Scout a picturesque cliffside and fire up the wind machines because Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas are ready to feel the wind in their hair while serenading audiences for the musical comedy Power Ballad. The film starring Rudd and Jonas revolves around a wedding singer (Rudd), a rock star (Jonas), and the song that divides them. The project hails from 30West and Anthony Bregman’s Likely Story.
John Carney directs Power Ballad from a script he co-wrote with Peter McDonald, who wrote and directed the comedy short Pentecost and co-wrote The Bachelor Weekend with John Butler.
“We are so excited to bring John Carney’s next film to Cannes. John has a magic ability to weave great music into wonderfully engaging and universally relatable stories that make audience emotions run high,” said Alex Walton of WME. “Power Ballad is fun and heartwarming – themes that audiences crave today. His unique vision,...
John Carney directs Power Ballad from a script he co-wrote with Peter McDonald, who wrote and directed the comedy short Pentecost and co-wrote The Bachelor Weekend with John Butler.
“We are so excited to bring John Carney’s next film to Cannes. John has a magic ability to weave great music into wonderfully engaging and universally relatable stories that make audience emotions run high,” said Alex Walton of WME. “Power Ballad is fun and heartwarming – themes that audiences crave today. His unique vision,...
- 5/2/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
There are some fascinating names behind A24‘s dark comedy, Death of a Unicorne, beyond stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega. Not only is it produced by Ari Aster, but horror master John Carpenter will compose music for the film.
In Death of a Unicorne, “A father (Rudd) and daughter (Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.”
The dark comedy marks writer/director Alex Scharfman’s directorial debut.
Award-winning filmmaker and composer John Carpenter (Halloween), Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies will compose music for the film.
The dark comedy has fantasy elements baked into the plot, but with Aster and Carpenter involved, it feels like a safe bet that Death of a Unicorne might dip further into genre territory than first glance.
In addition to these big genre...
In Death of a Unicorne, “A father (Rudd) and daughter (Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.”
The dark comedy marks writer/director Alex Scharfman’s directorial debut.
Award-winning filmmaker and composer John Carpenter (Halloween), Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies will compose music for the film.
The dark comedy has fantasy elements baked into the plot, but with Aster and Carpenter involved, it feels like a safe bet that Death of a Unicorne might dip further into genre territory than first glance.
In addition to these big genre...
- 11/1/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Deadline reports that production has wrapped on an A24 production called Death of a Unicorne, which stars Paul Rudd (Ant-Man franchise) and Jenna Ortega (Wednesday), was executive produced by Hereditary/Midsommar/Beau Is Afraid director Ari Aster, and boasts a score composed by the legendary John Carpenter, along with his collaborators Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies.
Said to be a dark comedy, Death of a Unicorne marks the feature debut of writer/director Alex Scharfman, who co-founded the production company Secret Engine and has produced films like Blow the Man Down and Resurrection. The story centers on a father (Rudd) and daughter (Ortega) who accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where the former’s billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
Here’s some more information: The movie follows Elliot and his teenage daughter Ridley as they are en...
Said to be a dark comedy, Death of a Unicorne marks the feature debut of writer/director Alex Scharfman, who co-founded the production company Secret Engine and has produced films like Blow the Man Down and Resurrection. The story centers on a father (Rudd) and daughter (Ortega) who accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where the former’s billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
Here’s some more information: The movie follows Elliot and his teenage daughter Ridley as they are en...
- 11/1/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
A24 has wrapped production on Death of a Unicorne, its new film starring Paul Rudd (Ant-Man franchise) and Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) that has been at the center of the online rumor mill for months. Others officially set to join the duo as part of the ensemble include Richard E. Grant (Saltburn) Téa Leoni (Flirting with Disaster), Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Anthony Carrigan (Barry), Sunita Mani (Glow), Jessica Hynes (Shaun of the Dead), and Stephen Park (Asteroid City).
Shot over the summer under a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, Death of a Unicorne marks the directorial debut of Alex Scharfman, who also penned the script. The film follows a father (Rudd) and daughter (Ortega) who accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where the former’s billionaire boss (Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
A24 will globally distribute...
Shot over the summer under a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, Death of a Unicorne marks the directorial debut of Alex Scharfman, who also penned the script. The film follows a father (Rudd) and daughter (Ortega) who accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where the former’s billionaire boss (Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
A24 will globally distribute...
- 11/1/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
There aren't a lot of cameras rolling in Hollywood right now. A strike by the Writers Guild of America began on May 2, 2023, shutting down 80 percent of productions, and writers were joined by actors on June 14 when trade association AMPTP failed to reach a deal with the union for actors and performers, SAG-AFTRA. This means that actors on any production shooting under an agreement with SAG-AFTRA -- which means the vast majority of movies and TV shows produced by American studios -- are currently on strike from both acting in and promoting struck projects.
There are a few exceptions to that category. Some projects filming overseas are instead produced under agreements with local actors' unions, like the United Kingdom's Equity. In cases like this, SAG-AFTRA members have no legal protection if they choose to strike, even in solidarity. Per Equity's guidance, SAG-AFTRA members working under Equity contracts in the UK...
...should...
There are a few exceptions to that category. Some projects filming overseas are instead produced under agreements with local actors' unions, like the United Kingdom's Equity. In cases like this, SAG-AFTRA members have no legal protection if they choose to strike, even in solidarity. Per Equity's guidance, SAG-AFTRA members working under Equity contracts in the UK...
...should...
- 7/25/2023
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd are teaming up for a new A24 film. "Death of a Unicorn" will reportedly star the duo as a father and daughter who accidentally run over a unicorn with their car, according to Giant Freaking Robot. More details about the film, which will be written and directed by Alex Scharfman, emerged on July 18 when several outlets reported that the project had received a waiver to continue filming amid the SAG-AFTRA strike. Popsugar confirmed that "Death of a Unicorn" was one of the projects to receive a waiver from SAG-AFTRA.
"Death of a Unicorn" is another project in Ortega's busy schedule. Earlier this year, she was spotted filming "Beetlejuice 2," which is expected to hit theaters in 2024. She's also set to reprise her title role in season two of Netflix's "Wednesday" (though production on the new episodes is on hold due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes).
Last week,...
"Death of a Unicorn" is another project in Ortega's busy schedule. Earlier this year, she was spotted filming "Beetlejuice 2," which is expected to hit theaters in 2024. She's also set to reprise her title role in season two of Netflix's "Wednesday" (though production on the new episodes is on hold due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes).
Last week,...
- 7/19/2023
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
After a decade of producing (beginning with The Heart Machine and more recently Resurrection), American indie producer Alex Scharfman is getting behind the camera for his feature debut – an A24 comedy that Production Weekly lists as a feature that Paul Rudd will topline. Set to go into production this July in Budapest, Death of a Unicorne will be produced by Square Peg’s Ari Aster and Secret Engine’s Lucas Joaquin. Expect further casting news in the weeks to come.
This tells the tale of Elliot and his teenage daughter Ridley who are en route to a crisis management summit with Elliot’s bosses – the pharmaceutical titan Leopold and his family in the remote wilderness when they accidentally crash into a unicorn.…...
This tells the tale of Elliot and his teenage daughter Ridley who are en route to a crisis management summit with Elliot’s bosses – the pharmaceutical titan Leopold and his family in the remote wilderness when they accidentally crash into a unicorn.…...
- 4/21/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Arian Moayed, who plays private equity investor Stewy Hosseini in the HBO series Succession and appeared in both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel as Agent Cleary, has signed on to join Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) and Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria) in the thriller House of Spoils, which is coming to us from Blumhouse Television and Amazon Prime Video.
The film is being written and directed by the duo of Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, whose previous credits include the 2019 film Blow the Man Down, episodes of the recent mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, and episodes of the AMC+ series Moonhaven.
Described as a “tense, psychological and sensuous” thriller, House of Spoils will see DeBose taking on the role of
an ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant—a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate—where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, crushing self doubts…...
The film is being written and directed by the duo of Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, whose previous credits include the 2019 film Blow the Man Down, episodes of the recent mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, and episodes of the AMC+ series Moonhaven.
Described as a “tense, psychological and sensuous” thriller, House of Spoils will see DeBose taking on the role of
an ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant—a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate—where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, crushing self doubts…...
- 9/30/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Heatseeking actor Arian Moayed has joined the cast of “House of Spoils,” a new psychological thriller starring Oscar nominee Ariana DeBose and “Euphoria” actor Barbie Ferreira.
Moayed is a breakout star of the HBO juggernaut “Succession,” in which he stars as private equity investor Stewy Hosseini — best frenemy and casual abuser to Jeremy Strong’s Kendall Roy. The part earned Moayed an Emmy nomination this year for outstanding guest actor in a drama series. He also drew acclaim as the weary lawyer of Anna Delvey in the Netflix original “Inventing Anna.”
From Blumhouse and Amazon Studios, “House of Spoils” is directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy from their own script, based on an original idea. DeBose plays an ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant — a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate — where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor and crushing self doubt. The powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner,...
Moayed is a breakout star of the HBO juggernaut “Succession,” in which he stars as private equity investor Stewy Hosseini — best frenemy and casual abuser to Jeremy Strong’s Kendall Roy. The part earned Moayed an Emmy nomination this year for outstanding guest actor in a drama series. He also drew acclaim as the weary lawyer of Anna Delvey in the Netflix original “Inventing Anna.”
From Blumhouse and Amazon Studios, “House of Spoils” is directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy from their own script, based on an original idea. DeBose plays an ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant — a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate — where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor and crushing self doubt. The powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner,...
- 9/29/2022
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
“Euphoria” star Barbie Ferreira is set to join Ariana DeBose in the cast of “House of Spoils,” a psychological thriller from Amazon Studios and Blumhouse.
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy (“Blow the Man Down”) will direct the feature film based on their own script and original idea.
“House of Spoils” follows an ambitious chef (DeBose) who opens her first restaurant — a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate — where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, crushing self-doubts and the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.
The film will be available via Prime Video, and production is slated to begin this fall.
Also Read:
Barbie Ferreira Announces She’s Leaving ‘Euphoria’
Producers on “House of Spoils” are Jason Blum for Blumhouse, Alex Scharfman, Lucas Joaquin and Drew Houpt for Secret Engine, and Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath for Divide/Conquer. Executive...
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy (“Blow the Man Down”) will direct the feature film based on their own script and original idea.
“House of Spoils” follows an ambitious chef (DeBose) who opens her first restaurant — a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate — where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, crushing self-doubts and the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.
The film will be available via Prime Video, and production is slated to begin this fall.
Also Read:
Barbie Ferreira Announces She’s Leaving ‘Euphoria’
Producers on “House of Spoils” are Jason Blum for Blumhouse, Alex Scharfman, Lucas Joaquin and Drew Houpt for Secret Engine, and Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath for Divide/Conquer. Executive...
- 8/29/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Last week, Barbie Ferreira revealed that she will not be reprising the role of Kat Hernandez on the third season of HBO’s Euphoria. Now we know what she’ll be doing next instead, as it has been announced that she’s joining Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) in the thriller House of Spoils, which is coming to us from Blumhouse Television and Amazon Prime Video.
We first heard about House of Spoils when DeBose’s involvement was announced a couple weeks ago. The film is being written and directed by the duo of Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, whose previous credits include the 2019 film Blow the Man Down, episodes of the recent mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, and episodes of the AMC+ series Moonhaven.
Described as a “tense, psychological and sensuous” thriller, House of Spoils will see DeBose taking on the role of
an...
We first heard about House of Spoils when DeBose’s involvement was announced a couple weeks ago. The film is being written and directed by the duo of Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, whose previous credits include the 2019 film Blow the Man Down, episodes of the recent mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, and episodes of the AMC+ series Moonhaven.
Described as a “tense, psychological and sensuous” thriller, House of Spoils will see DeBose taking on the role of
an...
- 8/29/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Barbie Ferreira, who broke out on HBO’s buzzy series “Euphoria,” is joining the cast of “House of Spoils,” a psychological thriller starring Ariana DeBose.
The film is backed by Amazon Prime Video and Blumhouse Television. Production is expected to begin in the fall.
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy will direct “House of Spoils” from their own script. It will premiere on Prime Video on a yet-to-be-determined date.
“House of Spoils” follows an ambitious chef (DeBose) who opens her first restaurant — a farm-to-table joint on a remote escape — where she battles chaos in the kitchen, a dubious investor and crushing self doubt. Oh, and the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner, who is constantly threatening to sabotage her. Ferreira is playing a sous chef who works with Debose’s character. According to the official logline, the film is “a tense, psychological and sensuous thriller that will leave hearts pounding and mouths watering.
The film is backed by Amazon Prime Video and Blumhouse Television. Production is expected to begin in the fall.
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy will direct “House of Spoils” from their own script. It will premiere on Prime Video on a yet-to-be-determined date.
“House of Spoils” follows an ambitious chef (DeBose) who opens her first restaurant — a farm-to-table joint on a remote escape — where she battles chaos in the kitchen, a dubious investor and crushing self doubt. Oh, and the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner, who is constantly threatening to sabotage her. Ferreira is playing a sous chef who works with Debose’s character. According to the official logline, the film is “a tense, psychological and sensuous thriller that will leave hearts pounding and mouths watering.
- 8/29/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Less than a week after announcing she is leaving Euphoria, the show’s Barbie Ferreira has found a new gig.
The actress has joined Ariana DeBose in House of Spoils, a psychological thriller from Amazon’s Prime Video and Blumhouse Television.
The feature is being directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy from their own script, which is based on their original idea.
Per Amazon, Spoils follows an ambitious chef (DeBose) who opens her first restaurant, a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate, where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, crushing self-doubts … and the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner, who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.
Ferreira’s character is described as a hopeful but sharp-tongued sous chef, but how she figures into the plot is being kept under the cloche.
Amazon and Blumhouse Television have been...
Less than a week after announcing she is leaving Euphoria, the show’s Barbie Ferreira has found a new gig.
The actress has joined Ariana DeBose in House of Spoils, a psychological thriller from Amazon’s Prime Video and Blumhouse Television.
The feature is being directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy from their own script, which is based on their original idea.
Per Amazon, Spoils follows an ambitious chef (DeBose) who opens her first restaurant, a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate, where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, crushing self-doubts … and the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner, who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.
Ferreira’s character is described as a hopeful but sharp-tongued sous chef, but how she figures into the plot is being kept under the cloche.
Amazon and Blumhouse Television have been...
- 8/29/2022
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ah, they grow up so quickly. It seems like only yesterday Ariana DeBose was playing "The Bullet" that inches closer and closer to ending Alexander Hamilton's life over the course of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway smash-hit "Hamilton." Now, she's an Oscar-winning actor thanks to "West Side Story" and is snagging all manner of gigs, from a role on "Westworld" to a part in Sony's Spider-Man Universe with the upcoming "Kraven the Hunter." On top of all that, DeBose is slated to return for even more meta musical mischief in the second season of "Schmigadoon!"
Adding to her workload, DeBose has now lined up a leading role in Blumhouse's "House of Spoils." The original thriller hales from writers and directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, the duo behind the splendidly chilly, sea-soaked, Coen Brothers-style crime-comedy "Blow the Man Down." With their latest project, Cole and Krudy are venturing...
Adding to her workload, DeBose has now lined up a leading role in Blumhouse's "House of Spoils." The original thriller hales from writers and directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, the duo behind the splendidly chilly, sea-soaked, Coen Brothers-style crime-comedy "Blow the Man Down." With their latest project, Cole and Krudy are venturing...
- 8/19/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Ariana DeBose, who won an Academy Award earlier this year for her performance in Steven Spielberg’s version of West Side Story, has signed on to star in the psychological thriller House of Spoils for Blumhouse Television and Amazon Prime Video. Deadline reports that House of Spoils is being written and directed by the filmmaking duo of Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, whose previous credits include the 2019 film Blow the Man Down, episodes of the recent mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, and episodes of the AMC+ series Moonhaven.
DeBose will be playing an
ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant but has to contend with the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.
House of Spoils is being produced by Jason Blum of Blumhouse; Alex Scharfman, Lucas Joaquin, and Drew Houpt of Secret Engine; and Adam Hendricks...
DeBose will be playing an
ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant but has to contend with the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.
House of Spoils is being produced by Jason Blum of Blumhouse; Alex Scharfman, Lucas Joaquin, and Drew Houpt of Secret Engine; and Adam Hendricks...
- 8/18/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Click here to read the full article.
Oscar winner Ariana DeBose is to star in the psychological thriller House of Spoils for Prime Video and Blumhouse.
Directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy cast the West Side Story star to play an ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant, a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate. She soon battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, crushing self doubts and the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner threatening to sabotage her at every turn.
Cole and Krudy will helm House of Spoils from a script they wrote. The film reunites Cole, Krudy, Secret Engine and Amazon Studios after Amazon nabbed worldwide rights to Cole and Krudy’s Blow the Man Down, produced by Secret Engine.
House of Spoils will premiere on Prime Video worldwide after production starts this fall. Prime Video and Blumhouse recently wrapped production on the slasher-comedy horror film Totally Killer,...
Oscar winner Ariana DeBose is to star in the psychological thriller House of Spoils for Prime Video and Blumhouse.
Directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy cast the West Side Story star to play an ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant, a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate. She soon battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, crushing self doubts and the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner threatening to sabotage her at every turn.
Cole and Krudy will helm House of Spoils from a script they wrote. The film reunites Cole, Krudy, Secret Engine and Amazon Studios after Amazon nabbed worldwide rights to Cole and Krudy’s Blow the Man Down, produced by Secret Engine.
House of Spoils will premiere on Prime Video worldwide after production starts this fall. Prime Video and Blumhouse recently wrapped production on the slasher-comedy horror film Totally Killer,...
- 8/18/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
West Side Story Oscar winner Ariana DeBose will star in the Prime Video and Blumhouse Television psychological thriller House of Spoils, playing an ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant but has to contend with the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her at very turn.
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy are directing off their script based on their original idea. House of Spoils reteams Cole, Krudy, Secret Engine and Amazon Studios following the latter’s acquisition of Cole and Krudy’s Blow the Man Down, produced by Secret Engine, out of 2019 TIFF. Cameras will roll in the fall.
The project reunites with Blumhouse with Amazon, which have made the collection of genre movies, Welcome to the Blumhouse, and the recently wrapped slasher horror-comedy film Totally Killer, directed by Nahnathcka Khan starring Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Julie Bowen, and Randall Park. Prime will...
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy are directing off their script based on their original idea. House of Spoils reteams Cole, Krudy, Secret Engine and Amazon Studios following the latter’s acquisition of Cole and Krudy’s Blow the Man Down, produced by Secret Engine, out of 2019 TIFF. Cameras will roll in the fall.
The project reunites with Blumhouse with Amazon, which have made the collection of genre movies, Welcome to the Blumhouse, and the recently wrapped slasher horror-comedy film Totally Killer, directed by Nahnathcka Khan starring Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Julie Bowen, and Randall Park. Prime will...
- 8/18/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, who delivered a star-making performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” has nabbed her next leading role — and it’s a far-cry from the musical fare audiences have become accustomed to.
DeBose will star in “House of Spoils” a new psychological thriller for Amazon Studios and Blumhouse Television, written and directed by “Blow the Man Down” filmmakers Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, based on their original idea.
The film follows an ambitious chef (DeBose) who opens her first restaurant — a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate — where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor and crushing self doubt. But the pressure heats up thanks to the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her at every turn. Described as a “tense, psychological and sensuous thriller that will leave hearts pounding and mouths watering,” the film is...
DeBose will star in “House of Spoils” a new psychological thriller for Amazon Studios and Blumhouse Television, written and directed by “Blow the Man Down” filmmakers Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, based on their original idea.
The film follows an ambitious chef (DeBose) who opens her first restaurant — a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate — where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor and crushing self doubt. But the pressure heats up thanks to the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her at every turn. Described as a “tense, psychological and sensuous thriller that will leave hearts pounding and mouths watering,” the film is...
- 8/18/2022
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy to direct psychological thriller from their own screenplay.
Prime Video and Blumhouse Television are teaming up on psychological thriller House Of Spoils to star Oscar winner Ariana DeBose from West Side Story.
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy will direct from their own screenplay about an ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant on a remote estate and battles self-doubt, kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, and the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.
House Of Spoils reunites Cole, Krudy, Secret Engine, and Amazon Studios following Amazon Studios’ acquisition of...
Prime Video and Blumhouse Television are teaming up on psychological thriller House Of Spoils to star Oscar winner Ariana DeBose from West Side Story.
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy will direct from their own screenplay about an ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant on a remote estate and battles self-doubt, kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, and the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.
House Of Spoils reunites Cole, Krudy, Secret Engine, and Amazon Studios following Amazon Studios’ acquisition of...
- 8/18/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Writer-director Andrew Semans has signed with WME for representation.
Semans’ sophomore feature, Resurrection, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and will be released theatrically by IFC Films this year. The psychological thriller based on his original screenplay, which appeared on the 2019 Black List, centers on Margaret (Rebecca Hall), whose life is in order. She is capable, disciplined, and successful. Everything is under control. That is, until David (Tim Roth) returns, carrying with him the horrors of Margaret’s past. Lars Knudsen produced for Square Peg, with Alex Scharfman & Drew Houpt for Secret Engine, and Tory Lenosky for Rosetory.
Semans’ debut feature, the dark comedy Nancy, Please, premiered in competition at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival and was distributed theatrically by Factory 25.
The Brooklyn-based filmmaker is a graduate of The School of Visual Arts film school in New York City. He continues to be represented by Secret Engine...
Semans’ sophomore feature, Resurrection, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and will be released theatrically by IFC Films this year. The psychological thriller based on his original screenplay, which appeared on the 2019 Black List, centers on Margaret (Rebecca Hall), whose life is in order. She is capable, disciplined, and successful. Everything is under control. That is, until David (Tim Roth) returns, carrying with him the horrors of Margaret’s past. Lars Knudsen produced for Square Peg, with Alex Scharfman & Drew Houpt for Secret Engine, and Tory Lenosky for Rosetory.
Semans’ debut feature, the dark comedy Nancy, Please, premiered in competition at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival and was distributed theatrically by Factory 25.
The Brooklyn-based filmmaker is a graduate of The School of Visual Arts film school in New York City. He continues to be represented by Secret Engine...
- 2/17/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
"Peter Williams, an American priest working in Mexico, is considered a saint by many local parishioners. However, due to a botched exorcism, he carries a dark secret that's eating him alive until he gets an opportunity to face his own demon one final time."
Starring: Joseph Marcell, María Gabriela de Faría, Will Beinbrink, Hector Kotsifakis, Irán Castillo
Written By: Santiago Fernández Calvete, Alejandro Hidalgo
Directed By: Alejandro Hidalgo
In Theaters, On Demand and Digital March 11, 2022
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Night’S End: "Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural announced today the release for Jennifer Reeder’s upcoming film Night’s End starring Geno Walker, Kate Arrington, Felonious Munk and Michael Shannon. A Shudder Original Film, Night’s End is set for release in North America, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland on Thursday, March 31.
“Jennifer Reeder is an exciting and bold filmmaker who was an...
Starring: Joseph Marcell, María Gabriela de Faría, Will Beinbrink, Hector Kotsifakis, Irán Castillo
Written By: Santiago Fernández Calvete, Alejandro Hidalgo
Directed By: Alejandro Hidalgo
In Theaters, On Demand and Digital March 11, 2022
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Night’S End: "Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural announced today the release for Jennifer Reeder’s upcoming film Night’s End starring Geno Walker, Kate Arrington, Felonious Munk and Michael Shannon. A Shudder Original Film, Night’s End is set for release in North America, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland on Thursday, March 31.
“Jennifer Reeder is an exciting and bold filmmaker who was an...
- 2/3/2022
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
IFC Films to release theatrically and on VOD, Shudder takes first streaming window.
IFC Films and Shudder have partnered on North American rights to Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth Sundance psychothriller and Premieres selection Resurrection.
Andrew Semans’ film centres on a successful career woman and single mother whose orderly life is disrupted by the arrival of an unwelcome person from her past. Grace Kaufman and Michael Esper round out the key cast.
IFC Films will release the film theatrically and on VOD with Shudder taking the first streaming window.
Tango, Secret Engine, Square Peg and Rosetory are the production companies and Tory Lenosky,...
IFC Films and Shudder have partnered on North American rights to Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth Sundance psychothriller and Premieres selection Resurrection.
Andrew Semans’ film centres on a successful career woman and single mother whose orderly life is disrupted by the arrival of an unwelcome person from her past. Grace Kaufman and Michael Esper round out the key cast.
IFC Films will release the film theatrically and on VOD with Shudder taking the first streaming window.
Tango, Secret Engine, Square Peg and Rosetory are the production companies and Tory Lenosky,...
- 1/28/2022
- ScreenDaily
IFC Films and Shudder has acquired North American rights to psychological thriller “Resurrection” following its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The film stars Rebecca Hall as Margaret, a woman who balances the demands of a busy career and single parenthood. Her carefully constructed life is upended when an unwelcome shadow from her past, David (Tim Roth) returns, forcing her to confront the monster she’s evaded for two decades.
“Resurrection” was written and directed by Andrew Semans and co-stars Grace Kaufman and Michael Esper. IFC Films will release the film in theaters and on VOD with Shudder taking the first streaming window.
“Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth give career-defining performances in Andrew Semans’ revelatory and diabolically entertaining ‘Resurrection,'” Arianna Bocco, president of IFC Films said. “We are so thrilled to partner with Andrew and the amazing producing team to bring a film to audiences that will completely defy expectation.
The film stars Rebecca Hall as Margaret, a woman who balances the demands of a busy career and single parenthood. Her carefully constructed life is upended when an unwelcome shadow from her past, David (Tim Roth) returns, forcing her to confront the monster she’s evaded for two decades.
“Resurrection” was written and directed by Andrew Semans and co-stars Grace Kaufman and Michael Esper. IFC Films will release the film in theaters and on VOD with Shudder taking the first streaming window.
“Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth give career-defining performances in Andrew Semans’ revelatory and diabolically entertaining ‘Resurrection,'” Arianna Bocco, president of IFC Films said. “We are so thrilled to partner with Andrew and the amazing producing team to bring a film to audiences that will completely defy expectation.
- 1/28/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
IFC Films and Shudder have taken North American rights to Andrew Semans’ psychological thriller Resurrection starring Rebecca Hall, Tim Roth, Grace Kaufman and Michael Esper.
The movie made its debut in the Premieres section of this year’s Sundance Film Festival and currently is 87% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. IFC Films will release the film in theaters and on VOD, with Shudder taking the first streaming window.
In Resurrection, Margaret (Hall) leads a successful and orderly life, perfectly balancing the demands of her busy career and single parenthood to her fiercely independent daughter Abbie. Everything is under control. But that careful balance is upended when an unwelcome shadow from her past, David (Roth) returns, carrying with him the horrors of Margaret’s past. Battling her rising fear, Margaret must confront the monster she’s evaded for two decades who has come to conclude their unfinished business.
Arianna Bocco, President of IFC Films said,...
The movie made its debut in the Premieres section of this year’s Sundance Film Festival and currently is 87% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. IFC Films will release the film in theaters and on VOD, with Shudder taking the first streaming window.
In Resurrection, Margaret (Hall) leads a successful and orderly life, perfectly balancing the demands of her busy career and single parenthood to her fiercely independent daughter Abbie. Everything is under control. But that careful balance is upended when an unwelcome shadow from her past, David (Roth) returns, carrying with him the horrors of Margaret’s past. Battling her rising fear, Margaret must confront the monster she’s evaded for two decades who has come to conclude their unfinished business.
Arianna Bocco, President of IFC Films said,...
- 1/28/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
IFC Films and Shudder have acquired the North American rights to “Resurrection,” a psychological thriller starring Rebecca Hall that made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this week.
Andrew Semans wrote and directed the film that also stars Tim Roth, Grace Kaufman and Michael Esper and that generated buzz at Sundance for its shocking and terrifying themes involving abusive relationships blended with more naturalistic horror elements in the French grand guignol legacy.
IFC Films will release “Resurrection” in theaters and on VOD, while Shudder will take the first streaming window.
Rebecca Hall stars in “Resurrection” as Margaret, who leads a successful and orderly life, perfectly balancing the demands of her busy career and single parenthood to her fiercely independent daughter Abbie. Everything is under control. But that careful balance is upended when an unwelcome shadow from her past, David (Tim Roth) returns, carrying with him the horrors of Margaret’s past.
Andrew Semans wrote and directed the film that also stars Tim Roth, Grace Kaufman and Michael Esper and that generated buzz at Sundance for its shocking and terrifying themes involving abusive relationships blended with more naturalistic horror elements in the French grand guignol legacy.
IFC Films will release “Resurrection” in theaters and on VOD, while Shudder will take the first streaming window.
Rebecca Hall stars in “Resurrection” as Margaret, who leads a successful and orderly life, perfectly balancing the demands of her busy career and single parenthood to her fiercely independent daughter Abbie. Everything is under control. But that careful balance is upended when an unwelcome shadow from her past, David (Tim Roth) returns, carrying with him the horrors of Margaret’s past.
- 1/28/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
A micro indie project flying low on the radar actually had a tremendous upswing from the get-go when Jared Frieder saw his screenplay land on the infamous Blacklist circa 2015 (it was even announced by legend Killer Films producer Christine Vachon wtch the vid. Along the way, Frieder would benefit from the Sundance Diversity Initiative and so with a lot of patience, a Los Angeles production start date back in September of 2019 and a quartet of the next Gen of American indie film producers in Drew P. Houpt, Alexander A. Motlagh, Lucas Joaquin, and Alex Scharfman backed the project.…...
- 11/25/2020
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Amazon Studios has acquired the worldwide rights to the dark thriller “Blow the Man Down,” from first-time feature filmmakers Danielle Krudy and Bridget Savage Cole.
The film is set to make its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month — it had its premiere at Tribeca in April, where it won Best Screenplay. It will launch exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
Sophie Lowe, Morgan Saylor, June Squibb and Marceline Hugot star in the film that is set in a salty fishing village on Maine’s rocky coast. Grieving the loss of their mother, Mary Beth and Priscilla Connolly cover up a gruesome ruin with a man that is very dangerous, and forcing them into hiding to uncover the town’s deepest secrets.
Also Read: 'Blow the Man Down' Review: Film Noir Gets a Female Spin With Margo Martindale, June Squibb
“We’re incredibly excited to bring...
The film is set to make its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month — it had its premiere at Tribeca in April, where it won Best Screenplay. It will launch exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
Sophie Lowe, Morgan Saylor, June Squibb and Marceline Hugot star in the film that is set in a salty fishing village on Maine’s rocky coast. Grieving the loss of their mother, Mary Beth and Priscilla Connolly cover up a gruesome ruin with a man that is very dangerous, and forcing them into hiding to uncover the town’s deepest secrets.
Also Read: 'Blow the Man Down' Review: Film Noir Gets a Female Spin With Margo Martindale, June Squibb
“We’re incredibly excited to bring...
- 8/15/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Five months after premiering at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, Tayarisha Poe’s feature film debut “Selah and The Spades” has been picked up by Amazon Studios.
The streamer acquired worldwide rights to the film, which was written and directed by Poe, and will distribute “Selah and The Spades” directly to its streaming platform. Amazon also plans to develop an original series based on the teen drama set in a boarding school. Poe will also write, direct and produce the series.
“I’m thrilled that ‘Selah and The Spades’ has found a home with Amazon Studios, and doubly excited to see the world of The Haldwell School expand and develop in the serial format,” Poe said in a statement. “I’d always hoped to work with a company that realized the multi-format potential of this fictional world, and truly we have found the ideal partners with Amazon.”
The film stars Lovie Simone,...
The streamer acquired worldwide rights to the film, which was written and directed by Poe, and will distribute “Selah and The Spades” directly to its streaming platform. Amazon also plans to develop an original series based on the teen drama set in a boarding school. Poe will also write, direct and produce the series.
“I’m thrilled that ‘Selah and The Spades’ has found a home with Amazon Studios, and doubly excited to see the world of The Haldwell School expand and develop in the serial format,” Poe said in a statement. “I’d always hoped to work with a company that realized the multi-format potential of this fictional world, and truly we have found the ideal partners with Amazon.”
The film stars Lovie Simone,...
- 7/17/2019
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide rights to writer/director Tayarisha Poe’s feature film debut “Selah and the Spades,” which made its world premiere as a Next selection this past January at the Sundance Film Festival. Additionally, the streaming giant is developing an original series based on the teen drama, which Poe will write, direct, and produce, along with Lauren McBride, who also produced the film.
Set in the closed world of an elite Pennsylvania boarding school, the Haldwell, where the student body is run by five factions, the film stars a young cast of fresh new faces, including Lovie Simone as the titular Selah Summers. She’s joined by Celeste O’Connor, Jesse Williams, Gina Torres, Henry Hunter Hall, Evan Roe, and Jharrel Jerome, who is likely still basking in the afterglow of his first Emmy nomination for Netflix’s “When They See Us.”
Of Haldwell’s five factions — The Spades,...
Set in the closed world of an elite Pennsylvania boarding school, the Haldwell, where the student body is run by five factions, the film stars a young cast of fresh new faces, including Lovie Simone as the titular Selah Summers. She’s joined by Celeste O’Connor, Jesse Williams, Gina Torres, Henry Hunter Hall, Evan Roe, and Jharrel Jerome, who is likely still basking in the afterglow of his first Emmy nomination for Netflix’s “When They See Us.”
Of Haldwell’s five factions — The Spades,...
- 7/17/2019
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide rights to “Selah and the Spades,” a gripping look at a prep school drug dealer, Variety has learned.
The film marks the feature debut of writer and director Tayarisha Poe and had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where it was a favorite with critics. Amazon has big plans for the project and is in the process of developing an original series based on the teen drama. Poe will write, direct and produce the original series, along with Lauren McBride who also produced the film.
“I’m thrilled that ‘Selah and The Spades’ has found a home with Amazon Studios, and doubly excited to see the world of The Haldwell School expand and develop in the serial format,” said Poe in a statement. “I’d always hoped to work with a company that realized the multi-format potential of this fictional world,...
The film marks the feature debut of writer and director Tayarisha Poe and had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where it was a favorite with critics. Amazon has big plans for the project and is in the process of developing an original series based on the teen drama. Poe will write, direct and produce the original series, along with Lauren McBride who also produced the film.
“I’m thrilled that ‘Selah and The Spades’ has found a home with Amazon Studios, and doubly excited to see the world of The Haldwell School expand and develop in the serial format,” said Poe in a statement. “I’d always hoped to work with a company that realized the multi-format potential of this fictional world,...
- 7/17/2019
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Yesterday, the Tribeca Film Festival announced its lineup for 2019. Each year, the fest offers up a number of interesting movie options, some of which have even gone on to crack my year end top ten lists. Last year, for example, All About Nina remained one of my top five films of 2018 from its debut at Tribeca through the conclusion of the season. Coming right before the summer movie season, it offers up a tonic before the blockbusters fully descend upon us. What will this year bring? Well, that’ll be determined in late April when the festival begins, but the lineup offers a few hints about the higher profile titles that will be playing. Tribeca will be home to Georgetown, for example, marking the directorial debut of Christoph Waltz. He’ll also star. Jared Leto will screen his documentary A Day in the Life of America for the first time.
- 3/6/2019
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
The 18th annual Tribeca Film Festival has revealed its lineup of 103 feature films.
Standout titles include world premieres of a hybrid narrative-documentary film about John DeLorean (starring Alec Baldwin); an Antoine Fuqua-directed documentary about Muhammad Ali; and a portrait of Chelsea Manning; and films starring Margot Robbie, Elijah Wood and Billy Crystal. Christoph Waltz’s directorial debut, Georgetown, offers a cast including Annette Bening, Vanessa Redgrave and Corey Hawkins, in a world premiere.
The always-comprehensive Tribeca offerings also include a must for film buffs and tech geeks, Making Waves: The Art of Sound in Films. The documentary features Walter Murch, Ben Burtt, Gary Rydstrom, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Ryan Coogler. As with a large number of screenings at Tribeca, Making Waves will feature a conversation after the end credits, a master-class conversation featuring Burtt and Rydstrom.
The festival, which this year runs April 24 to May 5, also...
Standout titles include world premieres of a hybrid narrative-documentary film about John DeLorean (starring Alec Baldwin); an Antoine Fuqua-directed documentary about Muhammad Ali; and a portrait of Chelsea Manning; and films starring Margot Robbie, Elijah Wood and Billy Crystal. Christoph Waltz’s directorial debut, Georgetown, offers a cast including Annette Bening, Vanessa Redgrave and Corey Hawkins, in a world premiere.
The always-comprehensive Tribeca offerings also include a must for film buffs and tech geeks, Making Waves: The Art of Sound in Films. The documentary features Walter Murch, Ben Burtt, Gary Rydstrom, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Ryan Coogler. As with a large number of screenings at Tribeca, Making Waves will feature a conversation after the end credits, a master-class conversation featuring Burtt and Rydstrom.
The festival, which this year runs April 24 to May 5, also...
- 3/5/2019
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
The 18th edition of Tribeca Film Festival will get underway next month, featuring 103 films from 124 filmmakers, with 50% women-directed films in the three competition sections. Highlights include world premieres directed by Abel Ferrara, Werner Herzog, Christoph Waltz, as well as films by Sebastian Schipper, Mary Harron, Peter Strickland, and Andrew Ahn.
Check out the lineup below for the festival taking place April 24 – May 5.
U.S. Narrative Competition
Tribeca’s U.S. Narrative Competition showcases extraordinary work from breakout independent voices and distinguished filmmaking talent. These ten world premieres will vie for the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Last year, the award for Best Narrative Feature went to Kent Jones’ Diane while Jeffrey Wright was awarded Best Actor for his role in O.G. Other previous films from this section include Reed Morano’s Meadowland (2015), Ingrid Jungermann’s Women Who Kill (2016), and...
Check out the lineup below for the festival taking place April 24 – May 5.
U.S. Narrative Competition
Tribeca’s U.S. Narrative Competition showcases extraordinary work from breakout independent voices and distinguished filmmaking talent. These ten world premieres will vie for the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Last year, the award for Best Narrative Feature went to Kent Jones’ Diane while Jeffrey Wright was awarded Best Actor for his role in O.G. Other previous films from this section include Reed Morano’s Meadowland (2015), Ingrid Jungermann’s Women Who Kill (2016), and...
- 3/5/2019
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival has announced its full feature film lineup for this year’s edition of the Manhattan festival, running April 24 – May 5. This year, the program has reached a new milestone: gender parity across its three competition sections. Standout offerings include new films from Lara Jean Gallagher, Mark Webber, Cindy Meehl, Lesley Chilcott, Cenk Erturk, and Anne Fontaine.
Fifty-two narratives and 51 documentaries will debut throughout the 12-day festival. The competition section features 12 documentaries, 10 U.S. narratives, and 10 international narratives. The event will also host 15 spotlight narratives, 16 spotlight documentaries, as well as five Midnight features, and 17 Viewpoints selections. Other highlights include Nanfu Wang’s Sundance winner “One Child Nation,” Mary Harron’s Charles Manson film “Charlie Says,” Joe Berlinger’s Ted Bundy courtroom drama “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” Guy Nattiv’s “Skin,” Dolly Wells’ “Good Posture,” and Christoph Waltz’s directorial debut “Georgetown.”
Across the entire feature film lineup,...
Fifty-two narratives and 51 documentaries will debut throughout the 12-day festival. The competition section features 12 documentaries, 10 U.S. narratives, and 10 international narratives. The event will also host 15 spotlight narratives, 16 spotlight documentaries, as well as five Midnight features, and 17 Viewpoints selections. Other highlights include Nanfu Wang’s Sundance winner “One Child Nation,” Mary Harron’s Charles Manson film “Charlie Says,” Joe Berlinger’s Ted Bundy courtroom drama “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” Guy Nattiv’s “Skin,” Dolly Wells’ “Good Posture,” and Christoph Waltz’s directorial debut “Georgetown.”
Across the entire feature film lineup,...
- 3/5/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The Tribeca Film Festival has set its full feature slate for 2019, selecting 103 titles including world premieres of films by Jared Leto, Christoph Waltz, and Margot Robbie.
The 18th edition of the festival, which runs from April 24 to May 5, will include documentaries from Antoine Fuqua, Werner Herzog, and Abel Ferrara, and music-focused docs highlighting the lead singer of band Inxs (“Mystify: Michael Hutchence”), Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman (“The Quiet One”), and musician Linda Ronstadt (“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice”) with Sheryl Crow performing after the premiere.
Leto’s “A Day in the Life of America” is a crowd-sourced documentary featuring footage from all 50 states on July 4, 2017. Waltz is making his directorial debut with the crime drama “Georgetown,” starring himself, Annette Bening, and Vanessa Redgrave. Robbie stars in and produces “Dreamland,” a Depression-era drama set in the Oklahoma dustbowl.
Other notable titles include “Mad Men” producer Semi Chellas making...
The 18th edition of the festival, which runs from April 24 to May 5, will include documentaries from Antoine Fuqua, Werner Herzog, and Abel Ferrara, and music-focused docs highlighting the lead singer of band Inxs (“Mystify: Michael Hutchence”), Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman (“The Quiet One”), and musician Linda Ronstadt (“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice”) with Sheryl Crow performing after the premiere.
Leto’s “A Day in the Life of America” is a crowd-sourced documentary featuring footage from all 50 states on July 4, 2017. Waltz is making his directorial debut with the crime drama “Georgetown,” starring himself, Annette Bening, and Vanessa Redgrave. Robbie stars in and produces “Dreamland,” a Depression-era drama set in the Oklahoma dustbowl.
Other notable titles include “Mad Men” producer Semi Chellas making...
- 3/5/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The Tribeca Film Festival has announced the full lineup of films for its 18th edition, which includes new films directed by Jared Leto, Christoph Waltz, Antoine Fuqua, Werner Herzog, Abel Ferrera and more.
This year’s slate is also among the most diverse and inclusive that the festival has ever put forward. All three competition categories are evenly split among men and women, and female directors account for 40 percent of the films on the feature slate. That’s slightly down from 2018’s record 46 percent of films directed by women, but this year also has 29 percent people of color directors and 13 percent who identify as Lgbtqia.
Among the 103 films from 124 filmmakers to be screened, Jared Leto will debut his documentary, “A Day in the Life of America,” which was filmed in every state in the country across a single 4th of July holiday. Christoph Waltz is making his directorial debut on “Georgetown,...
This year’s slate is also among the most diverse and inclusive that the festival has ever put forward. All three competition categories are evenly split among men and women, and female directors account for 40 percent of the films on the feature slate. That’s slightly down from 2018’s record 46 percent of films directed by women, but this year also has 29 percent people of color directors and 13 percent who identify as Lgbtqia.
Among the 103 films from 124 filmmakers to be screened, Jared Leto will debut his documentary, “A Day in the Life of America,” which was filmed in every state in the country across a single 4th of July holiday. Christoph Waltz is making his directorial debut on “Georgetown,...
- 3/5/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Tayarisha Poe is set to make her directorial debut with the upcoming drama “Selah and the Spades.” The film will star Lovie Simone (“Greenleaf”) as ‘Selah,’ along with Celeste O’Connor (“Wetlands”) and Jharrel Jerome (“Moonlight”). Jesse Williams and Gina Torres (“Suits”) round out key supporting roles.
Tayarisha Poe is a Philadelphia-based filmmaker. She was a Sundance Institute Knight Foundation Fellow in 2016 and her feature project “Selah and the Spades” went on to receive development support from Sundance Institute’s Screenwriters, Directors, and Creative Producing Labs and Catalyst Forum; Cinereach, Ifp, TribecaAll Access, The Leeway Foundation, and Small But Mighty Arts.
In “Selah and the Spades,” factions provide everything the students need to navigate the challenges of adolescence. The most powerful faction is The Spades. With the end of the school year approaching, Selah (Simone) is confronted with the reality of a...
Tayarisha Poe is a Philadelphia-based filmmaker. She was a Sundance Institute Knight Foundation Fellow in 2016 and her feature project “Selah and the Spades” went on to receive development support from Sundance Institute’s Screenwriters, Directors, and Creative Producing Labs and Catalyst Forum; Cinereach, Ifp, TribecaAll Access, The Leeway Foundation, and Small But Mighty Arts.
In “Selah and the Spades,” factions provide everything the students need to navigate the challenges of adolescence. The most powerful faction is The Spades. With the end of the school year approaching, Selah (Simone) is confronted with the reality of a...
- 8/21/2018
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Drew Houpt, Lucas Joaquin and Alex Scharfman are teaming to launch Secret Engine, a New York-based indie production company. Beach Rats, the Eliza Hittman pic that bows later today in the U.S Dramatic Competition lineup at the Sundance Film Festival, will be the first film under the collaboration. Other upcoming projects under the new banner include Russell Harbaugh's Love After Love starring Andie MacDowell and Chris O'Dowd and now in post; Stewart Thorndike’s…...
- 1/23/2017
- Deadline
New partner organisations from Egypt, Nepal and SingaporeScroll down for full list
International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has selected 61 emerging film producers from 26 countries to the 16th edition of Rotterdam Lab.
Rotterdam Lab is organised by Iffr’s co-production market, CineMart, in collaboration with various partner organisations involved in the training of young producers, as well as funding bodies.
Rotterdam Lab is a five-day training workshop for emerging producers designed to provide the means to create and expand their international network and boost their confidence and skills to navigate the world of international finance, sales and distribution and markets.
Another aim of Rotterdam Lab is to support its participants setting up or adapting their companies within the quickly changing media landscape. The participants are nominated by the 29 CineMart partners. This year, Rotterdam Lab welcomes Arab Cinema Center (Egypt), Docskool (Nepal) and Singapore Film Commission as new partners.
The Rotterdam Lab programme includes panel discussions on topics such as...
International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has selected 61 emerging film producers from 26 countries to the 16th edition of Rotterdam Lab.
Rotterdam Lab is organised by Iffr’s co-production market, CineMart, in collaboration with various partner organisations involved in the training of young producers, as well as funding bodies.
Rotterdam Lab is a five-day training workshop for emerging producers designed to provide the means to create and expand their international network and boost their confidence and skills to navigate the world of international finance, sales and distribution and markets.
Another aim of Rotterdam Lab is to support its participants setting up or adapting their companies within the quickly changing media landscape. The participants are nominated by the 29 CineMart partners. This year, Rotterdam Lab welcomes Arab Cinema Center (Egypt), Docskool (Nepal) and Singapore Film Commission as new partners.
The Rotterdam Lab programme includes panel discussions on topics such as...
- 1/30/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The premiere post-tiff destination (September 20-25th) in the film community and a major leg up for narrative and non-fiction films in development, the Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) announced a whopping 140 projects selected for the Project Forum at the upcoming Ifp Independent Film Week. Made up of several sections (Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program, No Borders International Co-Production Market and Spotlight on Documentaries), we find latest updates from the likes of docu-helmers Doug Block (112 Weddings) and Lana Wilson (After Tiller), and among the narrative items we find headliners in Andrew Haigh (coming off the well received 45 Years), Sophie Barthes (Cold Souls and Madame Bovary), Terence Nance (An Oversimplification of Her Beauty), Lawrence Michael Levine (Wild Canaries), Jorge Michel Grau (We Are What We Are), Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal (Stranger Things) and new faces in Sundance’s large family in Charles Poekel (Christmas, Again) and Olivia Newman (First Match). Here...
- 7/22/2015
- by admin
- IONCINEMA.com
Sundance Institute has announced the participants for its weeklong Creative Film Producing Initiative at the Sundance Resort in Utah, July 27 – August 3, including nine feature film and documentary projects for the Creative Producing Labs and more than 50 industry leaders for the Creative Producing Summit.
The Institute’s Creative Producing Initiative encompasses a year-round series of Labs, Fellowships, granting and events focusing on nurturing the next generation of independent producers and renewing the community of veteran producers who sustain the vibrancy and vitality of independent film.
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – July 31) identifies emerging producers and, under the guidance of Creative Advisors, allows them to develop their creative instincts and evolve their communicating and problem-solving skills at all stages of their feature film project. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Lindsay Doran ("Sense and Sensibility"), Lynette Howell Taylor (The Place Beyond the Pines), Gina Kwon ("Me You and Everyone We Know"), Paul Mezey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Jay Van Hoy (
"Beginners" ) and director Matthew Ross ("28 Hotel Rooms" ).
The Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – August 1) brings together documentarians with award-winning Advisors to focus on their current projects to explore the wide range of creative approaches to distribution, outreach and impact strategies. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Julie Goldman ( "Best of Enemies"), Bonni Cohen ("3 1/2 Minutes," "10 Bullets"), Ryan Werner (Cinetic), Maxyne Franklin (Britdoc), and Wendy Cohen (Picture Motion).
The Creative Producing Summit takes place immediately following the Labs, July 31 – August 3. More than 50 industry leaders will participate in a series of curated panels, case studies, roundtables, and one-on-one meetings addressing critical issues producers face including financing, distribution, audience engagement, marketing and sustainability. Panelists this year include Len Amato (HBO Films),
Michael Barker (Sony Pictures Classics), Dori Begley (Magnolia Pictures), Josh Braun (Submarine), Dan Cogan (Impact Partners), Victoria S. Cook (Frankfurt Kurnit), Danielle Di Giacomo (The Orchard), Fred Dust (Ideo), Ted Hope (Amazon), Micah Green (CAA), John Hoffman (Discovery Channel), Marcus Hu (Strand Releasing), Charles King (MacRo), Jessica Lacy (ICM Partners), Stephanie Langhoff (Duplass Brothers), David Magdael (Tcdm Associates), Victor Moyers (Broad Green), Annie Roney (ro*co Films), John Sloss (Cinetic Media), Graham Taylor (William Morris Endeavor), and Jay Van Hoy (Parts & Labor).
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Feature Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"50 Miles From Boomtown"
Producing Fellow: Alex Scharfman
After years of saving for her hard-earned dream, the only woman working on the fracking fields of North Dakota can finally quit but unexpectedly finds herself falling in love with the young man she's training to take her place. (writer/director Flo Linus Baumann).
Alex Scharfman is a New York-based producer whose past feature credits include "The Heart Machine" and "Lyle," as well as the short film "Superior," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, and the WGA Award-nominated webseries "F to 7th." He is an executive at Parts & Labor Films where he worked on films including "Keep The Lights On" and "Loitering with Intent." He has also produced content for Vice, Google, the Ford Foundation, and At&T. Alex received his BA from Cornell University, is a former Mfa candidate from Nyu’s Tisch School of the Arts, and received his Mba from Nyu’s Stern School of Business.
"Bexar County"
Mark Silverman Honorees and Producing Fellows: Blake Pickens and Stephen Love Jr.
In sunny San Antonio, Texas, where nothing ever changes, a town is turned on its head when a delusional Texas housewife accidentally poisons her son’s fiancée, learning that killing people is an efficient way to solve her problems. (Co-writer/director Catherine Grieve, co-writer Dylan Slocum)
Blake Pickens is from the south side of Oklahoma City, from a neighborhood known as the Flats. Despite the community’s rampant drug use and gang wars, Blake found his way into storytelling with a writing position at National Lampoon. He later attended the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC where he and his producing partner, Stephen Love Jr., formed their company Bs Pictures. They are currently in pre-production on the Steven Caple Jr.’s film The Land and in development on "The Friendship Nine" with producer Nina Yang Bongiovi. Blake’s aspirations are to tell the stories that make people laugh, cry, and ultimately impact their lives.
Stephen Love Jr. grew up in the rural towns of Filbert and Bennettsville, South Carolina. During his time as a business major at Morehouse College, Love founded the Morehouse Filmmakers' Association, for which Spike Lee is the honorary advisor. He also received his Mfa from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program and formed Bs Pictures with fellow graduate Blake Pickens. Love’s primary career goal is to produce film and television that gives "a voice to the voiceless" while challenging the confines of the business of filmmaking.
"Dolores"
Producing Fellow: Drew Houpt
A restless teenager becomes obsessed with a mysterious Colombian woman who exploits his desire and lures him into her plot for revenge. (Writer/director Mary Angélica Molina)
Drew Houpt is an independent producer based in Brooklyn. For over ten years he was the head of operations at Mike Zoss Productions, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Tribeca-based production company. During that time he worked on the Academy Award-winning "No Country For Old Men" and the Academy Award-nominated "A Serious Man" and "True Grit." He served as Associate Producer on the Coens’ Grand Prix-winning "Inside Llewyn Davis" and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning film "Birdman: or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance." This past year he co-produced Maris Curran’s directorial-debut "Five Nights in Maine" and produced "Every Day,' a short documentary for Espn’s 30 for 30 Shorts series that had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. He has also produced music videos for the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang and an experimental documentary, "When A Priest Marries A Witch," by Suzanne Bocanegra.
"Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist"
Producing Fellow: Deanna Barillari
When Iranian-born Rita Mahtoubian sets out to change her life from ordinary to extraordinary, she accidentally captures the attention of a homeland security agent in this satirical comedy about romance, terrorism and trying to be a better person. (Co-writers/directors Roja Gashtili & Julia Lerman)
Upon graduating Nyu Tisch, Deanna Barillari co-founded a non-profit theater company producing Off-Off-Broadway plays, including the NYC premiere of Leslye Headland's "Cinephilia" (2008), which funded in-school arts initiatives in the NYC Public School system. She then went on to work in TV on NBC's "Mercy" (2009), CBS’ "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" (2010), ABC’s "Pan Am," 86th Oscars (Ellen DeGeneres; 2014) and in Drama Development at Universal Television. Recently, she collaborated with AFI Dww Fellows Roja Gashtili and Julia Lerman, producing their web-series K(ID) starring Caterina Scorsone ("Grey's Anatomy") and their short "Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist" starring Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous") which made its World Premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. She also produces for the La based Ovation Award-winning Iama Theatre Company.
"The Space Between"
Producing Fellow: Angela C. Lee
A female body builder devotes her life to turning ‘pro’ when she unexpectedly falls in love, forcing her to confront her fractured past with her dying father. (Writer/director Philiane Phang)
Angela C. Lee is a Los Angeles based independent producer. She produced "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and recently screened in the Directors’ Fortnight program at the Cannes Film Festival. Angela is also the Artist Development Manager at Film Independent, where she oversees the selection process and curriculum for the Filmmaker Labs program, including Screenwriting, Directing, Producing, and Documentary Labs, the Fast Track Finance Market and the Fox Writers Intensive, managed in conjunction with Fox Audience Strategy. Previously, Angela served as Director of Creative Affairs at New York based Vox3 Films. Prior to her career in film, Angela was an Associate at Goldman Sachs. A native Chicagoan, Angela graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics and is on the Board of Directors for the University of Chicago National Arts Alumni Network.
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"Brick"
Co-Directors/Producers: Jessica Dimmock & Christopher Lamarca
"Brick" reveals the raw emotional and physical experience of being a middle aged to senior transgender woman coming out for the first time in the Pacific Northwest. The film follows three intersecting stories of individuals who have lived their whole lives as men and decided this burdensome secret is one they can no longer keep.
Jessica Dimmock is the recipient of the 2013 World Press Photo Multimedia Contest as the director and cinematographer of the online feature, "Too Young to Wed." In 2010, Dimmock won Kodak's Best Cinematography Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival for "Without." The film premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, received an Independent Spirit Award, and was nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award. Dimmock contributed two short films to Doctors Without Borders' Emmy-nominated campaign, “Starved for Attention.” Her first photojournalism project, “The Ninth Floor” was published as a monograph. Most recently, she worked as photographer and videographer for Emmy-nominated HBO series, "The Weight of the Nation." She is represented by VII agency.
Christopher Lamarca is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker and based in Portland, Oregon. Lamarca has recently entered post-production on his first feature length film, "Boone." In 2012, it was chosen as one of eight films for Film Independent's Documentary Film lab. Lamarca's monograph, “Forest Defenders: The Confrontational American Landscape ” was published by PowerHouse Books in 2008. He was chosen to participate in the International Center of Photography’s triennial exhibition (2007), New York Photo festival (2009) and Lishui photo festival in China (2010). He reported on environmental and energy issues for magazines such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Fortune, and Newsweek.
"The Island and the Whales" (working title)
Directore/Producer: Mike Day
The pilot whale hunters of the Faroe Islands believe that hunting is vital to their way of life, but when a local professor makes a grim discovery about the effects of marine pollution, and the seabirds populations collapse, environmental changes threaten to change the community and their way of life forever.
Mike Day is a Scottish director and producer. Formerly a lawyer in London and the Middle East he founded Intrepid Cinema in 2009 before heading out into the North Atlantic to make his previous film. His debut documentary "The Guga Hunters of Ness" broadcast on the BBC in 2011 and screened at festivals internationally to critical acclaim. It was while at sea in the Atlantic that he met a group of Faroese sailors, leading to his next film. Mike was listed as one of '10 Filmmakers to Watch' by Filmmaker Magazine, he was one of Edn's ’12 for the Future 2012’, and is supported by the Scottish Documentary Institute's Docscene programme. Intrepid Cinema also has two other feature documentaries in development.
"The Road From Hainan"
Director/Producer: Nanfu Wang
State surveillance. Harassment. Imprisonment. Human rights activist Ye Haiyan, Aka Sparrow, knew she faced these risks when she went to Hainan Province to seek justice for six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. But the scale and intensity of the government's reaction surprised even the most seasoned activists across China.
"The Road From Hainan" follows Sparrow as she was chased from town to town by local governments, national secret police, and even her own neighbors. Nanfu Wang is a documentary filmmaker based in New York. Originally from a remote village in China, Wang overcame poverty and lack of access to formal secondary education and went on to earn graduate degrees in communications and documentary film from universities in China and the United States. Her work often features the stories of marginalized or mistreated people, from Chinese blood donors stricken with HIV after being issued used needles by the government to the left-behind children of migrant laborers. During the production of her first full-length documentary, Wang lived on the streets of Miami with a homeless former drug dealer who relied on the kindness of strangers for his survival. Wang’s short films have been distributed on many platforms and translated into several languages, and she continues to seek out and tell the stories of people who have been ignored by their societies.
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four"
Director/Producer: Deborah Esquenazi
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four" excavates the nightmarish persecution of Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez — four Latina lesbians wrongfully convicted of allegedly gang-raping two little girls in San Antonio, Texas. The film also unravels the sinister interplay of mythology, homophobia and prosecutorial fervor which led to this modern day witch hunt during the 'Satanic Sexual Abuse Panic' of the late-80's and early-90's in the United States.
Deborah S. Esquenazi is an Austin, Texas-based documentary film and radio producer, instructor, and journalist. Her in-progress documentary feature, "Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four," has received international attention for its investigation into this controversial criminal case, and has been mentioned in Forbes Magazine, New York Times, Texas Observer, Vice Magazine, among others. Her film and radio documentaries have been funded by Chicken & Egg Pictures, Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program | John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Initiative, Humanities Texas, Astraea Global Arts Fund, and many others.
The Institute’s Creative Producing Initiative encompasses a year-round series of Labs, Fellowships, granting and events focusing on nurturing the next generation of independent producers and renewing the community of veteran producers who sustain the vibrancy and vitality of independent film.
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – July 31) identifies emerging producers and, under the guidance of Creative Advisors, allows them to develop their creative instincts and evolve their communicating and problem-solving skills at all stages of their feature film project. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Lindsay Doran ("Sense and Sensibility"), Lynette Howell Taylor (The Place Beyond the Pines), Gina Kwon ("Me You and Everyone We Know"), Paul Mezey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Jay Van Hoy (
"Beginners" ) and director Matthew Ross ("28 Hotel Rooms" ).
The Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – August 1) brings together documentarians with award-winning Advisors to focus on their current projects to explore the wide range of creative approaches to distribution, outreach and impact strategies. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Julie Goldman ( "Best of Enemies"), Bonni Cohen ("3 1/2 Minutes," "10 Bullets"), Ryan Werner (Cinetic), Maxyne Franklin (Britdoc), and Wendy Cohen (Picture Motion).
The Creative Producing Summit takes place immediately following the Labs, July 31 – August 3. More than 50 industry leaders will participate in a series of curated panels, case studies, roundtables, and one-on-one meetings addressing critical issues producers face including financing, distribution, audience engagement, marketing and sustainability. Panelists this year include Len Amato (HBO Films),
Michael Barker (Sony Pictures Classics), Dori Begley (Magnolia Pictures), Josh Braun (Submarine), Dan Cogan (Impact Partners), Victoria S. Cook (Frankfurt Kurnit), Danielle Di Giacomo (The Orchard), Fred Dust (Ideo), Ted Hope (Amazon), Micah Green (CAA), John Hoffman (Discovery Channel), Marcus Hu (Strand Releasing), Charles King (MacRo), Jessica Lacy (ICM Partners), Stephanie Langhoff (Duplass Brothers), David Magdael (Tcdm Associates), Victor Moyers (Broad Green), Annie Roney (ro*co Films), John Sloss (Cinetic Media), Graham Taylor (William Morris Endeavor), and Jay Van Hoy (Parts & Labor).
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Feature Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"50 Miles From Boomtown"
Producing Fellow: Alex Scharfman
After years of saving for her hard-earned dream, the only woman working on the fracking fields of North Dakota can finally quit but unexpectedly finds herself falling in love with the young man she's training to take her place. (writer/director Flo Linus Baumann).
Alex Scharfman is a New York-based producer whose past feature credits include "The Heart Machine" and "Lyle," as well as the short film "Superior," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, and the WGA Award-nominated webseries "F to 7th." He is an executive at Parts & Labor Films where he worked on films including "Keep The Lights On" and "Loitering with Intent." He has also produced content for Vice, Google, the Ford Foundation, and At&T. Alex received his BA from Cornell University, is a former Mfa candidate from Nyu’s Tisch School of the Arts, and received his Mba from Nyu’s Stern School of Business.
"Bexar County"
Mark Silverman Honorees and Producing Fellows: Blake Pickens and Stephen Love Jr.
In sunny San Antonio, Texas, where nothing ever changes, a town is turned on its head when a delusional Texas housewife accidentally poisons her son’s fiancée, learning that killing people is an efficient way to solve her problems. (Co-writer/director Catherine Grieve, co-writer Dylan Slocum)
Blake Pickens is from the south side of Oklahoma City, from a neighborhood known as the Flats. Despite the community’s rampant drug use and gang wars, Blake found his way into storytelling with a writing position at National Lampoon. He later attended the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC where he and his producing partner, Stephen Love Jr., formed their company Bs Pictures. They are currently in pre-production on the Steven Caple Jr.’s film The Land and in development on "The Friendship Nine" with producer Nina Yang Bongiovi. Blake’s aspirations are to tell the stories that make people laugh, cry, and ultimately impact their lives.
Stephen Love Jr. grew up in the rural towns of Filbert and Bennettsville, South Carolina. During his time as a business major at Morehouse College, Love founded the Morehouse Filmmakers' Association, for which Spike Lee is the honorary advisor. He also received his Mfa from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program and formed Bs Pictures with fellow graduate Blake Pickens. Love’s primary career goal is to produce film and television that gives "a voice to the voiceless" while challenging the confines of the business of filmmaking.
"Dolores"
Producing Fellow: Drew Houpt
A restless teenager becomes obsessed with a mysterious Colombian woman who exploits his desire and lures him into her plot for revenge. (Writer/director Mary Angélica Molina)
Drew Houpt is an independent producer based in Brooklyn. For over ten years he was the head of operations at Mike Zoss Productions, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Tribeca-based production company. During that time he worked on the Academy Award-winning "No Country For Old Men" and the Academy Award-nominated "A Serious Man" and "True Grit." He served as Associate Producer on the Coens’ Grand Prix-winning "Inside Llewyn Davis" and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning film "Birdman: or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance." This past year he co-produced Maris Curran’s directorial-debut "Five Nights in Maine" and produced "Every Day,' a short documentary for Espn’s 30 for 30 Shorts series that had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. He has also produced music videos for the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang and an experimental documentary, "When A Priest Marries A Witch," by Suzanne Bocanegra.
"Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist"
Producing Fellow: Deanna Barillari
When Iranian-born Rita Mahtoubian sets out to change her life from ordinary to extraordinary, she accidentally captures the attention of a homeland security agent in this satirical comedy about romance, terrorism and trying to be a better person. (Co-writers/directors Roja Gashtili & Julia Lerman)
Upon graduating Nyu Tisch, Deanna Barillari co-founded a non-profit theater company producing Off-Off-Broadway plays, including the NYC premiere of Leslye Headland's "Cinephilia" (2008), which funded in-school arts initiatives in the NYC Public School system. She then went on to work in TV on NBC's "Mercy" (2009), CBS’ "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" (2010), ABC’s "Pan Am," 86th Oscars (Ellen DeGeneres; 2014) and in Drama Development at Universal Television. Recently, she collaborated with AFI Dww Fellows Roja Gashtili and Julia Lerman, producing their web-series K(ID) starring Caterina Scorsone ("Grey's Anatomy") and their short "Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist" starring Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous") which made its World Premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. She also produces for the La based Ovation Award-winning Iama Theatre Company.
"The Space Between"
Producing Fellow: Angela C. Lee
A female body builder devotes her life to turning ‘pro’ when she unexpectedly falls in love, forcing her to confront her fractured past with her dying father. (Writer/director Philiane Phang)
Angela C. Lee is a Los Angeles based independent producer. She produced "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and recently screened in the Directors’ Fortnight program at the Cannes Film Festival. Angela is also the Artist Development Manager at Film Independent, where she oversees the selection process and curriculum for the Filmmaker Labs program, including Screenwriting, Directing, Producing, and Documentary Labs, the Fast Track Finance Market and the Fox Writers Intensive, managed in conjunction with Fox Audience Strategy. Previously, Angela served as Director of Creative Affairs at New York based Vox3 Films. Prior to her career in film, Angela was an Associate at Goldman Sachs. A native Chicagoan, Angela graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics and is on the Board of Directors for the University of Chicago National Arts Alumni Network.
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"Brick"
Co-Directors/Producers: Jessica Dimmock & Christopher Lamarca
"Brick" reveals the raw emotional and physical experience of being a middle aged to senior transgender woman coming out for the first time in the Pacific Northwest. The film follows three intersecting stories of individuals who have lived their whole lives as men and decided this burdensome secret is one they can no longer keep.
Jessica Dimmock is the recipient of the 2013 World Press Photo Multimedia Contest as the director and cinematographer of the online feature, "Too Young to Wed." In 2010, Dimmock won Kodak's Best Cinematography Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival for "Without." The film premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, received an Independent Spirit Award, and was nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award. Dimmock contributed two short films to Doctors Without Borders' Emmy-nominated campaign, “Starved for Attention.” Her first photojournalism project, “The Ninth Floor” was published as a monograph. Most recently, she worked as photographer and videographer for Emmy-nominated HBO series, "The Weight of the Nation." She is represented by VII agency.
Christopher Lamarca is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker and based in Portland, Oregon. Lamarca has recently entered post-production on his first feature length film, "Boone." In 2012, it was chosen as one of eight films for Film Independent's Documentary Film lab. Lamarca's monograph, “Forest Defenders: The Confrontational American Landscape ” was published by PowerHouse Books in 2008. He was chosen to participate in the International Center of Photography’s triennial exhibition (2007), New York Photo festival (2009) and Lishui photo festival in China (2010). He reported on environmental and energy issues for magazines such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Fortune, and Newsweek.
"The Island and the Whales" (working title)
Directore/Producer: Mike Day
The pilot whale hunters of the Faroe Islands believe that hunting is vital to their way of life, but when a local professor makes a grim discovery about the effects of marine pollution, and the seabirds populations collapse, environmental changes threaten to change the community and their way of life forever.
Mike Day is a Scottish director and producer. Formerly a lawyer in London and the Middle East he founded Intrepid Cinema in 2009 before heading out into the North Atlantic to make his previous film. His debut documentary "The Guga Hunters of Ness" broadcast on the BBC in 2011 and screened at festivals internationally to critical acclaim. It was while at sea in the Atlantic that he met a group of Faroese sailors, leading to his next film. Mike was listed as one of '10 Filmmakers to Watch' by Filmmaker Magazine, he was one of Edn's ’12 for the Future 2012’, and is supported by the Scottish Documentary Institute's Docscene programme. Intrepid Cinema also has two other feature documentaries in development.
"The Road From Hainan"
Director/Producer: Nanfu Wang
State surveillance. Harassment. Imprisonment. Human rights activist Ye Haiyan, Aka Sparrow, knew she faced these risks when she went to Hainan Province to seek justice for six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. But the scale and intensity of the government's reaction surprised even the most seasoned activists across China.
"The Road From Hainan" follows Sparrow as she was chased from town to town by local governments, national secret police, and even her own neighbors. Nanfu Wang is a documentary filmmaker based in New York. Originally from a remote village in China, Wang overcame poverty and lack of access to formal secondary education and went on to earn graduate degrees in communications and documentary film from universities in China and the United States. Her work often features the stories of marginalized or mistreated people, from Chinese blood donors stricken with HIV after being issued used needles by the government to the left-behind children of migrant laborers. During the production of her first full-length documentary, Wang lived on the streets of Miami with a homeless former drug dealer who relied on the kindness of strangers for his survival. Wang’s short films have been distributed on many platforms and translated into several languages, and she continues to seek out and tell the stories of people who have been ignored by their societies.
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four"
Director/Producer: Deborah Esquenazi
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four" excavates the nightmarish persecution of Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez — four Latina lesbians wrongfully convicted of allegedly gang-raping two little girls in San Antonio, Texas. The film also unravels the sinister interplay of mythology, homophobia and prosecutorial fervor which led to this modern day witch hunt during the 'Satanic Sexual Abuse Panic' of the late-80's and early-90's in the United States.
Deborah S. Esquenazi is an Austin, Texas-based documentary film and radio producer, instructor, and journalist. Her in-progress documentary feature, "Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four," has received international attention for its investigation into this controversial criminal case, and has been mentioned in Forbes Magazine, New York Times, Texas Observer, Vice Magazine, among others. Her film and radio documentaries have been funded by Chicken & Egg Pictures, Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program | John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Initiative, Humanities Texas, Astraea Global Arts Fund, and many others.
- 7/20/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Ioncinema.com’s Ioncinephile of the Month feature focuses on an emerging filmmaker from the world of cinema. This October, we put the spotlight on an indie personality who moonlights as a film critic/writer for the likes of The Village Voice and Filmmaker Magazine and who saw his feature film debut land in 2014 SXSW Film Festival’s Narrative Feature competition. Toplined by John Gallagher Jr. (Short Term 12) and Kate Lyn Sheil (Listen Up Philip) with supporting players in the shape of David Call (Gabriel), Katie Paxton and Louisa Krause (Bluebird), The Heart Machine (October 24th limited release/VOD FilmBuff) is according to the glowing remarks made in the trades with Variety calling it “thoroughly modern without being ostentatious” and THR dissecting it as “a thoughtful, emotionally tricky debut”. This month we profile Zachary Wigon — be sure to check out his top ten films of all time.
Eric Lavallee: During your childhood…...
Eric Lavallee: During your childhood…...
- 10/2/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The slow, rhythmic creaking of a rocking chair can be soothing… or disconcerting. In the case of our clip from Stewart Thorndike’s Lyle, it’s definitely the former. A psychological horror film that played at the Outfest Film Festival, Lyle is now available to watch in its entirety for free, and we have a clip featuring the lead actress wielding scissors for protection.
In an effort to address the lack of horror films directed by women, female Director/Writer Stewart Thorndike is in the process of making three female-centric horror movies. Lyle is the first of the three, and Putney, currently raising funds via a Kickstarter campaign, is the planned second entry. There are 44 days left of the Putney Kickstarter campaign, and Stewart recently announced that fans can watch Lyle for free on the movie’s website for the rest of the Putney Kickstarter campaign.
To watch Lyle, whose...
In an effort to address the lack of horror films directed by women, female Director/Writer Stewart Thorndike is in the process of making three female-centric horror movies. Lyle is the first of the three, and Putney, currently raising funds via a Kickstarter campaign, is the planned second entry. There are 44 days left of the Putney Kickstarter campaign, and Stewart recently announced that fans can watch Lyle for free on the movie’s website for the rest of the Putney Kickstarter campaign.
To watch Lyle, whose...
- 8/5/2014
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Gaby Hoffmann has transitioned well as the child star of Now and Then and Field of Dreams, embracing adulthood and a career resurgence with nuanced performances for last year.s festival hit Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus and her recurring role on HBO.s Girls. Hoffmann's next project is something else entirely, as she.s starring in the Rosemary.s Baby-ish horror Lyle, the first feature from writer/director Stewart Thorndike. Perhaps as interesting as the film itself, Thorndike and producer Alex Scharfman are distributing the film via online streaming.for free. On Monday, August 4, anyone can head to the Lyle website to stream the film in its entirety at no charge. Now, it.s not completely unheard of for indie movies to hit the net first, but it usually involves something that no one would want to spend money on in the first place. (Humble opinion.) Lyle looks and...
- 7/30/2014
- cinemablend.com
On tap for you cats right now is the official trailer for director Stewart Thorndike's new film Lyle, which is said to be cut from the same umbilical chord as Rosemary's Baby. Gotta say... it's lookin' pretty damned creepy. Check it out!
In the film Gabby Hoffman plays a mother's whose grief over the death of her toddler leads to horror. Ingrid Jungermann, Rebecca Street, Kim Allen, Michael Che, and Ashlie Atkinson also star.
Lyle was written and directed by Stewart Thorndike, produced by Alex Scharfman, and is said to be the first of three upcoming female-focused horror films Thorndike has in the works.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
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Subscribe to the Dread Central YouTube Channel!
Come out in the comments section below!
In the film Gabby Hoffman plays a mother's whose grief over the death of her toddler leads to horror. Ingrid Jungermann, Rebecca Street, Kim Allen, Michael Che, and Ashlie Atkinson also star.
Lyle was written and directed by Stewart Thorndike, produced by Alex Scharfman, and is said to be the first of three upcoming female-focused horror films Thorndike has in the works.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Subscribe to the Dread Central YouTube Channel!
Come out in the comments section below!
- 7/29/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
Eschewing more traditional distribution models, director Stewart Thorndike and producer Alex Scharfman have elected to stream "Lyle," the first of three female-focused horror films, for free. Streaming starts August 4 on the film's website, while Thorndike and Scharfman begin a Kickstarter campaign for their next film "Putney." This little domestic horror film a la "Rosemary's Baby" and "Repulsion," the effervescent Gaby Hoffmann ("Crystal Fairy," "Obvious Child" and HBO's "Girls") sheds her comedy routine for darker meat, here as a pregnant lesbian who becomes increasingly terrified by the world around her, questioning the motives of her lover and her friends and neighbors. Hoffmann won the Grand Jury Best Actress Award at Outfest, where the film world-premiered. "Lyle" is a well-shot and moody slice of terror, and perfect for streaming at home -- a place where, for Hoffmann's character, the...
- 7/28/2014
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
The FilmBuff have grabbed the rights to The Heart Machine - the thriller that preemed in SXSW’s eight film Narrative Feature Comp this past March. Produced by Lucas Joaquin (featured here) and Alex Scharfman and executive-produced by Parts & Labor’s Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Jordan Lewis, Abe Schwartz, Andrew Kelley, and Eric Schultz, Zachary Wigon’s directorial debut will hit theatrically and via VOD on October 24th.
Gist: Cody (John Gallagher Jr.) and Virginia (Kate Lyn Sheil) start talking while he’s in Brooklyn and she’s in Berlin. It’s a romance that could only happen online, and they’re happy together—except they’ve never really met. But Cody’s questions about Virginia’s life in Berlin become an obsession, leading him to doubt that she’s there at all. Combing NYC for clues about her whereabouts, an increasingly driven Cody begins overstepping boundaries of privacy...
Gist: Cody (John Gallagher Jr.) and Virginia (Kate Lyn Sheil) start talking while he’s in Brooklyn and she’s in Berlin. It’s a romance that could only happen online, and they’re happy together—except they’ve never really met. But Cody’s questions about Virginia’s life in Berlin become an obsession, leading him to doubt that she’s there at all. Combing NYC for clues about her whereabouts, an increasingly driven Cody begins overstepping boundaries of privacy...
- 7/28/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Playing July 12th at Outfest in Los Angeles is writer director Stewart Thorndike's new film Lyle, which is said to be cut from the same umbilical chord as Rosemary's Baby. The Hollywood Reporter scored the first clip, and we have it for you right here.
In the film Gabby Hoffman plays a mother's whose grief over the death of her toddler leads to horror. Ingrid Jungermann, Rebecca Street, Kim Allen, Michael Che, and Ashlie Atkinson also star.
Lyle was written and directed by Stewart Thorndike, produced by Alex Scharfman, and is said to be the first of three upcoming female-focused horror films Thorndike has in the works.
Outfest runs July 10-20 in Los Angeles, CA.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Subscribe to the Dread Central YouTube Channel!
Come out in the comments section below!
In the film Gabby Hoffman plays a mother's whose grief over the death of her toddler leads to horror. Ingrid Jungermann, Rebecca Street, Kim Allen, Michael Che, and Ashlie Atkinson also star.
Lyle was written and directed by Stewart Thorndike, produced by Alex Scharfman, and is said to be the first of three upcoming female-focused horror films Thorndike has in the works.
Outfest runs July 10-20 in Los Angeles, CA.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Subscribe to the Dread Central YouTube Channel!
Come out in the comments section below!
- 7/9/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
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