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Aspen, CO (Sep.5, 2023)
Aspen Film is excited to announce that Alexander Payne’s new film, THE HOLDOVERS (which just had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival over the weekend) will round out the Saturday night lineup at Filmfest. The film will screen at 8:00 PM on Saturday, September 23rd. THE HOLDOVERS will be released in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on October 27, 2023, and nationwide on November 10, 2023, running time of 133 minutes.

In addition, Aspen Film member tickets go on sale today, Sep.5.

THE HOLDOVERS
FESTIVALS: Telluride Film Festival 2023, Toronto International Film Festival 2023
WRITER: David Hemingson (Kitchen Confidential)
DIRECTOR: Alexander Payne
PRODUCER: Mark Johnson (Rain Man, Breaking Bad)
WITH: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph.

From acclaimed Academy Award® winner director Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants), THE HOLDOVERS follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during the holiday break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). THE HOLDOVERS reunites Sideways’ director Alexander Payne and Sideways’ actor Paul Giamatti in a holiday story of three lonely, shipwrecked people at a New England boarding school over winter break in 1970.

The festival will conclude on Sunday, September 24 with a final screening at noon of Errol Morris’ THE PIGEON TUNNEL. This documentary is John le Carré’s final and most personal interview, also coming off of a Telluride Film Festival premiere.
“We are delighted to showcase Alexander Payne’s next funny and heart-warming feature film, coming off of its Telluride and Toronto premieres. Payne is a director I have admired throughout his long career, and he has a history with the organization having participated in Shortsfest in 2012,” says Susan Wrubel Executive + Artistic Director of Aspen Film. “This story of unlikely bonding over the holidays shows us the true meaning of friendship.”
ORIGINAL RELEASE:
Aspen Film is proud to announce the program for its 44th annual Filmfest, which will showcase top filmmaking from across the globe over six days: Sep.19-24. This annual fall festival will feature films that have premiered at some of the biggest festivals around the world like Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, and Telluride. New this year, Filmfest will take place exclusively at the Aspen Film Isis Theatre, celebrating the first full festival in the theater since 1986.

Comprised of just 16 invited films, this non-competitive festival will present highly anticipated, provocative fall 2023 titles that highlight themes of love, tenacity, truth, family, and freedom that shine through many of the selections, along with outstanding and unforgettable characters.

FILMFEST HIGHLIGHTS
Aspen Film is thrilled to debut the World Premiere of the documentary THE GREAT DIVIDE, a timely story that takes an in-depth look at the origins of violence in America, from its roots in Native American genocide and African American slavery to the modern-day epidemic of mass shootings.

The Opening Night film SHE CAME TO ME from indie auteur Rebecca Miller is not to be missed. With an all-star cast that includes Anne Hathaway, Marisa Tomei, and Peter Dinklage, Miller’s modern romantic comedy proves that love arrives in the most unexpected of ways.

The Filmfest lineup features four highly accoladed international selections including two French dramas – the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner and the Best Director prize winner at this year’s festival; an unexpected and provocative Israeli comedy, and a deadpan Finnish film which also premiered in Cannes.

Aspen Film will partner with several community organizations to showcase individual films with relevant themes including Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Aspen Words, and Response Aspen. In addition, French Alpine Bistro will offer a special menu for the French foodie-themed film, THE TASTE OF THINGS.

In addition, talent from several films will be joining us for special Q+As after the following screenings: MOUNTAIN QUEEN: THE SUMMITS OF LHAKPA SHERPA with Director Lucy Walker, BEYOND UTOPIA with Producer Rachel Cohen, and the World Premiere of THE GREAT DIVIDE with Director Tom Donahue, and Producer, Ilan Arboleda.

Aspen Film will unveil a surprise film selection (when member tickets go on sale on Sept. 5) for the festival’s late screening on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. The festival will close on Sunday, Sept. 24 with Errol Morris’s insightful documentary THE PIGEON TUNNEL based on John le Carré’s memoir. This film features Carré’s final interview.

Susan Wrubel, Aspen Film Executive + Artistic Director, explains, “The joy of this festival is to gather with you to share and celebrate some of the best cinema from around the globe from the past year.” Wrubel continues, “Despite feeling the reverberations throughout the entertainment industry of both a writers’ and a SAG-AFTRA strike, Aspen Film, once again, has been gifted with a most impressive roster of films. In addition to some timely and potent documentaries, we have a heavy dose of comedy and will transport you to some surprising and far-off places. This is the magic of the movies.”

44th ANNUAL ASPEN FILMFEST PROGRAM:

To view the full Filmfest schedule, film descriptions, and lineup, FILMFEST 2023 is live at Aspen Film’s website https://aspenfilm.org/festival/2023-filmfest/
Tuesday, September 19
4 p.m.
THE MISSION
(US, 2023) 102 MIN
FESTIVALS:Telluride Film Fest 2023
DIRECTORS: Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine
PRODUCERS: Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn

44th Filmfest Opening Reception
39 Degrees at The W Hotel at Aspen
Private Reception for Aspen Film Members and Passholders
6 – 6:30 p.m. Aspen Film Members
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Aspen Film Members + Passholders

8 p.m.
SHE CAME TO ME
(US, 2023) 101 MIN
FESTIVALS: Berlin International Film Festival 2023
DIRECTOR: Rebecca Miller
WRITER: Rebecca Miller
WITH: Peter Dinklage, Marisa Tomei, Anne Hathaway, Joanna Kulig, Brian d’Arcy James, Harlow Jane, Evan A. Ellison

Wednesday, September 20
12 p.m.
SILVER DOLLAR ROAD
(US, 2023) 100 MIN
FESTIVALS: Toronto International Film Festival 2023
DIRECTOR: Raoul Peck
WRITER: Raoul Peck

5 p.m.
BEYOND UTOPIA (Q+A)
(US, 2023) 115 MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS: Telluride Film Fest 2023, Sundance Film Festival 2023, WINNER – Audience Award; Sydney Film Festival 2023, Winner – International Audience Choice
DIRECTOR: Madeleine Gavin
WRITER: Madeleine Gavin
Q+A with Producer Rachel Cohen

8 p.m.
KARAOKE
(ISRAEL, 2022) 100 MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS: Jerusalem International Film Festival 2022, WINNER – Audience Award/Best First Film; Israeli Film Academy Awards 2022 WINNER – Best Actor + Actress; Tribeca Film Festival 2022
DIRECTOR: Moshe Rosenthal
WRITER: Moshe Rosenthal
WITH: Sasson Gabay, Rita Shukrun, Lior Ashkenazi
Thursday, September 21
12 p.m.
THE GREAT DIVIDE (Q+A)
World Premiere
(US, 2023) 120 MIN
DIRECTOR: Tom Donahue
PRODUCER: Ilan Arboleda
Q+A: Director, Tom Donahue; Producer, Ilan Arboleda

4 p.m.
THE TASTE OF THINGS
(FRANCE, 2023) 145 MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS: Telluride Film Fest 2023, Cannes Film Festival 2023 – WINNER, Best Director; New York Film Festival 2023
DIRECTOR: Anh Hung Tran
WRITER: Anh Hung Tran
WITH: Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Pierre Gagnaire, Jan Hammenecker
COMMUNITY PARTNER: French Alpine Bistro

8 p.m.
FAIR PLAY
(US, 2023) 113 MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS: Sundance Film Festival 2023
DIRECTOR: Chloe Domont
WRITER: Chloe Domont
WITH: Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich, Eddie Marsan
Friday, September 22
12 p.m.
A LITTLE PRAYER
(US, 2023) 89 MIN
FESTIVALS: Sundance Film Festival 2023; Nantucket Film Festival 2023; Hamptons Film Festival 2023
DIRECTOR: Angus Machlachlan
WRITER: Angus Machlachlan
WITH: David Stratharin, Jane Levy, Dascha Polanco, Will Pulle

2 p.m.
FALLEN LEAVES
(FINLAND, 2023) 81 MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS: Telluride Film Fest 2023, Cannes Film Festival 2023, WINNER – Jury Prize; New York Film Festival 2023
Voted Best Film of the Past Year by International Film Critics Federation Fipresci
DIRECTOR: Aki Kaurismäki
WRITER: Aki Kaurismäki
WITH: Alma Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen, Alina Tomnikov

5 p.m.
FLORA AND SON
(US, IRELAND, 2023) 94 MIN
FESTIVALS: Sundance Film Festival 2023; Toronto International Film Festival 2023
DIRECTOR: John Carney
WRITER: John Carney
WITH: Eve Hewson, Jack Reynor, Orén Kinlan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

8 p.m.
ANATOMY OF A FALL
(FRANCE, 2023) 151 MIN
FESTIVALS | AWARDS: Telluride Film Fest 2023, Cannes Film Festival 2023, WINNER – Palme d’Or; Toronto International Film Festival 2023; New York Film Festival 2023
DIRECTOR: Justine Triet
WRITER: Justine Triet, Arthur Harari
WITH: Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado Graner, Antoine Reinartz
Saturday, September 23
2 p.m.
THE STONES AND BRIAN JONES
(UK, 2023) 93 MIN
FESTIVALS: Globe Docs Film Festival 2023
DIRECTOR: Nick Broomfield
WRITERS: Nick Broomfield, Marc Hoeferlin
COMMUNITY PARTNER: Jazz Aspen Snowmass

4 p.m.
MOUNTAIN QUEEN: THE SUMMITS OF LHAKPA SHERPA (Q+A)
(US, NEPAL, 2023) 105 MIN
FESTIVALS: Toronto International Film Festival 2023
DIRECTOR: Lucy Walker
WITH: Lhakpa Sherpa, Sunny Dijmarescu, Shiny Dijmarescu, Nima Sherpa
COMMUNITY PARTNER: Response

8 p.m.
THE HOLDOVERS
THE HOLDOVERS
FESTIVALS: Telluride Film Festival 2023, Toronto International Film Festival 2023
WRITER: David Hemingson (Kitchen Confidential)
DIRECTOR: Alexander Payne
PRODUCER: Mark Johnson (Rain Man, Breaking Bad)
WITH: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph.

Sunday, September 24
12 p.m.
THE PIGEON TUNNEL
(US, 2023) 93 MIN
FESTIVALS: Telluride Film Fest 2023, Toronto International Film Festival 2023; New York Film Festival 2023; Hamptons Film Festival 2023
DIRECTOR: Errol Morris
WRITER: Errol Morris
WITH: John le Carré
COMMUNITY PARTNER: Aspen Words
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Sponsors: The 44th Annual Filmfest is made possible by the generous support of Alpine Bank, Aspen Daily News, Aspen Public Radio, W Aspen, The Addy Foundation, AspenOUT, Aspen Thrift Shop, Basalt Public Arts Commission, City of Aspen, Colorado Creative Industries, Colorado Office of Film Television + Media, Les Dames d’Aspen, Rotary Club of Aspen.

VIP PASS
Provided to Aspen Film Auteur + Visionary + Benefactor Level Members; includes entry to all Aspen Film festivals, year-round membership and reserved, bannered seats for all Aspen Film Isis Theatre festival screenings.

PRIORITY PASS
Available to Aspen Film Star + Producer + Storyteller Level Members; includes a year-round membership and access to the best available seating 20 minutes before showtime.

FESTIVAL PASS
Available exclusively at aspenfilm.org, Festival Passes include access to screenings and select events (no membership included).

SINGLE TICKETS
ADMISSION FOR INDIVIDUAL FILMS
$25 General Admission
$20 Aspen Film Members
FREE* for Roaring Fork Valley Students + Teachers
*Complimentary tickets for students are secured by showing a current student ID at the box office. Teachers with groups of students must reserve tickets by emailing aspenfilm.edu.co@gmail.com

TICKETS
Advance tickets to ALL Filmfest screenings will be available for purchase to Aspen Film members beginning Sept. 5 and to the public on Sept. 9. Tickets can be purchased online at aspenfilm.org or, In-Person, at the Aspen Film Box Office: 110 E Hallam Ave; Suite 103.
Box office hours are 12-5 p.m., Monday – Friday, September 5-18.

Aspen Film will open a Box Office inside the Aspen Film Isis Theatre during the festival (September 19-24).

PASSES
Passes are on sale now at aspenfilm.org. A $350 pass gives you full access to all films at Filmfest. New this year, Aspen Film members will receive a full 20% discount on passes which comes to $280/per pass. Aspen Film memberships can be purchased at https://aspenfilm.org/membership/

SPECIAL NEEDS
If you have special needs covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, please notify Aspen Film at 970.925-6882 or info@aspenfilm.org. Requests for ADA accommodations must be placed 14 days or more before the Festival start date, to allow staff the time needed to coordinate.

SOCIAL
For up-to-date information visit aspenfilm.org
Social Media Icons: Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
@ASPENFILM | #Filmfest2023

About Aspen Film
Established in 1979, Aspen Film is one of Colorado’s most active film arts organizations, presenting dynamic programs and featured guest artists throughout the year. Internationally recognized, Aspen Film organizes a major film event every season, along with an extensive education program: Aspen Filmfest (September 19-24, 2023), Academy Screenings, Aspen Shortsfest, and FilmEducates. With a mission to enlighten, enrich, educate, and entertain through film, Aspen Film stimulates thought, encourages dialogue, and broadens our understanding of our world and selves through the diverse spectrum of ideas presented by filmmakers worldwide. To learn more, visit aspenfilm.org.

About Aspen Film Isis Theatre
After 43 years of bringing cinema, dialogue, and community engagement to the Roaring Fork Valley, Aspen Film solidified a permanent home for our programming by acquiring the iconic Isis Theatre in October 2022. With this brick-and-mortar space, Aspen Film is more committed than ever to bringing you an exciting mix of first-run releases, independent films, and other thought-provoking special events programming.