Iowa City, Iowa — The eagerly awaited film adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s debut novel, Nightbitch, will open FilmScene’s 3rd annual Refocus Film Festival this fall on October 17, 7:00pm, 2024 at The Englert Theatre, followed by the festival’s opening night Postscript Party.
"Directing just her fourth feature, Marielle Heller has already proven to be among the best at adapting off-beat, clever stories with panache,” said programming director Ben Delgado. “We're super excited to be able to open the festival with her latest."
According to the official Nighbitch film logline, six-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams stars as a woman who “pauses her career to be a stay-at-home mom, but soon her new domesticity takes a surreal turn.” The film is written for the screen and directed by Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), is based on the novel of the same name by Iowa City author Yoder.
“One of this festival’s guiding principles is celebrating Iowa’s incredible contributions to the world of storytelling” said festival Executive Director Andrew Sherburne. “There’s no better way to honor Iowa City’s artistic talent than by showcasing the cinematic adaptation of Rachel’s electric novel Nightbitch. We’re so excited to see this on the big screen.”
Refocus Film Festival is a celebration of the art of adaptation, presented by the James Investment Group, is curated and produced by FilmScene, Iowa City’s nonprofit cinema. The festival will include over 25 films and events with conversations, multi-disciplinary performances, and art inspired by adaptation and transforming one art form into another. Events will take place October 17-20, primarily in FilmScene's five theaters at The Chauncey and on The Ped Mall, with additional programming in Iowa City’s downtown district. Passholders will have the first opportunity to book tickets, and passes can be purchased at www.refocusfilmfestival.org.
Rachel Yoder is the author of Nightbitch. Her 2021 debut novel was selected as an Indie Next Pick, named a “best book of the year” by Esquire and Vulture, and recognized as a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction. With Mark Polanzak, she is a founding editor of draft: the journal of process. She serves as Assistant Professor of Screenwriting and Cinema Arts at the University of Iowa.
Previously, Refocus Film Festival had announced guitar virtuoso Marc Ribot’s appearance at a live score event for Aelita: Queen of Mars, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Additional programming announcements will be made leading up to the mid-September release of the full festival schedule.
The festival runs concurrently, and is an active collaborator with the Iowa City Book Festival produced by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. The book festival takes place in multiple venues in downtown Iowa City from October 14-20, with numerous free events, connecting readers and writers through the power of story.
ABOUT REFOCUS FILM FESTIVAL
Refocus Film Festival, in its third year, will present a full weekend of films, gatherings, conversations, special guests, and live performances in a community-wide celebration of cinema. This vibrant, wholly unique annual festival spotlights source material—literature, journalism, photography, music, art, podcasts, and more—and presents its evolution of voice, perspective, and medium to the big screen.
ABOUT FILMSCENE
FilmScene is Iowa City’s nonprofit cinema, working in partnership with the Bijou Film Board, a University of Iowa student organization, to present films at two locations on five permanent screens and a seasonal outdoor cinema. From our home in Downtown Iowa City, we enrich the cultural vitality of the surrounding area through community-supported programming that showcases exceptional American and international filmmaking in a vibrant, accessible, equitable, and welcoming space. FilmScene’s mission is to challenge, inspire, educate, and entertain our diverse communities through the shared discovery of film.
