2021 Naples International Film Festival
Narrative
7 Days
2021, NR, US, Drama, 86 minutes
Florida Premiere
Filmmakers in Attendance
Director: Roshan Sethi
Producers: Liz Cardenas, Mel Eslyn
Writers: Karan Soni, Roshan Sethi
Cast: Karan Soni, Geraldine Viswanathan, Mark Duplass, Zenobia Shroff, Aparna Nancherla, Gita Reddy, Jeffrey Self
Ravi and Rita are set up on a date arranged by their traditional Indian parents. When unforeseen circumstances force them to live together for a week, Ravi discovers that Rita is not quite the traditional girl of his dreams—but her “bad influence” might be just what he needs. As irritation gives way to intimacy, they are forced to confront what they have been hiding from each other, from their families, and from themselves..
Friday, October 22, 8:15pm
Saturday, October 23, 3:30pm
Narrative
Catch the Fair One
2021, NR, US, Thriller, 85 minutes
Florida Premiere
Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka
Producers: Mollye Asher, Kimberly Parker, Josef Kubota Wladyka
Writers: Kali Reis, Josef Kubota Wladyka
Cast: Kali Reis, Daniel Henshall, Tiffany Chu, Michael Drayer, Kimberly Guerrero, Lisa Emery, Kevin Dunn
Kaylee “K.O.” Uppashaw, a Native American boxer, struggles to pick up the pieces of her life as she spends her days working at a diner and her nights sleeping in a women’s shelter, dreaming of the life she once had. But after a clandestine rendezvous with a private investigator, Kaylee embarks on the fight of her life as she takes on the human trafficking network responsible for abducting her younger sister two years ago.
Friday, October 22, 7:45pm
Saturday, October 23, 10:30am
Narrative
Final Set
2020, NR, France, Sports Drama, 105 minutes
French with English Subtitles
Director: Quentin Reynaud
Producer: Léonard Glowinski
Writer: Quentin Reynaud
Cast: Alex Lutz, Ana Girardot, Kristin Scott Thomas
Thomas was once renowned as a young tennis prodigy, but he never had the career he hoped for. At 37, despite his declining physical fitness, he decides to compete in the qualifying rounds of the French Open for one last shot at glory.
Friday, October 22, 11am
Sunday, October 24, 6:15pm
Narrative
Hive
2021, NR, Kosovo/Switzerland/Macedonia/Albania, Drama, 84 minutes
Albanian with English subtitles
Director: Blerta Basholli
Producers: Yll Uka, Valon Bajgora, Agon Uka
Writer: Blerta Basholli
Cast: Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi
Hive is a searing drama based on the true story of Fahrije, who has lived with fading hope and burgeoning grief since her husband went missing during the war in Kosovo. In order to provide for her struggling family, she pulls the other widows in her patriarchal village together to launch a business selling hot pepper preserves. Together, they find healing and solace — but their will to begin living independently is met with hostility.
Friday, October 22, 11:30am
Sunday, October 24, 6:30pm
Narrative
One Moment
2021, PG, US, Comedy, 115 minutes
Filmmakers in Attendance
Director: Deirdre O’Connor
Producers: Jodi Weiner, Deirdre O’Connor
Writer: Deirdre O’Connor
Cast: Danny Aiello, Adria Tennor, Frankie Ingrassia, Natalie Seus, Sal Rendino, Sioux Madden
One Moment is the humorous, heartwarming story of middle-aged siblings struggling to manage their own lives while also caring for their recently widowed, aging father. Although the family is at odds over how best to care for their father, they are united in their desire to ensure his well-being and peace of mind — without them losing their own. Welcome to the Sandwich Generation.
Friday, October 22, 3:30pm
Sunday, October 24, 1:15pm
Narrative
Peace by Chocolate
2021, NR, US, Drama/Comedy, 96 minutes
Florida Premiere
Filmmakers in Attendance
Juried Film
Arabic with English Subtitles
Director: Jonathan Keijser
Producers: Jonathan Keijser, Martin Paul-Hus, Kathy Wolf, Catherine Légar
Writers: Jonathan Keijser, Abdul Malik
Cast: Hatem Ali, Ayham Abou Ammar, Mark Camacho, Yara Sabri
After the bombing of his father’s chocolate factory, Tareq Hadhad, a charming young Syrian refugee, struggles to settle into his new small-town life in Nova Scotia, Canada. Still intent on pursuing his dream of becoming a doctor, Tareq finds himself caught between forging his own path and joining his family in rebuilding their legacy as chocolate makers.
Friday, October 22, 8:30pm
Saturday, October 23, 11:30am
Narrative
Risks and Side Effects
2021, NR, Austria, Comedy, 92 minutes
German with English Subtitles
Director: Michael Kreihsl
Writer: Julia Oberndorfinger, Hannes Salat
Cast: Inka Friedrich, Samuel Finzi, Pia Hierzegger, Thomas Mraz
When a routine check-up reveals that Pilates trainer Kathrin is suffering from kidney disease and needs a transplant, the fragility of the relationships within and between two couples is laid bare. Eventually, the question can no longer be avoided: What is true love?
Saturday, October 23, 5:30pm
Sunday, October 24, 4pm
Narrative
The Beta Test
2021, NR, US, Thriller, 94 minutes
Florida Premiere
Directors: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe
Producer: Natalie Metzger, Matt Miller, Benjamin Wiessner
Writer: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe
Cast: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe, Virginia Newcomb, Kevin Changaris, Olivia Applegate, Jessie Barr
A soon-to-be married Hollywood agent receives a mysterious invitation for an anonymous sexual encounter with a secret admirer and becomes ensnared in a sinister world of lying, murder and infidelity in this scintillating satire.
Saturday, October 23, 8:15pm
Sunday, October 24, 1pm
Narrative
The Dunes
2021, NR, Australia, Thriller, 85 minutes
North American Premiere
Filmmakers in Attendance
Director: Martin Copping
Producer: Martin Copping
Writer: Martin Copping
Cast: Martin Copping, Tim Phillipps
Nicholas Rice, a renowned journalist for the LA Times, returns to his beachside hometown to investigate the disappearance of the tenant in his childhood home.
Friday, October 22, 6:15pm
Saturday, October 23, 8:30pm
Narrative
The Humans
2021, R, US, Drama, 108 minutes
Director: Stephen Karam
Producers: Louise Lovegrove, Stephen Karam
Writer: Stephen Karam
Cast: Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun, June Squibb
When Erik Blake gathers three generations of his Pennsylvania family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter’s pre-war duplex in lower Manhattan, not all goes according to plan. As darkness falls outside the crumbling building and eerie things start to go bump in the night, the Blake family’s deepest fears are laid bare.
Friday, October 22, 1:45pm
Saturday, October 23, 5:45pm
Narrative
Waikiki
2020, NR, US, Drama, 88 minutes
Florida Premiere
Juried Film
Director: Christopher Kahunahana
Producer: Connie M. Florez, Nicole Naone
Writer: Christopher Kahunahana
Cast: Danielle Zalopany, Peter Shindoka, Jason Quinn
In this cinematic allegory of love and loss, a hula dancer fights for survival — and her sanity — in the shadows of Waikiki, offering an unflinching glimpse into paradise where there remains hope through human connection and reconnection to ʻaina (nature).
Friday, October 22, 6:00pm
Saturday, October 23, 7:30pm
Narrative
Women Is Losers
2021, NR, US, Drama, 84 minutes
Florida Premiere
Juried Film
Director: Lissette Feliciano
Producer: Lissette Feliciano
Writer: Lissette Feliciano
Cast: Lorenza Izzo, Bryan Craig, Chrissie Fit, Simu Liu, Liza Weil, Steven Bauer
In 1960s San Francisco, bright and talented Catholic schoolgirl Celina Guerrera survives a difficult home life by following the rules, until an act of indiscretion creates a series of devastating consequences. As Celina faces the compounded obstacles of being young and alone, she sets out to rise above the oppression of poverty and invest in a future that sets new precedents for the time.
Saturday October 23, 7:30pm • Artis—Naples
Sunday, October 24, 11:15am • Silverspot Cinema
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