Ojai Film Festival sets 74-film slate with Sheen, McCarthy and Bridges
Ojai Film Festival has set 74 films from more than 30 countries for its 4-9 November run in Ojai, with Martin Sheen, Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, and Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges leading the guests, according to Deadline, which billed its slate report as EXCLUSIVE.
The programme is built around premieres at both ends. That means first showings, with a world premiere playing nowhere before and a U.S. premiere showing in the United States for the first time.
The opener is the U.S. premiere of Everybody Digs Bill Evans, set for 6 November, Deadline reported. The Grant Gee-directed drama stars Anders Danielsen Lie as jazz pianist Bill Evans, alongside Bill Pullman, Laurie Metcalf and Barry Ward. It arrives in Ojai after winning the Silver Bear at the Berlin festival.
The closer is In Memoriam on 8 November. Directed by Rob Burnett, it stars Marc Maron as an ageing actor near the end of his life who becomes obsessed with landing a spot in the Oscars In Memoriam reel, the annual tribute to film figures who have died.
Awards and anniversaries sit at the centre of the guest list. McCarthy and Falcone will receive the Artists of Distinction Award and will also toast the 10th anniversary of their comedy The Boss. Sheen will host the world premiere of American Mosaic. Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges will appear together around The Fabulous Baker Boys, the 1989 drama in which they played piano-playing brothers.
The wider slate includes 20 narrative features, 11 documentaries and six Special Showcase films. Named titles include Parallel Tales by Asghar Farhadi, See You When I See You by Jay Duplass, Tangles by Leah Nelson and The Basics of Philosophy by Paul Schrader, according to Deadline.
There is also a working side to the week. An industry panel titled Agenting in the New Media World brings dealmakers from the UTA, CAA and WME agencies. Actor and filmmaker Ed Burns will take part in a discussion called The State of the Indie, a look at low-budget filmmaking outside the major studios. Ted Melfi serves as artistic director of the festival.
What makes this stand out is the blend. Fresh international titles play alongside familiar Hollywood names and anniversary events. For audiences, it means a small-town festival with close access to actors, directors and agents who usually work behind closed doors.
