Gen Art Festival Unveils '10 Lineup

Josh Radnor’s “happythankyoumoreplease,” winner of the Sundance Audience Award in January, has been selected as the opening film for the 15th anniversary of the Gen Art Festival beginning April 7 at the historic Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City (141 W. 54th St.) and continuing throughout the week at the 480-seat, state-of-the-art Visual Arts Theater at 333 West 23rd St.

The Gen Art fest showcases the New York premieres of seven features and seven shorts from emerging filmmakers, followed by seven afterparties at various New York nightspots.

“happythankyoumoreplease,” the story of 20-something relationships and shot in New York City, stars Radnor, Malin Akerman, Kate Mara, Tony Hale, Pablo Schreiber and Zoe Kazan.

Closing the festival is “Mercy”, directed by celebrity photographer Patrick Hoelck and written and produced by Scott Caan, who also stars along with Wendy Glenn, Troy Garity, and Erika Christensen, with Dylan McDermott and James Caan. The drama revolves around a cocky L.A. novelist who doesn’t believe in love until he meets a female literary critic named Mercy.

Also on the slate unveiled Tuesday is “Tanner Hall,” a world premiere film at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival and a recent acquisition by Moving Pictures Film & TV. The coming-of-age story was co-directed by Francesca Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg, and stars Rooney Mara, Tom Everett Scott, Georgia King, Brie Larson and Chris Kattan.

The remainder of the films includes “Elektra Luxx,” directed by Sebastian Gutierrez and set for its world premiere at this month’s SXSW festival. It stars Carla Gugino, Timothy Olyphant, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Malin Ackerman and Adrianne Palicki; “Waiting for Forever,” directed by James Keach and starring Rachel Bilson, Matt Davis, Jamie King, Blythe Danner and Richard Jenkins; Toronto International Film Fest’s Best First Canadian Feature and Slamdance Audience Award winner “The Wild Hunt,” directed by Alexandre Franchi; and Adrian Grenier’s personal documentary “Teenage Paparazzo," which explores humanity’s and media’s obsession with the culture of celebrity. It premiered in January at Sundance.