The pressure is on for the long-gestating indie tax relief to come into play in the UK, as the second day of public evidence sessions from industry representatives to the cross-party Culture, Media and Sport (Cms) Committee unfurled.
Three witness sessions took place this morning (February 21) in parliament, with One Life and Slow Horses director James Hawes; Sixteen Films producer Rebecca O’Brien; and Film4 director Ollie Madden together with BBC Film director Eva Yates.
Presently, the credit rate for films, high-end TV and video games stands at 34% (equating to 25.5% in actual relief) for all qualifying projects, regardless of budget but...
Three witness sessions took place this morning (February 21) in parliament, with One Life and Slow Horses director James Hawes; Sixteen Films producer Rebecca O’Brien; and Film4 director Ollie Madden together with BBC Film director Eva Yates.
Presently, the credit rate for films, high-end TV and video games stands at 34% (equating to 25.5% in actual relief) for all qualifying projects, regardless of budget but...
- 2/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: After a grueling few months for UK film and TV producers, there are signs that the industry is starting to head back to work following twin actors and writers strikes in the U.S.
Amateur, the 20th Century terrorism thriller starring Rami Malek, will be among the first studio shoots to resume filming in London next month, sources tell Deadline.
Amateur, which also stars Rachel Brosnahan and Laurence Fishburne, was halfway through production when the feature’s hundreds of cast, crew, and contractors were put on hiatus in July.
The film’s cast has prioritized the project ahead of other commitments they would be shooting had the strike not happened. “Productions needing lead actors back to complete means other shows and films cannot schedule starting,” said a source.
Amateur is directed by James Hawes, whose debut feature, the Anthony Hopkins vehicle One Life, has generated plenty of buzz during the fall festival season.
Amateur, the 20th Century terrorism thriller starring Rami Malek, will be among the first studio shoots to resume filming in London next month, sources tell Deadline.
Amateur, which also stars Rachel Brosnahan and Laurence Fishburne, was halfway through production when the feature’s hundreds of cast, crew, and contractors were put on hiatus in July.
The film’s cast has prioritized the project ahead of other commitments they would be shooting had the strike not happened. “Productions needing lead actors back to complete means other shows and films cannot schedule starting,” said a source.
Amateur is directed by James Hawes, whose debut feature, the Anthony Hopkins vehicle One Life, has generated plenty of buzz during the fall festival season.
- 11/17/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated with Pggb statement, 7.25am Pt: The Production Guild of Great Britain has joined the celebrations following news of the agreement between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP. Pbbg CEO Lyndsay Duthie said: “A deal being reached and strikes ending is such good news for the industry. This has been a long and challenging road for everyone. We look forward to reading the deal in full, but we are absolutely delighted and relieved that Pggb members can soon get back to what they do best, creating world class content.”
The strike officially ended at 12.01am Pt today after 118 days of industrial action.
Updated with Equity statement, 3.28am Pt: Equity has now issued a short statement on the strike deal. In a post on X, the union said: “We’re pleased to hear that our sister union SAG-AFTRA has approved a tentative agreement with the AMPTP and that the strike has been suspended.
The strike officially ended at 12.01am Pt today after 118 days of industrial action.
Updated with Equity statement, 3.28am Pt: Equity has now issued a short statement on the strike deal. In a post on X, the union said: “We’re pleased to hear that our sister union SAG-AFTRA has approved a tentative agreement with the AMPTP and that the strike has been suspended.
- 11/9/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Broadcasting union Bectu has waded into the U.S. labor dispute with an open letter to the AMPTP, urging it to financially support UK crew who are “suffering hardship” and to “resume negotiations” with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
“It is time to address the huge inequalities within our industry and it is time for you to support crew through this shutdown,” said the letter penned by Bectu Head Philippa Childs.
The move comes after a Bectu survey found 80% of the UK’s freelance workforce had been impacted by the WGA/SAG strikes, while a petition is currently circling calling on the UK government to financially help those who have lost work.
Childs wrote to AMPTP boss Carol Lombardini today, taking the AMPTP to task for leaving freelancers “paying the price of your failure to reach an acceptable agreement with our colleagues in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.”
“It is they who...
“It is time to address the huge inequalities within our industry and it is time for you to support crew through this shutdown,” said the letter penned by Bectu Head Philippa Childs.
The move comes after a Bectu survey found 80% of the UK’s freelance workforce had been impacted by the WGA/SAG strikes, while a petition is currently circling calling on the UK government to financially help those who have lost work.
Childs wrote to AMPTP boss Carol Lombardini today, taking the AMPTP to task for leaving freelancers “paying the price of your failure to reach an acceptable agreement with our colleagues in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.”
“It is they who...
- 9/15/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The UK government is “engaging with industry to understand the impact of continued U.S. strike action” but has stopped short of committing to an Income Replacement Scheme to help freelancers with lost earnings.
A petition calling on government to financially support TV and film crew unable to work due to the strikes has amassed nearly 30,000 signatures. In a statement to Deadline, a spokesman for the Culture, Media and Sport department said support will continue only via pre-existing tax reliefs and broader investment.
“We are engaging with industry to understand the impact of continued U.S. strike action,” said the spokesman. “We continue our support for the screen industries through competitive tax reliefs, investing in studio infrastructure, supporting innovation, and promoting independent content.”
Launched earlier this month by campaigner Laura Evans, the petition urges the government to “do more to support UK TV and film crew who are unable...
A petition calling on government to financially support TV and film crew unable to work due to the strikes has amassed nearly 30,000 signatures. In a statement to Deadline, a spokesman for the Culture, Media and Sport department said support will continue only via pre-existing tax reliefs and broader investment.
“We are engaging with industry to understand the impact of continued U.S. strike action,” said the spokesman. “We continue our support for the screen industries through competitive tax reliefs, investing in studio infrastructure, supporting innovation, and promoting independent content.”
Launched earlier this month by campaigner Laura Evans, the petition urges the government to “do more to support UK TV and film crew who are unable...
- 8/31/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
A petition calling on the UK government to financially support TV and film crew unable to work due to the strikes has amassed nearly 25,000 signatures.
The petition urges the creation of an “Income Replacement Scheme” which would provide support to those on struck projects who have lost work. If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, UK law requires that it be considered for a debate in parliament.
“We want the government to do more to support UK TV and film crew who are unable to work due to the strikes by actors and writers,” says the petition, which was created by Laura Evans. “The UK freelance crew who work on these projects need financial support and reassurance from the government that they will not abandon the crew during this crisis.”
The majority of UK projects are contracted under UK union Equity and have been able to push on but some, including the...
The petition urges the creation of an “Income Replacement Scheme” which would provide support to those on struck projects who have lost work. If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, UK law requires that it be considered for a debate in parliament.
“We want the government to do more to support UK TV and film crew who are unable to work due to the strikes by actors and writers,” says the petition, which was created by Laura Evans. “The UK freelance crew who work on these projects need financial support and reassurance from the government that they will not abandon the crew during this crisis.”
The majority of UK projects are contracted under UK union Equity and have been able to push on but some, including the...
- 8/24/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
“This inescapable truth about our lives today that any given moment each and every one of us could become a broken and confused animal scratching the surface of the Earth for some small sign of life.”
In August 1988, Steven Soderbergh shot his first narrative feature film, “sex, lies, and videotape,” in one month with a budget $1.2 million. Five months later, it premiered at the U.S. Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where it won the first-ever Audience Award. A few months after that, it screened at Cannes and won the Palme d’Or over “Do the Right Thing.” “sex, lies, and videotape” hit theaters in August 1989, a year after it went into production, and earned over $36 million worldwide. The rest is history.
The film’s commercial success quickly turned the American independent film scene into a hot commodity, while the U.S. Film Festival rebranded as Sundance and become...
In August 1988, Steven Soderbergh shot his first narrative feature film, “sex, lies, and videotape,” in one month with a budget $1.2 million. Five months later, it premiered at the U.S. Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where it won the first-ever Audience Award. A few months after that, it screened at Cannes and won the Palme d’Or over “Do the Right Thing.” “sex, lies, and videotape” hit theaters in August 1989, a year after it went into production, and earned over $36 million worldwide. The rest is history.
The film’s commercial success quickly turned the American independent film scene into a hot commodity, while the U.S. Film Festival rebranded as Sundance and become...
- 8/16/2023
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Lights, camera, solidarity.
The UK actors union, Equity, is gearing up for an extraordinary show of support as they join forces with SAG-AFTRA across the pond. Equity members are set to march in unison this week in a rallying cry that will resonate from London to Manchester, per Deadline.
Read More: Unscripted Shows Like ‘The Voice’ And ‘The Masked Singer’ Expected To Remain Largely Unaffected By Hollywood Strikes
The star-studded lineup includes Equity heavyweights like General Secretary Paul W Fleming and President Lynda Rooke, alongside special guest John McDonnell, the former Shadow Chancellor for the Labour Party. And that’s just the beginning, as more notable attendees will be unveiled in the coming days.
The vibrant procession will weave through the iconic streets of Leicester Square in London and Media City in Manchester, the bustling hub for BBC, ITV, and numerous production companies. Banners and flags will flutter in the air,...
The UK actors union, Equity, is gearing up for an extraordinary show of support as they join forces with SAG-AFTRA across the pond. Equity members are set to march in unison this week in a rallying cry that will resonate from London to Manchester, per Deadline.
Read More: Unscripted Shows Like ‘The Voice’ And ‘The Masked Singer’ Expected To Remain Largely Unaffected By Hollywood Strikes
The star-studded lineup includes Equity heavyweights like General Secretary Paul W Fleming and President Lynda Rooke, alongside special guest John McDonnell, the former Shadow Chancellor for the Labour Party. And that’s just the beginning, as more notable attendees will be unveiled in the coming days.
The vibrant procession will weave through the iconic streets of Leicester Square in London and Media City in Manchester, the bustling hub for BBC, ITV, and numerous production companies. Banners and flags will flutter in the air,...
- 7/19/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
Back in 2004, Hal Hartley directed “The Girl from Monday” and tried to launch a website where viewers could watch the film. Since the average internet speed back then was 34 Kbps — about 165 times slower than today’s 5.6 Mbps — that didn’t work so well. “The technology was still a little sticky,” Hartley said. “We ended up distributing it in a more traditional way, where I would travel all over the place with the film and do Q&As.”
With films like “Trust,” “Amateur,” and “Henry Fool,” Hartley’s movies have never been about the money — but he’s always had his eye on the bottom line. He owns 50% of every film he’s made, and constantly seeks to capitalize on technology as a way to achieve independence and financial sustainability.
Read More: Why the ‘Swiss Army Man’ Directors Backed the Psychedelic Comedy-Musical ‘Snowy Bing Bongs’
With Kickstarter, he raised more than $56,000 on DVD presales for his 2011 film, “Meanwhile,” and then raised a production budget of nearly $400,000 from 1,789 backers for his 2014 film, “Ned Rifle.” “‘Ned Rifle’ became my most successful movie to date, and I didn’t need to share that money,” he said. “It all came directly to me and the crew.”
Read More: How a Chance Encounter With Terrence Malick Turned Trey Edward Shults Into a Filmmaker
“Ned Rifle” was the final installment of the Grim family trilogy, one that included “Henry Fool” in 1997 and “Fay Grim” in 2006. The Kickstarter process taught Hartley that he had loyal fans in places like Japan, Australia, Europe, and Taiwan who were invested in his work. Now he’s testing that direct connection with Kickstarter to pre-sell a Grim family box set, complete with subtitles.
“I’m going to do the box set, no matter what,” said Hartley. “I really do want to make this approach to distributing my own film viable on its own. That’s why I’m gambling with this. My gambit here is the subtitling. That’s what is expensive about the undertaking, and why I’m going after $100,000. Four foreign languages translated accurately and sensitively, and then the authoring of that onto the DVD — it gets expensive. I’m just hoping the expense is worth it because it will help films contribute a wider audience around the world.”
See MoreHal Hartley’s Grim Family: An Oral History From ‘Henry Fool’ to ‘Ned Rifle’
Hartley says he’s talked with Atom Egoyan (“Sweet Hereafter,” “Exotica”) about the value of owning their work, since handling the various aspects of the business requires a full-time staff. Sustaining that support requires more work, and Hartley feels fortunate that the world of television has begun opening to him.
“Since I came back to America in 2009, I’ve worked for five years to get people interested in my TV projects – because I’ve been interested in episodic television for a long time,” he saidy. “I was also open to just being a director for hire. I saw a lot of half-hour comedy shows that were well written and said, ‘I can see myself directing that.'”
Read More: The 20 Best-Directed TV Drama Series of the 21st Century, Ranked
The veteran filmmaker got his TV break when he ran into Gregory Jacobs, his former first assistant director who had gone on to work for Steven Soderbergh and got his own television show, “Red Oaks,” on Amazon. Jacobs invited Hartley to direct an episode in season one, then half of the second season (five episodes). Starting next week, he will share season-three directing duties with David Gordon Green and Amy Heckerling.
“On my films, I’m thinking on a hundred different levels at any moment,” said Hartley. “While coming in to direct ‘Red Oaks’ — which is a script I take to very easily, it’s the kind of comedy I know how to do — what they expect of me is just to give it some character, explain to the actors the things that might not be perfectly obvious, and make the day, get all the shots. So it’s nice. I come away from a day’s work feeling good, like I’m a good skilled laborer.”
And is Hartley any closer to getting his own TV show?
“I’m developing something with Amazon. They optioned at least the pilot of my [half hour comedy] show,” said Hartley. “It’s about nuns who make beer to support themselves and they’re social activists, so they are wanted by the cops.”
Hal Hartley’s new Henry Fool Trilogy boxed set is part of Kickstarter Gold, a new initiative bringing back some of the most inventive and successful creators in Kickstarter history. Now through July 31, over 65 exceptional artists, authors, designers, musicians and makers are back as they push ideas and rewards from their past projects in bold new directions. Head here to learn more, and here to browse all the live Kickstarter Gold projects.
Related stories'Wet Hot American Summer: Fantasy Camp' Is The Roleplaying Game of Your Wet Hot DreamsNeil Patrick Harris Urges Jim Henson Fans to Support Kickstarter Campaign for New Exhibition'Hook' Prequel About Rufio Imagined as 'Moonlight' Meets 'Jurassic Park'...
With films like “Trust,” “Amateur,” and “Henry Fool,” Hartley’s movies have never been about the money — but he’s always had his eye on the bottom line. He owns 50% of every film he’s made, and constantly seeks to capitalize on technology as a way to achieve independence and financial sustainability.
Read More: Why the ‘Swiss Army Man’ Directors Backed the Psychedelic Comedy-Musical ‘Snowy Bing Bongs’
With Kickstarter, he raised more than $56,000 on DVD presales for his 2011 film, “Meanwhile,” and then raised a production budget of nearly $400,000 from 1,789 backers for his 2014 film, “Ned Rifle.” “‘Ned Rifle’ became my most successful movie to date, and I didn’t need to share that money,” he said. “It all came directly to me and the crew.”
Read More: How a Chance Encounter With Terrence Malick Turned Trey Edward Shults Into a Filmmaker
“Ned Rifle” was the final installment of the Grim family trilogy, one that included “Henry Fool” in 1997 and “Fay Grim” in 2006. The Kickstarter process taught Hartley that he had loyal fans in places like Japan, Australia, Europe, and Taiwan who were invested in his work. Now he’s testing that direct connection with Kickstarter to pre-sell a Grim family box set, complete with subtitles.
“I’m going to do the box set, no matter what,” said Hartley. “I really do want to make this approach to distributing my own film viable on its own. That’s why I’m gambling with this. My gambit here is the subtitling. That’s what is expensive about the undertaking, and why I’m going after $100,000. Four foreign languages translated accurately and sensitively, and then the authoring of that onto the DVD — it gets expensive. I’m just hoping the expense is worth it because it will help films contribute a wider audience around the world.”
See MoreHal Hartley’s Grim Family: An Oral History From ‘Henry Fool’ to ‘Ned Rifle’
Hartley says he’s talked with Atom Egoyan (“Sweet Hereafter,” “Exotica”) about the value of owning their work, since handling the various aspects of the business requires a full-time staff. Sustaining that support requires more work, and Hartley feels fortunate that the world of television has begun opening to him.
“Since I came back to America in 2009, I’ve worked for five years to get people interested in my TV projects – because I’ve been interested in episodic television for a long time,” he saidy. “I was also open to just being a director for hire. I saw a lot of half-hour comedy shows that were well written and said, ‘I can see myself directing that.'”
Read More: The 20 Best-Directed TV Drama Series of the 21st Century, Ranked
The veteran filmmaker got his TV break when he ran into Gregory Jacobs, his former first assistant director who had gone on to work for Steven Soderbergh and got his own television show, “Red Oaks,” on Amazon. Jacobs invited Hartley to direct an episode in season one, then half of the second season (five episodes). Starting next week, he will share season-three directing duties with David Gordon Green and Amy Heckerling.
“On my films, I’m thinking on a hundred different levels at any moment,” said Hartley. “While coming in to direct ‘Red Oaks’ — which is a script I take to very easily, it’s the kind of comedy I know how to do — what they expect of me is just to give it some character, explain to the actors the things that might not be perfectly obvious, and make the day, get all the shots. So it’s nice. I come away from a day’s work feeling good, like I’m a good skilled laborer.”
And is Hartley any closer to getting his own TV show?
“I’m developing something with Amazon. They optioned at least the pilot of my [half hour comedy] show,” said Hartley. “It’s about nuns who make beer to support themselves and they’re social activists, so they are wanted by the cops.”
Hal Hartley’s new Henry Fool Trilogy boxed set is part of Kickstarter Gold, a new initiative bringing back some of the most inventive and successful creators in Kickstarter history. Now through July 31, over 65 exceptional artists, authors, designers, musicians and makers are back as they push ideas and rewards from their past projects in bold new directions. Head here to learn more, and here to browse all the live Kickstarter Gold projects.
Related stories'Wet Hot American Summer: Fantasy Camp' Is The Roleplaying Game of Your Wet Hot DreamsNeil Patrick Harris Urges Jim Henson Fans to Support Kickstarter Campaign for New Exhibition'Hook' Prequel About Rufio Imagined as 'Moonlight' Meets 'Jurassic Park'...
- 6/21/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Isabelle Huppert on Elle: "I never worked with a trained cat before." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Guillaume Nicloux's Valley Of Love, Mia Hansen-Løve's Things To Come (L’Avenir), and Paul Verhoeven's Elle have one thing in common - Isabelle Huppert. Metrograph in New York honoured Huppert by programming Catherine Breillat's Abuse Of Weakness (Abus De faiblesse); Claire Denis' White Material; Ursula Meier's Home; Hal Hartley's Amateur; Michael Haneke's The Piano Teacher and Hong Sang-soo's In Another Country.
Isabelle Huppert with Metrograph's Aliza Ma Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Isabelle spoke with Aliza Ma at Metrograph, following the screening of In Another Country about what two of her latest films have in common:
Isabelle Huppert: In both films there is a cat. In Things To Come it's a very, very big cat. Very heavy like an elephant. In Elle [France's Foreign Language Oscar submission] is a very different cat.
Guillaume Nicloux's Valley Of Love, Mia Hansen-Løve's Things To Come (L’Avenir), and Paul Verhoeven's Elle have one thing in common - Isabelle Huppert. Metrograph in New York honoured Huppert by programming Catherine Breillat's Abuse Of Weakness (Abus De faiblesse); Claire Denis' White Material; Ursula Meier's Home; Hal Hartley's Amateur; Michael Haneke's The Piano Teacher and Hong Sang-soo's In Another Country.
Isabelle Huppert with Metrograph's Aliza Ma Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Isabelle spoke with Aliza Ma at Metrograph, following the screening of In Another Country about what two of her latest films have in common:
Isabelle Huppert: In both films there is a cat. In Things To Come it's a very, very big cat. Very heavy like an elephant. In Elle [France's Foreign Language Oscar submission] is a very different cat.
- 12/4/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Toronto International Film Festival today announced an early selection of galas and premieres for this September’s instalment. Among the most exciting world premieres is that of Hal Hartley’s Ned Rifle. Hartley’s feature career first kicked off with The Unbelievable Truth debuting at Tiff in 1989, and such great films as Trust, Simple Men and Amateur followed from there.
Funded through Kickstarter, Ned Rifle is the final part of a trilogy inadvertently started with Henry Fool in 1997 and then continued with Fay Grim in 2006. Liam Aiken, who was a child when he appeared in Henry Fool, takes the lead role this time round, with fellow trilogy stars Parker Posey, Thomas Jay Ryan and James Urbaniak all returning. Hartley regulars Martin Donovan, Bill Sage, Karen Sillas and Robert John Burke also appear, while Aubrey Plaza joins the Hartley company in what looks to be a very prominent role.
Ahead...
Funded through Kickstarter, Ned Rifle is the final part of a trilogy inadvertently started with Henry Fool in 1997 and then continued with Fay Grim in 2006. Liam Aiken, who was a child when he appeared in Henry Fool, takes the lead role this time round, with fellow trilogy stars Parker Posey, Thomas Jay Ryan and James Urbaniak all returning. Hartley regulars Martin Donovan, Bill Sage, Karen Sillas and Robert John Burke also appear, while Aubrey Plaza joins the Hartley company in what looks to be a very prominent role.
Ahead...
- 7/22/2014
- by Josh Slater-Williams
- SoundOnSight
Matthew Garrett's Morris County anthology will be available on March 18th via the Unearthed Films Online DVD Shop, and also members of the Beneath the Underground Facebook page will have an opportunity to purchase a "Bootleg Edition" DVD of the film. Here are some stills, the trailer, and more details.
From the Press Release:
Award-winning writer/director Matthew Garrett (Beating Hearts) presents a trilogy of thematically connected stories as gruesome as they are tragic and heartfelt.
- Darcy Miller is "Ellie," a damaged teenage girl harboring a terrible secret. Through the course of one traumatic day, we learn what led this innocent girl down a path of self-destruction from which there is no return.
- In "The Family Rubin," an upper middle-class Jewish family struggles to keep up appearances as their seemingly perfect life begins to crack at the seams. Albie Selznick (Ricochet, "The Young & The Restless") leads an...
From the Press Release:
Award-winning writer/director Matthew Garrett (Beating Hearts) presents a trilogy of thematically connected stories as gruesome as they are tragic and heartfelt.
- Darcy Miller is "Ellie," a damaged teenage girl harboring a terrible secret. Through the course of one traumatic day, we learn what led this innocent girl down a path of self-destruction from which there is no return.
- In "The Family Rubin," an upper middle-class Jewish family struggles to keep up appearances as their seemingly perfect life begins to crack at the seams. Albie Selznick (Ricochet, "The Young & The Restless") leads an...
- 2/24/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Morris County, the feature length anthology film directed by Matthew Garrett is not easy to categorize - and that is one of its strengths. It's a drama - but the stories venture into such dark, bitter, raw, and rattling territory, the film is custom built more for horror fans than fans of conventional dramas. At the same time, horror fans who gravitate toward a typical mainstream flavor of the genre may find Morris County a little too daring, somber, and unflinching for their tastes. What I admire most about the film is that it refuses to use the cookie cutter. Instead, writer/director Garrett let the film evolve into its own unique beast - and for that, at the very least, Morris County deserves your attention.
Given the nonconforming nature of this film, it's easy to see why finding appropriate distribution for Morris County (which has been complete for some...
Given the nonconforming nature of this film, it's easy to see why finding appropriate distribution for Morris County (which has been complete for some...
- 2/14/2014
- by Eric Stanze
- FEARnet
The features that make their premiere at Fantastic Fest tend to get much of the attention, but don’t forget that you’re likely to see some great short films at the event as well. Fantastic Fest is known for their extensive short film selection and this year is no different:
“Fantastic Fest is excited to announce the short film lineup for the ninth edition of Fantastic Fest, happening September 19th- 26th in Austin, Texas at Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline. Short films provide an outlet for filmmakers to showcase their genre talents in a format with fewer restraints, making them a Fantastic Fest favorite. Fantastic Fest is wildly excited that longtime festival comrade Kier-la Janisse is now our lead shorts programmer. Kier-la created the notorious CineMuerte Film Festival in Canada, and was the first full-time film programmer for the Alamo back in the “wild west” days. She has since gone on...
“Fantastic Fest is excited to announce the short film lineup for the ninth edition of Fantastic Fest, happening September 19th- 26th in Austin, Texas at Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline. Short films provide an outlet for filmmakers to showcase their genre talents in a format with fewer restraints, making them a Fantastic Fest favorite. Fantastic Fest is wildly excited that longtime festival comrade Kier-la Janisse is now our lead shorts programmer. Kier-la created the notorious CineMuerte Film Festival in Canada, and was the first full-time film programmer for the Alamo back in the “wild west” days. She has since gone on...
- 9/4/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Washington -- Hey, Jude, this seems like a great place for cubicles.
Renovations on the Uline Arena, the D.C. venue that hosted the Beatles' first U.S. concert, will begin by September to turn the historic music and sports arena into office and retail space, according to Greater Greater Washington.
Close-up of a teenaged girls as they watch the Beatles perform at the Washington Coliseum, Washington DC, February 11, 1964. (Photo by Stan Wayman/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
On February 11, 1964, John, Paul, George and Ringo played to thousands of screaming fans at the Uline Arena, officially known as the Washington Coliseum, but by 1986, the arena had closed.
In a (truly fascinating) 2001 article, the Washington Business Journal described the venue's many uses through the years:
Since its construction in 1941, the arena, later known as the Washington Coliseum, has been a place for figure skating, jazz, wrestling, ballet, basketball, Washington's go-go music style,...
Renovations on the Uline Arena, the D.C. venue that hosted the Beatles' first U.S. concert, will begin by September to turn the historic music and sports arena into office and retail space, according to Greater Greater Washington.
Close-up of a teenaged girls as they watch the Beatles perform at the Washington Coliseum, Washington DC, February 11, 1964. (Photo by Stan Wayman/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
On February 11, 1964, John, Paul, George and Ringo played to thousands of screaming fans at the Uline Arena, officially known as the Washington Coliseum, but by 1986, the arena had closed.
In a (truly fascinating) 2001 article, the Washington Business Journal described the venue's many uses through the years:
Since its construction in 1941, the arena, later known as the Washington Coliseum, has been a place for figure skating, jazz, wrestling, ballet, basketball, Washington's go-go music style,...
- 7/16/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Cinema is a kind of uber-art form that’s made up of a multitude of other forms of art including writing, directing, acting, drawing, design, photography and fashion. As such, film is, as all cinema aficionados know, a highly collaborative venture.
One of the most consistently fascinating collaborations in cinema is that of the director and actor.
This article will examine some of the great director & actor teams. It’s important to note that this piece is not intended as a film history survey detailing all the generally revered collaborations.
There is a wealth of information and study available on such duos as John Ford & John Wayne, Howard Hawks & John Wayne, Elia Kazan & Marlon Brando, Akira Kurosawa & Toshiro Mifune, Alfred Hitchcock & James Stewart, Ingmar Bergman & Max Von Sydow, Federico Fellini & Giulietta Masina/Marcello Mastroianni, Billy Wilder & Jack Lemmon, Francis Ford Coppola & Al Pacino, Woody Allen & Diane Keaton, Martin Scorsese & Robert DeNiro...
One of the most consistently fascinating collaborations in cinema is that of the director and actor.
This article will examine some of the great director & actor teams. It’s important to note that this piece is not intended as a film history survey detailing all the generally revered collaborations.
There is a wealth of information and study available on such duos as John Ford & John Wayne, Howard Hawks & John Wayne, Elia Kazan & Marlon Brando, Akira Kurosawa & Toshiro Mifune, Alfred Hitchcock & James Stewart, Ingmar Bergman & Max Von Sydow, Federico Fellini & Giulietta Masina/Marcello Mastroianni, Billy Wilder & Jack Lemmon, Francis Ford Coppola & Al Pacino, Woody Allen & Diane Keaton, Martin Scorsese & Robert DeNiro...
- 7/11/2013
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
★★★★☆ "There's nothing but trouble and desire" repeats one individual in Simple Men (1992). Occurring at the midpoint of the film, it's an accurate précis of Hal Hartley's fourth feature; like his preceding films, it's about the pursuit of romance against certain obstacles, but there's a sense of innocence lost in Simple Men, an air of resignation and melancholy hanging in the air. The pace is tighter than his earlier work, but the dialogue feels pricklier, jagged to the point of cynicism. It was a transitional film for Hartley, ushering in the aesthetic maturity and world-weary scepticism he would later perfect in Amateur (1994).
After being double-crossed by his girlfriend during a heist, Bill (Robert Burke) is determined to seduce then dump the next woman he sees. Meanwhile, his brother Dennis (Bill Sage) is on a mission to find their lost father, a revolutionary who has been in hiding for twenty years.
After being double-crossed by his girlfriend during a heist, Bill (Robert Burke) is determined to seduce then dump the next woman he sees. Meanwhile, his brother Dennis (Bill Sage) is on a mission to find their lost father, a revolutionary who has been in hiding for twenty years.
- 6/12/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Hal Hartley is one of the true originals of modern cinema. A consummate stylist, his work is erudite and eccentric, defiant in its singularity. After making first film The Unbelievable Truth (1989) for just $75,000, Hartley went on to quietly change the face of independent American cinema with his deadpan dialogue, brimming with arch and often philosophical insights on relationships. Over his first few films, Hartley also developed a sophisticated aesthetic to compliment his sharp writing. Over the next few months, Artificial Eye will release The Unbelievable Truth, Simple Men (1992) and Amateur (1994) for the first time on Blu-ray. CineVue's Craig Williams asked Hartley about youth, the Weinsteins and Alan Rudolph.
Craig Williams: What are your feelings about The Unbelievable Truth and Amateur looking back on them now?
Hal Hartley: Though I'm not terribly aged, I am older and I have been doing this for a long time so when I...
Craig Williams: What are your feelings about The Unbelievable Truth and Amateur looking back on them now?
Hal Hartley: Though I'm not terribly aged, I am older and I have been doing this for a long time so when I...
- 5/14/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
★★★★☆ The first in Artificial Eye's long-awaited batch of Hal Hartley reissues, Amateur (1994) represents a mid-career high point for the indie legend. As ever, it's the work of a singular auteur, treading the fine line between self-reflexive exuberance and rarefied stylisation. By ingratiating broad genre elements into the self-contained suburban eccentricity of his earlier Long Island-set efforts, Hartley finds an abundance of comic riches in the central tension between stolid realism and poker-faced ludicrousness. Amateur is the also director's most beautifully designed picture; it's a film of deft precision and glassy elegance.
Amateur stars Isabelle Huppert as a former nun struggling to make a living writing pornographic fiction while waiting for her mission from God. In a coffee shop one morning, she meets Thomas (Martin Donovan), a quiet amnesiac trying to piece together his past. The pair are unaware that Thomas' condition results from being pushed through a window by...
Amateur stars Isabelle Huppert as a former nun struggling to make a living writing pornographic fiction while waiting for her mission from God. In a coffee shop one morning, she meets Thomas (Martin Donovan), a quiet amnesiac trying to piece together his past. The pair are unaware that Thomas' condition results from being pushed through a window by...
- 5/14/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Sharp and witty but shot throughout with resonant tragedy, celebrated American indie auteur Hal Hartley's Amateur (1994) is a twisted metaphysical thriller that has been hailed as one of his greatest works. To celebrate the long-awaited 13 May DVD and Blu-ray rerelease of Hartley's classic, starring French actress Isabelle Huppert, Martin Donovan and Elina Löwensohn, we've kindly been provided with Three Blu-ray copies of Amateur to give away, courtesy of our friends at distributor Artificial Eye. This is an exclusive competition for our Facebook and Twitter fans, so if you haven't already, 'Like' us at facebook.com/CineVueUK or follow us @CineVue before answering the question below.
An ex-nun (Huppert), trying to turn her hand to writing pornography, meets Thomas (Donovan), a recovering amnesiac in search of his estranged wife. The two set out in search of Thomas' past but soon discover a trail of secrets leading to the dark, violent...
An ex-nun (Huppert), trying to turn her hand to writing pornography, meets Thomas (Donovan), a recovering amnesiac in search of his estranged wife. The two set out in search of Thomas' past but soon discover a trail of secrets leading to the dark, violent...
- 5/12/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Fringe: The Complete Series | Les Misérables | Black Sabbath | Tangerine Dream: Live At Coventry Cathedral | Amateur
Fringe: The Complete Series
There's sweet relief when a show reaches its end, particularly in science fiction, a genre in which many don't even make a full first season. Fringe beat the odds and made it to a satisfying fifth, despite the axe being poised over it for most of its run (though that did add a little thrill to following it). The drama changed as it went along, growing from one in a long line of X Files-inspired weird-phenomenon-of-the-week series into something more interesting and ambitious.
The show revolves around the FBI's fringe science division, a holdover from the bonkers anything-goes research popular in the 1960s. Led by brilliant but severely muddled acid casualty Dr Walter Bishop (the great John Noble, updating the standard mad scientist role into an ex-hippy boffin...
Fringe: The Complete Series
There's sweet relief when a show reaches its end, particularly in science fiction, a genre in which many don't even make a full first season. Fringe beat the odds and made it to a satisfying fifth, despite the axe being poised over it for most of its run (though that did add a little thrill to following it). The drama changed as it went along, growing from one in a long line of X Files-inspired weird-phenomenon-of-the-week series into something more interesting and ambitious.
The show revolves around the FBI's fringe science division, a holdover from the bonkers anything-goes research popular in the 1960s. Led by brilliant but severely muddled acid casualty Dr Walter Bishop (the great John Noble, updating the standard mad scientist role into an ex-hippy boffin...
- 5/11/2013
- by Phelim O'Neill
- The Guardian - Film News
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Jan. 22, 2013
Price: DVD $24.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Olive Films
Adrienne Shelly finds herself in a potentially explosive situation in Trust.
The 1990 comedy-drama film Trust is the second feature from ‘90s independent stalwart Hal Hartley (Henry Fool, The Unbelievable Truth, Amateur).
Trust concerns the unusual romance/friendship between two young misfits wandering the same Long Island town. When Maria (Adrienne Shelly, Waitress), a recent high school dropout, announces her unplanned pregnancy to her family, her father dies of a heart attack, her mother (Merritt Nelson, Surviving Desire) immediately evicts her and her boyfriend breaks up with her.
Lonely and with nowhere to go, Maria wanders into town, searching for a place to stay. Along the way, she meets Matthew (former Hartley regular Martin Donovan of TV’s Damages) a highly educated and extremely moody electronic repairman living with his domineering and abusive father (John MacKay, Simple Men). The two...
Price: DVD $24.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Olive Films
Adrienne Shelly finds herself in a potentially explosive situation in Trust.
The 1990 comedy-drama film Trust is the second feature from ‘90s independent stalwart Hal Hartley (Henry Fool, The Unbelievable Truth, Amateur).
Trust concerns the unusual romance/friendship between two young misfits wandering the same Long Island town. When Maria (Adrienne Shelly, Waitress), a recent high school dropout, announces her unplanned pregnancy to her family, her father dies of a heart attack, her mother (Merritt Nelson, Surviving Desire) immediately evicts her and her boyfriend breaks up with her.
Lonely and with nowhere to go, Maria wanders into town, searching for a place to stay. Along the way, she meets Matthew (former Hartley regular Martin Donovan of TV’s Damages) a highly educated and extremely moody electronic repairman living with his domineering and abusive father (John MacKay, Simple Men). The two...
- 11/19/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Martin Donovan is destined to be forever remembered for his remarkable actor-director partnership with Hal Hartley during indie film’s halcyon days of the early to mid 1990s. In era-defining movies such as Trust, Simple Men and Amateur, Donovan was Hartley’s on-screen simulacrum, a smart, softly spoken man who was simultaneously familiar and enigmatic. While Hartley’s work is sadly not nearly as popular or present as it once was, it’s fitting that Donovan has made his debut feature as a writer and director with Collaborator, a knowing and witty cinematic chamber piece that feels nostalgic for the more culturally sophisticated times of the 1990s.
Donovan, in the kind of role that made him famous, is Robert Longfellow, a playwright whose latest opus is a pale shadow of his previous work and who has left his wife (Melissa Auf der Maur) and child back in New York to...
Donovan, in the kind of role that made him famous, is Robert Longfellow, a playwright whose latest opus is a pale shadow of his previous work and who has left his wife (Melissa Auf der Maur) and child back in New York to...
- 7/10/2012
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Actor Martin Donovan has starred in films such as “Trust,” “Amateur,” “The Portrait of a Lady,” “The Opposite of Sex,” “Living Out Loud,” “Insomnia,” “The Sentinel,” “The Haunting in Connecticut” and “Unthinkable,” and TV series such as “Wonderland,” “Weeds” and “Boss.” His first film as a writer-director, the Tribeca Film hostage tragi-comedy “Collaborator,” in which he stars with David Morse, is available now via cable VOD, iTunes, Amazon and Vudu, and opens theatrically in New York July 6 and in L.A. July 20. (You can follow the film on Facebook or Twitter, @DonovanWord.) After a few decades of toiling in the trenches as an actor, the Red Sea finally parted and I was given the chance to direct my own film, “Collaborator.” This miraculous event gave me the opportunity to test what I’ve learned about the...
- 7/5/2012
- by Martin Donovan
- Indiewire
Martin Donovan has long been a staple of the independent cinema scene. He first emerged on-screen in the films of esteemed director Hal Hartley, starring in Trust, Simple Men, Amateur, and others projects from the auteur. Since then, he's appeared in films such as The Opposite of Sex, Insomnia, and The Portrait of a Lady, in addition to recurring roles on television shows like 'Boss' and 'Weeds.' Clearly not one to limit himself, Donovan recently fulfilled his lifelong ambition to write and direct a feature: the result is Collaborator. The indie film veteran flawlessly transitions between writer, director, and actor to create this enthralling tragi-comedy. Collaborator follows famous playwright Robert Longfellow (Donovan), whose most recent works have been widely panned by critics and fans alike. Discouraged and unhappy with his marriage, Robert retreats to his childhood home in California to look in on his elderly mother. As...
- 7/3/2012
- TribecaFilm.com
Indie audiences first came to know and love actor Martin Donovan through his symbiotic partnership with director Hal Hartley in a series of films in the early 90s, which included Trust, Simple Men, and Amateur. Since then, Donovan has become a staple of film - The Opposite of Sex, Insomnia, Saved! - and television (Weeds, Boss), where he can be counted on to deliver deadpan performances rife with prickly, world-weary humor and simmering intelligence. It's no wonder that Donovan's writing and directing debut reflects the qualities he's honed and absorbed for so long. Collaborator sets the stage for a culture clash ripe for our times. Robert Longfellow (Donovan) is a successful, highbrow playwright visiting his childhood home in Reseda, California - aka 'the Valley' - when he runs into his longtime neighbor Gus (David Morse), an angry man who loves his country but hates what it's become; he is,...
- 6/19/2012
- TribecaFilm.com
Production designer David Doernberg, who brought a sensitive, finely crafted and observant touch to many excellent independent films, died in New York on Friday after a battle with cancer.
Doernberg began his career in the late ’80s/early ’90s working on music videos for bands like Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo and Superchunk. He quickly moved into independent features, working as a propmaster for films by Hal Hartley (Amateur), Daisy von Scherler Mayer (Party Girl) and Eric Schaeffer (If Lucy Fell). Soon after he became a production designer, bookending his career with films by Kelly Reichardt. He designed her 1994 debut film, River of Grass, as well as her 2010 period tale of frontier life on the Oregon Trail, Meek’s Cutoff. Other notable credits include Phil Morrison’s Junebug, Alison Maclean’s Jesus’s Son, Morgan J. Freeman’s Desert Blue, Todd Solondz’s Palindromes and Pete Sollett’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.
Doernberg began his career in the late ’80s/early ’90s working on music videos for bands like Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo and Superchunk. He quickly moved into independent features, working as a propmaster for films by Hal Hartley (Amateur), Daisy von Scherler Mayer (Party Girl) and Eric Schaeffer (If Lucy Fell). Soon after he became a production designer, bookending his career with films by Kelly Reichardt. He designed her 1994 debut film, River of Grass, as well as her 2010 period tale of frontier life on the Oregon Trail, Meek’s Cutoff. Other notable credits include Phil Morrison’s Junebug, Alison Maclean’s Jesus’s Son, Morgan J. Freeman’s Desert Blue, Todd Solondz’s Palindromes and Pete Sollett’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.
- 3/5/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Imagine if Woody Allen, Whit Stillman, Kevin Smith and the Sundance Institute had a love child. This ungainly creature, speaking in witty, heightened, unnaturalistic sentences, and ambling, sometimes shambling between comedy, tragedy and pretension, might very well go on to make films that greatly resemble those of Hal Hartley.
Hartley is the man behind such beloved (at least by some) ‘90s indie films as “The Unbelievable Truth” and “Trust.” But to put him into proper context, we find ourselves casting around for parallels: he simply never made enough of a dent in mainstream sensibilities to be able to describe his work to a neophyte without reference to other, more overtly successful filmmakers. Or musicians, perhaps – if we play the equivalents game with the alt-rock explosion of the ‘90s, we get Quentin Tarantino as Nirvana, Jim Jarmusch as Sonic Youth and Kevin Smith as, maybe, Smashing Pumpkins (revered early on, but...
Hartley is the man behind such beloved (at least by some) ‘90s indie films as “The Unbelievable Truth” and “Trust.” But to put him into proper context, we find ourselves casting around for parallels: he simply never made enough of a dent in mainstream sensibilities to be able to describe his work to a neophyte without reference to other, more overtly successful filmmakers. Or musicians, perhaps – if we play the equivalents game with the alt-rock explosion of the ‘90s, we get Quentin Tarantino as Nirvana, Jim Jarmusch as Sonic Youth and Kevin Smith as, maybe, Smashing Pumpkins (revered early on, but...
- 2/29/2012
- by The Playlist
- The Playlist
Back in August, I told you about Griff the Invisible, a small indie film about a would-be super-hero feature the terrific Ryan Kwanten. The movie opened and closed in the blink of an eye, probably while you were on line to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and you missed out.
Vivendi Entertainment is releasing the film on Blu-ray and DVD on November 15 so you get a second chance at catching this charming film.
Better, we have been given three DVDs to give away. Here’s what you need to do in order to win:
By 11:59 p.m., Saturday November 12, tell us what super-power you most desire and how you would use it to fight for truth and justice. The final decision of the ComicMix judges will be final.
In case you missed it, here’s the trailer.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Synopsis
Griff...
Vivendi Entertainment is releasing the film on Blu-ray and DVD on November 15 so you get a second chance at catching this charming film.
Better, we have been given three DVDs to give away. Here’s what you need to do in order to win:
By 11:59 p.m., Saturday November 12, tell us what super-power you most desire and how you would use it to fight for truth and justice. The final decision of the ComicMix judges will be final.
In case you missed it, here’s the trailer.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Synopsis
Griff...
- 11/7/2011
- by Glenn Hauman
- Comicmix.com
Shrek Forever After (U)
(Mike Mitchell, 2010, Us)
Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy. 93 mins.
Like us, Shrek yearns for the good old days here, and – somewhat tellingly – the premise finds the green ogre trying to regain his former fearsome edge. Instead, he gets tricked into an alternate reality where he basically has to re-enact the first film all over again. In some ways, such familiarity is a strength as much as a weakness, and it's nice to see these characters again. Compared to the Toy Story trilogy, though, Shrek is merely The Flintstones to Pixar's Simpsons; fun enough, but really no match.
White Material (15)
(Claire Denis, 2009, Fra/Cam)
Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Lambert, Isaach De Bankolé. 106 mins.
After the touchy-feely 35 Shots Of Rum, Denis switches to stronger medicine with a sparse evocation of wartorn west Africa. Huppert is a defiant colonial matriarch striving to keep her family and plantation together.
CrimeFighters (Nc)
(Miles Watts,...
(Mike Mitchell, 2010, Us)
Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy. 93 mins.
Like us, Shrek yearns for the good old days here, and – somewhat tellingly – the premise finds the green ogre trying to regain his former fearsome edge. Instead, he gets tricked into an alternate reality where he basically has to re-enact the first film all over again. In some ways, such familiarity is a strength as much as a weakness, and it's nice to see these characters again. Compared to the Toy Story trilogy, though, Shrek is merely The Flintstones to Pixar's Simpsons; fun enough, but really no match.
White Material (15)
(Claire Denis, 2009, Fra/Cam)
Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Lambert, Isaach De Bankolé. 106 mins.
After the touchy-feely 35 Shots Of Rum, Denis switches to stronger medicine with a sparse evocation of wartorn west Africa. Huppert is a defiant colonial matriarch striving to keep her family and plantation together.
CrimeFighters (Nc)
(Miles Watts,...
- 7/2/2010
- by Steve Rose, Damon Wise
- The Guardian - Film News
100-year-old Phoenix in East Finchley, London to get £1m makeover
Old cinemas still have to struggle to survive, although they are much better appreciated these days. Most have wisely moved towards the carrot-cake-and-latte world of arthouse audiences, but they still have to compete for limited attention and funds.
This month, the adorable, historic Phoenix cinema in East Finchley, now in its 100th year, has been forced to close its doors. But not in a bad way. It is finally to receive the careful restoration it has always deserved and should be open again in September.
The 13-week closure will allow for £1m of building work to refurbish its Edwardian features and all the art deco flourishes hidden inside. There will be a gala of films and events to celebrate its reopening at the end of the summer.
The cinema has never been short of high-profile patrons because of all the...
Old cinemas still have to struggle to survive, although they are much better appreciated these days. Most have wisely moved towards the carrot-cake-and-latte world of arthouse audiences, but they still have to compete for limited attention and funds.
This month, the adorable, historic Phoenix cinema in East Finchley, now in its 100th year, has been forced to close its doors. But not in a bad way. It is finally to receive the careful restoration it has always deserved and should be open again in September.
The 13-week closure will allow for £1m of building work to refurbish its Edwardian features and all the art deco flourishes hidden inside. There will be a gala of films and events to celebrate its reopening at the end of the summer.
The cinema has never been short of high-profile patrons because of all the...
- 6/15/2010
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
Isabelle Huppert hearts Cannes. The French actress, best known stateside for roles in David O. Russell's I Heart Huckabees, Hal Hartley's Amateur and the 1991 celluloid adaptation of Madam Bovary, has been tapped to head this year's Cannes Film Festival jury, organizers announced today. Huppert has long been a darling of the Riviera. Sixteen of her movies have screened in competition at Cannes, and she has won two Best Actress Awards, most recently for 2001's La Pianiste. She was previously a jury member in 1984. "Cannes and I have a long history," the 55-year-old thesp said in a statement. "Cannes is the open door to all the new ideas of the world. I am thrilled at the idea of...
- 1/2/2009
- E! Online
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