James Franco’s Tar To Premiere At RIFF

Tar, starring James Franco, Mila Kunis and Jessica Chastain, will premiere this November at the Rome International Film Festival.

The feature film, adapted by Franco and the students in the class he teaches at New York University, is a compilation of twelve short films each directed by a student. They’re based on a book of poems titled Tar by Pulitzer Prize winner C.K. Williams. Each short film is based on a stand-alone poem in the book but they are bought together as a one feature to give a greater look at the poet’s life, through his poetry.

We also have the official synopsis for the film, which reads:

“Tar is based on Pulitzer prize-winning poet C.K. Williams’ collection of the same name. Written and directed by 12 filmmakers, the film blends together adaptations of numerous poems, creating a poetic road trip through C.K. William’s life. Waltzing through time over several decades, C.K. Williams goes through a certain sense of rejuvenation as well as feelings of loss, as he experiences a series of significant past and present encounters. His constant wonder at and desire to grasp his memories makes him struggle to be fully present with his wife, but he then realizes through his journey, that he is inexplicably bound to both.”

Franco plays the main version of Williams in the film, while Kunis plays his wife Catherine, Chastain plays William’s mother and Henry Hopper plays a younger version of Williams.

On top of this news, details have emerged about one of the shorts titled One Of The Muses. The director of that particular short, Alexis Gambis, has released on his website a synopsis for the short, which you can check out below.

“One of the Muses is a lyrical piece recounting the tumultuous night of CK in his forties (James Franco). The study room becomes “the house of shadows” as C.K. prepares a lecture the following day and experiences a writer’s block. He slowly plunges into his dark memories and early relationships as a twenty-year old (Henry Hopper), a cathartic experience that strengthens his present day with his wife (Mila Kunis).”

Two new photos from the film have also been released, the first is a still from One Of The Muses, which can been seen above, while the other still, which can been seen below, is from an unspecified short.

The Rome International Film Festival runs from November 9^th to 17^th and though a confirmed premiere date has not been released for Tar, we can confirm from James Franco Italia, that Franco will indeed be at the premiere.