Starring: Susan Berman, Brad Rijn, Richard Hell
The debut feature of Susan Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan) is a must-see for anyone who took the fake-it-till-you-make-it path when landing in New York City. Here we have Wren (Susan Berman), bridge-and-tunneling from Jersey, plastering flyers with her face everywhere in the hopes that she’ll cause a stir. Problem is, she doesn’t quite have a talent pinned down – just a real sharp sense of style with an attitude to match. Capturing a glimpse of the 80s East Village punk scene, Smithereens co-stars legend Richard Hell and features a score by The Feelies.
Determined to keep his late-wife’s dream alive, Dick Wall becomes the unlikely spokesperson for her debut memoir and embarks on an unexpected cross-country promotional tour. He’s joined by his filmmaker son, who is torn between saving his mom’s first book and his concern for how his dad is coping with their new reality. The result is an intimate portrait of love and loss — an ode to the healing power of storytelling.
Starring: Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Phyllis Diller, Richard Kind
Flik (Dave Foley) is an inventive ant who’s always messing things up for his colony. His latest mishap was destroying the food stores that were supposed to be used to pay off grasshopper Hopper (Kevin Spacey). Now the strong-arming insect is demanding that the ants gather double the food — or face annihilation. To avert disaster, Flik goes on a journey to recruit fighters to defend the colony. When he meets a band of high-flying circus insects, he thinks he’s found his salvation.
Starring: Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa, Kanji Tsuda, Kayoko Shibata
In a Japanese house, a vengeful spirit goes after one person after another, each suffering a horrible death.
Starring: Kôji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa, Masato Hagiwara
Cure is part atmospheric crime film and part philosophical meditation. Detective Takabe (Koji Yakusho) is tracking a series of identical murders, committed under the same bizarre circumstances. Nothing seems to connect the murders and Takabe becomes increasingly frustrated…
The FOFIF presents a premiere screening of Maia Kenworthy & Elena Sánchez Bellot’s documentary REBELLION featuring an exclusive recorded introduction by directors. To make an additional $10 donation to The Future of Film is Female, select the “Event + Donation” ticket on the checkout screen.
The first feature-length documentary to tell the behind-the-scenes story of Extinction Rebellion, whose peaceful demonstrations in 2019 bring London to a standstill and become the largest act of civil disobedience since the Suffragettes.
Within days of the protests, a climate emergency is declared by the UK Parliament and climate change is propelled to the heart of public debate. Many countries around the world, from Canada to Bangladesh, follow suit declaring emergencies. Yet as XR becomes a global phenomenon, internal tensions rise. Here we see XR Youth come to the fore, calling out the power imbalances of the group. For them, climate change is not just an environmental issue but is rooted in – and reinforces – social inequalities.
A Hope Runs High release
Starring: Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, Jermaine Hopkins, Khalil Kain, Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah
Four Harlem friends — Bishop (Tupac Shakur), Q (Omar Epps), Steel (Jermaine Hopkins) and Raheem (Khalil Kain) — dabble in petty crime, but they decide to go big by knocking off a convenience store. Bishop, the magnetic leader of the group, has the gun. But Q has different aspirations. He wants to be a DJ and happens to have a gig the night of the robbery. Unfortunately for him, Bishop isn’t willing to take no for answer in a game where everything’s for keeps.
Starring: Amanda Bynes, James Kirk, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Emily Perkins, Vinnie Jones
Viola Johnson (Amanda Bynes) is in a real jam. Complications threaten her scheme to pose as her twin brother, Sebastian, and take his place at a new boarding school. She falls in love with her handsome roommate, Duke, who loves beautiful Olivia, who has fallen for Sebastian! As if that were not enough, Viola’s twin returns from London ahead of schedule but has no idea that his sister has already replaced him on campus.
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Robert Sean Leonard, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, Michael Keaton
In this Shakespearean farce, Hero (Kate Beckinsale) and her groom-to-be, Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), team up with Claudio’s commanding officer, Don Pedro (Denzel Washington), the week before their wedding to hatch a matchmaking scheme. Their targets are sharp-witted duo Benedick (Kenneth Branagh) and Beatrice (Emma Thompson) — a tough task indeed, considering their corresponding distaste for love and each other. Meanwhile, meddling Don John (Keanu Reeves) plots to ruin the wedding.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Pete Postlethwaite, Paul Sorvino, Paul Rudd
Baz Luhrmann helped adapt this classic Shakespearean romantic tragedy for the screen, updating the setting to a post-modern city named Verona Beach. In this version, the Capulets and the Montagues are two rival gangs. Juliet (Claire Danes) is attending a costume ball thrown by her parents. Her father Fulgencio Capulet (Paul Sorvino) has arranged her marriage to the boorish Paris (Paul Rudd) as part of a strategic investment plan. Romeo attends the masked ball and he and Juliet fall in love.
