Indie Film Release Guide: June 11th [An ONTD Original]

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This weekend is all about In the Heights - the movie musical makes its big screen debut with only Peter Rabbit 2 for competition, while simultaneously appearing on HBO Max for home viewing. But if you’re not into movie musicals or children’s films, there are quite a few more options for you this weekend.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia/Sony and Disney. Note that some of the movies listed are in their first week or two of limited release in the USA, so it may take them a few more weeks (or months) to show up in your local arthouse theater or on VOD. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have just opened near you: June 4th, May 28th, and May 21st.

Censor

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Stars: Niamh Algar, Michael Smiley, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Fraser
Writer: Prano Bailey-Bond, Anthony Fletcher
Director: Prano Bailey-Bond
Genre: Horror
Plot: After viewing a strangely familiar video nasty, Enid, a film censor, sets out to solve the past mystery of her sister's disappearance, embarking on a quest that dissolves the line between fiction and reality.
What you should know: This is director Prano Bailey-Bond’s first feature film, and comes as a follow-up to her 2015 short Nasty.
Where to watch: In select theaters; available VOD June 18th



Holler

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Stars: Jessica Barden, Pamela Adlon, Austin Amelio, Becky Ann Baker
Writer/Director: Nicole Riegel
Genre: Drama
Plot: To pay for her education, and the chance of a better life, a young woman joins a dangerous scrap metal crew.
What you should know: Director Nicole Riegel won a “Directors to Watch” award at the 2020 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Where to watch: In select theaters, and available VOD

Awake

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Stars: Gina Rodriguez, Shamier Anderson, Frances Fisher, Ariana Greenblatt
Writer: Gregory Poirier, Joseph Raso, Mark Raso
Director: Mark Raso
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Plot: After a devastating global event wipes out all electronics and eliminated people's ability to sleep, a former soldier may have found a solution with her daughter.
What you should know: Jennifer Jason Leigh and Gina Rodriguez also appeared in the 2018 film Annihilation.
Where to watch: Netflix

Akilla’s Escape

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Stars: Saul Williams, Thamela Mpumlwana, Donisha Rita Claire Prendergast, Vic Mensa
Writer: Charles Officer, Wendy Motion Brathwaite
Director: Charles Officer
Genre: Crime, Drama
Plot: Akilla Brown captures a fifteen-year-old Jamaican boy in the aftermath of an armed robbery. Over one gruelling night, Akilla confronts a cycle of generational violence he thought he escaped.
What you should know: Nominated for Best Canadian Feature Film at TIFF 2020, and garnered several other nominations and wins on the award circuit.
Where to watch: In select theaters and virtual cinemas

A Perfect Enemy

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Stars: Athena Strates, Tomasz Kot, Marta Nieto, Dominique Pinon
Writer: Cristina Clemente, Kike Maíllo, Fernando Navarro
Director: Kike Maíllo
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
Plot: A successful architect is approached on his trip to the Paris Airport by a chatty girl. Although the meeting seems fortuitous, soon there be a turn that will transform the encounter into something much more sinister and criminal.
What you should know: It’s in English and French.
Where to watch: In select theaters, and available VOD

Sublet

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Stars: John Benjamin Hickey, Niv Nissim, Lihi Kornowski, Miki Kam
Writer: Eytan Fox, Itay Segal
Director: Eytan Fox
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Plot: A New York Times writer visits Tel Aviv after suffering a tragedy. The city's energy and his relationship with a younger man he meets there bring him back to life.
What you should know: Won the Jury Prize at the 2021 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.
Where to watch: In select theaters and virtual cinemas

Asia

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Stars: Alena Yiv, Shira Haas, Tamir Mula, Gera Sandler
Writer/Director: Ruthy Pribar
Genre: Drama
Plot: Despite living together, Asia barely interacts with her daughter Vika. Their routine is shaken when Vika's health deteriorates rapidly. Asia must step in and become the mother Vika so desperately needs.
What you should know: Official submission of Israel for the Best International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021.
Where to watch: In select theaters

Who Will Start Another Fire

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Writer: Nicole Magabo, Jermaine Manigault, Olive Nwosu, Nicole Otero, Faye Ruiz, Samira Saraya, Peier Tracy Shen, Alex Westfall
Director: Nicole Magabo, Jermaine Manigault, Olive Nwosu, Nicole Otero, Emily Packer, Faye Ruiz, Samira Saraya, Peier Tracy Shen, Lesley Steele, Alex Westfall
Genre: Drama, Anthology
Plot: Titled after a question posed in Malawian poet Jack Mapanje’s Before Chilembwe Tree (1981)-but sans question mark, so as to propose an answer-this curated collection of nine shorts spans five countries and includes acclaimed festival selections from a talented and diverse roster of rising BIPOC filmmakers. Among its urgent, eclectic stories: a Chinese-American girl navigates a messy childhood in L.A.; a Nigerian boy is confronted with the traumas of his father’s generation; an Israeli-Palestinian lesbian couple in Tel Aviv contend with the transgression of their relationship; a trans woman returns home to discover her neighborhood gentrified and hauntingly unrecognizable; and a young African-American man struggles to define his Blackness against accusations of not being Black enough.
What you should know: This omnibus film featuring works by emerging directors of color is the inaugural project of Dedza Films, a distribution initiative, spearheaded by Malawian-American filmmaker Kate Gondwe, focused on showcasing underrepresented communities and the next wave of international moving-image storytellers.
Where to watch: In select theaters and virtual cinemas

Take Me Somewhere Nice

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Stars: Sara Luna Zoric, Lazar Dragojevic, Ernad Prnjavorac, Sanja Buric
Writer/Director: Ena Sendijarevic
Genre: Drama
Plot: On the edge of adulthood, Alma leaves her mother's home in the Netherlands and travels to her native Bosnia to visit the father she's never met. But from the start, nothing goes as planned.
What you should know: It’s in Bosnian, Dutch & English.
Where to watch: Virtual cinemas

Domino: Battle of the Bones

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Stars: David Arquette, Snoop Dogg, Tom Lister Jr., Tasie Lawrence
Writer: Pamela Azmi-Andrew, Baron Davis, Carl Reid
Director: Baron Davis, Steven V. Vasquez Jr., Carl Reid
Genre: Comedy
Plot: An elderly black man from Compton teams up with his awkward, white step-grandson to defeat his rival in an off-the-wall, shady as hell domino tournament.
What you should know: This is the first feature film directed by former NBA player Baron Davis.
Where to watch: In select theaters

More New Releases

In the Heights (Trailer) from Warner Bros (and available on HBO Max)
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (Trailer) from Sony
Queen Bees (Trailer) from Universal
The Misfits (Trailer) from Paramount
Rogue Hostage (Trailer)
Final Frequency (Trailer)
Queen of Spades (Trailer)
Occupation: Rainfall (Trailer)

New to Streaming

Infinite (Trailer) on Paramount+
Tragic Jungle (Trailer) on Netflix
Skater Girl (Trailer) on Netflix
The Croods: A New Age (Trailer) on Hulu
Pinocchio (Trailer) (2020) on Amazon

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD?