With less than two weeks until the festival begins, Film Fest 919 recently shared its lineup of films it will be screening to community, including potential awards contenders and a classic film.

The third edition of the Chapel Hill-based film festival is structured differently this year, spread over weeks instead of one weekend and held at two outdoor venues instead of Silverspot Cinema at University Place. Film Fest 919 will have two opening nights, with one film screening at the in-development Drive-In at Carraway Village and another for The Green at Southern Village. Films will play from Wednesday through Saturdays for three weeks, splitting time between the two venues.

“One Night In Miami” will open the festival on Wednesday, October 14, at the new drive-in theater. Directed by Academy Award-winning actress Regina King and distributed by Amazon, the film depicts a fictional account of the meeting of Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown in 1964. Focusing on the conversations between these four historical figures, Film Fest 919 says “One Night in Miami” will shed light on the topics of “racial injustice, religion and personal responsibility which still resonate more than 40 years later.”

The following evening will be the opening of the festival at The Green at Southern Village, this time screening the documentary “MLK/FBI.” Based on recently declassified files and archival footage, the Sam Pollard-helmed film explores the U.S. government’s surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr. and how top officials viewed the Civil Rights Movement as a communist plot.

Additional screenings of new films include “Nomadland” from Chloé Zhao, who will receive the festival’s Distinguished Screenwriting Award for this year. Starring Frances McDormund, the film is coming off winning top awards at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Film Fest 919 will also have the world premiere of “Fatman,” a Mel Gibson-led Christmas comedy, and the debut of the short film “Good Samaritans” created by former UNC football player Jake Lawler.

To close the festival on Halloween night, Film Fest 919 said it will screen “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which has its 45th anniversary this year. The cult-classic is typically screened around the world in October and stars Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Meat Loaf and Richard O’Brien.

Carraway Village shared an update about its new drive-in theater on Thursday, saying the site began construction last week.

The full slate of films to be shown at the 2020 Film Fest 919 can be found on the festival’s website.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

 

 

Related Stories
‹
Film Fest 919 Announces 2021 Lineup; Tickets Go on Sale Monday
With its fourth edition just days away, Film Fest 919 recently shared what audiences can expect to catch on the big screen this month. The Chapel Hill-based film festival is set to run from Monday, October 18 through Sunday, October 24 and will screen 23 films at two different locations: Silverspot Cinema in University Place […]
Film Fest 919 Screenings To Take Place at New Carraway Village Drive-in Theater
The third iteration of Film Fest 919 is coming back for the 2020 season with a series of shows from Wednesday, October 14 through Saturday, October 31. With movie theaters still seeing restrictions due to COVID, however, Film Fest 919 is changing its structure and moving the show outdoors – both to the Southern Village […]
Chapel Hill's Film Fest 919 Announces 'Gap Year' for 2023, Citing Ongoing Strikes
A prominent film festival in Chapel Hill is going on hiatus this fall. The organizers of Film Fest 919 announced on Wednesday the event will not take place in 2023, saying in a release that they are taking a “gap year” after five years of the festival. “This is due to a convergence of factors,” […]
Film Fest 919 Wraps Fifth Year; 'Banshees' and 'Quiet Girl' Split Audience Award
The Chapel Hill-based Film Fest 919 wrapped up its 2022 showcase on Sunday, capping off a full five days of blockbuster, international and indie film screenings. The festival, which returned to a full slate of in-theater films for the first time since 2019, ran from Wednesday through Sunday night at the Silverspot Cinema and The […]
Chapel Hill's Drive-In Theater Set to Close July 27
One of Chapel Hill’s first pandemic-era businesses will soon be shutting down its projector. The Drive-In at Carraway Village, a drive-in movie theater off Eubanks Road, is set to hold its final film screening on Wednesday, July 27. The theater’s founders Randi Emerman and Carol Marshall shared an extended message to audience members on July 7 […]
Film Fest 919 To Return to Chapel Hill in October
Film Fest 919, the only major film festival in Chapel Hill, will be returning for its fourth iteration this October, the festival announced in a release Tuesday. The festival will run from Monday, October 18 to Sunday, October 24, and will be co-hosted by two local venues: the Drive-In at Carraway Village and the Silverspot […]
New Drive-in at Carraway Village Movie Theater Opens in Chapel Hill
The Drive-in at Carraway Village, a new drive-in movie theater in Chapel Hill, opened with its first film screening on Wednesday. Northwood Ravin, an apartment management company that owns Carraway Village, partnered with the organizers of local film festival Film Fest 919 to construct the theater in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The drive-in, located […]
New Chapel Hill Stop Added to NCDOT Intercity Bus Service
The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s intercity bus service is adding a new stop in Chapel Hill. Buses will pick up passengers at the Eubanks Park and Ride Lot in Chapel Hill four times a day. The lot is located at 2000 Eubanks Road in the Carraway Village mixed-use development. The intercity service is operated […]
Here's What You Need To Know Before Chapel Hill's July 4 Firework Show
Chapel Hill will once again host a Fourth of July fireworks show at Southern Community Park. Here's what you need to know.
No More Putt-Putt: After Lapsed Plan, Carraway Village Turns to More Housing in Chapel Hill
Northwood Ravin submitted plans to Chapel Hill this summer to build a mix of housing options on a parcel north of its Carraway Village.
›