The 33rd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival is only a few weeks away, and Cinema St. Louis continues to build hype. This week, CSL announced some of the spotlight films in its lineup for the fest, which kicks off on November 7.
This year’s opening weekend features two of the biggest titles from the fall film festival circuit. Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, playing November 8, is a nearly four-hour epic starring Adrien Brody as László Tóth, a visionary architect who flees from post-war Europe to the United States in 1947. While trying to reestablish himself in America, Tóth’s life is changed forever when he crosses paths with a mysterious and wealthy industrialist. While The Brutalist has received serious acclaim from critics so far, what really makes this screening special is that it will be projected on 35mm film.
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RaMell Ross’ much-anticipated Nickel Boys, an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, plays on November 9 as the Opening Weekend Spotlight. Set against the backdrop of the 1960s Civil Rights movement, Ross’ film tracks the friendship between two Black teenagers as they navigate harrowing trials and tribulations at a reform school in Florida. Pulling from his background as both a documentarian and photographer, Ross makes the daring choice to shoot the film entirely from the first-person perspective of the film’s two protagonists, Elwood and Turner, which makes for a truly unique viewing experience.
Closing out the festival on Sunday, November 17, is Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch. This adaptation of the novel by Rachel Yoder stars Amy Adams as a woman who puts her career on hold to focus on being a stay-at-home mom. While she embraces motherhood, things take a surreal turn as she becomes increasingly aware of the bizarre and undeniable signs that she may be turning into a dog.
Alongside these screenings, here are a handful of other exciting programs to keep on your radar:
Directed by Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain stars Kieran Culkin and Eisenberg as mismatched cousins touring Poland together in honor of their late grandmother. It doesn’t take long before tensions begin to rise between the two as they reflect on family history. A Real Pain plays as part of SLIFF’s Opening Night Party on November 7.
Capturing the Carbon: A Journey to Net Zero
Capturing the Carbon: A Journey to Net Zero is a documentary short that follows comedian and Webster University graduate Rob Riggle as he explores innovations being implemented to work towards accomplishing the goal of net zero by 2050. The short plays as part of SLIFF’s new Climate Summit program, which focuses on films that spark conversation around our world’s fragile future. The film plays as part of the Documentary Shorts – Wildey program on November 10 and the Documentary Shorts B – Environmental B program on November 16.
This first English-language feature from acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar stars Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore as two close friends who both worked for the same magazine early in their lives. After being separated by different career paths, the two reunite after many years of being out of touch as a result of an extreme, albeit strangely sweet, situation. The Room Next Door plays on November 14.
This thriller from Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof follows an investigating judge who, amid grappling with feelings of paranoia and mistrust as political unrest in Tehran intensifies, realizes his gun has gone missing. He has reason to believe his wife and two daughters may be involved, which leads to rising tensions at home. The Seed of the Sacred Fig is also Germany’s submission for the 2024 Best International Feature Oscar. The film will screen at SLIFF on November 10.
Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, September 5 follows the story of an American sports broadcasting crew who find themselves thrust into covering the Israeli hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics. Playing as the Closing Weekend Spotlight on November 16, the film stars John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, and Washington University graduate Peter Sarsgaard.
For more information about where to purchase tickets and to see the full 2024 SLIFF lineup, visit sliff.cinemastlouis.org/2024/
