In his directorial debut, Nnamdi Asomugha’s The Knife tells the story of Chris (Nnamdi Asomugha), who’s sole want is to carve a promising future for his beloved wife Alex (Aja Naomi King) and their two girls; a young family chasing the American Dream. One fateful night, Chris’ entire world is shaken to its core as a stranger mysteriously shows up in their humble abode. Distressed by the events of the night and the revelations seemingly at every turn, the family must also contend with the steadfast Detective Carlsen (Melissa Leo) who’s eager to solve the mystery of their intrusion. Asomugha also produced and starred in WSF’s Crown Heights (2017). The film will have its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival 2024. Read more and purchase tickets here.
Director/Writer Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples tells the story of Ben (Jason Schwartzman), a young widower reeling from the sudden death of his wife, living at home with his meddling mothers who not-so-subtly push him to start dipping a toe back into the dating scene. As a cantor at the local synagogue, suddenly a sense of purpose and unexpected connection shows up in the form of Carla (Carol Kane), his septuagenarian elementary school music teacher who yearns to become a bat mitzvah. While he initially balks at the idea, Carla’s off-kilter yet refreshing takes on the world prove to be the shake-up he needs to start participating in his own life. Their work studying Torah morphs into a friendship that begins to bleed into the personal as they find surprising solace in each other’s presence. This will be the film’s New York premiere following Berlin and Sundance. WSF founder Joshua Blum served as Executive Producer. To read more and purchase tickets, click here.