'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.

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.

·         “Demme in Philly” Retrospective

o   Beloved, Director Jonathan Demme. 1998, USA.

o   Neil Young Trunk Show, Director Jonathan Demme. 2009, USA.

o   Philadelphia, Director Jonathan Demme. 1993, USA.

·         Ichi the Killer, Director Takashi Miike. 2001, Japan.

·         The Last Detail, Director Hal Ashby. 1973, USA.

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

·         Borg/McEnroe, Director Janus Metz. 2017, Sweden.

·         Breathe, Director Andy Serkis. 2017, UK.

·         The Ballad of Lefty Brown, Director Jared Moshé. 2017, USA.

·         Chappaquiddick, Director John Curran. 2017, USA.

·         Thoroughbreds, Director Cory Finley. 2017, USA.

·         Where is Kyra?, Director Andrew Dosunmu. 2016, USA.

·         Wonderstruck, Director Todd Haynes. 2017, USA.

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

·         Faces Places, Director Agnès Varda, JR. 2017, France.

·         In The Fade, Director Fatih Akin. 2017, Germany.

·         Ismael’s Ghosts, Director Arnaud Desplechin. 2017, France.

·         Jane, Director Brett Morgen. 2017, USA.

·         The Other Side of Hope, Director Aki Kaurismäki. 2017, Finland, Germany

·         Radiance, Director Naomi Kawase. 2017, Japan.

·         Spoor, Director Agnieszka Holland. 2017, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia.

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.

·         A Ciambra, Director Jonas Carpignano. 2017, Italy, USA, France, Sweden, Germany.

·         Beauty and the Dogs, Director Kaouther Ben Hania. 2017, Tunisia, France, Sweden.

·         Bye Bye Germany, Director Sam Garbarski. 2017, Germany.

·         The Divine Order, Director Petra Volpe. 2017, Switzerland.

·         Have a Nice Day, Director Liu Jian. 2017, China.

·         Holy Air, Director Shady Srour. 2017, Israel.

·         In Syria, Director Philippe Van Leeuw. 2017, Belgium, France, Lebanon.

·         Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, Director Mouly Surya. 2017, Indonesia, France, Malaysia, Thailand.

·         Mobile Homes, Director Vladimir de Fontenay. 2017, Canada, France.

·         Newton, Director Amit V Masurkar. 2017, India.

·         On Body and Soul, Director Ildikó Enyedi. 2017, Hungary.

·         Scaffolding, Director Matan Yair. 2017, Israel, Poland.

·         The Square, Director Ruben Östlund. 2017, Sweden, Germany, France, Denmark.

·         Sweet Country, Director Warwick Thornton. 2017, Australia.

·         Thelma, Director Joachim Trier. 2017, Norway, Sweden, France, Denmark.

·         Under the Tree, Director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson. 2017, Iceland, Denmark, Poland, Germany.

·         Walking Past the Future, Director Li Ruijun. 2017, China.

·         The Wound, Director John Trengove. 2017, South Africa.

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.

·         Bloody Milk, Director Hubert Charuel. 2017, France.

·         BPM (Beats Per Minute), Director Robin Campillo. 2017, France.

·         Custody, Director Xavier Legrand. 2017, France.

·         Just to Be Sure, Director Carine Tardieu. 2017, France.

·         Montparnasse Bienvenue, Director Léonor Serraille. 2017, France.

·         The Workshop, Director Laurent Cantet. 2017, France.

Spanish and Latin American Cinema Now: Offering gripping stories and unique perspective, these Spanish-language films explore a multitude of subjects ranging from the culturally specific to the universal. 

·         The Desert Bride, Director Cecilia Atán, Valeria Pivato. 2017, Argentina, Chile.

·         The Invisible Guest, Director Oriol Paulo. 2017, Spain.

·         Sister of Mine, Director Pedro Aguilera. 2017, Spain, Colombia.

·         A Sort of Family, Director Diego Lerman. 2017, Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland.

American Independents, Presented by Xfinity (Part of PFS on Us presented by PNC Arts Alive): Featuring powerful new voices in American cinema, these fresh, gritty films explore a variety of subjects through the filmmaker’s uncompromising vision.

·         Blame, Director Quinn Shephard. 2017, USA.

·         The Endless, Director Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead. 2017, USA.

·         Gemini, Director Aaron Katz. 2017, USA.

·         Most Beautiful Island, Director Ana Asensio. 2017, USA.

·         Oh Lucy!, Director Atsuko Hirayanagi. 2017, USA, Japan.

·         Princess Cyd, Director Stephen Cone. 2017, USA.

·         Sollers Point, Director Matt Porterfield. 2017, USA.

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

·         11/8/16, Director Jeff Deutchman. 2017, USA.

·         Alaska Is a Drag, Director Shaz Bennett. 2017, USA.

·         AlphaGo, Director Greg Kohs. 2017, UK, South Korea, France, USA.

·         At the Drive-In, Director Alexander Monelli. 2017, USA.

·         Flesh and Blood, Director Mark Webber. 2017, USA.

·         Golden Exits, Director Alex Ross Perry. 2017, USA.

·         Love Means Zero, Director Jason Kohn. 2017, USA.

Documentary Showcase, Presented by Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and Jefferson Health (Part of PFS on Us presented by PNC Arts Alive): Comprising the best in documentary filmmaking, these compelling films feature everything from stirring character studies to fascinating looks at current global issues.

·         Bobbi Jene, Director Elvira Lind. 2017, USA, Denmark, Israel.

·         Brimstone and Glory, Director Viktor Jakovleski. 2017, USA, Mexico.

·         The Cage Fighter, Director Jeff Unay. 2017, USA.

·         Ghost Hunting, Director Raed Andoni. 2017, France, Palestine, Switzerland, Qatar.

·         Gilbert, Director Neil Berkeley. 2017, USA.

·         The New Radical, Director Adam Bhala Lough. 2016, USA.

·         One of Us, Director Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady. 2017, USA.

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

·         Bad Lucky Goat, Director Samir Oliveros. 2017, Colombia.

·         Django, Director Étienne Comar. 2017, France.

·         Living on Soul, Director Jeff Broadway, Cory Bailey. 2017, USA.

·         Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta be Me, Director Sam Pollard. 2017, USA.

·         Souvenir, Director Bavo Defurne. 2016, Belgium, Luxembourg, France.

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

·         Bad Day for the Cut, Director Chris Baugh. 2017, UK.

·         The Bar, Director Álex de la Iglesia. 2017, Spain.

·         Blade of the Immortal, Director Takashi Miike. 2017, Japan.

·         Let the Corpses Tan, Director Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani. 2017, Belgium, France.

·         The Villainess, Director Jung Byung-gil. 2017, South Korea.

Animated and Live Action Shorts:

·         Aria, Director Myrsini Aristidou. 2017, Cyprus, France.

·         The Bald Future, Director Paul Cabon. 2016, France.

·         Broken: The Women’s Prison at Hoheneck, Director Alexander Lahl, Volker Schlecht. 2016, Germany.

·         The Burden, Director Niki Lindroth. 2017, Sweden.

·         Call Your Father, Director Jordan Firstman. 2016, USA.

·         Catherine, Director Britt Raes. 2016, Belgium.

·         Cerulia, Director Sofía Carrillo. 2017, Mexico.

·         Close Ties, Director Zofia Kowalewska. 2016, Poland.

·         Deer Squad: The Movie, Director Pipus Larsen, Kenneth Gug, Scott J. Ross. 2016, USA.

·         Fish Story, Director Charlie Lyne. 2017, UK.

·         Fucking Bunnies, Director Teemu Niukkanen. 2016, Finland.

·         A Gentle Night, Director Qui Yang. 2017, China.

·         Goddess, Director Karishma Dube. 2017, India.

·         Great Choice!, Director Robin Comisar. 2017, USA.

·         Hi Stranger, Director Kirsten Lepore. 2016, USA.

·         Legal Smuggling with Christine Choy, Director Lewie Kloster. 2016, USA.

·         Lucia Before and After, Director Anu Valia. 2016, USA.

·         Nighthawk, Director Špela Čadež. 2016, Slovenia, Croatia.

·         Nobody Loves Me, Director Jeff Reichert, Farihah Zaman. 2017, Bolivia, USA.

·         Pussy, Director Renata Gasiorowska. 2016, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia.

·         Retouch, Director Kaveh Mazaheri. 2017, Iran.

·         Slapper, Director Luci Schroder. 2016, Australia.

·         The Tesla World Light, Director Matthew Rankin. 2017, Canada, France.

·         Victor & Isolina, Director William Caballero. 2016, USA.

Special Programs:

·         Before Hollywood: Philadelphia and the Invention of the Movies, Director Andrew Ferrett. 2017, USA.

·         The Eyeslicer, 2017.

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

Screenings for the 26^th Philadelphia Film Festival will take place at the below theaters:

·         Ritz East (125 S. 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106)

·         Ritz Five (214 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106)

·         Prince Theater (1412 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19102)

Tickets will go on-sale for Philadelphia Film Society members on Friday, October 6^th and to the general public beginning Monday, October 9^th.  

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).