Directed by: Michael Mayer
Cast: Annette Bening, Saorise Ronan, Corey Stoll, Elisabeth Moss, Mare Winningham, Jon Tenney, Glenn Fleshler, Michael Zegen, Billy Howle, Brian Dennehy
THE SEAGULL is the heartbreaking and funny story of friends and lovers, all of whom are in love with the wrong person. The movie is timely in its depiction of the tragic consequences of narcissism, particularly on young dreams and romantic love.
Directed by: Bill Holderman
Cast: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, Craig T. Nelson, Richard Dreyfuss, Alicia Silverstone, Tommy Dewey
Synopsis: Diane (Diane Keaton) is recently widowed after 40 years of marriage. Vivian (Jane Fonda) enjoys her men with no strings attached. Sharon (Candice Bergen) is still working through a decades-old divorce. Carol's (Mary Steenburgen) marriage is in a slump after 35 years. Four lifelong friends' lives are turned upside down to hilarious ends when their book club tackles the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey. From discovering new romance to rekindling old flames, they inspire each other to make their next chapter the best chapter.
Directed by: Richard Loncraine
Cast: Joanna Lumley, Celia Imrie, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, David Hayman, Josie Lawrence, Odra Ové, John Sessions, Sian Thomas, Richard Hope
When 'Lady' Sandra Abbott (Imelda Staunton) discovers that her husband of forty years is having an affair with her best friend, she seeks refuge with her estranged, bohemian, older sister Bif (Celia Imrie). Sandra couldn't be more different to her outspoken, serial dating, free spirited sibling. But it turns out different is just what Sandra needs and she reluctantly lets Bif drag her along to her community dance class, where gradually she starts finding her feet... and romance.
Directed by: Saul Dibb
Cast: Paul Bettany, Sam Claflin, Asa Butterfield
Synopsis: March, 1918. C-company arrives to take its turn in the front-line trenches of norther France, led by the war-weary Captain Stanhope (Claflin). With a German offensive imminently approaching, the officers (Bettany, Graham, Sturridge) and their cook (Jones) use food and the memories of their lives before the war to distract themselves, while Stanhope soaks his fear in whisky, unable to deal with the dread of the inevitable. A young officer, Raleigh (Butterfield), arrives fresh out of training and abuzz with the excitement of his first real posting –not least because he is to serve under Stanhope, his former school house monitor and the object of his sister’s affections. Each man is trapped, the days ticking by, the tension rising and the attack drawing ever closer…
Directed by: Janus Metz
Cast: Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård
Synopsis: The story of the 1980s tennis rivalry between the placid Björn Borg and the volatile John McEnroe.
Directed by: Paolo Virz
Cast: Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Kirsty Mitchell, Joshua Hoover, Joshua Mikel, Christian McKay
"The Leisure Seeker" is the story of a runaway couple going on an unforgettable cross-country journey in their vintage camper. Ella and John are fleeing the suffocating care of their doctors and grown children. He is distracted but strong; she is frail but sharp. Their journey aboard the faithful old camper they call The Leisure Seeker takes them from Boston to Key West. Sharing moments of exhilaration and anguish, they recapture their passion for life and their love for one another on a road trip that provides revelation and surprise right up to the very end.
Directed by: Ziad Doueiri
Cast: Adel Karam, Kamel El Basha, Camille Salameh, Diamand Bou Abboud
In today's Beirut, an insult blown out of proportion finds Toni (Adel Karam), a Lebanese Christian, and Yasser (Kamel El Basha), a Palestinian refugee in court.
Note: Film has subtitles.
Directed by: Brian Crano
Cast: Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens, Gina Gershon
Anna and Will were each other's first every-things: first kiss, first love, first relationship. Now years on, at Anna's thirtieth birthday party as Will is about to propose, the couple's best friend stands up and makes a drunken toast, suggesting that as their relationship is so functional, equitable and stable, it's threatening to their friends and perhaps they should sleep around before their inevitable marriage. The joke lingers and eventually Anna proposes that they try it, as a sexual experiment. As a couple, with complicity, they venture out of the purely monogamous boundaries of their relationship and in so doing are forced to evolve and grow up.
Directed by: Scott Cooper
Cast: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, West Studi, Adam Beach, Jesse Plemmons, Rory Cochrane and Ben Foster
Set in 1892, Hostiles tells the story of a legendary Army Captain (Christian Bale), who after stern resistance, reluctantly agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief (Wes Studi) and his family back to tribal lands. Making the harrowing and perilous journey from Fort Berringer, an isolated Army outpost in New Mexico, to the grasslands of Montana, the former rivals encounter a young widow (Rosamund Pike), whose family was murdered on the plains. Together, they must join forces to overcome the punishing landscape, hostile Comanche and vicious outliers that they encounter along the way.
Directed by: Colette Burson
Cast: Patricia Arquette, Rainn Wilson And Kira Mclean
Bad hair day? Nope! More like a bad hair life.
Set in 1982 in small town Virginia, PERMANENT centers around 13-year-old Aurelie Dickson (Kira McLean) and her parents, Jeanne and Jim (Patricia Arquette and Rainn Wilson).
In this hilariously awkward and unique telling full of wit and wisdom of a hairstyle gone wrong, the Dicksons are struggling through major life changes together all the while trying desperately to emerge intact on the other side.
For the Dicksons family, just getting through the day is a win.
Directed by: Joe Wright
Cast: Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn, Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Kristin Scott Thomas
Synopsis: During the early days of World War II, with the fall of France imminent, Britain faces its darkest hour as the threat of invasion looms. As the seemingly unstoppable Nazi forces advance, and with the Allied army cornered on the beaches of Dunkirk, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the leadership of the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Academy Award nominee Gary Oldman). While maneuvering his political rivals, he must confront the ultimate choice: negotiate with Hitler and save the British people at a terrible cost or rally the nation and fight on against incredible odds.
Directed by: Greta Gerwig
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Jake McDorman, Odeya Rush, Kathryn Newton, Lucas Hedges, Tracy Letts and Beanie Feldstein
The relationship comedy stars Saoirse Ronan as Christine McPherson, a rebellious student at a conservative Catholic Sacramento high school who wants to escape her family and small town constraints to go to college in New York.
Directed by: Sean Baker
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Valeria Cotto and Bria Vinaite
Warm, winning, and gloriously alive, Sean Baker’s The Florida Project is a deeply moving and unforgettably poignant look at childhood.
Set on a stretch of highway just outside the imagined utopia of Disney World, The Florida Project follows six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince in a stunning breakout turn) and her rebellious mother Halley (Bria Vinaite, another major discovery) over the course of a single summer. The two live week to week at “The Magic Castle,” a budget motel managed by Bobby (a career-best Willem Dafoe), whose stern exterior hides a deep reservoir of kindness and compassion.
Despite her harsh surroundings, the precocious and ebullient Moonee has no trouble making each day a celebration of life, her endless afternoons overflowing with mischief and grand adventure as she and her ragtag playmates—including Jancey, a new arrival to the area who quickly becomes Moonee’s best friend—fearlessly explore the utterly unique world into which they’ve been thrown. Unbeknownst to Moonee, however, her delicate fantasy is supported by the toil and sacrifice of Halley, who is forced to explore increasingly dangerous possibilities in order to provide for her daughter.
Directed by: Simon Curtis
Cast: Margot Robbie, Kelly Macdonald, Domhnall Gleeson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Geraldine Somerville and Alex Lawther
GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN gives a rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved children's author A. A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin, whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie the Pooh. Along with his mother Daphne, and his nanny Olive (Kelly Macdonald), Christopher Robin and his family are swept up in the international success of the books; the enchanting tales bringing hope and comfort to England after the First World War. But with the eyes of the world on Christopher Robin, what will the cost be to the family?
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany and Clancy Brown
Stronger is the inspiring true story of Jeff Bauman, an ordinary man who captured the hearts of his city and the world to become the symbol of hope following the infamous 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Jeff, a 27-year-old, working-class Boston man who was at the marathon to try and win back his ex-girlfriend Erin (Tatiana Maslany). Waiting for her at the finish line when the blast occurs, he loses both his legs in the attack. After regaining consciousness in the hospital, Jeff is able to help law enforcement identify one of the bombers, but his own battle has just begun.
He tackles months of physical and emotional rehabilitation with the unwavering support of Erin and his family. It is Jeff’s deeply personal account of the heroic journey that tests a family’s bond, defines a community’s pride and inspires his inner courage to overcome devastating adversity. Filled with raw emotion, humanity and humor, Stronger is the inspirational real-life story of the man who became the living embodiment of “Boston Strong.” The film also stars Academy Award® nominee Miranda Richardson and is directed by David Gordon Green.
Directed by: Alexander Janko
Cast: Karen Allen, Yannick Bisson, S Epatha Merkerson, Michael Cristofer and Celia Imrie
Hoping to reclaim who she was before marriage and children, an empty nester retreats to Cape Cod where she embarks upon a quest to set herself free.
Directed by: Danny Strong
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Zoey Deutch, Kevin Spacey, and Sarah Paulson
Synopsis: The world of legendary writer J. D. Salinger is brought vividly to life in this revealing look at the experiences that shaped one of the most renowned, controversial, and enigmatic authors of our time. Set amidst the colorful backdrop of mid-20th century New York City, Rebel in the Rye follows a young Salinger (Nicholas Hoult) as he struggles to find his voice, pursues a love affair with famed socialite Oona O’Neill (Zoey Deutch), and fights on the frontlines of World War II. It’s these experiences that will inform the creation of his masterpiece, The Catcher in the Rye, bringing him overnight fame (and notoriety) and leading him to withdraw from the public eye for the rest of his life. Costarring Kevin Spacey and Sarah Paulson, Rebel in the Rye offers a tantalizing window into the life and times of a little-understood genius who broke the rules and redefined American literature.
Directed by: Tom E Howard
Cast: Robin Weigert ("Deadwood", "The Sessions", Things We Lost In The Fire), Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon, Saw), James Roday ("Psych"), Khandi Alexander ("CSI Miami")
Official Selection – San Diego Film Festival, Austin Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Synopsis: A comedy. When a struggling writer—HIV-positive for 20+ years—ill-advisedly deposits a $100 birthday check, he is dropped from his health plan for earning too much. In this new era of sort-of universal care, his only options are long shots: take on a helpless bureaucracy, or come up with $3000 a month to buy his medication.
Directed by: Matt Spicer
Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, Wyatt Russell, Pom Klementieff and O'Shea Jackson Jr
Ingrid Thorburn (Aubrey Plaza) is an unhinged social media stalker with a history of confusing likes for meaningful relationships. Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen) is an Instagram-famous influencer whose perfectly curated, boho-chic lifestyle becomes Ingrid's latest obsession. When Ingrid moves to LA and manages to insinuate herself into the social media star's life, their relationship quickly goes from #BFF to #WTF. Built around a brilliantly disarming performance from Aubrey Plaza, Ingrid Goes West (winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance) is a savagely hilarious dark comedy that satirizes the modern world of social media and proves that being #perfect isn't all it's cracked up to be.
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The Phoenix Film Society is a program under the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Phoenix Film Foundation, and is a sibling of Phoenix Film Festival, International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival, IFP/Phoenix, Arizona Student Film Festival, Peoria Film Fest and Phoenix Critics Circle. The Phoenix Film Foundation is dedicated to promoting diversity and education in the arts, elevating underrepresented voices, and driving the growth of independent film in Arizona. Through film showcases and accessible educational initiatives, we cultivate a vibrant, inclusive cinematic community, utilizing it as a catalyst for personal growth, creative expression, and positive social change.