Starring: Tim Kinsella, Spencer Jording, Caleb Cabrera
A maladjusted father, his non-binary child Tavi, and a stranger out on parole are all seeking connection in director Brielle Brilliant’s feature debut. When Tavi and the older man begin to form a sweet yet unconventional friendship, they raise concern and suspicion from everyone around them.
Winner of the U.S. Narrative Jury Award at Outfest LA, Firstness delivers a singular, fantastical world with a dreamy rhythm that is not to be missed.
Preceded by the following short film:
Joychild
Dir. Aurora Brachman, USA, 6 mins
A young child tells their mother “I’m not a girl” for the first time
Starring: Will Krisanda, Tracy Kowalski, Denise Turkan, Leontine White Foster, Faith Eileen Bryan, D”Lo
Struggling actor X’s lesbian bowling league Lavender League Bowling Club is the only thing keeping his head in the right lane as he faces the daily struggles of demanding auditions, demeaning roles, and shady characters. But when the team’s matriarch and captain unexpectedly passes away and an intriguing stranger arrives, X finds himself on a new journey toward introspection, acceptance, and love.
Made by a predominantly trans cast and crew, Lyle Kash’s confident directorial debut announces the arrival of an authentic, idiosyncratic new voice in contemporary LGBTQ+ cinema. Death and Bowling shows off Kash’s thoughtful and boundary-breaking approach to storytelling — a real game-changer.
Preceded by the following short film:
The Young King
Dir. Larin Sullivan, USA, 6 mins
A drag king gets ready to meet daddy
Starring: La Prohibida, Marc Ferrer, Marga Sardà, Maria Sola, Saya Solana, Alvaro Lucas Estada, Gregorio Sanz, Paco Serrano, Samantha Hudson
Marcos is a struggling director desperate to produce his low-budget queer take on Italian Giallo thrillers. But when the cast and crew begin to die gruesome deaths, he becomes both a prime suspect for investigators and the killer’s potential next target.
Marc Ferrer’s vibrant horror-comedy melds mystery and unabashed pastiche with an early Almodóvarian sense of humor. Featuring Spanish icons including Samantha Hudson and La Prohibida, CUT! is a rollicking meta slasher showcasing the weird, wonderful world of queer artists in Spain and Catalonia.
Starring: St. Vincent, Carrie Brownstein, Dakota Johnson, Ezra Buzzington
From real-life friends Annie Clark (a.k.a. Grammy award-winning recording and touring artist St. Vincent) and Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Sleater-Kinney) comes the metafictional account of two creative forces banding together to make a documentary about St. Vincent’s music, touring life, and on-stage persona. But they quickly discover unpredictable forces lurking within subject and filmmaker that threaten to derail the friendship, the project, and the duo’s creative lives.
Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, Woody Harrelson
Venom springs into action when notorious serial killer Cletus Kasady transforms into the evil Carnage.
Starring: Justin Chon, Alicia Vikander, Mark O’Brien, Linh-Dan Pham, Emory Cohen
From award-winning writer/director Justin Chon, Blue Bayou is the moving and timely story of a uniquely American family fighting for their future. Antonio LeBlanc (Chon), a Korean adoptee raised in a small town in the Louisiana bayou, is married to the love of his life Kathy (Alicia Vikander) and step-dad to their beloved daughter Jessie. Struggling to make a better life for his family, he must confront the ghosts of his past when he discovers that he could be deported from the only country he has ever called home.
Starring: Cecilia Milocco, Albin Grenholm, Alexander Salzberger, Krister Kern
The Future of Film is Female presents a preview screening of Frida Kempff’s debut feature film, Knocking. To make an additional $10 donation to The Future of Film is Female, select the “Event + Donation” ticket on the checkout screen.
After suffering a traumatic incident, Molly (Cecilia Milocco) moves into a new apartment to begin her path to recovery, but it’s not long after her arrival that a series of persistent knocks and screams begin to wake her up at night. Molly’s new life begins to unravel as the screams intensify and no one else in the building believes or is willing to help her.
Knocking will be in cinemas on October 8, VOD October 19.
Starring: Adam Driver, Lady Gaga, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino, Jack Huston, Salma Hayek
House of Gucci is inspired by the shocking true story of the family empire behind the Italian fashion house of Gucci. Spanning three decades of love, betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately murder, we see what a name means, what it’s worth, and how far a family will go for control.
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani
Marvel Studios’ Eternals features an exciting new team of Super Heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.
Starring: Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck
The Last Duel is a cinematic and thought-provoking drama set in the midst of the Hundred Years War that explores the ubiquitous power of men, the frailty of justice and the strength and courage of one woman willing to stand alone in the service of truth. Based on actual events, the film unravels long-held assumptions about France’s last sanctioned duel between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris, two friends turned bitter rivals. Carrouges is a respected knight known for his bravery and skill on the battlefield. Le Gris is a Norman squire whose intelligence and eloquence make him one of the most admired nobles in court. When Carrouges’ wife, Marguerite, is viciously assaulted by Le Gris, a charge he denies, she refuses to stay silent, stepping forward to accuse her attacker, an act of bravery and defiance that puts her life in jeopardy. The ensuing trial by combat, a grueling duel to the death, places the fate of all three in God’s hands.
