2022 PFF SpringFest
Every fall, the Philadelphia Film Festival brings Philly film lovers the best of the year-end slate of cinematic offerings. But what about the films hitting theaters throughout the spring and summer? With PFF SpringFest, the Philadelphia Film Society presents a mid-year survey of the freshest cinematic marvels from the international festival circuit–from American indie darlings and eye-opening documentaries to acclaimed foreign titles. Each film will be having its Philadelphia premiere, ensuring that SpringFest attendees will have an early jump on the films destined to dominate cinephile conversations in the months to come.
CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH
COOPER RAIFF | USA | 2022 | 107 MIN | ENGLISH
Friday, May 13 | 6:15 PM | Opening Night Film
Moonlighting as an MC for local bar and bat mitzvahs, an aimless college grad finds kinship with a single mother in Cooper Raiff’s brutally honest and sweet Sundance Audience Award winner.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE
SOPHIE HYDE | UK | 2022 | 97 MIN | ENGLISH
Sunday, May 15 | 7:15 PM | Closing Night Film
A reserved former teacher decides to correct a lifetime of bad sex by hiring a male sex worker in this sharp exploration of contemporary intimacy.
892
ABI DAMARIS CORBIN | USA | 2022 | 103 MIN | ENGLISH
Sunday, May 15 | 5:00 PM
Based on a true story, this thought-provoking thriller stars John Boyega as a former Marine who robs a bank in a desperate bid to make himself heard.
2ND CHANCE
RAMIN BAHRANI | USA | 2022 | 89 MIN | ENGLISH
Saturday, May 14 | 4:00 PM
Acclaimed filmmaker Ramin Bahrani returns with this stranger-than-fiction look at the life of Richard Davis, the eccentric inventor of the modern bulletproof vest.
ALI & AVA
CLIO BARNARD | UK | 2021 | 95 MIN | ENGLISH
Saturday, May 14 | 1:30 PM
Clio Barnard’s touching, empathetic drama follows the unlikely romance between two lonely souls in the working-class English city of Bradford.
BOTH SIDES OF THE BLADE
CLAIRE DENIS | FRANCE | 2022 | 116 MIN | FRENCH
Friday, May 13 | 6:00 PM
In this searing drama from Claire Denis, Juliette Binoche plays a woman whose stable relationship is thrown off balance by the arrival of a figure from her past.
CALENDAR GIRLS
MARIA LOOHUFVUD, LOVE MARTINSEN | SWEDEN | 2022 | 83 MIN | ENGLISH
Saturday, May 14 | 11:45 AM
This exuberant documentary follows a dance team made up of senior women determined to prove that joyful self-expression is possible at any age.
CASABLANCA BEATS
NABIL AYOUCH | MOROCCO, FRANCE | 2021 | 101 MIN | ARABIC
Saturday, May 14 | 3:45 PM
At an arts center in an impoverished neighborhood, a former rapper encourages a group of young people to express themselves through the language of hip-hop.
DOWN WITH THE KING
DIEGO ONGARO | USA | 2021 | 100 MIN | ENGLISH
Saturday, May 14 | 6:15 PM
Freddie Gibbs plays a successful rap artist who leaves the city and spotlight behind to find inspiration and peace in a small, rural farming community.
EMILY THE CRIMINAL
JOHN PATTON FORD | USA | 2022 | 96 MIN | ENGLISH
Saturday, May 14 | 1:45 PM
Aubrey Plaza breaks bad when the allure of committing fraud proves too enticing against a mountain of student loans in this modern day thriller.
FLUX GOURMET
PETER STRICKLAND | UK, USA, HUNGARY | 2022 | 111 MIN | ENGLISH, GREEK
Sunday, May 15 | 7:30 PM
The latest cinematic oddity from genre-defying auteur Peter Strickland is performance art sendup set at an institute devoted to culinary sound performance.
GIRL PICTURE
ALLI HAAPASALO | FINLAND | 2022 | 100 MIN | FINNISH, FRENCH
Sunday, May 15 | 5:15 PM
This winning coming-of-age dramedy follows two best friends on the cusp of adulthood as they navigate the ups and downs of sex, love, and personal identity.
JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY
FRANK MARSHALL, RYAN SUFFERN | USA | 2022 | 95 MIN | ENGLISH
Saturday, May 14 | 8:30 PM
Highlighting the legacy of one of America’s greatest cultural events, this documentary weaves together enlightening history and electrifying musical performances.
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
DEAN FLEISCHER-CAMP | USA | 2021 | 89 MIN | ENGLISH
Saturday, May 14 | 6:00 PM
The beloved character goes from viral Internet sensation to big-screen star in this hilarious, heartwarming ode to the power of community and connection.
MONDOCANE
ALESSANDRO CELLI | ITALY | 2021 | 101 MIN | ITALIAN
Sunday, May 15 | 2:30 PM
Set in a dystopian near future, this action-packed thriller finds two friends vying for dominance when they join an underground gang of criminals.
NAVALNY
DANIEL ROHER | USA | 2022 | 98 MIN | ENGLISH, RUSSIAN
Saturday, May 14 | 8:00 PM
An absorbing, crowd-pleasing, monumental portrait of Putin’s famed political opponent Alexander Navalny, whose galvanizing anti-corruption campaign nearly cost him his life.
OLGA
ELIE GRAPPE | SWITZERLAND, UKRAINE, FRANCE | 2021 | 85 MIN | FRENCH, UKRANIAN
Saturday, May 14 | 11:30 AM
The high-stakes world of elite gymnastics gets even more intense for 15-year-old exile Olga when conflict erupts in her home country of Ukraine.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN
CRAIG ROBERTS | UK | 2021 | 106 MIN | ENGLISH
Friday, May 13 | 3:30 PM
It’s tee time for Mark Rylance in the heartwarming true tale of an eccentric man entering the 1976 British Open qualifying despite never having played a round of golf.
PRETTY PROBLEMS
KESTRIN PANTERA | USA | 2022 | 105 MIN | ENGLISH
Friday, May 13 | 8:30 PM
A married couple’s relationship is put to the test over a decadent, chaotic weekend among the uber-rich in this uproarious SXSW Audience Award winner.
RESURRECTION
ANDREW SEMANS | USA | 2022 | 103 MIN | ENGLISH
Friday, May 13 | 9:00 PM
A successful woman’s life begins to unravel when a mysterious stranger dredges up a most unusual past that threatens her entire reality.
SPIN ME ROUND
JEFF BAENA | ITALY, USA | 2022 | 104 MIN | ENGLISH
Sunday, May 15 | 2:45 PM
Alison Brie is a restaurant manager whose longed-for Italian retreat goes hilariously off the rails in this unpredictable comedy from director Jeff Baena.
WATCHER
CHLOE OKUNO | USA | 2022 | 95 MIN | ENGLISH, ROMANIAN
Saturday, May 14 | 10:30 PM
A young woman living abroad in Romania begins to suspect that she’s being followed by a mysterious voyeur in this nail-biting psychological thriller.
Special Events
OPENING NIGHT PARTY
SPIN Philadelphia – 211 South 15th Street (15th & Walnut) | 9:00 PM
Following the Opening Night screening of Sundance hit CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH, slide over to the Opening Night Party. Join PFS to kick off the 5th Annual PFF SpringFest and celebrate a weekend of indie must-sees. Party will feature complimentary light bites and drinks.
Open to Badge Holders and Film & Party Ticket Holders.