It’s hard to believe that HIFF 2014 is almost in the history books, but we’re not slowing down yet. Lots of movies on tap today—please see as many as you can!
Keep in mind that the Golden Starfish Award Winners, both Narrative and Documentary—which will be announced this morning at our Golden Starfish Awards Ceremony—will be given encore screenings today. You can buy your tickets now!
Golden Starfish Award Winner—Best Narrative Feature | 1:15 pm | Tickets
Golden Starfish Award Winner—Best Documentary Feature | 2:00 pm | Tickets
Other movies enjoying final screenings today:
Wildlike (encore screening) | 3:00 pm | Tickets
A beautiful trek into the stunning Alaskan wilderness, Wildlike follows 15-year-old Mackenzie (Ella Purnell) on her first visit to the last frontier. When her stay with ‘Uncle’ (Brian Geraghty) takes a traumatic turn, Mackenzie must embark on a dangerous journey through the wilds alone. On her way she encounters another lone traveler (Bruce Greenwood) and together they offer one another something that cannot be found on any map: a chance at salvation. Wildlike is a thrilling and taut emotional journey.
Iris | 4:45 pm | Tickets
The great documentarian Albert Maysles’ latest film is about fashion- and interior-design maven Iris Apfel, now 93 years old, as she celebrates the late wave of popularity she enjoyed on the heels the Met’s 2006 exhibition of her collection of often affordably priced fashion accessories. Maysles (Grey Gardens), who pops up from time to time as a cheerful on-camera presence, follows Iris as she makes selections for the touring exhibition, advises young women on their fashion choices, and bargains with store owners, usually in the company of her husband of 66 years, Carl, now 100.
Red Army | 4:30 pm | Tickets
In an exhilarating story played out on Olympic ice, Red Army chronicles the rise and fall of the Red Army Hockey Team; the Soviet Union’s most powerful sports dynasty. Making his directorial debut, Gabe Polsky revisits the history of the Cold War using an incredible collection of archival material from both sides of the Iron Curtain. Featuring revealing commentary from the players themselves, including one of Russia’s greatest players Slava Fetisov, Red Army skillfully balances the personal and political drama behind one hockey’s greatest stories, revealing the thin line between national hero and political enemy.
Happy Valley | 5:00 pm | Tickets
Happy Valley centers on the people of State College, Pennsylvania, and its conflicted reactions to the Penn State football scandal in the months following Jerry Sandusky’s arrest for child molestation. With interviews with those directly involved and die-hard fans alike, documentarian Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story) captures the college town as it struggles to define itself in the wake of Sandusky’s crimes and the negligence allegations leveled against coach Joe Paterno, his staff, the college’s administration, and (according to some in the media) the town itself.
E-Team | 11:45 am | Tickets
Anna, Ole, Fred, and Peter are members of the Emergency Team (E-Team) for a respected international human rights organization, the first people on the scene when there is suspicion of human rights abuses. Entering areas of conflict like Syria or post-Qaddafi Libya, they gather evidence to determine if further investigation is warranted, and often what they find challenges decision-makers, holding them accountable. Award-winning filmmakers Ross Kauffman and Katy Chevigny take us behind the scenes and on the ground with these very different yet fearlessly committed individuals as they balance their personal and family lives with their intense work life in the field.
Stray Dog | 2:15 pm | Tickets
Returning to the Ozarks, Debra Granik (Academy Award® nominee for Winter’s Bone) turns her lens on Ron “Stray Dog” Hall, a burly, aging veteran who manages an RV park and rides his motorcycle cross-country. Shot over three years, Stray Dog is a humanist portrait of an extraordinary man forever changed by two tours of war. Through his relationships with his fellow vets and his loving wife Alicia, Ron finds the courage to confront his past (from which he still has nightmares) and the courage to keep going. Granik breaks down the stereotypes of a community united through remembering and adapting to a changing America.
The Great Museum | 5:45 pm | Tickets
Guiding this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, director Johannes Holzhausen takes us behind the scenes with an all-access pass to Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum and its magnificent operations. During last year’s preparations for the reopening of the famed Kunstkammer collection, Holzhausen followed curators, conservators, and administrators, observing how they skillfully keep the museum functioning. Omitting a dramatic score and interviews, Holzhausen opts for a fly-on-the-wall approach, allowing the audience not only to learn about this incredible institution, but also to experience history in the making from within.
Charlie’s Country | 12:00 pm | Tickets
Tired of the constant policing, Charlie (portrayed by the gray-maned David Gulpilil) stubbornly copes with the encroaching “white man’s laws” into his remote Aboriginal community in Australia’s Northern Territory. He goes back to his roots to live the “old way,” only to set off a chain of events he didn’t see coming. Director Rolf de Heer crafts a subtle portrait of a man caught between two cultures and creates an exquisite showcase for his co-writer, veteran actor Gulpilil (WALKABOUT, RABBIT PROOF FENCE), winner of the Un Certain Regard Best Actor Prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.
The Last Five Years | 7:00 pm | Tickets
Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years is among the most beloved modern musicals, and writer/director Richard LaGravenese’s invigorating and poignant film is among the most successful stag
e-to-screen adaptations in years. Academy Award® nominee Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan star as a young couple whose rollercoaster five-year relationship has come to an end. Yet the film traces their romance from two diverging perspectives: following Jamie (Jordan) forwards from their first meeting to their break-up, and following Cathy (Kendrick) backwards from the final heartache to the first stirrings of love.
Keep On Keepin’ On | 4:30 pm | Tickets
WINNER: 2014 SummerDocs Audience Award, sponsored by Candescent Films
In his debut, director Alan Hicks spent four years following the charming and sometimes poignant mentorship between jazz-legend Clark Terry and blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin, during a pivotal moment in each of their lives. At 89 years old, ‘CT’ has played alongside Duke Ellington and Count Basie; his pupils include Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. But his most unlikely friendship is with Justin, a 23-year-old with uncanny talent but debilitating nerves. Beautifully nostalgic and inspirational, with a reverence for the importance of finding your own sound, Keep On Keepin’ On celebrates an iconic musician while introducing one of equal vibrancy.
Mr. Turner | 2:45 pm | Tickets
The 19th century British painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall) was both revered and loathed in his time; an irascible man with a grunt who turned his canvases into awe-inspiring representations of light and shadow. In Mr. Turner, master filmmaker Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake) creates a rich, tender, and illuminating portrait of an artist with a supreme vision, one that could capture reality with peerless precision yet clouded his social graces. As evoked by Spall’s Cannes award-winning performance and through Dick Pope’s brilliant cinematography, Mr. Turner becomes a unique and essential biopic.
Madame Bovary | 8:00 pm | Tickets
The beautiful wife of a small-town doctor engages in extra marital affairs in an attempt to advance her social status, and cure her persistent malaise, in co-writer and director Sophie Barthes’s (Cold Souls) adaptation of Gustave Flaubert’s seminal 19th century novel. Still widely read (and controversial) to this day, Madame Bovary receives a gorgeous, spellbinding, and astute rendering in Barthes’s hands, fleshed out by pristine production values and a great cast, including Mia Wasikowska in the title role and Paul Giamatti, and Rhys Ifan in supporting performances.
Rush Line Options
Though advance tickets are no longer available for the following films and events, you are welcome to try the Rush Lines. (While a viable option in many cases, please be advised this is a gamble! Seats not guaranteed.)
The Homesman 12:00 pm | Guild Hall |
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Still Alice Closing Night Film Two screenings! |
There are plenty of other films on the docket for today.
Browse the entire schedule here.
See you at the movies!