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The Philadelphia Film Society (PFS) is proud to announce the full line-up for the 31st Philadelphia Film Festival (PFF), spanning from October 19 – October 30. This year’s Festival will offer in-person screenings at all PFS venues (Philadelphia Film Center, PFS Bourse Theater, and the newly acquired PFS East). The full Festival schedule and digital Festival Program Guide are available at www.filmadelphia.org/festival.
The Philadelphia Film Society is excited to announce, in addition to the 31st Philadelphia Film Festival lineup, that beloved theater Ritz East will be under PFS management. Located in Old City Philadelphia, PFS will reopen the theater under the name PFS East for PFF31 screenings. With the additional two screens, PFS will now be programming first-run films and curated series on a total of nine screens, the largest number of independently owned and operated screens in the city.
“We couldn’t be more excited for this year’s Festival, as we’re finally back in totality. More than that, and as cliché as it might be, we’re better than ever. Full theaters, more events, an amazing Festival lounge space, and a ton of special guests,” said J. Andrew Greenblatt, CEO & Executive Director of the Philadelphia Film Society. “Even better, as we enter the next era of the Film Society, the Festival marks the addition of the former Ritz East into the Film Society theater family. Now known as the PFS East, we’re thrilled to bring this beloved theater, a Festival staple, back to life. Not only that, between utilizing the PFS East and the PFS Bourse, we’re creating a stronger presence all throughout the Old City neighborhood during the 12 days of the Festival, beginning this year and moving forward. Of course, the Film Center will remain a critical part of the Festival, with Opening, Closing, Centerpiece screenings and more.”
The 31st anniversary line-up features a multitude of remarkable films from a wide range of genres. In total, the Festival will showcase more than 130 feature length and short films. The line-up includes the World premieres of two films, North American premieres of two films and the United States premieres of five films. The Festival line-up is curated by the PFF programming team who carefully selects each film from multiple international festivals throughout the year.
“This year’s program is one of our largest to date which only further solidifies the strength of the state of cinema today,” remarks Michael Lerman, Artistic Director & Senior Director of Programming of the Philadelphia Film Society. “Not only is the quality of film extremely high, we are thrilled to be able to bring new, bold, diverse, and rebellious stories to Philadelphia. With a strong showcase of documentary films as well as thought-provoking narratives, PFF31 truly highlights the urgency of the contemporary world we are living in.”
The Opening Night film will be THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN on Wednesday, October 19th. The film, written and directed by Academy Award winner Martin McDonagh, tells the story of two lifelong friends who find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them. The film reunites actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson 14 years after starring together in IN BRUGES.
The Closing Night film will be Venice Film Festival Golden Lion winner ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED on Friday, October 28th. Directed by Laura Poitras, this documentary follows the life of artist Nan Goldin and the downfall of the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical dynasty who was greatly responsible for the opioid crisis.
Centerpiece screenings include the highly awaited sequel GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY, featuring the star-studded cast including Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Ethan Hawke and Kate Hudson, with a Festival appearance by Director Rian Johnson; WHITE NOISE, a sprawling adventure from director Noah Baumbach starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig; ARMAGEDDON TIME, auteur James Gray’s moving memoir starring Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong with Anthony Hopkins; EMPIRE OF LIGHT, a love letter to cinema with a stellar cast led by Olivia Colman including Micheal Ward and Colin Firth, and reuniting director Sam Mendes with cinematographer Roger Deakins; TILL, a profoundly emotional film directed by Temple University Alumni, Chinonye Chukwu; and Elegance Bratton’s debut feature THE INSPECTION, a beautifully drawn portrait of a gay man in marine core training.
Other festival highlights include the North American Premiere of REBEL, the new film by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, whose credits include BAD BOYS FOR LIFE and MS. MARVEL, as well as a special spotlight screening of WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY, the “real life” biopic of comedian and musician “Weird” Al Yankovic, starring Daniel Radcliffe.
The Festival will feature three Special Event screenings. These will include RRR, an exhilarating theatrical experience that imagines two revolutionary heroes of India’s British Raj era forming a brotherhood to combat colonialism, and MAGIC MIKE XXL, a special 35MM party of a screening feature Quizzo and other rowdy, interactive surprises. The festival will also include An Evening with Dream Video Division, a radical new media collective who specializes in remixing films that will present a collection of their latest work.
The From The Vaults category features five iconic films, Robert Downey, Sr.’s RITTENHOUSE SQUARE (2005), presented in 35MM, Sally Potter’s ORLANDO (1992), John Waters’ PINK FLAMINGOS for its 50th anniversary, the 45th anniversary of William Friedkin’s SORCERER (1977), presented in 35MM, as well as Edward Yang’s A CONFUCIAN CONFUSION (1994).
This year’s line-up includes the return of the State of the Union. The films in this category expand upon the Festival’s goal of presenting films that are both timely and thought provoking in their relevance, and are also complementary to audiences through PFS on Us. All of the films included in this free ticketing program unite a diverse group of individuals involved in nonprofit organizations, arts and cultural groups, universities, and hundreds from Philadelphia’s general public who want to share in the excitement and challenge of powerful new cinema.
The Filmadelphia Category and Filmadelphia Shorts Program emphasize the Philadelphia Film Society’s ongoing commitment to film in Greater Philadelphia, featuring brilliant films from the region’s most captivating filmmakers. This year, the category includes two World premieres, the first is Brandon Eric Kamin’s RITTENHOUSE SQUARE (2022), which tells the story of a young man named who is struggling with the aftermath of his father’s death and thoughts of suicide as he befriends an older homeless veteran, which forges a friendship that saves them both. The second World premiere is Tim Downlin and Frank Tartaglia’s NOT FOR NOTHING, which is a story about a man who searches for answers after his girlfriend dies, with the aid of his fellow South Philly barflys only to ignite a dangerous street war with a mysterious drug dealer.
The full Festival schedule and digital Festival Program Guide are available now on www.filmadelphia.org/festival.
The 31st Philadelphia Film Festival is made possible through the generous support of its sponsors, including AKA and iHeartMedia.
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