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8 Film Festival Flicks We’ve Got Our Eyes On – and you should too!

Do you ever find yourself sitting there in the theater, with the question ‘What really goes into making a film’ on your mind?

Prior to being involved in the film world myself, I wouldn’t find myself diving too deep into the thought process of what goes into making a film. Sure, I would think about the casting process or about the wardrobe choices – but after watching my younger brother dive into the film industry; I have come to grow such a respect for it.

From the idea birthing the film, to the script writing process, to the storyboarding to the pre-production – the making of a film is art itself. After coming onto the production team of ‘Vengeance’, I see and experience the countless hours that go into putting a film together. I love every second of it! There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing an incredible project, supported by an amazing team, come together.

When we see a film on the big screen, that is not only an entertainment project… to someone, that is a masterpiece. Every year, my brother and I do some research on film festivals and the films that are being shown at them. The two of us share a mutual love for the independent film makers, and those out there that are pursuing their dreams. Around this time every year, we start doing some research with a few friends and research some upcoming films. This year, is seemingly an incredible year for the film world. Thousands upon thousands of films are entered into festivals, and if I could – I would spend countless hours watching them all.

For those of you who share a mutual love for film and festivals, check out these Top 10 films along with their respective festivals that we are truly excited to see:

 

1. Won’t You Be My Neighbor

Festival: Palm Springs International Festival

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a landmark in children’s television, and Morgan Neville (Oscar®-winner for Twenty Feet from Stardom)’s heartfelt portrait more than does justice to the show’s beloved host, Fred Rogers.

 

2. To The Stars

Festival:  Sundance Film Festival

Under small town scrutiny, a withdrawn farmer’s daughter forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl in 1960s Oklahoma.

 

3. The Guilty

Festival: Palm Springs International Festival

In the year’s most heart-pounding 85 minutes in cinema, a sidelined Danish police officer desperately attempts to thwart an alleged kidnapping, and worse, all from the confines of his frustratingly limited emergency call center desk in this ingenious, nail-biting thriller.

 

4. The Resistance Banker

Festival: Palm Springs International Festival

Set in occupied Netherlands during World War II, this suspenseful drama is based on the true story of banker Walraven van Hall, who financed the Dutch Resistance by defrauding the German-controlled Central Bank out of tens of millions of guilders — right under the Nazis’ noses.

 

5. The Biggest Little Farm

Festival: St. Louis International Film Festival

Idealistic city dwellers John and Molly Chester bought a farm on arid land an hour north of Los Angeles. Their eight-year struggle to turn Apricot Lane Farms into a biodiverse Eden is chronicled in this astonishing and uplifting epic.

 

6. The Last Race

Festival: Virginia Film Festival

Once the hub of American stock-car racing, Long Island is now home to a single track, leaving the local community a solitary final haven to pursue this once popular tradition. Under the constant threat of demolition, Riverhead Raceway and its owners must remain strong in the face of corporate real-estate developers.

 

7. One Way or Another

Festival: Destiny City Film Festival

On a quiet night in a roadside bar, egos and alcohol ignite – sending two friends on a path toward a violent showdown that could forever change both of their lives.

 

8. Apollo 11

Festival: Sundance Film Festival

A purely archival reconstruction of humanity’s first trip to another world, featuring never-before-seen 70mm footage and never-before-heard audio from the mission.

 

 

If you’re an avid film geek like me, definitely consider checking these out! It is truly a wonder to see what remarkable works these amazing creators bring to life!