Anna Biller’s critically adored and highly anticipated paean to the lush filmmaking style of the 1960s is finally going to materialize on a theater screen near you. Probably next month. Assuming the goddesses are smiling down upon you. The Love Witch will begin its run in select theaters on November 11 in Austin, Los Angeles and San Francisco, before hitting the east coast on the 18th and Chicago on the 25th. The official website has a full list of cities and theaters. (Tough luck if you live in some place like Rochester, NY. But, let’s be honest, no one worth mentioning lives there.)
In anticipation of her film’s release, Biller created this courtesy PSA to be shown before the show in theaters where it’s heading. It features Samantha Robinson as the titular Love Witch making a pretty good case for why we should all do her bidding.
No, that anti-texting message was not filmed by Terence Fisher in 1964. The delicate care that clearly went into the creation of this one-minute promo spot is the reason why it took Biller nearly ten years to get the feature length film made. The actress/filmmaker/set-maker/costume-designer/rug-hooker has acquired quite a reputation as being hands-on and meticulous with her films (if you can track down her first feature, Viva, it’s absolutely worth your time), so don’t be too shocked if it turns out she silkscreened that Victorian wallpaper herself. (She almost certainly made that pendant.)