PFF29 (2020)
Full listing of the movies showing at the Philadelphia Film Festival 29 (2020)
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- DirectorLawrence Michael LevineStarsAubrey PlazaChristopher AbbottSarah GadonA filmmaker at a creative impasse seeks solace from her tumultuous past at a rural retreat, only to find that the woods summon her inner demons in intense and surprising ways.
- DirectorSteven KostanskiStarsNita-Josée HannaOwen MyreMatthew NinaberAfter unearthing a gem that controls an evil monster looking to destroy the Universe, a young girl and her brother use it to make him do their bidding.
- DirectorZoé WittockStarsNoémie MerlantEmmanuelle BercotBastien BouillonJeanne, a shy young woman, works in an amusement park. Fascinated with carousels, she still lives at home with her mother. That's when Jeanne meets Jumbo, the park's new flagship attraction.
- DirectorI.-Fan WangStarsBruce HungMegan LaiChung-Hua TouTaiwan's parliament turns deadly when a virus transforms politicians into ravenous zombie mutants.
- DirectorChristos NikouStarsAris ServetalisSofia GeorgovassiliAnna KalaitzidouAmidst a worldwide pandemic that causes sudden amnesia, middle-aged Aris finds himself enrolled in a recovery program designed to help unclaimed patients build new identities.
- DirectorMehdi BarsaouiStarsSami BouajilaNajla Ben AbdallahYoussef Khemiri11 year old Aziz needs a liver transplant after being seriously injured during a terrorist ambush while on holiday in 2011. At the hospital a family secret will be revealed.
- DirectorLee Isaac ChungStarsSteven YeunHan YeriAlan KimA Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
- DirectorFrancis LeeStarsKate WinsletSaoirse RonanGemma Jones1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.
- DirectorDavid CharbonierJustin PowellStarsLonnie ChavisEzra DeweyKristin BauerAfter Bobby and his best friend Kevin are kidnapped and taken to a strange house in the middle of nowhere, Bobby manages to escape. But then he hears Kevin's screams for help and realizes he can't leave his friend behind.
- DirectorJoachim HedénStarsMoa GammelMadeleine MartinTrine WiggenA winter diving trip in Norway turns into a desperate race against time for two sisters when one of them becomes trapped at the bottom of the ocean by falling rocks.
- DirectorAnthony Scott BurnsStarsJulia Sarah StoneLandon LiboironCarlee RyskiA teenage runaway takes part in a sleep study that becomes a nightmarish descent into the depths of her mind and a frightening examination of the power of dreams.
- DirectorMario FurloniKate McLeanStarsLily GladstoneKrisha FairchildFrank MosleyAn aging pot farmer finds her world shattered as she races to bring in what could be her final harvest.
- DirectorMax StrandStarsPeyton Michelle EdwardsPamela Jayne MorganJuliette Alice GobinAfter escaping abduction, a frantic woman must coerce an exhausted truck driver to hide in the back of her truck for the night. The two women take refuge not knowing what the rest of the night has in store.
- DirectorYoon Ga-eunStarsKim Na-yeonKim Si-AhJoo Ye-rimA girl from a troubled family befriends two younger girls and begins to feel a sense of normalcy as they go adventuring at the seaside.
- DirectorNoah HuttonStarsDean ImperialMadeline WiseBabe HowardStruggling to support himself and his ailing younger brother, delivery man Ray takes a strange job in a strange new realm of the gig economy.
- DirectorChad HartiganStarsOlivia CookeJack O'ConnellSokoA couple fights to hold their relationship together as a memory loss virus spreads and threatens to erase the history of their love and courtship.
- DirectorQuentin DupieuxStarsGrégoire LudigDavid MarsaisAdèle ExarchopoulosWhen simple-minded friends Jean-Gab and Manu find a giant fly trapped in the boot of a car, they decide to train it in the hope of making a ton of cash.
- DirectorBettina OberliStarsAgnieszka GrochowskaMarthe KellerAndré JungWanda, a Polish woman, takes care of 70-year-old Joseph in his family villa on the lake. She is always there for him and also helps his wife Elsa. The work is poorly paid, but Wanda needs the money for her family.
- DirectorPhilippe LacôteStarsBakary KonéSteve TientcheuJean Cyrille DigbeuA young man is sent to "La Maca", a prison of Ivory Coast in the middle of the forest ruled by its prisoners. With the red moon rising, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners.
- DirectorKelly OxfordStarsJessica BardenMichael McKeanMarcia Gay HardenA young woman struggles with an anxiety disorder after dropping out of school.
- DirectorQuinn ArmstrongStarsStacy KeachVayu O'DonnellSpencer GarrettSurvival Skills is a lost training video from the 1980s. In it, Jim, the perfect policeman, gets in over his head when he tries to resolve a domestic violence case outside the law.
- DirectorMohammad RasoulofStarsBaran RasoulofZhila ShahiMahtab ServatiThe four stories that are variations on the crucial themes of moral strength and the death penalty that ask to what extent individual freedom can be expressed under a despotic regime and its seemingly inescapable threats.
- DirectorFilippo MeneghettiStarsBarbara SukowaMartine ChevallierLéa DruckerPensioners Nina and Madeleine have hidden their deep and passionate love for many decades, but their bond is put to the test when they are suddenly unable to move freely between each other's apartments.
- DirectorMiwa NishikawaStarsKoji YakushoSeiji RokkakuYukiya KitamuraA lifelong Yakuza, released from prison after 13 years, journeys to find the mother who abandoned him as a child. He is hindered by his gangster past and struggles to adapt to his new life outside of prison.
- DirectorChristian PetzoldStarsPaula BeerFranz RogowskiMaryam ZareeUndine works as a historian lecturing on Berlin's urban development. But when the man she loves leaves her, the ancient myth catches up with her. Undine has to kill the man who betrays her and return to the water.
- DirectorMassoud BakhshiStarsSadaf AsgariBehnaz JafariBabak KarimiIn Iran today: Maryam (22) accidentally kills her husband Nasser (65) and is sentenced to death. The only person who can save her is Mona, Nasser's daughter. All Mona has to do is appear on a popular live TV show and forgive Maryam.
- DirectorAlex WinterStarsFrank ZappaLonnie LardnerPatrice ZappaAn in-depth look into the life and work of musician Frank Zappa.
- DirectorPhyllida LloydStarsMolly McCannClare DunneRuby Rose O'HaraA young mother escapes her abusive husband and fights back against a broken housing system. She sets out to build her own home and in the process rebuilds her life and re-discovers herself.
- DirectorChloé ZhaoStarsFrances McDormandDavid StrathairnLinda MayA woman in her sixties, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.
- DirectorDarius MarderStarsRiz AhmedOlivia CookePaul RaciA heavy metal drummer's life is turned upside down when he begins to lose his hearing and he must confront a future filled with silence.
- DirectorTommy OliverStarsMike Africa Jr.Carlos AfricaChuckie AfricaPhiladelphia native Tommy Oliver follows the efforts of Mike Africa Jr. to exonerate his parents, both incarcerated members of the revolutionary group MOVE.
- DirectorTodd ChandlerA documentary about the response of American schools to gun violence.
- DirectorSonia KennebeckStarsJoel WidmanStuart AndersonNemo BaleticAn American family becomes entangled in a bizarre web of secrets and lies when their hacker son is targeted by the U.S. government, making them all ENEMIES OF THE STATE.
- DirectorJean-Cosme DelaloyeHarley, a successful criminal attorney, who represents the most despised people in society in Paterson, NJ, embarks on a quest to win the woman of his dreams and defeat the bully who antagonized him as a child.
- DirectorPatricia Vidal DelgadoStarsMonica BetancourtKailei LopezIrlanda MorenoIn Compton, a soon-to-be undocumented teenager fights for her right to stay in America while risking her family, her friendships, and her first love.
- DirectorSam PollardStarsMartin Luther KingJ. Edgar HooverDavid GarrowBased on newly declassified files, Sam Pollard's resonant film explores the US government's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- DirectorAisling Chin-YeeChase JoyntStarsBilly Tipton Jr.Holden BernsteinKate BornsteinNo Ordinary Man is an in-depth look at the life of musician and trans culture icon Billy Tipton. Complicated, beautiful and historically unrivaled, this groundbreaking film shows what is possible when a community collaborates to honor the legacy of an unlikely hero.
- DirectorRadu CiorniciucStarsGica EnacheVali EnacheRica EnacheIn the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta, nine children and their parents lived in perfect harmony with nature for 20 years until they are chased out and forced to adapt to life in the big city.
- DirectorJulia von HeinzStarsMala EmdeNoah SaavedraTonio SchneiderHow far one is willing to go for the sake of one's political commitment.
- DirectorSeamus HaleyLaurent RichardAurélia RouvierStarsRobin BartonBanksy is a household name, but behind this name hides a multitude of stories, artworks, stunts, political statements and identities, leading to one of the art world's biggest unanswered questions- who is Banksy?
- DirectorJennifer R. LinSharon MullallyStarsElizabeth HainenLáng LangYannick Nézet-SéguinDispatched by President Nixon in 1973 to help open the bamboo curtain separating Chinese and American people, the iconic Philadelphia Orchestra now turns to its past as a cultural ambassador to strengthen its future at home. Mixing archival images and audio with present-day observational footage, backstage and onstage, and enlivened with animation, the film dramatizes how the revival of classical music in China is energizing the world of music.
- DirectorAgnieszka HollandStarsIvan TrojanJosef TrojanJuraj LojThe life of successful Czech healer Jan Mikolasek, who diagnosed and healed people using his intuition and strong familiarity with plants, set against the background of the events of the totalitarian fifties.
- DirectorAmanda KernellStarsAne Dahl TorpSverrir GudnasonTroy LundkvistAfter a divorce, Alice hasn't seen her children in two months as she awaits a custody verdict. When her son calls her in the middle of the night, Alice takes action, abducting the children on an illicit charter trip to the Canary Islands.
- DirectorShalini KantayyaStarsJoy BuolamwiniMeredith BroussardCathy O'NeilWhen MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces accurately, she embarks on a journey to push for the first-ever U.S. legislation against bias in algorithms that impact us all.
- DirectorGeorgis GrigorakisStarsVangelis MourikisArgyris PandazarasSofia KokkaliA father and a son long lost. Love and hate. Digging deep into mud to find their roots. Revenge and Redemption. A Western, revisited.
- DirectorMaria FinitzoStarsTi ChangLisa DiamondStacey DuttonExplores the work of four women who are shattering myths and lies that women are being told about their sexual desire and their bodies.
- DirectorPablo LarraínStarsMariana Di GirólamoGael García BernalSantiago CabreraA couple deals with the aftermath of an adoption that goes awry as their household falls apart.
- DirectorEkwa MsangiStarsNtare Guma Mbaho MwineZainab JahJayme LawsonReunited after 17 years, an Angolan immigrant is joined in the U.S. by his wife and daughter. Now strangers sharing a one-bedroom apartment, they discover a shared love of dance that may help them overcome the distance between them.
- DirectorVictor KossakovskyStarsGundaDocumentary looks at the daily life of a pig and its farm animal companions: two cows and a one-legged chicken.
- DirectorJulia HartStarsRachel BrosnahanMarsha Stephanie BlakeArinzé KeneIn this 1970s set crime drama, a woman is forced to go on the run after her husband betrays his partners, sending her and her baby on a dangerous journey.
- DirectorRobert MachoianStarsClayne CrawfordSepideh MoafiChris CoyDavid desperately tries to keep his family of six together during a separation from his wife. They both agree to see other people but David struggles to grapple with his wife's new relationship.
- DirectorGregory MonroStarsStanley KubrickMichel CimentMalcolm McDowellA rare and transcendent journey into the life and films of the legendary Stanley Kubrick like we've never seen before, featuring a treasure trove of unearthed interview recordings from the master himself.
- DirectorAlexander MonelliStarsRobert Brock"Marionette Land" is an intimate portrait into the wonderful world of Robert Brock, a man who lives above his own magical marionette theatre with his mother, Mary Lou. Brock creates and performs classic marionette shows for families as well as grown-up shows where he straps on his heels to become famous Hollywood divas of the past. But new personal and professional challenges emerge as Robert and Mary Lou struggle to keep the marionette theatre open while preparing to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
- DirectorDavid OsitStarsMusa HadidMahmoud AbbasMohammad Ibrahim ShtayyehA look at the life of Musa Hadid, the charismatic mayor of Palestinian city Ramallah, who aspires to lead the city into the future.
- DirectorEric SteelStarsSamuel H. LevineRon RifkinChristopher McCannA young Jewish man is caught between thrilling private trysts and his repressive family in this thoughtful drama set in 1980s Brooklyn.
- DirectorMiles HargroveChristopher BirgeThe story of a father's kidnapping as told through the 1994 video diaries of his son, the film's Director Miles Hargrove.
- DirectorStéphanie ChuatVéronique ReymondStarsNina HossLars EidingerMarthe KellerLisa has bid goodbye to her ambitions as a playwright and the Berlin arts scene and now lives in Switzerland with her husband, who runs an international school. When her twin brother falls ill, she returns to Berlin.
- DirectorJulie DelpyStarsJulie DelpyRichard ArmitageDaniel BrühlA divorced mother looks to protect her daughter after an unexpected tragedy.
- DirectorMichel FrancoStarsNaian González NorvindEligio MeléndezMónica Del CarmenA lavish high-society wedding unexpectedly turns into a class struggle that leads to a violent coup.
- DirectorAli LeRoiStarsSteven SilverSpencer NevilleNicola Peltz BeckhamA wealthy, Nigerian-American teen is pulled over by police, shot to death and immediately awakens, reliving the same day over and over, trapped in a terrifying time loop - forced to confront difficult truths about his life and himself.
- DirectorBastian GüntherStarsDouglas M. GriffinDavid M. WelchJoe ColeIn a small town in Texas, an annual endurance contest (Hands On) to win a pickup truck promises thrilling entertainment to spectators and the chance of a lifetime to participants, but ends in real tragedy.
- DirectorHaifaa Al-MansourStarsMila Al ZahraniDae Al HilaliNora Al AwadA determined young Saudi doctor's surprise run for office in the local city elections sweeps up her family and community as they struggle to accept their town's first female candidate.
- DirectorJoe LawlorChristine MolloyStarsAnn SkellyOrla BradyAidan GillenIn this intimate exploration of identity, trauma and power, a young woman seeks out her birth mother, inadvertently triggering a string of events which change both their lives.
- DirectorPhilippe GarrelStarsLogann AntuofermoOulaya AmamraAndré WilmsA provincial youngster who travels up to Paris to sit an entrance exam for a "grande école". His path crosses that of a young woman and they strike up a short-lived relationship.
- DirectorLance OppenheimStarsDennis DeanLynn HenryAnne KincerBehind the gates of a palm tree-lined fantasyland, four residents of America's largest retirement community, The Villages, FL, strive to find solace and meaning.
- DirectorSuzanne LindonStarsSuzanne LindonArnaud ValoisFrédéric PierrotA 16 year old girl, bored with her own age group, becomes involved with an older man at a theater she passes.
- DirectorFrançois OzonStarsFélix LefebvreBenjamin VoisinPhilippine VelgeWhen 16-year-old Alexis capsizes off the coast of Normandy, 18-year-old David heroically saves him. Alexis has just met the friend of his dreams, who opens his eyes to a new horizon of friendship, art and sexual bliss.
- DirectorEugene AsheStarsTessa ThompsonNnamdi AsomughaEva LongoriaWhen a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father's record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.
- DirectorDaniele LuchettiStarsAlba RohrwacherLuigi Lo CascioLaura MoranteA marriage-in-crisis drama set in Naples and Rome over a long period starting in the 1980s.
- DirectorNaomi KawaseStarsHiromi NagasakuArata IuraAju MakitaA woman with an adopted child is contacted unexpectedly by the child's birth mother.
- DirectorYonah LewisCalvin ThomasStarsKacey RohlAmber AndersonMartin DonovanA popular undergrad faking cancer struggles to maintain her secret.
- DirectorKarishma DubeStarsRani KumariRenu KumariSaurabh SaraswatA close friendship between two girls is eclipsed by an accidental poisoning at school.
- DirectorMatt McCormickStarsRosalind FellWhile the space and arms races are Cold War common knowledge, few know of the United States and Soviet Union's race to dig the deepest hole. This is particularly surprising since Hell may have been inadvertently discovered in the process.
- DirectorLaurynas BareisaStarsPaulius MarkeviciusIndre PatkauskaiteKestutis Stasys JakstasWith the help of a faceless doll, a criminal re-enacts his cruel crime. Surprisingly, he is not the only one being judged.
- DirectorAdam MurrayStarsDeanna RooneyDavey JohnsonTom Sibley
- DirectorBernardo BrittoStarsBernardo BrittoA goose tells the story of the last time he migrated.
- DirectorChris FilipponeJamie MeltzerEvery weekday, inmates are released from Huntsville State Penitentiary, taking in their first moments of freedom with phone calls, cigarettes, and quiet reflection at the Greyhound station up the block.
- DirectorDerek PastuszekStarsJoseph MillerJeff SwisherAnthony WilcoxThe storm took everything. But, now, pieces have begun to wash ashore.
- DirectorYudi ZhangStarsZhao SongZhijie ZhangXidan ZhengDuring the Summer vacation, Peking Opera student, Lei, Starts to feel the changes in his voice, as well as his life.
- DirectorKira DaneKatelyn RebeloStarsMichael James FryKerriane LiebJorge OteroIn Japan there is a special way to grieve after having an abortion. Inspired by these Buddhist rituals, Mizuko is a look of how a half-Japanese American woman reevaluates drawing 'the line' in abortion ethics when she becomes pregnant.
- DirectorCarol NguyenStarsThao Nguyen-DuongA collection of family secrets, confessions and confrontation.
- DirectorEmma BaiadaStarsDavid MaitzRuth YoungRuth Young92 year-old Ruth Young, clad in newspaper shin guards and a paisley headscarf, begins to contemplate her inevitable death, but she has no intention of slowing down. Accompanied by her jolly 53 year-old companion David Maitz, Ruth mows her lawn with a bread knife, visits The Philadelphia Mint to learn how pennies are made, and makes a heartwarming pilgrimage to her family's cemetery plot where she and Dave will eventually rest.
- DirectorYngwie BoleyJ.J. EppingDiana van HoutenA dangerous intruder gives Pilar the chance to discover the wild animal within and the means to escape the post-apocalyptic village she lives in.
- DirectorSymone BaptisteStarsBrodie ReedEllington WellsDavid GborieA struggling Black college graduate considers his options after receiving a reparations check totaling sixteen thousand dollars.
- DirectorMara CerriMagda GuidiA boy looking for his cat to the edge of time, where who's dead disappears and who's alive let fly. Childhood illusions dissolve on the wheat field and make landscape.
- DirectorAlexandra Ramires
- DirectorIris DevinsStarsMichelle HendleyDennyPat Boyle
- DirectorCarlyn HudsonStarsKerry BarkerRaphael ChestangKatie MarovitchKerry is at a sleepover with the socially awkward, mysteriously orphaned heiress Katie. Friendship--in a society that grows ever isolating--is explored as Kerry learns the hard way that Katie always gets what she wants.
- DirectorNeal DhandStarsSteen AgroAnna EllingerováStepan PitelStepan comes to believe that an abandoned well can help his comatose sister.
- DirectorTomer ShushanStarsDaniel GadDawit TekelaebReut AkkermanA man finds his stolen bicycle, which now belongs to a stranger. While attempting to retrieve it, he struggles to remain human.
- DirectorStephen IrwinDeep in the forest, a hunter encounters a strange creature he cannot kill.
- DirectorKim TranStarsKim TranNguyen StantonFrank SanchezA young woman is caught in a lie by her suspicious mom. With tensions already high from recently losing a loved one, their relationship unhinges.