The 10th annual Key West Film Festival is set to kick off April 18, 2019 in the Florida Keys. This year’s event will feature films from all over the world, including a special screening of “The Big Sick.”
The key west film festival 2019 is the 10th Annual Key West Film Festival. This year, the festival has announced its official lineup of films and events.
The closing night film will be Jane Campion’s “THE POWER OF THE DOG,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kristen Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, as chosen by reviewer Carlos Aguilar of The Los Angeles Times.
The Florida premiere of “C’MON, C’MON,” starring Joaquin Phoenix, as well as the local debuts of Pedro Almodovar’s “PARALLEL MOTHERS” and “THE HUMANS,” starring Beanie Feldstein and Richard Jenkins, are among the Spotlight Films.
The full roster for the 10th Annual Key West Film Festival for 2021 has been announced, and it includes important autumn films from Jane Campion, Sean Baker, Mike Mills, Pedro Almodovar, and Paolo Sorrentino. During the 5-day festival, which runs November 17-21 and is celebrating its tenth anniversary, more than 75 films will be shown.
The previously announced RED ROCKET (A24), whose director, Sean Baker, will be honored with the prestigious Golden Key Award for Excellence in Filmmaking, will be joined by JOCKEY (Sony Pictures Classics), starring Clifton Collins Jr, and whose director, Clint Bentley, will be honored with the inaugural Golden Key for Breakthrough Florida Filmmaking.
As previously announced, BRIAN WILSON: LONG PROMISED ROAD will kick off the festival on November 17 at the Key West Amphitheater with an outdoor screening beneath the stars. The short film BLONDIE: VIVIR EN HABANA, about the renowned artist’s recent concert in Cuba, will precede the feature film.
GREAT FREEDOM, which won the Jury Prize for Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, the Cold War forbidden love story FIREBIRD, and BOULEVARD! are among this year’s LGBTQ films, which were programmed with the help of Eugene Hernandez, Director of the New York Film Festival, and Brian Brooks of Cinetic Media. A HOLLYWOOD STORY, directed by Jeffrey Schwarz and depicting the love triangle that arose from Gloria Swanson’s efforts to convert “Sunset Boulevard” into a musical, is his fourth film to show at the festival (I am Divine, Tab Hunter Confidential, The Fabulous Alan Carr).
This year’s festival puts a focus on documentaries, with each film having a live appearance or event. Penny Lane (Our Nixon, Nuts!, Hail Satan!) will be in town with her new film, LISTENING TO KENNY G; Douglas Tirola, a multiple Gotham Award and Cinema Eye Award nominee, will be in town with his Leonard Bernstein film, BERNSTEIN’S WALL; Danielle Kummer will be in town with ALIEN ON STAGE, about a small town musical of the sci fi classic Alien; and KWFF will host a special wine
HAND OF GOD, directed by Academy Award winner Paolo Sorrentino, and FINAL SET, starring Kristin Scott Thomas, are two international films.
A unique sing-along version of the 20th Anniversary of the 2001 film MOULIN ROUGE will be shown with Eric Clapton’s newest concert film, ERIC CLAPTON: THE LADY IN THE BALCONY, at the Lawn at The Perry Hotel during KWFF 2021. Prior to a Welcome Party for visiting filmmakers and VIPs on Thursday, November 18, the Perry will show a selection of boundary-pushing short films.
On Sunday, November 21, Florida gets its day in the sun with an all-day Florida Focus. In the morning, a collection of award-winning short films from Conch 5 Studios at Key West High School – who recently sent NINE films to the National High School Student Film Awards – will be screened, followed by the 15thanniversary screening of Florida Filmmaking legend Billy Corben’s COCAINE COWBOYS. Following the film, Corben will take part in a conversation. The festival will also showcase the award-winning Miami-produced movie LUDI.
The festival puts a spotlight on Nell Teare’s BOLIVAR in an Alumni highlight. After winning many prizes for her short films at the festival, this is her debut feature.
Over 1000 applications from almost all 50 states and dozens of countries were used to select the shorter programs and Florida feature films.
The 7th annual Critics Panel, in which top film critics will meet in person and virtually Zoom to discuss the seismic changes in the industry this year; the sixth annual Golden Key for Excellence in Costume Design, which will be awarded to Paul Tazewell for his work in WEST SIDE STORY, making KWFF the only such festival to do so annually; and the Kibbitz with Critics series will all be returning this year.
Aguilar will present the delightful immigrant tale LIMBO, as well as the renowned Reviewers Prize, which is awarded each year to one film chosen by participating critics from throughout the program. The Los Angeles Times’ Kenneth Turan, Jen Yamato, and Justin Chang, the Washington Post’s Ann Hornaday, Indiewire’s Eric Kohn, New York Magazine’s Emily Yoshida, Rolling Stone’s David Fear, Time Out New York’s Joshua Rothkopf, and KPCC-Film LA’s Week’s Amy Nicholson have all written reviews in the past.
“Celebrating 10 years of the Key West Film Festival is an amazing mile milestone!” said Brooke Christian, the festival’s founder and chairman. It’s been a tremendous honor to bring the finest in film to the Keys. In 2021, KWFF’s fundamental values are still shining brilliantly. Throughout the festival’s existence, a trademark has been a focus on artists from the state of Florida. The state will leave a significant imprint on KWFF 2021, from honoring the art of Key West kids to Bill Corben’s achievements to a breakout filmmaker like Clint Bentley. The 10th Anniversary will include several of the year’s most renowned LGBTQ choices, documentaries, and feature films, as well as our finest Florida lineup yet. It’s so thrilling to go into November knowing that there are so many hidden treasures waiting to be discovered.”
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