Posted in: Movies | Tagged: arthouse movies, Factory 25, Family Portrait, indie movies, Lucy Kerr, metrograph, Metrograph at Home
Family Portrait: Lucy Kerr Award-Winning Indie Drama Opens June 28
Family Portrait, the award-winning indie drama by director Lucy Kerr is getting a US premiere at the Metrograph in New York City on June 28th
Article Summary
- Indie drama Family Portrait premieres in NYC on June 28th.
- Lucy Kerr’s film delves into a mysterious family gathering.
- Wins Best Director at Locarno, among other accolades.
- US streaming debut for the movie set for July 5th on Metrograph at Home.
Family Portrait, a mysterious indie drama from director Lucy Kerr, is premiering at the Metrograph in New York City on June 28th. It follows a sprawling family on a morning when they have planned a group picture. After the mother disappears and one of the daughters becomes increasingly anxious to find her and take the picture, the rest of the family appears to resist any attempt to gather. Initially presenting itself as a realistic portrayal of a family on an idle but hectic summer day, the film progressively descends into a realm where time and space lose their grip, transforming the family portrait into a solemn and enigmatic ritual of transition.
Family Portrait stars Deragh Campbell and world premiered at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival in the Concorso Cineasti del presente section, the festival's slate dedicated to discovering the cinema of tomorrow, where it took the Boccalino d'Oro for Best Director for Kerr. Family Portrait also will make its US streaming premiere exclusively on Metrograph at Home on Friday, July 5, where it will be available for a two-month online engagement alongside a collection of Kerr's short films. The Metrograph is becoming one of the best indie repertory cinemas in New York with its specially curated and eclectic choice of indie films.
In addition to the film's winning reception at Locarno, Family Portrat has received accolades from the Black Canvas Film Festival (Best Director), the Hainan Island International Film Festival (Best Picture, Best Actress, and the Best Artistic Contribution), the Austin Film Society (Feature Film Grant), FIDLab (AirFrance Prize), and the New Horizon Award from the U.S. In Progress event in Wroclaw, Poland.
Kerr, Houston-born, and New York-based, was one of Filmmaker magazine's 25 New Faces of Film of 2022 and a graduate of CalArts film and video program. Inspired by familial pain and the feeling of loss that reflects what was felt by many during the pandemic, in the world of her film —which was shot in Hunt, TX, along the Guadalupe River— when grief is denied, mourning transforms into a melancholia that begins to undermine the sense of "reality," ultimately leading to a divergence beyond the territory of the living.
Chris Galust, Katie Folger, Rachel Alig, Robert Salas, and Silvana Jakich round out the cast. The film is produced by Megan Pickrell and Frederic Winkler, co-produced by Rob Rice, and executive produced by Kerr for Conjuring Productions, her production banner, and Brittany Reeber. Lidia Nikonova lensed, Karlis Bergs edited, the sound department was comprised of Andrew Siedenburg and Nikolay Antonov, and production design was done by Tim Nicholas.