Indie Film Release Guide: March 1st [An ONTD Original]

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This weekend’s release schedule is pretty light aside from one long-awaited major studio sequel. Warner Bros is finally giving Dune: Part Two a release, so most other studios have stepped aside and given them the weekend. A24 alos begins its rescheduled Problemista rollout this weekend, but that won't hit wide release until later this month.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Five” - Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures, and Columbia Pictures. 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: February 23rd, February 16th, and February 9th.

Problemista

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Stars: Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton, RZA, Isabella Rossellini
Writer/Director: Julio Torres
Genre: Comedy
Plot: Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in NY. As time runs out on his work visa, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country.
What you should know: Originally scheduled to open last August, the film was moved to March 2024 due to the SAG strike.
Where to watch: In select theaters; expands March 22nd



Spaceman

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Stars: Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano, Kunal Nayyar
Writer: Jaroslav Kalfar, Colby Day
Director: Johan Renck
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Plot: Half a year into his solo mission on the edge of the solar system, an astronaut concerned with the state of his life back on Earth is helped by an ancient creature he discovers in the bowels of his ship.
What you should know: Based on the 2017 book Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfar.
Where to watch: Netflix

Shayda

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Stars: Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Leah Purcell, Mojean Aria, Lucinda Armstrong Hall
Writer/Director: Noora Niasari
Genre: Drama
Plot: A young Iranian mother and her six-year-old daughter find refuge in an Australian women's shelter during the two weeks of the Iranian New Year (Nowruz).
What you should know: Won the Audience Award for World Cinema - Dramatic at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Where to watch: Theaters

Silver Haze

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Stars: Vicky Knight, Esme Creed-Miles, Charlotte Knight, Archie Brigden
Writer/Director: Sacha Polak
Genre: Drama
Plot: Fifteen years after she got burnt when the pub where she slept as a child caught fire, Franky seeks revenge because she still hasn't found any answers.
What you should know: Actress Vicky Knight is a nurse at the hospital that treated her real-life burns as a child.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD

Amelia’s Children

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Stars: Brigette Lundy-Paine, Carloto Cotta, Anabela Moreira, Alba Baptista
Writer/Director: Gabriel Abrantes
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Plot: Edward searches for biological family in Portugal. He finds a villa and reunites with his long-lost mother and twin. But their shared past holds a dark secret that will forever change his understanding of his identity and origins.
What you should know: It’s in English and Portuguese
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD

Code 8: Part II

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Stars: Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Alex Mallari Jr., Sirena Gulamgaus
Writer: Chris Pare, Jeff Chan, Sherren Lee
Director: Jeff Chan
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Plot: Follows a girl fighting to get justice for her slain brother by corrupt police officers. She enlists the help of an ex-con and his former partner, they face a highly regarded and well protected police sergeant who doesn't want to be.
What you should know: Follows 2019’s Code 8.
Where to watch: Netflix

Outlaw Posse

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Stars: Mario Van Peebles, William Mapother, Neal McDonough, Whoopi Goldberg
Writer/Director: Mario Van Peebles
Genre: Western
Plot: 1908. Chief returns from years of hiding in Mexico to claim stolen reparations gold hidden in the hills of Montana but is chased by Angel, whose rationale to the gold leaves a trail of dead bodies.
What you should know:
Where to watch: In theaters

Before I Change My Mind

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Stars: Vaughan Murrae, Dominic Lippa, Lacey Oake, Shannon Blanchet
Writer: Trevor Anderson, Fish Griwkowsky
Director: Trevor Anderson
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
Plot: 1987: While the other students wonder if new kid Robin is a boy or a girl, Robin forges a complicated bond with the school bully, making increasingly dangerous choices to fit in.
What you should know: Won several awards at the 2022 Alberta Film and Television Awards.
Where to watch: In theaters

Major Studio Releases

As We Speak

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Director: J.M. Harper
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Bronx rap artist Kemba explores the growing weaponization of rap lyrics in the United States criminal justice system and abroad - revealing how law enforcement has quietly used artistic creation as evidence in criminal cases for decades.
What you should know: Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2024.
Where to watch: Paramount+

Dune: Part Two

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Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler
Writer: Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Plot: Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
What you should know: Based on the book series by Frank Herbert.
Where to watch: In theaters

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?