Actress Tessa Thompson has officially joined the Sundance Institute’s Board of Trustees.
The “Creed” actress and producer, along with documentarian Pete Nicks and producers Nina Fialkow and Kimberly Steward, comprise the new additions to the Board. Per an official press release, the foursome are now among the “leaders who guide and steer the entire organization and also act in an advisory capacity.”
Thompson said in a statement, “Both the Sundance Film Festival and the Institute have served as an artistic home for me throughout my career. I’m proud to expand this journey by joining the board to eagerly serve a community that has been so incredibly impactful to me and countless others.”
The new trustees will closely work with Board Chair Ebs Burnough and CEO Joana Vicente to usher in the next wave of rising filmmakers.
“As Sundance Institute continues to respond to the needs of independent artists,...
The “Creed” actress and producer, along with documentarian Pete Nicks and producers Nina Fialkow and Kimberly Steward, comprise the new additions to the Board. Per an official press release, the foursome are now among the “leaders who guide and steer the entire organization and also act in an advisory capacity.”
Thompson said in a statement, “Both the Sundance Film Festival and the Institute have served as an artistic home for me throughout my career. I’m proud to expand this journey by joining the board to eagerly serve a community that has been so incredibly impactful to me and countless others.”
The new trustees will closely work with Board Chair Ebs Burnough and CEO Joana Vicente to usher in the next wave of rising filmmakers.
“As Sundance Institute continues to respond to the needs of independent artists,...
- 10/19/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced four newly appointed additions to the Institute’s Board of Trustees. Tessa Thompson, Pete Nicks, Nina Fialkow, and Kimberly Steward have joined the leaders who guide the entire organization and also act in an advisory capacity. They add to the Institute’s Board of values-based leaders, building an enduring, evolving community for storytellers. The distinguished new Trustees will work closely with Board Chair Ebs Burnough and CEO Joana Vicente and bring invaluable experience.
“As Sundance Institute continues to respond to the needs of independent artists, we welcome these new members of our Board, each of whom has an incredible commitment to independent film and a long history with the Institute,” said Sundance Institute Board Chair Ebs Burnough. “Together, the Board is poised to identify new and strengthened ways to uplift independent storytellers.”
“We are so pleased to have Tessa, Pete, Nina, and Kimberly join...
“As Sundance Institute continues to respond to the needs of independent artists, we welcome these new members of our Board, each of whom has an incredible commitment to independent film and a long history with the Institute,” said Sundance Institute Board Chair Ebs Burnough. “Together, the Board is poised to identify new and strengthened ways to uplift independent storytellers.”
“We are so pleased to have Tessa, Pete, Nina, and Kimberly join...
- 10/19/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
On March 8, the eighth annual Icon Mann Honors paid tribute to “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who was lauded for her hallmark filmmaking and for inspiring culture by breaking new ground in cinema.
Striving for a better future in the arts, she addressed the audience that gathered at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills.
“I have always believed our greatness is reflected in our work and the ways that we show the world the incredible breadth of our humanity.”
The driving force for her career was further described during her acceptance speech. “From the beginning, I tell stories of Black women and girls and reframe the narrative of who we are and what we can be. I want us to look up on the screen and see ourselves reflected in a way that inspires us and that we can aspire to be. And I’m proud of the Black...
Striving for a better future in the arts, she addressed the audience that gathered at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills.
“I have always believed our greatness is reflected in our work and the ways that we show the world the incredible breadth of our humanity.”
The driving force for her career was further described during her acceptance speech. “From the beginning, I tell stories of Black women and girls and reframe the narrative of who we are and what we can be. I want us to look up on the screen and see ourselves reflected in a way that inspires us and that we can aspire to be. And I’m proud of the Black...
- 3/9/2023
- by Elizabeth Taylor
- Variety Film + TV
In the final stretch to the Oscars, Hollywood’s A-List and industry insiders get their party on in the days and nights leading up to the big show. From Gina Prince-Bythewood being among the honorees at Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood Awards and a Friday night Versace fashion show to a celebration of Kerry Condon, Jessie Buckley and Eve Hewson at the Oscar Wilde Awards, this year’s Academy Award soirres and events are in full swing.
Of course, the partying continues into the wee hours after the awards are handed out.
Here, Variety gives you this year’s ultimate Oscar party guide.
March 6 – Monday
A Conversation with Donatella Versace
The Los Angeles LGBT Center hosts a Q&a with the legendary fashion designer.
The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, Los Angeles
March 8 – Wednesday
Women of the Year Gala
Time magazine celebrates International Women’s Day with its second annual event.
Of course, the partying continues into the wee hours after the awards are handed out.
Here, Variety gives you this year’s ultimate Oscar party guide.
March 6 – Monday
A Conversation with Donatella Versace
The Los Angeles LGBT Center hosts a Q&a with the legendary fashion designer.
The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, Los Angeles
March 8 – Wednesday
Women of the Year Gala
Time magazine celebrates International Women’s Day with its second annual event.
- 3/6/2023
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
The eighth annual Icon Mann Honors dinner will salute “The Woman King” filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood, “Sidney” director Reginald Hudlin and Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of the Africa Center NYC and author of the New York Times bestseller “Beasts of No Nation.”
Icon Mann partnered with Sony Pictures for the event, which has a “Reimagining African Diasporic Narratives” theme and will take place on Wednesday, March 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The dinner is part of a series of awards week events for Icon Mann, which is a media, production and management consultancy representing African Diasporic heritage. The company is a leading strategic broker for investments and enterprise within creative industries for Hollywood and media-driven African nations, cultivating a global network of creators and leaders focused on “positive narrative representation.”
Filmmaker George Tillman will also be honored on Tuesday, Feb. 28 with a fireside chat and film retrospective in advance...
Icon Mann partnered with Sony Pictures for the event, which has a “Reimagining African Diasporic Narratives” theme and will take place on Wednesday, March 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The dinner is part of a series of awards week events for Icon Mann, which is a media, production and management consultancy representing African Diasporic heritage. The company is a leading strategic broker for investments and enterprise within creative industries for Hollywood and media-driven African nations, cultivating a global network of creators and leaders focused on “positive narrative representation.”
Filmmaker George Tillman will also be honored on Tuesday, Feb. 28 with a fireside chat and film retrospective in advance...
- 2/27/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
The Sundance Institute has announced the addition of Shripriya Mahesh, Lulu Wang and Patrick Gaspard to its Board of Trustees. The trio will now help steer and act in an advisory capacity for the organization, working closely with Board Chair Ebs Burnough and CEO Joana Vicente.
Mahesh is the founding partner of Spero Ventures, as well as an investor, experienced technology executive and filmmaker. Wang is an award-winning writer, director and producer best known for helming the A24 dramedy The Farewell, which won two Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Feature, upon its 2019 release. A leader in government, philanthropy, labor and global diplomacy, Gaspard serves as President and CEO of the Center for American Progress.
“The new trustees bring an invaluable depth of experience in government and civic engagement, technology and digital product development, and deep knowledge of the media, entertainment, and storytelling landscape,” said Burnough. “As Sundance’s programs continue...
Mahesh is the founding partner of Spero Ventures, as well as an investor, experienced technology executive and filmmaker. Wang is an award-winning writer, director and producer best known for helming the A24 dramedy The Farewell, which won two Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Feature, upon its 2019 release. A leader in government, philanthropy, labor and global diplomacy, Gaspard serves as President and CEO of the Center for American Progress.
“The new trustees bring an invaluable depth of experience in government and civic engagement, technology and digital product development, and deep knowledge of the media, entertainment, and storytelling landscape,” said Burnough. “As Sundance’s programs continue...
- 11/10/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The Sundance Institute has added three newly appointed members to the Board of Trustees. Lulu Wang (director of “The Farewell”), Patrick Gaspard (current CEO for the Center for American Progress) and Shripriya Mahesh (a founding partner at Spero Ventures) have joined the business, cultural and philanthropic leaders who steer the entire organization and also act in an advisory capacity.
They will expand the Institute’s Board of “values-based leaders,” building an “evolving community for storytellers.” The Trustees will work closely with Board Chair Ebs Burnough and CEO Joana Vicente.
“We are honored to have Lulu, Patrick and Shripriya join us as Trustees on the Board of Sundance Institute,” said Vicente in a statment. “Their vision and expertise offer us innovative leadership to continue to evolve as a cultural organization and deepen our commitment to the work.”
Also Read:
IFC Films Acquires North American Rights to ‘Biosphere,’ Starring Sterling K. Brown...
They will expand the Institute’s Board of “values-based leaders,” building an “evolving community for storytellers.” The Trustees will work closely with Board Chair Ebs Burnough and CEO Joana Vicente.
“We are honored to have Lulu, Patrick and Shripriya join us as Trustees on the Board of Sundance Institute,” said Vicente in a statment. “Their vision and expertise offer us innovative leadership to continue to evolve as a cultural organization and deepen our commitment to the work.”
Also Read:
IFC Films Acquires North American Rights to ‘Biosphere,’ Starring Sterling K. Brown...
- 11/10/2022
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
The Sundance Institute has added three new names to its board of trustees: Lulu Wang, Patrick Gaspard and Shripriya Mahesh. The trio will help guide and advise the nonprofit on its endeavors, including the prolific filmmaker labs and annual film festival.
Wang is an award winning director, producer, and writer behind titles like The Farewell. Gaspard is president and CEO of the think tank Center for American Progress. Mahesh is a filmmaker and the founding partner of venture capital firm Spero Ventures, a technology executive.
“The new trustees bring an invaluable depth of experience in government and civic engagement, technology and digital product development, and deep knowledge of the media, entertainment, and storytelling landscape,” said Sundance Institute board chair Ebs Burnough.
“We are honored to have Lulu, Patrick and Shripriya join us as Trustees on the Board of Sundance Institute. Their vision and...
The Sundance Institute has added three new names to its board of trustees: Lulu Wang, Patrick Gaspard and Shripriya Mahesh. The trio will help guide and advise the nonprofit on its endeavors, including the prolific filmmaker labs and annual film festival.
Wang is an award winning director, producer, and writer behind titles like The Farewell. Gaspard is president and CEO of the think tank Center for American Progress. Mahesh is a filmmaker and the founding partner of venture capital firm Spero Ventures, a technology executive.
“The new trustees bring an invaluable depth of experience in government and civic engagement, technology and digital product development, and deep knowledge of the media, entertainment, and storytelling landscape,” said Sundance Institute board chair Ebs Burnough.
“We are honored to have Lulu, Patrick and Shripriya join us as Trustees on the Board of Sundance Institute. Their vision and...
- 11/10/2022
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Beasts of No Nation” marked a historic moment for Netflix as the streaming giant’s first original narrative film production. The film launched in competition at the 2015 Venice Film Festival and then opened October 16, 2015 day-and-date in theaters and on Netflix. Many industry figures wondered if “Beasts” would bring Netflix into the Oscar race for the first time, but the Academy shut the film out despite Idris Elba’s SAG Award win for Best Supporting Actor (he was also nominated at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs) and the film’s SAG nominee for outstanding cast. Elba recently told THR that awards bodies wouldn’t ignore the film had it been released in 2021.
“I think the reception from an audience perspective would be very similar [if it was released today],” Elba said. “But considering the social climate now, ‘Beasts of No Nation’ would certainly make a real impact in terms of awards and accolades, and not...
“I think the reception from an audience perspective would be very similar [if it was released today],” Elba said. “But considering the social climate now, ‘Beasts of No Nation’ would certainly make a real impact in terms of awards and accolades, and not...
- 9/23/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The Sundance Institute on Monday appointed seven new members to its Board of Trustees, bringing it to a 32-person board that is evenly split between men and women and features 10 who identify as people of color, including six who identify as Black.
The newest members are Kimberlé Crenshaw, Ann Lewnes and Wonya Lucas, who join the board alongside Uzodinma Iweala, Amanda Kelso, William Plapinger and Junaid Sarieddeen, all of whom joined over the last year. While the Sundance Institute board typically includes 24-28 members, it expanded this year to add new members and to replace three members whose terms had expired.
The new trustees will work closely with Board chair Pat Mitchell and executive director Keri Putnam in shaping the business, cultural and philanthropic goals of the organization in an advisory capacity.
They join current members on the Institute’s Board: Robert Redford, president & founder; Pat Mitchell, chair; Jeanne Donovan Fisher,...
The newest members are Kimberlé Crenshaw, Ann Lewnes and Wonya Lucas, who join the board alongside Uzodinma Iweala, Amanda Kelso, William Plapinger and Junaid Sarieddeen, all of whom joined over the last year. While the Sundance Institute board typically includes 24-28 members, it expanded this year to add new members and to replace three members whose terms had expired.
The new trustees will work closely with Board chair Pat Mitchell and executive director Keri Putnam in shaping the business, cultural and philanthropic goals of the organization in an advisory capacity.
They join current members on the Institute’s Board: Robert Redford, president & founder; Pat Mitchell, chair; Jeanne Donovan Fisher,...
- 10/26/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Sundance Institute has added prominent Civil Rights attorney Kimberlé Crenshaw, Crown Media Family Networks executive Wonya Lucas and Adobe executive Ann Lewnes to its board of trustees.
The institute also announced Monday that Uzodinma Iweala, Amanda Kelso, William Plapinger and Junaid Sarieddeen have joined the board over the last year.
“We are so grateful to welcome the expertise and unique perspectives of Kimberlé, Uzodinma, Amanda, Ann, Bill and Junaid to Sundance as we move forward in this challenging time,” said chair Pat Mitchell. “Our board possesses the right skills, a broad range of talents and a high level of commitment to our founding values and ethics to guide the organization’s mission oriented work in supporting emerging artists around the world and connecting audiences to their stories.”
The trustees announced in August that the 2021 Sundance Film Festival would be shortened from 11 to seven days, running from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3.
Crenshaw...
The institute also announced Monday that Uzodinma Iweala, Amanda Kelso, William Plapinger and Junaid Sarieddeen have joined the board over the last year.
“We are so grateful to welcome the expertise and unique perspectives of Kimberlé, Uzodinma, Amanda, Ann, Bill and Junaid to Sundance as we move forward in this challenging time,” said chair Pat Mitchell. “Our board possesses the right skills, a broad range of talents and a high level of commitment to our founding values and ethics to guide the organization’s mission oriented work in supporting emerging artists around the world and connecting audiences to their stories.”
The trustees announced in August that the 2021 Sundance Film Festival would be shortened from 11 to seven days, running from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3.
Crenshaw...
- 10/26/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Kimberlé Crenshaw, Ann Lewnes, Wonya Lucas have joined the Sundance Institute Board of Trustees alongside Uzodinma Iweala, Amanda Kelso, William Plapinger, and Junaid Sarieddeen who joined over the last year. The group will work closely with Board Chair Pat Mitchell and Executive Director Keri Putnam.
“We are so grateful to welcome the expertise and unique perspectives of Kimberlé, Uzodinma, Amanda, Ann, Bill, and Junaid to Sundance as we move forward in this challenging time,” saidMitchell. “Our board possesses the right skills, a broad range of talents and a high level of commitment to our founding values and ethics to guide the organization’s mission oriented work in supporting emerging artists around the world and connecting audiences to their stories.”
The new members join the Institute’s board comprised of Robert Redford, President & Founder; Pat Mitchell, Chair; Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Vice Chair; Ebs Burnough, Vice Chair; Sean Bailey, Ritesh Batra, Jason Blum,...
“We are so grateful to welcome the expertise and unique perspectives of Kimberlé, Uzodinma, Amanda, Ann, Bill, and Junaid to Sundance as we move forward in this challenging time,” saidMitchell. “Our board possesses the right skills, a broad range of talents and a high level of commitment to our founding values and ethics to guide the organization’s mission oriented work in supporting emerging artists around the world and connecting audiences to their stories.”
The new members join the Institute’s board comprised of Robert Redford, President & Founder; Pat Mitchell, Chair; Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Vice Chair; Ebs Burnough, Vice Chair; Sean Bailey, Ritesh Batra, Jason Blum,...
- 10/26/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Megan Crouse Oct 10, 2019
We talked to speculative fiction author Tochi Onyebuchi about novellas War Girls and Riot Baby.
Tochi Onyebuchi brings a keen eye for world-building and momentum-filled action scenes to his young adult novels. From the Pokémon-like Beasts Made of Night duology to the upcoming fantasy novella Riot Baby, he’s making waves. At Nycc 2019, we sat down to talk to him about pop culture influences, the process of building a novel, and how he wants to push back against Western perceptions of African countries.
Riot Baby will be available from Tor.com in January 2020. War Girls comes out on Oct. 15 from Penguin Random House.
Den of Geek: Your latest book, War Girls, is a post-apocalyptic story involving both catastrophic change and nuclear war. What draws you to writing apocalypse while the real world feels so apocalyptic?
Tochi Onyebuchi: Part of it is coping! Part of it is...
We talked to speculative fiction author Tochi Onyebuchi about novellas War Girls and Riot Baby.
Tochi Onyebuchi brings a keen eye for world-building and momentum-filled action scenes to his young adult novels. From the Pokémon-like Beasts Made of Night duology to the upcoming fantasy novella Riot Baby, he’s making waves. At Nycc 2019, we sat down to talk to him about pop culture influences, the process of building a novel, and how he wants to push back against Western perceptions of African countries.
Riot Baby will be available from Tor.com in January 2020. War Girls comes out on Oct. 15 from Penguin Random House.
Den of Geek: Your latest book, War Girls, is a post-apocalyptic story involving both catastrophic change and nuclear war. What draws you to writing apocalypse while the real world feels so apocalyptic?
Tochi Onyebuchi: Part of it is coping! Part of it is...
- 10/9/2019
- Den of Geek
It’s hard to remember now, but it was only a few short years ago that Netflix was just a shiny new cog in the film industry, and not one of its most powerful engines. But a lot can change in a little while, especially when you’ve got a disruptive new distribution platform, a seemingly infinite supply of money, and an aggressive desire to change Hollywood forever. Starting with 2015’s “Beasts of No Nation,” Netflix began transforming the movie business in much the same way as it had already transformed the television business, financing and distributing — and later also acquiring — its own features.
The move immediately made an impression, with documentary “Winter on Fire” landing the company’s first Oscar nomination. In 2016, Netflix began swooping up some of the most exciting independent films around. In 2017, the company leveraged “Mudbound” to major awards consideration, and made a splash at the...
The move immediately made an impression, with documentary “Winter on Fire” landing the company’s first Oscar nomination. In 2016, Netflix began swooping up some of the most exciting independent films around. In 2017, the company leveraged “Mudbound” to major awards consideration, and made a splash at the...
- 2/23/2018
- by David Ehrlich, Eric Kohn, Kate Erbland, Jude Dry, Michael Nordine, Anne Thompson, William Earl and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
By Patrick Shanley
Managing Editor
With a number of big Golden Globe wins last night, including best director and best dramatic picture for The Revenant, director Alejandro G. Inarritu finds himself once more in the thick of the Oscar hunt. The Mexican-born filmmaker won big last year with three Oscars for his avant garde drama Birdman, which scored him the best original screenplay, best director, and best picture awards.
This year, with the western revenge thriller The Revenant, Inarritu has once more directed a film that he wrote himself, this time adapting the screenplay from the novel by Michael Punke with co-writer Mark L. Smith.
Inarritu is not the only writer/director with films in the race this year, however, as a number of other contenders boast a director who also penned the film’s script. The original screenplay hopefuls include Spotlight (directed and written by Tom McCarthy with co-writer...
Managing Editor
With a number of big Golden Globe wins last night, including best director and best dramatic picture for The Revenant, director Alejandro G. Inarritu finds himself once more in the thick of the Oscar hunt. The Mexican-born filmmaker won big last year with three Oscars for his avant garde drama Birdman, which scored him the best original screenplay, best director, and best picture awards.
This year, with the western revenge thriller The Revenant, Inarritu has once more directed a film that he wrote himself, this time adapting the screenplay from the novel by Michael Punke with co-writer Mark L. Smith.
Inarritu is not the only writer/director with films in the race this year, however, as a number of other contenders boast a director who also penned the film’s script. The original screenplay hopefuls include Spotlight (directed and written by Tom McCarthy with co-writer...
- 1/12/2016
- by Patrick Shanley
- Scott Feinberg
In this exclusive new featurette, "Beasts of No Nation" director Cary Joji Fukunaga, Golden Globe-nominated star Idris Elba, and the film's producers explain how they transformed Uzodinma Iweala's novel about a child soldier in West Africa into an honest, realistic cinematic portrait. The film, which Netflix picked up for $12 million, also received nominations for Best Ensemble and Best Supporting Actor Elba from SAG, and five Indie Spirit nominations: Best Feature, Best Director, Best Supporting Male, Best Male Lead (child actor Abraham Attah) and Best Cinematography (Fukunaga). Watch: "How Cary Fukunaga Traveled to the Heart of Darkness with 'Beasts of No Nation' (Exclusive Video)" As Fukunaga notes, he pushed himself to traverse new terrain in "Beasts of No Nation": "I wanted to try things I hadn't tried before, in terms of shutter angles and handheld work, to give me the aesthetic that I wanted," he says. He also pushed his producers.
- 1/1/2016
- by Matt Brennan
- Thompson on Hollywood
Among the many films this year in Oscar contention, very few match the intensity of Cary Fukunaga's "Beasts Of No Nation." The Netflix release is the company's first fully produced feature film, debuting this fall on their service — but don't let that fact fool you. Cinematic in every aspect of its production values and scope, and worthy of the big screen (where it has also screened in limited release), 'Beasts' is accomplished filmmaking that tackles a difficult subject head-on. Starring Idris Elba and newcomer Abraham Attah (who picked up an award at the Venice Film Festival for his performance), the adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala's novel follows a young boy who comes under the commander of a brutal military leader and is trained to be a child soldier. It's a harrowing journey, captured palpably by Fukunaga, and this exclusive featurette explores his uncompromising vision, the complexity of the performances, and...
- 12/9/2015
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
It ended just about 20 minutes ago, at 7:45 pm Est, and, thankfully, the live stream was archived and immediately made available, and is embedded below. In brief, courtesy of the New York Times "Times Talk" series (a program of conversations with people of note from the arts, journalism, politics, fashion and food, and New York Times journalists and editors), Cary Joji Fukunaga, Idris Elba and newcomer Abraham Attah take you behind the scenes of the much-ballyhooed drama "Beasts of No Nation," a very likely contender for all kinds of awards this season, and the first theatrical film from Netflix. Adapted from the novel by Uzodinma Iweala and shot in Ghana, it...
- 11/17/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Beasts of No Nation
Written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga
USA, 2015
Although the achievements of director Cary Joji Fukunaga in the first season of True Detective have never been widely disputed, the disastrous second season, produced without Fukunaga at the helm, made his contribution all the more apparent. The astonishing six-minute tracking shot midway through season one was an obvious high point, but Fukunaga embedded visual information throughout the season which brought the setting and characters to life. Beyond the convoluted plot, season two missed these sorts of details, leaving a bland detective show without enough aesthetic idiosyncrasies to make it compelling.
Fukunaga brings the eye which served him so well on True Detective to Beasts of No Nation, the first feature film distributed by Netflix. With a screenplay and cinematography also by Fukunaga, the film adapts the 2005 novel of the same name by Uzodinma Iweala.
Like Iweala’s novel,...
Written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga
USA, 2015
Although the achievements of director Cary Joji Fukunaga in the first season of True Detective have never been widely disputed, the disastrous second season, produced without Fukunaga at the helm, made his contribution all the more apparent. The astonishing six-minute tracking shot midway through season one was an obvious high point, but Fukunaga embedded visual information throughout the season which brought the setting and characters to life. Beyond the convoluted plot, season two missed these sorts of details, leaving a bland detective show without enough aesthetic idiosyncrasies to make it compelling.
Fukunaga brings the eye which served him so well on True Detective to Beasts of No Nation, the first feature film distributed by Netflix. With a screenplay and cinematography also by Fukunaga, the film adapts the 2005 novel of the same name by Uzodinma Iweala.
Like Iweala’s novel,...
- 10/27/2015
- by Max Bledstein
- SoundOnSight
Beasts Of No Nation Netflix Reviewed by: Harvey Karten for Shockya. Databased on Rotten Tomatoes. Grade: B+ Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga Written by: Cary Joji Fujunaga based on the novel by Uzodinma Iweala “Beasts of No Nation” Cast: Abraham Attah, Idris Elba, Ama K. Abebrese, Opeyemi Fagbohungbe, Grace Nortey, David Dontoh Screened at: Park Ave., NYC, 10/19/15 Opens: October 16, 2015 The key argument made, one that led to America’s adoption of the 26th Amendment forbidding states to deny the right to vote to citizens 18 years of age and older, came out of the Vietnam War protests. The point was: if you’re old enough to fight and perhaps die [ Read More ]
The post Beasts of No Nation Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Beasts of No Nation Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/22/2015
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Cary Fukunaga does it all on "Beasts of No Nation," an intense drama about child soldiers in Africa. He produced, directed, adapted Uzodinma Iweala’s acclaimed 2005 novel of the same name, and even handled lensing. As such, he has the potential to become only the third person to ever be nominated for four Oscars in the same year for the same film. If pulls off this four play, he'd join two Hollywood icons in the Oscar record book: Orson Welles and Warren Beatty. -Break- Dish the Oscars with Hollywood insiders in our red-hot forums Welles became the first person to garner four nominations for one film in 1941 with "Citizen Kane. He contended for Best Picture, Directing, Actor and Original Screenplay (with Herman J. Mankiewicz), winning the latter honor. He lost Picture and Directing to "How Green Was My Valley" and its helmer John Ford, and the Actor prize to Gary Cooper for "Serge.
- 10/19/2015
- Gold Derby
Over the weekend, cinema goers as well as Netflix subscribers were both given access to one of the year’s more intriguing awards contenders. In some ways, the impending Oscar campaign for Beasts of No Nation is unlike any that we’ve ever seen before. Beyond just being a dark film from Cary Joji Fukunaga that might be a tough sell to voters, it’s the first attempt by streaming service Netflix to appeal to members of the Academy. They’ve begun making inroads with the Emmys, but the Oscars is a whole different sort of beast, no pun intended. As such, this is one awards season subplot worth following closely. The movie is an adaptation of the novel by Uzodinma Iweala. It centers on Agu (played brilliantly by newcomer Abraham Attah), a young boy in an African village within an unnamed country who is essentially forced into becoming a child solider.
- 10/19/2015
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
This review originally ran during our coverage of Tiff 2015.
As the first feature film to be acquired for distribution by Netflix, Beasts of No Nation is only partly on-brand for the streaming service. Following the same “first you get the prestige, then you get the viewers” philosophy that guided the platform’s development of original television, Beasts of No Nation will be a likely awards contender. It features dependably stunning direction and cinematography from Cary Joji Fukunaga, and an impressive supporting performance from Idris Elba. More importantly, Beasts of No Nation is just an exceptionally well-made and absorbing film.
But it also makes for a surprising choice of premiere material, given that Beasts of No Nation features a mostly African cast, and deals with extremely grim subject matter. For Fukunaga (adapting Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 novel), it’s the chance to establish a presence in international filmmaking, or discover blind spots in his renowned visual eye.
As the first feature film to be acquired for distribution by Netflix, Beasts of No Nation is only partly on-brand for the streaming service. Following the same “first you get the prestige, then you get the viewers” philosophy that guided the platform’s development of original television, Beasts of No Nation will be a likely awards contender. It features dependably stunning direction and cinematography from Cary Joji Fukunaga, and an impressive supporting performance from Idris Elba. More importantly, Beasts of No Nation is just an exceptionally well-made and absorbing film.
But it also makes for a surprising choice of premiere material, given that Beasts of No Nation features a mostly African cast, and deals with extremely grim subject matter. For Fukunaga (adapting Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 novel), it’s the chance to establish a presence in international filmmaking, or discover blind spots in his renowned visual eye.
- 10/19/2015
- by Sam Woolf
- We Got This Covered
“Beasts of No Nation” writer/director Cary Fukunaga first learned about child soldiers as an undergrad in college. Before applying to film school at Nyu he wrote a short script about the invasion of a village in Sierra Leone. “It was very ambitious for a short film,” recalls the Emmy champ ("True Detective") in our exclusive audio podcast (listen below). The filmmaker had already spent years immeresed in the subject before being given Uzodinma Iweala’s acclaimed 2005 novel. “It was so arresting,” he says of the story of Agu, a young boy who joins a militia after being separated from his family by a Civil War. “For me, it felt like everything I had been looking for in terms of a story to tell. I could apply all of my research into that story.” -Break- Dish the Oscars with Hollywood insiders in our red-hot forums His exhaustive search for someone...
- 10/18/2015
- Gold Derby
"Beasts of No Nation," Cary Fukunaga's drama about child soldiers in an African civil war, opened Friday to stellar notices and earned an impressive score of 88% at Rotten Tomatoes. (Read excerpts of these rave reviews below.) Such critical acceptance should boost the Oscar profile of this first original motion picture from Netflix. The streaming service previously distributed Best Documentary Feature nominees "The Square" (2013) and "Virunga" (2014). -Break- The critics admired Fukunaga's unflinching, visually arresting direction of the film, which he adapted from Uzodinma Iweala's 2005 novel. And they were wowed by teenage newcomer Abraham Attah as a child soldier and Idris Elba as the 'Commandant,' who recruits him. According to our official Gold Derby odds, Elba is the frontrunner to win Best Supporting Actor for this villainous turn. 'Beasts of No Nation' launches Idri...'...
- 10/17/2015
- Gold Derby
Nausea-inducing as the massacres of men, women, and children in African nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo are, one fact stands out as even more unfathomably grotesque: A vast number of the murderers are children trained to kill without mercy. To fill the gulf in our imaginations is Cary Joji Fukunaga’s adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala’s novel Beasts of No Nation, which is set in an unnamed country that strongly resembles the Congo. Iweala’s idea was to make his protagonist-narrator a boy, Agu (Abraham Attah onscreen), who sees his father, brother, and friends executed by government troops on the bizarre pretense that these blameless civilians are rebel combatants. Barely outrunning a fusillade that cuts down the few who haven’t been lined up and shot, Agu stumbles into the wilderness, where he’s rescued/captured by a lordly rebel commandant called “Commandant” (Idris Elba) and his platoon of children.
- 10/16/2015
- by David Edelstein
- Vulture
New to Streaming: ‘Beasts of No Nation,’ ‘Inside Out,’ ‘Experimenter,’ ‘Mississippi Grind,’ and More
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Beasts of No Nation (Cary Fukunaga)
If there were any question marks still floating over Cary Fukunaga’s credentials, his latest film, Beasts of No Nation, should flick them aside with ease. Based on the acclaimed novel by American writer Uzodinma Iweala and boasting staggering performances from both of its lead players, Abraham Attah and Idris Elba, Fukunaga has delivered one of the most viscerally stylized war films in recent memory.
Beasts of No Nation (Cary Fukunaga)
If there were any question marks still floating over Cary Fukunaga’s credentials, his latest film, Beasts of No Nation, should flick them aside with ease. Based on the acclaimed novel by American writer Uzodinma Iweala and boasting staggering performances from both of its lead players, Abraham Attah and Idris Elba, Fukunaga has delivered one of the most viscerally stylized war films in recent memory.
- 10/16/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
Exploring the horrors of war is nothing new to the word of cinema, but rarely has the subject of child soldiers been touched on and never with the conviction of Beasts of No Nation. An adaption of book of the same name by Uzodinma Iweala, director Cary Fukunaga (True Detective, 2011’s Jane Eyre) offers a brutal and uncompromising look at the toll war takes on youngster Ugu (newcomer Abraham Attah), who is forced to join group of mercenaries in an unnamed African country after civil war rips his family away from him. Falling under the thrall of the charismatic Commandant (Idris Elba), Ugu becomes a blindly obedient tool in the rebellion as his innocence is slowly washed away. Make no mistake, Beasts of No Nation is not an easy watch. Fukunaga’s script does not shy away from the grim reality of a world that we only see on new reports,...
- 10/16/2015
- by noreply@blogger.com (Tom White)
- www.themoviebit.com
Cinema can often be a doorway to witness events going on far from your hometown theatre (or multiplex). I’m talking of real events, often things more horrific than anything screenwriters can type up. Just last year a Best Picture Oscar went to 12 Years A Slave, which was based on a memoir from over a hundred years ago. Schindler’S List also took the big prize nearly twenty years ago for a true tale from, then, just fifty years in the past. The tale told in this new film is ongoing, even as we view the story from the comfort of our theatre seats. It’s the tragedy of the use of child soldiers, boys not yet ten years old, in the near constant civil wars that plague the African continent. Yes, it was a part of the recent films The Good Lie and Machine Gun Preacher, but this new...
- 10/15/2015
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Netflix's first venture into feature filmmaking, "Beasts of No Nation," opens in theaters and debuts online Friday. Emmy champ Cary Fukunaga ("True Detective") pulled triple duty: he adapted Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 best-selling novel, directed and did the lensing. The film follows Agu (Abraham Attah), a young boy forced to fight in the civil war tearing apart his West African country. Idris Elba ("Luther") is the commander of a guerilla sqaud who turns the boy into a soldier. Critics are making special mention of Elba in their enthusiastic endorsements of the film (see below). And seven of our Oscar experts -- drawn from Yahoo, Variety, Rollling Stone, IMDb and other top media -- are predicting that this supporting role will net him an Oscar. That support gives this Golden Globe champ and Emmy nominee for "Luther" leading odds of 7/2 to prevail with his first Oscar bid. ...'...
- 10/15/2015
- Gold Derby
True Detective's Cary Fukunaga swaps crime-riddled Louisiana for war-torn West Africa in the savagely intense Beasts of No Nation. It also happens to be the first ever movie production from Netflix, who'll premiere it online the same day it hits cinemas. Expect the streaming giant to categorise it as 'Harrowing War Movie' - this one will leave its mark whether seen on small screen or big.
Idris Elba is the marquee name on the poster, but it's 14-year-old newcomer Abraham Attah who's the heart and soul of the story. He plays Agu, a high-spirited kid whose life gets upended after a violent militant coup sweeps through his village. On the run, Agu is taken in by Elba's warlord (known simply as Commandant) and transformed into a child soldier to spill blood in a messy civil war.
Beasts is all about the emotional tug of war between Agu and Commandant, the...
Idris Elba is the marquee name on the poster, but it's 14-year-old newcomer Abraham Attah who's the heart and soul of the story. He plays Agu, a high-spirited kid whose life gets upended after a violent militant coup sweeps through his village. On the run, Agu is taken in by Elba's warlord (known simply as Commandant) and transformed into a child soldier to spill blood in a messy civil war.
Beasts is all about the emotional tug of war between Agu and Commandant, the...
- 10/15/2015
- Digital Spy
There's a moment near the halfway mark of the child-soldier drama Beasts of No Nation where our young hero, an African preteen-turned-rebel-army-killing-machine named Adu, is being prepped for battle. An older boy pulls out a knife and cuts the youngster's forehead; he then rubs a powdery substance into the gash. As the group's leader, a charismatic destroyer of souls known simply as Commandant (played by The Wire's Idris Elba), leads them toward their destination, the visuals begin to change: plants take on a rusty blood-red hue, the earth they...
- 10/14/2015
- Rollingstone.com
★★★★☆ There's a scene halfway through Cary Fukunaga's adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala's harrowing novel Beasts of No Nation (2015) - currently in select cinemas and on Netflix from 16 October - where a mother and her daughter are dragged from their hiding places, raped and killed while our protagonist Agu (a stunning performance from Abraham Attah) participates. It's a brutal moment in a film full of them and represents an ulterior and final loss of innocence. And yet such notions of innocence and guilt, of victim and oppressor, are not strictly delineated and darkness and confusion reign in the moral fog of war.
- 10/14/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
We live in a vastly changing cinematic universe. As more and more films steer further away from a release schedule that focuses on an actual in-theater run, the world of video on demand has become a landing ground for bigger and bigger pictures. Once the home of small independent releases trying to make a splash in niche markets, today even studios have begun shortening the theatrical window for specific films, looking to grab a hold of the ever growing VOD market. And now, Netflix may have just given the film world a true game changer.
Ostensibly going date and date, the mighty streaming service juggernaut has teamed with Bleeker Street to give the world a new film entitled Beasts of No Nation, arguably the biggest example of this changing theatrical landscape to date. With Bleeker handling the theatrical side of this release, the new film from director Cary Fukunaga has...
Ostensibly going date and date, the mighty streaming service juggernaut has teamed with Bleeker Street to give the world a new film entitled Beasts of No Nation, arguably the biggest example of this changing theatrical landscape to date. With Bleeker handling the theatrical side of this release, the new film from director Cary Fukunaga has...
- 10/13/2015
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Surely one of the most beautiful films about ultimate ugliness ever, Cary Joji Fukunaga's immersive and profoundly moving "Beasts of No Nation" is a hollowing experience — it reaches in and scoops you out, piece by piece, until all that's left is a cavernous shame at being a person who lives in a world where this story can happen. In this it is exactly the film that needed to be made about the ultimate degradation of morality represented by the practise of turning children into soldiers, and exactly the film that Uzodinma Iweala's remarkable novel deserved to inspire. Matching Fukunaga's proven storytelling grace with a story truly worth the telling, the result is explosively authentic and yet lyrical, making an utterly inhumane and alien situation both completely real and completely abstract. It becomes the cumulative anguish of so many similar stories (our press notes suggest there are anything from...
- 10/12/2015
- by Jessica Kiang
- The Playlist
With child soldier drama Beasts of No Nation, Netflix could have a serious Oscar contender on their hands. Yes, Netflix (thanks to a limited theatre release will see to that). With their latest original movie, from True Detective director Cary Fukunaga, hitting the online streaming service on Friday, a final trailer has come our way, featuring powerful performances from Idris Elba and newcomer Abraham Attah. Check it out below. Released: 16th October Synopsis: Based on the highly-acclaimed novel by Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala, Beasts of No Nation brings to life the gripping tale of Agu, a child soldier torn from his family to fight in the civil war of an African country. ...
- 10/12/2015
- by noreply@blogger.com (Tom White)
- www.themoviebit.com
Netflix is getting one one last trailer for Beasts of No Nation, just days before the film’s online and theatrical debut. Idris Elba and Abraham Attah lead Cary Fukunaga‘s harrowing drama about a child soldier in west Africa, based on the novel by Uzodinma Iweala. Watch the Beasts of No Nation final trailer after the jump. The Beasts of No Nation final trailer popped up […]
The post Cary Fukunaga’s ‘Beasts of No Nation’ Gets One Last Heartbreaking Trailer appeared first on /Film.
The post Cary Fukunaga’s ‘Beasts of No Nation’ Gets One Last Heartbreaking Trailer appeared first on /Film.
- 10/12/2015
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
With a release pegged for this coming Friday, Netflix has peeled back the curtain on the riveting final trailer for its upcoming war drama, Beasts of No Nation.
Written and directed by True Detective‘s Cary Fukunaga, few of the online giant’s original films have garnered as much attention as Beasts, what with the Idris Elba-fronted picture drawing praise at both Venice and Toronto during this year’s festival circuit. It’ll take inspiration from the gripping, award-winning novel of the same name by Nigerian scribe Uzodinma Iweala.
Starring up-and-coming actor Abraham Attah as a frightened young boy caught between the crossfires of a brutal civil war, Beasts of No Nation is turning heads for its unflinching approach to child soldiers and the savageness of one deadly Commandant (Elba). Taking Attah’s orphan under his wing, Elba’s warmonger twists the young boy into a killing machine, learning how to fire a weapon,...
Written and directed by True Detective‘s Cary Fukunaga, few of the online giant’s original films have garnered as much attention as Beasts, what with the Idris Elba-fronted picture drawing praise at both Venice and Toronto during this year’s festival circuit. It’ll take inspiration from the gripping, award-winning novel of the same name by Nigerian scribe Uzodinma Iweala.
Starring up-and-coming actor Abraham Attah as a frightened young boy caught between the crossfires of a brutal civil war, Beasts of No Nation is turning heads for its unflinching approach to child soldiers and the savageness of one deadly Commandant (Elba). Taking Attah’s orphan under his wing, Elba’s warmonger twists the young boy into a killing machine, learning how to fire a weapon,...
- 10/12/2015
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Read More: With Its Adventurous Netflix Deal, Can 'Beasts of No Nation' Work on the Small Screen? With only several days left to go before Friday's release of Cary Fukunaga's "Beasts of No Nation," Netflix has released a final trailer that proves just how harrowing and emotional the experience will be for viewers. Based on the novel by Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala, "Beasts" is set in an unspecified African country and stars Idris Elba as a ruthless war lord who takes in a young boy, Agu (newcomer Abraham Attah), and trains him to become a child solider. The drama has earned considerable praise for its direction and lead performances after screenings in Venice, Telluride, Tiff and London. The final trailer above features no shortage of grueling imagery, including one intense shot of prisoners with grenades being strapped to their mouths. "Beasts" will hit select theaters and will be...
- 10/12/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
With Crimson Peak, The Assassin, Bridge of Spies, and more arriving this week, there’s a number of worthwhile options to seek out, but the easiest to find will be Cary Fukunaga‘s Beasts of No Nation. Debuting on Netflix globally this Friday, we now have one last trailer as well as 45 minutes worth of talks with the director when it comes to the making of his latest drama.
Led by Idris Elba, Uzodinma Iweala‘s story, adapted by Fukunaga, centers on a young boy, Agu, who, when civil war engulfs his West African country, is forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters. Agu must not only face the death of his father and disappearance of his mother and sister, but also join a life of violence and brutality, which is where Elba’s character figures in.
We said in our review, “If there were any question marks still...
Led by Idris Elba, Uzodinma Iweala‘s story, adapted by Fukunaga, centers on a young boy, Agu, who, when civil war engulfs his West African country, is forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters. Agu must not only face the death of his father and disappearance of his mother and sister, but also join a life of violence and brutality, which is where Elba’s character figures in.
We said in our review, “If there were any question marks still...
- 10/12/2015
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The awards season experiment begins this week with "Beasts Of No Nation." After premiering at the Telluride Film Festival, and hitting Tiff, Netflix's Oscar hope will open in limited release and hit their platform at the same time this Friday. Will the Academy recognize a movie that they can watch on their phone? Will Cary Joji Fukunaga's movie be too intense for the older crew of the voting branch? It'll be interesting to watch it play out. But before any of that conversation can really start happening, the movie has to land, and a new trailer has arrived to get everyone prepared for what's coming. Idris Elba stars in the picture, based on the book by Uzodinma Iweala, that is told through the eyes of a child soldier, who is recruited for battle by a brutal warlord. It looks nothing short of intense and harrowing, and it's definitely one...
- 10/12/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Idris Elba is terrifyingly charismatic in this Oscar-tipped tale of a child soldier
Adapted from Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 novel about an African boy recruited to a rebel militia, this Oscar-tipped production gets a brief UK theatrical outing prior to its high-profile Netflix release on 16 October. Newcomer Abraham Attah is a revelation as Agu, the playful youngster forced into horrifying acts of war after his father and brother are killed. Following in the footsteps of 2009’s extraordinary Johnny Mad Dog and 2012’s Oscar-nominated War Witch, Cary Joji Fukunaga’s uncompromising film leads us through a cycle of violence in which childhood is buried and kids are traumatically reborn as child soldiers.
Idris Elba brings a terrifying charisma to the role of the Commandant, who tells his young charges: “I am your future!”, but nothing is as distressing as the look on Agu’s face as he learns to kill. Fukunaga’s...
Adapted from Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 novel about an African boy recruited to a rebel militia, this Oscar-tipped production gets a brief UK theatrical outing prior to its high-profile Netflix release on 16 October. Newcomer Abraham Attah is a revelation as Agu, the playful youngster forced into horrifying acts of war after his father and brother are killed. Following in the footsteps of 2009’s extraordinary Johnny Mad Dog and 2012’s Oscar-nominated War Witch, Cary Joji Fukunaga’s uncompromising film leads us through a cycle of violence in which childhood is buried and kids are traumatically reborn as child soldiers.
Idris Elba brings a terrifying charisma to the role of the Commandant, who tells his young charges: “I am your future!”, but nothing is as distressing as the look on Agu’s face as he learns to kill. Fukunaga’s...
- 10/11/2015
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Filmmaker Cary Fukunaga is a waste not, want not kind of guy. When he puts time and effort into developing a project, he doesn’t just abandon it because it hasn’t been green-lit by a studio. Take his upcoming African child soldiers drama “Beasts Of No Nation,” which arrives in theaters and Netflix next week. Fukunaga wrote the adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala’s book sometime after “Sin Nombre” in 2009, and after trying to make it at Focus Features, stuck with the movie. In fact, the director suggested he was compelled to make the picture since he had already invested so much time on research and interviewing people from war-torn regions on top of working closely with the author. "Once you start doing the research, once you start putting together material which inevitably be for publication, or in this case for distribution as a movie, there's a responsibility that goes along with it,...
- 10/9/2015
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
With the London Film Festival well underway, the Beasts Of No Nation gala in Leicester Square saw director Cary Fukunaga joined by cast and crew on the red carpet. Uzodinma Iweala, writer of the 2005 novel of which the film is based, actor Abraham Attah and producer Daniel Crown all ran the press gauntlet on Thursday evening. Idris Elba was absent, presumably busy with villain duties in Star Trek Beyond.Fukunaga, who made the Mexican-American thriller Sin Nombre before switching gears for his more recent work on Jane Eyre and series one of True Detective, here creates tension and tragedy in a film about the brutality of war and the effects of conflict in an African state.Beasts Of No Nation follows nine year-old Agu (Attah) who escapes the slaughter of his family and is recruited to the rebel militia of an unnamed country ripped apart by civil war. Elba plays the commander of that militia,...
- 10/8/2015
- EmpireOnline
Outside of its Oscar buzz and its status as the first original feature film to be distributed by Netflix, Cary Fukanaga’s "Beasts of No Nation" is drawing attention as a gruesome and realistic portrayal of the plight of child soldiers. The film is adapted from a novel of the same name by Uzodinma Iweala and follows young Agu, played by Abraham Attah, who is caught in the middle of his country’s civil war and forced to fight. Over the course of the film, Agu has to witness and carry out unspeakable acts to stay alive. Read More: Telluride: With Its Adventurous Netflix Deal, Can 'Beasts of No Nation' Work on the Small Screen? A preview screening of "Beasts of No Nation" was held at MoMA on Tuesday, October 6 and hosted by Trudie Styler, Sting and James Schamus, who all have a history of social activism, with...
- 10/8/2015
- by Wil Barlow
- Indiewire
What has dreamboat director Cary Fukunaga been up to since blowing our minds with True Detective season one? Getting malaria while trekking through the jungles of Ghana filming Beasts of No Nation, his arresting new movie about child soldiers, it turns out. The movie is a passion project of Fukunaga's, who spent nine years adapting a script based on Uzodinma Iweala's 2005 novel of the same name, and also directed, produced, and, after his camera operator pulled a hamstring, shot the whole thing. Mighty Idris Elba was there, too, playing a warlord with a very convincing West African accent. We spoke with Fukunaga about the production hazards; the film's extraordinary star, Abraham Attah, whom they found through street casting in the Ghanaian city of Accra and who just won the Best Young Actor prize at the Venice Film Festival; and what it's like to work with Netflix, which is releasing...
- 9/30/2015
- by Jada Yuan
- Vulture
African child soldier drama will open in the UK on Oct 9, a week before it debuts on Netflix.
Netflix and Curzon have announced a partnership that will put Netflix’s first original film, Beasts Of No Nation, in select Curzon Cinemas across the UK one week before the film will be viewable on the online streaming service.
The film, written and directed by Cary Fukunaga (True Detective, Sin Nombre) and starring Idris Elba (Luther, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) will have its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on Oct 8.
It will then open theatrically in the UK on Oct 9, before debuting on all Netflix territories on Oct 16.
Beasts Of No Nation is an adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala’s highly acclaimed novel of the same name. The story follows a child soldier named Agu who fights in the civil war of an unnamed African country.
The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival...
Netflix and Curzon have announced a partnership that will put Netflix’s first original film, Beasts Of No Nation, in select Curzon Cinemas across the UK one week before the film will be viewable on the online streaming service.
The film, written and directed by Cary Fukunaga (True Detective, Sin Nombre) and starring Idris Elba (Luther, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) will have its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on Oct 8.
It will then open theatrically in the UK on Oct 9, before debuting on all Netflix territories on Oct 16.
Beasts Of No Nation is an adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala’s highly acclaimed novel of the same name. The story follows a child soldier named Agu who fights in the civil war of an unnamed African country.
The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival...
- 9/21/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Beasts of No Nation
Written by Cary Fukunaga
Directed by Cary Fukunaga
2015, USA
Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation showcases a bombardment of graphic imagery that is excruciating, chilling and hard to digest. Still, for all the cringe-inducing brutality, the engrossing material engages on a fundamental level, with a level of empathy that is not present in most war epics. The mental, physical and sexual exploitation of children that comes with absolute warfare is on full display. Here, kids are both victims and perpetrators. Choice is seen as something that’s only an option for the privileged in peacetime. Little Agu’s (Abraham Attah) world is flipped upside down as his loving family is supplanted by a roving gang of child soldiers led by the intimidating Commandant (Idris Elba), who marches across an unnamed African country for power and revenge. Although Elba receives top billing, it is Attah who...
Written by Cary Fukunaga
Directed by Cary Fukunaga
2015, USA
Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation showcases a bombardment of graphic imagery that is excruciating, chilling and hard to digest. Still, for all the cringe-inducing brutality, the engrossing material engages on a fundamental level, with a level of empathy that is not present in most war epics. The mental, physical and sexual exploitation of children that comes with absolute warfare is on full display. Here, kids are both victims and perpetrators. Choice is seen as something that’s only an option for the privileged in peacetime. Little Agu’s (Abraham Attah) world is flipped upside down as his loving family is supplanted by a roving gang of child soldiers led by the intimidating Commandant (Idris Elba), who marches across an unnamed African country for power and revenge. Although Elba receives top billing, it is Attah who...
- 9/21/2015
- by Lane Scarberry
- SoundOnSight
Anomalisa wins Grand Jury Prize; Robert Pattinson-starrer The Childhood Of A Leader wins best debut.Scroll down for full list of winners
From Afar (Desde Alla), the first Venezuelan production to appear in Competition at the Venice Film Festival, has won the Golden Lion for Best Film.
The directorial debut of Lorenzo Vigas concerns a middle-aged man (Alfredo Castro) who pays young boys to spend time with him. One day he befriends an 18-year-old delinquent (Luis Silva), a development that affects both profoundly.
The film, sold by Celluloid Dreams, is produced by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, who co-wrote the script.
The Silver Lion for Best Director went to Argentinian film-maker Pablo Trapero for kidnap drama The Clan (El Clan).
Trapero has a good relationship with Venice, having won two prizes for his 1999 debut, Crane World, returning in 2004 with Rolling Family and sitting on the Golden Lion jury in 2012.
The Clan is based on the real-life exploits...
From Afar (Desde Alla), the first Venezuelan production to appear in Competition at the Venice Film Festival, has won the Golden Lion for Best Film.
The directorial debut of Lorenzo Vigas concerns a middle-aged man (Alfredo Castro) who pays young boys to spend time with him. One day he befriends an 18-year-old delinquent (Luis Silva), a development that affects both profoundly.
The film, sold by Celluloid Dreams, is produced by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, who co-wrote the script.
The Silver Lion for Best Director went to Argentinian film-maker Pablo Trapero for kidnap drama The Clan (El Clan).
Trapero has a good relationship with Venice, having won two prizes for his 1999 debut, Crane World, returning in 2004 with Rolling Family and sitting on the Golden Lion jury in 2012.
The Clan is based on the real-life exploits...
- 9/12/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Telluride – Agu is a fictional character. He lives in a fictional country in the middle of an imaginary civil war. In reality, there are thousands of Agu’s in Africa today, boys that are recruited or forced to play soldier in a multitude of armed conflicts across the continent (and the world). You may have seen news reports or documentaries on these child warriors, but acclaimed filmmaker Cary Fukunaga’s cinematic vision, as depicted in “Beasts of No Nation,” won't let you look away from the real life horrors still taking place on that far off continent. Adapted from Uzodinma Iweala’s novel of the same name, “Beasts” begins with Agu (a remarkable Abraham Attah) living a peaceful life with his family in what appears to be a medium sized African town in an unnamed West African country. His father teaches at the local school, his older brother is primarily...
- 9/9/2015
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
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