Autumn Equinox is coming this Sunday 🍂 … and almost on cue, this year’s Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) lineup just dropped!! I can’t believe it’s been 15 years since the first TCFF opened here in the Twin Cities, and every year, it’s always an exciting time to see which buzzy films make the lineup!
15TH ANNIVERSARY SHOWCASE TO FEATURE 140+ FILMS, VISITING STARS, AND FREE MATINEE SCREENINGS
The 2024 TCFF catalog includes a record number of local productions and Minnesota-connected feature films, accepted from a historic slate of submissions from filmmakers across the country. Nearly 40% of TCFF’s features and shorts programming this year are works that were either filmed in the state or are tied to Minnesota talent on both sides of the camera.
OPENING NIGHT FILM
Focus Features’ thriller, CONCLAVE, starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow and directed by Edward Berger, opens the festival on Thursday, Oct. 17, telling the story of Cardinal Lawrence who is tasked with selecting a new pope only to discover that he is at the center of a secretive conspiracy that threatens to shake the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
This year’s closing night gala will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26, and will celebrate the Minnesota-connected feature Days When The Rains Came, in a sneak preview. The film tells the story of a stalled actress mired in the monotony of family life who heads back to her hometown to care for her ailing father, only to be drawn back into her dysfunctional family history and to her first love who got away. Writer and actress Marisa Coughlan, a Minnesota native, will be present for a post-film discussion alongside actors Beau Bridges and Eliza Coupe.
CENTERPIECE FILM
This year, TCFF’s 2024 Centerpiece is Shout Studios’ Magpie, a fresh psychological noir thriller hitting the screen on October 21. The film, which is based on an original concept by Daisy Ridley, features a script by Tom Bateman and is directed by Sam Yates. It stars Daisy Ridley, Shazad Latif, Matilda Lutz, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Hiba Ahmed, Cherrelle Skeete, and Alistair Petrie.
Magpie is a stylish thriller centered on married couple Anette (Ridley) and Ben (Latif), whose lives begin to fracture when their daughter is cast alongside a glamorous movie star, Alicia (Lutz). As Anette’s suspicions of Ben’s infatuation with Alicia intensify, their secrets and lies threaten to burst to the surface and destroy them all.
VISITING STARS
It’s been announced that real-life couple Daisy Ridley and Tom Bateman will be in attendance to accept the TCFF Indie Vision Awards. Of course, everyone knows Ridley from the Star Wars movies, but I think she’s proven to be a versatile actress (she’s terrific in Young Woman and The Sea). As for Bateman, I’ve been a huge fan of his work on TV and movies for some time (Death On The Nile, Thirteen Lives), but he’s branching out into screenwriting with Magpie, so I’m excited to see that!
The 2024 TCFF NorthStar Award will be bestowed to Emmy winner Josh Duhamel, who will appear during the festival for a special “In Conversation” spotlight event on October 24.
Other acclaimed entries in this year’s program: Nightbitch (Oct. 18, Searchlight), Unstoppable (Oct. 19, Amazon/MGM), Blitz (Oct. 26, Apple), A Real Pain (Oct. 22, Searchlight), On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (Oct. 23, A24), Superboys of Malegaon (Oct. 25, Amazon/MGM), Don’t Move (Oct. 25, Netflix), Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust (Oct. 18), La Cocina (Oct. 20), Luther: Never Too Much (Oct. 20, Sony) and a special event spotlighting the creator of Mystery Science Theater Joel Hodgson as he presents A Thousand Clowns (Oct. 19).
DIVERSE PROGRAMMING
I always love the diverse content that TCFF programmers put out year after year! Check out the various film/short series being showcased this year:
In TCFF’s continuing push for access and inclusion, all weekday matinee screenings will be free to audiences this year. The complete 2024 Twin Cities Film Fest features calendar is listed below. Tickets will go on sale beginning Sep. 27th.
Ticket prices range from $10 online to $13 in-person. The Opening, Centerpiece, Closing, and Spotlight film/events will all be $25 with a handful of non-matinee films also available to view at no cost. A ‘Streaming Pass’ is available for $60, ‘Silver Pass’ for $55, ‘Gold Pass’ for $80, ‘Platinum Pass’ for $110, and a ‘Spotlight Pass’ for $125.
NOTE: I highly recommend purchasing your ticket in advance to secure your seat, certain films sell out fast!
Stay tuned for my list of must-see TCFF movies you can’t miss!
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FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
Man, y’all got a good line-up of films to see.
Yeah!! So come visit me in Mpls in October!! 🙂
I would but I prefer to stay home as I’m often wary of traveling and it cost too much these days.
Great to see TCFF thriving. I wanna say our friend Resa here has worked with Beau Bridges, but don’t quote me on that. Daisy Ridley and Tom Bateman will be there too, sweet. I liked Bateman in Death on The Nile. October’s gonna rock. Access “The Power”⚡️ (Palpatine lightning)😄
Ohh I think Resa has worked with Beau Bridges, she is truly amazing!
I’m a huge fan of Tom Bateman, so I’m super duper excited!! 😍
For the first time in years, I won’t be traveling in October, so I might check out some of the films at TCFF this year.
Please do, Ted!! It’d be awesome to meet up there!
Great posts as always. This definitely looks like a promising lineup of films to watch. Out of all these movies, I most look forward to seeing Conclave soon. I am a huge fan of Ralph Fiennes. He’s an incredibly underrated actor that has been giving unforgettable performances for several years without recognition. I believe he should have won an Oscar many years ago for “Schindler’s List”. He was absolutely outstanding in that film and one of the reasons why it’s a classic. So, I’m curious to see his next film. I’ll have to wait for it here in Canada but I look forward to seeing it.
Here’s my thoughts on Schindler’s List:
Yeah, Fiennes is the main draw for me to see Conclave, along with Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow who are all excellent actors!
Fiennes’ portrayal of Amon Göth is still one of the most chilling real-life villains ever portrayed on film! Haunting is the right word for Schindler’s List.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Conclave and Blitz.
Hello Maddy! Thanks for stopping by. Yeah I’m excited for those two as well, Fall is a great time for film lovers!
Egads Ruth! You must be excited.
It sounds like you’ll be quite busy. I look forward to some cool reviews.
I trust you got my comment about watching your short again, so don’t go changing the PW!
I adore Beau Bridges. Will you get to meet him? I did work with him on a movie Out of the Ashes. He is fab. I’m looking at a pic of us together.
Hello hello! Yeah it’s an exciting time!! I’ll email you more details as to why I’m EXTRA excited about one of the guests 😉
Yes I saw your comment, no worries about the PW… I won’t be changing it 🙂
I hope to meet Beau Bridges! If I do, I’ll mention you as I’m sure he remembers you (who could forget such a fabulous woman!)
LOL!
We shot it in Toronto.
A special guest? Hmmmm?
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