December 2015

Joy

Directed by: David O. Russell

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Edgar Ramirez, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Ladd and Virginia Madsen

Synopsis: This is the wild story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy's inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces.

December 2015

Youth

Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino

Starring: Rachel Weisz, Jane Fonda, Michael Caine, Paul Dano, Harvey Keitel, Ed Stoppard, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Neve Gachev and Tom Lipinski

Synopsis: YOUTH is about two longtime friends vacationing in the Swiss Alps. Oscar winning actor Michael Caine plays Fred, an acclaimed composer and conductor, who brings along his daughter (Rachel Weisz) and best friend Mick (Harvey Keitel), a renowned filmmaker. While Mick scrambles to finish the screenplay for what he imagines will be his last important film, Fred has no intention of resuming his musical career. The two men reflect on their past, each finding that some of the most important experiences can come later in life.

December 2015

45 Years

Directed by: Andrew Haigh

Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay and Geraldine James

Synopsis: The winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actress (Charlotte Rampling) and Best Actor (Tom Courtenay) at the Berlin International Film Festival, Andrew Haigh’s (Weekend, Looking) film is a moving and profound look at marriage and the secrets we keep. There is just one week until Kate Mercer’s (Rampling) 45th wedding anniversary and the planning for the party is going well. But then a letter arrives for her husband (Courtenay). The body of his first love has been discovered, frozen and preserved in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps. By the time the party is upon them, five days later, there may not be a marriage left to celebrate.

November 2015

Trumbo

Cast: Diane Lane, Bryan Cranston, Elle Fanning, Louis C.K. and John Goodman

Directed by: Jay Roach

Synopsis:

In 1947, Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) was Hollywood’s top screenwriter until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs.  

TRUMBO (directed by Jay Roach) recounts how Dalton used words and wit to win two Academy Awards and expose the absurdity and injustice under the blacklist, which entangled everyone from gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) to John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger

November 2015

Love the Coopers

Directed by: Jessie Nelson

Starring: Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, Marisa Tomei, Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Ed Helms and Alan Arkin.

Synopsis: LOVE THE COOPERS follows the Cooper clan as four generations of extended family come together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration. As the evening unfolds, a series of unexpected visitors and unlikely events turn the night upside down, leading them all toward a surprising rediscovery of family bonds and the spirit of the holiday.

November 2015

Brooklyn

Director: John Crowley

Cast: Michael Zegen, Alisha Heng, Mary O'Driscoll, Eileen O'Higgins, Paulino Nunes, Eve Macklin, Maeve McGrath, Jenn Murray, Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters

“A superb, emotionally turbulent account of a young Irishwoman's attempt to become an American in the early 1950s.” – Hollywood Reporter

Synopsis: Eilis Lacey is a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother's home for the shores of New York City. The initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance sweeps Eilis into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her new vivacity is disrupted by her past, and she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.

October 2015

He Named Me Malala

Cast: Malala Yousafzai

Directed by: Davis Guggenheim

Synopsis: This film is an intimate portrait of Malala Yousafzai, who was wounded when Taliban gunmen opened fire on her and her friends' school bus in Pakistan's Swat Valley. The then 15-year-old teenager, who had been targeted for speaking out on behalf of girls' education in her region of Swat Valley in Pakistan, was shot in the head, sparking international media outrage. An educational activist in Pakistan, Yousafzai has since emerged as a leading campaigner for the rights of children worldwide and in December 2014, became the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

October 2015

Room

Cast: Brie Larson, Joan Allen and William H. Macy

Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson

Synopsis:  ROOM tells the extraordinary story of Jack (Jacob Tremblay in a breakout performance), a spirited 5 year-old who is looked after by his loving and devoted Ma (Brie Larson, SHORT TERM 12, TRAINWRECK). Like any good mother, Ma dedicates herself to keeping Jack happy and safe, nurturing him with warmth and love and doing typical things like playing games and telling stories. Their life, however, is anything but typical—they are trapped—confined to a windowless, 10-by-10-foot space, which Ma has euphemistically named “Room.” Ma has created a whole universe for Jack within Room, and she will stop at nothing to ensure that, even in this treacherous environment, Jack is able to live a complete and fulfilling life.   But as Jack’s curiosity about their situation grows, and Ma’s resilience reaches its breaking point, they enact a risky plan to escape, ultimately bringing them face-to-face with what may turn out to be the scariest thing yet: the real world. ROOM also stars three-time Academy Award® nominee Joan Allen and Academy Award® nominee William H. Macy.

Director Lenny Abrahamson is scheduled to do a Q&A after the film.

September 2015

99 Homes

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon and Laura Dern

Directed by: Ramin Bahrani

Synopsis: In this timely thriller, when single father Dennis Nash (Golden Globe nominee Andrew Garfield) is evicted from his home, his only chance to win it back is to work for Rick Carver (Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon), the ruthless businessman who evicted him in the first place. It's a deal-with-the-devil that may save his family home; but as Nash falls deeper into Carver's web, he finds his situation grows more brutal and dangerous than he ever imagined.

September 2015

Mississippi Grind

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelson, Sienna Miller, Analeigh Tipton, Robin Weigert

Directed by: Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden

Synopsis:  In this lively, freewheeling road movie, Emmy Award nominee Ben Mendelsohn plays Gerry, a talented but down-on-his-luck gambler whose fortunes begins to change when he meets Curtis (Ryan Reynolds), a younger, highly charismatic poker player. The two strike up an immediate friendship and Gerry quickly persuades his new friend to accompany him on a road trip to a legendary high stakes poker game in New Orleans. As they make their way down the Mississippi River, Gerry and Curtis manage to find themselves in just about every bar, racetrack, casino, and pool hall they can find, experiencing both incredible highs and dispiriting lows, but ultimately forging a deep and genuine bond that will stay with them long after their adventure is over.

August 2015

Pawn Sacrifice

Cast: Liev Schreiber, Peter Sarsgaard and Tobey Maguire

Directed by: Edward Zwick

In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire. Also starring Liev Schreiber and Peter Sarsgaard, PAWN SACRIFICE chronicles Fischer's terrifying struggles with genius and madness, and the rise and fall of a kid from Brooklyn who captured the imagination of the world.

August 2015

End of the Tour

Cast: Jason Segel, Anna Chlumsky and Jesse Eisenberg

Directed by: James Ponsoldt

Synopsis: The story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter (and novelist) David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace, which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace's groundbreaking epic novel, Infinite Jest. As the days go on, a tenuous yet intense relationship seems to develop between journalist and subject. The two men bob and weave around each other, sharing laughs and also possibly revealing hidden frailties - but it's never clear how truthful they are being with each other. Ironically, the interview was never published, and five days of audio tapes were packed away in Lipsky's closet. The two men did not meet again.

July 2015

Samba

Directed by: Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano

Cast: Omar Sy, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tahar Rahim, Izïa Higelin, Issaka Sawadogo

Synopsis: From the acclaimed directing duo of Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano (The Intouchables), Samba is the richly entertaining chronicle of an undocumented kitchen worker battling deportation from his adopted home in Paris.

For ten years, Senegalese immigrant Samba (Omar Sy - winner of the 2012 César Award for Best Actor) has stayed under the government radar, taking menial kitchen jobs in the hope of becoming a professional chef. Suddenly, as his longtime ambitions for a better life seem just within reach, immigration authorities hit Samba with an order to leave France immediately.

Stubbornly holding onto his dream, Samba pins his hopes for a reprieve on a local immigration advocacy center and Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg), an emotionally vulnerable volunteer with little experience, but plenty of heart. He finds a second home at the center with Alice and her colleagues, including brusque law student Manu (Izïa Higelin), do-gooder Marcelle (Hélène Vincent) and naïve Maggy (Jacqueline Jehanneuf), as they search for a way for him to stay in France. As Samba plunges into the unpredictable world of transient labor, guided by his fun-loving Brazilian buddy Wilson (Tahar Rahim), Alice finds herself deeply moved by his determination. Still trying to put her own life back together after a stress-related breakdown, she takes Samba under her wing, while trying to ignore the growing attraction she feels for him.

As the immigrant and the burned-out corporate executive tentatively draw closer, their unlikely cross-cultural connection gives them each the courage to reinvent themselves in this vibrant romantic comedy full of tender humor and heartfelt optimism. 

July 2015

Amy

Despite just two albums to her name Amy Winehouse is one of the biggest music icons in British history. With a voice oft described as a combination of Billy Holiday, Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan, Amy Winehouse was a pop star with soul; a once in two generational musical talent whose appeal crossed cultural and demographic boundaries. But while her music made her a star, her chaotic personal life stole headlines.

June 2015

The Farewell Party

Directed by: Tal Granit, Sharon Maymon

Starring: Ze'ev Revach, Aliza Rosen, Levana Finkelstein, Ilan Dar

Synopsis: A unique, compassionate and unlikely funny story of a group of friends at a Jerusalem retirement home who decide to help their terminally ill friend. When rumors of their assistance begin to spread, more and more people ask for their help, and the friends are faced with a life and death dilemma.

June 2015

Balls Out (aka Intramural)

2014 Tribeca Film Festival Selection

Directed by: PFF alumnus, Andrew Disney (Searching for Sonny)

Starring: Jake Lacy(The Office), Nikki Reed, Kate McKinnon (SNL), Jay Pharoah (SNL)

Synopsis: With graduation, marriage, and an uncertain future on the horizon, Caleb Fuller decides to do the one thing he vowed to never do again — get the old flag football team back together. Now with the help of his Panther teammates and unorthodox head coach Grant Rosenfalis, Caleb must defy all odds in the hope of achieving the glory he once had.

May 2015

Good Kill

In the shadowy world of drone warfare, combat unfolds like a video game-only with real lives at stake. After six tours of duty, Air Force pilot Tom Egan (Ethan Hawke) yearns to get back into the cockpit of a real plane, but he now fights theTaliban from an air-conditioned box in the Las Vegas desert. When he and his crew start taking orders directly from the CIA, and the stakes are raised, Egan's nerves-and his relationship with his wife (Mad Men's January Jones)-begin to unravel. Revealing the psychological toll drone pilots endure as they are forced to witness the aftermath of their fight against insurgents, Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, Lord of War) directs this riveting insider's view of 21st-century warfare, in which operatives target enemies from half a world away. 

May 2015

I'll See You in My Dreams

In this vibrant, funny, and heartfelt film, a widow and former songstress discovers that life can begin anew at any age. With the support of three loyal girlfriends (June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, and Mary Kay Place), Carol (Blythe Danner) decides to embrace the world, embarking on an unlikely friendship with her pool maintenance man (Martin Starr), pursuing a new love interest (Sam Elliott), and reconnecting with her daughter (Malin Akerman).

April 2015

Far From the Madding Crowd

Based on the literary classic by Thomas Hardy, FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD is the story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan), who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a prosperous and mature bachelor. This timeless story of Bathsheba's choices and passions explores the nature of relationships and love - as well as the human ability to overcome hardships through resilience and perseverance. 

April 2015

Little Boy

Starring: Emma Watson, Kevin James, TomWilkinson

LITTLE BOY is a powerful and moving film about a little boy who is willing to do whatever it takes to bring his dad home from World War II alive. The heartwarming story will capture your heart and lift your spirits as it reveals the indescribable love a little boy has for his father and the love a father has for his son. Set in the 1940s, LITTLE BOY is an instant cinematic classic that captures the wonder of life through the eyes of a 7- year-old little boy. Written and directed by Smithsonian Institute Award winning director Alejandro Monteverde, LITTLE BOY highlights themes of faith, hope and love in the face of adversity.