Accessibility: Closed Captions, Assisted Listening
Starring: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper, Susan Kelechi Watson, Maryann Plunkett, Enrico Colantoni
Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America’s most beloved neighbor.
Starring: Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith, Beverly Bonner, Robert Vogel
In honor of their exhibition Baptized by Beefcake: The Golden Age of Hand-Painted Movie Posters from Ghana, we have partnered with Poster House for a screening of Basket Case, one of the many classic horror films featured in the exhibition.
Prior to the screening, audiences will hear from Poster House Chief Curator, Angelina Lippert, about why horror and action movies from the 1980s and 1990s make up the majority of hand-painted Ghanaian movie posters, and why Basket Case in particular reflects Ghanaian cultural values in the 1990s.
The entire program will screen once, then a second time with commentary by the directors.
A person talking during a film can be the most annoying thing imaginable – unless that person is the director. Join Vimeo curator Ina Pira as she screens select Nitehawk Shorts Festival Award Winners with live, unscripted commentary from some of the best of NSF19!
Founded in 2008, Vimeo Staff Picks has emerged as one of the preeminent channels for online video and one of the most coveted awards for young filmmakers, having helped launch the careers of many celebrated directors. Hear from the next generation of storytellers in a format that’s sure to be eclectic and insightful.
NIGHT SWIM (12 min)
Director Victoria Rivera
Audience Choice Award for Closing Nite
Three teenage girls break into a shut down pool. When uninvited guests show up, their friendship is tested and one of them is left behind.
SEE YOU NEXT TIME (6 min)
Director Crystal Kayiza
Audience Choice Award for Closing Nite
SEE YOU NEXT TIME reaches across the nail salon table to capture the intimate moments shared between a Chinese nail artist and her Black client.
END OF TUNNEL (5 1/2 min)
Director Sam Sulam
Music Driven Award Winner
Henny Mack ruminates on his past failures and how he uses positive feedback as a freestyle rap MC to propel him away from the negativity in his neighborhood.
THE MAKING OF PANTHERA (5 min)
Co-Director Renee Mao
Audience Choice Award for Opening Nite
Brooklyn-based drag queen Panthera Lush spends painstaking hours behind the sewing machine designing couture-worthy looks. Weaving cinéma vérité and choreographed drama, this documentary short follows Panthera and her chameleonic friends to take a closer look at the creative process behind the ever-evolving art form of drag.
PRINCESS RITA (10 min)
Writer Mallory Rice
NSF19 Jury Award Winner
A lonely insurance adjuster becomes consumed by his desire to meet his internet girlfriend, who claims to be a princess from a faraway country.
Starring: Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack Kilmer, Gabriel Luna
Seventeen-year-old Pakistani-American teenager Hala (Geraldine Viswanathan) struggles to balance desire with her familial, cultural and religious obligations. As she comes into her own, she grapples with a secret that threatens to unravel her family.
Written and directed by Minhal Baig and executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, Hala was an official selection of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
10th anniversary special edition remastered in high definition with brand new epilogue with updates to the story from the past decade.
On November 5, 2001, Dr. Andrew Bagby was murdered in a parking lot in western Pennsylvania; the prime suspect, his ex-girlfriend Dr. Shirley Turner, promptly fled the United States for St. John’s, Canada, where she announced that she was pregnant with Andrew’s child. She named the little boy Zachary.
Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, Andrew’s oldest friend, began making a film for little Zachary as a way for him to get to know the father he’d never meet. But when Shirley Turner was released on bail in Canada and was given custody of Zachary while awaiting extradition to the U.S., the film’s focus shifted to Zachary’s grandparents, David & Kathleen Bagby, and their desperate efforts to win custody of the boy from the woman they knew had murdered their son.
What happened next, no one ever could have foreseen…
Starring: Miles Robbins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sasha Lane, Mary Stuart Masterson, Hannah Marks
Preview screenings before official VOD release on 12/6
Troubled college freshman Luke (Robbins) suffers a violent family trauma and resurrects his childhood imaginary friend Daniel (Schwarzenegger) to help him cope. Charismatic and full of manic energy, Daniel helps Luke to achieve his dreams, before pushing him to the very edge of sanity and into a desperate struggle for control of his mind — and his soul.
Join us for a special tribute to the legendary DJ Roc Raida – who passed away tragically ten years ago – and is considered one of the greatest turntablists to ever live. In this screening & discussion moderated by Gregg Kaysen of Mass Appeal, we’ll be joined by Sean C & Rob Swift of the world-famous crew The-Xmen, as well as Fool’s Gold founder and DMC World Champion, A-Trak. They’ll share the stories and archival videos behind some of Roc Raida’s most legendary battles and performances, from 1991-2009.
An after-party with music by DJ Boogie Blind will follow.
Filmed over the course of three years, this portrait of fashion colossus Yves Saint Laurent’s final show was suppressed right after its first and only public screening at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival. The film was blocked by YSL’s business (and on-and-off romantic) partner Pierre Berge, who objected to the couturier’s portrayal as frail and not quite all there, and to his own depiction of being the behind the scenes mastermind. The dynamic between the two is said to have inspired Paul Thomas Anderson’s depiction of Daniel Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville’s characters in Phantom Thread.
Fortunately, Berge relented in 2015 (he died in 2017), and thus Celebration is finally available. Director Olivier Meyrou presents an opulent and immersive behind-the-scenes look at haute couture designer Yves Saint Laurent’s final show and is a priceless addition to our understanding of the man, the myth, la marque, that is Yves Saint Laurent.
Starring: Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Stefania Owen
When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Lopez, Robert Blake, Chris Cooper
Charlie (Woody Harrelson) is a New York City transit cop with a mountain of gambling debts, and John (Wesley Snipes) is his responsible, and frequently exasperated, foster brother. They compete amicably for the affections of fellow officer Grace (Jennifer Lopez), but things become more serious when Charlie decides to rob the “money train” that carries the Transit Authority’s daily proceeds. John must decide whether to prevent Charlie’s crime or to join in on the heist.
