palm of their hands, but their love life could use improvement. Marklin’s rise as a social media influencer, and Adam’s struggle to switch from ghost painting to creating his own work, has caused a rift between them. As their five-year relationship grows colder, they must decide whether to go all-in or explore other options. Meanwhile, Cammy (Buteau) is failing to find her way in the world of online dating, and Haley (Zoe Chao) has to fend off an almost-legal student who’s hot for teacher.
Tu Me Manques is an adaptation of Bellott’s own 2015 play which explores a trio of men and their struggle to reconcile their identity and heritage. Following his son Gabriel’s death, Jorge travels from conservative Bolivia to New York City to confront Gabriel’s boyfriend Sebastian. While the two battle over Jorge’s inability to accept his son, Sebastian channels his grief into a bold new play in honor of his lost love, in which Gabriel’s inner turmoil is transformed into an eye-popping gay fantasia. The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay at Outfest this year and is Bolivia’s selection for Best International Feature Film at the 2019 Academy Awards.
NewFest’s U.S. Centerpiece Film, To the Stars, features Kara Hayward (Moonrise Kingdom), Malin Akerman (Billions), Jordana Spiro (Ozark) and Tony Hale (Veep). The story follows a bespectacled and reclusive teen, Iris, who endures the booze-induced antics of her mother and daily doses of bullying from her classmates in a god-fearing small town in 1960s Oklahoma. Iris finds solace in Maggie, the charismatic and enigmatic new girl at school who hones in on Iris’s untapped potential and coaxes her out of her shell. When Maggie’s mysterious past can no longer be suppressed, the tiny community is thrown into a state of panic, leaving Maggie to take potentially drastic measures and inciting Iris to stand up for her friend and herself.
Stay tuned for the complete festival lineup, which will be announced September 19.
This year’s festival runs October 23-29 at Sva Theatre, Cinépolis Chelsea, and The Lgbt Community Center in New York.
“As we were reminded during this year’s World Pride and 50th anniversary of Stonewall, New York City is and always has been the epicenter of queer life and queer liberation,” said NewFest executive director David Hatkoff. “We are thrilled to bookend New York’s 31st annual Lgbtq Film Festival, our biggest and boldest yet, with two magnificent films set in our vibrant, diverse, international city.”
Sell By stars Scott Evans (Grace and Frankie), Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy), Michelle Buteau, Augustus Prew (High-Rise) and Patricia Clarkson. The Manhattan-set ensemble follows a group of friends who navigate their complicated relationships in the city. Adam (Evans) and Marklin (Prew) seem to have the world in the palm of their hands, but their love life could use improvement. Marklin’s rise as a social media influencer, and Adam’s struggle to switch from ghost painting to creating his own work, has caused a rift between them. As their five-year relationship grows colder, they must decide whether to go all-in or explore other options. Meanwhile, Cammy (Buteau) is failing to find her way in the world of online dating, and Haley (Zoe Chao) has to fend off an almost-legal student who’s hot for teacher.
Tu Me Manques is an adaptation of Bellott’s own 2015 play which explores a trio of men and their struggle to reconcile their identity and heritage. Following his son Gabriel’s death, Jorge travels from conservative Bolivia to New York City to confront Gabriel’s boyfriend Sebastian. While the two battle over Jorge’s inability to accept his son, Sebastian channels his grief into a bold new play in honor of his lost love, in which Gabriel’s inner turmoil is transformed into an eye-popping gay fantasia. The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay at Outfest this year and is Bolivia’s selection for Best International Feature Film at the 2019 Academy Awards.
NewFest’s U.S. Centerpiece Film, To the Stars, features Kara Hayward (Moonrise Kingdom), Malin Akerman (Billions), Jordana Spiro (Ozark) and Tony Hale (Veep). The story follows a bespectacled and reclusive teen, Iris, who endures the booze-induced antics of her mother and daily doses of bullying from her classmates in a god-fearing small town in 1960s Oklahoma. Iris finds solace in Maggie, the charismatic and enigmatic new girl at school who hones in on Iris’s untapped potential and coaxes her out of her shell. When Maggie’s mysterious past can no longer be suppressed, the tiny community is thrown into a state of panic, leaving Maggie to take potentially drastic measures and inciting Iris to stand up for her friend and herself.
Stay tuned for the complete festival lineup, which will be announced September 19.
- 9/16/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Outfest has unveiled its programming lineup, including appearances by Kathy Griffin, Trixie Mattel, Angelica Ross and Robert Englund, for its 37th version on July 18-28.
Officially titled the 2019 Outfest Los Angeles Lgbtq Film Festival, the event opens at the Orpheum Theatre with the “Circus of Books” documentary and closes at The Theater at the Ace Hotel with family comedy “Before You Know It” from Hannah Pearl Utt (who also co-wrote and stars), featuring Judith Light alongside Alec Baldwin and Mandy Patinkin.
Films are from 33 countries and in 26 languages, and more than two-thirds of the titles are directed by women, people of color and trans filmmakers.
“As my tenure comes to an end I am most proud of Outfest’s increased visibility in Hollywood and our ever-growing stature within the industry,” said executive director Christopher Racster. “Outfest Los Angeles continues to shine a spotlight on those stories we must see and...
Officially titled the 2019 Outfest Los Angeles Lgbtq Film Festival, the event opens at the Orpheum Theatre with the “Circus of Books” documentary and closes at The Theater at the Ace Hotel with family comedy “Before You Know It” from Hannah Pearl Utt (who also co-wrote and stars), featuring Judith Light alongside Alec Baldwin and Mandy Patinkin.
Films are from 33 countries and in 26 languages, and more than two-thirds of the titles are directed by women, people of color and trans filmmakers.
“As my tenure comes to an end I am most proud of Outfest’s increased visibility in Hollywood and our ever-growing stature within the industry,” said executive director Christopher Racster. “Outfest Los Angeles continues to shine a spotlight on those stories we must see and...
- 6/12/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
After 37 years as the nation’s premier Lgbtq film festival, Outfest shows no signs of slowing down. The 2019 festival, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles from July 18-28, has just announced its full schedule. The lineup features a combination of festival favorites and rarely-seen foreign films, placing Lgbtq cinema in a truly global context.
The festival opens on July 18 with “Circus of Books,” the Tribeca hit about a daughter’s learning about her parents’ groundbreaking gay porn shop. It closes out with Sundance breakout “Before You Know It,” and will feature 28 world premieres during its run.
From features and documentaries to shorts and episodic content, this is truly an all-inclusive launching pad for Lgbtq filmmakers. The festival continues to push the boundaries of progress, with a majority of this year’s films directed by filmmakers from groups underrepresented in queer film.
“As my tenure comes to an end I...
The festival opens on July 18 with “Circus of Books,” the Tribeca hit about a daughter’s learning about her parents’ groundbreaking gay porn shop. It closes out with Sundance breakout “Before You Know It,” and will feature 28 world premieres during its run.
From features and documentaries to shorts and episodic content, this is truly an all-inclusive launching pad for Lgbtq filmmakers. The festival continues to push the boundaries of progress, with a majority of this year’s films directed by filmmakers from groups underrepresented in queer film.
“As my tenure comes to an end I...
- 6/12/2019
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Now in its 37th year, Outfest serves up an inclusive and intersectional slate of programming, two-thirds of which includes content directed by women, people of color and trans filmmakers. The fest, which will be held July 18-28 in Los Angeles, will open with Rachel Mason’s documentary Circus of Books which spotlights L.A.’s iconic brick-and-mortar gay erotica emporium and bookstore. Sundance favorite Before You Know It directed, co-written and starring Hannah Pearl Utt, as well as Judith Light, Alec Baldwin and Mandy Patinkin, will serve as the festival’s closing night film.
The fest will have films from 33 countries and in 26 languages and will include appearances from Kathy Griffin, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Trixie Mattel, Pose actress Angelica Ross, horror icon Robert Englund, musician and actor Sam Harris and others.
“As my tenure comes to an end I am most proud of Outfest’s increased...
The fest will have films from 33 countries and in 26 languages and will include appearances from Kathy Griffin, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Trixie Mattel, Pose actress Angelica Ross, horror icon Robert Englund, musician and actor Sam Harris and others.
“As my tenure comes to an end I am most proud of Outfest’s increased...
- 6/12/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Roster includes third annual Trans Summit, Martha Stephens’ Sundance selection To The Stars, Rodrigo Bellott’s Tu Me Manques.
Berlinale Teddy winner Brief Story From The Green Planet is among the selection at 2019 Outfest Los Angeles Lgbtq Film Festival, set to run from July 18-28.
The festival will feature 28 world premieres across features, short films and special events, including Rodrigo Bellott’s Tu Me Manques inspired by his hit play from Bolivia, and Elegance Bratton’s documentary Pier Kids, which follows the queer and trans Poc youth who gather at New York City’s Christopher Street pier.
The roster includes Megan Rossman’s The Archivettes,...
Berlinale Teddy winner Brief Story From The Green Planet is among the selection at 2019 Outfest Los Angeles Lgbtq Film Festival, set to run from July 18-28.
The festival will feature 28 world premieres across features, short films and special events, including Rodrigo Bellott’s Tu Me Manques inspired by his hit play from Bolivia, and Elegance Bratton’s documentary Pier Kids, which follows the queer and trans Poc youth who gather at New York City’s Christopher Street pier.
The roster includes Megan Rossman’s The Archivettes,...
- 6/12/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The 54th Karlovy Vary Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled the first titled in its 2019 lineup, featuring 10 world premieres in its competition section including the Hong Khaou’s drama Monsoon starring Crazy Rich Asians‘ Henry Golding and the lone U.S. feature, Martha Stephens’ black-and-white drama To the Stars starring Kara Hayward.
The fest, which runs June 28-July 6, also unveiled films set for its East of the West, Documentary and Out of Competition sections. The latter lineup includes the world premiere of Martin Krejčí’s The True Adventures of Wolfboy, a U.S. film starring starring Jaeden Martel, Eve Hewson and John Turturro, and the European premiere of Mystify: Michael Hutchence, a documentary about the life of the lead singer of Aussie rock band INXS.
The Documentary section includes the European premiere of Apollo 11, the Todd Douglas Miller
feature-length pic that launched in March in the U.S. tied to...
The fest, which runs June 28-July 6, also unveiled films set for its East of the West, Documentary and Out of Competition sections. The latter lineup includes the world premiere of Martin Krejčí’s The True Adventures of Wolfboy, a U.S. film starring starring Jaeden Martel, Eve Hewson and John Turturro, and the European premiere of Mystify: Michael Hutchence, a documentary about the life of the lead singer of Aussie rock band INXS.
The Documentary section includes the European premiere of Apollo 11, the Todd Douglas Miller
feature-length pic that launched in March in the U.S. tied to...
- 5/28/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Monsoon Photo: Kelly Padgett/Moonspun Films Among the Competition revealed today the organisers of the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic will be the world premiere of UK-Cambodian director Hong Khaou’s Monsoon, his follow-up to his 2014 Sundance debut Lilting.
The film stars Henry Golding from Crazy Rich Asians as a man struggling with his return to his native Vietnam for the first time in 30 years and seeking to rediscover his identity.
Other world premières in the 12-feature Competition include German director Jan Ole Gerster’s drama Lara, starring Corinna Harfouch; Slovenia’s Damjan Kozole, the winner of best director at the 2016 Kviff for Nightlife, returns with Half-Sister; and Felipe Ríos’ The Man From The Future set in Chile. The selection will see the international premiere of To The Stars by Martha Stephens, an elegant black-and-white drama set in 1960s Oklahoma about a sweet, withdrawn farmer...
The film stars Henry Golding from Crazy Rich Asians as a man struggling with his return to his native Vietnam for the first time in 30 years and seeking to rediscover his identity.
Other world premières in the 12-feature Competition include German director Jan Ole Gerster’s drama Lara, starring Corinna Harfouch; Slovenia’s Damjan Kozole, the winner of best director at the 2016 Kviff for Nightlife, returns with Half-Sister; and Felipe Ríos’ The Man From The Future set in Chile. The selection will see the international premiere of To The Stars by Martha Stephens, an elegant black-and-white drama set in 1960s Oklahoma about a sweet, withdrawn farmer...
- 5/28/2019
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Selection includes Hong Khaou’s Monsoon, Jan-Ole Gerster’s Lara and Damjan Kozole’s Half-Sister.
The 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 28 - July 6) has unveiled the first competition titles in its Official Selection, East of the West and Documentary sections.
Scroll down for full line-ups
The 12-strong main competition will include 10 world premieres and two international premieres.
UK director Hong Khaou’s Monsoon, his follow up to his 2014 Sundance debut Lilting, is among the world premieres. Backed by BBC Films, Monsoon stars Henry Golding, best known for Crazy Rich Asians, as a man struggling with his return to...
The 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 28 - July 6) has unveiled the first competition titles in its Official Selection, East of the West and Documentary sections.
Scroll down for full line-ups
The 12-strong main competition will include 10 world premieres and two international premieres.
UK director Hong Khaou’s Monsoon, his follow up to his 2014 Sundance debut Lilting, is among the world premieres. Backed by BBC Films, Monsoon stars Henry Golding, best known for Crazy Rich Asians, as a man struggling with his return to...
- 5/28/2019
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, the leading movie event in Central and Eastern Europe, unveiled its competition lineup Tuesday with a geographically diverse selection, which includes 10 world and two international premieres.
Cambodia-born British filmmaker Hong Khaou brings the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Sundance debut “Lilting” with a moving drama about a young man of Vietnamese descent rediscovering his roots in “Monsoon,” starring “Crazy Rich Asians” actor Henry Golding.
Germany’s Jan-Ole Gerster follows his well-received debut, “Oh Boy,” winner of the European Film Academy’s European Discovery Award, with the world premiere of “Lara,” a psychological study starring Corinna Harfouch.
Kara Hayward, best-known for “Moonrise Kingdom,” stars in U.S. director Martha Stephens’ 1960s Oklahoma-set drama “To the Stars,” which premiered at Sundance and makes its international premiere at Karlovy Vary.
Spain’s Jonás Trueba “combines lightness and charm with intense existential emotions,” according to Kviff, in “August Virgin.
Cambodia-born British filmmaker Hong Khaou brings the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Sundance debut “Lilting” with a moving drama about a young man of Vietnamese descent rediscovering his roots in “Monsoon,” starring “Crazy Rich Asians” actor Henry Golding.
Germany’s Jan-Ole Gerster follows his well-received debut, “Oh Boy,” winner of the European Film Academy’s European Discovery Award, with the world premiere of “Lara,” a psychological study starring Corinna Harfouch.
Kara Hayward, best-known for “Moonrise Kingdom,” stars in U.S. director Martha Stephens’ 1960s Oklahoma-set drama “To the Stars,” which premiered at Sundance and makes its international premiere at Karlovy Vary.
Spain’s Jonás Trueba “combines lightness and charm with intense existential emotions,” according to Kviff, in “August Virgin.
- 5/28/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese director Zhai Yixiange's Mosaic Portrait, the hypnotic story of a pregnant 14-year-old girl who reveals the identity of the father at a critical point in the life of her society, and U.S. indie filmmaker Martha Stephens' charismatic, 1960s-set black-and-white drama To the Stars, featuring Kara Hayward, are among the dozen films — including 10 world and two international premieres — in the main competition section of the 54th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
The festival, which opens June 28 in the Czech spa town of the same name, follows a tradition of showcasing a competition lineup ...
The festival, which opens June 28 in the Czech spa town of the same name, follows a tradition of showcasing a competition lineup ...
- 5/28/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chinese director Zhai Yixiange's Mosaic Portrait, the hypnotic story of a pregnant 14-year-old girl who reveals the identity of the father at a critical point in the life of her society, and U.S. indie filmmaker Martha Stephens' charismatic 1960s set black-and-white drama To the Stars, featuring Kara Hayward, are among the dozen films - including 10 world and 2 international premieres - in the main competition section of the 54th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
The festival, which opens June 28 in the Czech spa town of the same name, follows a tradition of showcasing a competition ...
The festival, which opens June 28 in the Czech spa town of the same name, follows a tradition of showcasing a competition ...
- 5/28/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
CAA represents Us rights; deal expected soon.
International Film Trust (Ift) has boarded sales rights to Sundance selection To The Stars and will kick off talks with buyers in Cannes.
CAA represents Us rights and a Us deal is expected soon. Ift head of international Todd Olsson will present colour and black-and-white versions of the film to international buyers on the Croisette.
Martha Stephens (Land Ho!) directed the coming-of-age story about a shy farmer’s daughter in 1960s Oklahoma who strikes up a friendship with a lively city transplant that will change their lives forever.
Kara Hayward (Moonrise Kingdom) and...
International Film Trust (Ift) has boarded sales rights to Sundance selection To The Stars and will kick off talks with buyers in Cannes.
CAA represents Us rights and a Us deal is expected soon. Ift head of international Todd Olsson will present colour and black-and-white versions of the film to international buyers on the Croisette.
Martha Stephens (Land Ho!) directed the coming-of-age story about a shy farmer’s daughter in 1960s Oklahoma who strikes up a friendship with a lively city transplant that will change their lives forever.
Kara Hayward (Moonrise Kingdom) and...
- 5/8/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Adelaide Clemens (Rectify) is set for a lead role opposite Edie Falco and Michael Chernus in CBS drama pilot Tommy (fka Nancy), from the Bull team of co-creator Paul Attanasio and producer Amblin TV.
Written by Attanasio and directed by Kate Dennis, Tommy stars Falco as the title character, a former high-ranking NYPD officer who becomes the first female chief of police for Los Angeles and uses her unflinching honesty and hardball tactics to navigate the social, political and national-security issues that converge with enforcing the law.
Clemens will play Blake. As the Press Secretary for the chief of police, she focuses less on substance than on how things look. Polished, confident whip-smart and hard-working, Blake worked as Press Secretary for the previous chief of police, whom she tolerated in exchange for ample appreciation of her efforts. By comparison, she’s uneasy with the new chief, who doesn’t know her — or,...
Written by Attanasio and directed by Kate Dennis, Tommy stars Falco as the title character, a former high-ranking NYPD officer who becomes the first female chief of police for Los Angeles and uses her unflinching honesty and hardball tactics to navigate the social, political and national-security issues that converge with enforcing the law.
Clemens will play Blake. As the Press Secretary for the chief of police, she focuses less on substance than on how things look. Polished, confident whip-smart and hard-working, Blake worked as Press Secretary for the previous chief of police, whom she tolerated in exchange for ample appreciation of her efforts. By comparison, she’s uneasy with the new chief, who doesn’t know her — or,...
- 2/28/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
“To the Stars” takes place in 1960s Oklahoma, a setting that could easily fall into tropes about both the region and the concept of period pieces in general. Directing the story of a pair of friends whose shared discoveries deeply affect the community around them, Martha Stephens wanted to find the specificity in each of the core characters’ experiences.
“It’s an ensemble of women at different ages, different times in their life, dealing with different things in a time and a place where being a woman was especially hard. It’s not changed too much maybe, but it felt right. I love the period and the setting,” Stephens said when she and the rest of the team behind the film stopped by the IndieWire Studio presented by Dropbox.
Kara Hayward and Liana Liberato star as the central pair, and the cast around them helped to show how the film...
“It’s an ensemble of women at different ages, different times in their life, dealing with different things in a time and a place where being a woman was especially hard. It’s not changed too much maybe, but it felt right. I love the period and the setting,” Stephens said when she and the rest of the team behind the film stopped by the IndieWire Studio presented by Dropbox.
Kara Hayward and Liana Liberato star as the central pair, and the cast around them helped to show how the film...
- 2/6/2019
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
The bible belt of early 1960s rural Oklahoma wasn’t a great time and place in America for outsiders. And this god-fearing country is certainly no place for two girls that may be slowly falling in love and calling too much public attention to all the time they’re spending together. Director Martha Stephens (co-director of 2014 Sundance film “Land Ho!” with Aaron Katz) adapts Shannon Bradley-Colleary‘s screenplay on intolerance and class-warfare in pre-sexual revolution America into an artfully visual feast, but one that unfortunately plods along at an uneven pace into heavy-handedness as the drama intensifies.
Continue reading ‘To The Stars’ Is A Beautiful, But Familiar, Coming Of Age Tale [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘To The Stars’ Is A Beautiful, But Familiar, Coming Of Age Tale [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
- 2/6/2019
- by Jordan Ruimy
- The Playlist
IndieWire’s annual Female Filmmakers Dinner at the Sundance Film Festival, presented by Canada Goose, took place on January 27 and celebrated women directors such as Kyra Sedgwick, Jennifer Kent, Lulu Wang, Nisha Ganatra, and Penny Lane. The event took place at the Canada Goose Basecamp on Main Street in the heart of Park City, Utah.
This year’s Sundance lineup was particularly impressive in the way it put women directors in the spotlight, with 53% of the films in the U.S. Dramatic Competition having been helmed by women. Some have even resulted in big-money deals, including A24’s acquisition of Lulu Wang’s delicate family dramedy “The Farewell” for $6 million and Amazon’s extraordinary $13 million payout for Nisha Ganatra’s Mindy Kaling-scripted comedy “Late Night.”
IndieWire editor in chief Dana Harris toasted these women in a speech at the start of the dinner saying, “I’m just taken by...
This year’s Sundance lineup was particularly impressive in the way it put women directors in the spotlight, with 53% of the films in the U.S. Dramatic Competition having been helmed by women. Some have even resulted in big-money deals, including A24’s acquisition of Lulu Wang’s delicate family dramedy “The Farewell” for $6 million and Amazon’s extraordinary $13 million payout for Nisha Ganatra’s Mindy Kaling-scripted comedy “Late Night.”
IndieWire editor in chief Dana Harris toasted these women in a speech at the start of the dinner saying, “I’m just taken by...
- 2/2/2019
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
If today’s political landscape is any indication, much of the world is living in a conservative past, seething with disgust for another perspective they fail to empathize with, and emboldened by leadership that encourages such viewpoints. In her striking new drama To the Stars, Martha Stephens takes a character-focused look at such a small-town community full of repression, but rather than setting it in the present day, we’re placed in 1960s Oklahoma, a decision that speaks volumes for the ways we have and haven’t evolved as a country.
The timid Iris (Kaya Hayward) hides behind her glasses, enduring the bullying of jocks and exclusion from the circle of popular girls. When the mysterious, charming Maggie (Liana Liberato) moves to the town of Wakita, this perception begins to shift as their friendship blossoms. “I’ve got a mouth like a gutter. I’m from the city,” Maggie gleefully exclaims upon her arrival.
The timid Iris (Kaya Hayward) hides behind her glasses, enduring the bullying of jocks and exclusion from the circle of popular girls. When the mysterious, charming Maggie (Liana Liberato) moves to the town of Wakita, this perception begins to shift as their friendship blossoms. “I’ve got a mouth like a gutter. I’m from the city,” Maggie gleefully exclaims upon her arrival.
- 1/27/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
2018 was an unexpectedly fine year for B&W features, “Roma,” “Cold War” and the underseen “1985” being obvious examples. But hopes that the trend might continue into the new year aren’t encouraged by “To the Stars,” a liftoff-resistant period drama that starts like a slightly cartoonish teenage version of lesbian date-night favorite “Desert Hearts,” then gradually plods toward an excess of retro-potboiler melodrama.
Blogger/journalist Shannon-Bradley Colleary’s first produced screenplay hits so many obvious marks so heavily that you can imagine this tale originating from a vintage drugstore paperback with the sell-line “Prejudice and Passions Explode in a Town Without Pity!” It all might have worked nonetheless if handled as a sort of semi-tongue-in-cheek empowerment fairy tale, and there are moments when director Martha Stephens (who previously co-helmed “Land Ho!” with Aaron Katz) seems to be aiming thataway. But only moments. Too often, “To the Stars” is earnest in that...
Blogger/journalist Shannon-Bradley Colleary’s first produced screenplay hits so many obvious marks so heavily that you can imagine this tale originating from a vintage drugstore paperback with the sell-line “Prejudice and Passions Explode in a Town Without Pity!” It all might have worked nonetheless if handled as a sort of semi-tongue-in-cheek empowerment fairy tale, and there are moments when director Martha Stephens (who previously co-helmed “Land Ho!” with Aaron Katz) seems to be aiming thataway. But only moments. Too often, “To the Stars” is earnest in that...
- 1/27/2019
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Deadline kicks off this year’s Stella Artois & Deadline Sundance Series at the Sundance Film Festival with a panel discussion with the team behind To the Stars, director Martha Stephens’ 1960s-set coming-of-age drama that is having its world premiere later tonight.
The film, in the fest’s U.S. Dramatic Competition, is set in the 1960s Oklahoma, where Iris (Kara Hayward) must deal with her alcoholic mother and bullying classmates. Enter Maggie (Liana Liberato), the charismatic and enigmatic new girl at school, who sees Iris’ untapped potential and helps her come out of her shell. When Maggie’s past comes to light it rocks the god-fearing community and Maggie is forced to consider drastic measures that could involve Iris. Shannon Bradley-Colleary penned the script.
The live Q&A panel at Stella’s Film Lounge this afternoon features Stephens (previously at Sundance with Land Ho! in 2014) alongside Hayward and Liberato and fellow stars Malin Akerman,...
The film, in the fest’s U.S. Dramatic Competition, is set in the 1960s Oklahoma, where Iris (Kara Hayward) must deal with her alcoholic mother and bullying classmates. Enter Maggie (Liana Liberato), the charismatic and enigmatic new girl at school, who sees Iris’ untapped potential and helps her come out of her shell. When Maggie’s past comes to light it rocks the god-fearing community and Maggie is forced to consider drastic measures that could involve Iris. Shannon Bradley-Colleary penned the script.
The live Q&A panel at Stella’s Film Lounge this afternoon features Stephens (previously at Sundance with Land Ho! in 2014) alongside Hayward and Liberato and fellow stars Malin Akerman,...
- 1/25/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Sundance Film Festival is all about independent film — but is it really?
In between screenings and late into the night, Park City is actually Party City. From intimate cocktail soirées to musical performances, this year’s film festival has something for everyone.
Here is Variety’s ultimate party guide for Sundance 2019…
Thursday, Jan. 24
Lyft & Neon Kick Off Party
Celebrating “The Biggest Little Farm” and “Apollo 11”
Lyft Lounge, 5:30-7:30pm
Friday, Jan. 25
30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Nominations Announcement
Mj Rodriguez and Nico Santos
At&T Hello Lounge, 8 a.m.
Danny Clinch Pop-Up Gallery Opening Party
Salesforce Music Lodge, 4-6 p.m.
GLAAD Media Awards Nominees Cocktail Party
At&T Lounge, 4:30-6 p.m.
SundanceTV’s Sundance Film Festival Kickoff Party
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jenna Elfman, Rhea Seehorn, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Sarah Wayne Callies
SundanceTV HQ, 5-8 p.m.
“Honey Boy” Party
Shia Labeouf, Fka Twigs, Maika Monroe,...
In between screenings and late into the night, Park City is actually Party City. From intimate cocktail soirées to musical performances, this year’s film festival has something for everyone.
Here is Variety’s ultimate party guide for Sundance 2019…
Thursday, Jan. 24
Lyft & Neon Kick Off Party
Celebrating “The Biggest Little Farm” and “Apollo 11”
Lyft Lounge, 5:30-7:30pm
Friday, Jan. 25
30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Nominations Announcement
Mj Rodriguez and Nico Santos
At&T Hello Lounge, 8 a.m.
Danny Clinch Pop-Up Gallery Opening Party
Salesforce Music Lodge, 4-6 p.m.
GLAAD Media Awards Nominees Cocktail Party
At&T Lounge, 4:30-6 p.m.
SundanceTV’s Sundance Film Festival Kickoff Party
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jenna Elfman, Rhea Seehorn, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Sarah Wayne Callies
SundanceTV HQ, 5-8 p.m.
“Honey Boy” Party
Shia Labeouf, Fka Twigs, Maika Monroe,...
- 1/24/2019
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Sundance has always been pretty gay. Whether the festival was supporting queer filmmakers to lead the indie film boom of the ’90s, ushering in the dawn of the New Queer Cinema, or unofficially partnering with OutFest to share programmers and titles, Park City has always been fertile ground in which Lgbtq cinema can thrive. This year brings fewer solely queer offerings than previous years, but the program still has plenty to look forward to.
This year’s program marks the first in Kim Yutani’s new role as director of programming. Formerly a senior programmer for the festival, Yutani began her career at OutFest, where she lived and breathed queer films in her roles as artistic director and director of programming. Yutani reports to festival director John Cooper, another out and gay power player in independent film.
When Sundance released its first round of programming, it boasted that 40 percent, or...
This year’s program marks the first in Kim Yutani’s new role as director of programming. Formerly a senior programmer for the festival, Yutani began her career at OutFest, where she lived and breathed queer films in her roles as artistic director and director of programming. Yutani reports to festival director John Cooper, another out and gay power player in independent film.
When Sundance released its first round of programming, it boasted that 40 percent, or...
- 1/23/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
To the Stars
Moving from the lopapeysa fitted, John Cassavetes Award winning Land Ho! to an Oklahoma Land Rush, Martha Stephens (profiled in our Sundance Trading Card) confidently steps into her fourth feature film, To the Stars. In what could be black & white splendor, after Passenger Pigeons, Pilgrim Song and her bonafide hit (a tandem with Aaron Katz) from Sundance 2014, Stephens shot in Oklahoma last May on a coming-of-ager project. The first project that she has not penned (cred goes to Shannon Bradley-Colleary), this sees Moonrise Kingdom actress Kara Hayward in perhaps her loftiest role to date.…...
Moving from the lopapeysa fitted, John Cassavetes Award winning Land Ho! to an Oklahoma Land Rush, Martha Stephens (profiled in our Sundance Trading Card) confidently steps into her fourth feature film, To the Stars. In what could be black & white splendor, after Passenger Pigeons, Pilgrim Song and her bonafide hit (a tandem with Aaron Katz) from Sundance 2014, Stephens shot in Oklahoma last May on a coming-of-ager project. The first project that she has not penned (cred goes to Shannon Bradley-Colleary), this sees Moonrise Kingdom actress Kara Hayward in perhaps her loftiest role to date.…...
- 1/22/2019
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Native SonThe lineup for the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, taking place from January 24 to February 3, 2019, has been announced.U.S. Dramatic COMPETITIONBefore You Know It (Hannah Pearl Utt, USA): A long-kept family secret thrusts codependent, thirty-something sisters Rachel and Jackie Gurner into a literal soap opera. A journey that proves that you really can come of age, at any age. Cast: Hannah Pearl Utt, Jen Tullock, Judith Light, Mandy Patinkin, Mike Colter, Alec Baldwin. Big Time Adolescence (Jason Orley, USA): A suburban teenager comes of age under the destructive guidance of his best friend, a charismatic college dropout. Cast: Pete Davidson, Griffin Gluck, Jon Cryer, Sydney Sweeney, Emily Arlook, Colson Baker. Brittany Runs A Marathon: A woman living in New York takes control of her life – one city block at a time. Cast: Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery, Micah Stock, Alice Lee. Clemency: Years of...
- 11/30/2018
- MUBI
The Sundance Film Festival has just announced the 112 feature films set to hit Park City next January 24- February 3. From a record breaking 14,259 submissions, these selections represent 33 countries. 40% of the films were directed by one or more women; 36% were directed by one or more filmmaker of color; and 13% by one or more people who identify as Lgbtqia. Highlights include new films from Joanna Hogg, Kim Longinotto, Alma Har’el, Martha Stephens, Penny Layne and Joe Berlinger, as well as the first features from former 25 New Faces Michael Tyburski, Joe Talbot and Pippa Bianco. Scroll […]...
- 11/28/2018
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The Sundance Film Festival has just announced the 112 feature films set to hit Park City next January 24- February 3. From a record breaking 14,259 submissions, these selections represent 33 countries. 40% of the films were directed by one or more women; 36% were directed by one or more filmmaker of color; and 13% by one or more people who identify as Lgbtqia. Highlights include new films from Joanna Hogg, Kim Longinotto, Alma Har’el, Martha Stephens, Penny Layne and Joe Berlinger, as well as the first features from former 25 New Faces Michael Tyburski, Joe Talbot and Pippa Bianco. Scroll […]...
- 11/28/2018
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
For the first time in the history of Sundance’s U.S. dramatic competition, more than half of the films in the category this year will have a female director.
Nine of the 16 films had a woman directing. One of the nine was co-directed by a man and a woman. The U.S. dramatic competition is widely considered the most prestigious category at the festival.
Last year, only 31 percent of the films in the category were directed by women. That was in the months after the Harvey Weinstein scandal that inspired a women’s march in the snow of Park City, Utah.
Also Read: Study: Male Indie Filmmakers Outnumber Women 2 to 1 at Major Us Film Festivals
“These films and artists tell the truth: whether documentaries that illuminate hidden histories or fiction features that spotlight diverse, human experiences, this year’s slate is layered, intense and authentic,” Sundance Film Festival director...
Nine of the 16 films had a woman directing. One of the nine was co-directed by a man and a woman. The U.S. dramatic competition is widely considered the most prestigious category at the festival.
Last year, only 31 percent of the films in the category were directed by women. That was in the months after the Harvey Weinstein scandal that inspired a women’s march in the snow of Park City, Utah.
Also Read: Study: Male Indie Filmmakers Outnumber Women 2 to 1 at Major Us Film Festivals
“These films and artists tell the truth: whether documentaries that illuminate hidden histories or fiction features that spotlight diverse, human experiences, this year’s slate is layered, intense and authentic,” Sundance Film Festival director...
- 11/28/2018
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
Martha Stephens‘ fourth feature film follows in the footsteps of Land Ho! (Sundance ’14). With filming having taken place in May, starring Shea Whigham, Malin Akerman, Kara Hayward, Jordana Spiro, Liana Liberato, Tony Hale, Adelaide Clemens and Madisen Beaty, To the Stars features an Oklahoma backdrop in the 1960s.
Gist: A 1960s coming-of-age tale, this centers on the powerful friendship forged between a shy farmer’s daughter (Kara Hayward) and a reckless new girl in town (Liana Liberato).
Production Co./Producers: Kristin Mann (Midnight Special), Laura D. Smith-Ireland (It Follows).
Prediction: Premiere category with interest from SXSW.…...
Gist: A 1960s coming-of-age tale, this centers on the powerful friendship forged between a shy farmer’s daughter (Kara Hayward) and a reckless new girl in town (Liana Liberato).
Production Co./Producers: Kristin Mann (Midnight Special), Laura D. Smith-Ireland (It Follows).
Prediction: Premiere category with interest from SXSW.…...
- 11/23/2018
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Malin Akerman, Shea Whigham and Tony Hale are starring in the independent coming-of-age story “To the Stars.”
Producers announced Wednesday that production has wrapped in Oklahoma for “To The Stars,” with “Land Ho!” director Martha Stephens helming from a script by Shannon Bradley-Colleary. The story, set in the 1960s, centers on the powerful friendship forged between a shy farmer’s daughter (played by Hayward) and Liberato’s reckless new girl.
Lucas Zumann (“20th Century Women”), Jordana Spiro (“Ozark”), and Adelaide Clemens (“Rectify”) round out the cast.
“Land Ho!” premiered at Sundance, was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, and won the John Cassavetes Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
“To the Stars” is produced by Kristin Mann (“Midnight Special”) and Laura D. Smith (“It Follows”) in partnership with Erik Rommesmo of Northern Lights Films, Carlos Cuscó and Emerson Machtus of Foton Pictures and Kerri Elder and Blake Elder of Rockhill Media.
Producers announced Wednesday that production has wrapped in Oklahoma for “To The Stars,” with “Land Ho!” director Martha Stephens helming from a script by Shannon Bradley-Colleary. The story, set in the 1960s, centers on the powerful friendship forged between a shy farmer’s daughter (played by Hayward) and Liberato’s reckless new girl.
Lucas Zumann (“20th Century Women”), Jordana Spiro (“Ozark”), and Adelaide Clemens (“Rectify”) round out the cast.
“Land Ho!” premiered at Sundance, was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, and won the John Cassavetes Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
“To the Stars” is produced by Kristin Mann (“Midnight Special”) and Laura D. Smith (“It Follows”) in partnership with Erik Rommesmo of Northern Lights Films, Carlos Cuscó and Emerson Machtus of Foton Pictures and Kerri Elder and Blake Elder of Rockhill Media.
- 6/6/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
His fifth feature, and the first following his co-directed (with Martha Stephens) breakthough comedy Land Ho!, Gemini returns writer/director Aaron Katz to the character-based neo-noir of his earlier Cold Weather but with the cloudy Portland grays of that film replaced here with a sunlit sensuality befitting the picture’s L.A. setting. Indeed, shooting in his new hometown for the first time, Katz looks for inspiration to the kind of ’80s thrillers — American Gigolo and Bad Influence in particular — that found their treacheries and ambiguities within the city’s sunlit highways, dark nightclubs and oversized mansions. And while city geography is […]...
- 3/31/2018
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
His fifth feature, and the first following his co-directed (with Martha Stephens) breakthough comedy Land Ho!, Gemini returns writer/director Aaron Katz to the character-based neo-noir of his earlier Cold Weather but with the cloudy Portland grays of that film replaced here with a sunlit sensuality befitting the picture’s L.A. setting. Indeed, shooting in his new hometown for the first time, Katz looks for inspiration to the kind of ’80s thrillers — American Gigolo and Bad Influence in particular — that found their treacheries and ambiguities within the city’s sunlit highways, dark nightclubs and oversized mansions. And while city geography is […]...
- 3/31/2018
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Director Aaron Katz's last film, the visually arresting friendship tale Land Ho! (he co-directed with Martha Stephens), was an absolute wonder, and now he's back with the intriguing film noir Gemini. Lola Kirke (Mistress America) is Jill, a personal assistant to [...]...
- 8/20/2017
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
A satisfying mystery usually involves more engagement from various puzzle pieces than the way they fit together, and Aaron Katz’s playful L.A. neo-noir “Gemini” falls right into that tradition. It pits the elements of a scrappy whodunit against the backdrop of film industry satire, keeps us guessing the whole way through, and arrives at a solution that’s beside the point. Revisiting the genre innovations of his 2010 feature “Cold Weather,” Katz delivers another minimalist addition to the canon of shaggy dog detective stories stretching back to “The Long Goodbye,” filtered through his own indelible poetic gaze.
At first glance, Katz’s movies are slight character studies with little to offer beyond endearing situational humor and a complimentary atmosphere. His first two features, “Dance Party, USA” and “Quiet City,” were delicate mood pieces in which plot took a backseat to a handful of emotionally-charged exchanges. With “Cold Weather,” Katz...
At first glance, Katz’s movies are slight character studies with little to offer beyond endearing situational humor and a complimentary atmosphere. His first two features, “Dance Party, USA” and “Quiet City,” were delicate mood pieces in which plot took a backseat to a handful of emotionally-charged exchanges. With “Cold Weather,” Katz...
- 3/13/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Over the past decade, South By Southwest has become 10 days of hand-to-hand combat between media and technology. Nestled within that war zone is a film festival — this year, 125 features screen at the SXSW Film Festival, including 51 from first-timers. Most come to town without distribution, and they may never see a bigger audience than this one.
The film festival is a solid platform for discovering new filmmakers; if you want to explore the connective tissue of contemporary American cinema, few other places offer such a fertile arena. Unlike industry heavyhitter Sundance, it’s not a fast-paced marketplace — but the SXSW conference is still one of the biggest windows into the future of the movies because so much of it has nothing to do with the movies at all.
This year, SXSW Film’s marquee titles duke it out with the TV shows in the Episodics section. (Among its premieres are two...
The film festival is a solid platform for discovering new filmmakers; if you want to explore the connective tissue of contemporary American cinema, few other places offer such a fertile arena. Unlike industry heavyhitter Sundance, it’s not a fast-paced marketplace — but the SXSW conference is still one of the biggest windows into the future of the movies because so much of it has nothing to do with the movies at all.
This year, SXSW Film’s marquee titles duke it out with the TV shows in the Episodics section. (Among its premieres are two...
- 3/10/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
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