Amazon MGM’s I Play Rocky opens the 11th Coronado Island Film Festival, kicking off a five-day showcase of 140 films from November 4 to 8. The festival, held in San Diego, marks a rare US premiere for the Peter Farrelly-directed biopic about Sylvester Stallone’s struggle to bring Rocky to life.
Anthony Ippolito stars as Stallone, with the film having already debuted at TIFF last month. It’s not just a tribute to the underdog saga — it’s a meta-commentary on how legends are made, and who gets to tell their story. The closing night feature? Neon’s Paper Tiger, James Gray’s 1986-set drama starring Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, and Miles Teller.
A tale of two brothers and a botched environmental scheme that spirals into mob violence, it premiered at Cannes in May. Between them, the lineup includes Netflix’s Ink, A24’s The Debut, and Sumerian Pictures’ Josephine. Searchlight’s Behemoth! and Lionsgate’s Killing Castro round out the spotlight selections. Merridee Book, CIFF’s CEO and artistic director, called this year’s slate a bridge between classic Hollywood and the future, ‘where conversations begin.’ Panels will take place across three venues: the Sacred Heart Community Center, the Coronado Public Library, and the John D. Spreckels Center.
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