Cannes, this is how it’s done: projects from female filmmakers are set to kick off and conclude both AFI DOCS and Provincetown International Film Festival.
AFI DOCS, a documentary fest in the Washington, D.C. area, will open with the Juliane Dressner-co-directed “Personal Statement,” which follows three seniors at an under-funded Brooklyn high school as they go through the college application process. Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown’s “United Skates” will close the fest. The Tribeca winner explores the role roller-skating plays and has played in African American culture and history.
Running June 13–17 in D.C. and Silver Spring, MD, AFI DOCS’ lineup also boasts Rory Kennedy’s “Above and Beyond: Nasa’s Journey to Tomorrow” as its centerpiece film. The doc focuses on the “men and women who have built the institution, and whose boundless curiosity drives scientific progress forward,” per its synopsis. “Above and Beyond’s” screening will be held at the National Air and Space Museum.
“We are at a cultural crossroads where identity, race, and personal agency are redefining what it is to be American in 2018,” stated Michael Lumpkin, AFI Festivals Director. “With ‘Personal Statement,’ ‘United Skates,’ and this year’s Centerpiece and Special Screenings, AFI DOCS will continue its legacy of introducing new perspectives to audiences, while challenging longstanding conventions.”
Head over to AFI DOCS’ website to check out the full 2018 schedule. Public ticket sales begin May 14. AFI members can buy tickets starting May 11.
The 20th Provincetown Film Fest, which showcases independent film and projects from emerging directors, will open with Madeleine Olnek’s “Wild Nights With Emily.” The Molly Shannon-starrer centers on Emily Dickinson’s affair with her sister-in-law. Closing Provincetown is Ondi Timoner’s “Mapplethorpe,” a biopic about the iconic photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who is portrayed by “The Crown’s” Matt Smith.
Alongside “Wild Nights” and “Mapplethorpe,” Provincetown’s other three Spotlight Selection films are all from women directors: Desiree Akhavan’s gay conversion camp-set “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” Debra Granik’s unconventional father-daughter drama “Leave No Trace,” and Ísold Uggadóttir’s “And Breathe Normally,” which focuses on the colliding lives of a mother and an asylum seeker.
“For our 20th anniversary festival, we are absolutely thrilled to present a lineup featuring new work by a group of extraordinarily talented filmmakers,” said Provincetown Artistic Director Lisa Viola, “and we are especially proud that all five of our Spotlight films are directed by women!”
Provincetown will take place June 13-17 in Provincetown, MA. Go to the fest’s website to buy tickets and to find out more about the 2018 lineup.
