Mark your calendars, it’s a big week for film in the Big Easy! Running from October 16 to 24, the 35th annual New Orleans Film Festival is set to illuminate theaters with the grand spirit of cinema. With a spectacular array of over 100 movies premiering from all over the world, this is an unmissable celebration of diverse filmmaking excellence. This can’t-miss cultural event unites cinephiles and the local community alike to inspire, captivate, and particularly uplift passionate projects with intersectional themes that actively platforms underrepresented voices and emerging BIPOC talents.
Through their relentless commitment to proper representation, NOFF amplifies the importance of diverse storytelling, solidifying through the over 200 featured filmmakers that cinema has the power to foster empathy, challenge perspectives, and inspire social change. From insightfully enlightening documentaries, to compelling dramas on intergenerational trauma, here is a list of renowned films from BIPOC directors to view and support this year!
A King Like Me
Director: Matthew O. Henderson
When: Thu, Oct 17th, 3:15 PM @ CAC Warehouse Theater
A King Like Me follows members of the Zulu Club, New Orleans’ first Black Mardi Gras krewe, as they work to bring the Zulu parade back to the streets for Mardi Gras Day 2022, in the face of a global pandemic, Hurricane Ida and the loss of members due to COVID and gun violence.
Ana y la distancia
Director: Hansel Porras Garcia
When: Thu, Oct 17th, 5:45 PM @ Canal Place 2
Sat, Oct 19th, 12:15 PM @ Canal Place 1
A Cuban mother exiled in Miami anxiously awaits the arrival of her son, who is crossing Central American borders to join her.
Taste The Revolution
Director: Daniel Klein
When: Sat, Oct 19th, 5:30 PM @ CAC Warehouse Theater
World premiere at NOFF 2024! Taste the Revolution follows aspiring filmmakers as they chronicle the story of a charismatic revolutionary, Mac Laslow (Oscar® winner Mahershala Ali), and the group of disillusioned college students drawn together one summer to change the world;
Primetime Mother
Director: Sonny Calvento
When: Sat, Oct 19th, 8:30 PM @ CAC Black Box
The audition process for an exploitative game show becomes the latest test of a long-suffering mother’s fortitude and tenacity.
Saigon Kiss
Director: Hồng Anh Nguyễn
When: Sat, Oct 19th, 1:15 PM @ CAC Black Box
Mơ roams through the rush hour traffic to avoid an unwanted phone call. When she meets Vicky by the side of the street with her broken motorbike, a visceral chance encounter unfolds between the two young queer women on the loud streets of Saigon.
Nickel Boys
Director: RaMell Ross
When: Sun, Oct 20th, 8:15 PM @ CAC Warehouse Theater
Based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Colson Whitehead, 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘭 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.
The In Between
Director: Robie Flores
When: Sun, Oct 20th, 3:45 PM @ The Broad Theater 4
This is a whirlwind coming-of-age portrait on children living at Eagle Pass on the Texas-Mexico border involving the unruly experiences of adolescence – quinceañeras, Rio Grande river excursions, teen makeovers, and more.
First Night
Director: Haneol Lee
When: Sat, Oct 19th, 1:45 PM @ Canal Place 2
Mon, Oct 21st, 1:30 PM @ Canal Place 2
A newly immigrated Korean father utilizes a dictionary to order food for his family.
Don’t Call Me Daddy
Director: Owen H. Dunne
When: Mon, Oct 21st, 6:00 PM @ CAC Black Box
A black father reconciles his son’s coming out while also being haunted by a monstrous manifestation of his misconceptions and prejudices.
Wire & Cloth
Director: Swetha Regunathan
When: Sat, Oct 19th, 1:45 PM @ Canal Place 2
Mon, Oct 21st, 1:30 PM @ Canal Place 2
Indian immigrant Hema must choose between being a sophisticated career woman and a mother to her young daughter Anika.
Emilia Pérez
Director: Jacques Audiard
When: Mon, Oct 21st, 8:00 PM @ CAC Warehouse Theater
France’s official selection for the Best International Feature Oscar, and winner of two major awards at this year’s Cannes Film Festival follows the journey of four different women (Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Zoe Saldaña) in Mexico, each with their own mission to forge their own happiness.
Te Puna Ora (The Source of Life)
Director: Virginie Tetoofa
When: Fri, Oct 18th, 5:45 PM @ CAC Black Box
Tue, Oct 22nd, 11:00 AM @ CAC Black Box
This film follows three exceptional Tahitian women who unite to protect their cherished beach from privatization, uncovering the hidden impacts of unsustainable development, the lingering effects of colonialism on indigenous voices, and issues surrounding land and ocean exploitation.
The Piano Lesson
Director: Malcolm Washington
When: Tue, Oct 22nd, 7:30 PM @ CAC Black Box
The Piano Lesson stars Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler, and John David Washington, and closely follows the lives of the Charles family and their relationship to an heirloom piano.
This festival is set to be an amazing celebration of stories not typically told! You can purchase your psses and see the full roster of incredible films here.
