The SOHO International Film Festival (SIFFNYC) prepares to roll out its red carpet once again at the renowned Village East by Angelika in the heart of New York City.
It opens on September 14 and running through 21. With over 110 films lined up, including a record-breaking number of premieres, this year’s festival guarantees an exemplary cinematic experience.
The festival’s opening night feature film is “The Nana Project,” directed by Robin Givens, with an ensemble cast led by Mercedes Ruehl, Nolan Gould, Will Peltz, Tony Todd and Morgan Fairchild. A mockumentary set primarily at a retirement home, the film follows a documentary crew who develop an interest in a “star” resident, a feisty chess master, Helen “Nana” Lewis, played by Ruehl. The film is produced by Anthony Del Negro and 12-time Tony Award-winning Carl Moellenberg.
The US features includes “Little Brother”, a riveting drama about the journey of two estranged brothers brought together by a family intervention. The film stars J.K Simmons, Polly Draper, Natsuko Ohama, Phillip Ettinger and Daniel Diemer.
The festival will also present the World Premiere of New York based director Jon Delgado’s “Queen of Knives,”a film shot completely in Brooklyn, NY, about a modern eccentric family of two generations. 3-time Tony Award & Grammy Award-winning producer Jhett Tolentino will make his feature directorial debut, “Asian Persuasion”. The movie, which makes its World Premiere at SIFFNYC, stars Dante Basco, KC Concepcion, Paolo Montalban and Kevin Kreider.
Vivian Kerr’s “Scrap” was a SIFFNYC short film selection in 2019 and has returned as a feature film. Kerr stars in this feature along with Anthony Rapp and Lana Parilla. The World Features include Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan’s “Blue Room” (Philippines), Jihane El Bahhar’s “Triple A” (Morocco), Antonella Spirito’s “The House That Stood” (Italy), Bobby Barbacioru’s “A Frame of Mind” (Romania) and Apollo Bakopoulos’ “Aligned” (Greece). Other categories include Documentaries, Series Pilots, Animated Films and US/World Shorts, all of which set the stage for a week of exceptional storytelling and artistic exploration.
Special programs on the lineup include a screening of films and panel presented by the New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and the world premiere of short films featuring Juilliard Drama Division actors from the classes of 2022 and 2023, produced as part of Juilliard’s new initiative to provide students with practical experience working on camera.
This year’s festival is presented by the SOHO Film Forum, a 501(c)(3) organization. Founded in 2009 by Jorge Ballos, SIFFNYC continues to celebrate cutting-edge digital technology while honoring traditional forms of storytelling by encouraging new and seasoned filmmakers from New York City and around the world to create and send in their fresh and innovative cinematic pieces.
Check out the Line-Up.