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American Film Festival 2017
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September 27 - October 29
Formula Kino Horizon 
 A lot of themes and subjects touched upon by the films of Amfest 2017, a new iteration of the annual American cinema festival, would seem quite familiar to both the audience of long-standing festival and any connoisseur of American cinema. There is a couple of New York comedies in the shape of Woody Allen-esque dramatic panorama of everyday life in Person to Person and romantic comedy The Boy Downstairs featuring Zosia Mamet, one of the stars of HBO’s Girls. There are stark genre reports from the far less glamorous outskirts of American local life, such as Katie Says Goodbye, a wrenching drama of American dream gone wrong in small-town New Mexico, and Sweet Virginia, a gripping slice of moody neo-noir set in the harsh wilderness of Alaska. Then there’s Porto, a dreamy meditation on love, romance and loss, framed as a European voyage undertaken by an American, played in one of his final performances by the late Anton Yelchin.
Among other staples of the Amfest program are the independent film and the debut. The former slot this year is taken by Sylvio directed by actor Kentucker Audley known as a heartthrob of the ultra-independent cinema world. The latter is Brigsby Bear, a whimsical and heartbreaking debut by SNL’s Dave McCary featuring Claire Daines, Andy Samberg, Greg Kinnear, Mark Hammill and McCary’s SNL colleague Kyle Mooney.
The festival is to open with the latest Doug Liman film American Made featuring Tom Cruise, a hard-to-believe real-life drama of a pilot who went on to smuggle drugs for both CIA and South American drug lords.
Kentucker Audley is a filmmaker and actor who received rave reviews from the New Yorker, Hollywood Reporter, and Indiewire for his lead performance in Amy Seimetz's directorial debut Sun Don't Shine. He has a supporting role in David Lowery's Ain't Them Bodies Saints opposite Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, which premiered at the Sundance film festival. He starred in the Sundance hit V/H/S and Dustin Guy Defa's Bad Fever which premiered at SXSW. Audley wrote and directed the features Open Five and Open Five 2. LA Weekly says he's "maybe the most fascinating actor in current American penny-budgeted cinema." Also, he runs NoBudge, a blog that showcases true independent films. It's been called "innovative" (Filmmaker Magazine) and "indispensable" (GreenCine).
The Festival's base will be Formula Kino Horizont. The films will be shown in English with Russian subtitles.
AmFest 2017:
American Made. Action/Drama/Thriller. USA 2017, 115 min. Directed by Doug Liman. Starring: Tom Cruise, Sarah Wright, Domhnall Gleeson. Barry Seal, a TWA pilot, is recruited by the CIA to provide reconnaissance on the burgeoning communist threat in Central America and soon finds himself in charge of one of the biggest covert CIA operations in the history of the United States that spawned the birth of the Medellin cartel and eventually almost brought down the Reagan White House with the Iran Contra scandal.
The Boy Downstairs. Comedy/Drama/Romance. USA 2017, 91 min. Directed by Sophie Brooks. Starring: Zosia Mamet, Matthew Shear, Deirdre O'Connell. A young woman is forced to reflect on her first relationship when she inadvertently moves into her ex boyfriend's apartment building. Awards: TriBeCa Film Festival - World Premiere.
Katie Says Goodbye. Drama. USA, France 2016, 88 min. Directed by Wayne Roberts. Starring: Olivia Cooke, Keir Gilchrist, Christopher Abbott, Mary Steenburgen, Mirelle Enos, James Belushi. A kindhearted seventeen-year-old in the American Southwest turns to prostitution to fulfill her dream of a new life in San Francisco.
Sylvio. Comedy/Drama. USA 2017, 80 min. Directed by Kentucker Audley, Albert Birney. Starring: Sylvio Bernardi, Kentucker Audley, Steve Bauer. It's the story of a small town gorilla, Sylvio, who is stuck in his job at a debt collection agency. Deep down he just wants to express himself with his hand puppet, Herbert Herpels, and his experimental puppet show that highlights the quiet moments of life. He accidentally joins a local TV program and a series of on-air mishaps threaten to shatter his identity, sending him on an adventure of self-discovery where reality and fantasy start to blend. Awards: SXSW Film Festival - participation.
The Bleeder. Drama/Sport/Biography. USA 2016, 98 min. Directed by Philippe Falardeau. Starring: Liev Schreiber, Elisabeth Moss, Michael Rapaport, Naomi Watts, Ron Perlman. Chuck Wepner, the "Bayonne Bleeder," he was the pride of Bayonne, New Jersey, a man who went fifteen rounds in the ring with Muhammad Ali, and the real life inspiration for Rocky Balboa. But before all that, Chuck Wepner was a liquor salesman and father with a modest prizefighting career whose life changed overnight when, in 1975, he was chosen to take on The Greatest in a highly publicized title match. It's the beginning of a wild ride through the exhilarating highs and humbling lows of sudden fame-but what happens when your fifteen minutes in the spotlight are up?
Sweet Virginia. Drama/Thriller. USA, Canada 2017, 105 min. Directed by Jamie M. Dagg. Starring: Jon Bernthal, Christopher Abbott, Imogen Poots. A former rodeo star, with a small time life, unknowingly starts a rapport with a young man who is responsible for the violence that has suddenly gripped his small town. Every character from his loved ones to his business patrons, plays a part in the unravelling of this community. Our aged hero must face his relationships of past and present to come up against this unpredictable predator. Awards: TriBeCa Film Festival - World Premiere.
Person to Person. Drama. USA 2017, 84 min. Directed by Dustin Guy Defa. Starring: Abbi Jacobson, Michael Cera, Tavi Gevinson. Follows a variety of New York characters as they navigate personal relationships and unexpected problems over the course of one day. Awards & Festivals: Sundance Film Festival - participation; Locarno International Film Festival - participation; Montclair International Film Festival - participation; Sarasota International Film Festival - participation.
Band Aid. Comedy/Romance. USA 2017, 91 min. Directed by oe Lister-Jones. Starring: Zoe Lister-Jones, Adam Pally, Fred Armisen. A couple who can't stop fighting embark on a last-ditch effort to save their marriage: turning their fights into songs and starting a band. Awards & Festivals: Sundance Film Festival – participation; Calgary Underground Film Festival – Special Jury Award.
Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer. Drama. USA, Israel 2016, 118 min. Directed by oseph Cedar. Starring: Richard Gere, Lior Ashkenazi, Michael Sheen, Dan Stephens, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Steve Buscemi, Hank Azaria. Norman Oppenheimer is the President of New York based Oppenheimer Strategies. His word-of-mouth business is consulting work largely in American-Israeli business and politics, that focus due to being Jewish. Most of that work is as a fixer: doing work that others don't want to do and with which they don't want to be officially associated. In reality, Norman is a shyster, and not a very good one at that. His office is comprised of his cell phone and whatever is stuffed in his satchel which is usually slung over his shoulder as he wanders the streets. What he promises is making connections, setting up a meeting between his guy and the other guy. Generally, "his guy" is non-existent, he dropping names of people he usually doesn't know to make connections. A usual tactic he uses is to say that his deceased wife was personally connected to so-and-so, such as being a babysitter, those stories always untrue. All he needs is for one of the people that he approaches to believe a story to build... Awards & Festivals: Cleveland International Film Festival - participation.
Brigsby Bear. Comedy/Drama. USA 2017, 100 min. Directed by Dave McCary. Starring: Kyle Mooney, Mark Hamill, Jane Adams, Claire Daines, Greg Kinnear, Andy Samberg. Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children's TV show produced for an audience of one: James. When the show abruptly ends, James's life changes forever, and he sets out to finish the story himself. Awards & Festivals: Sundance Film Festival - participation; Cannes Film Festival - Directors' Fornight participation; Sydney International Film Festival - participation; Provincetown International Fim Festival - John Schlesinger Award.
Gemini. Thriller. USA 2017, 93 min. Directed by Aaron Katz. Starring: Lola Kirke, Zoë Kravitz, John Cho, Ricky Lake, James Ranson, Todd Louiso. A heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant and her Hollywood starlet boss. As the assistant travels across Los Angeles to unravel the mystery, she must stay one step ahead of a determined policeman and confront her own understanding of friendship, truth and celebrity. Awards & Festivals: SXSW Film Festival - World Premiere; Locarno International Film Festival - participation.
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary. Documentary. USA 2016, 99 min. Directed by John Scheinfeld. Chasing Trane is the definitive documentary film about an outside-the-box thinker with extraordinary talent whose boundary-shattering music continues to impact and influence people around the world. This smart, passionate, thought-provoking and uplifting documentary is for anyone who appreciates the power of music to entertain, inspire and transform. Written and directed by critically-acclaimed documentary filmmaker John Scheinfeld (The U.S. vs. John Lennon and Who Is Harry Nilsson...?) the film is produced with the full participation of the Coltrane family and the support of the record labels that collectively own the Coltrane catalog. Scheinfeld brings his strong story-telling skills to the creation of a rich, textured and compelling narrative that takes the audience to unexpected places. Set against the social, political and cultural landscape of the times, Chasing Trane brings John Coltrane to life as a fully dimensional being, inviting the audience to engage with Coltrane the man...Awards & Festivals: Toronto International Film Festival - World Premiere.
Porto. Drama/Romance. USA, France, Portugal, Poland 2016, 75 min. Directed by Gabe Klinger. Starring: Anton Yelchin, Lucie Lucas, Paulo Calatré. Jake and Mati are two outsiders in the northerly Portuguese city of Porto who once experienced a brief connection. A mystery remains about the moments they shared, and in searching through memories, they relive the depths of a night uninhibited by the consequences of time. Awards & Festivals: SXSW Film Festival - participation; San Sebastian Iternational Film Festival - participation; London International Film Festival - participation; Hong Kong International Film Festival - participation; Sao Paolo International Film Festival - participation; Ljubljana International Film Festival - participation.
Patti Cake$. Drama. USA 2017, 107 min. Directed by Geremy Jasper. Starring: Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhananjay. In a coming-of-age story straight out of Jersey, an unlikely rapper finds her voice as a one-of-a-kind hip-hop legend in the making in Patti Cake$, the first feature film from acclaimed commercial and music-video director Geremy Jasper. Set in gritty strip-mall suburbia, Patti Cake$ chronicles an underdog’s quest for fame and glory with humor, raw energy and some unforgettable beats. Awards & Festivals: Cannes Film Festival - participation; Sundance Film Festival - participation; Palm Spring International Film Festival - Director to Watch Award; Seattle International Film Festival - Youth Jury Award; Berkshire International Film Festival - Audience Award; Nuntacket International Film Festival - Best Screenplay; Jerusalem International Film Festival - participation.
Escapes. Documentary. USA 2017, 89 min. Directed by Michael Almereyda. Director Michael Almereyda showcases the storytelling talents of Hampton Fancher - flamenco dancer, film and TV actor, and the unlikely producer and screenwriter of the landmark sci-fi classic Blade Runner, as well as screenwriter on the upcoming sequel. Fancher's running commentary - with a little help from Philip K. Dick - works in concert with extensive archival footage as Fancher relates death-defying escapades from a remarkable life. Romantic misadventures, two brief marriages, and wayward acts of jealousy, chivalry, and friendship are mirrored in a parallel universe where Fancher plays cowboys, killers, fops, cads, and the occasional hero.
Basmati Blues. Comedy/Drama/Musical. USA 2017, 106 min. Directed by Dan Baron. Starring: Brie Larson, Donald Sutherland, Scott Bakula. A brilliant scientist is plucked out of the company lab and sent to India to sell the genetically modified rice she created - which she doesn't realize will destroy the farmers she thinks she's helping.
American Valhalla. Documentary/Musical. USA 2017, 81 min. Directed by Josh Homme, Andreas Neumann. Directed by Andreas Neumann and Joshua Homme, American Valhalla tells the story of an unlikely musical collaboration between two mavericks of American rock: Joshua Homme, frontman of Queens of the Stone Age and Iggy Pop, the Godfather of Punk. The film, co-directed by Homme, follows the recording of Iggy's final album 'Post Pop Depression' in the California desert, with his band comprising of Homme, his QOTSA bandmate Dean Fertita and Arctic Monkeys' drummer, Matt Helders, as well as the explosive tour that builds to a crowning performance at London's iconic Royal Albert Hall. Featuring stunning cinematography and intimate access, American Valhalla reveals the growth of an intense bond between the musicians who have taken to heart the mantra: "you risk nothing you gain nothing".
Call me by Your Name. Drama/Romance. Italy, France, Brazil, USA 2017, 132 min. Directed by Luca Guadagnino. Starring: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg. It's the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman, a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian boy, spends his days in his family's 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia. Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father, an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella, a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows wit h natural delights. While Elio's sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart. One day, Oliver, a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrive to work as an assistant for Elio's father. Awards & Festivals: Berlin Film Festival - participation; Toronto International Film Festival - Audience Award (3d place); Melbourne International Film Festival - Audience Award; Sydney International Film Festival - Audience Award (2nd place); Adelaide International Film Festival - participation.
Marshall. Drama/History/Biography. USA 2017, 118 min. Directed by Reginald Hudlin. Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Sophia Bush, Dan Stephens, James Cromwell. Long before he sat on the United States Supreme Court or claimed victory in Brown v. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall was a young rabble-rousing attorney for the NAACP. The new motion picture, Marshall, is the true story of his greatest challenge in those early days - a fight he fought alongside attorney Sam Friedman, a young lawyer with no experience in criminal law: the case of black chauffeur Joseph Spell, accused by his white employer, Eleanor Strubing, of sexual assault and attempted murder.
Stronger. Drama/Biography. USA 2017, 116 min. Directed by David Gordon Green. Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson, Clancy Brown. Runner Erin Hurley was still a mile away from the finish line when the bombs went off. Her boyfriend, Jeff Bauman, however, was right there. He is rushed into surgery, but his legs must be amputated. The bombing's immediate aftermath provides Jeff with an unexpected sense of purpose: he had seen one of the terrorists responsible for the blasts, and gives information to the FBI that proves instrumental in their investigation. Once that very public drama quiets down, Jeff's personal drama, a challenge as much for his morale as his body, is just beginning. With Erin by his side, Jeff will slowly recover, one arduous step at a time.
Ingrid Goes West. Drama/Comedy. USA 2017, 98 min. Directed by Matt Spicer. Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russell, Billy Magnussen. Ingrid Thorburn is an unhinged social media stalker with a history of confusing "likes" for meaningful relationships. Taylor Sloane is an Instagram-famous "influencer" whose perfectly curated, boho-chic lifestyle becomes Ingrid's latest obsession. When Ingrid moves to LA and manages to insinuate herself into the social media star's life, their relationship quickly goes from #BFF to #WTF. Awards & Festivals: Sundance Film Festival - Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award; Duaville American Film Festival - participation.
Schedule:
27 September, Wednesday:
20:00 American Made Tickets
28 September, Thursday:
19:30 The Boy Downstairs. Tickets
21:30 Katie Says Goodbye. Tickets
29 September, Friday:
19:30 Sylvio, Q&A with Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley. Tickets
21:40 The Bleeder. Tickets
30 September, Saturday:
13:00 Workshop with Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley at Moscow Film School. Tickets
15:00 Sweet Virginia. Tickets
17:10 Person to Person. Tickets
19:00 Band Aid. Tickets
1 October, Sunday:
15:00 Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer. Tickets
17:30 Sylvio. Tickets
19:30 Brigsby Bear. Tickets
2 October, Monday:
19:30 Gemini. Tickets
21:30 Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary. Tickets
3 October, Tuesday:
19:30 Porto. Tickets
21:10 Patti Cake$. Tickets
4 October, Wednesday:
19:30 Band Aid. Tickets
21:30 Escapes. Tickets
5 October, Thursday:
19:30 Person to Person. Tickets
21:30 Basmati Blues. Tickets
6 October, Friday:
19:30 Brigsby Bear. Tickets
21:30 Porto. Tickets
7 October, Saturday:
15:00 Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer. Tickets
17:30 Katie Says Goodbye. Tickets
19:30 Escapes. Tickets
8 October, Sunday:
15:00 Patti Cake$. Tickets
17:10 The Boy Downstairs. Tickets
19:10 Gemini. Tickets
9 October, Monday:
19:30 Sweet Virginia. Tickets
21:45 Sylvio. Tickets
10 October, Tuesday:
19:30 American Valhalla. Tickets
20 October, Friday
20:00 Call me by Your Name. Tickets
23 October, Monday
19:30 Stronger. Tickets
24 October, Tuesday
19:00 Marshall. Tickets
21:30 Ingrid Goes West. Tickets
25 October, Wednesday
19:30 Call me by Your Name. Tickets
26 October, Thursday
19:30 Marshall. Tickets
28 October, Saturday
15:00 Stronger. Tickets
29 October, Sunday
15:30 Call me by Your Name. Tickets
More info
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