Sundance Gem ‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ Sets October Release Date

IndieWire can exclusively announce that Titus Kaphar’s “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” an intense family drama that wowed audiences at Sundance and NYC’s New Directors/New Films this year, will be getting a wide release by distributor Roadside Attractions on October 18, 2024. (A brand new photo from the film, also exclusive to IndieWire, is on offer above.)

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Starring André Holland, Andra Day, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and John Earl Jelks, Kaphar’s feature directorial debut takes inspiration from the world-renowned painter turned filmmaker’s real life.

As Tarrell, Holland navigates the challenge of reconnecting with his addict father La’Ron, played by Jelks, after he has reached success as an artist. Oscar nominee Ellis-Taylor plays Tarell’s mother Joyce, who had her own issues with La’Ron that caused them to split, but is more willing to forgive. Meanwhile, Aisha, Tarrell’s musician wife played by fellow Oscar nominee Day, falls more in line with the stance that Tarell and his father might be better off with no contact between them.

“This is an intense film,” said “Exhibiting Forgiveness” writer/director Kaphar to IndieWire at Sundance in January. “It’s a movie that shows the way an artist deals with trauma. An artist uses his craft to save himself and his family. It’s obviously about forgiveness, but redefining forgiveness in a way that works for you so that you don’t have to carry burdens and give those burdens onto your family.”

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The project counts both Stephanie Allain, producer of Oscar-nominated films like “Hustle and Flow” and “Beyond the Lights,” and filmmaker Derek Cianfrance, director of “Blue Valentine” and one of the Oscar-nominated “Sound of Metal” screenwriters, as part of its producing team.

During a live Screen Talk at the 2024 New Directors/New Films Festival , Cianfrance told IndieWire that his involvement with “ Exhibiting Forgiveness ” started when Kaphar, having seen the filmmaker’s Emmy-winning HBO limited series “I Know This Much Is True,” reached out for help on how to go by making a movie. “His paintings were starting to sell for a lot of money,” said Cianfrance. “And what that meant was the work that he was creating was getting purchased by the extremely wealthy and being stored in vaults. And the people that he was making his work about no longer had access to it. And he wanted to make films to democratize his art.”

Now, a wider audience will be able to see Kaphar’s film “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” which also includes an original song from Day, in theaters everywhere on October 18, 2024.