24th Annual Nevada City Film Festival – Official Selections and Program Details

Every summer, the Nevada City Film Festival (NCFF) makes art into a party, bringing an audience of movie lovers together with emerging and top independent filmmakers to showcase award-winning short and feature length films from around the world.

The 24^th annual edition kicks off June 21 and runs through the 23^rd with a thrilling program of nearly 70 films that exemplify the very finest in independent filmmaking today, along with over half of the films supported with visiting filmmakers to participate in question and answer following film screenings at the beautiful, historic Nevada Theatre, and numerous parties connecting the audience with the filmmakers, at venues throughout downtown Nevada City. 

“It’s sounds rather cliché, but you when you attend NCFF you are truly seeing tomorrow’s film stars,” said Jesse Locks, Executive Director. “So many of our first-time directors, actors, producers, and comedians go on to win awards (including Oscars!) and have successful careers in Hollywood. It’s always fun to say “you knew them when” but small festivals like ours – with our extremely engaged audience – help support independent filmmakers grow and evolve; there is something very special about having that kind of responsibility and impact.”

NCFF is often referred to as the “Sundance of the Sierra” for its emphasis on fiercely independent cinema that showcases innovative, progressive and exciting new voices in film. In 2020, NCFF was named by USA Today as the #3 Best Festival in the US. In 2023, NCFF were included in Moviemaker Magazine’s 25 Coolest Film Festivals list. Most recently, the festival was named for the fourth time by Moviemaker Magazine as one of the top 50 film festivals in the world worth the submission fee for filmmakers.

“Programming the 2024 Nevada City Film Festival was an exciting challenge,” explained Jess Swigonski, Program Director. “Narrowing down our final Official Selections was a painstaking process, aided by our Community Program Committee, made up of 10 local film enthusiasts, who collectively watched and reviewed over 320 hours of film!”  

Curating and presenting extraordinary short films have always been at the heart of NCFF. Short films have the unique ability to provide a glimpse into a much larger world, story or concept. With nothing to lose, short filmmakers are willing to take chances in voice and style. Their films are usually more experimental, more creative, with messages that are more liberated.

This year’s festival includes 6 shorts programs that defy genre and categorization, rather finding the threads that weave common stories of the human experience together to create spellbinding experiences for you the viewer to behold. The festival also offers a FREE Kid Flicks program Saturday morning for ages 8+. Presented in partnership with the New York International Children’s Film Festival this program is full of vibrancy and adventure the entire family will love.

“Some other new changes this year includes instead of closing with a Best of Fest lineup this year, we felt that all of our films deserved equally special recognition,” said Swigonski. “You’ll be able to catch all the award-worthy programming throughout the entire festival this year. Each film screening during the festival reflects NCFF values of first-rate storytelling and artistry. Through a blend of animation, documentary, and fiction, let us take you on a journey through the human experience you can’t get anywhere else.”

This year’s feature films include:

Thursday Night Sneak Peek: Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted plus Shorts dir. Isaac Gale, Ryan Olson

For locals, friends of the fest, and early festival arrivals, NCFF is hosting a special Thursday night sneak peek at the fest with a showing of the crowd-pleasing Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted. Hidden away deep in the suburbs of Los Angeles, legendary cult musician Swamp Dogg, alongside housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty, has transformed his home into an artistic playground. Together, they navigate the tumultuous waves of the music industry, and forge a wonderfully bizarre and inspiring path across time and space.

Opening Night Feature: Bring Them Home dir. Ivan MacDonald, Ivy MacDonald, Daniel Glick

Bring Them Home tells the story of a small group of Blackfoot people and their mission to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory since the species’ near-extinction a century ago, an act that would restore the land, re-enliven traditional culture and bring much needed healing to their community. Narrated by Oscar-nominated, award-winning Blackfeet / Nez Perce actor, Lily Gladstone.

“For folks who saw the Ken Burns documentary The American Buffalo on PBS earlier this year, Bring Them Home delves significantly deeper into the complex story of the buffalo and the Blackfoot people,” shared Locks. “A film like this is a prime example why stories like this need to be told by Native American filmmakers.”

Emerging Artist Spotlight: Future Date Dir. Stanley Wong

Wong’s directorial debut is set in the distant future where the outside climate is unlivable and everyone is forced to spend their lives alone in tiny rooms. Yet two people win the rare opportunity to go on a very unusual date… in person! What unfolds is a creative, funny, and heartfelt exploration of our modern culture through an extremely creatively made film.

Wong is a director, actor, producer and writer from New Orleans. As a character actor, he is best known for his memorable turn as The Quant in the Oscar-winning THE BIG SHORT, opposite Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell. He also played the character Roman in the blockbuster 21 & 22 JUMP STREET series alongside Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.

“While each film in our line-up is incredibly unique, I started to pick up on some emergent themes in our submission pool this year,” explained Swigonski. “One main thread that I saw pulled on time and time again was connection, whether that is with oneself, others, or the world around us. I think many of us are still processing that period of isolation we all faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Saturday Night Centerpiece: A Sh*t Day dir. Kevin T. Landry

The festival wraps Saturday night with this hilarious dark comedy. Drowning under the abuses of her narcissist ex-husband and condescending Lotto-Gold superior, a young single mother on the brink of a mental breakdown is sent to the middle of nowhere to interview a strange hermit. The uncooperative man who just won the jackpot will be the one to push her over the edge in quite spectacular fashion when she accidentally rams her car into a tree in front of his isolated cabin, setting up the events of an absurdly crappy day for both of them. 

Sunday Families with Teens Feature: We Can Be Heroes dir. Carina Mia Wong, Alex Simmons

Sometimes, finding your tribe requires a bit of magic. For attendees of a live action role-playing (LARP) camp in upstate New York, the deeply accepting environment has given neurodivergent, queer, and self-proclaimed “nerdy” teenagers the space and community for self-discovery that they have never found anywhere else. As the campers immerse themselves in this imaginative world, they discover inner strength, heal from past traumas, and emerge as the heroes they are meant to be, both in the fantasy realm and in real life. We Can Be Heroes celebrates the small, fleeting, but profoundly formative moments that make up the most intense years of adolescence, with a little help from foam swords.

Sunday Feature: Art and Life: The Story of Jim Phillips dir. John Edward Makens

Embark on the epic ride of Jim Phillips, the genius behind skateboarding and rock culture’s electrifying art. This documentary explores Phillips’ unyielding commitment to his craft, embodying a testament to resilience in art and life. Starring Neil Young, Steve Alba, Chad Muska. Co-presented with Good Times Boardshop.

Closing Night Feature: Chuck Chuck Baby dir. Janis Pugh

A film of love, loss and music set amongst the falling feathers of a chicken factory. Present day, industrial north Wales. Helen spends her nights packing chickens and her days caring for dying mother-figure Gwen. Helen’s mundane world is turned upside down by the return of Joanne, a crush from her schooldays. The feeling is mutual, and as they fall in love, Helen’s zest for life returns – but Joanne feels the walls close in as she faces something darker from her past. Currently holds a rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“We are a community rich in opportunities to experience first-rate cinema,” said Swigonski. “The Nevada City Film Festival is an opportunity to show your support for independent artists and producers, to help efforts like our festival continue to live on and thrive so that we can keep bringing one-of-a-kind programming to our community.”

NCFF is made up a small team of local creatives led by co-founder and Onyx Theatre business owner Jeffrey Clark, Executive Director Jesse Locks, Creative Director Rich Good, Technical Director Zach Haller, Program Director Jess Swigonski and Social Media/Design Team Lorrin Bertolli and Bee McKenzie. The small but might team, along with a few dozen volunteers, produce the annual festival along with other community events including Movies Under the Pines an outdoor cinema experience for the whole family, Comedy Nights featuring world-class comedians, Silent Movie Day, Home Movie Day, Filmmaker Residency and Producers Retreat, Filmmakers in Schools, among other film events throughout the year.