The Milton Film Festival has announced the eight feature films which will be screened at the sixth annual event over the weekend of January 25-27, 2019 at the FirstOntario Arts Centre Milton.
The film line-up was officially unveiled at an invitation-only launch event on Wednesday, November 28th at Miss Bailey Brown Chocolate in downtown Milton. The artisan chocolatier is a new sponsoring partner for the Festival this year, and provided delicious sweet treats and refreshments for the enthusiastic crowd of patrons, sponsors, and special guests in attendance.
Following opening remarks by Festival Director Jennifer Smith, the eight feature films to be screened were revealed by the Festival’s new host and MC, Indira Naidoo-Harris, starting with the Opening Night Gala Feature, COLETTE.
This British historical drama portrays the early years of one of the most celebrated French writers of the early 20th century, portrayed by actress Keira Knightley. The film also stars Dominic West as Colette’s first husband, for whom she originally played ghost-writer under his pen name ‘Willy’. Her eventual rebellion against him and against the gender norms of the age resonate powerfully today in this remarkable and timely film.
Saturday’s Gala Feature is the powerful historical drama BLACK ’47. Set during the darkest days of the Irish Famine, the film follows the structure of a classic revenge western as a newly-returned Irish soldier named Feeney (James Frecheville) hunts down those responsible for the deaths of his family members, while a disgraced former compatriot (Hugo Weaving) is compelled to hunt him in turn.
With a stellar supporting cast including Stephen Rea, Jim Broadbent, and Freddie Fox, BLACK ’47 is bound to be one of the biggest hits of the Festival.
Two major Canadian features were also announced. ADVENTURES IN PUBLIC SCHOOL is a charming and quirky comedy, starring Judy Greer as a loving but overprotective mother forced to release her home-schooled son (Daniel Doheny, in his feature film debut) into the unfamiliar but exciting world of public high school.
Hot off it’s premiere at TIFF, ANTHROPOCENE: THE HUMAN EPOCH is the third collaboration by acclaimed Canadian documentarians Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, and Edward Burtynsky. Part of a trilogy of visually stunning and impactful films including Manufactured Landscapes and Watermark, ANTHROPOCENE presents beautiful but tragic images from across the globe of the enormous effect human beings are having on the planet.
Other feature films announced were:
THE RIDER – After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for new identity in this powerful and moving film that treads the line between scripted drama and documentary.
LEAVE NO TRACE – A father and daughter are living an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Oregon when a small mistake derails their lives forever. One of the most talked about films from Sundance this year, by acclaimed director Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone).
TEA WITH THE DAMES – Four acting legends and old friends – Dames Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Maggie Smith – discuss their careers and reminisce about their humble beginnings in the theatre in gloriously candid and witty fashion.
THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS – Three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they’re triplets who were separated at birth. Then they discover why. This award-winning documentary is already a front runner for the Oscars.
The Festival’s selection of short films by local and regional filmmakers, to be screened with the features, will be announced at a later date. For more information visit their website.
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