The 8th Annual Annapolis Film Festival (AFF) reveals its full slate of more than 70 films from over 25 countries. The festival will be held March 26-29, 2020, with screenings at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis Elementary School, St John’s College and Asbury United Methodist Church. This year’s festival theme: Focus Forward, is threaded throughout the four-day, extraordinary program of films, parties, panels, coffee talks and Q&As with filmmakers.
The theme of this year’s festival is Focus Forward and the organizers have spend months curating the finest films to highlight the theme! Films have been selected from all over the world including the best of independent American cinema as well as local films from Maryland.
The 2020 Annapolis Film Festival will kick on with the Red Carpet at Maryland Hall screening the Opening Night Film, Military Wives.
Director of Programming Derek Horne says “ To bring the most engaging slate to this year’s festival, we spent a lot of time scouting for films that represent this year’s theme. We have selected the best from a huge pool of submissions from new and established filmmakers.”
Categories of this year’s AFF include – narrative features, documentaries and shorts films, student films, as well as films with a local focus. Showcases will include Environmental, African American Experience, Jewish Experience and a Boating Experience. Festival-goers may also participate in panel discussions as well.
Narrative Features
- The Climb by Michael Angelo Covino (USA)
- Dream Horse by Euros Lyn (USA)
- The Evening Hour by Braden King (USA)
- Military Wives by Peter Cattaneo (USA)
- My Name is Sara by Steven Oritt (Hungary)
- On a Magical Night by Christophe Honoré (France)
- The Pencil by Natalya Nazarova (Russia)
- The Perfect Candidate by Haifaa Al-Mansour (Saudi Arabia)
- Sell By by Mike Doyle (USA)
- SHEPHERD: The Story of a Jewish Dog by Lynn Roth (USA, Hungary)
- Sibyl by Justine Triet (France)
- Standing Up, Falling Down by Matt Ratner (USA)
- Test Pattern by Shatara Michelle Ford (USA)
- VHYes by Jack Henry Robbins (USA)
Documentary Features
- Alan Magee: art is not a solace by David Wright (USA)
- Beyond The Bolex by Alyssa Bolsey (USA)
- Changing The Game by Michael Barnett (USA)
- Latter Day Jew by Aliza Rosen (USA)
- Lovemobil by Elke Margarete Lehrenkrauss (Germany)
- Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back by John Carluccio (USA)
- My Darling Vivian by Matt Riddlehoover (USA)
- No Fear No Favor by Mirra Bank (Zambia)
- The Painter and The Thief by Benjamin Ree (Norway)
- Ringside by Andre Hormann (USA)
- Scattering CJ by Andrea Kalin (USA)
- Spaceship Earth by Matt Wolf (USA)
- The Story of Plastic by Deia Schlosberg (USA)
- A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem by Yu Gu (USA)
Short Films
- An Anomalous Love by Reggie Williams (USA)
- Anna by Dekel Berenson (Ukraine, Israel, UK)
- Bad Assistant by Kyle Cogan (USA)
- Bavure by Donato Sansone (France)
- The Bird and The Whale by Carol Freeman (Ireland)
- Broken Bird by Rachel Harrison Gordon (USA)
- Brotherhood by Meryam Joobeur (Tunisia)
- Casting Couch by Justin Lee, Matt Thiesen (USA)
- Charon by Cullen Parr (USA)
- The Chase by Mike Doyle (USA)
- The Christmas Gift by Bogdan Muresanu (Romania)
- Closed Loop by Daniel M. Cashdan III (USA)
- Connections by Kevin P. Alexander (USA)
- Crisis on the Half Shell: The Chesapeake Bay by Michael Watts (USA)
- Enforcement Hours by Paloma Martinez (USA)
- Exam by Sonia K. Hadad (Iran)
- Former Cult Member Hears Music For the First Time by Kristoffer Borgli (USA)
- Frida by Laura Tejero Núñez (USA)
- Ghost in Context by Mason Standish (USA)
- Hayseeds by Tyler Graham Pavey, Martha Magruder (USA)
- Hearth by Sophie B. Jacques (Canada)
- I Love Lisha by Dan Robert, Lisha Brooks (USA)
- Influenced by Ari Halevy (USA)
- Judas Collar by Alison James (Australia)
- Just a Drill by Julianne Donelle (USA)
- Just Me and You by Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers (Canada)
- K.I.N.G by Rashad Frett (USA)
- Kindred Spirit by Caroline Lindy (USA)
- Knocking Down The Fences by Meg Shutzer (USA)
- Lady Parts by Erin Rye, Jessica Sherif (USA)
- Lefty/Righty by Max Walker-Silverman (USA)
- Let’s Talk by Barna Szasz (USA)
- Marsha! by Rowen Kahn (USA)
- The Million by Ryan Mayers (USA)
- Moon Eyes by Sallie Keena (USA)
- Motherland by Emily Mkrtichian, Jesse Soursourian (Armenia)
- The Neighbors’ Window by Marshall Curry (USA)
- Pearl by Yuchao Feng (China/ USA)
- Personal Best by Kevin Alexander (USA)
- Real Talk by Artemis Shaw (USA)
- Selfies by Claudius Gentinetta (Switzerland)
- Ship: A Visual Poem by Terrance Daye (USA)
- Skin by Guy Nattiv (USA)
- St. Louis Superman by Smriti Mundhra, Sami Khan (USA)
- This Time Away by Magali Barbé (UK)
- Trashy by Kevin P. Alexander (USA)
- True Believer by Sarah Colt, Josh Gleason (USA)
- Turtle by Matt Kenchington (USA)
- Two by Emre Okten (USA)
- Upload to Story by Emma Pål Brunzell (Sweden)
- USA V Scott by Ora Dekornfeld (USA)
- Utopia by Kosta Nikas (Australia)
- Westfalia by Haley Finnegan (USA)
- Why Slugs Have No Legs by Aline Höchli (Switzerland)
- Your Last Day on Earth by Marc Martínez Jordán (Spain)
Festival Director, Lee Anderson said, “The festival has grown from a small group of organizers meeting over coffee to a small staff of 9, a core group of team leaders and over 300+ volunteers. This event brings in over $7 million dollars and 20,000 visitors to our community over the 4 days.”
All films in the slate will compete for the Best of the Fest, held Sunday, March 29 where awards are given out to the top narrative and documentary feature films, as well as the top narrative and documentary shorts. The audience favorite films will be re-screened for audiences on Sunday evening.
Passes are on sale now (the way to go), and individual tickets will be on sale tomorrow (March 3, 2020).
For more information about the 2020 Annapolis Film Festival or to volunteer, visit www.annapolisfilmfestival.com.
