'Sapphires' to Kick Off San Diego Film Festival

12:47 PM PDT 9/12/2012 by Borys Kit

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Courtesy of TWC

"The Sapphires"

Under new leadership, the festival hopes to attract a large audience with screenings of "Quarter," "Seven Psychopaths," "The Oranges" and more.

The Sapphires, the Weinstein Co.’s period musical drama direted by Wayne Blair will kick off the San Diego Film Festival, while the Dustin Hoffman-helmed dramedy Quartet will be the closing night film.

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The festival, which runs Sept. 26-30, is operating under new leadership and capital with a plan to raise its profile as it executes its 11th edition.

Also on the agenda is a screening of The Oranges, Julian Farino’s drama starring Hugh Laurie and Leighton Meester, while a program called Horror Fest at Gaslamp will showcase Seven Psychopaths, the new film from Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) which is coming off a successful world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival.

World premieres at the festival include Robert Kirbyson’s survival story Red Line and Alonso May’s The Story of Luke, a quirky story of an autistic boy’s singular mission starring Lou Taylor Pucci, Seth Green, Kristin Bauer and Cary Elwes.

Having U.S. debuts is the thriller The Man Inside. The indie comedy Frankie Goes Boom, with Ron Perlman, Chris Noth, Charlie Hunnam and Lizzy Caplan and directed by Jordan Roberts, is making its West Coast debut.

The festival is also planning a tribute to Gus van Sant as well as numerous panels ranging from 3D to distribution.