Atlantic Film Fest’s 33rd year program was announced in the Lord Nelson Hotel, amid a sea of croissants and audio problems (prompting some entertaining movieoke from program director Jason Beaudry). Fill your dance cards, folks.
The Atlantic Gala features All the Wrong Reasons directed by Gia Milani, tells the tale of "four troubled young adults negotiate post-traumatic experiences while desperately pursuing shades of desire, ambition and redemption.”
The closing gala presentation on Thursday, September 19 will be The Invisible Woman. Directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes, The Invisible Woman tells the story of a secret love affair between Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan.
The films keep rolling with There Are Monsters and Hard Drive, Copperhead, a moving civil war drama filmed with a largely Atlantic Canadian cast and crew; Cas & Dylan, the feature film directorial debut of Jason Priestley, starring Richard Dreyfuss; Jonathan Sobol’s The Art of the Steal, a raucous heist film starring Kurt Russell and Jay Baruchel; Don Jon, written, directed by and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Parkland, which looks at the aftermath of the JFK assassination; Richard Ayoyade’s The Double, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska; Jeremiah Chechik’s The Right Kind of Wrong, starring Catherine O'Hara, Ryan Kwanten; and Palme d’or winner Blue is the Warmest Colour (La vie d’Adele pt. 1 & 2) directed by Abdellatif Kechiche.
The Atlantic Focus program features the world premiere of Arctic Defenders, a documentary that examines the role of the Inuit in the sovereignty of Canada’s Far North, Jason Young’s Bad Coyote, Geoff D’Eon’s Zoo Revolution, Regret from Newfoundland’s Christopher Richardson and Let the Daylight into the Swamp by Jeffrey St. Jules.
The AFF is also announcing a new program, featuring French films from Canada and around the world. This year’s Cinéma En Français S.V.P. program will take place from Friday, Sept. 13 to Monday, Sept. 16 and will feature 18 French language film presentations.
And if a film fest falls in a city without lots of parties and galas, does anyone hear it? The answer is no, so get one hand clapping for the opening night party at the Cunard Centre on Thursday, Sept. 12, The Atlantic Gala Celebration at Taboo on Friday, Sept. 13 and the Closing Gala Party at the Lord Nelson Hotel’s Imperial Ballroom on Thursday, Sept. 19. Industry Day combines a metric ton of Industry Awards, panels and workshops with the CBC Atlantic Shorts Gala and Industry Party on Sept. 15 at the Lord Nelson Hotel. Plenty of chances to say "Party on, Wayne" to Atlantic Film Festival executive director Wayne Carter.
10x10 takes it outside via at the Outdoor Film Experience at the Oval, offering a 90-minute retrospective of past entries in the 10x10 Program, pairing 10 emerging directors with 10 musicians to create music videos. Free, and you can rollerblade during it, which is not possible at other AFF events.
Screen To Score features musicians Shehab Illyas, Asif Illyas, Chris Pauley, Ron Hynes, Kim Dunn, Kris MacFarland, Meaghan Smith, joined by filmmakers Jason Buxton and Michael Ray Fox. The centerpiece of this event will be the premiere of Shehab Illyas’ new motion picture music album, Top Of The World.
There you go. Get your popcorn face on.