PRESS RELEASE
July 15, 2026
Media Contact:
Anton Jackson, Director
info@montgomeryfilmfestival.com
Montgomery Film Festival Reveals Official Selection for 17th Edition
Three-day program pairs local and international curated works with a John Woo retrospective and a Kiyoshi Kurosawa premiere for the state
MONTGOMERY, AL — The Montgomery Film Festival will present its 17th annual edition August 7–9, 2026, at the Capri Theatre. This year's three-day program includes five feature films, a retrospective screening, and three curated blocks of short films, spanning new independent cinema, regional, national, and international work, and a classic of Hong Kong action filmmaking.
The festival opens Friday, August 7, with Daniel Christian's Possum Town, a documentary exploring the archive of Jim Crow-era Columbus, Mississippi photographer O. N. Pruitt, followed by Lucy Sandler and Mechi Lakatos's dark comedy Danny is My Boyfriend.
Saturday, August 8, opens with two shorts programs: Student Works, showcasing films from emerging student filmmakers, and Alabama Ties, a showcase of shorts made in Alabama or by Alabama filmmakers, before closing with a new restoration of John Woo's 1992 action classic Hard Boiled, screening as a retrospective presentation.
The festival closes Sunday, August 9, with Kevin Walker and Jack Auen'sChronovisor, preceded by the short film “ghoststory” by Alex Jacobs; the Coast to Coast shorts block, gathering short films from across the country; and master auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa'sThe Samurai and the Prisoner, which recently played the Cannes Film Festival, as the festival's closing-night film.
Opening Night Film
Possum Town
Friday, August 7 • 5:45 PM | Dir. Daniel Christian | US | 2025 | 98 min | Color | English
O. N. Pruitt – the “picture man” for the small town of Columbus, Mississippi, during the Jim Crow era – was one of the most prolific photographers of his time. Nearly a century later, a Columbus native who grew up surrounded by the ghosts of Pruitt's work delves into his vast archive of photographic negatives, opening a portal where images of past and present converge in the everyday stories of the town's citizens today.
Danny is My Boyfriend
Friday, August 7 • 8:00 PM | Dirs. Lucy Sandler, Mechi Lakatos | US | 2025 | 100 min | Color | English
Tightly wound Lucy is living with her mom after a breakup so brutal it landed her in a mental hospital. So when her new boyfriend Danny asks her to dogsit while he's out of town helping his sister prepare for her baby's non-denominational circumcision party, it feels like a major milestone: proof that her relationship (and life) is on track. But the illusion shatters when a stranger on the street recognizes the dog… as HER boyfriend Danny's dog.
Retrospective Screening
Hard Boiled
Saturday, August 8 • 7:00 PM | Dir. John Woo | Hong Kong | 128 min | Color | Cantonese w/ English subtitles
The new restoration of John Woo's 1992 action classic! Mobsters are smuggling guns into Hong Kong. The police orchestrate a raid at a teahouse where an ace detective loses his partner. Meanwhile, the two main gun smugglers are having a war over territory, and a young new gun is enlisted to wipe out informants and overcome barriers to growth. The detective, acting from inside sources, gets closer to the ring leaders and eventually must work with the inside man directly.
Chronovisor
Sunday, August 9 • 1:45 PM | Dirs. Kevin Walker & Jack Auen | US | 2026 | 100 min | Color | English, French, German, Italian w/ English subtitles
The life of a reclusive academic collides with the story of a clandestine technology that can photograph the past.
Preceded by the short film “ghoststory” by Alex Jacobs.
Closing Night Film
The Samurai and the Prisoner
Sunday, August 9 • 6:00 PM | Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Japan | 2026 | 147 min | Color | Japanese w/ English subtitles
When Lord Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) rises up against the tyrannical Oda (Bando Shingo), he finds himself besieged within the walls of his own castle. Isolated, he is confronted with a series of mysterious crimes that shatter the fragile order of his court, plunging the fortress into fear and suspicion. With Oda's army closing in and a traitor hiding among his ranks, Murashige is forced into an uneasy alliance with Kanbei (Masaki Suda), a brilliant and dangerous strategist held prisoner in the dungeon, as he must outwit his enemies and uncover the truth before time runs out.
Student Works Shorts Blocks
Saturday, August 8 • 1:15 PM
From the classroom to the big screen. Shorts from emerging filmmakers, turning their creative assignments into reality.
Chris Casey “Olympian” (Music Video) – Various, Georgia Southern University (1:35)
Animal Fighterz – Jeremy Broner, University of South Alabama (4:16)
Arrre You Free Tonight – Em Milling, University of South Alabama (4:10)
Arachne – Crestwood 4th & 5th Graders (10:33)
Cottonmouth – Cole Johnson, New York University (15:30)
Golden Years – Jared Meyer, Columbia University (17:47)
Trevor Together – Trevor Peck, University of North Alabama (18:33)
The Sight Unseen – Shawn Antoine II, Northwestern University (40:00)
Alabama Ties Shorts Block
Saturday, August 8 • 4:00 PM
A showcase of shorts made in Alabama or by Alabama filmmakers. Stories rooted in the state's places, people, and history, made by the filmmakers who know them best.
Mel – Jared Johnson (4:36)
Cottonmouth – Cole Johnson (15:30)
Candle – Nora Stone (12:45)
Viola – Leslie Hardy (12:27)
Deep River Declaration – Josh Carples (16:13)
Chris' Hot Dogs: It's Not Just About the Sauce – Carolyn Crowder (30:00)
Coast to Coast Shorts Block
Sunday, August 9 • 3:45 PM
A cross-country survey of short filmmaking, gathering distinct voices and styles from across the nation into one program.
Ok Goodnight “Spiral” (Music Video) – Stephen Mlinarcik (5:53)
Donor – Wesley Boone (21:45)
Morning Vigil – David M. Night Maire (10:00)
ghoststory – Alex Jacobs (6:00)
Sportsman – Chandler Gibson (12:03)
All the Real Boys – Ohad Ira Amram (10:42)
I Wanted to Hear Your Voice – James Pellerito (12:00)
The Diamond Eyes of Aphrodisia – Connor Smook (32:42)
Tickets for MFF17 will be available through the Capri Theatre. Visit the Capri Theatre box office or website for pricing and showtimes, sale date to be announced soon.
The Montgomery Film Festival is an annual film festival presented at the Capri Theatre in Montgomery, Alabama, now in its 17th year. MFF programs new independent, local, national, and international features, plus retrospective screenings, and curated shorts blocks alongside year-round programming at the Capri.