Filmscene's Refocus Film Festival teases October lineup up with 'Nightbitch" reveal

Excitement is brewing for a popular movie festival.

The yet-to-be-realesed "Nightbitch," starring Oscar-nominated Amy Adams, is FilmScene 's 2024 Refocus Film Festival headliner, which was announced during the first Refocus Reveal Party Tuesday, Aug. 6 at the organization's Ped Mall location.

The annual film festival returns to downtown Iowa City Oct. 17-20.

"Nightbitch" is an adaptation of Rachel Yoder 's novel of the same name, which was released in 2021. Yoder is a University of Iowa professor of screenwriting and cinema arts.

Her novel is a dark and surreal humorous exploration of contemporary feminism, motherhood, and identity as a woman begins to transform into a werewolf.

The Press-Citizen reported in April that American director, screenwriter, and actress Marianne Heller wrote and directed the film adaptation.

"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."

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Fall festival will feature nearly 30 films

The three-day Refocus Film Festival will showcase more than 25 films this year, running concurrently with the Iowa City Book Festival . The event supports the non-profit's mission of celebrating and highlighting the art of adaption through filmmaking.

"One of this festival's guiding principles is celebrating Iowa's incredible contributions to the world of storytelling," said festival Executive Director Andrew Sherburne in a news release. "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."

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Yoder relishes movie opportunity

Yoder, who is based in Iowa City, spoke with the crowd on Tuesday about the film.

"This is a ridiculous book to adapt...who would want to make a movie about a 'weremother'? I guess Marielle Heller," Yoder said. "What's wonderful about this movie and what Marielle does well is that it's tonally complicated. It's not just a comedy, a marriage story, or a horror movie. It hits all these different notes, and she orchestrates this incredibly complex movie that, in lesser hands, would be a mess. But she makes it work, and that's exciting to see on the screen."

The rest of the Refocus films are expected to be announced in September. Early bird passes are available on the Refocus website.

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Filmscene's Refocus Film Festival teases October lineup up with 'Nightbitch" reveal