Emerging as one of the great directors of the sensitives and complexities of youth with her three features thus far, It Felt Like Love, Beach Rats, and Never Rarely Sometimes Always, we’ve been waiting to see what filmmaker Eliza Hittman would tackle for her fourth feature. It’s now been unveiled thanks to an announcement on projects that Rooftop Films’ 2024 Filmmaker Fund will be supporting.
Titled Motherlove, Hittman’s fourth film will follow Ana, “a Georgian immigrant in Brooklyn, who takes a job caring for Lori, an elderly woman in Manhattan, where she is forced to navigate end of life issues and complex family dynamics, while haunted by the separation from her own young daughter whom she has left behind in Tbilisi, Georgia.”
The announcement also features a new documentary in the works from Debra Granik and Alex Mallis exploring the cannabis industry in NYC. Here’s a synopsis:...
Titled Motherlove, Hittman’s fourth film will follow Ana, “a Georgian immigrant in Brooklyn, who takes a job caring for Lori, an elderly woman in Manhattan, where she is forced to navigate end of life issues and complex family dynamics, while haunted by the separation from her own young daughter whom she has left behind in Tbilisi, Georgia.”
The announcement also features a new documentary in the works from Debra Granik and Alex Mallis exploring the cannabis industry in NYC. Here’s a synopsis:...
- 4/18/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Rooftop Films 2024 Filmmaker Fund winners have officially been unveiled, with buzzy titles like Eliza Hittman’s fourth feature “Motherlove” and Debra Granik and Alex Mallis’ collaborative documentary among the top titles.
This year, twenty-three cash and service grants will be provided to independent filmmakers to support the production of their next short or feature film, including two Rooftop Films Water Tower Feature Film cash grants, generously supported by the Laurence W. Levine Foundation. In the past 24 years, Rooftop Films has awarded over $2,300,000 in cash and services to notable films and filmmakers including Alex Ross Perry, Carlos López Estrada, Nikyatu Jusu, and David Lowery.
Among the 2024 grantees are Eliza Hittman for her highly-anticipated fourth feature film, “Motherlove,” and Debra Granik and Alex Mallis for their untitled collaborative documentary investigating the past, present, and future of legalized marijuana in New York state.
Hittman’s acclaimed third feature “Never Rarely Sometimes Always...
This year, twenty-three cash and service grants will be provided to independent filmmakers to support the production of their next short or feature film, including two Rooftop Films Water Tower Feature Film cash grants, generously supported by the Laurence W. Levine Foundation. In the past 24 years, Rooftop Films has awarded over $2,300,000 in cash and services to notable films and filmmakers including Alex Ross Perry, Carlos López Estrada, Nikyatu Jusu, and David Lowery.
Among the 2024 grantees are Eliza Hittman for her highly-anticipated fourth feature film, “Motherlove,” and Debra Granik and Alex Mallis for their untitled collaborative documentary investigating the past, present, and future of legalized marijuana in New York state.
Hittman’s acclaimed third feature “Never Rarely Sometimes Always...
- 4/18/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Ever since seeing his stellar performance in Philippe Lesage’s Genesis, it’s been great to see Théodore Pellerin expand his resume with films by Eliza Hittman and Ari Aster. One of his most acclaimed films yet has now arrived with Sophie Dupuis’ Solo, which premiered at TIFF last fall while also picking up the award for Best Canadian Feature Film. Picked up by Music Box Films, it’ll now arrive in New York at IFC Center on May 24 and in Los Angeles at Laemmle Glendale on May 31. Ahead of the release, the new U.S. trailer has arrived.
Here’s the synopsis: “Simon (Théodore Pellerin) is a rising star in Montreal’s drag scene performing lively disco pop numbers weekly at his local club. Friendly with his fellow drag queens and supported by his sister, who delights in designing increasingly elaborate and beautiful costumes for his act, Simon vibrates...
Here’s the synopsis: “Simon (Théodore Pellerin) is a rising star in Montreal’s drag scene performing lively disco pop numbers weekly at his local club. Friendly with his fellow drag queens and supported by his sister, who delights in designing increasingly elaborate and beautiful costumes for his act, Simon vibrates...
- 4/16/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Donations from the likes of Spike Lee, Paul Mescal and Olivia Colman have been added to a growing list of items being sold off as part the Cinema for Gaza auction, which has so far raised over £90,000.
A framed “Malcolm X” poster signed by Lee, an “Aftersun” poster signed by Mescal and a personalized video message from Colman are among the auction lots launching on Monday, alongside additional items including a “beer on Zoom” with Tessa Thompson with memorabilia from “The Marvels,” a “Worst Person in the World” poster signed by Joachim Trier and the cast and the chance to talk to Susan Sarandon over Zoom about your favorite of her films (plus a signed “Rocky Horror Picture Show” t-shirt). Other new lots include a Zoom with director Eliza Hittman plus a signed poster, a coffee in Dublin (or over Zoom) with Lenny Abrahamson plus a signed book of “Normal People...
A framed “Malcolm X” poster signed by Lee, an “Aftersun” poster signed by Mescal and a personalized video message from Colman are among the auction lots launching on Monday, alongside additional items including a “beer on Zoom” with Tessa Thompson with memorabilia from “The Marvels,” a “Worst Person in the World” poster signed by Joachim Trier and the cast and the chance to talk to Susan Sarandon over Zoom about your favorite of her films (plus a signed “Rocky Horror Picture Show” t-shirt). Other new lots include a Zoom with director Eliza Hittman plus a signed poster, a coffee in Dublin (or over Zoom) with Lenny Abrahamson plus a signed book of “Normal People...
- 4/8/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Actors Paul Mescal, Olivia Colman and Susan Sarandon, and filmmakers Spike Lee, Lukas Dhont and Shane Meadows are among the latest film professionals to join Cinema For Gaza, the UK-based fundraiser to send medical support to Palestinians in the Gaza region.
Mescal, a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2020, is donating a signed poster of 2022 feature Aftersun, while Colman is donating a personalised video message.
US actress Tessa Thompson will have a drink on Zoom and donate signed Sorry To Bother You and The Marvels items to a highest bidder; while Sarandon is donating a Zoom chat plus signed The Rocky Horror Picture Show t-shirt.
Mescal, a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2020, is donating a signed poster of 2022 feature Aftersun, while Colman is donating a personalised video message.
US actress Tessa Thompson will have a drink on Zoom and donate signed Sorry To Bother You and The Marvels items to a highest bidder; while Sarandon is donating a Zoom chat plus signed The Rocky Horror Picture Show t-shirt.
- 4/8/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Zone Of Interest filmmaker Jonathan Glazer has reinforced his support for the virtual Cinema For Gaza campaign auction, pledging a new personalized gift to the fundraiser alongside first-time donors Spike Lee, Olivia Colman, and Paul Mescal.
Alongside the two signed film posters for The Zone Of Interest and Under The Skin he pledged in the first lot of fundraiser donations, Glazer has added an Under The Skin triptych of framed on-set stills and a script book signed by himself, composing partner Mica Levi, and longtime producer James Wilson.
Also new to the fundraising lot is a framed Malcolm X poster signed by Spike Lee. Actress Tessa Thompson is offering a Zoom meeting with a beer (or other non-alcoholic drink) alongside signed costume and movie memorabilia, and Paul Mescal has pledged a signed Aftersun poster.
Aftersun pops elsewhere in the latest donations pot as the film’s director, Charlotte Wells,...
Alongside the two signed film posters for The Zone Of Interest and Under The Skin he pledged in the first lot of fundraiser donations, Glazer has added an Under The Skin triptych of framed on-set stills and a script book signed by himself, composing partner Mica Levi, and longtime producer James Wilson.
Also new to the fundraising lot is a framed Malcolm X poster signed by Spike Lee. Actress Tessa Thompson is offering a Zoom meeting with a beer (or other non-alcoholic drink) alongside signed costume and movie memorabilia, and Paul Mescal has pledged a signed Aftersun poster.
Aftersun pops elsewhere in the latest donations pot as the film’s director, Charlotte Wells,...
- 4/8/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Alex Russell, whose writing credits include FX’s “Dave” and “The Bear” and Netflix’s “Beef,” is making his directorial debut with the upcoming thriller “Lurker,” starring and Théodore Pellerin (“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”) and Archie Madekwe (“Saltburn”).
Havana Rose Liu, Sunny Suljic, Daniel Zolghadri and Zack Fox round out the cast of “Lurker,” which follows a retail employee (Pellerin) who infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom (Madekwe). As he gets closer to the budding music star, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.
WME Independent will represent worldwide sales for the film, which begins shooting this spring.
Pellerin’s credits include Philippe Lesage’s “Genesis,” Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” and Joel Edgerton’s “Boy Erased.”
Last year Madekwe starred as Farleigh Start in Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn” and as Jann Mardenborough in Sony’s “Gran Turismo.” His...
Havana Rose Liu, Sunny Suljic, Daniel Zolghadri and Zack Fox round out the cast of “Lurker,” which follows a retail employee (Pellerin) who infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom (Madekwe). As he gets closer to the budding music star, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.
WME Independent will represent worldwide sales for the film, which begins shooting this spring.
Pellerin’s credits include Philippe Lesage’s “Genesis,” Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” and Joel Edgerton’s “Boy Erased.”
Last year Madekwe starred as Farleigh Start in Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn” and as Jann Mardenborough in Sony’s “Gran Turismo.” His...
- 3/25/2024
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Sara Kiener’s Sundance 2020 short film “The Shawl” is finding a new spotlight thanks to the Vimeo Staff Picks selection.
The coveted title has helped launch the careers of filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie, Charlotte Wells, Kogonada, Eliza Hittman, David Lowery, and Ari Aster, and now Kiener is among those awarded with the Staff Pick badge honor for “The Shawl.”
The short film stars performers Dusty Childers and Shane O’Neill, who lend their respective voices to their animated counterparts, while they recall attending a Stevie Nicks concert. Illustrator Brianne Farley and director Kiener co-created the project, with Maya Edelman overseeing the animation.
Fleetwood Mac founder Nicks called the film “awesome,” and former Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper called “The Shawl” a quintessential short film that emphasizes a mastery of the format. “The Shawl” went on to win a special jury award at SXSW 2020 and later screened at Rooftop Films and Outfest.
The coveted title has helped launch the careers of filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie, Charlotte Wells, Kogonada, Eliza Hittman, David Lowery, and Ari Aster, and now Kiener is among those awarded with the Staff Pick badge honor for “The Shawl.”
The short film stars performers Dusty Childers and Shane O’Neill, who lend their respective voices to their animated counterparts, while they recall attending a Stevie Nicks concert. Illustrator Brianne Farley and director Kiener co-created the project, with Maya Edelman overseeing the animation.
Fleetwood Mac founder Nicks called the film “awesome,” and former Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper called “The Shawl” a quintessential short film that emphasizes a mastery of the format. “The Shawl” went on to win a special jury award at SXSW 2020 and later screened at Rooftop Films and Outfest.
- 3/19/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
“The Zone of Interest” writer/director Jonathan Glazer addressed the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict head-on during the 2024 Oscars.
“Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It’s shaped all of our past and present,” Glazer said in his acceptance speech for Best International Feature. “Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.”
Glazer was joined on stage by fellow producer on the film James Wilson and its financial backer Leonard Blavatnik.
Glazer continued, “Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza — all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?”
The World War II period piece is set against the backdrop of Auschwitz as a German Nazi commandant (Christian Friedel) and his emotionless wife (Sandra Hüller) condone the mass-murders of Jews.
“Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It’s shaped all of our past and present,” Glazer said in his acceptance speech for Best International Feature. “Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.”
Glazer was joined on stage by fellow producer on the film James Wilson and its financial backer Leonard Blavatnik.
Glazer continued, “Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza — all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?”
The World War II period piece is set against the backdrop of Auschwitz as a German Nazi commandant (Christian Friedel) and his emotionless wife (Sandra Hüller) condone the mass-murders of Jews.
- 3/11/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Reviewing No Other Land out of Berlinale, Rory O’Connor described the “disorienting and dispiriting landscape” into which it was premiering. Quite an understatement to say the city of Berlin and its major-market festival fumbled through any response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, against which many filmmakers who’ve attended the festival in years past have spoken out. As Rory summarizes:
“The film premiered this week at the Berlinale, a festival mired in recent controversies in a country that is failing to acknowledge the limits of its own guilt. In the month leading up to the festival, several filmmakers pulled their work from the selection to protest the lack of Palestinian solidarity. Workers of the festival then released an open letter calling for the festival’s organizers to demand a ceasefire. In the weeks leading up, the city’s cultural minister, Joe Chialo, had to backtrack on a proposed ‘anti-discrimination...
“The film premiered this week at the Berlinale, a festival mired in recent controversies in a country that is failing to acknowledge the limits of its own guilt. In the month leading up to the festival, several filmmakers pulled their work from the selection to protest the lack of Palestinian solidarity. Workers of the festival then released an open letter calling for the festival’s organizers to demand a ceasefire. In the weeks leading up, the city’s cultural minister, Joe Chialo, had to backtrack on a proposed ‘anti-discrimination...
- 2/26/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
“No Other Land” co-director Yuval Abraham announced he is receiving death threats after calling for a ceasefire in Gaza onstage during the 2024 Berlinale closing ceremony.
Abraham, who co-directed documentary “No Other Land” alongside Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor, pointed to the different experiences between himself and Adra due to their ethnicities. While Abraham is Israeli, Adra is Palestinian and living under military occupation in the West Bank; according to Abraham, despite living only a half-hour from one another, their political rights vastly vary.
“We are standing in front of you. Now, we are the same age. I am Israeli, Basel is Palestinian. And in two days, we go back to a land where we are not equal,” Abraham said onstage at Berlinale while accepting the Best Documentary Award alongside Adra. “I am under civilian law; Basel is under military law. We live 30 minutes from one another but I have voting rights.
Abraham, who co-directed documentary “No Other Land” alongside Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor, pointed to the different experiences between himself and Adra due to their ethnicities. While Abraham is Israeli, Adra is Palestinian and living under military occupation in the West Bank; according to Abraham, despite living only a half-hour from one another, their political rights vastly vary.
“We are standing in front of you. Now, we are the same age. I am Israeli, Basel is Palestinian. And in two days, we go back to a land where we are not equal,” Abraham said onstage at Berlinale while accepting the Best Documentary Award alongside Adra. “I am under civilian law; Basel is under military law. We live 30 minutes from one another but I have voting rights.
- 2/26/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
A high-politicized edition of the Berlin Film Festival ended Saturday, but divisions surrounding political messaging during the festival appear to be ongoing.
Sunday afternoon, the official Berlinale shared a statement on its social media account announcing that it plans to “file criminal charges against unknown persons” who it said shared “posts about the war in the Middle East.” The posts mentioned by the festival were shared on the official Berlinale Panorama Instagram account and featured a series of infographics.
“Genocide is Genocide. We are all complicit,” the first infographic said.
Another post claimed that festival staff had decided to “shed the idea that German guilt absolves us of our country’s history or our current crimes,” and in turn, they have decided to call for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” to violence in Gaza.
The posts ended with the message: “From our unresolved Nazi past to our genocidal present — we...
Sunday afternoon, the official Berlinale shared a statement on its social media account announcing that it plans to “file criminal charges against unknown persons” who it said shared “posts about the war in the Middle East.” The posts mentioned by the festival were shared on the official Berlinale Panorama Instagram account and featured a series of infographics.
“Genocide is Genocide. We are all complicit,” the first infographic said.
Another post claimed that festival staff had decided to “shed the idea that German guilt absolves us of our country’s history or our current crimes,” and in turn, they have decided to call for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” to violence in Gaza.
The posts ended with the message: “From our unresolved Nazi past to our genocidal present — we...
- 2/26/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Winners have been announced at the 74th Berlin Film Festival, with Dahomey by French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop scooping the coveted Golden Bear for best film. Scroll down for the full list of winners, which were revealed Saturday evening at the Berlinale Palast.
The doc borrows its name from the former West African kingdom of Dahomey, located in the south of today’s Republic of Benin. It was founded in the 17th century by King Houegbadja. Under his reign and that of his descendants — a three-century dynasty — the kingdom was a considerable regional power, with a highly structured local economy, a centralized administration, a system of taxes, and a powerful army, including the famous Amazon women (Agodjié).
Diop’s doc opens in November 2021 as twenty-six royal treasures from the former Kingdom are about to leave Paris to return to their country of origin. Along with thousands of others, these artifacts were...
The doc borrows its name from the former West African kingdom of Dahomey, located in the south of today’s Republic of Benin. It was founded in the 17th century by King Houegbadja. Under his reign and that of his descendants — a three-century dynasty — the kingdom was a considerable regional power, with a highly structured local economy, a centralized administration, a system of taxes, and a powerful army, including the famous Amazon women (Agodjié).
Diop’s doc opens in November 2021 as twenty-six royal treasures from the former Kingdom are about to leave Paris to return to their country of origin. Along with thousands of others, these artifacts were...
- 2/24/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Festival season 2024 is well underway, Insiders, as our team decamps to Berlin. That and plenty more news to report from around the world to follow. Jesse Whittock with you. Sign up for the Insider newsletter here.
Berlin Kicks Off
Protests on the red carpet: The build-up to the 74th Berlin Film Festival has been highly politicized and Thursday evening’s opening ceremony was no different. The ceremony began with a red carpet awash with political statements. The festival held what it described as a ‘Filmmakers for Democracy, Diversity, and Peaceful Togetherness’ demonstration featuring between 50 and 60 filmmakers. Meanwhile, a series of attendees used their time in front of media pens to display their own political messages. The most eye-catching included American filmmaker Eliza Hittman, last at Berlin with her Silver Bear-winning Never Rarely Sometimes Always, who had ‘ceasefire now’ stitched to the back of her dress. The message was a reference...
Berlin Kicks Off
Protests on the red carpet: The build-up to the 74th Berlin Film Festival has been highly politicized and Thursday evening’s opening ceremony was no different. The ceremony began with a red carpet awash with political statements. The festival held what it described as a ‘Filmmakers for Democracy, Diversity, and Peaceful Togetherness’ demonstration featuring between 50 and 60 filmmakers. Meanwhile, a series of attendees used their time in front of media pens to display their own political messages. The most eye-catching included American filmmaker Eliza Hittman, last at Berlin with her Silver Bear-winning Never Rarely Sometimes Always, who had ‘ceasefire now’ stitched to the back of her dress. The message was a reference...
- 2/16/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
The Berlin Film Festival officially kicked off Thursday evening with an eventful opening ceremony at the Berlinale Palast theater in the German capital.
After a divisive build-up to the fest, the opening ceremony was, in contrast, a relatively conventional affair. High-profile attendees included veteran German filmmakers Wim Wenders and Fatih Akin, Phantom Thread actress Vicky Krieps, and international jury president Lupita Nyong’o alongside her fellow jury members Brady Corbet, Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko.
The evening’s opening film was Small Things Like These, starring Cillian Murphy, who was in attendance with producer Matt Damon and co-star Emily Watson. Directed by Tim Mielants (Peaky Blinders), Small Things Like These is the first Irish film to open the Berlinale.
Related: ‘Small Things Like These’ Review: Cillian Murphy Plays A Father In Torment In ’80s-Set Irish Trauma Tale
Before the pic opened, the crowd inside the...
After a divisive build-up to the fest, the opening ceremony was, in contrast, a relatively conventional affair. High-profile attendees included veteran German filmmakers Wim Wenders and Fatih Akin, Phantom Thread actress Vicky Krieps, and international jury president Lupita Nyong’o alongside her fellow jury members Brady Corbet, Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko.
The evening’s opening film was Small Things Like These, starring Cillian Murphy, who was in attendance with producer Matt Damon and co-star Emily Watson. Directed by Tim Mielants (Peaky Blinders), Small Things Like These is the first Irish film to open the Berlinale.
Related: ‘Small Things Like These’ Review: Cillian Murphy Plays A Father In Torment In ’80s-Set Irish Trauma Tale
Before the pic opened, the crowd inside the...
- 2/15/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The Berlin International Film Festival has confirmed its full juries for the 2024 edition (February 16-24), with Italian actress Jasmine Trinca and German filmmaker Christian Petzold among those joining president Lupita Nyong’o on the main international jury.
Also on the jury are filmmakers Ann Hui (Hong Kong) and Albert Serra (Spain) alongside Ukrainian novelist and poet Oksana Zabuzhko.
The international jury will select the winners of the Golden and Silver Bears from the 20 films playing in Competition.
The three-member jury for the Encounters strand comprises filmmakers Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada) and Tizza Covi (Italy).
The Encounters jury will choose the winners of best film,...
Also on the jury are filmmakers Ann Hui (Hong Kong) and Albert Serra (Spain) alongside Ukrainian novelist and poet Oksana Zabuzhko.
The international jury will select the winners of the Golden and Silver Bears from the 20 films playing in Competition.
The three-member jury for the Encounters strand comprises filmmakers Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada) and Tizza Covi (Italy).
The Encounters jury will choose the winners of best film,...
- 2/1/2024
- ScreenDaily
The international jury at the 74th Berlin Film Festival, led by Lupita Nyong’o, will include filmmakers Christian Petzold (Germany) and Ann Hui.
The international jury members also include actor-producer-director Brady Corbet (U.S.), filmmaker Albert Serra (Spain), actor-director Jasmine Trinca (Italy) and writer Oksana Zabuzhko (Ukraine). They will decide who will win the festival’s Golden and the Silver Bears.
The three-member jury that chooses the winners for best film, director and the special jury award at the Berlinale’s Encounters strand is made up of filmmakers Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada) and Tizza Covi (Italy).
Director and screenwriter Ilker Çatak (Germany), sound artist and researcher Xabier Erkizia (Spain) and director, screenwriter, video artist and lecturer Jennifer Reeder (U.S.) are the international short film jury for the 2024 Berlinale Shorts competition. They will be choosing the winner of the Golden Bear for best short film, the winner of the...
The international jury members also include actor-producer-director Brady Corbet (U.S.), filmmaker Albert Serra (Spain), actor-director Jasmine Trinca (Italy) and writer Oksana Zabuzhko (Ukraine). They will decide who will win the festival’s Golden and the Silver Bears.
The three-member jury that chooses the winners for best film, director and the special jury award at the Berlinale’s Encounters strand is made up of filmmakers Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada) and Tizza Covi (Italy).
Director and screenwriter Ilker Çatak (Germany), sound artist and researcher Xabier Erkizia (Spain) and director, screenwriter, video artist and lecturer Jennifer Reeder (U.S.) are the international short film jury for the 2024 Berlinale Shorts competition. They will be choosing the winner of the Golden Bear for best short film, the winner of the...
- 2/1/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
A soulful coming-of-age story with far more on its mind than the here and now, Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s Tendaberry is an ambitious directorial debut mixing various storytelling forms to achieve its poetic patchwork of ideas. Combining recollections of the past, a present way of life, and hopes for the future through the eyes of 23-year-old Dakota (Kota Johan), it follows her journey juggling romance, work, friendship, and family. The nature of its scattershot hybrid approach––incorporating narrative, documentary, and archival materials––results in certain passages feeling a bit stretched, but the cumulative effect is one of an impressive new voice.
Hopping around Brooklyn with a strong focus on the Coney Island area, Tendaberry doubles as a portrait of the city, one that marvels at its bustling joys as much as it exudes frustrations with the rough-and-tumble nature. Beyond just a shared fascination with the locales, the film evokes an...
Hopping around Brooklyn with a strong focus on the Coney Island area, Tendaberry doubles as a portrait of the city, one that marvels at its bustling joys as much as it exudes frustrations with the rough-and-tumble nature. Beyond just a shared fascination with the locales, the film evokes an...
- 1/30/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Made in collaboration with the Church of Satan, as stated in its opening titles, Scott Cumming’s Realm of Satan doesn’t seek to expose hidden secrets of the religion, investigate the church’s place amongst belief systems, or, for the most part, even hear from those who may oppose its teachings. Rather, solely through a series of inspired cinematic tableaus, we are invited to take a look from the inside to witness the practices and everyday lives of those who follow this atheistic path. Due to the welcome decision of not delving deeper into the minds of the subjects––as well as displaying little input on the part of the filmmaker apart from the frames he chooses to capture––Realm of Satan becomes a compelling Rorschach test for how one may perceive the religious.
With bubbling concoctions, magic tricks, skull-laden homes, and the tease of orgies with all participants donning full-body leatherwear,...
With bubbling concoctions, magic tricks, skull-laden homes, and the tease of orgies with all participants donning full-body leatherwear,...
- 1/22/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) has signed on to star opposite Sofia Yepes in The Low End Theory, an indie thriller based on Yepes’ story, which she co-wrote with director Francisco Ordoñez.
Others new to the pic announced early last year, which has now wrapped production, include Ser Anzoategui (Vida), Jackie Quinones (Miles Away), J.R. Villareal (Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion) and Da’Vone McDonald (Forgetting Sarah Marshall). Previously announced cast includes Rene Rosado (The Connors), Eddie Martinez (The Sinner), Ricky Russert, and Scotty Tovar (Empire). Also starring is rapper and cannabis mogul Berner, creator of the billion-dollar Cookies brand, who will additionally compose the film’s original soundtrack.
Billed as a film noir set in the Latinx and LGBTQ+ world of Los Angeles, The Low End Theory centers on Raquel (Yepes), an aspiring beats producer in the low-budget hip-hop world moonlighting as a drug money launderer,...
Others new to the pic announced early last year, which has now wrapped production, include Ser Anzoategui (Vida), Jackie Quinones (Miles Away), J.R. Villareal (Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion) and Da’Vone McDonald (Forgetting Sarah Marshall). Previously announced cast includes Rene Rosado (The Connors), Eddie Martinez (The Sinner), Ricky Russert, and Scotty Tovar (Empire). Also starring is rapper and cannabis mogul Berner, creator of the billion-dollar Cookies brand, who will additionally compose the film’s original soundtrack.
Billed as a film noir set in the Latinx and LGBTQ+ world of Los Angeles, The Low End Theory centers on Raquel (Yepes), an aspiring beats producer in the low-budget hip-hop world moonlighting as a drug money launderer,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
After 15 years of curating the best of short films, Vimeo is giving some insight into what makes a coveted Staff Pick.
The streaming platform for rising filmmakers launched a Generation Vimeo campaign to mark the 15th anniversary of the website. Staff Pick Best of the Year winning director Danae Gosset provided the animation for this short film inspired by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman’s “A Brief History of Baldessari” video, and directed and produced by Vimeo’s internal creative team, to share the behind-the-scenes process for selecting Staff Picks. “High Maintenance” co-creator Ben Sinclair provides the voiceover for the video, returning to Vimeo where the HBO series originated. Watch the video below.
Founded in 2008, Vimeo’s Staff Pick program has honored filmmakers like Josh and Benny Safdie and “Aftersun” director Charlotte Wells. Kristoffer Borgli, John Wilson, Daniels, Savannah Leaf, A.V. Rockwell, Hiro Murai, Kogonada, Eliza Hittman, David Lowery, and...
The streaming platform for rising filmmakers launched a Generation Vimeo campaign to mark the 15th anniversary of the website. Staff Pick Best of the Year winning director Danae Gosset provided the animation for this short film inspired by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman’s “A Brief History of Baldessari” video, and directed and produced by Vimeo’s internal creative team, to share the behind-the-scenes process for selecting Staff Picks. “High Maintenance” co-creator Ben Sinclair provides the voiceover for the video, returning to Vimeo where the HBO series originated. Watch the video below.
Founded in 2008, Vimeo’s Staff Pick program has honored filmmakers like Josh and Benny Safdie and “Aftersun” director Charlotte Wells. Kristoffer Borgli, John Wilson, Daniels, Savannah Leaf, A.V. Rockwell, Hiro Murai, Kogonada, Eliza Hittman, David Lowery, and...
- 11/14/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
More than 90 feature films showcasing the best in U.S. moviemaking will take center stage next month at Poland’s American Film Festival (Aff), whose 14th edition takes place Nov. 7 – 12 in Wrocław, Poland.
Founded in 2010 as the sister event of the long-running New Horizons Film Festival, the Aff bills itself as the first film event in Central Europe solely devoted to the works of contemporary and classic American cinema.
In putting together the program for the 14th edition, festival director Ula Śniegowska says she and the programming team spent the past year “scouting the festivals and trying to get our hands on the pulse of what’s happening in American auteur and independent film.” The festival, which includes titles that have premiered at Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Cannes and other leading fests, is similar in spirit to France’s long-running Deauville American Film Festival, which mounted its 49th edition this year.
Founded in 2010 as the sister event of the long-running New Horizons Film Festival, the Aff bills itself as the first film event in Central Europe solely devoted to the works of contemporary and classic American cinema.
In putting together the program for the 14th edition, festival director Ula Śniegowska says she and the programming team spent the past year “scouting the festivals and trying to get our hands on the pulse of what’s happening in American auteur and independent film.” The festival, which includes titles that have premiered at Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Cannes and other leading fests, is similar in spirit to France’s long-running Deauville American Film Festival, which mounted its 49th edition this year.
- 10/24/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Licorice Pizza and If Beale Street Could Talk producer Sara Murphy arrives at TIFF this week with the intimate yet ambitious feature Mother, Couch, the first project produced under Fat City, the production label she launched last year alongside War Pony producer Ryan Zacarias.
Starring Taylor Russell, Ewan McGregor, and Ellen Burstyn, the pic is written and directed by Swedish filmmaker Niclas Larsson in his feature film debut. The story is adapted from a novel of the same name by Swedish filmmaker Jerker Virdborg.
“The book is very different from the film,” Larsson said of his adaptation. “In fact, the first thing I asked Jerker was how free I could be with the adaptation, and he said, ‘Look, steal whatever you want to steal, and go with it.’ So that’s that’s what I did.”
The biggest change Larsson made on screen was moving the story from Sweden to the US.
Starring Taylor Russell, Ewan McGregor, and Ellen Burstyn, the pic is written and directed by Swedish filmmaker Niclas Larsson in his feature film debut. The story is adapted from a novel of the same name by Swedish filmmaker Jerker Virdborg.
“The book is very different from the film,” Larsson said of his adaptation. “In fact, the first thing I asked Jerker was how free I could be with the adaptation, and he said, ‘Look, steal whatever you want to steal, and go with it.’ So that’s that’s what I did.”
The biggest change Larsson made on screen was moving the story from Sweden to the US.
- 9/8/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Touching down in Heraklion, on the Greek island of Crete, marks the beginning of summer holidays for Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Skye (Lara Peake), and Em (Enva Lewis), a trio of best friends who have just taken their A-levels and for whom school is the last thing on their mind. The first thing is… well, the title gives it away. British teens on holiday at a Greek resort means booze, booze, and more booze, but Molly Manning Walker’s debut film has the power to take these prosaic cultural archetypes and use them as tools to tell a poignant story about the ambivalences of growing up, female friendships, and consent.
Amidst a lot of vodka, “never have I ever,” and pool parties, the girls form their own gravitational center and stick to it. Yet their friendship is not without complications: underneath the surface of jokes and banter lies a layer of teen-girl angst,...
Amidst a lot of vodka, “never have I ever,” and pool parties, the girls form their own gravitational center and stick to it. Yet their friendship is not without complications: underneath the surface of jokes and banter lies a layer of teen-girl angst,...
- 5/23/2023
- by Savina Petkova
- The Film Stage
“The truth is, I knew nothing about the real story,” reveals “A Friend of the Family” director and producer Eliza Hittman. “So I came to it really with fresh eyes. I received the script from the writer, showrunner Nick Antosca, and it was just so exceptionally written, and the characters were so vivid on the page, and the world was so beautifully rendered that I just kind of devoured the script immediately.” We talked to Hittman as part of our “Meet the Experts” TV directors panel. Watch our exclusive video interview above. Click the Cc button on the video for closed captioning subtitles.
SEEInterviews with top Emmy contenders
“A Friend of the Family” tells the disturbing true story of Jan Broberg (played at different ages by Mckenna Grace and Hendrix Yancey), who in the 1970s was abducted multiple times by Robert Berchtold (played by Jake Lacy), a neighbor who had...
SEEInterviews with top Emmy contenders
“A Friend of the Family” tells the disturbing true story of Jan Broberg (played at different ages by Mckenna Grace and Hendrix Yancey), who in the 1970s was abducted multiple times by Robert Berchtold (played by Jake Lacy), a neighbor who had...
- 5/22/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Five TV directors will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2023 Emmy Awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Thursday, May 18, at 4:00 p.m. Pt; 7:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Daniel Montgomery and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.
RSVP today to our entire ongoing contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
Accused (Fox)
Synopsis: Chronicles ordinary people getting caught up in extraordinary situations, where one wrong turn leads to another, until it’s too late to turn back.
Bio: Marlee Matlin is an Oscar winner for “Children of a Lesser God” and Emmy nominee for “Picket Fences,” “Seinfeld,” “The Practice” and...
RSVP today to our entire ongoing contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
Accused (Fox)
Synopsis: Chronicles ordinary people getting caught up in extraordinary situations, where one wrong turn leads to another, until it’s too late to turn back.
Bio: Marlee Matlin is an Oscar winner for “Children of a Lesser God” and Emmy nominee for “Picket Fences,” “Seinfeld,” “The Practice” and...
- 5/11/2023
- by Chris Beachum and Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The Film Independent Screenwriting Lab is 25 years old. Can you believe it? It’s officially old enough to rent a car! And sure, hardshell clams and giant tortoises can live for centuries, but you don’t reach the quarter-century mark as a Hollywood talent incubator without substance, value and tangible success.
But more than that, this year’s cohort of freshly announced Screenwriting Lab Fellows are special. Why? Because! We’re in the midst of celebrating #AD30, aka the 30th anniversary of Film Independent’s Artist Development programs. And like its elder sibling Project Involve (which got the whole ball of wax rolling in ‘93), the Screenwriting Lab has been an essential industry resource, whether your looking to develop your own skills or tap new talent.
“We’re thrilled to support this exceptional group of filmmakers, who bring compassion, authenticity and curiosity to their work exploring unique communities and characters,” says Dea Vazquez,...
But more than that, this year’s cohort of freshly announced Screenwriting Lab Fellows are special. Why? Because! We’re in the midst of celebrating #AD30, aka the 30th anniversary of Film Independent’s Artist Development programs. And like its elder sibling Project Involve (which got the whole ball of wax rolling in ‘93), the Screenwriting Lab has been an essential industry resource, whether your looking to develop your own skills or tap new talent.
“We’re thrilled to support this exceptional group of filmmakers, who bring compassion, authenticity and curiosity to their work exploring unique communities and characters,” says Dea Vazquez,...
- 4/26/2023
- by Matt Warren
- Film Independent News & More
Exclusive: Film Independent on Wednesday named the eight screenwriters set for the 25th edition of their Screenwriting Lab. The latest cohort of the intensive program, designed to provide individualized story and career development for screenwriters with fiction feature screenplays, includes Bri Brooks, Karina Dandashi, Thais Drassinower, Chloé Hung, Adam Meeks, Nat Moonhill, Veronica Moonhill and Richard Van.
Film Independent also today named Dandashi as the recipient of their latest Mpac Hollywood Bureau Writing Fellowship Grant, who will receive $10,000 in recognition of her script, Out of Water.
Over the course of the Lab, Fellows will workshop their projects under the guidance of creative advisors Andrew Ahn, Javier Fuentes-León, Jeff Stockwell and Robin Swicord. Additional guest speakers and advisors will include Ruth Atkinson, Angela Cheng Caplan, Kd Dávila, Greta Fuentes, Jordan Hart, Eliza Hittman, Ana Leocha, Ilyse McKimmie, Lauren Mann, Kiva Reardon, Pamela Ribon and Ellen Shanman.
“In our 30th year of...
Film Independent also today named Dandashi as the recipient of their latest Mpac Hollywood Bureau Writing Fellowship Grant, who will receive $10,000 in recognition of her script, Out of Water.
Over the course of the Lab, Fellows will workshop their projects under the guidance of creative advisors Andrew Ahn, Javier Fuentes-León, Jeff Stockwell and Robin Swicord. Additional guest speakers and advisors will include Ruth Atkinson, Angela Cheng Caplan, Kd Dávila, Greta Fuentes, Jordan Hart, Eliza Hittman, Ana Leocha, Ilyse McKimmie, Lauren Mann, Kiva Reardon, Pamela Ribon and Ellen Shanman.
“In our 30th year of...
- 4/26/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Rooftop Films has announced the recipients of their 2023 Filmmakers Fund grants. A total of 21 cash and service grants will be awarded to a variety of independent filmmakers to support the production of their next short or feature film. Four Rooftop Films Water Tower Feature Film cash grants will be exclusively awarded with support from the Laurence W. Levine Foundation.
Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grants are made accessible to Rooftop Films alumni directors who have had their work screened during the annual Sumer Series in New York City. This years grantees include a demographic of over 60% women, 30% people of color and 10% people a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We’re unbelievably excited about the projects we’ve had the privilege of helping to fund this year! Every single one of these filmmakers approach their subjects in ways that are wholly unique to their style and vision, and we can’t wait to see the finished works,...
Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grants are made accessible to Rooftop Films alumni directors who have had their work screened during the annual Sumer Series in New York City. This years grantees include a demographic of over 60% women, 30% people of color and 10% people a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We’re unbelievably excited about the projects we’ve had the privilege of helping to fund this year! Every single one of these filmmakers approach their subjects in ways that are wholly unique to their style and vision, and we can’t wait to see the finished works,...
- 4/6/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
For movie nerds like yours truly who grew up in the late 90s and early 2000s on films like Gregg Araki’s The Doom Generation and Rob Schmidt’s Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, an outrageous horror comedy with nods to QAnon is an easy movie to love. Thankfully, Dutch Southern’s quirky Only the Good Survive rises the occasion. In the days before streaming, this SXSW premiere feels like one of those late-night movies about which word spread amongst kids around your high school lunch table.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always break-out Sidney Flanigan plays Brea, an adopted young woman separated from her sister who is in search of both her family and a family. She finds herself on the wrong side of an interrogation table as the local sheriff for this backwater, Cole Mack (played by ’90s indie film staple Fred Weller), tries piecing together the sordid state of...
Never Rarely Sometimes Always break-out Sidney Flanigan plays Brea, an adopted young woman separated from her sister who is in search of both her family and a family. She finds herself on the wrong side of an interrogation table as the local sheriff for this backwater, Cole Mack (played by ’90s indie film staple Fred Weller), tries piecing together the sordid state of...
- 3/25/2023
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
(Welcome to Best Actor Ever, an ongoing series where we explore the careers and performances of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen.)
There is not an actor in the history of moving pictures who has been more egregiously taken for granted by her industry than Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Critics have always had her back. The New York Times' Janet Maslin got it from the jump when she singled Leigh out as "the only thing worth seeing" in her film debut "Eyes of a Stranger." The better-than-average 1981 slasher film set the tone for Leigh's career in that she plays a victim. Her character is a blind-deaf mute whose condition was brought on by being kidnapped and raped at an early age. The 19-year-old Leigh projects sweetness and innocence, but this young woman is all serrated edges. Because she isn't just a victim. She's a survivor.
Roger Ebert was also an early admirer of Leigh,...
There is not an actor in the history of moving pictures who has been more egregiously taken for granted by her industry than Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Critics have always had her back. The New York Times' Janet Maslin got it from the jump when she singled Leigh out as "the only thing worth seeing" in her film debut "Eyes of a Stranger." The better-than-average 1981 slasher film set the tone for Leigh's career in that she plays a victim. Her character is a blind-deaf mute whose condition was brought on by being kidnapped and raped at an early age. The 19-year-old Leigh projects sweetness and innocence, but this young woman is all serrated edges. Because she isn't just a victim. She's a survivor.
Roger Ebert was also an early admirer of Leigh,...
- 3/24/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The Sun Valley film festival announced Emilio Estevez is set to receive the Pioneer Award at the festival’s upcoming pioneer party.
Estevez joins previously announced Sun Valley film festival honorees including Variety‘s 10 Producers to Watch, Josh Brolin, Sophie Thatcher and Nina Yang Bongiovi, who are set to receive the Vision Award, the Rising Star Award and the Variety Creative Impact Award in Producing, respectively.
On March 31, Estevez will receive his Pioneer Award, and on April 1, will host a special screening of his 2011 feature, “The Way.”
After collaborations “The War at Home” and “Nightbreaker,” Estevez joined his father Martin Sheen once more for “The Way,” a feature that Estevez not only starred in, but also directed, produced and wrote. “The Way” follows Tom (Sheen) as he embarks on a pilgrimage throughout the El Camino de Santiago after his son Daniel (Estevez) died while traveling through that very path. Estevez...
Estevez joins previously announced Sun Valley film festival honorees including Variety‘s 10 Producers to Watch, Josh Brolin, Sophie Thatcher and Nina Yang Bongiovi, who are set to receive the Vision Award, the Rising Star Award and the Variety Creative Impact Award in Producing, respectively.
On March 31, Estevez will receive his Pioneer Award, and on April 1, will host a special screening of his 2011 feature, “The Way.”
After collaborations “The War at Home” and “Nightbreaker,” Estevez joined his father Martin Sheen once more for “The Way,” a feature that Estevez not only starred in, but also directed, produced and wrote. “The Way” follows Tom (Sheen) as he embarks on a pilgrimage throughout the El Camino de Santiago after his son Daniel (Estevez) died while traveling through that very path. Estevez...
- 3/16/2023
- by Charna Flam
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Jesús I. Valles’ play Bathhouse.pptx has been awarded the prestigious 2023 Yale Drama Series Prize, with the honor’s judge Jeremy O. Harris calling the new work an exploration of “a queer history that is quickly being erased.”
The prize for emerging playwrights, now in its 16th year, was selected from more than 1,500 entries. As is the prize’s custom, Harris, the author of Slave Play and a Yale alum, was the selection process’ presiding playwright, or sole judge. Previous judges have included Edward Albee, David Hare, John Guare, Marsha Norman, Nicholas Wright, Ayad Akhtar and Paula Vogel.
“This is one of the most exciting speculative fictions I’ve encountered in years,” Harris said, “using a unique dramaturgy to explore a queer history that is quickly being erased. It brought to mind the works of many heroes like Samuel Delaney, Martin Crimp, and Kathy Acker.”
Winning playwright Velles said,...
The prize for emerging playwrights, now in its 16th year, was selected from more than 1,500 entries. As is the prize’s custom, Harris, the author of Slave Play and a Yale alum, was the selection process’ presiding playwright, or sole judge. Previous judges have included Edward Albee, David Hare, John Guare, Marsha Norman, Nicholas Wright, Ayad Akhtar and Paula Vogel.
“This is one of the most exciting speculative fictions I’ve encountered in years,” Harris said, “using a unique dramaturgy to explore a queer history that is quickly being erased. It brought to mind the works of many heroes like Samuel Delaney, Martin Crimp, and Kathy Acker.”
Winning playwright Velles said,...
- 3/16/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Making a movie with your own child is perilous enough at a time when the media, which is stuffed with them, has decided that “nepo babies” are the latest blight on the eco-system of filmmaking. It’s even more of a risk when your private life has been splashed all over the tabloids, and the facts of that controversy — man leaves wife and kids to start a new family with a younger woman — are a key part of that movie. But whether or not Ewan McGregor and his daughter Clara saw the film as a chance for family therapy, or whether they even thought about these things at all, Emma Westenberg’s affecting, slow-burn debut leaves all that kind of real-world baggage firmly at the door.
It’s a shame that it follows so soon after Aftersun, but the truth is, You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder doesn’t share...
It’s a shame that it follows so soon after Aftersun, but the truth is, You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder doesn’t share...
- 3/12/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Jamie Dack’s Palm Trees and Power Lines is about losing a person. By the end, its 17-year-old heroine, Lea (played by a great Lily McInerny) seems lost to herself, unsure of who to be. It’s the summer before her senior year. Trouble starts with a chance encounter with an older man, Tom (Jonathan Tucker), who is twice Lea’s age but nevertheless takes an interest. This is merely how it starts. Palm Trees is a film about a young woman groomed, unsuspectingly, into sex work by a charming 34-year-old man.
- 3/2/2023
- by K. Austin Collins
- Rollingstone.com
Italy’s Kino Produzioni, the indie shingle that co-produced 2022 Berlin Golden Bear winner “Alcarràs,” is ramping up production with new films by emerging Italian filmmakers Carlo Sironi, Laura Luchetti and Irene Dionisio, as well as also Dutch director Michiel Van Erp and Argentine filmmakers María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat.
“We reached a turning point last year that started out well with the ‘Alcarràs’ victory,” said Kino chief Giovanni Pompili, speaking at the EFM. He noted that in 2022, the Rome-based outfit shot four films, “which for us was pretty challenging, but worked out well.”
Meanwhile, the Kino team has grown. Producer Lara Costa-Calzado, who has been working for a decade between the U.S. and Europe on films such as Eliza Hittman’s Silver Bear winner “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” Sally Potter’s “The Roads Not Taken” and Halina Rejin’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” has joined Kino as head of production.
“We reached a turning point last year that started out well with the ‘Alcarràs’ victory,” said Kino chief Giovanni Pompili, speaking at the EFM. He noted that in 2022, the Rome-based outfit shot four films, “which for us was pretty challenging, but worked out well.”
Meanwhile, the Kino team has grown. Producer Lara Costa-Calzado, who has been working for a decade between the U.S. and Europe on films such as Eliza Hittman’s Silver Bear winner “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” Sally Potter’s “The Roads Not Taken” and Halina Rejin’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” has joined Kino as head of production.
- 2/18/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Never Rarely Sometimes Always Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute Never Rarely Sometimes Always, 11.15pm, BBC2, Monday, February 6 Eliza Hittman's restrained and affecting consideration of teenage pregnancy and abortion feels, if anything, even more relevant in the wake of changes in US law than it did when it premiered in Sundance in 2020. We follow 17-year-old Autumn (Sidney Flannigan) as she travels from a small town in Pennsylvania to New York with her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder) after finding she is pregnant, to try to get an abortion. Hittman zeroes in on the almost casual dangers that Autumn and Skylar face on their trip, with both young actresses impressively communicating the complexity of their characters. HIttman'sclear-sighted and unfussy approach helps her point to hit home all the harder. Read our interview with Eliza Hittman and Sidney Flannigan.
Navalny, 10pm, BBC4, Tuesday, February 7
Vladimir Putin’s most famous opponent Alexei Navalny is...
Navalny, 10pm, BBC4, Tuesday, February 7
Vladimir Putin’s most famous opponent Alexei Navalny is...
- 2/6/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
This year, women directors – and their women-centric subjects – swept the awards at Sundance Film Festival. Three women directors – Madeleine Gavin, Maryam Keshavarz, and Noora Niasari – won Audience Awards for their films on North Korea (“Beyond Utopia”), intergenerational motherhood (“The Persian Version”), and custody in diaspora (“Shayda”). Portraits of masculinity were also celebrated as well. First-time feature filmmaker Sing J. Lee won the Directing Award for his touching portrait of masculinity and fatherhood in “The Accidental Getaway Driver,” while Sauvnik Kaur’s intimate documentary on brotherhood “Against The Tide” took home a Special Jury Award. After two years of isolation and virtual festival-ing, it seems that stories of tenderness appealed over aggressive storytelling at Park City this year.
“This year’s Festival has been an extraordinary experience,” said Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “The artists that comprise the 2023 Sundance Film Festival have demonstrated a sense of urgency and dedication to excellence in independent film.
“This year’s Festival has been an extraordinary experience,” said Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “The artists that comprise the 2023 Sundance Film Festival have demonstrated a sense of urgency and dedication to excellence in independent film.
- 2/1/2023
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
The International Film Festival Rotterdam presented lauded French cinematographer Hélène Louvart with the Robby Müller Award on Sunday. A collaboration between IFFR, the Netherlands Society of Cinematographers (Nsc) and Andrea Müller-Schirmer, Müller’s wife, the award was founded in 2020, two years after his death, and aims to honor image-makers who have “created an authentic, credible and emotionally striking visual language throughout their oeuvre.”
To mark the special occasion, Louvart presented a masterclass at IFFR, guiding an eager audience through some of her work in films by Win Wenders, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Alice Rohrwacher. The director was also gifted a video containing loving testimonials by some of the aforementioned directors plus others such as Karim Aïnouz, Léonor Serraille and Eliza Hittman. Rohrwacher’s words were a highlight, with the filmmaker finishing her praise of Louvart by saying she loved her dear friend, with whom she collaborated in all of her films “more than cinema.
To mark the special occasion, Louvart presented a masterclass at IFFR, guiding an eager audience through some of her work in films by Win Wenders, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Alice Rohrwacher. The director was also gifted a video containing loving testimonials by some of the aforementioned directors plus others such as Karim Aïnouz, Léonor Serraille and Eliza Hittman. Rohrwacher’s words were a highlight, with the filmmaker finishing her praise of Louvart by saying she loved her dear friend, with whom she collaborated in all of her films “more than cinema.
- 1/30/2023
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
by Cláudio Alves
Another year, another Sundance Film Festival reaches its end, concluding a grand celebration of independent cinema in the snowy Utah landscape. This edition, the reviews were especially glowing across the international press, with many a title earning acclaim - sadly, that's not always guaranteed. One of those productions was the eventual winner of the U.S. Dramatic Competition – A.V. Rockwell's A Thousand and One. The jurors praised the film's tenderness and how it felt real, so and full of pain. In its citation, the jury further mentioned the project's fearless commitment to emotional truth born of oppressive circumstances. American audiences won't have to wait long to see this award-winning feat in theaters, as the film's scheduled for a March 31st release.
After the jump, find the full list of winners and some stray observations…...
Another year, another Sundance Film Festival reaches its end, concluding a grand celebration of independent cinema in the snowy Utah landscape. This edition, the reviews were especially glowing across the international press, with many a title earning acclaim - sadly, that's not always guaranteed. One of those productions was the eventual winner of the U.S. Dramatic Competition – A.V. Rockwell's A Thousand and One. The jurors praised the film's tenderness and how it felt real, so and full of pain. In its citation, the jury further mentioned the project's fearless commitment to emotional truth born of oppressive circumstances. American audiences won't have to wait long to see this award-winning feat in theaters, as the film's scheduled for a March 31st release.
After the jump, find the full list of winners and some stray observations…...
- 1/27/2023
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Festival runs through January 29.
A.V. Rockwell’s A Thousand And One took the 2023 Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic prize and Charlotte Regan’s UK entry Scrapper earned the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2023 Sundance awards ceremony on Friday.
Audience award winners included Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version in U.S. Dramatic Competition, Madeleine Gavin’s Beyond Utopia in U.S. Documentary, Mstylav Chernov’s 20 Days In Mariupol in World Cinema Documentary, and Noora Niasari’s Shayda in World Cinema Dramatic.
Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente said the selection “demonstrated a sense of...
A.V. Rockwell’s A Thousand And One took the 2023 Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic prize and Charlotte Regan’s UK entry Scrapper earned the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2023 Sundance awards ceremony on Friday.
Audience award winners included Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version in U.S. Dramatic Competition, Madeleine Gavin’s Beyond Utopia in U.S. Documentary, Mstylav Chernov’s 20 Days In Mariupol in World Cinema Documentary, and Noora Niasari’s Shayda in World Cinema Dramatic.
Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente said the selection “demonstrated a sense of...
- 1/27/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A Thousand and One took the jury prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, with Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project taking the top prize in the U.S. Documentary Competition section.
A Thousand and One is directed by A.V. Rockwell and follows a mother who kidnaps her six-year-old son Terry from the foster care system, a secret that threatens their way of life as Terry gets older. The Focus Features title stars Teyana Taylor, Josiah Cross and Will Catlett.
“When I was writing this film, I was thinking about mother and son relationships. I was thinking about Black women and Black men relationships. I was thinking about marginalized people and their relationship to their homes,” said Rockwell, accepting the award. “Thank you to everyone for seeing all of those groups and for seeing me.” A tearful Jeremy O. Harris, who was a part of the dramatic jury,...
A Thousand and One is directed by A.V. Rockwell and follows a mother who kidnaps her six-year-old son Terry from the foster care system, a secret that threatens their way of life as Terry gets older. The Focus Features title stars Teyana Taylor, Josiah Cross and Will Catlett.
“When I was writing this film, I was thinking about mother and son relationships. I was thinking about Black women and Black men relationships. I was thinking about marginalized people and their relationship to their homes,” said Rockwell, accepting the award. “Thank you to everyone for seeing all of those groups and for seeing me.” A tearful Jeremy O. Harris, who was a part of the dramatic jury,...
- 1/27/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Although trans rights are now the subject of a simmering culture war in America and the U.K., that conflict is largely predicated on the increasing visibility of trans women at a time where self-id is controversially becoming the norm. Stories of trans men, however, tend to go under the radar, and this remarkable New York-set debut from Chilean-Serbian director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz goes some way to redressing that imbalance. Featuring a pitch-perfect performance from Puerto Rican/Greek actor Lío Mehiel, so far mostly known for the Apple show WeCrashed and a number of shorts, U.S. Dramatic Competition entry Mutt feels like an important but — for reasons about to be explained — perhaps interstitial film in the history of LGBTQ+ cinema, being fully cognizant of the fact that it is set and was made in a between-time that reflects the lead character’s existential sense of limbo.
Its strength is that...
Its strength is that...
- 1/26/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Marlee Matlin and fellow Sundance Film Festival jurors Jeremy O Harris and Eliza Hittman left the premiere of Magazine Dreams on Friday (20 January) night after subtitles failed to appear onscreen.
Coda star Matlin has been deaf since she was 18 months old and has long been a spokesperson for the hearing-impaired community.
Magazine Dreams tells the story of Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors) who “lives with his ailing veteran grandfather, obsessively working out between court-mandated therapy appointments and part-time shifts at a grocery store where he harbours a crush on a friendly cashier”, per the festival’s synopsis.
Joana Vicente, the CEO of the Sundance Institute, said in a statement to The Associated Press on Saturday (21 January) that the closed captioning device, which relies on Wi-Fi, had been checked before the screening and was working, but malfunctioned nonetheless.
“Our team immediately worked with the devices in that venue to test them again...
Coda star Matlin has been deaf since she was 18 months old and has long been a spokesperson for the hearing-impaired community.
Magazine Dreams tells the story of Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors) who “lives with his ailing veteran grandfather, obsessively working out between court-mandated therapy appointments and part-time shifts at a grocery store where he harbours a crush on a friendly cashier”, per the festival’s synopsis.
Joana Vicente, the CEO of the Sundance Institute, said in a statement to The Associated Press on Saturday (21 January) that the closed captioning device, which relies on Wi-Fi, had been checked before the screening and was working, but malfunctioned nonetheless.
“Our team immediately worked with the devices in that venue to test them again...
- 1/24/2023
- by Tom Murray
- The Independent - Film
Marlee Matlin and fellow Sundance Film Festival jurors Jeremy O Harris and Eliza Hittman left the premiere of Magazine Dreams on Friday (20 January) night after subtitles failed to appear onscreen.
Coda star Matlin has been deaf since she was 18 months old and has long been a spokesperson for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Magazine Dreams tells the story of Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors) who “lives with his ailing veteran grandfather, obsessively working out between court-mandated therapy appointments and part-time shifts at a grocery store where he harbours a crush on a friendly cashier”, per the festival’s synopsis.
Joana Vicente, the CEO of the Sundance Institute, said in a statement to The Associated Press on Saturday (21 January) that the closed captioning device, which relies on Wi-Fi, had been checked before the screening and was working, but malfunctioned nonetheless.
“Our team immediately worked with the devices in that venue...
Coda star Matlin has been deaf since she was 18 months old and has long been a spokesperson for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Magazine Dreams tells the story of Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors) who “lives with his ailing veteran grandfather, obsessively working out between court-mandated therapy appointments and part-time shifts at a grocery store where he harbours a crush on a friendly cashier”, per the festival’s synopsis.
Joana Vicente, the CEO of the Sundance Institute, said in a statement to The Associated Press on Saturday (21 January) that the closed captioning device, which relies on Wi-Fi, had been checked before the screening and was working, but malfunctioned nonetheless.
“Our team immediately worked with the devices in that venue...
- 1/24/2023
- by Tom Murray
- The Independent - Film
Marlee Matlin is taking a stand. The 57-year-old actress, who is deaf, walked out of the premiere of “Magazine Dreams” on Friday after the Sundance Film Festival failed to provide adequate captioning, Variety reported.
According to the outlet, Matlin, along with fellow U.S. Dramatic Competition jury members Jeremy O. Harris and Eliza Hittman, decided to collectively walk out of the film as it began after a caption device provided to Matlin didn’t work.
While the device was eventually repaired, sources told the outlet that the jury has repeatedly expressed concern that movies playing at the festival should come with open captions. Several filmmakers have declined the request, sources told the outlet, due to how much it would cost and the time it would take.
In response, jurors sent a letter to festival filmmakers, which the outlet obtained. It read in part, “The U.S. independent cinema movement began...
According to the outlet, Matlin, along with fellow U.S. Dramatic Competition jury members Jeremy O. Harris and Eliza Hittman, decided to collectively walk out of the film as it began after a caption device provided to Matlin didn’t work.
While the device was eventually repaired, sources told the outlet that the jury has repeatedly expressed concern that movies playing at the festival should come with open captions. Several filmmakers have declined the request, sources told the outlet, due to how much it would cost and the time it would take.
In response, jurors sent a letter to festival filmmakers, which the outlet obtained. It read in part, “The U.S. independent cinema movement began...
- 1/23/2023
- by Anita Tai
- ET Canada
At the premiere of U.S. Documentary Competition title “Going Varsity in Mariachi,” the Q&a featured a rousing performance by the Edinburg North High School’s Mariachi Oro. Members of the “Theater Camp” cast performed a show tune at the premiere of their U.S. Dramatic Competition crowdpleaser. And at the screening of another hotly anticipated sales title, “Magazine Dreams,” the competition jury walked out in protest when captioning was not available for juror Marlee Matlin.
In short, Sundance is back and looks remarkably like its usual self with some excitement here, some disappointment there. That, along with a surprise screening (Doug Liman’s Brett Kavanaugh doc “Justice”), a little controversy (everyone will leave knowing what “open captions” mean), and a lot of snow make for a comfortingly familiar festival experience after a three-year gap.
Sundance 2023 even saw the results of its first bidding wars on Monday morning, with...
In short, Sundance is back and looks remarkably like its usual self with some excitement here, some disappointment there. That, along with a surprise screening (Doug Liman’s Brett Kavanaugh doc “Justice”), a little controversy (everyone will leave knowing what “open captions” mean), and a lot of snow make for a comfortingly familiar festival experience after a three-year gap.
Sundance 2023 even saw the results of its first bidding wars on Monday morning, with...
- 1/23/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
The entire jury of this year’s Sundance Film Festival staged a walkout during the Friday-night premiere of “Magazine Dreams” after a closed-captioning device provided to juror Marlee Matlin didn’t work.
As Variety reports, members of the dramatic jury — consisting of Jeremy O. Harris, Eliza Hittman and Matlin — collectively walked out of the film in solidarity with Matlin.
Multiple sources tells Variety that the jury as repeatedly shared their concerns for why films debuting at Sundance come with open captions. However, those same sources also pointed out that several filmmakers declined Sundance’s request to provide closed captioning on prints of their films, citing the costs and time involved with producing a closed-captioned print.
Read More: ‘Coda’ Star Marlee Matlin Delivers Powerful SAG Awards Acceptance Speech: ‘We Deaf Actors Have Come A Long Way’
In the midst of the controversy, the jury sent a signed letter to filmmakers premiering their movies at the festival,...
As Variety reports, members of the dramatic jury — consisting of Jeremy O. Harris, Eliza Hittman and Matlin — collectively walked out of the film in solidarity with Matlin.
Multiple sources tells Variety that the jury as repeatedly shared their concerns for why films debuting at Sundance come with open captions. However, those same sources also pointed out that several filmmakers declined Sundance’s request to provide closed captioning on prints of their films, citing the costs and time involved with producing a closed-captioned print.
Read More: ‘Coda’ Star Marlee Matlin Delivers Powerful SAG Awards Acceptance Speech: ‘We Deaf Actors Have Come A Long Way’
In the midst of the controversy, the jury sent a signed letter to filmmakers premiering their movies at the festival,...
- 1/22/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival is in full swing in Park City, Utah, but a recent premiere screening brought up continued questions of how accessible the festival is for those with disabilities, with Sundance CEO Joana Vicente acknowledging there is “more work to do” in an official statement.
During the premiere screening of Jonathan Majors’ latest film “Magazine Dreams” on Friday night, Sundance jurors for the U.S. Dramatic Competition category Marlee Matlin, Jeremy O. Harris, and Eliza Hittman walked out after the device that allows for closed captioning for Matlin malfunctioned and was not working.
Matlin, who is Deaf, left and, in solidarity with her, both Harris and Hittman followed. The device was repaired for the next screening and the jurors will screen the film at a later date.
A source with knowledge stressed that devices are tested repeatedly, and the device simply malfunctioned. Cell phone interference is known to...
During the premiere screening of Jonathan Majors’ latest film “Magazine Dreams” on Friday night, Sundance jurors for the U.S. Dramatic Competition category Marlee Matlin, Jeremy O. Harris, and Eliza Hittman walked out after the device that allows for closed captioning for Matlin malfunctioned and was not working.
Matlin, who is Deaf, left and, in solidarity with her, both Harris and Hittman followed. The device was repaired for the next screening and the jurors will screen the film at a later date.
A source with knowledge stressed that devices are tested repeatedly, and the device simply malfunctioned. Cell phone interference is known to...
- 1/22/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
In the wake of the news that Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Jury walked out of the premiere screening of “Magazine Dreams” over a technical issue with the film’s closed captions, IndieWire has learned that two films in the U.S. Dramatic competition yet to make their premieres, “Mutt” and “A Thousand and One,” will both screen with open captions. Additionally, the team behind “The Accidental Getaway Driver” is also showing solidarity with the jury and is working “through the night” to deliver an open-captioned digital print.
Rather than closed captions that are provided through a monitor to those who request it, open captions are visible on the screen to the full audience.
The U.S. Dramatic jury, which is made up of deaf actress Marlee Matlin, Eliza Hittman, and Jeremy O. Harris, wrote an open letter requesting open-caption prints at the films’ premieres. While they acknowledged that’s...
Rather than closed captions that are provided through a monitor to those who request it, open captions are visible on the screen to the full audience.
The U.S. Dramatic jury, which is made up of deaf actress Marlee Matlin, Eliza Hittman, and Jeremy O. Harris, wrote an open letter requesting open-caption prints at the films’ premieres. While they acknowledged that’s...
- 1/22/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
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