August Festival in Baltimore to Include Rotting in the Sun, Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes, and a Film Hosted by Beach House
New/Next Film Festival, presented by 88.1 WYPR and taking place August 18-20 in Baltimore’s historic five-screen Charles Theatre, teased its first lineup announcements today while launching all-access pass sales.
The titles announced today for New/Next include Sebastián Silva’s uproarious, Sundance-premiered dark comedy Rotting in the Sun, starring Silva and breakout personality Jordan Firstman; acclaimed filmmaker (and recent Baltimore transplant) Sam Pollard’s Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes (SXSW 2023), a riveting look at the life, career, and activism of the iconic musician; and Baltimorean Meredith Moore’s warm and joyous short documentary Margie Soudek's Salt and Pepper Shakers (Sundance 2023), scored by Dan Deacon.
New/Next’s lineup announcements will continue through July. All emerging films screened will be Baltimore premieres. The festival will also present several repertory films, including one feature (to be named in a subsequent press release) selected and introduced by Baltimore-based musical duo Beach House (Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally).
All-access passes provide access to all New/Next screenings; an advance window for film and seat selection ahead of public ticketing; and attendance to all New/Next special events, including the Opening and Closing Night parties and concerts. The Opening Night Party will include performances by stars of Baltimore’s club and hip-hop scenes, TT the Artist and Dapper Dan Midas.
The festival, produced by Baltimore NPR News affiliate radio station 88.1 WYPR and curated by veteran programmer Eric Allen Hatch, conceived this first edition to fill the void left by Maryland Film Festival’s announcement that they would not have a 2023 event.
“I’m thrilled to be back at The Charles Theatre, bringing some of the most exciting cinema I’ve seen in recent years to our audiences,” says Hatch, who was MdFF’s director of programming from 2010-2018. “I very much see New/Next as a continuation of the work I’ve done in Baltimore for other institutions.”
Support for New/Next Film Fest comes from the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, creator of the Baker Artist Portfolios, The Abell Foundation, The Baltimore Community Foundation, The State of Maryland, The Maryland Film Office and The Maryland State Arts Council.
For updates, please visit newnextfilmfest.com | Twitter and Instagram: @NewNextFilmFest
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TITLES ANNOUNCED TODAY FOR NEW/NEXT:
MARGIE SOUDEK’S SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS (2023 Meredith Moore) | DOC SHORT
An artist and visual-effects instructor connects with her aging grandmother, Margie, through collecting, art-making, and obsessing as a way to enhance reality. Produced by Jonna McKone, Executive Produced by MEMORY (Rat Film; Crestone; All Light, Everywhere) and scored by Dan Deacon.
MAX ROACH: THE DRUM ALSO WALTZES (2023 Sam Pollard) | DOC FEATURE
MAX ROACH: THE DRUM ALSO WALTZES explores the life and music of the legendary drummer, composer, bandleader, and social activist through a remarkable series of creative peaks, struggles, and personal reinventions—from the Jim Crow era to the Civil Rights years, surveying the heady days of post-war modern jazz to hip-hop and beyond.
ROTTING IN THE SUN (2023 Sebastián Silva) | NARRATIVE FEATURE
Writer-director Sebastián Silva’s Sundance hit ROTTING IN THE SUN is a darkly funny and refreshingly audacious meta-comedy that skewers the business of filmmaking and our self-obsessed culture. While unwinding at a Mexican gay beach town, depressed director Sebastián Silva meets gregarious Instagram influencer Jordan Firstman (both playing versions of themselves), and Sebastián reluctantly agrees to collaborate on an upcoming project. But when Jordan arrives back in Mexico City, Sebastián is nowhere to be found, and Jordan embarks on a wildly unpredictable, quasi-detective journey.