Searchlight Pictures has announced that the upcoming film Nomadland will have a simultaneous World Premiere on September 11th at four international Film Festivals. The film stars Frances McDormand and is directed by Chloé Zhao
What’s Happening:
- Searchlight Pictures Chairmen Nancy Utley and Steve Gilula have announced that Chloé Zhao’s upcoming film Nomadland has been invited to screen at several global film festivals.
- Nomadland is Zhao’s third film and explores modern-day van dwelling life on the road.
- The movie will World Premiere with simultaneous screenings on September 11th at:
- 77th Venice International Film Festival
- 45th Toronto International Film Festival
- “Telluride from Los Angeles” (special drive-in screening)
- 58th New York Film Festival
- Both Venice and Toronto festivals will feature a virtual introduction by Zhao and actress Frances McDormand prior to the screenings.
- Zhao and McDormand will appear in person at the “Telluride from Los Angeles” drive-in screening.
- Additionally, the film has been chosen as Centerpiece Selection of the New York Film Festival.
- Nomadland marks the first project between Zhao and Searchlight and the fifth between McDormand and Searchlight.
- Zhao adapted Nomadland from journalist Jessica Bruder’s 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century. McDormand and Peter Spears acquired the literary adaptation rights shortly after publication.
- Following the Film Festival screenings, Nomadland is slated for domestic release in fall 2020.
- In addition to Nomadland, Zhao directed the upcoming Marvel Studios release Eternals, set for release in 2021 by Walt Disney Studios.
About the Movie:
- “The film follows Fern (McDormand), a woman who, after the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. The film features real nomads Linda May, Swankie, and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West.”
- In addition to McDormand, the film features David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck).
What they’re saying:
- Chloé Zhao: “The American road fascinates me. It's heartbreakingly beautiful and deeply complicated. I've traveled it for many years and always hoped to capture a glimpse of it. I'm thankful to be able to make Nomadland and excited for audiences to join Fern on her adventure.”
- Nancy Utley and Steve Gilula: “Nomadland is a true cinematic discovery. We are grateful to Chloé and the entire Nomadland filmmaking team and to the festival community that is essential to the success of independent films, and we thank Alberto and Giulia, Julie and Tom, Cameron and Joana, and Eugene and Dennis for the opportunity to be a part of this unique time in our industry’s changing landscape. Chloé reminds us that film has the power to connect us no matter how far apart we might seem. We hope this special film can move audiences across the world and further support global cinema.”
- Venice International Film Festival Director Alberto Barbera: “It is both a great pleasure and honor to be part of Chloé Zhao’s new film’s unveiling to the world. Nomadland is a brave and touching journey into a world that exists under the radar of mainstream social consciousness. It is a film that acquires particular meaning in a moment of pandemic induced seclusion, proving that values like mutual support and a strong sense of community can save us from solitude, failure, and despair.”
- TIFF Co-Heads Joana Vicente and Cameron Bailey: "We can't wait for Toronto audiences to fall in love with Nomadland as we did. Frances McDormand's heartbreaking performance and Chloé Zhao's wise embrace of American outcasts make this a film everyone should see."
- Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger: “Chloe’s understanding and depiction of the layered beauty of the human experience achieves new heights in Nomadland. Tom Luddy and I believe in her vision and are grateful to unite with our colleagues in Toronto, Venice, and New York to highlight this sensitive and stunning achievement.”
- Eugene Hernandez, Director of the New York Film Festival: “We knew that Chloé Zhao’s masterful film, Nomadland, deserved a central spot at the New York Film Festival as soon as we saw it….We’re elated to share Chloé and Fran’s remarkable achievement with New York audiences this fall, in solidarity with our festival colleagues.”
- New York Film Festival director of programming Dennis Lim: “We are honored to have Chloé back at the festival with her most ambitious and moving work to date. Anchored by Frances McDormand’s indelible performance, Nomadland is a road movie for our precarious times, and it establishes Chloé as one of the most clear-eyed and humane observers of life on the American margins.”
Creative team:
- The film is directed, produced, and edited by Chloé Zhao.
- Cinematography by Joshua James Richards (God’s Own Country)
- Music Compositions by Italian composer Ludovico Maria Enrico Einaudi
Nomadland is produced by:
- Frances McDormand (HBO’s Olive Kitteridge)
- Peter Spears (Call Me by Your Name)
- Mollye Asher (The Rider)
- Dan Janvey (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
- Chloé Zhao (The Rider)
- At Searchlight, the film was overseen by Presidents of Production Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum and Vice President of Production Taylor Friedman.