The inaugural Jackson Hole International Film Festival has announced its lineup, and the opening night film will be Brendan Walsh’s I’ll Be Right There.
In collaboration with the Hamptons International Film Festival, the first-ever Jackson Hole International Film Festival will take place from Dec. 8-10, 2023 in Jackson, Wyoming.
The new festival was founded by local Jackson Hole resident Stuart Suna, who also founded the Hamptons International Film Festival. Taking place over three days, JHIFF will consist of eight film screenings chosen by Hamptons International Film Festival Artistic Director David Nugent.
Brendan Walsh’s I’ll Be Right There will open the festival on Friday, Dec. 8 with Walsh expected to be in attendance. Starring Edie Falco, Jeannie Berlin, Kayli Carter, Charlie Tahan, and Bradley Whitford, the film is a heartfelt comedy about a family falling apart and one mother’s role in bringing it all together. Falco and Jesse Eisenberg serve as executive producers.
Following the opening day and night screenings on Friday, Dec. 8, there will be three film screenings each on Saturday, Dec. 9, and Sunday, Dec. 10. The festival also boasts live Q&A sessions with filmmakers and networking events.
“A film festival is a great way to stimulate artistic imagination and contribute to the culture of the community. I can’t think of a better way to start this now annual event than with Brendan Walsh’s moving I’ll Be Right There,” Suna said.
The festival’s centerpiece screening will be Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction. Set to be released by Amazon MGM Studios later this year, the film stars Jeffrey Wright as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Other screenings to take place include Jean Shim’s A Great Divide, Irene Taylor’s Trees and Other Entanglements, J. A. Bayona’s Society of the Snow, and more.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Jackson Hole International Film Festival on their inaugural festival. The expansion of the HamptonsFilm footprint partnering with a like-minded resort community has been a dream for many years,” said Anne Chaisson, executive director of the Hamptons International Film Festival.
“As we embark on our inaugural three-day event, our hope is to celebrate the art and science of cinema, while also exploring the magic of storytelling as a powerful tool to expand world views,” says Marni Walsh, executive director of the Jackson Hole International Film Festival. “We are grateful to our partnership with HIFF in making it possible to share some of this year’s most anticipated projects with our audiences.”
See the full lineup for the inaugural Jackson Hole International Film Festival below, and find ticket information on the festival’s website here.
2023 Jackson Hole International Film Festival Lineup
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8
I’LL BE RIGHT THERE
Opening Night Film
dir. Brendan Walsh (USA), 2023
Emmy Award® winner Edie Falco (The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie) delivers an affecting performance as Wanda, a woman who barely has time for herself, not that she would know what to do with it anyway. Her very pregnant daughter (Kayli Carter, Mrs.. America) wants a wedding, which her ex-husband (Emmy Award® winner Bradley Whitford) is flaking on paying for. Her mother (Jeannie Berlin) thinks she’s dying. Her son (Charlie Tahan, Ozark) is going into either rehab or the army. And her boyfriend (Michael Rapaport) doesn’t excite her, but neither does her new girlfriend (Sepideh Moafi). I’LL BE RIGHT THERE is a heartfelt comedy about a family falling apart and one mother’s role in bringing it all together.
A GREAT DIVIDE
dir. Jean Shim (USA), 2023
A Korean American family, the Lees, leave the Bay Area for a fresh start in the rural expanses of Wyoming, only to encounter hostility and xenophobia in their new community. The small town’s local kingpin sets in motion a plot to oust the Lees that puts teenaged Benjamin (Emerson Min), his visiting best friend Ellie (Miya Cech) and his parents Isaac and Jenna (Ken Jeong, Jae Suh Park) in dire jeopardy. The key to their salvation may lie with Grandma Shim (MeeWha Alana Lee), who seeks to impart a vital lesson to her beloved grandson before it’s too late. A GREAT DIVIDE recently won Best Feature at 2023 Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival. Ken Jeong and Jae Suh Park won People’s Choice Best Performance at 2023 Vancouver Asian Film Festival.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9
AMERICAN FICTION
Centerpiece Film
dir. Cord Jefferson (USA), 2023
AMERICAN FICTION is Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
SOCIETY OF THE SNOW
dir. J.A. Bayona (Spain), 2023
In 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which had been chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile, crashed in the heart of the Andes. Only 29 of its 45 passengers survived the accident. Trapped in one of the most hostile and inaccessible environments on the planet, they have to resort to extreme measures to stay alive. A Netflix release.
TREES & OTHER ENTANGLEMENTS
dir. Irene Taylor (USA), 2023
The entangled lives of people and trees they love grow into a contemporary tale of time, our connection to the natural world and to one another. A young boy stolen and hidden amongst trees; an artist refining American bonsai; a photographer who artfully observes trees and a man who steadfastly plants them; family trees and stolen trees – their stories unfold as an arboreal, and deeply human, thriller. An HBO Documentary Film release.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10
AVENUE OF THE GIANTS
dir. Finn Taylor (USA), 2023
Herbert Heller (Stephen Lang, AVATAR) carries a traumatic secret: now the beloved owner of a toy store in Northern California, Herbert is a Holocaust survivor. The Nazis forced him into the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp at age 12, but he managed to escape and kept the secret from everyone—including his own children—for 60 years. When Herbert is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he befriends Abbey (Elsie Fisher, EIGHTH GRADE), an isolated teenager whose own struggles inspire him to open up. Based on a true story, AVENUE OF THE GIANTS is a tender depiction of an intergenerational friendship that offers the unlikely pair a path toward healing.
THE TASTE OF THINGS
dir. Tran Anh Hung (France), 2023
Set against the deliciously vibrant backdrop of 1889 France, THE TASTE OF THINGS follows the life of Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel, THE PIANO TEACHER), a brilliant chef living with his personal cook and lover Eugénie (Academy Award® winner Juliette Binoche). When Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin, he decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her. Winner of the Best Director Award at Cannes, Tran Anh Hung tells the story of a couple tied together by gastronomy and love, immersing audiences in a romantic, sumptuous visual feast in this celebration of the way food brings us together. An IFC Films Release.
THEY CALLED HIM MOSTLY HARMLESS
dir. Patricia E. Gillespie (USA), 2024
When the emaciated body of an unidentified hiker is found in the Florida wilderness next to plenty of cash and food, mystified authorities release a sketch that sparks internet fascination, leading to a viral 2020 article in WIRED. Multiple hikers call in claiming to have met the man on trails from Florida to Appalachia, but there’s one problem: he never told them his name. It would take two years, thousands of devoted internet sleuths, and a miracle of science to identify him—and that’s only the beginning of the story. True crime veteran and HIFF alum Patricia E. Gillespie (THE FIRE THAT TOOK HER) returns with a character-centric reimagining of a classic genre. A Max release.
Also Read: Hamptons International Film Festival 2023 Award Winners Include 20,000 Species of Bees
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