The 27th Annual New Orleans Film Festival, taking place from October 12-20, 2016, recently announced its in-competition lineup.
“This year’s lineup typifies the festival’s strong commitment to supporting new cinematic voices,” says New Orleans Film Society Director of Programming Clint Bowie. “Festival-goers should be prepared to be challenged, moved, and awed by the bold and confident storytelling in this year’s lineup.”
In the documentary features category, the world premiere of Shelter is one of the highlights. The documentary was filmed over the course of a year, telling the stories of the children who seek shelter at New Orleans’ Covenant House. Another highlight is the U.S. premiere of Jonas and the Backyard Circus, a story of a 13-year-old who runs a neighborhood circus in his backyard.
As usual, there will be a strong emphasis on Louisiana filmmakers. Notable films in the Louisiana features category include Bookie, a story about a New Orleans man attempting to make a feature film to satisfy his Kickstarter investors. Before the West Coast tells the story of St. Augustine High School’s football team in the years after courts admitted them into Louisiana’s all-white high school sports association.
Highlights from the narrative features section include the world premiere of Fugue, a story of a woman fleeing to a tiny island where she must wrestle with the demons of her past. Hara Kiri will also make its world premiere at the festival, focusing on the story of two Los Angeles skate punks emulating Romeo & Juliet.
Film packages and weekend passes go on sale September 12. Tickets will go on sale for all New Orleans Film Society members and all access pass holders on September 26. Tickets will go on sale for the general public on October 3. For more information, visit the websites NewOrleansFilmFestival.org or NewOrleansFilmSociety.org.