Madeleine Gavin’s Sundance award-winning documentary “Beyond Utopia” has garnered the best documentary and best doc editing honors at the 24th annual Woodstock Film Festival.
The documentary, which was recently acquired by Roadside Attractions, is vying for Academy Award attention.
Using hidden camera footage, the doc follows the high-stakes journey that a handful of desperate families make in order to defect from North Korea — a country with the most brutal regime on earth, led by a dictator, Kim Jong-un.
Doc jurors included directors Barbara Kopple (“Harlan County USA”) Richard Rowley (“ Kingdom of Silence”) and Heidi Ewing (“Jesus Camp”).
“This year’s winner is an astonishingly intimate, white-knuckle thriller following families trying to escape North Korea,” the jurors said in a joint statement. “Stitched together from raw, first person footage, it is impossible not to feel the heart-breaking courage as a family clings to each other during a nighttime crossing of the Mekong River.
The documentary, which was recently acquired by Roadside Attractions, is vying for Academy Award attention.
Using hidden camera footage, the doc follows the high-stakes journey that a handful of desperate families make in order to defect from North Korea — a country with the most brutal regime on earth, led by a dictator, Kim Jong-un.
Doc jurors included directors Barbara Kopple (“Harlan County USA”) Richard Rowley (“ Kingdom of Silence”) and Heidi Ewing (“Jesus Camp”).
“This year’s winner is an astonishingly intimate, white-knuckle thriller following families trying to escape North Korea,” the jurors said in a joint statement. “Stitched together from raw, first person footage, it is impossible not to feel the heart-breaking courage as a family clings to each other during a nighttime crossing of the Mekong River.
- 10/1/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The arrival of a fresh, new voice on the indie filmmaking scene is always an exciting event and the latest debut on our radar is that from Chelsea Bo, producer of Joshua Leonard’s Fully Realized Humans and Sarah Adina Smith’s The Drop. Written, directed, and starring Bo, No Right Way is set for a fall festival tour and now we’re pleased to exclusively debut the trailer for the film, following the journey of half-sisters.
Also starring Ava Acres, Eliza Coupe-Marks, Jim Hanks, and Sufe Bradshaw, here’s the official synopsis: “Georgie, a brazen 13-year-old, has her life uprooted when she’s thrust into the guardianship of her half-sister Harper and torn away from her life in Vegas. Harper sees this turbulent time as a window of opportunity to pave a brighter future for her half-sister, but Harper’s self-righteous attempts to protect Georgie only lead to exposing their paralleled childhood wounds.
Also starring Ava Acres, Eliza Coupe-Marks, Jim Hanks, and Sufe Bradshaw, here’s the official synopsis: “Georgie, a brazen 13-year-old, has her life uprooted when she’s thrust into the guardianship of her half-sister Harper and torn away from her life in Vegas. Harper sees this turbulent time as a window of opportunity to pave a brighter future for her half-sister, but Harper’s self-righteous attempts to protect Georgie only lead to exposing their paralleled childhood wounds.
- 8/30/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Gravitas Ventures has picked up North American distribution rights to Fully Realized Humans, an indie comedy from director Joshua Leonard. The film, which screened at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, will get a day-and-date release on July 30.
Leonard co-wrote and co-stars alongside Jess Weixler in what is described as an honest and hilarious portrait of a married couple on the precipice of parenthood. The pic follows Jackie (Weixler) and Elliot (Leonard) who, with less than a month until the birth of their first child, embark on a madcap odyssey of self-discovery in an attempt to rid themselves of the inherited dysfunction of their own upbringings.
Ross Partridge, Janicza Bravo, Jennifer Lafleur, Beth Grant, Tom Bower, and Michael Chieffo co-star. Leonard also produced the pic with Chelsea Bo and Sean Drummond. Gravitas Ventures Vice President of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal with Ben Schwartz and Josh Braun of Submarine.
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Gravitas has...
Leonard co-wrote and co-stars alongside Jess Weixler in what is described as an honest and hilarious portrait of a married couple on the precipice of parenthood. The pic follows Jackie (Weixler) and Elliot (Leonard) who, with less than a month until the birth of their first child, embark on a madcap odyssey of self-discovery in an attempt to rid themselves of the inherited dysfunction of their own upbringings.
Ross Partridge, Janicza Bravo, Jennifer Lafleur, Beth Grant, Tom Bower, and Michael Chieffo co-star. Leonard also produced the pic with Chelsea Bo and Sean Drummond. Gravitas Ventures Vice President of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal with Ben Schwartz and Josh Braun of Submarine.
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Gravitas has...
- 5/14/2021
- by Patrick Hipes and Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Entering its 19th edition this year, Tribeca Film Festival has announced its feature film lineup, including a number of anticipated titles as well as festival favorites. World premiering at the festival is Chad Hartigan’s sci-fi romance Little Fish, Gerardo Naranjo’s Kokoloko, Eleanor Coppola’s Love is Love is Love, Michael Winterbottom’s sequel The Trip to Greece, Rodney Ascher’s A Glitch in the Matrix, Talya Lavie’s Honeymood, BenDavid Grabinski’s Happily, Bryan Bertino’s The Dark & The Wicked, plus documentaries on Stanley Kubrick, Dmx, Harry Belafonte, John Belushi, Brian Wilson, and more.
In terms of festival favorites, there’s Josephine Decker’s Shirley (our review), Jayro Bustamante’s La Llorona Heidi Ewing’s I Carry You With Me, Gaspar Noé’s medium-length work Lux Aeterna, the St. Vincent-Carrie Brownstein collaboration The Nowhere Inn, and more. Plus, Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island will...
In terms of festival favorites, there’s Josephine Decker’s Shirley (our review), Jayro Bustamante’s La Llorona Heidi Ewing’s I Carry You With Me, Gaspar Noé’s medium-length work Lux Aeterna, the St. Vincent-Carrie Brownstein collaboration The Nowhere Inn, and more. Plus, Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island will...
- 3/4/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The 2020 Tribeca Film Festival Tuesday unveiled its feature film lineup for its 19th edition running April 15-26 in NYC.
The fest, presented by AT&T, said it is continuing its tradition of championing the discovery of emerging voices and celebrating new work from established talent. This year it’s showcasing comedic, music-centered, political and socially-conscious films from diverse storytellers who use art to inspire positive change and community restoration.
The features program will include 115 films from 124 filmmakers from across 33 different countries. The line-up includes 95 world premieres, 2 international premieres, 4 North American premieres, 4 U.S. premieres, and 9 New York premieres and one sneak preview.
This year’s program includes 19 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects, and 44 of the feature films have one or more women directors. The feature program was curated from 3,385 submissions, and this year’s Festival received a record 10,397 total submissions across all categories. “First comes the story, then empathy,...
The fest, presented by AT&T, said it is continuing its tradition of championing the discovery of emerging voices and celebrating new work from established talent. This year it’s showcasing comedic, music-centered, political and socially-conscious films from diverse storytellers who use art to inspire positive change and community restoration.
The features program will include 115 films from 124 filmmakers from across 33 different countries. The line-up includes 95 world premieres, 2 international premieres, 4 North American premieres, 4 U.S. premieres, and 9 New York premieres and one sneak preview.
This year’s program includes 19 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects, and 44 of the feature films have one or more women directors. The feature program was curated from 3,385 submissions, and this year’s Festival received a record 10,397 total submissions across all categories. “First comes the story, then empathy,...
- 3/3/2020
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Tribeca Film Festival announced its 2020 lineup, a slate of 115 movies that includes offerings from Hugh Jackman, Pete Davidson and Chrissy Teigen.
The 2020 festival — which runs in Manhattan from April 15 through April 26 — has selections from 124 filmmakers representing 33 countries.
High-profile screenings include the U.S. premiere of “Bad Education” starring Jackman; the New York premiere of Judd Apatow’s comedy “The King of Staten Island” with Davidson; Elisabeth Moss in “Shirley;” and “Call Your Mother” featuring Bridget Everett, Tig Notaro and Awkwafina. “Fries,” a documentary from Teigen and Malcolm Gladwell, will have its world premiere at the festival.
Other non-fiction films debuting include “Citizen Penn,” a look at Sean Penn’s relief work in Haiti, and “Don’t Try to Understand: A Year in the Life of Earl ‘Dmx’ Simmons,” featuring inside access to the life of the famous rapper. Laverne Cox-produced film “Disclosure,” an exploration of transgender representation in the media will also premiere,...
The 2020 festival — which runs in Manhattan from April 15 through April 26 — has selections from 124 filmmakers representing 33 countries.
High-profile screenings include the U.S. premiere of “Bad Education” starring Jackman; the New York premiere of Judd Apatow’s comedy “The King of Staten Island” with Davidson; Elisabeth Moss in “Shirley;” and “Call Your Mother” featuring Bridget Everett, Tig Notaro and Awkwafina. “Fries,” a documentary from Teigen and Malcolm Gladwell, will have its world premiere at the festival.
Other non-fiction films debuting include “Citizen Penn,” a look at Sean Penn’s relief work in Haiti, and “Don’t Try to Understand: A Year in the Life of Earl ‘Dmx’ Simmons,” featuring inside access to the life of the famous rapper. Laverne Cox-produced film “Disclosure,” an exploration of transgender representation in the media will also premiere,...
- 3/3/2020
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
The 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, has today unveiled its feature film lineup, including a number of world premieres and a selection of proven hits from other festivals, including Tiff, Sundance, and SXSW. The features program will include 115 films from 124 filmmakers from across 33 different countries. This newly announced lineup includes 95 world premieres, 2 international premieres, 4 North American premieres, 4 U.S. premieres, and 9 New York premieres, plus one sneak preview. The 2020 Tribeca Film Festival will run April 15 to 26 across New York City and even, for the first time ever, New Jersey.
“This year’s festival embraces the unique power of film to bring people together — whether that’s literally the communal experience of watching a film in a packed theater, or the more intangible way a great film can make you empathize with a stranger’s struggle,” said festival director Cara Cusumano in an official statement. “In an election year where...
“This year’s festival embraces the unique power of film to bring people together — whether that’s literally the communal experience of watching a film in a packed theater, or the more intangible way a great film can make you empathize with a stranger’s struggle,” said festival director Cara Cusumano in an official statement. “In an election year where...
- 3/3/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
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