Macon Film Festival announced the Special Screenings and an additional Spotlight Film that will headline the 11th annual festival, held July 21-24, 2016.
 
"Special Screenings are the culmination of each day of films; a time for everyone to gather in the same theatre and watch a film selected by our Board and Programmer that we feel will speak to our audience in a unique way,” said Julie Wilkerson, festival president.
 
All special screenings will be held at the historic Douglass Theatre located at 355 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd in downtown Macon.

Festival programmer, Tabitha Walker said, "With this year's special screenings of MY BLIND BROTHER and MORRIS FROM AMERICA our festival audience will have an opportunity to see why these two films have been such audience favorites throughout the year at festivals like Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and more."  

The Opening Night special screening on Thursday, July 21, is PRETTY IN PINK with special guest Andrew McCarthy.  The film was written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch, Pretty in Pink (1986) is about love and social cliques in American high schools starring McCarthy, Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Annie Potts and James Spader. Mr. McCarthy portrays Blane, a rich preppy high school senior who falls for Andie (Molly Ringwald) a working-class girl from the wrong side of the tracks and both encounter resistance from their perspective social circles. The special screening will follow a Q&A with Mr. McCarthy that will begin at 6:00pm.
 
Friday, July 22, is THE END OF THE TOUR, directed by James Ponsoldt. The story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel), which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace's groundbreaking epic novel, 'Infinite Jest.'  Before the screening, Mr. Ponsoldt will be conducting the Sundance Institute Short Film Master Class at Theatre Macon from 12p to 4pm on Friday.
 
Saturday, July 23, is MY BLIND BROTHER, with special guest Charlie Hewson, is a relationship comedy, written and directed by Sophie Goodhart, My Blind Brother recently premiered at the SXSW Film Festival. Bill (Nick Kroll) has always lived in the shadow of his brother Robbie (Adam Scott), a handsome athlete and local hero who happens to be blind. Their sibling rivalry reaches a fever pitch when both men fall for the same woman (Jenny Slate). Mr. Hewson will conduct a Q&A following the screening.

Closing night, Sunday, July 24, is MORRIS FROM AMERICA, written and directed by acclaimed up-and-coming filmmaker Chad Hartigan (This is Martin Bonner), centers on Morris Gentry (Markees Christmas, in an incredible breakout performance) a 13-year-old who has just relocated with his single father, Curtis (Craig Robinson) to Heidelberg, Germany. Morris, who fancies himself the next Notorious B.I.G., is a complete fish-out-of-water—a budding hip-hop star in an EDM world.  To complicate matters further, Morris quickly falls hard for his cool, rebellious, 15-year-old classmate Katrin.. Morris sets out against all odds to take the hip-hop world by storm and win the girl of his dreams.

Morris from America won two prizes at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the Waldo Salt Screening Award and a Special Jury Award for Robinson, who has been receiving tremendous praise for his touching and nuanced performance in his first serious role. Poignant and funny in equal measure, Morris from America is a delightfully original take on growing up, following your dreams, and finding your voice.

"The festival programming committee is also excited to be showcasing not one but two of director James Ponsoldt's films during this year's festival. THE END OF THE TOUR and THE SPECTACULAR NOW are fantastic examples of James' unique voice as a director,” Walker added.
 
The additional Georgia Film Spotlight feature, THE SPECTACULAR NOW, directed by James Ponsoldt, will screen on Friday, July 22 at 11:50am at The Douglass Theatre.

The Spectacular Now is a story of Sutter, a high school senior (Miles Teller), effortless charmer, and self-proclaimed “life of the party” – unexpectedly falls in love with the “nice girl” Aimee (Shailene Woodley). While Aimee dreams of the future, Sutter lives in the now. And yet somehow, they’re drawn together. What starts as an unlikely romance becomes a sharp-eyed, straight-up snapshot of the heady confusion and haunting passion of youth – one that doesn’t look for tidy truths. The Spectacular Now, filmed in Athens, Georgia, features wonderful supporting performances from Brie Larson, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The film will screen Friday, July 22 at 11:50am at The Douglass Theatre.

The four-day Macon Film Festival was named one of the Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the world by Moviemaker Magazine. The festival includes screenings independent films that you can’t see in any other theatres, including short and long format narratives (like you see at regular movie theatres) and documentaries. Screenings will be held at four venues located within three blocks in downtown Macon: The Douglass Theatre, Theatre Macon, Macon-Bibb Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Cox Capitol Theatre. Filmmaking workshops, networking events and legendary after-parties combine to make this an event that draws audiences and artists from around the globe.
 
Purchase tickets or preview the festival schedule at MaconFilmFestival.com. Tickets are $10 for one-block screenings, $25 for one-day passes; $75 for Screening passes, valid all four days; and $150 for All-Access passes that include admission to all screenings and after-parties. Purchase tickets online at www.MaconFilmFestival.com. Passes are now available on the festival’s website http://www.maconfilmfestival.com or at this Ticket Derby link: http://www.bit.ly/MFF_2016