Kristian Mercado (Nuevo Rico) directed from a screenplay by Angela Bourassa (A Little Distracted).
The Exchange has boarded international sales rights to the romantic comedy If You Were The Last starring Anthony Mackie and Zoe Chao and will launch AFM sales this week.
Kristian Mercado (Nuevo Rico) directed from a screenplay by Angela Bourassa (A Little Distracted) about a male and female astronaut stranded in their broken-down spaceship who argue over whether they should spend their remaining days as friends or something more.
The film just debuted in the US on the Peacock streaming platform and is produced by The Promise,...
The Exchange has boarded international sales rights to the romantic comedy If You Were The Last starring Anthony Mackie and Zoe Chao and will launch AFM sales this week.
Kristian Mercado (Nuevo Rico) directed from a screenplay by Angela Bourassa (A Little Distracted) about a male and female astronaut stranded in their broken-down spaceship who argue over whether they should spend their remaining days as friends or something more.
The film just debuted in the US on the Peacock streaming platform and is produced by The Promise,...
- 10/30/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Comedy queen and director of Plan B talks about contraception, last year’s Dobbs decision and the importance of connection
It’s not yet noon in Portland when Natalie Morales repairs to a modest Airbnb and plops on to a couch next to a deep-slumbering lap hound named Taco, a very good dog. Morales is filming a feature about veterans with Ptsd that’s only pressing on through the writers’ strike because it’s an independent film. Its small budget and tight schedule has Morales on call six days a week. But intense work schedules are nothing new for the 38-year-old multi-hyphenate dark comedy queen, whose deadpan acting credits run from Parks and Recreation to Santa Clarita Diet to The Morning Show. She also stars opposite Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings, which opened in theaters last weekend.
Two years ago, after marking her feature directorial debut with Language Lessons...
It’s not yet noon in Portland when Natalie Morales repairs to a modest Airbnb and plops on to a couch next to a deep-slumbering lap hound named Taco, a very good dog. Morales is filming a feature about veterans with Ptsd that’s only pressing on through the writers’ strike because it’s an independent film. Its small budget and tight schedule has Morales on call six days a week. But intense work schedules are nothing new for the 38-year-old multi-hyphenate dark comedy queen, whose deadpan acting credits run from Parks and Recreation to Santa Clarita Diet to The Morning Show. She also stars opposite Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings, which opened in theaters last weekend.
Two years ago, after marking her feature directorial debut with Language Lessons...
- 6/20/2023
- by Andrew Lawrence
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: Ed Harris (Westworld), Sonequa Martin-Green (Star Trek: Discovery) and Natalie Morales (No Hard Feelings) have closed deals to lead My Dead Friend Zoe, a dark dramedy about two generations of veterans, family and friendship, which Kyle Hausmann-Stokes will direct in his feature debut.
The film written by Hausmann-Stokes and A.J. Bermudez tells the story of a female veteran (Martin-Green) engaged in a mysterious but comfortable friendship with her wise-cracking (and dead) best friend from the Army (Morales). When the vet is summoned to the remote lake house of her estranged Vietnam vet grandfather (Harris), she is tasked with providing the one thing he refuses…help.
Pic is based on Merit x Zoe, a short that Hausmann-Stokes co-wrote and directed last year, and both films draw inspiration from his real-life experiences during and after the military. A graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Hausmann-Stokes served five years in...
The film written by Hausmann-Stokes and A.J. Bermudez tells the story of a female veteran (Martin-Green) engaged in a mysterious but comfortable friendship with her wise-cracking (and dead) best friend from the Army (Morales). When the vet is summoned to the remote lake house of her estranged Vietnam vet grandfather (Harris), she is tasked with providing the one thing he refuses…help.
Pic is based on Merit x Zoe, a short that Hausmann-Stokes co-wrote and directed last year, and both films draw inspiration from his real-life experiences during and after the military. A graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Hausmann-Stokes served five years in...
- 5/17/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Mel Eslyn’s feature directorial debut stars Sterling K. Brown, Mark Duplass.
Blue Fox Entertainment will kick off international sales at EFM next week on Mel Eslyn’s TIFF 2022 sci-fi comedy Biosphere starring Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass.
Eslyn and Duplass wrote the screenplay set in not-too-distant future where the last two men on earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity.
Producers are Zackary Drucker, Eslyn, Maddie Buis, and Shuli Harel. Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass serve as executive producers through their Duplass Brothers Productions.
Blue Fox Entertainment is screening Biosphere in the market. Head of international Lisa Gutberlet...
Blue Fox Entertainment will kick off international sales at EFM next week on Mel Eslyn’s TIFF 2022 sci-fi comedy Biosphere starring Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass.
Eslyn and Duplass wrote the screenplay set in not-too-distant future where the last two men on earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity.
Producers are Zackary Drucker, Eslyn, Maddie Buis, and Shuli Harel. Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass serve as executive producers through their Duplass Brothers Productions.
Blue Fox Entertainment is screening Biosphere in the market. Head of international Lisa Gutberlet...
- 2/7/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Early 2023 followed by exclusive streaming run on AMC+
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to Mel Eslyn’s TIFF world premiere and feature directorial debut Biosphere starring Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown.
The sci-fi takes place in the not-too-distant future as the last two men on earth who must adapt and evolve to save humanity.
Eslyn – whose producing credits include The One I Love, Language Lessons co-starring Mark Duplass, and The Intervention – served as producer with Zackary Drucker, who co-directed docuseries The Lady And The Dale produced by the Duplass Brothers.
The producers roster includes Shuli Harel and...
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to Mel Eslyn’s TIFF world premiere and feature directorial debut Biosphere starring Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown.
The sci-fi takes place in the not-too-distant future as the last two men on earth who must adapt and evolve to save humanity.
Eslyn – whose producing credits include The One I Love, Language Lessons co-starring Mark Duplass, and The Intervention – served as producer with Zackary Drucker, who co-directed docuseries The Lady And The Dale produced by the Duplass Brothers.
The producers roster includes Shuli Harel and...
- 11/7/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Black List’s Franklin Leonard called out the ongoing lack of diversity at the top levels of the US industry.
Hollywood is the least diverse business sector in the US, said Franklin Leonard, CEO and founder of The Black List, at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this week.
“It’s less diverse than oil and gas, less diverse than finance, less diverse than Donald Trump’s cabinet was,” Leonard said.
He suggested the the hegemony reflected in the film industry results in “tragic” consequences for political ideology.
“Why is it easy for people to chant ‘build the wall...
Hollywood is the least diverse business sector in the US, said Franklin Leonard, CEO and founder of The Black List, at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this week.
“It’s less diverse than oil and gas, less diverse than finance, less diverse than Donald Trump’s cabinet was,” Leonard said.
He suggested the the hegemony reflected in the film industry results in “tragic” consequences for political ideology.
“Why is it easy for people to chant ‘build the wall...
- 9/13/2022
- by Alexandria Slater
- ScreenDaily
Fest runs September 8-18.
An on-stage conversation with Taylor Swift and the feature Biosphere produced by the Duplass Brothers have been added to TIFF programming.
TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey will interview pop icon Swift under the In Conversation With… Industry Conference banner on September 9.
The star will discuss filmmaking and the visual aspects of her music following the first screening of All Too Well: The Short Film on 35mm which she wrote, directed and produced.
Biosphere will play in Special Presentations on September 10 and marks the feature directing debut of Mel Eslyn, the long-time president of Duplass Brothers Productions whose producing credits include Room 104,...
An on-stage conversation with Taylor Swift and the feature Biosphere produced by the Duplass Brothers have been added to TIFF programming.
TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey will interview pop icon Swift under the In Conversation With… Industry Conference banner on September 9.
The star will discuss filmmaking and the visual aspects of her music following the first screening of All Too Well: The Short Film on 35mm which she wrote, directed and produced.
Biosphere will play in Special Presentations on September 10 and marks the feature directing debut of Mel Eslyn, the long-time president of Duplass Brothers Productions whose producing credits include Room 104,...
- 9/2/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
West Side Story, Encanto and In the Heights are among the nominations for the 37th annual Imagen Awards, which recognize work by Latino talent, new faces and seasoned creatives.
“After two years of streaming celebrations, we are ecstatic to be back in person and to honor those who made significant contributions to the television, film and streaming spaces,” What We Do in the Shadows star Harvey Guillén, who presented the nominees, said. “With the caliber of talent and the diversity of the roles and projects, our expectations were wildly exceeded with 445 entries, up 125 from 2021! We are beyond proud of this year’s nominees and all those who submitted. Given the excellence of the entries, the judges had a difficult time selecting those to be nominated.”
Nominees are determined by an independent panel of entertainment industry and Latino community leaders.
The 37th annual Imagen...
West Side Story, Encanto and In the Heights are among the nominations for the 37th annual Imagen Awards, which recognize work by Latino talent, new faces and seasoned creatives.
“After two years of streaming celebrations, we are ecstatic to be back in person and to honor those who made significant contributions to the television, film and streaming spaces,” What We Do in the Shadows star Harvey Guillén, who presented the nominees, said. “With the caliber of talent and the diversity of the roles and projects, our expectations were wildly exceeded with 445 entries, up 125 from 2021! We are beyond proud of this year’s nominees and all those who submitted. Given the excellence of the entries, the judges had a difficult time selecting those to be nominated.”
Nominees are determined by an independent panel of entertainment industry and Latino community leaders.
The 37th annual Imagen...
- 8/16/2022
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Imagen Awards on Monday unveiled the full list of nominees for its 37th annual gala honoring Latino storytelling, performances, writing and creative expression in television and film. This year’s awards show is set for October 2 in Los Angeles at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.
Walt Disney Studios’ West Side Story was among the most nominated alongside Disney’s animated movie Encanto. Eugenio Derbez scored several nods including Best Actor in a Feature Film for Apple TV+’s Coda and Best Actor in a Comedy (Television) for Hulu’s The Valet.
Derbez’s 3Pas Studios is also behind Apple TV+’s comedy Acapulco, which also received several mentions in the noms, which were revealed today by What We Do in the Shadows star Harvey Guillén and actress-writer-producer Karrie Martin Lachney.
“After two years of streaming celebrations, we are ecstatic to be back in person and to honor those...
Walt Disney Studios’ West Side Story was among the most nominated alongside Disney’s animated movie Encanto. Eugenio Derbez scored several nods including Best Actor in a Feature Film for Apple TV+’s Coda and Best Actor in a Comedy (Television) for Hulu’s The Valet.
Derbez’s 3Pas Studios is also behind Apple TV+’s comedy Acapulco, which also received several mentions in the noms, which were revealed today by What We Do in the Shadows star Harvey Guillén and actress-writer-producer Karrie Martin Lachney.
“After two years of streaming celebrations, we are ecstatic to be back in person and to honor those...
- 8/15/2022
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Kristen Konvitz has joined UTA as an Agent in the Independent Film Group division. She will work from the agency’s Los Angeles headquarters, reporting to Partners Jim Meenaghan and Rena Ronson, who serve as Co-Heads of the Independent Film Group.
Konvitz comes to UTA from ICM, where she worked as an Agent in the Independent Film Group. She spent over five years at the agency prior to its acquisition by CAA, there working to structure and arrange financing, assemble and secure distribution for independent films.
Konvitz has brokered distribution deals on dozens of films coming out of such major festivals as Cannes, Sundance, TIFF and SXSW, among others. Her recent projects include Agnieszka Smoczynska’s Cannes Un Certain Regard entry The Silent Twins, SXSW Audience Award winner Pretty Problems, Sundance Best Director winner Palm Trees and Power Lines, and Spike Lee’s American Utopia. Additionally, she has negotiated...
Konvitz comes to UTA from ICM, where she worked as an Agent in the Independent Film Group. She spent over five years at the agency prior to its acquisition by CAA, there working to structure and arrange financing, assemble and secure distribution for independent films.
Konvitz has brokered distribution deals on dozens of films coming out of such major festivals as Cannes, Sundance, TIFF and SXSW, among others. Her recent projects include Agnieszka Smoczynska’s Cannes Un Certain Regard entry The Silent Twins, SXSW Audience Award winner Pretty Problems, Sundance Best Director winner Palm Trees and Power Lines, and Spike Lee’s American Utopia. Additionally, she has negotiated...
- 8/2/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Season 2 of the Emmy-winning comedy “Hacks,” the debut of Colin Firth’s true-crime drama “The Staircase” and the streaming return of “The Matrix: Resurrections” all await HBO Max subscribers in May. If you’re looking for something new to watch or wondering what’s on HBO Max this month, not to worry, we’ve got the full rundown.
There are several must-watch new TV shows on both HBO and HBO Max this month, new and returning. Acclaimed Jean Smart comedy “Hacks” returns for Season 2 on May 12. As for the new debuts, May sees the premieres for HBO Max’s “The Staircase” on May 5, starring Colin Firth as Michael Peterson in the true-crime limited series, as well as the HBO premiere of Steven Moffat’s (”Doctor Who”) series adaptation of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” on May 15.
New films this month include the streaming return of “The Matrix: Resurrections” and streaming premieres...
There are several must-watch new TV shows on both HBO and HBO Max this month, new and returning. Acclaimed Jean Smart comedy “Hacks” returns for Season 2 on May 12. As for the new debuts, May sees the premieres for HBO Max’s “The Staircase” on May 5, starring Colin Firth as Michael Peterson in the true-crime limited series, as well as the HBO premiere of Steven Moffat’s (”Doctor Who”) series adaptation of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” on May 15.
New films this month include the streaming return of “The Matrix: Resurrections” and streaming premieres...
- 5/20/2022
- by Haleigh Foutch
- The Wrap
With movie theaters fully back up and running, HBO Max no longer has any major film releases to point to with its list of new releases for May 2022. That’s alright though as the streamer is leaning into the HBO side of its branding to offer up some fun TV releases.
The biggest HBO Max original this month is undoubtedly the return of Hacks on May 12. The first season of this comedy starred Jean Smart as a venerated Vegas comedy and Hannah Einbinder as her new millennial assistant. The first batch of episodes was excellent and even won an Emmy or two for its troubles and now season 2 will look to keep up the good vibes.
Premiering on May 15, is The Time Traveler’s Wife. This series adaptation of the 2003 novel (which in turn became a a 2009 movie) keeps up with two star-crossed lovers who can never quite make the timing work…...
The biggest HBO Max original this month is undoubtedly the return of Hacks on May 12. The first season of this comedy starred Jean Smart as a venerated Vegas comedy and Hannah Einbinder as her new millennial assistant. The first batch of episodes was excellent and even won an Emmy or two for its troubles and now season 2 will look to keep up the good vibes.
Premiering on May 15, is The Time Traveler’s Wife. This series adaptation of the 2003 novel (which in turn became a a 2009 movie) keeps up with two star-crossed lovers who can never quite make the timing work…...
- 5/1/2022
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Let’s talk about the tiny movies in America.
Not the streamer productions around $20 million that benefit from Hollywood resources, nor the dwindling middle class of features lucky enough to secure independent financing for $5 million-$10 million. This is about the bootstrapped, maxed-out-credit-card moviemaking that exists through the sheer will of its creators. The ones with the microscopic cast and crew (and often the cast is the crew), the minimalist narratives mandated by minuscule resources — the personal and potentially alienating visions of singular moving-image artists who somehow manage to bring their movie dreams to life. What happens to them?
As SXSW convenes for its first in-person edition in two years, that question is particularly apt. It describes many of the films that will premiere at this festival, and they arrive with a reality check: Major streamer entities aren’t invested in these tiny movies at a time when said streamers have...
Not the streamer productions around $20 million that benefit from Hollywood resources, nor the dwindling middle class of features lucky enough to secure independent financing for $5 million-$10 million. This is about the bootstrapped, maxed-out-credit-card moviemaking that exists through the sheer will of its creators. The ones with the microscopic cast and crew (and often the cast is the crew), the minimalist narratives mandated by minuscule resources — the personal and potentially alienating visions of singular moving-image artists who somehow manage to bring their movie dreams to life. What happens to them?
As SXSW convenes for its first in-person edition in two years, that question is particularly apt. It describes many of the films that will premiere at this festival, and they arrive with a reality check: Major streamer entities aren’t invested in these tiny movies at a time when said streamers have...
- 3/11/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association announced its annual nominations where Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” leads the way with 13 nominations, including best picture, director, supporting actor, supporting actress, and adapted screenplay.
Lin-Manuel Miranda received the most individual nominations of any person with seven: best picture for “In the Heights,” best director for “Tick, Tick … Boom!,” voice or motion capture performance for “Vivo” and a trio of song mentions from the animated film “Encanto” including “Dos Oruguitas,” “Surface Pressure” and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” The Leja membership also selected Miranda as the recipient of the Latino Activism Award. Past winners of that award include America Ferrera, Eva Longoria, Rosie Perez.
John Leguizamo is being honored with the 2022 Rita Moreno Lifetime Achievement Award for this year’s special honorees. For decades, the Special Tony and Emmy-winning actor, producer, and comedian have been a tireless force in the Latino community.
Lin-Manuel Miranda received the most individual nominations of any person with seven: best picture for “In the Heights,” best director for “Tick, Tick … Boom!,” voice or motion capture performance for “Vivo” and a trio of song mentions from the animated film “Encanto” including “Dos Oruguitas,” “Surface Pressure” and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” The Leja membership also selected Miranda as the recipient of the Latino Activism Award. Past winners of that award include America Ferrera, Eva Longoria, Rosie Perez.
John Leguizamo is being honored with the 2022 Rita Moreno Lifetime Achievement Award for this year’s special honorees. For decades, the Special Tony and Emmy-winning actor, producer, and comedian have been a tireless force in the Latino community.
- 2/22/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Blue Fox’s US distribution arm plans late 2022 US release.
US sales outfit Blue Fox Entertainment has boarded German actress Saralisa Volm’s feature directorial debut The Silent Forest, a mystery thriller that is premiering in Perspektive Deutsches Kino at the Berlinale.
The Silent Forest is based on Wolfram Fleischhauer’s novel The Forest Stands Silent about a trainee forester who sees parallels between a murder in the Upper Palatine Forest and the unsolved death of her father 20 years earlier. Fleischhauer adapted the screenplay.
Henriette Confurius from the Netflix show Tribes Of Europa stars wth Noah Saavedra, Robert Stadlober and August Zirner.
US sales outfit Blue Fox Entertainment has boarded German actress Saralisa Volm’s feature directorial debut The Silent Forest, a mystery thriller that is premiering in Perspektive Deutsches Kino at the Berlinale.
The Silent Forest is based on Wolfram Fleischhauer’s novel The Forest Stands Silent about a trainee forester who sees parallels between a murder in the Upper Palatine Forest and the unsolved death of her father 20 years earlier. Fleischhauer adapted the screenplay.
Henriette Confurius from the Netflix show Tribes Of Europa stars wth Noah Saavedra, Robert Stadlober and August Zirner.
- 2/11/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Netflix is expanding its LGBTQ+ social content brand, Most, with the launch of a new podcast called The Gay Agenda.
The original series will celebrate queer joy, Netflix says, featuring interviews with top LGBTQ+ creatives. It launches on Monday, and is hosted by lesbian actress and singer/songwriter Jasmin Savoy Brown and nonbinary actor and playwright Liv Hewson.
The Gay Agenda is produced by Brooklyn studio Multitutde. Eight, 45-minute episodes will be released weekly, with episodes featuring nonbinary actor Bex Taylor-Klaus, Language Lessons director Natalie Morales, and comedian Fortune Feimster.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
The original series will celebrate queer joy, Netflix says, featuring interviews with top LGBTQ+ creatives. It launches on Monday, and is hosted by lesbian actress and singer/songwriter Jasmin Savoy Brown and nonbinary actor and playwright Liv Hewson.
The Gay Agenda is produced by Brooklyn studio Multitutde. Eight, 45-minute episodes will be released weekly, with episodes featuring nonbinary actor Bex Taylor-Klaus, Language Lessons director Natalie Morales, and comedian Fortune Feimster.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
- 1/6/2022
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
Multi-faceted filmmaker Mark Duplass discusses the movies he wishes more people knew about with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Duck Butter (2018)
The Puffy Chair (2005)
Prince Of Broadway (2008)
Tangerine (2015)
The Florida Project (2017) – Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Red Rocket (2021)
Starlet (2012)
Take Out (2004)
Mack & Rita (Tbd)
Old Joy (2006)
First Cow (2020)
Wendy And Lucy (2008) – Dennis Cozzalio’s favorite movie of 2020
Henry Fool (1997)
Trust (1990)
Amateur (1994)
Medicine For Melancholy (2008)
Shang-Chi (2021)
Your Sister’s Sister (2011)
My Effortless Brilliance (2008)
What the Funny (2008)
Humpday (2009)
True Adolescents (2009)
Man Push Cart (2005)
The White Tiger (2021)
Baghead (2008)
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon (2012)
Language Lessons (2021)
Stevie (2002)
Hoop Dreams (1994)
American Movie (1999)
What Happened Was… (1994) – Ti West’s trailer commentary
Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
My Dinner With Andre (1981)
Creep (2014)
Grown-Ups (1980)
Abigail’s Party (1977)
Nuts In May (1976)
Secrets And Lies (1996) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Naked (1993)
Parallel Mothers (2021)
The Freebie (2010)
East Of Eden (1955) – Larry Cohen’s trailer commentary
Strange...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Duck Butter (2018)
The Puffy Chair (2005)
Prince Of Broadway (2008)
Tangerine (2015)
The Florida Project (2017) – Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Red Rocket (2021)
Starlet (2012)
Take Out (2004)
Mack & Rita (Tbd)
Old Joy (2006)
First Cow (2020)
Wendy And Lucy (2008) – Dennis Cozzalio’s favorite movie of 2020
Henry Fool (1997)
Trust (1990)
Amateur (1994)
Medicine For Melancholy (2008)
Shang-Chi (2021)
Your Sister’s Sister (2011)
My Effortless Brilliance (2008)
What the Funny (2008)
Humpday (2009)
True Adolescents (2009)
Man Push Cart (2005)
The White Tiger (2021)
Baghead (2008)
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon (2012)
Language Lessons (2021)
Stevie (2002)
Hoop Dreams (1994)
American Movie (1999)
What Happened Was… (1994) – Ti West’s trailer commentary
Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
My Dinner With Andre (1981)
Creep (2014)
Grown-Ups (1980)
Abigail’s Party (1977)
Nuts In May (1976)
Secrets And Lies (1996) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Naked (1993)
Parallel Mothers (2021)
The Freebie (2010)
East Of Eden (1955) – Larry Cohen’s trailer commentary
Strange...
- 12/21/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The Critics Choice Association announced the honorees and presenters for the inaugural Celebration of Latino Cinema, taking place virtually on Dec. 9 at 5:30 p.m. Pt / 8:30 p.m. Et. Writer, producer, actress and comedian Cristela Alonzo will host the event.
The director award will go to Reinaldo Marcus Green, director of “King Richard,” the biopic starring Will Smith as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams. Presenting the award will be Aunjanue Ellis, who plays Venus and Serena’s mother Oracene in the film.
Clifton Collins Jr. will receive the actor award for starring as Jackson Silva in Clint Bentley’s drama film “Jockey.” The role also won him a Sundance special jury award in 2021. Don Cheadle will present the award.
Olga Merediz will receive the actress award for playing Abuela Claudia in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights.” Merediz...
The director award will go to Reinaldo Marcus Green, director of “King Richard,” the biopic starring Will Smith as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams. Presenting the award will be Aunjanue Ellis, who plays Venus and Serena’s mother Oracene in the film.
Clifton Collins Jr. will receive the actor award for starring as Jackson Silva in Clint Bentley’s drama film “Jockey.” The role also won him a Sundance special jury award in 2021. Don Cheadle will present the award.
Olga Merediz will receive the actress award for playing Abuela Claudia in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights.” Merediz...
- 11/30/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
The 31st annual Gotham Awards is a key stop in the awards season marathon, especially for lower-budget indies looking for some traction for the Oscars race. However, not every likely Oscar contender found itself up for Gothams, including “The Power of the Dog,” “Tick, Tick… Boom!” and “The Harder They Fall,” as they exceeded the $35 million budget limit for nominees.
For the first time, international documentaries were eligible in the best documentary feature category. Additionally, the new award breakthrough nonfiction series is among category updates for the year, as well as outstanding lead performance, outstanding supporting performance and outstanding performance in a new series, from the television side. Outstanding lead performance, breakthrough performance and outstanding supporting performance were all gender neutral categories, with eight men and 14 women nominated.
Netflix’s “The Lost Daughter” ran away with the evening, scoring the most amount of wins with prizes in best feature, breakthrough director for Maggie Gyllenhaal,...
For the first time, international documentaries were eligible in the best documentary feature category. Additionally, the new award breakthrough nonfiction series is among category updates for the year, as well as outstanding lead performance, outstanding supporting performance and outstanding performance in a new series, from the television side. Outstanding lead performance, breakthrough performance and outstanding supporting performance were all gender neutral categories, with eight men and 14 women nominated.
Netflix’s “The Lost Daughter” ran away with the evening, scoring the most amount of wins with prizes in best feature, breakthrough director for Maggie Gyllenhaal,...
- 11/30/2021
- by Katie Song
- Variety Film + TV
The Gotham Awards were handed out on November 29 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. So who won at these annual indie film kudos from The Gotham Film and Media Institute, which streamed on YouTube and Facebook? Scroll down for the complete list of winners in all categories.
Netflix’s “The Lost Daughter” and “Passing” went in as the two most nominated films with five apiece, but that didn’t automatically mean they were the front-runners. Categories at these awards are judged by panels of just a handful of industry insiders, often leading to unexpected, under-the-radar winners. You can’t count anyone out at an event where unique juries review all the nominated material.
Seersvp now for November 30: Film producers panel with ‘Being the Ricardos,’ ‘Belfast,’ ‘The Power of the Dog,’ ‘tick, tick… Boom!’
That means these awards can be quite idiosyncratic — they’re independent thinkers, and not...
Netflix’s “The Lost Daughter” and “Passing” went in as the two most nominated films with five apiece, but that didn’t automatically mean they were the front-runners. Categories at these awards are judged by panels of just a handful of industry insiders, often leading to unexpected, under-the-radar winners. You can’t count anyone out at an event where unique juries review all the nominated material.
Seersvp now for November 30: Film producers panel with ‘Being the Ricardos,’ ‘Belfast,’ ‘The Power of the Dog,’ ‘tick, tick… Boom!’
That means these awards can be quite idiosyncratic — they’re independent thinkers, and not...
- 11/30/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The Gotham Awards took place on November 29 in Lower Manhattan, back in their usual prime slot at the start of the awards season. The event marks the first significant awards ceremony of the season, ahead of most critics groups and guilds.
Films with budgets exceeding $35 million are automatically disqualified from Gotham Awards consideration. For this reason, major Oscar contenders from Netflix, such as Jane Campion’s Venice winner “Power of the Dog,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature directorial debut “Tick Tick Boom,” Jeymes Samuels’ “The Harder They Fall,” and Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” did not make the cut.
Kristen Stewart received this year’s Performer Tribute thanks to her performance in “Spencer.” Other...
Films with budgets exceeding $35 million are automatically disqualified from Gotham Awards consideration. For this reason, major Oscar contenders from Netflix, such as Jane Campion’s Venice winner “Power of the Dog,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature directorial debut “Tick Tick Boom,” Jeymes Samuels’ “The Harder They Fall,” and Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” did not make the cut.
Kristen Stewart received this year’s Performer Tribute thanks to her performance in “Spencer.” Other...
- 11/30/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
by Nick Taylor
Every year or two at the Gotham Awards, there’s a nominee in the Breakthrough Performance category whose storied career in film or television generates a few raised eyebrows. Yes, the category is clearly meant to honor film breakthroughs, and this shouldn’t automatically be any more suspect or praiseworthy than a familiar face being recognized for reaching a new apex in their careers. Nevertheless, it’s always a bit odd when a performer who’s already highly prolific in a different medium gets slotted here. Kathryn Hahn, Michael B. Jordan, Mary J. Blige - it makes sense, but there’s also a wildly celebrated career being 'broken through' for the sake of movie stardom.
Natalie Morales, a regular supporting player on film and television for the past decade, has gotten those notices this year. Morales has been recognized for her starring role in Language Lessons, which...
Every year or two at the Gotham Awards, there’s a nominee in the Breakthrough Performance category whose storied career in film or television generates a few raised eyebrows. Yes, the category is clearly meant to honor film breakthroughs, and this shouldn’t automatically be any more suspect or praiseworthy than a familiar face being recognized for reaching a new apex in their careers. Nevertheless, it’s always a bit odd when a performer who’s already highly prolific in a different medium gets slotted here. Kathryn Hahn, Michael B. Jordan, Mary J. Blige - it makes sense, but there’s also a wildly celebrated career being 'broken through' for the sake of movie stardom.
Natalie Morales, a regular supporting player on film and television for the past decade, has gotten those notices this year. Morales has been recognized for her starring role in Language Lessons, which...
- 11/17/2021
- by Nick Taylor
- FilmExperience
Simu Liu, Greig Fraser, Jude Hill, Natalie Morales and the cast of “Coda” will be honored at the fifth annual Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards on Jan. 8.
Liu is being honored with this year’s game-changer award for his history-making role in Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”
“In previous years, the Game Changer award has been presented to an actor or actress whose most recent work showcased something so noteworthy that we believed it could only lead to bigger and better projects,” Hca president Nestor Bentancor said in a statement.
The newcomer award will go to Hill for his role as Buddy in Kenneth Branagh’s buzz-worthy “Belfast.” “Jude Hill’s performance is one that exudes joy, curiosity, and innocence. Hill instantly captured my heart and I believe he will capture the hearts of all those who see ‘Belfast,’” Hca co-chair Ashley Menzel said.
Liu is being honored with this year’s game-changer award for his history-making role in Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”
“In previous years, the Game Changer award has been presented to an actor or actress whose most recent work showcased something so noteworthy that we believed it could only lead to bigger and better projects,” Hca president Nestor Bentancor said in a statement.
The newcomer award will go to Hill for his role as Buddy in Kenneth Branagh’s buzz-worthy “Belfast.” “Jude Hill’s performance is one that exudes joy, curiosity, and innocence. Hill instantly captured my heart and I believe he will capture the hearts of all those who see ‘Belfast,’” Hca co-chair Ashley Menzel said.
- 11/11/2021
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Ahead of a ceremony on November 29, this year’s Gotham Awards nominations have been unveiled, featuring some of the year’s finest cinema. Among the nominations are some personal favorites here at The Film Stage, including Drive My Car, Faya Dayi, The Worst Person in the World (a film that still doesn’t have an actual 2021 U.S. release date), Test Pattern, and El Planeta.
This year, the Gothams made a switch to have all performance categories be gender neutral, with those categories have been restructured into Outstanding Leading and Supporting Performance categories for feature films, joining the already existing Breakthrough Performer category.
Check out the film nominations for the Gotham Awards below.
Best Feature
The Green Knight
David Lowery, director; Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston, David Lowery, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, producers (A24)
The Lost Daughter
Maggie Gyllenhaal, director; Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Charles Dorfman,...
This year, the Gothams made a switch to have all performance categories be gender neutral, with those categories have been restructured into Outstanding Leading and Supporting Performance categories for feature films, joining the already existing Breakthrough Performer category.
Check out the film nominations for the Gotham Awards below.
Best Feature
The Green Knight
David Lowery, director; Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston, David Lowery, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, producers (A24)
The Lost Daughter
Maggie Gyllenhaal, director; Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Charles Dorfman,...
- 10/21/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The annual Gotham Awards is, once again, the first prominent awards ceremony out of the gate during Oscar season, thanks to this morning’s nominations announcement. Films with budgets exceeding $35 million are automatically disqualified from Gotham Awards consideration. For this reason, major Oscar contenders from Netflix, such as Jane Campion’s Venice winner “Power of the Dog,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature directorial debut “Tick Tick Boom,” Jeymes Samuels’ “The Harder They Fall,” and Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” did not make the cut.
Prior to the nominations announcement, the Gotham Awards confirmed that Kristen Stewart would be the recipient of this year’s Performer Tribute thanks to her performance in “Spencer.” Other honorees include Eamonn Bowles (who is receiving the Industry Tribute), the cast of “The Harder They Fall” (receiving the Ensemble Tribute), and Campion (who is receiving the Director’s Tribute).
The Gotham Awards don’t always line up with the Oscars,...
Prior to the nominations announcement, the Gotham Awards confirmed that Kristen Stewart would be the recipient of this year’s Performer Tribute thanks to her performance in “Spencer.” Other honorees include Eamonn Bowles (who is receiving the Industry Tribute), the cast of “The Harder They Fall” (receiving the Ensemble Tribute), and Campion (who is receiving the Director’s Tribute).
The Gotham Awards don’t always line up with the Oscars,...
- 10/21/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The Gotham Awards will announce nominations tomorrow and expected to lead the charge, primarily due to the changes in the number of nominees allowed in new categories, are Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut “The Lost Daughter” from Netflix and Fran Kranz’s “Mass” from Bleecker Street.
The Gotham Film & Media Institute, which oversees the Gotham Awards, announced in August that awards for acting would no longer be defined by gender.
Last year’s Gotham for best picture went to “Nomadland,” which went on to win the Oscar for best picture. In a Gotham Awards first, the entire feature category was comprised of women directors. The tea leaves don’t necessarily point to another historic showing, but one film feels for sure, and that’s Gyllenhaal’s adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel of the same name.
The best picture frontrunner “Belfast” from Kenneth Branagh skirts the line of being eligible for international features,...
The Gotham Film & Media Institute, which oversees the Gotham Awards, announced in August that awards for acting would no longer be defined by gender.
Last year’s Gotham for best picture went to “Nomadland,” which went on to win the Oscar for best picture. In a Gotham Awards first, the entire feature category was comprised of women directors. The tea leaves don’t necessarily point to another historic showing, but one film feels for sure, and that’s Gyllenhaal’s adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel of the same name.
The best picture frontrunner “Belfast” from Kenneth Branagh skirts the line of being eligible for international features,...
- 10/20/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Coming up on the 20th anniversary of Halle Berry’s historic best actress win in 2002, we’re still looking for a second woman of color to join her.
Now that the big four fall festivals — Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York — are over, only a few women of color are contenders in the actress race. And it’s possible that none of them will make the cut when the Oscar nominations are announced in February. (Last winter marked only the second time in Academy Awards history that two Black women — Viola Davis and Andra Day — were nominated for best actress in the same year.)
So who is in the running for 2022? Berry, who won her Oscar for playing a waitress in “Monster’s Ball,” is making her directorial debut with “Bruised,” in which she stars as an Mma fighter seeking redemption. Can she direct herself to a second statuette? After the...
Now that the big four fall festivals — Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York — are over, only a few women of color are contenders in the actress race. And it’s possible that none of them will make the cut when the Oscar nominations are announced in February. (Last winter marked only the second time in Academy Awards history that two Black women — Viola Davis and Andra Day — were nominated for best actress in the same year.)
So who is in the running for 2022? Berry, who won her Oscar for playing a waitress in “Monster’s Ball,” is making her directorial debut with “Bruised,” in which she stars as an Mma fighter seeking redemption. Can she direct herself to a second statuette? After the...
- 10/14/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
A chat with Adam & Cariño. One of my favorite films of 2021 is this wonderful little gem called Language Lessons, directed by and starring Cuban-American actress / filmmaker Natalie Morales, and co-starring Mark Duplass. I first saw this at the Berlin Film Festival earlier in the year and instantly fell for it, writing a glowing review back in March. I've been raving about it all year, telling everyone else to watch it and enjoy it. I would go so far as to say it's the best pandemic-inspired Zoom-screen film out of any made in the last two years. Mostly because the story is a meaningful story about connection, and it's not just using Zoom as a gimmick. I haven't done any new interviews in a long time, but when I was offered the chance to talk with Natalie and Mark - I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I did this interview the...
- 9/21/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Film-makers scrambling together projects during difficult conditions have decided mostly to base their work on couples with money above all else
When all is said and done, the quarantine movie might be Hollywood’s briefest genre. It was born only out of circumstance. When the world went into lockdown last spring and Hollywood effectively paused all productions, several film-makers discovered they didn’t have an off switch, so they conjured up projects that could be filmed during lockdown, each with a limited crew, small cast, and single location. These films, including Malcolm & Marie, Locked Down, Together and Language Lessons, will forever be considered not as individual works but as a collective. That is, if they are considered at all. Even though not all of these films are explicitly about Covid-19, it’s impossible to think of them outside of the context in which they were made. When this pandemic is over for good,...
When all is said and done, the quarantine movie might be Hollywood’s briefest genre. It was born only out of circumstance. When the world went into lockdown last spring and Hollywood effectively paused all productions, several film-makers discovered they didn’t have an off switch, so they conjured up projects that could be filmed during lockdown, each with a limited crew, small cast, and single location. These films, including Malcolm & Marie, Locked Down, Together and Language Lessons, will forever be considered not as individual works but as a collective. That is, if they are considered at all. Even though not all of these films are explicitly about Covid-19, it’s impossible to think of them outside of the context in which they were made. When this pandemic is over for good,...
- 9/13/2021
- by Noah Gittell
- The Guardian - Film News
Focus Features landed another specialty success with The Card Counter, Paul Schrader’s biggest directorial opening in over 30 years since 1987’s Light of Day and with a likely No. 8 ranking at the North American box office this weekend.
The film – starring Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe — ran in 580 theatres in 119 DMAs for a three-day estimate of $1.1 million and a per theatre average of $1,890. It’s 86% Certified Fresh after festival premieres in Venice and Telluride.
That’s the second-highest specialty opening of the year after documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, also from Focus, which opened at nearly $2 million in 927 theaters (and finaled at $5.2 million). The distributor’s Matt Damon-starrer Stillwater has also had a strong run.
Like most Focus releases, The Card Counter has a 17-day exclusive theatrical window. President of distribution Lisa Bunnell told Deadline that’s key. So is marketing a title...
The film – starring Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe — ran in 580 theatres in 119 DMAs for a three-day estimate of $1.1 million and a per theatre average of $1,890. It’s 86% Certified Fresh after festival premieres in Venice and Telluride.
That’s the second-highest specialty opening of the year after documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, also from Focus, which opened at nearly $2 million in 927 theaters (and finaled at $5.2 million). The distributor’s Matt Damon-starrer Stillwater has also had a strong run.
Like most Focus releases, The Card Counter has a 17-day exclusive theatrical window. President of distribution Lisa Bunnell told Deadline that’s key. So is marketing a title...
- 9/12/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Mark Duplass is in love with a lot of people.
He’s in love with his wife, yes, but he also wants the world to know that you can also be in love with your friends. “Language Lessons” is his and Natalie Morales’ ode to the platonic.
As co-writers and co-stars with Morales directing, they developed their characters separately, then came back together to see how the two would collide. Morales drew up a woman nicknamed Cariño, named for a Spanish word for “affection,” who has trust issues but still craves love. Duplass devised Adam, a shy but loving man who’s desperate for any distraction while he copes with a sudden tragedy. They meet online, Cariño as Adam’s Spanish teacher, and fumble around each other’s boundaries as they find themselves becoming friends.
Duplass and Morales both executive produced, lengthening the list of projects Duplass has produced over the last year,...
He’s in love with his wife, yes, but he also wants the world to know that you can also be in love with your friends. “Language Lessons” is his and Natalie Morales’ ode to the platonic.
As co-writers and co-stars with Morales directing, they developed their characters separately, then came back together to see how the two would collide. Morales drew up a woman nicknamed Cariño, named for a Spanish word for “affection,” who has trust issues but still craves love. Duplass devised Adam, a shy but loving man who’s desperate for any distraction while he copes with a sudden tragedy. They meet online, Cariño as Adam’s Spanish teacher, and fumble around each other’s boundaries as they find themselves becoming friends.
Duplass and Morales both executive produced, lengthening the list of projects Duplass has produced over the last year,...
- 9/10/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Early pandemic films immediately adapted to Zoom rooms and settings, but something was usually missing from them. It was hard to form an attachment to a movie full of Zoom screens without immediately thinking about Covid. Similarly, it became harder to relate to content when we were simultaneously learning how to live with our own thoughts as we sheltered at home.
But Natalie Morales’ directorial debut, “Language Lessons,” creates a warmth that so often gets lost in these virtual meetings. With her gentle guidance and two very heartfelt performances, the result is a warm, lovely film about platonic affection and the human need for connection.
Cariño (Natalie Morales) is a virtual Spanish teacher hired by Will to give his husband, Adam (Mark Duplass), Spanish lessons. A hundred weeks’ worth of Spanish lessons, to be precise. Despite an awkward meet-cute, Adam dives into the classes with some intermediate conversational Spanish at the ready.
But Natalie Morales’ directorial debut, “Language Lessons,” creates a warmth that so often gets lost in these virtual meetings. With her gentle guidance and two very heartfelt performances, the result is a warm, lovely film about platonic affection and the human need for connection.
Cariño (Natalie Morales) is a virtual Spanish teacher hired by Will to give his husband, Adam (Mark Duplass), Spanish lessons. A hundred weeks’ worth of Spanish lessons, to be precise. Despite an awkward meet-cute, Adam dives into the classes with some intermediate conversational Spanish at the ready.
- 9/10/2021
- by Yolanda Machado
- The Wrap
Emmy winners Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass have teamed up for a new sci-fi movie titled “Biosphere,” directed by Mel Eslyn.
The mysterious movie marks Eslyn’s feature directorial debut. Production on “Biosphere” — written by Eslyn and Duplass — has wrapped, with details of the project’s plot being kept secret.
The new movie is produced by Duplass Brothers Productions and Zackary Drucker, who previously co-directed the Duplass Brothers-produced docuseries “The Lady and the Dale.” ICM Partners is handling worldwide sales for the project.
Eslyn, who was named president of Duplass Brothers Productions in 2017, is the veteran producer behind movies and television series that include “The One I Love,” “Outside In” and “Paddleton.” She also directed three episode of the HBO anthology show “Room 104” and produced the series in its entirety.
Brown is a two-time Emmy winner, best known for his work on NBC’s “This Is Us,” for...
The mysterious movie marks Eslyn’s feature directorial debut. Production on “Biosphere” — written by Eslyn and Duplass — has wrapped, with details of the project’s plot being kept secret.
The new movie is produced by Duplass Brothers Productions and Zackary Drucker, who previously co-directed the Duplass Brothers-produced docuseries “The Lady and the Dale.” ICM Partners is handling worldwide sales for the project.
Eslyn, who was named president of Duplass Brothers Productions in 2017, is the veteran producer behind movies and television series that include “The One I Love,” “Outside In” and “Paddleton.” She also directed three episode of the HBO anthology show “Room 104” and produced the series in its entirety.
Brown is a two-time Emmy winner, best known for his work on NBC’s “This Is Us,” for...
- 8/25/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
After more than a year of pushed-back release dates, ever-evolving release plans, and a raft of virtual festivals and other in-home viewing pivots, the release date calendar is looking a touch more normal these days. While many things are still in flux, the fall of 2021 is shaping up to offer one of the more stacked seasons in recent memory. From festival favorites to awards contenders, scrappy indies and dark horses, this autumn might still contain its own surprises, but one thing is for sure: movie-goers are in for some serious treats at the multiplex and beyond.
Some of these titles were moved off of 2020, including “No Time to Die,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Dune,” “Eternals,” and other big budget blockbusters, while other films have only recently emerged as major contenders, but all of them hint at a stacked season with offerings sure to appeal to everyone. Streamers like Netflix and Amazon...
Some of these titles were moved off of 2020, including “No Time to Die,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Dune,” “Eternals,” and other big budget blockbusters, while other films have only recently emerged as major contenders, but all of them hint at a stacked season with offerings sure to appeal to everyone. Streamers like Netflix and Amazon...
- 8/12/2021
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Outfest Los Angeles features two films with "RuPaul's Drag Race" winners BeBe Zahara Benet and Bianca del Rio in its lineup for its 39th Film Festival.
Season 6 winner Bianca del Rio will join the main cast members of "Everybody’s Talking About Jamie," Max Harwood and Lauren Patel, in the festival's opening event. Del Rio plays art teacher Miss Haywood in the feature adaptation of the musical.
Season 1 winner BeBe Zahara Benet will perform live before the premiere of "Being Bebe," which follows the Cameroonian-American immigrant's struggle to embrace being an LGBTQ performer against discriminatory cultural forces.
Named after the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Outfest, the 10-day festival will celebrate LGBTQ+ stories and voices in film and television and will return to in-person screenings.
Outfest will also host the 5th Annual Trans and NonBinary Summit on August 21 with a panel featuring established and emerging trans and nonbinary creators, Zackary Drucker and Our Lady J.
Season 6 winner Bianca del Rio will join the main cast members of "Everybody’s Talking About Jamie," Max Harwood and Lauren Patel, in the festival's opening event. Del Rio plays art teacher Miss Haywood in the feature adaptation of the musical.
Season 1 winner BeBe Zahara Benet will perform live before the premiere of "Being Bebe," which follows the Cameroonian-American immigrant's struggle to embrace being an LGBTQ performer against discriminatory cultural forces.
Named after the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Outfest, the 10-day festival will celebrate LGBTQ+ stories and voices in film and television and will return to in-person screenings.
Outfest will also host the 5th Annual Trans and NonBinary Summit on August 21 with a panel featuring established and emerging trans and nonbinary creators, Zackary Drucker and Our Lady J.
- 7/26/2021
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Despite a global pandemic and an uncertain film industry, Natalie Morales is having one of the best years of her career. Not only did she make her directorial debut with the really solid comedy, “Plan B” (which we included in our Best of 2021 So Far list), earlier this year, but the actress-turned-filmmaker already is set to release her second directorial effort, “Language Lessons,” this fall.
Continue reading ‘Language Lessons’ Trailer: Natalie Morales & Mark Duplass Develop A Special Friendship Over Zoom at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Language Lessons’ Trailer: Natalie Morales & Mark Duplass Develop A Special Friendship Over Zoom at The Playlist.
- 7/22/2021
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
"Hello, is anybody there?" Shout Factory has released the first official trailer for Language Lessons, one of my favorite films of the year so far. This originally premiered at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, then won the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival. It is a "pandemic" film in that it was made during the pandemic about two people connecting over Zoom calls, but it doesn't reference the pandemic at all. It's a very wholesome, sweet, uplifting, and powerfully authentic film about connection - about platonic love between two friends. It's co-written by and co-starring Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales, who is making her feature directorial debut with this film about a Spanish teacher and her student who develop an unexpected friendship. Read my full review here, where I rave about: "Let love glow, let it shine, let it heal us, let it take us on journeys.
- 7/22/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“Parks and Recreation” star Natalie Morales makes her feature directing debut with “Language Lessons,” a heartwarming dramedy about two people exploring a long-distance (and albeit platonic) relationship over Zoom. And while Zoom fatigue is very real when it comes to movies shot and released during the pandemic, this one manages to use the format creatively, and in a way that feels true to a story about people trying to connect in hard times using technology. Exclusive to IndieWire, watch the official trailer and check out the poster for the film below.
Morales, who this year also directed “Plan B,” stars in the film opposite her co-writer Mark Duplass. Here’s the official synopsis: “When Adam’s (Mark Duplass) husband surprises him with weekly Spanish lessons, he’s unsure about where or how this new element will fit into his already structured life. But when tragedy strikes, his Spanish teacher, Cariño...
Morales, who this year also directed “Plan B,” stars in the film opposite her co-writer Mark Duplass. Here’s the official synopsis: “When Adam’s (Mark Duplass) husband surprises him with weekly Spanish lessons, he’s unsure about where or how this new element will fit into his already structured life. But when tragedy strikes, his Spanish teacher, Cariño...
- 7/22/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales are taking their “Language Lessons” around the world.
Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired the international rights to the pair’s secret pandemic film. News of the acquisition comes only a few months after “Language Lessons” made an eye-catching debut at the Berlin Festival and won an Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival.
The global distributor plans to introduce it to buyers at the upcoming Cannes virtual market. Shout! Studios snagged the North American rights to the film earlier this year.
“Language Lessons” follows Duplass’ Adam, who is gifted a year’s worth of weekly, virtual Spanish lessons by his husband. Morales plays his teacher Cariño, who becomes a lifeline for Adam when tragedy strikes. The two form an unexpected and complicated emotional bond throughout the film.
It marks Morales’ directorial debut, and was developed, written and shot by the two leads in secret during the pandemic.
Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired the international rights to the pair’s secret pandemic film. News of the acquisition comes only a few months after “Language Lessons” made an eye-catching debut at the Berlin Festival and won an Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival.
The global distributor plans to introduce it to buyers at the upcoming Cannes virtual market. Shout! Studios snagged the North American rights to the film earlier this year.
“Language Lessons” follows Duplass’ Adam, who is gifted a year’s worth of weekly, virtual Spanish lessons by his husband. Morales plays his teacher Cariño, who becomes a lifeline for Adam when tragedy strikes. The two form an unexpected and complicated emotional bond throughout the film.
It marks Morales’ directorial debut, and was developed, written and shot by the two leads in secret during the pandemic.
- 6/23/2021
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
Rooftop Films Returns for 25th Anniversary Summer Series in NYC
Rooftop Films, the non-profit organization and film community celebrated as New York’s home for independent films, announced the return of their annual Rooftop Films Summer Series.
Among the films set to screen are Janicza Bravo’s “Zola,” presented by A24 on the lawn in Fort Greene Park, and “Once Upon a Time in Queens,” ESPN’s new series detailing the uniquely wild championship run of the 1986 Mets.
Joshua Rofé’s “Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal and Greed,” and Sally Aitken’s “Playing with Sharks,” are the documentaries will also screen when the series begins June 17 at Green-Wood Cemetery.
The screenings will follow all CDC and state guidelines which allow for more New Yorkers to gather safely for cultural events. The Rooftop Films Summer Series is presented by SundanceTV.
The Summer Series will run from June 17th through mid-September and...
Rooftop Films, the non-profit organization and film community celebrated as New York’s home for independent films, announced the return of their annual Rooftop Films Summer Series.
Among the films set to screen are Janicza Bravo’s “Zola,” presented by A24 on the lawn in Fort Greene Park, and “Once Upon a Time in Queens,” ESPN’s new series detailing the uniquely wild championship run of the 1986 Mets.
Joshua Rofé’s “Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal and Greed,” and Sally Aitken’s “Playing with Sharks,” are the documentaries will also screen when the series begins June 17 at Green-Wood Cemetery.
The screenings will follow all CDC and state guidelines which allow for more New Yorkers to gather safely for cultural events. The Rooftop Films Summer Series is presented by SundanceTV.
The Summer Series will run from June 17th through mid-September and...
- 6/7/2021
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
Two is a coincidence and three is a trend — and that includes the burgeoning genre of road trip movies about teen BFFs dealing with reproductive health. Natalie Morales’ “Plan B” joins Eliza Hittman’s luminous “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” and Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s cheeky “Unpregnant” and, like those films, follows a pair of best friends who are forced to fend for themselves in a world that doesn’t value girls or their medical autonomy. Much like “Unpregnant” in particular, , though it doesn’t hammer its realities home quite as hard as its predecessors.
Best friends Lupe (Victoria Moroles) and Sunny (Kuhoo Verma in a star-making comedic turn) both come from strait-laced, “traditional” families — Sunny is convinced the “Indian mafia” are reporting back her every move to her overbearing mom, Lupe’s Mexican-American clan is decidedly church-centric — and are some of the few people of color in an overwhelmingly white...
Best friends Lupe (Victoria Moroles) and Sunny (Kuhoo Verma in a star-making comedic turn) both come from strait-laced, “traditional” families — Sunny is convinced the “Indian mafia” are reporting back her every move to her overbearing mom, Lupe’s Mexican-American clan is decidedly church-centric — and are some of the few people of color in an overwhelmingly white...
- 5/27/2021
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
It was about halfway through Natalie Morales’ Plan B (her directorial debut if you go by theatrical release date considering her festival title Language Lessons from earlier this year has yet to secure one) that Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg’s producer credits came into focus because it was there that the parallels to Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle became undeniable. If actor-turned-director Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart was created in the Superbad vein, Joshua Levy and Prathiksha Srinivasan’s script was certainly drawn from that of the Cobra Kai showrunners’ breakthrough comedy. And it’s not just because they share having two non-white stars on a drug- and sex-fueled adventure in search of a holy grail. What connects them most is the heartfelt and inclusive ride-or-die friendship at their cores.
Where Harold and Kumar were post-collegiate adults trying to cement their identities both within and without the stereotypical clichés of their ethnic backgrounds,...
Where Harold and Kumar were post-collegiate adults trying to cement their identities both within and without the stereotypical clichés of their ethnic backgrounds,...
- 5/24/2021
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
The 31st Inside Out Toronto 2Slgbtq+ Film Festival this week unveiled its full lineup for its virtual edition, which will run May 27-June 6. A total of 143 films including 33 features and five episodic series will unspool, according to new executive director Lauren Howes and director of programming Andrew Murphy. A total of 70% of this year’s selected films are by women/trans/non-binary directors
Natalie Morales’ directorial debut Language Lessons, which won the audience award at this year’s SXSW, will open the festival, with the Charli Xcx documentary Alone Together set to close. Highlights of the slate include Sundance winner Ma Belle, My Beauty, Wes Hurley’s Potato Dreams of America and Mari Walker’s See You Then, along with the world premiere of Shelley Thompsons’ trans family drama Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor. Docs include the Zachary Quinto-narrated Yes I Am: The Ric Weiland Story and Drag Invasion,...
Natalie Morales’ directorial debut Language Lessons, which won the audience award at this year’s SXSW, will open the festival, with the Charli Xcx documentary Alone Together set to close. Highlights of the slate include Sundance winner Ma Belle, My Beauty, Wes Hurley’s Potato Dreams of America and Mari Walker’s See You Then, along with the world premiere of Shelley Thompsons’ trans family drama Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor. Docs include the Zachary Quinto-narrated Yes I Am: The Ric Weiland Story and Drag Invasion,...
- 5/7/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Nantucket film festival has announced its line-up, setting Sundance doc and narrative winners Summer of Soul and Coda as the opening and closing night films, respectively. The fest’s centerpiece screening will be the Nat Geo doc Playing with Sharks.
Other titles in the line-up include Sundance selections Homeroom and Luzzu, as well as SXSW titles like Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales’ Language Lessons. The festival will be a hybrid of online and open-air screenings, as well as drive-ins and conversations.
Also at the fest, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will be the recipients of the excellence in television writing award. Kelsey Grammer will receive the Compass ...
Other titles in the line-up include Sundance selections Homeroom and Luzzu, as well as SXSW titles like Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales’ Language Lessons. The festival will be a hybrid of online and open-air screenings, as well as drive-ins and conversations.
Also at the fest, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will be the recipients of the excellence in television writing award. Kelsey Grammer will receive the Compass ...
The Nantucket film festival has announced its line-up, setting Sundance doc and narrative winners Summer of Soul and Coda as the opening and closing night films, respectively. The fest’s centerpiece screening will be the Nat Geo doc Playing with Sharks.
Other titles in the line-up include Sundance selections Homeroom and Luzzu, as well as SXSW titles like Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales’ Language Lessons. The festival will be a hybrid of online and open-air screenings, as well as drive-ins and conversations.
Also at the fest, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will be the recipients of the excellence in television writing award. Kelsey Grammer will receive the Compass ...
Other titles in the line-up include Sundance selections Homeroom and Luzzu, as well as SXSW titles like Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales’ Language Lessons. The festival will be a hybrid of online and open-air screenings, as well as drive-ins and conversations.
Also at the fest, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will be the recipients of the excellence in television writing award. Kelsey Grammer will receive the Compass ...
"My 24 hour window is closing!" Hulu has debuted the first official trailer for Plan B, a new comedy in the vein of Superbad, the second feature film directed by actress Natalie Morales (following her feature debut Language Lessons). This looks like good fun. After a regrettable first sexual encounter, a straight-laced high school student and her slacker best friend have 24 hours to hunt down a Plan B pill in America's heartland. Kuhoo Verma and Victoria Moroles star as friends Sunny and Lupe, and the cast includes Michael Provost, Mason Cook, Josh Ruben, Hana Hayes, and Bobby Tisdale. This looks like the next great modern teen comedy after Lady Bird and Booksmart. Let's roll! I'm ready for some Plan B heartland humor. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Natalie Morales' Plan B, direct from Hulu's YouTube: The best trips are never planned. When a straight-laced high school student has a regrettable first sexual encounter,...
- 5/5/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Monday, May 3
Charli Xcx Documentary to Close Inside Out Film Festival
Toronto’s 2021 Inside Out film festival will take place online from May 27 to June 6. The 2Slgbtq+ fest will open with Natalie Morales’ “Language Lessons,” which picked up the audience award at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. Closing Inside Out will be the Charli Xcx documentary “Alone Together.” A total of 143 films, including 33 features and five episodic series, fill the lineup for this year’s programming.
Other highlights include the Zachary Quinto-narrated “Yes, I Am: The Ric Weiland Story,” about queer computer programmer Rich Weiland, and “Drag Invasion,” a doc about an LGBTQ community in Peru that is inspired to mobilize while watching “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The Sundance Audience Award-winning “Ma Belle, My Beauty” will also be show,n as will the premiere of Wes Hurley’s autobiographical dark comedy “Potaro Dreams of America.”
“Having pulled off the...
Charli Xcx Documentary to Close Inside Out Film Festival
Toronto’s 2021 Inside Out film festival will take place online from May 27 to June 6. The 2Slgbtq+ fest will open with Natalie Morales’ “Language Lessons,” which picked up the audience award at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. Closing Inside Out will be the Charli Xcx documentary “Alone Together.” A total of 143 films, including 33 features and five episodic series, fill the lineup for this year’s programming.
Other highlights include the Zachary Quinto-narrated “Yes, I Am: The Ric Weiland Story,” about queer computer programmer Rich Weiland, and “Drag Invasion,” a doc about an LGBTQ community in Peru that is inspired to mobilize while watching “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The Sundance Audience Award-winning “Ma Belle, My Beauty” will also be show,n as will the premiere of Wes Hurley’s autobiographical dark comedy “Potaro Dreams of America.”
“Having pulled off the...
- 5/4/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Natalie Morales (The Little Things), Amy Landecker (Transparent) and Alice Lee (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) are set as the leads in CBS’ comedy pilot based on TikTok star Sarah Cooper’s book How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings. Morales also serves as a producer on the pilot, from Cooper, Cindy Chupack, Nina Tassler and Denise Di Novi.
Co-written by Cooper and Chupack and directed by Amy York Rubin, the Untitled Sarah Cooper/Cindy Chupack Project revolves around three women at different stages in their careers at a male-dominated company — played by Morales, Landecker and Lee — who help each other navigate modern gender politics in their professional and personal lives.
Morales will play Joanna, a conflict-averse, people-pleasing middle manager at the small tech company Lucent Muse, whose new hire, Elyse (Lee), challenges her “go along to get along” career philosophy. She lives with her boyfriend of two years,...
Co-written by Cooper and Chupack and directed by Amy York Rubin, the Untitled Sarah Cooper/Cindy Chupack Project revolves around three women at different stages in their careers at a male-dominated company — played by Morales, Landecker and Lee — who help each other navigate modern gender politics in their professional and personal lives.
Morales will play Joanna, a conflict-averse, people-pleasing middle manager at the small tech company Lucent Muse, whose new hire, Elyse (Lee), challenges her “go along to get along” career philosophy. She lives with her boyfriend of two years,...
- 4/8/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Shout! Studios has acquired the North American rights to “Language Lessons,” a love story starring and directed by Natalie Morales and also starring Mark Duplass.
“Parks and Rec” star Morales made her directorial debut on “Language Lessons,” which made its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival before snagging an audience award for Morales at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. Shout! plans to release the film across all platforms, beginning with a theatrical release later this year.
Duplass and Morales also co-wrote the screenplay, which is about a man whose husband surprises him with weekly Spanish lessons. When tragedy strikes in his life, his Spanish teacher becomes a lifeline he didn’t know he needed, leading him to develop an unexpected and complicated emotional bond with her.
“Language Lessons,” which earned strong reviews out of Berlin, is described as bittersweet, honest and at times darkly funny in how it...
“Parks and Rec” star Morales made her directorial debut on “Language Lessons,” which made its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival before snagging an audience award for Morales at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. Shout! plans to release the film across all platforms, beginning with a theatrical release later this year.
Duplass and Morales also co-wrote the screenplay, which is about a man whose husband surprises him with weekly Spanish lessons. When tragedy strikes in his life, his Spanish teacher becomes a lifeline he didn’t know he needed, leading him to develop an unexpected and complicated emotional bond with her.
“Language Lessons,” which earned strong reviews out of Berlin, is described as bittersweet, honest and at times darkly funny in how it...
- 4/6/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Shout! Studios has acquired North American rights to the platonic love story “Language Lessons” from Duplass Brothers Productions, following a competitive bidding situation. The news comes on the heels of the movie’s world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival and its Audience Award win at the SXSW Film Festival.
“Language Lessons” marks the feature directorial debut of Natalie Morales. It stars and was written by Mark Duplass and Morales, and was produced by Mel Eslyn.
The film follows Adam (Duplass), whose husband surprises him with a gift of a year’s worth of weekly Spanish lessons. But when tragedy strikes, his teacher, Cariño (Morales), becomes a lifeline he didn’t know he needed and the two develop an unexpected and complicated emotional bond.
Shot in secret during the pandemic with a skeleton crew in Los Angeles and Costa Rica, “Language Lessons’ ” exploration of long-distance connection is both of its time and timeless.
“Language Lessons” marks the feature directorial debut of Natalie Morales. It stars and was written by Mark Duplass and Morales, and was produced by Mel Eslyn.
The film follows Adam (Duplass), whose husband surprises him with a gift of a year’s worth of weekly Spanish lessons. But when tragedy strikes, his teacher, Cariño (Morales), becomes a lifeline he didn’t know he needed and the two develop an unexpected and complicated emotional bond.
Shot in secret during the pandemic with a skeleton crew in Los Angeles and Costa Rica, “Language Lessons’ ” exploration of long-distance connection is both of its time and timeless.
- 4/6/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
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