Indie stalwart Jay Duplass, at the festival last year with The Baltimorons, returns with this touching and timely dramedy of grief and trauma, in which a comedy writer battles PTSD after the tragic death of his sister. Writer Adam Cayton-Holland translates his own deeply personal memoir Tragedy Plus Time: A Tragi-Comic Memoir for the screen in this terrifically empathetic family drama. Lead Cooper Raiff is surrounded by a terrific all-star supporting cast—David Duchovny, Hope Davis, Kaitlyn Dever, and Lucy Boynton—playing a close-knit family of characters who are each struggling in their own way.
Genre: Family Stories
Uncle Roy
Built from nine decades of personal and professional archives, UNCLE ROY traces the remarkable life of globe-trotting skater-turned-photographer Roy Blakey through the eyes of his niece, filmmaker Keri Pickett. Growing up, Keri barely knew her enigmatic uncle until she followed him to New York to pursue photography—where an unexpected friendship took shape. As their lives intertwine, she discovers his groundbreaking 1972 book He, long hidden from her, and his legacy as a pioneer of gay photography. When Roy’s health declines, Keri is faced with an urgent, intimate challenge: to care for him while preserving the story he kept so carefully guarded.Director Keri Pickett is scheduled to attend.
Cookie Queens
It’s Girl Scout Cookie season, and four tenacious girls each strive to be a top-selling “Cookie Queen,” navigating an $800 million business in which childhood and ambition collide. Alysa Nahmias’ sparkling, family-friendly documentary fully captures the big personalities of its ambitious, funny and charming young subjects. It’s an absolute joy to be around these young girls as they embark on their cookie-selling journeys, finding their own voices and making decisions about their paths to success and happiness along the way. Nahmias’ gentle, playful filmmaking style allows the audience a front-row seat to the girls’ journeys. Executive produced by Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.“… an exceptional work that’s greater than its ingredients, sandwiching politics, commerce, and the joys of childhood all into one package.” — POV Magazine
Adam’s Apple
ADAM’S APPLE is an intimate, collaborative documentary told through the dual perspectives of Adam, a transgender teen, and his mother, visual artist Amy Jenkins, in New Hampshire. Offering an authentic and tender counterpoint to the hostility facing trans youth today, Adam’s journey balances the milestones of gender transition with the rhythms of adolescence. As Adam asserts his identity and steps out into the world, his parents grapple with the challenges of raising a teen while also learning to let go. Through a visually poetic approach, the film transforms a deeply personal archive—collected over two decades—into a powerful, joyful testament to the beauty and difficulty of reckoning with profound change.Director Amy Jenkins and Adam Jenkins are scheduled to attend.