45th Filmfest returns in September with a stellar program | Aspen Times
August 27, 2024
Aspen Film announced the program for its 45th annual Filmfest, which will showcase top filmmaking over six days between Sept. 17-22. The annual fall festival features films that have premiered at global film festivals, including Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca, Toronto, and Telluride. Filmfest 2024 will take place exclusively at the Aspen Film Isis Theatre.
Comprised of only 17 invited films, this non-competitive festival presents highly-anticipated, provocative, fall 2024 titles. Themes of love and family, tenacity and overcoming obstacles, as well as truth and freedom, shine through many of the selections, along with outstanding and unforgettable characters.
“Every fall, we look forward to gathering with our Filmfest audience to share and celebrate some of the best cinema from around the globe which has emerged over the past year,” Susan Wrubel, Aspen Film executive + artistic director explained. “Our outstanding mix of documentaries, narrative features, and animation in this year’s program is a glimpse into the most exciting and diverse filmmaking today. As we have done for 45 years, Aspen Film is honored to share an array of films that will transport you to some surprising and far-off places and introduce you to some incredible characters along the way. This is the magic of the movies.”
To kick off the 45th anniversary on opening night, the film “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” was selected to move and inspire the audience. This film first premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The Filmfest lineup features the US debut of the amazing story “Unstoppable,” directed by Oscar-winning editor William Goldberg, which boasts a cast of Bobby Canavale, Don Cheadle, Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, and Michael Peña. The film centers around the life of wrestler Anthony Robles, born with one leg, who competed at Arizona State University and won a national championship in 2011. Robles, the former champion wrestler and wrestling commentator will join for a Q+A after the Friday night film screening.
“A Real Pain,” directed by Jesse Eisenberg, is the Sundance Film Festival US Dramatic Screenwriting Award winner and was the biggest sale out of the festival. This family comedy stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, and Jennifer Grey.
“The Remarkable Life Of Ibelin” — another Sundance winner of the World Cinema Documentary Directing Award, as well as the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary — brings viewers inside a video game as an avatar to discover wisdom emanating from a virtual world.
From the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Aspen Filmfest presents Jury Special Prize winner “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” which chronicles the injustices being fought today in Iran and which was also awarded a FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics group whose aim is to promote young filmmakers and original cinema) prize. Also from the 2024 Cannes Film Festival is Japan’s “My Sunshine,” a touching coming-of-age story set in a snowy locale; “Flow,” a multiple award-winning animated journey featuring a wide-eyed kitty; and “Santosh,” an intense policier from India, which won an international debut feature award in Jerusalem.
Tribeca Film Festival debuts include “Checkpoint Zoo,” the compelling story of a group of generous and dedicated volunteers who saved the lives of animals at a Ukraine zoo when the war broke out, and “Champions of the Golden Valley” about young villagers from rival ethnic groups living in the high peaks of Afghanistan who build makeshift wooden skis and convene for an annual mountain ski race as they experience the shocking collapse of their country.
Another notable title premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival is Sue Kim’s “The Last of The Sea Wmen,” produced by A24 and by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai. This documentary, set in Korea, introduces us to an endangered tradition of deep sea diving women, known as haenyeo, while addressing the dire issue of the stewardship of our oceans.
In addition, talent from several films will be joining us for special Q+A sessions after the following screenings: “Champions of the Golden Valley” with Producer Katie Stjernholm, “Checkpoint Zoo” with Director Joshua Zeman, “The Thicket” with Director Elliot Lester, and “Unstoppable” with film subject Anthony Robles.
View the full Filmfest schedule, film descriptions, and lineup, visit Aspen Film’s website aspenfilm.org/festival/2024-filmfest.