Looking for a scare? The “Paranormal Activity” franchise hits the stage at D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company with a two-hour theatrical experience packed with suspense and supernatural thrills. See more events around the D.C. area in this week’s Things to Do guide.
The approximately two-hour play is an original story set in the world of the film series. Travis Knight, assistant director and actor in “Paranormal Activity,” told WTOP that presenting a play in the horror genre presents unique challenges.
“There’s something very (magical) about it. There’s this sense of increasing the danger for everybody in the room, and it is a uniquely difficult challenge, but it’s very fun,” said Knight, who mentioned that the show is working with Tony Award-winning illusions designer Chris Fisher.
Fisher previously worked on productions, such as “Harry Potter & The Cursed Child” and “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.”
“I think whether you’re a horror lover or not, it is a spectacle. It is a fun night in the theater. The audience reactions are incredible,” Knight said.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which is the largest modern dance company in the nation, is performing at the Warner Theatre this Friday. The 11-performance engagement includes performances like “Embrace” by Fredrick Earl Mosley, among others. The AAADT is also performing on Saturday, Sunday, and additional future dates.
‘Chez Joey’
Inspired by John O’Hara’s novel, Arena Stage is presenting “Chez Joey,” starting this Friday. The story, set in 1940s Chicago, is co-directed by Tony Award-winning choreographer Savion Glover and actor, director and producer Tony Goldwyn. “Chez Joey” runs through March 15.
Creature Feature
Rhizome D.C. is hosting an open stage drag show on Saturday, hosted by Exquisite Corpze. This show may contain adult themes, and tickets cost $5 to $15 on a sliding scale.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library is hosting a film screening and discussion of the documentary “Barry Farm: Community, Land, and Justice” on Monday. The film showcases a “local example of a community that consistently persisted in the face of insurmountable obstacles.” Register ahead of time on the D.C. Public Library website.
Maryland
The Maka Sticks, The Soularites and Haplophyrne
Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring, Maryland, is hosting several local bands this Saturday for a live show. The bands include The Maka Sticks, The Soularites and Haplophyrne. General admission costs approximately $19.
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is headed to the Music Center at Strathmore for a concert featuring music by Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4. The event is on Saturday. Tickets start at around $48 and go up to $75.
‘On The Black Hand Side’
The art exhibition opening for “On The Black Hand Side” at Joe’s Movement Emporium is this Sunday. The exhibition in Mount Rainier “pays tribute to the gestural representations of love, spirituality, creativity, respect, dignity, and recognition within Black American cultural traditions.” Also, expect an artist talk on March 4. The event is free to attend.
Virginia
Cabin Fever Film Festival
The ninth annual Cabin Fever Film Festival is returning to Purcellville, Virginia. As the town’s only film festival, the family-friendly event is hosted Friday and Saturday with voting possible for the audience to choose their favorite for award consideration. The event costs $10 to attend on Friday and $5 to attend on Saturday.
Snowflake Ball
In Lovettsville, Virginia, expect a Snowflake Ball this Saturday that invites families to come and enjoy the event in their fanciest attire. Crafts at the event include a wand-making station and a tiara/crown-making station. Light refreshments will be served. It costs $15 to attend.
K1 Speed’s Virginia State Championship
Rev up your engines this Sunday for the K1 Speed’s Virginia State Championship. The go-kart races found here include two two-lap qualifying sessions and one 12-lap race. The event is located at K1 Speed Dulles in Sterling, Virginia.
Have an event you’d like featured in WTOP’s Things to do in the D.C. area weekly guide? Let us know!
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It’s National ‘Have a Bad Day’ Day, so be sure to wish your loved ones the worst as you head out the door to check out our best bets. This week, we have the return of a popular film festival, a deep dive into the life of a pioneering political figure, and quite possibly “the finest American play ever written,” according to Edward Albee. Keep reading for these and more.
Writer-director Antonis Tsonis has described his 2024 film Brando With a Glass Eye, about a method actor who attempts armed robbery to make his dream of studying in New York come true, as “layered like a babushka doll with meta-narratives,” acknowledging it’s “bold, risky, maybe even strange.” The film will open the Houston Greek Film Festival at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, at the MATCH, marking the start of a weekend featuring ten films and almost a dozen shorts. The lineup includes 14 Gulf Coast premieres, three U.S. premieres, and one world premiere. Tickets to the individual screenings are available for $15, with a $30 reception-only ticket available, along with a 5-ticket pass for $60, and a VIP all-access pass for $90. The full schedule can be found here, and tickets can be purchased here.
The story of Barbara Jordan, Texas’ first Black state senator and the first Southern Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, began right here, in Houston’s Fifth Ward. On Friday, November 21, at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, you can learn more about the pioneer in Angela Lynn Tucker’s documentary The Inquisitor, named for the moniker Jordan earned for her questioning as a member of the House Judiciary Committee during President Richard Nixon’s 1974 Watergate hearings. Stay after the film for a discussion with special guests, including Tucker. Two additional screenings are scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, November 22, and 2 p.m. Sunday, November 23. Tickets to any of the screenings can be purchased here for $7 to $9.
Contemporary dance, martial arts and tai chi, and Peking opera (the symbolic, stylized, and traditional Chinese performing art) come together in Lai Hung-Chung’s Birdy, a work set to electronic and Chinese classical music that will be performed by Hung Dance at the Wortham Theater Center on Friday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m. Lai founded the Taiwanese contemporary dance company, which is named for the Chinese word meaning “soar” – a theme that will also be at play in Birdy – in 2017, and Performing Arts Houston is bringing the ensemble to town as part of the Tudor Family Dance Series to make its Houston debut with the piece. Birdy will be performed a second time on Saturday, November 22, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to either performance are available here for $44.85 to $79.35.
Visit Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, circa 1901 to 1913, to spend time with the Gibbs and Webb families in Thornton Wilder’s classic 1938 play Our Town, which 4th Wall Theatre Company will open at Spring Street Studios at Friday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m. Skyler Sinclair, who plays Emily Webb in the production, told the Houston Press the play is “almost like a magic trick,” saying that Wilder “lays everything out so beautifully,” resulting in a story that is “universal” and “transcends time.” Sinclair added that, “This play has a message that every human being needs to hear…It asks the audience if you could put a price on your most basic memory of life, what would that be.” Performances will continue at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through December 20. Tickets are available here for $40 to $70.
Taiwanese twin brothers and percussionists Jen-Ting and Jen-Yu Chien, known as Twincussion, will end their U.S. concert tour at Asia Society Texas Center on Friday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m. with Twincussion: ‘Twin Beats’ — Melodies and Rhythms From Taiwan. During the program, presented in partnership with Taiwan Academy, the instrumentalists will play a program that includes new arrangements of Taiwanese folk melodies, such as “Dark Sky (Tian Hei Hei)” and “Longing for the Spring Breeze (Wang Chun Feng)”; a Taipei-flavored take on Wayne Siegel’s 42nd Street Rondo; George Frideric Handel’s Passacaglia, arranged by Johan Halvorsen; Tomasz GoliÅ„ski’s Layered Elements, a piece commissioned by the brothers and premiered in 2018; and more. Tickets can be purchased here for $10 to $30.
Director Hal Prince famously described A Little Night Music, Stephen Sondheim’s adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 film Smiles of a Summer Night, as “whipped cream with knives.” The Sweden-set musical, a romantic farce revolving around a pair of couples, premiered in 1973 and went on to win multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical – as well as spawn the hit song “Send In the Clowns,” performed since by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Grace Jones – and on Friday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m., you can see it when Opera in the Heights opens a production of the show at Lambert Hall. A Little Night Music will also be performed at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 22, and 2 p.m. Sunday, November 23. Tickets are available here for $35 to $85.
In Beautiful Princess Disorder, playwright Kathy Ng’s script specifies the play’s main character, Triangle Person, “to be wearing a very geometric, triangle-shaped head and a no-nonsense navy blue swimsuit” as they wait in “the parking lot of heaven” with other inhabitants – specifically, Mother Teresa and Tilikum, the orca with three fatalities to his name featured in the 2013 documentary Blackfish. You can meet these curious characters on Friday, November 21, at 8 p.m., when The Catastrophic Theatre world premieres Ng’s 75-minute, one-act at the MATCH. Additional performances of the play are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Monday, December 1; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through December 13. Tickets are pay-what-you-can with a suggested price of $40 and can be purchased here.
Clara Marsh as Kitty and Lindsay Ehrhardt as Georgiana in Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley. Credit: Pin Lim, Forest Photography
The creator of A.I. actress Tilly Norwood released a statement Monday responding to heated backlash after announcing that studios and agencies have expressed interest in Norwood.
At the Zurich Film Festival on Saturday, Elise Van Der Velden, the CEO of A.I. production company Particle6, and creator of the A.I. actress, spoke at the event, mentioning how studio interest has increased in Tilly Norwood.
The news did not go over well with actors and creatives who then publicly denounced Tilly Norwood, sparking further debate on A.I.’s position in the TV or film industry.
Melissa Barerra, who starred in the recent series of Scream movies, posted a story on Instagram, saying, “Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a$$. How gross, read the room.”
In a response on social media, Van Der Velden said, “She is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art. Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity.”
She writes to justify the creation of Tilly Norwood and the usage of A.I. in film and media. “I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool, a new paintbrush. Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories. I’m an actor myself, and nothing – certainly not an AI character – can take away the craft or joy of human performance.”
Van Der Velden went public with the A.I. actress earlier this year, creating social media accounts to showcase her work. Tilly Norwood’s Instagram account currently has over 20k followers and shows “behind the scenes” photos and moments. Including announcements for projects and posts of her “daily life” that you would possibly expect from a working actress.
The 17th Annual Charlotte Film Festival is taking place September 23 to 28, 2025, at The Independent Picture House, 4237 Raleigh Street, Charlotte, NC.
The opening night event takes place at Carolina Theatre, 230 N Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. The opening film is the Charlotte premiere of Roofman. Tickets on sale at 10 a.m. on September 12.
Filmed in the Charlotte region, Roofman stars Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst and Peter Dinklage and has been generating buzz all summer. The opening night premiere marks a milestone moment for Charlotte Film Festival, highlighting both the strength of Charlotte’s creative community and the city’s role as a backdrop for world-class filmmaking. The Roofman screening will be immediately followed by an in-person discussion with writer/director, Derek Cianfrance, and producer Jaime Patricof.
Charlotte Film Festival
This 6-day annual event, themed “Discover Different,” showcases a diverse array of independent films from around the world. Festival-goers can expect to experience a rich tapestry of animated, narrative, documentary, and student shorts and features, as well as special presentations from talented local, regional, national, and international filmmakers, many accompanied by post-screening Q&A sessions with the filmmakers themselves.
The Independent Picture House, a non-profit community cinema, serves as the Festival’s vibrant venue. In 2025, the Festival will benefit from the theater’s recent expansion, which added a fourth auditorium and a pre-function area, enhancing the overall experience for attendees and filmmakers alike.
Tickets
Tickets are $14 for each film or block. There are discounts for five-ticket and ten-ticket passes. Purchase tickets here.
2-9 June 2024 at the American Sephardi Federation – Center for Jewish History in Chelsea
NEW YORK, May 29, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– The American Sephardi Federation’s 26th New York Sephardic Film Festival will open on Sunday (2 June) with The Pomegranates Awards Ceremony honoring Algerian-French Director Alexandre Arcady for Filmmaking, Rhodes-born 101-year-old Holocaust Survivor Stella Levi for Sephardic History & Culture, and award-winning American Actor/Director John Turturro for Stage & Screen. Each of the Pomegranates is sculpted with love by Baghdad-born artist Oded Halahmy. Past honorees include: André Aciman, Ghiora Aharoni, Lisa Azuelos, André Azoulay, Neta Elkayam, Albert Memmi, Saïd Ben Saïd, Emma Shah, and Eli Tahari. The NYSJFF is dedicated to Ike, Molly, & Steven Elias.
Opening Night, co-presented with Mimouna Association, will feature a performance by the legendary Constantine-born French-Sephardi star Enrico Macias, who returns to the American stage in-between major concerts, including at L’Olympia.
“Enrico Macias is an international music sensation who plays to sold out audiences from Paris to Casablanca to Dubai. Enrico also holds a special place in the hearts of all Sephardic Jews. His music expresses our sense of bittersweet loss and nostalgia for the countries, whether Algeria or Iraq, from which we were persecuted and expelled, as well as hope and joy at finding refuge and success in exile,” says David Dangoor, the ASF’s President.
Moroccan-Israeli star Reymonde Amsellem will receive the Ronit Elkabetz, A”H Pomegranate Award for Acting at a special ceremony on 8 June, ahead of a screening of her hit film, SEVEN BLESSINGS (2023).
NYSJFF audiences will experience exclusive screenings, including the international premieres of MAHJONG & MAHASHAS (2023) about Babylonian Jews in Asia and KING OF SEPHARDIM (2024), the first-ever biographic about the Iraq-born Maran Hakham Ovadia Yosef. The Directors of both films are flying-in for Q&As.
On 3 June the NYSJFF will host the North American Premiere of Alexandre Arcady’s feature for StudioCanal, THE BLOND BOY FROM THE CASBAH (2024). “Above and beyond the colonial war that ripped apart entire populations, I want to talk about what united them,” says Arcady. “The rue du Lézard where I come from, and whose story I tell is a microcosm of old Algeria, with its Kabyle, Mozabite, Moslem, Catholic and Jewish communities. I was part of the Sephardic community, present in Algeria for three thousand years….We all lived together until decolonization destroyed that equilibrium.”
“The NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival is an opportunity to explore the beauty, depth, diversity, and vitality of the Jewish people, specifically a seriously Jewish yet cosmopolitan tradition that has been a source of strengthen and success for centuries. We must defy efforts to reduce complex history to simplistic, divisive, and destructive narratives,” says Jason Guberman, the ASF’s Executive Director.
Other Festival highlights include “Songs & Stories,” an event co-presented with Centro Primo Levi New York, featuring Stella Levi, whose life has been explored in several films and a New York Times bestseller (Michael Frank’s One Hundred Saturdays); a 20th Anniversary screening of SECRET PASSAGE staring John Turturro; and a 10th Anniversary screening of Turturro’s FADING GIGOLO—co-staring Woody Allen, Jade Dixon, Vanessa Paradis, Liev Schreiber, Sharon Stone, and Sofía Vergara—followed by a Q&A with Turturro.
“In these troubled times torn by grief, fear, and anger we are holding stronger to the values [of] peace, coexistence, and mutual understanding among all people regardless of background…,” says Na’ama Keha, the Artistic Director of the 26th NYSJFF and a NY-based film Writer/Director of Sephardi and Yemeni descent. “This year more than ever, we wanted to highlight stories… of the millions of Jews who lived in Muslim countries for thousands of years and were an essential part of Arab culture…. Many of them still hold a deep love for their homelands. Can love and respect give a better chance to peace? In a world full of segregation and hatred, we want to keep the flame of hope. At this festival everyone is welcome,” says Keha.
All the cool film girlies just came back from Berlin. Specifically, they are fresh from the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, and they still smell like cigarettes to prove it. Between anecdotes about how Berghain is ruined, they’re telling me how they watched Cillian Murphy (my father, emotionally) give another masterful, award-worthy performance in the Enda Walsh adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novel Small Things Like These. This is apropos of nothing, except that I was not in Berlin, so I will have to wait alongside everyone else to see one of my favorite books on screen later this year.
But how can I be bitter? This week, half of Los Angeles will flock to Texas for South By Southwest in Austin, and I’ll be delightfully distracted by a whole new slate of upcoming releases premiering at this year’s festival. There are so many new films to be excited about premiering at the festival — even without Cillian Murphy’s cheekbones.
Let’s get into it.
What is SXSW?
I’m in for a week of acronyms: SXSW in ATX FTW – LFG!! South By Southwest (aka SXSW or SX or South By) is a film festival, music festival, and industry conference all rolled into one. Fueled by Texas BBQ and Torchy’s Tacos, creative people in the tech, film, music, education, and culture industries swarm from theater to concert hall and conference room networking (allegedly), writing pretentious reviews about the future of culture (guilty), and being menaces to the residents of Austin by causing even worse traffic jams than the city is used to— and I can’t wait.
When is SXSW 2024?
SXSW 2024 will be held from March 8 – 16 2024. Highly anticipated events include Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Series (my artists to watch are Flo Milli and Faye Webster), and the SXSW Music Festival (which, this year, includes The Black Keys, Bootsy Collins, and many more). Of course, the highlight is the insane 2024 SXSW movie lineup. I can’t wait to laugh, cry, and contemplate my very existence while staring up at a screen at SXSW. In the words of Nicole Kidman, “We come to this place to dream.” And this week, the dreamers are all in Austin, Texas.
Here are the films at SXSW 2024 we’re most excited about – starring an assortment of all our favorite actors (even though Cilian won’t be making an appearance). Still, we’re excited to see new performances from faves like Ayo Edebiri, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Gosling, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Jonathan Groff, Hunter Schafer, Rachel Zegler, Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine, and a whole lot more.
SXSW 2024 Official Opening Night Selection
Road House
This is not Patrick Swayze’s Road House (1989) — but by the time Jake Gyllenhaal is done with you, you’ll love it as much as the original. Gyllenhaal stars as an ex-UFC fighter-turned-bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, owned by Frankie (Jessica Williams). Facing threats from a criminal gang led by Brandt (Billy Magnussen), Dalton’s violent past emerges. When he is confronted by Knox (Conor McGregor), a lethal gun-for-hire, the escalating brawls and bloodshed become more dangerous than his days in the Octagon. Fans of real-life, ex-UFC fighter Conor McGregor are excited to see him in this film, even if he is the villain. Road House is coming to Prime Video on March 21st.
SXSW 2024 Official Closing Night Selection
The Idea of You
This film is like if your mom stole your Wattpad moment. Created by two-time SXSW Audience Award Winner Michael Showalter, it’s his great return to SXSW and it’s sure to be a riot. Allegedly based on Harry Styles (and a little bit of Prince Harry, too), The Idea of You is the salacious story of a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with her daughter’s favorite popstar. She goes from begrudgingly chaperoning her daughter to Coachella to meeting, and falling for, 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of a band based on One Direction. This odd couple romance promises to be more than meets the eye. The couple is played by Red White & Royal Blue’s Nicholas Galitzine alongside Anne Hathaway so I am ready and willing to go on this ride. I’m expecting something that feels like a mix of After, A Star is Born, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Watch the trailer HERE. And listen to the first song from the Original Soundtrack by fictional boy band August Moon HERE.
Other films to watch at SXSW 2024
I Wish You All The Best
I am unspeakably excited for Tommy Dorfman’s queer coming-of-age drama. Written and directed by Dorfman and starring Corey Fogelmanis, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Alexandra Daddario, Cole Sprouse, Lena Dunham, Amy Landecker, Lexi Underwood, and more (wow!) it’s an adaptation of Mason Deaver’s novel of the same name. A queer tale of chosen family, it follows Ben DeBacker, a non-binary teen who is thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas. Struggling with anxiety, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their art teacher, Ms. Lyons, while trying to keep a low profile at their new school. Ben’s attempts to survive junior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. With the help of Nathan, and his friends Sophie and Mel, Ben discovers themselves, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.
A Nice Indian Boy
A Nice Indian Boy
I’ll watch Jonathan Groff in anything — and this original odd-couple comedic drama would have taken me no convincing anyway. Self-effacing doctor Naveen Gavaskar meets Jay Kurundkar, a white man adopted by two Indian parents, when Jay takes his picture at the hospital. Despite initial skepticism on Naveen’s part, the two quickly fall in love. Naveen avoids telling his traditional family—parents Megha & Archit and sister Arundhathi—who accepted his sexuality years earlier and are close to him but increasingly don’t know much about his life. Eventually, inevitably, Jay, with no family of his own, has to meet the Gavaskars, who have never met a boyfriend of Naveen’s.
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy
Don’t fret, Barbie fever is over, but Ryan Gosling will be back on your screens soon enough with this comedic action blockbuster. Ryan Gosling stars as Colt, a stuntman who, after a near-career-ending accident, is drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget movie—being directed by his ex, Jody (Emily Blunt)—goes missing. Now, this working-class hero has to solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job. Certified heartthrob Aaron Taylor Johnson is also in this — giving me something to look forward to as I wait patiently for his role in Kraven: The Hunter later this year. I’m sat.
Omni Loop
Omni Loop
The more Ayo Edebiri in the zeitgeist, the better. Alongside Mary Louise Parker, Steven Maier, Eddie Cahill, and more, she stars in this existential sci-fi feature. Zoya Lowe, a 55 year old woman from Miami, FL, has been diagnosed with a black hole inside her chest and given a week to live. But what the doctors and her family don’t know is that she has already lived this week before. She’s lived it so many times, in fact, that she doesn’t even know how long it’s been. Until one day she meets Paula, a young woman studying time at a lab in the local university, and together they decide to try and solve time travel so Zoya can actually go back— back into her past, back to a time before she settled, back to when her whole future was still wide open in front of her—back so she can do it all over again, and finally be the person she always wanted to be. It’s this year’s Everything Everywhere All At Once so I have high hopes.
The Greatest Hits
The Greatest Hits
Harriet (Lucy Boynton) finds art imitating life when she discovers certain songs can transport her back in time – literally. While she relives the past through romantic memories of her former boyfriend (David Corenswet), her time-traveling collides with a burgeoning new love interest in the present (Justin H. Min). As she takes her journey through the hypnotic connection between music and memory, she wonders if she can change the past. Think Yesterday, but … no, pretty much just exactly Yesterday.
Y2K
Y2K A24 Movie
The children are our future! This A24 disaster comedy, Y2K, stars Rachel Zegler, Jaeden Martell, Julian Dennison, Lachlan Watson, Daniel Zolghadri, Mason Gooding, The Kid Laroi (yes, from that Justin Bieber song), and more as high schoolers who crash a NYE party in 1999 and end up fighting for their lives. But doesn’t all high school feel like that?
I Love You Forever
I Love You Forever
Directed and written by Cazzie David and Elisa Kalani and starring Sofia Black-D’Elia, Ray Nicholson, Jon Rudnitsky, Cazzie David, and Raymond Cham Jr, this film portrays the sad reality of the dating landscape. It follows Mackenzie, a disillusioned 25-year old law student tired of the apps — because who isn’t. When she has a “real life meet-cute” with a charming journalist who makes her believe true love may actually exist. Ultimately, it starts to go left and Mackenzie finds herself trapped in a tumultuous and depleting cycle of emotional abuse.
Doin It
Doin It
Starring internet sensation-turned-host-turned-actor Lilly Singh, Doin It is a comedy of errors about an Indian woman trying to lose her virginity. Fans of Never Have I Ever, which also starts with that premise, should flock to this film. After teenage Maya is caught in a sexually compromising position, her mom moves the family back to India so Maya can learn proper discipline. Years later, she returns to the US to find funding for her teen-focused app, and gets a job as a substitute high school teacher so she can research her target demo. But when the principal assigns her to teach sex ed, Maya —who’s still a virgin— sets out on a quest with her best friend to make up for the high school experience she lost out on. It also stars Ana Gasteyer, Sabrina Jalees, Stephanie Beatriz, Mary Holland, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Sonia Dhillon Tully.
Civil War
Civil War
No, not the Marvel film. Much more chilling and dystopian — especially since it’s set in a plausible, near-future. It stars Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, and Nick Offerman taking us on an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride through a fractured America balanced on the razor’s edge, going through a civil war.
Birdeater
Birdeater
A bride-to-be is invited to join her own fiancé’s bachelor party on a remote property in the Australian outback. But as the festivities spiral into beer-soaked chaos, uncomfortable details about their relationship are exposed, and the celebration soon becomes a feral nightmare. I’m imagining part Saltburn and part Get Out from this feature debut.
Babes
Babes
After becoming pregnant from a one-night stand, Eden leans on her married best friend and mother of two, Dawn, to guide her through gestation and beyond. Starring lana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, John Carroll Lynch, and Hasan Minhaj, this comedy about friendship and motherhood is sure to be both belly-busting and heartwarming
Musica
Musica
Based on writer, director and star Rudy Mancuso, Música is a coming-of-age love story that follows an aspiring creator with synesthesia, who must come to terms with an uncertain future, while navigating the pressures of love, family and his Brazilian culture. Alongside Mancuso are Camila Mendes, Francesca Reale, Maria Mancuso, and J.B. Smoove.
Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told
Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told
If anyone else has heard about Freaknik endlessly without hearing about Freaknik, your time has come. This documentary feature is a celebratory exploration of the boisterous times of Freaknik, the iconic Atlanta street party that drew hundreds of thousands of people in the 80s and 90s, helping put Atlanta on the map culturally. At its height, Freaknik was a traffic-stopping, city-shuttering, juggernaut that has since become a cult classic. This documentary will, too.
The Black Sea
The Black Sea
Immersive and inspired by Derrick B. Harden’s travels to Bulgaria, The Black Sea details the transformative journey of a man who finds unexpected connections in a small coastal Eastern European town even as he finds himself to be the only black person around.
Pet Shop Days
Pet Shop Days
I love a very serious thriller with a whimsical title. Starring Jack Irv, Darío Yazeb Bernal, Willem Dafoe, Peter Sarsgaard, and more, you know this one’s going to be good. In an act of desperation, impulsive black sheep Alejandro flees his home in Mexico. On the run from his unforgiving father, Alejandro finds himself in New York City where he meets Jack, a college age pet store employee with similar parental baggage. Together the two enter a whirlwind romance sending them down the rabbit hole of drugs and depravity in Manhattan’s underworld.
Toll
Toll
This Brazilian feature is definitely going to chill me to my core, I’m calling it now. Suellen, a Brazilian toll booth attendant and mother, falls in with a gang of thieves in an attempt to keep her family afloat. In doing so, she realizes she can use her job to raise some extra money illegally for a so-called noble cause: to send her son to an expensive gay conversion workshop led by a renowned foreign priest.
My Dead Friend Zoe
My Dead Friend Zoe
My Dead Friend Zoe follows the journey of Merit, a U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran who is at odds with her family thanks to the presence of Zoe, her dead best friend from the Army. Despite the persistence of her VA group counselor, the tough love of her mother and the levity of an unexpected love interest, Merit’s cozy-dysfunctional friendship with Zoe keeps the duo insulated from the world. That is until Merit’s estranged grandfather—holed up at the family’s ancestral lake house—begins to lose his way and is in need of the one thing he refuses… help. It stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Gloria Reuben.
A House Is Not a Disco
A House Is Not a Disco
Directed by Brian J. Smith, this documentary shows a year-in-the-life in the world’s most iconic “homo-normative” community: Fire Island Pines. Situated fifty miles from New York City, this storied queer beach town finds itself in the midst of a renaissance as a new generation of Millennial homeowners reimagine The Pines for a new, more inclusive era. Filmed like a Wiseman movie on magic mushrooms, a large cast of unforgettable eccentrics, activists, drifters, and first-timers reflect on the legacy of The Pines while preparing their beloved village for the biggest challenge it has faced since the AIDS crisis: rising seas caused by climate change.
Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion
Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion
My eighth-grade self, experiencing all the stages of grief in the Brandy Melville changing room, is ready for this expose. It examines how Brandy Melville developed a cult-like following despite its controversial “one size fits all” tagline. Hiding behind its shiny Instagram façade is a shockingly toxic world, a reflection of the global fast fashion industry. Fast fashion isn’t all glitz and glamor – it’s a business that sacrifices humanity and pollutes the planet for the sake of profit.
Nearly 13 years later Ryan Gosling still gets butterflies over his lady!
On Saturday night while accepting the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Barbie actor made sure to take a moment to shout out his longtime partner. In his sweet acceptance speech, the 43-year-old reminded everyone how being an actor introduced him to Eva Mendes — and called her the girl of his dreams! He said:
“Most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children … I dreamed of one day making movies, and now, movies have made my life a dream.”
The couple have been together since 2011, when they met while filming The Place Beyond The Pines. They share two little girls — Esmeralda, 9, and Amada, 7 — and despite the private nature of their relationship and family life, they share such a strong bond! Back in May of last year, an insider told US Weekly the two lovebirds are just “as in love today as the first year they were together”:
“She’s his No. 1 fan and loves when he gets to do big movies, like Barbie. Ryan also supports Eva in all her endeavors and just adores her.”
We absolutely love these two. It’s so wonderful they’re getting to live their dream life together! Thoughts, Perezcious readers?
It’s film festival season. After a stunning display of fashion and film at Cannes, we are finally deep in the pomp and circumstance that comes with film festivals.
And as much as I love the red carpet looks, the interviews, and the star-studded events, film festivals are unique to other premieres because they really remind us to celebrate the achievements of films themselves. More than the politics of award shows or the polish of press tours, film festivals feel like the truest celebrations of the current climate in film.
Tribeca Film Festival, held annually in New York City, is one of the most anticipated festivals in the festival circuit. Started in 2003 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, Tribeca has strong roots in independent film — celebrating the most innovative and interesting films and artists in the cultural zeitgeist.
This year, Tribeca Festival will be held from June 7 to June 18 in New York City, with a lineup of exciting films, events, and artist conversations. Film lovers will be running around downtown New York City to witness some of the highly anticipated films and conversations on the lineup.
As we prep for a summer of blockbuster movies like Barbie, we’re also highly anticipating smaller projects that will be premiering at Tribeca this year. Here are 16 of the films we’re looking forward to seeing this year at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.
The Good Half
After years spent avoiding his problems, Renn Wheeland (Nick Jonas) is forced to face his greatest fear: the recent death of his mother, Lily (Elisabeth Shue). While traveling home to Cleveland for her funeral, he forges a new relationship with fellow passenger, Zoey (Alexandra Shipp), and later, heals an old one with his overbearing sister, Leigh (Brittany Snow). Together, with the help of his eager-to-connect father, Darren (Matt Walsh), an old high school friend, and a hoarder priest, Renn tries to confront his past, his problems, his step-father (David Arquette), his grief, and his new reality.
Starring: Nick Jonas, David Arquette, Brittany Snow, Alexandra Shipp, Matt Walsh, and Elisabeth Shue
Eric Larue
In the aftermath of a shocking crime at the hands of their son, two parents seek solace in rival religious congregations in Michael Shannon’s emotional directorial debut.
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Judy Greer, Alison Pill, Tracy Letts, and Paul Sparks
Smoking Tigers
Set in the early-2000s SoCal, Smoking Tigers follows a Korean American girl as she navigates derision and growing tensions while balancing the duality of her low-income family and wealthy, elite high school environment. Staggered by the separation of her parents, a Korean-American girl struggles to find herself. Caught between supporting both parents in their work while longing for their old life together and burdened by the responsibility of a younger sibling, few things seem to be falling into place. Upon starting a new year of high school among wealthy elites, she also has to balance the duality of her new friends and low-income reality.
An ambitious journalism student falls under the thrall of an esteemed yet cutthroat news reporter whom she’s desperate to impress, even if it means manipulating her latest story… and the very idea of truth itself.
Starring: Tracee Ellis Ross, Bel Powley, Jacob Tremblay, Nesta Cooper
Cypher
Cypher is a fictionalized version of the life and career of magnetic rapper, Tierra Whack. It is a semi-autobiographical characterization with a twist. The film satirizes all the conspiracies and theories about secret societies running the music industry.
Starring: Tierra Whack
Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed
This timely exploration of Hollywood and LGBTQ+ identity examines the life of legendary actor Rock Hudson, from his public “ladies’ man” persona to his private life as a gay man.
The Adults
When Eric’s (Michael Cera) short trip back home turns into an extended stay, relationships with friends and family come to a head. The trip reunites him with his sisters, Rachel (Hannah Gross) and Maggie (Sophia Lillis), and unearths some old wounds as Maggie yearns to rekindle moments of their youth. At the same time, Eric falls back in with his old poker buddies, asserting his dominance as the best poker player in town. They gradually reveal their complicated inner lives, trauma, and relationships through theatrical performances and shared histories. The film’s strength lies in the cast’s nuanced performances and writer-director Dustin Guy Defa’s use of raw emotion and close-ups to convey the siblings’ complicated dynamic.
Starring: Michael Cera, Hannah Gross, Sophia Lillis
Fresh Kills
The daughters of the Larusso family struggle to break the unspoken code of the women behind the men in the mob world of Staten Island in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Unlike any mob movie you’ve ever seen before, FRESH KILLS reveals the women behind the men — the stories never told. Violence, fear, and unspoken rules dictate who they are and who they are allowed to become.
Starring: Emily Bader, Odessa A’zion, Jennifer Esposito, Domenick Lombardozzi, Annabella Sciorra, and Nicholas Cirillo
The Lesson
Liam (Daryl McCormack), an aspiring and ambitious young writer, eagerly accepts a tutoring position at the family estate of his idol, renowned author J.M. Sinclair (Academy Award nominee Richard E. Grant). But soon, Liam realizes that he is ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment, and retribution. Sinclair, his wife Hélène (Academy Award nominee Julie Delpy), and their son Bertie (Stephen McMillan) all guard a dark past, one that threatens Liam’s future as well as their own. As the lines between master and protégé blur, class, ambition, and betrayal become a dangerous combination in this taut noir thriller.
Starring: Richard E Grant, Julie Delpy, Daryl McCormack, Stephen McMillan, and Crispin Letts
Maggie Moores
When two women with the same name are murdered days apart, small-town police chief Jordan Sanders (Hamm) finds himself wading through an unlikely collection of cheating husbands, lonely hearts, nosy neighbors and contract killers in an effort to put the pieces of the case, and his life, together. The film is inspired by actual events.
Starring: Jon Hamm, Tina Fey, Micah Stock, Nick Mohammed, Happy Anderson, and Mary Holland
The Line
Ethan Berger’s feature narrative debut THE LINE is an engrossing dramatic thriller that contemplates blind adherence to tradition from the viewpoint of Tom (Alex Wolff), a devoted “brother” from a fictional college fraternity. Tom is charmed by the promises of high social status and alumni connections that open doors, and pledges allegiance to an institution without fully understanding the cost of that loyalty. As the sophomore year begins, Tom’s view of his fraternity culture, and his own identity, is challenged by a new acquaintance outside his social circle (Halle Bailey) and by the dangerous fraternity hazing antics perpetrated by his best friend (Bo Mitchell) as he goes to war with a freshman pledge Gettys (Austin Abrams) who won’t conform. As the exuberant freedom of college darkens, Tom’s dedication to his fraternity threatens to overshadow his future and makes him question everything he thought he valued. Led by Wolff’s gut-wrenching performance, the coming-of-age film also stars Mitchell, Bailey, Abrams, Lewis Pullman, Angus Cloud, Scoot McNairy, Denise Richards, Cheri Oteri, and John Malkovich.
Starring: Alex Wolff, Lewis Pullman, Halle Bailey, Austin Abrams, Angus Cloud, Scoot McNairy, John Malkovich, Bo Mitchell, Denise Richards
Shortcomings
Ben, a struggling filmmaker, lives in Berkeley, California, with his girlfriend, Miko, who works for a local Asian American film festival. When he’s not managing an arthouse movie theater as his day job, Ben spends his time obsessing over unavailable blonde women, watching Criterion Collection DVDs, and eating in diners with his best friend Alice, a queer grad student with a serial dating habit. When Miko moves to New York for an internship, Ben is left to his own devices and begins to explore what he thinks he might want.
Starring: Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola, Ally Maki, Debby Ryan, Tavi Gevinson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jacob Batalon, Timothy Simons
Blood for Dust
Cliff, a traveling salesman drowning under the weight of providing for his family, finds himself on a dangerous path after a chance encounters with Ricky, a colleague from a dark past. Desperate to keep his fragile home life intact, Cliff agrees to partner with Ricky running cocaine across Montana, and finds himself embroiled in a struggle to get away clean, in a business where no one does.
Starring: Scoot McNairy, Kit Harington, Josh Lucas, Stephen Dorff, Ethan Suplee, Nora Zehetner, and Amber Rose Mason
Downtown Owl
Welcome to Owl, North Dakota, 1984, where a widowed farmer invents his happiness, righteous teens uncover a local scandal, and an English teacher searching for more out of life upends the peaceful existence of the locals. “Downtown Owl”, based on Chuck Klosterman’s novel, is a rollicking dark comedy, about running away from home in order to find it.
Starring: Lily Rabe, Ed Harris, Vanessa Hudgens, August Blanco Rosenstein, Jack Dylan Grazer, Arianna Jaffier, Finn Wittrock, Henry Golding
Mountains
Xavier, a dutiful middle-aged Haitian demolition worker, is outgrowing the Little Haiti home he shares with his wife Esperance – a seamstress and school crossing guard – and their adult son Junior, caught between two cultures as he pursues a standup comedy career.
Mountains is a multigenerational drama that explores the relationships between immigrants and their children, Miami’s own stratification of race and nationality, the looming threat of gentrification, and the pursuit of the American dream. What results is a loving portrait of the Haitian community in Miami.
Starring: Atibon Nazaire, Shelia Anozier, Chris Renois
The Perfect Find
Looking for a fresh start and career comeback, Jenna (Gabrielle Union) returns to the workforce, where she must navigate a challenging workplace, a demanding boss, and a lusty secret romance.
Starring: Gabrielle Union, Keith Powers, Aisha Hinds, DB Woodside, Janet Hubert, Alani “La La” Anthony, Gina Torres
Pet wellness advocate and radio personality Tracie Hotchner creates award to honor former Dr. Elsey’s employee Gina Zaro at the annual NY Cat Film Festival.
Press Release –
Dec 7, 2022 09:00 EST
CHEYENNE, Wyo., December 7, 2022 (Newswire.com)
– With the premiere of the fifth annual NY Cat Film Festival sponsored by cat product brand Dr. Elsey’s, the event has announced filmmaker Kim Best as the winner of the Gina Zaro Visionary Award.
Inspired by Gina Zaro, Dr. Elsey’s loyal employee of many years, Tracie Hotchner explains that this award has been created to keep inspiring filmmakers and their love for cats. “I created the Gina Zaro Visionary Award for Kim Best,” Hotchner stated. “[It was] named in honor of the woman who inspired the festival itself and bestowed on Kim because her work embodies everything this festival is about: finding joy and humor in our relationship with cats and celebrating all the ways kitty cats touch our lives.”
With her films making it into the top selections for the festival for the past five years, Hotchner decided that this was the perfect way to recognize both an incredible filmmaker, Kim Best, and a colleague who worked above and beyond to get the festival off of the ground, Gina Zaro.
As the founding sponsor, Dr. Elsey’s has made it a mission to donate a portion of the festival’s ticket sales to a non-profit pet organization in the area. As stated on the festival’s website, the festival is meant to “shine the spotlight on these magnificent creatures and the humans devoted to them.”
Learn more about the NY Cat Film Festival here and read more about the story of the Gina Zaro Visionary Award over on the blog.
About Dr. Elsey’s
Dr. Elsey’s is a veterinarian-owned cat product brand dedicated to creating products that solve the complex needs of pet owners. Founded in 1987 with the first all-natural clumping cat litter, Dr. Elsey’s line of products has since grown to include a variety of premium litters that address the health and behavioral needs of cats in every stage of life. With the mission to enhance the lives of pets to the degree in which they enrich ours, Dr. Elsey’s strives to put heart, soul and science into their line of specialty cat litters and food.
Heal One World is proud to present the 2017 Awareness Film Festival in Downtown Los Angeles, from October 5 to 15th, showcasing ecological, health, well-being, political and spiritual films
Press Release –
updated: Sep 18, 2017
LOS ANGELES, September 18, 2017 (Newswire.com)
– The 8th Annual Awareness Film Festival is set to return this year on October 5 through October 15 with its unique and stimulating program celebrating ecological, health/well-being, political and spiritual films from all around the world.
Taking place at The Regal Cinemas in L.A. LIVE, the Awareness Film Festival has continued to grow and to help promote change in the world on a socio-economic level. This year will not only include screenings of incredibly inspirational and thought-provoking films, but will also play host to filmmaker Q&A’s, panel discussions, live music, speakers, artists, parties, and a virtual reality showcase.
The Awareness Film Festival is delighted to announce it’s Opening Night and La Premiere Gala featuring Show Me Democracy and Lisa Vanderpump’s (“Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”) short documentary The Road to Yulin, as well asClosing Night film Adele and Everything After. The festival will also play host to the short film Chasing Titles (starring Brian Austin Green), Francesca Eastwood’s Rebel in Rising, HARE KRISHNA! The Mantra, The Movement And The Swami Who Started It All, andMartin Sheen’s Paying the Price for Peace: The Story of S. Brian Willson
And after all the action, filmmakers and guests are welcomed to experience the hit of Sundance Film Festival – Awareness Film Festival’s Zen Den which focuses on rejuvenation and transformation. The Zen Den will be presenting wellness classes including yoga and tai-chi.
For a detailed film schedule and list of special events, including the Opening Night Gala, Honoree Dinner and Closing Night Gala and panels, please visit: https://www.awarenessfestival.org
The Awareness Film Festival is presented by Heal One World. The Los Angeles based non-profit was formed to help connect people in need of preventative health care, non-traditional/complementary modalities, natural non-invasive treatments and guidance learning self-help techniques that are generally not covered by insurance, and offer access to this help on a sliding scale, free or donation basis.
All proceeds from the festival will go towards Heal One World.
