Vail Film Festival announces 2016 film program

VAIL — The 13th annual Vail Film Festival returns April 7-10, and last week, organizers announced the lineup for the festival, which will showcase 67 films from around the world, including narrative features, documentaries, short films, student films and a Hong Kong film showcase. Twenty-eight of the films are making Colorado premieres, and 11 of the films are world premieres.

The films will screen at the Vail Cascade in Vail Cascade Resort & Spa and Cinebistro in Vail Village. The opening and closing night parties will take place at The Lodge at Vail.

“This marks the 13th year of the Vail Film Festival, and we’re looking forward to continuing our tradition of showcasing some of the year’s most accomplished filmmakers and their incredible work,” said festival co-director Sean Cross.

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Some of this year’s Vail Film Festival highlight films include the world premiere of “Year By the Sea,” adapted from the novel of the same name written by Joan Anderson; the world premiere of “Cut to the Chase,” by writer-director Blayne Weaver, starring Weaver and Lance Henriksen; the world premiere of “Finding Her,” starring Johnny Whitworth, Maurice McRae and Jeremy Holm; Vail Film Festival alumnus Valerie Weiss’ new film “The Light Beneath Their Feet,” starring Taryn Manning (“Orange is the New Black) and Madison Davenport (“Sisters”); and the Colorado premiere of “Morris from America,” starring Craig Robinson, winner of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize.

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NARRATIVE FEATURES

• “A Light Beneath Their Feet” (Colorado premiere): In a commanding performance, Manning plays Gloria, an Evanston mother wrestling with bipolar disorder and an imminent empty nest. Her dedicated daughter Beth (Davenport) has a bright future ahead but must decide if she will stay near home to care for her unpredictable mom or follow her own path. Film director Weiss and lead actress Davenport will attend the festival.

• “Cut to the Chase” (world premiere): Max (Weaver) has always been on the wrong side of the law, but his sister Isobel (Erin Cahill) always bails him out … until the day she disappears. Now, with the help of a mysterious stranger (Lyndie Greenwood), Max searches for his sister through the underbelly of a Louisiana town while being pursued by the notorious crime boss known only as “The Man” (Henricksen). Director, writer and actor Weaver and actors Greenwood (star of Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow”) and Cahill (“Power Rangers Time Force”) will be in attendance.

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• “Finding Her” (world premiere): Christian Baker, a well-known New York City journalist from The Chronicle, gets assigned to a social story about a 12-year-old African-American girl missing from Brooklyn. Director Vlad Feier, producer Ana Paula Rivera and actors McRae, Holm (“House of Cards,” “Mr. Robot”) and Jared Kemp will be in attendance.

• “Morris from America” (Colorado premiere): The film revolves around a 13-year-old African-American boy named Morris (Markees Christmas) and the relationship he has with his father, Curtis (Robinson), during the transitional period of adolescence. Complicating matters, they are new residents of Heidelberg, Germany — a city of rich history but little diversity.

• “The Adderall Diaries” (Colorado premiere): Starring James Franco, Amber Heard and Christian Slater, “The Adderall Diaries” is an American crime-thriller film based on a true-crime memoir book of the same name by Stephen Elliott. The underlying true crime is the Hans Reiser murder case. Writer and Adderall enthusiast Stephen Elliott reaches a low point when his estranged father resurfaces, claiming that Stephen has fabricated much of the dark childhood that fuels his writing.

• “Year By the Sea” (world premiere): Hoping to reclaim who she was before marriage and children, an empty nester retreats to Cape Cod, where she embarks upon a quest to set herself free. This coming-of-age story is based upon Joan Anderson’s New York Times best-selling memoirs. Film writer, director and composer Alexander Janko will attend the festival, as will producer Laura Goodenow and Anderson, the book’s author.

• Hong Kong Film Showcase: Presented by the Hong Kong Trade Office, this showcase will feature four cutting-edge films from some of Hong Kong’s finest filmmakers. Films include “Already Tomorrow in Hong Gong,” directed by Emily Ting; “Monster Hunt” directed by Raman Hui; “Office,” directed by Johnnie To; and “Little Big Master,” directed by Adrian Kwan.

DOCUMENTARIES

• “Out of the Ashes” (world premiere): From the streets of war-torn eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, two boys with a passion for education find their way to school and Martin Luther King Jr. inspiration. Armed with a dream, their community attains scholarships for them to attend their senior year of high school in Orange County, California. The film follows Prince and Grace from their last months in Congo through their first year in the United States. Director Susan Saltz will be in attendance.

• “Riot” (world premiere): A chilling look at the long-term effects of urban conflict on a city and its people. Viewers will come face to face with not only the racism and violence of the Newark Riots of 1967 but with the heartbreak that followed and the ensuing determination of people who refused to let the riot define or defeat them over the next 50 years. Director Kevin McLaughlin will be in attendance.

• “Shelter in the City” (world premiere): A look at homelessness through the story of a father and son, “Shelter in the City” also interviews a variety of individuals and organizations to try to get a better understanding of the causes of homelessness and, hopefully, find a solution. Director Terence Donnellan will be in attendance.

SHORT FILMS

Twenty-two short films will screen at this year’s festival. Included among those are four Colorado short films being screened as part of the Colorado Short Film Showcase.

Throughout the duration of the festival, pass holders will be able to attend numerous film screenings, parties, events and a hospitality lounge. Additionally, pass holders will be invited to attend the red carpet Awards Ceremony on April 9 honoring some of the best and brightest creative talents working in the film industry today.

For more information about the Vail Film Festival, or to purchase passes, visit http://www.vailfilmfestival.com.