Festival-goers can purchase an All Access Pass, good for all in-person and NOFF Virtual Cinema screenings, parties, and events; or purchase individual tickets for each screening. Individual tickets go on sale to NOFS members on October 9 at 12 PM CST, and to the general public on October 16 at 12 PM CST at neworleansfilmsociety.org.
The New Orleans Film Society (NOFS) announced the first wave of titles for the 34th annual, Oscar®-qualifying New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF), which will showcase 130+ films in-person at The Broad Theater, Contemporary Art Center, and The Prytania Theatres, on November 2-7 and virtually November 2-12 through the NOFF Virtual Cinema available globally.
The festival’s films in competition lineup is now live, and passes are available at neworleansfilmsociety.org. More programming, including Spotlight Films and Filmmaker Conference programming, will be announced in the coming weeks.
After receiving 3,900 submissions from 117 countries for the 34th anniversary of the festival, NOFF’s seasoned team of programmers selected a slate of 127 films in competition that represent a wealth of perspectives. These include 29 feature films (19 documentaries, 10 narrative features) and 98 short films, with 22 world premieres, 6 U.S. premieres, and 38 Southern premieres.
Overall, films from filmmakers based in the American South represent 60% of the lineup, and Louisiana-made films represent 22% of the lineup. The directors of selected films represent 35 different nationalities. Films directed by women and non-binary directors account for 60% of the lineup, films helmed by directors of color make up 60%, and films from directors identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community account for 41% of selected films.
“In selecting films for this year’s festival, our festival programmers were also selecting filmmakers whose artistic voices and practices we believe in and are excited to support,” said Clint Bowie, Artistic Director of the New Orleans Film Society. “Decisions were made through a collective process involving 20 members of our festival programming team, over the course of countless meetings and conversations. Our team focused our attention on aspects of originality, vision, and potential, as well as the film’s capacity for impacting audiences and shifting the larger film landscape.”
“This year’s lineup represents the vastness of independent voices expressing deeply personal stories through artfully nuanced lenses,” added Zuri Obi, Film and Conference Programmer for the New Orleans Film Society. “We’re particularly excited to showcase our lineup of Southern storytellers whose regional perspectives expand the canon of Southern cinema. As a growing regional leader in independent cinema, we are thrilled to offer a slate of inspiring, thought-provoking films, meaningful networking opportunities, in-depth panel discussions and festive celebrations to our local, regional, and international film-loving community.”
How to Attend The Festival
Festival-goers can purchase an All Access Pass, good for all in-person and NOFF Virtual Cinema screenings, parties, and events; or purchase individual tickets for each screening. Individual tickets go on sale to NOFS members on October 9 at 12 PM CST, and to the general public on October 16 at 12 PM CST at neworleansfilmsociety.org.
The in-person screening schedule will be announced on October 6 at 12 PM CST, and screenings will take place at The Broad Theater, Contemporary Art Center (CAC), and The Prytania Theatres, between November 2-7.
This year’s festival includes the return of a Main Festival Headquarters at the CAC, which will be open to the public. This festival hub will include the main NOFF box office, a merchandise store, special events and activations, and more.