‘National Anthem’ Trailer Tells a Story of First Love, Found Family and Self-Discovery

LD Entertainment has released the trailer for National Anthem from writer/director Luke Gilford, who makes his feature film directorial debut in a coming-of-age story against landscapes of the American Southwest.

Dylan (Charlie Plummer), a soft-spoken 21-year-old construction worker, is the de facto father figure to his little brother and works odd jobs to help the family get by. After he finds himself with the opportunity to work at a ranch, he is welcomed by a vibrant community of queer rodeo performers who openly explore their identities and sexuality. He is especially drawn to Sky (Eve Lindley), a force of nature who Dylan connects with deeply, as he begins to forge his own identity.

Based on Gilford’s photography monograph of the same name, National Anthem, the film has been garnering strong critical support and buzz on the festival circuit as one to watch and everyone in it.   The film has also received praise for effortlessly challenging all expectations and transcending barriers through its storytelling. In his review for AwardsWatch out of SXSW last year, Abe Friedtanzer called the film “wondrous” and “mesmerizing.”

The film also stars Rene Rosado, Mason Alexander Park and Robyn Lively and is written by David Largman Murray & Kevin Best and Luke Gilford. Mickey Liddell, p.g.a., Pete Shilaimon, p.g.a., Kevin Garland, Gina Marcheschi and Jasmine Daghighian produce.

LD Entertainment will release National Anthem in select theaters on July 12 and wider on July 19.

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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