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30TH PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Schedule List
THE ABSENT DIRECTOR

THE ABSENT DIRECTOR

Arvand Dashtaray | Iran | English, PERSIAN | 2021 | 86 MIN

Visions of Iran

In this ingenious one-shot dramedy, the past and present collide unexpectedly when a dysfunctional theater troupe in Tehran scrambles to rehearse MACBETH, sans director.

Details
THE AFFECTED

THE AFFECTED

Rikke Gregersen | 13 MIN

Shorts

On a commercial flight to Istanbul, an activist forces the pilot of the plane to take a political stance, which is not his intention at all.

Details
AGNES

AGNES

Mickey Reece | USA | English | 2021 | 93 MIN

Made in USA

Oklahoman auteur Mickey Reece defies genre expectations with this audacious and idiosyncratic film about the exorcism of a young nun and what is left behind for her best friend.

Details
ALIEN ON STAGE

ALIEN ON STAGE

Lucy Harvey, Danielle Kummer | UK | English | 2021 | 84 MIN

Non/Fiction, Virtual Cinema

Lights! Camera! Xenomorph! A loveable ragtag group of bus drivers from Dorset, England attempts an amateur stage adaptation of sci-fi classic Alien, chestburster and all.

Details
ALL ABOUT MY SISTERS

ALL ABOUT MY SISTERS

Wang Qiong | USA | Mandarin | 2021 | 175 MIN

Filmadelphia, PFS on Us, Virtual Cinema

Over several years, Temple grad assistant Wang Qiong focuses the camera on her family, exploring the deep-seated pain and lingering effects of China’s devastating one-child policy.

Details
AMIRA

AMIRA

Mohamed Diab | Egypt, Jordan, SAUDI ARABIA, UAE | Arabic, Hebrew | 2021 | 98 MIN

World View

In this charged drama of identity and belonging, a Palestinian girl’s world is turned upside down when she learns the man she grew up idolizing is not her real father.

Details
ANIMATED SHORTS PROGRAM

ANIMATED SHORTS PROGRAM

104 MIN

Shorts, Shorts Programs, Virtual Cinema

All sales are final. Admission is not guaranteed after scheduled start time.

CLICK HERE to return to the complete 30th Philadelphia Film Festival schedule.

Details
ANTLERS

ANTLERS

Scott Cooper | Canada, Mexico, USA | English | 2021 | 99 MIN

Spotlights

After 20 years, a troubled school teacher reunites with her estranged brother in their rural Oregon hometown, only to discover an evil spirit has awoken.

Details
AS OF YET

AS OF YET

Taylor Garron, Chanel James | USA | English | 2021 | 89 MIN

Made in USA, PFS on Us

Told largely through video chats and video diaries, this creative and insightful indie comedy follows a young woman attempting to navigate relationships during quarantine.

Details
ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13

ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13

John Carpenter | USA | English | 1976 | 91 MIN | 4K

From the Vaults

The vengeful warlords of a Los Angeles gang terrorize the city while laying siege to an LAPD precinct in John Carpenter’s influential exploitation classic, newly restored in 4K.

Details
THE AUTOMAT

THE AUTOMAT

Lisa Hurwitz | USA | English | 2021 | 79 MIN

Filmadelphia

Featuring testimonials from a slew of esteemed former customers, this fascinating doc delves deep into America’s most iconic automat restaurant chain, Philadelphia-born Horn & Hardart.

Details
BAD LUCKY BANGING OR LOONY PORN

BAD LUCKY BANGING OR LOONY PORN

Radu Jude | Croatia, CZECH REPUBLIC, LUXEMBOURG, Romania | Romanian | 2021 | 106 MIN

World View

Winner of the top prize at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, director Radu Jude’s latest is a raunchy, ingenious comedy about the fallout after a schoolteacher’s sex tape goes viral.

Details
A BALANCE

A BALANCE

Yujiro Harumoto | Japan | Japanese | 2021 | 152 MIN

World View

While documenting a controversial tragedy that shook her community, a filmmaker must put her morals to the test when a perverse secret in her own life is revealed.

Details
BALLAD OF A WHITE COW

BALLAD OF A WHITE COW

Behtash Sanaeeha, Maryam Moghaddam | France, Iran | PERSIAN | 2021 | 105 MIN

Virtual Cinema, Visions of Iran

This searing Iranian drama follows a widowed mother whose husband was wrongfully executed and the stranger who enters her life bearing an unexpected connection to her past.

Details
BECOMING COUSTEAU

BECOMING COUSTEAU

Liz Garbus | USA | English, French | 2021 | 93 MIN

Green Screen

Captain Cousteau and the Calypso traverse the high seas documenting the mysteries of the silent world, tragedy, and the discovery of the catastrophic damage humans have done on the world.

Details
BELFAST

BELFAST

Kenneth Branagh | UK | English | 2021 | 97 MIN

Centerpieces

A tumultuous period in Irish history is seen through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy in Kenneth Branagh’s bittersweet chronicle of a close-knit family in 1960s Belfast.

Details
BERNSTEIN'S WALL

BERNSTEIN'S WALL

Douglas Tirola | USA | English | 2021 | 105 MIN

Sight and Soundtrack

This intimate look at one of the towering figures of 20th-Century music highlights the storied career, vigorous activism, and tumultuous private life of Leonard Bernstein.

Details
BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES

BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES

Junta Yamaguchi | Japan | Japanese | 2021 | 70 MIN

Virtual Cinema, World View

A downtrodden cafe owner’s life is thrown into hilarious chaos for one night after he discovers a bizarre time loop that allows him to see two minutes into the future.

Details
BILL MAULDIN: IF IT'S BIG, HIT IT

BILL MAULDIN: IF IT'S BIG, HIT IT

Don Argott, Sheena M. Joyce | USA | English | 2021 | 108 MIN

Filmadelphia, PFS on Us, Virtual Cinema

Pulitzer Prize-winning satirical cartoonist Bill Mauldin is the subject of this new insightful documentary from acclaimed local filmmakers Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce.

Details
BJ'S MOBILE GIFT SHOP

BJ'S MOBILE GIFT SHOP

Jason Park | 16 MIN

Shorts

A young Korean-American hustler runs throughout the city of Chicago making sales out of his “mobile gift shop.”

Details
THE BRAVES

THE BRAVES

Anaïs Volpé | France | French | 2021 | 99 MIN

Cinema De France, Virtual Cinema

Two young and carefree aspiring actresses chase their theater dreams in the streets of Paris until sudden hardship threatens their plans and tests their sisterhood.

Details
BROTHER'S KEEPER

BROTHER'S KEEPER

Ferit Karahan | Romania, Turkey | Kurdish, Turkish | 2021 | 85 MIN

Virtual Cinema, World View

Set over the course of a tense day at an isolated boarding school, this moral drama follows a boy’s desperate fight to save his sick friend in the face of a rigid bureaucracy.

Details
C'MON C'MON

C'MON C'MON

Mike Mills | USA | English | 2021 | 108 MIN

Centerpieces

A lost radio journalist puts on a happy face when he is entrusted with the care of his estranged sister’s son and travels across the country looking for hope for the future.

Details
CAPTAIN VOLKONOGOV ESCAPED

CAPTAIN VOLKONOGOV ESCAPED

Aleksey Chupov, Natasha Merkulova | Estonia, France, Russia | Russian | 2021 | 120 MIN

World View

Blending deadpan humor, pathos, and breakneck thrills, this electrifying historical drama follows a Soviet enforcer marked for death and desperate for redemption.

Details
CATCH THE FAIR ONE

CATCH THE FAIR ONE

Josef Kubota Wladyka | USA | English | 2021 | 85 MIN

Made in USA, Virtual Cinema

A former boxer embarks on the fight of her life when she goes in search of her missing sister in this hard-hitting revenge thriller executive produced by Darren Aronofsky.

Details
A CHIARA

A CHIARA

Jonas Carpignano | Italy | Italian | 2021 | 121 MIN

World View

An Italian teenager’s discovery of the true nature of her father’s work leads to a riveting descent into the crime world of Calabria that threatens to tear her family apart.

Details
CITY CREATURES

CITY CREATURES

Michael A .Johnston | 12 MIN

Shorts

A recently relocated couple confronts the financial strains of their new home and the peculiarity of their new neighbors.

Details
CLARA SOLA

CLARA SOLA

Nathalie Álvarez Mesén | Belgium, Costa Rica, Sweden | Spanish | 2021 | 106 MIN

World View

A Costa Rican woman believed to possess mystical healing powers begins to resist the strictures of her repressive family and community in this atmospheric drama.

Details
CLAYDREAM

CLAYDREAM

Marq Evans | USA | English | 2021 | 96 MIN

Spotlights

The meteoric rise and dramatic fall of “Father of Claymation” Will Vinton is the subject of this fascinating portrait of one of cinema’s unheralded innovators.

Details
CLERK

CLERK

Malcolm Ingram | Canada, USA | English | 2021 | 111 MIN

Special Events

Filmmaker and “View Askewniverse” creator Kevin Smith gets the camera turned on him in this funny, poignant, and informative journey through his eventful life and career.

Details
CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG

CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG

Walt Becker | Canada, USA | English | 2021 | 97 MIN

Spotlights

The beloved children’s book character comes to the big screen in this big-hearted story of a young girl whose life changes forever when she’s gifted a 10-foot red dog.

Details
THE CONTRACT MUSICAL

THE CONTRACT MUSICAL

Chris Cole | 7 MIN

Shorts

Three young lads wish for a bit more than they can handle.

Details
A Conversation with M. Night Shyamalan & Guillermo del Toro

A Conversation with M. Night Shyamalan & Guillermo del Toro

60 Min

Special Events

PFS is thrilled to welcome legendary writer/director, and Philadelphia Film Society board member, M. Night Shyamalan, to the Philadelphia Film Center on Tuesday, October 26 at 7 PM for a live conversation with renowned filmmaker Academy AwardⓇ winner Guillermo del Toro, who will be appearing virtually.

Details
COPILOT

COPILOT

Anne Zohra Berrached | France, Germany, Lebanon | Arabic, English, German, Turkish | 2021 | 118 MIN

World View

German director Anne Zohra Berrached’s scorching romantic drama follows the passionate but turbulent relationship between two young people at the close of the 20th Century.

Details
COSTA BRAVA, LEBANON

COSTA BRAVA, LEBANON

Mounia Akl | Denmark, France, Lebanon, Norway, Qatar, Spain, Sweden | Arabic | 2021 | 106 MIN

Green Screen

A family’s peaceful life is disrupted when a landfill is placed next to their mountain home, polluting their land and throwing their idyllic refuge into chaos.

Details
COW

COW

Andrea Arnold | UK | English | 2021 | 93 MIN

Green Screen

Following a captivating cow and her offspring, English director Andrea Arnold’s groundbreaking non-fiction feature immerses viewers in the world of animals like no film before.

Details
THE CRIMINALS

THE CRIMINALS

Serhat Karaaslan | 24 MIN

Shorts

Late at night in a small Turkish town, a young couple tries to find a hotel room to spend the night together.

Details
DEAD AGAIN

DEAD AGAIN

Kenneth Branagh | USA | English | 1991 | 107 MIN | 35MM

From the Vaults

Kenneth Branagh’s sophomore feature is a glorious throwback to the heyday of film noir about a PI, a woman with amnesia, and the decades-old crime that mysteriously binds them.

Details
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM

106 MIN

Shorts, Shorts Programs, Virtual Cinema

All sales are final. Admission is not guaranteed after scheduled start time.

CLICK HERE to return to the complete 30th Philadelphia Film Festival schedule.

Details
DON'T GO TELLIN' YOUR MOMMA

DON'T GO TELLIN' YOUR MOMMA

Topaz Jones, rubberband. | 34 MIN

Shorts

Topaz Jones debuts his 2nd album, DON’T GO TELLIN’ YOUR MOMMA as a reimagining of the 70s Black ABCs; a view into his and America’s Black Identity through 26 individual scenes, each representing a letter and a corresponding update to their meanings.

Details
DRIVE MY CAR

DRIVE MY CAR

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi | Japan | Japanese | 2021 | 179 MIN

Masters of Cinema

Embarking on a new play, a downtrodden theater actor-director bonds over past tragedies with his rebellious driver in this emotionally stirring, sensual Cannes award winner.

Details
DRUNKEN BIRDS

DRUNKEN BIRDS

Ivan Grbovic | Canada | English, French, Mandarin, Spanish | 2021 | 105 MIN

World View

Romance and heartbreak are sown across this achingly beautiful drama, about a migrant worker whose search for his lost love brings him into collision with a farming family.

Details
EASTER EGGS

EASTER EGGS

Nicolas Keppens | 15 MIN

Shorts

The Chinese restaurant is empty and the exotic bird’s cage stands wide open. Two friends, Jason and Kevin, see this as an opportunity to catch and sell them, but catching the birds ain’t as simple as it seems.

Details
THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN

THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN

Will Sharpe | UK | English | 2021 | 111 MIN

Centerpieces

In this unconventional biopic, Benedict Cumberbatch stars as English artist Louis Wain, who elevated the status of cats in Victorian England with his whimsical drawings.

Details
ENCOUNTER

ENCOUNTER

Michael Pearce | UK, USA | English | 2021 | 108 MIN

Centerpieces

A never-better Riz Ahmed stars as a disturbed ex-marine on a mission to save his two children from an unseen alien force in this emotional sci-fi thriller.

Details
THE END OF US

THE END OF US

Steven Kanter, Henry Loevner | USA | English | 2021 | 91 MIN

Made in USA

Breaking up is difficult enough, but for Leah and Nick it’s made infinitely more complicated when the end of their relationship coincides with the COVID-19 lockdown in this hilarious anti-romantic comedy.

Details
THE EXPECTED

THE EXPECTED

Carolina Sandvik | 14 MIN

Shorts

A father-to-be ends up in a feverish nightmare after a miscarriage, when a strange entity seems to be growing in the mother’s blood.

Details
THE FIELD TRIP

THE FIELD TRIP

Mike Attie, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, Meghan O'Hara | 12 MIN

Shorts

A group of fifth graders learn what it takes to get ahead in the modern American workplace.

Details
FILMADELPHIA SHORTS PROGRAM

FILMADELPHIA SHORTS PROGRAM

79 MIN

Shorts, Shorts Programs, Virtual Cinema

All sales are final. Admission is not guaranteed after scheduled start time.

CLICK HERE to return to the complete 30th Philadelphia Film Festival schedule.

Details
THE FIRST STEP

THE FIRST STEP

Brandon Kramer | USA | English | 2021 | 89 MIN

Spotlights, Virtual Cinema

Progressive political commentator Van Jones weathers criticism from both sides of the aisle as he pushes for a bipartisan prison reform bill during a moment of intense polarization.

Details
THE FIRST WAVE

THE FIRST WAVE

Matthew Heineman | USA | English | 2021 | 93 MIN

Virtual TheaterNon/Fiction, PFS on Us, Virtual Cinema

Matthew Heineman’s timely documentary follows a group of New York nurses, doctors, and patients on the frontlines as they navigate the unfolding COVID-19 health crisis.

Details
FLEE

FLEE

Jonas Poher Rasmussen | Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden | Danish, Dari, English, Russian, Swedish | 2021 | 90 MIN

Non/Fiction

In this brilliant animated feature, a man recounts his enthralling story of survival as an Afghan refugee, revealing an extraordinary secret that he’s kept for over 20 years.

Details
FLEX

FLEX

Josefin Malmén, David Strindberg | 4 MIN

Shorts

He may be god enough, but is he… good enough?

Details
THE FRENCH DISPATCH

THE FRENCH DISPATCH

Wes Anderson | Germany, USA | English, French | 2021 | 108 MIN

Centerpieces

Beloved American auteur Wes Anderson has assembled one of his most impressive ensembles yet for this intricate anthology of stories from a revered 20th-Century magazine.

Details
GAGARINE

GAGARINE

Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh | France | French | 2020 | 97 MIN

Cinema De France

A stargazing teenager puts his cosmic dreams and engineering skills to work when he and his friends band together to save their beloved housing project from demolition.

Details
GHOST DOGS

GHOST DOGS

Joe Cappa | 11 MIN

Shorts

A family’s new rescue pup is terrorized by deceased pets in this mind-bending horror.

Details
GNT

GNT

Sara Hirner, Rosemary Vasquez-Brown | 4 MIN

Shorts

Glenn is a woman on an unwholesome mission, but just how far will she go to conquer the clique – and social media at large?

Details
GOOD MADAM

GOOD MADAM

Jenna Cato Bass | South Africa | English, Xhosa | 2021 | 92 MIN

After Hours

In this brilliant riff on folk horror from South Africa, a woman finds a house haunted by the legacy of oppression when she moves into the estate where her mother works as a maid.

Details
GREAT FREEDOM

GREAT FREEDOM

Sebastian Meise | Austria, Germany | German | 2021 | 117 MIN

World View

Franz Rogowski (UNDINE, PFF29) stars in this tough yet tender drama about a German man repeatedly jailed over three decades due to the country’s anti-homosexuality laws.

Details
HAPPENING

HAPPENING

Audrey Diwan | France | French | 2021 | 99 MIN

Cinema De France

Winner of the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival, Audrey Diwan’s searing drama details a young woman’s efforts to get an illegal abortion in 1960s France.

Details
HEAT

HEAT

Michael Mann | USA | English | 1995 | 170 MIN | 4K

From the Vaults

Michael Mann’s undisputed crime classic finds two aging professionals on different sides of the law discovering the true cost of their vocations at home and on the streets.

Details
A HERO

A HERO

Asghar Farhadi | France, Iran | PERSIAN | 2021 | 127 MIN

Masters of Cinema

Asghar Farhadi (A SEPARATION, PFF25’s THE SALESMAN) returns with a gripping moral drama about an imprisoned man whose selfless act garners him both fame and suspicion.

Details
HESTER STREET

HESTER STREET

Joan Micklin Silver | USA | English, YIDDISH | 1975 | 89 MIN | 4K

From the Vaults, PFS on Us

In a sparkling new 4K restoration, this transcendent period dramedy brings to life the bustling Eastern European enclave of the Lower East Side at the turn of the 20th Century.

Details
HIT THE ROAD

HIT THE ROAD

Panah Panahi | Iran | PERSIAN | 2021 | 93 MIN

Virtual Cinema, Visions of Iran

Son of acclaimed Iranian master Jafar Panahi, Panah Panahi, makes his auspicious feature
debut with this charming, vibrant, and unpredictable tragicomedy.

Details
HUDA'S SALON

HUDA'S SALON

Hany Abu-Assad | Egypt, Netherlands, Palestine, Qatar | Arabic | 2021 | 91 MIN

Masters of Cinema, Virtual Cinema

A simple visit to the hair salon unexpectedly embroils two women in a perilous struggle for survival in this gripping thriller from Palestinian auteur Hany Abu-Assad.

Details
THE HUMANS

THE HUMANS

Stephen Karam | USA | English | 2021 | 108 MIN

Spotlights

An all-star cast brings Stephen Karam’s Tony Award-winning play to the screen in this richly layered drama about a family gathered for a fraught Thanksgiving dinner.

Details
IN THE AIR TONIGHT

IN THE AIR TONIGHT

Andrew Norman Wilson | 11 MIN

Shorts

An exploration of the urban legend surrounding the hit Phil Collins song.

Details
THE INNOCENTS

THE INNOCENTS

Eskil Vogt | Denmark, Norway, Sweden, UK | Norwegian | 2021 | 117 MIN

After Hours

Over the course of a bright Norwegian summer, the seemingly innocuous play between children takes on dangerous dimensions in this disturbing supernatural thriller.

Details
JOCKEY

JOCKEY

Clint Bentley | USA | English | 2021 | 95 MIN

Made in USA

An aging jockey struggles to hold on for one last shot at reaching the winner’s circle in this award-winning festival favorite starring Clifton Collins Jr.

Details
JOE BUFFALO

JOE BUFFALO

Amar Chebib | 16 MIN

Shorts

Following a traumatic childhood and decades of addiction, Indigenous skateboard legend Joe Buffalo must face his inner demons to realize his dream of turning pro.

Details
JULIA

JULIA

Julie Cohen, Betsy West | USA | English | 2021 | 95 MIN

Spotlights

RBG directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West bring to life renowned chef, cookbook author, and television personality Julia Child in this delectable documentary portrait.

Details
KIM

KIM

Maria Vattimo | 8 MIN

Shorts

After enduring an abusive relationship, professional ballerina Kimberly D. Landle uses her platform and performances to advocate for women and survivors of abuse.

Details
KING RICHARD

KING RICHARD

Reinaldo Marcus Green | USA | English | 2021 | 138 MIN

Centerpieces

Will Smith takes the throne as the audacious and determined father of tennis’s legendary Venus and Serena Williams in this inspiring true story about achieving greatness no matter the cost.

Details
KKUM

KKUM

Kang Min Kim | 8 MIN

Shorts

My mother’s dreams have always been strong premonitions for important moments in my life. I rely on her dreams more than any religion.

Details
KRIMES

KRIMES

Alysa Nahmias | USA | English | 2021 | 85 MIN

Filmadelphia, Virtual Cinema

This stirring documentary follows local artist Jesse Krimes, who created spectacular works while incarcerated and continues to use his work to inspire and challenge.

Details
LA TRAVIATA, MY BROTHERS AND I

LA TRAVIATA, MY BROTHERS AND I

Yohan Manca | France | French | 2021 | 108 MIN

Sight and Soundtrack

The music of Verdi inspires a young boy living in the tenements of a French seaside town to question if life might have more to offer than just the daily struggle to get by.

Details
LAND OF THE FREE: IN THE SHADOWS

LAND OF THE FREE: IN THE SHADOWS

James Ganiere | 15 MIN

Shorts

It started with an email and became a mission. 17 years later, Hollywood elite, British royalty, and an ever-growing movement have joined forces to save the voiceless.

Details
LAST FILM SHOW

LAST FILM SHOW

Pan Nalin | India | English, Gujarati | 2021 | 110 MIN

World View

This gorgeous homage to 35MM finds a mischievous young boy, along with his friends, discovering the power of film, despite objections from his father.

Details
LEARNING TAGALOG WITH KAYLA

LEARNING TAGALOG WITH KAYLA

Kayla Abuda Galang | 4 MIN

Shorts

In this lesson, Kayla teaches you Tagalog, the language of her homeland.

Details
LET IT BE MORNING

LET IT BE MORNING

Eran Kolirin | Arabic, Hebrew | 2021 | 101 MIN

World View

THE BAND’S VISIT director Eran Kolirin returns with this gently satirical tale of a man and his family trapped by military blockade inside a tiny Arab village in Israel.

Details
LIGHT YEARS APART

LIGHT YEARS APART

Mariia Osanova | 5 MIN

Shorts

A 3D animated short about family and space, but most importantly about the sacrifices we make for the ones we love.

Details
LIMBO

LIMBO

Cheang Soi | Hong Kong | Cantonese | 2021 | 118 MIN

After Hours

Two policemen enlist a helpless ex-con to help them track a brutal serial killer in this furiously violent, uncompromising descent into Hong Kong’s criminal underbelly from Cheang Soi.

Details
LINGUI, THE SACRED BONDS

LINGUI, THE SACRED BONDS

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun | Belgium, Chad, France, Germany | Arabic, French | 2021 | 87 MIN

World View

A devoted Muslim mother appeals to the women of her community for help in securing an illegal abortion for her daughter, risking rejection from her religion and society.

Details
LISTENING TO KENNY G

LISTENING TO KENNY G

Penny Lane | USA | English | 2021 | 97 MIN

Sight and Soundtrack

In a propulsive and surprisingly insightful documentary, Filmmaker Penny Lane takes a look at one of the most successful yet widely mocked musicians in recent memory: easy-listening saxophonist Kenny G.

Details
LITTLE MISS FATE

LITTLE MISS FATE

Joder von Rotz | 8 MIN

Shorts

Unintentionally, Little Miss Fate creates a monster, which greedily wants to suck up all the love of the world. Overwhelmed by the rapid development, she loses control.

Details
LIVE ACTION SHORTS PROGRAM

LIVE ACTION SHORTS PROGRAM

87 MIN

Shorts, Shorts Programs, Virtual Cinema

All sales are final. Admission is not guaranteed after scheduled start time.

CLICK HERE to return to the complete 30th Philadelphia Film Festival schedule.

Details
LUZZU

LUZZU

Alex Camilleri | Malta | Maltese | 2021 | 94 MIN

Virtual Cinema, World View

A traditional Maltese fisherman faces the end of the line as modern rigs threaten his ancestral vocation and finds himself risking everything to support his desperate family.

Details
MADELEINE COLLINS

MADELEINE COLLINS

Antoine Barraud | Belgium, France, Switzerland | French | 2021 | 102 MIN

Cinema De France

Virginie Efira shines as a married woman juggling a husband and sons in France with a lover and daughter in Switzerland. When her lies begin to unravel, her life threatens to fall to pieces in this searing character study.

Details
MASS

MASS

Fran Kranz | USA | English | 2021 | 110 MIN

Spotlights

Four powerhouse performances anchor an explosive meeting between two grieving families seeking atonement and answers in Franz Kanz’s riveting debut from Sundance.

Details
MAYOR PETE

MAYOR PETE

Jesse Moss | USA | English | 2021 | 96 MIN

Spotlights

Pete Buttigieg’s seemingly out-of-nowhere rise from obscurity to the forefront of American politics is tracked in this riveting behind-the-scenes campaign documentary from the makers of BOYS STATE.

Details
MEDUSA

MEDUSA

Anita Rocha da Silveira | Brazil | Portuguese | 2021 | 127 MIN

Virtual Cinema, World View

In her daring and eye-popping second feature, Brazilian director Anita Rocha de Silveira envisions a surreal, nightmarish portrait of a gang of fanatical young Christian women on a quest to oppress the sinful.

Details
MEMORIA

MEMORIA

Apichatpong Weerasethakul | Colombia, France, Mexico, Thailand, UK | English, Spanish | 2021 | 136 MIN

Masters of Cinema

Delivering a captivating and powerful performance, Tilda Swinton stars as a botanist disturbed by mysterious noises in this enigmatic drama from Thai visionary Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

Details
MOTHER SCHMUCKERS

MOTHER SCHMUCKERS

Harpo Guit, Lenny Guit | Belgium | French | 2021 | 70 MIN

After Hours, Virtual Cinema

On a mission to rescue their mom’s beloved pooch, two moronic brothers descend into a world of demented depravity in this bizarre, imaginatively grotesque farce.

Details
MR. BACHMANN AND HIS CLASS

MR. BACHMANN AND HIS CLASS

Maria Speth | Germany | German | 2021 | 217 MIN

Non/Fiction, PFS on Us, Virtual Cinema

The bond between an unorthodox teacher and his multicultural class of students is explored in this absorbing and inspiring documentary from German filmmaker Maria Speth.

Details
A NEW LEAF

A NEW LEAF

Elaine May | USA | English | 1971 | 102 MIN | 35MM

From the Vaults

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, this screwball classic finds a spoiled playboy learning that his inheritance has dried up and trying to woo a rich, clumsy botanist.

Details
NIGHT RAIDERS

NIGHT RAIDERS

Danis Goulet | Canada, New Zealand | Cree, English | 2021 | 101 MIN

PFS on Us, World View

In this fast-paced dystopian thriller, a band of vigilantes fight to rescue Indigenous children from forced-assimilation schools run by the authoritarian government.

Details
NINJABABY

NINJABABY

Yngvild Sve Flikke | Norway | Norwegian | 2021 | 104 MIN

Virtual Cinema, World View

Aspiring cartoonist Rakel has her carefree life turned upside down when she finds out that she is not only pregnant, but also seven months along.

Details
NO DYE

NO DYE

Yoni Azulay | 5 MIN

Shorts

A Staten Island couple contemplates a last-ditch effort to make their dreams come true.

Details
NORMAL

NORMAL

Julie Caty | 11 MIN

Shorts

A rich heir escapes existential emptiness by consuming a drug with psychedelic effects. In withdrawal, he meets Karl Marx, who asks him to destroy capitalism to save humankind.

Details
THE NOVICE

THE NOVICE

Lauren Hadaway | USA | English | 2021 | 94 MIN

Made in USA, Virtual Cinema

An award-winning standout of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, this blistering drama follows a young woman who will stop at nothing to ascend the ranks of her college’s rowing team.

Details
OFFSEASON

OFFSEASON

Mickey Keating | USA | English | 2021 | 83 MIN

After Hours

An eerily deserted vacation town provides the memorable setting for this classically crafted supernatural thriller from horror maestro Mickey Keating.

Details
ONE SECOND

ONE SECOND

Zhang Yimou | China | Mandarin | 2020 | 105 MIN

Masters of Cinema

Set during the waning days of China’s Cultural Revolution, the latest from revered director Zhang Yimou is a heartfelt, bittersweet ode to the power of cinema.

Details
OUR AMERICAN FAMILY

OUR AMERICAN FAMILY

Hallee Adelman, Sean King O'Grady | USA | English | 2021 | 87 MIN

Filmadelphia

Honest and unflinching, this documentary follows the members of a Philadelphia family fighting to rebuild their relationships after being nearly torn apart by addiction.

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PAPER & GLUE

PAPER & GLUE

JR | Brazil, France, Mexico, USA | English, French, Portuguese, Spanish | 2021 | 94 MIN

PFS on Us, Spotlights

Renowned street artist JR travels the world revisiting his larger-than-life projects, which continue to inspire and unite millions while shining a spotlight on forgotten communities.

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PARIS, 13TH DISTRICT

PARIS, 13TH DISTRICT

Jacques Audiard | France | French | 2021 | 106 MIN

Masters of Cinema, Virtual Cinema

With a star-gazing synth score and dreamy black and white cinematography, Jacques Audiard’s latest explores the interwoven lives of several millennials searching for sex, love, and purpose.

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PERFUME DE GARDENIAS

PERFUME DE GARDENIAS

Macha Colón | Colombia, Puerto Rico | Spanish | 2021 | 97 MIN

World View

After the death of her husband, a grieving widow is enlisted by a coterie of gossipy elderly ladies in her neighborhood to create and plan custom, idiosyncratic funerals

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PERSIAN LESSONS

PERSIAN LESSONS

Vadim Perelman | Belarus, Germany, Russia | English, French, German, Italian | 2020 | 127 MIN

World View

A Jewish prisoner survives a WWII Nazi internment camp by pretending to be Persian, but his lie begins to unravel when an officer demands to be taught the Persian language.

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PETITE MAMAN

PETITE MAMAN

Céline Sciamma | France | French | 2021 | 72 MIN

Masters of Cinema

In her follow-up to the dazzling PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (PFF28), Céline Sciamma returns with an intimate and tender study of childhood and a daughter’s bond with her mother.

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PLASTIC SEMIOTIC

PLASTIC SEMIOTIC

Radu Jude | 22 MIN

Shorts

A collage of scenes in which toys help us better understand the possible essence of our life.

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PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT

Camilla Nielsson | Denmark, Norway, USA | English, Shona | 2021 | 130 MIN

Non/Fiction, PFS on Us, Virtual Cinema

This engrossing, award-winning and globally relevant documentary follows activist Nelson Chamisa as he runs for President of Zimbabwe, campaigning against a corrupt regime that has held power for over 30 years.

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PROCESSION

PROCESSION

Robert Greene | USA | English | 2021 | 116 MIN

Non/Fiction, PFS on Us

Robert Greene’s latest self-reflexive documentary is a therapeutic collaboration with six adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse by Catholic priests.

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RATCATCHER

RATCATCHER

Lynne Ramsay | UK | English | 1999 | 93 MIN | 4K

From the Vaults

Lynne Ramsay crafted one of cinema’s most indelible depictions of childhood with this heartbreaking story of one boy’s troubled youth in 1970s Glasgow.

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RED ROCKET

RED ROCKET

Sean Baker | USA | English | 2021 | 128 MIN

Masters of Cinema

Rising American auteur Sean Baker (THE FLORIDA PROJECT, PFF26) returns with a character study about a past-his-prime porn star returning to his hardscrabble Texas hometown.

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THE RIFLEMAN

THE RIFLEMAN

Sierra Pettengill | 18 MIN

Shorts

Through meticulously assembled archival imagery, this short reveals the roots of the modern National Rifle Association, U.S. Border Patrol, and the gun lobby’s unyielding influence on national politics.

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THE RIGHT WORDS

THE RIGHT WORDS

Adrian Moyse Dullin | 15 MIN

Shorts

Kenza puts her naive and romantic little brother Mahdi to the test: to profess his love for Jada, a girl that Mahdi loves but that does not know him.

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THE SADNESS

THE SADNESS

Rob Jabbaz | Taiwan | Mandarin | 2021 | 99 MIN

After Hours

This gloriously unhinged gorefest follows a young couple trying to reunite amid a city ravaged by a plague that turns its victims into deranged, bloodthirsty sadists.

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SALOUM

SALOUM

Jean Luc Herbulot | Senegal | French, Wolof | 2021 | 84 MIN

After Hours

Mercenaries transporting a fugitive and stolen bounty become stranded after their plane is grounded in a remote and mystical region of Senegal, home to dark ancestral forces.

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THE SAME STORM

THE SAME STORM

Peter Hedges | USA | English | 2021 | 99 MIN

Centerpieces

Peter Hedges (BEN IS BACK, PFF27) brings together a first-rate cast to tell the interwoven stories of dozens of people facing the challenges of our modern times.

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SEARCHERS

SEARCHERS

Pacho Velez | USA | English | 2021 | 81 MIN

Non/Fiction, Virtual Cinema

New Yorkers from different walks of life describe the myriad complications of finding meaningful connection online in this perceptive, charming exploration of 21st-Century dating.

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SECRET SCREENING

SECRET SCREENING

???? | 2021 | 120 MIN

Centerpieces

We’ve got a surprise for you.

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SEE US IN THE WILDFIRE

SEE US IN THE WILDFIRE

Jason Chen | 3 MIN

Shorts

With the increase of Asian hate and violence, the filmmakers were inspired to create a visual exploration of Asian identity through art and fashion in America.

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SENIOR PROM

SENIOR PROM

Luisa Conlon | 14 MIN

Shorts

At their annual “Senior Prom,” a community of trailblazing LGBTQ+ retirees celebrate life, love, and legacies of resistance.

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SISTERS OF THE SOIL

SISTERS OF THE SOIL

Raishad M. Hardnett, Aidan M. Un | 15 MIN

Shorts

Since Jeannine Cook opened Harriett’s Bookshop as a way to celebrate Black women authors, activists, and artists, her work has taken on a larger role in the fight for space and sovereignty.

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SKIES OF LEBANON

SKIES OF LEBANON

Chloé Mazlo | France | Arabic, French, Italian | 2020 | 92 MIN

Cinema De France

In this whimsical debut, a Swiss expatriate strikes up a storybook romance in 1950s Lebanon only to witness the country’s civil war, challenging her new family and spirit.

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SNOWY

SNOWY

Kaitlyn Schwalje, Alex Wolf Lewis | 12 MIN

Shorts

The story of one family’s forgotten pet turtle.

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SOUL KIDS

SOUL KIDS

Hugo Sobelman | France | English | 2021 | 75 MIN

Sight and Soundtrack

At Stax Records, legendary home of Otis Redding and The Staples Sisters, a new generation of gifted musicians learns to respect themselves and discover soul legends of the past.

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THE SOUVENIR PART II

THE SOUVENIR PART II

Joanna Hogg | UK | English | 2021 | 106 MIN

Masters of Cinema

A follow-up to her 2019 breakthrough, Joanna Hogg’s latest semi-autobiographical drama captures a young woman channeling grief into creative expression.

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SOUVENIR SOUVENIR

SOUVENIR SOUVENIR

Bastien Dubois | 15 MIN

Shorts

For ten years the filmmaker pretended to make a movie out of my grandfather’s Algerian war souvenirs. Today he’s not sure he wants to hear what his grandfather has to say.

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THE SOUVENIR

THE SOUVENIR

Joanna Hogg | UK | English | 2019 | 119 MIN

From the Vaults

Joanna Hogg’s masterful drama is the story of a young film student whose world is rocked by a tumultuous relationship with a charismatic but troubled older man.

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SPENCER

SPENCER

Pablo Larraín | Germany, UK | English | 2021 | 111 MIN

Centerpieces

The final, tense days of Princess Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles are brought to life by a revelatory Kristen Stewart in Pablo Larraín’s searing psychological drama.

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STORM LAKE

STORM LAKE

Beth Levison, Jerry Risius | USA | English | 2021 | 85 MIN

Non/Fiction, Virtual Cinema

A charming portrait of Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Art Cullen and his family as they fight for the survival of their politically influential small-town newspaper, The Storm Lake Times.

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SUNDOWN

SUNDOWN

Michel Franco | France, Mexico, Sweden | English, Spanish | 2021 | 84 MIN

Masters of Cinema

Mexican auteur Michel Franco’s enigmatic, disquieting character study sees Tim Roth as a wealthy British man abruptly ejected from his life while on vacation at a luxury resort.

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A TALE OF LOVE AND DESIRE

A TALE OF LOVE AND DESIRE

Leyla Bouzid | France | French | 2021 | 103 MIN

Cinema De France

While studying sensual Arab literature, a repressed student begins to fall for a beguiling young woman, forcing him to question his identity and listen to his desires.

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TELEVISION EVENT

TELEVISION EVENT

Jeff Daniels | Australia, USA | English | 2020 | 90 MIN

Non/Fiction

The unbelievable true story of 1983’s THE DAY AFTER, a rogue director’s “what if” post-nuclear war television film that shocked a nation and, maybe, helped bring an end to the Cold War.

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TERRORIZERS

TERRORIZERS

Ho Wi Ding | Taiwan | Mandarin | 2021 | 127 MIN

World View

The intersecting lives and relationships of a group of 20-somethings in Taipei are tested after a tragic incident that connects them all in this searing, smart puzzlebox of film.

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THREE MINUTES - A LENGTHENING

THREE MINUTES - A LENGTHENING

Bianca Stigter | The Netherlands, UK | English, German, Polish, YIDDISH | 2021 | 69 MIN

Non/Fiction

A snippet of 16mm film offers an emotionally charged, meditative glimpse into the lives of the unsuspecting Jewish citizens of a small Polish village at the precipice of World War II.

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TRADE CENTER

TRADE CENTER

Adam Baran | 9 MIN

Shorts

The voices of five gay men who cruised for sex at the World Trade Center in the 1980s and 1990s haunt the sanitized, commerce-driven landscape that is the newly rebuilt Freedom Tower campus.

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TRIUMPH: ROCK & ROLL MACHINE

TRIUMPH: ROCK & ROLL MACHINE

Sam Dunn, Marc Ricciardelli | Canada | English | 2021 | 97 MIN

Sight and Soundtrack

Explosions in high school gyms and amps that might as well go up to 11 are just the beginning for Canadian hard rock legends Triumph, a trio that once ruled the music industry and remains a cult favorite.

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TRY HARDER!

TRY HARDER!

Debbie Lum | USA | English | 2021 | 84 MIN

Non/Fiction, Virtual Cinema

This insightful documentary follows five students at an ultra-competitive high school, where the already stressful college applications process takes on frenzied dimensions.

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UNCLENCHING THE FISTS

UNCLENCHING THE FISTS

Kira Kovalenko | Russia | Russian | 2021 | 97 MIN

World View

Winner of Un Certain Regard at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Kira Kovalenko’s sophomore film details a young woman desperate to escape her controlling father and dull hometown.

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THE VANDAL

THE VANDAL

Eddie Alcazar | 16 MIN

Shorts

A man receives a lobotomy in order to forget a past trauma, but his operation has unanticipated, destructive consequences.

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VORTEX

VORTEX

Gaspar Noé | France | French | 2021 | 142 MIN

Masters of Cinema

French provocateur Gaspar Noé shifts gears with this formally daring but unexpectedly tender look at an elderly couple coping with physical decline and mortality.

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WHETHER THE WEATHER IS FINE

WHETHER THE WEATHER IS FINE

Carlo Francisco Manatad | France, Germany, Indonesia, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore | Waray-Waray | 2021 | 104 MIN

Green Screen, PFS on Us

In the aftermath of a deadly storm, a young man, his girlfriend, and his mother wander their devastated city searching for their own forms of rescue.

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WHO WE ARE: A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA

WHO WE ARE: A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA

Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler | USA | English | 2021 | 116 MIN

Non/Fiction, PFS on Us

With a clear-eyed view of how the past informs the present, former ACLU attorney Jeffrey Robinson takes us on a revelatory tour of 400 years of anti-Black racism in America.

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THE WORLD AFTER US

THE WORLD AFTER US

Louda Ben Salah-Cazanas | France | French | 2021 | 85 MIN

Cinema De France, Virtual Cinema

A young writer struggles to balance his career ambitions, his increasingly demanding personal life, and his dwindling finances in this lowkey charmer from France.

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THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

Joachim Trier | Norway | Norwegian | 2021 | 127 MIN

Masters of Cinema

Breakout Renate Reinsve took home the Cannes Best Actress prize for her luminous turn in this dramedy about a woman struggling to find her way creatively and romantically.

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YUNI

YUNI

Kamila Andini | Australia, France, Indonesia, Singapore | Serang-Javanese | 2021 | 95 MIN

Virtual Cinema, World View

In her last year of secondary school, a bright Indonesian student is determined to pursue her education and resist getting married, despite the expectations of her community.

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ZALAVA

ZALAVA

Arsalan Amiri | Iran, Kurdish | PERSIAN | 2021 | 93 MIN

Visions of Iran

After being called to an isolated village reportedly terrorized by a demon, a military officer must measure his skepticism against the paranoia of the superstitious townspeople.

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ZERO FUCKS GIVEN

ZERO FUCKS GIVEN

Julie Lecoustre, Emmanuel Marre | Belgium, France | English, French | 2021 | 110 MIN

Cinema De France

The life of a flight attendant promises exotic adventures around the world, but for one lost woman it offers an escape from her past in this intimate character study.

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