My First Film is a 2024 American drama film, directed by Zia Anger from a screenplay by Anger and Billy Feldman. It stars Odessa Young, Devon Ross, Cole Doman, Jane Wickline, Eamon Farren, Seth Steinberg, Sage Ftacek, Abram Kurtz, Jackson Anthony, Philip Ettinger, Sarah Michelson and Ruby Max Fury.
| My First Film | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Directed by | Zia Anger |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Ashley Connor |
| Edited by | |
| Music by | Perfume Genius |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Mubi |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 100 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
It had its world premiere at CPH:DOX on March 19, 2024. It was released in a limited release on August 30, 2024, prior to streaming on Mubi on September 6, 2024.
Premise
editA young filmmaker recounts the struggle to make her first feature.
Cast
edit- Odessa Young as Vita
- Devon Ross as Dina
- Cole Doman as JJ
- Jane Wickline as Alexis
- Philip Ettinger as Dustin
- Eamon Farren as Joe
- Eleanore Hendricks as Sylvia
- Sage Ftacek as Bobby
- Jackson Anthony as Sound Guy
- Seth Steinberg as Sam
- Sarah Michelson as Doctor
- Abram Kurtz as Cash
- Ruby Max Fury as Dad
Production
editBetween 2010 and 2012, Zia Anger shot her first feature attempt, Always All Ways, Anne Marie having family and friends participate as cast and crew.[2][3] The project was rejected by multiple film festivals and left as "abandoned" on IMDB.[4]
Anger then created an interactive live performance due to her frustration with filmmaking and festivals, using a TextEdit documentary, and QuickTime files of the feature, involving viewers through iMessage and AirDrop.[5][6] Anger began writing a feature film version alongside Billy Feldman during the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8]
In November 2022, it was announced Odessa Young, Devon Ross, Cole Doman, Jane Wickline, Philip Ettinger,Eamon Farren, Eleanore Hendricks, Sage Ftacek, Jackson Anthony, Seth Steinberg, Hailey Gates, Sarah Michelson, Abram Kurtz and Ruby Max Fury had joined the cast of the film, with Zia Anger directing from a screenplay she wrote, and Mubi set to produce and distribute.[9]
Release
editIt had its world premiere at CPH:DOX on March 19, 2024.[10] It was released in a limited release on August 30, 2024, prior to streaming on Mubi on September 6, 2024.[11]
Reception
editCritical reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.80/10.[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]
Natalie Winkelman of IndieWire gave the film an A- writing: "My First Film is, at its core, a movie not about upheaval but about yearning, and about how, sometimes, giving that yearning up can be a beautiful, generous act of creation all its own."[14] Richard Brody of The New Yorker praised the film writing: "A masterwork of an artistic coming of age and a virtuosic reconception of the art of cinema itself."[15]
References
edit- ^ "My First Film". CPH:DOX. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Abbatescanni, Davide (March 25, 2024). "CPH:DOX Next:Wave interview: My First Film by Zia Anger". Business Doc Europe. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ Lei, Alex (June 19, 2014). ""Going Through Every Emotion Is Important": Zia Anger Morphs Desktop Documentary Performance 'My First Film' Into Fiction". International Documentary Association. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ McIntosh, Shanekia (August 30, 2024). ""Every Version of it Tore Me Apart": Zia Anger on Her New Movie 'My First Film'". Elephant. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ Shaffer, Marshall (August 31, 2024). "Interview: Zia Anger and Odessa Young on the Freedoms of 'My First Film'". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ Newman, Nick (August 29, 2024). ""I Hate Her": Zia Anger on the Thorny Self-Portrait My First Film". The Film Stage. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ Saito, Stephen (August 30, 2024). "Zia Anger on Reconciling an Experience with Perspective in My First Film". Moveable Fest. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ Cadenas, Keresna (September 4, 2024). "When Zia Anger Cast Odessa Young as a Stand-In for Herself in 'My First Film,' an Unbreakable Bond Was Forged". IndieWire. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 21, 2022). "Zia Anger's 'My First Film' From Mubi Sets Odessa Young As Lead". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ Barraclough, Leo (February 15, 2024). "Documentary Film Festival CPH:DOX Unveils Competition Lineup". Variety. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (August 8, 2024). "'My First Film' Trailer: Zia Anger's Feature Debut Is a Filmmaking Hall of Mirrors Starring Odessa Young". IndieWire. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "My First Film". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ "My First Film". Metacritic. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^ Winkelman, Natalie (August 21, 2024). "'My First Film' Review: Zia Anger's Origin Story Establishes Her as an Electrifying New Voice in American Indie Film". IndieWire. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ Brody, Richard (September 4, 2024). "The Metafictional Ingenuity of My First Film". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 5, 2024.