FAMILY PORTRAIT
Filmmaker Lucy Kerr follows a well-off family as they gather to take a photo for their annual Christmas card. When the matriarch goes missing, one daughter makes it her mission to find her. In the dawn of Covid, FAMILY PORTRAIT is a haunting film whose title is a stunning double entendre.
The heightened sound editing by Andrew Siedenburg and Nikolay Antonov is a character in the film. There is no better way to articulate its effect. The camera work from Lidia Nikonova swings from following closeups to static long takes, and it is nothing short of magnificent.
There is a theatrical delivery of much of the dialogue. Deragh Campbell is marvelous playing Katy. She delivers a compelling performance, reminding us how much we rely on the family matriarch to set our boundaries. Campbell’s pervasive anxiety flows on the screen.
The film brilliantly captures the poetic chaos of family gatherings. A myriad of intimate vignettes are all swirling together in an authentic picture where time loses all meaning. FAMILY PORTRAIT is haunting in so many ways. It will leave you breathless and wanting more.
Opens at Metrograph Theater in NYC Friday, June 28, Expands to Chicago and Los Angeles in July & Makes US Streaming Premiere Exclusively on Metrograph at Home Friday, July 5
Synopsis: Family Portrait follows a sprawling family on a morning when they have planned a group picture. After the mother disappears and one of the daughters becomes increasingly anxious to find her and take the picture, the rest of the family appears to resist any attempt to gather. Initially presenting itself as a realistic portrayal of a family on an idle but hectic summer day, the film progressively descends into a realm where time and space lose their grip, transforming the family portrait into a solemn and enigmatic ritual of transition.
FAMILY PORTRAIT stars a captivating Deragh Campbell (Kazik Radwanski’s ANNE AT 13,000 FT., Nathan Silver’s STINKING HEAVEN) and world premiered at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival in the Concorso Cineasti del presente section, the festival’s slate dedicated to discovering the cinema of tomorrow, where it took the Boccalino d’Oro for Best Director for Kerr. In addition to the US theatrical rollout, FAMILY PORTRAIT will make its US streaming premiere exclusively on Metrograph at Home on Friday, July 5, where it will be available for a two-month online engagement alongside a collection of Kerr’s short films.
In addition to the film’s winning reception at Locarno, FAMILY PORTRAIT has received accolades from the Black Canvas Film Festival (Best Director), the Hainan Island International Film Festival (Best Picture, Best Actress, and the Best Artistic Contribution), the Austin Film Society (Feature Film Grant), FIDLab (AirFrance Prize), and the New Horizon Award from the U.S. In Progress event in Wroclaw, Poland.
Kerr, Houston-born and New York-based, was one of Filmmaker magazine’s 25 New Faces of Film of 2022 and a graduate of CalArts film and video program. Inspired by familial pain and the feeling of loss that reflects what was felt by many during the pandemic, in the world of her film —which was shot in Hunt, TX, along the Guadalupe River— when grief is denied, mourning transforms into a melancholia that begins to undermine the sense of “reality,” ultimately leading to a divergence beyond the territory of the living.
Chris Galust (GIVE ME LIBERTY), Katie Folger (DAY 5), Rachel Alig (FIRST BLUSH), Robert Salas (CASSANDRO), and Silvana Jakich (WHAT HAPPENED AT 625 RIVER ROAD?) round out the cast alongside Campbell. The film is produced by Megan Pickrell and Frederic Winkler, co-produced by Rob Rice, and executive produced by Kerr for Conjuring Productions, her production banner, and Brittany Reeber. Lidia Nikonova lensed, Karlis Bergs edited, the sound department was comprised of Andrew Siedenburg and Nikolay Antonov, and production design was done by Tim Nicholas.
Performances from the entire cast are magnificent. Yoav Levi is Captain Hayim Amzalag, the prisonguard tasked with orchestrating the clandestine plans for the most valuable prisoner of war. Hayim’s anxiety manifests in a toothache, a burst blood vessel, and digestive issues as he dodges the press. Levi brings a dazzling physicality to the role. You will not soon forget him.
Noam Ovadia is David, a precocious, tenacious, Lybyan-Israeli who identifies as an Arab and Sephardic Jew learning perspective on the Nazis. Procuring an after-school job, David uses his quick-witted brain to solve problems. Ovadia is a star. It is an award-worthy turn. He outshines every other cast member.
Tom Shoval and Paltrow wrote the screenplay. In the third storyline, we explore Micah (Tom Hagi
Upon his upcoming release from a specialized mental hospital in Scandinavia, a man suddenly reveals his connection to a string of murders. His therapist and the police officer on the case go down the rabbit hole, putting all three of them in a precarious relationship. 
Gustaf Skarsgård is Mads a deep sadness. His gentle nature is at odds with his confessions, although his true motivations feel evident from the beginning. Nevertheless, Skarsgård delivers an emotionally wrought performance. 
Haunting takes in the gloomy natural light of a rainstorm or afternoon in an unlit room, capturing the dark essence of the narrative. The true story behind the film is one of the most unusual in criminal history. In the 1990s, Sture Ragnar Bergwall (later known as 
CATHARSIS
Girls are not held in the highest regard, and the slightest infraction or break from compliance is frowned upon. Zaffan dares to be an individual. The consequence of her behavior arrives in punishment with harmful words and physical abuse. Enter an opportunistic scam artist, and things get worse. Her unrelenting trauma triggers a fight response. Zaffan’s physical and emotional changes gradually manifest themselves into a dazzling creature of revenge.
Zafreen Zairizai is extraordinary as Zaffan. It is a fearless and emotionally wrought performance that is undeniably award-worthy. TIGER STRIPES takes a satisfying page from Frankenstein and perhaps a clever nod to The Crucible. TIGER STRIPES is like a live-action horror version of Disney Pixar’s TURNING RED. It is a fantastical allegory for girlhood and feminist power.
The reservation has its own justice system, under which not a single white man has been prosecuted in connection to a disappearance. Families must rely on the Feds to intervene. They never do. It is endless, lawless mayhem. 
A quote from a manual given to households when children the government was ripping from their homes reads, “The goal is not to make scientists, or doctors or lawyers out of these citizens. The goal is to make domestic housewives and farmers and laborers.” Keeping the population suppressed remains the goal. It’s cyclical genocide. It is the continuation of colonization, plain and simple. 
The revelations in the film are astounding. In a collab session, Ani confides in Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) that she’s never written a song with anyone else. Her warmth and honesty are not simply for show. Witnessing this creative potion-making is chill-inducing. At 18, Ani and Scot Fisher created Righteous Babe Records. Their partnership proved to be an emotional rollercoaster, for better or worse. The remnants of that time echo in her present-day reclamation of her power. 
1-800-ON-HER-OWN is a celebration of an artist in a league of her own. Ani DiFranco‘s relentless magic hangs in the air in my house. This film reintroduces her to the world. 
US Narrative Competition
Goodnight Mommy filmmakers Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz‘s latest film, The Devil’s Bath, opens with a 
SYNOPSIS – In 1750 Austria, a deeply religious woman named Agnes has just married her beloved, but her mind and heart soon grow heavy as her life becomes a long list of chores and expectations. Day after day, she is increasingly trapped in a murky and lonely path leading to evil thoughts, until the possibility of committing a shocking act of violence seems like the only way out of her inner prison. Giving a voice to the invisible and unheard women of the rural past; THE DEVIL’S BATH is based on historical court records about a shocking, hitherto unexplored chapter of European history.
VERONICA FRANZ (Writer & Director) studied German and philosophy and worked as a journalist. She has also worked as an artistic collab-orator with Ulrich Seidl since 1997 and co-wrote the screenplays for all of his films including DOG DAYS (2001), IMPORT EXPORT (2007), the PARADISE trilogy (2012/13) and WICKED GAMES – RIMINI SPARTA (2023). In 2003 she also founded the Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion GmbH with him.
Steve Buscemi is a legend. In pretending to be Keane and Suzie’s marriage counselor, he brings his murder advice into the sessions, equally confusing and intriguing his faux clients. Buscemi’s calm and confident nature is captivating. 
Yale’s Class of 97′ boasted the largest admission of black students in the university’s history. Filmmakers John Antonio James and Bill Mack bring Tribeca 2024 BLACK TABLE, a documentary that delves into the complexities of learning, thriving, and simply existing within a predominantly white Ivy environment and beyond. 
There is no escaping the discussion of Affirmation Action, and filmmakers fully understand it. We delve into the racist talking points that thrive today in diminishing accomplishments and a sense of belonging. An explosive incident at Naples forced Yale and its student body to confront the reality of being black on campus. Rodney King changed the name of the game from a student action standpoint. Then O.J. Simpson’s trial reignited cultural tension.
Beth’s protective best friend Julia, played by Alex Essoe, balances Emma’s anxiety-ridden nature. Essoe’s level-headed portrayal feels authentically grounded. Juliette Kenn de Balinthazy as Lex is extra cool as writers David Blair and Vida give her character a rare disease, making her unable to sense physical pain. Juliette Kenn de Balinthazy is a star.
Jane Badler plays Mona with an eccentric personality, fully tapping into her career toolbox. Wise and mesmerizing, curious and terrifying, Badler delivers an intriguing villain like the pro she is. Beth Million is Emma. She is timid, paranoid, and desperate for cash. Million is relatable and quietly powerful.
Based on the 1999 novel Too Many Men by Lily Brett
**WORLD PREMIERE**
Something is happening within the family. Every member has a secret, leaving Sally with no one but her beloved housekeeper to care for her needs. Once Magdelaina, the heart of the household, gets dragged into the chaos, Sally intrusively discovers the extent of the mess.
Kynlee Heiman 
The camera work from Mike Lobello and Paul W. Sauline is brilliant. The audience experiences the goings-on from a child’s eye level. Beautifully lit close-ups of Sally convey the emotional rollercoaster. 
The effervescent joy of being in the room fully translates from the screen. You’ll find yourself smiling until it hurts. LAUGH PROUD features multigenerational comics. The sets range from serious to hysterical. Many comics discuss childhood trauma, coming-out stories, dating, technology, patriarchal structure, aging, and everything in between. A loving and supportive energy is beaming between the performer and the audience. It is an inviting and celebratory special.
THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY
Jim Cummings proves once again that his high-strung straight guy routine is gold. His eye for unique projects as an executive producer remains top-notch. His entire look, down to his Archie comic red hair, is perfection for The Knife Salesman. (Yes, that is his actual character’s title).
Jocelin Donahue brings authenticity to small-town waitress Charlotte. She is so watchable. Sierra McCormick (We Need To Do Something) is a delight as aspiring bank robber Sybil. She’s another bright spot in this wild ensemble cast. 
Faizon 
Richard Brake
BLOOD FOR DUST
Years after some shady dealings haunt a group of business associates, Cliff tries to provide for what’s left of his family. As a floundering traveling salesman, his past finally catches up, forcing his hand into a new scheme with an old friend.
Scoot McNairy gives Cliff a palpable desperation and a fearlessness that captivates. He does not flinch. McNairy effortlessly carries the entire film. Kit Harington is unrecognizable as Ricky. His ultra-toxic masculinity drips off the screen. His physical and vocal work are unreal. His deliciously standoffish chemistry with Scoot McNairy makes the film.
This crime drama brings fantastic performances and a well-developed script. Cliff’s character has baggage and secrets that fuel his ultimate motivation. The slow-burn thriller pays off in spades with an explosive finale. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. BLOOD FOR DUST challenges your idea of both. An unexpected story of redemption, it is a solid genre entry. Slow clap for the last frame.
The fragility of Jeanne’s station and extraordinary influence are beautifully nurtured by Lavernhe’s continuous narration.
Benjamin Lavernhe delivers an unforgettable performance as La Borde. He is Jeanne’s guide to life at court and the only entirely human interaction anyone encounters. Lavernhe is the emotional stronghold of the film. 
Maïwenn gives Jeanne a ceaselessly passionate and curious air. Her gentle elegance and care for her fellow actors beam off the screen. She is nothing less than captivating. Depp and Maïwenn’s chemistry is off the charts. She and Lavernhe take your breath away.
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