The Tribeca Film Festival (April 16–27) announced the second half of its 2014 line-up yesterday, and there are some big names among the ten female-helmed selections.
Kelly Reichardt’s fifth film Night Moves, a thriller about a group of eco-terrorists, will make its U.S. debut at the festival. Documentarian Amy J. Berg’s (Deliver Us From Evil, West of Memphis) first narrative feature Every Secret Thing, which features a dramatic script about missing children by director/writer Nicole Holfcener, will also premiere.
After helming nine episodes of Cougar Town, TV actress Courteney Cox will debut her first feature, a comedy about a down-on-his-luck everyman called Just Before I Go. Gia Coppola (granddaughter of Francis Ford and niece of Sofia) strikes out on her own film career by adapting James Franco’s short-story collection Palo Alto.
Also see: First Half of 2014 Tribeca Line-Up Announced; Women-Directed Films Make Up 25%
Scroll down for the list of ten more women-directed films lined up for Tribeca:
SPOTLIGHT
- Bright Days Ahead (Les beaux jours), directed by Marion
Vernoux, written by Fanny Chesnel. (France) — U.S. Premiere, Narrative. In
this sophisticated and sexy drama, a newly retired woman in her 60s (French
cinema icon Fanny Ardant, 8 Women, Confidentially Yours)
finds herself tumbling into an affair with a much younger man (Laurent
Lafitte, Little White Lies), her computer teacher at the local
seniors club. As she finds herself courting danger — taking her young lover to
places they could easily be discovered by her husband (Patrick Chesnais, The
Diving Bell and the Butterfly) — she must decide if her retirement will mark
the end for her marriage, or a new beginning. In French with English
Subtitles. A Tribeca Film Release. - Every Secret Thing, directed by Amy Berg, written by
Nicole Holofcener. (USA) — World Premiere, Narrative. One clear summer day
in a Baltimore suburb, a baby goes missing from her front porch. Two young
girls serve seven years for the crime and are released into a town that hasn’t
fully forgiven or forgotten. Soon, another child is missing, and two
detectives are called in to investigate the mystery in a community where
everyone seems to have a secret. An ensemble cast, including Elizabeth
Banks, Diane Lane, Dakota Fanning, and Nate Parker, brings to life Laura
Lippman’s acclaimed novel of love, loss, and murder. - Just Before I Go, directed by Courteney Cox,
written by David Flebotte. (USA) — World Premiere, Narrative. Seann William
Scott plays Ted Morgan, a down-on-his-luck everyman who has decided he’s had
enough of the hard knocks life has thrown his way. But before saying his final
adieu, Ted returns to his hometown to right a few wrongs. Enter a zany cast of
characters, including Rob Riggle, Olivia Thirlby, and Garret Dillahunt, who,
whilst royally messing up his scheme, manage to teach him a few clumsy, but
ultimately valuable lessons. - Life Partners, directed and written by Susanna Fogel, co-written by Joni
Lefkowitz. (USA) — World Premiere, Narrative. Nearing 30, Sasha
and Paige realize their codependent friendship is preventing either of
them from settling down. But when Paige meets the dorky yet lovable Tim,
Sasha fears that she’s being replaced. Leighton Meester, Gillian Jacobs,
Gabourey Sidibe, and Adam Brody star in a comedy revolving around two
friends and the guy that strikes discord in their harmoniously laid-back
resistance to growing up. Directed by Susanna Fogel, Life Partners affectionately
tackles the intimacy and complexity of female friendship. - Lucky Them, directed by
Megan Griffiths, written by Huck Botko and Emily Wachtel. (USA) — U.S.
Premiere, Narrative. More
interested in partying and flirting with young musicians than work,
veteran rock journalist Ellie Klug (Toni Collette) has one last chance to
prove her value to her magazine’s editor: a no-stone-unturned search to
discover what really happened to long lost rock god, Matt Smith, who also
happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Teaming up with an eccentric amateur
documentary filmmaker (Thomas Haden Church in a delightful performance),
Ellie hits the road in search of answers in this charming dramedy set
against the vibrant Seattle indie music scene. An IFC Films
Release. - Miss Meadows, directed and written by Karen Leigh Hopkins (USA) — World Premiere, Narrative. Prim schoolteacher Miss Meadows (Katie Holmes)
is not entirely what she appears. Well-mannered, sweet, and caring, yes,
but underneath the candy-sweet exterior hides the soul of a vigilante,
taking it upon herself to right the wrongs in this cruel world by whatever
means necessary. Things get complicated, however, when Miss Meadows gets
romantically entangled with the town sheriff (James Badge Dale) and her
steadfast moral compass is thrown off, begging the question: “Who is the
real Miss Meadows and what is she hiding?” - Night Moves, directed and written by Kelly Reichardt, co-written
by Jon Raymond. (USA) — U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Jesse
Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, and Peter Sarsgaard star as radical activists
surreptitiously plotting to blow up Oregon’s Green Peter Dam in an act of
environmental sabotage. As their plan marches inexorably towards fruition,
they soon discover that small steps have enormous consequences. Old
Joy and Wendy and Lucy director Kelly Reichardt
crafts another graceful and absorbing film about outsiders searching for a
meaningful place on the edges of the system in this atmospheric
environmental thriller. A Cinedigm Release. - Palo Alto, directed and written by Gia Coppola,
adapted from Palo Alto: Stories by James Franco. (USA) — U.S. Premiere,
Narrative. Popular but shy soccer player April (Emma Roberts) frequently
babysits for her single-dad coach, Mr. B. (James Franco), while Teddy (Jack
Kilmer) is an introspective artist whose best friend and sidekick, Fred (Nat
Wolff), is an unpredictable live wire with few filters or boundaries. One party
bleeds into another as April and Teddy finally acknowledge their mutual
affection, and Fred’s escalating recklessness spirals into chaos. Palo Alto is
a vibrant cinematic immersion into the overlapping stories and emotions that
make up the high school experience. A Tribeca Film Release.
STORYSCAPES
- Use of Force, Project Creator: Nonny de
la Pena. Use of
Force is a fully immersive documentary experience that puts you on scene when
migrant Anastasio Hernandez Rojas was killed by border patrol on the
U.S.-Mexico border in 2010. Using custom built virtual reality, participants
stand alongside witnesses who were trying to stop the events unfolding, offering
a profound and visceral experience. Nonny de la Pena is
a pioneer of immersive journalism and this is an experience that really puts
you in someone else’s shoes.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
- This Time Next Year, directed by Jeff Reichert
and Farihah Zaman. (USA) — World Premiere, Documentary. In 2012, Superstorm
Sandy swept along the East Coast, devastating countless communities in its
wake. This is one community’s story of what it takes to rebuild. TFF alum Jeff
Reichert (Gerrymandering) teams up with co-director/producer Farihah Zaman to
follow the residents of Long Beach Island, NJ, during the first full year after
the storm. Funded by Tribeca Film Institute with support from the Rockefeller
Foundation, this documentary is more than just a film; it is a call to action.
[h/t THR]
