The San Diego Film Festival (SDFF), produced by the nonprofit San Diego Film Foundation, announced on Sept. 1 its Gala, Competition, Spotlight and Short Film sections. Now in its 14th year, the five-day cinematic event will run from Sept. 30 through Oct. 4 in San Diego.
“We are excited to debut this year’s diverse selection of films to our enthusiastic film-loving community,” said Tonya Mantooth, executive vice president and director of programming for the San Diego Film Festival. “Our 2015 film slate has it all, from Hollywood’s most buzzed about award-season contenders to first-time filmmakers looking to make their mark on the festival scene – this year’s lineup has something to offer for everyone.”
Leading the program are gala presentation screenings, which include Daniel Alfredson’s “Go With Me” starring Anthony Hopkins, Julia Stiles and Ray Liotta; Paolo Sorrentino’s “Youth” starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda; Reed Morano’s “Meadowland” starring Olivia Wilde, Luke Wilson and Juno Temple; Tony McNamara’s “Ashby” starring Mickey Rourke, Nat Wolf, Emma Roberts and Sarah Silverman; Lawrence Roeck’s “Diablo” starring Scott Eastwood, Camilla Belle and Danny Glover; Adam Salky’s “I Smile Back” starring Sarah Silverman and John Charles, and Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim’s documentary “He Named Me Malala.”
In addition, SDFF is proud to screen narrative, documentary and short films, both in and out of competition, vying for top award honors. The lineup below includes 88 films total: seven Gala films, 15 Narrative Competition films, seven Narrative Spotlight films, nine Documentary Competition films, four Documentary Spotlight films, and 46 Short films. Screenings will be held at the Reading Theater in Downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter and ArcLight Cinemas in La Jolla. The complete list of 2015 San Diego Film Festival titles including descriptions is available at sdfilmfest.com.
Passes are currently on sale to VIP members and the general public. In addition to screenings and events, passes provide access to the official festival lounge and parties where pass holders interact with Film Festival filmmakers and professionals in the film community. Individual tickets will go on sale beginning September 1. For more information regarding passes/tickets, press accreditation, industry passes, or sponsorship opportunities, please visit sdfilmfest.com.
More films will be added to the program and announced soon.
2015 SAN DIEGO FILM FESTIVAL LINE-UP
Gala Films (7)
· Ashby, Dir. Tony McNamara, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Diablo, Dir. Lawrence Roeck, Canada, World Premiere
· Go With Me, Dir. Daniel Alfredson, USA/Canada/Sweden, US Premiere
· He Named Me Malala, Dir. Davis Guggenheim, USA/UK/Pakistan/Kenya/Abu Dhabi/ ?Amsterdam/Nigeria/Jordan/Oslo, West Coast Premiere
· I Smile Back, Dir. Adam Salky, USA, West Coast Premiere
· Meadowland, Dir. Reed Morano, USA, West Coast Premiere
· Youth, Dir. Paolo Sorrentino, Italy/France/UK/Switzerland, San Diego Premiere
Narrative Competition (15)
· Ambassador to Bern, Dir. Attila Szász, Hungary, West Coast Premiere
· Black Fly, Dir. Jason Bourque, Canada, US Premiere
· Diablo, Dir. Lawrence Roeck, Canada, World Premiere
· Echoes of War, Dir. Kane Senes, USA, West Coast Premiere
· I Smile Back, Dir. Adam Salky, USA, West Coast Premiere
· Kidnap Capital, Dir. Felipe Rodriguez, Canada, North American Premiere
· Lift Me Up, Dir. Mark Cartier, USA, World Premiere
· Moments of Clarity, Dir. Stev Elam, USA, West Coast Premiere
· Op. Neighborhood Watch, Dir. Mark Cartier, USA, World Premiere
· Sex, Death and Bowling, Dir. Ally Walker, USA, World Premiere
· This Is Happening, Dir. Ryan Jaffe, USA, California Premiere
· Victoria, Dir. Sebastian Schipper, Germany, West Coast Premiere
· Well Wishes, Dir. Anderson Boyd, USA, World Premiere
· West of Redemption, Dir. Cornelia Duryée Moore, USA, California Premiere
· Western Religion, Dir. James O’Brien, USA, West Coast Premiere
Narrative Spotlight (7)
· Goosebumps, Dir. Rob Letterman, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Labrynth of Lies, Dir. Giulio Ricciarelli, Germany, US Premiere
· Seashore, Dir. Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, Brazil, San Diego Premiere
· Superbob, Dir. Jon Drever, U.K., US Premiere
· Terminus, Dir. Marc Furmie, Australia, North American Premiere
· The Cut, Dir. Fatih Akin, Turkey, California Premiere
· Uncle John, Dir. Steven Piet, USA, San Diego Premiere
Documentary Competition (9)
· Bonobos: Back to the Wild, Dir. Alain Tixier, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Deep Run, Dir. Hillevi Loven, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Frame by Frame, Dir. Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli, Afgahnistan/USA, West Coast Premiere
· India’s Daughter, Dir. Leslee Udwin, U.K., California Premiere
· Janey Makes a Play, Dir. Jared Callahan, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Landfill Harmonic, Dir. Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley, Paraguay/USA, West Coast Premiere
· No Greater Love, Dir. Justin D. Roberts, USA, West Coast Premiere
· Return To Dak To, Dir. Christopher Upham, USA, World Premiere
· Storied Streets, Dir. Jack Robbins, USA, California Premiere
Documentary Spotlight (4)
· Cooking Up A Tribute, Dir. Luis González and Andrea Gómez, Spain, California Premiere
· Finding Center, Dir. Russell Tafarella, USA, San Diego Premiere
· King Georges, Dir. Erika Frankel, USA, California Premiere
· The Rocky Mountain Traverse, Dir. David Pearson and Bryan Smith, Canada/USA, California Premiere
Shorts (46)
Animation:
· Eggplant, Dir. Yangzi She, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Golden Shot, Dir. Gökalp Gönen, Turkey, San Diego Premiere
· In the Distance, Dir. Florian Grolig, Germany, North American Premiere
· My Kingdom, Dir. Debra Solomon, USA, California Premiere
· SOAR, Dir. Alyze Tzue, USA, West Coast Premiere
· The Fallen Phoenix, Dir. Gwen Barriac and Heather Larkin, USA, San Diego Premiere
· The Present, Dir. Jacob Frey, Germany, San Diego Premiere
Crossroads:
· Bandito, Dir. Evan Ari Kelman, USA, San Diego Premiere
· In Her Place, Dir. Kevin Hamedani, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Oasis, Dir. Carmen Jimenez, USA/Canada/Spain, San Diego Premiere
· Stanhope, Dir. Solvan Naim, USA, World Premiere
· Stealth, Dir. Bennett Lasseter, USA, San Diego Premiere
For Shorts & Giggles:
· Death of a Government Clerk, Dir. Mykyta Samusiev, USA, California Premiere
· Green Thumb, Dir. Kiel Murray & Phil Lorin, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Open 24 Hours, Dir. Henry Chaisson, USA, California Premiere
· Pant Suits, Dir. Saralyn Armer, USA, California Premiere
· The Gift, Dir. Stu Weiner, USA, West Coast Premiere
· The Gunfighter, Dir. Eric Kissack, USA, San Diego Premiere
· World Class, Dir. Aina Dumlao and Bru Muller, USA, West Coast Premiere
Same Planet, Different World:
· Eva, Dir. Guclu Aydogdu, Turkey, West Coast Premiere
· Infinite, Dir. Ryan Stratton, USA, California Premiere
· The Future Perfect, Dir. Nick Citton, Canada, San Diego Premiere
· The Last Generation to Die, Dir. Tim Maupin, USA, San Diego Premiere
· The Shaman, Dir. Marco Kalantari, Austria, San Diego Premiere
Shorts in Front of Feature Films:
· Baja Secret Miracle, Dir. Eliana Alvarez Martinez, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Birthday, Dir. Chris King, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Day One, Dir. Kenry Hughes, USA, San Diego Premiere
· For Blood, Dir. Chadwick Pelletier and John T. Connor, USA, World Premiere
· Tomgirl, Dir. Jeremy Asher Lynch, USA, San Diego Premiere
Stranger in a Stranger Land:
· Fairy Knowledge, Dir. Chris Wyatt, USA, California Premiere
· DOT, Dir. Tali Barde, Germany, San Diego Premiere
· Myrna the Monster, Dir. Ian Samuels, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Sub Rosa, Dir. Thora Hilmarsdottir, Iceland/U.K., San Diego Premiere
· Surf Noir, Dir. Tommy Bertelsen, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Theodra, Dir. Henry Chaisson and Travis Bogosian, USA, California Premiere
Two Sides of the Same Coin:
· Blue-Eyed Blonde, Dir. Pascal Plante, Canada, US Premiere
· Daydreamer, Dir. Thaddäus Reich, Austria, California Premiere
· Dead End, Dir. Jay Torres, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Injury Time, Dir. Jack Sheridan, Australia, West Coast Premiere
· Sabre Dance, Dir. Ilya Rozhkov, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Someone Else, Dir. James Mason, Australia, World Premiere
When Worlds Collide:
· Golden Thread, Dir. Jade Aksnes, USA, San Diego Premiere
· KOZA: Cancoon, Dir. Manuel Inacker, Germany, World Premiere
· Oh Lucy!, Dir. Atsuko Hirayanagi, Japan/Singapore/USA, San Diego Premiere
· Tumble Dry Low, Dir. Jefferson Stein, USA, San Diego Premiere
· Winter Light, Dir. Julian Higgins, USA, San Diego Premiere
About the San Diego Film Festival??
Founded in 2001, the San Diego Film Festival, currently produced by the San Diego Film Foundation, is the region’s premier showcase for outstanding U.S. and international independent filmmaking. The five-day event is an entertaining, enlightening and educational gathering that embraces the region’s diverse cultural landscape, enhances the arts community and expands the economic vitality of San Diego. Learn more about the San Diego Film Festival at www.sdfilmfest.com, or on Facebook and Twitter.
About the San Diego Film Foundation??
The San Diego Film Foundation is an educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that produces the annual San Diego Film Festival. Its mission is to support the art of independent filmmaking through producing an annual film festival, developing stimulating film-related events throughout the year, supporting and nurturing student filmmaking programs in local schools, supporting the development of the local filmmaking industry, and enhancing the economic growth of San Diego.
