The first edition of the American Independent Film Festival takes place in Bucharest between September 15 and September 21. The festival, which focuses on the best recent Indie productions, will have actor Ethan Hawke as its special guest.

The program of the festival covers film screenings, talks with special guests and a Focus Ethan Hawke section. In this section, the audience can watch, for the first time in Romania, the actor’s most recent films, such as Maudie, directed by Aisling Walsh, and Born to Be Blue, directed by Robert Budreau. Maudie is a love story, where Hawke stars alongside Sally Hawkins. Born to Be Blue is a biographical drama on trumpet player Chet Baker.

Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Before Midnight are scheduled in the same section. Sidney Lumet’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead will close the festival on September 21. The actor will be present at the screening and talk to the audience afterwards.

A four-time Oscar nominee, Hawke counts among his most recent projects Blaze, a film on the life of musician Blaze Foley. He directed the film and co-wrote the script alongside Sybil Rosen. He also stars in Paul Schrader’s political thriller First Reformed, which premieres at this year's Venice International Film Festival.

The festival takes place at Cinema Pro and Cinemateca Eforie. The program is being updated here.

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