Coronado Festival to Open With Stallone Story 'I Play Rocky'
Sylvester Stallone's fight to get Rocky to the screen will open the Coronado Island Film Festival next month.
Amazon MGM's I Play Rocky has taken the opening-night slot at the festival's 11th season, which runs Nov. 4 through 8. The programme totals 140 narrative features, documentaries and short films, as reported by Variety.
I Play Rocky is directed by Peter Farrelly. It tells the true story of Stallone's effort to get the first Rocky made. Anthony Ippolito plays Stallone.
An opening film is the first feature to screen. It sets the tone for the days that follow. Farrelly's film puts a Hollywood origin story in that position.
The closing film, the last feature to screen, is Neon's Paper Tiger. It is directed by James Gray. It stars Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and Miles Teller, according to Variety.
Neon is the distributor behind the film, the company that handles its cinema release. Gray directs. Johansson, Driver and Teller lead the cast.
The festival has also named its centrepiece selections. A centrepiece is a mid-festival slot often given to high-profile titles. This year those slots go to Netflix's Ink and A24's The Debut.
Netflix is the streaming service that also releases films in cinemas. A24 is the independent studio and distributor. Their presence gives the centre of the programme two titles with wide release networks behind them.
Another highlighted title is Josephine from Sumerian Pictures. It is listed among the key spotlight screenings. Spotlight slots are often used to draw attention to independent work alongside studio titles.
Narrative features are fictional films. Documentaries are non-fiction films. Shorts are brief films, usually under 40 minutes. All three forms are part of the 140-film total.
What makes this stand out is the mix. Amazon MGM, Neon, Netflix and A24 all appear in the top slots. Independent features, documentaries and shorts fill out the rest of the line-up. That balance is typical of regional festivals that pair studio-backed titles with smaller discoveries.
The event is led by chief executive and artistic director Merridee Book. It is presented as five days of film, special guests, signature events, screenings and experiences on Coronado Island, according to the festival's site. The anniversary programme also includes filmmaker conversations, industry panels and workshops for working film-makers and the public.
For fans, this means a chance to see several autumn titles in one place. The festival runs Nov. 4 to 8. Further programme details are expected from the organisers.
