US PREMIERE
Narrative Feature | 104 minutes
2021 | English | UK
SUNDAY CENTERPIECE
In this vibrant, lush romance, orphaned housemaid-turned-writer Jane (played by Odessa Young and the legendary Glenda Jackson, respectively) reflects back on a particular warm spring day she spent in post-WWI Britain. While her employers Mr. and Mrs. Niven (Academy Award® winners Colin Firth and Olivia Colman) are away for the day, she meets with her neighbor and long-term lover Paul (Josh O’Connor, The Crown) for a clandestine tryst. Scripted by Alice Birch (LADY MACBETH, Normal People) and sensually helmed by Eva Husson, MOTHERING SUNDAY explores one woman’s passion, vulnerability, and grief in the inter-war period.
Narrative Feature | 121 minutes
2021 | English | USA/Greece/UK/Israel
Adapted from Elena Ferrante’s novel, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s extraordinary directorial debut follows celebrated academic Leda (Olivia Colman), whose seaside holiday takes a sinister turn upon the arrival of a mysterious family. Observing the raucous clan, Leda quickly develops a dangerous fixation on young mother Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter—unearthing long-buried memories and forcing Leda to face the consequences of her own unconventional choices. Grounded by Colman’s fearlessly complex performance, THE LOST DAUGHTER is an electrifying, unpredictable tale about the terror, confusion, and intensity of motherhood.
Narrative Feature | 121 minutes
2021 | English | USA/Greece/UK/Israel
Adapted from Elena Ferrante’s novel, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s extraordinary directorial debut follows celebrated academic Leda (Olivia Colman), whose seaside holiday takes a sinister turn upon the arrival of a mysterious family. Observing the raucous clan, Leda quickly develops a dangerous fixation on young mother Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter—unearthing long-buried memories and forcing Leda to face the consequences of her own unconventional choices. Grounded by Colman’s fearlessly complex performance, THE LOST DAUGHTER is an electrifying, unpredictable tale about the terror, confusion, and intensity of motherhood.
Documentary Feature | 95 minutes
2021 | English | USA
JULIA brings to life the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women. Using never-before-seen archival footage, personal photos, first-person narratives, and cutting-edge, mouth-watering food cinematography, the film traces Julia Child’s 12-year struggle to create and publish the revolutionary Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961), which has sold more than 2.5 million copies to date, and her rapid ascent to become the country’s most unlikely television star. It’s the empowering story of a woman who found her purpose—and her fame—at 50, and took America along on the whole delicious journey.
Narrative Feature | 107 minutes
2021 | English/French | USA
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
Wes Anderson’s (THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL) latest escape into color palettes and quirk revels in the 1920s expatriate life in France while turning an eye to the world of journalism with his signature impeccable style and flair. Bringing to life the stories published within the expatriates’ magazine is a star-studded cast, including Frances McDormand, Willem Dafoe, Timothée Chalamet, Tilda Swinton, Saoirse Ronan, Bob Balaban, Owen Wilson and long time Anderson collaborator Bill Murray. A magnificent world rigorously analyzed and perfected to its core, THE FRENCH DISPATCH will be celebrated by diehard fans and first time viewers alike.
Narrative Feature | 107 minutes
2021 | English/French | USA
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
Wes Anderson’s (THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL) latest escape into color palettes and quirk revels in the 1920s expatriate life in France while turning an eye to the world of journalism with his signature impeccable style and flair. Bringing to life the stories published within the expatriates’ magazine is a star-studded cast, including Frances McDormand, Willem Dafoe, Timothée Chalamet, Tilda Swinton, Saoirse Ronan, Bob Balaban, Owen Wilson and long time Anderson collaborator Bill Murray. A magnificent world rigorously analyzed and perfected to its core, THE FRENCH DISPATCH will be celebrated by diehard fans and first time viewers alike.
WORLD PREMIERE
Documentary Feature | 93 minutes
2021 | English | USA
OPENING NIGHT FILM
With exclusive access to one of New York’s hardest-hit hospital systems, Oscar®-nominated and Emmy® Award-winning director Matthew Heineman (CARTEL LAND) spotlights the everyday heroes at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic as they come together to fight one of the greatest threats the world has ever encountered. Leaving a devastating trail of death and despair, this once-in-a-century pandemic changed the very fabric of daily life and exposed long-standing inequities in our society. The “first wave” of COVID-19 ravaged New York from March through June 2020. Employing his signature approach of character-driven cinema vérité, Heineman documents those harrowing first four months, embedding with a group of doctors, nurses and patients on the frontlines as they all navigated the crisis. With each distinct storyline serving as a microcosm through which we can view the emotional and societal impacts of the pandemic, THE FIRST WAVE is a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
EAST COAST PREMIERE
Narrative Feature | 124 minutes
2021 | English | UK/Italy/Canada/USA
A man ahead of his time, Cyrano de Bergerac (a delightful Peter Dinklage) dazzles, whether with ferocious wordplay at a verbal joust or with brilliant swordplay in a duel. But, convinced that his appearance renders him unworthy of the love of a devoted friend, the luminous Roxanne (Haley Bennett), Cyrano has yet to declare his feelings for her — and Roxanne has fallen in love, at first sight, with Christian (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.). Award-winning director Joe Wright (DARKEST HOUR, ATONEMENT) crafts an exuberant and enchanting re-imagining of the timeless tale of love and heartbreak.
Narrative Feature | 108 minutes
2021 | English | USA
Writer-director Mike Mills (BEGINNERS, 20TH CENTURY WOMEN) returns to the festival with the story of Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix), a well respected radio journalist who finds his life turned upside-down when unexpected circumstances lead his semi-estranged sister Viv (Gaby Hoffmann) to leave her nine-year-old son Jesse (Woody Norman, in a breakout performance) in his care. Suddenly thrust into each other’s company, the two forge a tenuous but transformational relationship that takes them on a journey from Los Angeles to New York to New Orleans. With striking black-and-white cinematography and soulful performances from its knockout cast, C’MON C’MON is a delicate and deeply moving story about the tender connections between adults and children, the past and the future.
Documentary Feature | 100 minutes
2021 | English | USA
Douglas Tirola’s thrilling documentary portrait of famed composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein expertly tells the story of an immigrant son who became a phenom as the visionary and exuberant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and, then for decades, the face of classical music for the nation. Bernstein joyfully responded to the clamor of his times, matching his passion for music with an unyielding commitment to political engagement while, as Tirola reveals, wrestling with what he called “the demons” of his hidden sexuality. We see Bernstein as a tireless participant in the anti-war and civil rights movements and a factor in the de-escalation of tensions between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. Incredibly, Tirola uses Bernstein’s own voice almost exclusively to turn the maestro’s life story into a call to action for artists and the people who believe in the arts to create change in our society today, with the goal of bringing freedom and respect to all people.
