Wes Anderson and Cate Blanchett’s newest films are coming to the American Independent Film Festival .7 this summer
Two of this summer’s most anticipated films will premiere in Bucharest during the second part of the 7th American Independent Film Festival. Cinephiles are invited to Cinema Elvire Popesco on Saturday, June 24th to see ASTEROID CITY – the latest film by beloved director Wes Anderson and TÁR, starring Cate Blanchett.
Tickets have already gone on sale and can be purchased on eventbook.ro.
ASTEROID CITY is a dot-on-the-map desert town in the American Southwest. The year is 1955. The town’s most famous attraction is a gigantic meteor crater and celestial observatory nearby. This weekend, the military and astronomers are welcoming five science award-winning children to display their inventions. Not far away, over the hills, mushroom clouds from atomic tests are seen.
The scene has been set for Wes Anderson’s newest film, both a rollicking comedy, dazzling in creation, and packed to the brim with images for one to dart their eyes to and from, and also as deeply felt as any of Anderson’s previous works.
ASTEROID CITY will premiere in Bucharest shortly after its official Cannes competition screening, where it received critical acclaim: “one of the director’s best films to date” (IndieWire), ”with apologies to Guns N’ Roses: Don’t Take Me Down to the Asteroid City” (The Hollywood Reporter), “Wes Anderson’s 1950s sci-fi is an exuberant triumph of his pure style” (The Guardian), “blinding in its inertia” (Variety).
Cate Blachett is Lydia Tár – considered to be one of the finest composers and conductors, and the first female conductor of a major orchestra in Germany. “As the maestro goes into crisis in Todd Field’s scandalous tale, Blanchett’s performance pierces hearts like a conductor’s baton” (The Guardian) in TÁR – this “relevant, spine-tingling drama” (The New York Times) that had its world premiere in the Venice competition. For her role in the film, Blanchett has been rewarded with numerous awards, among the most important accolades being the Best Actress in a Leading Role Award at the BAFTA’s in 2023 and the Volpi Cup for Best Actress in Venice in 2022.
WENDY will also be screening at the Elvire Popesco Cinema – director Benh Zeitlin’s second AIFF focus film of 2020. A loose reinterpretation of the Peter Pan fairy tale, with a cast full of children making their acting debuts, WENDY was filmed at the foot of an active Caribbean volcano, “combining haunting and overwhelming rhythms to convey a child’s perspective on life. Such a consistent vision, with a meticulous and patient approach on Zeitlin’s part,” notes IndieWire. In an interview with The Atlantic, Zeitlin confesses, “All valuable artwork asks very important, moral questions. It’s the most difficult material to process, but also the most satisfying. That’s what I’m aiming for.”
AIFF.7 is waiting for you between June 23rd – 25th at the Roaba de Cultura in Herastrau Park, with a selection of free outdoor screenings beloved by the general public over the years. The series will open on Friday, June 23rd with the iconic BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S – a romantic comedy directed by Blake Edwards that was released by Paramount Pictures in 1961, nominated for five Academy Awards (of which it won two) and six Grammys (of which it won five). At the time, it was a commercial success and critically acclaimed. In 2012, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.”
The film’s central role is played by the “fascinating” (Time Magazine) Audrey Hepburn, who was cast after Marilyn Monroe (for whom the character was written) declined to star in the film on the advice of Lee Strasberg (theatre director, theorist and renowned acting teacher). Truman Capote – author of the novel of the same name, from which the screenplay was adapted – never agreed with Hepburn, saying on several occasions: “Paramount cheated me in every way by casting Audrey.”
Regardless of the controversy surrounding Hepburn’s casting as Holly Golightly, with her hair in a high bun and wearing an oversized cigarette holder, she is considered one of the most iconic images of 20th century American cinema.
The black comedy HAIL, CAESAR! written, produced, edited and directed by the Coen Brothers, will be screened in Herastrau Park on Saturday June, 24th. Set in the 1950s, the film stars Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Channing Tatum and follows the fictional story of a real-life character – Eddie Mannix (Brolin) – a Hollywood businessman and producer who struggles to keep the studio stars in line.
Grossing over $63 million worldwide, the film was one of the blockbusters of 2016, garnering multiple award nominations from the US and UK film academies.
Based on the life and career of British musician Elton John, ROCKETMAN had its world premiere in 2019 at the Cannes Film Festival, marking the end of a project that had been in the works since 2000. Directed by Dexter Fletcher and written by Lee Hall, the film is a musical fantasy about the human and fantastical story of John’s successful years since his early days in England and is titled after his 1972 song, ‘Rocket Man.’ Taron Egerton plays the superstar singing his compositions throughout the film.
Grossing over $195 million worldwide against its $40 million budget, ROCKETMAN has received positive reviews from critics, with Egerton being praised for his performance “as dazzling as Elton John” (The Independent). The film will be screened on Sunday, June 25th.
Audiences are therefore invited to enjoy the warm summer evenings in a relaxed atmosphere at the Roaba de Cultura with three iconic films American cinema. Admission to all screenings and events at this venue will be free of charge.
The festival trailer is available here: https://youtu.be/F5QvSrozHr0
More details about the programme of the second part of the festival that will take place from June 23rd-25th and about the surprises prepared by the organisers will be announced soon and will be published on www.filmedefestival.ro
Organized by Asociația Cinemascop and Mobra Films, AIFF.7 is a cultural project financed by the Ministry of Culture.
With the support of: Banca Transilvania, The Embassy of the United States of America in Romania*, UPFAR ARGOA – Union of Romanian Film and Audiovisual Producers – Romanian Association for the Management of Audiovisual Works, The Romanian Cultural Institute, Dacin Sara.
Partners: French Institute in Romania, Cinema Elvire Popesco, Roaba de cultură, AmCham Romania – American Chamber of Commerce in Romania, Pepsi, Europa Cinemas, Eventbook.
Main Media Partners: PRO TV, Radio Guerrilla, AGERPRES.
Media Partners: Zile și Nopți, Cinemap, Vice, Igloo, Films in Frame, Urban.ro, Ziarul Metropolis, Film Menu, IQ Ads, Smark, Observator Cultural, LiterNet, MovieNews, Cinefilia, CineFan, AARC – All About Romanian Cinema, Munteanu, CineGhid, Radio România Cultural, Business Review.
*This project is funded in part by a grant from the US Department of State. The opinions, findings, and conclusions presented during the project are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. State Department.
More about AIFF.7 will be published soon and on:
https://filmedefestival.ro/american-independent-ff/editia-2023