Hull Independent Cinema: THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT

Hull Independent Cinema presents THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT
Kim Nguyen | 2018 | Belgium/Canada | Cert 15 | 110 min

In this modern epic, Kim Nguyen exposes the ruthless edge of our increasingly digital world. Cousins from New York, Vincent (Jesse Eisenberg) and Anton (Alexander Skarsgård) are players in the high-stakes game of High-Frequency Trading, where winning is measured in milliseconds. Their dream? To build a straight fibre-optic cable line between Kansas and New Jersey, making them millions. But nothing is straightforward for this flawed pair. Anton is the brains, Vincent is the hustler, and together they push each other and everyone around them to the breaking point with their daring adventure. Constantly breathing down their necks is their old boss Eva Torres (Salma Hayek), a powerful, intoxicating and manipulative trader who will stop at nothing to come between them and beat them at their own game.

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Salma Hayek

Awards and Reviews
“At once an offbeat comedy and a satisfyingly weird thriller.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“An invigorating snapshot of greed that examines how far competitors will go to gain even the slightest fraction of an edge over their rivals in the stock market. – Detroit News

Certificate
THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT is rated 15. Visit the BBFC website for full details (may include plot spoilers).

Hull Independent Cinema: SUPPORT THE GIRLS

Lisa Conroy is the last person you’d expect to find in a highway-side “sports bar with curves,”– but as general manager at Double Whammies, she’s come to love the place and its customers. An incurable den mother, she nurtures and protects her girls fiercely–but over the course of one trying day, her optimism is battered from every direction…Double Whammies sells a big, weird American fantasy, but what happens when reality pokes a bunch of holes in it.

Starring Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, Dylan Gelula, Zoe Graham, Ann McCaskey, Elizabeth Trieu, Lea DeLaria

Awards and Reviews
Nominee, Best Female Lead – Film Independent Spirit Awards
Nominee, Best Actress, Best Screenplay – Gotham Film Awards
SXSW Film Festival, Sarasota Film Festival, Americana Film Festival Official Selections

“Support the Girls somehow manages to do it all, and in the form of a breezy, heartwarming workplace comedy to boot. There won’t be another film like it this year.” – The Atlantic

“Hall’s superb deeply felt performance keeps the movie grounded, allowing the supporting cast to provide hilarious liftoff at regular intervals.” – AV Club

Certificate
SUPPORT THE GIRLS is rated 15.

HIC: BALANCE, NOT SYMMETRY

Hull Independent Cinema presents BALANCE, NOT SYMMETRY
Jamie Adams | 2019 | UK | Cert 15 TBC | 96 mins

An American student living a privileged existence at Glasgow School of Art faces the unexpected death of her father. Consumed with her loss, she finds herself re-examining both her life and inner circle. Made in close conjunction with the Scottish band Biffy Clyro, who worked on both the storyline and the score.

Hull Independent Cinema presents BALANCE, NOT SYMMETRY
Jamie Adams | 2019 | UK | Cert 15 TBC | 96 mins

After her father’s funeral, American student Caitlin leaves her grieving mother behind to return to her third-year studies at the Glasgow School of Art. There she juggles her grief and end-of-year presentation with meeting a new guy, Rory, and a rupture in her relationship with her housemate and BFF Hannah. Can she again find balance in her turbulent life?

Made in close conjunction with the Scottish band Biffy Clyro, who worked on both the storyline and the score.

Starring Laura Harrier, Bria Vinaite, Kate Dinkie

Awards and Reviews
Edinburgh International Film Festival Official Selection (World premiere)

Certificate
BALANCE, NOT SYMMETRY is expected to be rated 15. Visit the BBFC website for full details (may include plot spoilers).

Pride on Screen: Fringe! Shorts: THERE’S NOWT SO QUEER AS FOLK TODAY + Q&A

FRINGE! Queer Film & Arts Fest comes to Hull! The best LGBTIQA+ storytellers and filmmakers explore the state of queer Britain today, from the ways that we see ourselves represented, to how we express ourselves, how we love, and how we fight for our rights. From local directors to global stories, queer people’s lives are shown in all their beauty and diversity. Filmmakers of these vital shorts will be in attendance.

Two of the short films in the programme are from Hull filmmakers, ADAE (directed by Tyrone Smith) and THEY, THEM, THEIR (directed by Ruby Seddon-Wilson). Both of the directors will be in attendance for a post-screening question and answer period along with Kai Fi’Ain, director of THE BROTHER.

Fringe! hosts a multitude of diverse events to tickle every one of the senses, from feature films to experimental installations, workshops and lively debates to wild parties. You’ll see FRINGE! Flood London’s cinemas, art galleries, pop-up venues and basement clubs with the powerful, provocative and strange each November, and are here for the Culture!

Venue: 62-63 Humber Street, Hull (Previously Fruit)

Film in the programme include:

CLASH
Dir Amrou Al-Khadi | 8 mins | UK
An experimental documentary critiquing Britain’s obsession with period dramas, and how they erase the diverse reality of Britain today.

THEY / THEM / THEIR *
Dir Ruby Seddon-Wilson | 2 min | UK
Zoe explores drag’s empowering effects through their alter-ego Cyanide Homicide and reveals the vulnerability beneath the performance.

THE BROTHER *
Dir Kai Fi’Ain | 4 mins |UK
The morning after the night before, Frances accidentally finds herself caught up in a surreal, queer universe.

THE WORLD CAN WAIT
Dir Deborah Espect | 8 mins | UK
Vic is a popular lesbian character in a hit television series. But when the executives in charge of the show gather to decide her fate, she must fight for her survival.

DES!RE
Dir Campbell X | 9 mins | UK
The desire and attraction for transmasculine, transmen, butches, studs, and masculine of centre (MOC) people is explored in this beautifully shot and stylised experimental film.

THE QUEENS
Dir Cathal O’Brien | 5 mins | UK
The cheeky, vicious invasion of the queers in this music video for The Carry Nation’s new track references Genet, Mapplethorpe, the Pet Shop Boys, Boy George, Capote and more, praising queer spirit.

FLESHBACK: QUEER RAVING IN MANCHESTER’S TWILIGHT ZONE
Dir Steven Issacs-Wilson | 16 mins | UK
A vivid documentary exploring the alternative parties developing on the outskirts of Manchester against a backdrop of austerity.

UNICORNS OF WESTFIELD
Dir Louise Ashcroft | 6 mins | UK
Northerner, Londoner, Artist; Louise Ashcroft explores Westfield, Stratford and capitalism in her assumed residency.

PARENTS’ CHAT
Dir Kate Jessop | 3 mins | UK
Coming out to the parents, with unexpected replies. Part of a satirical animated comedy web series set in Pussy Willow, which celebrates queer, feminist and absurdist themes.

POOF
Dir Dean Anderson | 17 mins | UK
Boy meets boy at a party. Aaron is stuck in an apprenticeship with his Dad in a Yorkshire town, when a kiss begins an opportunity for change.

ADAE*
Dir Tyrone Smith | 4 mins | UK
Adae, a non-binary, polyamorous, Nigerian drag king describes living in London and their interest in drag.

INVISIBLE WOMEN *
Dir Alice Smith | 25 mins | UK
The stories of the women who led Manchester’s Gay Liberation Front finally come to view in this inspirational and joyful account of lesbian activists changing the lives of thousands for the better.
* Filmmaker in attendance

Certificate
The films in this programme are unrated – no one under 18 can be permitted into the theatre

Hull Independent Cinema: IN FABRIC

The latest from the unique imagination of Peter Strickland, IN FABRIC, is a typically distinctive and haunting tale that blends Giallo-infused horror with absurdist dark humour, to ghostly effect. Set against the backdrop of a busy winter sales period at a mysterious Thames Valley department store, the film follows the journey of a cursed but strikingly beautiful blood-red dress as it passes from person to person, with devastating consequences.

Starring Gwendoline Christie, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Marianne Jean-Baptiste

Awards and Reviews
Winner, Best Director – Austin Fantastic Fest
BFI London Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, Calgary Underground Film Festival Official Selections

“A raucous, full-tilt descent into bishop-sleeved madness.” – Little White Lies

“If you haven’t yet guessed, Strickland’s real terror concerns our addiction to buying things, and In Fabric goes way beyond zombies in a mall.” – Time Out

Certificate
IN FABRIC is rated 15.

Hull Independent Cinema: GLORIA BELL

Gloria is a free-spirited divorcée who spends her days at a straight-laced office job and her nights on the dance floor, joyfully letting loose at clubs around Los Angeles. After meeting Arnold on a night out, she finds herself thrust into an unexpected new romance, filled with both the joys of budding love and the complications of dating, identity, and family.

From Academy Award-winning director Sebastian Lelio (A FANTASTIC WOMAN, DISOBEDIENCE) comes a sophisticated romantic comedy that shows love can strike at any time, relationships are never simple, and nothing can get you down as long as you keep dancing.

Starring Julianne Moore, Sean Astin, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Michael Cera, Alanna Ubach, John Turturro

Awards and Reviews
International Film Festival Rotterdam, Belfast Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival Selections

“Because of Moore’s open-hearted, captivating portrayal of the title character, repetition won’t be a drawback for those who’ve seen Gloria. She makes the role her own with brio and woman-power strength.” – The Toronto Star

“This is a quiet film, moving at its own pace, reflecting life with such realism it’s as if we’re invisible guests in Gloria Bell’s life.” – Chicago Sun-Times

Certificate
GLORIA BELL is rated 15.

HOME-Restart Productions in association with Drunk Animal

We are a Hull-based studio and we are proud to share with you our very first production, Home, featuring Ian Beattie, Lily Aslandogdu and Daniel Mihai.

Our first film ‘Home’ is a story of a lonely young girl who meets a Romanian farmhand who claims to be held captive. The issue of modern-day slavery is so massive in scale, many are unable to comprehend it or even acknowledge it. Our story attempts to ask the question: can she save him, or will his secret keep them both prisoner?

Screenings will take place in 3 different venues:
28/06 at the C4DI – private screening
18/07 at Thieving Harry’s – intimate public screening
02/08 at the Bonus Arena – private screening along with networking and a Q&A session

We look forward to seeing you at the screening and sharing this short story with you.

Image credited to Restart Productions

HOME – Restart Productions in association with Drunk Animal

We are a Hull-based studio and we are proud to share with you our very first production, Home, featuring Ian Beattie, Lily Aslandogdu and Daniel Mihai.

Our first film ‘Home’ is a story of a lonely young girl who meets a Romanian farmhand who claims to be held captive. The issue of modern-day slavery is so massive in scale, many are unable to comprehend it or even acknowledge it. Our story attempts to ask the question: can she save him, or will his secret keep them both prisoner?

Screenings will take place in 3 different venues:
28/06 at the C4DI – private screening
18/07 at Thieving Harry’s – intimate public screening
02/08 at the Bonus Arena – private screening along with networking and a Q&A session

We look forward to seeing you at the screening and sharing this short story with you.

Pride on Screen: SOME LIKE IT QUEER event

Kick-off your Pride weekend with the classic drag comedy SOME LIKE IT HOT starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Before the screening, we’ll discuss the film’s influence on drag in tv, film and popular culture and the state of drag queens (and kings!) in 2019. Celebrations will continue after the film, so come in your best Hollywood glamour drag!

The pre-screening discussion includes SOME LIKE IT HOT expert David N Eldridge, Senior Lecturer in American Studies at Hull University and Cheddar Gorgeous, member of Family Gorgeous and star of makeover series DRAG SOS which has its premiere on Tuesday 25 June on Channel 4.

The event will also feature appearances from local celebrity drag queens Fanny Ncentite, Regina Sparkles, Gloria Hole and Bobby Mandrell.

Synopsis
Two down on their luck jazz musicians find themselves out of a job and on the run after the police raid the speakeasy they perform in and they inadvertently stumble upon a gang war. With no money and nowhere to hide, a gig with Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopators at a Florida beach resort seems like the perfect getaway. There’s just one problem: the Syncopators are an all-female band, and Joe and Jerry aren’t women – yet.

Starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon

Awards and Reviews
Winner – Best Costume Design, 1960 Academy Awards
Nominee – Best Actor, Best Director, Best Writing, 1960 Academy Awards
Winner – Best Comedy, Best Actress, Best Actor – 1960 Golden Globes

“Nobody’s perfect” is the last line but Wilder, Lemmon, Curtis and Monroe come pretty close. The pace is fast and the humour — especially Mr Lemmon’s — is often hilarious. It is pleasant to meet again such old familiars and Miss Monroe, as always, is irresistible.” – The Guardian

“Wilder’s 1959 comedy is one of the enduring treasures of the movies, a film of inspiration and meticulous craft.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Certificate
SOME LIKE IT HOT is rated 12A.

Pride on Screen: VITA & VIRIGINIA

Based on a true story, VITA & VIRGINIA details the passionate relationship between literary trailblazer Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Debicki), and enigmatic aristocrat Vita Sackville-West (Gemma Arterton). When their paths cross, the magnetic Vita decides the beguiling, stubborn and gifted Virginia will be her next conquest, no matter the cost. The ensuing relationship leads to the birth of Woolf’s bold, experimental novel – Orlando.

A daring celebration of an unconventional bond, and a vivid exploration of gender, sexuality, creativity and passion, VITA & VIRGINIA details the love story of two women – two writers – who smashed through social barriers to find solace in their forbidden connection.

Starring Elizabeth Debicki, Gemma Arterton, Rupert Penry-Jones, Isabella Rossellini

Awards and Reviews
Opening Night Film – BFI Flare LGBTQ Festival 2019
Toronto International Film Festival, British Film Festival Official Selection

“Vita & Virginia works as a gorgeous supplement to both women’s legacies. It’s a thoughtful celebration of their complexity and their love.” – Fishnet Cinema

Certificate
VITA & VIRGINIA is rated 12A.

Hull Independent Cinema: WE THE ANIMALS

Three boys tear through their rural New York hometown, in the midst of their young parents’ volatile love that makes and unmakes the family many times over.

While Manny and Joel grow into versions of their loving and unpredictable father (Raúl Castillo), Ma seeks to keep her youngest, Jonah, in the cocoon of home. More sensitive and conscious than his older siblings, Jonah increasingly embraces an imagined world all his own.

With a screenplay by Dan Kitrosser and Jeremiah Zagar based on the celebrated Justin Torres novel, We the Animals is a visceral coming-of-age story propelled by layered performances from its astounding cast – including three talented, young first-time actors – and stunning animated sequences which bring Jonah’s torn inner world to life.

Drawing from his documentary background, director Jeremiah Zagar creates an immersive portrait of working-class family life and brotherhood.

Starring Sheila Vand, Raúl Castillo, Evan Rosado

Awards and Reviews
Winner, NEXT Innovator Award – Sundance Film Festival
Winner, Critics Prize – Americana Film Festival
Nominee, Best Supporting Male, Best First Feature, Best Cinematography – Film Independent Spirit Awards

“For his first narrative feature, the documentarian Zagar displays a thrillingly sensitive eye for the curiosity and caution that exists in every young child’s heart, and how it is so simple for the world to crush that.” – Globe and Mail

“On one level… “We the Animals” is a classic coming-of-age tale; on another, it’s a near perfect depiction of the emotional damage that can result from economic insecurity.” – New York Times

Jeremiah Zagar | 2018 | USA | Cert 15 | 93 mins

HIC: JT LEROY

Hull Independent Cinema presents JT LEROY
Justin Kelly | 2018 | USA | Cert 15 | 108 mins

Based on Savannah Knoop’s memoir Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT LeRoy, this captivating true story goes beyond the headlines to tell the story of the most compelling literary ‘hoax’ of recent times. Laura Albert (Laura Dern) writes as her “avatar,” a disenfranchised young queer man named JT LeRoy. When her debut novel becomes a best-seller and JT becomes the darling of the literary world, she comes up with a unique solution to preserve her anonymity but give life to her nom-de-plume. Enter her boyfriend’s androgynous fun-loving sister Savannah Knoop (Kristen Stewart), who connects with Laura’s punk, feminist, outsider universe and agrees to be JT in the public eye. Together, they embark on a wild ride of double lives, infiltrating the Hollywood and literary elite, only to discover who they are while pretending to be someone else.

Starring Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, Jim Sturgess

Awards and Reviews
Toronto International Film Festival, BFI Flare Film Festival Official Selections

“The new film smartly illuminates what’s been missing from other accounts: Why someone like Knoop would agree to, and even enjoy, taking part in someone else’s hoax.” – NPR

“A capable film featuring superbly spiky performances…” – Variety

Certificate
JT LEROY is rated 15. Visit the BBFC website for full details (may include plot spoilers).

Image credited to Signature Entertainment

Hull Independent Cinema: THUNDER ROAD

THUNDER ROAD follows Officer Arnaud on his journey to raise his young daughter as a love letter to his late Mom. Police officer Jim Arnaud does his best to keep himself together as he greets arrivals at his mother’s funeral, responsible for organising it all with both his brother and sister absent.

However, the emotion of the day results in him acting out the lyrics to Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Thunder Road’, a song which his mother would sing to him as a child, with footage of his bizarre dance going viral throughout the local community.

As well as attempting to cope with this grief, move past the embarrassment and handle the daily pressures of being a cop, Jim is also in the middle of divorce proceedings with his wife and is fighting for custody of their daughter.

Thunder Road is written, directed and also features a brilliant central performance from one-to-watch Jim Cummings.

Featuring Jim Cummings, Kendal Farr, Nican Robinson

Awards and Reviews
Winner, Grand Jury Award – SXSW
Nominee, John Cassavetes Award – Film Independent Spirit Awards
Munich Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Munich Film Festival Official Selections

“The indie film you need to see this year.” – Rolling Stone

“Melancholy, funny, excruciating and wonderfully affecting.” – Daily Mirror

Certificate
THUNDER ROAD is rated 15.

HIC: PAIN AND GLORY

Hull Independent Cinema presents PAIN AND GLORY
Pedro Almodóvar | 2019 | Spain | Cert 15 | 113 mins | Spanish language with English subtitles

Pain and Glory tells of a series of reencounters experienced by Salvador Mallo, a film director in his physical decline. Some of them in the flesh, others remembered: his childhood in the 60s, when he emigrated with his parents to a village in Valencia in search of prosperity, the first desire, his first adult love in the Madrid of the 80s, the pain of the breakup of that love while it was still alive and intense, writing as the only therapy to forget the unforgettable, the early discovery of cinema, and the void, the infinite void that creates the incapacity to keep on making films.

Pain and Glory talks about creation, about the difficulty of separating it from one’s own life and about the passions that give it meaning and hope. In recovering his past, Salvador finds the urgent need to recount it, and in that need, he also finds his salvation.

Starring Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz, Asier Etxeandia

Awards and Reviews
Winner, Best Actor, Nominee, Palme d’Or – Cannes Film Festival
Nominee, Best Film – Sydney Film Festival

“Pain and Glory is Almodóvar’s best work for years, marvellously framed and composed, comparatively restrained for him, hugely enjoyable moment by moment.” – London Evening Standard “The hangdog expression is riven with pain, and [Banderas] plays Mallo as emotionally cauterised yet beneath it all still desperate to connect, to love and to make more films.” – The Times

Certificate
PAIN AND GLORY is rated 15. Visit the BBFC website for full details (may include plot spoilers).

Image credited to 20th Century Fox

Hail Satan: Credit Dogwoof

Hull Film Festival: Hail Satan ?

HULL PREMIERE

Chronicling the extraordinary rise of one of the most colorful and controversial religious movements in American history, Hail Satan? is an inspiring and entertaining new feature documentary from acclaimed director Penny Lane (Nuts!, Our Nixon).

When media-savvy members of the Satanic Temple organize a series of public actions designed to advocate for religious freedom and challenge corrupt authority, they prove that with little more than a clever idea, a mischievous sense of humor, and a few rebellious friends, you can speak truth to power in some truly profound ways.

As charming and funny as it is thought-provoking, Hail Satan? offers a timely look at a group of often misunderstood outsiders whose unwavering commitment to social and political justice has empowered thousands of people around the world.

Animals: Picturehouse Entertainment

Hull Film Festival: Animals

YORKSHIRE PREMIERE

 

Would-be writer Laura and her free-spirited bestie Tyler share a messy Dublin apartment and a hearty appetite for booze, Molly and one-night stands. Yet when Laura falls for Jim, a charming but straitlaced classical pianist, Tyler worries that the party may soon be over.

Adapted by Emma Jane Unsworth from her acclaimed 2014 novel of the same name, Animals explores the long hangover between adolescence and adulthood through a bittersweet tale of two friends growing up and growing apart. Sophie Hyde, whose debut feature, 52 Tuesdays, won a best directing award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, takes a refreshingly non-judgmental look at this fraught friendship, following Laura and Tyler through their hedonistic highs and soul-searching lows. Shawkat’s live-wire performance gives Tyler an anarchic comic edge that perfectly complements Grainger’s soulful turn as the conflicted and creatively blocked Laura. The duo are supported by a stellar cast, including Dermot Murphy as a dreamy, drug-addled suitor and Amy Molloy as Grainger’s weary but loving sister.