SEAN BAKER TO BE NAMED PROVINCETOWN FILM FESTIVAL’S “FILMMAKER ON THE EDGE,” CHLOË GRACE MORETZ TO RECEIVE “NEXT WAVE AWARD”

— WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY selected as Opening Night Film for festival’s 20th celebration —

March 27, 2018 (Provincetown, MA) – Marking its 20th anniversary, the Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) announced today that acclaimed writer/director Sean Baker (THE FLORIDA PROJECT, TANGERINE) will be named the 2018 “Filmmaker on the Edge.” Baker will be in attendance to accept the award in conversation with resident artist John Waters on Saturday, June 16. Additionally, actress Chloë Grace Moretz (THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST, IF I STAY), will receive the festival’s second annual “Next Wave Award,” which recognizes those who have exciting and distinctive voices, take artistic risks, and have a passionate commitment to independent film. Moretz will be in attendance to accept the award in conversation with Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper on Friday, June 15, and in support of her film THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST, which is a PIFF Spotlight selection.

“As we approach the next 20 years of celebrating the most distinctive voices in independent cinema, our honorees this year embody our greatest hopes for the world of storytelling,” said Christine Walker, Executive Director of PIFF and CEO of the Provincetown Film Society. “Sean Baker will be long recognized as one of the most masterful, empathetic, and important filmmakers of his generation. Chloë Grace Moretz, already a veteran at age 21, takes the kind of bold risks both in front of the camera and behind the scenes that profoundly influence diversity in the stories that are told as well as the make-up of those storytellers.”

PIFF also announced that the festival will kick off with the New England premiere of WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY, a dramatic comedy about the secret life of Emily Dickinson, portrayed by Molly Shannon. Hailed by Indiewire as “the best lesbian comedy in years,” this independent film explores Dickinson’s vivacious, irreverent side — most notably Emily’s lifelong romantic relationship with another woman. The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival where it received rave reviews. Writer/director Madeleine Olnek was awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for the film. The Opening Night Film will screen on Wednesday, June 13 at Provincetown Town Hall.

“We are absolutely delighted to open our 20th anniversary festival with Madeleine’s Olnek’s wickedly funny and completely original, WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY,” said Lisa Viola, PIFF’s Artistic Director. “The humor and compassion showcased in Molly Shannon’s brilliant portrayal of Emily Dickinson is a pure joy.”

The Provincetown International Film Festival runs June 13 – 17, 2018 in Provincetown, MA. Festival passes go on sale on Friday, March 23. America’s oldest artist colony, Provincetown has been home to the likes of Jack Kerouac, Kurt Vonnegut, Jackson Pollock, Norman Rockwell, Anthony Bourdain, John Waters, and Ryan Murphy.

The 2018 Honoree Awards are sponsored by: Celebrity Page, The Mallrd Foundation, The Palette Fund, & The George H Scanlon Foundation. Major sponsors of the 2018 Provincetown International Film Festival include Comcast/Xfinity, HBO, HereTV, Boston Harbor Cruises, Crown and Anchor, Harbor Hotel, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Provincetown Tourism Fund, Sage Inn and Pilgrim House, Sea Glass Inn.

Press Materials: https://tinyurl.com/PIFF2018

About The Provincetown Film Society & The Provincetown International Film Festival:
To make Provincetown – with its unique combination of art institutions, culture, history and natural beauty – the global destination for creative exploration in film.

The Provincetown Film Society (PFS) is a non-profit dedicated to continuing the founding mission of the Provincetown Art Colony – to provide a welcoming, nurturing and inspiring environment for boundless and authentic creative exploration – in film. From the time it was founded in 1998 the Society has been committed to serving its communities who are often outside of the mainstream, in the margins, or otherwise underserved – but have a voice critical to the evolution of artistic expression. It has also been dedicated to the celebration of Provincetown – an American treasure nestled amongst spectacular National Seashore beaches, and a shining example of diversity and inclusion. Through its Festival, Cinema and Institute, the Society endeavors to give year-round support to aspiring and up-and-coming, and established independent filmmakers, and to connect them with curious and engaged audiences globally.

Facebook: facebook.com/PtownFilmSociety
Twitter: @PtownFilm
Instagram: @PtownFilm

“Filmmaker on the Edge” Award
PIFF’s “Filmmaker on the Edge” Award is the festival’s premier filmmaking award, presented to celebrated filmmakers who push the boundaries of their craft. Previous recipients of the award include Darren Aronofsky, Sofia Coppola, David Cronenberg, Mary Harron, Todd Haynes, Ang Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Christine Vachon, and Gus Van Sant. The award’s polysemic title is an ode to Provincetown’s location at the outermost point of Cape Cod.

Sean Baker
Sean Baker is the director of THE FLORIDA PROJECT, which premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and was released by A24. The film was nominated for Independent Spirit Awards for Best Feature and Best Director; a Gotham Award for Best Feature; and Baker was awarded Best Director of the Year by the New York Film Critics Circle. The film’s stars, Brooklynn Prince and Willem Dafoe, also earned much acclaim, with Dafoe earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Baker’s previous film, TANGERINE, premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Magnolia Pictures. It was nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards including Best Feature and Best Director, and four Gotham Awards including Best Feature (it won the Audience Award). Earlier films TAKE OUT (2008) and PRINCE OF BROADWAY (2009) were both nominated for the John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award, and STARLET (2012) was the recipient of the Robert Altman Independent Spirit Award and a Cassavetes nomination.

Chloë Grace Moretz
Captivating audiences since she was five years old in Michael Bay’s remake of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, Chloë Grace Moretz has since appeared in nearly thirty films. Her breakout role in Matthew Vaughn’s cult classic film KICK-ASS, followed by a starring role in Matt Reeves’ remake of LET ME IN, landed her on numerous top performances lists. In 2014, Moretz received a People Magazine award for “Next Generation Star” for her prolific work in television and film. She was also listed on Time’s “25 Most Influential Teens of 2014” and “30 Most Influential Teens of 2016.” Her on-screen credits include R.J. Cutler’s IF I STAY (for which she won the 2015 People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress”); Olivier Assayas’ CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA; Antoine Fuqua’s THE EQUALIZER; Kimberly Peirce’s remake of CARRIE; Martin Scorsese’s HUGO; and Tim Burton’s DARK SHADOWS. Moretz can currently be seen as the title character in the gay conversion therapy drama, THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and won the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize.

Press Contacts
RJ Millard / Kory Mello
Obscured Pictures
212.620.0727
[email protected]
[email protected]

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