Exclusive: Lucy Freyer (Paint), Malik Elassal, Owen Thiele (Dollface), Amita Rao and Jack Innanen (The Dessert) have been cast as the leads of FX’s ensemble comedy pilot Snowflakes, written by former The Tonight Show scribes Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw and to be directed by Jonathan Krisel (Baskets).
Snowflakes is a twenty-something ensemble comedy following a group of codependent housemates — Billie (Freyer), Samir (Elassal), Anton (Thiele), Issa (Rao) and Paul Baker (Innanen) — trying to be good people, despite being neither “good” nor “people” yet.
Nick Kroll and Alicia Van Couvering, who runs his Good at Business production banner, executive produce alongside Kronengold, Shaw, Krisel and Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens showrunner Karey Dornetto. FX Productions, where Good at Business is under a first-look deal, is the studio.
Freyer is repped by Gersh and Mj Management; Elassal by UTA and Strig Artist Management; Thiele by UTA, Entertainment 360 and Hansen...
Snowflakes is a twenty-something ensemble comedy following a group of codependent housemates — Billie (Freyer), Samir (Elassal), Anton (Thiele), Issa (Rao) and Paul Baker (Innanen) — trying to be good people, despite being neither “good” nor “people” yet.
Nick Kroll and Alicia Van Couvering, who runs his Good at Business production banner, executive produce alongside Kronengold, Shaw, Krisel and Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens showrunner Karey Dornetto. FX Productions, where Good at Business is under a first-look deal, is the studio.
Freyer is repped by Gersh and Mj Management; Elassal by UTA and Strig Artist Management; Thiele by UTA, Entertainment 360 and Hansen...
- 4/16/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Nine months ago, it was announced that Elisabeth Moss (The Invisible Man), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), and Kaia Gerber (Babylon) had signed on to star in the “sexy psychological thriller” Shell, with Teen Spirit‘s Max Minghella directing from a screenplay written by Jack Stanley (Lou). Now production on Shell has just wrapped in Los Angeles, and along with the end of filming comes to the reveal that Moss, Hudson, and Gerber are joined in the cast by Arian Moayed (Succession), musician and composer Este Haim (Licorice Pizza), Lionel Boyce (The Bear), author/comedian Ziwe (Ziwe), Amy Landecker (Transparent), Peter MacNicol (Ally McBeal), Blake Lee (Cruel Summer), Dustin Milligan (Schitt’s Creek), Peri Gilpin (Frasier), and Mary Lynn Rajskub (24).
Shell is “set in a near future, when humanity’s cultural obsession with youth and beauty has been taken to new extremes“. Here’s the synopsis: Struggling actress Samantha (Elisabeth Moss...
Shell is “set in a near future, when humanity’s cultural obsession with youth and beauty has been taken to new extremes“. Here’s the synopsis: Struggling actress Samantha (Elisabeth Moss...
- 2/6/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: SAG and Tony Award nominee Arian Moayed (Succession), Grammy-nominated musician and composer Este Haim (Licorice Pizza), actor-writer Lionel Boyce (The Bear), and actor-comedian Ziwe (Ziwe) are among cast to have joined Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson, and Kaia Gerber in psychological thriller Shell.
Filming recently wrapped in Los Angeles on the movie which marks the sophomore directorial effort from The Handmaid’s Tale and The Social Network star Max Minghella.
Cast is rounded out by SAG-award nominee Amy Landecker (Transparent), Emmy winner Peter MacNicol (Ally McBeal), Blake Lee (Cruel Summer), Dustin Milligan (Schitt’s Creek), Peri Gilpin (Frasier), and Mary Lynn Rajskub (24).
In Shell, struggling actress Samantha (Moss) is given an opportunity to get a free trial at Shell, a pioneering health and beauty company which promises to keep its clients looking young forever. Samantha’s life and career is transformed by the treatment, and she develops a burgeoning friendship with Shell’s CEO,...
Filming recently wrapped in Los Angeles on the movie which marks the sophomore directorial effort from The Handmaid’s Tale and The Social Network star Max Minghella.
Cast is rounded out by SAG-award nominee Amy Landecker (Transparent), Emmy winner Peter MacNicol (Ally McBeal), Blake Lee (Cruel Summer), Dustin Milligan (Schitt’s Creek), Peri Gilpin (Frasier), and Mary Lynn Rajskub (24).
In Shell, struggling actress Samantha (Moss) is given an opportunity to get a free trial at Shell, a pioneering health and beauty company which promises to keep its clients looking young forever. Samantha’s life and career is transformed by the treatment, and she develops a burgeoning friendship with Shell’s CEO,...
- 2/5/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
FX has ordered a pilot for the half-hour comedy “Snowflakes.”
The project boasts an impressive lineup behind the camera. Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw are the writers and executive producers, with Nick Kroll executive producing under his first-look deal with FX Productions. Karey Dornetto will also executive produce along with Alicia Van Couvering, president of Kroll’s Good at Business production banner, and Jonathan Krisel, with Krisel also directing. FX Productions will produce.
The logline for “Snowflakes” describes it as a “twenty-something ensemble comedy following a group of codependent housemates trying to be good people, despite being neither ‘good’ nor ‘people’ yet.”
Kronengold and Shaw were writers for four years on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” on which they were the youngest writers in the show’s history. They also published the book “Naked in the Rideshare: Stories of Gross Miscalculations,” a collection of comedy short stories, with HarperCollins...
The project boasts an impressive lineup behind the camera. Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw are the writers and executive producers, with Nick Kroll executive producing under his first-look deal with FX Productions. Karey Dornetto will also executive produce along with Alicia Van Couvering, president of Kroll’s Good at Business production banner, and Jonathan Krisel, with Krisel also directing. FX Productions will produce.
The logline for “Snowflakes” describes it as a “twenty-something ensemble comedy following a group of codependent housemates trying to be good people, despite being neither ‘good’ nor ‘people’ yet.”
Kronengold and Shaw were writers for four years on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” on which they were the youngest writers in the show’s history. They also published the book “Naked in the Rideshare: Stories of Gross Miscalculations,” a collection of comedy short stories, with HarperCollins...
- 1/12/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
FX has ordered its latest comedy pilot.
The network has ordered Snowflakes from former The Tonight Show writers Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw to be exec produced by Nick Kroll and Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens showrunner Karey Dornetto.
It is the latest pilot for the Disney-owned network alongside Peep Show, the Minnie Driver and Amandla Jahava-fronted remake of the cult British classic, which is still in the works. It comes after English Teacher, a comedy starring and created by Brian Jordan Alvarez, was picked up to series in November after its pilot was ordered in 2022.
FX is coming off the Golden Globes success of its comedy The Bear, which is also a favorite for a number of Emmys on Monday.
Snowflakes is a twenty-something ensemble comedy following a group of codependent housemates trying to be good people, despite being neither “good” nor “people” yet.
Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw...
The network has ordered Snowflakes from former The Tonight Show writers Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw to be exec produced by Nick Kroll and Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens showrunner Karey Dornetto.
It is the latest pilot for the Disney-owned network alongside Peep Show, the Minnie Driver and Amandla Jahava-fronted remake of the cult British classic, which is still in the works. It comes after English Teacher, a comedy starring and created by Brian Jordan Alvarez, was picked up to series in November after its pilot was ordered in 2022.
FX is coming off the Golden Globes success of its comedy The Bear, which is also a favorite for a number of Emmys on Monday.
Snowflakes is a twenty-something ensemble comedy following a group of codependent housemates trying to be good people, despite being neither “good” nor “people” yet.
Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw...
- 1/12/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
FX is looking to add to its comedy roster.
The Disney-owned outlet has ordered a pilot for Snowflakes, a comedy about a group of twentysomethings. The project comes from writers Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) and has assembled a creative team that also includes director Jonathan Krisel and executive producers Nick Kroll, Karey Dornetto and Alicia Van Couvering.
Snowflakes, which hails from FX Productions, is described as an ensemble show “following a group of codependent housemates trying to be good people, despite being neither ‘good’ nor ‘people’ yet.”
The pilot order comes as FX prepares to say goodbye to What We Do in the Shadows, which will end with its upcoming sixth season. Long-running animated series Archer and the critical favorite Reservation Dogs also bowed out in 2023.
Kronengold and Shaw were the youngest writers on The Tonight Show during their tenure there, which ran...
The Disney-owned outlet has ordered a pilot for Snowflakes, a comedy about a group of twentysomethings. The project comes from writers Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) and has assembled a creative team that also includes director Jonathan Krisel and executive producers Nick Kroll, Karey Dornetto and Alicia Van Couvering.
Snowflakes, which hails from FX Productions, is described as an ensemble show “following a group of codependent housemates trying to be good people, despite being neither ‘good’ nor ‘people’ yet.”
The pilot order comes as FX prepares to say goodbye to What We Do in the Shadows, which will end with its upcoming sixth season. Long-running animated series Archer and the critical favorite Reservation Dogs also bowed out in 2023.
Kronengold and Shaw were the youngest writers on The Tonight Show during their tenure there, which ran...
- 1/12/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson and Kaia Gerber have been tapped to star in the sexy, psychological thriller “Shell”.
The film, directed by Max Minghella, is “set in a near future when humanity’s cultural obsession with youth and beauty has been taken to new extremes,” as per the official logline.
Black Bear International will be introducing the project to international buyers in Cannes and will distribute directly in the U.K. and Ireland.
Read More: Kate Hudson Is Wrongly Told She’s Won An Oscar In Awkward Red Carpet Moment
The synopsis for the upcoming thriller reads: “Struggling actress Samantha (Elisabeth Moss) is given an opportunity to get a free trial at Shell, a pioneering health and beauty company which promises to keep its clients looking young forever. Samantha’s life and career is transformed by the treatment, and she develops a burgeoning friendship with Shell’s CEO, the ultra-glamorous...
The film, directed by Max Minghella, is “set in a near future when humanity’s cultural obsession with youth and beauty has been taken to new extremes,” as per the official logline.
Black Bear International will be introducing the project to international buyers in Cannes and will distribute directly in the U.K. and Ireland.
Read More: Kate Hudson Is Wrongly Told She’s Won An Oscar In Awkward Red Carpet Moment
The synopsis for the upcoming thriller reads: “Struggling actress Samantha (Elisabeth Moss) is given an opportunity to get a free trial at Shell, a pioneering health and beauty company which promises to keep its clients looking young forever. Samantha’s life and career is transformed by the treatment, and she develops a burgeoning friendship with Shell’s CEO, the ultra-glamorous...
- 5/5/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Elisabeth Moss will star alongside Kate Hudson and Kaia Gerber in the psychological thriller “Shell” from director Max Minghella.
Black Bear International will introduce the project to international buyers at the Cannes Film Festival while also distributing the picture in the UK and Ireland. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent will handle domestic rights.
The film will be produced by Automatik’s Fred Berger and Brian Kavanugh Jones alongside Minghella for Blank Tape, Elisabeth Moss and Lindsey McManus for Love & Squalor Pictures and Alicia Van Couvering. It is penned by Jack Stanley who recently wrote the Allison Janney-led actioner “Lou.” Jamie Bell will executive produce. The deal was negotiated on behalf of Black Bear International by Jill Silfen.
Minghella said: “Shell” packs a wildly entertaining genre movie with iconic characters and universal themes that are bound to have people talking long after they leave the theater. I’m...
Black Bear International will introduce the project to international buyers at the Cannes Film Festival while also distributing the picture in the UK and Ireland. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent will handle domestic rights.
The film will be produced by Automatik’s Fred Berger and Brian Kavanugh Jones alongside Minghella for Blank Tape, Elisabeth Moss and Lindsey McManus for Love & Squalor Pictures and Alicia Van Couvering. It is penned by Jack Stanley who recently wrote the Allison Janney-led actioner “Lou.” Jamie Bell will executive produce. The deal was negotiated on behalf of Black Bear International by Jill Silfen.
Minghella said: “Shell” packs a wildly entertaining genre movie with iconic characters and universal themes that are bound to have people talking long after they leave the theater. I’m...
- 5/4/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Elisabeth Moss (The Invisible Man), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), and Kaia Gerber (Babylon) have signed on to star in the “sexy psychological thriller” Shell, which is set to be directed by Teen Spirit‘s Max Minghella from a screenplay written by Jack Stanley (Lou). Black Bear International will be presenting the project to potential international distributors at the Cannes Film Festival, and will be handling distribution themselves in the UK and Ireland. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent co-represent the domestic rights.
Shell is “set in a near future, when humanity’s cultural obsession with youth and beauty has been taken to new extremes“. Here’s the synopsis: Struggling actress Samantha (Elisabeth Moss) is given an opportunity to get a free trial at Shell, a pioneering health and beauty company which promises to keep its clients looking young forever. Samantha’s life and career is transformed by the treatment, and...
Shell is “set in a near future, when humanity’s cultural obsession with youth and beauty has been taken to new extremes“. Here’s the synopsis: Struggling actress Samantha (Elisabeth Moss) is given an opportunity to get a free trial at Shell, a pioneering health and beauty company which promises to keep its clients looking young forever. Samantha’s life and career is transformed by the treatment, and...
- 5/4/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Emmy-winner Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale) will star alongside Oscar-nominee Kate Hudson (Glass Onion) and actress and model Kaia Gerber (Babylon) in psychological thriller Shell from director Max Minghella (Teen Spirit).
The film, which will reunite The Handmaid’s Tale co-stars Moss and Minghella, is set in a near future when humanity’s cultural obsession with youth and beauty has been taken to new extremes.
Black Bear International will be introducing the project to international buyers in Cannes and distributing directly in the UK and Ireland. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent are co-repping domestic rights.
Pic is being produced by Automatik’s Fred Berger (La La Land) and Brian Kavanaugh Jones (Insidious), alongside Minghella for Blank Tape (Teen Spirit), Elisabeth Moss and Lindsey McManus for Love & Squalor Pictures (Shining Girls) and Alicia Van Couvering (Cop Car), from a script penned by Jack Stanley (Lou). Jamie Bell will be executive producer.
The film, which will reunite The Handmaid’s Tale co-stars Moss and Minghella, is set in a near future when humanity’s cultural obsession with youth and beauty has been taken to new extremes.
Black Bear International will be introducing the project to international buyers in Cannes and distributing directly in the UK and Ireland. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent are co-repping domestic rights.
Pic is being produced by Automatik’s Fred Berger (La La Land) and Brian Kavanaugh Jones (Insidious), alongside Minghella for Blank Tape (Teen Spirit), Elisabeth Moss and Lindsey McManus for Love & Squalor Pictures (Shining Girls) and Alicia Van Couvering (Cop Car), from a script penned by Jack Stanley (Lou). Jamie Bell will be executive producer.
- 5/4/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Focus Features has landed rights to “Silent Twins,” a thriller starring Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance.
Based on the book by Marjorie Wallace, the film marks the English language debut of director Agnieszka Smoczynska (“The Lure”). Andrea Seigel wrote the screenplay.
Set in the 1970s and ’80s, the story follows June and Jennifer Gibbons (portrayed by Wright and Lawrance), twins from the only Black family in a small town in Wales. Feeling isolated from that unwelcoming community, the pair turn inward and reject communication with everyone but each other, retreating into their own fantasy world of artistic inspiration and adolescent desires. After a spree of vandalism inspired by an American boy they both idolize, the girls, now teenagers, are summarily sentenced to Broadmoor, an infamous psychiatric hospital, where they face the choice to separate and survive or die together.
Focus Features will distribute the film in the U.S., with Universal Pictures handling international distribution.
Based on the book by Marjorie Wallace, the film marks the English language debut of director Agnieszka Smoczynska (“The Lure”). Andrea Seigel wrote the screenplay.
Set in the 1970s and ’80s, the story follows June and Jennifer Gibbons (portrayed by Wright and Lawrance), twins from the only Black family in a small town in Wales. Feeling isolated from that unwelcoming community, the pair turn inward and reject communication with everyone but each other, retreating into their own fantasy world of artistic inspiration and adolescent desires. After a spree of vandalism inspired by an American boy they both idolize, the girls, now teenagers, are summarily sentenced to Broadmoor, an infamous psychiatric hospital, where they face the choice to separate and survive or die together.
Focus Features will distribute the film in the U.S., with Universal Pictures handling international distribution.
- 4/8/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights to feature Silent Twins, which marks the English language debut of director Agnieszka Smoczynska (The Lure).
Starring Letitia Wright (Black Panther) and Tamara Lawrance (The Long Song) as the title twin sisters, the film is based on the haunting true story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, twins from the only Black family in a small town in Wales in the 1970s and ’80s. Feeling isolated from that unwelcoming community, the pair turn inward and reject communication with everyone but each other, retreating into their own fantasy world of artistic inspiration and adolescent desires. After a spree of vandalism inspired by an American boy they both idolize, the girls, now teenagers, are summarily sentenced to Broadmoor, the infamous UK psychiatric hospital, where they face the choice to separate and survive or die together.
Pic is written by Andrea Seigel and is based on book The Silent Twins by Marjorie Wallace.
Starring Letitia Wright (Black Panther) and Tamara Lawrance (The Long Song) as the title twin sisters, the film is based on the haunting true story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, twins from the only Black family in a small town in Wales in the 1970s and ’80s. Feeling isolated from that unwelcoming community, the pair turn inward and reject communication with everyone but each other, retreating into their own fantasy world of artistic inspiration and adolescent desires. After a spree of vandalism inspired by an American boy they both idolize, the girls, now teenagers, are summarily sentenced to Broadmoor, the infamous UK psychiatric hospital, where they face the choice to separate and survive or die together.
Pic is written by Andrea Seigel and is based on book The Silent Twins by Marjorie Wallace.
- 4/8/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Focus Features has acquired the worldwide rights to “Silent Twins,” a film starring “Black Panther” actress Letitia Wright.
“Silent Twins” is the English-language debut of “The Lure” director Agnieszka Smoczynska and stars Wright and Tamara Lawrance as twin sisters in Wales who are mute to everyone but themselves.
The film recently wrapped production in Poland. Focus plans to distribute the film in the U.S., while Universal Pictures International will distribute internationally.
“Silent Twins” is based on the book “The Silent Twins” by Marjorie Wallace. It tells the haunting story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, twins from the only Black family in a small town in Wales in the 1970s and ’80s.
Feeling isolated from that unwelcoming community, the pair turn inward and reject communication with everyone but each other, retreating into their own fantasy world of artistic inspiration and adolescent desires. After a spree of vandalism inspired by an American boy they both idolize,...
“Silent Twins” is the English-language debut of “The Lure” director Agnieszka Smoczynska and stars Wright and Tamara Lawrance as twin sisters in Wales who are mute to everyone but themselves.
The film recently wrapped production in Poland. Focus plans to distribute the film in the U.S., while Universal Pictures International will distribute internationally.
“Silent Twins” is based on the book “The Silent Twins” by Marjorie Wallace. It tells the haunting story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, twins from the only Black family in a small town in Wales in the 1970s and ’80s.
Feeling isolated from that unwelcoming community, the pair turn inward and reject communication with everyone but each other, retreating into their own fantasy world of artistic inspiration and adolescent desires. After a spree of vandalism inspired by an American boy they both idolize,...
- 4/8/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Production has wrapped in Poland.
Focus Features has taken worldwide rights to Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska’s (The Lure) English-language debut Silent Twins starring Letitia Wright from Black Panther and Tamara Lawrance from Kindred.
Andrea Seigel adapted the screenplay from Marjorie Wallace’s novel The Silent Twins, about June and Jennifer Gibbons, identical twins from the only Black family in Wales in the 1970s who dealt with a hostile community by only communicating with each other.
The sisters retreated into a fantasy world of artistic inspiration and adolescent desires, writing fiction and embarking on a vandalism spree inspired by an American boy they idolised,...
Focus Features has taken worldwide rights to Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska’s (The Lure) English-language debut Silent Twins starring Letitia Wright from Black Panther and Tamara Lawrance from Kindred.
Andrea Seigel adapted the screenplay from Marjorie Wallace’s novel The Silent Twins, about June and Jennifer Gibbons, identical twins from the only Black family in Wales in the 1970s who dealt with a hostile community by only communicating with each other.
The sisters retreated into a fantasy world of artistic inspiration and adolescent desires, writing fiction and embarking on a vandalism spree inspired by an American boy they idolised,...
- 4/8/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Multi-hyphenate Nick Kroll is launching his first production company, Good At Business and tapped Alicia Van Couvering as is his first exec. Under his new banner, Good At Business is developing and adaptation of Calvin Kasulke’s Several People Are Typing as a TV series.
Several People Are Typing is the first novel narrated entirely through Slack chats. Kasulke’s darkly funny debut upends our new modern workplace—the virtual office.
The story follows, Gerald, an employee of a New York-based PR firm, is working in a spreadsheet when he finds his consciousness uploaded into the company’s Slack channel. Despite his posts for help, his colleagues assume it’s an elaborate strategy to work from home. Gerald enlists his co-worker Pradeep to care for his body while they figure out how to reintegrate his consciousness. Plunging deeper into the Slack workspace—and becoming a more productive employee by...
Several People Are Typing is the first novel narrated entirely through Slack chats. Kasulke’s darkly funny debut upends our new modern workplace—the virtual office.
The story follows, Gerald, an employee of a New York-based PR firm, is working in a spreadsheet when he finds his consciousness uploaded into the company’s Slack channel. Despite his posts for help, his colleagues assume it’s an elaborate strategy to work from home. Gerald enlists his co-worker Pradeep to care for his body while they figure out how to reintegrate his consciousness. Plunging deeper into the Slack workspace—and becoming a more productive employee by...
- 11/18/2020
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: HBO Max has acquired Shell, a spec script by Jack Stanley that comes with Max Minghella (Teen Spirit) attached to direct. Logline for the is the script is under wraps but sources said it is a satirical horror tale with sci-fi elements, set in the health and beauty industry.
Pic will be produced by Automatik’s Fred Berger (La La Land and Teen Spirit), and Alicia Van Couvering, and Minghella through his Blank Tape production banner. Jamie Bell and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones are executive producers. The film is for HBO Max under the WarnerMax label.
Stanley just did a rewrite of Lou for Netflix and Bad Robot, which stars Allison Janney. Production on that project was shut down because of the pandemic but will get going again when restrictions are lifted. Stanley also landed two scripts on The Black List: Sweetheart and Possession: A Love Story.
Minghella made his directorial debut on Teen Spirit,...
Pic will be produced by Automatik’s Fred Berger (La La Land and Teen Spirit), and Alicia Van Couvering, and Minghella through his Blank Tape production banner. Jamie Bell and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones are executive producers. The film is for HBO Max under the WarnerMax label.
Stanley just did a rewrite of Lou for Netflix and Bad Robot, which stars Allison Janney. Production on that project was shut down because of the pandemic but will get going again when restrictions are lifted. Stanley also landed two scripts on The Black List: Sweetheart and Possession: A Love Story.
Minghella made his directorial debut on Teen Spirit,...
- 7/9/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been a year of change for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has responded not only to the pandemic, pushing back the global ABC Oscars telecast from February 28 to April 25, 2021 — setting a new award season calendar as other award shows have followed suit — but the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In its continuing push to swell the Academy membership ranks, 819 artists and executives from 68 countries have been invited to join this year. The branches have increasingly actively sought eligible people to become Academy members, but the Board of Governors makes the final call. People from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities (36 percent) and women (45 percent) are among the many invites, as the Academy continues to address its long-term white-male dominance. As always, actors make up the largest branch of the Academy, but many new members (49 percent) also come from overseas.
In 2019, the Academy invited 842 new members,...
In its continuing push to swell the Academy membership ranks, 819 artists and executives from 68 countries have been invited to join this year. The branches have increasingly actively sought eligible people to become Academy members, but the Board of Governors makes the final call. People from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities (36 percent) and women (45 percent) are among the many invites, as the Academy continues to address its long-term white-male dominance. As always, actors make up the largest branch of the Academy, but many new members (49 percent) also come from overseas.
In 2019, the Academy invited 842 new members,...
- 6/30/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
It’s been a year of change for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has responded not only to the pandemic, pushing back the global ABC Oscars telecast from February 28 to April 25, 2021 — setting a new award season calendar as other award shows have followed suit — but the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In its continuing push to swell the Academy membership ranks, 819 artists and executives from 68 countries have been invited to join this year. The branches have increasingly actively sought eligible people to become Academy members, but the Board of Governors makes the final call. People from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities (36 percent) and women (45 percent) are among the many invites, as the Academy continues to address its long-term white-male dominance. As always, actors make up the largest branch of the Academy, but many new members (49 percent) also come from overseas.
In 2019, the Academy invited 842 new members,...
In its continuing push to swell the Academy membership ranks, 819 artists and executives from 68 countries have been invited to join this year. The branches have increasingly actively sought eligible people to become Academy members, but the Board of Governors makes the final call. People from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities (36 percent) and women (45 percent) are among the many invites, as the Academy continues to address its long-term white-male dominance. As always, actors make up the largest branch of the Academy, but many new members (49 percent) also come from overseas.
In 2019, the Academy invited 842 new members,...
- 6/30/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War star Letitia Wright is set to lead cast in Agnieszka Smoczynska’s (Fugue) English-language debut The Silent Twins.
Wright will star alongside rising Brit actress Tamara Lawrance (The Long Song) in the movie which is being produced by Kindred Spirit’s Anita Gou (The Farewell), 42’s (Ironbark) Ben Pugh and Joshua Horsfield, and Madant’s Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska (High Life).
Andrea Seigel’s (Laggies) script is based on the well-received book The Silent Twins by investigative journalist Marjorie Wallace. The chilling true story follows twin sisters who were entirely silent, communicating only to each other in a private language. They became obsessed with writing fiction, boys, and crime in their teens but their intense bond ultimately turned into something more dangerous.
The drama, which is due to shoot in April, is being financed by Kindred Spirit and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute and Moderator Inwestycje.
Wright will star alongside rising Brit actress Tamara Lawrance (The Long Song) in the movie which is being produced by Kindred Spirit’s Anita Gou (The Farewell), 42’s (Ironbark) Ben Pugh and Joshua Horsfield, and Madant’s Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska (High Life).
Andrea Seigel’s (Laggies) script is based on the well-received book The Silent Twins by investigative journalist Marjorie Wallace. The chilling true story follows twin sisters who were entirely silent, communicating only to each other in a private language. They became obsessed with writing fiction, boys, and crime in their teens but their intense bond ultimately turned into something more dangerous.
The drama, which is due to shoot in April, is being financed by Kindred Spirit and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute and Moderator Inwestycje.
- 2/26/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The Amazon drama “Homecoming” will see another big change going into its second season.
In addition to Julia Roberts not returning to star, Sam Esmail will not direct any episodes for Season 2, Variety has learned. Both Esmail and Roberts will remain on the show as executive producers, however.
Amazon declined to comment.
Esmail directed all 10 episodes of the show’s first season, helping to define the show’s unique visual style as he did on the USA Network show “Mr. Robot.” Esmail is also credited as a co-creator of “Homecoming” along Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, who created the podcast on which the show is based and serve as co-showrunners.
The show received considerable critical praise upon its release, holding a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In her review for Variety, Caroline Framke wrote that Esmail “uses his signature long takes and off-center framing shots to disquieting effect, adding Hitchcockian angles...
In addition to Julia Roberts not returning to star, Sam Esmail will not direct any episodes for Season 2, Variety has learned. Both Esmail and Roberts will remain on the show as executive producers, however.
Amazon declined to comment.
Esmail directed all 10 episodes of the show’s first season, helping to define the show’s unique visual style as he did on the USA Network show “Mr. Robot.” Esmail is also credited as a co-creator of “Homecoming” along Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, who created the podcast on which the show is based and serve as co-showrunners.
The show received considerable critical praise upon its release, holding a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In her review for Variety, Caroline Framke wrote that Esmail “uses his signature long takes and off-center framing shots to disquieting effect, adding Hitchcockian angles...
- 3/8/2019
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Julia Roberts will not be starring in “Homecoming” Season 2 at Amazon, Variety has confirmed.
The Oscar-winning actress will remain on the show as an executive producer, however. “Homecoming” was picked up for two seasons when it was initially ordered at Amazon, but Roberts only had a one-year deal to star on the show, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation.
The role marked the first series regular role of Roberts’ career. Other cast members include Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James, Sissy Spacek, Shea Whigham, and Alex Karpovsky.
“Homecoming” is an adaptation of the fiction podcast of the same name from Gimlet Media. It is about staffers at a secret government agency where some are desperate to rejoin civilian life. Written by “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail, the political thriller centers on a caseworker (Roberts) at a secret government facility, her supervisor and a soldier.
The show hails from Anonymous Content and Universal Cable Productions,...
The Oscar-winning actress will remain on the show as an executive producer, however. “Homecoming” was picked up for two seasons when it was initially ordered at Amazon, but Roberts only had a one-year deal to star on the show, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation.
The role marked the first series regular role of Roberts’ career. Other cast members include Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James, Sissy Spacek, Shea Whigham, and Alex Karpovsky.
“Homecoming” is an adaptation of the fiction podcast of the same name from Gimlet Media. It is about staffers at a secret government agency where some are desperate to rejoin civilian life. Written by “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail, the political thriller centers on a caseworker (Roberts) at a secret government facility, her supervisor and a soldier.
The show hails from Anonymous Content and Universal Cable Productions,...
- 1/16/2019
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
When in 2017 Julia Roberts signed on to star in her first series, Homecoming, she made a one-year acting deal for the project, from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail and Universal Cable Prods. It has been the case for many big stars who have ventured into television over the past couple of years, and the storyline of her character was crafted with that in mind.
Homecoming, which has a two-season order from Amazon, is currently breaking stories for the upcoming second season, which will deviate from the popular Gimlet Media’s podcast Season 1 was based on. It is unclear exactly who from the original cast would come back, but I hear Bobby Cannavale will likely return, breakout star Stephan James also will probably be back, along with Hong Chau and maybe Shea Whigham.
The series is expected to introduce new characters and cast members next season.
Roberts, who remains an executive producer,...
Homecoming, which has a two-season order from Amazon, is currently breaking stories for the upcoming second season, which will deviate from the popular Gimlet Media’s podcast Season 1 was based on. It is unclear exactly who from the original cast would come back, but I hear Bobby Cannavale will likely return, breakout star Stephan James also will probably be back, along with Hong Chau and maybe Shea Whigham.
The series is expected to introduce new characters and cast members next season.
Roberts, who remains an executive producer,...
- 1/16/2019
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Focus Features has secured the rights to develop and produce a feature version of Chris Adrian & Eli Horowitz’s eponymous novel The New World. Sharon Horgan, who created HBO’s Divorce and co-created Pulling and Motherland for BBC, will make her feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Sarah Ruhl. Alicia Van Couvering and Olivia Wilde will produce.
In The New World Jane’s husband Jim has just died — or, not quite as he had assigned his head to be frozen with a shadowy organization that promises to do away with mortality forever. Awake in a bucolic retreat – an afterlife of sorts – Jim learns that the cost of eternal life is higher than he ever could have imagined. Meanwhile, stranded in the realm of the living and reeling from the loss of her husband, Jane sets out to get back his head.
Horgan previously directed the award-winning short The...
In The New World Jane’s husband Jim has just died — or, not quite as he had assigned his head to be frozen with a shadowy organization that promises to do away with mortality forever. Awake in a bucolic retreat – an afterlife of sorts – Jim learns that the cost of eternal life is higher than he ever could have imagined. Meanwhile, stranded in the realm of the living and reeling from the loss of her husband, Jane sets out to get back his head.
Horgan previously directed the award-winning short The...
- 8/23/2018
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon Studios used its big Comic-Con presentation today to unveil the premiere date for Homecoming, its psychological thriller starring Julia Roberts in her TV series-starring debut and directed by Mr. Robot‘s Sam Esmail. The half-hour series will bow Friday, November 2, on Prime Video.
The streaming service also showed fans a first-look teaser from the series, which is based on the popular Gimlet Media podcast. (Check out the video above and the teaser art below.) It acquired rights to the project a year ago with a two-season pickup.
Roberts plays Heidi Bergman, a caseworker at the Homecoming Transitional Support Center, a Geist Group facility helping soldiers transition back to civilian life. Walter Cruz (Stephan James) is one of these soldiers, eager to begin the next phase of his life. Overseeing Heidi and the facility is Colin Belfast (Bobby Cannavale), an ambitious company man whose manic demands point to questionable motives.
The streaming service also showed fans a first-look teaser from the series, which is based on the popular Gimlet Media podcast. (Check out the video above and the teaser art below.) It acquired rights to the project a year ago with a two-season pickup.
Roberts plays Heidi Bergman, a caseworker at the Homecoming Transitional Support Center, a Geist Group facility helping soldiers transition back to civilian life. Walter Cruz (Stephan James) is one of these soldiers, eager to begin the next phase of his life. Overseeing Heidi and the facility is Colin Belfast (Bobby Cannavale), an ambitious company man whose manic demands point to questionable motives.
- 7/20/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Unlike Sundance or Cannes, the SXSW Film Festival has undergone rapid changes over the past decade. Tied in with the swirling chaos of its Interactive and Music sections, the Austin-based event is known for the discovery of low-budget features and as a launch pad for edgy studio projects favored by the city’s hipsters.
Much of SXSW’s identity took shape during the early aughts, when current iTunes independent film coordinator Matt Dentler brought a range of new American talent into the program. When he left in 2008 for a job in New York, incoming SXSW film producer Janet Pierson was a programming newcomer but a veteran of scene. With her husband, John Pierson, she shepherded the careers of independent filmmakers like Kevin Smith, Spike Lee, and Errol Morris. With SXSW, she was tasked with funneling that experience into the ever-changing ecosystem of film and television.
To commemorate her 10th year...
Much of SXSW’s identity took shape during the early aughts, when current iTunes independent film coordinator Matt Dentler brought a range of new American talent into the program. When he left in 2008 for a job in New York, incoming SXSW film producer Janet Pierson was a programming newcomer but a veteran of scene. With her husband, John Pierson, she shepherded the careers of independent filmmakers like Kevin Smith, Spike Lee, and Errol Morris. With SXSW, she was tasked with funneling that experience into the ever-changing ecosystem of film and television.
To commemorate her 10th year...
- 3/9/2018
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Universal Cable Productions and Anonymous Content to produce.
Amazon Studios has prevailed in the race to secure global rights to the upcoming psychological thriller series Homecoming starring Julia Roberts.
Sources confirmed to Screen that Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail will direct and serve as executive producer on the half-hour drama being produced by Universal Cable Productions and Mr. Robot producer Anonymous Content.
Amazon is understood to have ordered two seasons of Homecoming, which is based on a fiction podcast by Gimlet Media about caseworker at a top secret government facility and a soldier.
Roberts would play the caseworker in what has become another TV project on her to-do list after HBO made a development deal last month for Annapurna Television’s limited series Today Will Be Different.
Podcast creators Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg are adapting the screenplay from the source material, which starred Catherine Keener and Oscar Isaac.
Esmail is producing via his Esmail Corp alongside...
Amazon Studios has prevailed in the race to secure global rights to the upcoming psychological thriller series Homecoming starring Julia Roberts.
Sources confirmed to Screen that Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail will direct and serve as executive producer on the half-hour drama being produced by Universal Cable Productions and Mr. Robot producer Anonymous Content.
Amazon is understood to have ordered two seasons of Homecoming, which is based on a fiction podcast by Gimlet Media about caseworker at a top secret government facility and a soldier.
Roberts would play the caseworker in what has become another TV project on her to-do list after HBO made a development deal last month for Annapurna Television’s limited series Today Will Be Different.
Podcast creators Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg are adapting the screenplay from the source material, which starred Catherine Keener and Oscar Isaac.
Esmail is producing via his Esmail Corp alongside...
- 7/19/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
A series based on the thrilling fiction podcast “Homecoming” and starring Julia Roberts has been picked up for a two-season order at Amazon. “Homecoming” is a six-party political thriller centering on a caseworker at a secret government facility. Roberts will play that caseworker’s supervisor. Catherine Keener, Oscar Isaac and David Schwimmer starred in the original podcast, which was produced by Gimlet Media and launched in Nov. 2016. Sam Esmail of “Mr. Robot” fame helped develop the series and is serving as an executive producer, alongside Chad Hamilton of Anonymous Content, Horowitz, Bloomberg and Alicia Van Couvering. Chris Giliberti, Alex Blumberg...
- 7/19/2017
- by Carli Velocci
- The Wrap
Buyers return to Cannes like swallows to the Capistranos, but this year they’ll find a hostile landscape. Too many buyers, too few titles, and streaming-service disruptors are driving up prices all the while, making North American prebuys increasingly necessary.
That’s hazardous terrain: Witness the Weinstein Company’s $6 million bid for transgender drama “3 Generations” (aka “After Ray”). Two years later, after a title change and poor reviews on and off the festival circuit, the drama starring Elle Fanning and Susan Sarandon finally received a May 5 release. Total domestic gross to date: $46,421.
That was in 2015, the last year that TWC held its then-annual dog-and-pony show for buyers and press at the Majestic Hotel. This year, like the last, they’ll hold court on their yacht, which also serves as their offices — still tony, but on a budget; it’s a lot less expensive than that prime Croissette real estate. Meanwhile,...
That’s hazardous terrain: Witness the Weinstein Company’s $6 million bid for transgender drama “3 Generations” (aka “After Ray”). Two years later, after a title change and poor reviews on and off the festival circuit, the drama starring Elle Fanning and Susan Sarandon finally received a May 5 release. Total domestic gross to date: $46,421.
That was in 2015, the last year that TWC held its then-annual dog-and-pony show for buyers and press at the Majestic Hotel. This year, like the last, they’ll hold court on their yacht, which also serves as their offices — still tony, but on a budget; it’s a lot less expensive than that prime Croissette real estate. Meanwhile,...
- 5/15/2017
- by Anne Thompson and Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Sundance Survival Guides are a tradition here at Filmmaker. Producer and Contributing Editor Alicia Van Couvering wrote one in 2009 and again in 2012, and producer Mynette Louie offered her advice in ’15. This year, producer Alexandra Byer (Dark Night) remembers her own rituals for making it safely through the Park City gauntlet. Ignore these at your own peril. — Editor 1. Dress warmly, leave the heels at home. You are headed to the snowy mountains of Utah! Most people traveling to Park City in the winter months are headed to ski or snowboard, but you are just planning to […]...
- 1/19/2017
- by Alexandra Byer
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
“Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail seems to have something against vacations. In addition to developing a “Metropolis” miniseries, Deadline reports that Esmail is also planning to tackle a TV adaptation of the popular Gimlet Media podcast “Homecoming.”
“Homecoming,” which debuted November 16, is presented as a collage of telephone calls, therapy sessions, and overheard conversations. The podcast features Catherine Keener, David Schwimmer and Oscar Isaac and tells the story of a caseworker at a secret government facility, her ambitious supervisor, and a soldier who are desperate to rejoin civilian life. Ucp, where Esmail has a first-look deal, and “Mr. Robot” producer Anonymous Content secured the rights.
Read More: After ‘Mr. Robot’ Comes ‘Metropolis’: Sam Esmail Wants to Turn Fritz Lang’s Classic Into a Miniseries
The small-screen adaptation will be produced by Esmail and his manager, Chad Hamilton of Anonymous Content, as well as with the creators of the podcast,...
“Homecoming,” which debuted November 16, is presented as a collage of telephone calls, therapy sessions, and overheard conversations. The podcast features Catherine Keener, David Schwimmer and Oscar Isaac and tells the story of a caseworker at a secret government facility, her ambitious supervisor, and a soldier who are desperate to rejoin civilian life. Ucp, where Esmail has a first-look deal, and “Mr. Robot” producer Anonymous Content secured the rights.
Read More: After ‘Mr. Robot’ Comes ‘Metropolis’: Sam Esmail Wants to Turn Fritz Lang’s Classic Into a Miniseries
The small-screen adaptation will be produced by Esmail and his manager, Chad Hamilton of Anonymous Content, as well as with the creators of the podcast,...
- 12/18/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
Read More: Sundance Announces Competition and Next Lineups, Featuring Returning Favorites and a Secret Director Getting the call from the Sundance Film Festival that your film has been accepted can be one of the most exhilarating moments indie filmmakers will ever experience, but it can also be one of the most sobering ones. With approximately two months between acceptance letters and premieres, filmmakers are faced with having to finish editing their films, completing sound design (including sound effects, score and mix) and mastering the picture (including color correction and special effects), often on a shoestring budget while over 100 other indies face the same deadline. Speeding to the Finish Line "The Sundance announcement is an especially hard win to fully enjoy,” said producer Alicia Van Couvering, whose Sundance-premiering credits include last year's "Cop Car" and "Digging For Fire." “You don't ever want to turn down a major festival, but...
- 12/7/2015
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
If Cannes’ Thierry Frémaux doesn’t snag it away first, we might be chalking this unsettling piece of cinema as yet another Park City homecoming for the Borderline films crew. Ever since Afterschool was launched in Cannes back in 2008, their string of feature films Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin), Antonio Campos‘ sophomore film Simon Killer, James White (Josh Mond) plus the award-winning short Mary Last Seen all got their starts at this January set fest. While creative collaborators such as dp Joe Anderson and composers Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans return to the fold, Campos’ third film is a departure of sorts as he works from a screenplay other than his own, and very busy filmmakers in their own right in Durkin and Mond are on board in the executive producer roles. Production on Christine took place last May, so this will indeed to fit to go. Rebecca Hall...
- 11/23/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Spanish horror film Para Elisa (For Elisa) will arrive on DVD and VOD on September 1st. But, the DVD-palooza doesn't stop there. Also in this round-up: Honeyspider and Cop Car DVD release details and Howl-o-Scream 2015 details.
Para Elisa: Press Release: "A job at a magnificent house owned by a famous musician seems too good to be true – and it is – in the tension-filled horror film Para Elisa. The acclaimed new Spanish film comes to DVD and VOD on September 1, 2015, from Dark Sky Films.
Desperate for some post-graduation cash, party girl Ana (Ona Casamiquela, Eva) answers a babysitting ad. She arrives for an interview at the elegant home of Diamantina (Luisa Gavasa, Flesh Memories), a former child prodigy pianist who is now an eccentric old woman who collects antique toys and dolls. Ana is disturbed by Diamantina’s odd behavior and horrified to discover that her child, Elisa (Ana Turpin,...
Para Elisa: Press Release: "A job at a magnificent house owned by a famous musician seems too good to be true – and it is – in the tension-filled horror film Para Elisa. The acclaimed new Spanish film comes to DVD and VOD on September 1, 2015, from Dark Sky Films.
Desperate for some post-graduation cash, party girl Ana (Ona Casamiquela, Eva) answers a babysitting ad. She arrives for an interview at the elegant home of Diamantina (Luisa Gavasa, Flesh Memories), a former child prodigy pianist who is now an eccentric old woman who collects antique toys and dolls. Ana is disturbed by Diamantina’s odd behavior and horrified to discover that her child, Elisa (Ana Turpin,...
- 8/14/2015
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
What are the boundaries between a making a movie where you don’t have to answer to anyone, and one where you have to answer to everyone? That’s what Jake Johnson and Alicia Van Couvering, producers of Joe Swanberg’s “Digging For Fire,” discuss in this week’s episode of Indiewire Influencers. “Joe’s mentality on the whole film business is different than anyone else’s,” said Johnson, who also stars in the film. “The way (he talks) about movies, is not the way other kids talk. I’m interested in producing with him; I’m not necessarily interested in being a film producer.” Read More: Joe Swanberg's Excellent 'Digging For Fire' Marks a New Stage of His Career Johnson is also featured in this summer’s billion-dollar juggernaut, “Jurassic World,” and said director Colin Trevorrow (with whom he also worked on Trevorrow’s debut, “Safety Not Guaranteed...
- 8/11/2015
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
A corrupt small-town sheriff is on the hunt for two runaway kids who took his car on a joy ride in Cop Car, an unnervingly funny thriller now available on Digital HD and On Demand, and debuting on Blu-ray and DVD on September 29, 2015, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Starring Golden Globe-winner Kevin Bacon (Footloose, Mystic River) and directed by Jon Watts (the upcoming Untitled Spiderman Reboot), Cop Car is “A midnight movie blast!” according to Russ Fischer of Slashfilm.
When a pair of 10-year-olds find an abandoned cop car in a field and take it for a joyride, it seems like they could kill themselves at any moment. But things only get worse when the small-town sheriff goes looking for his missing car—and the illicit cargo he left in the trunk—and the kids find themselves at the center of a deadly game of cat and mouse they don’t understand.
Starring Golden Globe-winner Kevin Bacon (Footloose, Mystic River) and directed by Jon Watts (the upcoming Untitled Spiderman Reboot), Cop Car is “A midnight movie blast!” according to Russ Fischer of Slashfilm.
When a pair of 10-year-olds find an abandoned cop car in a field and take it for a joyride, it seems like they could kill themselves at any moment. But things only get worse when the small-town sheriff goes looking for his missing car—and the illicit cargo he left in the trunk—and the kids find themselves at the center of a deadly game of cat and mouse they don’t understand.
- 8/10/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
In its second Sundance deal, newbie The Orchard is buying North American rights for about $2 million to Sundance Premiere title "Digging for Fire." (Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has international rights.) Co-written by Swanberg and his "Drinking Buddies" star Jake Johnson ("New Girl"), the 35 mm portrait of married Angelenos stars Johnson and Rosemarie DeWitt tracks the anxious couple after they come across a bone and a gun. Produced by Swanberg, Alicia Van Couvering (Lena Dunham's "Tiny Furniture," Sundance 2015 title "Cop Car") and Johnson, the film is about how marriage should be "two individuals agreeing to be in a relationship, rather than two people melting into one thing," said Swanberg at the Sundance Q&A. According to Johnson, actors love working with Swanberg because he allows them to participate in the...
- 1/30/2015
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
[Exclusive Update 12:45 p.m.: Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has bought international rights to “Digging for Fire,” which means the film will be distributed worldwide.]
Earlier Exclusive
The Orchard is acquiring North American rights to Joe Swanberg’s “Digging for Fire,” which Swanberg co-wrote with star Jake Johnson. The duo also produced the movie with Alicia Van Couvering.
An individual with knowledge of the negotiations told TheWrap that the deal is worth around $2 million.
The film, which made its world premiere earlier this week at Sundance, co-stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick and Mike Birbiglia. The supporting cast includes Sam Elliott, Judith Light, Ron Livingston, Melanie Lynskey Jenny Slate, Timothy Simons and Jane Adams.
“Digging for Fire” follows the discovery...
Earlier Exclusive
The Orchard is acquiring North American rights to Joe Swanberg’s “Digging for Fire,” which Swanberg co-wrote with star Jake Johnson. The duo also produced the movie with Alicia Van Couvering.
An individual with knowledge of the negotiations told TheWrap that the deal is worth around $2 million.
The film, which made its world premiere earlier this week at Sundance, co-stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick and Mike Birbiglia. The supporting cast includes Sam Elliott, Judith Light, Ron Livingston, Melanie Lynskey Jenny Slate, Timothy Simons and Jane Adams.
“Digging for Fire” follows the discovery...
- 1/30/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Sundance: Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has acquired international rights and The Orchard has picked up North America on Joe Swanberg’s drama. In separate deals, Ten Thousand Saints and Fresh Dressed also sold.
Digging For Fire stars Jake Johnson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick and Mike Birbiglia.
Swanberg co-wrote with Jake Johnson and produced with Alicia Van Couvering and Johnson.
The story follows a married couple who head off on separate adventures after they discover a bone and a gun.
Screen Media Films has acquired Us rights to Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s comedy-drama Ten Thousand Saints starring Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Emily Mortimer, Julianne Nicholson, Emile Hirsch and Ethan Hawke. Screen Media Films will release in late summer via day-and-date theatrical and VOD after brokering the deal with CAA.Samuel Goldwyn Films and StyleHaul have acquired North American rights to Sacha Jenkins’ documentary Fresh Dressed, about the evolution...
Digging For Fire stars Jake Johnson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick and Mike Birbiglia.
Swanberg co-wrote with Jake Johnson and produced with Alicia Van Couvering and Johnson.
The story follows a married couple who head off on separate adventures after they discover a bone and a gun.
Screen Media Films has acquired Us rights to Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s comedy-drama Ten Thousand Saints starring Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Emily Mortimer, Julianne Nicholson, Emile Hirsch and Ethan Hawke. Screen Media Films will release in late summer via day-and-date theatrical and VOD after brokering the deal with CAA.Samuel Goldwyn Films and StyleHaul have acquired North American rights to Sacha Jenkins’ documentary Fresh Dressed, about the evolution...
- 1/30/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Focus Features boutique arm Focus World has acquired Us and UK rights to director Jon Watts' Sundance premiere "Cop Car," starring Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham and Camryn Manheim. Produced by Cody Ryder, Alicia Van Couvering, Sam Bisbee, Andrew Kortschak and Jon Watts, this cat-and-mouse turns on a "a harrowing crash course full of mayhem as a pair of 10-year-old boys attempt to navigate the back roads behind the wheel of a seemingly abandoned police car that they have no clue how to operate," per the official synopsis. Things go from bad to worse when a small-town sheriff sets his sights on getting the car back—at any cost. Reviews have been solid. The Guardian praises Kevin Bacon's performance especially: "Bacon, sporting a creepy moustache, is great, and both boys give strong, naturalistic performances." Focus World is planning a simultaneous theatrical and VOD release of...
- 1/29/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Focus Features’ alternative distribution initiative Focus World has acquired U.S. and U.K. rights to Jon Watts’ thriller “Cop Car,” which stars Kevin Bacon as a corrupt sheriff whose vehicle is stolen by two 10-year-old boys.
Focus World is planning a simultaneous theatrical and VOD release of the film but has not yet set a date. In the UK, the film will be distributed via Uphe Content Group.
James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford play the young protagonists behind the wheel, and the film co-stars Shea Whigham and Camryn Manheim.
Also Read: Kevin Bacon Makes Epic ‘Footloose’ Entrance on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon...
Focus World is planning a simultaneous theatrical and VOD release of the film but has not yet set a date. In the UK, the film will be distributed via Uphe Content Group.
James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford play the young protagonists behind the wheel, and the film co-stars Shea Whigham and Camryn Manheim.
Also Read: Kevin Bacon Makes Epic ‘Footloose’ Entrance on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon...
- 1/28/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
CAA is “Sleeping With Other People,” UTA is taking “The D Train,” Alicia Van Couvering is “Digging for Fire” and WME will award “The Bronze”...
Buyers will be out in full force this week in Park City but with so many options to choose from, it helps to have a cheat sheet to prioritize the must-see acquisition titles at Sundance. After talking to buyers and sellers alike, here are the 10 most promising titles with the loudest buzz heading into this year’s festival.
The Bronze (WME)
What’s the Deal?: The highlight of Sundance’s opening night lineup is this raunchy comedy from director Bryan Buckley featuring co-writer Melissa Rauch in what could prove to be a star-making performance. The “Big Bang Theory” actress plays a washed-up Olympic gymnast whose local celebrity is threatened by the arrival of a promising young gymnast seeking a mentor. Sundance describes the foul-mouthed protagonist as “a lovably loathsome character who makes Tonya Harding look like Grace Kelly,” so perhaps this will be the next “Bad Words?”
First Screening: Thursday, Jan. 22, 9:30 p.m. – Eccles
Digging for Fire (Alicia Van Couvering)
What’s the Deal?: Jake Johnson and Rosemarie DeWitt play East L.A. parents on the verge of a nervous breakdown as they juggle marital and parenting duties. Things get weird when she enjoys a night on the town with her girls and he takes the opportunity to invite his buddies over for smoking, drinking and carousing. Joe Swanberg’s latest may be his most commercial film yet, and it certainly features his most high-profile cast. Between Anna Kendrick, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Chris Messina, Jenny Slate, Melanie Lynskey, Timothy Simons, Ron Livington, comedian Mike Birbiglia and veterans Sam Elliott and Judith Light, there’s someone for everyone.
First Screening: Monday, Jan. 26, 9:45 p.m. – Eccles...
Buyers will be out in full force this week in Park City but with so many options to choose from, it helps to have a cheat sheet to prioritize the must-see acquisition titles at Sundance. After talking to buyers and sellers alike, here are the 10 most promising titles with the loudest buzz heading into this year’s festival.
The Bronze (WME)
What’s the Deal?: The highlight of Sundance’s opening night lineup is this raunchy comedy from director Bryan Buckley featuring co-writer Melissa Rauch in what could prove to be a star-making performance. The “Big Bang Theory” actress plays a washed-up Olympic gymnast whose local celebrity is threatened by the arrival of a promising young gymnast seeking a mentor. Sundance describes the foul-mouthed protagonist as “a lovably loathsome character who makes Tonya Harding look like Grace Kelly,” so perhaps this will be the next “Bad Words?”
First Screening: Thursday, Jan. 22, 9:30 p.m. – Eccles
Digging for Fire (Alicia Van Couvering)
What’s the Deal?: Jake Johnson and Rosemarie DeWitt play East L.A. parents on the verge of a nervous breakdown as they juggle marital and parenting duties. Things get weird when she enjoys a night on the town with her girls and he takes the opportunity to invite his buddies over for smoking, drinking and carousing. Joe Swanberg’s latest may be his most commercial film yet, and it certainly features his most high-profile cast. Between Anna Kendrick, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Chris Messina, Jenny Slate, Melanie Lynskey, Timothy Simons, Ron Livington, comedian Mike Birbiglia and veterans Sam Elliott and Judith Light, there’s someone for everyone.
First Screening: Monday, Jan. 26, 9:45 p.m. – Eccles...
- 1/20/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Alicia Van Couvering is selling the Sundance comedy, which co-stars Anna Kendrick and Orlando Bloom
Joe Swanberg’s “Digging for Fire” debuts at Sundance this week and TheWrap has exclusively obtained a new image of star/co-writer Jake Johnson enjoying himself while his wife (Rosemarie DeWitt) is away.
In “Digging for Fire,” the discovery of a bone and a gun sends a husband and wife on separate adventures over the course of a weekend.
Also Read: Anna Kendrick, Orlando Bloom, Jenny Slate, Mike Birbiglia Join Joe Swanberg’s New Film (Exclusive)
Johnson and DeWitt are joined in the film by Anna Kendrick,...
Joe Swanberg’s “Digging for Fire” debuts at Sundance this week and TheWrap has exclusively obtained a new image of star/co-writer Jake Johnson enjoying himself while his wife (Rosemarie DeWitt) is away.
In “Digging for Fire,” the discovery of a bone and a gun sends a husband and wife on separate adventures over the course of a weekend.
Also Read: Anna Kendrick, Orlando Bloom, Jenny Slate, Mike Birbiglia Join Joe Swanberg’s New Film (Exclusive)
Johnson and DeWitt are joined in the film by Anna Kendrick,...
- 1/20/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Over the years, Filmmaker has run several “Sundance Survival Guide” pieces. (One from 2012 we continue to recommend is Alicia Van Couvering’s “Mistakes Were Made.” ) Here, fresh for 2015, is new one from Mynette Louie, President of Gamechanger Films and producer of Land Ho! (Sundance 2014), California Solo (Sundance 2012), and Children of Invention (Sundance 2009). Check back tomorrow for a grab-bag of advice — including several tips we’ve never run before in any form — from several recent Sundance veterans. 1. Empower your crew to promote the film, and show them your thanks. Sundance is not just about […]...
- 1/20/2015
- by Mynette Louie
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Over the years, Filmmaker has run several “Sundance Survival Guide” pieces. (One from 2012 we continue to recommend is Alicia Van Couvering’s “Mistakes Were Made.” ) Here, fresh for 2015, is new one from Mynette Louie, President of Gamechanger Films and producer of Land Ho! (Sundance 2014), California Solo (Sundance 2012), and Children of Invention (Sundance 2009). Check back tomorrow for a grab-bag of advice — including several tips we’ve never run before in any form — from several recent Sundance veterans. 1. Empower your crew to promote the film, and show them your thanks. Sundance is not just about […]...
- 1/20/2015
- by Mynette Louie
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Kevin Bacon is about to get violent when the new film from Jon Watts, Cop Car, makes its world premiere in Midnight at next month's Sundance Film Fest. It's a pretty damn simple premise: Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. The film is written by Watts and Christopher Ford who is best known for writing Robot & Frank. It's produced by Drinking Buddies/Joe Swanberg producer Alicia Van Couvering (amongst others). The film stars Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, and Camryn Manheim. We've got 4 stills for you below but just go ahead and sign us up now....
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 12/4/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Guess who’s turning 10? Joe Swanberg has had a “fire” in his belly for, give or take a decade, and his latest in the interpersonal thread was shot in April and appears ripe for another double-billing in January-set Sundance and March SXSW fests. It may also be, his most sophisticated film to date. Moving from the Sundance featured, shot on 16mm Happy Christmas, Swanberg adds to his nucleus of players and reteams with cinematographer Ben Richardson for Digging for Fire. Shot on handsomely old-school 35mm, Swanberg has built himself an all-star team here with first line players Jake Johnson (who co-writes and produces) and Rosemarie DeWitt with a spoonful of supporting and minor bits from the likes of Sam Rockwell, Brie Larson, Anna Kendrick, Orlando Bloom, Jenny Slate, Mike Birbiglia, Chris Messina, Sam Elliott, Ron Livingston, Jane Adams and Tom Bower.
Gist: Co-written by Swanberg and Johnson, this is a...
Gist: Co-written by Swanberg and Johnson, this is a...
- 11/12/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Cyrus and Jeff, Who Lives At Home filmmaker Mark Duplass will return to South by Southwest to keynote the 2015 edition of the annual Austin film conference, organizers announced today. Like 2014’s popular keynote speaker Lena Dunham, Duplass is making a homecoming of sorts to SXSW where he launched his career in 2005 by winning the SXSW Audience Award with brother Jay for The Puffy Chair. Last year at SXSW he and director/co-writer/co-star Patrick Brice debuted their microbudget horror Creep which Radius-twc and Blumhouse Tilt jointly acquired.
Also stopping by the Austin fest held from March 13-21, 2015 will be Bollywood actor and director Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth, The Four Feathers), who will lead a Conversation session. Over 150 keynotes, conversations, panels, and mentor sessions are in the works for the annual confab, which has yet to announce its full lineup.
As for film panels, I’ll be talking shop at “So You...
Also stopping by the Austin fest held from March 13-21, 2015 will be Bollywood actor and director Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth, The Four Feathers), who will lead a Conversation session. Over 150 keynotes, conversations, panels, and mentor sessions are in the works for the annual confab, which has yet to announce its full lineup.
As for film panels, I’ll be talking shop at “So You...
- 10/21/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
Ifp announced its 2014 slate of 133 new films in development and works in progress selected for its esteemed Project Forum at Independent Film Week. This one-of-a-kind event brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new projects by nurturing the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers. Through the Project Forum, creatives connect with financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. Under the curatorial leadership of Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson & Senior Director of Programming Milton Tabbot, this one-of-a-kind event takes place September 14-18, 2014 at Lincoln Center supporting bold new content from a wide variety of domestic and international artists.
“As we set to embark on our 36th Independent Film Week, we are impressed by the outstanding slate of both U.S. and international projects selected for this year’s Project Forum,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of Ifp. “We know that the industry will be as excited as we are with the accomplished storytellers and their diverse and boundary pushing films.”
Featured works at the 2014 Independent Film Week include filmmakers and content creators from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. From documentarians Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How To Nail A Dictator"), and Penny Lane ("Our Nixon") to Michelangelo Frammartino ("Quattro Volte") and Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), as well as new work from critically acclaimed artists and directors Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Travis Matthews ("Interior. Leather. Bar") and Yen Tan ("Pit Stop").
Independent Film Week brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new documentary and narrative works-in-progress and support the future of storytelling. The program nurtures the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers through the facilitation of over 3,500+ custom, one-to-one meetings with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. In recent years, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Rama Burshtein ("Fill The Void"), Derek Cianfrance ("Blue Valentine"), Marshall Curry ("If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth LIberation Front"), Laura Poitras ("The Oath"), Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
For the full 2014 Project Forum slate visit Here
New For 2014
Evenly split between documentary and narrative features, selected projects hail from throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. New this year, Ifp will be including web series in it programming, as well as spotlighting Latin & Central American artists and content with 15 projects featured across all programs in the Forum.
In a joint effort to recognize the importance of career and creative sustainability, Ifp and Durga Entertainment have partnered on a new $20,000 filmmaker grant for an alumnus of Ifp. The grant is intended for active, working filmmakers who are also balancing a filmmaking career with parenting. The grant provides a $20,000 unrestricted prize to encourage the recipient to continue on her or his career path of making quality independent films. American directors or screenwriters working in narrative film who have participated in the Ifp Filmmaker Labs or Ifp Independent Film Week's Emerging Storytellers or No-Borders International Co-Production market are encouraged to apply by the deadline of August 8, 2014.
Narrative Feature Highlights
Narrative features and webseries in Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers and No Borders International Co-Production Market sections highlight new work from top emerging and established creative visionaries on the U.S. and international independent scene.
This year’s slate includes new feature scripts featuring directors Dev Benegal ("Road, Movie"), Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin ("Now, Forager"), Michelangelo Frammartino ("Le Quattro Volte"),Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"), Rashaad Ernesto Green ("Gun Hill Road"), Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita Y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"),Alison Klayman ("Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"), Travis Mathews ("Interior. Leather Bar"), Stacie Passon ("Concussion"), Yen Tan ("Pit Stop"), as well as up-an-coming actor/directors Karrie Crouse ("Land Ho!") and Peter Vack ("Fort Tilden""I Believe in Unicorns").
Producers and executive producers of note attached to participating projects include Jennifer Dubin and Cora Olson ("Good Dick"), Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams ("Hellion"),Laura Heberton ("Gayby"), Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Kishori Rajan ("Gimme the Loot"), Adele Romanski ("The Myth of the American Sleepover"), Kim Sherman ("A Teacher"), Susan Stover ("High Art"), and Alicia Van Couvering ("Tiny Furniture").
Web Storytellers Highlights
For the first time this year, Ifp presents a dedicated spotlight within the Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program for creators developing episodic content for digital platforms. The inaugural slate for the Web Storytellers spotlight includes new works from filmmakers Desiree Akhavan ("Appropriate Behavior", HBO’s Girls), Calvin Reeder ("The Rambler"), and Gregory Bayne ("Person of Interest"), as well as producers Elisabeth Holm ("Obvious Child"), Susan Leber ( "Down to the Bone"), and Amanda Warman ("The Outs,"Whatever This Is"). Two of the series participating are currently in post-production, and will be making their online debut in the coming months – Rachel Morgan’s Middle Americans, starring Scott Thompson, Carlen Altman, and Alex Rennie, and Daniel Zimbler and Elisabeth Gray’s Understudies, starring Richard Kind and David Rasche. [p Spotlight On Documentaries Highlights
The documentary selection includes new work from seasoned non-fiction directors such as Emmy winners Robert Bahar andAlmudena Carracedo ("Made in La"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How to Nail a Dictator"),Ramona Diaz ("Imelda," "Don’t Stop Believin’") Gini Reticker ("Pray the Devil Back to Hell") Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"); from producers such as Court 13’s Benh Zeitlin and Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Liran Atzmor ("The Law in These Parts"), Tim Williams ("Once In A Lifetime") and Hilla Medalia ("Web Junkie"), and follow-up second features from recent doc world “breakouts”Steve Hoover ("Blood Brother") Penny Lane ("Our Nixon"), Michael Collins ("Give Up Tomorrow"), and Michael Nichols and Christopher Walker ("Flex is Kings").
Exciting new work from debut documentary directors previously known for fiction films include Alex Sichel ("All over Me") with her personal doc The Movie about Anna, Lisa Cortés (producer, "Precious") with "Mothership: The Untold Story of Women and Hip Hop," and Daniel Patrick Carbone ("Hide Your Smiling Faces") with Phantom Cowboys.
Sponsors
Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Royal Bank of Canada (Rbc) and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms and SAGIndie. Silver sponsors are Durga Entertainment, Eastman Kodak Company, National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa and Telefilm Canada. Official Independent Film Week Partner is Film Society of Lincoln Center. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the Ford Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts and Time Warner Foundation.
About Ifp
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by Ifp, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Ifp represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, Ifp has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin. More info at www.ifp.org.
“As we set to embark on our 36th Independent Film Week, we are impressed by the outstanding slate of both U.S. and international projects selected for this year’s Project Forum,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of Ifp. “We know that the industry will be as excited as we are with the accomplished storytellers and their diverse and boundary pushing films.”
Featured works at the 2014 Independent Film Week include filmmakers and content creators from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. From documentarians Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How To Nail A Dictator"), and Penny Lane ("Our Nixon") to Michelangelo Frammartino ("Quattro Volte") and Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), as well as new work from critically acclaimed artists and directors Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Travis Matthews ("Interior. Leather. Bar") and Yen Tan ("Pit Stop").
Independent Film Week brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new documentary and narrative works-in-progress and support the future of storytelling. The program nurtures the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers through the facilitation of over 3,500+ custom, one-to-one meetings with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. In recent years, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Rama Burshtein ("Fill The Void"), Derek Cianfrance ("Blue Valentine"), Marshall Curry ("If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth LIberation Front"), Laura Poitras ("The Oath"), Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
For the full 2014 Project Forum slate visit Here
New For 2014
Evenly split between documentary and narrative features, selected projects hail from throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. New this year, Ifp will be including web series in it programming, as well as spotlighting Latin & Central American artists and content with 15 projects featured across all programs in the Forum.
In a joint effort to recognize the importance of career and creative sustainability, Ifp and Durga Entertainment have partnered on a new $20,000 filmmaker grant for an alumnus of Ifp. The grant is intended for active, working filmmakers who are also balancing a filmmaking career with parenting. The grant provides a $20,000 unrestricted prize to encourage the recipient to continue on her or his career path of making quality independent films. American directors or screenwriters working in narrative film who have participated in the Ifp Filmmaker Labs or Ifp Independent Film Week's Emerging Storytellers or No-Borders International Co-Production market are encouraged to apply by the deadline of August 8, 2014.
Narrative Feature Highlights
Narrative features and webseries in Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers and No Borders International Co-Production Market sections highlight new work from top emerging and established creative visionaries on the U.S. and international independent scene.
This year’s slate includes new feature scripts featuring directors Dev Benegal ("Road, Movie"), Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin ("Now, Forager"), Michelangelo Frammartino ("Le Quattro Volte"),Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"), Rashaad Ernesto Green ("Gun Hill Road"), Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita Y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"),Alison Klayman ("Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"), Travis Mathews ("Interior. Leather Bar"), Stacie Passon ("Concussion"), Yen Tan ("Pit Stop"), as well as up-an-coming actor/directors Karrie Crouse ("Land Ho!") and Peter Vack ("Fort Tilden""I Believe in Unicorns").
Producers and executive producers of note attached to participating projects include Jennifer Dubin and Cora Olson ("Good Dick"), Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams ("Hellion"),Laura Heberton ("Gayby"), Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Kishori Rajan ("Gimme the Loot"), Adele Romanski ("The Myth of the American Sleepover"), Kim Sherman ("A Teacher"), Susan Stover ("High Art"), and Alicia Van Couvering ("Tiny Furniture").
Web Storytellers Highlights
For the first time this year, Ifp presents a dedicated spotlight within the Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program for creators developing episodic content for digital platforms. The inaugural slate for the Web Storytellers spotlight includes new works from filmmakers Desiree Akhavan ("Appropriate Behavior", HBO’s Girls), Calvin Reeder ("The Rambler"), and Gregory Bayne ("Person of Interest"), as well as producers Elisabeth Holm ("Obvious Child"), Susan Leber ( "Down to the Bone"), and Amanda Warman ("The Outs,"Whatever This Is"). Two of the series participating are currently in post-production, and will be making their online debut in the coming months – Rachel Morgan’s Middle Americans, starring Scott Thompson, Carlen Altman, and Alex Rennie, and Daniel Zimbler and Elisabeth Gray’s Understudies, starring Richard Kind and David Rasche. [p Spotlight On Documentaries Highlights
The documentary selection includes new work from seasoned non-fiction directors such as Emmy winners Robert Bahar andAlmudena Carracedo ("Made in La"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How to Nail a Dictator"),Ramona Diaz ("Imelda," "Don’t Stop Believin’") Gini Reticker ("Pray the Devil Back to Hell") Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"); from producers such as Court 13’s Benh Zeitlin and Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Liran Atzmor ("The Law in These Parts"), Tim Williams ("Once In A Lifetime") and Hilla Medalia ("Web Junkie"), and follow-up second features from recent doc world “breakouts”Steve Hoover ("Blood Brother") Penny Lane ("Our Nixon"), Michael Collins ("Give Up Tomorrow"), and Michael Nichols and Christopher Walker ("Flex is Kings").
Exciting new work from debut documentary directors previously known for fiction films include Alex Sichel ("All over Me") with her personal doc The Movie about Anna, Lisa Cortés (producer, "Precious") with "Mothership: The Untold Story of Women and Hip Hop," and Daniel Patrick Carbone ("Hide Your Smiling Faces") with Phantom Cowboys.
Sponsors
Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Royal Bank of Canada (Rbc) and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms and SAGIndie. Silver sponsors are Durga Entertainment, Eastman Kodak Company, National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa and Telefilm Canada. Official Independent Film Week Partner is Film Society of Lincoln Center. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the Ford Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts and Time Warner Foundation.
About Ifp
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by Ifp, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Ifp represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, Ifp has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin. More info at www.ifp.org.
- 7/25/2014
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
The new film, written and directed by Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies) and produced by Swanberg, Peter Gilbert and co-produced by Alicia Van Couvering, premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. When Jenny (Anna Kendrick), a hard partying 20-something moves in with Kelly (Melanie Lynskey), a budding novelist, her film director husband (Joe Swanberg) and their two-year-old son after a break up, the family’s idyllic life is shaken. Jenny begins a rocky relationship with their baby sitter-cum-pot dealer (Mark Webber), and she and a friend, Carson (Lena Dunham), bring Kelly to the realization that an evolution in her life, career and relationship is necessary for her happiness. A new comedy from the director of Drinking Buddies. Happy Christmas stars Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey,...
- 6/11/2014
- by Pietro Filipponi
- The Daily BLAM!
The new film, written and directed by Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies) and produced by Swanberg, Peter Gilbert and co-produced by Alicia Van Couvering, premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. When Jenny (Anna Kendrick), a hard partying 20-something moves in with Kelly (Melanie Lynskey), a budding novelist, her film director husband (Joe Swanberg) and their two-year-old son after a break up, the family’s idyllic life is shaken. Jenny begins a rocky relationship with their baby sitter-cum-pot dealer (Mark Webber), and she and a friend, Carson (Lena Dunham), bring Kelly to the realization that an evolution in her life, career and relationship is necessary for her happiness. A new comedy from the director of Drinking Buddies. Happy Christmas stars Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey,...
- 5/21/2014
- by Pietro Filipponi
- The Daily BLAM!
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