Exclusive: J.R. Smith, a two-time NBA champion, is changing his focus from basketball to golf in a four-part docuseries for Amazon.
Prime Video is launching Redefined: J.R. Smith, which will follow the retired baller as he pursues a college education and new athletic passion – golf – at North Carolina A&t.
The series, which will launch on April 4, comes from LeBron James and Maverick Carter and their Uninterrupted banner.
It will tell the story of Smith, who won titles with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LA Lakers, who after being drafted to the NBA straight out of high school at 19, finds himself without an NBA team to call home and in search of redefining his life and career. The series picks up with J.R. as he sets a new intention for himself, getting a college education and pursuing a new athletic passion as a member of the Men’s Golf...
Prime Video is launching Redefined: J.R. Smith, which will follow the retired baller as he pursues a college education and new athletic passion – golf – at North Carolina A&t.
The series, which will launch on April 4, comes from LeBron James and Maverick Carter and their Uninterrupted banner.
It will tell the story of Smith, who won titles with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LA Lakers, who after being drafted to the NBA straight out of high school at 19, finds himself without an NBA team to call home and in search of redefining his life and career. The series picks up with J.R. as he sets a new intention for himself, getting a college education and pursuing a new athletic passion as a member of the Men’s Golf...
- 3/15/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: White Horse Pictures and Homegrown Pictures have teamed on an untitled documentary feature about the legendary musician and genius keyboardist Billy Preston. He was called the Fifth Beatle, because he the only non-member ever to be credited on a Beatles recording. He had plenty of his own hits and co-wrote the song Joe Cocker made famous, You Are So Beautiful. Fifteen years after his death in 2006, Billy Preston was inducted this past weekend into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Paris Barclay, the multi-Emmy-winning director, producer, and writer will direct. Cheo Hodari Coker is writing the film alongside Barclay.
The film is produced by Homegrown’s Stephanie Allain, White Horse’s Jeanne Elfant Festa, (Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) and Nigel Sinclair. The exec producers are Barclay, Daniel Shaw, G. Marq Roswell, Olivia Harrison, Jonathan Clyde, and White Horse Pictures’ Nicholas Ferrall and Cassidy Hartmann. Coker is co-producing and Erikka Yancy serves as the film’s supervising producer. Pic is presented by Concord Originals alongside Impact Partners, Chicago Media Project, and Play/Action Pictures, Polygram Entertainment, Dave Knott, and Sobey Road Entertainment.
Said Allain: “A singular figure in music history, Billy Preston lent his genius to elevate the most celebrated artists of the 20th Century. Grateful to work with this team, using this soundtrack to explore his personal journey and finally place him front and center.” Barclay said “the Billy Preston we know was an incomparable musician,” but the Billy we’ll see in this documentary was a mass of contradictions. I’m thrilled to dig deeper into the complex man under the Afro, and behind the famous smile.”
A self taught prodigy keyboard player, Preston was just 16 when he met the not-yet-famous Beatles while playing for Little Richard while they toured Hamburg in 1962. He befriended the young, impoverished band by sneaking them food and drinks. Later in the ’60s, this led to Preston playing on The Beatles’ Let It Be and Abbey Road albums as a credited musician, and performing with the Beatles in their last live performance as a group – the famous Roof Top concert. The Grammy Award-winning artist had solo career that included number one hits, and working with The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nat King Cole, Sly Stone, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson, among others. Preston is featured in the upcoming Peter Jackson-directed documentary The Beatles: Get Back.
Despite an enviable career in music, Preston had a challenging personal story that involved sexual abuse he endured as a child. He struggled with his sexuality and had substance abuse problems he used to make his pain. Only later in life did he come to terms with his truth and so find his peace.
Barclay and Hodari Coker asked to make a shout out to those who knew Preston or worked with him, who and may have recordings, photographs, or personal memories to make contact through http://www.billyprestondoc.com.
UTA Independent Film Group with White Horse Pictures helped raise the funding and they will broker sales of the film.
Allain’s Homegrown is repped by UTA, First Artists and Marcy Morris; Barclay is ICM and Lovett Management.
Paris Barclay, the multi-Emmy-winning director, producer, and writer will direct. Cheo Hodari Coker is writing the film alongside Barclay.
The film is produced by Homegrown’s Stephanie Allain, White Horse’s Jeanne Elfant Festa, (Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) and Nigel Sinclair. The exec producers are Barclay, Daniel Shaw, G. Marq Roswell, Olivia Harrison, Jonathan Clyde, and White Horse Pictures’ Nicholas Ferrall and Cassidy Hartmann. Coker is co-producing and Erikka Yancy serves as the film’s supervising producer. Pic is presented by Concord Originals alongside Impact Partners, Chicago Media Project, and Play/Action Pictures, Polygram Entertainment, Dave Knott, and Sobey Road Entertainment.
Said Allain: “A singular figure in music history, Billy Preston lent his genius to elevate the most celebrated artists of the 20th Century. Grateful to work with this team, using this soundtrack to explore his personal journey and finally place him front and center.” Barclay said “the Billy Preston we know was an incomparable musician,” but the Billy we’ll see in this documentary was a mass of contradictions. I’m thrilled to dig deeper into the complex man under the Afro, and behind the famous smile.”
A self taught prodigy keyboard player, Preston was just 16 when he met the not-yet-famous Beatles while playing for Little Richard while they toured Hamburg in 1962. He befriended the young, impoverished band by sneaking them food and drinks. Later in the ’60s, this led to Preston playing on The Beatles’ Let It Be and Abbey Road albums as a credited musician, and performing with the Beatles in their last live performance as a group – the famous Roof Top concert. The Grammy Award-winning artist had solo career that included number one hits, and working with The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nat King Cole, Sly Stone, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson, among others. Preston is featured in the upcoming Peter Jackson-directed documentary The Beatles: Get Back.
Despite an enviable career in music, Preston had a challenging personal story that involved sexual abuse he endured as a child. He struggled with his sexuality and had substance abuse problems he used to make his pain. Only later in life did he come to terms with his truth and so find his peace.
Barclay and Hodari Coker asked to make a shout out to those who knew Preston or worked with him, who and may have recordings, photographs, or personal memories to make contact through http://www.billyprestondoc.com.
UTA Independent Film Group with White Horse Pictures helped raise the funding and they will broker sales of the film.
Allain’s Homegrown is repped by UTA, First Artists and Marcy Morris; Barclay is ICM and Lovett Management.
- 11/4/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Craig Gilmore and Mike Dytri in Gregg Araki's The Living End (1992)
This year is the 20th Anniversary of Gregg Araki’s The Living End and the birth of New Queer Cinema as a whole. Outfest’s Legacy Project has preserved Araki’s films, as well as the work of several New Queer directors, including Swoon!
After a screening of The Living End hosted by Outfest, I asked Gregg a few questions about his films, films today and what goes on in that head of his.
Your films never take themselves too seriously, but you always drive your point home. Where does your sense of humor come from?
I guess it’s sort of in my nature and the way I view at the world. I’m not really sure. I just sit down to write my movies and this kind of crazy stuff – my outlook on the world – comes out.
This year is the 20th Anniversary of Gregg Araki’s The Living End and the birth of New Queer Cinema as a whole. Outfest’s Legacy Project has preserved Araki’s films, as well as the work of several New Queer directors, including Swoon!
After a screening of The Living End hosted by Outfest, I asked Gregg a few questions about his films, films today and what goes on in that head of his.
Your films never take themselves too seriously, but you always drive your point home. Where does your sense of humor come from?
I guess it’s sort of in my nature and the way I view at the world. I’m not really sure. I just sit down to write my movies and this kind of crazy stuff – my outlook on the world – comes out.
- 3/29/2012
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent
Kinyarwanda (also sometimes known as Rwanda, Ruanda or Rwandan), is a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language spoken by some 12 million people.
Kinyarwanda combines six different stories together for one narrative that takes place during the genocide in Rwanda.
All that I knew about it was that it was directed by a first time director and it took place in Rwanda during the genocide. Socially conscious films
Alrick Brown (in blue) on the set of 'Kinyarwanda'
traditionally leave me in a pool of my own tears on the floor or so upset that I want to storm Washington and demand answers. I wondered where I would be at the end of this film. Pleasantly surprised is not where I expected. Hitting each note perfectly and allowing us moments of levity with tragedy – Alrick Brown has orchestrated a beautiful film to introduce himself to the indie feature world. I spoke...
Kinyarwanda combines six different stories together for one narrative that takes place during the genocide in Rwanda.
All that I knew about it was that it was directed by a first time director and it took place in Rwanda during the genocide. Socially conscious films
Alrick Brown (in blue) on the set of 'Kinyarwanda'
traditionally leave me in a pool of my own tears on the floor or so upset that I want to storm Washington and demand answers. I wondered where I would be at the end of this film. Pleasantly surprised is not where I expected. Hitting each note perfectly and allowing us moments of levity with tragedy – Alrick Brown has orchestrated a beautiful film to introduce himself to the indie feature world. I spoke...
- 12/1/2011
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent
Abe Sylvia and Juno Temple as Danielle in Abe Sylvia's film Dirty Girl Photo by: David Moir/ The Weinstein Company
For lack of a better term, Dirty Girl is a coming-of-age story about a girl named Danielle (Juno Temple) and a boy named Clarke (newcomer Jeremy Dozier) growing up in 1980s Oklahoma. Written and Directed by Abe Sylvia, it is at once hilarious, bawdy, nostalgic, heartbreaking, and will send you home bopping your head to the best tunes from Melissa Manchester. I met with Abe Sylvia to talk about his new work, and found him to be as charming and lively as the characters he carefully crafts in his new film Dirty Girl.
What were you like as a teenager? Were you at all like Clarke?
I’m similar in that I grew up in Oklahoma; I ate my feelings like Clarke did. I certainly felt alienated from the other kids,...
For lack of a better term, Dirty Girl is a coming-of-age story about a girl named Danielle (Juno Temple) and a boy named Clarke (newcomer Jeremy Dozier) growing up in 1980s Oklahoma. Written and Directed by Abe Sylvia, it is at once hilarious, bawdy, nostalgic, heartbreaking, and will send you home bopping your head to the best tunes from Melissa Manchester. I met with Abe Sylvia to talk about his new work, and found him to be as charming and lively as the characters he carefully crafts in his new film Dirty Girl.
What were you like as a teenager? Were you at all like Clarke?
I’m similar in that I grew up in Oklahoma; I ate my feelings like Clarke did. I certainly felt alienated from the other kids,...
- 10/4/2011
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent
“I like the concept of a film that can try to operate on two levels. One, it has to operate on an extremely personal level because you have to find some direct link to an emotion or a feeling you’ve had. I think it has to be a direct link – a palpable feeling that you’ve had otherwise it won’t translate to the audience. Then at the same time, you need to find a bigger topic or idea that you need to talk about. I’m a big believer in trying to balance those two things. It’s tricky, it’s hard, it doesn’t always happen, but it’s the goal.”
That is what director Jeff Nichols said to me in a recent interview about the visual style of his upcoming film Take Shelter. The link or emotion he’s referring to is anxiety and the anxiety throughout the film is palpable.
That is what director Jeff Nichols said to me in a recent interview about the visual style of his upcoming film Take Shelter. The link or emotion he’s referring to is anxiety and the anxiety throughout the film is palpable.
- 9/20/2011
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent
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