Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival will present a special virtual screening and the Pittsburgh premiere of “Sorry We Missed You,” by acclaimed English director Ken Loach.

The drama, set to screen online on May 16, concerns “work in the lower reaches of the gig economy and its effects on family ties. Focused on a delivery driver, a home care nurse and their two children, it raises questions made ever more urgent by the COVID-19 crisis about essential workers and the challenges they face,” according to a release.

Loach is known for films exploring social issues such as poverty, homelessness and labor rights. He is a two-time recipient of the Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival.

Audiences will be able to stream the film for a limited time, beginning on May 16, and will have a chance to participate in a live online discussion starting at 9 p.m. May 23.

Tickets at $12 each will be on sale via the festival’s website May 16-23. A ticket will provide access to the film for five days from the date of purchase.

Half of ticket revenue will go to festival which, in turn, will donate half of its proceeds to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

This year’s film festival, focusing on “Faces of Home” and scheduled to begin in mid-March, was put on hold due to the covid-19 shutdown. “Sorry We Missed You” originally was scheduled to screen on the opening night.

Organizers of the May 23 program aim to simulate the opening-night experience. Those who choose the “Almost Like the Real Thing”option can start at 6:45 p.m. by watching opening remarks on the festival’s website from Loach and Jolanta Lion, festival director and assistant director of CMU’s Humanities Center in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The screening will follow.

Around 9 p.m., viewers can join a free live Zoom discussion facilitated by Roger Rouse, a scholar of labor and family in contemporary capitalism, with input from Lisa Frank, executive vice president for strategic campaigns at SEIU Healthcare PA.

Access to the discussion will not be restricted to people who participate in the simulation. However, it will require advance registration due to space limitations.

Details: cmu.edu

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