Category Archives: Film Festivals

Slamdance Sets Alexandre Rockwell’s The Projectionist as Opening Night Film for 2026 Festival

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slamdance-film-festivalThe Slamdance Film Festival has named Alexandre Rockwell’s The Projectionist as the opening night film for its 32nd edition, marking the film’s world premiere. The artist-led festival returns to Los Angeles for a second year, running in person from February 19–25, 2026, with virtual screenings continuing through March 6 on the Slamdance Channel.

Produced by Quentin Tarantino and Jack Auen, The Projectionist centers on a reclusive cinema projectionist haunted by a wrongful conviction and personal loss, living in isolation inside a fading arthouse theater until his past resurfaces. The film stars Vondie Curtis-Hall, Karyn Parsons, Kasi Lemmons, David Proval, Kevin Corrigan, and Michael Buscemi.

The festival also announced a new partnership with independent studio Utopia, which will offer theatrical distribution to at least one 2026 Slamdance Grand Prize winner. Additional distribution and digital aggregation opportunities will be made available to competition films through Utopia’s platform.

Also screening in the festival’s Spotlight section is The Untitled Ruby Slippers Documentary, directed by Seth Gordon and Nikki Calabrese, a long-gestating project tied to Gordon’s early Slamdance roots.

Slamdance will once again host Market Monday on February 23, featuring panels and workshops focused on filmmaking, distribution, and audience development. The full festival lineup will be announced at a later date.

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Film Forum to Host Weeklong Hitchcock and Herrmann Festival

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vertigoFilm Forum is set to launch Hitchcock and Herrmann, a one-week festival celebrating one of cinema’s most influential director-composer partnerships. Running December 12 to 18, the series highlights the collaboration between Alfred Hitchcock and legendary composer Bernard Herrmann, whose work together shaped some of the most iconic suspense films ever made.

The program showcases newly restored 4K presentations of classics including North by Northwest, Psycho, Vertigo, The Birds, The Trouble With Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, as well as a 35mm screening of The Wrong Man. The festival coincides with the release of Steven C. Smith’s new book Hitchcock & Herrmann: The Friendship & Film Scores That Changed Cinema. Smith will appear throughout the week to introduce select screenings, participate in conversations, and deliver an illustrated talk titled “Hitchcock & Herrmann: The Sound of Murder.”

Additional events include a discussion on The Wrong Man with author Jason Isralowitz and Film Forum Repertory Artistic Director Bruce Goldstein, exploring the real wrongful-conviction case that inspired Hitchcock’s film.

The full schedule, including introductions and special events, is available through Film Forum.

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Nicholas Hytner’s “The Choral” Sets New York Advance Screenings Ahead of December 25 Theatrical Release

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the-choralFalco Ink has announced two advance New York screenings for The Choral, the new period drama from BAFTA, Olivier, and Tony Award winner Nicholas Hytner (The History Boys, The Lady in the Van). The film, written by Alan Bennett, will open in theaters nationwide on December 25.

The screenings will be held at the Sony Screening Room (25 Madison Avenue, New York City) on Thursday, November 6 at 5 PM ET and Wednesday, November 12 at 2 PM ET. RSVP is required via AlexPelchar@FalcoInk.com.

Set in Yorkshire during World War I, The Choral follows a small-town choir struggling to survive as war empties its ranks. When the committee hires a mysterious new chorus master, Dr. Henry Guthrie (played by Ralph Fiennes), the community discovers that music can become an act of resistance and hope amid the chaos of war.

The film also stars Roger Allam, Amara Okereke, Simon Russell Beale, and Thomas Howes, and is produced by Kevin Loader, Nicholas Hytner, and Damian Jones.

The Choral made its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to screen at multiple international festivals, including Hamptons, AFI Fest, BFI London, Mill Valley, Russell Hobbs British, Coronado Island, and Virginia Film Festival.

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SFFILM to Honor Park Chan-wook With Career Tribute and Screening of ‘No Other Choice’

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L to R. Director Park Chan-wook. Actor Lee Byung Hun in NO OTHER CHOICE. Photos: NEON.

San Francisco’s SFFILM will celebrate acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook with a Career Tribute and special screening of his new film No Other Choice on November 20 at the Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA.

The event will feature an onstage conversation with Park and a showing of No Other Choice, his first film since Decision to Leave. The film, from NEON, reunites Park with Lee Byung Hun (Joint Security Area) in a darkly comic satire about a man’s descent into desperation after losing his corporate job.

“With No Other Choice, Director Park returns to the sharp social commentary of Sympathy for Lady Vengeance and Stoker,” said Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s Director of Programming. “It’s a brilliantly savage look at capitalism, masculinity, and ambition, another masterful addition to his career.”

SFFILM Executive Director Anne Lai called the tribute “a deep honor,” noting Park’s global influence and the organization’s commitment to international cinema.

Park, best known for Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Thirst, has won multiple Cannes awards and remains one of contemporary cinema’s most influential auteurs. No Other Choice, adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s The Ax, opens in select theaters December 25 via NEON and expands nationwide January 2026. Tickets: Available for SFFILM members October 30 and general audiences October 31 at sffilm.org
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Horror Short ‘Terroir’ Screens at Festivals Across October

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terroirThe new short horror film Terroir, written, directed, produced, and edited by Casey Rogerson, is screening at multiple film festivals this October. A directing fellow at the American Film Institute Conservatory, Rogerson brings a sharp genre sensibility to the 13-minute thriller.

The film follows a young wine critic (Madison Hu) who returns to a French vineyard one year after giving it a bad review, only to find herself and her friends stalked by a masked killer. Terroir stars Madison Hu (The Brothers Sun, The Boogeyman, Bizaardvark), along with Leenya Rideout, Naomi Rubin, João Santos, and John R. Howle (Bleeding).

Terroir recently screened at the New York Shorts International Film Festival and Screamfest, and continues its festival run this month with the following showings:

San Diego International Film Festival – October 16 at 6:15 p.m. and October 19 at 11:00 a.m. (AMC UTC 14)
Vancouver Horror Show – October 17 at 2:00 p.m. (Vancouver Film School)

The film will also be shown throughout October at Amalthea Cellars, pairing screenings with wine tastings.
For tickets and screening information, visit: https://linktr.ee/terroirfilm

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Ben Kalina’s “Plan C for Civilization” to World Premiere at DOC NYC

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Plan-C-for-CivilizationAward-winning filmmaker Ben Kalina (Shored Up, Can We Cool the Planet?) returns with Plan C for Civilization, a riveting new documentary that confronts one of the most controversial ideas in climate science: solar geoengineering. The film will make its world premiere at DOC NYC on Thursday, November 13 (6:30 p.m.) and Saturday, November 15 (1:00 p.m.) at Village East by Angelika, with an online screening available from November 14 to 30.

In Plan C for Civilization, physicist David Keith explores whether reflecting sunlight back into space could cool the planet and buy humanity time against climate catastrophe. But his early experiments spark fierce global debate, inspiring rogue start-ups like Make Sunsets, whose DIY launches raise urgent questions about science, ethics, and control in a warming world.

Kalina captures this unfolding tension across continents, examining the promise and peril of manipulating Earth’s atmosphere as climate solutions falter. “If we value the ecosystems and humanity of this planet,” Kalina says, “how could we ignore any tool with so much power to cool the planet, quickly?”

Produced by Mangrove Media, the film continues Kalina’s exploration of humanity’s uneasy relationship with nature, following his acclaimed documentaries on climate and coastal resilience.

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Supernatural Thriller ‘Damned If You Do’ to Premiere at Screamfest 2025

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Damned-If-You-DoThe supernatural thriller Damned If You Do will make its world premiere at Screamfest 2025 on Wednesday, October 15, at 9:45 p.m. at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood.

Directed by Jake Rubin and Evan Metzold, the film follows a group of high school friends who once sold their souls to the devil in exchange for fame and success. Decades later, as their 25th reunion approaches, they must confront the consequences of their pact and rely on an old classmate to escape Hell’s grasp before time runs out.

The ensemble cast includes Kate Siegel (The Fall of the House of Usher), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), Molly Bernard (Younger), Ginger Gonzaga (She-Hulk), Paulo Costanzo (Upload), Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black), Ed Weeks (Drop), and Michael Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House).

Produced by Lior Haas, Matthew R. Cooper, and Uwakokunre (Kokie) Imasogie, the film was written by Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde.

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Jack Black Boards Pirate Radio Documentary “40 Watts From Nowhere” as Executive Producer

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Jack Black has boarded 40 Watts From Nowhere as executive producer. The music documentary from journalist and filmmaker Sue Carpenter chronicles the rise and fall of her 1990s Los Angeles pirate radio station, KBLT.

The film premiered at the 30th anniversary Slamdance Film Festival and later screened as a Centerpiece selection at Newport Beach. It features interviews with Tom Morello, Mike Watt, Don Bolles, and pirate radio activist Stephen Dunifer. Global sales are handled by Alex Nohe and Blood Sweat Honey.

Based on Carpenter’s 2004 memoir, the documentary revisits the Silver Lake scene through archival footage shot in 1998, when Carpenter ran her 40-watt station from an apartment closet, attracting guests like Mazzy Star and the Red Hot Chili Peppers before an FCC shutdown.

40 Watts From Nowhere marks Carpenter’s directorial debut. Black, a longtime figure in the Silver Lake music community, is represented by Ocean Avenue and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.

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Bushwick Film Festival Returns Oct. 1 to 5 With Nearly 100 Films, Including 10 World Premieres

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Bushwick-Film-FestivalThe 18th Annual Bushwick Film Festival will take place October 1 to 5 across Brooklyn, showcasing nearly 100 films from emerging indie voices in New York and around the world.

This year’s lineup features 10 world premieres, 11 East Coast premieres, and 24 New York premieres. Highlights include Chilean thriller Todos Somos Justos, among other international and local selections.

Founded in 2007, the festival has become a platform for independent cinema with a focus on underrepresented voices. The 2025 edition carries the theme “Meet Us at the Movies,” encouraging audiences to gather in person to experience films together.

Program details and ticket information are available at bushwickfilmfestival.com

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‘Akashi’ and ‘The Art of Adventure’ to World Premiere at Vancouver International Film Festival

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viff-org-2025

Pender PR has announced its fall festival roster, led by two world premieres at the Vancouver International Film Festival on October 5: Akashi, directed by Mayumi Yoshida, and Alison Reid’s documentary The Art of Adventure.

Akashi stars Yoshida alongside Bun Kimura (Rental Family), Hana Kino (Faceless), Chieko Matsubara (Tokyo Drifter), Kunio Murai (Godzilla vs. Gigan), Hiro Kanagawa (Shōgun), and Ryo Tajima (Avalanche). Reid’s sophomore feature centers Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman and environmentalist Bristol Foster.

Other Canadian titles in the slate include Ava Maria Safai’s horror Foreigner, Omorose Osagie’s Lost Wax, Jon Chiang’s Spring After Spring, and Luke Gleeson’s documentary Wədzįh Nəne’ | Caribou Country, among others set to premiere at VIFF, Sitges, Brooklyn Horror, Whistler, ReelWorld, and additional festivals this fall.

Ticket information for Akashi, The Art of Adventure, and other VIFF screenings is available at viff.org
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