FilmScene’s Refocus Film Festival to open with film by Academy Award-nominated team

Iowa City, Iowa — “Train Dreams,” a stunning cinematic adaptation of the national bestselling novella of the same name by Iowa Writers’ Workshop alum Denis Johnson, is set to open FilmScene’s 4th annual Refocus Film Festival this fall.

“Train Dreams” is directed by Clint Bentley, and co-written by Bentley and Greg Kwedar, the Academy Award–nominated team behind “Sing Sing” (directed by Kwedar). Adapted from the acclaimed novella by Denis Johnson, “Train Dreams” was first published in The Paris Review in 2002 and released as a stand-alone book in August 2011. Distributed by Netflix, the film will play select festivals and theaters before being available on streaming in November.

"Adaptation can be a tricky exercise, particularly with a work as beloved as this. The filmmaking team has perfectly threaded that needle — beautifully evoking the spirit of the source through cinematic grandeur,” said Refocus Film Festival programming director Ben Delgado.

Based on Denis Johnson's beloved novella, “Train Dreams” is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Golden Globe nominee Joel Edgerton), a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century. The film also stars Academy Award-nominees Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon and William H. Macy, with Johnson’s longtime friend Will Patton as the narrator.

Opening night screening will feature special guests, and the weekend will showcase additional programming celebrating Johnson’s life and work in conjunction with Iowa City Book Festival, including readings and an appearance by Ted Geltner, whose biography of Johnson, “Flagrant, Self-Destructive Gestures” is due out in November from University of Iowa press.

“Refocus Film Festival is emerging as an essential stop for films with literary heritage” said festival executive director Andrew Sherburne. “Even more remarkable is to be able to trace these films directly to our community year after year, as is the case with Denis Johnson and Iowa City.”

Refocus Film Festival, a celebration of the art of adaptation presented by the James Investment Group, is curated and produced by FilmScene, Iowa City’s nonprofit cinema. The festival will include over 25 films and events with conversations, multi-disciplinary performances, and art inspired by adaptation and transforming one art form into another.

Events will take place Oct. 9-12, primarily in FilmScene's five theaters at The Chauncey and on the Ped Mall, with additional programming in Iowa City’s downtown district. Passholders will have the first opportunity to book tickets, and passes can be purchased at refocusfilmfestival.org.

The festival runs concurrently and is an active collaborator with the Iowa City Book Festival, produced by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. The book festival takes place in multiple venues in downtown Iowa City from Oct. 5-12, with numerous free events, connecting readers and writers through the power of story.