Nomadland—the third feature film from Chloé Zhao, director of 2017 indie favorite The Rider and Disney’s upcoming The Eternals—will still have its festival season debut, even as theaters across North America remain shut down.
Per an announcement from Searchlight Pictures chairmen Nancy Utley and Steve Gilula, Nomadland will have its world premiere on September 11 with simultaneous screenings at the Venice International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Venice is currently going on as previously planned, while Toronto will pair digital screenings, talks, and events with a limited number of socially distanced, in-theater screenings. Screenings of Nomadland at each festival will be paired by a virtual introduction from Zhao and Frances McDormand. In addition to serving as a producer, McDormand stars in Nomadland as a woman who decides to live the life of a nomad following the economic collapse of her small town.
Later the evening of the 11th, the film will have its American premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, typically a key stop on the film festival calendar for awards hopefuls. Telluride, which made the decision to cancel its 2020 edition last month, will host Nomadland at a “Telluride from Los Angeles” drive-in screening in Los Angeles, with Zhao and McDormand making in-person appearances.
The New York Film Festival has also announced Nomadland as the Centerpiece Selection of its 2020 festival.
“Nomadland is a true cinematic discovery,” said Searchlight’s Utley and Gilula. “We are grateful to Chloé and the entire Nomadland filmmaking team and to the festival community that is essential to the success of independent films, and we thank Alberto and Giulia [of Venice], Julie and Tom [of Telluride], Cameron and Joana [of Toronto], and Eugene and Dennis [of New York] for the opportunity to be a part of this unique time in our industry’s changing landscape. Chloé reminds us that film has the power to connect us no matter how far apart we might seem. We hope this special film can move audiences across the world and further support global cinema.”
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