The Annapolis Film Festival is bringing over 70 movies to the city this weekend, from Thursday to Sunday. Festivalgoers will have the chance to watch films from around the world and attend panel discussions, post-screening Q&As and coffee talks with directors and actors.
From a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde film made by Annapolis natives to a documentary following Girl Scouts, here is a preview of a few of the projects lighting up the festival’s big screen this weekend.
‘Power Ballad’ by John Carney, starring Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd
Rick (Rudd) is a washed-up wedding singer while Danny (Jonas) is a fading boy band idol looking for something real. When the two get together, Danny turns one of Rick’s original songs into a chart-topping hit and claims it as his own. Rick tries to confront Danny and demand the credit he deserves. “Power Ballad” will play at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday in Maryland Hall.
‘Cookie Queens’ by Alysa Nahmias, produced in association with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Productions
This documentary follows four girls and their families as they navigate the $800 million business of selling Girl Scout Cookies and try to become the top-selling “Cookie Queen.” The film will screen at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. John’s College’s Key Auditorium.
‘The Eyes of Ghana’ by Ben Proudfoot, executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama
This film follows 93-year-old documentarian Chris Hesse, the personal cinematographer to former Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah, as he tries to recover over 1,000 films that captured the birth of African independence in the 50s and 60s. The never-before-seen films could rewrite Ghanaian, African and world history. “The Eyes of Ghana” will play at 5 p.m. Saturday in Maryland Hall. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with one of the film’s producers, Nana Adwoa Frimpong.
‘Sum Function’ by Noah Currier and Nick Cavalier
This documentary follows a group of veterans living with severe physical disabilities who confront battles on and off the wheelchair rugby court. The film will premiere at the festival at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Maryland Hall and will be followed by a Q&A session with Currier and Cavalier.
‘Carolina Caroline’ by Adam Carter Rehmeier, starring Kyra Sedgwick
This modern-day Bonnie and Clyde film was produced by Annapolis natives Tim and Trevor White. It shows the budding romance between Caroline Daniels, a small-town Texas clerk, and Oliver, a con man. The two go on a road trip, hoping to find Caroline’s estranged mother (Sedgwick) in South Carolina. This film will play at 7 p.m. Saturday in St. John’s College’s Key Auditorium and will be followed by a Q&A with Rehmeier.
‘Poetic License’ by Maude Apatow, starring Leslie Mann
Fresh off her breakout role as Lexi Howard on HBO’s “Euphoria,” Apatow is making her directorial debut alongside her mother, Mann. The film follows Liz (Mann), a middle-aged mom and former therapist, who befriends two men at a poetry workshop. However, the trio’s platonic dynamic begins to blur with misunderstandings and jealousies. “Poetic License” will screen at 7 p.m. Friday in Maryland Hall.
‘Tovah’ by David Serero, starring Tovah Feldshuh
Feldshuh shaped American theater for more than five decades, and this documentary showcases her rise to becoming a Broadway legend. It also includes interviews with Oscar Issac, Kristen Bell, Patti Lupone and Stephen Schwartz, among others. “Tovah” will play at 10 a.m. Sunday in St. John’s College’s Key Auditorium and will be followed by a Q&A with Serero and Feldshuh.
‘Elijah Peel’ by Nathan Ross Murphy and Kevin D. Sepe
After living a life fueled by drugs and alcohol, rockstar Elijah Peel experiences a heart attack that forces him to confront his lifestyle. His recovery journey is then influenced by a terminally ill 9-year-old girl named Jessica. “Elijah Peel” will premiere at the festival at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Maryland Hall. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Sepe and actors Robert Malcom Cumming, Evelyn Grace Kite and Kevin Sorbo.
Festival passes and tickets for individual films are still available online. Festivalgoers will also have the chance to line up for rush tickets for films sold out online.
Have a news tip? Contact Tanisha Bhat at tbhat@baltsun.com or 443-900-3174.