What kind of Christmas movie do you get when your director’s inspirations are early-90s Nickelodeon live-action shows and 1960s European cinema? In Tyler Taormina’s case, the answer is Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point.
The movie sees four generations of the Balsano family get together for what, it transpires, may be their last annual Christmas party. With celebrations underway, two of the clan’s younger members sneak out in an act of teenage rebellion, which plays out against a backdrop of wintery and suburban Long Island.
The film is Taormina’s follow-up to the well-received indie pic Ham on Rye. He co-wrote the script with Eric Berger. Michael Cera is a producer and part of an ensemble cast that includes Elsie Fisher, Maria Dizzia, Francesca Scorsese, Ben Shenkman, Gregg Turkington, Sawyer Spielberg and newcomer Matilda Fleming.
Taormina and the cast of his new movie dropped by the...
The movie sees four generations of the Balsano family get together for what, it transpires, may be their last annual Christmas party. With celebrations underway, two of the clan’s younger members sneak out in an act of teenage rebellion, which plays out against a backdrop of wintery and suburban Long Island.
The film is Taormina’s follow-up to the well-received indie pic Ham on Rye. He co-wrote the script with Eric Berger. Michael Cera is a producer and part of an ensemble cast that includes Elsie Fisher, Maria Dizzia, Francesca Scorsese, Ben Shenkman, Gregg Turkington, Sawyer Spielberg and newcomer Matilda Fleming.
Taormina and the cast of his new movie dropped by the...
- 5/20/2024
- by Stewart Clarke
- Deadline Film + TV
In front of empty wooden bleachers on a late summer day in Massachusetts, two squads of out-of-shape, middle-aged men show up to play a game of baseball on what they all expect to be one of their saddest afternoons in recent memory. For decades, this recreational league has been the social glue that binds the men in this community together. But it’s all about to disappear when the local field is destroyed after the season, which ends today. So the men load their coolers up with cheap beer, spend copious amounts of time stretching, and prepare to give their summer haven a glorious send-off before they have to find something else to do with their weekends.
Carson Lund’s directorial debut shares its name with a slow-moving pitch that has largely been forgotten by modern baseball players — and it’s a fitting title for a film that embraces the...
Carson Lund’s directorial debut shares its name with a slow-moving pitch that has largely been forgotten by modern baseball players — and it’s a fitting title for a film that embraces the...
- 5/19/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
We’ve only just got Easter out of the way, and here comes the most immersive Christmas movie of the year, an abstract but very much controlled study based in and around a festive party thrown by a very large family from Long Island, New York. Despite the specificity of the setting, however, Tyler Taormina’s third feature film is a surprisingly relatable experience, part anthropological study, part nostalgia kick, lit up (literally) like a Christmas tree in a yuletide riot of red, white and green.
It begins in a car ferrying members of the Balsano family — mother and father, brother and sister — to the home of the family’s matriarch, where four generations of Balsanos have gathered for their annual get-together. This is about as much of a set-up as you’re going to get,...
It begins in a car ferrying members of the Balsano family — mother and father, brother and sister — to the home of the family’s matriarch, where four generations of Balsanos have gathered for their annual get-together. This is about as much of a set-up as you’re going to get,...
- 5/17/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Michael Cera has two movies he plans to direct in the pipeline.The 35-year-old actor has penned a script with his 'Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point' director Tyler Taormina and his fellow producer on the project, co-writer Eric Berger, for a picture called 'Gummy', but before he can start work on that, there's something else he's hoping to make first.He told Deadline: "[We've written a film] that we’re trying to make that I’ll be directing, that we’ve been pushing along, and are going to hopefully push over the finish line, but we’re kind of in the middle of that. So we just started this team. "I mean, basically I kind of glommed onto their existing team, and we all are just having a really good collaborative feeling.“It’s a movie that I’ve been excited about for a long time, and well, it’s kind of...
- 5/17/2024
- by Viki Waters
- Bang Showbiz
Cannes isn’t Sundance. The movies on offer aren’t generally genre horror box office surprises or heartwarming indie dramedies, and sometimes they’re not even sure-fire Oscar hopefuls.
But as several sales agents and distributors told us, Cannes is slowly shifting back to being a home for discovery. With the audience now unbothered by subtitles, distributors aren’t just looking for the next “May December” but the next “Anatomy of a Fall.” And when it comes to the package titles on the Marché du Film, buyers are demanding more than the latest Nicolas Cage shark movie.
The sources IndieWire spoke to believe there’s more quality than quantity among this year’s official competition sales titles and the packages being shopped to distributors. And that’s a good thing, even though there are still plenty of hot packages trickling in by the day and buyers already scooping up competition...
But as several sales agents and distributors told us, Cannes is slowly shifting back to being a home for discovery. With the audience now unbothered by subtitles, distributors aren’t just looking for the next “May December” but the next “Anatomy of a Fall.” And when it comes to the package titles on the Marché du Film, buyers are demanding more than the latest Nicolas Cage shark movie.
The sources IndieWire spoke to believe there’s more quality than quantity among this year’s official competition sales titles and the packages being shopped to distributors. And that’s a good thing, even though there are still plenty of hot packages trickling in by the day and buyers already scooping up competition...
- 5/13/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Magnify has acquired global and U.S. sales rights (excluding Canada and Benelux) to “Wildhood” director Bretten Hannam’s supernatural thriller “Place of Ghosts,” which is set to go into production in August 2024.
Lorna Lee Torres, Magnify’s senior VP of sales, and Austin Kennedy, director of global sales, will be launching the project in Cannes.
In the film, estranged siblings Mise’l and Antle are forced to reunite after being visited by a vengeful spirit. They venture into the “Place of Ghosts,” a primeval forest of the Mi’kmaq people where time and memory blend together. As they journey deeper into the forest, the dark spirit continues to grow, manifesting in terrifying forms that the siblings must confront.
“Bretten Hannam has crafted an ambitious and thematically rich indigenous horror/fantasy that engages with political and social history and adds to the expanding world of original genre film,” Torres said.
Lorna Lee Torres, Magnify’s senior VP of sales, and Austin Kennedy, director of global sales, will be launching the project in Cannes.
In the film, estranged siblings Mise’l and Antle are forced to reunite after being visited by a vengeful spirit. They venture into the “Place of Ghosts,” a primeval forest of the Mi’kmaq people where time and memory blend together. As they journey deeper into the forest, the dark spirit continues to grow, manifesting in terrifying forms that the siblings must confront.
“Bretten Hannam has crafted an ambitious and thematically rich indigenous horror/fantasy that engages with political and social history and adds to the expanding world of original genre film,” Torres said.
- 5/13/2024
- by Leo Barraclough and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
This holiday season is one where the offspring of iconic Hollywood families come together, apparently.
“Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,” which is set to debut in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes, stars Francesca Scorsese and Sawyer Spielberg, two film stars in their own rite who hail from respective auteurs Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Decade-plus indie staple Michael Cera leads the latest feature directed by Tyler Taormina; Cera also produces the ensemble family dramedy that marks Taormina’s follow-up to his 2019 coming-of-age comedy “Ham on Rye.”
Set during one Christmas Eve, a family gathers for what could be the last holiday in their ancestral home. As the night wears on and generational tensions arise, one of the teenagers sneaks out with her friends to claim the wintry suburb for her own, per the official synopsis. Cera is seen donning a cop uniform in one of the first look images,...
“Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,” which is set to debut in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes, stars Francesca Scorsese and Sawyer Spielberg, two film stars in their own rite who hail from respective auteurs Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Decade-plus indie staple Michael Cera leads the latest feature directed by Tyler Taormina; Cera also produces the ensemble family dramedy that marks Taormina’s follow-up to his 2019 coming-of-age comedy “Ham on Rye.”
Set during one Christmas Eve, a family gathers for what could be the last holiday in their ancestral home. As the night wears on and generational tensions arise, one of the teenagers sneaks out with her friends to claim the wintry suburb for her own, per the official synopsis. Cera is seen donning a cop uniform in one of the first look images,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Variety held their annual Power of Women event Thursday, May 2 at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, in New York City. Honorees included Anitta, Mariska Hargitay, Shonda Rhimes, and Amy Schumer, along with presenters that included Glenn Close, Bela Bajaria, Bruna Marquezine, and Sascha Seinfeld.
IndieWire caught up with Francesca Scorsese, who’s featured as an “Up Next” talent in Variety’s issue, on the event’s red carpet, where she reflected on working with Luca Guadagnino in HBO’s 2020 limited series “We Are Who We Are.” “He’s the most amazing, sweetest guy. Very eccentric, but that’s the best part about him,” Scorsese said. “It was really cool because I got to experience another filmmaker. You know what I mean? I grew up being on my dad’s film sets and seeing his directing style and just like literally just like living in that world.”
“I saw similarities but...
IndieWire caught up with Francesca Scorsese, who’s featured as an “Up Next” talent in Variety’s issue, on the event’s red carpet, where she reflected on working with Luca Guadagnino in HBO’s 2020 limited series “We Are Who We Are.” “He’s the most amazing, sweetest guy. Very eccentric, but that’s the best part about him,” Scorsese said. “It was really cool because I got to experience another filmmaker. You know what I mean? I grew up being on my dad’s film sets and seeing his directing style and just like literally just like living in that world.”
“I saw similarities but...
- 5/3/2024
- by Vincent Perella
- Indiewire
Magnify, the rebranded international sales arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired global and U.S. sales rights to “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” in the run up to its world premiere at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Directed and co-writer by Tyler Taormina (“Ham on Rye”), the film stars Michael Cera (“Barbie”), Francesca Scorsese, Maria Dizzia (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”), Ben Shenkman (“Billions”), Elsie Fisher (“Eighth Grade”), Gregg Turkington (“Entertainment”), Sawyer Spielberg (“Masters of the Air”) breakout actor Matilda Fleming, among others.
Written by Taormina and Eric Berger, the film revolves around a rambunctious extended family descending upon their small Long Island hometown for the holidays where hijinks, generational squabbles, and family traditions ensue.
“Taormina takes a singular approach to the classic holiday family movie, bringing his absurdist humor and dynamic filmmaking to life with a charming and perfectly cast ensemble,” said Lorna Lee Torres, Magnify SVP of Global Sales. “We...
Directed and co-writer by Tyler Taormina (“Ham on Rye”), the film stars Michael Cera (“Barbie”), Francesca Scorsese, Maria Dizzia (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”), Ben Shenkman (“Billions”), Elsie Fisher (“Eighth Grade”), Gregg Turkington (“Entertainment”), Sawyer Spielberg (“Masters of the Air”) breakout actor Matilda Fleming, among others.
Written by Taormina and Eric Berger, the film revolves around a rambunctious extended family descending upon their small Long Island hometown for the holidays where hijinks, generational squabbles, and family traditions ensue.
“Taormina takes a singular approach to the classic holiday family movie, bringing his absurdist humor and dynamic filmmaking to life with a charming and perfectly cast ensemble,” said Lorna Lee Torres, Magnify SVP of Global Sales. “We...
- 4/25/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Directors’ Fortnight section has unveiled its lineup for the 2024 festival, which will open with This Life of Mine, the final feature from the late French director Sophie Fillières. The drama features Agnès Jaoui as a woman whose identity starts to unravel when she turns 55. Fillières died shortly after wrapping principal photography on the film and her children finished post-production.
There are four U.S. titles in the feature section of the non-competitive sidebar: Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point, Carson Lund’s Eephus, India Donaldson’s Good One and Gazer from Ryan J. Sloan.
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point, starring Michael Cera, Elsie Fisher, Francesca Scorsese. Ben Shenkman, Gregg Turkington, Sawyer Spielberg, Maria Dizzia and newcomer Matilda Fleming, follows four generations as they gather for what might be their last Christmas in the family home. Lund, who lensed Christmas Eve, makes his feature debut with Eephus,...
There are four U.S. titles in the feature section of the non-competitive sidebar: Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point, Carson Lund’s Eephus, India Donaldson’s Good One and Gazer from Ryan J. Sloan.
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point, starring Michael Cera, Elsie Fisher, Francesca Scorsese. Ben Shenkman, Gregg Turkington, Sawyer Spielberg, Maria Dizzia and newcomer Matilda Fleming, follows four generations as they gather for what might be their last Christmas in the family home. Lund, who lensed Christmas Eve, makes his feature debut with Eephus,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 77th edition of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight will kick off with “This Life of Mine,” a dramedy directed by Sophie Fillières, a renowned French filmmaker who died last year. Presented posthumously, the film is headlined by French stars including Agnès Jaoui, Philippe Katerine and Valérie Donzelli. The independent selection, which has recently gone through a rebranding and is now spearheaded by artistic director Julien Rejl, will close with another French film, Jean-Christophe Meurisse’s “Plastic Guns,” an offbeat crime comedy headlined by popular actor Jonathan Cohen.
The lineup includes as many as four U.S. features, three of which are feature debuts, including India Donaldson’s coming-of-age film”Good One” which premiered at Sundance and garnered solid reviews. Set in upstate New York, “Good One” follows 17-year-old Sam as she joins her father and his oldest friend, Matt, on their annual backpacking trip in the Catskill Mountains. “Good One” has...
The lineup includes as many as four U.S. features, three of which are feature debuts, including India Donaldson’s coming-of-age film”Good One” which premiered at Sundance and garnered solid reviews. Set in upstate New York, “Good One” follows 17-year-old Sam as she joins her father and his oldest friend, Matt, on their annual backpacking trip in the Catskill Mountains. “Good One” has...
- 4/16/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes parallel section Directors’ Fortnight has unveiled the line-up for its 56th edition running from May 15 to 23, at a press conference in Paris’ Forum des Images cultural center.
The section, launched in 1969 and overseen by the French Directors Guild, will present 21 feature films and 10 short films.
It is the second line-up overseen by Delegate General Julien Rejl, who took up the role last year.
Discoveries of his inaugural edition included Georgian director Elene Naveriani’s late coming-of-age drama Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry; U.S. indie film Riddle Of Fire by Weston Razooli, as well as Vietnamese filmmaker Phạm Thiên Ân’s 2023 Cannes Caméra d’Or winner Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell.
The 2024 edition will open with late director Sophie Fillières’ final feature This Life of Mine, starring Agnès Jaoui as a woman whose sense of self starts to unravel as she turns 55.
Fillières died shortly after completing the shoot and her...
The section, launched in 1969 and overseen by the French Directors Guild, will present 21 feature films and 10 short films.
It is the second line-up overseen by Delegate General Julien Rejl, who took up the role last year.
Discoveries of his inaugural edition included Georgian director Elene Naveriani’s late coming-of-age drama Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry; U.S. indie film Riddle Of Fire by Weston Razooli, as well as Vietnamese filmmaker Phạm Thiên Ân’s 2023 Cannes Caméra d’Or winner Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell.
The 2024 edition will open with late director Sophie Fillières’ final feature This Life of Mine, starring Agnès Jaoui as a woman whose sense of self starts to unravel as she turns 55.
Fillières died shortly after completing the shoot and her...
- 4/16/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
India Donaldson picked up the Polish Film Institute Award for her upcoming feature “Good One” at the American Film Festival in Wrocław, coming with a $50,000 cash prize for post-production in Poland.
“It’s an affirmation of how we have been working and what we have been working towards,” Los Angeles-based Donaldson told Variety after the ceremony.
“Good One” – presented during Aff’s industry event U.S. in Progress and set to be finished in January 2024 – sees 17-year-old Sam heading on a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills with her father and his oldest friend.
“It’s a very personal story, although I wouldn’t say it’s autobiographical,” said Donaldson, who wrote the film during the pandemic.
“I was living at home for the first time since I was a teenager. With my father, my stepmother and my two teenage half-siblings, who were at high-school at the time. For the most part,...
“It’s an affirmation of how we have been working and what we have been working towards,” Los Angeles-based Donaldson told Variety after the ceremony.
“Good One” – presented during Aff’s industry event U.S. in Progress and set to be finished in January 2024 – sees 17-year-old Sam heading on a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills with her father and his oldest friend.
“It’s a very personal story, although I wouldn’t say it’s autobiographical,” said Donaldson, who wrote the film during the pandemic.
“I was living at home for the first time since I was a teenager. With my father, my stepmother and my two teenage half-siblings, who were at high-school at the time. For the most part,...
- 11/11/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Filming has wrapped in the U.S. on indie feature Martyr of Gowanus, whose cast includes Steven Spielberg’s son Sawyer Spielberg and Mindhunter star Holt McCallany.
The movie, which received a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, charts the story of a Brooklyn man (played by Spielberg) who commits an act of violence after witnessing the attacks of 9/11.
Brian Meere is writer-director for Pipe Dream Productions.
Supporting cast includes Dean Scott Vazquez (Transformers), Briana Aponte, Adam Cropper (Love & Death), and Liam Obergfoll (Talia In The Kitchen).
New York-based Spielberg has recently performed in indie movies including Honeydew, Merry Good Enough, and Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point. He will next be seen in a recurring role on Apple TV+’s upcoming series, Masters of the Air.
Spielberg is represented by Swiontek Entertainment and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman. McCallany is represented by Atlas Artists, Buchwald, and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.
The movie, which received a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, charts the story of a Brooklyn man (played by Spielberg) who commits an act of violence after witnessing the attacks of 9/11.
Brian Meere is writer-director for Pipe Dream Productions.
Supporting cast includes Dean Scott Vazquez (Transformers), Briana Aponte, Adam Cropper (Love & Death), and Liam Obergfoll (Talia In The Kitchen).
New York-based Spielberg has recently performed in indie movies including Honeydew, Merry Good Enough, and Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point. He will next be seen in a recurring role on Apple TV+’s upcoming series, Masters of the Air.
Spielberg is represented by Swiontek Entertainment and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman. McCallany is represented by Atlas Artists, Buchwald, and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.
- 11/3/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
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