'I, Tonya' and 'Three Billboards...' among films featured at 26th Philly Film Fest

Well over 100 films will play at the 26th Philadelphia Film Festival the Philadelphia Film Society announced Tuesday afternoon.

Craig Gillespi's "I, Tonya" will open the festival on Oct. 19 at the Prince Theater to kick off 11 days of marathon moviewatching for die-hard Philly cinephiles. The society also announced that Martin McDonagh’s "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" will close the festival on Oct. 27. The festival will showcase more than 110 feature length and short films. The festival line-up is curated by our programming committee who carefully selects each film from multiple international festivals throughout the year.

"Coming off our 25th anniversary, we entered this year with a certain amount of trepidation as to how we could match what was arguably our strongest Festival program ever built upon one of the best years for film in recent memory. After traveling the Festival circuit and watching a record number of submissions, we’re thrilled with this year’s line-up, which again represents the best of film from around the world,” said Executive Director, J. Andrew Greenblatt. 

“From crowd pleasers like our Opening Night film 'I, Tonya' to award contenders like Closing Night film 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'; from thought-provoking documentaries like The New Radical to cutting edge foreign films like 'The Square' and experimental indies like 'Flesh and Blood' from Philly-born director Mark Webber, there’s something for everyone in this year’s Philadelphia Film Festival.”

The film society had previously announced a retrospective called "Demme in Philly" featuring projects of recently-passed director Jonathan Demme which includes "Philadelphia" and "Beloved."

The festival runs from Oct. 19 to Oct. 29.

Here is the full festival line-up:

Opening Night Film

·         I, Tonya, Director Craig Gillespie. 2017, USA.

Closing Night Film

·         Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Director Martin McDonagh. 2017, USA.

Centerpiece Screenings

·         Darkest Hour, Director Joe Wright. 2017, UK.

·         The Florida Project, Director Sean Baker. 2017, USA.

·         Lady Bird, Director Greta Gerwig. 2017, USA.

·         Last Flag Flying, Director Richard Linklater. 2017, USA.

24th Philadelphia Film Festival, Day 11: Final day, final nerves!

It was the last day for this year's Philadelphia Film Festival, and boy what a day it was.

I was ready to sit through films 17-20 for this year's outing, but for reasons beyond my control I was not totally ready for it.

I started off with "Kilo Two Bravo", a BAFTA-nominated film about the true story of a group of British soldiers trapped in an abandoned mine field near the Kajaki Dam in Afghanistan. Michael Lerman, artistic director of the festival, said it was "10 times" more intense than the similar-ish "The Hurt Locker". That is no joke.

With the wrong step anyone could be blown up in this small piece of desert. Let me tell you, I was so pent up waiting for a bomb to go off at any second I wanted to leave the theater. "Kilo Two Bravo" is incredibly tense it was almost uncomfortable, but how could you look away!? You needed to know what was going to happen to this group of (mostly) GQ-wannabe guys. The ending was incredibly hooky, full of title cards on the real soldiers and a horribly Hallmark-esque song playing underneath it. There was a few shots before the end that would have been the most perfect ending, but it went for cheese factor instead.

After self-diagnosing myself with PTSD from "Kilo Two Bravo", I enjoyed a great train ride on the Empire Builder courtesy of the documentary "In Transit".

24th Philadelphia Film Festival, Days 9 and 10: Closing Night Attack on Michael Moore, running with the best.

Closing night of the festival. The night where a non-publicized jury of people come up with a slate of winners for what was the best in the festival, even announcing winners of films that hadn't yet played at the fest. I think that's extremely odd, but whatever. I don't call the shots on what they do that. What's more weird is that it isn't actually held on the last day. Err, OK?

I'd put a list of the winners, but most were just honorable mention selections. How does one earn an honorable mention if there are no bigger winners above it. Wouldn't it just make them the best since they're the only one to win for a specific reason?

I think the festival's "jury", which could be a lottery machine that draws an award category and a film title at random and calls them winners, is an unnecessary part of a festival like Philadelphia. There are no big premieres, and I'm sure these "jurors" have already seen everything that plans to play here and just talks about it before the start of the fest and makes their decisions.

But seriously, honorable mention status without any other winners for a specific award? That's one of the dumbest things I've ever head at a fest. It's like agreeing nothing at the Cannes Film Festival is good and their jury, which is always announced publicly, hands out sad certificates of appreciation.

"You weren't the best, so we had to give out something. Here's an honorable mention certificate for trying."

24th Philadelphia Film Fest, Days 7 and 8: Gloomy Wednesday, 'Taxi' Thursday

Oy, what a wet day Wednesday was. It just seemed to rain all darn day. So what better way to lift the mood than to see a movie about teenage suicide!?

"Bridgend" was my only selection for the festival's seventh day, and it's a fictionalized account about
a real town in Wales where 79 teenagers committed suicide from 2007 to 2012. A girl named Sarah moves there with her police officer father, and the quiet, horse-rider soon falls in with a group of rambunctious teenagers who aren't total normal underneath their partying ways.

The premise is eerily intriguing: a "cult" of teenagers who one-by-one kill themselves in a secluded forest. What is so damning about this film is that instead of focusing on the teenagers, a young, quiet protagonist girl is inserted into the story and it turns into a coming-of-age bit, so much so that her father asks her "What is happening to you?", a line almost always said by a parental figure to the main character in a film like this.

Sarah's adventure with this dark group isn't anything new, and barely holds a flame to films like "Kids" and "Thirteen", it's just a way to break into the story of why are these kids committing suicide?

Like in real life, the film has no answers for it.

24th Philadelphia Film Fest, Day 4: A day of great choices

Note to self: check the public trans schedule about an hour before you plan on leaving. That would be pretty helpful.

Aside from that slight hiccup at the start of my day, the fourth day of the Philadelphia Film Festival was the best one yet. Instead of seeing four films like I wanted, I opted for three. I was just too darn tired.

The start of this eventual great day was "Remember", a film I had not heard about before. The festival program guide says it's about a guy who seeks out the Nazi who killed he and his wife's families at Auschwitz.

"Remember" features a standout turn by Christopher Plummer as the man on the cross-country hunt to kill this Nazi. He portrays the dementia-afflicted man with a delicate touch of warmth and sadness. This is a film that had everyone shocked, and if you see, you'd understand why.

Not your standard rinse and repeat Holocaust movie.

Over 130 Films Slated for 24th Philly Film Festival

The Philadelphia Film Society is proud to announce the full film line-up of the 24^th Philadelphia Film Festival, spanning from October 22 – November 1 on 6 theater screens throughout the Greater Philadelphia area.

Opening on October 22^nd with Anomalisa and closing on October 30 with Where to Invade Next, the 11-day Philadelphia Film Festival will locally premiere over 130 feature length and short films, curated by our programming committee that travels to festivals around the world, all year long, to officially select each film in the program. 

“I’m thrilled with this year’s fantastic line-up of films, bringing so many incredible features and shorts from around the world to Philadelphia for our 24^th edition,” said Executive Director J. Andrew Greenblatt.  “From our Opening Night screening of the Venice Grand Prize winner Anomalisa to the Closing Night screening of master documentarian Michael Moore’s Where to Invade Next, this year’s slate is not only incredibly strong and diverse, but fully represents what a film festival truly is: the gathering of a community of film lovers experiencing some of the most exciting, challenging, innovative, prestigious and thought-provoking films of the year, with many of the artists behind these films in attendance.”

"It’s bursting at the seams!” said Michael Lerman, Artistic Director.  "With our biggest program in several years, we’re very lucky to be showcasing a collection of work that is overstuffed with gems, featuring over twenty works from world renowned directors (including our bold and fantastic opening and closing night selections) along with plenty of great surprises from first timers."

The Philadelphia Film Society is honored that Michael Moore, the Academy-Award winning filmmaker and best-selling author behind Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine, will be joining  the #PFF24 Closing Night Celebration at the Prince Theater.

The full Festival schedule and digital Festival Program Guide is available now on www.filmadelphia.org/festival. 

Screenings for the 24^th Philadelphia Film Festival will take place at the Ritz East (125 S. 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106), Ritz at the Bourse (400 Ranstead St, Philadelphia, PA 19106), PFS Roxy Theater (2023 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103), and Prince Theater (1412 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19102). Tickets will go on-sale for Philadelphia Film Society members on Friday, October 2, and to the general public beginning Monday, October 5.  Tickets may be purchased through the Festival website, www.filmadelphia.org/festival, or in-person at the Main Box Office at the Prince Theater (open Monday – Saturday from 12 noon to 5:00 pm).

24^th Philadelphia Film Festival Full Line-up

Opening Night Film

·         Anomalisa, Director Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson. 2015, USA.

Closing Night Film

·         Where To Invade Next, Director Michael Moore. 2015, USA.

Centerpiece Screenings

·         Brooklyn, Director John Crowley. 2015, Ireland, UK.

·         Carol, Director Todd Haynes. 2015, USA, UK.

·         Our Brand Is Crisis, Director David Gordon Green. 2015, USA.

·         Room, Director Lenny Abrahamson. 2015, Ireland, Canada.

·         A Royal Night Out, Director Julian Jarrold. 2015, UK.

·         Youth, Director Paolo Sorrentino. 2015, Italy.

From the Vaults: Film history comes alive as it was meant to be seen - on the big screen. Come see old favorites bigger than life once again.

·         Life of Brian, Director Terry Jones.  1979, UK.

·         The Memory of Justice, Director Marcel Ophuls.  1976, UK, USA, Germany.

·         My Sex Life…or How I Got Into An Argument, Director Arnaud Desplechin.  1996, France.

·         Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation, Director Eric Zala. 1989, USA.

A Very Scary Sleepover: Wes Craven’s Halloween Nightmare

·         Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Director Rachel Talalay. 1991, USA.

·         The Hills Have Eyes, Director Wes Craven. 1977, USA.

·         The Last House on the Left, Director Wes Craven. 1972, USA.

·         New Nightmare, Director Wes Craven. 1994, USA.

·         A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, Director Jack Sholder. 1985, USA.

·         A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Director Chuck Russell. 1987, USA.

·         A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Director Renny Harlin. 1988, USA.

·         A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Director Stephen Hopkins. 1989, USA.

·         A Nightmare on Elm Street, Director Wes Craven. 1984, USA.

·         The People Under the Stairs, Director Wes Craven. 1991, USA.

·         Scream, Director Wes Craven. 1996, USA.

Spotlights, Presented by Philadelphia Magazine: Highly–anticipated movies from some of the biggest names in the industry, these films shine a spotlight on top talent from around the world.

·         The 33, Director Patricia Riggen. 2015, Chile, Columbia.

·         Camino, Director Josh C. Waller. 2015, USA.

·         James White, Director Josh Mond. 2015, USA.

·         Legend, Director Brian Helgeland. 2015, UK.

·         The Lobster, Director Yorgos Lanthimos. 2015, Ireland, UK.

·         Macbeth, Director Justin Kurzel. 2015, UK.

·         Man Up, Director Ben Palmer. 2015, UK.

·         Monty Python’s The Meaning of Live, Director Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam. 2015, UK

·         The Program, Director Stephen Frears. 2015, UK.

·         Remember, Director Atom Egoyan. 2015, Canada, Germany.

Masters of Cinema, Presented by Comcast: These new films exemplify the masterful work of world-renowned filmmakers as they continue to thrill and inspire audiences with cutting-edge features.

·         The Club, Director Pablo Larrain. 2015, Chile.

·         Dheepan, Director Jacques Audiard. 2015, France.

·         In the Shadow of Women, Director Philippe Garrel. 2015, France.

·         In Transit, Directors Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu, David Usui. 2015, USA.

·         Love, Director Gaspar Noe. 2015, France.

·         Mia Madre, Director Nanni Moretti. 2015, Italy, France.

·         Mountains May Depart, Director Jia Zhang-Ke. 2015, China, Japan, France.

·         My Golden Days, Director Arnaud Desplechin. 2015, France.

·         The Pearl Button, Director Patricio Guzman. 2015, Chile, France, Spain.

·         Sunset Song, Director Terence Davies. 2015, UK, Luxembourg.

·         Tale of Tales, Director Matteo Garrone. 2015, Italy, France, UK.

·         Taxi, Director Jafar Panahi. 2015, Iran.

·         The Treasure, Director Corneliu Porumboiu. 2015, Romania, France.

·         The White Knights, Director Joachim Lafosse. 2015, France, Belgium.

World Narratives, Presented by 6ABC: Explore the world through film with this diverse selection of international cinema that features distinct perspectives and images from around the globe.

·         45 Years, Director Andrew Haigh. 2015, UK.

·         Body, Director Malgorzata Szumowska. 2015, Poland.

·         The Boy and the Beast, Director Mamoru Hosoda. 2015, Japan.

·         Bridgend, Director Jeppe Ronde. 2015, Denmark.

·         Chasuke’s Journey, Director Sabu. 2015, Japan.

·         Guilty, Director Meghna Gulzar. 2015, India.

·         Hedi Schneider Is Stuck, Director Sonja Heiss. 2015, USA, France.

·         The High Sun,  Director Dalibor Matanic. 2015, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia.

·         Homesick, Director Anne Sewitsky. 2015, Norway.

·         Just Jim, Director Craig Roberts. 2015, UK.

·         Kilo Two Bravo, Director Paul Katis. 2015, UK.

·         Mediterranea, Director Jonas Carpignano. 2015, Italy.

·         Men & Chicken, Director Anders Thomas Jensen. 2015, Denmark.

·         Much Loved, Director Nabil Ayouch. 2015, France, Morocco.

·         Mustang, Director Deniz Gamze Erguven. 2015, France, Germany, Turkey, Qatar.

·         Rams, Director Grimur Hakonarson. 2015, Iceland.

·         The Survivalist, Director Stephen Fingelton. 2015, UK, Northern Ireland.

·         Umrika, Director Prashant Nair. 2015, India.

·         Victoria, Director Sebastian Schipper. 2015, Germany.

·         The Wave, Director Roar Uthaug. 2015, Norway.

New French Films, Presented by TV5Monde: The birthplace of cinema, France continues to produce some of the best movies in the world with films that are funny, daring, sexy and uniquely French.

·         Disorder, Director Alice Winocour. 2015, France.

·         Evolution, Director Lucile Hadžihalilović. 2015, France.

·         Fatima, Director Philippe Faucon. 2015, France.

·         I Am a Soldier, Director Laurent Lariviere. 2015, France.

·         Learn By Heart, Director Mathieu Vadepied. 2015, France.

Spanish Language Stories, Presented by Southwest Airlines: Offering gripping stories and unique perspectives, these Spanish-language films explore a multitude of subjects ranging from the culturally specific to the universal.

·         600 Miles, Director Gabriel Ripstein. 2015, Mexico.

·         El Cinco, Director Adrian Biniez. 2014, Argentina.

·         Embrace of the Serpent, Director Ciro Guerra. 2015, Columbia, Venezuela, Argentina.

·         Ixcanul Volcano, Director Jayro Bustamante. 2015, Guatemala, France

·         Magallanes, Director Salvador del Solar. 2015, Peru, Argentina, Columbia, Spain.

·         Viaje, Director Paz Fabrega. 2015, Costa Rica.

Feast: A delightful tasting menu highlighting contemporary culinary stories from around the globe.

·         An, Director Naomi Kawase. 2015, Japan, France, Germany.

·         Beer Runners, Director Justin Wirtalla. 2014, USA, Spain.

·         The Birth of Sake, Director Erik Shirai. 2015, USA.

·         King Georges, Director Erika Frankel. 2015, USA.

American Independents, Presented by Park Towne Place: Featuring powerful new voices in American cinema, these fresh, gritty films explore a variety of subjects through the filmmaker’s uncompromising vision. All films in this series are a part of the “PFF On Us” free ticketing program.

·         Emelie, Director Michael Thelin. 2015, USA

·         Entertainment, Director Rick Alverson. 2015, USA.

·         Krisha, Director Trey Edward Shults. 2015, USA.

·         Lamb, Director Ross Partridge. 2015, USA.

·         Naz and Maalik, Director Jay Dockendorf. 2014, USA.

·         Quitters, Director Noah Pritzker. 2014, USA.

·         Take Me to the River, Director Matt Sobel. 2015, USA.

Greater Filmadelphia, Presented by Philadelphia Gas Works: Featuring work from some of our finest homegrown filmmakers, this category brings our city and its talent to the big screen.

·         Baby Baby Baby, Director Brian Klugman. 2015, USA

·         The Benefactor, Director Andrew Renzi. 2015, USA.

·         Funny Bunny, Director Alison Bagnall. 2015, USA.

·         A Light Beneath Their Feet, Director Valerie Weiss. 2015, USA.

·         The Prince of Pennsylvania, Director Jesse Vile. 2015, USA, UK.

·         A Rising Tide, Director Ben Hickernell. 2015, USA.

·         When Voices Meet, Director Nancy Sutton Smith. 2015, South Africa, USA.

Documentary Showcase, Presented with support by the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation: Comprising the best in documentary filmmaking, these compelling films feature everything from stirring character studies to fascinating looks at current global issues.

·         The Great Alone, Director Greg Kohs. 2014, USA.

·         Palio, Director Cosima Spender. 2015, UK, Italy.

·         Peggy Guggenheim – Art Addict, Director Lisa Immordino Vreeland. 2015, USA.

·         Raiders!, Directors Jeremy Coon, Tim Skousen. 2015, USA.

·         Sherpa, Director Jennifer Peedom. 2015, Australia, UK.

·         (T)error, Directors Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe. 2015, USA.

·         Welcome to Leith, Directors Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walter. 2015, USA.

Sight and Soundtrack, Presented by KYW1060: Featuring rockumentaries, musician biopics and films that are centered on the unifying power of music.

·         As I AM: The Life and Times of DJ AM, Director Kevin Kerslake. 2015, USA.

·         Breaking a Monster, Director Luke Meyer. 2015, USA.

·         Free Entry, Director Yvonne Kerékgyártó. 2014, Hungary.

·         Hot Sugar’s Cold World, Director Adam Bhala Lough. 2015, USA, France.

·         Mavis!, Director Jessica Edwards. 2015, USA.

The Graveyard Shift: Horror, action, suspense, and the downright weird, these films will keep you awake during the graveyard shift.

·         Baskin, Director Can Evrenol. 2015, Turkey.

·         Demon, Director Marcin Wrona. 2015, Poland, Israel.

·         The Hallow, Director Colin Hardy. 2014, Ireland, UK.

·         The Invitation, Director Karyn Kusama. 2015, USA.

·         SPL 2 – A Time for Consequences, Director Soi Cheang. 2015, Hong Kong.

Short Films

·         Bacon & God’s Wrath, Director Sol Friendman. 2015, Canada.

·         Body Team 12, Director David Darg. 2015, USA.

·         Copycat, Director Charlie Lyne. 2015, UK.

·         The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul, Director Kitty Green. 2014, Australia.

·         The Little Deputy, Director Trevor Anderson. 2015, Canada.

·         Manoman, Director Simon Cartwright. 2015, UK.

·         The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano, Director Joshua Seftel. 2015, USA.

·         {The And}  Marcela & Rock, Director Topaz Adizes. 2015, USA.

·         Myrna the Monster, Director Ian Samuels. 2014, USA.

·         Object, Director Paulina Skibińska. 2015, Poland.

·         Palm Rot, Director Ryan Gillis. 2015, USA.

·         Pink Grapefruit, Director Michael Mohan. 2015, USA.

·         Pop-Up Porno: m4m, Director Stephen Dunn. 2015, Canada.

·         Storm Hits Jacket, Director Paul Cabon. 2014, France.

·         The Sun Like a Big Dark Animal, Directors Chris Felisgrau, Ronnie Rivera. 2015, USA.

·         Superior, Director Erin Vassilopoulos. 2015, USA.

·         Tatuape Mahal Tower, Directors Carolina Markowicz, Fernanda Salloum. 2014, Brazil.

·         Teeth, Directors Tom Brown, Daniel Gray. 2015, USA, Hungary, UK.

·         Tose: The Movie, Director Mike Tollin. 2015, USA.

·         Two Films About Loneliness, Directors William Bishop-Stephens, Christopher Eales. 2014, UK.

·         World of Tomorrow, Director Don Hertzfeldt. 2015, USA.

Thanks to generous support provided by the Wyncote Foundation, the Festival continues the “PFF On Us” free ticketing program, providing complimentary tickets to all films in the American Independents and Documentary film categories. Tickets are available to the public, as well as in partnership with select organizations. PFF On Us also hosts weekday morning student screenings, presented in part by Peco and featuring the films Raiders!,Breaking A Monster, Learning By Heart and Umrika. To register for free tickets, visit www.filmadelphia.org/tickets.