March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 48 F

Rob Reiner to kick off the 2017 Annapolis Film Festival on Thursday

Film industry icon Rob Reiner is expected to attend the Annapolis Film Festival’s (AFF) opening night screening of LBJ on Thursday, March 30 at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts at 801 Chase Street. AFF organizers say Reiner, who directed LBJ, and his wife Michele Singer Reiner are expected to attend opening night festivities along with actor Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice, Fargo), who plays President John F. Kennedy in the film.  

Reiner is a celebrated actor, writer, director and producer. As an actor, he first came to national prominence in the role of Michael Stivic on All in the Family. The role earned him two Emmy Awards in the 1970s. The Directors Guild of America recognized Reiner as a director with nominations for the coming of age comedy-drama Stand by Me, the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally…, and the military courtroom drama A Few Good Men. Reiner also directed An American President, the psychological horror thriller Misery, the romantic comedy fantasy adventure The Princess Bride, and the heavy-metal mockumentary, This is Spinal Tap, among others – including AFF’s 2016 film selection, Being Charlie.

Other opening night guests are expected to include LBJ producer Matthew George, scriptwriter Joey Hartstone as well as Annapolis natives Time and Trevor White, who developed LBJ and were producers of the film.

Starring Woody Harrelson as LBJ, Donovan as John F. Kennedy, Richard Jenkins as senator Richard Russell, Jr., and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lady Bird Johnson, Reiner’s latest film chronicles the life and times of the legendary and controversial Texan who inherited the Presidency at one of the most fraught moments in American history. It’s slated for release in fall 2017.

Matt Spicer’s Ingrid Goes West, starring Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen and O’Shea Jackson Jr., joins the lineup as AFF’s Saturday evening Spotlight film, following its award-winning run at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. It was one of the most sought after titles at Sundance and was ultimately acquired by NEON in a bidding war.

Ingrid Goes West’s producers also include Annapolis Key School graduates Tim and Trevor White, sons of Patti White, who is co-founder of the Annapolis Film Festival and co-owner of Filmsters, a local production company.

Ingrid Goes West follows Ingrid Thorburn, a mentally unstable young woman who becomes obsessed with Los Angeles-based Taylor Sloane, a social media ‘influencer’ with a seemingly perfect life. When Ingrid moves to the West Coast to befriend Taylor in real life, her behavior turns unsettling and increasingly dangerous.

Now in its 5th year, AFF runs Thursday, March 30 through Sunday, April 2. Moviegoers are invited to stroll from venue to venue in downtown Annapolis to view some of the world’s smartest and edgiest new films. Loews Annapolis Hotel is Festival Central, and the O’Callaghan Hotel is the main venue for panels and workshops. The screening venues include Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Asbury United Methodist Church, Key Auditorium at St. John’s College, St. Anne’s Parish Hall and Annapolis Elementary School.

This year’s AFF attendees will get to choose from among 70 films representing all genres. Special showcases will include films by and about African Americans and the LGBTQ community. There will be films on the environment; films with a local focus; shorts programs; student films; conversations with special industry guests; a Sunday morning slice of Jewish life; Coffee Talk breakfasts with filmmakers and showbiz parties.

Tickets prices range from $12.50 for a single screening or panel up to $125 for a festival pass. Student tickets are also available. To purchase tickets or for more information about screening times and locations, click here.

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