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From buzzy, big-name features to fresh independent voices, Aspen Film Academy Screenings brings a high-profile roster of prominent end-of-year titles to the mountains for a showcase of awards season contenders.

ASPEN, CO (November 19, 2021) – Aspen Film is excited to announce the program for its 29th Annual Academy Screenings coming to Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House and Isis Theatre from December 12-16, 2021. With Aspen as a longtime favorite winter destination for voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and other various entertainment guilds, Aspen Film’s Academy Screenings brings the heat of awards season to the mountains to showcase some of the most highly anticipated and accoladed films of the year, vying for award attention.

Advance tickets will be available for purchase to Aspen Film members beginning Monday, November 30 and to the public on Friday, December 3. Tickets can be purchased at the Wheeler Opera House Box Office and aspenshowtix.com. Voting members of AMPAS, BAFTA, DGA, PGA, SAG-AFTRA, WGA and other applicable entertainment guilds can receive a complimentary Industry Pass to Academy Screenings that must be reserved in advance. Industry passholders are also allowed early entry into the theatre 30 minutes prior to all screenings. To obtain an Industry Pass, please contact Aspen Film directly by email (info@aspenfilm.org) or by phone (970.925.6882) by December 6th.

“Not only are we delighted to be back at the Wheeler Opera House and Isis Theatre for our 29th Academy Screenings after being dark in 2020, we are also overjoyed by the stellar lineup of films we have assembled this year for our audiences,” says Aspen Film Executive + Artistic Director, Susan Wrubel. “The variety and caliber of film being presented over these 5 days is unprecedented, offering a little something for everyone.”

29TH ASPEN FILM ACADEMY SCREENINGS PROGRAM

JULIA
Sun, Dec 12 | 12 PM | Isis Theatre
JULIA brings to life the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women. Using never-before-seen archival footage, personal photos, first-person narratives, and cutting-edge, mouth-watering food cinematography, the film traces Julia Child’s 12-year struggle to create and publish the revolutionary Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) which has sold more than 2.5 million copies to date, and her rapid ascent to become the country’s most unlikely television star. It’s the empowering story of a woman who found her purpose – and her fame – at 50 and took America along on the whole delicious journey. (US, 2021) 95MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Telluride Film Festival 202 | Hamptons International Film Festival 2021
DIRECTORS Julie Cohen + Betsy West

JOCKEY
Sun, Dec 12 | 3 PM | Wheeler Opera House
An aging jockey (Clifton Collins Jr.) hopes to win one last title for his longtime trainer (Molly Parker), who has acquired what appears to be a championship horse. But the years – and injuries – have taken a toll on his body, throwing into question his ability to continue his lifelong passion. And the arrival of a young rookie rider (Moises Arias), who claims to be his son, and whom he takes under his wing, further complicates the path to fulfilling his dream. Instilled with an immediately engaging realism by filmmakers Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, JOCKEY takes audiences inside the “backside” of racetrack life in a way no other film has. Filmed at a live racetrack in Arizona, and featuring real jockeys, JOCKEY reveals the true rider experience – real life, behind the track. (US, 2021) 94MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Sundance Film Festival 2021 – Best Actor: Clifton Collins Jr | Toronto International Film Festival 2021
DIRECTOR Clint Bentley
WRITTEN BY Clint Bentley + Greg Kwedar
WITH Clifton Collins Jr, Molly Parker, Moises Arias
COMMUNITY PARTNER WindWalkers

BEING THE RICARDOS
Sun, Dec 12 | 7 PM | Wheeler Opera House
Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) are threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear and cultural taboos in Academy Award®-winning writer and director Aaron Sorkin’s behind-the-scenes drama BEING THE RICARDOS. A revealing glimpse of the couple’s complex romantic and professional relationship, the film takes audiences into the writers’ room, onto the soundstage and behind closed doors with Ball and Arnaz during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom “I Love Lucy.” Featuring J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda. (US, 2021) 125MIN
DIRECTOR Aaron Sorkin
WRITTEN BY Aaron Sorkin
WITH Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, J.K. Simmons

SPEER GOES TO HOLLYWOOD
Mon, Dec 13 | 12 PM | Isis Theatre
How did a man in charge of 12 million slaves become the ‘good Nazi’? A cautionary tale about Albert Speer’s 1971 attempt to whitewash his past with a Hollywood adaptation of his bestselling wartime memoir, “Inside the Third Reich.” (ISRAEL, 2021) 97MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Israeli Academy Awards; Best Documentary | Berlin International Film Festival 2021 | Telluride Film Festival 2021
DIRECTOR Vanessa Lapa
WRITTEN BY Joelle Alexis + Vanessa Lapa
COMMUNITY PARTNER Aspen Jewish Community Center

HAND OF GOD
Mon, Dec 13 | 2 PM | Isis Theatre
From Academy Award®-winning writer and director Paolo Sorrentino (IL DIVO, THE GREAT BEAUTY, THE YOUNG POPE) comes the story of a boy, Fabietto Schisa, set in the tumultuous Naples of the 1980s. THE HAND OF GOD is a story full of unexpected joys, such as the arrival of football legend Diego Maradona, and an equally unexpected tragedy. Fate plays its part, joy and tragedy intertwine, and Fabietto’s future is set in motion. Sorrentino returns to his hometown to tell his most personal story, a tale of fate and family, sports and cinema, love and loss. (ITALY, 2021) 130MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Venice Film Festival 2021 | Telluride Film Festival 2021 | Chicago International Film Festival 2021
DIRECTOR Paolo Sorrentino
WRITTEN BY Paolo Sorrentino
WITH Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo, Teresa Saponangelo

TORN
Mon, Dec 13 | 5 PM | Wheeler Opera House
When world renowned climber Alex Lowe was tragically lost in a deadly avalanche, his best friend and climbing partner went on to marry his widow and help raise his three sons. This profoundly intimate film from eldest son Max, captures the family’s intense personal journey toward understanding as they finally lay him to rest. (US, 2021) 92MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Telluride Film Festival 2021
DIRECTOR Max Lowe
WITH Conrad Anker, Alex Lowe

DON’T LOOK UP
Mon, Dec 13 | 8 PM | Wheeler Opera House
From director-writer Adam McKay, DON’T LOOK UP follows two astronomers (Jennifer Lawrence & Leonardo DiCaprio) scrambling to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet earth…if only anyone cared. Cast includes Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Rob Morgan, Cate Blanchett + Tyler Perry. (US, 2021) 145MIN
DIRECTOR Adam McKay
WRITTEN BY Adam McKay + David Sirota
WITH Cate Blanchett, Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ariana Grande, Jonah Hill, Jennifer Lawrence, Melanie Lynskey, Ron Perlman Tyler Perry, Meryl Streep

CITIZEN ASHE
Tue, Dec 14 | 12 PM | Isis Theatre
Directors Rex Miller and Sam Pollard explore the enduring legacy of tennis great and humanitarian Arthur Ashe in a feature documentary as elegant, meaningful, and poignant as the life he lived. Ashe’s widow, brother, friends from his childhood in Richmond to his Grand Slam tournament playing and coaching days, as well as confidantes that nurtured his personal evolution from sports legend to global activist, describe the key events that shaped Ashe’s quiet determination to ‘use what he had to do what he could.’ (US, 2021) 96MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Telluride Film Festival 2021 | Chicago International Film Festival 2021
DIRECTORS Rex Miller + Sam Pollard
WRITTEN BY T.J. Volgare (story editor)

HAPPENING
Tue, Dec 14 | 2 PM | Isis Theatre
France,1963. Anne is a bright young student with a promising future ahead of her. But when she discovers she’s pregnant, she sees the opportunity to finish her studies and escape the constraints of her social background disappearing. With her final exams fast approaching and her belly growing, Anne resolves to act, even if she has to confront shame and pain, even if she must risk prison to do so. (FRANCE, 2021) 100MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Venice Film Festival 2021; Golden Lion + FIPRESCI Prize | Chicago International Film Festival 2021
DIRECTOR Audrey Diwan
WRITTEN BY Marcia Romano, Audrey Diwan, Annie Ernaux (based on the novel by)
WITH Anamaria Vartolomei, Kacey Mottet Klein, Luàna Bajrami, Sandrine Bonnaire

TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
Tue, Dec 14 | 5 PM | Wheeler Opera House
From director Joel Coen, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH features Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand in a cinematic adaptation of the classic Shakespearean text; a tale of murder, mad- ness, ambition and wrathful cunning. With Kathryn Hunter, Corey Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson and Moses Ingram. (US, 2021) 105MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS New York Film Festival 2021
DIRECTOR Joel Coen
WRITTEN BY Joel Coen (adapted by)
WITH Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Alex Hassell

RED ROCKET
Tue, Dec 14 | 8 PM | Wheeler Opera House
The audacious new film from writer-director Sean Baker (THE FLORIDA PROJECT, TANGERINE), starring Simon Rex in a magnetic, live-wire performance, RED ROCKET is a darkly funny and humane portrait of a uniquely American hustler and a hometown that barely tolerates him. (US, 2021) 128MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Cannes Film Festival 2021 | Telluride Film Festival 2021 | New York Film Festival 2021
DIRECTOR Sean Baker
WRITTEN BY Sean Baker + Chris Bergoch
WITH Simon Rex, Bree Elrod

WHO WE ARE: A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA
Wed, Dec 15 | 2 PM | Isis Theatre
Interweaving lecture, personal anecdotes, interviews, and shocking revelations, criminal defense and civil rights lawyer Jeffery Robinson draws a stark timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States, from slavery to the modern myth of a post-racial America. (US, 2021) 117MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS SXSW Film Festival 2021; Audience Award | Seattle International Film Festival 2021; Best Documentary
DIRECTOR Emily Kunstler + Sarah Kunstler
WRITTEN BY Jeffery Robinson

CYRANO
Wed, Dec 15 | 5 PM | Wheeler Opera House
Cyrano de Bergerac (played by Peter Dinklage) is a man ahead of his time. Dazzling one and all whether with ferocious wordplay at a verbal joust or with brilliant swordplay in a duel, the hale and hearty Cyrano exults in gallantry and is always up for a challenge. Except, that is, in matters of the heart. This bold new adaptation, scripted by Erica Schmidt, re-imagines the timeless tale of wit, courage, and love. (UK, 2021) 124MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Telluride Film Festival 2021 | Hamptons International Film Festival 2021
DIRECTOR Joe Wright
WRITTEN BY Edmond Rostand + Erica Schmidt
WITH Haley Bennett, Peter Dinklage, Ben Mendelsohn

PARALLEL MOTHERS
Wed, Dec 15 | 8 PM | Wheeler Opera House
Two women coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in those hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and becomes complicated, changing their lives in a decisive way. (SPAIN, 2021) 120MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Venice Film Festival 2021; Best Actress: Penélope Cruz | New York Film Festival 2021
DIRECTOR Pedro Almodóvar
WRITTEN BY Pedro Almodóvar
WITH Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Penélope Cruz, Rossy de Palma

 

DRIVE MY CAR
Thu, Dec 16 | 1 PM | Isis Theatre
Two years after his wife’s unexpected death, Yusuke Kafuku receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima, where meets Misaki Watari, a taciturn young woman assigned to be his chauffeur. As rehearsals progress, Kafuku finally begins to confront the haunting mysteries his wife left behind. (JAPAN, 2021) 179MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Cannes Film Festival 2021; Winner – Best Screenplay | Chicago International Film Festival 2021; Audience Award | Toronto International Film Festival 2021 | New York Film Festival 2021
DIRECTOR Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
WRITTEN BY Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Haruki Murakami (short story), Takamasa Oe
WITH Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tôko Miura, Masaki Okada
COMMUNITY PARTNER Aspen Community Theatre

THE LOST DAUGHTER
Thu, Dec 16 | 5 PM | Wheeler Opera House
Alone on a seaside vacation, Leda (Olivia Colman) becomes consumed with a young mother and daughter as she watches them on the beach. Unnerved by their compelling relationship, (and their raucous and menacing extended family), Leda is overwhelmed by her own memories of the terror, confusion and intensity of early motherhood. An impulsive act shocks Leda into the strange and ominous world of her own mind, where she is forced to face the unconventional choices she made as a young mother and their consequences. Maggie Gyllenhaal makes her directorial debut from a script she adapted from the novel by Elena Ferrante. THE LOST DAUGHTER also stars Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Mescal and Dagmara Dominczyk. (US, 2021) 121MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS Venice Film Festival 2021; Best Screenplay | New York Film Festival 2021 | Telluride Film Festival 2021
DIRECTOR Maggie Gyllenhaal
WRITTEN BY Elena Ferrante (novel), Maggie Gyllenhaal
WITH Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, Jessie Buckley, Oliver Jackson-Cohen

 

LICORICE PIZZA
Thu, Dec 16 | 8 PM | Wheeler Opera House
LICORICE PIZZA is the story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film tracks the treacherous navigation of first love. (US, 2021) 133MIN
DIRECTOR Paul Thomas Anderson
WRITTEN BY Paul Thomas Anderson
WITH Bradley Cooper, Skyler Gisondo, Sean Penn, Maya Rudolph, John C. Reilly, Tom Waits