The Diary of a Teenage Girl When: August 7 Where: Theaters Director: Marielle Heller Starring: Bel Powley, Kristen Wiig, Alexander Skarsgaard Why We’re Excited: One of the buzziest films to premiere at Sundance this year was Marielle Heller’s debut, which competed for the Grand Jury Prize and won the Cinematography Award. The film takes place in the 70s and features a breakthrough performance from Bel Powley, who plays a young artist having an affair with her mother’s boyfriend. Her mother is played by Kristen Wiig, who is getting Oscar buzz for yet another performance in which she steps away from the straight comedy mode of SNL and Bridesmaids. Winner of the Generation 14plus Grand Prix at the Berlin International Film Festival, this may be the year’s little indie film that could. It’s also the start of a very promising career for Heller. Cop Car When: August 7 (in theaters) & 14 (VOD) Where: Theaters & VOD Directors: Jon Watts Starring: Kevin Bacon Why We’re Excited: Sure to be one of the year’s most exciting indies, this thriller gives Film Independent Spirit Award nominee Kevin Bacon a role perfectly suited to his particular skills. Bacon plays a police officer on a mission to find the two rebellious boys who decided to take his cop car for a joyride. According to critics, the film is a throwback to 80s thrillers and keeps the audience guessing at every turn. The film began its festival run at Sundance in January and now you can catch it in theaters, on demand or on iTunes.
People Places Things When: August 14 Where: Theaters Director: James C. Strouse Starring: Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall Why We’re Excited: We’ve had our eye on James C. Strouse since his award-winning directorial debut Grace is Gone. His latest comedy is an indie with heart, featuring the quirky Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) as a newly-single dad raising twin girls and creating graphic novels, all while attempting to throw himself back into the dating pool. Film Independent Fellow Summer Shelton was a producer on the film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was a crowd-pleaser when it screened this past June at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Straight Outta Compton When: August 13 Where: Theaters Director: F. Gary Gray Starring: O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Paul Giamatti Why We’re Excited: In the mid-80’s, hip-hop was on its way to forever changing American music and culture. Rappers would eventually become notorious for writing about their experiences growing up poor, hustling on dangerous streets and doing whatever they had to in order to survive. Five young men were among the first hip-hop artists to put their lifestyles into their lyrics. This is their story. F. Gary Gray’s biopic features a talented cast of players portraying some of the most iconic names in rap music. It’s a must-see for fans of hip-hop, and pop culture junkies and those interested in the genre’s roots will be fascinated by the story of the five men who came to be known as NWA. The film also features another stellar supporting turn from Film Independent Spirit Award winner Paul Giamatti.
One and Two When: August 14 Where: Theaters Director: Andrew Droz Palermo Starring: Kiernan Shipka, Timothee Chalamet, Elizabeth Reaser Why We’re Excited: Film Independent Fellow Andrew Droz Palermo is still at the beginning of what’s quickly becoming an exciting and diverse career. He’s shown off his artistic eye as a cinematographer and his knack for storytelling by directing several documentary projects. Now he makes his fiction feature debut as writer/director, and it’s quite a departure from his previous work. An official selection of the Berlin International Film Festival, One and Two is a suspenseful tale of two siblings with supernatural powers plotting revenge against their father. It features a talented young cast and was co-produced by Film Independent Member Matthew Perniciaro.
Grandma When: August 21 Where: Theaters Director: Paul Weitz Starring: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden, Elizabeth Peña Why We’re Excited: Legendary actress and comedienne Lily Tomlin gives what is sure to become one of her most memorable performances in this audience favorite from Sundance, Toronto, Tribeca and the Los Angeles Film Festival. The openly gay, iconic actress proves there are rich, compelling characters for older women to play in this lighthearted comedy. Tomlin’s Elle Reid is in need of some adventure and female bonding after splitting with her girlfriend, so she takes to the streets with her granddaughter to collect money the girl needs before sundown. Film Independent Member Andrew Renfrew is one of the film’s executive producers. It also co-stars Film Independent Spirit Award nominee Marcia Gay Harden and the late, great Spirit Award winner Elizabeth Peña.
Citizenfour When: August 25 Where: DVD/VOD Director: Laura Poitras Why We’re Excited: Last year, this riveting, groundbreaking film won just about every Best Documentary award out there, including the Film Independent Spirit Award and the Oscar. In January 2013, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras started receiving encrypted emails from someone calling himself “CITIZENFOUR,” claiming he had evidence of illegal surveillance being practiced by the NSA and other intelligence agencies worldwide. So Poitras grabbed her camera and boarded a flight to Hong Kong with reporters Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill to meet Edward Snowden. Film Independent Spirit Award-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh serves as executive producer. Several Film Independent Members—Sara Bernstein (supervising producer: HBO), Mathilde Bonnefoy (producer), Sheila Nevins (executive producer), Tom Quinn (executive producer), Dianne Weyermann (executive producer) and Poitras herself—played a role in telling Snowden’s story.
Z for Zachariah When: August 28 Where: Theaters Director: Craig Zobel Starring: Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Pine Why We’re Excited: Those who have seen Film Independent Spirit Award nominee Craig Zobel’s 2012 nail-biter, Compliance, can tell you why we’re excited for this post-apocalyptic drama. Rising star Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) plays a young woman convinced she is the last human on Earth after a nuclear war wipes out the masses. She soon learns she is not alone after all and gets caught up in a triangle of romance and uncertainty. Co-starring Chris Pine and Spirit Award winner Chiwetel Ejiofor, the film competed for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was produced by Film Independent Members Steve Bannatyne and Jim Seibel.
Zipper When: August 28 Where: Theaters Director: Mora Stephens Starring: Patrick Wilson, Lena Headey, Dianna Agron, Richard Dreyfus Why We’re Excited: Film Independent Fellow Mora Stephens’ follow-up to her Spirit Award-winning first feature, Conventioneers, may be one of the sexier films arriving in the hottest month of the year. The smoldering Patrick Wilson plays a politician on the rise whose run for office is threatened by his own uncontrollable lust. Featuring two beautiful faces from the small screen–Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) and Dianna Agron (Glee)—this is a great choice for those who love a sexy thriller in the vein of Fatal Attraction. Film Independent Fellow Joel Viertel co-wrote the screenplay with Stephens. Spirit Award-winning filmmaker Darren Aronofsky was an executive producer on the project. Chris Lombardi / Film Independent Blogger
title: “Don T Miss Indies What To Watch In August” ShowToc: true date: “2024-05-31” author: “William Woods”
WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY (Hva vil folk si)
When You Can Watch: August 3 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Iram Haq Cast: Maria Mozhdah, Adil Hussain, Ekavali Khanna Why We’re Excited: “You have to punish her or we can’t show our face to anyone.” So says a relative to the father of 16-year-old Nisha (Mozhdah), a Pakistani immigrant living in Norway, after Nisha is found in bed with a local white boy. Life as a bi-cultural immigrant in any Western country affords one the riches of both worlds. But having one foot in each world can also create turmoil where aspects of two cultures collide. This tension informs Norwegian-Pakistani director Iram Haq’s new drama—based on her own traumatic experience of being sent to live in Karachi as a teen, far from her Scandinavian home. The director’s fictionalized avatar, Nisha is a well-assimilated teenager living in Norway, the daughter of Pakistani immigrants. For the “sin” of being a typical teenager, she’s kidnapped by her own family, and to Pakistan to live with relatives against her will, where her captors burn her passport and regularly threatens her with public humiliation, and even death, as a way to enforce female subservience.
NEVER GOIN’ BACK
When You Can Watch: August 3 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Augustine Frizzell Cast: Maia Mitchell, Camila Morrone, Kyle Mooney Why We’re Excited: Augustine Frizzell’s debut feature is a female-driven buddy comedy about that time in life when you’re still young enough to feel invincible; eternally shielded from the ramifications of your bad decisions. High School dropouts Jessie (Camila Morrone) and Angela (Maia Mitchell) are waitresses at a low-rent Texas diner who have perpetual trouble making rent: regularly oversleeping, missing their shifts and blowing all their money on cocaine and beach trips to nearby Galveston. But hey, who cares? The point is THEY HAVE A BLAST. This is actually Frizzell’s second attempt at telling the story. “I actually shot [the film] as a feature in 2014, cut that down into a short and then rewrote it and reshot the feature,” Frizzell told Vulture, “it just wasn’t exactly what I wanted to say.” Luckily, second time’s the charm; Frizzell’s sophomore attempt landed a distribution deal through marquee imprint A24.
NIGHT COMES ON
When You Can Watch: August 3 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Jordana Spiro Cast: Dominique Fishback, Tatum Marilyn Hall, Nastashia Fuller, John Earl Jelks Why We’re Excited: Winner of the NEXT Innovator Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Ozark castmember Jordana Spiro’s directorial debut is a rare glimpse into the life of the recently incarcerated as filtered through a uniquely female lens. Eighteen-year-old Angel (Fishback) has just been released from a stint in the Philly juvie system for illegal possession of a firearm. Upon returning to the outside world, she has one mission: track down her abusive father John (Jelks)—never charged for the murder of Angel’s mother—and exact revenge. En route, she collects her 10-year-old sister Abby (Hall) from foster care and plunges into the journey toward bittersweet vengeance. The film also boasts numerous Film Independent Members on its producing team, including producers Danielle Renfrew Behrens and Alvaro Valente, associate producers Yvonne Huff and Jason Delane Lee and executive producer Bill Harnisch.
THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST
When You Can Watch: August 3 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Desiree Akhavan Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Jennifer Ehle, Marin Ireland Why We’re Excited: A Film Independent Spirit Award nominee for Best First Feature for 2014’s Appropriate Behavior, Iranian-American filmmaker Desiree Akhavan nabbed the high honor of Grand Jury Prize for US Drama at this year’s Sundance Film Festival for her coming-of-age gay conversion drama. Based on the novel of the same title by Emily M. Danforth, orphaned teenager Cameron (Moretz) is caught making out with the prom queen in the backseat of her car. This being 1993 in Middle America (the novel was set in rural Montana), suffice to say that such behavior is not acceptable. Her religious aunt—and legal guardian—Ruth (Butler) swiftly ships her off to a Christian gay conversion therapy camp, aptly named “God’s Promise,” where Cameron bonds with a few other kids in order to survive being brainwashed. Among the Film Independent Members on the producing team are Rachel Changchien (associate producer), Michael B. Clark (producer) and Rob Cristiano (co-producer.)
BLACKKKLANSMAN
When You Can Watch: August 10 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Spike Lee Cast: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace Why We’re Excited: Based on the 2014 autobiographical book Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth (played by Washington in the film), this outlandish crime drama chronicles the African-American Stallworth’s inconceivable—and successful!—attempt at infiltrating and exposing the Ku Klux Klan, posing as a racist white man from October 1978 to April 1979. With his partner Flip Zimmerman (Driver), the two execute the undercover investigation of a lifetime. In the early 1970s, Stallworth was the first African-American to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department and later became the first Black detective in the city’s history. Produced by Blumhouse (the team behind last year’s Spirit Award-winner Get Out) and directed by prolific indie icon Spike Lee, Klansman won the Grand Prix at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and received a six-minute standing ovation after its premiere.
CRAZY RICH ASIANS
When You Can Watch: August 17 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Jon M. Chu Cast: Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding Why We’re Excited: Making waves as the first major Hollywood studio rom-com with an all-Asian cast, the latest film from John M. Chu (Jem and the Holograms, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) is based on Singapore-American author Kevin Kwan’s bestselling novel of the same name. Shot in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Penang) and Singapore, the film follows Rachel Chu (Wu), an American-born Chinese economics professor who accompanies her longtime boyfriend Nick (Golding) to his native Singapore for a wedding, only to discover that Nick is heir to one of the richest families in Asia. If you think Tony Stark is as flashy, narcissistic and snobbish as it gets, you haven’t seen what the filthy rich from Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai are up to—drowning in ultra-decadence and crass materialism. In the novel, one of the characters has a “climate-controlled clothes closet” where “shoes are kept 15-degrees warmer than the fur and cashmere,” according to a New York Times review by Janet Maslin.
JULIET, NAKED
When You Can Watch: August 17 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Jesse Peretz Cast: Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, Chris O’Dowd Why We’re Excited: Premiering at Sundance earlier this year, this British-American dramedy was adapted by three screenwriters—Tamara Jenkins, Jim Taylor and Phil Alden Robinson—from a novel by Nick Hornby. Stuck in a loveless and boring relationship, Annie (Byrne) lives with her longtime boyfriend Duncan (O’Dowd) in the sleepy coastal town of Sandcliff. Annie is sick and tired of Duncan’s lifelong obsession with an indie rocker from the ‘90s, Tucker Crowe (three-time Spirit Award nominee Ethan Hawke); an entire room in their house is devoted as a shrine to the rock has-been, replete with bootleg recordings, concert posters and magazine covers. One day one of Crowe’s demos lands at their house. Annie thinks it’s awful and says so on an online message board—which somehow finds its way back to Crowe. He emails her out of the blue, and the two connect. Film Independent Member Jeffrey Soros is one of the film’s producers.
MINDING THE GAP
When You Can Watch: August 17 Where You Can Watch: Theaters, Hulu Director: Bing Liu Why We’re Excited: Director Bing Liu’s feature documentary debut Minding The Gap won accolades right out of the gate, winning the US Documentary Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking after its world premiere at this year’s Sundance, after being supported by Film Independent’s 2017 Documentary Lab and Fast Track film financing market at 2017 LA Film Festival. Set in blue-collar America, the film is shot entirely in Liu’s hometown of Rockford, Illinois. Liu shares his personal story with the world and chronicles how he and his skateboarding buddies (many of whom hail from volatile families) have stumbled into adulthood; their struggles revealed via a collage of skateboarding videos collected over 12 years and intercut with piercingly candid and revealing conversations. Along with Liu, producer Diane Moy Quon is a Film Independent Member.
THE WIFE
When You Can Watch: August 17 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Björn Runge Cast: Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater, Max Irons Why We’re Excited: An adaptation from Meg Wolitzer’s novel of the same name, the drama was partly shot in Scotland, including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Arbigland Estate in Dumfries. Already garnering awards talk, the great Glenn Close plays Joan, the devoted wife of 40 years to prolific author Joe Castleman (BAFTA and Emmy nominee Jonathan Pryce), who is about to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. When the couple travels to Stockholm for the ceremony, the façade of their picture-perfect marriage begins to fissure, as Joan’s deep-seated resentment for all her sacrifices for the family begins to unravel. Film Independent Member Steven Golin is an executive producer on the film and Member Rosalie Swedlin one of the producers.
SEARCHING
When You Can Watch: August 31 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Aneesh Shaganty Cast: John Cho, Michelle La, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee Why We’re Excited: Snagging two honors at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival—the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize and the Audience Award—director Shaganty’s feature directorial debut stands out for two reasons. First: the psychological thriller is the first Hollywood thriller headlined by an Asian actor (John Cho, of 2018 Spirit Award brunch host fame). Secondly: smartphones and laptop screens play a major role as storytelling devices in the film, which is told entirely through the use of computer screens and other digital devices. When his 16-year-old daughter Margot (La) goes missing after supposedly studying at a friend’s house, David Kim (Cho) goes through her smartphone and web history to track down what happened. The result is a tense riff on film noir traditions, reinvented for our digital landscape.
KEY
Film Independent Fellow or Member
LA Film Festival Alum
Film Independent Spirit Award Winner or Nominee
First-time Filmmaker
Microbudget
Female Filmmaker
Filmmaker or Lead Characters of Color
LGBT Filmmaker or Lead LGBT Characters
title: “Don T Miss Indies What To Watch In August” ShowToc: true date: “2024-05-04” author: “Eugene Couture”
LUCE
When You Can Watch: August 2 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Julius Onah Cast: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Tim Roth Why We’re Interested: Considering the near-extinct status of photochemical film these days, let’s take a minute to celebrate one of the year’s few commercially-produced features shot on actual 35mm. Director Onah’s two previous features were shot on film as well, but the format is a first for DP Larkin Sieple—but enough about emulsion! A decade ago, child soldier Luce (Harrison Jr.) was adopted from Eritrea by upper-middle class white parents (multiple Film Independent Spirit Award nominees Watts and Roth) and is the living embodiment of the American Dream— valedictorian of his senior class and captain of the basketball team. Sadly, it only takes one person to cause your fall from grace: a teacher (Spencer) finds illegal fireworks in Luce’s locker and chooses to think the worst of him. To accomplish the grounded and edgy texture of Luce’s disparate realities, Onah favored film over digital because of its added density, rich colors and a grainy aesthetic quality.
BRIAN BANKS
When You Can Watch: August 9 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Tom Shadyac Cast: Aldis Hodge, Greg Kinnear, Sherri Shepherd Why We’re Interested: Winner of the Best Fiction Feature prize at the 2018 LA Film Festival, this heart-wrenching IRL story begins when high school football star Banks (Hodge, of Straight Outta Compton and Hidden Figures) is falsely accused of rape by a classmate, just as USC is about to sign him. Wrongfully imprisoned, his life is derailed for 10 years until attorney Brooks (Kinnear), of the California Innocence Project, challenges to have his case overturned, with Banks’ accuser recanting her accusation. Unbroken by the hand that life has dealt him, the linebacker attempts to resume his football career—but will he ever reclaim his dream of playing for the NFL? The biographical drama is comedy mainstay Tom Shadyac’s (The Nutty Professor, Bruce Almighty) first feature dramatic feature in 11 years. Also, producers Amy Baer and Monica Levinson, as well as executive producer Justin Brooks are all Film Independent Members.
AFTER THE WEDDING
When You Can Watch: August 9 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Bart Freundlich Cast: Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup
THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON
When You Can Watch: August 9 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Zack Gottsagen, Bruce Dern Why We’re Interested: From the producers of Little Miss Sunshine comes another feel-good buddy story, this one featuring frequent onscreen rebel Shia LaBeouf playing the unlikely mentor figure. Twenty-two-year-old Zak (Gottsagen) has Down syndrome, stuck in a retirement home in Virginia with no family or friends to care for him. One day he manages to sneak out with the help of his feisty, elderly roommate (Dern)—his only goal is to become a professional wrestler. He meets downtrodden tidewater fisherman Tyler (Spirit Award nominee LaBeouf), and the two sail down the coast of Florida in pursuit of wild dreams and second chances. Premiering at SXSW earlier this year, newcomer Gottsagen was discovered at a camp for disabled artists, where the filmmakers were inspired to design a story around him and his unique talents. Producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa are both Film Independent Members.
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
When You Can Watch: August 14 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Gurinder Chadha Cast: Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra Why We’re Interested: Following the 2017 historical drama Viceroy’s House, the new feature from BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) is a British-set coming-of-age tale propelled by the music of Bruce Springsteen. Fueled by his infatuation with Springsteen’s music, UK journalist Sarfraz Manzoor wrote a 2013 memoir, which he and Chadha later co-adapted with the director’s frequent collaborator Paul Mayeda Berges. Disillusioned with the racial and economic turmoil of 1980s England, British-Pakistani teenager Javed (Kalra) turns to writing music and poetry as a means of escaping his reality—the discovery of Springsteen’s music quite literally changing his life. A chance meeting between Chadha and Manzoor with “The Boss” himself on the red carpet of his (Springsteen’s) documentary The Promise secured permission for the duo to make the film.
WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE?
When You Can Watch: August 15 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Richard Linklater Cast: Cate Blanchett, Emma Nelson, Judy Greer, Kristen Wiig, Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup Why We’re Interested: It’s the second film featured this month with Billy Crudup—this one a tonally eccentric feature from past Spirit Award winner Linklater (Boyhood, A Scanner Darkly.) Sick and tired of her seemingly perfect life, Seattle-based architect-turned-hermit Bernadette (Blanchett, 2014 Spirit Award winner for Blue Jasmine) abandons everything she knows in order to reconnect with her long-dormant creative passions. Based on the 2012 Maria Semple novel of the same name, the adaptation focuses primarily on Bernadette’s teenage daughter Bee (Nelson) and her quest to find out what happened to the mother who seemingly had it all, leaving Bee to ask the question, “Where’d you go?”
SOCRATES
When You Can Watch: August 20 Where You Can Watch: Theaters, VOD Director: Alexandre Moratto Cast: Christian Malheiros, Tales Ordakji, Caio Martinez Pacheco Why We’re Interested: Premiering in the World Fiction section at the 2018 LA Film Festival, Brazilian filmmaker—and 2019 Someone to Watch award winner—Alexandre Moratto’s debut feature centers around 15-year-old Socrates’ (Malheiros—a 2019 Spirit Award nominee for Best Male Lead) grimy life in the Baixada Santista ghetto of São Paulo. The soulful young man’s life is further thrown into turmoil when his mother unexpectedly dies, leaving him to fend for himself, all while struggling with his own sexual identity. Adding an unprecedented level of realism to the film, at-risk teenagers from low-income communities in the area were involved with the project: the movie was produced by the Querô Institute in Brazil (with the support of UNICEF) with real São Paulo’s teenagers co-writing, producing and acting throughout the project. Film Independent Fellow Ramin Bahrani is one of the film’s producers.
BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON
When You Can Watch: August 23 (free August 14 Members-Only screening) Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Paul Downs Colaizzo Cast: Jillian Bell, Jennifer Dundas, Patch Darragh, Michaela Watkins Why We’re Interested: The winner of this year’s Sundance Audience Award, playwright-turned-filmmaker Colaizzo knocks it out of the park with his directorial debut, loosely based—supposedly—on the experiences of one of his friends. Comedy world favorite Jillian Bell (Portlandia, 22 Jump Street) plays the titular hard-partying Brittany, who learns some bad news about her health after visiting a doctor in an attempt to score some Adderall. Long story short: she desperately needs to loose some weight, or else. Motivated by neighbor, Katherine (Watkins), to focus on “little goals,” Brittany decides to tackle her challenge by running one New York City block at a time—and wouldn’t you know it, pretty soon she’s training for the New York City Marathon. Catch a free Members-only screening as part of Film Independent Presents, August 14.
GIVE ME LIBERTY
When You Can Watch: August 23 (free August 29 Film Lover screening) Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Kirill Mikhanovsky Cast: Lauren “Lolo” Spencer, Chris Galust, Maxim Stoyanov Why We’re Interested: Made on a micro-budget with professional and nonprofessional actors alike, director Mikhanovsky’s second film—after 2006’s Brazilian feature Fish Dreams/Sonhos de Peixe—screened earlier this year in the Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes. Inspired by Mikhanovsky’s own experiences as a medical driver in Milwaukee, the dark comedy takes us along for a ride with Vic (Galust), the pilot of a medical van charged with transporting the sick and disabled. When a riot breaks out in the city, Vic is torn between trying to get to a funeral across town and helping out one of his riders (Spencer), a wheelchair-bound young black woman with ALS. Mikhanovsky co-wrote this project with Chicago playwright Alice Austen (Farm, La Musica)—catch a special Film Lover Member screening on August 29 at Film Independent. What’s more, producer Alice Austen and executive producer Ryan Zacarias are both Film Independent Fellows.
PROGRAMMERS’ PICK ONE CHILD NATION
When You Can Watch: August 9 (free August 6 Members-Only screening) Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang Why We’re Excited: From Jenn Wilson, Film Independent Senior Programmer: “One Child Nation is not only an exceptionally well-made film, but it’s unique in that the director, Film Independent Fellow Nanfu Wang—who now lives in the U.S., but who grew up in China during the One Child Policy—still has close ties to her Chinese village. And because of this, she has incredible access to many people who are extremely forthcoming about the brutal duties they were forced to carry out as part of this policy. These raw first-hand accounts of not only the forced abortions and sterilizations on thousands of women, but also of child abandonment and massive fraud by public officials to kidnap children and sell them to orphanages, would be completely unbelievable if told in any other way. This film is essential viewing in a world where reproductive rights are still under constant attack.”
KEY
Film Independent Fellow or Member
Film Independent Spirit Award Winner or Nominee
First-time Filmmaker
Microbudget
Female Filmmaker
Filmmaker or Lead Characters of Color
LGBT Filmmaker or Lead LGBT Characters
LA Film Festival Alum (Header: Where’d You Go, Bernadette?)
title: “Don T Miss Indies What To Watch In August” ShowToc: true date: “2024-05-22” author: “Patricia Dominick”
NO ORDINARY MAN
When You Can Watch: Now Where You Can Watch: Theaters Directors: Aisling Chin-Yee, Chase Joynt Why We’re Excited: Premiering at the 2020 Toronto Film Festival, this documentary by Canadian filmmakers Aisling Chin-Yee and Aisling Joynt takes a close look into the life of late jazz musician and trans culture icon Billy Tipton. Famous throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the pianist and bandleader Tipton’s transgender identity was only revealed after his death in 1989, leaving his widow, Kathleen “Kitty” Tipton, and eldest son to brutal scrutiny by the media at the time. The film largely consists of interviews with contemporary trans performers—including artist Zackary Drucker and writer Amos Mac—to contextualize what Tipton’s career and gender identity means to the continuing fight for trans representation in the arts.
VAL
When You Can Watch: Now Directors: Ting Poo, Leo Scott Cast: Val Kilmer, Jack Kilmer Why We’re Excited: When co-director Lee Scott was editing The Lotus Community Workshop, a short film directed by Harmony Korine and starring Val Kilmer, he discovered that the actor was in the process of digitizing 40 years (and 800 hours’ worth!) of footage chronicling his life and long career. Scott ended up helping Kilmer with the digitization process, which served as the origin of Val, the feature directorial debut for both Scott and co-director Ting Poo. The documentary is an amalgamation of Kilmer’s own collection of home movies from childhood and decades’ worth of handheld camcorder and phone footage, with material ranging from his days as a student in Julliard to behind-the-scenes footage from his many films. Tragically, Kilmer has recently lost his voice to cancer. As a result, the film is narrated by his son, Jack Kilmer. The producing team includes several Film Independent Members: Samantha Casey, Archival Producer; Ben Cotner, Executive Producer; Sarba Das, Co-Executive Producer; Chris Noviello, Co-Producer.
ANNETTE
When You Can Watch: August 6 Director: Leos Carax Cast: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Angèle Why We’re Excited: The opening film at last month’s 2021 edition of the Cannes Film Festival, French filmmaker Leos Carax’s English-language debut is a musical-drama-fantasy based on a screenplay, original music and songs by “Sparks brothers” Ron and Russell Mael. In this “bizarre rock opera” (as the BBC’s review bills it), famed soprano Anne Defrasnoux (Cotillard, a Film Independent Spirit Award nominee for 2013’s The Immigrant) and her stand-up comedian husband Henry McHenry (Driver, a 2020 Spirit Awards winner for Marriage Story) are madly in love with each other, but their life is turned upside down when their daughter Annette—a creepy puppet baby—is born. Filmed in Los Angeles, Brussels, Bruges and parts of Germany, the main cast did most of their own singing in the film.
BECKETT
When You Can Watch: August 13 Where You Can Watch: Netflix Director: Ferdinando Cito Filomarino Cast: John David Washington, Boyd Holbrook, Vicky Krieps, Alicia Vikander Why We’re Excited: Previously serving as Second Unit Director for Luca Guadagnino’s Spirit Award winning films Call Me by Your Name and Suspiria, Italian filmmaker Cito Filomarino’s English language debut will be distributed by Netflix following its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival on August 4. Set during the political and social turmoil in Greece, the action thriller follows American tourist, Beckett—played by Washington (Tenet, BlacKkKlansman)—whose vacation takes a treacherous turn when he and girlfriend, April (Vikander, of The Danish Girl and Ex Machina) get into a car crash. Soon after, she goes missing and Beckett ends up in the center of a conspiracy—and the target of an international manhunt.
CODA
When You Can Watch: August 13 Where You Can Watch: Theaters (Limited), Apple TV+ Director: Sian Heder Cast: Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur Why We’re Excited: Directed and written by Film Independent Fellow Sian Heder (a 2021 Spirit Awards nominee for immigrant drama series Little America), the film follows 17-year-old Ruby (Jones), who is a child of deaf adults, aka “CODA”. A gifted singer and the only hearing member in her family, Ruby is torn between pursuing her dreams with music school or staying to help her family with their fishing business. An American remake of the 2014 French dramedy La famille Bélier, the story is set and shot in Gloucester and Rockport, Massachusetts. Premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it sparked a massive bidding war, the film features three out of the four leads who are deaf in real life, including Children of a Lesser God Oscar winner Marlee Matlin.
EMA
When You Can Watch: August 13 Where You Can Watch: Theaters (Limited) Director: Pablo Larraín Cast: Mariana Di Girolamo, Cristian Suares, Gael García Bernal, Paola Giannini, Santiago Cabrera Why We’re Excited: Most recently nominated at the 2017 Spirit Awards for his First Lady biopic Jackie, Chilean director Larraín’s (Neruda) newest feature is a gorgeously filmed Spanish-language drama about an adoption gone awry. Set in Valparaíso, Chile, young Reggaeton dancer Ema (Di Girolamo) and her director-husband Gastón (Bernal) adopt young Colombian boy, Polo. But they soon discover disturbing behaviors from the child—stuffing a puppy into the freezer, burning Ema’s sister, and so on—and surrender him back to the orphanage. Now divorced, the couple must face the aftermath of the failed adoption as Ema finds herself unable to move on from the guilt of abandoning the child.
THE NIGHT HOUSE
When You Can Watch: August 20 Where You Can Watch: Theaters, Film Independent Presents (August 17) Director: David Bruckner Cast: Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Evan Jonigkeit Why We’re Excited: A John Cassavetes Award nominee for his 2007 telecommunications-centric horror flick The Signal, David Bruckner’s latest offering is a psychological horror film based on a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. A 2011 Robert Altman Award winner for Please Give, Rebecca Hall plays widowed schoolteacher Beth, whose husband Owen (Jonigkeit) has recently committed suicide, leaving her with the lake house that he had specifically built for her. Still reeling from the grief, she settles into the house alone but soon encounters bizarre and scary visions and spirits. Getting to the bottom of the haunting mysterious goings-on opens a window into the disturbing secrets from her husband’s past. Premiering in the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, the film was shot mostly in Syracuse, New York. Sign up here for the Film Independent Presents in-person screening on Tuesday, August 17 followed by a virtual discussion with Bruckner and Hall.
NO MAN OF GOD
When You Can Watch: August 27 Where You Can Watch: Theaters (Limited), SVOD Director: Amber Sealey Cast: Elijah Wood, Luke Kirby, Robert Patrick
MEMORIA
When You Can Watch: TBD Where You Can Watch: TBD (initial release at Cannes 2021) Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul Cast: Tilda Swinton, Elkin Díaz, Jeanne Balibar, Juan Pablo Urrego Why We’re Excited: In Thai writer-director Weerasethakul’s first film shot outside his native Thailand, the Spanish/English mystery drama centers on Medellín based Scottish orchidologist Jessica (Suspiria Robert Altman Award winner Swinton), who is haunted by a strange sonic boom that apparently only she can detect—a condition inspired by a similar malady the director himself has experienced. Instead of consulting doctors, Jessica opts to get to the bottom of this with the help of sound engineer Hernán (Juan Pablo Urrego). Premiering last month at Cannes, the film marks Weerasethakul’s return to the Croisette 11 years after winning the Palme d’Or for his deathbed fantasy drama, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Nabbing the Jury Prize this time, Memoria was shot primarily in Colombia. One of the Co-Producers on the project is Film Independent Member Joslyn Barnes.
PROGRAMMER’S PICK WHIRLYBIRD
When You Can Watch: Now Where You Can Watch: Theaters (Limited), SVOD Director: Matt Yoka Cast: Katy Tur, Zoey Tur, Marika Gerrard Why We’re Excited: From Jenn Wilson, Film Independent Senior Programmer: “Formerly a director for Vice Media, Matt Yoka helms this feature documentary about ambitious journalist couple, Zoey Tur and Marika Gerrard. Although they certainly weren’t the first journalists to start shooting live news events from a helicopter, they breathed new life into the art form and captured some of the world’s most famous news footage from 1990s Los Angeles. Remember that OJ Simpson Bronco chase down the freeway? That was Zoey and Marika. Remember that 1992 footage of a man being pulled out of a semi and beaten after the Rodney King verdicts were announced? That was Zoey and Marika too. Supercharged and super adept at guessing where LA’s biggest new stories were about to unfold, Zoey and Marika set the bar so high that even they couldn’t maintain the level they’d initially achieved. The pressure sees cracks start to form in both their work and their personal lives. Too exhausted to keep secrets any longer, Zoey finally shares her desire to make a major life transition. Incredible archive footage is deftly interwoven with modern day interviews to tell this amazing story of a couple completely caught up in the intensity of the never-ending news cycle.”
KEY
Film Independent Fellow or Member
Film Independent Presents Screening, Q&A
LA Film Festival Alum
Film Independent Spirit Award Winner or Nominee
First-time Filmmaker
Microbudget
Female Filmmaker
Filmmaker or Lead Characters of Color
LGBT Filmmaker or Lead LGBT Characters (Header: CODA)
title: “Don T Miss Indies What To Watch In August” ShowToc: true date: “2024-04-28” author: “Eugene Snyder”
SHARP STICK
When You Can Watch: Now Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Lena Dunham Cast: Kristine Froseth, Jon Bernthal, Luka Sabbat, Taylour Paige, Jennifer Jason Leigh Why We’re Excited: Her first feature since winning the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay for 2010’s Tiny Furniture, writer-director Lena Dunham (of HBO’s Girls fame) returns to the big screen with this dark dramedy inspired by her own well-publicized hysterectomy four years ago. At 26, trained home aide Sarah Jo (Froseth) is still a virgin, looking and acting much like a 15-year-old, partly due to longstanding health issues with the hysterectomy she had at just 17. Living in Los Angeles with her party-girl mother Marilyn (Leigh) and sister Treina (Paige), she works for stay-at-home dad Josh (Bernthal) and pregnant wife Heather (Dunham) taking care of their disabled son. Longing to break out of her prepubescent “cage,” she comes on to Josh one day, thus beginning an uneasy journey of sexual awakening.
BODIES BODIES BODIES
When You Can Watch: August 5 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Halina Rejin Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha’la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Pete Davidson Why We’re Excited: In Dutch director Rejin’s black-comedy slasher film (based on a story by “Cat Person” author Kristen Roupenian), a group of seven rich 20-somethings decide to hold a weekend house party at a remote mansion in order to wait out an impending hurricane. Dropping by with her new girlfriend Bee (Bakalova), Sophie (Stenberg) arrives at spoiled rich-kid BFF David’s (Davidson) house unannounced, fresh out of rehab. The vibe is a little off, as the friend group begins to suspect that Sophie has some secrets to hide. Before long, the backstabbing and battling begins. And because none of these people have apparently read an Agatha Christie novel or watched Knives Out, everyone decides that a game of the titular “Bodies Bodies Bodies”–a murder mystery party game–would be a great way to pass the time… until things go very wrong. Co-producer Tatiana Bears is a 2019 alum of Film Independent’s Fast Track program.
THEY/THEM
When You Can Watch: August 5 Where You Can Watch: Peacock Director: John Logan Cast: Kevin Bacon, Carrie Preston, Anna Chlumsky, Theo Germaine, Quei Tann Why We’re Excited: “I wanted my favorite genre to celebrate who I was so I wrote this movie.” So stated queer filmmaker John Logan–writer of Gladiator, Skyfall and The Aviator, among others–to the crowd at the 40th edition of LA’s Outfest, where They/Them, his directorial debut, screened as the festival’s Closing Night film. Produced by Blumhouse and released exclusively on Peacock as the streamer’s first original feature, the slasher film attempts to sidestep horror norms by centering the story on queer protagonists. Camp leader Owen Whistler (Bacon, a Spirit Award nominee for 2004’s The Woodsman) and his wife/vicious therapist Cora (Preston) run a Christian-oriented gay conversion camp somewhere in the ominous woods. Before long, the latest crop of LGBTQIA+ and nonbinary campers begin to find the Whistlers’ “treatment” methods disturbing. And things get even more treacherous when an axe murderer (yes, really!) starts picking them off one by one…
SUMMERING
When You Can Watch: August 12 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: James Ponsoldt Cast: Lia Barnett, Sanai Victoria, Madalen Mills Why We’re Excited: Yet another offering from one of our Fast Track Fellows, writer-director James Ponsoldt’s laid-back coming-of-age drama has been billed as the female version of the beloved 1980s classic Stand by Me (hmm, what an interesting idea). Four pre-teen besties on the cusp of High School spend the last days of summer in the woods. But when they stumble onto a ghastly discovery, rather than calling the police, they decide to solve the mystery on their own. It is the catalyst that will jolt them out of their innocence forever and prematurely hurl them into the grim realities of adulthood? Seems likely! Among the production team are Film Independent Members Peter Block (producer) and executive producers Andrew Karpen and Kent Sanderson.
NEVER HAVE I EVER
When You Can Watch: August 12 Where You Can Watch: Netflix (Season 3) Creators: Mindy Kaling, Lang Fisher Cast: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Richa Moorjani, Darren Barnet Why We’re Excited: Loosely based on creator and Indian-American actor-comedian Mindy Kaling’s early years growing up in Boston, the groundbreaking Netflix series has been hailed as a watershed moment for South Asian representation in Hollywood. After the abrupt death of her father, 15-year-old Indian-American Tamil girl Devi (Ramakrishnan) temporarily loses the function of her legs due to the psychological impact of her grief. Yet another BIPOC-focused comedy set in the LA enclave of Sherman Oaks–here’s looking at you, Black-ish!–the series follows the daily struggles of a teenager trying to fit in, crushing on boys and navigating the precarious landscape of High School, all while continuing to process the loss of her dad. Tennis great John McEnroe narrates most of the series.
EMILY THE CRIMINAL
When You Can Watch: Aug 12 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: John Patton Ford Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Gina Gershon Why We’re Excited: Writer-director John Patton Ford’s first feature script is also his directorial debut. And in Emily the Criminal, he lands two-time Spirit Awards host (and winner) Aubrey Plaza as the lead. Saddled with $70,000 in student debt from an art degree she never completed, Emily (Plaza) is stuck in a dead-end job, thanks to an earlier felony assault conviction. Desperate to get herself out of the hole, she’s lured by a curious opportunity to make $200 an hour (no prior experience needed… Yeah, right!) and soon finds herself engulfed in a credit card scam that plunges her into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles. One of the film’s producers, Tyler Davidson, is a two-time Spirit Awards nominee for Cryptozoo (2021) and Take Shelter (2011) and is a Film Independent Member.
SALVATORE
When You Can Watch: August 19 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Luca Guadagnino Why We’re Excited: Best known to American audiences for his mesmerizing, gorgeously shot 2017 romantic drama Call Me by Your Name, Spirit Award winner Luca Guadagnino’s English-language documentary centers on Italian fashion icon Salvatora Ferragamo. Narrated by Michael Stuhlbarg–who played Elio’s father in Call Me by Your Name–the film incorporates parts of Ferragamo’s 1955 memoir as well as 100-year-old archival footage, tracing the artist’s humble beginnings as a poor cobbler in Bonito, Italy. Ferragamo immigrated to the United States in 1915 and settled in Southern California, soon becoming Hollywood’s go-to shoemaker during the silent film era. Clients of the shoemaker-to-the-stars included greats ranging from Douglas Fairbanks to Audrey Hepburn and Rita Hayworth. The love letter to Ferragamo premiered at the 2020 Venice Film Festival.
THE GOOD BOSS
When You Can Watch: August 26 Where You Can Watch: Theaters (limited) Director: Fernando León de Aranoa Cast: Javier Bardem, Manolo Solo, Almudena Amor Why We’re Excited: His third film with Bardem (a Spirit Award winner for 2000’s Before Night Falls) after Mondays in the Sun (2002) and Loving Pablo (2017), director de Aranoa’s latest offering won a record-breaking 20 nominations at the 36th Goya Awards this past February, ultimately taking home six prizes including Best Picture, Director and Actor, for Bardem. In this Spanish-language workplace satire, Bardem’s Blanco is a slippery-yet-charismatic industrialist desperate to win a regional government award for business excellence. To that end, he’ll do anything to nab the coveted award, including meddling in his employees’ personal lives, if it means projecting a perfect-picture at the factory just long enough to win.
THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING
When You Can Watch: August 31 Where You Can Watch: Theaters (limited) Directors: George Miller Cast: Tilda Swinton, Idris Elba, Pia Thunderbolt, Berk Ozturk Why We’re Excited: Based on A. S. Byatt’s short story The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye, director Miller’s (Mad Max: Fury Road, Happy Feet) exotic romantic fantasy was rewarded with a six-minute standing ovation at its world premiere at Cannes earlier this year. While attending a conference in Istanbul, narratology scholar Dr. Alithea Binnie (Robert Altman Award winner Swinton) buys an intriguing glass bottle from the Grand Bazaar. When she cleans it at her hotel room that night, a Djinn (2016 Spirit Awards winner for Beasts of No Nation, Elba) appears out of the bottle–complete with pointy, elven ears and furry legs–granting her three wishes. But our Alithea is no regular, unsuspecting layperson. Having poured through enough books in her line of work to know about the treacherous fate that often befalls those who accept these wishes, she refuses to take Djinn up on his offer until they have gotten to know each other a little better. As they start chatting, he recounts the last time he was released from the bottle, reliving his many exploits throughout the centuries.
BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN
When You Can Watch: August 12 Where You Can Watch: Theaters (including Drive-Ins!) Directors: April Wright Featuring: United Drive-In Theater Owners Association Why We’re Excited: From Film Independent Senior Programmer Jenn Wilson: “With her new documentary Back to the Drive-In, documentary filmmaker [and Film Independent Member] April Wright returns to one of her favorite subjects. Wright made a previous documentary about movie palaces, Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace, as well as another another film about drive-ins, Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the American Drive-In Movie. In her latest project, produced during the height of the pandemic, she visits 11 drive-ins in eight states to follow the ups and downs of their business. Wright’s films are an important document of an industry that is changing drastically with every passing day. As many see film exhibition as a dying practice with the advent of Netflix and streaming, there’s really no better time than right now for Wright to be exploring old theaters and drive-ins. Sadly, her films just may document some of the final days of these places. Yet her films also celebrate what we still love so much about going to the movies, and say a lot about what we’ll lose if they’re no longer with us. Be prepared to watch this film and then really want to go to the drive-in right after!”
KEY
Film Independent Fellow or Member
Film Independent Presents Screening, Q&A
Microbudget
Filmmaker or Lead Characters of Color
Film Independent Spirit Award Winner or Nominee
Female Filmmaker
LGBT Filmmaker or Lead LGBT Characters
First-time Filmmaker (Header: Three Thousand Years of Longing)
title: “Don T Miss Indies What To Watch In August” ShowToc: true date: “2024-05-23” author: “Marvin Leach”
And while our blog deadlines being imperiled by the inhuman machinery of Late Capitalism is certainly a headache, our real concern is the wellbeing of our filmmaking community during this lean, labor-conscious strike period. Please consider donating to artist support funds like this or this.
SHORTCOMINGS
When You Can Watch: August 4 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Randall Park Cast: Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola, Ally Maki, Debby Ryan Why We’re Excited: Directed and produced by Fresh of the Boat alum Randall Park, this Asian-centric dramedy follows struggling filmmaker and arthouse movie theater manager Ben (Min), who becomes disillusioned when his girlfriend Miko (Maki) decides to move to New York for an internship. Adapted from The New Yorker writer Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel by the same name (Tomine also wrote the film’s screenplay), Park’s directorial debut is set in Berkeley as Ben is left to his own devices with best friend and queer grad student, Alice (Cola), to ponder what’s next. Premiering at Sundance earlier this year, Shortcomings screened as part of Film Independent Presents last month, featuring an in-person introduction by Park.
A COMPASSIONATE SPY
When You Can Watch: August 4 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Steve James Why We’re Excited: Perfectly timed to be a companion piece to one-half of last month’s “Barbenheimer” marketing juggernaut—the Oppenheimer half, to be clear—Steve James’ (Hoop Dreams) latest documentary focuses on the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project, which created the world’s first atomic bomb at the Los Alamos Laboratory during WWII. Recruited out of Harvard when he was just 18 years old, Theodore Hall decided to do something to mitigate America’s post-war monopoly on weaponized nuclear power by passing on key information about the bomb’s construction to the Soviet Union. Explored via long interviews with Hall and his wife Joan, archival footage, and reenactments, the film was screened yesterday at our very own Film Independent Theater, with an in-person conversation with the two-time Film Independent Spirit Award winner James (The Interrupters, City So Real), moderated by Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent.
PASSAGES
When You Can Watch: August 4 Where You Can Watch: Theaters (Limited) Director: Ira Sachs Cast: Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adele Exarchopoulos, Erwan Fale Why We’re Excited: Five-time Spirit Award nominee Ira Sachs’ (Little Men, Love Is Strange) erotic drama—rated a controversial NC-17—chronicles a love triangle between movie director Tomas (Rogowski, Transit, Undine), his longtime husband Martin (two-time Spirit Awards Robert Altman winner, Whishaw) and Tomas’ new (female) lover, the young school teacher Agathe (Exarchopoulous, Blue Is the Warmest Color). It’s all fun and games until someone gets jealous, which is how Tomas reacts when Martin also sets out on his own extramarital affair. Set in Paris, the bilingual English/French drama screened at the Sundance and Berlin festivals earlier this year.
THE POD GENERATION
When You Can Watch: August 11 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Sophie Barthes Cast: Emilia Clarke, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Vinette Robinson, Veerle Dejaeger Why We’re Excited: Written and directed by Spirit Awards alum Sophie Barthes (Madame Bovary, Cold Souls), this sci-fi romantic dramedy is set in a futuristic New York, where babies are “created” from detachable artificial wombs. Game of Thrones royalty Emilia Clarke plays Rachel, who is ready to start a family with husband, Alvy (Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave and Showtime’s The Man Who Fell to Earth). As a perk from her job, Rachel lands a coveted womb-pod at the Womb Center. But, as a botanist, Alvy is a purist when it comes to nature and does not embrace the idea, thus beginning the couple’s tumultuous and tech-drenched trek to parenthood. Filmed primarily in Belgium, the feature premiered at Sundance earlier this year.
APORIA
When You Can Watch: August 11 Where You Can Watch: Theaters (Limited) Director: Jared Moshé Cast: Judy Greer, Edi Gathegi, Faithe Herman, Payman Maadi Why We’re Excited: “We have this power, why shouldn’t we use it”—possibly the most terrifying nine words in the English language. Six years after his contemplative Western, The Ballad of Lefty Brown, director Moshé’s newest cinematic offering comes in the form of an indie sci-fi film about how far one would go to bring one’s loved ones back from the dead. Still reeling from debilitating grief six months after her husband’s death in a drunk-driving accident, Sophie (Greer, Jurassic World, Ant-Man) struggles with daughter Riley (Herman) as they cope with patriarch Mal’s (Gathegi, Briarpatch, The Harder They Fall) death. This is when Mal’s best friend, Jabir (Maadi, from Iranian Oscar-winner A Separation), presents the distraught widow with a mangled mess of metal and wires: a time machine that can fire a bullet into the past… For an advanced screening, Film Independent Members (and a guest) can look forward to August 9, when the film will be screened at The Landmark in Westwood.
MEDUSA DELUXE
When You Can Watch: August 11 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Thomas Hardiman Cast: Clare Perkins, Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Kayla Meikle, Kae Alexander, Harriet Webb, Darrell D’Silva, Luke Pasqualino Why We’re Excited: British writer-director Hardiman has found a way to make his whodunit stand out in a sea of shopworn murder mysteries—by setting the dark comedy in a hairdressing competition in England amidst a long list of backstabbing and ambitious hairstylists. When hairdresser Mosca is found dead and scalped on the premises shortly after the competition, stylists Cleve (Perkins), Divine (Meikle), and Kendra (Webb) set out to get to the bottom of the murder before another victim drops. Meanwhile, Mosca’s lover Angel (Pasqualino, best known for his roles in Shadow and Bone and BBC One’s The Musketeers) shows up with a baby in tow. Premiering a year ago at the Locarno Film Festival, the film is co-distributed by Mubi and A24.
OLDBOY (20th Anniversary)
When You Can Watch: August 16 Where You Can Watch: Theaters (Limited) Director: Park Chan-wook Cast: Choi Min-sik, Kang Hye-jung, Yoo Ji-tae Why We’re Excited: Most famous to English-speaking audiences for The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave and his English-language TV series The Little Drummer Girl, Korean auteur Park Chan-Wook’s neo-noir stylish 2003 revenge thriller is being treated with a theatrical re-release to commemorate its 20th anniversary. The disturbing and gritty feature follows Dae-su (Choi), who is released 15 years after being kidnapped and imprisoned by a mysterious captor. To ensure his daughter’s safety, he sets out to find the true identity of his captor, encountering numerous bloody battles in the process. Unexpectedly, the chase also reveals how he has played a crucial role in his own kidnapping all those years ago. An unforgettable product of the Asian Extreme cinema movement, the film endures as a cult classic.
BOTTOMS
When You Can Watch: August 25 Where You Can Watch: Theaters Director: Emma Seligman Cast: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Havana Rose Liu, Dagmara Dominczyk Why We’re Excited: Three years after her feature debut with the 2022 John Cassavetes Award-winning Shiva Baby, Canadian director Seligman offers us a raunchy female-centric teen sex comedy co-written with lead actor, Senott. High school seniors, PJ (Senott) and Josie (Edebiri, 2023 Spirit Awards winner for Best Supporting Performance for the FX hit The Bear), start a fight club for the sole purpose of losing their virginities to cheerleaders. Under the altruistic guise of teaching their schoolmates the art of self-defense, they soon reel in the most popular girls in school eager to unleash some much-repressed violent tendencies.
A MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD
When You Can Watch: August 29 [see below] Where You Can Watch: Hulu Creators: Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling Cast: Emma Corrin, Brit Marling, Clive Owen, Harris Dickinson, Joan, Chen, Raúl Esparza Why We’re Excited: Spirit Awards nominee and creator of cult Netflix’s sci-fi mystery The OA, Batmanglij and regular collaborator, four-time Spirit Awards nominee Brit Marling (The OA, Sound of My Voice), have teamed up for Hulu’s murder mystery limited series. Amateur sleuth Darby Hart (Corrin, best known for playing Princess Diana in Netflix’s royal drama, The Crown) and eight other guests are at reclusive billionaire Andy’s (Owen) retreat, when one of the guests is found dead. Filmed in New Jersey, Utah, and Iceland, the seven-episode series is slated to drop weekly on FX Networks after the first two episodes premiere on Hulu. Editor’s note: Originally set to debut this month, the premiere has been pushed to November due to the dueling Actors and Writers Strikes. Updated release TBA.
PROGRAMMER’S PICK PROBLEMISTA
When You Can Watch: Now Where You Can Watch: Theaters, VOD Director: Julio Torres Cast: Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton, RZA, Isabella Rossellini, Catalina Saavedra Why We’re Excited: From Film Independent Senior Programmer Jenn Wilson: “Actor/writer/director/comedian Julio Torres (SNL, Los Espookys) has delivered a fantastic and extremely creative first feature film with Problemista. Torres plays a young immigrant to New York City from El Salvador named Alejandro, whose dream is to be a toy designer. But he struggles to find a job that will sponsor his visa. He strikes up a relationship with a chaotic art curator named Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton), who is desperately trying to mount a retrospective art show of her deceased husband Bobby’s (RZA) work. Anybody who has ever wanted to work in the arts and has had to deal with the endless woes of the dreaded day job slog will find Alejandro’s struggle intensely amusing and completely relatable, but his problems are compounded by the impossible process of trying to immigrate to the U.S. Alejandro and Elizabeth’s relationship is fraught with drama, but the two have a genuine admiration for one another that’s truly heart-warming. Torres heads up a great supporting cast including a wonderful Isabella Rossellini as the film’s narrator. Clearly influenced by the dream logic and magical realism in the work of Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, Torres also shows he has developed a creative voice of his own that is very exciting.”
KEY
Film Independent Fellow or Member
Film Independent Presents Screening, Q&A
Microbudget
Filmmaker or Lead Characters of Color
Film Independent Spirit Award Winner or Nominee
Female Filmmaker
LGBT Filmmaker or Lead LGBT Characters
First-time Filmmaker (Header: Bottoms)
